Page 88 of Discovery of the Vampire
"Brogan?" Her voice sounded clear and strong—nothing like the broken woman I'd carried home.
"I'm right here, darlin'." I brushed her hair back from her face, desperately scanning for any lingering injuries. The bruises that had marred her skin were completely gone, as was the swelling. Only dried blood remained as a reminder of what had happened to her. "How do you feel?"
"I feel..." She stretched beneath the covers, a look of wonder crossing her face. "Amazing, actually. Like I could run a marathon." She sat up abruptly, throwing off the covers as she inspected her own body. "How is this possible? I was broken. I felt it all breaking."
I couldn't speak, just watched her as she inspected her body.
"Your blood did this?" She looked at me with wide eyes.
"I wasn't sure if it would be enough. You were..." My throat closed as I remembered the condition she’d been in when I'd raced back to the house with her in my arms. I couldn't finish the sentence.
She stared at me for a long time, then wrinkled her nose. "I need a shower." Throwing off my arm, she jumped from the bed and sauntered over to her suitcase, giving me a fine show of her sweet ass when she bent over to pull some clothes from it. "What happened to Marcus?" she asked. "Is everyone okay?"
When I didn't answer, she straightened and turned around, black pants and a red pullover in her arms.
"Brogan? What happened?"
Sitting up against the headboard, I quietly filled her in on everything she'd missed. She didn't move through the entire thing.
"Alex is gone?" she asked.
I nodded.
Esme looked down at the floor for a minute, and when she raised her head, there were tears in her eyes.
"No.” I jumped out of bed and went over to her. "This isn't your fault."
"Yes," she told me, staring up at me with big, dark eyes. "It is. This wouldn't have happened if I could've just found his damn book."
“He's been here before. Before you ever came into my life. Alice and Alex are distant relatives of his. It's them he's been after all along. Not you."
Those little lines appeared between her brows as she looked up at me. "Where is Alice?"
"Last I knew, she was back with her coven."
"Good," she whispered. "That's good."
I stared down at her, struggling to find the words that would make her feel better, but coming up empty. "Come on, let's get cleaned up."
She nodded distractedly. "Give me just a minute before you come in please," she told me.
"Sure. I'll wait until I hear the water come on." I waited for her to tell me she wanted to shower alone, but she didn't. Which was a good thing because I didn't know that I'd be able to let her out of my sight for that long.
She went across the hall and I shut the door to my room and leaned against it, trying to give her some privacy while listening intently for the sound of running water. A cold sweat broke out on my head as I replayed the horrific events of the night in my mind and the sheer terror of almost losing her. Every time I closed my eyes, even just to blink, the haunting image of her broken body flashed before me, seared into my memory.
I couldn't shake the overwhelming fear that gripped me even now, the realization of how close I’d come to losing the one person who meant everything to me.
When the shower started, I gave her another minute before entering the bathroom and dropping my clean clothes next to hers. Steam had already filled the small space, fogging the mirror. Through the clear shower door, I admired her curvy body as she stood under the spray, her head tilted back as water cascaded over her face.
"Can I join you?" I asked, my voice rough with a need I couldn't control.
"Of course," she told me. "You need a shower, too."
I stepped in beside her, letting the hot water wash over me. Blood—hers and mine—swirled at our feet before disappearing down the drain. Without a smile, she reached for my shampoo and squeezed some into her palm.
"Lean down," she instructed.
I bent forward slightly so she could reach my head, my hands resting on her full hips. Her fingers worked through my hair with gentle pressure, and I closed my eyes, savoring her touch. It was such a simple thing, washing someone's hair, but it was one of the most intimate experiences of my life.
