Craig's Heart (3 page)

What had she done?

It all came flooding back to her. The attack. The pain. The several days of agony. The hunger that tormented her constantly, driving her outside even when she knew it wasn’t safe for herself or anyone around her.

She was a monster. Just like the one who’d attacked her. And now she’d killed this man who’d only tried to help her. She could remember his voice, low and calm and filled with empathy.

She’d wanted to reach out to him but had panicked and attacked instead.

“What have I done?” Her voice sounded rusty. It had been days since she’d said more than a word or two. It had been difficult to form thoughts, let alone speak.

“Damek,” he gasped. The man licked his lips and tried to speak again. She could hear his heartbeat slowing down and knew it would soon stop.

“Conserve your strength.” A hospital. She needed to get him some help.

He grabbed her arm with surprising strength. “No time.” He coughed once. “Call Damek. Phone.” His eyelids fluttered closed and his heartbeat stuttered.

“No.” She couldn’t let this happen. Even now, after everything she’d done, he was trying to help her. But even more than that, he wasn’t afraid of her. She’d smelled his fear briefly, but she’d sensed his determination as well. He truly had known what she was.

Maybe he had answers to the questions haunting her.

“You can’t die. I won’t let you.” Not knowing if what she was doing was right or wrong, she bit into her wrist. All she knew was she couldn’t let him die. Once the blood began to flow, she shoved it against his mouth just as his heart ceased to beat. “Drink,” she commanded.

Some innate instinct made her tilt his head back so her blood trickled down his throat. Nothing. “Please. Please. Please.” She started praying to a deity she wasn’t certain still existed. If there was a God, how could something like this happen? How could a creature like her exist?

She choked back a sob when the stranger continued to lie still in her arms. She rocked him and shook him lightly. “Please, come back to me. I didn’t mean to do this.”

Several long minutes past and she finally admitted defeat. She’d killed him. She was now a murderer. Tears flowed unchecked down her cheeks. She’d have to turn herself into the police. That was the right thing to do. The only thing she could do if she wanted to save what was left of her humanity.

She could no longer deny what she was. What she’d become.

Vampire.

The word sent a shiver down her spine.

Monster.

She pulled her wrist away and licked it to seal the wound.

The man coughed and suddenly sat upright before he rolled onto his side and vomited. Startled, she stared for a moment, unable to believe she’d done it. He was alive. She moved quickly, holding him while he was sick and watched in amazement as the gash in his neck slowly closed and healed itself.

When there was nothing left in his stomach, he rolled onto his back, eyes closed. He was sweating hard now like she’d done after the monster had attacked her. He was going to be sick just as she’d been.

Oh God, what had she done?

She’d only wanted to save his life. Instead, she’d changed him into the same kind of creature she’d become. Or maybe not. Maybe he was just ill because of all the blood she’d drained from him before replacing it with her own.

Maybe.

She wasn’t sure of anything anymore. Memories of her attack and the creature who’d bitten her surged to the forefront of her mind, but she shoved away the dark recollections. She couldn’t think about Vladimir Drake. Didn’t want to.

What little she knew about vampires came from the vague memories she had from the time just after her attack and what she’d managed to learn through trial and error since her escape.

Voices and footsteps hurried by the top of the alley. She pulled the man deeper into the shadows with her until the danger was past. There was no one she could trust.

Once again, she studied the unconscious man in her arms. Maybe there was one person.

She had to get them somewhere safe, somewhere away from the light. The sunlight, that she’d always loved, now burned her skin whenever it touched her. She’d learned that lesson the hard way.

She brushed his sandy-brown hair off his forehead. “I’ll take care of you.” She owed him that much and more than she could ever possibly repay.

She stood and easily lifted him into her arms, still surprised by her newfound strength. At the back of the alley was a building with a fire escape. It would take her longer to get him to her temporary home in an abandoned building, but it was safer to keep to the back alleys and darkness.

Letting her senses flare wide open, she listened hard and sniffed the air. She could sense the heartbeats of the people walking down the sidewalk, hear the rustling of the rats in the dumpster and the murmur of voices from the various apartments and businesses surrounding her. For a moment, it almost overwhelmed her. Then he moaned and her focus sharpened, allowing her to push back the other sounds. All that mattered was his safety and survival.

If he lived and would help her after what she’d done, maybe he knew a way to change them back. And if that wasn’t possible, maybe he would know how she could track down the beast who’d done this to her so she could kill it before she faced the sunlight one final time.

Chapter Two

Craig came awake slowly. His entire body ached and his mouth was dry and pasty, like it had been stuffed with cotton. His head pounded as though someone was trying to break into his skull with a jackhammer and his stomach was none to steady. It felt as though he’d been on a two-day drinking binge, which was impossible because he never drank to excess. He’d probably had yet another marathon work session where he’d mainlined coffee for days. It was more likely eye strain and caffeine overload making his head throb so incessantly and his stomach churn, and sleeping at his desk that was making his back and shoulders complain.

He tried to open his eyes, but it was too difficult. Instead of pushing things, he took a slow, thorough inventory of his body. He frowned. He wasn’t slumped over his desk because he was lying on his back. It took an effort, but he moved one hand and felt a scratchy blanket beneath him.

His stomach ached like he’d been violently ill. A not-so-nice memory popped into his head. He had been sick. He had a vague memory of running a fever and then shaking with the cold. He’d been sweating and vomiting too. Had he caught some kind of stomach bug? And where the heck was he?

Frowning, Craig forced his eyes open and immediately closed them. The light was bright and hurt. He tried again, squinting slightly. Much better.

“You’re awake.” The female voice startled him. Why was there a woman with him? He didn’t have a girlfriend. Rarely dated for that matter. He couldn’t afford to bring another human into his world. It was much too risky for his siblings’ safety. It was better for them and the Haven pack if no other humans knew about them. Sure, he was lonely at times, but having his family safe was worth the sacrifice.

Had he picked up a woman somewhere? One-night stands weren’t his speed, but right now he couldn’t remember a damn thing. “Who?” He wanted to ask more but his mouth was too dry.

“Here, drink this.” Soft, strong hands helped him into a sitting position and a bottle was put to his mouth. Craig drank, gratefully gulping the water. “Easy. Not too fast,” she cautioned.

Heeding her warning, Craig stopped. Now that he was sitting, he took a better look around. It shocked him to realize he was lying in the corner of an empty room. There was no light source other than ambient streetlight coming in through the shuttered windows. What then had blinded him when he’d opened his eyes?

He turned his head slowly and got his first look at the woman. In spite of the dim light, he could see her as easily as if she were standing beneath a spotlight. She had long, straight black hair that was tangled around her face. Worry filled her green eyes before she glanced away. Her skin was fair, her lips full and lush.

In spite of his aches and pains, his cock sprang to life. He almost laughed. At least that part of him was still working. “Who are you?” He took a deep breath, pushed himself up against the wall and leaned against it. The floor was hard beneath him in spite of the blanket she’d put under him. “Where are we?”

When she turned back toward him, her eyes were no longer green, but tinged with red. Memory came flooding back. The alley. The attack. He touched his neck, but the skin wasn’t torn or scarred, it was smooth.

“What have you done?” he whispered. Shit, this was bad. This was very bad.

She flinched and moved away from him. “I’m sorry.” She wrapped her arms around her torso and began to pace. She wasn’t very big, maybe five-two or five-three with a petite build. She didn’t look strong enough to have carried him here, but Craig knew she had. She was a vampire and that made her incredibly strong.

“I didn’t mean for that to happen. I took too much blood. You were dying. I had to do something.” She faced him and he could see the anguish in her face and his budding anger died. This wasn’t her fault any more than it was his for going down that alley.

“Come here.” He was weak but he needed answers. There was no telling how long he’d been here. Could be hours or days. He patted the spot next to him on the rough blanket. “Talk to me.”

She crept over cautiously but stopped a few feet away as though she didn’t trust herself. Or maybe it was him she didn’t trust. After all, she didn’t know if he might suddenly attack her.

Vampire.
If the situation wasn’t so dire, he might find it funny. Historically speaking, vampires and werewolves were enemies. Considering his siblings were half-breed werewolves, he wasn’t quite sure how they were going to take this latest development.

“How long have I been here?”

She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Two days.”

Crap.
That wasn’t good. By now someone would have missed him. He only hoped they hadn’t sent for Quinn and Chrissten. He needed time to come to grips with his new reality before facing his family.

“I’m sorry.” Her whispered words sounded like a shout. Suddenly, the world was alive with sound—the pigeons roosting on the roof, the blare of the traffic, the sound of a hundred voices. He slapped his hands over his ears but the sound didn’t abate.

“Block it.” Smaller hands covered his and her voice pitched above the rising din. “You were doing it instinctually until now. Just block out all the other sounds. It’s nothing but white noise.”

Craig concentrated on her voice and pushed the other sounds to the background. It was like turning down a radio. Using that image, he built a picture of an old-fashioned radio in his head and slowly turned the volume button down and then off.

Blessed silence surrounded him.

She slowly removed her hands. “It will take you a while to adjust. I’m still working on it myself.”

“How long have you been a vampire?” he asked.

She flinched at the word
vampire
. “I’m not sure. A week, maybe a little more. I’m having a hard time keeping track.” She raked her fingers through her already tangled hair. “I haven’t killed anyone. At least I don’t think I have. Do you think I have?”

Her horror was palpable and, for some unknown reason, he automatically wanted to soothe her. “I’m sure you’d remember. What happened in the alley?”

She swallowed hard and nodded. “I didn’t mean to drink from you, but I hadn’t eaten in days and days and then you were there.” She leaned back against the wall next to him. “When I realized what I’d done…”

“You gave me your blood.” He could see how it happened, imagine how she felt when she realized how far she’d gone.

She swiveled around to face him. “I couldn’t let you die. I couldn’t. But you have to believe me. I didn’t know that would turn you into a monster like me. I’m so very sorry.”

A tear trickled down her cheek. He reached out and wiped it away. “Hey, it’s okay.” It was anything but okay, but there was no going back. Maybe he’d yell and scream about the situation later, but right now, he quite frankly was too damn tired.

“Come here.” He put his hand on her shoulder and tugged her closer. She resisted at first but then gave a small cry and launched herself into his lap. She twined her arms around his neck and hugged him almost to the point of strangling him.

“I’m so sorry.”

Craig rubbed her head and her back. She really was a tiny thing. “I’m Craig. Craig Lawton. What’s your name?”

She gave a small laugh. “I’m Evie Pelowski.”

Craig took her hand and shook it, making her laugh again. The sound made him feel good and warmed him. He had a feeling she hadn’t had a lot to laugh about lately. “Pleased to meet you, Evie.” He hated to broach the subject but knew he had to. “How did this happen to you? How did you become a vampire?”

Evie wanted to burrow as close as she could get to Craig and never leave. For the first time since this nightmare had begun, she felt safe. She’d basically killed the man and brought him back to life as a creature of darkness, and instead of yelling at her and condemning her for her actions, he was comforting her.

Surely he was one of a kind.