Page 12 of Viktor's Temptation
Viktor’s eyes narrowed at that. “You bought the house alone? Or with your fiancé?”
Her chin lifted, pride flickering briefly in her expression. “It’s my house. I met Warren after I bought it.” Then she froze, her mind offering her a flash of…something!
“What?” Viktor demanded sharply, catching the flash of emotion in her eyes. “What did you just remember?”
Gracie’s lips parted, the memory hitting her like a punch. “Warren kicked me out of my own house!” she spat, her voice shaking with anger.
Viktor’s jaw clenched, his fury palpable. “Why? What justification could he possibly have for that?”
She hesitated, stunned by the intensity of his reaction. Viktor looked like he wanted to annihilate Warren, his hands curling into fists at his sides. The protective rage in his expression took her breath away.
“He said I wasn’t good enough for him,” she whispered before she could stop herself, her voice laced with bitterness and hurt.
Viktor’s expression darkened, his fury sharpening into something dangerous. “That man deserves to answer for what he’s done to you,” he growled, his voice low and lethal.
Gracie shivered, torn between gratitude for his protectiveness and terror at the depth of her own feelings. She couldn’t crave his touch. She couldn’t let herself want him—not when wanting had only ever brought her pain.
Viktor let out a stream of what Gracie suspected were expletives, but since they were in an unfamiliar language, she couldn’t be sure.
“Tell me everything,” he urged, his voice carefully controlled. She looked into grey eyes that were suddenly glowing with a silver light.
“I’m trying to remember. But the memories still aren’t clear after I arrived home.”
She watched as Viktor took a deep, steadying breath. “Did you drink anything when you got home?”
She paused again, trying to picture the night in her mind. “No. Not that I can remember.” She frowned thoughtfully and blinked. “Wait. There was…!” She stopped, tapping her head with one hand, trying to remember.
He moved closer when she hesitated, his hands lightly gripping her upper arms. “Think, Gracie. What did you see or sense?”
“Another man was there!” she gasped. “Warren was angry because…” she clutched the side of her head. But theharder she concentrated, the more intense the headache grew. It was so bad, her stomach roiled warningly.
“Enough,” Viktor commanded and released her. For a moment, she thought he was going to walk away. Instead, Viktor reached out and pulled her in to his chest, holding her close and stroking her back.
Gracie breathed in the scent of him and wished she could just curl up right there and stay forever. But that was ridiculous. Viktor was helping her. She’d never impose her needs on him, especially when those needs would more accurately be defined as “desires”.
“Relax, Gracie,” he soothed, taking her hand and leading her back to the sofa. “You’re in pain again, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” she whispered, realizing she was unable to hide it at this point.
“Drink this,” he ordered, tapping the bag of blood still clutched in her hand. He even sliced it open for her.
Gracie felt her heart leap with joy at the sight of the blood, which was so wrong! She shouldn’t crave blood! She wasn’t a vampire! She was just…!
She gulped the blood down without missing a single delicious drop. As soon as the blood hit her system, the vicious needles receded. Even the headache settled. He handed her another bag and she started to reject it.
“The pain will come back if you don’t drink more.”
She sighed and accepted the bag. This one was cold and she looked up to find another stranger standing beside Viktor.He seemed vaguely familiar. But she focused on drinking the next bag of blood. Thankfully, the pain receded completely this time.
In fact, Gracie didn’t just feel a lack of pain. She felt…strong! Just like earlier, her bones and muscles tingled, as if they were growing stronger by the moment. Which, as a nurse, she knew wasn’t how that should work. Growing muscles took time and effort. And she definitely didn’t put in the effort. Not with her work schedule. She regularly worked twelve hour shifts, often longer depending on the surgery, and the surgeon who requested her in the operating room. She took pride in the fact that doctors fought to have her by their side when operating.
When the second bag was empty, she slowly lowered it to her lap and stared up at the two men. Viktor’s expression was bland, but oddly compelling. The other man…he was classically handsome. His dark hair and blue eyes matched his tall, muscular body. The man was scary, but instinctively, she knew that he wouldn’t hurt her. He didn’t seem to think much of her though. However, he was holding more blood bags, so Gracie decided to forgive his grumpy demeanor.
“Her mind was wiped,” the grumpy man announced abruptly.
Gracie’s eyes widened as she looked from Mr. Grumpy to Viktor. The latter’s grim nod confirmed the statement, sending a ripple of unease through her.
“Wiped?” she asked, her voice shaky. “What does that mean?”
