Southern Vampire Mysteries - 09 - Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

Author:Charlaine Harris
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Fantasy
ISBN: 9780441017157
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Published: 2009-05-07T05:30:33+00:00

Chapter 10

Cold water trickled over my face and neck. I spluttered and choked as some trickled into my mouth.

“Too much?” asked a hard voice, and I pried open my eyes to see Eric. We were in my room, and only the bathroom light was on.

“Enough,” I said. The mattress shifted as Eric got up to carry the washrag into my bathroom. In a second he was back with a hand towel, dabbing at my face and neck. My pillow was damp, but I decided not to worry about it. The house was cooling off now that the sun was gone, and I was lying there in my underwear. “Cold,” I said. “Where are my clothes?”

“Stained,” Eric said. There was a blanket at the end of the bed, and he pulled it up over me. He turned his back to me for a moment, and I heard his shoes hit the floor. Then he got under the blanket with me and propped himself up on an elbow. He was looking down at me. His back was to the light coming from the bathroom, so I couldn’t discern his expression. “Do you love him?” he said.

“Are they alive?” No point in deciding if I loved Quinn or not if he was dead, right? Or maybe Eric meant Bill. I couldn’t decide. I realized I felt a little odd.

“Quinn drove away with a few broken ribs and a broken jaw,” Eric told me, his voice quite neutral. “Bill will heal tonight, if he hasn’t already.”

I considered that. “I guess you had something to do with Bill being here?”

“I knew when Quinn disobeyed our ruling. He was sighted within half an hour of crossing into my area. And Bill was the closest vampire to send to your house. His task was to make sure you weren’t being harassed while I made my way here. He took his role a little too seriously. I’m sorry you were hurt,” Eric said, his voice stiff. He wasn’t used to making apologies, and I smiled in the darkness. It was almost impossible for me to feel anxious, I noticed in a distant kind of way. And yet surely I ought to be upset and angry?

“So they stopped fighting when I hit the ground, I hope.”

“Yes, the collision ended the . . . scuffle.”

“And Quinn left on his own?” I ran my tongue around my mouth, which tasted funny: kind of sharp and metallic.

“Yes, he did. I told him I would take care of you. He knew he’d crossed too many lines by coming to see you, since I’d told him not to enter my area. Bill was less accepting, but I made him return to his house.”

Typical sheriff behavior. “Did you give me some of your blood?” I asked.

Eric nodded quite casually. “You had been knocked unconscious,” he said. “And I know that is serious. I wanted you to feel well. It was my fault.”

I sighed. “Mr. High-handed,” I muttered.

“Explain. I don’t know this term.”

“It means someone who thinks he knows what’s best for everyone.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.