Drake snorted and shook his head. "Well then, oh annoying one, what is she thinking."
"That you both need to keep your mouths shut," I snarled at the two bickering vampires. "We don't need to draw any more attention to us than we already have."
"Agreed." Wynn nodded and moved to stand. "We need to get her inside before we attract the whole household with her blood."
Everyone took a deep breath and let out a needy sigh before we realized what we'd all done. Clearing my throat, I tried to reach for her, but Wynn held tight.
"It's fine. I've got her." Wynn brushed passed me to the bedroom door, which was still ajar from when we had all rushed out before. We filed in one by one with Marcus bringing up the rear and closing the door behind us.
Darren stood by the bed with a glass of water and bandages. My lips ticked up on their own. Always the prepared one. Pushing that thought away, I focused more on Piper. Wynn laid her down on the bed and turned her head to the side. She groaned and flinched away from his touch, and no wonder, the side of her neck was a mess. Valentine hadn't been just eating to feed, but to hurt. It made the fact that he hadn't gotten any on his clothes even more astounding.
My anger bubbled up inside me like a simmering pot of water just seconds from boiling over. I couldn't believe I had let this happen.
"How could we let this happen?" Allister parroted my thoughts from the other side of the bed, sitting down on the mattress and picking up Piper's hand like it would break any moment. "We're supposed to keep her safe and we didn't even know she was in trouble right outside our door?"
Wynn grabbed a washcloth from Darren and proceeded to clean the wound. If we'd been just a second later, Valentine would have ripped her throat out. I tore my eyes away from her, the sight the blood spurring my disgust instead of my hunger for once.
A loud thud followed by splintering wood filled the room. Drake huffed and growled, his hands full of the wooden post he'd just broken off at the foot of the bed. "I say we stake the bastard. Wait until dawn and stake him in his sleep. I have the weapon right here."
Rayne snorted. "And then what? Our master would be on us in an instant. We'd never leave this place, let alone alive."
"Rayne's right." I nodded, taking slow, deep breaths to clear my head. "We cannot act rashly right now. That is what Valentine wants, and for all we know what our master wants. No." I paused, focusing my gaze on Piper. "What we need to do right now is make sure this never happens again. Someone must be with Piper at all times. No leaving her behind."
Rayne gave a dark chuckle. "She's not going to like that."
I shot him a look. "Well, I'm past caring what she wants in this matter. Piper is ours. We will protect her better than this. We have to."
The room sounded their agreement. Then Wynn shifted toward me on the bed. "She needs blood. Since she's your human servant..." He trailed off, letting me fill in the blanks.
Unbuttoning the cuff on my sleeve, I traded places with Wynn. I lifted my wrist to my mouth and bit down until I tasted copper. Turning my wrist toward Piper, Allister helped me lift her up without hitting her neck wound. I pressed my bloody wrist to her lips, coaxing her to open her mouth.
Piper groaned and tried to turn her head, but I tut-tutted. "You must drink, Piper. Drink." I forced my wrist between her lips and her tongue hesitantly lashed out at the fluid filling her mouth. Her eyes snapped open and her hands grabbed my arm tightly to her, sucking down the blood like her life depended on it. And for just a moment, I realized how much I could have.