Lucien said, "We should leave her somewhere they can find her."
"I won't leave her unattended anywhere!" Lucian hissed.
Although Lucien's raven eyes narrowed, he stepped back and nodded his head in agreement. Declan came back with a pot of water, bandages, and medical supplies that Lucian's friend Marta probably had on hand for her and her husband Baldric, along with a pair of towels thrown over his shoulder. The items were placed on the nightstand by Declan.
Loudly, Lucian said, "Leave us." He didn't glance up to see if his order had been followed since he was certain it had.
He lifted a towel and soaked it in the warm water in the saucepan. He knelt down next to Kara on the bed and gently dried her neck's ragged tears. Even though her bleeding had ceased, the seductive smell of her blood tickled his nose.
He inhaled deeply to quench his need for her and wiped the remainder of her blood away. She didn't move much as he worked on the wounds, which were already beginning to heal. He gently held her chin while spraying an antibiotic on the wound and bandaging it. Although her shoulder was still misaligned, it would have to wait until she gained more strength.
He leaned back and saw the healthy pink tint that was forming on her cheeks. Every minute that went by, her breathing became harder, and she could hear the steady pounding of her heart in her chest.
Her head tilted toward him as he ran his knuckles across her face. He forced himself to hold his breath as he awaited her eyelids to open, but she was still asleep. She would not have survived the quantity of blood that Joseph had stolen from her if she had been a human.
He reluctantly withdrew his hand from her before getting up and moving to the end of the bed. He carefully undid her boots while being careful not to disturb her. He removed her coat and placed it near the bed. When he saw the little armament concealed within, a smirk crossed his lips. He took the guns out and threw them into the corridor. He would subsequently dispose of them if someone else didn't take them away.
Before returning to her, he covered a chair in the corner with her coat. The turtleneck she was wearing still fitted her willowy body and handful-sized breasts, despite the fact that the collar had been torn off during her onslaught. He debated stripping her naked to make her more comfortable, but he knew she would be terrified if she woke up and saw him.
He drew the covers reluctantly over her sleeping form and stroked his fingertips over the braid's end. He didn't comprehend the odd impact she was having on him. In addition to wanting her body, he also wanted to protect her by holding her all night long. After all, she had gone through tonight, he didn't believe she would like waking up next to a vampire.
He had thought he was long since dead to the yearning and affection she awoke in him. He was unsure of how to deal with their revival. He had to maintain order and cleanliness in his life if he wanted to prevent himself from giving in to his bloodlust. He felt everything but ordered with this lady. She would ruin his regimented existence just by being here. Instead of feeling resentful of her for it, he found himself yearning for more of her.
He stood up and entered the restroom. He wanted a cold shower more than anything. He undressed, took his glasses off, turned on the shower, and walked into the frigid water. He attempted to quell the yearning for her that was hammering through him as the water splashed over him.
As blood accumulated around his feet, he bowed his head and pressed it against the tiled wall. He wasn't bothered by the sight of it since he was used to seeing and smelling his own blood. His shoulder wound was still bleeding and painful, but it was mending quickly. He had endured worse, and for the rest of his life, he would endure the many further wounds he would get.
He exited the shower after turning the water off. He wiped himself off with a towel before stooping over to the rack to examine his shoulder. Before his eyes, his skin was mending over the wound after the blood had stopped and his muscle had already closed the hole. He was unconcerned about it being infected. An illness or infection couldn't live in his bloodstream because of his vampire DNA.
He tossed his towel aside and strode back into the room, making sure Kara was still dozing off. When he approached the armoire, he became aware of the ivy leaves carved into its solid wood surface for the first time. He opened one of the doors to take a pair of pants out from within, and the hinges squeaked as he did so.
Before heading over to the picture window with the pool beyond it, he put on the pants. was lined with bars. He looked out the window at night and pressed a button next to the window as the moon shined down over the snowy countryside. Over the glass, heavy metal shutters slowly slid down.
It had been over 70 years since he had slain a hunter and experienced the physical ramifications of their death. But since he had spent his whole life hunting Savages, he had become used to their ways and had turned into a monster of the night. He typically slept all day, and when he did, he desired the sun to be hidden from view.
He was aware of the fact that over the years, he had started to resemble the animals he hunted more and more. He was aware of his future self.
He turned back to look at Kara. As his eyes lingered on her plump lips, he wondered if he still felt something savage around her, but he didn't have the same level of bloodlust. He only knew one thing about her: to keep her secure. He could do it and concentrate on it.
He took the brown leather chair out of the corner, arranged it close to the bed, and sat down to keep an eye on her.