Elliott frowns at me. ‘Aren’t you going to say hello?’
‘Hello. Glad you’re alive or, should I say,unalive,’ I say dryly.
The skinny girl crouched next to him on her haunches chuckles. She flicks a patch of bloodied fur off her fingers and stares at me. ‘Sadie, right? Elliott said you were funny.’
I bristle at that. ‘Who are you?’
‘I’m Lucy, Elliott’s sire.’
Elliott quickly elbows her in the ribs, but it’s too late. Jealousy floods my system. Oh, sosheturned him. No doubt they’ve consummated that little arrangement. I know what it’s like when you first get turned: you’re high on bloodlust until it’s satiated.
‘How cosy,’ I say in as neutral a tone as I can muster. I’m not going to let them see how devastated I am. To findElliott,myElliott, only to lose him to this bitch. I can feel the girl’s fingers pressing against my brain, trying to push through my mental wall.How dare she!I block her instantly. I need to get out of here.
‘I’m going back to the house to check on Tim,’ I say curtly, turning on my heel and walking off. I make sure to keep my head up and shoulders squared. Damn the lot of them!
‘Not Tim, her ex-boyfriend?’ I hear Elliott querying behind me. Floss mutters a reply, but I’m walking so fast I’m out of range before I can hear what she says to him.
Rage and despair mix with relief that he’s alive. But smack bang in the middle of that is the image of Elliott and Lucy feeding happily next to each other. It’s imprinted on my brain. And the fact thatshe’shis sire, not me! He’ll always have a blood bond with her now, goddamn it. She’s obviously the one who helped him escape. Who knows what else that horny little bitch has been doing with him in the castle—
‘Sadie, wait up!’
Footsteps slap on wet leaves behind me, but I don’t bother looking round. He can go to hell for all I care!
‘Just slow down, would you?’ Elliott grasps my shoulder, and I round on him with a snarl.
‘Don’t touch me! Don’t ever touch me again!’ My wordslash out like a whip, and Elliott recoils. But I don’t even know what I’m saying right now. I want to hurt him like he’s hurt me.
‘I know what it looks like, but it’s not what you think,’ he says carefully.
I fold my arms and lean against a tree. ‘Really? I’m thinking it’sexactlyhow it fucking looks. So explain to me how you’re a vampire right now.’
Elliott wipes his face with the bottom of his T-shirt, giving me a flash of toned abs. Desire coils tightly in me, and I look away. This is not the time to get turned on by him, even though I’m craving his touch something chronic. But I’m not going to admit that!
‘Lucy saved my life. I would’ve died if she hadn’t turned me. Alexander was drawing so much blood ... and I still don’t know why. He’s swanning around in that castle like bloody Hugh Hefner. You should see him—dressing gown, cravat, the whole works. He looks like a right numpty.’
My lips twist at that, but I flatten my mouth instantly.
‘So what happened after Lucy turned you? Did you and she ...?’
‘No!’ Elliott takes a step closer to me, and I let him (for now). ‘All I could think about was getting back to you.’
I humph at that. ‘Sure.’
‘It’s the truth. She was trying it on with me, but Ipushed her away. She nearly bit me again.’
I close my eyes briefly, imagining how good it would feel to rip her throat out myself.
‘Isn’t it better to have me like this than dead?’ he asks, sounding closer.
I open my eyes to find he’s right in front of me, looking down with a grin. I can feel myself melting under the flame of his gorgeous smile; it gets me every time. ‘Of course. But ...she’syour sire, not me, Elliott!’ I wail.
His arms go around me, and I sag against his blood-splotched chest, whimpering. He caresses my back and cups a large hand protectively around the back of my neck.
‘I know, sweetheart. It sucks big time. I wanted you to turn me for so long. But I don’t regret it, not if it means I get to be with you forever.’
‘I was so scared when Alexander took you. I thought that was it. Then I got so mad. I wanted to kill him!’ I growl against his chest.
Elliott chuckles. ‘That’s my girl. I knew you would.’ He kisses the top of my head, and some of my pain and anger dissipate. But I still want to kill Alexander for putting me through hell.
