Beasthood (The Hidden Blood Series) (11 page)

             
The bed was dressed in chocolate-brown, silk sheets and a darker fur throw was draped across the bottom, right where he sat.

             
On the left wall was an odd shaped, floor to ceiling window. The light was dulled by a layer of what Jaz presumed was the same plastic or glass coating in her cell. The light also seemed to only come through from the top like they were just over halfway below the ground-
like a cellar,
she thought again. The texture was bubbly and potholed reminding her of the surface of the moon but in miniature. There were sheer blinds drawn halfway across it leaving a long slit in the middle and thick, dark brown curtains either side, held back by matching tiebacks.

             
Jaz gazed back to the bed where a bedside table stood alone on that side with a matching lamp. On the wall to the left of where she stood was a partially protruding built in, stone closet/ wardrobe with dark -probably brown- sliding Japanese doors. Where her cell outer wall ended, the closet began, making her wonder how big this place was and what other rooms were beyond this one.

             
Also, who's room was this? She had a sneaking feeling...

             
An unidentifiable animal hide and a strange abstract wall canvas above the head board that Jaz could only distinguish as black trees or grass- were the only decorations in the room. To her right, behind her aunt's man-shoulders, was a closed door. A bathroom?

             
It only took her a few seconds to take in the layout of the room, before she peeked again at Driver. He had perched himself on the edge of the fur throw with his elbows on his thighs, open hands pressed together, with his fingertips touching in between his black brows, and thumbs supporting his chin like flesh brackets. He was staring severely at the floor; his dark, deep set eyes nearly disappearing within the shadows of his eyebrows and forehead.

             
She felt strange now he wasn't near her. She recoiled at the feeling but she knew what it was saying. It wanted him to come back.
She
didn't. She could still distinguish between the two.

             
A head of rose-gold shoulder-length hair blocked her view of him and Jaz nearly jumped out of her skin. Skye was about to touch her arm to see Jaz's hand but Jaz dodged her. “Don't touch me,” she warned quietly.

             
The pretty girl smiled and Jaz observed she had very straight, white teeth, freckles that at a distance she mistook as a sun tan, golden-brown eyes, dark red lashes and matching eyebrows. She had an upside-down tear drop for a face, high cheekbones and a light-hearted air about her. She treated Jaz's warning in the same way and found her wounded hand quicker than Jaz expected, guiding it towards her so she could get to work. She studied the cut carefully -Jaz staring at her silky hair the whole time- before Skye looked back at Maria. “It's not as bad as it looks. My herbs should work.”

Herbs?
Jaz wondered with a mixture of skepticism, curiosity and unease.

             
Maria simply nodded.

             
Skye looked further to her left towards the bed where Driver sat. He was watching Jaz more intently than she knew from between his fingers.”Is it okay if we sit down there?” She cocked her head to the bed.

             
Jaz eyed it with mixed feelings.

             
She needed to sit down -she was amazed she'd lasted this long without falling over- but the fact that she felt relieved and even yearned to sit there because it was near her
kidnapper -
her kidnapper for god sake!- made her mangled toes curl. She cringed at the pain.

             
It was more focused on the toenail area. She remembered the sound of clipping and her jaw locked together as if reliving the pain. She couldn't will herself to move. But as soon as Maria gave a confirming nod, Skye's dainty hand wrapped gently around the wrist of Jaz's sliced hand and she led her to the bed, like a shy child being led by her mum on her first day of school.

             
Jaz sat down awkwardly on the right corner, Driver had moved over a little to the left to give them some space and Skye sat between them. He didn't change position and stole looks at her hand as Skye got to work cleaning it.

             
He dropped his fingers a little, raising his head so he could get a better look. It was a small motion but Jaz saw him and their eyes met. She felt the same annoying emotion willing her to keep eye contact but she slapped it away contumaciously and locked her eyes on her hand. When the blood and the stinging got too much she turned to the floor. She didn't look at him again.

             
Not until he spoke. “I think it's time you all left her. She needs to rest.” It wasn't a suggestion.

             
Erica had barely moved an inch since being shook by her niece. Now she turned to gaze at Driver unhappily. At the sound of his voice, Jaz glanced his way. His gaze was fixed on her aunt, ordering her silently with his powerful eyes. She noticed he had quite pretty, thick black eyelashes and at that she forced-demanded, willed, begged- herself not to look at him again. Not even for a second. Though she didn't know how long that would last.

“
We will talk again,” was her aunt's final word.

             
Jaz couldn't even look the woman in the eye, she was that outraged and furious with her. She heard her leave; her footsteps fading down the unknown corridor. It had stone floors and most likely walls. The footsteps echoed but there was something cushioning it. She remembered seeing a plain, light blue runner though she hadn't really noticed it at the time.

“
I think she should have a shower. Freshen up.” Maria suggested in a gentle voice. Jaz gazed at the old woman with a blank expression. She faced the young girl adding, “Driver put your suitcase away. He'll get it out for you when Skye is done here.”

“
I need my bag.”
I need my pills,
was what she really meant.

             
Driver got up. Jaz watched his legs move to the built in closet. He slid the door open. She saw a few men's shirts and shoes on the floor in the small opening before he pulled out her suitcase and shut the door.

             
Those clothes looked very similar to the ones...

You've gotta be kidding me!?
She'd had a niggling suspicion but now she was certain. This was Driver's bedroom.

             
She didn't know whether to be horrified or grossed out. In the end she landed somewhere in-between but a missing item distracted her. Driver carried her small, red suitcase a short way before placing it on the floor several feet from her. “My handbag?” she questioned a little impatiently.

             
She needed her iron pills fast. She'd already stretched herself. By this rate she'd need to have an injection and she doubted they had any laying around here. Or that they'd give her any, even if they did.

“
Alf!” Maria called out the door. Jaz turned at the sound of a nearby door opening.

             
A young man's voice replied, “Yes Ma'am?”

Ma'am?
Jaz nearly laughed out loud.

“
Bring her bag.”

“
And the bottle?”

“
That too.”

Bottle? Shit! Did he mean my pills? They know!?
Jaz tried to conceal the horror in her face but it was a poor effort.

             
Skye, who was now applying a strange mushy green mixture on her clean cut looked up when she felt the frightened girl's hand tense. Jaz barely saw her. Her eyes swept over her before turning back to Maria. Driver watched the whole scene unhappily but didn't speak straight away.

             
The young boy's voice returned with her bag and a face. She recognized him as the one who'd brought the tray; and who she'd attacked. She cringed as the guilt took over before being squished by her growing anxiety.

             
“Thank you Alf,” Maria said lightly.

             
The boy disappeared closely followed by the sound of a door opening and closing before Driver's deep, velvet voice explained, “We only found out today.” Jaz's head turned in his direction and her eyes disobeyed her brain by fixing themselves on his. He looked at her kindly, apologetically. She was stunned and then suspicious. “Your- Erica... she never heard you mention it. Never even suspected you were... anaemic.”

             
Jaz frowned. “It's not exactly something you want to pass around. It's personal,” she retorted.

“
You sound like you're... ashamed?” he observed incredulously, though the emotion was only faint in his tone.

             
Skye had finished applying the earthy-smelling mixture to her palm and was now wrapping a bandage around it.

“
I'm not ashamed. It's just nobody's business. And I'm glad she never knew. It's not something I'd want my kidnappers knowing.”

             
Driver exhaled sharply, the disbelief was obvious on his face now. “You could have died if we hadn't found out!” he argued.

             
She looked at the floor then back at him coldly. “There are worse things,” she mumbled.

             
He stared at her, surprised and upset by her answer. She'd been that close to giving up. He praised his quick observation; finding her pills before it was too late.

She'd have let herself die?
He was awed and disgusted amongst many things at that realization.

             
The fact that she had the mental strength to do that amazed him, but the fact it was brought on by her pure hate for her 'kidnappers' didn't exactly fill him with joy.

             
He clenched his jaw as he stared at her. She looked away, appearing indifferent by this bombshell she'd just landed on them but inside she was ashamed. She really couldn't believe she would have let herself die rather than tell them she was in need. It was pride beyond the extreme. She wanted to fix it.

             
Whenever she saw a flaw in herself she felt compelled to fix it. To better herself. Even in this horrible, twilight-zone of a situation she still wanted to correct her mistake. Not for anyone else, but for her.

             
She saw that Maria was standing still, holding her handbag. She'd been watching the scene from a distance and had gone into a semi-daydream. She quickly realized Jaz was looking at her and blinked, focusing on her granddaughter with raised, questioning brows. She could see a question appearing on the girl's lips.

“
Can I have my pills, please?”

             
Maria felt pathetic when her heart swelled at being spoken to directly by her -not in anger or a negative way, but politely.

You've gone soft you old fool,
she chided herself. A faint smile played along her plump, caramel-glossed lips. “Of course.” She held out the bag in front of her and stepped forward.

             
Jaz took it and bobbed her head in thanks. She opened the bag and found the pills bottle. A sense of paranoia tickled at her brain as she wondered if they'd swapped the pills.

I'd know anyway,
she assured herself though she wasn't confident. She didn't have any other reason but she believed they wouldn't do that.

             
After all this drama and lack of food -apart from the bloody steak that's effect had now worn off- she was feeling the symptoms of severely low iron. Her breathing was weak and difficult. She felt so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. And very sick and hollow from days of bad sleep, next to no food and tap water. She wasn't even sure the pills would help much.

Guess it doesn't matter if I ask now.

“This might not be enough...” she began.

             
Maria gazed at her in confusion. She took in the girl's tired, withered appearance and the knowledge that her granddaughter hadn't eaten anything for days into consideration before asking, “What do you need?”

             
Driver focused on the two women intently. Skye had finished the bandage and was waiting for the right moment to leave.

“
An iron shot,” Jaz replied quietly. It was a hard thing to admit, especially to these people, but she didn't have a choice. She really didn't want to die. She thought she did before, but not anymore. “It's called Iron Dextran. That's what I'm usually given. If not Ferumoxytol works pretty much the same.”

“
Skye?” Driver said. It sounded like a command, Jaz observed, but then considered his voice always seemed to sound that way.

             
The dainty, tall girl stood to her feet; the first aid kit tucked under her arm. Her deep green t-shirt and acid-denim jeans blocked Jaz's view of Driver. Jaz then leaned to one side before she realized what she was doing.