“—drank your blood?”
“You don’t need to.”
“But what if I did?”
“There are a lot of variables. I can’t guarantee you can ever read my thoughts.”
She closed her eyes again. “Was I better than your cousin would have been?”
He laughed, loud and hearty. “For someone who didn’t believe in what we were yesterday, you sure changed your mind rather quickly. No, it wouldn’t have worked like that with him. For one thing, he would have known what to do. And he wouldn’t have his heart invested in it like you did.”
“Then what would he—what? What do you mean, my heart?”
“If I say anything else, I’m going to stick my foot in my mouth. Let’s just say for now, until we can discuss this, he would not have gotten the…sensations you did.” His smile faded. “You saved me, Anastazia. He would not have arrived in time. And to be honest, even then he might not have been able to revive me.”
“Then how did I manage it?”
He stroked her arm again.
God, that feels so good! It was hard to be mad at him when he touched her like that.
“Because of your power. Because of your heart. And because I cannot refuse you.”
Taz puzzled over his last comment, but before she could ask, he leaned over and tenderly kissed her forehead.
“Go to sleep. You need it. I can get cleaned up now that I know you’ll be okay. We’ll talk later, I promise. You did good, Anastazia. You saved my life. For that I owe you everything.”
She nodded. Matthias let go of her hand after one final, gentle squeeze. She realized he was wearing a pair of shorts, but he was still covered with dried blood. She closed her eyes and sent him a thought.
“Please be here when I wake up.”
He turned. “I will. I promise.”
It was dark outside, and someone had removed the IV while she slept. Taz carefully sat up, and the room threatened to spin before settling. Her stomach growled. How long had she been out?
Finally making it to vertical, she sat on the edge of the bed as the room dangerously tipped again. The empty IV pole stood nearby. The bedside clock read 8:15, but was it accurate?
She’d been out over twelve hours?
The room obligingly settled, and she staggered to the bathroom. On the hamper she found new underwear, a fluffy robe, and pajamas, all in her size. Deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, and floss, all the brands she used, were set out on a shelf by the sink.
Robertson.
She wanted to be mad at him. How much had he lied over the years? All this time, he’d worked for Matthias.
But he was her only family.
She stepped into the shower, her hand on the wall for balance. She still felt a little woozy, but better. Her favorite shampoo and conditioner, new bottles, sat on a shelf just inside the door. And a new scrubbie. And her favorite bodywash. And a razor and shaving gel.
Robertson thought of everything.
With the shower as hot as she could stand it, she lost herself in thought. What did her house look like? What did the thing that trashed it, and nearly trashed Matthias in the process, look like?
There was disbelief and there was denial. She could choose to not believe what happened, but she couldn’t deny the severity of Matthias’ wounds or how fast he healed.
She had the scar on her wrist as proof of what happened.
Why did it attack her? And would another Other come after her?
The Other’s brother from another mother.
Okay, that was definitely stress. Lots and lots of stress.
She dressed and went downstairs in search of food. Robertson stood when she entered the kitchen.
“Taz!” He threw his arms around her, more emotional than she’d ever seen him. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again, sweetheart.”
She returned his embrace and eventually managed to free herself. “I think I’m supposed to be angry at you. Can you fix me some eggs?”
He smiled. Was that relief? “Sit. How many?”
“Three, please. To start. I’m starving.” His scrambled eggs were the best in the world. Fluffy and cheesy, without a hint of whites. It was always her favorite meal, and no one ever cooked them as good as he did.
Albert appeared. “You’re looking a lot better.”
“Thank you. Did I really sleep all day?”
He nodded. “It’s nearly nine.”
“Where’s Matthias?”
“He’ll be in shortly.”
A moment later the door to the garage opened, and there he was, wearing a short-sleeved light-blue chambray shirt, jeans, and barefoot. Matthias looked like a yuppie, not a vampire.
He paused when he saw her. “Did you sleep well?”
Anastazia nodded, reaching out to touch a fresh, pale scar across his forehead. It had been a deep, bloody gash across his flesh when she saw him in the bedroom. “It’s gone.”
“Yes. Thanks to you.”
“I want to see the thing’s head.”
All three men frowned. Robertson plated her eggs and handed them to her. “Taz, that’s not a good idea,” he said.
“Why not?” She dug into the eggs. Oh, they were great! She’d need more. This wouldn’t be enough. She was ravenous, ripped into them like a starving wolf. “I want to see it. I think I’ve earned the right.”
Matthias studied her for a moment and nodded. “All right.”
He returned with a clear garbage bag, like they used for recycling in the office. The thing’s head was semilupine in shape but twice as large. She saw dried, brown smears of blood through the plastic and closed her eyes.
“Okay, all right. I’m convinced.”
He took it away. When she heard the door to the garage close she opened her eyes. “Holy crap! How can they stay hidden looking like that?”
“That’s why they’re called the Others,” Albert explained. “They mostly stay to themselves. They’re actually the origin of the Bigfoot and Yeti myths. The Chupacabra. Any reliable sighting of a bipedal, crypto-zoological creature that isn’t a shape-shifter is most likely an Other. They have hybrids and humans helping them. Why they’re involved in this is—”
“Complicated,” Matthias said, returning. He carried the sword, wiping it with a white cloth. He laid it on the counter, and she noticed strange symbols inscribed on the blade. “I think it was a contract hit.”
Taz finished her eggs, her appetite fading with that new revelation. “Why me?”
Matthias sat across from her, his eyes boring into hers. “Because they want something from you.”
What?
Matthias looked at the counter. Robertson and Albert suddenly scooted, leaving them alone.
Okay, so she hadn’t imagined the mind reading.
Spooky.
Matthias looked at her. “If you want the truth, you cannot get angry at me for telling you.”
“Sure I can. Try me.”
Her heart skipped as his mouth curled in a delicious half smile. “From what I was able to find out before it died, the Others want to take you before you get pregnant. It didn’t know exactly why, it was just a hired hand.”
“They… What?”
“I’m just telling you what it told me.”
She couldn’t even think about what she wanted to say, because he could read her thoughts. “Pregnant? I’m not having a baby with you. We’re not even dating! You’re my boss—”
and I love you
“—don’t those idiots know that?”
Shit.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I know I’ve got you at a disadvantage. If it’s any comfort, it fades at a distance.”