Confused, Elspeth hurriedly tossed the sheets and duvet aside, leapt from bed and rushed into her bathroom. She skidded to a halt on the cold tile floor, though, when she spotted herself in the mirror over the sink.
“Dear God,” she breathed, her gaze sliding over her reflection. She was completely naked, which was odd. She usually wore a nightgown to bed, or at least a T-shirt and underwear, but that wasn’t what had her gaping. It was the dried blood covering her body. It seemed to be everywhere, in her hair, on her face, her neck, her chest and stomach, arms and legs.
Elspeth ran her hands lightly over the streaks and clumps of dry blood and shook her head with bewilderment.
“What the hell?” The words were barely a breath of sound, but it startled her out of her inactivity. Giving her head a shake, she forced herself away from the mirror and to the shower. Obviously, she couldn’t do without one, she thought, struggling with her confusion.
Elspeth turned on the taps, and then stepped back as the water sprayed out. As she waited for it to reach the desired temperature, she tried to sort out how she’d ended up so bloodied. She wound up having to run through the last two days, from being stabbed on the soft call, to her visit to The Night Club, which was the last thing she remembered clearly. She recalled leaving The Night Club with Wyatt, chatting on the curb with him as she surveyed the traffic. She’d been considering whether to control the drivers or wait for a natural opening and then—
Elspeth closed her eyes as she recalled tumbling into the road, reaching out with her hands to break her fall, and then being slammed from the left, knocked to the pavement, and then rolling as a dark and hot monster rode over her, repeatedly catching at her, spinning her and crushing her as it passed until she knew no more. Literally. She didn’t remember anything after that until she woke up here in her bed.
“Right,” Elspeth breathed. She’d been hit by a car. Sighing, she reached out to test the water. Finding it just the right temperature, she stepped under the spray and tugged the curtain shut. At first, she just stood there with her head bowed, allowing the water to pour down over her as she thought.
Elspeth couldn’t recall how she’d got home, but presumed G.G. had got her back here. Although, she thought, reaching for the soap and beginning to run it over her body, the mortal bartender couldn’t have done it without help. It would have taken an immortal to keep her from being taken away by an ambulance, she was sure. And to control Wyatt, who would probably have insisted on that ambulance.
Wyatt. Where was he and how had he been handled? Elspeth wondered about that as she ran the soap over her breasts. She then stilled at a sudden flash of memory of someone else’s hands gliding over her body. It was more like a remnant of a dream. A warm body at her back, whispering by her ear, followed by kisses along her neck that sent shivers through her entire body before arms slid around her and hands claimed and caressed her breasts, holding, squeezing, and lifting them eagerly until she moaned and leaned her head back against a strong shoulder. And then she turned her head to the side and a mouth claimed hers, a talented tongue invading to explore as one hand slid away and drifted down over her stomach to slide between her legs.
Gasping, Elspeth blinked her eyes open and then shifted quickly out from under the spray as both eyes were hit with water. Leaning against the shower wall, she hugged herself briefly and tried to sort out what had just happened. Where had that come from? Because it certainly hadn’t been a real memory from something she’d experienced in life. Her mother had seen to that. During the short bouts of time she’d managed to steal for herself away from her mother, all Elspeth had managed to experience were a dozen stolen kisses and a groping session or two.
Realizing she was almost panting, Elspeth closed her eyes and forced herself to relax. She then set the soap back on the holder, and stepped determinedly under the water to let it sluice away the soap and the remaining blood. It took longer than it would have had she used soap and her hands to help with the effort, but the fragment of memory she’d experienced had been disconcerting. Elspeth wasn’t ready for more, so took the time and concentrated on how she would get out of the apartment without her mother knowing. Because she was quite sure that her little car accident would just increase her mother’s protectiveness and make her more determined to stick to Elspeth like glue.
By the time she stepped out of the shower and began to dry herself off, Elspeth had an idea. She dressed quickly, pulled her hair back into a ponytail and then took a minute to rearrange the pillows in her bed, and cover them with the duvet in hopes it would look like she was still asleep. Once finished, Elspeth slid out of her room through the French doors leading to her balcony. It was situated on the flat roof of the open porch that ran the length of the back of the house. Meredith, or perhaps her husband when they’d had the whole house to themselves, had put a deck floor on the roof and a railing around it, turning it into a large, lovely balcony that overlooked the backyard.
Elspeth glanced to her right as she slipped out onto the balcony, relieved to find that, as expected, the curtains were drawn over the French doors off the living room. The only time Elspeth opened the curtains was at night to enjoy the moon and what stars were visible. As an immortal, the sun was something to be avoided, and curtains remained closed unless you had a UV filtering film on the windows. Elspeth didn’t have that . . . yet. She planned to get it eventually, but hadn’t got around to it yet. A good thing, since it ensured her mother and sisters wouldn’t open the curtains and spot her escaping.
Easing the French door closed, Elspeth tiptoed quietly to the balcony rail and peered down at the grass below and the edge of the back porch just visible from where she stood. Meredith had told her she loved to sit out on the back porch in the summer with iced tea and a book. But it wasn’t summer yet. It was only a few weeks into spring. Though with the way the weather had bounced between warm and cool, the plants appeared to be a bit confused and some were beginning to bud. Even the grass had been fooled into thinking winter was over and was sending out bright green shoots to mingle with the remnants of grass from last year that the snow and cold had turned brown.
Elspeth was quite sure Meredith wouldn’t be sitting out on her porch this evening, but there was a possibility that her blinds were open and she would be seen. Grimacing, Elspeth started to climb over the rail. She’d have to risk it, and really, Merry knew about the issues she had with her mother and probably wouldn’t be surprised to see her exiting the house this way to avoid dealing with her.
That thought made Elspeth smile faintly as she grasped the rail and began to lower herself toward the grass below. She was acting like a rebellious teenager rather than a dignified hundred-forty-two-year-old.
Elspeth’s legs were dangling in the air between the upper and lower balcony when she heard the telltale swish of Merry’s sliding glass door opening. She’d obviously had her curtains open and spotted her, Elspeth thought with a grimace, but continued to lower herself, only pausing when her hips were suddenly clasped in firm hands. Freezing, she peered down just as Wyatt leaned out to peer up at her.
“Good evening,” he said with amusement. “Need a hand?”
Groaning inwardly, she shook her head and quickly lowered herself until she hung from the lip of her balcony. She dangled there briefly, with her breasts directly in front of Wyatt’s face, and was about to let go and drop to the grass below the lower porch when Wyatt simply gave her a little tug, dragging her down and forward so that she slid his length to land on the porch in front of him.
“Good evening,” he repeated, his voice deep this time, with a sexy huskiness that reminded her of both their kiss last night right here on this porch, as well as the dream remnant she’d recalled in the shower. Shivering at the recollection, she bit her lip, her eyes focusing in on his full, sexy lips as they lowered toward her.
“Good evening, Ellie dear. Do you have time for tea? Or are you rushing to work?”
Elspeth and Wyatt both froze, and then he released his hold on her and smiled wryly as he stepped to the side so that she could see Merry standing in her open sliding glass door.
“Evening, Merry,” Elspeth greeted her. “No tea for me today. I’m afraid I’m running late.”