Page 19 of A Song in the Night

“Did you have a date tonight?” I ask after a minute or two.

He glances at me. “No. Did you?”

I open my mouth to respond, then hesitate. As much as Noah gets under my skin and makes me loathe his very presence sometimes, my gut tells me I can trust him. He’s saved my life more times than I care to admit—tonight included. Maybe it’s time I tell him the truth.

“I met my sister,” I say finally. “She gave me money. And then I ran into Deacon from the hotel, and he gave me the things I left there.”

His brows furrow as he slows the car to a stop. “Your sister gave you money?”

I look out the windshield and recognize the boardinghouse in the distance. “Yes. It’s not the first time.”

Whatever Noah thinks of this, he keeps to himself. “How did Deacon know you were there?” he asks next.

I shrug as a wave of exhaustion washes over me. I just want to go inside and sleep. “Apparently it’s now public knowledge that I like Crimson. Oh, he also told me to say hello to you. You made an impression when you saved his life.”

Noah just smirks, and as I watch him, a lock of dark hair falls into one of his eyes. He grips the steering wheel with one hand while the other rises to rake that errant lock back. Without warning, my mind goes back to the night of the masquerade ball, when I felt his tongue against my skin in that limousine.

“And the Noah Forrest Fan Club gains another member,” I hear myself say. The words are slightly slurred.

“We both know you’re its leader,” Noah says.

“If I wasn’t injured right now, Forrest…” I trail off as darkness crowds my vision.

He reaches over and grips my chin, lifting it to look at me. “Stay with me, Charlie.”

I try to pull away from his concerned expression. It makes my stomach flutter. “I just need to sleep.”

“That’s the worst thing you could do right now.”

We’ve arrived at the boardinghouse. The porch lights cast a gentle glow over the dead lawn. Noah guides the SUV to the closest curb, then turns the engine off. As its purr fades, he gets out of the car and appears at my door with my bag slung over his shoulder. “What are you doing?” I mumble, frowning blearily.

Noah doesn’t answer. Sliding one arm under my arms and the other under my legs, he lifts me out of the car and carries me to the house. He walks inside without knocking and goes up the stairs, still holding me in his arms. Thankfully, everyone else seems to be asleep.

“Which room is yours?” Noah’s voice sounds far away, but I manage to lift my hand enough to point at the door.

Once we’re inside, he lays me on the bed. Though my eyes are half-closed, I see Noah set my bag on the floor and pull a towel out of it. He hands it to me. Understanding, I attempt to wipe the blood off my face.

“Thanks,” I mumble.

Noah perches on the edge of my bed. His cologne surrounds me like a gentle embrace. “You need to stay awake. You should also feed—you won’t heal very quickly without blood.”

Weak human genes, the monster hisses with resentment. My eyes are completely closed now, though, and I can’t muster any strength to react. “I will.”

“Liar. The second I walk out that door, you’re going to pass out.”

I exhale softly. “You’re so loud.”

“Funny. I’m used to the woman being the loud one in bed.”

“Why are you like this?”

“You’re only bothered by it because you enjoy it.”

“I’m going to kick you off this bed,” I warn him.

“You do recall I just carried you inside because you couldn’t walk, yes?”

I finally pry my eyes open to glower at him. “Go away, Noah. I’m pretty sure you’re making my concussion worse.”

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