within a second everything came rushing back to her. She wasn’t reclined on the couch in the blue room of her prison anymore, even though she lay on a soft surface. She had escaped the blue room and the vampire on top of her. She’d outsmarted Dirk. That thought almost made her smile. Almost.
If only she knew where she was and who the two people standing over her were. She tried to focus her eyes, but it took her a few seconds to truly be able to see the two in front of her clearly. The woman’s white coat became less fuzzy and she read the stitching over the breast pocket. Dr. Maya Giles it said. Long dark hair cascaded over her shoulders.
Thank God, she’d made it to a hospital! Somehow, she’d escaped and managed to reach a safe place. Now everything would be good, and she would be going home to see her parents again.
As she shifted, her arm slid against a cushion, sending another wave of pain through her body—not strong, but nevertheless noticeable. She bit back a curse. It was all worth it. Her wounds would heal quickly, much quicker than the ones she carried inside her.
Her gaze drifted away from the white doctor’s coat to the man who stood next to the doctor. She instantly realized that she’d seen him before. Out there somewhere. On the streets. Taking a deep breath, she collected her thoughts. It finally came to her. He was the young man she’d asked for help. Seeing him together with the doctor confirmed that he’d helped her in the end. He looked at her, apprehension in his eyes.
“You’re awake,” the female voice said, making Ursula turn her gaze away from him.
She tried to nod, but the action caused her discomfort as if she had a migraine. “What happened?” she asked instead.
“I took care of your injuries. What’s your name?” Dr. Giles asked.
“Ursula. Am I in the hospital?” She scooted up, bringing herself into a half-sitting position, for the first time allowing herself to take in her surroundings. But what she saw wasn’t what she was expecting.
This wasn’t a hospital, but a private residence. By the looks of it she was in someone’s living room. Why hadn’t her rescuer brought her to the emergency room? Slowly she turned toward him, her forehead working itself into a frown. She noticed how he shifted from one foot to the other.
“I thought it would be better to get you to my personal physician. It was quicker. And Maya is the best,” he explained. His gaze flickered toward the doctor who nodded in agreement.
“And you are?” Ursula pressed out.
“Oliver, my name is Oliver. You remember me, don’t you? You asked me for help.”
Ursula sucked in a breath. Her memory was fully intact, but at the same time, the experience she’d gained over the last three years had taught her to be cautious about what she admitted. Besides, she still remembered offering him sex for helping her. Was that why he’d brought her here, rather than driven her to a hospital? Was he going to cash in on her promise as soon as she felt well enough? And why shouldn’t he? After all, she’d made a promise, and not only that, she’d kissed him to show him that she meant business. What virile guy would turn down such an offer?
She allowed her eyes to travel over his body. He was well built, muscular, yet lean at the same time. His jeans fit him like a second skin, making her aware of his masculinity. After the display of testosterone she’d been exposed to in her prison, she expected that the sight of such maleness would turn her off, but the opposite was true. The same feeling that had spread through her when she’d kissed him filled her even now. And this time she couldn’t write it off as a side effect of the fear she’d experienced during her escape.
“I’m . . . uh,” she murmured, wondering how to answer. Was it wise to admit that she remembered only too clearly what had happened?
The doctor dropped down on her haunches, bringing her to eyelevel. “You suffered from massive blood loss. Do you remember what happened to you?”
The blood loss! Her hand instinctively came up, wanting to touch the puncture wounds the leech had left, but in the last second, she grabbed the pillow instead, pulling it onto her lap. She couldn’t tell these strangers about the vampires. If she did, who