When she opened her eyes again, she still had vision which would rival an eagle’s. Everything in the room was vivid, sharp and bright. She felt like Dorothy when she’d been snatched out of black-and-white Kansas and dropped into Technicolor Oz. She’d never seen anything like it. The soothing sage green walls were the most lovely shade she’d ever seen and the cloud-colored curtains hanging over the windows looked soft and light enough to float away into the sky. Even the pale gray of the comforter tucked around her was so beautiful it almost hurt to look at it, and if she tried, she could check the thread count of the matching sheets without even straining her eyes.
But Renee couldn’t relax to take in the glory of her surroundings. Panic lurked just under the surface. Gorgeous as it was, something about this room made her want to run in terror. She had never been here before in her life, she hurt all over, and deep inside she was certain something horrible had happened to her in here.
She sat up and whimpered as the movement triggered a wave of agony which started in her abdomen and burned outward all the way to the tips of her fingers and toes. Her head felt like it was trying to split in two. She fought her way through the agony and forced herself to stand. Clinging to the bedpost for a moment, struggling against a fierce surge of nausea, she grimly forced herself not to pass out before slowly making her painful way to the window.
Maybe if she looked out, she’d remember where she was and how she’d gotten here.
Just as her fingers touched the curtains, a large hand suddenly closed over her wrist and pulled her gently but firmly away. “Don’t do that,” a deep male voice advised softly. “It’s almost sunset. Wait a while.”
“You’re going to have a rough time, little one…”
Renee gasped at the remembered words and spun around, forgetting her weakness in her panic to get away. His voice triggered an echo of a nightmare she barely remembered, full of pain and fear and blood. Her trembling knees gave out and Renee fell backward.
An arm encircled her waist and pulled her upright before she could crash back into the window. She tried to jerk away, but there was no escape from it. The grip wasn’t painful or even uncomfortable, but she had no doubt any further struggles would be just as fruitless.
“Easy,” the stranger murmured. “Easy, little one. You’re still weak.”
But Renee was in no way inclined to take it easy, not when she was scared and lost and suddenly being held by the most intimidating man she’d ever seen. Her aching eyes widened as she looked up at him.
Way up.
Her first coherent thought was, no wonder he called her little one! The man was tall, insanely tall, well over six and a half feet. His broad shoulders completely blocked her view of the room behind him. He looked down at her with eyes so dark they were almost black and she was struck by the contrast of them with his hair, which was such a bright silver it hurt her sensitive eyes to look at it. Despite his incredibly pale hair, his golden tan brought to mind long days spent lazing in the sun.
Still, nothing about him suggested laziness. His lean, muscular body seemed perpetually poised for action, and despite his gentle support, a sense of deep power radiated from him like heat from a blazing fire. She didn’t know how any man could be handsome when everything about him was contradictory, but this one was. He was so gorgeous it was difficult to look directly at him.
She had never seen anyone even remotely like this man. He seemed more…alive, more intensely real than any person she’d ever met in her life. There were no words adequate to describe it. How, exactly, was she supposed to “take it easy” when confronted with someone like this?
“What are you?” she whispered.
He smiled as he drew her gently away from the curtains. “I’m a vampire,” he said, as though it was as ordinary a response as saying he was an accountant—but she was an accountant, and they sure as hell didn’t make accountants who looked like this. “As are you.”
Renee shuddered. Hearing him say he was a vampire was almost believable when added to the total package, but her? “You’re crazy,” she said without thinking, shoving at his shoulder. “Let me go!”
He ignored her struggles and led her slowly away from the windows. “You’d only fall if I did,” he said reasonably, and Renee hated him for being right. Her legs felt like twin pillars of Jell-O. She clenched her jaw stubbornly but let him support her.
As though she had a choice.
He didn’t speak again until he’d guided her back to the bed and eased her down onto it. She stubbornly refused to lie down, though, perching instead on the edge and glaring at him with eyes which felt gritty and bloodshot.
“You should rest,” the stranger told her with a concerned little frown. “You must be exhausted.”
“Not hardly,” Renee lied. “Who are you? Where am I? What happened?”
Eli crossed his arms over his chest and took a step back, giving her the space she obviously needed. He looked at her swollen eyes and pale, delicate face with aching sympathy. The poor woman looked like death warmed over. Never had he seen a fledgling come out of the Change looking worse. Even though he felt her pain and weariness, sheer stubbornness kept her back ramrod straight and her head high. The strength it took to deny her fatigue was admirable.
He just wished she would use it on her recovery. “I am Eli,” he told her softly, trying to soothe her. She was such a little thing to withstand the misery she’d endured during the Change, a slender scrap of a woman who made him feel even more like a giant as he loomed over her. Still, he didn’t want to frighten her by sitting on the bed beside her to reduce the discrepancy in their heights. He didn’t doubt she’d try to run if he did, and he needed her to save her energy. “This is a safe place. No one will harm you here.”
But she’d gone white, his name obviously provoking some fraction of a memory of last night’s brutal Change. When she looked at him with fear in her eyes, Eli dropped his hands to his sides, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. It wasn’t something he was good at, but he did try. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. You’re safe here,” he repeated.
“It was you,” she whispered, her red eyes wide. “It was you last night.”
Eli nodded, stifling a sigh. He’d hoped she would at least be spared the memory of her brutal Change. “Yes.”
She moved so fast it was a blur. One instant she was sitting on the bed, drooping with exhaustion, and the next she was standing right in front of him as she slapped him across the face with all her newfound strength.
The sharp crack of her open palm connecting with his cheek was very loud in the quiet room. He turned his head with the blow, not blocking it though he easily could’ve, though he’d allowed no one to lay a hand on him in longer than he cared to remember. There was really no point in stopping her. Nothing she could do to him would truly harm him. Eli did catch her hand when she tried to do it again, however, holding her wrist gently in a loose grip which was nonetheless impossible to break.
It was good for her to use her new vampire strength and ultra-fast reflexes and become accustomed to them, but it was also good for her to know who was in charge. “Mind telling me what that was for?” he asked mildly.
The rage in her eyes could’ve etched diamonds. “You bit me! You probably gave me rabies. What the hell did you bite me for?”
Her accusation stunned him far more than her slap. She thought he would attack her and callously steal her life? Eli opened his mouth to correct her, but the words died in his throat.
If he didn’t claim her, no one would.
He couldn’t turn her out with nowhere to go. She had no Clan to turn to, no sire to claim and protect her, and no knowledge of her new world. She was far more vulnerable now as a fledgling than she had ever been as a human. Sian and Diego wouldn’t take her in, and Ronin was completely out of the question. None of the other vampires in the area were trained in battle and he wouldn’t put them at risk.
That left only him.
Eli hardly dared take her himself. He had more than enough experience with fledglings to know he was the last complication she needed. He’d learned the hard way he was hardly fit to be anyone’s sire. She already had one strike against her and there was no need to make it two.
Not to mention he was much happier when left alone.
Eli sighed and pushed aside the shadows of the bitter past, trying to think of another solution. There simply wasn’t one. She was the child of an Outcast, and therefore she had to taken in by a member of the League. There was simply no one else. He supposed he was better than nothing. Besides, he had little doubt she’d be gone from his life at the very first opportunity.
There was only one thing to do. “Yes, I bit you,” he agreed, the lie tasting strange in his mouth. Lies were more trouble than they were worth and this was the first he’d uttered in he knew not how long. “I am your sire. I’ll teach you everything you need to know—” He easily caught her other hand as it swung at his face, this time clenched into a fist. “Starting with some simple courtesy. Fledglings don’t usually take their tempers out on their sires.”
“You can take your lessons and your vampire nonsense and shove them,” Renee snapped. “I’m getting out of here!”
He didn’t release her when she pulled toward the door. “You can’t leave until the sun goes down,” he told her. In fact, it was something of a miracle she was awake at all. “Basic survival, little one. Avoid sunlight. It is death to you now.”
She finally gave up trying to break his hold and glared at him again even though he felt weakness starting to overwhelm her.
Such a temper for such a small package!
When she spoke again, it was through gritted teeth and he knew she hated having to ask him for anything. “You can’t keep me here. I need a doctor. Some aspirin. Something.”
Eli shook his head. Aspirin wouldn’t do a thing for her except perhaps make her sick, and no human doctor could ever be allowed to examine one of their kind. She needed something, all right, but he knew she wouldn’t accept it yet. She didn’t yet recognize her own natural hunger, feeling it as simply another ache, but the echoes of it screamed along his nerves. There was only one thing which would ease her pain.
The trick was finding a way to get her to accept the blood she required. “You need rest,” he whispered, threading a soft compulsion through his words. “Sleep now. First you must recover from the Change. Then we’ll discuss the rest.”
He caught her as her eyes closed and her body went limp. Eli eased her back onto the bed and tucked her in, stroking her dark hair absently as he looked at her. Her hair was her only feature not distorted by the aftermath of the Change. It curled softly around his fingers like threads of fine silk and he admired its rich color, deep and vivid like some expensive wood polished to a high shine. Those dark tresses would glow with a thousand hidden lights in the sun, not that he would ever see it. He stroked her hair again and wished he could undo what had been done to her.
But he might as well have wished to stand in the sunlight again himself. Both were equally impossible. No matter how much they might wish it, there was no going back.
Like him, she would have to find some way to cope.
Eli stood abruptly and strode from the room. If he’d learned anything over his long life, it was that regrets were useless. He went downstairs and found Diego in the den, busily typing on the computer.
“I need blood,” Eli said without preamble.
Diego didn’t look up. “Go hunt, then. I’m not stopping you.”
“It’s not for me. I need a bag.”
Diego finally turned around in his chair. He gave Eli a long look before sighing in disgust. “You can’t expect me to feed an Outcast.”
“How many times do I have to tell you she’s not an Outcast?” Eli strove to control his exasperation, but it was difficult. Diego could be as stubborn as a mule sometimes. “She’s innocent. Haven’t you ever been in the wrong place at the wrong time?”
“Here’s the last person on Earth who should talk about innocence, and I knew I shouldn’t have let her stay last night,” Diego muttered to the ceiling, ignoring Eli. “I knew I’d end up getting drawn into this mess if I did, and stupid me went and did it anyway.” He finally met Eli’s gaze. “You’re not getting me to play sire. I let her stay last night, but that’s the end of it.”
“Relax, Diego. I’m not asking you to take the fledgling again. I’ve told her she’s mine.”
Diego looked relieved and concerned at the same time. “I’m telling you, Eli, blood tells. You’re wasting your time. You should have done away with her when you had the chance—you know you’ll just have to do it anyway in the end. It would have been easier on everyone to put her down before anyone got attached to her.”
Eli glared at him. “She’s not a damn pet, and if you say ‘blood tells’ one more time, I’ll bleed you myself,” he growled. The phrase had always grated on him, mostly because it was true.
Diego shook his head as though dismissing the threat, but Eli noticed he didn’t say another word about it. “Fine, fine. I have some extra bags in the refrigerator. Do whatever it is you think you have to do, Eli. I’ve done my best to talk you out of it, but you always do whatever you want, don’t you?”
Eli turned to walk into the kitchen. “Yeah, that’s me,” he said bitterly under his breath. “Always doing whatever I want.” He snorted at the thought.
Freedom hadn’t been his for a long, long time.
But right now the fledgling needed him and he welcomed the distraction to keep him from dwelling on his own fate.
He headed into the kitchen and opened Diego’s huge stainless steel refrigerator. There beside the mundane things like milk, cheese, and mustard were several plastic bags of whole blood—vampire emergency rations regularly replenished by James, Diego’s human Steward and servant.
Diego never had to worry about coming home injured and trying to heal without blood, never had to try to hunt in a weakened condition while he recovered. Eli envied that and wished he dared take a Steward of his own. He had never found one who wasn’t too terrified of him to do the job.
He shook the thought off and took one of the bags from the shelf. It was chilly in his hands and he grimaced at the thought of drinking it cold. He wouldn’t wish any vampire such an unappetizing first meal. He filled the sink with hot water and dropped the bag into it to warm. It wasn’t nearly as good as drinking straight from the source, but he knew for a fact she wasn’t ready for that yet. This should at least make it a little more palatable.
Ten minutes later, he sat carefully on the edge of the bed and looked down at Renee again. Even in sleep she looked like hell. He touched her shoulder gently. “Wake up, little one.”
She sighed and shifted but didn’t open her eyes. “Go ‘way,” she muttered sleepily, trying to turn away from his voice.
Eli slipped an arm around her shoulders and lifted her into a semi-sitting position. “After you drink this,” he said, raising the blood-filled glass to her pale, cracked lips. “You can go back to sleep when you’re done.”
She turned her face away, eyes still closed. “What is it?” she whispered.
He smiled but there was no humor in it. He had no doubt the truth would have her wide awake and screaming in horror. He pressed the glass to her cracked lips and skirted the truth. “Everything you need to get well. Drink up, little one.”
He finally coaxed her into taking a sip. Instinct took over and she drained the glass rapidly. She was so desperately hungry he didn’t think she was even aware of her new fangs appearing for the first time. When the glass was empty, he debated briefly whether or not to go downstairs and get her more.
Renee’s head dropped back onto his arm and she fell almost instantly asleep again. Eli decided to let her be. She was such a small woman, maybe one unit at a time would be enough for her. He lowered her head back onto the pillow and started to pull the blankets up when he noticed her clothing for
the first time since he’d carried her in last night. Her blouse was torn and crumpled, the collar stained with blood. It was buttoned tightly around her wrists and tucked into a narrow skirt. Ruined stockings clung to her legs, ripped and filthy.
He couldn’t let her sleep like this.
He closed his eyes and summoned his powers, alarmed by how weak they were. Apparently he’d used more energy than he’d thought helping her through the Change and he suddenly felt the almost overpowering need to feed. Still, he would see to his charge’s comfort before his own.
A moment later, Renee’s torn and grimy business clothes were gone, replaced by a soft knit nightgown. Eli winced at the bruised patches on her skin, the visible evidence of last night’s life-and-death struggle and a testament to the pain she must be feeling now. He covered her gently and left the room, hoping he’d gotten enough blood into her to help her body mend itself.
He had a feeling he’d have a lot more difficulty getting her to drink what she needed once she was fully awake.
Chapter Two
When Eli returned around midnight, he met Diego and Sian at the door. Diego stood with his arms crossed over his chest, obviously furious.
“Get her out of here,” he demanded. “I never agreed to keep her while you ran off hunting. I’m not a babysitter, dammit.”
“Diego—” Sian murmured, resting a hand on his arm, but he cut her off.
“You’re young, Sian,” he said, his voice softening as he addressed his bondmate, but no less stubborn or angry. “You haven’t seen what these beasts can do. Pretending to be innocent and helpless is as natural as breathing to them.”
Eli fought not to roll his eyes. “She’s no beast, and when I left, she could hardly sit up. Surely you’re not afraid of an unconscious fledgling, Diego.”
Amelia Elias - [Guardian's League 02] - Outcast Page 2
