That wasn’t funny in the least to Dusti. “A lot of people have anemia.”
“I’m sure they do, but yours is easily cured if you start drinking fresh blood. I can prove what I’m telling you.”
“How? I’m not drinking blood.”
“We could test it.”
“Forget it.”
Drantos removed a syringe from his pocket. He snapped it in half and Dusti gasped, watching the drug spill out on the ground between his spread thighs where he crouched. He sniffed at the contents of the two pieces he held.
“What is wrong with you? I don’t have many of those!”
“We can get you more once we reach my clan. I’ll personally send someone to fill your prescription in one of the larger cities.”
“You can’t just pick that up at a pharmacy!”
“What does that mean?”
“Only one company produces the drug and it’s sent straight to my doctor’s office, because there aren’t too many people who need it. Pharmacies don’t stock it.”
His eyes narrowed and he lifted the broken vial to his mouth. He stuck out his tongue and allowed some of the drug to drip onto the tip of it. Dusti grabbed his hand, attempting to make him stop.
“Are you nuts? Don’t do that. It could make you sick!”
He pulled his tongue back into his mouth and sealed his lips. He closed his eyes. They opened almost immediately and he looked really angry.
“It tastes bad, doesn’t it? It serves you right. Can you not destroy the rest of my medicine, please?”
He suddenly stood. “I don’t suppose this doctor you see knew your mother?”
“Of course he did. I’ve seen Dr. Brent my entire life. He’s our family doctor.”
“Son of a bitch.” He spun away. “I was right.”
She stood, already feeling much better. “About what?”
He kept his back to her. “We’ll discuss this later.”
“I hate when you do that.”
“Do what?” He turned around.
“Make some strange statement that makes no sense and then drop it. Either explain what you mean or don’t talk at all.”
“Fine.”
She waited for him to say something else but he just watched her. Her temper flared. “Leave my shots alone. Don’t break any more.” She peered around. “Where is my sister?”
“Close by. Don’t worry. She’s safe. We’d have heard if they were in trouble.”
“There you go again. It’s annoying. What does that mean? How would we know? We can’t see them.”
“We’d hear it if there was trouble.” Then he walked down to the edge of the river.
She glanced around again, just seeing a lot of woods. It was tempting to go search for Bat herself but there were bears somewhere out there. She wasn’t about to forget that anytime soon, and she edged closer to Drantos’s side, going down on her hands and knees. “Do you think this is safe to drink? I don’t want to get some parasitic disease.”
“Go ahead. You won’t.”
She cupped both her hands into the icy water, flinching at how cold it was, but brought it to her lips. It dripped onto her clothes but she didn’t care as she swallowed big gulps of the fresh-tasting water.
“Easy,” Drantos ordered softly. “You don’t want to make yourself sick by drinking it too fast.”
He dropped to his knees next to her, mimicked her position, and sipped from the river. She turned her head to watch him drink until he’d had his fill. He cocked his head to meet her gaze.
The beauty of his eyes struck her hard. They were so dark blue they edged on black. The sunshine reflected off the water, hitting his irises enough to reveal those golden flecks she’d noticed before, seeming to highlight them. His black, long eyelashes were so thick that she felt a bit envious, and they only made him more appealing.
Memories of him touching her the previous night suddenly flooded through her mind. The urge to stroke his skin almost overwhelmed her but she fought it down. It made no sense to be so attracted to him. Sure, he was looking better every second but he’d kidnapped her and told her crazy stories about mythical creatures that she didn’t want to believe existed. That thing he did with his eyes couldn’t be dismissed either.
“I have a few questions and I want answers. What did you do to me last night?”
“Now is not the time to have that discussion.”
She clenched her teeth. “You’re the one who forced me to leave the crash site with you. The least you can do is tell me what I want to know. Did you drug me or something?”
His expression softened. “No.”
“You’re attractive. I’ll give you that, but that was…” She wasn’t sure how to describe it.
“Powerful,” he rasped. “Intense.”
She hesitated. “What did you do to me last night to make me want you so much?”
“Drink more water. I don’t want you to be dehydrated.” He broke eye contact and stared up at the sky. “We need to eat and get moving again soon.”
He wasn’t going to discuss it. It irritated her. “Right. Shut up and don’t slow you down. Got it. You don’t care if I’m confused or freaked-out.”
He stared at her and frowned. “I do care.”
Those three words he spoke in a near whisper unsettled Dusti. She could almost swear he meant them, considering the intense look he gave her. Drantos was one handsome man, in that super-masculine way that would draw any woman. She hated noticing that but she couldn’t help it. Her gaze dropped to his chest and arms. He was also really fit and muscled.
“Stop looking at me like that, sweetheart. Otherwise I’m going to forget the fish and just eat you. This isn’t the time or the place for that. You’re going to have to wait until we reach my home. This is just a short break.”
His words stunned her and they seemed like a verbal slap. She jerked her gaze up, holding his. “Excuse me?”
“You were looking at me like you wished I was on the menu.” He grinned. “Hold that thought until we’re somewhere with a bed.”
“No, I wasn’t. I was just thinking how sad it is that for such a good-looking guy, you’re a few crayons short of a rainbow.”
“I’m sure they do, but yours is easily cured if you start drinking fresh blood. I can prove what I’m telling you.”
“How? I’m not drinking blood.”
“We could test it.”
“Forget it.”
Drantos removed a syringe from his pocket. He snapped it in half and Dusti gasped, watching the drug spill out on the ground between his spread thighs where he crouched. He sniffed at the contents of the two pieces he held.
“What is wrong with you? I don’t have many of those!”
“We can get you more once we reach my clan. I’ll personally send someone to fill your prescription in one of the larger cities.”
“You can’t just pick that up at a pharmacy!”
“What does that mean?”
“Only one company produces the drug and it’s sent straight to my doctor’s office, because there aren’t too many people who need it. Pharmacies don’t stock it.”
His eyes narrowed and he lifted the broken vial to his mouth. He stuck out his tongue and allowed some of the drug to drip onto the tip of it. Dusti grabbed his hand, attempting to make him stop.
“Are you nuts? Don’t do that. It could make you sick!”
He pulled his tongue back into his mouth and sealed his lips. He closed his eyes. They opened almost immediately and he looked really angry.
“It tastes bad, doesn’t it? It serves you right. Can you not destroy the rest of my medicine, please?”
He suddenly stood. “I don’t suppose this doctor you see knew your mother?”
“Of course he did. I’ve seen Dr. Brent my entire life. He’s our family doctor.”
“Son of a bitch.” He spun away. “I was right.”
She stood, already feeling much better. “About what?”
He kept his back to her. “We’ll discuss this later.”
“I hate when you do that.”
“Do what?” He turned around.
“Make some strange statement that makes no sense and then drop it. Either explain what you mean or don’t talk at all.”
“Fine.”
She waited for him to say something else but he just watched her. Her temper flared. “Leave my shots alone. Don’t break any more.” She peered around. “Where is my sister?”
“Close by. Don’t worry. She’s safe. We’d have heard if they were in trouble.”
“There you go again. It’s annoying. What does that mean? How would we know? We can’t see them.”
“We’d hear it if there was trouble.” Then he walked down to the edge of the river.
She glanced around again, just seeing a lot of woods. It was tempting to go search for Bat herself but there were bears somewhere out there. She wasn’t about to forget that anytime soon, and she edged closer to Drantos’s side, going down on her hands and knees. “Do you think this is safe to drink? I don’t want to get some parasitic disease.”
“Go ahead. You won’t.”
She cupped both her hands into the icy water, flinching at how cold it was, but brought it to her lips. It dripped onto her clothes but she didn’t care as she swallowed big gulps of the fresh-tasting water.
“Easy,” Drantos ordered softly. “You don’t want to make yourself sick by drinking it too fast.”
He dropped to his knees next to her, mimicked her position, and sipped from the river. She turned her head to watch him drink until he’d had his fill. He cocked his head to meet her gaze.
The beauty of his eyes struck her hard. They were so dark blue they edged on black. The sunshine reflected off the water, hitting his irises enough to reveal those golden flecks she’d noticed before, seeming to highlight them. His black, long eyelashes were so thick that she felt a bit envious, and they only made him more appealing.
Memories of him touching her the previous night suddenly flooded through her mind. The urge to stroke his skin almost overwhelmed her but she fought it down. It made no sense to be so attracted to him. Sure, he was looking better every second but he’d kidnapped her and told her crazy stories about mythical creatures that she didn’t want to believe existed. That thing he did with his eyes couldn’t be dismissed either.
“I have a few questions and I want answers. What did you do to me last night?”
“Now is not the time to have that discussion.”
She clenched her teeth. “You’re the one who forced me to leave the crash site with you. The least you can do is tell me what I want to know. Did you drug me or something?”
His expression softened. “No.”
“You’re attractive. I’ll give you that, but that was…” She wasn’t sure how to describe it.
“Powerful,” he rasped. “Intense.”
She hesitated. “What did you do to me last night to make me want you so much?”
“Drink more water. I don’t want you to be dehydrated.” He broke eye contact and stared up at the sky. “We need to eat and get moving again soon.”
He wasn’t going to discuss it. It irritated her. “Right. Shut up and don’t slow you down. Got it. You don’t care if I’m confused or freaked-out.”
He stared at her and frowned. “I do care.”
Those three words he spoke in a near whisper unsettled Dusti. She could almost swear he meant them, considering the intense look he gave her. Drantos was one handsome man, in that super-masculine way that would draw any woman. She hated noticing that but she couldn’t help it. Her gaze dropped to his chest and arms. He was also really fit and muscled.
“Stop looking at me like that, sweetheart. Otherwise I’m going to forget the fish and just eat you. This isn’t the time or the place for that. You’re going to have to wait until we reach my home. This is just a short break.”
His words stunned her and they seemed like a verbal slap. She jerked her gaze up, holding his. “Excuse me?”
“You were looking at me like you wished I was on the menu.” He grinned. “Hold that thought until we’re somewhere with a bed.”
“No, I wasn’t. I was just thinking how sad it is that for such a good-looking guy, you’re a few crayons short of a rainbow.”
