“
We did not find you in a dumpster, you idiot girl.”
“
Then…”
“
Your mother was poor. We simply relieved her of one more burden.”
“
You kidnapped her from her mother?” Kiera was outraged. I couldn’t see how it made much of a difference how I arrived at Lexon.
“
What does it matter to you?” Neleh’s smile suddenly widened. “Ah yes, I almost forgot. You were a mother…once.” Her smile remained fixed.
“
We will not speak of such things. Remember your place, Neleh.”
In my peripheral vision I saw Henri fidgeting, itching to fight. On their own accord, my eyes swung to Dominick. He stood tense, equally ready for a fight. And I stood in front of Neleh, shaking like a leaf and bleeding on my shoes. Dominick was right; I needed to pull myself together. I took a deep breath through my nose and let it out slowly.
“
Are you going to run to Dominick now Eva?” Neleh’s voice whispered in my head. “Let him hold you and wipe away your tears.”
“
Why did you drag me into your fight with the Letrell’s?” I didn’t move my lips.
“
Sometimes Eva,” I turned to glare at her even though she wasn’t speaking out loud, “matters of the heart can wound the deepest.”
“
You are a horrible creature.”
“
Name calling will get you nowhere.” Her lips turned up into a crazy grin.
“
You pretend to help humanity, to be a superhero. But the truth is, you are as evil as Dominick.”
“
Perhaps you are right.” She shrugged lightly.
I didn’t see anything else then, only her half smile and cocky confidence. She thought that no one would hurt her. I didn’t take the time to think things through clearly. I merely acted on impulse.
I lunged at Neleh with the closest weapon I could find — my small knife. Everyone seemed to move all at once then. Ossian was on top of me in an instant, pinning me to the ground with his strong hands. I felt my fragile human bones cracking under the pressure.
Then he was flying through the air and Dominick was hovering over top of me with his teeth bared. Almost instantaneously several more Letrell brothers were over me in similar positions.
Over their ferocious growling and the haze of my own pain, I couldn’t hear anything else that was going on, but I did hear Neleh’s voice in my head just before everything turned black.
“
We shall meet again, Eva,” she promised.
Chapter Twenty
–Nine
I opened my eyes and smiled into the sunlight. Nickolas was sitting on a chair beside my bed. I reached my hand out to him, still grinning. I wondered why his smile was so hesitant.
He brought my fingers to his lips and kissed them gently. “I missed your face,” he whispered hoarsely.
I giggled softly. “Geez, how long have I been sleeping?”
“
You’re just,” he sucked in a ragged breath, “just as I remember.” He pushed the hair off my forehead with a gentle caress.
“
You look so tired,” I whispered. I let my fingertips glide softly over the purple rings under his eyes. His eyes closed and he shivered slightly.
The door opened behind him. We both turned our heads to see David coming into the room. His appearance shattered my beautiful delusion; I snatched my hand away from Dominick.
“
Eva, you’re awake.”
“
Yeah.” I didn’t return David’s smile. I was too busy trying to tear my eyes from Dominick.
“
How do you feel?”
I was sure he meant physically. I shrugged a little. “Fine.”
“
I was beginning to wonder of you would ever get up.”
I jerked my head up. “How long have I been sleeping?”
“
Um…” He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck.
“
Seventy-eight hours, twenty-six minutes, and thirteen seconds. But that is just since we got here.” Dominick answered for David.
“
Where’s here?” I still addressed David.
“
We’re at Blakesly House.”
“
Kiera’s home?”
“
It’s the house of the Letrell’s.”
“
You…brought me…here?” I wanted to jump up and demand that we go somewhere else but I wasn’t sure what our options were or how strong I was. I didn’t want Dominick to see me weak. I tried my best not to look at him. An all too familiar hatred was surfacing.
“
You’re safe here.”
My eyes darted on their own accord to where Dominick still sat. His eyes were narrowed but he didn’t say anything. “How can you be sure?”
His eyes also darted to the silent Dominick. “You are,” was all he said.
“
You’re mine, Eva,” Dominick finally broke his silence, “no one would dare to hurt you.”
“
I’m not yours. I don’t belong to anyone.” My hands clenched. David came to stand closer to the bed. “Where’s Neleh?”
“
She’s gone.”
Obviously. “Where…did she go?”
“
You can’t think to rejoin her?” Dominick asked.
I didn’t acknowledge him. “Where did she go?”
“
I don’t know,” David answered, “she disappeared with the guard. She’ll probably stay out of sight for a while.”
“
Why?” Surely she would come back for me. I heard Dominick’s low growl but pretended not to.
“
She is afraid that Kiera will take the guard from her. She is used to having that authority.”
“
She wouldn’t.” It was hard to imagine Neleh being afraid of anything.
David only shrugged. “You feel like getting up?”
I hesitated. What if I was too weak? “Ok.”
David pulled my blanket off of me which got a warning growl from Dominick — who refused to leave. “Do you want to help her then?” he asked Dominick.
“
I don’t need help.” I slowly moved my legs over the side of the bed and brought myself to a sitting position.
“
Don’t go to fast Eva,” David warned, “you broke nearly every bone in your body. I mended them as best I could, but you are only human.”
“
My bones were broken?” Why couldn’t I remember that?
“
Ossian…”
I closed my eyes and groaned. I had tried to attack Neleh. She would never forgive me. “What was I thinking?”
“
You weren’t.” He put his hands under my arms and pulled me to a standing position. Even though I staggered slightly, I managed to stay on my feet.
I held onto his hand as I made an experimental walk around the room. It irritated me that Dominick hovered at my side. Didn’t he have anything better to do? Someone to torture or a city to burn?
“
I have no prior engagements,” he replied to my thoughts without a hint of amusement on his hardened features.
I glared at him. I hated when he listened to my private thoughts. So intent was I in glaring that I tripped over nothing and almost went down. Dominick had a hold of my waist instantly.
His touch was too hot on my already burning skin. I twisted out of his grip, forcing David to catch me when I lost my balance again. David fought back a grin. “Just steady yourself and we’ll go again,” he chuckled.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’d be fine if he would go away.” I stood back up on shaking legs, turning so I could scowl at Dominick. “Go away.”
“
I don’t have anywhere to be,” he shrugged one shoulder.
“
So go and dig a big hole, then bury yourself in it. Saves us all a whole lot of hassle.”
“
Come on Eva,” David tugged on my elbow. “He’s not bothering you.”
“
He is bothering me.” I started walking again. “Just by being here.” Dominick never left my side.
After two times around the room, David declared me too tired to go again. “I don’t feel tired.”
“
Your heart rate is skyrocketing.”
That’s because Dominick Letrell is following me. “I’ll sit down for a minute.”
“
Are you hungry?”
I hadn’t thought about food but the mention of it made my stomach rumble. “A little.”
It couldn’t have been a full minute later that the door opened and in walked a small auburn haired woman. She was beautiful enough just standing there but when she smiled it made my breath catch. “Hello Eva,” her voice sang out.
I was completely mesmerized. “Hi.”
“
I’m Claudia.” The name didn’t ring a bell. “I’ve brought you some breakfast.”
I hadn’t even realized she was holding a silver tray. “Thanks.” I made a move to get up but Dominick’s barking voice made me pause.
“
Just set it on the bed and leave.”
I frowned, but luckily she didn’t listen. She pulled a small table up to me and placed the tray on top of it. After she uncovered the delicious smelling food she sat on the bed beside me. David cringed and looked at Dominick. “What do you want Claudia?” Dominick demanded.
I couldn’t be sure but it looked like the lovely Claudia stuck her tongue out at Dominick, who didn’t appear to be joking at all. My mouth fell open.
“
I got in just last night.”
“
I hadn’t heard you were coming,” David replied. Did David know her?
She looked away, pretending to help me. “We’ve missed you David.” They did know each other.
“
Is he here?”
“
No, he didn’t…he didn’t come.” Who was he? “We looked for you. For years. We wanted…to find you. But then we heard you were with Neleh.”
If David and Claudia did know each other, they weren’t close. They were certainly awkward now. I looked over at Dominick, momentarily forgetting that we were enemies. He was staring directly at me; he hadn’t stopped looking at me since I woke up. He was probably making sure I ate. I put the fork down on my plate. We both crossed our arms. This could get annoying.
“
Then we got word that you were here.”
“
Did Kiera call you?” David sank down and made himself comfortable on the floor, which made Claudia relax.
“
Yes. I asked her to inform me if and when you and Neleh parted ways.”
David smiled then. “I see.”
“
David, we were thinking,” she flexed her jaw nervously. “Well, you don’t have anywhere to live now, right?”
“
Out of the question,” Dominick suddenly snarled.
Anger glimmered in her pale green orbs, making me like her even more. “You don’t answer for David.” There was menace in her voice.
“
She will not go anywhere with you.” He jerked his thumb in my direction.
“
And David won’t go without her?”
“
I don’t know that I would go anyways,” David finally spoke for himself.
“
What makes you think you can tell me where I will go?” I demanded of Dominick.
“
When we heard that Dominick finally found a mate, we assumed that the woman would be willing.”
They all three smiled but I found nothing amusing about her words. “I am not his mate,” I denied vehemently.
Claudia looked at me with a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry dear.” David laughed.
“
I am not his mate.”
“
Yes you are,” Dominick responded hotly. I was positive that he said that only to irritate me.
“
Where do you want us to go?” My voice was too harsh but I couldn’t help it.
The reminder of her mission made Claudia’s face fall. “Marcus and I make our home in the states. I mean, Blakesly House will always be our home, but right now we stay in the states.”
“
And you want us to go there with you?”
She cast a nervous glance to Dominick. “I came to ask David, but we would love for you to come as well.” She took my hand in hers.
“
She is not going anywhere.”
“
I didn’t ask you.” He turned his glare to include me, but I didn’t flinch back. “We’ll go, won’t we David?”
“
I…I don’t know.”
“
I understand why you don’t want to come with me David, but he—” her voice broke and she had to look away.
I was horrified by the tears I saw on her lashes. “David.”
“
Eva, you don’t understand.”
“
So you guys had a fight. You and…”
“
Marcus.”
“
Marcus?”
“
Yep.”
“
Marcus Letrell.” A nod of confirmation. “Oh.” That changed things.
“
Undoubtedly Neleh filled your head with lies about the Letrell’s?” Claudia asked.
“
She told me some things.” I wasn’t ready to start bashing Neleh.
“
You’ll have to judge for yourself, but we aren’t a bad group.” I didn’t miss that she included herself.