“Amazing,” he murmured. “Can you still track the person after your cells return to normal?”
“If I get more of their blood, yes. Otherwise, thankfully, no. I think if my cells didn’t become mine again, then there would be nothing ofmeleft by now.”
She huddled in on herself as she tried not to shed the tears burning her eyes. She’d been invaded repeatedly over the years by the people at those sideshows her mother dragged her to and then again by Joseph and the Savages. She hadn’t known any peace in the past ten years, and she craved it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“If it only lasts fora few days, then how can you find your father if you haven’t seen him in months?” Saxon asked.
“Because his bloodismy blood,” she said. “I don’t know how else to explain it, and it’s never happened before. When Joseph cut off his finger in front of me, I got some of his blood on me.”
She stopped speaking as she rested her palm against her cheek, and her gaze took on a distant, haunted look. Tears brimmed in her eyes, and he knew she was recalling the time when she witnessed the torture of her father. Unable to resist her anguish, Saxon closed the distance between them and pulled her against his chest.
Confusion swirled through her as Saxon held her close and kissed her forehead. She’d expected him to hate her or maybe to hit her and lock her away as Joseph had. This unexpected kindness caused her to start sobbing like a baby. He may still decide to kill her, but she couldn’t resist melting into his arms.
He didn’t know what to say as he rocked on his heels while holding her, but then, there wasn’t anything he could say to someone who’d watched the torture of their father. He ran his hand over her hair while she wept.
Now that she’d unleashed the torrent of tears inside her, she couldn’t get them under control again. Clinging to Saxon, she used him as a lifeline to keep her tethered to the now even as the past threatened to consume her.
“Shh,” Saxon murmured as he kissed her cheek. “They’ll never touch you again.”
Elyse stifled her tears when she realized Saxon’s chest was wet and she was using him like a tissue. Feeling like an idiot, she pulled away and tried to wipe her tears off him.
“It’s fine,” he said as he clasped her hand and pressed it against him.
“But—”
“Don’t,” he murmured and bent to kiss her. “Do you feel up to telling me more?”
“Yes,” she said as she wiped away her remaining tears.
“You said your blood is your father’s blood. Does that mean you can find your mom too?”
“No. If I’d ever gotten some of her blood on me, I probably could, but I never did. Before I got my father’s blood on me, I wouldn’t have been able to find him either. However, when his blood hit me, it was different than the other times. I believe it’s because he’s already a part of my DNA. With his blood, I smelled burnt copper, and I felt my cells shifting and changing, but some of themneverwent back. I think my cells recognized he was already a part of me and kept him.”
“Fascinating,” Saxon murmured.
A tendril of unease crept down Elyse’s spine. “I can’t… Iwon’tbe used again. I’ll kill myself before I let it happen again.”
“Don’t youeverhurt yourself!”
“Saxon—”
“I promise I willneverallow anyone to use you again, but you have to take care of yourself.”
She closed her eyes as she leaned into him and delighted in his warmth. As the scent of him filled her nostrils, she realized, with a sinking sensation, she was falling in love with this man. She’d been so sure she could keep him at a distance, but Saxon had managed to dig his way into her heart.
This could only end badly, but, for now, she needed to lean on him. She’d had no one these past nine months, and before then, her life wasn’t exactly stable.
“What happened in June, Elyse?”
She pulled out of his arms, and deciding space between them would be best, she paced over to the small refrigerator. “Joseph came to me and commanded me to find her.”
“Did he say who she was?”
“Simone. I had to know her name. Otherwise, I couldn’t have picked her out from all the other vamps who have Joseph’s blood running through them.” She stopped talking when she saw theoh, shitlook on Saxon’s face. “You know her.” It wasn’t a question.
“I do.”
