Page 24 of Shadows of Eternity

Leia’s fear roused him from the dark sleep. Since he’d given her his bed, he had taken his rest in one of the vacant apartments on a lower floor. Rising, he dressed quickly and transported himself to his lair on the top floor.

With some trepidation, he opened the door and stepped inside. He didn’t approach the sofa but waited where he stood.

Leia’s head jerked up when she heard the door open. She felt her heart skip a beat when she saw Rohan standing there.

“There’s nothing to fear,” he said, his voice quiet and soothing. “You were in an accident. Do you remember?”

She nodded slowly. “How did you find me?”

He closed the door and leaned back against it, his arms folded over his chest. “I sensed you were in trouble.”

“That’s impossible.”

He shrugged one shoulder. “It’s true, nonetheless. You were unconscious when I found you. Your head was bleeding.”

She lifted her fingertips to her forehead, and frowned. “How did you stop the bleeding? There’s no bandage.” And no scab.

She wasn’t going to like his answer, he thought. “I licked up the blood and sealed the gash with my saliva.”

She stared at him, wide-eyed with disbelief.

“I did the same to the smaller cuts on your face and arms.” He took a deep breath. “And then I gave you some of my blood.”

His blood.She shuddered.Vampire blood. “Like a … like a transfusion?”

His gaze met hers. “Not exactly.”

“I don’t understand.” She looked at him helplessly. This couldn’t be real, she thought desperately. She was dreaming again.

“I bit my wrist and bid you drink.”

Disbelief quickly turned to revulsion. “You made medrinkit?”

He shrugged again. “I could have let you die.”

All the color drained from her face.

Fearing she was about to faint, he said, “Hey, I made a bad joke, okay? I got to you in plenty of time. You were never in any danger of dying.”

“You made me drink your blood.” She stared at him, face pale, eyes wide with alarm. “Am I … ?”

“No. I vowed hundreds of years ago that I would never turn anyone against their will.”

“How noble of you.” She blew out a sigh as sweet relief washed through her. “Where are my clothes?”

“I asked the night maid to wash them. They should be in the closet.”

She was dreaming again, Leia thought. None of this could be real. “My car. Is it … ?”

“It’s not totaled but it’s gonna need a lot of work. Why don’t you get dressed? I’ll take you out to breakfast, and then I’ll drive you home.”

Rising on shaky legs, Leia made her way into the bedroom. As he’d said, her clothes, freshly washed and pressed, were in the closet. Her shoes waited beside bed. She had to be dreaming, she thought again as she dressed. None of this could possibly be real.

She washed her face and hands, ran her fingers through her hair. She needed a comb, she thought, and a toothbrush. Odd, there was no mirror in the room. Or maybe not so odd. Wasn’t not having a reflection another vampire myth?

She started when he knocked on the door. “You’ll find a new toothbrush in the top drawer. Feel free to use my comb.”

He was reading her mind again. It was most disconcerting. “Th … thank you.”

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