RED NIGHT ~ VAMPIRE FILES TRILOGY (Book 1)

20

Just before he's out of the room he stops and turns. "You're not off the hook for that stunt you pulled last night." He looks like he wants to say more, but turns and walks out without another word.

***

After I take a quick shower, I pull on some old faded jeans with holes in the knees and a blue fitted t-shirt. I towel-dry my hair and leave it down to finish drying on its own. I'm still amazed that I feel as good as I do.

Actually, I feel incredible, but that's doesn't seem right. I should be in a hospital or maybe even paralyzed from the beating I took.

And who changed my clothing last night, damn it? Imagining Adam or Gabe undressing me makes me want to run and hide. I'm not even in the same panties. Ugh!

Pushing those thoughts aside, I walk out of my room buzzing with energy that I'm actually trying to tone down. Feeling like I could conquer the world today, I ignore both men as I walk past them and head for the coffee maker. I still feel their eyes on me, and I try to ignore it.

Normally, attention from either of them makes me nervous, but today for some reason I feel powerful, maybe even a little sexy.

Whoa! I think I need to go for a long run this morning.

Maybe I should burn up some of this energy before it gets me into trouble. After I pour myself a cup of coffee I walk back to the table and join them. How do I ask two incredibly gorgeous men which one of them took my clothes off, and why?

What the hell.

"What happened to my clothes?" I raise my eyebrows and watch them over my coffee cup.

They both look at one another, and then Gabe says, "It was his idea. I said you wouldn't be happy about it, but he was going to do it anyway. Since I didn't trust him alone with you, I stayed, and...and ended up having to help." Gabe turns sixteen shades of red before my eyes.

I swear I can feel his embarrassment.

I close my eyes, keeping my cup in front of my mouth because I'm dying of humiliation. "Why did you feel the need to take off my clothes last night?" I ask Adam from behind my cup, no longer able to look at either of them.

I steal a glance, and see Adam's eyes are glowing softly again. Gosh, I hope that's not because of the memory. I blush and look away from him.

"It was necessary because your clothes were covered in blood and it was drying quickly," Adam says, challenging me with his look.

Obviously, he isn't embarrassed. I'm beginning to wish I had died!

"How much blood could there have been, for crying out loud?" I ask.

This is starting to sound like a flimsy excuse to take off my clothes.

"You almost died, Sam," Gabe says, looking less stressed and more serious now. "If we had been a couple of minutes later, you would have."

"But I feel great. How bad could it have been?" My face is mask of confusion.

"You had several broken ribs, a broken leg, a punctured lung, a torn neck, a skull fracture, and internal bleeding. Possibly more, but that was all we had time to assess," Adam says with barely controlled fury.

He actually breaks eye contact, and is the first to look away. That's a first. Did he say broken ribs?

"Then why do I feel so good? I don't have a scratch on me. I think you must be exaggerating my injuries. And by the way, how did you find me last night?" I ask, looking between the two of them.