Page 39 of Feeding Frenzy (Crimson Coven #3)

THIRTY-NINE

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I’d woken with the fall of the sun and continued to stare at the ceiling, as if it had answers. My face felt stiff, and my hair remained a wild mess. All that went round and round in my head were thoughts of Peter. His favorite meals, his favorite shows, how I’d been the one to tuck him in at night. It’d been him and I since I could remember. Even when our parents were alive. They’d often been busy, working to make a living for us, so even back then, it’d been just us.

“I don’t know what to do, she won’t respond to me.”

Asher. He leaned over my face.

I knew what he wanted from me, but I couldn’t give it to him right now. It felt like there were ants crawling inside of me.

He held his punctured wrist over my mouth, so I could drink. A blood droplet formed at the opening. I cinched my eyes shut and turned my head away, keeping my lungs shut tight.

I didn’t deserve to feed. I’d failed Peter.

“Let us get her bathed.”

Tobias’ voice. An arm settled behind my shoulder, and I kept my eyes closed as they efficiently undressed me. “Go turn the bath on.”

Those retreating footsteps had to be Asher. An arm fit under my head and the back of my knees. Tobias lifted me and I swayed in his arms.

“Take all the time you need, Love. We will care for you.” The sound of the bath became louder, and he lowered me, submerging me until everything but my neck was covered. He reclined me so my back was against a hard chest.

“I have you, Pet,” Asher murmured in my ear and ran his hands down my arms to lace his with mine.

Water lapped against my throat. Asher propped me up and I curled my knees to my chest, hunching into a ball.

He poured water over my head and rivulets worked down my face. I blinked droplets from my eyelashes. Tobias leaned over me and swiped his thumb over the liquid working its way down my face.

A little dent formed between his eyes. From behind me, Asher moved, and his fingers worked through my hair. My shoulders incrementally lowered so they weren’t hunched near my ears.

“She likes to rub that serum on her face. Hand it to me.” Tobias straightened at Asher’s order and plucked one of my skin care items off the sink. Tobias pumped the liquid into his palms, and he cupped my face.

“This won’t do anything,” he murmured, still rubbing the moisturizer into my face with gentle swipes.

“She still likes to do it.”

The smallest flutter filled my chest. I hated worrying them, but if I didn’t hold myself stiff, I’d go crumple into sobs.

Even though I wanted to remain in the dark hole inside my mind, them washing me seemed to scrub cobwebs from my thoughts.

I needed to be strong and face Peter’s body. To apologize to him, even if he didn’t hear me. Everything inside me cringed from the thought. That wasn’t my only challenge.

Imogen had seen me. I was sure of it. That meant she would come for me. I’d offer myself to her—happily, but I doubted the guys would sit by and let it happen.

Tobias pulled the drain, and it began to swirl as he opened a towel. Asher braced behind me, but instead of letting him hoist me up, I pushed to stand, keeping my eyes lowered on the wet spots spattering Tobias’s dress shirt.

He wrapped the towel under my arms and fastened it.

I carefully stepped onto the towel he’d sprawled on the floor. Jamming my feet in the slippers he placed beside it, I shuffled out.

Asher had already dried and tugged on a silk robe. He patted the bed and waved the brush at me. I sighed and dropped on the edge of the bed with my back to him. He worked a small towel over the tips of my hair. The soothing touches chipped at more of the throbbing ball in my belly. He ran the brush through the top of my hair, taking care to tug gently through the tangles. I settled with the sounds of him brushing. It felt so good. Tension leaked from my limbs, and I closed my eyes.

“Bastien needs the both of you downstairs,” Ren’s strong voice filled the room. The brush paused and Tobias came out from the bathroom.

“Hand it over,” Ren said gruffly. Asher pulled the bristles from my hair and slapped it in Ren’s hand. Asher leaned over to kiss my cheek.

“I’ll be right back, ?lskade. ”

Tobias leaned down and pressed his lips to my forehead. I didn’t turn to look at Ren, but he hovered until he took Asher’s place. He cleared his throat.

So gently, the bristles returned to my scalp. He dragged the brush down almost too lightly. Like he wasn’t experienced.

“I struggle with seeing you upset.” He sounded confused. “I didn’t think that was possible.”

He dragged the brush down my hair, reaching the end of the waves with little tugs.

“Your hair is so long.”

Thanks, I grew it myself.

“I understand you have many feelings right now.” He sighed. “Okay, I don’t understand it, but you have all of us. We will never leave you. Yes, you may be . . . sad? About your 兄弟, but you will never be alone.” Was he rambling?

Ren continued to drag the brush through my hair with hesitant swipes.

“It’s looking promising, regardless. It took you four days to rise, and the span can last multiple days. Hope isn’t lost—” He stopped abruptly. “I don’t know how to comfort someone,” he muttered the words so low it was even hard for me to hear. But what was he going on about? The span of what can last multiple days?

“What do you mean?” I croaked. I turned so fast; the bristles snagged my hair.

I hissed from the sudden pain, and he hurried to untangle my hair.

“These things are a menace.”

“Ren,” I hissed.

He frowned at me.

“What?”

I stared pointedly. He finally sighed.

“We weren’t supposed to tell you, yet. Peter is downstairs, and we think he might change?—”

I ran directly to the wardrobe adjacent to the door. The new furniture creaked upon me yanking it open. I shucked off the towel and rifled through the drawer, pulled out underwear and slipped on a bra. I grabbed a yet to be opened package wrapped in cellophane and pulled out the boot cut leggings and the matching baby-tee.

“You need to give?—”

I was already out of the bedroom, Ren’s voice fading behind me. He cursed, sounding closer. In single minded determination, I stomped down the stairs, taking two at a time. I careened around the corner, crossed the foyer, and went through the kitchen.

Damien and Baron watched me zoom past.

Talia blocked the door.

“What are you doing?”

She fidgeted with her hair.

“You shouldn’t go in there.”

I narrowed my eyes at her and bunched her hair, dragging her to the floor. She stopped her fist from connecting with my chin. I wanted her to hit me. To feel the pain, so it could distract me. But instead of staying and flailing on the ground with her, I burst through the door and all eyes turned to me.

Tobias, Bastien, Jax, and Asher stood to the side of Peter’s head. He lay across the hard table with a sheet covering him from neck to feet. I was at his side in the next beat. I clasped his cold hand, leaning over his face.

His lips were blue-tinted, and his chest didn’t move.

“He needs a more comfortable place to lay on.” I glared at Bastien who scratched his temple. “Baron,” I shouted. I didn’t miss the looks they were exchanging.

Baron leaned through the threshold, obviously close enough to have been listening. “I’m on it, Cat,” she chirped and disappeared.

“Thank God you’re here,” Sydney muttered.

“We didn’t want to tell you unless we were sure,” Tobias said gently.

I crossed my arms and faced the group.

“You should have told me.” I shook my head. “Why didn’t it occur to me ?”

Compulsion didn’t work on him, just like it didn’t on me.

“Don’t be hard on yourself—” Asher shut up when I turned my glare on him. He pursed his lips and backed up. “Nevermind.”

My mind was going a mile a minute.

“We aren’t sure if he will complete the transition,” Bastien said, approaching. “I took a look at his blood and there were,” he shook his head and looked almost awed, “very little markers compared to your blood now. That is why while you are human it takes longer for blood-madness to be cured.” Because there were less of those cells. “I believe the trigger is being bitten by a vampire. Our saliva begins the reaction.” He stopped in front of me, focused on my brother.

“Is there anything I can do?” I pressed my palms against his chest. He covered my hands with his.

He didn’t respond and that was answer enough. I clenched my teeth. Lashing out at him wouldn’t be fair.

“We have another thing to worry about.” I fanned my attention across them all. “Imogen saw me.”

They had to kill her.

The tension that swept the room was tangible. She would come to kill me. I was sure the same thought went through their heads. They’d known her much longer than me, but she was vengeful. If nothing else, that was clear.

I leaned over Peter’s slack face, my hand hovering over his hair.

We’d get him comfortable and settled for when he woke up. I wouldn’t give up hope. Imogen was a problem for another day.