Chapter Twenty-Four
Savannah
Staring down at the ground, I rethought my plan to climb out of the bathroom window. I hadn’t realized that we were on the second floor when I told Macgrath I needed to pee. Now, the ground seemed very far away.
Then I thought of Rhys and Ava. They would be worried about me and, if they came looking for me, I feared they would both do something they regretted. Macgrath and Rhiannon might deserve to be punished for what they did, but I didn’t want the weight of their pain on Rhys’ soul.
I took a deep breath, pulled up my skirt, and threw my leg over the windowsill. I wished I’d worn something other than my usual summer dress. Moving carefully, I turned so that my belly was against the sill and reached back with my foot. There was a concrete ledge running the length of the house so I placed my toes on it. Gingerly, I put my weight down on my foot and brought my other leg out. Once I had both feet on the ledge, I looked down. If I let myself hang from my extended arms, I would only be four or five feet from the ground. At least that’s what I told myself. I also decided that once this was over, I was going to start working out. My arms and legs trembled from the effort of holding myself on this ledge.
The wind blew, lifting my skirt and obscuring my view of the grass below. Taking a deep breath, I prepared to put my plan into action.
“Nice panties,” a male voice murmured. “Does the bra match?”
I shrieked and my hands slipped off the window. My legs wouldn’t hold my weight and I fell backwards away from the wall. I closed my eyes, knowing that it was going to hurt badly when I hit the ground.
The air whooshed out of my lungs when I hit, but it wasn’t grass beneath me. Two strong arms caught me, one at my mid-back and the other beneath my knees. I stared up at Macgrath’s annoyed face for a beat before I went into action.
I thrashed in his arms, screaming my head off in hopes that someone would hear me. I scratched him and hit him with my fists as I kicked my legs. The vampire grunted as he released my legs, wrapping both arms around me in an effort to contain my struggles.
“You motherfucking asshole,” I yelled, kicking his shins with my now freed feet. “You’re a goddamn dick-faced bastard! Let me go!” More curses streamed from my lips as I fought like a mad thing. I said things that would have made my grandmother faint. But if there was ever a time to cut loose, it was now.
“Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?” he asked, jerking his head back to avoid my flying fist. Suddenly, he had enough and gave me a firm shake. “Stop fighting. We’re a half hour away from the nearest house by car. Even if I did let you go, you wouldn’t get far.”
The fight went out of me then and I let my body go limp.
“That’s better,” he stated with a nod, letting my feet touch the ground. “Now, let’s go inside.”
Thirty minutes later, I was seated on the couch, my elbow resting on the arm and my cheek propped on my hand. Apparently Rhiannon didn’t believe in television and there wasn’t a single bookshelf in sight. To my utter disbelief, I was bored nearly senseless now that I knew the vampire guarding me had no intention of hurting me. At least not yet.
He’d proven that when he caught me climbing out of the bathroom window. Even as I fought, he’d been almost gentle when he restrained me. I bit, clawed, and cursed at him with the expansive vocabulary of a sailor. I used words that I’d never said before because my grandmother would have washed my mouth out with soap if she even thought I uttered them. He hadn’t even left a bruise on my skin and seemed utterly unperturbed.
Macgrath flipped the page of his book, ignoring me completely. I had no idea where he got the book from but the language on the cover wasn’t English, so I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to read it even if he was polite enough to offer it to me. I wasn’t sure but it looked like French.
I sighed and shifted my butt on the sofa cushions.
“What’s wrong now?” he asked absently, his eyes moving steadily over the page.
“Other than you kidnapping me, you mean?” I asked him belligerently, crossing my arms over my chest. Strangely, since the bathroom window incident, I was no longer afraid of him. He’d had every opportunity to harm me then and he hadn’t.
“Yes, other than that.” His voice was mild as though we were talking about the weather rather than the fact that he had forcibly taken me from The Magic Bean.
“I’m bored and I’m hungry. So if there’s no TV or books around here, then the least you can do is feed me.”
His eyes lifted then, focusing on me. “You’re probably hungry because you expended all that energy calling me names earlier.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s my dinner time. You’re obligated to feed me.”
The corners of his mouth twitched and I knew he was trying not to smile. “Obligated?”
I shrugged. “I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t grabbed me from the coffee shop. Therefore you’re required to feed me.”
“I’m not required to do anything,” he replied, going back to his book.
“Fine,” I said, crossing my legs. “Maybe I’ll sing. Do you like Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall?”
His book closed with a snap. “I’ll see what I can find.”
I smiled smugly behind his back.
“Get your ass in here and help me. I don’t trust you not to try and run off again.”
I got to my feet and followed him into the kitchen. I sat at the bar as he studied the contents of the fridge. In turn, I studied him. He was good-looking, clearly intelligent, and strong. I sensed no evil from him. I couldn’t understand why he was working with Rhiannon.
“Go ahead and ask,” he said as he turned from the fridge with a package of mushrooms in his hand.
“How did you know I wanted to ask you a question?” I queried.
He tapped his temple with his free hand. “You’re thinking so loudly that I can practically hear you even though you’re not speaking. Just ask me whatever it is so I can get some peace and quiet.”
I rolled my eyes. He acted tough and abrasive, but his behavior with me and his emotions, what few I could discern, told a different story. “Why are you helping Rhiannon? You’re not evil, I could feel it if you were. And you don’t enjoy causing pain. So what do you get from this?”
He tossed the mushrooms next to the sink and braced his hands on the counter. “You don’t beat around the bush, do you?”
I shook my head. “But you’re evading my question.”
He ripped open the package of mushrooms and began taking them out one by one. “She has something I need.”
I studied his face then looked deeper. Whatever it was, it was vital to him. I could sense his regret and his desire to be free of her hold.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“The name of my maker.”
“You don’t know who made you?” That was strange. Most vampires had close relationships with their creators. It was considered an important relationship in vampire culture, similar to that of a parent and child. Or in the case of mates, a husband and wife.
He shook his head, and to my utter shock, answered my question. “I-I can’t remember,” he replied. “I can’t remember anything about when I was turned or even before. I woke up one day and knew nothing, not even my own name. I was fully grown, but couldn’t recall my childhood. Then the first time I needed to feed…” He trailed off, his jaw clenching. “I need to find my maker and find out why they abandoned me with no memories in a land that I didn’t understand.”
Sympathy welled inside me. I couldn’t imagine waking up one day without a name or friends and family. The very idea scared the heck out of me.
“Don’t pity me,” he said gruffly. “I’ve done well enough.”
I pushed my sympathy for him aside. This man had kidnapped me. He didn’t deserve pity, even with a story like that. “How long have you been with Rhiannon?”
“A few years,” he answered cryptically, his attention on the mushrooms as he cleaned them.
I stared at him in consternation. Macgrath wasn’t stupid. How could he believe after years with Rhiannon that she still intended to help him?
He stopped what he was doing and turned his eyes to me. “You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?” I asked in confusion.
“Thinking so loudly that I can nearly hear every word.” He sighed and reached beneath the counter for a cutting board and knife. He began to chop the mushrooms.
I watched as he sliced the mushrooms neatly then turned and took an onion from a basket on the counter. He removed the skin and chopped it as well.
Finally, he said, “I know she isn’t going to help me.”
“Then why are you still here?”
“Because I have nowhere else to go.”
I couldn’t imagine that feeling. Despite the problems my abilities caused me, I had friends and family to help me if I needed it. Though I often felt alone, I wasn’t. Not truly. Not in the way that Macgrath had been and still was.
I didn’t say anything else as Macgrath took the ingredients to the gas range and began putting together a meal.
A few minutes later, the front door opened and Rhiannon sauntered inside, looking cool and fresh despite the heat outside.
“Good evening,” she greeted me pleasantly, as though I were an invited guest rather than a victim of a kidnapping.
She didn’t wait for my reply, moving directly toward Macgrath. “Darling, you’re making dinner. It smells fantastic.”
Rhiannon stopped next to him and rose on her toes to kiss his cheek. Even from across the kitchen, I could see his body tense beneath her touch and feel his repulsion.
“Rhiannon,” he greeted her as he sidestepped her hand.
A swell of emotions filled the room, but they weren’t Macgrath’s. Anger, pain, and desperation took over the space. I stared at Rhiannon in shock at the amount of chaos that surrounded her. I immediately understood that she wasn’t hiding her abilities right now. Her pale skin glowed with an inner light and her dark eyes shimmered with power. I was also surprised at the loneliness that filled every part of her soul. Rhiannon might have been a powerful witch, but she was also an innately damaged woman. Sympathy filled me for her emotions weren’t so different from mine.
The tempest inside her suddenly quieted as though she slammed a door between us.
Then she smiled and I began to rethink my assessment of her because the smile was malicious and calculating.
“I think it’s time we made a phone call, don’t you?”
She reached into her bag and removed her cell phone. After pressing a few buttons, she put it to her ear.
“Hello, Ava. I believe we have a few things to discuss.” I could hear the sound of Ava’s voice from across the room and Rhiannon’s smile widened. “Now, now, is that any way to talk to someone who’s hosting your friend?” She paused briefly. “I didn’t think so. I believe you know that I want the animavore. I’m going to give you some coordinates in a few moments and you will bring him to me at ten tonight. If you’re late or you pull any kind of shit, Macgrath will rip the little empath’s throat out. Is that understood?”
Without waiting for a response, Rhiannon disconnected the call and leveled her eyes on me. “The same goes for you, Savannah. If you try any sort of stunt, I’ll peel the skin from the witch’s bones and make you watch.”
Rhiannon Temple might be a writhing pit of despair and emptiness, but she was still evil. She wasn’t deserving of my compassion.