“Good evening, Riley.”
She gasped and pushed herself up on an elbow as the mattress dipped and a god sculpted in pure, pale granite sat close to her hip. He wore a black silk robe, open to reveal the hard muscles of his chest, and he offered her a smile she thought would have melted her panties under any other circumstances.
“Who are you?”
He cocked his head, his dark blue eyes narrowing. “You do not know? Think,acushla.”
Riley knew that word. She’d heard him call her that before. A dark room. A car. Pain. “Oh God!” She tried to scramble away from the man, but the duvet foiled her frantic movements, and off balance, she ended up tumbling to the floor. “Get away from me!” Riley screamed as he rounded the bed and dropped to one knee.
“I will not harm you. Nor will I glamour you.”
“Glamourme?” Her voice shrilled as the memories came flooding back to her. Her hands flew to her neck, but the marks…thebites…were gone. And her wrist. She’d broken her wrist, but it felt…fine. “What the hell did you do to me? Keep me unconscious for a month?”
“No…” His brows furrowed. “Why would you ask me that?”
“My wrist…he…broke it…” With a shudder, Riley wrapped her arms around herself, only then realizing she wasn’t wearing her bra and had on…what looked like the matching shirt to his pajama pants. “Where am I?” Scrambling back until she hit a solid wood nightstand, she drew her knees up to her chest. At least she was still wearing her panties. Her pussy didn’t feel…violated. But the rest of her…
“I healed you. You have been here for little more than half a day. But your body suffered much trauma. You may still be…weak. May I help you back into bed?” He held out his hand, a hopeful look gracing his handsome features.
“Half…a day?” Wheezing as panic set in, she tried to force air into her lungs. If she passed out now, he’d be able to do—God knows what. Again. Images flashed through her mind. Chains. Blood. Four men. Ripping her clothes, grabbing her hair,drinking her blood. They’d thrown her in a cage. Tormented her. Insisted she’dfeedthem for weeks. Tears welled in her eyes, and Riley started to tremble, then shake violently. This was all…too real. And…impossible to believe.
The next thing she knew, she was back in bed, but this time, held against the handsome psycho’s chest while his free hand rubbed her back in slow, calm circles. God. He smelled so good. But, his fingers were cool. His entire body was…cool.
He’d come for her in that dank, dirty basement. He’d moved so fast. Snapping the chains like they were nothing but threads.”Close your eyes, acushla.”He’d shielded her. Gunshots. She’d heard his gentle, rich voice as a part of her had realized she was about to die.
“Who…what…were…they?” Riley asked, her voice cracking. “The men—”
“Animals,” he growled. “They were not men.”
With every minute, her memories sharpened. Running from the bar. Getting lost. The courtyard. Screaming. Her rescuer pulled a handkerchief from the pocket of his robe and dabbed gently at her cheeks. “They will not touch you again. I promise.”
“You can’t…they were so strong,” she whispered.
“I am stronger.” The man brushed his knuckles along her jaw. “I am much older than they are.”
She couldn’t make any sense of his words. He couldn’t be much older than she was. Thirty-four, thirty-five? And the leader of the…gang…Patrick…he’d looked to be the same age. Until he’d bared his teeth. No. Not his teeth. Hisfangs.“They were…shit. I’m not crazy, right? They were…vampires.”
He sighed, tightening his hold slightly and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “They were.So am I.”
Riley tensed, but his hold on her was so firm, she didn’t try to get away. He hadn’t killed her yet. Hadn’t…tried to drink from her. Or…had he? “Declan. Your name…is Declan.”
“Aye. Declan Bonney.”
Drawing back far enough to meet his dark blue eyes, she felt the veil lift on the rest of her memories. “The castle. You…drank my blood.”
“I did. I will not lie to you.” His voice was smooth, his tone so very certain, she believed him, even though she knew she shouldn’t.
“Let me go,” she whispered, and could barely hide her shock when he eased her off of his lap and arranged two fluffy pillows behind her. “I…think I’m going to need you to start from the beginning.”
Declan nodded. “You deserve to know. And I will tell you. But before I do, can I get you a drink? For this story, I bloody well need one.”
