Page 18 of Bloodhunter

“Amias didn’t try to kill me,” I interrupted. “And he’s avampire.”

“Amias is all kinds of fucked-up about what he did to youand the rest of your humans six years ago,” Rhys said. “You lived. He feelsyou’re…his. He’ll protect you.”

I shuddered. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“Doesn’t matter how it makes you feel. It’s the truth,” hesaid.

Someone knocked on the bedroom door. “Dad?”

“About time.” Angus strode to the door, yanked it open,snatched a pizza box, then slammed the door shut. He stomped back to me anddropped the box into my lap. “Eat,” he ordered.

“You need to stop bossing me around,” I told him, around amouthful of gooey cheese. “Oh. Yum.God.”

No one said anything until I’d stuffed three slices of hotpizza down my throat.

“How do you feel?” Miriam asked, when I stopped to breathe.

“Better,” I admitted. I moved my arm, then groaned when themovement caused my muscles to scream. “Sore.”

“You should be sore,” Angus said. “You should be a hell of alot more than sore.”

I sighed. “So you’re telling me that I’m healing from suchdevastating wounds because of the attack six years ago. Because of that bite.”

“That wasn’t a bite,” Miriam said. “That was a sustained,brutal attack that tore you apart. But you put yourself back together and you lived.And thanks to Amias Sato, you gained the ability to kill the most dangerouscreatures on earth. The vampires.”

“And that makes you both dangerous and vulnerable,” Angussaid, angry again.

As though it were my fault.

“I need to take a shower,” I said, tired of them all. “I needto wash the…thevampireoff me.”

No one moved.

“Go.”I flapped my hands at them. “I need some alonetime.” My clothes were crunchy with dried blood and God only knew what else. Myhead ached from being slammed against a brick wall. My nails were broken anddirty. The wound above my collarbone throbbed and burned.

I was a dirty, bruised mess.

Rhys reached into his jacket pocket, then shook some pillsinto his palm. “These will help with the pain. They’ll also knock you out, so…”He shrugged, then placed the pills on the nightstand. “You need more, let meknow.”

“She doesn’t need your drugs,” Miriam said. She ran her handover my arm and took my cold fingers in hers. “Come. I’ll bathe you. Clayton.Carry her to the bathroom.”

Angus’s eyes gleamed. “I will be happy to supervise.”

“Lech,” Miriam said, but she gave him a tiny smile.

“I can bathe myself,” I said, unamused. “And I can walk tothe bathroom.” To prove it, I swung my legs over the bed, then glared atClayton when he took a step toward me. “Try to pick me up and I will break yournose.”

Clayton and I were the only ones who didn’t laugh.

“Out,” I told them.

Angus strode toward the door. “I have to go to work. Don’tleave this house, Trin. The little ones will keep you company and I’ll informthe nannies to call me if you so much as look at the front door. I’ll expectyou in bed asleep when I return.”

Miriam sighed and let go of my hand. “Come, Clayton. I wouldlike a long, hot bath myself.”

And finally, they left me alone.

Too impatient to wait for the tub to fill, I settled for ashower. As the hot water cascaded over me, my thoughts went to the one personin the world I truly hated. The one person I truly feared.