Blood Haze (13 page)

His
lips were grim when he said, “You were attacked in your house. Do you
remember?” he asked softly.

She
blinked rapidly at his words. A torrid of emotions and memories flooded her… of
her sitting up in her bed… of hiding in the closet… of calling Karmyl. “Karmyl
sent you?”

“She
did.”

“You…
you saved me?” she said, grasping to remember.

I. Want. Your. Blood.
She
began to tremble as she remembered the intruder’s words, said from behind her
ear… the feel of his lips and tongue against her neck. “Oh, God,” she gasped,
as she wrapped her arms around her middle. “Oh, God,” she repeated as she
rocked herself, having to repeatedly lift a hand to swipe at the blood at her
nose.

“Shh,
you’re safe here, Arabella,” he murmured, as he wrapped his arms around her.
The words spoken in his smooth, accent-lilted voice helped to soothe her jagged
edges.

“I
was so frightened,” she whispered into the crook of his neck. Still not
believing her memory, she lifted a hand to her neck and flinched when her
fingers brushed against the bite marks still apparent on her neck. “He bit me…
he actually bit me,” she said incredulously. Blinking rapidly again as she
tried to understand what had happened, she pulled back and asked, “Who was it?
Was he just some crazy?”

He
brushed her hair away from her face. “I don’t know who it was. He got away. I’m
sorry.”

She
stared up into his eyes for a long time. “The police didn’t find him?”

He
traced the line of her jaw with his forefinger. “I’m sorry, I didn’t call the
police. My concern was for you. Taking care of you, was much more important to
me,” he murmured.

Her
insides quivered at his words and his tone. “Where am I?” Lifting her hand once
again to her nose, she asked, “Can I get a tissue or something,” embarrassed at
the mess she must look.

“Night
Shade, my home,” he replied as he rose, opened a drawer in a beautiful, antique
dresser, and produced a stark, white handkerchief.

“How
long have I been here?” she asked, struggling to hold onto her scattered
thoughts, as she thankfully accepted the handkerchief from him, and tilted her head
back slightly.

He
glanced down at his thin, gold watch. “About twelve hours.”

“Twelve
hours! What time is it now?”

“A
little after noon,” he replied.

“What?!”
I have to get up,” she said frantically.

He
pressed her back down. “You aren’t going anywhere. You’ve been through a
terrible ordeal. You need to take it easy for a bit longer,” he said in a
logical tone.

“You
don’t understand. I have to make… arrangements… funeral arrangements today… for
Ian.” With those words, she allowed her body to willingly sink back onto the
bed and her head onto the pillow. She lifted a shaky arm and placed it over her
eyes. She shook her head at the pain of loss and the injustice of someone
breaking into her house and attacking her at this time.
Life was so unfair
, she thought in the midst of her pity-party.

“What
is it?” she heard Lynx question.

She
didn’t answer for several moments. “I… I just didn’t need this right now.”

“What
can I do?” he asked.

She
exhaled. “Nothing… there’s nothing anyone can do,” she murmured with her eyes
closed.

“How
about some juice… or coffee?”

She
peeked at him beneath her arm. He looked amazing as always. She cringed at what
a fright she must look right now. But what did it matter, anyway? She wasn’t
looking to become involved with Lynx Rogan… or any man, for that matter. Her
jaw tightened at the thought of Drew and Maggie. “Both, would be wonderful.
Then, I really do need to go. How did I get here?”

He
studied her as she lay against his gold sheets, her arm still covering her
eyes, the handkerchief still pressed against her nose – all defenseless and vulnerable
- and all he could think about was gathering her close and protecting her. He
gave a quick shake of his head and tightened his jaw. No! He wasn’t doing this
with this woman. Putting much needed distance between them, he sat back in his
chair. “I drove you in your car.”

She
nodded and sat up, and struggled to remain upright, her head swimming again.

Leaning
forward once more, he pushed her gently back down. “Careful,” he said.

“God!
What’s wrong with me? I feel so weak.”

He
stared at her for a long moment as if choosing his words. “Probably the shock,”
was all he ended up saying. “Or maybe the nose bleed.”

“I
don’t have time for this today,” she lamented.

Karmyl
walked in at her words. “I
know
she’s
not trying to get out of that bed!” she said furiously to Lynx.

“I’m
afraid so,” he replied.

“Young
lady, you need to stay right where you are,” she said fiercely.

“I
appreciate both your concerns, but I have things I have to take care of today,”
Arabella told them.

“Lynx?”
Karmly questioned. “Tell her she has to stay!”

He
met Karmyl’s eyes evenly, a veil seeming to close off his face. “She’s a grown
woman, Karmyl. As such, can make her own decisions.” He glanced at his watch.
“I have things to take care of today. I’ve placed your car-keys on the
nightstand. I hope you feel better,” he said to Arabella as he rose smoothly
from the chair. He was instantly both distant and remote.

Both
women watched him leave. Karmyl turned back to Arabella, giving her an
apologetic smile. “He’s… well, he’s very busy,” she said lamely.

Already
feeling vulnerable and trampled upon, Arabella couldn’t help but feel rejected
by Lynx’s abrupt departure. Her already fledgling confidence plummeted. “Of
course, and I’ve inconvenienced him enough. I really need to get going,” she
said with forced brightness. She rose from the bed, and swayed unsteadily on
her feet.

“You
can barely stand,” Karmyl exclaimed.

Turning
slowly, she bent in the pretense of straightening the covers, but really, to
lean against the bed to help stabilize herself. “I’m fine. I appreciate all you’ve
done for me. But I have arrangements to make for Ian and… and I have to go
check on Drew…” she trailed off, as the thought of seeing him inspired so many
emotions, and none good.

“I’d
think he’d be the last one you’d want to see,” Karmyl said, as she moved to the
other side to assist with making the bed.

“It’s…
complicated.”

Karmyl
clucked her tongue. “It’s so not complicated! He’s a jerk and brought this on
himself.”

Arabella
tensed at the words before turning to sit on the edge of the bed and clutched
the pillow she’d been plumping against her chest. Quietly, she said, “No, Ian
did this.”

Coming
around the bed, Karmyl sat down heavily next to the dark-haired woman and
wrapped a cool arm around her. “I’m sorry, that was thoughtless.”

Arabella
lifted a shaky hand and pushed the heavy weight of her hair away from her face.
“It’s alright. No matter what, Drew and I have been friends for a long time. I
have to make this right… for Ian.”

Karmyl
nodded her head. “I guess I get that. Well, you’re not going alone. I’m coming
with you.”

“You
don’t…” she began to protest before Karmyl raised a hand to cut her off.

“No,
I don’t, but I’m gonna. Just let me changed. I’ll be quick,” Karmyl promised.

Once
Karmyl left, Arabella glanced about the room with its four-poster bed draped in
gold sheets. Had that part of her dream been a glimpsing? Of her and Lynx
intertwined on top of these sheets with rose petals underneath them? Or had she’d
seen the bed when he’d brought her here and she’d subconsciously infiltrated it
into her dream? It’d seemed so real… just as real as the blood and all those
bodies. She shuddered once again at the memory. God, she hoped that was a
dream.

Chapter 7

“Tragedy
has fallen heavily upon the shoulders of the Marks’ family of late…” The
minister’s words bounced around Arabella’s tired mind. While she kept her eyes
firmly placed on the tissue clutched within her stiff, cold hands, in her mind,
she could still see every element of the church. She could see the high, white
walls; narrow, arched stained-glass windows; mauve-colored
 
padded chairs in the choir-loft; the shiny,
black baby-grand piano; Reverend Cosgrove, with his somber black suit, and
neatly trimmed graying hair; and of course, the pièce de résistance - the
rectangular, wooden box, which held her brother’s cold, dead body. She could
see the smattering of people that had filed into the church – some to pay their
last respects; most to feed their own morose curiosity. She glanced to her
right and saw the hem of Karmyl’s stylish, black dress hitting the tops of her
knees. Karmyl reached over and placed a cool hand over the both of hers. Her
gaze followed the movement.

In
her periphery to her left, she saw Drew’s leg cast jutting out as he sat next
to her pew in his wheelchair. Cold anger flashed through her body, which
immediately made her feel guilty at having that emotion. She couldn’t help but
blame Drew for them being here today. She was so very angry at him for
betraying her, for not taking care of Ian… mostly for taking away the last
strong-hold she had in her life, the last one she could depend upon.

Now
she felt… scattered, alone, and afraid. What scared her most was that she’d
have to live the rest of her life feeling this way. The last few days, while
being busy, had been draining – both physically and emotionally. Karmyl had
been by her side for most of it. But at night, when she’d been left alone in
her house – the house, she’d been attacked in – those feelings of isolation and
fear returned tenfold.

She’d
not slept for over an hour at a stretch of time since she’d left Night Shade.
If every single, little noise didn’t compel her to get up, the dreams – or
glimpsing did. She’d even made a little pallet in her closet to sleep on,
thinking that would help… it had not. Her mind and body were exhausted. All she
wanted to do was lie down and sleep. Sleep and not think… and certainly not
dream. Wherever she went, whoever she met, she would study them to see if they
were the one who had broken into her home, had placed their mouth on her neck,
and had bitten her. What kind of crazy person did that? She swallowed painfully
then, as fear had dried out her mouth and throat.

To
turn her mind away from Drew and his presence, she tilted her head back to the
right. Just past Karmyl’s knees, she saw Lynx’s black pants, with their perfect
crease. She’d been surprised when he’d shown up today for the funeral. She was
sure he’d been prompted by Karmyl. He just made her feel worse. What with his
neatly trimmed beard and mustache, and neatly-pressed suit. He looked cool and
put together, while she felt wrung-out, and vainly knew she looked awful. That
he’d thought so as well had been obvious.

When
he and Karmyl had arrived at the church, he’d walked in hesitantly. Then he’d
walked straight to her and had placed a cool hand against her cheek.
“Arabella,” he’d said in his softly-accented voice.

Even
in a church with her brother’s body not laying five feet behind her, she still hadn’t
been able to stop the shiver his sexy voice had on her when he’d spoken her
name.

She’d
looked up into his deep, black eyes and for an instant, she’d seen compassion,
and as always, she’d felt better. Quickly though, other things she’d not been
able to identify flashed through those same eyes, and as if she’d burnt him,
he’d immediately dropped his hand and stepped away from her. That he’d found
her lacking and that his presence was a duty… that had been so very apparent.

She
jumped when she felt a hand land on her shoulder, then tensed when she realized
it was Drew’s. She tightened her jaw, but refused to meet his eyes. She didn’t
want to be angry at him… she wished things could go back to the way they’d been
before, but if wishes were horses we’d all take a ride, as her mother used say.
That he was sorry, she was sure. That he wished he could take it all back, she
was certain. Still, she wasn’t ready to forgive him. She’d been to the hospital
every day to check on him and had even arranged for a car to get him to the funeral,
but that didn’t mean she had to like it. She just thought it was the right
thing to do.

Frustration
had Lynx sitting rigidly in the pew. Frustration at Karmyl for forcing the
issue of him attending the funeral… frustration at himself for not overriding
Karmyl… frustration at the shadows he’d seen in Arabella’s eyes… and frustration
that he gave a damn one way or the other. He cut his gaze over to Drew Larkin
when he saw his hand land on Arabella. He saw Larkin look at Arabella’s bowed head
with such sadness and longing, he wanted to snatch the man out of the
wheelchair and beat him senseless. He didn’t deserve her.

When
he’d first entered the church and had seen her looking so lost and devastated,
he’d been unable to resist going to her. He’d wanted to wrap her in his arms
tightly and protect her from any and all tragedies. This need had made him
angry. He didn’t want this kind of attachment to a human again. He’d made it
his business not to become attached. She’d just looked so… broken. He snatched
his eyes away from her. He needed to get out of here and away from her. This
was not going to happen!