Part 14 (2/2)
He was beginning to aggravate her. ”Ric, I'm serious.”
”So am I.”
She huffed, but she had a feeling that she wouldn't win this argument. She didn't.
He cupped her chin and turned her face toward his. ”Get some more sleep now.”
She looked into his beautiful eyes. They seemed to glow at her, like there was some kind of light behind them. They reminded her of the strange lights in the woods. Suddenly she couldn't keep her eyes open.
”Shelby.”
She heard Ric's voice in her dream. She knew it was him. No one else had such a mesmerizing voice-low, resonant, and with that faint accent that made her want to listen to him all the more just so she could put a finger on it.”Shelby, wake up.”
”French, of course.”
”Shelby!”
Her eyes popped open. He was crouched on the floor next to the sofa. ”Did I just say something?”
He smiled at her. ”Talking in your sleep. You must be feeling better.”
His dimple was in all its glory. Motivation enough to get up. She sat up straight, and he handed her a gla.s.s of water. ”Drink up.”
She took the gla.s.s and downed the water. She looked at him, holding out the empty gla.s.s. ”All right. I've been good. Now tell me about this bandage on my neck and what happened to me.”
Ric drew a deep breath and took the gla.s.s from her. ”As I said, you were bitten. On the neck. If that suggests something to you, it should. The man who attacked you was one of the Undead.”
Undead? It took a moment for what he said to sink in, and then it dawned on her what he meant. ”You mean someone like Surly Seline the Goth Queen. Somebody who's into all that Goth stuff, right?”
”No. I don't mean a human playing at being a vampire. I mean a creature that exists on the blood of the living but that is not itself alive. Call it a vampire if you like. The term is accurate enough.”
She closed her eyes. She was in no mood for jokes, especially not bad ones. ”That's not even funny.”
”It's not supposed to be.”
This was getting worse and worse. She thought she could be serious about Ric, but it was becoming glaringly evident that he wasn't all there. How did he ever become a doctor with so many screws loose? ”Okay, let's start over. Just tell me what happened in the woods. No embellishments.”
”A vampire attacked you and was draining your blood when I found you. I stopped him and carried you out of the woods.”
Right. ”So when I was talking to you on the phone, how'd you know I'd be in trouble if I went into the woods? How did you know who this man was? What did you do to him, and where is he now? And if he was superhuman, how did you overcome him?” Her gaze challenged his with the confidence that he couldn't dream up plausible answers in a million years.
He turned away from her and stepped across the room to his easy chair, but the extra distance didn't make her feel any more comfortable. When he raised his eyes to hers again, the s.p.a.ce between them seemed to vanish. She brought her hands to her open neckline, touched the bandage on her neck, and fumbled with the b.u.t.tons on her s.h.i.+rt. She pulled the edges of cloth together and fastened the top two b.u.t.tons, but the intensity of his gaze on her neck and chest made her feel downright naked. ”Well? Do you have any answers?”
The glow of his eyes never dimmed. ”I'm willing to provide whatever proof you require that I speak the truth. And it is the truth. If you persist in disbelieving me or in thinking that I'm crazy, we aren't going to get anywhere.”
She broke the eye contact, searching the room for some normalcy she could cling to. Large leather chairs crouched like four- legged beasts waiting to spring. Shadows huddled in the corners of the room. The mouth of the fireplace gaped like a hungry maw.
Nothing was familiar except his voice, and when the sound of it, like a purr, touched her again, his words beckoned her with a seduction she had no defense against.
”Just listen and let me finish before you say anything.” She sat still, giving no answer.
”The s.h.i.+ning of the lights is a very old north woods trick to lure innocent people to their death. When you mentioned the lights on the phone I knew you were in trouble. I came as quickly as I could and searched the woods behind your house. I heard you cry out. That's how I found you.” He paused.
She didn't want to hear more, but she couldn't help herself. It was like watching a disaster unfold on TV. ”Go on.”
”I interrupted the creature while he was feeding, so he wasn't too happy. He tried to kill me, so in your defense, and in my own, I eliminated the threat. He'll never be found or heard from again.”
”So you killed this vampire.”
”His human self had already died long ago. I merely sent him to his True Death.”
”Don't split hairs. You killed him.”
He sighed. ”I killed him.”
Murder. Now this was something she was familiar with. ”You're a vampire killer, then, like one of those guys in the movies who goes around with stakes and crucifixes.”
”No.” His voice was very soft.
”Then ... how did you kill him? You're a big, strong guy, but wouldn't he have some kind of supernatural strength?”
”I have his strength and more.”
No. It was the Curt Van Allen nightmare and the cop nightmare all rolled into one. Not only had her trust been betrayed, she was being hunted by creatures more terrifying than any her dreams had conjured. She stared at him, willing herself to wake up. ”If you're saying what I think you're saying, I don't believe you. I've seen you in broad daylight.”
He stood, reached down, and with one hand lifted the huge, upholstered chair he had been sitting on.
”You're strong. I'll give you that much.”
He stepped over to the lamp and turned it off. The room fell into a very black and uneasy gloom.
She started to panic, and in her mind's eye she saw strange lights all around her, luring her to her death. ”Ric, what are you doing?”
”Hold up some fingers. However many you want.”
She gave him one finger-the finger.
”One finger and one message received. Can you tell how many fingers I'm holding up?”
She couldn't see a thing in the dark. ”Okay, so your eyesight is better than mine. Now turn the light on.”
He did. ”I see that the cynical cop requires proof absolute. Very well.” He got up, glided from the room, and returned a moment later with a large knife and a towel. He rolled his sleeve up.
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