Survivor - By Kaye Draper Page 0,45

such a mess of emotions was not healthy when you were in the presence of vampires. I hadn’t missed the fact that Haine’s eyes were a little lighter, a little more silvery, than they had been last time I saw him. “Can I get you something?”

He nodded and took a seat at the table, stretching out his long legs and looking like a model. “Water is fine.”

I brought him his water, then sat staring at the table. Finally, he leaned forward and took my hands, bringing me out of my daze. “Hey,” he said kindly. “Are you okay?”

I nodded and wiped at the stupid tears that started up in response to his concerned tone. “I’m fine,” I said firmly.

He gave my hands a little squeeze, still not letting go. “I heard what happened. I wanted to see you… to make sure you were well.” He sounded truly concerned, his voice carrying almost as much guilt as Peter’s had last night. “And to think, I said all that stuff to you about being strong. What was I thinking?”

I met his eyes and mustered a smile. “Really, I’m fine. I’m just tired and strung out.”

He seemed to relax a bit, though he still looked guilty. “If there is ever anything I can do for you, please tell me.” His beautiful voice was soft, but serious. For whatever reason, he seemed to feel responsible. I wasn’t feeling up to delving into that any further right now. One vampire in my business was enough for me, thanks.

Once he was sure I was still alive and kicking, I managed to get Haine to leave. I didn’t protest too loudly when he ruffled my hair before he left. It was nice to have someone show concern for my welfare who was neither family nor lover. Kind of like having a big brother.

I spent the rest of the day adrift. Physically I felt great. Peter had given me a little dose of his blood to erase all the bruises and scrapes from my captivity. I had protested and gagged, but this way I wouldn’t have to explain my injuries and I could stick to the out of town story. It had worked wonders on my body, but my mind was still exhausted. I recalled what Peter had said about turning me. This was just concrete proof that what he said was true. All of my physical ailments were healed, but I was mentally and emotionally drained. I lay on the couch with my eyes closed, trying to nap, but never quite falling asleep.

Chapter 12

I wheeled to the sink and rinsed out my bowl. Peter silently opened the cupboard and got out the teapot. The kettle was burbling away on the stove, and I hoped he would turn it off before it whistled. The sound went right through my head. I watched his graceful movements as he rinsed out the teapot, then hunted through my canister of teabags until he found something he liked. I sighed and wheeled back to the table to leaf through the newspaper. Peter had been quiet since my rescue, withdrawn. I dropped the paper on the table and he turned the kettle off just before it started to make noise.

“Do you hate me?” I’m nothing if not direct. I could use my damaged frontal lobe as an excuse, but the truth was it was part of my personality even before the injury.

He shot a surprised green look my way, then returned his attention to the tea, busying himself. He was always busy these days, alternating between frantic movement and deadly stillness when I knew he must be lost in thought. Fragrant steam drifted up as he filled the teapot. He set the kettle back on the stove and went still again. I waited.

“I’m going away for a while.” His beautiful voice was calm, devoid of any strong emotion. I had enough emotion for the both of us. A wave of panic washed over me, followed by a sharp surge of anger. It wasn’t a surprise that he would leave. I had always known that he didn’t really belong with me. It was his reasoning that pissed me off.

“Is this because of me… because of what happened to me?” Because I couldn’t keep up with his world, because I wasn’t one of them. Vampires.

He turned to get a teacup out of the cupboard. “In a way,” he admitted, smiling to soften his words. He poured tea into the little cup as if it were