by Eve Langlais
Then she collapsed to the floor.
Chapter Twenty-Two
When Adara woke for the second time, she found herself in a bed—a big freaking one at that. And most definitely not hers!
Scrambling to a seated position, she looked around wildly.
The room yawned around her. Then again, it had to be big to accommodate the enormous bed. Large enough for multiple people, it was covered in a thick comforter over soft sheets. Several pillows were layered behind her back.
On either side, nightstands, each with a lamp—a simple stick with a shade—and a clock indicating the time.
An impossible time. Surely, she’d not slept so late?
She glanced over at the window and the bright light streaming through the seam in the thick drapes. They were the same shade of blue as the comforter, whereas the furniture scattered around the room appeared to be made of a dark wood. All in all, a masculine space.
Is this Logan’s bedroom? What am I doing here? The last thing she remembered was his friend coming over and acting all strange, then…nothing. She must have blacked out.
Again.
This was getting to be worse than a habit.
She crawled across his bed and didn’t quite make it to the edge when the door opened, and Logan peeked in.
One question solved.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” she replied shyly. “What happened?” Because while she still wore her clothes, she couldn’t be entirely sure.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked, his body language and tone cautious.
What did I do? She frowned. “Your friend came over after breakfast and then…” She sighed as she admitted the truth. “I don’t know what happened.”
“You don’t have to look so worried. You said a few things and fainted.”
“What did I say?” As soon as she asked, she shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. I’m so sorry to be such trouble. I should leave.” Go and then decide if it was time to call the doctor and admit that the blackouts were getting worse.
I don’t want to go back. She might not have a choice.
“You can’t go,” Logan almost shouted. “And you’re no trouble at all. Stay.”
If that were true, then why did he seem so tense? Adara cocked her head and looked at him, wondering just what had happened. And why he seemed so determined to keep her.
Unless…what if she didn’t black out? What if something in the breakfast was to blame? Something in her expression must have changed because his nostrils flared.
“Why do you look scared all of a sudden?”
“I’m not scared,” she lied. But it made the most sense. He’d fed her; she lost time. But we ate the same things. And? He could have easily slipped something into her portion, such as the glass of juice.
“I would never hurt you.”
“You’re a stranger, so your words don’t mean anything. How do I know you don’t do this on a regular basis? Drug women and bring them to your home to—to—” She couldn’t say it.
His expression darkened. “I am not a rapist. Listen, I know things seem kind of crazy right now, but I promise you, I mean you no harm. You’re safe with me. And we’ll get some answers. Titus will be here soon and—”
Adara interrupted him. “Why is he coming over? I thought you two didn’t like each other.”
“We don’t exactly, but when it comes to things like necromancers and zombies—”
“Zombies?” For a second, a vision flashed of decaying fingers reaching for her. “Zombies aren’t real.” Odd how it felt like she’d had this conversation before.
He stared at her, his expression dumbfounded. “How can you say that after the pair I took care of last night?” When she stared at him blankly, he grew frustrated. “Don’t tell me you forgot about them. Again. Two dead things. In your apartment.”
When I opened the door, they were waiting for me. She shut her eyes. “That was just a dream.”
“No, it wasn’t. It was real, Adara.”
“But if that was real, then that means…” The wolf came to her rescue, except the wolf was a man. Logan. “You’re a werewolf?” She shook her head. “No. This isn’t real. It was all just a dream.”
“If it’s a dream, then how do I know about it?”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head wildly. “Maybe I told you about it during my blackout. Or—”
“Maybe it’s true.” He approached the bed, and she panicked, scooting until her back hit the headboard. He held out his hands. “Shhh, honey. I’m not gonna hurt you. I want you to remember.”
Forget. The word spun at her, and she closed her eyes against it. “I’m so confused.”
“I know, honey. But I want to fix that. I think your nightmares might be part of the problem.”
“I don’t have nightmares.” She lied automatically and tried to hide her trembling hands behind her.
“We both know that’s not true.”
“I slept like a baby last night.” Agitation made her hop off the bed and pace. “I don’t dream.”
Adara thought she heard him mumble, “Yeah, you do.”
“Do not.” Because, if the doctor knew she still suffered, he would snare her and lock her up. Maybe even throw away the key.
“Listen, honey—”
“Would you stop calling me that?” She stopped her annoyed pacing to face him. “I am not your honey. I have a name. Use it.” Adara clamped her mouth shut, astonished. She couldn’t believe she’d just snapped at him like that, and judging by his face, neither could Logan.
“About time you found your fighting spirit,” he said with a grin. “Now, hold on to that fire while you shower. Titus will be here shortly.”
“You still haven’t explained why he’s coming,” she grumped. “I thought you and Titus were enemies. What’s he got to do with anything?” Would he join forces with Logan and feed her fantasies? Undo all the work the doctor had done in making her face reality?
“Like I mentioned before, Titus has access to information I don’t.”
“Is he a werewolf, too?” she asked with a hint of sarcasm. She was divided on the whole topic, given logic said that werewolves didn’t exist, and yet, she so clearly remembered the dream in which Logan had turned into one. What about downstairs when he showed me? I touched him. Her mind gave a shake, and the image was gone.
“He wishes he were a furry bastard like me. Given your skepticism, I think I’ll let him explain what he is.”
“He’s a late-twenties man with money who is a touch too intense.”
“Probably because he’s not exactly human.” And with that cryptic remark, Logan left the room, missing her bemused expression, only to return a moment later to fling a towel at her. “I don’t have any clothes that will fit you, and with your apartment burned—”
“What? What do you mean my apartment burned?” The news didn’t startle her as much as expected because didn’t she recall overhearing Logan’s friend saying something about that? I have no home. Nowhere to go. It roused her suspicion anew, and she shot a look at Logan.
He held up his hands. “The fire ain’t my fault, honey. Don’t get pissed at me for being the messenger. Place was a firetrap to start with. If you ask me, you’re better off with it gone.”
“Says the man with a home.”
“Says the guy who invites you to stay as long as you need. No strings. No expectations.”
Staring at him, she had to wonder why he was being so kind to her. “Why are you helping me?”
“Honestly? I dunno.” He shrugged. “I could say it’s because I’m a good Samaritan who helps everyone, but that would be bullshit. Usually, I only help my pack. But there’s something about you. Something that calls to my wolf.”
She snickered. “Like that whistle no one can hear.”
A ghost of a smile tilted his lips. “In a sense. Whatever it is, it thinks I should offer you a helping hand. Or bed. And shower. Now. Titus will be
here soon.”
“You’re bossy.”
“It’s because I’m the alpha of my pack. Now, move.”
“Yes, sir.” Said with a grin.
The bedroom had the bathroom attached to it, and while not fancy, she did groan at the soothing heat of the water. Her apartment shower, when it finished spitting out rusty water, never got more than passably lukewarm and often turned ice-cold before she’d finished.
I guess I won’t have to worry about that anymore. My apartment’s gone. Burned up along with…
A rotting face. Grasping hands.
Blink. Adara sensed that there was more she needed to recall, but the idea slithered from reach. She gave a mental shrug and tried not to feel worried. Yet she couldn’t help the nagging feeling that said she needed to wake up.
Remember.
Forget.
The dual pounding in her head made her growl in frustration, and her fist throbbed as she punched the tile wall.
And cracked it.
She stared at the spider webs in the tile and then looked at her knuckles, the tops of them scratched and bleeding.
A knock made the bathroom door vibrate.
“Are you okay in there?” asked Logan with concern in his voice.
Out of reflex, Adara jumped from the shower, snaring a towel so that she might cover her nude body even though he couldn’t see her.
“Adara?”
What does he think happened? That I drowned myself? Her sarcastic inner thought almost made her gasp. Had she gotten so comfortable with Logan that she’d lost her by now familiar timidity? “I’m fine,” she finally called out. “Just getting out now.” And hoping she could think of an excuse for the damage to his shower.
Turning off the water, she wrapped the huge towel more firmly around herself. She eyed her dirty clothing laid over the vanity and wrinkled her nose. She really didn’t want to put them back on.
Logan knocked again. “Hey, one of the pack females brought over some clothes for you to wear if you want. I’ll leave them on the bed.”
He’s like a mind reader. Or he was used to having strange, naked women at his house.
Either way, she was stuck here for the moment, and any kind of clean attire was welcome.
Adara opened the door and peeked out. The room appeared empty. She scooted over to the bed with the towel tucked firmly around her to find a sweatshirt with matching sweatpants. She didn’t spot any underwear, but the clothing offered was still better than re-wearing her dirty stuff. She shucked the towel and quickly dressed. She’d no sooner yanked the pants up than there was a knock.
“You decent yet?” Logan asked.
She wore fabric from neck to ankle, and yet the fact that she had no bra or underpants on seemed noticeable to her. However, she couldn’t let a lack of undergarments keep her from facing Logan. “Come in.”
Logan entered brandishing a brush. Sitting on the bed, he patted the spot between his knees.
A part of her hesitated at getting that close to him. “I can brush it myself,” she said stubbornly.
“I know you can, but it will relax you to have someone else do it for you, so don’t argue. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m bigger than you.” The threat might have frightened, except he delivered it with a grin and wink.
For some reason, his attitude put her at ease, and she couldn’t stop the tilt of her lips in reply. She approached, hesitating only a moment before she settled between his thighs. He let out a harsh breath, and she startled, jumping up. Or she meant to. An arm snaked around her waist and held her in place.
It was Adara’s turn to suck in a breath as his touch caused a chain reaction in her body. The butterflies were back, and they’d brought friends. She blushed, thankfully unseen, as moist heat pooled between her thighs. It felt good and, at the same time, didn’t.
Run. The panicked impulse resonated inside her head, an irrational fear rising to convince her that Logan meant her harm. Adara refused to listen, not when sitting this close to him felt so nice and, even stranger, comforting.
He brushed her hair, and the long strokes relaxed her and quieted her inner qualms. At his soothing touch, her head leaned back, but she snapped it up quickly when he groaned, a low, vibrating sound that shot tingles through her body.
This time when she jumped away from him, he didn’t stop her. She faced him, hands clasped tight. He regarded her broodingly, his eyes glittering with some emotion she couldn’t identify.
“Thanks,” she said. “I think my hair is good now.”
“At least one of us is.” His lips twisted into a ghost of a smile, and she frowned, not understanding him. There was some hidden meaning in what he said, but for the life of her, she couldn’t see it.
“So, when is Titus arriving?” she asked, looking away from the intensity in his eyes.
“Soon. Come on. I’ve got some pizza downstairs for us to eat while we wait.”
Moments later, Adara munched on a slice while Logan puttered around. A knock at the door drew him away, but she remained seated on the stool. Titus is here. She didn’t question her certainty. It was something she just knew. She heard the murmur of men’s voices. I bet they’re talking about me. A thought reinforced when they both shut up as they entered the kitchen.
Titus looked dashing dressed in a dark suit with a charcoal gray shirt and a deep red tie. So why did she eye him warily?
“Evening, Adara. I trust you are faring well?”
She shrugged. “I guess.” She might fare better if she didn’t have so many holes in her memory.
“Logan says you’re having trouble recollecting certain events.”
“More like having a hard time believing. He says I was attacked by zombies, and that he’s a wolf.”
“What do you believe?”
“I think it’s not nice to screw with the crazy girl’s head. Or is this what you do? Find someone vulnerable and then make her believe the impossible.”
“Is that what you truly believe?”
She wanted to say yes, that Logan was a liar and that Titus… Well, she didn’t know what to think about that man other than he was rich and obviously getting some sick kick from toying with her. “I think I’d like to know what’s going on. The truth. Not some fairytales and stuff.”
“We’re not lying, honey,” Logan stated.
“Then why is there is a hazy cloud around my memories? Why does it seem like your version of facts is the fantasy one?”
“Because someone has been messing with your mind.” Titus stared at her, his eyes vivid and mesmerizing.
Don’t stare at them too long. She blinked and turned away. “Yeah, well, I was in a hospital for months, and part of my treatment involved a shrink. Being messed up is kind of expected.”
Titus sought to reassure. “There’s more to it than that. And today, we will start figuring that out.”
What if I don’t want to? What if the secrets in my head should stay hidden?
“If we’re going to get intense, then we should at least be comfortable.” Logan grabbed her by the hand. He tugged her into the living room and dragged her down to sit on the couch beside him. Titus chose a spot opposite her, his face tight as if angry at something.
“It would seem you and the wolf have formed a bond.”
Logan draped an arm across her back and replied smugly, “Once you go furry, you never go back.”
Adara caught the innuendo a moment after Titus did. She elbowed Logan hard in the ribs and then almost immediately apologized for her act of violence. What is up with me? Since when do I hit people?
She managed to hold her tongue and scooted sideways on the couch, away from Logan, even though a part of her actually wanted to snuggle closer.
Titus smiled and leaned back in his seat as if pleased by her reaction. Adara frowned at him, too, but his grin just widened.
“Now that we’re all comfortable, let us begin. I assume Adara didn’t have a repeat of her nightmare once I left?”
> “I don’t dream,” she muttered by rote.
They both ignored her. “She didn’t dream, I don’t think, but she did have some kind of fit after breakfast when I asked her about her past. Freaked out, actually. Then passed out again. When she woke up later this afternoon, she remembered nothing.”
She turned to face Logan. “Did not.”
“Did, too,” Logan said, looking at her with steady eyes. “And if I were a bastard, I’d prove it by setting up a video camera and asking you the same questions to see if it happens again.” Adara gaped at him. “But, lucky for you, I’m a nice guy.”
“I’d say that’s debatable,” retorted Titus dryly. “How about instead of us overwhelming her with our need to know, we let Adara lead the way. After everything that has happened the last few days, I’m sure she has questions.”
Adara gave Titus a thankful smile. “I don’t know where to start.”
“I think we should start with, what is Titus?” said Logan with a smirk.
Titus glared at him, but Adara sat up straight on the couch. Something about how Logan tossed those casual words out let her know the information would prove interesting. “What are you?”
“I am a vampire.” Titus said the words starkly, his mien serious, and Adara couldn’t help herself. She giggled.
“I vant to suck your blo-o-od.” She faked a bad accent then laughed again. “Hey, wait,” she said, sobering up. “Are you going to drain me and make me into a vampire, too?” She inched closer to Logan.
Titus sighed. “I’m glad you find me so amusing, and, no, I am not going to turn you into a vampire. For one, you’re not human, so it probably wouldn’t work even if I tried.”
Adara flinched back from him. “What are you talking about? Maybe you guys believe you’re monsters, but I’m normal. Human.” She had to be. Anything else was just crazy.
Logan’s warm hand gripped hers. “Don’t freak out, honey. There’s nothing wrong with being special.”
Adara shook her head in denial. “Except I’m not special. I’m nobody.” I am forsaken.
“Choosing to pretend won’t change the facts,” Titus replied, his voice soft. “I suspect your amnesia is why you’re having such difficulties recalling who you are.”
