Deeper than the Night - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,27
clothing in the bathroom."
Rising, Kara crossed the room and kissed his cheek. "Thank you."
Alexander stared after her, wondering what she would say when he told her she couldn't go home. Not now; perhaps not ever.
Chapter Nine
"What do you mean, I can't go home?" Kara stared at Alexander, her brow furrowed.
"Just what I said," Alexander replied calmly. "You must realize it isn't safe."
"Not safe?" Kara shook her head, completely bewildered.
"Barrett's up to something, Kara. I don't know what, but I don't trust him, and you shouldn't either. Barrett was holding you against your will. They refused to let your grandmother see you."
Kara shook her head, refusing to believe a reputable doctor would be up to something sinister.
"I want to take you away from here."
"Away?" Kara stopped pacing. Standing by the window, she turned to face Alexander. "No, I can't leave Nana, or Gail."
"I don't think you have any choice."
"Dammit, Alexander, you're scaring me!"
"You should be scared. There's something not right here, and until I know what it is, I don't want you going home."
Maybe he was right. Maybe she shouldn't go home right away. She slid a furtive glance in his direction. She couldn't deny the attraction she felt for Alex, couldn't refute the feelings of her own heart, but what did she know about him, really? Nothing. Not one darn thing. And he expected her to go away with him. The thought held a certain appeal, and yet, for all she knew, he could be working with Barrett.
"You can trust me, Kara."
Kara took a step backward. Was he reading her mind? But no, such a thing was impossible. Wasn't it?
"How do you know what I was thinking?" she demanded.
Alexander shrugged. It took less than no effort at all to read her mind, but he couldn't tell her that.
"It's a logical assumption. You have no reason to trust me. In your place, I would feel the same."
She looked skeptical, and more than a little fearful.
"I won't hurt you, Kara. You must believe that."
Alexander ran a hand through his hair. He had to take her away from here. No doubt Barrett was searching for her even now. If what Alex suspected was true, an unscrupulous man could make millions by selling vials of Kara's blood to the sick, the dying. And if they should discover who he was, what he was . . . Alex didn't even want to think of the consequences. He would be questioned, examined, kept in a cage while they harvested his blood.
All these years, Alexander mused. He had lived here two hundred years and never known about the miraculous change that had been wrought in his blood. His inherent powers had multiplied, but he had never suspected that the healing power in his blood could be transferred to another, or that he had the ability to heal the sick as he was able to heal himself. Even when he had given Kara his blood, he hadn't been certain of the outcome.
He felt Kara staring at him. With an effort, he wipedhis face clean of expression.
"I've got to go home, Alexander. I can't just disappear without letting Nana and Gail know where I am."
"Right now, I think they're better off not knowing."
"Where do you want to go?"
"I have a place up in Eagle Flats. You'll be safe there."
"Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, won't your life be in danger, too, if you're with me?"
"I don't think your life is in danger, Kara. Only your freedom."
"I wish I knew what this was all about."
"They didn't tell you anything?"
"Not really. Only that there was some abnormality in my blood, and they were afraid it might be contagious, or toxic. They said they'd have to keep me in isolation until they discovered what the problem was." She let out a long sigh of exasperation. "They said they had checked all the blood donors, and all of them were normal."
Alexander grunted softly, waiting for her to make the connection, to ask the questions he couldn't answer.
Kara stared at Alex for a long moment, her mind racing. And then she knew, knew without a doubt.
"It's your blood," she said flatly. "It's your blood that's caused all this trouble, isn't it? That's why you were so interested in my recovery, why you kept coming to see me. You wanted to make sure I was all right."
"Kara . . ."
"It's true, isn't it? Your blood is tainted, or . . . or something."