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She glanced around. When had she moved to her wood-burning fireplace in the living room? The grate was empty, a sight that troubled her.
What had Vojalie said to her recently? The words came back like a sword slicing through her. “You’re an empty vessel, Holly. I’m sorry to say as much but others are doing better because they have more to give. They open themselves up to new experiences. They challenge their preconceptions. You’ve got to start doing the same. It’s imperative and I say this both as your friend and as a woman concerned for the safety of our world. You will be needed very much in the coming months and you must prepare yourself. You can’t keep living the withdrawn, careful life you’ve created for yourself.”
How much Holly had resented Vojalie’s words at the time. Yet, when she’d reviewed her life, she’d come to believe there was merit in the woman’s rebuke. Holly was too careful, too restrained, too exacting in her requirements of the men she dated. She’d built a box for herself, crawled in and thrown away the key.
The empty grate stared back at her. Cold. She looked around. All she felt was cold.
She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d had a real date?
Of course, she’d sworn off men for a time, while she studied with Vojalie. She’d thrown herself into her time-pathing studies. She’d become a skilled herbalist and she now excelled at concocting antidotes.
She lifted her arms once then dropped them against her sides. She’d never been so frustrated in her life.
Rez was the cause. Something about him had op
ened this entire can of worms, though she didn’t understand why.
She headed to the shower. Maybe getting cleaned-up from being so close to the fire and smoke in Millerell would soothe her raw nerves.
But when she took off her tunic and red-flowered pants, she saw that both were caked with Rez’s blood. A shudder ran through her as tears sprang to her eyes.
She stripped down and put her clothes in a pile she would tend to later. She then stepped beneath the warm spray, washed the smoke from her hair, and scrubbed herself clean.
Usually, a shower made her feel better. Yet even as she toweled off then began blow-drying her hair, nothing within her body seemed eased at all. She rubbed her hand over her chest. Her heart labored even more which made her think again how much she’d wanted to donate earlier instead of having Wanda do the job.
Her thoughts turned to Rez and desire flowed all over again, this time in heavy demanding waves.
She’d been too long without a man in her life. That was the underlying problem. She needed to start dating again.
But that wouldn’t help anything right now.
She grew very still, aware of her vampire nature. She had a very specific need right now.
Would it be so wrong to use Rez to take care of her?
Would he even be willing?
~ ~ ~
Rez was feeling the buzz now. After seeing the bottom of three glass mugs, his joints felt loose. The beer had even helped a little with his perpetual stomach cramping.
Wanda kept him company between serving the other bar-huggers. He had his elbow on the polished wood and his face propped up in one hand. One eye was shut. Battling and beer would do that to a warrior.
“Holy hell, would you look at that.”
Wanda’s cursing wasn’t so unusual, not among rowdy shifters and vampires. But it was rarely because of an unexpected sight.
Rez lifted up to look at her. The music was loud so he’d just barely heard her. “What? Look at what?”
Her hands were frozen around a dripping mug she’d been washing.
“Your woman is back. That’s what. And has she let her hair down.” Wanda even grinned.
Rez scowled and made his slow tongue work. “I don’t have a woman.” He only had his overworked fist and an ancient stone smithy he didn’t want to go home to.
Not tonight.
Tonight, after maybe one more beer, he’d head to Holly’s place and see if he could persuade her to work with him to find Isobel. If anything else happened, of a more carnal nature, he’d consider it a perk.
