Page 39 of The Hunted
“I’ve never seen you so concerned over a human, and one you hardly know,” she said.
I couldn’t explain it. I’d felt Layla’s pain the minute I’d walked into the infirmary. “You know I can feel what others feel.” I couldn’t put my finger on why I was drawn to this woman, a human no less.
“Of course,” Jo said. “But it’s more than your empath ability.”
I concurred, but I wasn’t ready to admit that to her or anyone yet.
Dr. Vieira readied his stethoscope. “Jo, can you take her blood pressure?” Then he listened to Layla’s heart while my sister did as he asked.
I stood at the bottom of the bed, admiring Sleeping Beauty. She really was a gorgeous creature. Waves of auburn hair fell around her teardrop chin. Her heart-shaped lips were pouty. Her freckles blended in with the color of her hair, and her long smooth neck had my name written all over it.
I shook my head like a dog shaking off water.
Doc cleared his throat. “Sam, are you okay?”
“Never better, Doc,” I lied through my teeth. “What’s wrong with her?” I gripped the plastic footboard, and if I kept squeezing, I would crush it.
“I don’t know yet,” Dr. Vieira said. “She seems normal. But when I walked in, she had a panicked look on her face as though she was frightened of me. Odd.”
“Her blood pressure is fine,” Jo added. “She gave me consent to take some blood samples. Should we?” she asked Doc.
Doc nodded at Jo as he wrapped his stethoscope around his neck and addressed me. “I agree with your sister. You seem to be quite taken with her.”
I chuckled.Got to love how vampires can see right through people. “Look at her. Wouldn’t you be? And let’s not forget that if something happens to her, my father will behead me.” That wasn’t a lie. I’d tried like hell to restrain myself in that elevator. I swallowed the dryness in my throat as I thought about how fucking delicious only one drop of her blood had been. I wanted more. I wanted her blood running through my veins.
“Tell me what happened,” Doc ordered.
I erected a mental shield around my brain so Jo wouldn’t go digging. First chance I had, though, I needed to down a bottle of Alia’s mind-blocking potion. I could still lie, but Layla’s life could be at stake. “She bit me.”
Jo didn’t react, leading me to conclude she already knew. She had probably sifted through Layla’s thoughts.
Doc’s brow creased. “Why? What would ever possess a human to bite a vampire?”
“I told her to. That’s all I’ll say for now,” I said in a frustrated sigh. “Is my blood making her pass out? She was dizzy and queasy earlier.”
“Possibly,” Doc said with a nod. “Your blood is potent, and she is human. Not a good combination. Humans can’t tolerate ingesting blood to begin with, let alone vampire blood as strong as yours. How much did she take in?”
“Not much. A few drops. She bit me on the arm.” Which had already healed.
Doc tucked his hands in the pockets of his lab coat. “We’ll send a sample of her blood to our Boston lab.” He glanced out the window. “Although with the blizzard bearing down, that might not happen right away.”
I turned to leave. It was imperative to see if Sawyer could unlock her phone and find out who she’d been talking to before she passed out.
“Can I have a word before you go?” Jo asked, batting her pretty silver eyes my way.
Why not? I imagined she was about to give me advice on women. Not that I had time for a sisterly talk about settling down with the right woman or putting myself out there to find a bride, but I was curious if she’d dived into Layla’s memories.
Once we were out in the lab area and near the exit doors, she gave me a blinding smile. “You’re falling for her.”
“Sis, I just met her like ten hours ago. It’s impossible to have any deeper feelings other than lust. And let’s not forget that she wants me dead.”
She curled strands of her purple-streaked black hair behind her ear. “No. She was at the club to kidnap you.”
“Semantics. Were you able to read her mind? Pops said she was blocking him.”
“Me too. All she kept thinking about was you.”
I cocked a brow. “Oh?”
