Chapter 11
My eyes opened, and I blinked up at the unfamiliar ceiling far above my head. Moonlight streamed through the slightly opened blinds, creating stripes of moonlight on the carpet. The pain from touching Manny still echoed beneath my skin, which left me itchy and uncomfortable.
The sheets covering me and beneath me were wet and soaked through. I was no longer in the clothes that I’d worn to the mansion but in a long T-shirt. A bowl sat on the dresser near the bed, a cloth hanging on the edge.
Whatever I’d just experienced was unlike anything before and would never be again. Not if I had any say in the matter.
Harlon sat in the corner of the room, his gaze intent on me. A frown marred his face as he twisted a ring on his finger. He remained painfully quiet as regret and determination warred in his eyes.
“How long have I been out?” My hoarse throat felt like it was on fire. I yanked at the shirt collar, tugging at it to stop the feeling of being choked.
“Five hours,” Harlon said, rising from his chair. He crossed the room to a water pitcher and poured a glass, carrying it over to me. He sat on the edge of the bed. “You didn’t tell me you could heal.”
His statement didn’t make sense. I shook my head and tried to sit up. My limbs were still too weak to even hold myself up.
Harlon eased me to a sitting position and held me while I drank the entire contents of the glass.
“You’re mistaken. I can’t heal.” I’d never had that specific gift. It wasn’t possible. Then again, touching a man and reliving his attack should have only been possible in my dreams. Harlon was my catalyst.
“Dad’s pain has subsided, whereas he was convulsing every two hours. Something has happened, and his heart has stabilized.”
“That had nothing to do with me,” I said as Harlon put another pillow behind my head to prop me higher.
“Nina.” Harlon swallowed hard. “After you fainted, I brought you in my old room. You developed a bad fever, and while keeping you cool, the doctor found unexplainable bite marks. Bite marks you didn’t have that day in my shower.”
I glanced down at my shirt. “Where?”
He took my hand. “Everywhere, just like my dad, as though you were experiencing the attack the same as him. You were screaming in your sleep, and the mysterious bites just kept appearing.”
“Where?” I asked with more force.
“They’re gone. They’ve disappeared,” he said.
“You’re joking, right?” I asked, and my voice rose an octave.
He pulled out his phone and turned to a picture. “I knew you’d need proof. So, I took a picture for you, but it’s going to be hard to look at.”
I nodded and swallowed around the lump in my throat as he turned the phone for me to see.
I was lying on this same bed. Bites covered my arms and face. Harlon was holding a cloth to my head. Concern registered in his eyes as he stared into the camera lens taking a selfie of the situation for me to see.
The doctor stood on the other side of the bed, staring at my body.
A shiver skirted my spine and not from the wet sheets, indicating I’d undoubtedly broken a fever. This was the opposite of being in control. The vulnerability of the situation settled in my chest. What if Harlon hadn’t been a decent guy? What would have happened if he hadn’t had my back?
“Harlon, I’ll never do that again.” My statement was a whisper. “Who knows what transpired afterward? Who saw the bite marks on my skin?”
“Only the doctor and I did. Nina, I won’t tell a soul; you have my word.”
“And your dad? How is he?”
“Healing in ways the doctor couldn’t even imagine. He’s still unable to open his eyes or speak, but the marks are already starting to heal. You’re a miracle, Nina.”
“No, no, no. I’m not a miracle,” I said, trying to lift up further in the bed without much success.
“That session zapped your energy. You need to regain your strength. I’ll get you something to eat and be right back.”
My strength was exactly what I needed. My heart seized as I stared around the unfamiliar room. Horror crested as I realized I was completely at Harlon’s mercy.
