Dragon Blood

Chapter 40

But he pulled away. He leaned his forehead against hers and panted heavily. "Atticus and Dáithí are downstairs." He breathed.

"I don't care." She whispered back and leaned harder into him. She didn't even recognize her own voice, she was so desperate.

Nolan held her back from kissing him again. "Yes, you do." He insisted. "Trust me, you don't want to do this while there are two other males listening in."

His words sank in slowly. Her head began to clear but her body continued to ache and burn for his touch. What the hell was wrong with her? She inhaled deeply and pulled her hands away from him. "Sorry," she gasped. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Nothing's wrong with you." He smiled. "Things are going to be tough for a while. But you're strong. You're going to get through this."

She frowned and looked down at her hands. "People kept saying that after what happened with Church. That I was strong. That I was going to make it to the other side."

"Okay?" he said slowly and cautiously.

She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "The person before Church was happier. She laughed more often and found it easier to trust strangers. She didn't flinch at angry voices or jump at the sound of a slamming door. There's a part of me didn't survive Church."

"What's your point, Rhia?"

"Nothing," She shook her head. "I guess I'm just wondering what part I've lost this time."

She stepped around him to walk out the door and Nolan followed wordlessly after her.

The house was small with only two small bedrooms on the upper floor. The main floor held the small, but completely modern, kitchen and living room. Dáithí stood in the kitchen, looking through the cupboards for something. An enormous black man with perfectly white hair sat on the couch, making it look like a child's seat. "Rhia, this is Atticus Shaw." Nolan said when they were in view of the others. "Atticus, this is Rhia."

Atticus looked up at her from the couch, a lost look in his black eyes. "What's wrong with him?" she asked quietly.

"Don't mind him." Dáithí chuckled. "He's still recovering from the news that Nolan isn't who he said he was."

Rhia looked between the three males. Her heightened arousal had been tolerable when she was alone with Nolan, but this was uncomfortable. Especially since she couldn't figure out what Dáithí was doing here.

"Does Constantine know?" Atticus looked to Nolan, a hint of desperation in his voice.

"No," Nolan sighed. "And he can never know. Even Luna understands that. If Constantine knows he can turn yfeerie into vampires, he will never stop hunting them."

"Constantine..." Rhia muttered. The males all looked at her. "Constantine was... at my work..."

She scrubbed her eyes fiercely, desperately trying to shine a light into the black hole that was her memory. Paper white skin and blood red eyes flashed before her eyes. A mouth full of fangs and a silky, condescending tone.

One little bite. One little sip.

"He wanted to... He called it a compromise... I called you."

She rushed into the kitchen, ripped open the liquor cabinet she found earlier and took out the first bottle she could reach. Her hands were shaking so hard she couldn't break the seal. Dáithí appeared in front of her and took it from her. She looked up into his eyes and shivered. She had never really thought about his looks before now. Since Church, she had a hard time finding blond males attractive... but now... his hands were big enough to wrap entirely around her waist. His body was wide enough to cage her under him. His hips were...