But, no. Fuck that. She’d wanted to know what he meant. He’d followed her story, yes, but he wasn’t about to become a creeper. If she couldn’t handle it, then it would make that much easier to stay away from her after he’d found out all he needed to know. Kohl raised his chin with more than a hint of defiance, only to find her staring at him.
There was no wariness. No panic. Quite the opposite. The warmth was back in her eyes, along with a tinge of belief that he was out of his fucking mind. And she was probably right.
He inhaled, breathing her into his lungs, and made up his mind. “I couldn’t let them hurt you,” he finished lamely.
She frowned. “Let who hurt me?”
Kohl knew he was going to catch a world of shit for this, but she deserved to know. She needed to know. It was very possible her life was in danger. “The human men who infiltrated the club last night and shot up the place.”
Uncomfortable laughter bubbled up in her throat, but it died again before it was fully developed. The smile faded from her face. “What are you talking about, Kohl?”
“You know what I’m talking about. They just forced you to forget.”
“They who?”
“Hawke and Andrew. But it happened.” He paused. What the hell am I doing? “I pulled you behind a tabletop as soon as I knew bullets were about to start flying. One nailed me in the hip, but I barely felt it. All I could think about was that you’d been through too much in your short life to die in some random shooting. And that was before I’d seen you really smile.” His own lips turned up at the memory of the light that radiated from her face when she was happy. “You need to know. It wasn’t a random shooting.”
She held up a hand to stop him from talking. “Kohl, I don’t?—”
“Hawke spoke with you after it was over. He told Andrew to make sure you got home safely. I walked you out. We talked a little. You touched my face. And then Andrew wiped your memory and put you in a cab. He found out where you lived when you told the driver, and made sure your car was back at your place when you woke up.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again. Her eyes widened as the color drained from her face until her skin was ashen. She swayed on her feet.
Kohl took a step toward her, but she held up her hand to stop him before he could touch her.
Kohl kept talking, watching her carefully as his words released the memories Andrew had locked away in her mind. Sometimes it was too much for people to handle. But Devon was strong. She would be okay. He told her more details, recounting everything that had happened, everything she’d said.
Suddenly, she winced and raised her fingertips to her temples. Her knees buckled, and she headed for the ground.
Kohl caught her, and helped her back over to the blanket. He helped her sit, remaining on his knees beside her. He sat back on his heels and waited.
She groaned and pressed her palms to the sides of her head. “What the hell is happening?”
“Your memories are coming back.”
“Coming back? Where the hell did they go?” She winced at another wave of pain. “Wait. Don’t answer that. Fucking vampires.” Her eyes cracked open just enough to glare at him. “You didn’t do this?”
“No.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“Because I can’t mess with your head like that. I can’t read what you’re thinking. And I can’t make you forget things you’d be better off not remembering.”
“But you’re a vampire.”
“I’m only half vampire.” Shit. He hadn’t meant to say that.
She looked at him with a question on her lips. One he wasn’t prepared to answer. Luckily, he was saved as the last remaining wall in her mind came crumbling down and the memory of the shooting slammed back into her awareness with the force of a train. He knew exactly what it felt like, because it had happened to him before.
“Oh my God.” A sob caught in her throat and tears filled her eyes, overflowed, and ran down her face. “Oh my God!”
Kohl reached for her. “It’s okay, Devon. You’re okay.” Pulling her into his arms, he tucked her head against his chest and held her tight against him while the horrors of the evening before returned. This time, she didn’t have the buffer of being in shock. Or the whims of a vampire to keep her calm.
He held her shaking body, absorbing as much of the terror and sorrow as he could, hating what she was going through, but not sorry he’d done what he had. Her emotions tore through him, rousing the beast with their intensity. Kohl gritted his teeth and held fast, determined to be there for her. After all, it was his fault she was going through this. He could have left her blissfully in the dark about it all. But somehow, that just didn’t seem right. So, he held her, and fought back the beast when it stretched its wings and screeched with the need for vengeance.
When her sobs had diminished to an occasional sniffle, and her emotions were so used up and wrung out he barely felt them anymore, she wiped her face on the sleeve of her coat and sat up. She didn’t move away from him, though, and he felt a rush of male satisfaction that she trusted him enough still to allow him to continue to comfort her.
Red, swollen eyes searched his face as her hands gripped his forearms. “You came out of nowhere and knocked me to the floor.” She paused. “You saved me.”
