Longing for You, стр. 43
Katie rubbed her bandaged wound and snapped, “No—sorry, I’m justsick of this. I want to be better.”
Before Alexis had time to think about what she was saying, sheblurted out, “I could make that injury better, you know.”
Katie’s eyes widened and she walked closer. “What? By drinkingyour blood?”
Alexis wished she’d never opened her mouth. Her heart waspounding. Katie looked shocked at the suggestion of drinking her blood, andshe’d nearly done that to her. Now was she offering to break another Debrekrule? She’d lived by them strictly, and now because of Katie she was willing tobreak them.
“No, not that. This only works for minor wounds, and we’re notsupposed to, but my blood dripped onto your wound can heal it. The Debrek clan bannedthe practice because we are not supposed to interfere with humans in that way.”
“I wouldn’t want you to break a rule for me,” Katie said.
Alexis took Katie’s hand. “We could keep it our secret.”
Katie shook her head. “Secrets take a heavy toll on you, Alexis.”
Alexis put her head down. “I know that, believe me, but it’s not acardinal rule, like consent. Let me heal it?”
“I’m not sure,” Katie said.
“Okay, well, I’ll change your bandage. Come on,” Alexis said.
Katie followed Alexis to the kitchen table and sat down whileAlexis got the first aid case out. There was such a tension between them. Ithad been building since Alexis’s kiss earlier before the attack on Sybil. Shedidn’t know how she would handle Alexis touching her. Just being this close wasgiving her goosebumps.
Alexis got the new bandage ready then started to unwrap the oldone. At the touch of Alexis’s fingertips, Katie had an intake of breath.
Alexis stopped. “Sorry, did I hurt you?”
“No.” Katie’s lips parted, and she moistened them with the tip ofher tongue. She saw Alexis’s eyes focus on her lips and the blood-red colour ofhunger wash across her eyes. Katie had the urge to push her fingers into Alexis’shair and bring Alexis’s lips to hers. Instead she looked down, away fromtemptation. “No, you didn’t hurt me.”
Alexis pulled off the bandage, and then she did feel pain. “Itfeels worse. Hot and painful.”
Alexis threw down the bandage, and growled, “It looks like it’sinfected. Fucking Josie.”
Katie tried to see as much of the wound as she could. It lookedfiery red. “It’s not your fault—it’s mine for not listening to you and going tothe club. I realize now you’ve always been trying to look after me, and I justsaw it as you bossing me around.”
Alexis cupped her cheek, and Katie saw tears forming in her eyes.“I didn’t protect you.” Katie watched Alexis pinch the bridge of her nose. “Ican’t do this any more. I’m no better than Josie, no better than VictorijaDred,” Alexis said angrily.
Katie had no idea what was going on now. Alexis looked tortured bysomething. “What are you talking about? You’re nothing like them. You’re theDebrek Duca. You take care of us all and uphold the high ideals that the GrandDuchess gave this clan.”
“No, I don’t. I’m a fraud. I have no nobility.”
Katie reached out to touch Alexis but she pulled away.
“Tell me what’s wrong, Alexis?”
Alexis closed her eyes momentarily and took a breath. “When I lostAnna to the Dreds, my heart was smashed into so many pieces I was certain itwould never recover, and that’s what I wanted. I didn’t ever want to feelagain. I had a single purpose to my life from then on—do my duty and uphold thebeliefs of our clan.”
“And you have,” Katie said.
Alexis shook her head vigorously. “No, I haven’t. I’ve been onthis path heading to this destination for five years now.”
Katie was utterly confused. “What path? What destination?”
“The path to my own downfall and betraying everything I believein. Do you remember when you left to go to college in America?”
Katie didn’t expect the conversation to go in this direction.“Um…yes.”
“Byron, her family, the clan, and your family had a leaving partyfor you in Monaco,” Alexis said.
“Yes, it was an exciting day. Byron organized the Debrek plane totake me to America. What about it?”
“I watched you that day, so full of excitement, hope, a brightfuture ahead of you, everything that I couldn’t be, everything that was lost tome so long ago, and looking back now that was the day that the first piece ofmy shattered heart came back to me.”
“It did?” Katie was lost for words.
Alexis nodded. “And each holiday from college, every time you camehome to us, I found another piece of that shattered heart.”
“Oh God. Alexis, but I thought—you took my first blood, and thenyou ran.”
“When I tasted you, the final piece of the jigsaw of my heartslotted in place, and I ran in terror, because I know what it means to feelthat for a human. What happened to Anna…I couldn’t do that again.”
Katie stepped right beside Alexis and slipped her hand around herwaist.
Alexis allowed her fingertips to caress Katie’s cheek. “There’ssomething no one has told you about your attack.”
Katie stepped back. “What? Why?”
“The Principe and Principessa wanted to give me a chance toconfess.”
Katie was starting to panic now. Why had she been kept in thedark? What could Alexis possibly have done?
“What?”
“When I found you, you were nearly dead. I felt panic and painlike I had never felt before. Then Byron and Amelia came, and Amelia saw yourspirit rising out of your body. I didn’t think twice. I ripped open my wrist tofeed you blood. Byron told me not to do it, told me not to break our rule ofconsent, but I didn’t care about your consent. I carried on and was about todrip blood into your mouth when Bhal arrived and stopped me. She then savedyou.”
Katie was silent. She didn’t know what to say or think or do. Hermind was struggling to take it all in.
“The next morning you could have woken up to the decision ofliving your life as an undead vampire or facing an agonizing death. I’ve alwayshated Victorija for doing that to me, and all I can say is that