Hellfire

Chapter Five

I stuffed the biscuit into my mouth hurriedly, trying my damndest not to pay attention to the needle being shoved into my arm by scarred, calloused hands.

'You should be used to this.' Doc commented, laughing roughly. 'You have no qualms hacking the head off a vampire. Most women would be revolted by what you do.'

I shot him a dark look, ignoring the stab of guilt I always had when I saw him. He was bald, but not by choice. Half his scalp was mottled from burns, his face pulled taut on the righthand side, his ear torn and ripped so bad it was more a stub. All of that had been done by me and my fire. All done because he tried to stop me leaving.

'I fucking hate needles.' I muttered as I struggled to keep my temper under control. It crackled beneath my skin like a distant fire. 'And I'll never like them.' I waved a finger at him, accusingly. 'And I'm not normal. I'm a witch.'

'Yet still quail at a needle.'

I stuck my middle finger at him and groped for another cookie sullenly, only to find the plate empty. It made me snippy and I threw my head back into the squishy chair, staring blazingly up at the ceiling. My arm throbbed, the iron needle hard in my skin and pinching me in such a way that made my stomach turn, and I refused to look at the tube hooked up to a blood bag, how black it was now as Doc made sure it pumped me dry. I'd always get so short-tempered and hot when I had my blood was taken, trigging the flaming anger in me.

'How long?'

'We've just started, Susan.' Doc replied absently as he sealed the needle in place with bandage tape and gentle fingers. He paused, tilting his head, his flat nose inhaling subtly, and his bright white teeth flashed into a vast smile. 'We've a guest.'

I closed my eyes when the door rammed open and Ella came in, gripping another plate of cookies stuffed full of white chocolate and brown sugar, all made by Arnold in an attempt to keep me from fainting or blowing up in flames. I could never be sure which he was trying to avoid most, all I knew was that I needed them now.

Ella stood awkwardly, frozen in place at that sight of Doc, horror touching her face. Then I remembered she'd never met Doc. He avoided staying in the house usually, evident by how his bedroom wasn't really a bedroom. Half of it was stuffed full of medicine cabinets, utensils and a small lab. The only sign of a bedroom was the mattress shoved in the corner, surrounded by a select number of biographies and medical books and one cactus. He mostly prowled the grounds in his hulking wolf shape, sleeping in his den beneath his favourite trees, preferring his fur over naked skin.

Doc didn't seem to mind Ella's stunned stare and gestured to the table where the empty plate sat. 'Just put them there, within her reach.'

Ella jolted herself into motion, scuttling over to the table to swap the plate.

'Here, Susan.'

I snatched at a cookie and shoved it unceremoniously into my mouth, soothed enough by the burnt sugar and chocolate warmth to watch as Doc leaned over to offer a large torn hand to Ella. She took it quickly, her hand engulfed by his quickly.

'You're Ella Harris, Alistair's guest.'

I was impressed she managed to keep the blush at the mention of his name and stood haughtily, trying to appear aloof.

'I am. You must be Doc. Susan mentioned you.'

He smiled, flashing his white sharp teeth again, inhuman.

'Be honoured to actually meet him with his human face, Ella.' I said tersely as I grappled another cookie, desperate to keep my flame from growing. 'He's usually in the grounds as his wolf-self.'