had best stay here, ma petite,” the man said behind her. “You are not well enough to leave just yet.”
The words were as soft as lamb’s wool, the English touched with the pleasant lilt of an accent, yet she was not deceived. There was steel behind the voice, and she knew she would never escape without a fight.
“You need not fear me,” the man said, getting to his feet. He turned, and she could see he was indeed very handsome … and very dangerous. Though his face was almost expressionless, his eyes, more yellow than brown, seemed kind—but Aria did not believe for a minute that this man was kind.
“Who are you?” she demanded.
“One who means you well.”
She retreated until her back was against the door. “You’re one of them,” she said.
“You remember?” he asked, arching his dark brows.
Aria curled her hands into fists. “You were with them,” she said. “You were in that place.”
“If you remember so much, you know that I took you away from those who would have harmed you.”
She knew no such thing. She thought this was the man who had touched her during the few brief seconds when she had fought her way free of the mist that filled her head. She thought he might have lifted her up in his arms.
But that meant nothing. She bared her teeth.
“If you want me,” she said, “you will have to kill me first.”
The man sighed. “I do not want you, and I have no intention of killing you. Come sit down before you fall.”
Taking stock of her body, Aria realized that she might very well lose her strength at any time. The mist was gathering behind her eyes again, and her legs felt far less steady than they had when she first stood up.
“Stay away from me,” she warned.
The man sighed. “What is your name?”
“What is yours?” she retorted.
“Cortland Beauregard Renier, at your service.” He bowed deeply, then walked to the couch and picked up the blanket. “And as I am a gentleman, I recommend that you cover yourself.”
Aria stared at the blanket and glanced down at her dress. Heat rushed into her face. She had not been aware enough until now what the gown revealed, and though she was not ashamed of what nature had given her, she had seen the look in the eyes of the men who had handled her. The same look she saw in the stranger’s eyes.
With a burst of courage, she darted forward to snatch the blanket from the man’s hand. As soon as she grasped it she lost her balance, tottered and began to fall. He caught her, lifted her up with a strength she could not resist and returned her to the couch. She scrambled away from him to the end of the sofa, drawing up her knees and pulling the blanket over them.
“Bien,” the man—Cortland Renier—said, and sat down in his chair. “Now we will talk like civilized people.”
Civilized. How she had come to hate that word. Franz had used it to refer to the world she was about to enter, as if it were a good thing. But “civilized” meant you went hungry because there was nowhere to hunt, nothing to do but root through heaps of discarded food along with the stray dogs. It meant asking questions no one could or would answer, and most of all it meant people who looked nice but proved to be otherwise.
“Let me go,” she said.
“You can hardly leave until you are properly dressed.” He settled back as if he meant to reassure her. “I have no suitable clothing at the moment, but if you will be patient—”
Aria wanted to laugh. “I can make you let me go. When I am stronger—”
His brows arched higher still. “I do not plan to keep you prisoner,” he said mildly. “It is my intention to restore you to your family, a plan I will set in motion when I know your name.”
“My family?” The laugh burst out of her, thick and wrenching. “I have no—”
The look in his eyes stopped her. They were piercing and sharp, as if he already knew everything that had happened to her since Franz’s terrible accident in New York.
“What is your name?” he asked again
She wanted to tell him. She wanted so desperately to trust someone, anyone, and he had not restrained her or tried to hurt her in any way. She could almost believe he meant her well.
But she had believed that before. Believed because she had to think that she would find the people Franz had said would welcome her in San Francisco. Her own kind. The ones who could answer all her questions. She had thought then that she couldn’t make it all the way to the West Coast without help, not in this strange and unknown country with its unfamiliar customs and terrible cities, and seething crowds of humans.
Still, she had made it here, though she had quickly learned that it was better to be alone than to rely on any stranger.
“I don’t need your help,” she said.
“The Hemmings?” he asked, as if she hadn’t said anything at all. “The Phelans?” He shifted his weight on the chair. “Did you run away?”
Aria jerked up her chin. “I didn’t run away from anyone.”
“Ma chère, this bickering will do neither of us any good. I saved you from a terrible fate, and—” He stopped abruptly. “Did those men do anything that.” His gaze shifted to her waist, then below.
A great rush of heat made Aria feel as if the blood was boiling under her skin. “No,” she said. “They didn’t hurt me.” She looked away quickly, but not before she saw the relief on Cortland Renier’s handsome face.
“Thank God for that,” he said. “But you might not be so fortunate next time. That is why I have no intention of allowing you to return to the streets. Your people—”
“I don’t know my name!” she burst out.
The silence lasted so long that Aria had to look at him again. Renier was still frowning, but now she could see that he was bewildered, as well.
“How is that possible?” he asked.
Now that she had decided to lie, she had to do everything she could to make the lie seem true. And in the most important ways, it was. She slumped against the cushions. “I don’t know,” she whispered.
“The drugs,” he said. “You are obviously not well.” He began to rise. “You must eat and rest. Tomorrow, when your mind is clear—”
“It wasn’t what they did to me,” she said. “I don’t remember anything.”
His eyes narrowed. “Forgive me if I find that difficult to believe, chère.”
“I don’t care what you believe. I don’t know where I came from.” She shivered
