Marked By The Vampire (Purgatory #2)(30)
Author: Cynthia Eden

“If you’d watched those deep wounds heal, the way we did, you would be sure.”

What was that guy talking about?

Shane’s fingers stroked over her shoulders. At the unexpected caress, her attention slid right back to him. He didn’t look like a wild, out of control vampire as he leaned over her. He looked…

Worried. Protective.

How very human of him.

“No more handcuffs?” she whispered to Shane.

He shook his head.

“And I guess you had a nice, big meal before coming back, huh?” Wait, Olivia hadn’t meant to say that and she definitely hadn’t meant for the words to come out with a jealous edge.

Shane frowned down at her. “I haven’t fed yet.” He paused. His gaze heated. “Are you offering?”

“I—no.” Yes.

The door opened then, and a woman with dark hair bustled inside. The woman was looking down at a chart as she entered the room. “I’m running her blood work now. Man, it’s amazing the way Pate had that remote lab set up here. I bet I could even do a bone marrow analysis—”

“No, you couldn’t,” Olivia said flatly.

The woman jerked to a stop. Her brown eyes were wide with surprise as she said, “You’re awake.”

Yes, she was, obviously, and since the woman was talking about bone marrow work, Olivia knew she had to be staring at the doctor Connor had mentioned to her before.

Olivia’s gaze slid to her arm. A small bandage covered a patch of skin on her inner wrist. But that was the only bandage she saw. That other guy must have been bullshitting about her “deep wounds” healing. She didn’t have other injuries. That was all.

Am I lying to myself?

She…was. But others had lied to her, too.

Her stare rose. Fixed on Shane. “You gave them my blood.” And it felt like a betrayal.

He flushed. “We’re trying to understand you.”

“And I’m trying to understand how my life has turned into such a nightmare!”

Pate joined their little party. Perfect. He strode in as if he owned the place. Oh, wait…he does.

“I told you,” Pate said, his voice low and rumbling, “I didn’t think you were prepared for Purgatory.”

Shane’s fingers stroked over her arm once more.

Olivia took a good look around then. She was back in the cabin. Unfortunately. They’d pulled a bed into the center of those red markings—markings that were fully intact once again. Her bottle.

“If I were a genie,” she said—genie, djinn—whatever, “don’t you think I would have realized that fact by this point in my life?”

“I don’t know.” It was the other woman who answered. Olivia couldn’t remember the chick’s name. “Have you ever made things happen? Wished for something then…boom, it was there?”

“No!” she denied.

“Yes,” Shane replied in the same instant.

She shot him a glare. “I think I’d know—”

“You did it at Purgatory. You didn’t even realize it.”

“No.” He was wrong. Had to be.

But he nodded and said, “When we were together in that cave, you wished that I’d tell you what was going on. I did.”

“But—”

“And you wished that we could make it out and that the seaplane would be there to take us to safety. It was.”

She pointed at Pate. “Because he sent it there! Not because I did some mojo magic wishing!”

Pate cleared his throat. “I felt like something bad was happening. I went with my gut, against every protocol I’ve ever followed. It was almost as if I were…compelled to send Connor to Purgatory on that plane.”

Her heart was beating too fast. Her palms were sweating, and her knees felt like jelly. Yet she still said, “You know what that is called? Coincidence! Not magic!”

“The blood work will be done soon,” the woman murmured. “We’ll have more than magic then.”

She didn’t want them analyzing her blood. I don’t want them to see…

A voice seemed to whisper in her head. Hide. Protect yourself. I won’t let them destroy you…I’ll stop them all.

Goosebumps rose on her arms.

Shane was still holding her and the only warmth she felt came from the connection with his hands.

“I want to help you,” the woman said as she came closer. The woman even offered Olivia a faint smile. “My name is Holly, and, believe it or not, I even can understand what you’re going through right now.”

“Really? You’ve been held prisoner by the people you thought were going to help you?” Her head inclined toward a watchful Pate. “That guy over there betrayed you?”

Pate’s gaze dipped to Holly. Torment flashed across his face. His expression stunned her. So maybe her comment about betrayal hadn’t been so far off the mark. Wow. Interesting.

Olivia’s head had stopped throbbing. That was a good sign. Maybe her next escape attempt would go better.

“We want to protect you,” Holly told her. “That’s why Pate is keeping you in custody.”

Olivia’s laugh mocked that idea.

Shane cleared his throat. “Olivia, you need to know that after we left, there were some…incidents at Purgatory.”

She didn’t like that guarded note in Shane’s voice. “You mean more than the hell that went down before we got out of there?” Things had gotten worse?

“Pate’s men made it to the island. The prisoners…most of them are still secure.”

She wet her too dry lips. “Most?”

Pate and Shane shared a hard look. Definitely not good. Shane released Olivia and eased back. She missed his touch because he’d taken that precious warmth away with him.

“The FBI agents can’t find David Vincent.”

Horror flooded through her, but Olivia managed to say, “He’s hiding somewhere on the island. Probably—probably in some of the same places we used.”

“They also can’t find Case Killian.” Pate’s expression was grim as he delivered this news. “His guards reported that the warden was attacked by David, bitten—”

“So he’s dead?” Olivia whispered.

“Dead…or he transformed. But either way, we don’t know where he is.” Pate’s lips thinned. “And if anyone else at Purgatory knew a way off the island, it would be him. The warden had an all-access pass to the place.”