Sacrifice (Book 2)

Chapter 13 - Silence

The dull, steady rumble of the plane's engine irritated Ethan as he reviewed what he had learned about the woman sitting next to him gazing out the window. A couple of times when they were alone and out of earshot, he'd asked questions-but getting information out of her was like interrogating a hostile witness. It was frustrating. She wouldn't answer him or even make eye contact. Hell, he'd been looking at the back of her head the entire flight. While they were stuck on the plane, it was useless to try and pry anything out of her.

Clearly, she was suffering from PTSD and the victim of a horrific crime. The marks on her face were evidence. She hadn't fallen through a window or been in a car accident. He had seen faces cut like that before. The disfigurement was intentional. He didn't need one of Cole's profilers to tell him this was the handiwork of a sadistic psychopath. And to make matters worse, she wasn't healing. The bastard must have put something on his blade. He had no reason to believe Erdo was involved, but if he was, it was another reason to take him out.

Ethan opened the door to Lizzie's apartment and finally relaxed. He walked in after the woman, rolled his suitcase to a stop against the wall, and hung up his coat on the rack.

"You can sleep in here," he said, leading the way to the room Madison usually used. She followed him into what Lizzie called the "Provence" bedroom. The appeal of the bright yellows and earthy colors was lost on him. The she-vamp walked around the room trailing her fingers over the antiques with a dreamy look in her eye. She didn't say it, but if he was interpreting her expression right, she liked the room.

"I'll get you something to eat, and give you a few minutes to wash up." The she-vamp didn't acknowledge his comment or even glance at him. "You're the same size as Lizzie, I think. There are clothes in here that should fit," he said, opening the armoire to show her. "Help yourself to anything you need."

Ethan left her alone and went into the kitchen. He grabbed a couple of mugs and two bags of blood from the refrigerator. He cut the top off one, poured it into a mug, set it inside the microwave and turned it on. While he waited for it to ding, he did the same with the second bag. He took his time. He went through some drawers, opened a few cupboards to see what was in them, and went through Lizzie's mail. He wanted to give the woman an opportunity to settle in before he started asking questions again. Judging by their previous interactions, it wasn't going to do him any good to push too hard.

He knocked on the frame of her open door. "Hey. I thought you might be hungry. This is for you," he said, walking in with two cups. She sat on the edge of the bed and he offered her a mug. Her eyes darted up from the floor to the warm blood for just a second, but she didn't reach for it. For some reason, he got the feeling she wanted the damn food, but was afraid. Of what, he didn't know. "Here, take it," he said, maybe a little too forcefully. He hadn't meant for it to come out like that. But the clock was ticking down to sunrise and he was losing patience. He needed her cooperation. Finally, he set the mug on the dressing table, tired of holding it in his hand. He'd even gone so far as to heat the stupid thing. It didn't make sense. Was she so spoiled she had to have a warm body to feed from?

He leaned against the wall, heel over the toe of his leather loafer, sipping his meal. He wanted to give her some space and a little time to warm up to him. Madison had asked him to travel all the way to Italy to pick up the she-vamp. It must have been critical for her to get out, or Madison wouldn't have broken her silence. He wanted to know from what kind of danger he was protecting her.

He needed to get her comfortable talking to him. He decided to ask some easy questions first, and then go from there.

"Is the room okay?" Continuing to stare at the floor, she didn't answer. "Do you need anything?" Silence. Pushing off the wall, he walked into the bathroom, looked into the shower, and opened the drawers. As far as he could tell, the usual girl products were there. He stepped back into the room and went to the open armoire. He slid the hangers aside as he glanced through the clothes until he came to a pair of black yoga pants and a top. He pulled them out and showed them to her. "Would you like to try these? They might be more comfortable." The she-vamp sat on the edge of the bed with her arms wrapped around her, and wouldn't even give him the courtesy of a yes or no nod.