Phoenix Dead (New Adult Dark Romance) (The Vampire Years) Read Online Free Page B

tattoo marking their cheek or brow. A swastika on one, a barrio tear on another. Someone would know who these men were. If I told Danny, he'd find them. He just had to find one and then the other names would fall in place.
    But I wanted to find them first. It was the only way I'd know for sure what had happened to me, what was still happening to me.
    I opened my eyes. “Sorry. They were all like Army, all teeth and long, dirty hair. Most of them had beards covering their faces.”
    “It's okay, Lee.”
    The way he was looking at me, I knew he still had something to ask me.
    “What?”
    “You said something about how they were looking for a virgin.”
    “The other guy, the one that came into the garage. He said I was a 'rarity,' that I was 'untouched.'”
    I sat up, my back to Danny. “My stupid step-father is always telling guys that, telling them I'm off limits.”
    “Why is that, Lee?” He had moved around the table and was standing next to me, our shoulders touching. “Why did he say it all the time?”
    I knew he was probing for something. I'd learned the nuances in his voice with the daily calls and gentle interrogations. I shook my head, playing dumb. I didn't want Danny to look at me as just another victim. I didn't want him to look at me as a victim at all.
    He took my hand, held it. “I read the police reports from when you were in the third grade, when you went to live with your real dad for a while.”
    “You mean before Elliot and my mom kidnapped me off the playground and we moved out of state.”
    “The report didn't name Elliot, just an 'unknown' man.” He let go of my hand and touched my chin, gently forcing me to meet his gaze. It was dark, only one candle, but the room and his face were very clear to me. Like the quick healing, this sort of built in night vision had come into existence after the attack.
    “Would Elliot do that, Lee? Would he put you in danger again to help your mom out?”
    I hopped down from the table and pinched out the candle's flame. “Not like last week,” I answered.
    “Are you sure? I'm pretty certain he knows more about Army than he's telling me.”
    “Only because he wants to find Army and kill him. I mean, Army didn't 'help my mom out,' did he?”
    I moved in front of Danny, knowing he was practically blind now that the candle was out. It was weird, having a guy know so much about me. Half my life I'd been hiding the truth from people. I shunned girls who wanted to be my friends because I couldn't risk what Paul might try with them if I brought them home. Boyfriends were equally out of the question.
    Reaching forward, I found Danny's hands and grabbed them. “It seemed to be about the blood,” I said. “They screwed Sandy, didn't they?”
    “Yes.”
    "They didn't touch me like that.” I stepped closer to him, close enough that my breasts pushed against his chest. “Even cutting my clothes away, it didn't seem sexual. I think it was so it wouldn't interfere with them biting me.”
    I heard him swallow but he didn't say anything. His hands gripped mine, squeezed them and didn't let up.
    “I'm afraid they're going to come back, Danny.” It was a lie, but I wanted him to comfort me. I rested my head against his shoulder and inhaled his scent. He was starting to sweat in that cool dark room. I put my lips against his throat, felt the heavy throb of his pulse running through his neck. His whole body tensed, but he didn't pull away from me.
    “We already have a watch on your uncle's house, Lee. They won't get you if they come back.”
    “What about the people Elliot lets into the house?” I raised my body up on tiptoe until my lips were along his strong jaw line. His lower body was almost centered against mine now and I felt him stirring against me.
    Letting go of my hands, he grabbed me by the shoulders and forced me to take a step back. “Lee, you're not asking me--”
    “Asking, no.” My hands found his belt line and I curled my fingers around it. I