know. “I’ll sit with her now that I’m up. Get some rest.”
“As you wish, my lord.” Jacques bowed, then shut the door on his way out.
Atreides took a seat next to the bed and touched the huntress’s cheek. Though she’d received two units of blood, she still appeared pale, and he didn’t like that she was so unresponsive. He pushed away the hair caressing her neck and considered the bite marks. They were already fading. Tomorrow, he could send her home to her hunter family and let them protect her. Keeping her any longer than necessary wouldn’t be prudent. Even now, her family could be searching for her, worried that she hadn’t returned home.
He glanced at her gown and figured he should pull the covers higher. But then again, she would probably be too hot.
Yawning, he leaned back in the chair and wondered why the hell he was sitting up on the uncomfortable piece of furniture. The bed looked much more inviting and if the huntress thrashed around, he would still be aware of it.
He slipped into bed and at one point, felt the huntress snuggling up to him. He chuckled, darkly amused, though he really shouldn’t have been. She stirred his libido with her soft body pressed up against his when he shouldn’t be feeling this way. Then, without another moment’s hesitation, he wrapped his arm around the huntress, glad she was finally no longer having the nightmares, and he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Several hours later, the huntress screamed in Atreides’s ear. He opened his eyes and stared at the wild-eyed huntress who scooted back from him on the mattress and yanked the covers to her chin. She glowered at him as if he had taken advantage of her!
“Sorry,” he replied, not sounding in the least bit apologetic.
He hadn’t dragged her from her side of the mattress to hug her against his chest. Not like he’d wanted to. She had come to him, and what was he supposed to do? Push her away? The fact he had his arm around her was only because it was more comfortable for him that way.
He rubbed his head, trying to clear the fog from his mind. Well, maybe he did pull her against his chest later when she was having another nightmare.
Hell, he’d stretched out to rest his weary back and make sure she didn’t wake alone in a strange room. He couldn’t help that she’d only quieted in his arms.
She glanced at his robe that had parted, exposing a naked thigh.
He smiled at her shocked look—considering how she’d danced so hotly in his arms last night—pulled his robe closed and left the bed. Then his expression grew somber. “Do you remember what happened last night?”
“I—I asked for your help. I—I didn’t expect this.” A deep frown materialized.
She thought he’d brought her home to seduce her? He would have done a lot more than held the wench in his hard embrace if that had been the case.
“Despite what the situation here might appear like, you’d lost a good deal of blood last night and collapsed in a faint in the dance club’s lounge, then needed blood.”
“Blood,” she said, reaching for the back of her head.
He pointed to her neck. “A vampire bit you.”
“No,” she said with a muffled grown. “He struck me on the back of the head also.”
Frowning, Atreides drew close and touched her head and felt the dried blood and a lump. “Sweet Jesus.” Instantly his blood burned with rage. The beast could have killed her. He examined the injury more carefully but was glad to see she wouldn’t need any stitches. “None of us had seen your injury.” Which had to do with how thick her hair was and that the blood had already coagulated. But he still faulted himself for not discovering that she’d been injured further. No wonder she’d been so out of it. She no doubt had suffered a mild concussion.
“We assumed he’d just drained you of too much blood.” He let out his breath. “I take it you didn’t see him,” he said more harshly than he’d intended. He couldn’t get his anger under control, seeing a red haze, wanting to kill the bastard who could bring hunters in the region down on all of them—not knowing who had done this to the huntress, and not caring. Though he thought from the pile of ashes left behind, she had killed the vampire.
Any vampire would be suspect though, who had injured her, if they