Demon Night

have recognized she was in pain? For certain, he’d never heard of anything like this—not when both parties were willing, leastwise—and hadn’t thought to watch for it. He’d been focused on fighting his own response.
    “Could it just be that I was so hungry?” she asked softly.
    He met her eyes, saw the hope in them—and the uncertainty. “I don’t rightly know. Next time, we’ll see if it’s the same, all right? And if it doesn’t get better, we’ll maybe ask someone.”
    He saw her struggle with that before she nodded. “Okay.” She drew in a deep breath, her gaze holding his. Her fingers caressed his cheeks as she studied him. After what seemed a long while, she finally said, “I should probably get up.”
    He wasn’t in a hurry to go anywhere. Her titties were naked, and she had the tightest, sexiest belly he’d ever seen. Her ass was seated firmly over his pelvis; he was no longer hard, and her weight felt just fine. “I’m all right holding you like this, Charlie, until you’re steady.”
    She looked down; her face flushed, and her hands flew to her waist, buttoning and zipping. “This can’t be fair. I drank your blood and came all over you, but you didn’t even get off—”
    “And it’s a goddamn miracle I didn’t, Miss Charlie.” He waited for her to finish and glance back up at him. “Don’t be thinking you need to do anything about it. You were just hurting, and though you’re looking awful pretty and sweaty, I ain’t feeling so lustful right now.”
    “Okay.” She watched him for a second longer. “I’m probably keeping you from work.”
    “I ought to do some tonight. But if you need me to stay with you—”
    “No.” She picked up her sweatshirt, held it against her breasts. “I’ll be fine.”
    The swiftness of her response stabbed at his chest, but he pushed it away. She likely just needed a private moment. “All right, then. But if you need anything, don’t you fret about whether you should come downstairs and ask me for it.”
    “Ethan.” Her brows drew together; she laid a soft, cool kiss against his lips before pulling away. “You’ve already given me everything I need.”
    She scooted off him a second later, headed for the bathroom. He stared after her, then rapped his head one more time against the door.
    He hadn’t given her a damn thing worth having.

CHAPTER 19
    Charlie quickly bathed and dressed in the tiny bathroom—just a vanity sink, a shower, and a mirror—before making her way out to the common area. She didn’t want to be alone in that cell of a room; it reminded her far too much of days she’d spent wallowing in self-pity, when she hadn’t truly cared if she lived or died.
    She cared now.
    Only four female Guardians were chatting on the sofas—and no one was at the poker table. All four turned to look at her, and, as one, their brows rose in surprise and curiosity.
    Charlie resisted the urge to touch her face, her hair. A glance in the mirror had told her that she looked better. She didn’t feel better—only sore and tired.
    “Is Ethan—” Charlie broke off when two Guardians exchanged a glance. “Is Drifter here?”
    One shook her head, her dark bowl-cut hair gleaming beneath the lights. Charlie thought her name was Pim. Or maybe Pam. “He’s in the tech room…” The Guardian tilted her head to the side, and she pointed at the stairs. “Actually, not anymore.”
    Charlie turned; Ethan strode toward her, his gaze searching her features.
    “You all right?”
    “Yes. I just…” Wanted to be with him. In the same room, talking with him, seeing him, hearing him. How needy would that sound? “I was just looking for something to do, so I thought I’d work on that class project. And you have my laptop.”
    It appeared instantly in his hands, but he didn’t give it to her. He darted a glance over her head, then met her eyes again. “You want to come with me? It’s a bit quieter.”
    She couldn’t halt her relieved smile. “Yes.”
    His own smile was slightly crooked. “All right then.” Her computer vanished again. “It ain’t nothing exciting,” he said as they walked downstairs. “Mostly, we’re just taking a look at Brandt’s financials.”
    “We” was Jake and the female vampire Charlie had met in Cole’s. Savi’s black hair was short and spiky now, instead of long and straight; she sat in front of a computer in jeans and a Hello Kitty T-shirt that Charlie thought must have been purchased in the