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He had pissed her off, probably hurt her, and even though an apology perched at the tip of his tongue most of the day, Tegan held it back. He had nothing to be sorry about, after all. He didn't owe the female anything, least of all explanations or excuses for why he came off like the callous bastard everyone knew him to be.
And he wasn't about to give so much as a second's consideration to her request that he help her bring her psychic gift to heel. She'd surprised him with the suggestion. The idea that any female, particularly a sheltered Darkhaven widow like her, would think to put herself in his care for any reason was beyond his comprehension. As if he could be trusted for something like that.
Yeah. Not fucking likely.
Elise made it easy for him to avoid the issue. In the hours since he'd shut her down, she hadn't uttered another word to him. She busied herself around the apartment, making up the futon, washing the breakfast dishes, dusting the bookshelves, going thirty minutes on the treadmill, and generally keeping as far away from him as seemed possible in the cramped quarters. He'd heard her in the shower a while ago and had allowed himself a few minutes' sleep where he sat on the floor, but the water was off now and he was awake, listening to Elise getting dressed behind the closed door. She came out in blue jeans and a hooded Harvard sweatshirt that fell halfway down her thighs. Her short blond hair was towel-dried and as shiny as gold, setting off the pale lavender of her eyes.
Eyes that slid to him in a chilly glare as she went to the closet in the hallway and pulled a white down vest off a hanger. She bent into the closet and took out a pair of tan suede boots.
What are you doing? Tegan asked her as she silently suited up for the outdoors.
I have to go out. She closed the closet door and zipped up the thick vest. You probably noticed my refrigerator is practically empty. I'm hungry. I need to eat, and I need to pick up a few things.
Tegan stood up, aware that he was scowling. The trance won't hold if you leave, you know.
Then I'll just have to try to manage without it.
Elise coolly walked over to the counter and picked up the MP3 player that lay there. She tucked the slim black case into the front pocket of her jeans, then threaded the earbuds under her sweatshirt and let them dangle down the front of her chest. She didn't pick up the blade that had been left on the counter from her Minion hunting of the night before, and Tegan didn't detect that she had any other weapons on her person either.
She wouldn't look at him as she pulled the hood of her sweatshirt up over her head. I don't know how long I'll be. If you leave before I get back, I'd appreciate it if you locked up. I have my keys.
Damn it. She might be hungry like she said, but he could tell by the rigid line of her spine that the female had a point to prove here.
Elise, he said, moving toward her as she reached for the apartment door. If he wanted to stop her, all it would take was a thought. He knew it, and by the look on her face as she turned to look at him now, so did she. I know you're angry about what I said earlier, but it's the truth. You're in no shape to go on like this.
When he took another step, concluding he might as well tell her that he'd decided to turn her over to the Darkhaven for her own safety, she closed her hand around the doorknob and sharply twisted it open.
She couldn't have chosen a more effective weapon against him.
Bright afternoon sunlight streamed in from the vestibule and hall, driving Tegan back with a hiss. He leaped out of the path of the searing daylight, and from under the shielding arm he held up over his eyes, he watched as Elise's pointed stare held him and she calmly strode out, closing the door behind her.
Elise took her time walking to the corner market and shopping for a few basic groceries. With a small bag of items in hand, she strolled up the sidewalk, away from her neighborhood block. The chill air was bracing against her cheeks, but she needed the cold to help clear her head.
Tegan had been right about his trance wearing off once she was gone from her apartment. Beneath the audial grate of electric guitars and screaming rock lyrics pouring into her ears from Camden's iPod, she could feel the hum of voices, the acid growl of human corruption and abuse that was her constant companion since she'd embarked on this dark journey beyond the sanctuary of the Darkhavens.
She had to admit, Tegan's psychic intervention had been a welcome gift. Even though he'd infuriated her--insulted her--the hours she'd spent cocooned within the trance he'd put her under had been so very needed. The break had given her a chance to think, to focus, and in her mind's calm, under the spray of a long, hot shower, she remembered a specific detail about the Minion she'd hunted yesterday.
He had been attempting to pick up an overnight package for the one he called Master. The Minion--Raines, she thought he'd said his name was--had been quite outraged to learn that the delivery had not arrived as expected. What could be so important to him? More to the point, what could be so important to the vampire who'd made the Minion?>But the fact that he was Gen One also made him most vulnerable to things like sunlight, which, at the current hour of morning, was a very real concern.
It's past nine A.M., she said, in case he hadn't noticed. You stayed here all night.
Tegan merely turned away to spoon up a plateful of scrambled eggs. He turned off the electric burner, then popped the toaster and added the slice of bread to the plate. Come over here and eat while it's warm.
Elise didn't realize how hungry she was until she reached the counter and took her first bite of food. There was nothing she could do to hold back her little moan of pleasure as she chewed. Oh, this is wonderful.
That's because you're starving.
Tegan went to the mini refrigerator and came back with a protein shake in a plastic bottle. Aside from the eggs, yogurt, and a couple of apples, there wasn't much more to be found in there. She'd been living on meager sustenance, not because of the cost, but because it was hard to think about eating when her migraines were so severe. Which was a daily occurrence since she'd left the Darkhaven--worse each day she ventured out among humankind to hunt Minions.
You're not going to last, you know. Not like this. Tegan placed the shake down in front of her, then went back to his post against the opposite counter. I know what it's doing to you, living here among the humans. I know how hard the psychic input hits you, Elise. You have no control over it, and that's a dangerous thing. It can destroy you. I felt what it does to you, when I pulled you up off the floor a few hours ago.
She recalled her initial encounters with Tegan, how his touch had made her feel somehow exposed to him. The first time she experienced the warrior's touch had been when he and Dante had shown up at the Darkhaven looking for her brother- in-law. The warriors had confronted Sterling in front of the residence, and when Elise ran out at the commotion, it was Tegan who grabbed her and held her away from the fray.
Now, after last night, he understood the flaw that had kept her prisoner in the Darkhavens all her life. Judging from the dispassionate look he trained on her, she wondered if he intended to see her put back in that cage again.
Your body is weakening from the strain you're putting it through, Elise. You're not equipped to handle what you're doing.
She shook the plastic bottle he'd given her, then cracked the seal. I'm coping well enough.
