My mouth dropped open at the dae’s vehement tone. Like many dae, Rob’s eyes changed, but instead of the swirls of fire and smoke I so often saw among the fire-breathers, his eyes hardened, retaining their bright blue but reminding me of the diamonds the wealthiest elite wore.
“Miss Daegberht?”
I sat straighter on the counter, clenching my teeth together. It took one thought of having my revenge stolen from me to ignite my anger to its full strength, and not even the lingering drugs in my system dulled my fury. “He’s mine.”
Rob’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that?”
I don’t know why I did it, but I snatched Rob’s tie, yanked on it, and brought him close to me, matching his glare with my own. “I will make him regret every scar, every rash, every blister, and every cut.”
I wanted to say I’d make Arthur feel the fear he had smothered me with, but the words stuck in my throat. I shook with rage and tightened my grip on Rob’s tie. “I don’t need you doing my dirty work.”
“And how do you intend to do it?”
“He’s a fire-breather. I’ll extinguish his flames and leave him as a wet, greasy pile of ash,” I hissed.
“You aren’t a dae.”
“So?”
“That puts you at a rather extreme disadvantage, Miss Daegberht.”
I would always be at a disadvantage as long as I didn’t have a dae like so many others did. “I don’t care.”
Rob scowled at me. “Did you have the rashes before he took you?”
“My hands and my elbow where Kenneth grabbed me,” I muttered, releasing the dae’s tie. “The burns were worse.”
“I saw them.”
He had seen all of me, and I flushed as the realization sank in. Of course he’d seen me naked. He had kept me from drowning in the bathtub the first time I had woken up. Someone had to change my clothes, and Rob was the only dae present with hands.
“Where’s Colby?”
“Hunting.”
I shivered at Rob’s emotionless tone. “Hunting what?”
Lifting his hands to his throat, the dae adjusted his tie, which matched his eyes. A faint smile spread on his lips as he loosened the knot and smoothed the slick material. “Your kidnapper. Your refusal to identify him is rather tiresome, so we’re hunting him the old-fashioned way. It’s Colby’s turn right now. Colby left a little early, probably knowing I was on my way back.”
“Colby’s alone out there?” My voice rose an octave and cracked before a coughing fit tore through me. By the time I recovered, Rob had gone to the refrigerator and was holding a glass out for me.
“Drink,” he ordered.
It was orange juice, and while I was tempted to toss it in his face, I took it. Sipping cautiously, I winced at the worsening ache in my throat. “Stupid cold.”
“You’re doing a lot better than you were last week,” Rob informed me, smiling at me. When I finished with my glass, he took it from me and set it in the sink. “There’s only so much you can put your body through, Miss Daegberht, and you discovered your limit. Still, you’re much better than I thought you would be today. I think you’re well enough to remove the painkillers from your medications.”
I tensed. The temptation to cave in and beg for more surged through me. “No more drugs.”
“Antibiotics, Miss Daegberht. Your wrist’s infected. Unless you want to lose your hand…”
I shuddered, staring at my left arm. I couldn’t see the injury beneath the bandage still covering my wrist. It didn’t hurt, but that didn’t mean anything when drugs were involved. “It’s infected?” My fear turned my voice shrill.
“You used a rusty nail. Are you surprised? Yes, it’s infected. There is a local anesthetic under the bandages, an ointment to help it heal, and you’re on quite a few antibiotics. Your other injuries have healed well.” Rob shook his head, and before I could stop him, he took hold of my arm, pressing his thumb against my wrist.
The pressure sent stabbing pain lancing up my arm, and I sucked in a breath. “That hurts.”
“It’ll hurt more once the painkillers wear off completely.”
“A risk I am willing to take,” I replied through clenched teeth.
Rob shifted his thumb away from the bandage, adjusting his hold on my arm to reveal where he had touched me. “No redness. Your forehead looks fine as well.”
I stared at the spot, my eyes widening. “It doesn’t itch.”
“How long does it normally take for the rashes to show up?”
Rob didn’t let go of my arm, and because his hand was warm and didn’t hurt, I didn’t jerk free of him. “Right away. Handshakes are the worst. Why do people want to always shake hands? People think I’m defective when I want to wear gloves in the summer.”
My mouth had a mind of its own, and I blushed from embarrassment, clenching my teeth together so I’d shut up.
“You can tell a lot about a human—or a dae, for that matter—when you shake their hand,” Rob replied, releasing my arm to clasp my right hand. My initial instinct was to pull away, but he tightened his hold on me while smirking.
Hand strength was necessary to scale buildings, but my grip was weak and shaky, which made me growl from frustration.
“You’re not a shifter, Miss Daegberht. Your species doesn’t growl.”
“Shut up. I’ll growl if I want to.”
Rob laughed, easing his hold on me. He turned my palm over so I could see it. “No redness, no rashes, or any other reactions. I think you’re safe.”
I stared at my hand. Rob rubbed his thumb over my palm, tracing the pale scars stretching across my skin. Most of them were thin lines, evidence of mishaps with glass and sharp stones on buildings, although I had more than a few pockmarks from blisters that hadn’t healed well.
For a long time, I stared at my scarred hands. If I earned my Bach, I’d be able to afford the treatments to remove most of the scars. I could have the smooth skin of the elite, unmarked from my years of clawing my way from the lowest rung of society’s ladder.
I could erase the evidence of everything I had done.
“Drugs,” I muttered, pulling free of Rob’s hold on me.
“When I found you, you were having trouble breathing,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “There was a rash on your throat, and you were wheezing. Did he strangle you?”
I shook my head. “He checked my pulse.”
“I see.” When Rob reached towards my face, I flinched, caught myself doing it, and stiffened, holding my breath. “You bit me, and it didn’t hurt you.”
Rob pressed his thumb to my lips, and I shivered. Like before, his touch was gentle, and his skin was smooth and soft. I remained frozen, torn between biting him, lunging from the countertop to make my escape, and doing nothing at all. Rob slid his fingers beneath my chin, shifting his thumb to trace the line of my jaw. His hand glided over my throat to check my pulse.
“Your pulse seems fine to me,” he murmured, and when he smirked and drew closer, I held my breath. “You seem a little excited for some reason, though. Your heart’s beating quite fast, Miss Daegberht. Why might that be?”
I wasn’t suffocating as I had when Arthur had touched me. I trembled, at a complete loss of what to do. How was I supposed to react?
“You’re cold and shivering.” Rob made a displeased sound in his throat, and before I could stop him, he hooked an arm under my legs and pulled me off the countertop. I gasped as I dropped before he got a hold on my back. I ended up clutching at his shirt to stop myself from falling. “I’m not going to drop you.”
Despite his reassurance, I couldn’t force myself to let him go. “Put me down!”
“I will when I feel like it,” he replied, and the way he smiled infuriated me into kicking my feet.
It was a useless gesture, but I did it anyway. All it did was make Rob laugh. He carried me to the couch in the living room and dumped me on it. I bounced and scrambled to the arm so I had a path of escape. So focused
on the dae, I didn’t notice the blanket draped over the back of the couch until he threw it at me. I caught it by reflex and gawked at him for a long moment.
He laughed again, leaning over me to tuck the plush material around me. “What did you think I was going to do to you, Miss Daegberht?”
“I can walk on my own.”
Perching on the arm of the couch, Rob grinned down at me. “Your feet haven’t completely healed yet. Why hamper your recovery? You can walk, but that doesn’t mean you should.”
He was right, and sighing, I burrowed into the blanket and rubbed the soft material against my cheek. “Fine. You told me you’d tell me what I’d missed. Start talking.”
“My, aren’t you feisty today? You really are feeling better. I count myself fortunate you didn’t bite me again.”
“Bring your hand near my mouth again and I will,” I promised.
“Is that a threat or promise?”
I huffed and turned my head. “What do you think?”
“I think you like making me bleed.”
“You have no idea,” I muttered, reminding myself I didn’t like the dae and fully intended to ruin him in some fashion or another for trying to claim me as his property. “What’s been going on?”
“I suppose I should find out what you know and fill in the blanks.”
While I would have preferred him offering his information first, it made sense. It’d take me a lot less time to tell him what I knew, which was nothing. I sighed. “He was in with the involuntary interviewees. He didn’t want the children being used as tools of war, I guess. He lit the place up, said he wasn’t finished with me, and that was that. When I woke up, I was tied up in a warehouse near the docks. I busted out and got caught again. At first, he kept me in a basement, but he moved me to the third floor of a townhouse somewhere in the fringe on the south shore side. I overheard them discussing something about keeping the kids away from the elite. That’s all I know.”
“Do you know why they wanted you?”
I scrunched my shoulders and shivered. If I told Rob, would he be able to confirm the truth? Was I just a walking food source for the dae? “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“So you do know.”
Why did even the thought of Arthur feeding on my misery shame me so much? Frustrated tears burned my eyes, and determined not to cry, I jabbed my right thumb against my left wrist until pain stabbed up my arm. “I overheard them talking.”
“He wanted you to fuel his fires, didn’t he?”
I sucked in a breath, and in the sharpness of my gasp, I realized I had betrayed the truth. “Shit.” Swallowing, I closed my eyes.
“Gave away more than you meant to, did you? So, he wanted to use you. Judging from your condition when I finally found you, he must have been using you as a convenient way to fuel his fire. Typical.”
“The other one thought he should find some willing women,” I mumbled.
“Passion and pain. It’s very typical of dae aligned with fire, Miss Daegberht. All he had to do to make you miserable was touch you.” The anger in Rob’s voice startled me into staring at him. He had his arms crossed over his chest and he was frowning. “Pain lasts longer than pleasure for an amateur. What a stupid, weak dae.”
The scorn in Rob’s voice helped, but I wasn’t sure why. His opinion didn’t matter to me.
That he shared my disgust and loathing soothed me a little. “I don’t understand. He’s weak? He can turn into a living pillar of flame.”
“There are two primary types of dae. There are external types, like me, and there are internal types. Internal types usually manifest as shifters, what you’d call a vampire, and others. Ah, what do you call them nowadays? Witches? It’s as good a word as any, I guess. I suppose you’d best label them as magic users. Fire-breathers are usually internal, but they sometimes manifest as external. Judging from how he wanted to use you, he’s likely an externalized dae who consumed his bonded human. Now he has no one to give him strength and has to harvest power elsewhere.”
“Harvesting.” Saying the word was enough to make my stomach churn. “And how do you feed?”
Rob’s eyes widened, and he stared at me for a long moment before sighing. “That’s a rather personal question, Miss Daegberht. Many dae would view that as a rather significant breach of their privacy—and get violent with you for even asking. You can control a dae if you know how to cut off his or her source of energy.”
“Are you going to get violent with me?” I challenged.
Laughing, he shook his head. “If you want to know how I feed, then you’ll have to share something equally personal with me. I would be giving you a very potent weapon against me. You can begin by telling me your kidnapper’s name.”
I scowled. “And I already told you he’s mine.”
“Don’t be greedy, Miss Daegberht. I propose we work together to rid Earth of him. I’ll ensure you can take him out when he’s on even footing with you.”
“No. It’s more satisfying if I do it myself. I’ll break him.” I lifted my chin and glared. “I want to see his face when he realizes he’s been ruined and beaten by a human.”
“The way you say that, it makes me think you believe humans are inferior.” The disapproval in Rob’s voice cut deep.
“Aren’t we?” I demanded, unable to keep the bitterness out of my voice.
There was a sad quality to Rob’s smile. “Why would you say that?”
“I can’t breathe fire, I can’t turn into a dragon, I can’t drink blood like one of those vampires, I can’t—“
“You met a vampire?” Rob straightened, and once again, his eyes hardened to glittering diamonds, bright blue and shining.
“Well, yes,” I stammered.
“Did you feed a vampire?”
“I thought I was on drugs, so I went to get tested, and I got a tattoo at the same time. It’s no big deal. Clean girls sell their blood so druggies can beat the system. It’s done all the time. Turns out I was clean. I needed the money.”
Rob scowled. “You really shouldn’t just give you precious blood away like that.”
“Precious?” I blurted. “What, are you a vampire, too?”
“No, I’m not a vampire.”
“He paid me good money for it,” I replied, clenching my teeth. “I didn’t give it away.”
“He didn’t pay you enough.”
The unexpected reply caught me by surprise, and I was silent a long time thinking about it. I had done well enough for myself, progressing through schooling and succeeding when so many others failed. I doubted Arthur and Donald’s discussions of my worth, but the way Rob spoke made me hesitate.
I was a child of the fringe, a dock ward rat who fed off the scraps of the rest of society. My status as a Bach student elevated me, but on a probationary status. I hung between the castes, welcomed nowehere, not until I proved myself or failed trying.
“You don’t even know what he paid me,” I snapped, deciding it didn’t matter what Rob thought. “Who cares? I’m not a dae. I can’t vomit fire, turn into a wolf man, or fly, or do anything like your kind can.”
“You don’t understand what we are,” Rob replied, and he sighed. “A woman like you will never have a dae.”
“What do you mean by that?” I searched for any sign of his usual smugness, but his expression was serious. If he so much as smirked, I was going to rearrange his face for him with my fist.
“If you want to know, Miss Daegberht, I’m going to have to insist you share your kidnapper’s name with me.”
“You’ll kill him.”
“That is the idea.”
“He didn’t do anything to you.”
“He hurt you. That’s the only reason I need.”
My mouth dropped open, but I couldn’t think of a single thing to say. By the time I regained my wits, Rob was grinning at me. My face burned. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
“You’re so flustered, Miss Daegberht. Let’s make a deal. Tell
me his name. In exchange, I will tell you everything that has happened since you were kidnapped and explain why you’re so valuable to him. If I can, without putting you at risk, I will even tolerate you getting your revenge personally. Make no mistake, however. I will destroy him if he hurts you again.”
I straightened as I thought it through. Rob wanted to lay some sort of claim on me, just like Arthur did. Did Rob want me because he could also harvest something from me? If he fed from pain, he was doing a miserable job of sustaining himself. What did Rob want from me?
He had to have a reason for wanting me.
When I thought of it that way, it was easier to ignore the way he stared at me and concentrate on his offer. I frowned, staring down at my hands. He wasn’t a vampire, but he was interested in my blood. What made me special to him?
“You’ll also tell me how you feed and what it has to do with me,” I demanded. “For that, I will tell you his name.”
Rob frowned, meeting my glare with one of his own. “That’s a hard bargain you’re driving.”
“Do you want to know who he is or not? And don’t even think of lying to me, Rob. If you do and I find out, I’ll kill you right along with him.”
“I’m beginning to see where Kenneth Smith went wrong with you,” the dae replied, his tone full of his satisfaction. “He truly had no idea what he could have had with you. I will not make that mistake.”
“You’re speaking in riddles. Do you agree to my terms or not?”
“Very well, Miss Daegberht. I will tell you what you want to know in exchange for his name. I keep my word. However, I do insist you allow me to aid in your revenge. He may be weak, but he’s still dangerous.”
It took every bit of my will to swallow my pride. I reminded myself several times I wasn’t asking Rob for his help; he was demanding to assist with my plans. I could use Rob to obtain my revenge. If I learned more about the dae, dealing with Arthur would be easier—much easier. “Fine.”
“What’s his name?” Rob demanded.
“Arthur. His name’s Arthur Hasling.”
In Rob’s smile I saw Arthur’s death.
Chapter Nineteen
The Dawn of Dae (Dae Portals Book 1) Page 20