Page 11 of Blood Lost

“I’ll help you find your girl. It sounds like she got caught up in a bad situation that isn’t her fault. She shouldn’t suffer because of your mistakes. After that, I can’t make any promises.” Kayden disconnected the call before I could respond. He knew where I was, so it wasn’t a big deal. I expected him to be here in a couple of hours, especially if he was gathering a search party. I hated to involve the shifters, but they were the best trackers in the state. If anyone could find Delilah, it was Kayden and his crew.

Chapter 13

Delilah

The hallway was long and narrow, with several doors on either side. Part of me wanted to check behind each one and see what I was dealing with. Waking up in clothes that weren’t my own made me wonder what I’d done. The pain in my head made me wonder about a lot of things. My first concern was finding blood before the thirst got worse. I didn’t want to risk hurting anyone. I crept silently to the end of the hallway and looked around the open living area. The enormous room was empty.

A strange feeling of calm washed over me. There was something familiar about this place. Being alone was oddly freeing, and my body relaxed. I took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen. The burning in my throat was getting stronger. I remembered Declan’s words of warning that the thirst could take over if I didn’t drink blood regularly enough. Somehow I knew that the fridge would be fully stocked.

I pulled out a blood bag and drained it without closing the door. I grabbed another bag and flopped back onto the couch. I took my time with the second bag, slowly inspecting the room around me. I could tell that a man had decorated the room. It lacked a woman’s touch. There were no photographs on the walls, nothing to indicate who lived here. It was difficult to tell if anyone lived here. This could have been a hotel suite for all I knew. When I finished the second blood bag, I dropped it in the sink and went searching for something to tame this headache.

How can I have a hangover when I didn’t even drink anything last night? Wait. That guy. How stupid can I be? Of course, that guy had somehow drugged me. It was the only thing that made sense. But why? That would mean that either Dec didn’t send him or that Dec was trying to drug me. I had no idea what he could gain from that, so I found it hard to believe that Declan could be behind it. Maybe the guy knew me from before, and he had a reason to want me incapacitated. The thoughts invaded my brain as I searched the apartment. I found what I needed in the bathroom, which probably should have been where I started hunting, but my mind was fuzzy. I took medicine and walked back to the living room.

I pieced together bits of memory from the night before. Vik and Eli, those were the guys who’d taken me. That wasn’t exactly right. They didn’t take me so much as to make sure I was safe. I’d even tried to have sex with Eli, and he’d turned me down because he could tell that I was high. Not many guys would have resisted a willing participant. I wasn’t sure how but I knew them. Their eyes were the ones I saw in my dreams. My soul screamed mine every time I saw them. And the way they’d talked when I’d pretended to be passed out made it seem like we’d all been in some sort of relationship together.

Now that my headache was taken care of, I searched for a computer or cell phone to get back home. I stopped suddenly at that thought and dropped to the floor. I didn’t have a home. Not one that I knew anyway. I only knew one person and had no idea how to get in touch with him. I couldn’t even remember if Declan had given me his last name. My chest tightened, causing my breath to come in gasps as I started to cry. My current situation was hopeless. Even if I left this apartment, I had no idea where I was or how to get back to Declan. Pain stabbed at my heart, and I curled into a ball on the floor of the room I woke in a few hours ago. I failed to stop the sobs that racked my body. Hopelessness took over, and I wondered if I’d ever get to leave.

After a while, I fell asleep. My dreams were confusing and scary, like when I was unconscious and dying. I was lost in the darkness, with flashes of color all around me. I stared out into the black expanse. A flash of color highlighted a doorway a few yards in front of me. I stumbled drunkenly toward it. I should be able to walk fine; I haven’t had anything to drink. A few steps more, and I bumped into something. I froze, waiting for the light to come again so I could see what was in front of me. My body trembled, and sweat pooled at the base of my spine.

“Delilah, it’s silly to be so scared. You’re a vampire now.” My voice echoed even though I had whispered the thought. The colored light pulsed again, and I looked down toward my feet. Lying there, in a pool of blood, was the man from the club. His neck was bent at an unnatural angle, and blood dripped from his shoulder. I knew without leaning down that he was dead. Somehow, I knew that I had killed him. My head spun again as it had outside the club before Eli walked up. I turned toward the noise and found myself face to face with Eli.

“Do I know you?” My question came out a breathy whisper. My soul sounded in my head. Mine. “What are we to each other?” I stared into his blue eyes, willing him to answer me, but he wouldn’t. He reached for me, and I backed up. I wanted answers. I needed to know before I let myself fall into his arms. My brain and soul were at odds over my choice. Eli stepped forward, and I retreated again, bumping into something solid. I turned to see Vik standing there, his dark eyes burning through me.

The hunger in his eyes terrified me. I could tell they both wanted me, and a part of me wanted to give in to it. I wanted them both. I heard another noise and turned toward it to find Declan’s green eyes on me. I stepped further away from all three of them. I couldn’t trust myself to make this decision until I knew who I was—who I am. How could I possibly care so much about three different men? It’s not like they would be okay with sharing. I tried to think if I’d ever known anyone in that situation. I mean, sure, they write about it in books, but does it really happen that way?

While I was caught up in my thoughts, staring at the three of them, something brushed against my leg. I looked down to find the dead guy grabbing at my ankle. I screamed and ran for the door. If vampires were real, surely zombies could be a thing too. There was so much I still didn’t know. I needed answers. I woke in a cold sweat with tears streaming down my face, staring into piercing blue eyes.

Chapter 14

Eli

I found Delilah curled up in the fetal position on the floor of my bedroom. I told Vik we shouldn’t have left her alone. He’d wanted to give her some space, so she wasn’t scared when she woke up. I went to the office for a while and took care of things that couldn’t be rescheduled before dropping him off at Midnight and returning here. I was certain that leaving her alone had been a bad idea from how she was shaking. I could punch him for it later. Right now, Delilah needed me. I noticed that she’d found her clothes and changed. She had also found the blood bags. I wondered how long she’d wandered around the apartment before she came back in here.

I scooped her up and cradled her while walking to the bed. I sat down and held her on my lap. I knew that waking her from whatever nightmare she was having could scare her worse, so it was better if I just held her and waited. I was terrified that she would remember what had happened last night and think I tried to take advantage of her. Of course, I wanted her. I just wanted it to be her decision, not something that happened because she was high. I didn’t know if she had gotten high intentionally or if someone had slipped her something.

She woke with a start, gripping my arms tightly. She had been sweating and crying. For a moment, Delilah relaxed when she saw my face. Then terror took over, and she crawled away from me. “Who are you? Why did you bring me here? Where are we?” Her questions came out in a long breath. She panted as she waited for my response.

“It’s okay, love. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m Eli—don’t you remember me? We’re at my home. Vik and I brought you here because you were pretty messed up last night, and we wanted to keep you safe.” I tried to keep my words soft-spoken and calm to soothe her.

“Eli. That’s right. I heard you two talking last night in the car. You asked me to come home with you. Why would I agree? I don’t know you, do I?” The fear in her eyes broke my heart. I wanted to scoop her back into my arms and make it all go away. I realized that the fear was my fault, though. She had no idea who I was, but I had taken her to my home instead of her own. I wasn’t sure how much I should tell her.

“Did you wake up with amnesia after you transitioned?”

She nodded, eyeing me cautiously. “How did you know?” Her gaze dipped to her hands that were fidgeting with the blanket.

“Because you don’t remember us or this place. Delilah, I promise you, I will not hurt you. You’re safe here. You found the clothes in the closet, right?” Her name felt strange on my tongue, but I waited for her to look at me and nod again. “Those are your clothes. You put them in my closet. It’s a difficult situation to explain, but we were—are in a relationship, and you lived here part-time before you were kidnapped.”

Delilah raised her head and stared at me. “Are you saying that Declan kidnapped me? Why would he do that? He saved my life.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know that he was involved. I don’t know him. I can tell you that Vik and I owe him our lives for saving you. We’d be lost without you. He and I have spent all of our time searching the city for you. We’ve been lost since you were taken.” A tear slid down my cheek, and she hurried over to wipe it away.

“Maybe that’s why I felt so drawn to you. If we were together, that would explain it. But what about Vik? You said you both owe Declan. I don’t understand.” Her nose wrinkled as she tried to figure out what I’d meant.

“It’s a complicated situation. You were with Vik and me. I don’t want to push too much at you at once. Vik and I both care for you, and you wanted to be with both of us. We agreed to try, and before we could finish remodeling our new home, you were taken.” I knew it was a lame explanation, but it was all I could offer her right now. I didn’t want to overwhelm Delilah with details about how her family home was destroyed or how her uncle had been killed.

“I’m sorry, this is all just too much. I want to go home now. Please would you just call Declan or take me home?” Delilah sat in my chair next to the bed and pulled her knees up to her chest. She dropped her eyes to the floor, and I was sure she was crying again.

“I know this is all a lot to process. I know Vik was anxious to talk to you without being overwhelming. I’m sorry if I upset you. This is your home; at least it was. If you want to go back to Declan, I’ll call him for you.” I stood up and walked to the door, trying to mask the pain that was tearing through me. “I can get you a bag to take your clothes. There’s no reason you can’t have them.” I walked out the door before she could see my tears. I leaned against the closed door and pulled out my phone.

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