Chapter Five
Warm water pulsed around her body as the fragrant smell of lilacs danced in her mind. She felt warm and safe. Then images of Alexandra flashed. Blood. Vampires. An Alpha. Screaming, her eyes flew open, scanning her surroundings. Panic coursed throughout every cell in her body in a flight or fight response.
“Hey, you’re safe. You’re okay,” a comforting female voice advised her. She looked over to see a young woman with long brown hair kneeling at her side by the tub. A tub? Her heart raced, realizing she was stark naked in a bath full of steaming bubbles and jets pulsating around her bruised flesh.
The woman regarded the tub as if she knew what Kalli was thinking. “It’s just a warm bath to get you cleaned up, hun. Nothing happened. I’m a nurse. Really, see?” She leaned over and pulled a stethoscope out of her black bag.
Kalli said nothing as she surveyed her surroundings. She was in a large whirlpool Jacuzzi; warm heat lamps shone overhead. The bathroom felt dark and rich with its umber painted walls and fawn-stained crown molding. The flicker of a single candle danced across the black speckled granite countertop of a chestnut vanity. Although she could think of worse places to find one’s self, waking up in strange places was really getting old.
She struggled to find her voice, aware that her throat was raw from screaming. “Where am I?”
“You are at the home of Mr. Tristan Livingston, Alpha of Lyceum Wolves,” Julie answered cheerfully. “You’re safe, but a bit scratched up from your run-in with that dreadful vampire. Don’t worry, though. Your vitals are good. We just need to get you some rest and something to eat. You should be good in a few days.”
“A few days? I really need to get home and…” her voice trailed off as Julie held up a hand, silencing her.
“Hun, I know you’ve had a rough time of it and all, and I’m not going to judge, but the Alpha wants to talk to you.” She went about her business, readying up a warm towel. Throwing it over her shoulder, she bent down and slid her hand behind Kalli’s back and under her arm.
“Come on now, I want to see if you can stand. Lean on me, and I’ll wrap this towel around you. That’s it.”
Kalli let her weight fall back on the strange woman as she tried to stand. The Alpha wanted to talk to her? Oh God. She knew she shouldn’t have gone in to get that snake. He was going to ask about the fire and what she’d seen. She didn’t want to be involved. She could not let them find out she was alive.
Finding her legs, she pushed upright until she was standing. She sighed as the warmth of the towel engulfed her.
“That’s it. Look at you, standing all on your own. God, Alexandra’s such a viper. I can’t believe she did this to you. Can you step out of the tub? Just hold onto me as you move, okay?”
“Alexandra?” Kalli did as instructed as if in a daze. She let Julie dry her, trying to focus on staying stable on her feet. Weakness was not something she was used to feeling and she disliked having to rely on someone to help her, but at this point, she had no choice.
“Yeah, you know, the bloodsucker who drained you?”
“I…I didn’t get her name. I shouldn’t have gone out to the parking garage alone. I should have…” Kalli’s soft voice trailed off as a small tear ran down her cheek. She should have known that someone would have seen her at the club. Embarrassment washed over her, knowing that she had let this happen. But there was another emotion that racked her mind. Anger? Yes, she was mad all right. But most of all, at the moment, she felt violated. Was there no place on this earth she could be safe from the violence?
“Hey there, I know what you’re thinking. Just stop it right now. The vamps. They can even get to us wolves, you know. A human woman is just no match for them. There’s nothing you did to cause this to happen to you,” Julie told her. A somber expression flashed across her face.
If you only knew, Kalli thought silently.
“Now, come on, let’s get you dressed and in bed.”
“I don’t have anything to wear,” Kalli began to say and stopped when she saw Julie hold up a large man’s t-shirt with a black wolf insignia on it that read: ‘Harley-Davidson’.
“This will do. Wait ’til the Alpha finds out I was digging around in his skivvies,” she joked. “Ah, the thrill of it all.”
Kalli had a hard time trying not to smile back at the lovely nurse. She gratefully allowed Julie to pull the shirt over her head. It was better than being dirty and infinitely better than being covered in her own blood and body odor.
“Now, for the pièce de résistance.” Julie held up a black pair of man’s boxer briefs. “You’ll probably swim in these, but I found a new package in his room, and well, it’s better than no undies. I’ll leave it up to you.”
“Thanks, I’ll, um. I’ll take them. They’ll be okay until they stretch out.” Then they’d probably fall right off of her, but there was no way in hell she planned on staying in a wolf’s den with no underwear. She had to figure out a way to escape the hell she’d gotten herself into. Glancing over to the door, she considered making a break for it. Dizziness racked her brain as she started to wobble.
Julie grabbed onto Kalli’s arms as she wavered, almost falling onto the floor. She eased her into a sitting position and rubbed her back. “Okay, I’d say that’s enough exercise for today. Just take a second and breathe. That’s it. You’re sitting well. Better now?” Kalli nodded as Julie ran a towel over Kalli’s long raven hair. After patting it dry, she dropped the towel on the floor, pulled out a comb and began to tease out the knots.
“Oh and hun, don’t even think about leavin’ this room right now. Yes, I saw you eyeing the door,” she said, continuing her work.
Busted, Kalli groaned inwardly. Who was she kidding? She was barely well enough to stand, let alone walk.
Julie finished up and set the comb on the nightstand. “I probably failed to mention that you are on the forty-fifth floor of a city skyscraper, so there’s just one exit out of here and my friend, Simeon, is keeping watch on that one. Besides, I’m telling you that you’re safe, okay? Nothin’ is gonna happen to you up here. I promise. And besides, you’re in no condition to leave, anyway.”
A skyscraper? Shit. There was no way she was getting out of here. Kalli liked a nice view of the city as much as the next person, but was terrified of heights. Resigned to the fact that she’d have to face the Alpha, she let Julie tuck her into the feather-soft bed.
“Let’s see, so, soup is next on the agenda. I sent for some plain broth and crackers. It should be here about now. So is there anything else I can get you?”
“No, thanks for helping me,” Kalli managed, wringing her hands nervously.
“No worries. You just rest, and I’ll be right back.”
Kalli let her head fall on the pillow and stared up at the intricate light fixture, which was made out of tiny royal blue, glass butterflies. The pretty winged creatures exquisitely complemented the shades of brown and tan of her warm and inviting gilded cage. She breathed deeply and blew out a breath, relaxing into the bed. Unable to deny how serene amenities helped to calm her nerves, she curled into her comforter, willing herself to heal. Closing her eyes, her thoughts drifted to the Alpha who’d rescued her.
In her mind’s eye, she remembered how the handsome stranger had saved her from the vampire dressed in the ridiculous harlequin vest. A tall, muscular man with dark blonde hair, he looked like a sexy James Bond in the tuxedo. Struggling to picture his face, his piercing amber eyes came into focus. Like yellow-orange supernovas, they’d been striking and memorable. Did his eyes change when he went wolf? What color was his fur? His power rolled off him like a tidal wave in the car. Authoritative and deadly, an Alpha who took what he wanted.