Chapter Eighteen
Nita held her breath as the phone continued to ring. “Pick up,” she whispered, praying she wasn’t too late.
“Hello?”
The sound of her mother’s voice would have brought her to her knees had she been standing. “Hey, Mom, it’s me.”
“Nita,” her mother breathed, tears evident in her voice. “You’re alive. Oh my God, are you all right?”
“I’m okay, Mom. I need you listen to me carefully. Don’t interrupt and don’t ask any questions.”
The line grew silent for a moment. “What’s wrong, honey? You’re scaring me.”
“Are you alone?” Nita’s chest tightened with anxiety.
“Yes. Now tell me what’s happening.”
Nita could see Vlad pacing in her peripheral. She turned her head away to block out the distraction. “I don’t have time to explain, Mom, but you can’t trust anyone but me right now.”
“Just tell me, baby. You’re worrying me.”
“I need you to grab a few things, get in your car, and drive to Winters Inn on Highway 2. Do not tell anyone where you’re going, and no matter what you do, no one is to know you’ve spoken with me.”
“But—”
“You have to do this, Mom. I’ll explain everything to you once I see you.”
“Okay, honey. I’ll leave here within the hour.”
“That’s too long!” Nita barked, immediately regretting her tone. “Go get dressed and leave now. Call this number when you arrive at the hotel.”
“All right. I’ll do it now.”
Relief instantly poured through Nita. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too, baby.” The line went dead.
Nita handed Vlad his phone and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I need some clothes.”
Vlad nodded toward some folded items at the foot of the bed. “Courtesy of Ember.”
“Remind me to thank her. Again.”
Gathering the clothes that Ember had sent in, Vlad handed them to Nita and moved across the room to peer out the window, keeping his back to her as he spoke. “You can stay here for as long as you’d like.”
Nita’s stomach flipped. She pulled on her borrowed jeans and tugged the sweater over her head. “I can’t stay here, Vlad. I have to figure out a way to prove that I’m not a danger to my people.”
Vlad turned and sauntered back toward the bed. “After everything they did to you, you would return to them?”
“What does it matter to you?” Nita snapped, slipping her feet into the soft, fur-lined boots sitting next to the bed.
“You’re bonded to me, whether you like it or not. What hurts you hurts me.”
Panic settled in Nita’s chest. “Bonded? I know that works with vampires, but how can you be sure it will happen with me?”
“I’m not willing to risk it.”
Nita surged to her feet, instantly regretting it. The room spun around her, and nausea threatened.
“Lie back down,” Vlad insisted, immediately at her side. “It’s too soon for you to be up.”
Nita refused to sit. “I’ll be fine in a minute.”
Vlad kept his hand on her arm. “How long has it been since you’ve eaten?”
Nita was suddenly aware of two things, Vlad’s incredible scent, and the vein pulsing in his neck. She could almost taste his blood on her tongue, feel it sliding down her throat.
She jerked her gaze to his, only to find him watching her with the same hunger she felt for him. “Nita…”
“What’s happening to me?” she whispered, searching his eyes for answers.
“My blood thrives in your veins, as yours does in mine. Your body craves something that I, alone can give. Just as I crave you in a way I never imagined possible.”
Warmth enveloped her the longer she stood there, drinking him in. Her nipples grew sensitive, tingling with awareness. She could feel her body awakening, preparing her for his touch.
“It’s not natural,” she breathed, barely able to speak.
“We’re not natural, Nita. We are creatures, put on this earth for two different purposes. One born of good, the other spawned from evil.”
“You’re not evil, Vlad.”
“It is true that I possess a certain darkness,” Vlad argued, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Perhaps you are my salvation.”
The dizziness Nita had felt upon standing slowly ebbed. She tore her gaze away from his and trailed off toward the door, not wanting to delve any deeper into his words. “I think I will have something to eat, if you don’t mind.”
Vlad followed her to the door, taking hold of her elbow. “If I don’t have anything you would like, I’ll have Mordecai go get you something.”
“Whatever you have will be fine,” Nita assured him, allowing him to guide her down the stairs.
Angel and Shon waited at the bottom.
Nita didn’t miss the flare of their nostrils, no doubt taking in her strange scent of shifter flesh and vampire blood.
Vlad guided her around the two gaping vampires. “I’m taking Nita to the kitchen for a bite to eat.”
Angel fell in step beside them. “Mordecai is already in there whipping her up a steak.”
“Damn, I miss steak,” Shon growled, following close behind.
Angel glanced back over his shoulder. “Really? Where would you like it, in the heart or the gut?”
“Very funny, Angela. I’ll just bet you would prefer one in a dark, tight—”
“Enough,” Vlad scolded, his lips twitching in humor. “I’m sure our guest doesn’t want to hear about Angelo’s sexual preferences.”
Nita managed to keep a straight face. “Oddly enough, I would have pegged Shon as the freak.”
Laughter erupted from the trio escorting her to the kitchen.
Strange, Nita thought, strolling through the giant castle. She had never thought vampires were capable of being a family. But that was exactly what they appeared to be.