"Where?"

He motioned to the living room. "In there."

Oliver followed her as she walked inside. When she reached the sofa and dropped down next to the girl, Maya turned her head to him.

"A girl? Figures! What did you do this time?"

She didn't wait for an answer and opened her bag, pulling out her blood pressure kit.

"I didn't do anything to her. She was like that when I found her." Well, not exactly. She had been conscious at first.

She tossed him a scolding look as she wrapped the sleeve of the blood pressure kit around the girl's upper arm and pumped air into it. "Don't lie to me. I'm not blind."

Maya pointed to the girl's neck where two puncture wounds were still clearly visible. Blood had crusted over them after he'd put pressure on them earlier.

"I didn't do that!" He huffed angrily. "You don't think I did that, do you?"

Her eyes narrowed before she turned back to her patient and placed the stethoscope at the bend of her elbow. "I don't want to hear any of it now. Not in front of her. You and I will talk afterwards."

"But I didn'ta""

"Another word out of you now and I'll call Gabriel and have him deal with you. You want that?"

s.h.i.t! Not only did Maya not believe him, she was going to rat him out to Gabriela"for something he hadn't even done! But he knew better than to argue with her now. He needed her to stabilize the girl. And once she was awake, she could confirm his story and tell Maya that she'd been running from another vampire, not from him.

"I thought Gabriel was in New York."

"He is, but it won't take long for him to come back."

Oliver clamped his jaw together. "When she wakes up, she'll tell you it wasn't me."

"If she wakes up." Maya removed the stethoscope from her ears and unwrapped the blood pressure device. "Her blood pressure is dangerously low. What did you do to her? Drain her?"

Had the other vampire taken too much of her blood? "What if somebody took too much blood? What would you do?"

Maya glared at him, clearly not liking the way he'd framed his question. But he'd be d.a.m.ned if he admitted something he hadn't done.

"Maya, d.a.m.n it, what would you do?"

"A blood transfusion. What's her blood type?"

Oliver shrugged. "How should I know?"

"After two months you still can't tell what a human's blood type is after feeding from one?"

"I didn't . . . " Feed from her, he wanted to say, but thought of it otherwise. Maya wouldn't believe him anyway. "I couldn't tell."

"Fine. Then we'll have to give her O-Neg. Every human, no matter the blood type, tolerates it. Is there any left in the pantry?"

Oliver nodded. He sure hadn't taken it, and since Quinn and Rose had been gone for a week already, n.o.body would have touched the supplies since they had been restocked just before their departure. "I'll get it."

"Two bottles," Maya called after him.

Oliver ran into the kitchen and jerked the door to the pantry open where a large refrigerator stood in one corner. Inside, bottles of AB-Pos lined up with bottles of A-Neg and other varietals. Every conceivable blood type was represented. Quinn had thought that maybe if Oliver found his preferred blood type, he would be better able to curb his hunger and resist the urge to hunt for blood. Oliver had humored him and said he would try, but in the end, even after tasting all eight blood types, he had no particular preference for either. Blood coming straight from a human's vein was still his preference.

Oliver s.n.a.t.c.hed two bottles of O-Neg from the shelf and let the refrigerator door fall shut.

By the time he was back in the living room, Maya had pulled more supplies from her black bag: needles, a long elastic tube, alcohol, and some ties. She was already preparing the girl's arm by swabbing the inside of her elbow with rubbing alcohol.

"Here."

Maya gave him a sideways glance. "Swab the lid with alcohol, then push this through it." She handed him a needle that was already attached to a tube. "Hold the bottle upright for now."

He did as he was told while watching Maya binding the girl's upper arm with the plastic tie, then inserting a different needle into her vein. At the end of it, a plastic contraption made sure that no blood flowing back from the vein would escape.

"Are you done?" she asked.

Oliver nodded. "Yes, what now?"

"Turn the bottle upside down and hold it up. Give me the end of the tube."

He watched as the red liquid from the bottle started making its way down inside the long tube. Before it reached the end, Maya squeezed the end of it, so no blood could escape. Then she connected it to the needle in the girl's arm. Turning the plastic valve at the side of it, Maya released the pressure on the tube, allowing some of the blood to escape and with it the remaining air. Then she turned the valve fully. The blood ran to the needle, then disappeared inside the girl's arm.

Turning the valve a little more, Maya looked at the bottle, regulating the speed with which the blood flowed into her patient. With bated breath, Oliver watched as the level of blood sank with each minute. It was a slow process, but he stood there almost frozen, not daring to move the bottle in case it disrupted the flow. He only let his eyes stray.

The girl still looked pale, and her breathing was shallow, the rise and fall of her chest barely noticeable. At the same time, her beauty was undeniable, her lips seeming redder than any human'sa"maybe an optical illusion because of the fact that she was so pale. Her eyes were closed, but he still remembered how she'd looked at him: with desperation and fear in them. She remembered clearly what the other vampire had done to her. For some odd reason, he wished it wasn't so. Rather, he wished that she had no memories of what had been done to her, when he knew instinctively that her memories would clear him of any wrongdoing. Yet the frightened look in her eyes had cut right through his chest.

"You've done this before, right?" he asked Maya, keeping his voice low, not wanting to disturb the quiet in the room.

"During residency, sure." She shrugged. "A long time ago."

Oliver shifted nervously. Did Maya know what she was doing? "But once you've learned it, you never forget it, right?"

"Hardly." She glanced up at him. "I was a Urologist, not an Emergency physician."

Before she'd been turneda"that's what Maya meant, but she didn't need to say it. Even he knew that much about her past. She'd been attacked by one of their own, one of Scanguards, and turned against her will. In the end, everything had worked out for her, and she had bonded with the second-in-command at Scanguards, Gabriel.

Maya pointed to the injury on the girl's other arm. "That aside, I'm sure I can fix this."

"Should I lick her wound?" It would make sure the injury healed quickly, probably within minutes.

"Did you wipe her memory?"

Surprised at her question, Oliver shook his head. "No, I didn't. I wasn't the one who did this!"

"Stop it, Oliver! I'm not discussing this now."

"But I am!" He sucked in a breath of air. "I didn't do it. I didn't bite her, I didn't drain her, I didn't wipe her memory. She practically fell into my arms, running from another vampire. She begged me to help her escape. So I did. And she'll tell you that when she wakes up."

"Give it up. Why do you still have to pretend? It's me, Maya, I'm a doctor, I can help you."

"No you can't!"

"Obviously not." She looked back at the girl, picked up her stethoscope again and listened to her heart. When she tucked it away again, she continued, "Since we don't know what she remembers, I'm not interested in having to explain to her why her arm healed miraculously, so I'm going to bandage her the regular way. No licking. And certainly not by you. You've had enough of her blood already, don't you think?"

Oliver let out a curse. "Ah, screw it! You've obviously decided not to believe me, so why do I even bother? Once she's awakea""

"Yes, yes, I know. She'll tell us it was some other big bad vampire," Maya mocked.

"Before the night is over, you're going to have to apologize to me," Oliver prophesized.

"Don't count on it." Then she pointed at the bottle. "Time for the next one."

Again Maya turned the valve, cutting off the blood supply to the needle in the girl's arm. Oliver helped her exchange the bottles. Within a minute, the second bottle of O-Neg was being transfused into the beautiful Asian girl he couldn't keep his eyes off.

Had she really offered him s.e.x for his help?

He stretched his hand toward her face, stroking tenderly over her cheek when Maya loudly cleared her throat. Immediately he pulled his hand back.

"Just wanted to see if she feels warmer than earlier," he lied. "She was shaking with the chills when I called you." Well, at least that part was the truth, even though his reason for touching her wasn't. He'd simply wanted to feel her soft skin and be reminded of the kiss they had shared for such a brief moment.

"A side effect of the blood loss," Maya commented and went about cleaning her patient's arm wound. It wasn't deep; rather it appeared to be only a superficial cut. She cleaned it out with rubbing alcohol, then placed Steri-strips over it before covering up the area with gauze and affixing it with tape.

When the second bottle was fully drained a short while later, Maya removed the needle and put pressure on the puncture wound, until the small opening stopped bleeding, then put a band-aid over it.

Oliver felt impatience grow in him. "And now?"

"Let's see if she responds."

Maya placed her hand on the girl's good arm and shook her gently. "Wake up. Come, I know you can hear me. Wake up."

The strange girl stirred, her head falling to the side, prominently exposing the puncture wounds on her neck once more. Oliver pointed to them, giving Maya a questioning look.

She quickly took a piece of gauze and saturated it with rubbing alcohol, then swabbed the area with it.

"Ouch!"

It was the first word from the girl since she'd collapsed in his arms. Relief washed through him. She would be all right.

Her hand reached for her neck as she opened her eyes at the same time.

7.

Ursula felt a stinging pain as something wet brushed over her neck and raised her hand to slap it over the source of the pain: the puncture wounds. Darn, why did they sting? They'd never stung before when a vampire had licked them to close them.

Her eyes shot open in the same instant, and within a second everything came rushing back to her. She wasn't reclined on the couch in the blue room of her prison anymore, even though she lay on a soft surface. She had escaped the blue room and the vampire on top of her. She'd outsmarted Dirk. That thought almost made her smile. Almost.

If only she knew where she was and who the two people standing over her were. She tried to focus her eyes, but it took her a few seconds to truly be able to see the two in front of her clearly. The woman's white coat became less fuzzy and she read the st.i.tching over the breast pocket. Dr. Maya Giles it said. Long dark hair cascaded over her shoulders.

Thank G.o.d, she'd made it to a hospital! Somehow, she'd escaped and managed to reach a safe place. Now everything would be good, and she would be going home to see her parents again.

As she shifted, her arm slid against a cushion, sending another wave of pain through her bodya"not strong, but nevertheless noticeable. She bit back a curse. It was all worth it. Her wounds would heal quickly, much quicker than the ones she carried inside her.

Her gaze drifted away from the white doctor's coat to the man who stood next to the doctor. She instantly realized that she'd seen him before. Out there somewhere. On the streets. Taking a deep breath, she collected her thoughts. It finally came to her. He was the young man she'd asked for help. Seeing him together with the doctor confirmed that he'd helped her in the end. He looked at her, apprehension in his eyes.

"You're awake," the female voice said, making Ursula turn her gaze away from him.

She tried to nod, but the action caused her discomfort as if she had a migraine. "What happened?" she asked instead.

"I took care of your injuries. What's your name?" Dr. Giles asked.

"Ursula. Am I in the hospital?" She scooted up, bringing herself into a half-sitting position, for the first time allowing herself to take in her surroundings. But what she saw wasn't what she was expecting.

This wasn't a hospital, but a private residence. By the looks of it she was in someone's living room. Why hadn't her rescuer brought her to the emergency room? Slowly she turned toward him, her forehead working itself into a frown. She noticed how he shifted from one foot to the other.

"I thought it would be better to get you to my personal physician. It was quicker. And Maya is the best," he explained. His gaze flickered toward the doctor who nodded in agreement.

"And you are?" Ursula pressed out.

"Oliver, my name is Oliver. You remember me, don't you? You asked me for help."

Ursula sucked in a breath. Her memory was fully intact, but at the same time, the experience she'd gained over the last three years had taught her to be cautious about what she admitted. Besides, she still remembered offering him s.e.x for helping her. Was that why he'd brought her here, rather than driven her to a hospital? Was he going to cash in on her promise as soon as she felt well enough? And why shouldn't he? After all, she'd made a promise, and not only that, she'd kissed him to show him that she meant business. What virile guy would turn down such an offer?

She allowed her eyes to travel over his body. He was well built, muscular, yet lean at the same time. His jeans fit him like a second skin, making her aware of his masculinity. After the display of testosterone she'd been exposed to in her prison, she expected that the sight of such maleness would turn her off, but the opposite was true. The same feeling that had spread through her when she'd kissed him filled her even now. And this time she couldn't write it off as a side effect of the fear she'd experienced during her escape.

"I'm . . . uh," she murmured, wondering how to answer. Was it wise to admit that she remembered only too clearly what had happened?

The doctor dropped down on her haunches, bringing her to eyelevel. "You suffered from ma.s.sive blood loss. Do you remember what happened to you?"

The blood loss! Her hand instinctively came up, wanting to touch the puncture wounds the leech had left, but in the last second, she grabbed the pillow instead, pulling it onto her lap. She couldn't tell these strangers about the vampires. If she did, who knew what they would do with her? First, they wouldn't believe her anyway. And then? Would they have her evaluated by a psychiatrist? Bring her to a closed inst.i.tution? No, she couldn't afford this delay. She had to get to her parents and make sure they knew she was alive and safe. And then she had to send help to the other girlsa"she had made that promise, and she would not renege on it.

"Blood loss?" she mouthed, hoping she sounded surprised. "What happened?"

Oliver dropped down as well, bringing his face closer so she could look into his eyes. "When I found you, you were injured and suffering from blood loss. Somebody attacked you. You were running away from somebody."

Ursula shook her head slowly, pretending she was trying to remember the events. "I don't know. I don't remember being attacked."

"But you must, you told me," Oliver insisted, his voice strained, his forehead creased.

Maya put a hand on his arm, interrupting him, then looked back at her. "You were in very bad shape when I got to you. Your blood pressure was dangerously low and your heart was close to giving in. I gave you a blood transfusion."