"Dahlia, I'm just trying to help you get away. They know you're dead. I refused to call you back. I'm hoping that if you're gone, then you can stay that way. I just want to help."
"Bleed."
That was not what he'd expected. "What?" He tried to sit up, but her fingers tightened. He couldn't even see her, but she could hold him in place.
"I need you to bleed so I can build a form, you idiot. Either that, or I can fuck you again."
He'd thought she was looking for revenge for a second there. He could handle feeding her. Thane coughed around the pressure on his neck. "I didn't bring any weapons, babe. Nothing to cut with. Won't say no to another romp with you, though."
"Fuck you. I can do it myself."
Pain seared his arm, just below the elbow. He jerked back, but couldn't move. Her icy grip held him, pressing toward the bed. Thane just let her have it. He'd asked for this. If she killed him, he deserved it. Only a fool would invite something like her into his bed, so what did he expect?
Her mouth sucked at the wound. Her tongue flicked over it. She hadn't bit deep, but the blood trickled up to vanish into nothingness. Second by second, she was forming, a translucent outline of her body lying across him. As he checked the time through the shimmer of her body, he realized that she truly looked like a ghost.
"Bite deeper, babe. It's ok."
She paused, looking up at him. "What?" Her voice sounded closer.
"More blood fills you faster, right?" Thane reached out and traced her face, barely able to feel it. "I owe you, Dahlia. I know how this works. I'd just prefer that you don't kill me. But I kinda understand if you feel you need to."
For a moment, she just stared, probably thinking. Then she bit. This time it wasn't a little thing. She bit him like a vampire, even if she wasn't looking for a vein. Her teeth were sharp, something he'd never noticed before. Maybe that was just how teeth felt, regardless of their shape, but damn, that fucking hurt! He clenched his jaw and refused to jerk away.
Now he could feel the suction. Gulp by gulp, she drank him in, solidifying before his eyes. He looked at the clock again. Barely half an hour had passed since he'd arrived. They still had time. He didn't need to rush her anymore. She'd be whole before the sun was up. Thane leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
He woke to a cold, wet rag tossed in his face and the most beautiful blonde he could imagine glaring at him from across the room - naked. She pointed to his arm, then leaned against the dresser. The blood still leaked out. He pressed the washcloth against it and sat up.
"When am I?" she demanded.
They'd done this before. This time he knew she meant exactly what she'd said. "We found your body around nine p.m. It's..." He leaned forward to see the clock. "Three forty-five. Same night."
"Thought that felt fast."
His brows shot up. "What did?"
She ignored him. "Where am I?"
"Southwest side of Addison. Maybe half an hour from Dallas."
She nodded, accepting that. "I need clothes."
That was one thing he hadn't thought of. "Um, I've got some gym clothes in my truck. You're welcome to anything that fits. Pretty sure I have a jacket or something in there."
"Shoes."
He shook his head. "You might be barefoot for a bit. I'll make up for it with some cash."
Dahlia chewed at the side of her lip. "Why are you doing this? A few hours ago you threw me in a cell to suffer, and now this? I don't fucking trust you anymore, Thane."
"I want to know what's really going on."
"Money and clothes first. You come back and I'll think about it. You call your buddies and I'll kill you."
"Deal." He snagged his keys from the dresser beside her and left.
She was naked, which meant she couldn't make a run for it. He had questions, she had answers, and once again she hadn't killed him. He hadn't been sure about that when she showed up, but as he jogged to his truck, he knew he was right. Dahlia might be strong and resourceful, but she certainly wasn't evil. The woman sitting in that hotel room was desperate and afraid, even if she wouldn't show it, and right now she needed someone she could rely on.
Thane unlocked his truck and dug through the back. He could be that person. For as long as he could remember, he hadn't trusted the Church. Meeting her was just one more reason to doubt. Oh, he didn't have a problem with all churches, just the one that fueled the Inquisition. They weren't simply a religion anymore. They were a death squad - a cult - and they'd do anything to cleanse the world of whatever they didn't understand.