“Very well.” I take the dagger from the holster around my waist and walk toward Vincent. He suddenly doesn’t seem the monster I once thought him to be. “One last time. Are you sure?”
“You’re doing me a kindness I don’t deserve.” He holds his position with his eyes closed as I prepare. I thought I’d feel a sense of justice or revenge but the feeling nagging at me has little in common with either. “Do it already.”
I’m experiencing emotions I haven’t felt since I was human. This agápe bond is messing with my mind because I feel sympathy for this known sadist.
Vincent opens his eyes and sees my hesitation. “My incisors ripped through the skin covering your agápe’s jugular only moments before your arrival. She’s lying across a blood-soaked bed right now fighting to stay alive while you try to decide if you should spare my life or not. Every second you stand here, her heart slows.”
Not another word is needed for me to make the quick upward motion to send the stake through his heart. I take joy in his gasp of pain but it’s him smiling instead of me. “Thank you,” he whispers as he falls forward into my arms. That’s when I know he was lying. Avery isn’t fighting for her life. She’s safe and her connection to me has never been stronger. “Tell her I’m sorry.”
I could ask why but it would be a waste of breath. Because I know the answer. And because Vincent Godfrey is dead.
Chapter Sixteen
I streak down the hallway toward Avery and feel my connection to her grow as I narrow the distance between us. I come to the third door on the left but don’t have to call her name. Her presence is stronger than ever before. It engulfs me, wrapping itself all around like a tight-fitting glove.
The door is locked to imprison her but it’s useless at keeping me out. Nothing–wood, steel, or any physical being–can stop me from getting through the walls and door separating us.
She beats her hand against the door because she knows I’m on the other side and calls out to me. “Sol! I’m here.”
I place my palm against the door and the sounds of her frantic pounding stop. I don’t have to see her on the other side to know her open hand is pressed against the same spot as mine like a mirror image on the other side. “I’m here for you, baby doll. I have to force my way through the door. Move back so I can come through without hurting you.”
I successfully kick through the barrier between us on the first attempt and I can’t recall a time in my life when I’ve felt more relief than I do in this moment. I’m overwhelmed by it when I see her standing safely in the middle of the room and there isn’t a name for the minuscule amount of time it takes to have my agápe in my arms.
Sebastian once tried to explain the pain a vampire experiences when separated from his agápe. My mind wasn’t able to comprehend the degree of agony nor the instant relief when reunited but I understand now. Avery is my everything and the only thing I need to complete me. She makes me not broken anymore.
I hold her close but I’m careful to not squeeze too tightly. We’re speechless as we bask in our reunion because neither of us needs to say or hear words. Our connection is more articulate than any words we could say.
Curry is kind by giving us a brief moment before clearing his throat. “I don’t mean to interrupt your reunion but Sebastian is leaving with Vincent’s coven. And I’m anxious to have my own homecoming with my wife.”
I lift Avery from her feet into a cradle and she slips her arm around my shoulders for support while insisting it’s unnecessary, “I’m fine, Sol. I can walk. Really.”
“You could but you’re not.” She’s been through hell these last two weeks but carrying her out of this place of torment isn’t really about her. It’s about me proving I want to be the protector she needs and deserves.
I kiss her temple. “This will never happen again.” Curry opens the car door and I place her in the back seat before she slides over so I may sit next to her. Once inside, I gather her under my arm like a mother hen with her baby chick. I pull her close and press my nose to the top of her head. I smell his scent in her hair. On her skin. It’s permeated in her clothes. “I will keep you safe. I swear this to the gods upon my own life.”
Her eyes are closed and she doesn’t reply but she’s not asleep. I’m not sure if her lack of response is because she’s exhausted or angry. Perhaps she’s simply indifferent because she doesn’t trust me to keep her safe. I can handle fury–and maybe even expect it–but a lack of confidence in my role as her protector would break me.
We arrive at the compound and Curry is in the house before I open the door of the car’s backseat. I gather Avery into my arms and carry her into the compound to my quarters without stopping in the living room for the others to see her. Sebastian follows us down the hall and stands in the doorway as I place Avery on my bed.
He isn’t with the vampires from Vincent’s coven so I assume they are secured in the basement. “There isn’t time to make the ten-hour drive to New Orleans before sunrise so we’ll leave at dusk. They’re secured in the basement so you needn’t worry.”
“I’m not sure that’s a possibility.” I don’t think there’ll ever be a time when I’m not consumed with worry about Avery’s safety.
I move the wingback chair from the corner of the room and place it next to the bed. Avery’s lying so still. Her eyes are closed yet she isn’t sleeping. I’m afraid it’s a sign she isn’t able to bear looking at me. I’m terrified she won’t forgive me for allowing this to happen to her.
But that’s not what I feel from our connection. I sense relief. Pride. Love. But also despair.
“I’m going to step out so you can have a minute with Avery before Dr. Knight comes in to examine her.” Sebastian goes into the hallway and moves to close the door. “She’ll be in as soon as she’s finished with Chansey.”
We’re alone for the first time and I take Avery’s hand in mine as I lean over to press my forehead against it. She lifts her free hand from the bed and strokes her fingers through my hair. Her nails are gently scraping against my scalp and the hairs on my body prickle in response. It’s such a human reaction to her touch. “You’re placing blame on yourself but I won’t have it. None of this was within your control. Vincent’s dead and the others have chosen to be conformed by Sebastian. This nightmare is over so I refuse to relive it by not letting it go.”
I’m a vampire–an undead creature with a tortured soul–so it’s not my nature to let things go without dwelling upon the past. “I think I need to know what happened before I can let go and move forward.”
“You think you need to be tortured by hearing the things he did.” She knows me too well.
“I want to hear everything because I think not knowing is worse than hearing the truth. I’m afraid of becoming fixated on the unknown. I’ll drive myself mad trying to figure it out through our connection.” And in addition to my own punishment, I plan to use the information she tells me as a lesson well learned. It will be forever etched in my mind as a reminder of what happens when I don’t protect my agápe from other vampires.
I feel her reluctance. I see it in her eyes. But she’ll do this for me because I ask it of her. She’s unable to deny me the things I want just as I’m unable to refuse the things she asks of me. “I’ll tell you but I want you here.” She slides over and pats the bed. “I need to feel you against me. It’s been too long.”
She doesn’t have to ask twice. I slide into bed beside her and she places her head on my chest as she stretches her palm over the left side. “How long were we gone?”
I’m surprised by her question but I suppose I shouldn’t be. She’s been held captive in a house without access to light. “Two weeks and two days.” The longest sixteen nights of my existence.
“Time became a blur for us after the first night. The room where we were kept most of the time had no windows so we couldn’t decipher day from night. It was always cold and smelled damp and musty. The floor was stone and the walls felt rough so we guessed it was
some type of cellar.” And probably full of airborne mold spores to make her sick. I pray none of them are toxic.
“Vincent allowed the others to share Chansey but he kept me to himself.” The thought of them passing her around makes me sick. “The first night wasn’t what I expected. He opened a vein in my wrist to drain what he wanted into a cup and then sealed the wound. He was never so gentle with me before so I was surprised. I expected a ravenous attack.”
My expectations were the same as hers. “He was kind to you?”
“Only the first night. He wasn’t in control when he returned.” She’s shaken by a rigor. “The addiction had taken him over again with a new vengeance. He had no self-restraint and was greedier than ever.”
The second night was when I lost my connection to Avery. “What did he do to you?”
“He said my blood was different and better than it had been even at my highest adrenaline rush. He drank until I collapsed. Chansey thinks I was out for at least eight hours but there’s no way to know for sure. I guess it must have scared him because he didn’t come back for a while.”
“Nine hours and twenty-seven minutes. That’s how long you were unconscious. I felt it the second it happened and I knew the exact moment you woke.” I pull her closer using the arm wrapped around her shoulders. “I thought he had killed you when I lost our connection. It took a lot on Curry’s part to convince me otherwise.”
She laces her fingers through mine. “I had someone trying to convince me everything would be fine as well.”
I’m sure Curry used his powerful bond with his agápe to keep her strong so in turn she helped Avery remain hopeful. “I’ll need to thank Chansey for keeping your morale high.”
“It wasn’t Chansey.” I lift my head from the pillow and Avery looks up at me. “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to belittle her encouragement but it was Eden.”
“Eden.” She must be the fylgia that appeared to me.
“You and I had so little time together before Vincent took me. I never got to tell you about my twin that died at birth. I know it sounds crazy but I see her sometimes. Chansey says she’s my fylgia–a supernatural being that accompanies me in connection to my fate. She usually appears in my dreams but she acts as my guardian when she materializes.”
Her arm feels cool so I rub it briskly from her shoulder to her elbow to produce warmth. “She guides me in protecting you as well.”
“How so?” Avery asks.
“She appeared in Vincent’s house while I was tearing it apart looking for any clue to where he had hidden you.” Even now it seems unbelievable. “I thought she was you when I saw her standing there. Even her voice is identical to yours. ”
“You saw Eden?” I hear the amazement in her voice. “I always thought I was crazy because no one else could.”
“She’s the reason I located the secret compartment in the mantle. It’s where I found one of the original keys to the house where Vincent was hiding you.”
She’s confused. “I don’t understand. How did the key help you find us?”
I pull it from my pocket–the place I’ve carried it for over two weeks. “The sigil identified the house.” She takes the key and holds it closer to the bedside lamp for a better look. “But Anna was the one to recognize it.”
There’s a knock at the door just as I’m preparing to tell her the rest of the story. “That’ll be Dr. Knight.” There’s plenty of time for explanations but for now I need to hear that Avery is the picture of health. “Come in.”
Michaela Knight eases the door open and is carrying the black leather bag she has every time she has made a medical call. “I hear I have another patient.” She enters the room and sits on the bed by Avery’s feet. She reaches out and strokes her lower leg. “It’s good to have you back.”
Avery pushes herself up in the bed. “I’m happy to be back.”
“I understand that you and Solomon made quite the discovery just prior to your kidnapping.”
Avery beams. “It’s true. I’m his agápe.”
“That’s wonderful news.” She pats Avery’s leg and then looks at me. “Are you staying or going while I examine her?”
I don’t know. What does a vampire do when his agápe is being seen by a doctor? “Do you want me to stay or do you prefer I step out?”
She shrugs. “I don’t mind you staying but I need to speak with Dr. Knight about some female issues so you might be uncomfortable.”
She wants to talk periods. And the lack of hers.
I don’t pick up on the scent signaling the menstrual cycle she should be having right now. It could be the result of the pregnancy I so strongly suspect or simply related to the stress or blood loss she experienced but I’m certain she wants Dr. Knight to confirm the cause. “Okay. I get it. This is girls only stuff so I’m out of here.” I kiss her forehead. “I’ll be in my office and I’ll return as soon as you’re finished.”
I pass the hallway leading to Curry and Chansey’s quarters as I’m on the way to my office. I want to stop by to check in on Chansey after her visit from Dr. Knight but I don’t. I think knowing she is well would put my mind at rest but I resist because I don’t want to disturb their family time with the babies. Or their agápe reunion.
I know nothing will stop mine with Avery once I know she’s well.
Chapter Seventeen
I’m sitting at my desk in my office staring at the paperwork that has accumulated over the past two weeks. I had a lot of business to catch up on now that Avery was home safely. I should use this time to get some of my work done but I’m useless because I know Dr. Knight is evaluating Avery’s health. And possible pregnancy.
I cheat because I’m anxious. I close my eyes and reach out to that place where only Avery and I exist. I’m inside for a brief moment before she knows I’m there and she pushes me away. That’s never happened before. How did she do that?
I hear the chime of the doorbell and I walk over to open the door. It’s Curry.
“Just checking in on you while Dr. Knight is with Avery. You doing okay?”
No, I’m not. “Avery just pushed me out of our connection.”
He laughs. “Chansey must have taught her that little trick. It’s annoying as hell, isn’t it?”
Right now I don’t find it annoying. It’s … hurtful. I want to be there with her–even if it’s not physically–when she learns if she’s pregnant or not. “How did she do that?”
“You close the invisible gate. It takes concentration and a lot of practice. I bet Chansey has been coaching her for the past two weeks.”
I don’t understand. “Why would she want to shut me out? Isn’t that why we are what we are? So we can know everything about one another inside and out?”
“Everyone needs a little privacy–even from the agápe bond. Trust me. It can cause problems when you know every little emotion. There’ll be times when you don’t want her to know how you feel and you’ll be glad there’s a way to turn it off.”
I don’t like this. At all. “It feels like she’s hiding something from me.”
“It’s not exactly hiding. Agápes don’t have the power to do that because you can’t keep secrets from one another. Think of it as withholding. Or postponing. The truth will always come out unless she never thinks of it again. If that happens then whatever it is must be of very little consequence and doesn’t matter anyway.”
Is it okay to ask about Chansey’s condition? Do I want to know? I’m guessing it must be good or Curry wouldn’t be here now. “Chansey is healthy?”
“She’s well enough to send me for a status on Avery. And maybe keep you occupied while she’s being examined,” he laughs. “Michaela suggested a sedative but she refused because she wants to nurse the babies. I was afraid her body might have stopped producing milk or the twins would be confused after having bottles for two weeks but everything is as if nothing happened.”
Dr. Knight seems to be taking much longer with Avery than Chansey. Is that a bad sig
n? “I didn’t think it would take so long.” I’m growing more and more worried by the minute.
Curry looks at his watch. “It hasn’t been as long as you think. Your fear and the fact that she’s cut you off makes it feel like longer.”
There’s a knock at the door and I hope to see the good doctor on the other side. I’m instantly there with my hand on the knob to open it and I’m pleased when I see Dr. Knight. “I’m finished with Avery’s exam. She’s asking for you.”
I’ve just learned that my agápe has the ability to hide from me so I can’t resist asking about her condition in case she plans to try to withhold information from me later. “Is she okay?”
She smiles and I’m relieved before she says a word. “Avery’s strong and healthy so she’ll make a full recovery. Her body is already working overtime to replace the loss of plasma. It’ll take longer for the red blood cells to regenerate so I want her taking a vitamin every day to help with that process.” She holds out a piece of paper. “She didn’t want a sedative but I’m leaving a prescription in case she changes her mind. I would be surprised if she didn’t have night terrors after the things she experienced.”
There were nights when I sensed horror and panic from Avery after she arrived at the compound. At the time, I thought it was related to her fear of me but I see now that wasn’t the case. She was having nightmares about Vincent. I wish I had known. I could have helped her through it.
“Avery thinks she’s okay but she’s going to need you more than she knows.”
I was up for the task. “I’ll be by her side every step of the way.”
“Good.” Michaela moves aside. “Get out of here. Go to your agápe.”
I thank Michaela but waste no time returning to Avery. I enter my quarters and smile when I find her sitting up in bed with several pillows propped behind her. Her skin is pale, which I’m certain will be the case for a few weeks but her hair is glossy. It’s an indication her health hasn’t been damaged to the severity it was when we found her months ago. The golden brown eyes staring at me are sparkling and her face is beaming with a smile that spreads from one side to the other.
Blood Doll (The Vampire Agape Series Book #3) (The Vampire Agape Series #3) Page 12
