She had lost all color, and had beads of sweat dripping from her brow. Until the crystals were delivered, I could do little to help her. There was, however, one thing… I prowled down the hall, searching for the washroom.
It was everything I could have hoped for—huge, with a large freestanding tub on a raised platform at one end, and a shower and toilet around the corner.
After relieving myself, I approached the tub and turned the water on full blast. The water was deliciously hot, and as I stood over it and admired the plasterwork on the ceiling and the murals on the walls, I noticed a shelving unit loaded with interesting things.
Moments later, I returned to the tub with an armload of possibilities, and began experimenting. Some were fragrances, some colored the water itself. My personal favorites were those that caused a cascade of billowing bubbles in bright colors.
I worked the water into a froth of color and scent before turning it off and heading back into the hall.
Riley was now lying on the couch, with Lucas sitting on the chair across from her. Although neither were speaking, I was pretty sure they had been.
I loomed over Riley. She looked up at me from dark sockets, her eyes bright and feverish.
I held out my hand. “Come with me.”
She rubbed her forehead with shaking fingers. “Do I want to live?”
Ice traveled down my spine. “You’ll be fine, Riley, I promise.”
She spread her fingers, peering at me. “It’s from a movie,” she said, “Although you aren’t exactly the Terminator.” She pulled her hand away and waved it. “Never mind.” She attempted to push herself upright. And almost swayed right off the couch.
I didn’t wait for permission, the move was instinctual—I scooped her up in my arms.
“Hey!” she protested.
“I won’t make a habit of it if you don’t.” I headed for the washroom.
The comment seemed to flummox her. For a moment she lay stiff, but then she slumped into my arms. My heart did a triple somersault as her warmth nestled against me. But she was warmer than she should be, and shivering violently.
“J-just this-s once.” Her teeth chattered through the words.
I neglected to point out that I’d held her before. It didn’t seem like the time. But as we entered the washroom, she lifted her head.
“It smells nice in here.” She pushed her nose against my neck, and added, “You smell nice, too.”
My heart wasn’t the only thing throbbing. I gritted my teeth and set her down on the cushioned chair along the wall. She removed her arms from around my neck with extreme reluctance, and I was grateful for the cloak obscuring some things from view.
Her eyes widened when she spotted the tub overflowing with bubbles. “You poured me a bubble bath!”
“You need a long soak in a hot tub,” I explained. “Until we get the crystals, and I can start working on you.”
Riley blinked up at me, and what I saw in those feverish eyes—I backed away, and something inside me twisted as the hope in them died. “If you need me—I mean, if you need help, I’m just around the corner.”
She wouldn’t even look at me, now. She waved me away again. “I’ll be fine. Don’t need you. I promise not to fall this time.”
As I turned to go, she called me back. The pain in her eyes froze me in place.
“I need to know something,” she whispered. “Do you feel this thing between us?”
I swallowed. “I do.” My voice was husky.
She hesitated, biting her lip, before she asked, “Do you want me?”
Hellfire.She had no idea. But all I could say was, “Yes.”
She examined the hands that gripped her knees, and I noticed that the fingers were white, they were holding on so hard.
“Lucas says that Anna is powerful enough to drain a person when she has sex with them. That she could kill someone. Can you do the same thing?”
