Runaway Vampire(84)

Opening the door, Mary was relieved to see that it was indeed a bathroom. She’d figured a bedroom wouldn’t have two exits, but one never knew. Especially since she had no idea where she was. She wheeled the stand into the room with her and positioned it between the toilet and the counter holding the sink and then hiked up her nightgown and sat on the toilet.

It was while she was sitting there that the first shaft of agony struck. Mary gasped in pained surprise, and immediately grabbed her head, trying to keep it from blowing apart. However, the pain eased and waned just as quickly as it had struck, leaving her breathing cautiously in and out as she waited warily to see if it would strike again. After a little time had passed without a recurrence, she let out her breath slowly and reached for the toilet paper.

It wasn’t until she stood and moved to wash her hands that Mary even glanced to the mirror, and then she froze, the room spinning around her as she stared at her forehead. There was a large, ugly scar cutting across the top of her head, from her forehead back and the top of her head around it was slightly misshapen, like it had been caved in but was pushing its way back out.

Mary grabbed for the counter to steady herself, then screamed and grabbed for her head as another shaft of pain crashed through her skull, sending her to her knees. She thought she heard someone shout her name, but she was already losing consciousness.


The next time Mary woke up, the IV was gone and there was a warm body in front of her as well as one at her back. Opening her eyes, she peered at the furry body she had her arm around.

Bailey.

She was back from the vet, Mary thought, and smiled, her arm tightening slightly around the dog.

Bailey immediately turned her head and tipped it back slightly to look at her and Mary gave her another squeeze, whispering, “Hello, sweetie. It’s okay. Go back to sleep.”

The German shepherd laid her head back down with the little huff of sound that she usually made when she was content, and Mary lifted her head slightly to glance to the rather large arm that was wrapped around her from behind.

Dante, she thought. At least she hoped it was. Otherwise, she and Bailey were in the wrong place.

“Mary?”

She stilled at that whisper, then turned her own head and tilted it back to look at the handsome man presently wrapped around her.

Dante smiled and bent to press a kiss to her nose, then asked solemnly, “How is your head?”

Mary stiffened, her smile freezing, and then she sat abruptly upright, knocking his arm away and nearly sending Bailey tumbling to the floor as she grabbed her head and began to feel it. It felt fine. Normal, she thought with relief, but—

Climbing out of the blankets and over Bailey, she stumbled to the door next to the bed and into the bathroom to see if it truly was all right. Mary’s breath left her on a sigh of relief when she saw that her head was back to normal. Even the scar was gone, she noted, parting her hair to get a look at her scalp. There wasn’t even a thin line to show where the injury had been.

“It is all healed,” Dante said gently. “At least on the outside.”

Mary turned to glance at him and started to nod, but paused when she saw that he was naked. Again.

“Honestly, do you have an allergy to clothes or something?” she asked with exasperation. “Every time I turn around you’re naked.”

Dante’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth to respond, then gasped in surprise when she suddenly leapt at him . . . literally. She jumped him like a monkey, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his hips as she covered his mouth with hers.

Dante chuckled into her mouth and caught her under the bottom to keep her from slipping before he turned and set her on the bathroom counter. Breaking their kiss then, he nuzzled her ear and murmured, “I think you like me naked.”

“I do,” Mary admitted huskily, pressing kisses to his shoulder as he nibbled at her ear. “You should always be naked.”

“Always?” he asked, tugging her nightgown off one shoulder.

“Always,” she assured him, pulling back to run her hands over his chest as he tried to bare hers. “Thank you for getting Bailey back.”

“She is a good dog, and you love her. I would not leave her behind,” he assured her solemnly, and then giving up on getting her nightgown down, he simply bent and closed his mouth over one nipple through the cloth.

Mary moaned as the cloth grew wet and his tongue moved it across her immediately erect nipple.

“How long was I out this time?” she asked on a gasp, arching her back.

Dante reached down to begin pushing her nightgown up her legs before answering. “Two days.”

“Two?” Mary muttered, lifting one butt cheek off the counter and then the other so that he could get the nightgown out from under her.