Free Love Bites by Lynsay Sands Page B

breathing heavily, her eyes darting around in search of something with which to barricade the door. Unfortunately, there didn’t appear to be any options. She briefly considered dragging the dresser over from against the opposite wall, but then she decided that if she had the strength to drag it over, he probably had more than enough to push the door open, barricade and all. What she really needed was a way to lock herself in. But, of course, there wasn’t any.
    Giving up on the idea, she forced herself to move away from the door in search of a weapon. Rachel didn’t know where she was or who those people were, but they had taken her from the hospital, messed with police files, and at least one of them thought he was a vampire. Self-defense seemed an important consideration.
    Â 
    Etienne frowned up the stairs. Rachel didn’t appear to be taking this very well. She’d rather resembled a scared rabbit fleeing to its hole, a reaction from her that he hadn’t expected. Redheads were usually feisty. Of course, she wasn’t sobbing hysterically or anything annoying like that.
    â€œShe isn’t frightened so much as confused and embarrassed,” his mother said.
    Etienne tossed an irritated glance her way, and she joined him in the hallway. He hated it when she read his thoughts. He also didn’t much care for the fact that she could obviously read Rachel’s. He himself couldn’t.
    â€œI’ll have to find her something to wear and explain the situation to her,” he said absently. “I have some joggers that might do for now.”
    â€œShe’ll hardly wish to wear your joggers,” Marguerite said dryly. “She needs her own clothes. Something familiar to make her feel more in control. Bastien?” She turned to peer back at Etienne’s brother. “You brought her purse when we left the hospital, didn’t you?”
    â€œYes.” He joined them in the hall. “I left it in the kitchen.”
    Marguerite nodded. “Go fetch her keys then, and we shall go retrieve some proper clothing for the girl.”
    Etienne felt himself relax. His mother’s suggestion would give him a little more time alone with Rachel,hopefully enough to at least explain things. It would be less difficult than with his mother and Bastien there.
    When Bastien returned with the keys, Etienne ushered his mother and brother out of his home. Then he turned to survey the stairs.
    Rachel. Rachel Garrett. He straightened his shoulders and headed up to explain the situation to her. He was sure once she realized it had been the only way to save her life—and once he had extolled the benefits of this new life he had given her—she would be grateful for what he had done.

Chapter Five
    â€œYou what?”
    Rachel gaped at her handsome host, her hands squeezing the loofah-on-a-stick she had hidden under the blankets. It was a pretty pathetic weapon, but the only one she’d managed to find. Thinking that even a pathetic weapon was better than none she’d crawled back into bed hoping that a loofah combined with a surprise attack would be enough to save her from anything untoward. She’d huddled under the blankets until a knock had sounded at the door.
    Her “Yes?” had held a startled note. It had revealed her surprise at the courtesy of him not barging in.
    The blond man Etienne had entered, and Rachel had watched him warily. Much to her relief, he’d come alone. Then he launched into a long drawn-outstory about how he was indeed her crispy critter, as well as the rifle-wound victim from work. She had sat in amazed silence as he explained that she had indeed been felled while trying to save him from the ax-wielding madman Pudge, and that he had saved her in return by turning her into a vampire like himself and the rest of his family.
    â€œI turned you to save your life,” Etienne repeated, a hopeful expression on his face.
    Did he expect a