from an open window beside the bed had brushed against her arm, startling her.
Wildflowers permeated the air with their sweet fragrances. Frowning, she searched for the bouquet. Her hand encountered a crystal vase on a table nestled between the bed and the open window. The flowers felt real enough, but how was it possible to have fresh-cut wildflowers in November?
A foreboding she couldn’t shake settled over her like a mantle.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed and was surprised when her feet didn’t touch the floor. Blood pounded in her head and the world threatened to spin out of control as she slipped off the bed and landed unsteadily with a loud thump. She closed her eyes and groaned, waiting for the dizziness to pass.
Once the sensation had eased, she opened her eyes and, sweeping her hands in front of her, slowly made her way to the window. Darkness still ruled her sight.
Alex heard the footsteps approaching seconds before a door opposite the bed opened. She spun to face the door and groaned loudly as the floor tilted beneath her feet. Her head pounded in response and her stomach threatened to release its contents. She slumped against the wall and sank to the floor, drawing her knees to her chest in misery.
“Darling, what are you doing?” A familiar man’s voice filled the room. “You shouldn’t be out of bed. You need your rest.”
Fear clutched her heart as the shadow of recognition nibbled at the edges of her brain. “Who are you?” she croaked. “What is this place?”
The man sighed. “You see? This is precisely why you shouldn’t be out of bed. You’re not fully recovered.”
She batted away his hands when he grabbed her arms. “Don’t fucking touch me.”
An image of Varik, along with the muffled sounds of a struggle and then a horrible silence filled her mind. She opened the blood-bond, searching for Varik’s comforting presence, and was met with only a mind-numbing cold. An overwhelming sense of loss gripped her, constricting her lungs and turning her breath into short, rapid gasps.
“Easy, now,” the unknown man murmured. He clasped her hands in his, retaining a firm but gentle grip when she struggled to free herself. “Deep breaths. That’s it. Just take deep breaths.”
“What have you done to me?” she asked between gasps.
He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “Why, nothing, darling.”
“Where am I? I want to go home.”
“You are home.”
She shook her head. “No.”
“You’ll come to love it here.”
“No.”
“But first, we need to get you off this cold floor.”
Before she could protest, he’d shifted to one side and scooped her into his arms. He laid her on the bed and then she could hear him rummaging in a table drawer.
She heard the tinny pop of a needle through thin rubber and the soft slide and gurgle of a syringe being filled. Alarm raced through Alex. She scooted away from him. “What is that?”
“Just something to help you relax so you can rest.”
“I don’t want it.”
“Now, this won’t hurt—”
Alex sprang toward what she hoped was the foot of the bed and the door.
A hand grabbed her ankle, knocking her to the bed, and she felt the sharp sting of a needle in the back of her thigh. Warmth spread through her and her muscles seemed to collapse under their own weight. She tried to push herself up, to no avail.
She heard him return the syringe and vial to the drawer.
He rolled her onto her back, slid her around until her head rested on an overstuffed pillow, and pulled a fluffy comforter over her once more. “There we go. That wasn’t so bad. Now, you get some rest.”
She tried to resist when he leaned forward and his mouth found hers. His tongue brushed across her lips, seeking entry. She made a noise of protest and turned her head.
His voice held a smile. “I have some work to finish, but if you need anything, just call.”
“Your name.” She struggled to get the words out as she sank deeper and deeper into the haze that had suddenly filled the room. “Tell me your name.”
“Peter,” he whispered and his voice shook as he continued. “Now get some rest. I’ll check on you in a little while.”
As the last vestiges of consciousness slipped away, her whisper was consumed by the darkness. “Varik …”
The Nassau County medical examiner’s office was housed in a little-used wing of Jefferson Memorial Hospital and shared a morgue with the facility. However, the county officials had