Page 26 of Patrick’s Seduction

“You coming?” Thomas suddenly asked.

Patrick blinked, and realized that the elevator doors stood open, and they’d arrived on the top floor, where all executive offices were located. It was the floor where only vampires, vampire hybrids, their blood-bonded mates, and other supernatural creatures were allowed—no humans. However, that rule had been broken more often than it had been adhered to. Why it still existed was anybody’s guess.

He exited the elevator. “It’s all good. I just have a lot of things on my mind.” He walked toward his office. “Thanks for your help, Thomas. Keep me posted.”

“Sure thing.”

In his office, Patrick let himself fall into his chair. He logged into his computer. It was time to find out more about Cameron Gallagher.

14

Fallon stepped out of the tub and started drying off with a large, fluffy bath towel. She looked into the mirror, inspecting the bruises on her body. To her surprise, they looked like they were healing very quickly, almost as if the whole incident was just a nightmare. But it wasn’t. She rubbed her left shoulder, and although it wasn’t injured, she could feel something there. No pain, no, not really, but something else that made a shiver run down her spine into her tailbone. It was as if touching the spot unlocked something inside her: a memory.

She’d always known that perfume or other distinct smells could help recall memories, just like listening to music could remind a person of things from long ago. But a touch? So why did she feel that there was something there, so close to touch, yet still beyond her reach?

She tried to block it out, not wanting to destroy the relaxing state the bath had put her in. She’d relived the intimate moments she and Patrick had shared. She’d felt safe in his arms—and cherished. Patrick had been gentle, not demanding like Cameron had always been. At the thought of him, she felt pain in her left shoulder again. She rubbed the spot, wishing the feeling away, but it persisted.

She reached for the clean clothes she’d placed on the hamper. Slowly, she put on panties and a fresh pair of khakis. When she pulled the long-sleeved T-shirt over her head and the fabric connected with her left shoulder, a jolt of fear rushed through her. She shivered involuntarily.

Her heart beat like a jackhammer, and her throat went dry. She smoothed down her T-shirt, trying to calm herself, but realized that her hands were trembling. The fear she’d felt the previous night when she’d encountered her attacker, came back in all its facets.

And with the fear, a memory emerged. She closed her eyes, focusing on it, her pulse racing the way it had raced when she’d turned away from the refrigerator in her lab to face the intruder. At first, all she saw was darkness. It was suffocating. She gasped for a breath, but her body tensed, knowing what was coming. She saw the eyes then, but she didn’t recognize them, because they glowed in the dark. Fear spiked inside her. Like a predator, he approached, leaving no doubt as to what he wanted. When he spoke, she recognized his voice. It was Cameron who’d attacked her.

“It’s your fault, Fallon. You leave me no choice.” The icy words felt like blades slicing into her skin, tearing her flesh.

When he gripped her shoulder, and his nails dug into her skin, she tried to free herself, but he was stronger. His face was only inches from hers. She felt paralyzed, unable to move, unable to escape.

“You’ll be mine,” he claimed.

Tears stung in her eyes, making her vision blurry. She felt excruciating pain in her shoulder, as if he was slicing her open. She couldn’t tell what was happening, whether it was Cameron’s hand that was hurting her, or whether he was biting her, ripping her flesh. All she knew was that she wished she was dead so she wouldn’t have to endure the pain and fear any longer.

“Nooooo!” she begged, trying to appeal to his mercy. “Please, let me go!”

But he had no mercy to give. No heart to appeal to. No compassion for her pain. He was evil to the core. Bad through and through.

“Fallon!?”

A female voice pulled her back into the present. Lydia, Patrick’s blonde colleague, rushed into the bathroom.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, concern in her voice.

Fallon felt her body shake and recognized that tears were streaming down her face. Lydia pulled her into a sisterly embrace, and she welcomed the comfort her arms provided.

“It’ll be alright, Fallon,” she murmured, comforting her as if she were a child, and right now that was what she needed: to feel safe, to know that somebody was there for her, to protect her, to care for her. And right now, she was glad that it wasn’t Patrick who was holding her. In this moment, she didn’t want to feel Patrick’s sensual embrace. It would only confuse things. Right now, she needed to remember what Cameron had done, no matter how much it hurt to relive it.

“I remember some of it now,” Fallon said, lifting her head and wiping away the tears.

Lydia released her from her arms. “About the attack?”

She nodded. “I saw him. It was Cameron.” She rubbed the spot on her shoulder that still ached. “I could feel him. He hurt me.”

“Tell me how.”

Fallon shook her head, still not understanding what exactly Cameron had done. “I’m not sure. I saw him. He grabbed me. Here.” She pointed to her shoulder. “I can still feel the pain.”

“May I?” Lydia pointed toward her shoulder.

Fallon nodded.