Tamed by the Beast(43)

I looked down at the clean white tile. I’d seen one tiny little speck of dirt and freaked. I’d tackled piles of greasy pans and cleaned restaurant fryers. This was nothing. Nothing. A speck of dirt?

Was it moving? Was it a spider?

I stepped back, looking for something to crush it with from far away. Did they have cast iron here? A broom? A broom might work.

My empty glass caught my eye.

God, I was still thirsty. “I’m thirsty, Sarah. I’m sorry. Can I have another glass of water?”

“How many have you had?”

I had to think for a minute. “I don’t know. Three. No, four. I think I’ve been roofied.”

Sarah didn’t roll her eyes at me. “Well, roofies would put you to sleep, not make you hyper.”

“Right.” Shit. I knew that. I’d seen it happen once at the restaurant. What was wrong with me?

“What is roofies?” Dax asked.

“It’s a drug that puts a person to sleep. Out cold, and when they wake up, they don’t remember anything that happened. It’s used on Earth, at least where Tiffani and I lived, as a drug to rape women.”

“Gods,” Dax growled. “Has anyone touched you, Tiffani?”

I shook my head. “Only Deek, but that was before his fever hit at the party. After that, he refused to touch me. Although we did share a bed in the cell. He wrapped his arms around me and I fell asleep. But that’s it.”

“Did you eat or drink anything anyone strange gave you at the party?” Sarah asked.

“Only from Deek.”

Dax went to a wall unit, took out an odd-looking black object with a strange coil at the top and returned to me. He pressed a button on it somewhere and a blue light lit the coils.

I frowned and tilted my head back away from it.

“It’s okay,” Sarah said. “It’s a ReGen wand, remember? Got rid of your headache. It heals wounds and stuff.”

Right. My headache from the NPU when I’d first arrived. That felt like a hundred years ago.

I just stood there with a funny look on my face as Dax waved the wand in front of my head, then lower, working his way all the way down my body, then back up again.

“Well?” he asked, when done. “Feel better?”

I shook my head. “No. I don’t feel any different.”

“What do you feel like?” Sarah asked.

“My heart is racing and I’m hot. Every spot I see in the floor is making me crazy. I’m thirsty. My skin is tingling. Look, it’s pink.” I held out my arm for Sarah’s inspection, but Dax looked me over as well as I continued. “And I’m…” Shit, I couldn’t say it.

“Horny as hell?” Sarah finished for me.

I blushed then, but Sarah wasn’t laughing. “Yes. I can’t stop thinking about Deek, about… what we did together.”

Dax studied me. “If it wasn’t something you ate, then who did you come in contact with?”

I thought about the party, began pacing the kitchen, letting some of my restless energy bleed off.

“I came in contact with everyone at the party, but no one touches here. You guys are all too macho or whatever. So crazy. You guys are crazy, you know that?” God, Deek was so possessive, so growly when another man even looked at me, and I loved it! Loved the feeling of being cherished. Desired. Wanted.

And now, he wanted Seranda.

Dax growled. “Yes, no one touches another’s mate.”

I thought back. “Engel does. He touched me. He made Deek go crazy. He’s a jerk. I don’t like him.”

I blurted the words and immediately felt contrite. He was Deek’s cousin. Family. I shouldn’t disrespect Deek’s family.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” I looked at Sarah, pleading. “Please don’t tell Deek I said that.” Not that it would matter, because he wasn’t mine anymore.

I moaned in pain and turned away.

“Tiffani, it’s okay. We won’t tell him,” Sarah whispered.

Needing to believe her, I turned my head and watched her nod solemnly at me. Good. She wouldn’t tell. The relief was immense and instant and I felt like a three-year-old who’d just been handed a lollipop.

Dax tilted his head, watching me. “What did you mean about Engel touching you?”

It was hard to think, but not to recall the creepy feeling of Engel’s hand. “I put my hand out for Engel Steen, Deek’s cousin, uncle, whatever he is. He didn’t take it, but I shook Tia’s hand. I guess she knew it was an Earth thing.”

“Tia?” Sarah asked. “Why would she do this to you?”

“She wouldn’t,” Dax said. “But we were talking about Engel Steen, Tiffani. Try to remember. Did he touch you?”