Page 38 of Wicked Allure
But the coins were never royal.
The only reason she knew they were the royal gold coins, worth more than the standard coins, was because of the imprint of the vampire king’s profile on them.
She leaned back against the headboard and pillows in disbelief. Why would the general—Dru—leave her this much money? It was entirely too much. She pushed the blankets off her and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The cool air caressed her naked skin. She winced from the tightness of the skin around her neck and the area between her thighs where Dru had fed as well. She paused and drew in a deep breath. Her heart pounded. She frowned, unsure why.
She held the coins in one hand while she prodded the area between her legs. There was going to be a bruise. There were two small pinpoint holes on her inner thigh where Dru’s fangs had sunk. Tomesha closed her eyes as the memories of the night surfaced. Her time with Dru had been something she couldn’t explain. There had been something between the two of them. A chemistry, so to speak. But Tomesha shook her head. She was probably reading too much into it. Dru had come to the club for a reason.
Feed and to fuck. She gotten both last night, hence the reason she was gone.
Tomesha stood, a weakness in her bones. She carefully padded over to her dresser where she stored her tips. She slid the money in the drawer with the rest. She made a mental note to take it home with her when she left. She dragged in a deep breath again while holding on to the dresser. The room spun slightly.
Once it stopped moving, she headed into the bathroom to relieve her bladder. It was screaming that she hadn’t emptied it in a while. She hurried as best she could to the toilet and handled her business before she stopped at the sink to wash her hands. She turned the water on and placed her hands underneath it and looked up at the mirror.
Tomesha froze at the sight that greeted her. The skin at the base of her neck was darkened on both sides. There was a trail of dried blood on the left side. She blinked, and her hands shook. She switched the water off and stared at the markings on her. Reality set in for her.
This was what she’d signed up for.
To offer her life’s blood to a vampire for money. She shouldn’t be surprised that it came with consequences.
Her knees shook. She gripped the edge of the counter and breathed in deeply. She felt lightheaded again, and the room tilted. Fear settled in, and she tried to hold herself up to keep herself from falling. She turned around and stumbled to the door. She leaned against it for a moment and reached for her robe that hung on a hook on the wall. It took what little strength she had to slide the material on. Her breathing was rapid and shallow.
“This isn’t normal,” she whimpered. Tomesha closed her eyes; she had to get over to her bed before she fell onto the floor. She moved with slow, easy steps. She celebrated the moment her hand touched the mattress. She sat on it and groaned. The pillows appeared to be a long distance away. “I can make it.”
Panic set in. Was she supposed to feel this way after a feeding? How did the others do this on a regular basis? She crawled the few inches to where her pillows were and fell onto them. She stared at the ceiling while attempting to focus on breathing. A knock sounded at the door. Tomesha’s eyes fluttered closed. She barely had the strength to answer.
“Come in.” Her voice was weakened, but apparently whoever was on the other side of the door had heard her.
The door opened, and footsteps made their way to her.
“Tomesha?” a familiar voice called out. Starla.
Tomesha groaned in response. She couldn’t lift her head from the pillow. Warm hands rested on Tomesha’s face. They turned her head from side to side.
“Shit. Call for the healer!”
Starla released Tomesha, her footsteps fading. Tomesha felt as if she were floating in an abyss. She relaxed back and exhaled. She was exhausted. She just wanted to rest. There was nothing wrong with her wanting to sleep a little. Her trek to the bathroom had taken all of her strength from her. She didn’t know why Starla was screaming for help. She’d just take a nap, then she’d be fine.
“I said call for a healer!” Starla hollered. The bed dipped down near Tomesha, and hands took her chin in their grasp. “Tomesha. Open your eyes. Don’t go to sleep.”
“But I’m so tired,” Tomesha murmured. She tried to shake Starla’s hands from her face. Why was she making such a big deal?
“No, honey. I need you to stay with me. Don’t go to sleep.” Starla’s voice held a bit of a panic in it.
Tomesha frowned and tried to roll away from her, but her body wasn’t cooperating.
“Tomesha, open your eyes.”
Tomesha complied, but only one opened. She took in Starla’s frantic expression before it fluttered closed again.
“I’m fine,” she grumbled.
“You are not. I think that general took too much blood from you,” Starla said.
Another voice, one Tomesha didn’t recognize, joined her and began speaking with Starla. Tomesha couldn’t hear what they were saying. They spoke in low voices.
The bed dipped down again as Starla moved. “The healer is here. Let her check you out.”
“Tomesha. My name is Lamaya. I’m the healer. How are you feeling?”
