He tried again. “Come.”
She slowly moved forward until she stood next to his head. The fact that she’d gone to the same side as the man wearing white wasn’t lost on Hauke. She is protecting me. The thought warmed him.
The female had no idea how much power he possessed. The only reason he hadn’t broken loose and snapped the old one’s neck, stood before him now. He didn’t want her to fear him.
“Abbie.” He liked the sound of her name.
She appeared nervous but didn’t run. There was a determined set to her jaw that he found oddly sexy.
“Move back this instant,” the gray-haired one demanded from behind her. “If that thing gets loose, you could be killed. And we have no idea what type of diseases it carries.”
Abbie spun around. “Just stop it, Henry. He’s alive. Does he look like he’s trying to break free to you? Have you no heart? We have to do something before they get here. He will die at Area 51.”
“It’s not our problem, Abbigail. Their crew is already on the way. There’s nothing we can do.”
Hauke listened to the exchange, understanding enough to know that the one Abbie referred to as Henry planned on sending him somewhere to die.
He could feel his strength returning with the help of the blood now inching through his veins. The hunger for more grew by the second and his fangs began to throb in time with his pulse.
“I’m disappointed in you, Dad.”
Hauke didn’t miss the catch in her voice or the parent reference. He’s her sire. He filed that piece of information away for a later time. His first priority was to get out of there and find the group that had been with him before the explosion.
His heart ached with the knowledge that his sister might not have survived. If she’d died, he would destroy every last human involved in blowing the oil well that separated Naura from him.
“What do you expect me to do? Take it home with me and set up a college fund for it? Come on, Abbie. Be reasonable. You saw the X-rays. That thing may resemble us to a degree, but that’s as far as it goes. You took a huge risk giving it blood. We have no idea what the consequences of that might be.”
“Henry— “
“No,” he snapped, grabbing onto her arm and tugging her away from the bed. “Now keep your distance while I check on the incubated samples. It’ll be gone soon, and we have no choice but to forget we ever saw it.” Henry stalked off, leaving a fuming Abbie to gape at his back.
The door suddenly opened, admitting a short, beefy man wearing dark blue clothing. Something shiny hung from his shirt. He stood there for a moment, leering at Abbie before coming fully into the room. “What are you doing here, Doctor Sutherland?”
It would appear that Abbie was a healer, Hauke noted, watching the man in blue slowly advance forward.
“My father was called in late and forgot his dinner. I just stopped by to bring it to him.” She nodded toward the brown paper bag sitting next to the computer.
“Who is that behind you on the bed?”
Abbie cleared her throat. “That man is sick. I wouldn’t advise you come any closer.”
Hauke didn’t need to open his mind to feel the nervousness in her words. They fairly dripped with it.
“Where’s your father?” Donald turned toward the door Henry had disappeared through only minutes before.
“You can’t go in there, Donald. He’s spinning samples at the moment. You’ll run the risk of contamination.”
Donald nodded, peering back at her with traces of lust swimming in his eyes. “I’ll be in the restroom if you need me…for anything.” Donald winked at her and sauntered across the room, disappearing behind a row of bottle-filled shelves.
Hauke bit down hard enough that one of his incisors pierced his bottom lip. His stomach turned over at the man’s filthy thoughts of Abbie. Hauke didn’t need to touch him to read his intentions.
“Abbie.” Her name came out in a whisper only to be swallowed up by the insistent noises of the room. He tried again. “Abbie.”
She spun around to face him with surprise registering on her face. “You can speak.”
He attempted to lift his arm, but the restraints held him back. It would be easy to break free, apprehend her, and escape. But the thought of frightening her in any way was unacceptable to him.
“Ubi ego sum?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand?”
Though Latin was commonplace among his kind, Hauke spoke many languages. English had been the most difficult to learn due to the backhanded slang most humans used. The need to practice it over the years had been rare since he’d only come in contact with a small handful of them.
He cross-referenced words in his mind. “Where am I?”
“You’re in a lab. Someone found you on the beach. We thought you were dead.” She visibly swallowed. “Wh-what… Who are you?”
“I am Hauke. Son of Klause. What means Area 51?”
She averted her eyes. “Are you in pain?”
That would be an understatement. He ached from head to feet. Even his hair seemed to hurt. “No pain.”
“You must be thirsty.” She darted away before he could answer.
He would have laughed if it wouldn’t hurt to do so. Any other time, he’d enjoy teasing her. Not today.
Hauke tested his bonds. Simple. They thought to hold him with their straps.
Abbie returned to his side, holding a clear plastic cup. He gave her a questioning look.
“It’s just water.”
“Something floats inside.” He’d never seen its contents before.
She glanced down at the cup and her lips twitched. “That’s ice. It keeps the water cold.”
Her voice took on a husky tone as she leaned over him and slid her arm beneath his head. “Here, try it.”
Heat and energy radiated from her in the way Hauke imagined the sun would feel on his skin in that moment.
He breathed deep, taking in her essence. Her spirit was strong and he felt his own rise to the surface, seeking a closeness with her.
A possessive growl rumbled from his chest, and she stilled.
“Do not fear me, Abbie.”
“Did I hurt you?”
He only shook his head.
The sincerity in her voice made him want her more. Emotion poured from her in waves. Her concern over his pain touched him in ways he didn’t understand.
She lifted his head off the pillow and brought the cup to his mouth. “Small sips.”
The cool liquid touched his tongue, and he bit back a groan. Hauke drank slowly to appease her. If she had any idea he was capable of breathing underwater, she’d probably be horrified. No, he rather enjoyed her caring for him.
Her soft breast pressing against his cheek nearly drove him to insanity. He wanted to turn his face to the side and nuzzle her.
She removed the drink from his lips and eased her arm out from under his neck.
Hauke missed her touch instantly. He watched her set the cup on a side table and busy herself with the tube attached to his arm.
“Thank you, Abbie.”
She blushed but didn’t say anything.
“Your sire.” He nodded toward the other room. “He is concerned for your safety.”
“My Sire?” She gifted him with a small smile. “Where do you come from?”
He answered her with a question of his own. “What means Area 51?”
Hauke felt her emotions shift. She was like an open book with her expressive features and guileless eyes.
She hesitated. “It’s a place where they… um…I have never actually been there.” She appeared flustered. “Shit. You need to get out of here. “
The sound of footsteps could be heard coming from somewhere in the back. Abbie quickly put space between her and the bed. The anxiety radiating from her was suffocating.
“It’s just Henry.”
The whispered words did little to slow the growl rising in Hauke’s throat. He didn’t trust Abbie’s f
ather.
Hauke studied the older man as he progressed into the room. He was hiding something, and Hauke wondered how much of it had to do with the prize he had strapped to the bed.
“One of the samples was compromised. I’m going to need another.” Henry went to a stainless steel side table and opened the drawer. He withdrew several items, laying them on top.
“What are you doing with that?” The spike in Abbie’s adrenaline wasn’t lost on Hauke.
“I’m going to sedate– ”
“You can’t do that,” she interrupted.
Henry barely spared her a glance as he lifted a vial from his coat pocket and set it beside the other items on the table. “I have to sedate him to get the samples. I’m sure as hell not going near him while he’s lucid.”
The older man tore open something that appeared to have a miniature blade protruding from one end, and plucked up the small glass bottle in his other hand. After holding them both up to the light, he pierced the vial with the sharp point.
“I can’t let you drug him, Dad. If they take him to Area 51, he’ll die.”
Henry raised an eyebrow. “What do you propose we do, Abbie? Let him go? We don’t even know what he is or if there are others out there like him. Now, I need you to get out of here. It won’t bode well for either of us if you get seen in here.”
“Too late,” Abbie breathed. “Donald saw me.”
Henry’s eyes grew round with worry before he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Get going before he returns. I’ll think of something to tell him.”
Abbie crossed her arms over her chest.
Titles by Ditter Kellen
The Seeker Series
Ember - Five Book Box Set
Shon
The Rise of Vlad
Predatory
The Trilogy
Secret Series
Lydia’s Secret
Midnight Secrets
Time Travel Series
Turn the Page
Worlds Apart-Coming Soon
Enigma Series
Enigma: What Lies Beneath
Naura
Vaulcron
Zaureth
Oz
Gryke
Braum
Rykaur
Thrasher
Zyen
Eyes Without a Face
Coming Soon as a Stand Alone
Ruby and the Beast
A Beauty and the Beast Tale
The Billionaire’s Baby
A BBW Shifter Romance
Audible Titles
The Seeker Series
Ember
Shon
The Rise of Vlad
The Seeker Trilogy
Three Book Set
Enigma Series
Enigma: What Lies Beneath
Naura
Vaulcron
Zaureth
Oz
Gryke
Ruby and the Beast
A Beauty and the Beast Tale
About Ditter
Ditter Kellen has been in love with romance for over thirty years. Her eBook reader is an extension of her and holds many of her fantasies and secrets. It's filled with dragons, shifters, vampires, ghosts and many more jaw-dropping characters who keep her entertained on a daily basis.
Ditter's love of paranormal and outrageous imagination have conspired to bring her where she is today...sitting in front of her computer allowing them free rein. I hope you will enjoy reading her stories as much as she loves spinning them.
Ditter resides in Florida with her husband and many unique farm animals. She adores French fries and her phone is permanently attached to her ear. You can contact Ditter by email: [email protected]
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The Boy in the Window: A Psychological Thriller Page 19