Rebel Obsession (7 page)

“Drink,” he said. “You have to drink this.”

One whiff and she knew there was no way.

He shook his head and huffed. “You have to. You need it to detox the cobalt out. It will make you feel better.”

Her eyes snapped to his doubtfully, but she found trust and honesty in his gaze. She could trust him. He wouldn’t hurt her, and somehow he knew what was happening to her. She could tell Io had done this before.

She nodded, or at least tried to, but she probably just looked like a bobblehead for all the control she had over her muscles right now. He grinned compassionately, caressing her face with his free hand, trying to reassure her. He knew. Damn, somehow he just knew how to help her.

“Okay, drink. I’m here to catch you.”

She held her breath and let him tip the cup to her lips. Hot liquid touched her tongue and she winced before taking the fluid down her throat in heavy, disgusting gulps.

“Keep it down,” he said. “At least for a few minutes.”

Keep it down? At least for a few minutes?
Oh, God. How bad was this going to be?

He emptied the cup and quickly set it aside before lifting her into his arms and holding her close in a gentle, rocking motion. She gagged at the aftertaste, but he simply kept rocking her, making shushing sounds.

Her stomach was not happy. At all.

“This is a more effective treatment for overdose and addiction than what they gave you at AKM a couple of weeks ago,” Io said. “This is much better.”

Better?
She and Io would have to talk about his definition of the word
better,
because even though she still couldn’t talk, she could feel, and right now it felt like World War III was about to go postal in her stomach.

“Keep it down as long as you can, Miriam.”

Dear God, she was going to throw up.

Not in front of him. Please, not in front of Io.

How much more was she going to humiliate herself in front of this male who made her heart do flips at just the thought of his hands in her hair? She had nearly upchucked in front of him two weeks ago at AKM, and here she was, in his home, about to do it again. And it felt like this time would put last time to shame. Nothing like being an overachiever.

“Sssshhh,” Io said, trying to comfort her.

But she couldn’t be comforted. Her stomach was a roiling inferno. She tried to shove away from him. This was it. She couldn’t hold it back any more.
Toilet, toilet…

“TOILET!”

He lifted her away from him and held her body as she lunged and heaved a mess of blue shit into the commode. Great, gasping, body locking spasms that seemed to go on forever and empty her to the point where she didn’t think she could empty any more decimated her, and still she continued to retch. Through it all, Io managed somehow to hold her body up with one arm while holding back her mane of hair with the other.

After what felt like ten minutes, she finally stopped and fell back against him in a spent heap as he flushed the toilet.

She was exhausted. The soothing chill of a damp cloth being rubbed over her face and mouth relaxed her. After he had cleaned her up, Io gently lifted her in his arms, cradled her, and carried her out of the bathroom. She closed her eyes against the soothing, rocking motion of his body, and then she felt him lower her to a soft, cushiony surface.

He didn’t say a word, but she heard him walk more calmly into what sounded like the kitchen. Yes, it was the kitchen. The refrigerator door opened and then the faucet turned on. The rush of water stopped a few seconds later, and then she heard the sound of a light switch being flipped. Next thing she knew, he was back at her side and his fingertips were brushing her face.

She cracked open her eyes and blinked at him.

“How do you feel?” he said.

“Better. Tired.” Her throat was raw, and she coughed.

“Here.” He handed her a bottle of water, already opened. “Don’t worry. It will stay down,” he said when she hesitated.

She had regained the use of her limbs, although they felt weak and heavy, and she took the bottle and lifted it to her mouth. Yes, the cold liquid felt good going down.

Io lifted the damp cloth and wiped her face again, and it felt wonderful. Refreshing.

“You need to rest now, okay?” he said. “A short rest and you’ll feel better. I promise.”

How could she say no to those eyes? “Okay.”

He stayed with her until she finally nodded off.

* * *

Io sat on the floor next to Miriam, watching her sleep.

He hadn’t thought he would see her again after their encounter at AKM, but here she was. Fate had seen fit to thrust her back into his life. And damn if he was going to waste this chance to be with her. All he had wanted was another opportunity to see her, and his prayers had been answered. Someone up there sure liked him. He glanced to the ceiling, placing his hand on his chest.
Thank you.

When had he ever been around a more perfect female? Miriam was everything he had ever been attracted to. Other than her cobalt addiction, she was the definition of perfection. He had captured enough of a glimpse of her mental fortitude at AKM to know she was no soft-footed glamour puss, either. Something about Miriam told him she was intelligent and powerful, which begged the question, why was she doing the big blue monster? What drove her to shoot up cobalt?

For Io, he had just been plain stupid for taking on cobalt. He had always been more of the daredevil, trying new things just because he could. Io was a risk taker, a rebel. Not a rebel in the way Micah was, but a rebel in that he took dares no one else would take. He liked to gamble and go against the odds. It made him feel alive.

As he’d told the group earlier, cobalt had been one of those gambles. Turned out to be a stupid one, but one he had taken nonetheless.

Maybe Io just liked feeling as if he could beat the odds. Playing it safe was for other people. Boring people. Not him. Io wanted to experience life. All of it. That couldn’t truly happen without taking risks and experiencing the bad alongside the good.

But that still didn’t explain why someone like Miriam, who had it all, and who obviously had the brains and the brawn to go along with all that beauty, flirted with the blue monster. This intrigued him. What made Miriam tick? What pushed her to drug up?

A vehicle pulled into his driveway.

Sev.

He rushed to the door and quietly opened it as Severin and Persephone came up the walk.

“Just what in the hell are you thinking?” Sev sounded like a snarling pit bull.

“Ssshhh,” Io motioned for him to keep his voice down. “She just fell asleep.”

“Is she okay?” Persephone raced past him before he could stop her, but at least she ran tippy-toed.

Sev glared at him. “What are you thinking?”

Io ushered him inside and shut the door. “I knew I could take better care of her here than they could at AKM,” he said.

“Why’s that?” Sev kept his voice down as he entered the living room and saw Miriam passed out on the couch.

“Didn’t Ari tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“I used to be an addict, Sev.”

Severin’s head shot around, his gaze lighting with surprise. “What?”

“Yeah, about a year ago, I was strung out on that shit. Ari didn’t tell you?”

Sev shook his head. “No. He mentioned you two had been through some heavy shit over a year ago, but wouldn’t elaborate.”

“Well, yeah, not many knew about it. Arion. Tristan. Probably Micah, because you know he can’t stay out of people’s heads. But that’s all.”

“Shit.” Sev turned and looked at Miriam again.

Persephone was kneeling beside her then quietly got up and returned to him and Sev. “So, she’s okay?” Her gaze darted uncomfortably from Severin, and emotion flickered in the depths of her eyes before she met Io’s gaze.

That’s when Io remembered that Arion had briefly been engaged to Persephone before the truth had come out that he had already mated Sev. No doubt she felt awkward in the presence of the male who had ended up stealing her fiancé‘s heart…and soul.

That makes two of us, sweetheart.

Io nodded. “I was able to treat her and get her settled down.”

Sev sighed. “You can’t keep her here, Io. She has to go home, or at least to AKM.”

“No,” Persephone said, looking worried. “No, she can’t go home.”

“Why not?” Io asked, startled by how upset Persephone was about the idea.

“Her father doesn’t understand. He doesn’t get Miriam.” Persephone looked down, the telltale shame of drug addiction evident on her face. “He doesn’t understand that she’s an addict.”

“What do you mean, he doesn’t understand? What is there to
not
understand about what’s happening to her?” Io pointed toward Miriam, angry over what he was hearing.

Persephone looked between him and Sev. “Miriam says he pretends he doesn’t see it. Her drug use. It’s like he thinks it will just go away if he doesn’t acknowledge it.”

Was the king insane? Ignoring cobalt abuse was the worst thing anyone could do to stop it. This just proved the point that the vampire society needed better education about cobalt. If the king himself didn’t understand it, how could he expect to get control over it?

“Home is the last place Miriam needs to be right now.” Persephone gave a pleading glance toward Io then Sev. “Please let her stay here.”

Severin shook his head at her then turned a warning eye on Io. “She can’t stay here, Io. You know she can’t.”

True, if Tristan found out he had kept Miriam in his home, he would be up shit creek, and not just without a paddle, but without a boat, too. But he couldn’t send her home, not after what he had just heard. Besides, he couldn’t let the most beautiful female he had ever laid eyes on leave his home before he’d even had a chance to talk to her. Io just wanted her to open her gorgeous blue eyes and look at him. No way was he going to spit on this gift God had given him.

“Sev, come on. You know I can do more for her here. I can help her through this. AKM won’t do anything but turn her over to her father, and he won’t do anything to get to the bottom of this.”

“You don’t know that,” Sev said.

“Didn’t you just hear what Persephone said? Her father refuses to see what’s going on here.”

“It’s true.” Persephone’s face was a mess of fear as she turned toward Sev, practically begging him. “Please. Her father doesn’t try to understand. He’s the problem. He’s why she uses.”

Io and Sev both frowned at her.

“What do you mean, he’s why she uses?” Io said.

Her face screwed up like she was afraid of speaking out of turn. “God, please don’t tell anyone I said this.” Clearly, Persephone knew how much trouble she could get in for speaking ill of the king. After wringing her hands and making a pained face, she said, “He keeps Miriam like she’s a prisoner. She feels like she’s trapped there. He doesn’t let her do anything, and she’s always saying how much she hates it at home, how it feels like a prison.” Persephone paused and looked at Miriam, who remained asleep on the couch. “She just wants to be free. She uses cobalt because….” She paused, looking down with that familiar shame in her eyes again. “She says she uses because it’s the only time she can feel free from her father.”

This was bad. Real bad. He could get Miriam off the shit, but if she just went right back into the environment that had caused her to use in the first place, the chances of her staying clean were slim.

“I can help her, Sev,” Io said. “She needs me. You know with my past that I’m the best one to help her through this. I practically run the cobalt rehab program at AKM, for God’s sake. You know I can take care of her.”

Persephone turned to Severin. “Please don’t make her go home. Please let Io keep her here.”

Severin let out a growl of frustration as he turned his critical gaze on Io. With an aggravated shake of his head, he said, “Okay, fine. One day, Io.” He lifted his index finger in the air and shoved it toward Io. “You can keep her here for one day, and that’s all. And then she goes home.”

Io had been ready to do his own thing, anyway. No way was he going to let Miriam leave under the circumstances. She needed him right now. And he needed her.

“Okay, take Persephone home and I’ll see you tomorrow,” Io said. Then to Persephone, he said, “I’ve got your number on my cell if I need you for anything. And you’ve got mine if you need to contact me, but she’ll be in good hands here. I know what I’m doing.”

Persephone nodded. “Thank you. You have no idea how much she needs someone to help her.” She started to follow Sev out then stopped and turned back. “Don’t be too hard on her, okay? She needs someone who understands. Someone who will listen.”

Io gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. She’ll be fine here. I’m a great listener, and I’ve been through this once or twice.” More like a few hundred times.

Sev grumbled unintelligibly under his breath and scowled back at him. “Don’t do anything stupid.” He ushered Persephone toward the door.

“Me?”

Sev cocked his head as if to say
really?
“Yeah. You.”

“Don’t tell Ari, okay?” Why he didn’t want Ari to know stemmed from the hope that he and Ari could still find a way to be friends. This would be just one more boneheaded move to push Ari further away. Why he would think Ari would think that, though, didn’t make sense. Ari had always had his back. But that had been before…well, that had just been before. Things were different now.

“Are you kidding? I’m not telling anybody about this. I don’t want to go down with you when the shit hits the fan. How ‘bout you do me a favor, and when you’re caught, you say I had no knowledge of this shit you’re pulling.”

Io nodded. “I can do that.”

Just as long as he could keep Miriam with him for one day, he would do anything. Just one day with her. Then he could let her go back home. Right?

Right?

His inner voice refused to answer.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Malek drove around the block from Four Alarm, the club where he and the others usually hung out after their shift ended. But he wasn’t looking for a parking place. What he was after was something totally unrelated to Four Alarm. It just so happened that the ladies-for-hire hung around the place like bees on honey, waiting for drunk patrons to come out looking for a date. A date who wanted only one thing.