Looking determined, she picked up a can of tuna fish and nibbled on her bottom lip as he watched her try to force herself to go through with the next test. Reluctantly, and a with a cringe, she picked up the can opener, secured it to the can and with a muttered curse, dropped the can and the can opener on the kitchen island and finally said, "Fine, we'll try it your way."

Making d.a.m.n sure to hide his triumphant smile, he went to the refrigerator and grabbed two bags of blood. As he closed the refrigerator door, he contemplated heating up the blood, but then he decided against it since the heat had a tendency of making the rusty smell worse. He did however grab two coffee cups, hoping that by placing it in something normal like a cup that it would help Cloe pretend that she wasn't drinking blood.

"How much b-blood am I supposed to drink a day?" she forced herself to ask.

"Four bags a day should help you stay in control," he answered, knowing d.a.m.n well that's what she was worried about, losing control.

She seemed to consider his words before she asked, "And you're sure that there are no other options?"

His gaze lingered on the kitchen island covered with open food containers and shook his head, wishing that there was another way to do this for her. "This is the only way."

"Okay," she said, shifting nervously as she watched him cut a small hole in one of the bags and pour the red liquid in two cups before he carefully placed the opened bag of blood in a plastic bowl by the sink.

"And this will stop the cravings?" she asked, sounding hopeful and he should have lied to give her this small amount of comfort, but he didn't.

"No, but it will make things more tolerable," he said, deciding not to use the fact that the scent of her blood probably still had the power to shred every last ounce of his control if he allowed it.

Since that most likely wouldn't comfort her, he handed her a cup of cold blood and held his up in a mock salute. "Cheers," he said, chuckling as she shot him another glare.

"I hate you," she ground out as he hid his grin behind his cup and took a long, leisurely sip of his blood. He watched her every move, afraid that she would balk at the idea of drinking blood and he'd be forced to- "Oh my G.o.d!" she choked out as she pulled the mug away from her lips after taking him by surprise and swallowing a large gulp of the cold, metallic liquid that admittedly took some time getting used to. "That's disgusting!"

"Yes, it is," he agreed with a pleased chuckle as he took another sip of his blood just as she did, further shocking him.

He'd expected her to throw the cup in the sink and go back to her "experiments" or play twenty questions with him again, no doubt hoping that she'd stumble across something that he'd missed, but Cloe it seemed, was determined to get through this. She wanted control of this thing and was willing to do anything to get it. Although he knew that she hadn't fully accepted what happened to her or was even happy about it, he was relieved that she was no longer fighting him on this.

It was going to make taking her with him a h.e.l.l of a lot easier if he knew that she could take care of herself or at the very least, he mused as he took another sip of blood, keep herself from attacking everyone in sight.

Chapter 30.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" Christofer suddenly asked and she'd just barely stopped herself from flinching.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said absently as she pulled her legs up and shot another nervous glance around the large penthouse, her gaze pausing on all the doors and the large windows before reluctantly returning to the large flat screen television above the fireplace where some horrible romantic comedy was playing.

"Are you planning on staying up?"

"Uh huh," she murmured, struggling not to glance around the large open s.p.a.ce to make sure that everything was still as it should be.

"Do you want some company?" he asked, pushing away from the kitchen island.

She shrugged, trying not to let him know just how much she wanted him to stay with her. She didn't want him to know how badly their little "talk" had affected her. When he'd volunteered to answer her questions, she'd been relieved and admittedly a little excited to find out what else she could do now. A lot of the stuff that she'd learned like being able to see in the dark, being able to float and having inhuman strength had definitely helped take the sting out of her new predicament, but the other things that he'd explained to her had scared the h.e.l.l out of her.

Not that he knew that.

As he explained things to her along with the new dangers that went hand in hand with her new existence, she'd forced herself to sit there and listen, making sure to nod at the appropriate times while she'd struggled to make sense of what he was telling her. She knew that there was still a lot of information that she didn't know, that he most likely didn't know either, but what she knew now had her terrified to take so much as a step outside of this building.

The monsters that had haunted her dreams and memories all these years, the ones that everyone including her therapists had claimed were just a figment of her traumatized imagination were in fact, real. Christofer hadn't been able to give her much information about them other than they were apparently very real. A part of her had always wished that the therapists and doctors had been right, that her injuries were just an unfortunate circ.u.mstance from the fire, but deep down she knew that she hadn't imagined the terrifying memories from that night.

Until Christofer had explained what he'd learned, she'd been able to pretend that there was a possibility that those monsters really didn't exist, but now there was no point in pretending any longer. She'd been attacked by shifters, aka werewolves.

When he'd shared that bit of information with her, she'd had to force herself to pretend that the news didn't bother her when all she wanted to do was run to the rooms where her bags had been placed and tear through her stuff until she found her medication and make everything go numb. She hadn't taken them in years, because she hated the way that they made her feel. She should have just thrown them away years ago when she'd decided to stop taking the d.a.m.n things, but part of her had been afraid that she'd need them again.

So, she kept them in her bags, refilled them when they expired and pretended that she was fine. Only now, things weren't fine and she couldn't stop thinking about them. The only thing that stopped her from getting them was the knowledge that she would need a level head if she was going to get through this and the fact that Christofer had explained that medicine, drugs and alcohol would no longer affect her.

After digesting that depressing information, she'd asked him more questions, hoping to distract herself from the knowledge of what waited out there for her. A few hours later she had more than enough information to keep her busy freaking out for a while. Now she was freaked out, stuffed from drinking too much blood, exhausted and too d.a.m.n nervous to close her eyes.

She tried to tell herself that the worst was over now, but she had a feeling that Ephraim and his group were going to prove her wrong. They'd brought them here for a reason and tomorrow morning she'd no doubt find out that reason and probably tumble headlong into a nervous breakdown.

It was something to look forward to, she thought with a sigh that was quickly cut off by a yawn as she picked up the remote and- "Where are you going?" she demanded anxiously when she spotted Christofer heading towards the hallway.

"I'll be right back," he said softly, giving her a rea.s.suring smile that he probably thought would comfort her.

It didn't.

Since the only thing that seemed to comfort her right now was his scent and presence, she couldn't help but freak out a little bit as she watched him walk out of the room. There was definitely something wrong with needing the man that had not only attacked her, but had also turned her into this thing, and later she'd probably berate herself for her reaction to him, but for now she was too frightened to lie to herself.

She needed him.

Not that she planned on letting him know that. That would give him too much power and right now, he already had more than enough power over her. She was new to their world, unsure of herself and completely dependent on him. It wasn't something that she was comfortable with, but for now she would endure it.

Biting her lip, she watched him disappear around the corner. It took everything that she had to keep her b.u.t.t on the couch, which apparently hadn't been all that much, because not even two seconds later she was moving to get off the couch and follow him and- Scream her head off!

"What's wrong?" Christofer asked, looking puzzled as he sat down next to her, shifting the large sketchpad on his lap as he got comfortable.

Still gasping for air, she looked from him towards the hallway where she saw him disappear only a few seconds before and then back to him to find him shooting her a curious look as he opened the sketchpad to a blank page. Having absolutely no idea what just happened or how he got back so fast without her seeing him, she decided to just sit there, struggling to catch her breath as she shot another curious look between him and the hallway.

"Oh," Christofer said with a frown. "Did I forget to mention that we could move pretty quickly when we need to?"

Gaping at him, she nodded her head, because she was pretty sure that she would have remembered being told that she now had the Road Runner's skills.

With a shrug, he said, "Well, we can move pretty quickly for short periods."

"Apparently," she mumbled, shooting one last look between him and the hallway. For about thirty seconds she flirted with the idea of seeing just how fast she could move, but with a shrug she returned her attention to the television, deciding that with her luck she'd most likely end up running through a wall.

A few minutes later her breathing had calmed down and she'd managed to find an Indiana Jones movie to watch. She relaxed back and focused on the movie while Christofer continued to scribble in his sketchpad. This was actually nice, she thought as she shifted on the couch and- Let out another embarra.s.sing squeal as all the lights went out and she suddenly found herself enveloped in hues of blue.

"Did I forget to mention that everything turned blue in the dark?" Christofer asked conversationally, but she didn't miss the amus.e.m.e.nt in his tone or the way his lips twitched.

"b.a.s.t.a.r.d," she muttered with a scowl as she decided that her sanity couldn't take another surprise tonight and got off the couch and headed for the hallway, forcing herself to keep moving no matter how badly she wanted to turn around and run back to the couch and into the b.a.s.t.a.r.d's arms.

"This isn't so bad," she mumbled, squeezing her eyes shut even tighter as she pulled the blankets all the way up to her chin and shifted onto her side as she tried to convince her brain to fall asleep quickly with promises that everything would be back to normal by tomorrow morning.

Apparently her brain wasn't buying a single syllable of bulls.h.i.t that she was giving it. Tomorrow wouldn't be fine and most likely the day after wouldn't be either. She wasn't sure that anything would ever be fine, not when she was now confined to a life of secrecy and drinking blood out of coffee mugs.

How exactly was she supposed to hide what she was? she wondered with a disgruntled groan as she shifted onto her side and- Let out another scream!

"Shhh, it's just me," Christofer whispered soothingly as he gently pushed her hair out of her face and gently cradled her face in his large, warm hand.

"That's why I was screaming!" she snapped, reaching up and shoving his hand away even as she noticed that her heart wasn't beating frantically against her ribs and her breathing was normal when she should be freaking out and struggling to take her next breath after finding a man suddenly lounging in bed next to her.

She shouldn't be feeling her body start to relax, but that's exactly what it was doing. As soon as her body registered that Christofer was in bed next to her, she'd felt herself begin to relax, her breaths evening out and her eyelids becoming increasingly heavy in a matter of seconds as she struggled to remain awake so that she could finally give him a piece of her mind for all the bulls.h.i.t that he'd put her through and for continuing to scare the s.h.i.t out of her. It soon became apparent that finally telling him off wasn't going to happen, at least not tonight.

Not when it felt so good to lie next to him.

But her pride refused to accept this situation, needing to put up the facade of a fight for self-preservation, because even as she muttered, "Get out," she knew that if he tried to leave her right now that she would tackle his a.s.s to the ground and make him stay. At least, for tonight, she told herself, once again more than willing to lie to herself so that she could take the comfort that Christofer was offering without hating herself.

"Is that what you really want, mein Schatz?" he asked softly as he lightly ran the back of his knuckles along her jaw, sending a wave of pleasure through her body that had her unconsciously shifting closer to him, greedy for his touch.

"Yes," she whispered harshly. She reached out to push him away, but as soon as her hand touched the warm bare skin of his shoulder, she found herself wrapping an unsteady hand around the back of his neck in a desperate attempt to keep him close.

"I'm not going anywhere," he promised her as she registered the feel of his large warm hand mimicking her hold on him. He gently pulled her closer until his forehead was touching hers.

"Yes," she said, opening her eyes to find herself staring into glimmering blue eyes, "you will."

For a moment he didn't say anything as he stared into her eyes, his hold on the back of her neck turning caressing as she waited for him to lie to her and to make promises that he would never be able to keep. Just when she prepared herself to call him out on any bulls.h.i.t promises that left his mouth, he took her by surprise.

"Everyone leaves you, don't they?" he whispered softly in a tone that should have softened the blow of his question, but nothing could have stopped her from flinching from his words.

"No, they don't," she bit out, releasing her hold on him so that she could put some much needed s.p.a.ce between them.

His hold on her tightened as he kept her from fleeing as his gaze bore into hers, searching for an answer that he had no right to demand.

"No, they don't," he murmured softly after a painfully long moment as he pulled her closer and pressed a kiss against her forehead. "You leave them before they get a chance," he said against her forehead as she struggled to breathe.

"That's not true," she lamely argued, unaware that she was once again holding onto him, refusing to let him go.

"You'll never have to worry, mein Schatz. I'm not going anywhere," he promised her.

"Don't make promises that you can't keep," she whispered helplessly as she closed her eyes and savored his touch, the warmth from his body and the feeling of being enveloped in a protective pocket where nothing and no one could harm her.

"Why do I feel so safe with you?" she found herself asking him, hating how much she needed him even as she prayed that she never had to endure another day without him.

"I don't know," he whispered as his hold on her gentled and he was once again caressing her nape.

She gave a humorless chuckle at that. "Well, that makes two of us then, because I honestly don't know why I'm not doing everything in my power to get away from you."

He pressed another kiss against her forehead as he confessed, "I'm still waiting for you to kick my a.s.s for everything that I've put you through."

She heaved out a sigh as she admitted, "I should have kicked your a.s.s a hundred times over by now."

"Yes," he said, pressing another kiss against her brow, "you should have."

"Especially for that sandwich," she said, cringing at the memory of all that mayonnaise pouring out of the sandwich like a- "There was nothing wrong with that sandwich!" Christofer argued, softening his words with another kiss.

"I'll probably have nightmares for years to come thanks to that sandwich," she teased with a laugh when he released a s.e.xy little growl that had her toes curling in pleasure.

"That sandwich was perfect!"

"That sandwich was terrifying," she said solemnly, loving the s.e.xy glare that he was giving her, surprised that somehow through all of this they'd managed to slip back into taunting and teasing each other, something that she'd truly enjoyed before her world had been destroyed.

It gave her hope that one day everything would be okay.

Chapter 31.

"Are you awake?"

"Mmmhmm," Cloe murmured as she lay there, staring out the large window at the beautiful city sky as she continued to absently trace her fingers over Christofer's arm where it rested around her waist.

"Are you hungry?" he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to the back of her head, something that he'd been doing a lot tonight. Not that she was going to complain, because she wasn't.

It felt too good in his arms to complain or find fault with the way that he held and touched her. They'd talked for a little while about absolutely nothing at all, neither of them wanting to broach on a subject that would jeopardize this overwhelming sense of peace that they'd somehow managed to stumble across. For about two hours now, they'd been lying there, staring out at the night sky, the tranquility broken only by murmured questions and a gentle touch.

A few times she'd found herself wanting to ask how he was holding up, but at the last second she'd decided against it. She didn't want to bring up Marta until he was ready and she knew that he wasn't ready. So instead, she'd laid there in his arms offering him what little comfort she could.

"No, I'm fine," she finally answered, closing her eyes and savoring the touch of his lips as he once again pressed a kiss against her hair.

"Do you need anything?" he asked, his voice slightly m.u.f.fled against her hair.

Answers.

Rea.s.surance that everything was going to be okay.

Promises that she didn't think that he'd be able to keep.

A time machine so that she could go back and fix everything before her world was destroyed and her family was taken from her.

The ability to enjoy a double cheeseburger with the works.

But, she didn't say any of that, because it would force her to face a future that she wasn't sure that she could handle. Instead she continued to trace her fingers over his arm, enjoying the feel of his body pressed up against hers. She'd been with several men in her life, probably more than she should have, but she'd never allowed any of them to hold her the way that Christofer was holding her.

Not that any of them had ever tried.

The ones that hadn't been put off by her scars had treated her like a f.u.c.k buddy. There had never been warm smiles, flowers, romantic dinners or flattering words. She'd enjoyed herself for the most part, enjoyed the momentary escape that they'd offered her, but it had never been more than just s.e.x to her. Sometimes she'd wished that it had been more, that she'd been with the type of man that could make her feel wanted and loved, but it had never happened.

Until now.