When he stood, he dropped his own clothes to the floor quickly as he left once more, returning with a couple of candles. He lit the candles, turning off the lights and closing the door, and after setting the candles on the platform surrounding the bathtub, he climbed into the warmth and helped her into his lap to straddle his body. Her skin was still cool, but as they settled into the warmth, and he pulled her chest to his, her body warmed and his did too. She snuggled into his chest as his fingers traced the contour of her back.
“If Dr. Bremmer was able to feed me living blood through an N.G. tube to save my life, why don’t vampires just drink blood from blood banks?” She was mumbling as he held her, but he smiled at just how Ember it was to ask a question even in her exhausted state. She was just helpless to stifle asking, and he loved that about her.
“Blood starts to degrade the moment it leaves the body. It requires preservation chemicals to store in blood banks, and that further degrades it, at least in the way we use and digest it. It was enough to save your life, but we would be required to take in far more blood if we limited our consumption to blood banks. And, frankly, that blood is intended to save the lives of humans, for the most part innocent, decent humans. The monsters we kill to survive are the furthest thing from innocent.” And then he leaned to her and brushed a quick kiss on her temple. “I promise we can debate the ethics behind it someday if you’d like, but I’m warning you, I feel passionately about the morality of ending evil instead of dipping into blood banks meant to save lives worth saving.”
“Hmm. I was just curious.” But her voice was slurring in her exhaustion, and she soon fell asleep against his chest with her head nestled into his neck. When she woke a short while later, he pulled her mouth gently to his neck with a hand to the back of her neck, and she bit.
When she was finished, she pulled back from him, and her body began to shake and shudder with quiet sobs. She was more alert and awake now, and she was obviously feeling the enormity of what had nearly happened to her. He was too for that matter. He sat up to close the space between them, embracing her and soothing her as he shushed her and stroked the skin of her back. When her sobs tapered off, he pulled her mouth to his and kissed her. His tongue parted her lips and invaded her, tasting his own blood still in her mouth. He kissed and caressed her body, sinking back into the water with her, and as she dropped her head to his chest again, he finally spoke. “I love you. But I don’t expect you to…”
“I love you too.” Her voice was a whisper that interrupted his words, and he said nothing more to her, and she said nothing more to him either. His heart was thudding in his chest, and there was no hiding that from her, but he didn’t need to or want to. She wasn’t his enemy anymore. Their enemy was singular, and there was no question in Truman’s mind that nothing would stop him until Mason was destroyed.
Chapter 22
When Ember woke, it was still daylight, and she wasn’t nearly ready to rise. Truman was sleeping beside her, and she propped herself up on her elbow to watch him. She had watched him in just such a way weeks ago, fearing him, distrusting him, and hating him in her confusion and anger. But this was so very different from that time. She wasn’t lying when she’d told him she loved him. It happened … or it happened again far quicker than she thought possible, and she suspected part of it was fed by the subconscious of her mind that already knew him so well. But then again, part of it was most definitely the here and now.
During their history tour, she could see just how much he cared for her. The details of their past life made it clear, just like his care to show her their history did. He wanted her even when she pushed him away, and while he’d come close to pushing her away too, he hadn’t, and even through all of it, he still cared for her. He had no reason to after her behavior, but he did. His eyes smoldered in desire she didn’t deserve, but at the heart of it, he loved her. And by the time he’d made love to her, she was ready.
Seeing his pain when she was being held by Mason was as painful as her own fear was, and when she saw it destroying him, it melted her heart, and she felt every last bit of the emotion from her past. Seeing his anguish seemed to bring out her own feelings from so long ago, and though the memories were still hiding, her feelings weren’t. She loved him, and she was desperate for him in a way she didn’t realize possible.
When they’d finished bathing, he dried their bodies, carried her to their bed, and then spent an incredibly long time kissing every inch of her skin. And when he was finished kissing and massaging her body, he kissed her mouth, and she trailed her lips down his neck to the spot she needed. She paused for a brief moment, waiting for his approval, and when he gave it, she bit.
She fed, feeling the strength of his blood wash through her, and comfort returned to her exhausted body. She fell asleep again with her head snuggled up to his chest. She felt safe … but for how long? Mason had nearly killed her, and there was no compassion or reason to the man. He was a monster, just like every other monster in the world, and no better or worse than the monster who tried to rape and kill her as a child. He would plague her like her nightmares of childhood did. The only problem was, he was no nightmare, and unlike the monster of her childhood who Truman had killed, this monster was still very much alive—in their way if nothing more, and he was intent on destroying her … in fact, not her at all but him, the man she loved.
She owed Truman her life; he’d saved hers, after all, when she was nothing more than a child of ten. Could she save him as well? If it came to it, she was more than willing to try. She didn’t know if her strength would permit it, but her will would die trying. She knew that. She knew she loved him. She drifted off to sleep again as he slept quietly beside her.
When Ember woke again, it was after dark, and she wanted to feed … and make love. Both required Truman, but she was alone and starved in more ways than one. She crawled from bed, dressing in clean jeans and a long, warm sweater. She was still cold to her core as Dr. Bremmer said she’d be for a while, and as she set out to find him, she was shivering. Their residence was one of only three on their floor, and the other two were unoccupied units. When she descended, she chose the tenth floor where Dr. Bremmer resided, hoping perhaps Truman had stopped there. But as Dr. Bremmer answered his door and smiled at her warmly, she could tell by the scent coming from his home that Truman wasn’t there. It was devoid of his very recognizable imprint.
“Have you seen Truman? I can’t find him, and I thought perhaps he might be here.”
“I haven’t, but I’m glad to see you’re up and around. You look much better. Still a bit pale and underfed I’m guessing, but you look well.”
“Thank you.” And just as Dr. Bremmer was closing the door, she stopped him. “What about the council. Where are they? I mean, where do they meet? Maybe he’s with them.”
Dr. Bremmer’s eyes looked warily at her, and he shook his head. “Ember, I wouldn’t recommend looking for him there. The council is a private group, and I assure you they wouldn’t appreciate the interruption.” She watched him patiently, and after shaking his head again, he continued. “Third floor, and yes, Truman is there.”