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.""I—yes.Of course." Robb frowned."Liz, I'm sorry."He reached out his hand to help her up, and she flinched instinctively.When she saw the hurt in his eyes, she regretted it.But he had bitten her."Liz, you know my secret now.""I won't tell anyone." The words tumbled out of her mouth."I promise."She could see uncertainty passing across his face, but then he closed his eyes.He sighed."I'll be in my lab.You can shower and get dressed before you leave.Liz, I'm sorry—"His voice cracked, and Liz wanted to go to him and comfort him.She shook off the reaction.He was right—he was a monster.He had attacked her."You'll unlock the door?" she asked, trying to sound brave."So I can leave?""Yes," he said."Of course."She stood up, her legs trembling and unsteady.She held her hand against the door to keep her balance."Goodbye," she said firmly.He looked at her, and for an instant she thought she saw the glint of tears in his eyes.Her heart tore.This was the man who had held her in his arms, who had given her more pleasure than she'd ever known.Then he turned away and left her alone in his apartment.She showered quickly, running soap over her body to get rid of the blood.The hot water made clouds of steam billow up over her skin.Normally it would have relaxed her, aroused her even, but tonight she just wanted to get it over with and leave.As she washed herself Robb's face kept appearing in her mind, and her throat choked with tightness.Even though she thought she'd gotten all of the blood, when she toweled herself off there were still streaks of red on the white towel.She threw the soiled towel in the corner of the bathroom and pulled her clothes on hurriedly.Heading out to the door of the apartment, she saw the splashes of blood all over the floor and against the doorframe.Her blood.Her stomach turned and she pressed the back of her hand against her mouth to keep the bile down.She reached out and turned the handle of the door gingerly.The metal handle was sticky with drying blood, but Robb had told the truth—he'd left it unlocked for her.She walked across the foyer and into the elevator quickly, glancing back to see if Robb would come out to try to talk to her.Part of her wanted him to come out, to explain more about what he was, about how this all had happened.Her curiosity flared, and her heart ached, but her body was tense with fear at the thought.The lab door was closed, but it wasn't until the elevator doors had slid shut that she breathed a sigh of relief.Relief.and, too, disappointment."It's over, Liz," she said to herself, her jaw clenched."It's okay.It's all over now."The security guard waved slightly to her as she left, but she did not trust herself to even meet his eyes.Did he know? No.Nobody knew.Nobody except her.The secret of Robb's existence weighed on her mind.She escaped out onto the street and walked quickly down the sidewalk.The rain was falling, but it was not the rain she was used to.The rain in London was cold, misty.The dampness worked its way inside her coat easily and she shivered.Her fingers felt sticky, and she looked down.It was the dried blood from the door handle.Her fingers were red.She held her hands up, cupping them to try and catch the rain.The tips of her fingers went numb with the cold, but she didn't care.She needed to get it all off.Every bit.Every spot.A car pulled up next to her on the road.She thought for a moment that it was Robb, and she turned quickly before realizing that it was only a cab."Ride, miss?" the driver said.Liz got in, stuffing her hands into her pockets so that he couldn't see if there was any blood left on her hands.Her fingers were still a bit sticky with it, the webbed part of her palm still cracked with the dried stuff.She itched."The call said you'd be somewhere down this street.Don't know why you're walking in weather like this, I'da been happy to pick you up at your apartment."Liz was silent.Robb had called the cab for her.Of course."Where to?" the driver said.Liz thought about going back to her apartment.Facing Jenny.She would ask what had happened.What on earth could Liz even say to her? Hey, Jenny, you know that handsome rich guy who's running our lab? Yeah, he's a vampire.Tears welled in her eyes and she pressed her hand to her wrist where it had been cut, feeling the puckered and healed skin.If it hadn't been for that, she would have thought that the events of the night had just been some kind of dream
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