When she had her third orgasm she really didn’t think she could take much more. He looked so thoroughly pleased with himself, his demeanour reminded her of ownership. He so owned her right now. He finally climaxed and she was relieved, exasperated. He collapsed onto the bed beside her and the cockiness disappeared as he stared at her with a tender look on his face, “So keeping you.”
Those words hit her like a slap. She bolted upright and started hyperventilating.
Tristan’s eyes flickered with confusion for a beat. He flicked the lamp on. The white sheets had bloody smears all over the place. There were a few old ones from earlier that day but plenty of fresh streaks. She started frantically examining her body wherever she could see marks but nothing she could see was still bleeding. He had licked every wound and it had made the bleeding stop. But there were bite marks liberally on her body and on a few of them that she could see, there were hickies around some of the bites, where he’d sucked too hard or for too long.
I might have to kill you? I might have to keep you? So keeping you? I so need to get out of Dodge.
“You okay? Damn!” He surveyed the damage on her skin. Her limbs felt weak again, wet noodles would’ve held up better, stronger. Kyla looked at the inside of her wrist. The fang marks were unmistakable.
His words, keeping you, echoed in her mind. She started to tremble and bile started to rise in her throat.
“It’s okay,” he grabbed her, “You’re just a bit weak. Lie down.”
“I, I need the bathroom. I’m gonna throw up.”
“I’ll help you.”
He carried her into the bathroom and carefully set her on her feet.
“I’m okay,” Kyla waved him out feebly. He looked at her with concern.
“I’m fine,” she insisted but as the words were barely out of her mouth she started to violently throw up in the toilet. She felt terribly weak and suspected that in addition to seeing all those marks on her own body, her blood trickling out, that she’d overdone it with that meal and all that wine. Plus there were her shattered nerves as she was waiting anxiously all evening for her chance to slip out onto that terrace to try the other doors. His declaration had been the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back, apparently.
She felt him behind her. He was holding her hair back for her and rubbing her back.
“Thanks,” she muttered and flushed the toilet. He stepped out.
She splashed water on her face and then brushed her teeth with her own toothbrush, which was sitting beside his. She hadn’t put it there. She let out a sigh seeing what looked like another sign of his plans to ‘keep her’ and then walked back into the bedroom, wrapped in a towel. She found her shorts and tank top within the jumble of blankets. He disappeared into the washroom.
After she got back into the clothes she stared down at the mess of the bed, the blood streaks. Parts of the sheets almost looked tie dyed white and red.
Tristan walked back in and sat down on the bed. Then his gaze followed her eyes to the stains and then he got back up. “Maybe I should change these. Not that I’m not okay sleeping in sheets drenched in your delicious blood.” He kissed her on the shoulder and then started to pull the sheets back.
Kyla flinched at his touch and started to fret, worrying that he would find her clothes under the bed. She started to help him pull the sheets off, staying on the side of the bed near her stash.
“You’re too weak. Sit; I’ll do it,” he looked at her strangely.
“No, I’m… I’m okay.”
He eyed her with his brows furrowed and shook his head, “You’re not.”
She shook her head and shrugged at the same time. He let out a little sigh and then walked over to the walk-in closet and came back with a new set of sheets. They were dove gray and silky.
Kyla stayed on that side of the bed and tried to help him make it.
“Get in,” he ordered after the sheet and pillowcases were on. Kyla felt a lump in her throat. Did he suspect she was about to try to escape? He flicked the top sheet and then the large duvet over top of her and tucked her in. A goofy smile spread across his face that made him seem boyish. He pounced in and snuggled into her, kissed her forehead, and then looked at her with concern for a moment, “You okay?”
The bed felt so fresh, like it was hugging her. She was suddenly bone tired.
“Uh huh. What time is it?”
“Almost 4. Keeping vampire hours, are we?” he arched a brow.