Page 70 of Obsessed in Blood

“You’re real. This is real.” Tears leaked down his face as his shape faded like vapor.

I blinked and was back in Devon’s office. I stared at Colantha as if I’d never seen her before today. Her sharp glance told me to be quiet about what she’d shared. For now, I wouldn’t say a word. But soon enough, she had some explaining to do.

“Wake up, Cressa.”

I snuggled deeper into the warmth and scent that was all Devon. He shook me, and I burrowed deeper. “No.” The single word was muffled by covers and Devon’s body, but that vampiric hearing was good enough to pick up my refusal.

“You won’t like the alternative.”

“Go away.” That didn’t sound petulant at all.

Weight shifted on the bed. Good. He took the hint.

A second later the cover was stripped from the bed, and goosebumps erupted from the chill of the room.

“Give them back.” My arm snaked out, flailing in the air as if I could snatch a corner.

Warm hands grabbed my ankles, and I was dragged across the mattress, my fingers digging in. It was useless against the strength of the vamp who I was about to kick the ass out of as soon as I had enough strength to sit up. Standing might be out of the question for the foreseeable future.

He caught me in his arms before I landed on the floor and carried me into the bathroom. He tried to get me to stand in the shower, but I clung to him, the tile floor frigid against my bare feet. He pried my fingers off his shirt, and I dropped to the floor.

The water hit me. At first, frigidly cold before the heat warmed to just below scalding.

My arms and legs kicked out as I tried to stand, but the tile was slippery. I was aware enough to hear the shower door slamming shut.

“You’re an asshole!”

“I told you you wouldn’t like the alternative. I’ve been trying to wake you for the last hour.”

“Maybe that’s because I’m exhausted.”

“Understandable, but it’s been four hours.”

That couldn’t be right. I felt like a slug. The juice never impacted me this quickly, and I’d only drunk a couple of glasses. Had Colantha upped the dosage of whatever she put in her concoction?

“Colantha didn’t want you to sleep any longer.”

Now that I was more awake, the hot water was doing the trick as my muscles relaxed. I ran my hands through my hair, washed and conditioned it, then soaped my body.

“Do you need help?” His tone was full of amusement.

“Not unless you want to lose a hand.”

He chuckled. “Are you keeping your dagger in the shower these days?”

“No. But it sounds like an excellent idea.”

I finished rinsing but stayed under the water, the harsh beads soothing the tension in my back. “How long was our last session? I don’t remember walking up to my room.”

“It was a little over half an hour, and you didn’t walk to your room. You and Colantha gave us the highlights and then you passed out. I carried you up here.”

Yikes. No wonder he was concerned.

I shut off the water and opened the door. His hand shot out with a towel, which I wrapped around my hair. Another towel was in my hands before I knew it, and I dried off as I stepped out.

He was smirking, and before I could think of a sharp retort, he helped me with my task, rubbing the towel against my skin. He dried my arms, my breasts, my belly, and then my legs. When he stood, he grabbed my face between his hands, the towel dropping to the ground as he kissed me.

There was nothing gentle about it, and he lifted me up and tossed me on the bed. He stripped in record time and joined me, bringing the covers with him as his body covered mine.