Free After Sundown: Redemption by Eden Robins Page B

moved, it would make things worse.
    A loud knock sounded at the door again. She almost jumped. Christian’s gaze narrowed warily, watching, waiting for her to try to bolt.
    “Alyssa, are you there? It’s Aunt Joyce. Open the door. Is everything okay?”
    Christian’s gaze swung from hers to the door. She felt his whole body shudder. Then he slowly loosened his hold. It seemed hours before he finally dropped his hands to his sides. Alyssa felt relieved and bereft at the same time. Slowly she backed away. Christian continued to watch her with cold eyes. She feared he might jump up and grab her again. Instead, he dropped his head into his hands and groaned. The sound was filled with pain. His face was now hidden behind the strands of hair she had ruffled with her fingers. It fell around him like a silky curtain. She had the urge to go to him. Run her fingers through his mane. Make the pain go away.
    Another knock broke the spell.
    Alyssa adjusted her clothing and strode towards the door.
    “Just a minute, Aunt Joyce,” she called out.
    She placed her hand on the doorknob, but didn’t turn it. She took a deep breath. Counted to ten, then turned back towards Christian.
    He was gone. Startled, she did a quick sweep of her apartment, but found no sign of him. He had left her apartment through some way other than the door. That chilled her as she let her aunt in.
    “Alyssa, why didn’t you—look at you! You’re shivering! What’s going on?”
    Her aunt’s concern warmed Alyssa somewhat, but she still couldn’t shake the feelings created by Christian. It was like he had become something else, something not quite human. She knew, of course, on a conscious level that he had already admitted to being a vampire. But that knowledge and seeing the actual phenomenon were two different kettles of fish.
    Without answering Alyssa turned around and walked away. Her legs suddenly felt shaky. She collapsed on the couch with a loud sigh. Too much had happened too fast. She needed to get a handle on things, but she wasn’t sure how. Her aunt closed the door, sat down beside her and placed her arm comfortingly around Alyssa’s shoulders. The warmth and love Alyssa felt encouraged her to talk.
    “Christian just, uh, left.”
    Alyssa wasn’t prepared to explain exactly how.
    Her aunt’s expression turned shrewd and a little smile played on her mouth.
    “Christian? Oh, Mr. Galiano.”
    “Yes, he brought me home a little while ago.”
    “I see.”
    That was her aunt’s only comment.
    Alyssa continued.
    “The evening went fairly well. Except for the fact that I fainted.”
    Her aunt’s brows furrowed with concern.
    “Fainted? You’ve never fainted in your life, sweetie. What happened? Are you feeling ill?”
    “No, I’m fine. And the strange thing is I don’t remember what happened. All I recall is being by myself in my room at the auditorium, then waking up in Christian’s arms.”
    Her aunt raised one eyebrow and her smile widened.
    “You woke up in Mr. Galiano’s arms?”
    “Yes.”
    Her aunt said nothing. She merely waited silently, with an expectant smile on her face. Alyssa resisted saying anything more, but when her aunt kept smiling and waiting, she finally gave up with an exasperated sigh. Her aunt wasn’t going anywhere until she filled in her experience with some details.
    Alyssa told her the rest of the story, except for the most intimate parts and the part about Christian’s disappearance. She wasn’t ready to analyze either of those events, yet. It was always like this with her aunt. Even though Alyssa was the trained therapist, her Aunt Joyce always knew how to get her to talk.
    From the time she was a small child, her aunt had been there to help her through the rough times. Not her mother, who was often “sick” in her room with one malady or another. Not her father, who thought being a parent meant criticizing his only child for the things she wasn’t good at, and trying to force her to do what he