8. Chapter 8
Baneshowsmeto the bedroom at the end of the hall. It”s a fairly decent-sized room, with a large double bed against one wall and bedside cabinets on either side. There are two doors opposite the bed. I”m hoping one is an en-suite, and my guess is that the other is a closet. There”s a set of drawers between the frames made of mahogany.
What is it with mahogany?
The hulking vampire stops just inside the door, my hand still touching his arm. He looks down at it, but doesn”t say a word as his eyes flicker to mine. I swallow hard. There is something drawing me to him, but I can”t put my finger on it. A part of me wants to get closer to him, but another part tells me to run away. He is a vampire, after all.
From what I”ve seen of vampires so far, they just take what they want. I”ve seen too many people with throats ripped out and drained of blood in the ER, but Bane makes me feel safe. He has defended me, snarled at his friends, and made sure he has stepped between us. He comforted me and held me close to his huge body.
I spot my bag on the end of the bed, and I rush toward it. Opening it, I find my silver stake inside. Pulling it out, I hold it close to my chest as I turn back to Bane. His eyebrow raises as he looks from the stake clutched in my hand and back up to my eyes before giving me an understanding nod.
”Thank you,” I murmur.
He grunts at me as he walks out of the room and closes the door behind him. The one called Jax said he”d bring me towels and fresh clothing. I look down at my ruined dress. It”s sticky with blood and I want nothing more than to remove it from my body. Pulling down the zip, I let it drop to the floor. My bra is in tatters, and my panties don”t look much better.
It was my favorite dress, but now I want to burn it. I never want to see it again. Checking the first door, it reveals a bathroom, just like I hoped. As soon as I”m through the door, I close it and engage the lock. I”m sure it won”t stop anyone, but I need some sort of deterrent, something to make me feel a little safer. There isan enormous bath that looks big enough for more than one person, and a huge waterfall shower along one wall. I catch a glimpse of myself in the large mirror that sits behind the sink unit. I place the silver stake on the edge of the unit, so it’s close to hand.
Blood covers me and I”m not sure it’s all mine either - I shudder at the thought. I told them I wanted to see Ginny, but for now, the one called Jax has refused my request. Refusing to back down, I let the need to see her, to apologize to her burn in my soul. I remember the words of the wolves; they came for me, not for her. They used her like she was a toy they could throw away and now, because of me, she”s dead.
A sniffle catches in my throat, and tears burn the back of my eyes. Moving to the shower, I turn it on as quickly as I can to muffle the sounds of my crying. Once the water is warm enough, I step under it. The water pooling at my feet is tinged red. Grabbing the soap, I scrub at my body as tears fall down my cheeks. I rub until my skin is raw, and then I scrub a little more.
Shoving my head under the cascade, I attempt to wash the tears away, but they keep coming. Even as I wash the blood from my hair, I can”t stop the whimpers. When I close my eyes to wash the shampoo off, I”m assaulted by a replay of what happened. It”s enough to take me to my knees and curl into the fetal position as the water continues to rain down on me.
I”m shaking as the tears and anguish take over. I let her die. This is all my fault. We should have stayed in the club and approached security.
They”re vampires though, Demi. For all you know, they would have just thrown you to the wolves. Literally.
But they wouldn”t have, would they? There are three of them here now. And not one of them has shown any sign they are going to hurt me, even if I don”t know what they want with me.
I lie on the floor of the shower, letting the pain wrack through my body, staring at the tiled wall next to me. I don”t want to close my eyes again. If I do, I know all I”ll see is Ginny, assaulted and murdered in front of me on an endless loop.
I”m not sure how long I lie there for, but the water is no longer as warm as it was when I first got in. I”ve cried until I can”t cry any longer; my tears have all dried up. Picking myself up off the floor on shaky limbs, I cut off the shower and step onto the mat.
Edging towards the closed door, water drips from my wet body and hair, leaving a trail behind me. When I reach it, I twist the lock. I”m hoping none of the vampires are waiting in the bedroom. I”m not dressed, and I’m in no state to want to see any of them just yet.
As I open the door slowly, I spot two fluffy white towels on the drawers just outside. Slipping an arm through the gap, I snatch them up and pull them back inside the bathroom before slamming the door closed and locking it again.
Throwing one towel onto the sink unit, I wrap the larger of the two around my body. I grab the other and wrap my hair up inside it before turning to face the mirror. My skin is still red, protesting from its thorough scrubbing, but at least I”m not covered in blood anymore.
My eyes look hollow and slightly sunken, and my already light skin is paler than normal. Where the wolves ripped through me there are puckered red marks, but they aren’t painful. I can”t believe how much they”ve healed already.
I really need to ask one of the vampires what the hell happened. I”m only human. From experience as a nurse I know how deep some of them were, so there is no way they healed of their own accord. I shudder at what they might have done to heal my wounds. After I finish inspecting myself, I grab up the stake again; I feel prepared enough to venture into the bedroom once more.
Unlocking the door again, I open it slowly. It”s empty, but there is a set of clothes on the bed. Hurrying over to them, I survey what”s been left for me. Sweatpants, boxers, and a t-shirt, whose I”m not sure. They certainly aren”t Bane”s. His clothing would probably drown me.
Pulling the clothing up my legs, the pants feel too long and loose, but I cinch the waist using the drawstring and roll them up at the waist and ankles. They”ll have to do. It”s not like I”m going to put my blood stained dress on again.
I look to where I dropped my dress and underwear, but I find them missing. It must have been Jax. The underwear was in no fit state to be worn and I”m glad he took them. I”m not sure I could have looked at them again. I don”t want to keep reliving what happened.
Picking up the t-shirt, I throw it over my head and shove my arms through the holes. It reaches well past my ass. Now I”m finally clothed, I feel a little better, a little more human.
Sitting on the bed, I sink down into the mattress. It”s as comfy as the bed I woke up in. Whose bed was that? The thought suddenly pops into my mind. I lift the fabric and sniff it. AllI can smell is whatever detergent was used.
My shoulders slump. I”m exhausted. Between the trauma of what happened, and spending God only knows how long crying in the bathroom, I”m bone tired. Dragging myself from the bed, I move to the door that leads to the hall, looking to see if it will lock. Thankfully, there is one and I engage it straight away.
Shuffling back to the bed, I place the stake on the bedside table, pull back the covers, and slip beneath them. I”ll just close my eyes for a few minutes. That”s all I need. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I”m out like a light.