When she climbed from the shower, she felt more refreshed and cleaner, but she hadn’t succeeded in scrubbing away the memories of what the Savages did to her. With a sinking heart, she realized she would never be free of those memories, and she didn’t want to be. The hunters who remained there deserved for her to remember and to do what she could to stop it. What that was, she had no idea, but she wouldn’t let Joseph and those other bastards get away with destroying her kind.
She may not have rid herself of the memories, but at least she smelled of soap instead of the rank body odor, garbage, and mildew aroma of that place. Standing before the steam-covered mirror, she worked the tangles from her hair with her fingers before wiping away the steam to inspect herself.
Simone blinked at the image staring back at her. She hadn’t known what she expected to find in the glass, but discovering she looked the same caused her hand to tremble. She’d been through so much and she was no longer mortal, yet that was her pale skin, deep auburn hair, and though she’d been raised not to be conceited, she was aware many considered her pretty if not beautiful.
There were minor differences, such as her cheekbones were more noticeable and she’d lost some weight, but she suspected those differences were more noticeable before she fed from Killean.
Darn it, there was that blush again as the memory returned of his blood filling her mouth while she did things she’d never thought herself capable of doing to him. Refusing to delve into why she’d acted in such a way, she shoved the memory aside and turned away from the mirror. She picked up the robe, slid it on, and belted it around her waist.
She was relieved to find that, with the belt tied, the thick robe was as modest as some of her dresses. Gripping the neck, she held it close together, and after opening the door, she kept one hand on the belt while she exited the bathroom. Killean sat at the foot of the bed with his elbows on his thighs. His dark brown hair stood on end as he ran his fingers through it and tugged at the strands in a way that must be painful.
Sensing something explosive about him, Simone stopped in the doorway. “Are you okay?” she whispered.
Killean couldn’t look at her; not after he’d spent the entire time she was in the shower fantasizing about what it would be like to join her. He’d lick every bead of water from her silken flesh before dipping his head between her thighs. Killean almost groaned when his cock stiffened at the image. He hoped she hadn’t left him any hot water. Shoving himself off the bed, he walked awkwardly toward the closet.
“I’m fine,” he said. She edged out of the way when he approached, and her hand gripped the robe against her neck. He couldn’t stop himself from scowling at her. “I’m not going to attack you.”
“I… I know,” she stammered. But did she?
“I’m not going to try and see your breasts either,” he said and flicked a pointed glance at her white-knuckled grip on the robe.
“I… I…” Simone’s voice trailed off; she had no idea how to respond to him. She should apologize, it was what she did after all, but before she could get the words out, he was speaking again.
“Did they do something to you in there?” he demanded.
Joseph had told Killean the hunters remained chained almost all the time and were off limits, but was that just for him? Joseph was the one who changed her, had he violated her at the same time?
A haze of red shaded Killean’s vision at the possibility. She would never be his, but the idea of such a thing happening to her made his blood boil. No one should ever have to endure being violated, but especially not Simone, who was practically a babe in this world. He wanted to draw her into his arms and shelter her; at the same time, he itched to tear the life from something and batter it into a million pieces.
“They did plenty to me in there,” Simone replied slowly, wary of his red eyes and the violence his tensed muscles, clenched jaw, and the throbbing vein in the center of his forehead radiated. “They chained me, they turned me into a vampire, they starved me, they—”
“Did they rape you?” he interrupted sharply. When Simone’s heartbeat skyrocketed, he realized he’d better rein in his temper; he was scaring her.
“I… uh…” Simone grappled to fit more pieces of her memory into place as she contemplated Killean’s question. She recalled Joseph forcing his blood on her and the agony of the change afterward. And when it was over, she’d woken to find herself chained with the others, but he hadn’t done anything else to her. “No, he didn’t.”
“Did anyone molest you in any way?”
“Other than what I’ve already stated?”
“Yes.”
Looking at him, she decided it was probably best to keep from him the time she tried to escape and the Savages who caught her fondled her breasts. She had no fear he would hurt her, but he looked ready to go on a rampage, and she had no idea what he would do to anyone he encountered.
“No. They mostly left me alone.” It wasn’t entirely a lie, she’d said mostly. “Even when they took me to the bathroom, they would chain me in there and leave me alone.”
Killean’s shoulders relaxed as some of his bloodlust eased. “Good. While you’re with me, you will never have to fear that I will try to rape you.” He’d already assured her of this, but it seemed she hadn’t believed him.
“I didn’t think you would,” she admitted.
He glanced pointedly at her hand on her throat again.
“I’ve… I’ve never…” She despised this blush she couldn’t control. “It’s not because I think you’ll do something!” she blurted. “I’ve never been so scantily dressed around a man before.”
“I assure you, Simone, you are more than properly covered. All I can see is your feet and your face; you don’t have to worry about exposing too much around me.”
“Ah, yeah,” she muttered.
“I’m going to leave the door to the bathroom cracked. If you hear anything unusual, scream, and I’ll be out here in an instant,” he told her.
“I will,” Simone promised.