SOPHIE STARED AT her hands in disbelief. The flowery smell of blood disrupted her senses. It covered her fingers, staining her skin dark red. Dried flakes crusted beneath her fingernails. The dried blood trailed upward, spreading across her palms toward her forearms. Her stomach twisted with unease and her throat burned.

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, and her memories nonexistent. The last thing that she remembered was falling asleep in Eli's arms.

Just then, Eli sighed in his sleep. The covers pulled against her slightly as he rolled onto his side, toward her. Panic washed through her and she glanced over at him, eyes wide. His nose twitched.

In one swift movement, she jolted from the bed and threw herself into the bathroom. The door clicked shut and she immediately twisted the shower faucet on. Water spilled through the pipes, beating against the shower floor in a torrent of droplets. She squeezed her eyes shut and listened hard. Eli was already stirring in the other room, no doubt able to smell the blood. Horrified, Sophie shoved her hands into the water. It pelted her skin, steaming hot. The blood liquefied, fanning out from each droplet of water as it hit, desperate to escape a watery death.

When the blood was washed from her hands, Sophie stepped away from the water and pressed a palm to her forehead. Her thoughts whirled around wildly. What happened? Where did this blood come from?

She sucked in a sharp breath and lowered her hand. Maybe this was all a horrible dream. A nightmare.

Something red flashed in her peripheral vision. She squinted at it, and realized that her palm was still painted red. A strangled sound escaped her. She wiggled out of her pajamas, which were splattered with blood. She jumped under the stream of water and scrubbed furiously at every service of her body. Shock bristled through her, followed by a stark realization.

This much blood would have definitely killed somebody.

Her panic multiplied, as did her frantic thoughts. Who did she kill? The blood didn't smell human. She couldn't quite place what it smelled like, other than its strange flowery twinge.

"What happened?" she whispered to herself, staring at the miniscule particles of blood caught beneath her nails.

A knock rapped against the door. Her heart jumped and she reached out, snagging her pajamas. She quickly ran them under the water, urging the blood from the fabric. She could hear Eli's sleepy yawn from over the roar of the water. "Sophie? Are you okay?"

"I'm just peachy," she answered. "Just taking a shower."

There was a pause. And then he asked, "At two thirty in the morning?"

Sophie grimaced. Only a few hours had passed since their visit with Wolfe, and since she'd fallen asleep. That notion terrified her. In only a few hours, she'd somehow left their room and came back coated in someone else's blood. Her hands worked hastily at her pajama's, squeezing the smaller particles of blood from the cloth.

Her stomach twisted. "I'm not feeling well," she told Eli honestly. "I just thought a shower might make me feel better. I didn't mean to wake you, babe."

He seemed somewhat satisfied with that answer. Concern entered his tone as he said, "Is there anything that I can do? There might be some medicine in one of the kitchen drawers. I'm not sure how good it would be though. I haven't been sick in a while."

She half smiled. "I'll be okay. I just want to shower. Go back to sleep."

Eli grunted. She could still hear his concern through the door. She listened to his feet shuffle against the floor. Then the mattress squeaked as he laid back down. Her heart pounded inside her chest as she returned her attention to the garment in her hands. It was ruined now, torn in her haste to rid it of blood.

Annoyance seeped through her. She threw the pajamas to the floor and snagged her shampoo from the shelf built into the shower wall. She hurried through her normal shower routine, except doubling it. She didn't stop until she was certain that all the blood had been washed from her being. When she felt like her hair was about ready to fall from her scalp, thanks to all the shampoo, she emerged from the shower. She toweled off and moved to stand in front of her mirror. Her eyes raked over her face.

Small bags were forming beneath her eyes, invisible to the human eye. She sucked in a sharp breath. Eli would most definitely notice, but she could always blame it on her not feeling well, just like her shower.

At least the blood was gone.

She wrapped her hair into a towel and gathered the sopping wet pajamas from the floor. After wringing most of the water from the cloth, she balled them up and then threw them at the very bottom of the dirty clothes hamper. She'd dispose of them later, when Eli wasn't home.

As she stepped into the bedroom, her gaze fell on Eli. He'd already drifted back to sleep, a peaceful expression on his face.

Part of her wanted to tell him. Part of her needed to tell him. But what would she tell him? She'd woken up covered in blood. That was all she knew. There was nothing else that she could say.

She shook her head and started to rummage through the closet. She picked out one of Eli's t-shirts and a pair of pajama shorts. As she dressed, she came to a single resolution.

She wouldn't tell Eli until she had more information.

When she was clothed, she moved to the main room. She sat down on the couch and hugged her knees to her chest. The smell of Eli's shirt calmed her, his musky scent washing the panic from her system. She closed her eyes and attempted to fall back asleep. When that didn't work, she turned the television on and lowered the volume. She stared at old reruns of classic television shows, distracted with her thoughts.

Several hours later, and their alarm clock started to blast alternative rock. A sigh shuttered through her. Sophie forced her thoughts to the back of her mind, filing them away for later. For all she knew, it was just a random occurrence that would never happen again. Right now she had to compose herself. Otherwise, Eli would start to push her for answers and she'd break.

She waited, listening as Eli started to hit at the clock. A smile graced her features as he missed, hitting the dresser in his partially asleep state. Then he managed to find the snooze button and the alarm clock fell silent. She heard a sigh. His hand pushed the covers around atop the bed, the sound almost muffled by the television. His hand moved around more frantic, and then she heard the mattress squeak as he sat up.

"Sophie?"

"In here," she answered softly.

Eli appeared in the doorway within seconds. His hand scratched at the back of his head, partially hidden behind a mop of messy hair. He squinted at the television, following its beam of light to where Sophie lay on the couch. His expression softened, and then clouded with worry. He strolled over and squatted down so that his face was leveled with hers. His hand reached out and stroked her cheek. "How are you feeling?"

Her eyes fluttered shut, pleased with the affection. "Better."

He nodded and leaned closer. The moment his lips brushed hers, all of her worries vanished. She smiled and sat upward, pressing her lips harder against his. Her fingers tangled within his hair. Their lips moved in perfect synchronization. Buttery warmth blossomed through her veins, sizzling with anticipation as his hand found her waist. His fingertips slid under her oversized shirt and tickled her skin. Her own hand trailed downward, over his chest and stomach, toward...

Eli chuckled against her lips and pulled away. He planted chaste kiss against the hollow of her throat. His lips moved upward as he stood, pressing more kisses on her nose and forehead. Then he was standing in front of her, his expression laughing. "I need to go get ready," he said. "Otherwise we'll be late to class."

Sophie pouted at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "But we're the teachers. We're allowed to be late."

Eli glanced back over his shoulder and winked. "The shower is big enough for two..."