Deadly Serious

"Let me show you."

Even freaked, I noticed a twinge of regret or remorse in his words.

Focusing on that was pointless, though.

Escaping.

Leaving the room in one piece. That was priority number one.

I'd moved from one side of the bed to the other, trying to get out.

Without meaning to, I stepped off the edge and between the curtains and the mattress.

When my foot hit the floor, a sharp pain zinged my knee, but I barely noticed.

Swinging my other leg around, I placed it on the floor, scooted onto all fours, and climbed out of the curtains.

Free! I let out a sob of relief but quickly covered my mouth as I stood.

If I couldn't see, then maybe he couldn't either.

Wiping my eyes, I stuck my hands out in front of me, feeling for the wall, or a chair, or a door, and took a cautious step forward.

My knee gave, and I whimpered. "This isn't funny," I said, my teeth chattering.

A moment later, I bumped into something. It was pliable yet solid.

Apprehensively I touched it, trying to figure out what it was.

It wasn't a door or a chair.

But a person.

His jaw was square, his hair soft and thick, shoulders broad and muscled. His chest was taut.

When my mind realized what my hands were doing, I screamed and took a step backward. Strong hands grabbed me by the waist.

"Snow," he whispered. His breath brushed against my cheek and smelled of ginger tea.

A wave of relief washed over me.

It had to be one of the brothers.

"Who is this?" He hadn't really sounded like Dorian, Heathcliff, or Gabe, but he'd kept his voice low, so the possibility of it being one of them still existed.

I reached up and touched his face with my hands.

It wasn't Gabe. Of that, I was confident.

Heath was tall, like this guy, but he didn't have scruff on his face.

Dorian was taller than them both and certainly as brawny as the man in front of me.

"If you're trying to tease me, I'm not laughing. I hurt my knee, and I'm scared." Another sob grabbed my throat, but I clamped it down.

I hoped my honesty would reprimand him, and he'd turn on the lights.

"I'm not teasing. This is deadly serious." His grasp on my waist shifted as he pulled me firmly against him with one arm.

His other hand slid into my hair.

With a firm yank, he pulled my head back, exposing my neck.

I sucked in my breath, preparing to scream.

My eyes were adjusting to the darkness, and I could see the red tinge in his eyes.

They glowed the way Kenmei's had.

"What do you want?" Fear pulsed inside my ears.

"To taste you." He opened his mouth.

So close to him, I watched his canines grow.

Without thinking, I sent my good knee into his groin.

A look of humorous surprise sprang into his eyes before burning anger replaced it.

His teeth sank into my neck, my skin parting like a boat gliding through water.

When he started to suck, everything became hazy, like a dream.

My body suddenly ached for his touch even as my mind revolted.

I heard myself sigh and pushed my neck deeper into his mouth.

The man shuddered, and the pull of my blood from my body became more vigorous.

Then there was darkness.

***

I was being shaken.

"Snow. Snow. Wake up."

With a jolt, I shot up in my chair. My head had been resting on the table.

My eyes were blurry.

The light from the chandelier glared.

All my thoughts were on the man with the glowing red eyes and the way he'd been drinking my blood.

Yearning and loathing swirled through my organs.

A scream gurgled out, and I grabbed at my throat.

"What's wrong?" Gabe asked, his face contorted with worry.

Wiping my eyes, I scanned the room.

Kenmei, Hiro, Heathcliff, Dorian, and Gabe stared at me with a mixture of apprehension and worry.

Standing, my chair shot out and knocked to the floor.

"What's going on?" I don't know why, but I focused all of my anger on Kenmei.

"Some psycho bit me," I screamed, slamming my hands on the table. It shattered right down the middle.

The guys stood as the table leaned toward them, and the white cups slid to the floor.

Kenmei bent and whispered something to Hiro.

The boy nodded and ran off.

Gabe put his hands out. "Snow, it's okay." He studied the table, dragging a hand through his hair as though he were trying to come to grips with what had just transpired.

I'd broken a freaking table with my bare hands, and I should've been terrified, but I was unable to rein in the burning anger.

Loud pounding noises, like a hundred drummers banging the bass, sounded inside my head. The rhythm made my blood boil.

I touched my neck in the place where the man had bitten.

I could feel the raised scar tissue.

"Aha!" It had really happened. Somehow.

That knowledge thrilled me in a strange, crazy way.

"Look," I said, grabbing Gabe's hand and pressing his fingers to my neck.

So close, I smelled his shampoo and his deodorant.

Ginger tea tinged his breath.

I also smelled something else. It was fragrant, musky. Kind of like air on a rainy day.

Was it fear?

Placing a hand on his chest, I realized the banging bass in my brain was Gabe's heart, and the other pounding was the beating of the others' hearts.

"Can you feel the scars?" I asked Gabe, trying to contain my need to shout. "Or see a bruise? There must be a bruise, at least."

He leaned away slightly, his green eyes wide. "No."

He tried to look at my neck, but I pushed him away, frustrated.

"No? How can you not feel it? Where's a mirror?"

Bowing slightly, I stopped in front of Kenmei. Tilting my neck toward him, I swallowed my overwhelming panic, brushed away tears, and fought my ferocious anger.

"Do you see anything?" I asked through clenched teeth.

He kept his face neutral. "There is something supernatural surrounding you. I felt its presence the moment you appeared on my doorstep."

That wasn't an answer, but I couldn't push my wayward tears back any longer and sank into the chair Hiro had occupied a moment ago.

"What's happening to me?"

The little boy, Hiro, peeked around the corner. "Shiryo! Shiryo! Shiryo!"

The word filled me with panic. "What's that? What's he saying?"

Heathcliff, Dorian, and Gabe had come to stand behind me.

I knew it because the rapid pounding of their hearts grew closer.

"Shiryo. What does that mean?" Dorian asked, only slightly more calmly than me.

Kenmei gave Hiro a reproachful look. "Did you do as I asked?"

"Yes, Grandfather. Adam Henry is coming."

Heathcliff sprang into action. "I'd better leave a message with the others that we might be a while." He took his cell from his pocket and excused himself from the room.

Kenmei dragged in a deep breath. "Shiryo is Japanese for ghost, spirit, or revenant."

As he spoke the last word, he looked directly at me. His explanation sank deep into my veins.

Revenant.

I rolled the word over in my mind.

"What exactly is a revenant?" Gabe asked. His voice shook with emotion, and I looked back.

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Our short-lived romance was over before it'd begun.

I could sense it.

But he promised, I thought, agony crushing my heart.

"After I tell you, you boys should head home. This may take a while."

"We aren't leaving her," Dorian added, coming to stand protectively beside me.

"I understand." A sad smile lifted Kenmei's lips. "A revenant is a changeling. Not quite human and not quite a vampire."

At that word - vampire - all hell broke loose.

The guys started shouting simultaneously about lies and fairytales.

I pulled my knees to my chest and put my forehead on my kneecaps.

Tears dripped from my eyes onto my jeans.

I'd let the brothers figure this one out.