Command My Heart ~ Book 2 - The Royal Blood Collection

Chapter 19

Otanawa gurgled as she splashed in the water. I laid my head on one arm over the edge of the tab, moving the rubber duck through the water.

"Give her time," Emmeline said softly.

"What for?" I murmured. "She made it pretty obvious she's not interested."

"If that's the case then why does she look at you like you're the only man that could satisfy her needs?"

"That's great; I don't care."

"You proved your point though. She does want Otanawa."

"But does she realize that yet?"

"Probably not. Those two are smart, but sometimes they can be a pair of blockheads. Stubborn and annoying."

Was annoying the right word to describe Nisha and what happened? Probably. The problem was, I no longer cared.

"I want to leave."

"We know, but the problem is, you're determined to take Otanawa with you, and we all know that the right place for her is here."

"You were raised with vampires."

"Yes, and look at me, Oliver. I know nothing about what I am. How do I know that I won't snap and take them all down?" She whispered with a pained tone. "I don't, and I fear everything within me. I struggle with my emotions. Every time something dire happens, I have to walk away to ensure that I remain calm. Do you think that any of this is easy?"

Lifting my head from my arm, I looked at Emmeline. She took a deep breath in, and when she looked at me again, I could see the differences in her face. Calmer, settled.

"Here she has a chance at learning what is good and what is not so good. You think that you are doing the right thing for her, but I don't agree, I think that it would be detrimental. Besides, this isn't what your end goal is here. You've got Nisha thinking now, she's realized that this kid means something to her and I promise you, she's somewhere in this house trying to wrap her head around it."

"Great," I grumbled. "Doesn't make any difference."

"No, I suppose it doesn't. It's been a very long day, and everyone is strung out from the issues. The house will be closing down for a few hours; you should get some rest."

"Where?"

Because it was pretty obvious that I wasn't welcome in Nisha's coffin.

"I think Ilsen has organized a room for you."

Emmeline handed a towel to me, I unraveled it and waited as she lifted Otanawa out of the water and put her into my waiting arms.

"There's a bottle waiting."

I nodded, listening to the sound of the water gurgle down the drain. Crossing the corridor, I wandered into Otanawa's room, surprised to see that we weren't alone. Nisha turned from the window and looked at me, a vague smile offered. Nothing was returned. I was tired and sick of everything.

Otanawa's bedclothes were laid out. I gently laid her onto the change table and dried her off, smiling as she babbled up a storm. Dressed and rubbing her eyes, I knew it wouldn't take long for her to fall asleep.

Lifting her to my body, I grabbed the bottle of warm blood, giving it a gentle shake as I moved to the chair. It was like Otanawa knew, maybe she could smell the blood because now she was fussing. Her face was screwed up, red and angry. Positioning her wasn't easy, but I persisted, she was much happier once I stuck the bottle in her mouth.