Sunshine flooded in through the wall-sized window of my bedroom. I must have passed out drunk last night and forgot to close the curtains. "Ugh, dammit," I groaned and slipped out of bed to pull them shut. What the hell happened last night? My eyes scanned the room and landed on the blonde curled up on the left side of the bed. In the blink of an eye, everything came rushing back to me. I drank from Jess. I didn't want to but my God did she taste so good. That AB Negative blood of hers was my favorite. I sat back down on the bed and pushed the hair out of her eyes. She had wrapped herself up in covers and was sound asleep. I was about to go have the cooks make her some breakfast when she began to roll over. I caught sight of the swollen mess that was her left wrist. "Holy shit," I gasped taking it in my hand. My touch made Jessica whimper and stir in her sleep. "D-did I do this to you," I whispered. In an attempt to remember, I closed my eyes. I remembered what Jared did; but then I fed her my blood so everything healed. I drank from her...I remember her struggling a bit in the end, but I didn't think anything else happened.

A hard, fast knock came from the door. I raced to it, not wanting whoever it to wake Jessica up. I need to get my blood in her system while she's still asleep. If she wakes up, all the pain from that wrist is going to be so awful. She doesn't deserve that. "What? What couldn't wait until I came downstairs Jared," I growled in a whisper, opening the door.

"Well good afternoon to you too, jackass." A masculine voice retorted. A man with midnight black hair neatly swept to the right side stood in the doorway. His eyes were a dark green and his skin gently bronzed. He sported dark blue jeans and a white t-shirt. Oh, great, this morning just got a lot worse.

"Hi Finnigan," I grumbled.

We sat in the dining room as several servants hustled about making breakfast and cleaning in the kitchen behind us. One would swear the kitchen belonged in a five-star restaurant it was so big. "So let me get this straight. Dad wants you to take Jess up to the cabin in Mammoth, without me?" I sipped my coffee and glared across the table at my brother.

Finnigan nodded, "after the nonsense that was your birthday party yesterday dad thinks it's mandatory. She needs a stranger to teach her how best to serve the McClain family. He called me and told me that he needed my public relations expertise, and I was happy to help." I hated him so much. Just because he's older and more successful he thinks he's better than I. Why did dad have to demand she go off with him? I'm able to take care of her perfectly fine. Hell, we dated. She picked me for some reason, I was a good guy for the most part.

"Well, thanks for the offer but I can take care of my girl just fine."

"You don't have a choice, Tanner. Dad said she comes with me for the week, or she gets sent back to the boarding house. I'll take good care of her. It'll be a lot less work for you too." Fucking great. This is so unfair. One slip up and dad drags Finnigan down from his pedestal to show me up.

"Why the hell are you here? You've been gone so long I hoped you were actually dead." Jared mumbled as he walked into the room and took a seat at the table.

"I came to clean up your stupidity, as usual," Finnigan shot back, ignoring his absence in the family as usual. "We need to get going. It's been nice catching up. And thank you, Jared, for making my family look like fools once again. Because of your charade last night my father is paying me to take a vacation."

"What the fuck is he blathering about, Tanner?" Jared asked annoyed.

"Finn is taking Jess for a week. His Royal Douche-ness doesn't think we are fit to train her because of what happened last night." Which in all honesty was his fault, but I won't go there. My head hurts too much to argue.

Jared rolled his eyes, "that's ridiculous. After what I did last night your father should be begging me to train the sluts around here. You don't see Jess acting up anymore do you?"

"Because you nearly killed her in front of half the party. That's not the mature way to act. If she misbehaved you should have pulled her aside to correct her. Not stop the entire party. I'm sick of listening to you two. I'm going to go tell the girl to pack her things." He stood and sped to the door but I beat him there and blocked the entrance.

"You can't go in there," I blurted. I can't let him know I fucked up even more last night. Would dad take her for good when he found out? "And why not? Did you do something? Good God, did you kill her? It hasn't even been twenty-four hours! Tanner, let me through." Finnigan's eyes widened in worry.

"No. It's not that. I just-"

Jessica's blood-curdling scream cut me off.

Fuck. She's awake.

Finnigan shoved me aside and I tumbled down the stairs while he kicked in the door.