Page 27 of Blood Lost

We settled in and ate, with most of the conversation being small talk. I assumed the guys were trying to find out as much about me as possible. I wasn’t about to give them everything, but it didn’t hurt to find out about them as well. Information was power, and I wasn’t about to give mine away. I traded select info for things I needed to know about them.

“Tell me about before,” Delilah said when there was a lull in the conversation. Vik and Eli shared a glance. I wanted to know as badly as she did, but I wasn’t sure they would be honest about it. They waited for a beat as if trying to figure out where to start.

“I met you when I purchased your uncle’s bar. It was a hostile takeover. Vinny thought he would take my money and keep running Midnight the way he always had. I couldn’t allow that.” Vik began, but Eli broke in.

“I was relieved to hear you ended the blood slave process. I’d been working for years to find out who was behind it.”

Vik nodded and continued, “Your uncle took good care of you, but he was not an honest man. He ran an operation that kidnapped people, mostly young women, and sold them as blood sources in exchange for the protection of their families. My corporation can offer that protection at a much lower cost. And the bar was on its way to being successful again when our issues first began.”

“I remember a little of that. You had Uncle Vinny lock me in one of the cages because I tried to free the women. Why would you do that if you were going to let them go anyway?” Delilah asked. It was a good question. He was painting himself to be the hero, but I suspected it was somewhere in the middle.

“I had to break their compulsion first. Vinny had a vampire working with him who convinced those women that they had to give up their lives or sacrifice the lives of their families. One of the few things Eli and I had in common before meeting you was our stance on blood donations. Those donated should be cared for and not abused.” His words sounded sincere, but there was something about him that made me believe he was capable of being a monster.

“So, you took over the bar and ended the blood slave process. That’s how you met Delilah?” I wanted to push further but decided to start slowly.

Vik nodded. “We were still going to supply blood, just in a more reasonable manner. That meant prices would increase, and vampires would object.” He looked at Eli as he spoke. Eli’s cheeks turned red.

“I was searching for proof that Vinny was doing something illegal. When I got that bill, I had no idea you’d taken over. I had just made an offer to purchase Midnight a week before. I thought Vinny was trying to squeeze more money out of me.” Eli growled at Vik. It was clear that this was a sore spot for them.

“Yes, but you overreacted when you found out that I had taken over.”

Eli turned to face Delilah and me. “I kind of lost it when I thought Vinny was trying to screw me over. I came into the bar and had a meltdown. Vik and I ended up fighting. I almost broke your arm, and it cost me my hand. I would happily suffer through it all over again for hurting you.” Tears formed in Delilah’s eyes. I wondered if it was because he’d hurt her or because he’d had his hand chopped off.

“That’s a prosthetic? It looks so real.” I interjected. I felt like they were trying to push me out of the conversation, and I couldn’t let that happen.

“It is. It’s top of the line. There isn’t another one just like it. This one was a prototype. It has some special abilities built-in. The whole thing is hardwired into my brain. That’s how it seems so real. It has wiring that simulates pain sensors to prevent the unit from accidentally getting damaged. I ended up being the first to test it out.” He didn’t seem angry about the situation. I wasn’t sure how that was possible. If a guy cut my hand off, I’d probably kill him. I sure wouldn’t share a girl with him. There had to be more to their story than I realized.

“I only remember bits of what you’re telling me. But what was I like before? I know I had to have spent time with both of you.” Delilah was trying to unlock her past to understand her future better. I could see the determination on her face.

“You were perfect.” Vik refused to say anything else about it. Eli nodded. It was clear that they were done discussing it.

Eli stood up and started clearing the table, nodding at Vik. He got up to help. We wouldn’t get any more info out of them tonight. Delilah took my hand and pulled me toward my room. I wondered why she didn’t want to go to hers, but it was right next to Vik’s. Maybe she was trying to be considerate about things.

As soon as the door closed, I pulled her close for a kiss. She let her tongue mingle with mine for a minute, then stepped away. “I want to talk to you about something. But I don’t want the others to know.”

I was intrigued. “I’m all yours. What’s up?”

“I need to know about the hunters. How bad is our situation right now? Will they figure out that I killed that girl? What would happen if I turned myself in?” Delilah had started to ramble, so I pressed my lips to hers again. Once she was relaxed, I let her go and thought about her questions.

“The hunters are a group of shifters who police the vampire population. If they find out that you killed that girl, they will find you. It’s just a matter of time. They are very good at what they do. Turning yourself in is not an option. They will kill you. Death is the punishment for killing a human, even if it’s an accident.” Tears spilled from her eyes at my explanation.

“I don’t want to hide. I deserve to be punished for it.” I knew that she’d been wrestling with guilt since she remembered. Vik and I had talked about it while making dinner. She’d been upset, and he had distracted her the only way he knew how.

“Please don’t think like that. You were drugged. If we can prove it before we come forward, they’ll have to go after the person responsible. We just have to lay low until we can find out who is after you.”

Delilah gasped. “You think someone is after me?”

I nodded. “This is the second time a human has drugged you. I’m pretty sure someone is out to get you. They either want you on the run or out of the picture. I will look into Eli and Vik to see if it could be related to them. It sucks that you can’t remember anything but what they tell you. There’s no way to know what they’re leaving out.”

She looked at me for a moment and scrunched her nose. “I thought I was crazy. I felt like I was getting half the story at dinner. I’m glad you felt it too.”

Chapter 33

Viktor

The new guy was fishing at dinner. I knew it; Eli knew it. The only thing we didn’t know was to what end. What was his end game? I was trying to work through it in my head based on the questions he’d asked while we prepped dinner and while we were eating.

“He just wants to know what he’s dealing with. There’s nothing suspicious about that. I already ran a full background. He’s a decent guy.” Eli seemed to read my thoughts. I forgot how good he was with emotions.

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