Page 7 of Blood Lost

“Thank you. I had fun carving and building it.” This piece had taken me two whole years to get just the way I wanted it. I had intended to save it for the woman I would marry. When I laid eyes on Delilah, I knew that I had made it for her.

“You made this? It’s amazing! I can’t believe you made it yourself. You’re so talented.” She gushed as she ran her hands over the intricately carved posts and wandered around the bed. I stood there watching her enjoy my handiwork with the biggest smile on my face. I knew it was a nice piece, but I didn’t expect anyone to react the way she did. “So is that your job, or just a hobby? The wood stuff.”

“It started as a hobby; then I decided I hated the corporate world and made it my job. I do okay with it, even though I didn’t escape the business sector because of it.” I laughed while she tried to figure out what I meant. “I make custom sculptures and furniture for clients, most of whom are business people who want something fancy for their offices.”

Delilah looked impressed. I wondered what she had done as a career before all of this happened. As if she had somehow heard my thought, her smile fell. She looked up at me with tears forming. “Will I ever remember? I know it’s only been a little while, but there’s so much about myself that I don’t know.” I pulled her into my arms and held her tightly.

“It’s okay. Steph said that you might remember everything or nothing. There’s no way to know for sure. It won’t happen instantly, though. Please don’t be so hard on yourself over this. We’ll figure it out. You’re a blank slate now; you can be whoever you want.” I tried to resist, but her lips were calling to me. I leaned down and pressed mine to hers. I wanted to comfort her, but more than that, I needed to claim her. It would be easier if she didn’t get her memories back. Delilah’s remembering could cause more complications than we would already be dealing with. If my phone hadn’t interrupted us, I doubt I would have been able to restrain myself.

“Sorry, it’s work. I have to take this.” I sighed as I answered. “Yeah, Carol, what’s up?” I knew it had to be important for her to have called me. She knew that I was dealing with a situation.

“Well, Mr. Roarke, there are two gentlemen who just showed up here without an appointment. They’re insisting that they see you immediately.” I could picture her face as she shot venom at the intruders.

“Who are they? What do they want?” I asked without thinking. There was no way I would leave Delilah alone here, so it didn’t matter who wanted to meet with me. They would have to make an appointment.

“Mr. Maxwell and Mr. Strain, sir. They refuse to tell me what they want. I’m too old to be of any use to them.” She snarled. I felt terrible for the poor bastards. Carol was a force to be reckoned with, especially if you showed up without an appointment. I doubted that either of them had told her she was too old, but the lack of an explanation for the emergency meeting would have set her off.

“See if you can get them scheduled for next week, please. I’ll be out of the office for the rest of the week. I’m taking care of some personal business.” I knew that I would have to call Carol later and explain, or she would hunt me down to get answers. I never took time off. But I had never turned anyone before, and I felt responsible for Delilah.

“Will do, sir. I’m sorry to have bothered you while you were occupied. Have a great evening.” Carol’s southern drawl dripped with sweetness, and I knew that Viktor and Eli were in for it. She would undoubtedly get them scheduled, but she would also read them the riot act about showing respect and calling ahead. She might even lay into them about all the canceled meetings I had tried to set up with each of them previously. I chuckled to myself as I hung up the call.

“Do you need to deal with that?” Delilah asked. I turned back to find her lying on the bed. She looked more relaxed than I had ever seen her. I’d only really known her for a few hours, but she had been preoccupied with remembering her past for most of that.

I shook my head. “No, Carol can handle it. I’m all yours. I mean, I’m here to take care of you. I didn’t mean I belong to you or anything creepy like that.” I paused and ran my fingers through my hair. “I’m trying to say that I’m here to help you settle in and adjust to your new life. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to explain that better.” Her laughter was music to my ears, and I felt a smile spread across my face. “Are you making fun of me?”

Delilah’s eyes grew wide, and her laughter faded. She looked at me in mock horror. “I would never!” I had to hand it to her, she almost had me convinced, but then she lost her control and doubled over with the giggles. Her lightness eased my embarrassment, and I tackled her on the bed. I tickled her until she begged me to stop. “Dec, I can’t take any more. Please.” We were both out of breath but more relaxed than we had been.

Chapter 8

Delilah

I knew that something was bothering Dec, even if he wouldn’t tell me what that weird call was all about. I loved how he got flustered when he said he didn’t need to leave. He’s all mine; damn right you are. I didn’t even care what he’d implied with it. I was more than ready to get to know him better in every way. My soul craved to claim him. Who was I kidding? I knew that I had already claimed him. I just didn’t have the guts to tell him as much. I might have been more forward if I knew anything about my past. I hoped that the memories would keep coming, but they had all but stopped since we got to his condo.

Besides my first name, I could only remember a bar and two sets of eyes. I couldn’t see their faces clearly, but I knew that they belonged to me just like Declan did. It sounded ridiculous in my head. There was no way three guys would agree to all be in a relationship with me. Yet somehow, I felt that it was meant to be. I just had to find the other two and convince the three of them that there was enough of me to go around.

Declan’s voice brought me out of my thoughts. “Are you all right, mo chroí? You’ve been staring out into space for a while now. I don’t think you heard anything I’ve said.” His grin argued with the concern in his eyes. I knew that watching me try to remember was hard on him.

“I’m fine. I was just thinking, that’s all. Trying to figure out who I was and who I am now.” I didn’t dare tell him the details of what I was thinking. That thought would probably scare him off immediately. So, I changed the subject. “I have some questions about being a vampire, if that’s okay.” I knew that he would answer whatever I asked. For some reason, I completely trusted him already. It felt strange—as if I had never done that before.

His smile faded, and concern took over his entire face. “Are you thirsty? I have blood bags in the fridge. I’ll go get you one.” I grabbed his arm and pulled him closer so he couldn’t leave. I was stronger than I expected, and he ended up on top of me, pushing me over. I stretched up and pressed my lips to his, silencing his worry. For a moment, he kissed me back, fisting his hands in my dark curls. Then as if he’d been bitten, he jumped off me and sat up. “Delilah, we can’t do this. We don’t know anything about your past. What if you’re married?”

“I appreciate the concern, Dec, but honestly, my human life is over. What will it take to convince you that I want this? It doesn’t matter to me that there may have been someone else before. You and Stephanie both said there was no way to return to my human life, so why worry about it? Unless you don’t want me, and you are afraid of hurting my feelings?” I stared into his emerald eyes, daring him to tell me that he wasn’t holding back his desires. I knew he couldn’t do it.

“That’s not it,” he said, shaking his head. “Of course, I want you. But you need closure. You need to know who you are or who you were. Then we can move forward. It’s the right thing to do.” As soon as he said it, I vowed that I would break his resolve. I would find a way to seduce him and make him see that he wanted me as badly as I wanted him. I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his again. He didn’t try to stop me, but his hesitation was apparent. He meant what he’d said. I realized that this would be more difficult than I had imagined.

Declan’s lack of enthusiasm had me pulling away from him. I knew what I wanted, but I couldn’t force it. “Do you want to show me around the rest of your apartment? Or the city? Maybe getting out of here would help me remember.” If I were going to seduce him, I would have to work slowly. He wasn’t going to jump into bed with me. Today proved that. Relief relaxed him in a way that words could never have.

“We can go out if you have another blood bag first. Since you like the music so much, I’ll show you the club that’s around the corner. They have karaoke almost every night. Steph loves it.” His smile lit up the room, and I knew that I wanted to see it forever. I nodded in agreement as I followed him to the kitchen. “I want you to feel comfortable here. I need you to understand how dangerous it is for a newly turned vampire to be exploring the city alone, especially one who doesn’t remember her human life.” Dec handed me a blood bag with a straw, and I started to sip.

“I need you to promise me you’ll let Steph or me know when you’re going out. I would prefer that you take one of us with you, but I understand if you feel like you need some alone time. I just want you to be safe.” Concern coated his words. I knew that he wasn’t trying to control me; he was genuinely worried about my safety. I wondered if it had more to do with the possibility of me remembering than the idea of me getting into trouble.

“I like that idea. I feel safe with you, and Steph seems nice. But if we’re going out,” I paused and gestured at my sweatshirt and leggings, “is there anything else for me to wear?”

“You should check your closet. I had Steph arrange a few things for you until I can take you shopping. We weren’t sure what you’d like, so there’s a little bit of everything.” He kissed me on the cheek then walked away. I was hurt that he left me standing there for a second, then I realized that he was showing me trust. I had a choice to stay here where I felt safe or leave by myself. I finished the blood bag and headed to my room to check out the closet.

I thought he’d been kidding when he said there was a little bit of everything. He wasn’t. There were shorts, jeans, bibbed overalls, dress slacks, dresses, t-shirts, sweaters, and nearly anything else I could imagine. I had no idea what my style had been like before, but I was determined to make Declan want me. What better way to do that than a little red dress? I found a lot more than clothes in the attached bathroom. It was as if Dec and Steph had anticipated any style decision I could have made and stocked the entire room accordingly. I was showered, dressed, and ready to go within an hour. I left my dark curls free and wore simple makeup, letting the curve-hugging red satin remain the star of my look.

I wondered how the club would be since I had no ID. Hell, I had no idea how old I was or when I was born. Worry began to consume me until Declan walked into the room. One look at him, and I couldn’t concentrate on anything else. It was obvious the feeling was mutual. “You look amazing,” he breathed before crossing the room to take me in his arms. For a moment, all was right with the world. After a brief hug, he seemed to remember his self-set boundaries and pulled away.

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