A small flicker of unease slid through Paigewhen her gaze landed on the man standing in the doorway. His eyeswere the same color as his raven colored hair.Blackice, she thought as she met his chilly gaze.Vampire,was her next realization. She didn’t know how she knew it; shecertainly hadn’t known it about the man sitting across from hernow. She still wouldn’t have suspected it, if she hadn’t seen hisreddened eyes and fangs in the alleyway.
She’d escaped one hideous nightmare only tofind herself right in the middle of another one. Her heartbeatpicked up, something they could detect. She tried to slow its beatas she forced herself to keep her face impassive. She wouldn’t givethem the satisfaction of seeing her fright before they ripped outher heart, turned her into some type of blood donor pincushion,drained her dry, or whatever it was they planned to do to her.
Her lips compressed as she stared at himbefore turning back to the man across from her. She didn’t knowwhy, they were both lethal, but she felt more comfortable speakingwith the blond man in the chair. Maybe it was because she’d met himunder more normal circumstances originally, or maybe it was hisstunning, golden boy looks that made him appear more inviting andtrustworthy. Whatever it was, she found herself able to deal withhim a little bit better.
People assumed most of their neighborswere pleasant and normal too, until they found out they were serialkillers who liked to wear human skin for fun, she remindedherself.
“Where am I?” she demanded.
“At a friend’s. You’re safe here,” Ian toldher.
“Am I?”
The hoarseness of her voice drove him to hisfeet. He lifted the glass of water Mandy had left at her bedsideand handed it out to her. She eyed it like she would the poisonedapple. “It’s only water,” he assured her.
“Is it?” she inquired.
“Youaresafe here,” he said again.“Besides, we wouldn’t need to poison or drug you.”
He had a point there. Paige glanced at thewater again before forcing herself up in the bed. Her sore musclesprotested the movement, but she refused to be lying down with thismonster looming over her. Glancing around, she searched the roomfor a possible weapon, but she didn’t see anything she could use todefend herself. Her eyes fell on the needle stuck in her arm. Ifanything, she could always rip it out and stick him in the eye withit, but she’d still have to get by the one in the doorway. Shedidn’t think any of them would take well to her blinding goldenboy, but she was willing to find out if she ever got the chance totry an escape.
“No one is safe around a monster,” shemurmured when she focused on him again.
Ian’s eyebrows shot up at her words. “I canassure you, I’m not a monster.” Her jaw locked; she turned awayfrom the glass of water he still held out to her and folded herhands in her lap. Ian focused on Stefan as he tried to quell thestrange twinge her words had caused him. “Let Mandy know she’sawake.”
Stefan eyed her for a minute before steppingout of the room. “Do you remember what happened?” he asked her.
Paige refused to meet his eyes again so shestared resolutely at the wall on the other side of the room. Who isthis Mandy he’s talking about, and how many vampires were here inthis house? More importantly, what were they going to do with her?She tried not to dwell on that final question; she was afraid shemight go a little crazy if she did. Panicking and insanity wouldn’tdo anything to help her escape this situation. No, only a levelhead and some damn good luck were going to get her out of here.Unfortunately, she tended to be about as lucky as the gum on thebottom of someone’s shoe.
“Of course. I suffered blood loss, not braindamage,” she retorted.
He returned the glass to the table. “Aren’tyou a prickly little cactus of gratitude, I did save your life,” hedrawled.
Her eyes briefly flitted toward him, a veinjumped in the corner of her eye, but she didn’t respond to himbefore returning her attention to staring at the wall. He foldedhis arms over his chest as he studied her profile. Her youthfullooks belied the air of wisdom and age emanating from her. Her hairwas so deep a brown it shone almost black in the flickeringcandlelight. The tendrils of it hung in tumbled curls to justbeneath her breasts.
Movement in the doorway finally pulled hiseyes away from her. Mandy yawned as she walked into the room, butshe broke into a bright smile when she spotted the woman sitting upon the bed. “You’re awake!” she greeted cheerfully. She walkedaround the bed to stand by the girl’s side and went to grab hold ofher wrist. The woman jerked away from her; she recoiled on the bed.Ian stepped forward to stop her if she decided to lash out atMandy. Holding her hands up in a conciliatory gesture, Mandy movedback a little. “My name is Mandy. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I don’t want any of your kind touching me!”the woman countered.
Mandy’s eyes flitted briefly toward him.Taking a deep breath, she kept her hands in the air as she focusedon her hostile patient once more. “I’m human,” Mandy saidsoothingly. “and I won’t harm you.”
The woman’s gaze raked Mandy’s body; sheglanced at Ian and Stefan before looking toward Mandy again. “Howdo I know that?” she demanded.
Mandy frowned thoughtfully and then shookher head. “Because I can’t run a mile in three seconds flat, Idon’t have fangs, I’m going to med school, and the idea of drinkingblood is about as appetizing to me as eating dirt. Actually, Ithink I’d rather eat dirt with worms.”
The woman continued to stare distrustfullyat her. She lowered her hand to her side, but kept it fisted. “Arethey forcing you to do this?” she demanded.
Mandy’s forehead creased; she glanced at himand Stefan again. “No one is forcing me to do anything,” shereplied.
“They would make you say that,” Paigemuttered. Her eyes roamed over the pretty young woman before her.She didn’t see any bite marks on her or any other signs of abuse,but the woman may have been coerced into helping by the vampire’spowers of persuasion.
“I’m here of my own freewill. I volunteeredto help.”
Ian watched her intently as the womanglowered at him and Stefan before turning back to Mandy. “Do youknow what they are?”
“Yes,” Mandy answered. “They’re myfriends.”
Paige’s mouth fell; her gaze flitted overthem as she tried to figure out what was going on here. Mandyattempted to take hold of her wrist again but she jerked it away.“They’re monsters,” she whispered fervently. How could this womannot see that? She was going to be a doctor, yet she was helpingthesethings. Well, she supposed technically Mandy hadhelped her, but what awaited her once she was healthy again?“They’re killers.”
