Vampires and Vixens (Psy-Vamp) (17 page)

His arms wrapped tightly around her, and
his lips brushed the top of her head. “Of course it won’t upset him. You need
your rest.”

“I’m going to head back to my place to
finish packing up my stuff.” Noah said as he walked by them.

Nathaniel caught his arm. “Would you
mind walking Hannah back to her room?”

Noah shrugged. “Sure, I can take her to
her room.”

“Will you be up later?” Hannah asked.
They couldn’t go back to celibacy without arousing suspicions, but she had no
idea how she could be with him.

“No,” Nathaniel said, sounding a little
relieved. “Ursula said I need to keep my hands to myself until the baby comes.”

Hannah tried hard to hide her relief. “Then
I’ll see you in the morning.”

Nathaniel hesitated at the door. “Hannah,”
he started, and paused as he considered his words. “I’m sorry about Lydia. I
should have seen what was happening with Dominic.”

Hannah nodded, unable to speak.

Hannah woke up early on her third day of
confinement. Her morning sickness made it easy to avoid everyone, except Noah.
He didn’t seem to mind holding her hair back while she puked, or just holding
her while she cried. She was still trying to figure out why they called it
morning sickness when it lasted all day.

Lydia was out of ICU, but she still had
a long road to recovery. According to Noah, Justin was still overseeing her
care to some extent. He had informed Noah that Lydia’s next of kin was moving
her soon, and they expected her to recover completely. It had surprised Hannah
to hear that Lydia’s mother was having her moved to a different hospital, but
she was guessing that she wanted her close enough to visit. Noah admitted that
they had never attempted anything like this before so they weren’t sure how
long the recovery would take. They only knew that all of her organs were now
fully functional.

Ursula remained a mystery. She claimed
that she was merely a servant, but even Roman took orders from her. The woman
fascinated Hannah. Ursula was like a mother to everyone. She had been Nathaniel
and Noah’s nanny, and mentioned caring for Roman and all of his brothers.
Whenever Hannah asked for any specific details about her past, Ursula changed
the subject. Noah had no idea how she had become one of them.

Roman still frightened her, despite
Noah’s assurances that he would not hurt her. He was forever complaining to
Nathaniel about her. She didn’t eat enough. She should rest more. She was too
timid. He even complained that her undergarments looked too tight. After that
he’d sent a pouty Drew to Victoria’s Secret to buy bras in every size, and
style. Drew was so annoyed by the errand that he hadn’t even teased her about
it.

Hannah stared down at her breakfast tray
which was exactly what she had wanted, French toast with strawberries. This was
the first time she had actually been hungry in the last three days. Still she
nibbled tentatively at her food, worried that she might not hold it down.

The note on the tray was an added bonus,
Nathaniel would be unable to join her for breakfast or lunch, but hoped to
return in time for dinner. He mentioned that Roman had left that morning, and
would not be back until the wedding.

After she finished her breakfast, Hannah
stared out the window. It was raining. The drops of water slid from the leaves
on the vines outside her window. She watched them travel down, and that is when
she noticed Isaiah standing out front, wrapped in a blanket. She felt sorry for
him. He just looked so lost.

Hannah jerked around when the door
opened. Most people knocked before coming in, even Nathaniel.

Justin stood in her doorway with a black
leather bag over his shoulder. He looked just as exhausted as he had the night
of their family dinner. He closed the door without a word, and laid the bag on
the bed.

Hannah stood up, and placed her hands on
her hips. “Do you want something or do you just go skulking around the house,
entering people’s bedrooms unannounced for fun?”

“I’m here to examine you,” he explained.

Her mouth opened slightly, and she let
out a little huff.

His eyes moved from her to the leather
bag. He unzipped the bag and it folded open like a suitcase, revealing several
compartments. It was the most impressive medical bag she’d ever seen. He
removed a Doppler. “Like it or not, you will get treated by the family doctor,
me. We don’t want blood work done by outsiders.” There was a definite edge to
his voice. He was more irritable than she was, but not by much.

“Ursula said she would deliver the baby
so I don’t need you,” she snapped.

“Fine by me,’ he said. “I don’t have any
interest in delivering this baby, but I will monitor your condition closely.”
With his head, he motioned her toward the bed. “Nathaniel wants me to examine
you today.”

She shook her head, and crossed her arms.
“I’m not letting you touch me. Get out of my room.”

He moved across the room toward her with
such intensity that she took a step back. “I don’t give a damn how we do this.
You can lie down on that bed and cooperate, or I can have Drew come in here and
we can tie you to the bed. Believe me; Drew would prefer the second option, because
it would give him an opportunity to grope you.”

Hannah suddenly felt very uneasy, and
turned away from him so that he wouldn’t see this weakness. “Nathaniel would
never allow that.”

“Hannah,” his voice suddenly seemed
weary and sad, “he will do whatever it takes to keep the baby safe. I really
don’t want to fight with you. I need to take care of my brother, so please let
me do my job.”

She felt a twinge of guilt. He was just
following orders. Still she muttered, “Caitlin is right, you are a total prick.”

That earned her a laugh, and she
suspected Justin had not laughed much lately, if ever. “She is certainly going
to make my life interesting.”

Hannah felt panic set in. “You’re going
to trap Caitlin, just like this?”

He cocked his head to the side, and thought
for a moment. “I hadn’t really considered the details. She’s too young now. I
guess I’ll come up with a plan after she finishes her residency.” He eyed her
suspiciously. “I thought you were feeling all warm and fuzzy about things now.”

She felt stupid for her slip up. “I love
Nathaniel, but I don’t like being lied to. I’m still mad about that, and I
don’t want you doing the same to Caitlin.”

He shrugged. “Not all relationships
start that way, but in the end we do what we have to. Drew’s mother knew exactly
what she was getting into, and she’s pretty happy.” He thought for a moment. “That’s
probably not the best example.”

“Why?” Hannah asked.

“Drew’s mother is a serial killer.”

Hannah’s mouth dropped open.

Justin didn’t elaborate more on the
topic of Drew’s mother. “I hope Caitlin decides to specialize in all of this
woman stuff so I don’t have to do it anymore. Lie down and lift up your shirt a
little, so that I can check the baby’s heartbeat.”

Reluctantly, she obeyed.

He squirted cold gel on her belly, and
turned on the Doppler. She heard a lot of noise as he moved it around slowly.
Finally, he found the heartbeat. The sound of her baby’s heart beating amazed
Hannah. “I thought it would be too early.”

He shook his head. “The baby will
develop at a very accelerated pace. It’s good, because the pregnancy will be
very rough on you. Are you able to hold down the vitamins?”

“Some of them,” she admitted, feeling a
little guilty that she hadn’t told him earlier.

He didn’t scold her for not telling him.
“I’m going to check your iron level. If it’s low I can always give you an
injection of the supplement, but we can’t rule out the possibility of you
needing blood.”

That thought made her feel sick. “Like
drinking blood?”

“That’s the most common method.” He seemed
clueless to her distress over the idea.

“Hell no!” she almost shouted.

“I can always do a transfusion,” he said
patiently. “It’s unlikely you’ll need blood.” He pricked her finger and took a
small amount of blood. “I’m going to check your blood twice a day from this
point forward. I may check it more frequently if there is a problem.”

“How is your brother?” she asked while he
was checking her blood pressure. “He looked very distraught when I saw him this
morning.”

That caught Justin’s full attention. “When
did you see Isaiah?”

“Just before you came in. I saw him
standing outside in the rain.”

“Damn it!” he snapped. “Did anyone else
see him?”

“I don’t think so,” she said, but she
wasn’t really sure.

Justin almost ran out of the room. She
saw him grab Drew’s arm and they both raced down the hallway. His exit was
unsettling. She closed her own door.

A knock on the door came only a few
minutes later, and this time the visitor nearly caused Hannah to faint.

She stepped back, her hands over her
mouth, as she stared at Isaiah in his rain soaked and muddy clothes. The
blanket was gone. His wrists were bound with ropes attached to broken bedposts.
The bandage on the left side of his face was hanging by the corner, revealing
the deep wounds on his cheek. On his arm she could see track marks from
needles. When he reached out to her, she screamed. As her scream cut through
the air, Isaiah dropped to his knees, covered his ears, and began to sob like a
frightened child.

She felt horrible for scaring him, and
knelt to soothe him. He reacted like a wounded animal, leaning into her to seek
comfort from her presence. She had never had any special skills with soothing
people, only animals, but her presence seemed to calm Isaiah. Maybe she had a
way with insane vampires. That thought might have amused her under different
circumstances.

Noah raced into her room. He was only
wearing shorts and jogging shoes, drenched in rain and sweat. His eyes met
Hannah’s and moved to Isaiah who was now curled up in a ball on the floor.

“What happened?” Noah asked.

Hannah removed the filthy bandage that
was hanging from the side of Isaiah’s face. “He showed up at my bedroom door,
and it scared me. I shouldn’t have screamed.” She looked up at Noah. “What
happened to him?”

He bent down on the other side of Isaiah
who whimpered pitifully. “I have no idea. Is there any antiseptic in your
bathroom?”

Her eyes locked on Justin’s medical bag,
and she quickly started to rummage through it. Noah removed the ropes from
Isaiah’s wrists, and stared at the bruises and cuts they had left.

Hannah brought out wet towels, and they
started to work on cleaning him up.

“What happened to you, Isaiah?” Noah
asked in a gentle voice.

He didn’t answer. When he started to
shiver, Hannah wrapped the blanket from her bed around him, and he stared at
her like a frightened child.

“We’re all evil,” he said, speaking
directly to Hannah, almost choking on his words.

“Just relax Isaiah.” Noah was trying
hard to calm him down. “You look like you haven’t slept in days.”

“No rest for the wicked. Mary rests, but
she was never wicked.” He lapsed into incoherent babbling.

Justin’s voice interrupted Isaiah’s
hysterics. “What are you doing to him?” he demanded.

“Your brother wandered into her room,
and scared the hell out of her.” Noah snapped. “We were cleaning him up so that
the mud covering his cuts wouldn’t cause an infection.”

“You should have come to get me.” His
tone was a mixture of anger, and frustration. He squatted down and placed his
hand on Isaiah’s shoulder. “Come on, it’s time to go back to your room. You
scared me.”

Justin grabbed his medical bag, and led
Isaiah out of the room.

Hannah wanted to demand answers about
Isaiah’s condition, but she also knew that any confrontation would only hurt
her chances of escape. That made her feel selfish.

After Justin left with Isaiah, Hannah
collapsed into Noah’s arms. This had become a habit for her. Her cheek rested
against his bare skin. His mere presence overwhelmed her senses, the sound of
his heart beating beside her ear, the musky smell he had just after a run, and
the feeling of his arms surrounding her. The events of the morning faded into
the background, and there was only Noah.

She pulled back and looked up at him.
Noah stared at her for a long moment.

“I need to go take a shower,” he said in
a husky voice, and then hurried out of the room.

Hannah was beyond bored. It was day five
of her confinement, and if she stayed much longer she might start to seek out Drew’s
company. Yesterday she had actually asked Nathaniel to spend time with her. She
was beginning to understand how people ended up with Stockholm’s Syndrome.

Noah still had to work so she ended up
spending most of the day sitting in her room alone. Even when he was off, like
today, he couldn’t spend the whole day with her. It would have looked much too
suspicious. The thought of Noah reminded her of the sex dream she’d had about
him the night before last. She kept reminding herself of what Caitlin said. She
spent a lot of time with Noah, and there was no reason to make too much of the
dream. Unfortunately, her body did not agree and she was getting aroused just
thinking about it.

She finally decided that a bath was just
what she needed. As the warm water filled the tub, Hannah put her hair up to
keep it from getting wet. She let the robe drop to the floor, and stepped into
the water, almost moaning with pleasure. She opened her eyes, and used her foot
to turn the water off just as it was about to spill over the edge.

Her bliss was soon interrupted by a knock
on the bathroom door. She was sure it was Justin, wanting to take more blood.
Her poor fingers couldn’t take much more abuse. The only good thing to come out
of her blood draws was the decrease in her iron supplements.

“Go away!” she snapped. “You can take my
blood later.”

“I think I’ll pass on that offer.” The
sound of Noah’s voice made her grin.

“I’ll be right out,” she said. The bath
could wait. She’d rather spend time with Noah.

After removing the plug from the bath
tub, she wrapped a towel around her body and let her hair down. When she was
dry, she hung the towel up and put her bathrobe back on.

“Turn around, so I can get dressed,” she
said through the crack in the door.

Noah was wearing black jeans, a gray
flannel shirt, and hiking boots. His hair was wet, and resting just below his
collar. The impish grin told her he was in a good mood. “You don’t have to get
dressed on my account.”

With her index finger she made a turning
motion. “Turn!”

He turned toward the window, looping his
fingers in his belt loops as he looked down at the ground. When he looked up at
the window, the lighting was just right for him to see Hannah’s reflection as
she slipped off the bathrobe. His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped at the
sight of her. He needed to look away. That was exactly what he needed to do.
Instead his eyes moved over her full breasts to her waist which now had just a
little bulge. Then he took in her round backside and the curves of her legs.

He wanted to touch her, taste her, and
feel her around him. He forced his eyes down, and tried to get those images and
thoughts out of his head. She needed his friendship, and he was fantasizing
about her and sneaking peaks at her while she was getting dressed. Not for the
first time, he wished that he had met her first. Things could have been so
different for them both.

“Okay, you can turn around now.”

She was wearing a loose-fitting t-shirt
that came to the middle of her thighs and a pair of leggings. It was one of the
outfits he had bought her. She’d complained about her lack of options, so he’d
headed off to the mall with Trish and Caitlin. He hated the mall, but he’d
spent four long hours shopping for Hannah. In his opinion it should not have
taken four hours, but they had stopped at every single store that sold
maternity clothes. Trish had to critique every single outfit they saw. Then,
when he believed the nightmare was over, they’d stopped to look at baby
clothes.

“How are you holding up?” His voice was
a little rough. Thinking about shopping had at least eased his arousal some.

She moved across the room, and sat on
the corner of the bed closest to the window where Noah stood. “I’m moody.” She
let out a sigh. “I don’t like lying but now my whole day is one lie after
another, except when I’m with you.”

“We should be able to get you out of
here next weekend.”

Her face brightened.

He moved to sit beside her on the bed. “I
can’t promise you anything. There are still arrangements that I need to make,
and I have to go away for a few days before we leave. When I’m gone, you have
to be on your best behavior.”

She looked away to hide her
disappointment, but he saw it.

He took her hand in his. “You’re doing a
great job of dealing with Nathaniel, and believe it or not that scene with
Isaiah helped you.”

She looked puzzled. “How's that?”

“Justin doesn't want Nathaniel to know
what happened, and you're keeping his secret. He’s very grateful.”

“I'm not doing it for him,” she grumbled.
“I feel bad for Isaiah, even though I shouldn't.” Her voice began to tremble
slightly. “I hate this whole thing!”

Noah's thumb brushed across her cheek. “It's
almost over.”

It was hard, but she forced herself to
smile.

“Have you eaten lunch yet?” he asked as
he stood up.

She shook her head. “No, and I’m hungry
for a change.”

“Let’s go downstairs, and get you
something to eat.”

“You mean wander about the house with no
guards?” she asked sarcastically. “Do we dare?”

“They won’t be far behind, I’m sorry to
say.” He moved toward the door, and held it open for her. “Come on, let’s go
raid the kitchen before the cook realizes what we’re up to.”

She followed him down the hallway,
through the dining room, and into the kitchen.

He got down on his knees in front of
her, and put his cheek against her belly. “And what does my nephew feel like
having today?” He kissed her belly.

“Ah, that is so special.” Drew drawled
from the doorway. He wore baggy blue plaid pajama bottoms with no shirt, or
shoes. “While you’re down on your knees, I really could use a blow job, Noah.”

“Fuck you!” Hannah snapped at him.

Her outburst obviously shocked Noah,
because when he stood up it was Hannah that he stared at open-mouthed.

Drew merely smiled maliciously, and
leaned his weight against the wall. “I’ll have to take you up on that offer
another time, sweetie. For now, you’ll just have to fantasize about me.”

Noah took a step toward Drew, but Hannah
caught his arm.

As she spoke to Noah, her gaze never
left Drew. “Would you go to the Thai place by the college and get me some
spring rolls, pad Thai, pineapple fried rice, and extra plum sauce? Oh, and
some papaya salad?”

He shook his head. “I’m not leaving you
alone with
him
. That would take me more than an hour in good traffic.”

“There are plenty of people within
screaming distance, and I don’t want you killing him right now, it will ruin my
appetite.” The calm in her voice was chilling even to her own ears.

He hesitated until he noticed Ursula
standing just out of Drew’s sight. “I know a place that’s closer. I’ll be back
soon.” On his way out of the kitchen he intentionally brushed roughly against
Drew, knocking him slightly off balance.

Drew hesitated for a moment as though he
couldn’t decide whether to stay or follow Noah. Hannah wasn’t surprised that he
decided to stay.

He walked across the kitchen, and leaned
against the counter beside her. “If you get down on your knees and beg, I might
be willing to entertain you until Noah gets back.”

She smiled sweetly. “I’ve got a better
idea. I’ll tell Nathaniel that you threatened me, and he’ll kill you.”

The smug grin faded. “It would be your
word against mine,” he said with a huff.

“Noah will back me up. He hates you.”
She smiled innocently.

He walked closer until they were
standing toe to toe, with him towering over her.

She was doing her best to hide her fear,
because she knew how much he would enjoy it. There was no doubt in her mind
that he could be dangerous. Justin had said that his mother was a serial
killer, and she imagined that Drew had inherited a love of cruelty.

His face held no emotion. His voice was
quiet. “Enjoy the power while you have it, because as soon as Nathaniel gets
tired of you I’ll return the favor.”

Despite her best intentions she
shivered.

He gave a hearty chuckle, and slapped
his thigh. “Don’t worry, sweet little Hannah. I won’t hurt you, unless you ask
me to. Now that you’re one of us, you’ll find that your physical desires, food,
water, sex, are intensified.” He caught the shock in her eyes. “That's right,
honey, you'll need sex like you need air. When Nathaniel is off screwing
strippers, and college girls, you’ll be left with no one to take care of your
needs. My cousin is far too possessive to let you go out where you could find
someone. You’ll be on your knees, begging for my company, and I’ll have had time
to think of some very suitable ways of punishing you for today.”

He was lying, and she knew it. Noah
would have warned her. She gave him a saccharine smile. “Why don’t you just
hold your breath until that happens?”

“Bitch!” he hissed, and then stormed out
of the kitchen.

“He won’t hurt you.” It was Ursula’s
voice, and Hannah found it soothing after her talk with Drew.

“He’s a psychopath,” Hannah said simply
“I think Drew enjoys hurting people.”

“You are one of us, and he wouldn’t harm
you because of that.” Ursula assured her. She thought for a moment, and then
added. “I would recommend you avoid his mother. She is dangerous.”

“Justin told me that she’s a serial
killer. Does that happen to some people? Do they become killers, because of
this?” She waved a hand, not really knowing what to call it.

Ursula laughed so hard that she had to
lean against the counter for support.

“Did I say something funny?” Hannah
asked.

Ursula shook her head, and tried to
contain her laughter. “Justin is not very good at telling stories. Phoebe,
Drew’s mother, was a serial killer when she met Drew’s father. Andrei was
actually her intended victim. Andrei was lucky enough to get his hands on her
long enough to drain her energy.”

“And he married her?” Hannah could not
have been more shocked.

“He truly adores her,” Ursula explained.

“He adores a woman who tried to kill
him?”

“As far as I know, she still tries to
kill him on occasion,” Ursula explained. “Andrei is a very strange man. You
would like him.”

Hannah thought about what Drew was like,
and shook her head. “I highly doubt that.”

Ursula merely shrugged.

“How did you become one of them? Was it
Roman that brought you into this? Did you have a child with him?”

Ursula looked amused. “You see Roman as
my lover?”

Hannah shook her head. There was
something between them, but they were not lovers. “Who was it?”

Ursula moved to the refrigerator,
removed a jug of orange juice, and poured two glasses. “This is good for the
baby,” she said as she handed one to Hannah.

Hannah took the glass, and stared at it.

Just when it seemed that Ursula would
not answer the question, she began to speak in an almost childlike voice. “He
has been dead many years, and no one misses him. It was long ago when I became
what I am today.’ Sadness washed over her. “Had I been stronger it would have
been different. I could have saved Roman from becoming what he is today. He was
not always like this. He was a sweet little boy, who grew into a warm and
loving man, but his father’s cruelty eventually destroyed that part of Roman.”

It was as though a light came on for
Hannah, it was all so clear now. “Roman is your son!” she gasped.

Ursula nodded, looking both relieved and
surprised. “How did you know?”

Hannah's hands moved instinctively over
her belly. “You love him unconditionally. I’m surprised I didn’t notice right
away.”

Ursula caught her arm. “He doesn’t know,
and you must never tell anyone! Only two other people know the truth. You will
keep this to yourself?”

Hannah nodded. “Of course I will.”

Ursula gave Hannah a warm smile. “What
Drew said about your desires isn’t true. It’s an excuse that some of them use
to avoid exercising any self-control.”

“I don’t take much stock in anything
Drew says. I just wish that I didn’t run into him so often.”

“Don’t worry, Hannah.” Ursula assured
her. “Noah will take care of everything. You will be safe soon.” On that
cryptic note Ursula left the kitchen.

“This family is just one secret after
another,” Hannah grumbled.

Noah wasn’t back yet, and she was
starving. She began to forage through the refrigerator, until she came across a
party tray filled with fruit. It had probably been prepared for some special
visitor, but she didn’t care. She set the tray on the counter, ripped off the
plastic wrap, and slid a slice of kiwi between her lips.