Page 34 of The Vampire’s Prey

Damn it again. I need to get into her house, but I just don’t know how. My palms slam down hard on the steering wheel. How dare she make me worry like this. I intend to not let her sit pretty for at least several days once I get a hold of her.

I race towards her apartment, talking myself down, so I’m not in a rage when she lets me in. If she lets me in. Within minutes, I'm back at her door. Everything is so eerily quiet. Even the bugs aren’t chirping. An ominous feeling of dread fills me as I knock on the door. I feel so stupid. I should’ve done this a few days ago.

No answer.

Dread coils in my stomach as I knock again. Finally, a faint shuffle sounds in her apartment. She’s at least alive. That is until I get through with her. The quiet scuff and shuffle of her feet ease my nerves. The tension I’ve been holding onto for so many days starts to bleed out the louder that shuffle becomes. Not dead. Thank the gods, she’s not dead.

"I've already told you," her voice, weak and thin, "I've already found religion. I don't need any more.”

She clicks open the lock and eases the door open a crack. The smell of dried blood and garlic hits me in the face from behind her in the apartment. Fear and pain slam into me as I stare down into her deep, chocolate eyes. Gone are the dazzling blue orbs that held me captive, that widened with desire. What the hell is happening?

"Oh Fuck!"

Her soft exclamation snaps me out of my thoughts. I’ll dwell on that later. Without thinking, I snarl down at her. "Let. Me. In.” I know compulsion doesn’t work on her, but I can’t help myself. I need to get in there. I have to see what is happening to cause all that blood. To my shock, she opens the door wider. I see her fighting the compulsion, struggling against the words, but, nevertheless, she caves to my demands.

"Please come in.” Her voice is raspy from lack of use, but it does what I need it to. Pushing into the apartment, I scan the tiny area, looking for anyone who might be harming her. Confusion settles as I take in her studio. Immediately, my eyes zero in on the smashed mirror and dried blood. Narrowing my eyes, I look down at her hands and see where her knuckles are healing. Bringing her hand up to me, I ignore her feeble attempts at pulling out of my grasp. She is so incredibly weak. All I see are cuts but nothing severe.

"What happened?"

I truly look at her then. Now that I know she is alive, I can take my time to peruse her body at my leisure. She shrinks back from me, pulling a tattered quilt tighter around her body with her free hand. Her face is pale and slightly sunken, and her hair is in a tattered mess.

"Let me look at you," I growl, releasing her hand.

She takes a few steps back and shakes her head rapidly. Smirking, I stalk closer. "That was not a request, pet," I compel, eating up every bit of distance she keeps putting between us. The backs of her legs hit the bed. She knows there is nowhere left to run. Her eyes dart back and forth between me and the door, each glance becoming more pained as she assesses her options. Feeble fingers clench and claw at the blanket, and I know she is resisting. I just don’t know why.

My voice is low and quiet, the authority snapping and sizzling in the air. I’m in no mood to play with her. Especially not when she’s injured. The blood I smell is too much to be the cuts on her hands. Something else is happening. Something is very wrong here.

“I will catch you before you even make it a step. Now. Show yourself to me.”

I put a bit more compulsion into my order, and it clearly pains her as she tries harder to resist.

Slowly, the quit drops to the floor. I gasp as I take in her pale form. Bruises dot her skin in odd areas. They appear as if someone has been hitting her in random areas, but they are much smaller than a man's. The smell of blood hits me harder. Not all of it is old. She turns around and my stomach flip-flops as I take in the lines and streaks across her back.

"Who did this to you!" I fight hard to keep the rage in check. I cannot scare my delicate prey right now. That would do neither of us any good.

"I did," she whispers, her head tilting down towards the bed.

I am too stunned to speak for a moment.

"You? How? Why?"

Before she can answer, I look around the room. For the first time, I actually see what is all around me. Cloves of garlic hang in each corner with a garland draped over her bed. Silver crosses hang strategically around the room alongside different incantations in various languages. Fuck me. She knows. Finally, I draw my gaze back down towards the bed. Laying near the edge is a small, leather flogger. Its falls are black, and so I can’t actually see any blood on there. But I don’t have to. It would take an idiot to not put two and two together.

Careful to not upset her, I ease her around to face me again. Pain lances through me at every wince marring her face.

"Why? Why would you do this to yourself? If someone else did this to you,” I pause to regain myself. The thought of anyone laying a hand on her is enough to make me bellow to the heavens. If you’re protecting someone else, don’t. They will never touch you again. I will make certain!

Her skin bunches up in my hands as she fights my grasp. Weak as she is, she’s still fighting me. I let her go before she damages herself trying to get away from me. If I let myself think about it too much, the pain of her rejection comes creeping back in.

"But you can't keep me from touching you," she wails, throwing herself at my chest. "You are my temptation. I must flee!"

"Sit down!" I roar. I am no longer playing nice with her. I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I will get to the end of it. "You are leaving with me tonight. What do you need to go?"

She hesitates, looking around the room, then looking back at me in surprise. "How did you get in here?"

"I don’t understand. You let me in.” Now I'm feeling even more concerned. Perhaps she has a concussion? I reach out to feel her scalp when she flies up from the bed and rushes towards the sink.

"I shouldn't have! I revoke my invitation.” She turns around to look at me, and her jaw drops. "Didn't you hear me? You're not allowed in!" she shrieks.