Frantically, she writhed, seeking relief that was only two thin barriers of clothing away. He groaned as she ground on top of him, and then, suddenly, she was on her back, and he was gone.
“Riker?” Her voice sounded like it had been dragged behind a car on a gravel road. Sitting up, she inhaled, but alongside Riker’s earthy scent was the distinct tang of meadow grass and warm, musky skin.
“M-Myne?”
“Yeah.” He was panting, and she could smell both lust and anguish coming off him in alternating waves.
“Riker isn’t here.”
Confused, she sat there, trying to put the pieces of this bizarre puzzle together. Why would she be in a dark bedroom—Riker’s bedroom, she was sure—with
Myne? And . . . was she in her underwear? She touched herself, confirmed the bra and granny panties, and was flooded with mortification.
“What’s going on?” she finally managed.
She heard the distinct sound of boots scuffing the wooden floor. “You passed out in the lab. You’ve been out of it for four days.”
She frowned. “But . . . Riker?”
“ShadowSpawn, remember?”
Everything came back in a dizzying, nauseating rush. Riker was in trouble, and she needed to help him. That was why she’d been in the lab. And shit, four days had passed? So much time . . . he could be dead by now.#p#分页标题#e#
She flailed around on the mattress in an unco— ordinated scramble, feeling for her clothes. Where were they? She needed to find them, needed to help Riker—
“Hey.” Myne’s arms came around her. “Settle down. You can’t move too fast until you’ve gotten used to your new body.”
New body. She froze up as her new reality sank in.
She really was a vampire, and this was the beginning of a new life. A new set of rules.
Overwhelmed by everything closing in on her, she forced herself to relax but only a little. She needed to find her bearings if she was going to both recover quickly and save Riker.
“How did this happen?” she croaked. “I was symptom-free for days.”
Myne eased away from her, and a moment later, he settled a wool blanket over her shoulders. “Grant thinks Chuck’s immunization delayed the symptoms but accelerated the turn. Either that, or whatever made you react so badly to the original vaccine you received as a child also reacted to the recent one.” His voice lowered, almost to a whisper. “There were a couple of times we thought we were going to lose you.”
She swallowed dryly, still tasting him on her tongue. “You were with me the entire time?”
“Yeah.” His breathing was still labored, and now she understood why.
She’d practically attacked him. Groaning, she flopped back on the mattress and covered her eyes with her arm. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.
“S’okay.” She heard him shuffle around the room.
“Can you see yet?”
“It’s not dark in here?” Propping herself up on one elbow, she peered into the blackness. A tinge of gray teased the edges of her vision, and gradually, she could make out his shadowy form standing near the dresser.
“I can see shapes now.”
“Good. Your vision will come fully online soon, within half an hour or so.” He moved to the doorway.
“I had food brought for you. It’s in the kitchen. I’ll go if you want me to. I’ll leave my cell number on the counter. You’re going to need someone to help you through these next weeks. If you need a female for . . . female things, katina will help you out.” She knew he was desperate to get away from her, and she didn’t blame him. “Thank you, Myne. Right now, I just want a shower.”
Dead silence. Then a raspy “Do you want help?
You’re going to be as clumsy as a newborn foal for a while.”
Heat blasted her face at the thought of Myne helping her into the shower. “I’ll manage. But, Myne?
Thank you for everything you’ve done.”
“I did it for Riker,” he said roughly. “It should have been him.”
She agreed. But she wondered if Riker would feel the same way.
Chapter 29
Being a vampire was taking a lot of getting used to. Mainly because, as far as Nicole could tell, there weren’t a lot of downsides, and that bothered her.
She wasn’t sure what she’d expected.
Fangs were awesome. So was the extra energy, speed, and strength that came with turning into a vampire. Nicole still wasn’t used to the silver eyes or having to drink human blood, but she supposed that would come in time.
She hoped. She was having a hard time accepting the fact that the mere sight of blood made her mouth water. It was one thing not to be bothered by it; it was quite another to attack a packet of food blood like a starving wolverine.