“MS, too?”
“Yes. Poor Joshie went through so much.” Jessie yawned and curled against Rafe’s body.
“Did you go with him to the lab?”
“Once or twice, but they preferred Josh go alone. They said family presence seemed to upset him so the healing process was not as effective.”
“I see. But you did stay overnight at least once?”
“Yes.”
The soothing waves that had washed over Jessie, holding her in a dreamy state crashed against something. Hot anger pulsed around her. It was an anger as intense as rage.
“Release her!” The deep voice that spoke those words boomed. “Now!”
Jessie shook her head, feeling the world tilt sideways.
“Easy. You’ll be fine, Jessie.” Maddie squeezed her hand.
“I was only trying to get details to help in our work from her. Nothing more,” Rafe said.
A chair scraped along the floor. “You will not do that again.” The words were spoken through a feral growl.
“You know perfectly well you cannot gain access to the information,” Rafe said.
“Whether I can or cannot remains to be determined. But let there be no confusion, no one else is to try.” The voice held a thick Spanish accent, and in spite of the clear outrage in its tone, Jessie was drawn to it.
She opened her eyes to see the same man from her apartment looking down at her. Dark hair and the deepest blue eyes she’d ever seen and a moustache and goatee.
He held her cradled in his arms. In his gaze Jessie saw something, desire and longing. She saw the way he wanted to protect her and care for her. Falling deeper into his soul she felt all that he was.
“Who are you really? Why do you love me?” Jessie heard herself ask as if some hypnotic trance forced her to speak.
Behind her the brothers chuckled and were quickly shushed by the nurse.
Chapter Five
Ricard paced the floor behind the red chair he’d placed directly in front of the one where Jessica sat. He paced and rubbed his forehead. Every few laps he stopped with a plan to begin an explanation, face the woman whom the universe had clearly presented in an effort to wreak havoc in his life, but the sight of her made him incapable of speech.
She sat wide-eyed and watching as though he was an acrobat poised on a high wire a hundred feet above the ground. Of course, there was no net to catch him when he crashed.
Reddish brown curls spiraled in long ringlets to her shoulders. Her eyes were the color of smoky topaz, a rich sparkling brown, hinting of gold. Even wearing a pair of blue scrubs from the infirmary did not hide her lovely figure. Of course, the very moment he saw her crouched on the floor in the small apartment’s kitchen he’d memorized each curve.
She blinked.
Ricard turned on his heel and marched toward the wall, returning a few seconds later. He paused again, faced her and opened his mouth to begin.
Jessica leaned forward, her mouth opened an inch or so as if she might help him get the first word out. Her lips curled up a bit and she nodded.
He pivoted and headed back toward the wall.
Normally Ricard was a man who spoke his mind when needed and did not, when not needed. He was never tongue-tied or confused. He certainly was articulate. In fact, he spoke several languages fluently and had never had issue expressing himself.
Until now.
For some inexplicable reason the sight of the woman made him a mute moron.
He glanced over at her. She remained seated, hands on the armrests, delicate fingers alternately drumming over the ends. She looked around his home, taking in the living room. He noted the way her attention went from the small sitting area beside the indoor waterfall across the room to the couch and chairs surrounding a gas fireplace to the bookshelf filled with science and research references to the paintings adorning each wall.
In spite of her curiosity and the way she appeared to notice the room, she watched him. He could feel it. He felt her attention on him the same way a human felt the attention of a vampire. Heavy. Purposeful. Sexual.
Her very existence was more perplexing than his own. How could a mate truly exist for him? How was this situation possible?
Every cell of her body was made for him, just as he was made for her. He wondered if she recognized the feel of his presence. Could she possibly understand a vampire’s need for his mate?
He was certain she did not. She seemed quite ignorant to the ways of vampires. Ignorance or not, she had to feel the lure just as he felt it. She must feel the way his soul called to hers, the way mates bonded.
The sound of her breath was louder than he suspected it might normally be. She was stuffy from crying. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her nose was pink and raw. Her lips were dry. She licked them repeatedly on every third breath.
“You’re thirsty.” He left the room before she could respond, moving with the speed of a vampire on the hunt to provide for his mate.
In his kitchen he realized he had nothing to offer but water. He hadn’t planned for human guests. Generally, he did keep something like wine and fruity drinks and cheese and crackers for when Lawrie and Reade came by to discuss work or play cards. But with the long hours in the lab they hadn’t come over in quite a while, so there was nothing to serve.
He grabbed some ice and filled a glass with water and headed back to the living room.
She sniffled.
He spun on his heel and returned to the kitchen for a paper towel, then remembered Lawrie had warned that tissues were more comfortable than paper towels for nose blowing. He wrapped the towel around the glass and grabbed the little box he’d purchased for guests.
Before she could make another sound or do anything that would send him running for some other creature comfort, Ricard placed the box on the end table beside the chair and pushed the glass into her hand.
“You’re thirsty.” He stood over her with his arms folded over his chest. “And you need a tissue.”
“Oh my God! Do I have snot on my face?” Her empty hand flew to her face while she twisted to place the glass on the table. “That’s so gross. I’m sorry. I’m so embarrassed. All this crying is making my nose run, and I guess I can’t feel it. So gross.” She grabbed a tissue.
“No. You do not have snot, but you are stuffy so I assumed you needed to blow your nose.” Ricard scratched his beard.
A loud honking sound came from behind the tissue, then Jessie coughed. “Sorry. That sounded terrible.”
What was wrong with Ricard? He was fumbling this conversation like a teenage boy trying to ask a girl to prom. “I did not mean to intimate you had snot on your face. That’s not at all what I meant to imply. I was trying to be helpful.”
“I must look a mess.”
“Your curly hair is a wild display of unruliness. Your nose is bright red and you have bags under your eyes. If you’d like to see, I have a mirror in the bathroom.”
She frowned and slowly both hands went to her head where her fingers worked between the curls and patted the hair down.
“That’s not helping. It’s bouncing back. I’m happy to help, if you think it’s necessary, though I don’t see a need.” He quite liked the way her wild curls shot in every direction and would have given his left fang to touch her hair.
Her mouth dropped open. She shook her head and shrank back into the seat.
Disappointed, Ricard nodded. He would not force himself on his mate. He’d seen these situations unfold many times. There was a courting process for some mates. They needed time to warm up to each other, much like humans needed to get to know each other.
Of course, he’d hoped that should he ever find a mate, they’d not need to go through the formalities of courting, but would…bond in an immediate fashion.
This situation, having his mate arrive out of the blue without warning during, what he was certain was, the most stressful time of her life certainly made sense that she’d need some time to acclimate.
“Well
, we might as well discuss this. We’re mates, which I’m assuming you probably know. You probably sense the attraction between us.” Ricard’s heart hammered in his chest so hard he paused to consider whether he was having a heart attack.
He clutched his chest and bent forward a bit. Then it occurred to him he might be worrying her. After all, if she were having a heart attack, he’d be out of his mind with worry.
“Don’t be concerned. Even if this is a heart attack, which I’m sure it’s not, it’s probably just some weird vampire bonding thing, but, if it is a heart attack, I’ll be fine by sundown tomorrow.” He held a hand up to motion for her to stay in her seat.
No sense in her getting up and worried.
Several seconds later the pressure in Ricard’s chest minimized and his heart slowed to normal. “Okay. I’m fine. That has passed, and we can get back to our conversation.”
He turned to look at Jessica. She remained seated, hands still stuck in her curls, mouth open. The one thing that was different was that her head moved side to side in slow motion. “No.” It was the only word she said, and she repeated it no less than ten times.
“No? No what?”
“No weird vampire bonding for me.” Her hands dropped to her lap. “I want to go back to the infirmary. I’d rather be with Rafe and his brother and the nurse.”
Ricard’s heart simply stopped beating. Rafe? She wanted to be with Rafe, the vampire who dug through her mind, plucking information? Rafe and his brother, who came from a lineage as vile and reprehensible as Raymond Tyrone? That was who she’d rather be with?
“Why Rafe?”
“He’s nice.”
“Rafe?” The woman had no idea what she was saying. Rafe was one of the most twistedly diabolical vampires Ricard knew. Only his brother Gabe could compete in the “let’s think up weird shit to torture people who try to break into our fortress” arena.
“Yes, Rafe.”
She did not want to be his mate? What if this was one-sided? What if she was so marred by the loss of her beloved brother she was unable to recognize the bond as his mate?
What if this was a cruel joke from the universe? The idea was absolutely possible. How often did this sort of thing happen to a vampire? Once in a lifetime, maybe. But twice? Practically never.
“But…”
“No.” She said the word with such finality Ricard didn’t dare to argue. If his mate did not want him, he would respect her wishes. There was no other option for a vampire but to honor the wishes of his mate, even if her wish would drive him to his death.
Chapter Six
“I’m sorry, but I can’t be your mate. It’s not you. It’s the timing. I’m grieving the loss of my brother and now really is not a good time for me to start a relationship with anyone. It’s…well, it’s just that I’d be disrespecting Joshua by doing this whole mate thing right now.”
It wasn’t as easy to say the words as Jessie had thought it would be. They were certainly all the truth, so the pain burning inside had nothing to do with trying to believe a lie.
No, she knew that as truthful as those words were she wanted nothing more than to find a way to see past Ricard’s weirdness and love him. Her heart told her he was hers, but her mind screamed run.
Jessie watched him. The man was a Neanderthal, a very handsome and well maintained Neanderthal, but a Neanderthal.
Her comment had apparently shocked him into silence, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. She needed a way to pump the breaks on this situation. There was not one thing about Ricard that made her fear for her own safety, but she did worry about having an obsessed vampire follow her everywhere she went.
It occurred to her she didn’t know if she’d ever been bitten. “Have you…” Her fingers rubbed over her neck.
“No! Absolutely not. I would never…” His brow furrowed. “…not without asking, and I haven’t asked.” He looked down at his feet, and it appeared his cheeks colored. “I have to admit that eventually I will ask, but if you say no, then I would never.”
Dressed in jeans and a button down shirt with the sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms he stood before her. His beard and mustache were perfectly coiffed and his dark brown hair was cut shorter on the sides and a bit longer on top.
He was tall with strong broad shoulders and a muscular chest, which she remembered resting her head on as he carried her back to this apartment.
Without a doubt he was the most handsome, good-smelling man she’d ever met. He smelled of incense, sort of smoky and clean.
Jessie had never thought about incense until tonight, and now she wanted to burn it all night long.
As plain as she was seated in a vampire’s home she knew she wanted him. She wanted to have him all to herself for the rest of her life. She even wanted him to bite her, and that fact made her hate him. The fact that she could forget Joshua for even a second because of this guy was a travesty for which she could not forgive herself.
This night was turning out to be the worst night of her life. Nothing could compare to losing Joshua, but to add to the crap that was her life—the only man she’d ever met whose mere presence made her believe she could fly was a weird vampire.
The sight of Ricard knocked the breath from her lungs. He was attractive and she felt safe, so much safer than she’d ever felt, when she was with him.
But clearly he was an idiot.
Jessie would not be saddled with a moron or any man who did not know how to treat a woman. She’d rather live alone than be insulted about her hair, which, she could not change or fix no matter how hard she tried. These curls had a will of their own, and she’d learned years ago to stop trying to interfere.
There was no chance in hell she’d waste her life trying to please some man’s hair whims.
“You’re in mourning, and I should have realized that.” He shook his head and turned toward the wall.
The pacing started all over again.
“It was selfish of me not to think of this. I should have appreciated your need to grieve before simply taking you away and pouring out this dribble about the bond.” He turned to face her, stopping across the room. “Please forgive me. Finding you, a mate meant for me, was not ever something I thought would happen and so I was not able to control myself. I will be much more thoughtful of your emotions from now onward.” He gave a slight bow.
“Thank you.” Jessie was unsure of what to do next, and after a long and awkward pause Ricard spoke.
“If you would permit me, I’d like to give you something I believe will assist in your grieving process.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary. We just met.” She could not accept a gift from him. It would send the wrong message and again, it would be selfish of her to take gifts at a time like this.
“Please.”
The vampire stood waiting, unmoving. In fact, Jessie thought he did not even breathe.
It was clear he would wait forever.
“Fine.”
He exited the room through a door beside the waterfall and returned less than a moment later carrying a dog. “This is Canella. She is two and is a soulful little creature.” He placed the small mutt, who must have been part terrier, part poodle in Jessie’s lap. “She will be good company for you. I’ve enjoyed every minute with her.”
“I can’t take your dog.” The little animal wiggled into Jessie’s lap, climbing up her chest to lick her cheeks before nuzzling into her neck. “She’s so sweet, but I cannot take your dog.”
“It would be a great honor for me to give you Canella.” Ricard squatted at Jessie’s knee.
“But she’s your dog.” Jessie remembered having a dog and the feeling of loss when the pup died. She couldn’t possibly take away his pet.
Ricard smiled. “She is one of many. Would you like to see the others?”
Jessie nodded.
“Come.” He led the way to the door where Canella had been. “This door leads to the back entrance of one of the labs.” He pointed across the room
. “That door leads to the bedroom and bathrooms, and over there…” He motioned to the kitchen. “That’s the kitchen, which is mostly empty right now, though I will remedy that tonight. The other door is the exit.”
He smiled at Jessie. “I know you are worried. I’ve made you nervous by being too assertive and maybe a bit out of practice regarding complimenting women. I must also admit I was very jealous of Rafe and Gabe and instinctually protective of you. But this is my home, and everything I have is yours. When you want to leave, that door across the room will lead you to freedom.”
Jessie cuddled Canella close and nodded. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Ricard opened the door to a short hallway. “Get ready. They are not in cages tonight and they are loud.” He paused, holding the door for her. “As well, the two people who brought them here are visiting.”
When he opened the next door, it was as though they’d walked into a wild dog kingdom. Two big Labradors stood on the center island countertop, barking at each other. A German Shepherd sat at a desk chewing a pencil. Four very small dogs chased each other around the room, yipping. Lastly, a huge pig lay on its side while four puppies nursed.
A tall blond vampire and a woman with a solid gray streak of hair going through her black bob hair cut chased a beagle around the room.
“Oh my,” Jessie said.
“Well, yes,” Ricard agreed.
“Where are they from?”
“We’ve rescued them,” the woman called as she ran by. “Hunter! You’re not paying attention.”
“She rescued them. I was forced to drive them all back,” the vampire named Hunter said as he darted past, scooping up three of the small dogs before grabbing the fourth and the woman. “We’re Hunter and Alice.” He stopped before Jessie.
“Ooh, you’re giving her Canella. So sweet. Such a good girl.” Alice squealed and tussled Canella’s floppy ears. “She’s the perfect mating gift. Any dog really is. I gave Hunter three.”
“Gave me three, brought six, found four more.” Hunter released two dogs, and they took off running. “Let’s not forget the pig we picked up on the outskirts of the city.”
A Vampire's Purgatory (Romance In Central City Book 8) Page 3
