Page 29 of Watch Me Burn

“It’s not, Elise. Go ahead.”

She blows out a rush of air. “I had a nanny when I was very young. She was a human woman who knew she worked for vampires. She thought she was helping… and she put me to bed in a coffin she bought for me while my parents were away.”

I already know that vamps sleep in regular beds, not caskets. “Oh, no.”

She nods. “The lid fell. It got stuck. I was three-years-old and trapped in the dark. I didn’t die… it takes a lot more than that to end a vampire… but it took two days before she got me out. I know it’s been years, but the dark…” She grabs the blanket covering her, worrying it with her fingers. “I want to help you, Bridge, and I will. But I can’t go down there.”

Humans, witches, or vampires, we all have our trauma, don’t we?

“I’m not going to ask you to do that.” Due to my own issues, I hate driving in the rain. The dark? Like the cold, it doesn’t bother me. “Keeping Mr. Grump from noticing I’m gone is good enough. That’ll definitely help me.”

“Mr. Grump?”

I shrug. “Fits him, doesn’t it?”

“Just make sure he doesn’t hear you say that. A male like Conall… he might think you’re flirting with him,” teases Elise.

“He wishes.”

The look Elise gives me tells me that she doesn’t think I’m wrong, but the humor written on her face disappears as quickly as it came suddenly when she sucks in her cheeks. For a second, she looks like she’s in pain, and I frown.

“Elise? You okay?”

“Um. Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just… did you find out about the blood?”

Oh. Right.

Crap.

“I asked, hon.” Shaking my head, I tell her, “They don’t sell blood bags at the commissary.”

Elise’s smile tightens as she shrugs. “It was a long shot. I didn’t think they would, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

Shortly after arriving in Dyea, we realized that there are quite a few luxuries we’re going to have to go without. And while it’s worth it for the security that comes with the hidden town, the biggest sacrifice is Elise’s.

Simply put: she has no access to blood.

We knew that going in. All of the other human donors are claimed, but I didn’t think it would be a problem since Thorn was mailing her a cooler full of blood bags. Then they didn’t show, and we didn’t know how to ask about the delivery system without admitting she was expecting blood.

After all, that’s why I’m here, right? To feed Elise?

Sinking down on the couch next to her, I cock my head just enough to show her my throat. I tap the vein. “Go on. Have a sip.”

“Bridget?”

“What? So I’m a witch. I’ve still got blood, and you haven’t had any in, like, a week. I’d be snapping people’s heads off if I went hungry for half that time. I’ve got blood. Take some.”

She licks the point of one of her fangs. “If I could ask anyone else…”

But she can’t, and we both know it. “Don’t worry about it. Now… just to make sure. You can bite me and it’s not gonna start any kind of blood exchange, right?”

A hint of a tease touches the corner of her mouth. “Afraid you might make Conall jealous?”

CHAPTER 10

BURN

Iroll my eyes. “Funny, Elise.”

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