After swabbing the area on her forearm with alcohol, he removed the IV from her vein and covered the tiny puncture with a clean cotton square and tape, smoothing the area several times with his thumbs, delighting in just holding her hand in his.
When he finished, he looked up at her, wondering why she hadn’t spoken more than two words. “You need to call Beth. She’s worried sick. I returned her texts as if I were you, ensuring her you were okay, but she keeps asking you to call.” He paused at the confusion in her eyes then quickly added, “I’m sorry if I overstepped my bounds; I just didn’t think it was right to leave her worrying about you.” He reached for Kristina’s phone on the table and held it out to her, letting her know she wasn’t a hostage, since she was staring at him like a trapped mouse. “Just let her know you’re alive, nothing else.”
Without offering a word, Kristina finished off the bottle of water, trading the empty plastic for her phone.
Not knowing what else to say, Derrick stood to leave as she continued to gawk at him. He assumed she’d have more to offer than a few words. He’d rather questions than nothing. Even though she must have been reeling about everything, he was anxious to talk with her. He’d waited so long. Maybe his brother was right; maybe they weren’t supposed to be together. “I’ll give you a few minutes. You’re probably starving anyway. Please don’t mention me,” he reminded her.
She offered him a nod, so he left the room somewhat contented. It was something anyway. At least she wasn’t catatonic. She just needed to catch her bearings.
Derrick walked out into the hallway and then took the elevator to the café in the lobby to get something to eat. He had plenty of food, but he didn’t have any way to cook it, and she needed protein. He also wanted to be out of earshot in case she told her friend about him. The lobby wouldn’t be far enough, but he could make an effort to tune out her voice. He didn’t want to hear anything that would make him have to turn her in. He would never allow them to kill her; he’d destroy anyone who tried. The only thing he could do was hope she fell for him.
He’d only looked to be in his early twenties when he met Janelle, but they had become great friends. In actuality, he’d already lived more than thirty-five human years at that time, but most of his kind lived to one hundred fifty, so they didn’t count their years the same. His family had warned him he was too young to fall for a human and that he should stick to his own kind. He’d heeded their words, but since Janelle and Kristina had lived in such a rough area of Boston and were all alone, he’d always felt compelled to check on them. Something his father and grandfather had done for complete strangers in the early days of America, before everyone had a video camera on their phone.
He was now at the age where he wanted to make a lifelong commitment, and Kristina was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, something Vic and he’d discussed numerous times. No matter how many times Vic or Michael tried to change his mind, he wouldn’t bend. Kristina was the woman he wanted.
Derrick ordered a double-egg and cheese bagel sandwich and a latte for Kristina, and then headed upstairs.
“I brought you a vanilla latte,” he called out as he walked inside the apartment. She didn’t respond, so he peeked in the bedroom, hoping she was decent. He blanched when he didn’t see her. “Oh, Kristina,” he shrieked. “They’ll kill you.” He loped to the front door and jerked it open, as if she would be standing in the hallway waiting for him. Of course she’d left. He probably scared the heck out of her by strapping her to the bed. But if he hadn’t, she would have hurt herself. He needed to find her before they did.
“What are you screaming about?” she spoke behind him. “My head is pounding. Please don’t yell.”
He whipped his head toward the sound of her voice. “Oh, thank God.” He released a deep breath. “I thought you left.”
She shrugged. “Why would I leave? I’ve tried to get your attention for six years.” She ambled over to where he stood rooted to his wooden floor, accepted the coffee cup and bag of food, and plopped heavily onto the sofa. “Oh, this smells to die for.”
Interesting choice of words, Derrick thought as he sunk into a chair facing Kristina, drinking in the sight of her. Her hair was damp and she was wearing one of his t-shirts. She’d recovered faster than he’d anticipated. Of course, he’d always known she was strong.
Fiddling with the paper bag, Kristina stared at her lap as though she’d forgotten he was in the room. Finally making eye contact, she moved her mouth toward the sandwich and then stopped as if she’d decided on what she wanted to say. “So, Derrick…” She paused, measuring her words, it seemed, then took a bite, chewed, and washed down the food with a swig of coffee. “Why don’t you start at the beginning? I think I was still drunk the other morning. I don’t remember much. Exactly what are you?”
He let out a burst of laughter. There was the girl he thought he’d known. He’d hoped she was somewhere inside that drug and alcohol-saturated body. “I’m so glad to finally meet you, Kristina, but why don’t we hold off on the deep inquisition for a while. It’s good you don’t remember much. Now we can get to know each other under better circumstances.”
She ripped off another piece of bagel with her slender fingers then stood again, walking over to the wall of windows overlooking the harbor. “Nice place. What do you do for a living?”
Good, he thought. She really didn’t remember. “I’m a doctor.” She turned to face him and the light from outside made its way through the shirt, illuminating every curve beneath the thin white cotton. “Umm… Kristina, you’re standing in direct sunlight.”
She glanced at her choice of clothes and then traipsed toward the sofa, her hands roaming over the soft leather. “Nothing you haven’t seen before if you’re a doctor,” she teased, a lightness in her voice he hadn’t detected earlier.
“True,” he allowed. She definitely had spirit.
Her eyes roamed over the black and white nature prints he’d hung on the wall behind the sofa. “What type of practice?” she asked, making eye contact with him again.
“Family medicine.”
Kristina returned to the sofa, plopping down and then tucking her leg underneath her. Resting her elbow on the armrest, she focused a poignant gaze on him. “This is kind of awkward. You know I’m not really suicidal, right? I hate my life, but I knew you’d come. I didn’t want to die.”
He nodded, nibbling on the inside of his cheek, still a bit perturbed by her stunt that could have killed her. “Did you call Beth?”
“No. I needed a shower, and I wasn’t sure what to say. I didn’t tell her I was going to jump off a bridge. I just told her I’d be happier wherever I was. She, as always, assumed the worst.” She took a sip of coffee and then her gold-flecked eyes peeked up at him under long blond lashes. She was even more beautiful than her mother had been.
“Why don’t you call Beth while I get cleaned up, and then we’ll go out and get some fresh air? I have the week off work, so we can do whatever you want.”
She inhaled a deep breath and then let it out. “Anything I want except leave. Otherwise they’ll kill me, right?”
Chapter Four
Kris stared at the stranger sitting beside her in the front seat of his car, surprised he didn’t feel like a stranger. It felt as though she’d known him her entire life. And in a way, she had. Since he’d saved her from the same fate her mother had succumbed to by the hands of that thief in the alley, Derrick had consumed her. Every night since that day, he’d occupied her dreams. His leading role had turned more seductive since she’d become a woman, though. As a child, she’d thought he was an angel sent from God, an angel dressed in black. But now that she was able to stare into his fathomless dark eyes that seemed to go on forever, she realized he wasn’t an angel, but a man. A man she wanted to get to know better, fully. She wondered for a second if he was real this time or if she’d wake up any minute, realizing she’d taken her fantasies to another level.