Daughter of Night (A Daughter of Nyx novel)

Chapter Fourteen

"Do you remember what I said about words?" he asked.

"I do." There was no forgetting that. Especially with what had happened after that warning.

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"No. Why?" There was that intensity in his eyes again.

"Curiosity."

He smiled. "I accept."

She swallowed. "Tonight?"

"No. That would be a horrible idea."

"Why?"

"You won't be yourself. And the only way I can explain it is that it would be like you were drugged, only, you would remember everything."

"I would think you would want me like that."

"No, because if I hurt you, I want you to be able to tell me."

"Will you stop if I tell you too?"

"Maybe." He winked at her and what had she done.

~~~

The glass of whiskey only trembled slightly. She was almost ready. She had to be, because that feeling was only growing. The feeling of time slipping away. A long pull and she closed her eyes, leaning back on the couch. Elliot and Nikolas once again flanked her and Caleb sat in a chair, staring at the fire.

He hadn't said a word to her and that was fine. She didn't know him.

Nikolas squeezed her free hand and she looked at him. There was a turbulence in his gray eyes that matched the storm going on inside her. How could a monster be so kind?

"So, who is it going to be?" Elliot asked and she jumped. Caleb let out a laugh.

"Are you always so scared?" He turned those blue eyes to her, before once again, seeming to find her lacking.

"Caleb."

Elliot's voice held an edge that she had only heard once. When he told Jonathan to let her go.

"It's okay," she said. "He has a right to know that the person he may be watching over is terrified of everything."

"Only because of me." Light brown eyes met hers before looking back at the black haired man. "He doesn't know that you tried to kill a newborn with a stick. Or that you saved one of my men."

Caleb turned back to her. "With a stick?"

"I didn't know it would be useless." She shrugged.

The dismissive look eased up. "You're still human."

"Very much so."

"You've never had their blood." It was a statement but she answered it anyway.

"Obviously not, hence the being terrified. I don't want to be... that."

"And yet, you're comfortable with them."

"Yes." She shot Elliot a look and found him watching her. "Most of the time." His dark smile was back and she shook her head.

"Fine. Maybe your not useless."

"For now I am. Maybe not after I do this thing that she wants me to do."

"Who is she?"

"I don't know." She took a deep breath. "But let's see if I can find out."

There was some discussion over who would be bleeding, but in the end, it came down to Elliot. He was older than both of the others and that made him stronger. It might help her more. But at the same time, his blood would be more potent. She ran her sweaty hands over her thighs and tried to remain calm. They would look out for her. She knew that. Didn't she?