Read Blood Debt (Touched Series Book 1) Online
Authors: Nancy Straight
“How very kind of you
,
M
iss
Zandra
!
I’m so pleased. I will definitely relay to my father how accommodating you have been.” Gage held out his elbow for me to hold as he escorted me to my room. When we were outside my bedroom door, he pressed his lips to my forehead a second time and said, “I’ll see you in the morning, Camille. I had a lovely evening and look forward to tomorrow.
Sleep well.
” Gage turned his attention to the guard, “Please alert me if you are concerned for Camille’s safety. Do not enter her room without me. Do you understand?”
“I understand, Mr. Richardson. Have a good evening.”
Gage’s smirk was undeniable. I had no idea what he was up to
,
but I was pleased that he seemed to have far more influence in this house than I did. I turned in for the night
,
and although I hadn’t mentioned to Gage that I hated the idea of being watched while I slept
,
I was thrilled that he somehow knew it to be true. I crawled into bed and was
excited
for the first time in a long time
;
there was a ray of hope for my future.
I heard a ruckus out in the hallway about an hour later. I was sure I had heard Gage’s voice, something about a b
at in his room
. I saw a blur by my door but was half asleep and paid it almost no attention, at least until I realized I wasn’t alone.
The illumination from the windows brightened the room. I
felt a gentle hand caress my cheek, and heard a low whisper. “Camille, it’s me. I had to see you.” I
knew
who was kneeling beside my bed when those beautiful ice blue eyes came into focus.
Chapter 30
“How did you. . .”
Drake held his finger to his lips. “Gage created a diversion to get the guard away from your door.”
“But, I thought you and Bianca . . .”
Drake shook his head at me before I could even get the words out. “I brought you something.” He took some salve from his pocket and motioned for me to sit up.
He continued kneeling beside my bed, h
is fingers gently put
ting
the cooling ointment on the wounds around my neck. His touch was light
;
if I hadn’t felt the relief I wouldn’t have known he was touching me
.
I had become so accustomed to the burning sensation
on my neck
that the
cool from the ointment
was indescribable
.
As my body concluded it was Drake’s touch it felt, a
new fire began to spread from his touch.
Once he had used his healing hands on my neck, he brought the full force of his stare on me. “I’ve missed you
,
Camille.
” My senses went into overload
:
I could feel my hands trembling, my heart pick
ing
up speed
,
alone
in a room with someone
who
not only wanted me, but was eager for my touch as well.
I reached my palm to his jaw
. H
e closed his eyes, as if savoring the feeling.
I felt the stubble on his cheek, the warmth of his skin
,
and
felt my island oasis here in the flesh
. Drake put his hand over mine,
opened his eyes
,
and
his stare held me motionless as I tried to find the words. He was the first to recover, “
I’ve thought of you every day.
” The hopefulness in his eyes wouldn’t let
me
go.
I knew I couldn’t take the heartache. I couldn’t profess feelings for someone I knew I could never have
. Doing so
would be the thin
g
that actually broke my spirit – it would leave me a ghost of a person.
I tried to speak but nothing would come out
.
I tried to look away
,
but my eyes refused. Instead I sat there, my hand remain
ing
on his cheek, memoriz
ing
the feel of his skin, dr
inking
in his scent, knowing this was the final farewell.
“I can’t read your mind, Camille. I won’t make you read mine.” Before I could protest, his lips were on m
ine and his
arms
pulled me
tight
ly to his
chest.
My rapidly beating heart tried to lunge from my chest
,
and I couldn’t breathe. His breath was hot
.
I felt my whole body aching for his touch. His lips found their way to my ear a
s
he whispered, “Run away with me. Tonight, right now. We’ll leave and never look back.”
I hadn’t uttered a word since he arrived
,
and I knew he was waiting for me to say something.
My only answer,
“Drake, we can’t.”
He wasn’t deterred,
“Yes, we can. Gage set it up perfectly. He’s willing to take the heat. All we have to do is leave. Come with me, Camille.”
“I can’t. The necklace won’t let me leave.”
“
Gage
said he took care of it. He gave you permission to do anything you want tonight.” As he said the words, Drake
’
s hands found
my
flesh and
began
softly caress
ing
the small of my back
,
sending goose bumps all over my body. Until he said it, I had been so wrapped up in Drake that it didn’t occur to me that kissing another man had to be some sort of
crime for the necklace
,
yet
nothing had happened. A small ray of hope emerged
,
and I thought for half a second that I might actually be able to run away.
“That was only part of it. I can’t leave.”
“I can take it off.” I knew he wouldn’t be able to, but the thought of running away, being free, overwhelmed the self-preservation side of my consciousness. As Drake’s fingers touched the clasps of the necklace
,
a
powerful
electric charge rocked us both and sent Drake flying into the wall and me back onto the floor. I could tell each electric charge continued to get stronger and shock me for longer periods of time. I didn’t scream out like before
.
I knew
the
“warnings” I had been given initially had been painful, but they were just that – warnings. This latest singed the barely healing skin around my neck
,
cut off my air
and opened the scabbed wounds all over again
. I w
asn’t sure how many
more warning
s I would be afforded
. T
he device could prove fatal if I didn’t follow its rules.
Drake ran back to me as soon as he had his bearings.
“I’m so sorry! Are you okay? Camille, talk to me!”
“Keep your voice down. I’m fine
,
” I whispered. We both listened for the footsteps outside my door. I didn’t hear any and was able to take a breath.
Fresh blood trickled down my neck
as I watched the revulsion on his face
.
“Does she know what that does to you?” He asked horrified at the results.
“Of course
,
she knows. She put it on my mother when she was supposed to marry Gage’s dad. She already told me it stays on my neck until I’m married.”
Drake held me tighter, his body pressed hard into mine,
“Camille, I can’t lose you. Not to Gage, not to anyone.”
I stood up, clinging to Drake,
absorbing his warmth
,
pulling all the comfort from him that I knew I’d need to survive another day.
He said more to himself than to me,
“We’ll figure something out
.
I promise.”
It was an empty promise. Zeus himself wouldn’t be able to deliver on this one. Drake spent the night holding me. I felt stronger in his arms and reveled in the dream that we could run away. But my reality kept reminding me
-
that dream was never to be.
As the dawn arrived
,
I wasn’t sure how we were going to get Drake out of my room. He must have noticed my increasing nervousness. Without releasing me from his hold, his lips found their way to the skin not
scorched
from my
torturous
device on my neck
and
my
ear. He whispered, “I’ll be waiting for you in your closet tonight. Gage will keep you downstairs long enoug
h for me to get into position.”
“You’re going to hide in my closet?”
“Unless you have a better idea. Gage can’t come up with a distraction every night; it would cause too much suspicion.”
“So, Gage, he doesn’t mind?”
“Are you nuts? Gage knows how I feel about you
. S
o does Bianca.”
I could hear my heart pounding in my chest,
scared that I might ruin the moment, but more fearful of not knowing the answer,
“How
do
you feel about me?”
Drake gave me the strangest look.
Sarcasm oozed from his voice when he said,
“I’m fascinated by your threshold for pain.
How do you think I feel about you?
” His lips found mine in an aggressive and needy way. His hands clung to my flesh as if it would be the last time he would hold me for a lifetime. I didn’t know what
would happen the rest of the day, and
in th
at
moment
,
the earth could have stopped spinning and I wouldn’t have given it a second thought.
I heard a light tapping on my door, “Darling, it’s Gage. Ready for breakfast?”
I looked wide eyed at Drake, and whispered, “Darling? Are you sure he’s okay with this?”
Drake rolled his eyes. “It’s an act, Love. He needs to be convincing or your lunatic
g
randmother will ban him until your wedding night
,
w
hich means I’d have to go
,
to
o
. Go spend the day with your fiancé
.
I’ll be waiting for you tonight.”
I called toward the door, “Gage, I just need five minutes to freshen up.”
“
All right. I’m starving
. H
urry up.
”
Drake and I were both on our feet. The pangs of adrenaline started to grip me when I realized I’d be able to see Drake again tonight. I had just spit the last of my toothpaste into the sink and rinsed when Drake came up behind me
. I looked at the reflection of us in the mirror. His arms
wrapp
ed
around me
as he
seemed to be transfixed by the couple in the mirror, too.
His lips were at my ear, while his eyes were glued to the mirror
. H
e confessed, “I started to believe I’d never hold you again.”
I couldn’t respond. I felt my welled
-
up desire for him begging to be released. I turned my body so that I faced him, slipped my hands up under
the back of
his shirt and rested my head on his chest. I felt his hands
stroke my hair as he waited for me to say something. His lips kissed the top of my head
as I confessed
,
“
I never stopped thinking of you. I don’t want to wake up without you next to me. I don’t want fantasies anymore
.
I want you.
”
Drake placed his hands gently on either side of my head and pulled my face away from his chest
,
so I was forced to look in his eyes. “I need you, Camille.” His lips were on mine
:
they weren’t gentle. Our bodies were tight against each other and our breaths were erratic. I lost myself in him again until I heard a tap at the door that brought me back to reality.
“Drake, I gotta go
.
Gage is waiting.”
I didn’t want our moment to end, but knew I couldn’t take a chance on the guard coming in. “Get in the closet
.
I’ll see you tonight.”