Read Online Her Devoted Vampire by Siobhan Muir - Free Book Online Page A

energy she’d built by
sleeping. Somehow, she had to find the strength to get back to the bed.
    Her
stomach grumbled in commiseration, and she pushed herself forward until she
balanced on her feet. Another moaning journey brought her across the carpet to
the bedside, but she had to lean against the mattress and catch her breath
before she could even decipher what the tray held. Her mind identified cheese,
crackers, grapes, cherry tomatoes, sliced summer sausage, and a hardboiled egg
beside another glass of water and a folded napkin.
    They folded the napkin? Since when do kidnappers have
manners?
    The only
thing missing was silverware.
    Couldn’t make this easy, could they?
    She
barked a humorless laugh. At least they’d cut everything into bite-sized pieces
for her.
    This is just unreal. I’m locked in, but they’re
thoughtfully cutting my food for me.
    Bridget
braced her pelvis against the tall bed and reached for the plate of food. Her
hand shook so much she knocked the water glass off the tray, sending a
crystalline arc of liquid onto the carpet. She cursed as the glass bounced and
rolled a few feet away, leaving a wet trail behind it. She dropped to her knees
to crawl after it, but the muscles protested so much she sat on her butt and
rested a moment, glaring at the glass.
    Smooth move, stupid. Now how are you going to get
back up on the bed?
    She
tried to get her legs back under her, but everything hurt so badly, she could
only fall to her side, eliciting a groan. Reaching out with her left arm, she
made an attempt to pull her weight up, but she didn’t have the strength.
    Shit!
    Anger
and frustration overflowed her eyes in tears. She laid her head on the floor
and let loose all her emotions, including her hunger. Exhaustion washed over
her, and she sniffled her way to sleep, trying to ignore the scents of dust and
dirt in the carpet beyond her nose.
    ****
    Fredrick
found Bridget asleep in an undignified heap on the floor beside the bed. Why
was she on the floor? The scents of anger, desperation and wet carpet assaulted
his nose as he gently picked her up and laid her in the bed. Tear stains and a
stubble pattern etched the skin of her cheek as he tucked the covers around
her.
    He
frowned at the empty glass a few feet from the bed. The food remained
untouched, but a water stain streaked the carpet. What had she been doing?
Throwing the glass?
    He
retrieved the cut crystal and replaced it on the tray, then stood looking at
his unwilling guest. He wished he could explain to her why she had to stay, but
he only seemed to infuriate her each time he tried. She hadn’t touched the
food, but surely she’d been hungry. Given the amount of energy it took to heal,
he’d thought she’d be ravenous.
    Maybe
she hadn’t liked his choices. Maybe she preferred only fruit and vegetables. He
sighed and shook his head at his clumsy attempts to make her comfortable. He
knew so little about her. Before he could stop himself, he reached out and
stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers.
    Bridget’s
skin felt like velvet, and she sighed a little wistfully at his touch. At
least, that’s what he told himself.
    “It will
be better, I promise, Bridget. Just trust me, please,” he whispered.
    She
frowned a little, but didn’t wake, and he retreated before she discovered him
at her bedside. He brought another tray, this one with a fresh glass of water
beside a plate of fruits and vegetables in hopes she’d prefer them to the meat.
    Fredrick
wanted to touch her again, to reassure himself she wasn’t a figment of his
visions, but he forced himself away from the bed and the deliciously-scented
woman in it. Once the danger surrounding her abated, he’d court her regard
properly. But until then, he’d do his utmost to protect her, even if it meant
enraging her.
    ****
      Bridget woke to complete darkness with a vague
memory of spiced apples and gentle hands. Turning her head to scan the room,
she struggled to understand where