by Sarah Bailey
“Hey, don’t worry. I get it. I’ve got your back, you know that.”
“Do you think Neave is ready to take on the role?”
“Sure. She’ll do you proud. It’s not like I want to deal with all that shit, so you couldn’t find a better vampire. She’s always had a soft spot for you.”
“You’re not implying that Neave is pining after me?”
“Fuck no. You know she’s got the hots for Dalia, right?”
Gavin chuckled.
“I’ve noticed.”
“Neave is strangely loyal to you. Even when Raquel was still around, she always looked up to you.”
“It’s because of my good looks and charm.”
“You’re a fucking idiot, you know that, right?”
Gavin chose to ignore that comment.
“If you think she’s ready, then I’ll inform her of my decision.”
“Well, I best let you tend to your human.”
“Thanks, Jack. For everything.”
“Don’t get all soppy now, Gavin.”
He hung up and dropped the phone on the bed. He stroked back Daisy’s hair from her face. Her heartbeat was getting stronger. Maybe she would be out of the woods soon. He couldn’t tell.
He spent the rest of the night watching over her. He set all of her broken bones before he gave her more blood to make sure they healed in the correct positions. He could only be glad she was unconscious. It would’ve been incredibly painful for her if she had been awake.
Just before dawn, he had a phone call from Lukas.
“Sorry, Ella has been up all night fretting. She refused to go to sleep unless I called you.”
“It’s fine.”
“How is she?”
“Alive. Her body is healing. It’ll be a question of whether she wakes up.”
“This whole thing has been a fucking mess from the start.”
“Raquel and Val were always trouble. I knew it would only end in bloodshed one way or another.”
“At least it’s over now and my contact in Hell will be pleased to have their belongings back.”
“Yes, Ella told me about that.”
“I don’t know how Val got his hands on it in the first place.”
“He was always cunning, but Raquel turned him into a psychotic piece of shit. She had a habit of twisting those around her.”
“What he did to her. I’ve seen some fucked up shit in Hell, but this…”
“Try being on the receiving end of her pain.”
“Fuck. I knew Val was insane, but to think of what all those people he killed and Daisy must’ve gone through.”
“You clearly haven’t lived in a nest of vampires.”
“Your kind is fucked up.”
Gavin wasn’t offended. Vampires could be cruel and vicious. He’d done unspeakable things himself. Those pursuits no longer held any interest for him.
“Thank you.”
He frowned a little. Why would Lukas be thanking him?
“For what?”
“Taking care of Daisy, she’s become like family to me.”
“She’s one of a kind.”
“She’s strong. She’ll be okay, you know?”
“I’m going to make sure she is.”
“Let me know if anything changes. I’ve got to go put my girl to bed before she collapses.”
“I will.”
The line went dead. He placed his phone back on the bedside table. Dawn had broken. He felt the familiar itch of the sun. The need to sleep was almost overwhelming, but how could he when Daisy still needed him? He stroked her hair, looking down at her face. It was clear of bruises and the swelling around her eye had disappeared.
“When you wake up, I promise I’m going to spend the rest of our lives taking care of you. I’m never going to let anyone hurt you like that again. I’m going to keep my promise to you, Daisy. I’ll never turn you if you don’t wish it. Even if it means one day, I’ll have to let you go forever.”
He leant down and kissed her forehead.
“I love you.”
Chapter Twenty One
She felt very strange. Daisy had been sure she’d died but for some reason, she felt very much alive. She opened her eyes, looking around the strange room with confusion. She didn’t recognise where she was.
How was she alive? How had she survived what Valehal had done to her?
She lifted her hand up to her face gingerly. Last time she had seen it, her fingers were at all sorts of angles. Now, it looked as if nothing had happened. Her skin was smooth and unblemished. She choked back a gasp in surprise. How? Had Gavin managed to save her without turning her? She didn’t feel like she was undead. She was still breathing. She felt her chest. Her heart was still beating steadily.
She was alive.
She tried to sit up but found all the blood rushed to her head and made her woozy. How long had she been out and where the hell was she? She managed to lift her head enough to look at her surroundings.
It was a large bedroom with no windows. There were two doors on separate walls. One was shut and the other ajar. She could make out that there was a sink. Bathroom perhaps. There were two ceiling to floor sliding doors and a large desk with a laptop resting on it.
There was no one else here.
She dragged herself up into sitting position, laying back against the pillows. She still felt a little weak, but her body seemed to be completely healed. She did a quick check under the t-shirt she was wearing. All evidence of the torture and mutilation she’d endured had disappeared.
She smiled a little. At least having no scars would mean fewer reminders of those hours of agony she’d suffered. She didn’t want to think about what Val had done to her. The memories were threatening to flood back in an unstoppable tide.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. When she turned her head, Gavin stepped out of the shadows holding what looked like a takeaway bag. Their eyes met, she let out a little sob of relief. He placed the bag on the desk. He was at her side, sitting on the bed. She reached out, cupping his face with both hands to reassure herself he was real. She could feel his cool skin under her fingers.
“Gavin,” she whispered.
Tears ran down her face as she pulled him towards her. Their lips melded together. It was gentle and unhurried. She cried with profound relief, half sobbing into his mouth. He pulled away, resting his forehead against hers, his hand cupping her face. Wiping away her tears with his thumb.
“It’s okay. I’m here. I’m here.”
“I thought I was dead.”
“No.” He shook his head against hers. “You’re alive. Very much alive.”
He placed a hand on her chest where her heart was beating. She couldn’t begin to process how she felt having him here with her. Her fingers curled into his hair, the familiarity of it grounding her.
“How did you save me?”
“With no small amount of patience.”
“You healed me. All of me.”
“I kept my promise.”
She smiled. He had. She was still human.
“Although, you may feel some side effects for a while.”
She pulled away, looking into his green eyes that she adored so much.
“Like what?”
“Enhanced senses, but it will fade in time.”
If she did have any side effects, she hadn’t noticed them. She also had only been awake a short time. Perhaps they would make themselves known later.
“Is he dead?”
She was sure Gavin wouldn’t have let him live, but the question still remained.
“He is. I gave him no mercy.”
“Good.”
Valehal might have been a person once, but the man she had met was a monster.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder, breathing him in. He held her close, his hand running in a soothing motion down her back.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up. Keeping you al
ive has been taxing. I needed to feed.” He pulled away to look at her. “I brought you something to eat.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“You’ve been asleep for a week.”
Her eyes widened. Had it been that long? No wonder she felt so weak.
“You looked after me the whole time?”
“Yes.” He smiled. “I couldn’t let you fade away.”
She could’ve sworn her heart skipped a beat. Her face felt hot. She knew she was blushing. If she’d been asleep that whole time, he must’ve had to take care of her human needs. She wanted the ground to swallow her up.
“I’d rather not know details. In fact, can we pretend it never happened? Not that I don’t appreciate it, but you know…”
She bit her lip and looked away from him.
“My lips are sealed.”
He moved away before she could blink and was back. He handed her the bag and a drink. She gawped. He’d bought her McDonalds.
“Ella may have told me what you’d want when you woke up.”
She wanted to bundle herself up in his arms and kiss him for all she was worth. But she also wanted to dig into her food. She grinned as she pulled it out. A Big Mac with chips. She bit down on the burger, savouring the taste.
“Oh my, thank you.”
Her mouth was still half full, but he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he was just smiling at her with happiness radiating in his eyes. She sucked on the straw of her drink and almost squealed with delight. She couldn’t believe Ella had told him she always got them to make her a mix of chocolate and banana.
“I have to know… Did you order someone to get this for me?”
“No. I went myself.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“You went in a McDonalds? Seriously?”
She almost couldn’t believe it. Gavin, her big, bad boss vampire, who liked to order her around and be in control, had gone and got this himself.
“Yes. It would’ve taken me longer to get back to you if I’d sent someone else. But if you tell any of my underlings I did this, I will punish you.”
“Not even Neave?”
“Especially not Neave.”
She’d only met the bartender once, but she’d heard him talk to Neave enough times on the phone. She was someone of importance in his hierarchy.
“Thank you. For this. For keeping me alive. For everything.”
She went back to eating, trying to keep her face from heating up again.
Things felt different between them. When she’d thought she was going to die, telling him she loved him had felt natural. Now, she was unsure of herself. He hadn’t brought it up. She didn’t know if he was even going to.
He was silent as she finished her food and sat back with her milkshake. She felt a little better. Less woozy. He picked up the empty containers, stuffing them back into the bag before he went over and placed it on his desk. She looked down at herself. She was in his clothes. She hadn’t noticed before. She wanted to ease the growing tension a little.
“Do you like seeing me in your clothes?”
He looked up at her, a little surprised by her question.
“Not quite as sexy as your see-through lingerie, but it does have its own charm.”
“Oh? You like that?”
“Very much so.”
A little tug of desire coiled in her stomach. He watched her, eyes darkening. She still found it a little disconcerting that he could sense the slightest change in her.
“Come here.”
Instead of his usual speed, he walked over to her slowly and stood at the end of the bed.
“We need to talk about what happened.”
She wanted to pout, but she didn’t.
“I felt everything, Daisy. It almost broke me. I couldn’t prevent him from taking you and breaking you.”
“It’s not your fault.”
Her heart contracted. He sounded so matter of fact, but there was a hint of regret in his tone.
“I have been a vampire for a hundred and fifty years. I was thirty when my maker turned me.”
Daisy’s mouth dropped open. She knew he had been alive for a long time, but a hundred and eighty years?
“But I have never suffered as much as I did when he hurt you. I’m sorry I could not spare you that pain. That he took you and I was helpless to save you until nightfall.”
“Hey.” She reached out to him. “It’s okay. I don’t blame you for what that psycho did to me. You saved me, Gavin. You saved my life. You could’ve changed me or let me go, but you didn’t. I’m still here. Still me.”
He didn’t move. She let out a frustrated sigh before she threw back the covers and crawled over to him. Her body protested at the sudden movement. She hadn’t used her muscles in a week, but she didn’t care. She stood up on the end of the bed and put her hands on his shoulders. She took a deep breath. She still felt awkward about her confession, but she steeled herself.
“I meant what I said before I passed out.”
His captivating green eyes were full of hesitation.
“Did you?”
“Yes.”
She kissed him, needing to show him what he meant to her. How grateful she was that he’d cared for her.
“I love you,” she whispered. “I love you so damn much.”
His mouth was on hers again. His hands under her t-shirt, fingers trailing along the bare skin of her back. His familiar touch made her feel like she was in the clouds. All the trauma she’d been through at Val’s hands melted away. All she wanted was Gavin’s skin on hers. She wanted him to kiss it all away. She knew her body had healed, but the memories were still there. He would be the balm to soothe away all the hurt. All the pain.
Her fingers were on his shirt, fumbling with the buttons. She needed it off. He stilled, putting his hands over hers as he pulled away.
“No.”
“What?”
She blinked rapidly as if coming out of a daze.
“You need time to recover your strength.”
Her mouth turned down. Is he for real right now? Didn’t he know how much she craved him?
“But I want you.”
He smiled. It lit up all his features.
“I want you too, but you’re still human. Even with all the blood I’ve given you.”
He’d never once said no to sex. Hell, he instigated it more often than not. He seemed to have an insatiable appetite for her.
“Just hold on one minute. I’m not a fragile flower. You’ve never treated me like that.”
“You never asked me to let you die before.”
She wanted to shake some sense into him. Where was her overbearing and demanding Gavin? The one who threw her down on the bed and pounded her mercilessly.
“You don’t get to put that on me. That’s not fair.”
“Fair? How is any of this fair? You bounded into my life like a tornado and bulldozed over my heart. I wouldn’t exactly call that fair.”
She stared at him. She repeated his words in her head just to make sure she’d heard him correctly.
“Your heart?” she whispered.
“Yes, you infuriating woman. Do you think I would’ve gone to all the trouble of keeping you exactly how you are if I didn’t love you? I could’ve easily changed you, but I didn’t because you forced me into promising not to. You had no consideration for how your death might affect me. None! Damn it, Daisy. You almost died in my arms and the thought of losing you damn near killed me. You are the most irritating, inconvenient woman I have ever met and yet you are everything to me.”
She could hardly breathe. Her blood pounded in her ears. He’d called her an infuriating woman, but he’d also said he loved her.
Her vampire loved her.
“Say that again.”
He cocked his head.
“Which part?”
“The love part.”
His face softened. He took her face in his hands, thumb brushing over her bottom lip.
“I love you, Daisy. Beyond all reason and comprehension, I am in love with you.”
Chapter Twenty Two
She couldn’t speak for several long moments. Shock and disbelief written all over her face.
Gavin loved her.
All the fight left her in that moment. He watched her with those captivating green eyes. She couldn’t for the life of her understand how she’d managed to earn the love of a 180-year-old vampire. There weren’t really any words left.
Instead of responding, she threw herself at him, wrapping her legs around his waist. She held his face and kissed him furiously. He groaned a little. His hands cupped her backside, holding her up.
“Daisy…”
“Don’t you dare tell me we need to stop.”
“You really are the most stubborn woman.”
“Less talking, more taking off your clothes.”
She was unbuttoning his shirt, but he knelt on the bed and pushed her down onto it.
“Off,” she demanded, pointing at him.
His lip quirked up at the side. He finished what she’d started. His shirt was on the floor followed by his shoes and trousers within moments. He moved over her, his hands trailing under her t-shirt before he whipped it off her.
“You once said I was demanding,” he murmured.
His teeth grazed over her nipple. She arched up, gasping. Her skin tingled where he touched her.
“You are.”
Her fingers were in his hair, tugging him upwards before she claimed his mouth. His chest was flush against hers, her breasts rubbing against his cool skin. She was burning up with need. Her thighs were already damp from her arousal.
His fingers hooked into the waistband of the boxers he’d dressed her in. He pulled them off before dispensing with his own. Tension coiled inside her. She was desperate to feel him. He touched her sex, fingers parting her folds to reach her core. She cried out as he circled it.
“Gavin, please,” she whimpered.
She didn’t want his teasing. He pressed her legs open wider before nestling himself between them. She was more than ready for him when he pushed inside her. Her hands clawed at his back as he kissed her. He was being gentle with her but she didn’t care. It felt so good.