Her stomach rumbled as she paced the confines of her bedroom. The necromancers had left her alone in the hours since dinner, and for that, at least, she was grateful. She’d spent that time trying to think of any way out of her predicament but had yet to come up with a viable plan.
A knock sounded at the door. Drawing on her vampire speed she raced to the bed as the door opened. If she had to go for the letter opener, she wanted to be close enough to reach it.
Tarian stepped into the room before closing the door behind him.
Again her heart lurched at the sight of him. It wasn’t fair that she knew what he was but her body’s reaction was unchanged. There was nothing good about this man. He wasn’t the mate she’d been waiting for. He was just a manipulative bastard.
“What are you doing here?”
“I brought you a snack.” He held up a glass of blood.
Her stomach twisted at the temptation, but she shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”
“Liar.”
He walked closer to her, and her eyes flicked to the camera above the door. As always, the red light indicating its power was glowing brightly.
Don’t attack unless you have to, she reasoned. Dominic could be watching her every move.
“I’m sure you must be feeling exhausted after your ordeal,” Tarian said, his face blank. “A few sips and you’ll feel better.”
“As if you care about my comfort, necromancer,” she hissed. “Every word between us was a lie.”
“Of course,” he replied. “It was most amusing to see how easy it was to wrap you around my finger. A little affection and you were ready to do anything I wanted. No magic needed.”
Don’t slap him, she ordered herself. Don’t rise to his bait.
“I hate you,” she said instead, honesty dripping from her words.
His smile slipped. “I know.”
She waited for another taunt, but he said nothing. Melissa frowned. What was he waiting for?
“Why did you bring me blood?” she asked.
“Dinner wasn’t enough to keep you going. Aren’t you hungry?”
She wasn’t a fool. Not anymore. “It’s unnecessary to drug me when I’ll be helpless once the sun comes up anyway.”
He held up his hands in the universal you-got-me signal. “I confess this blood might be spiked, but we both know you’ll drink it one way or the other. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
She shifted backward. “As far as you are concerned, the hard way is the only option on the table.”
Instead of sending his power to flow over her, however, he only waited.
“What are you doing?” she demanded. His words were what she expected from an enemy, but his actions were not. He made no move to force her. He didn’t even bother getting too close.
It was she who took a step forward, studying his face.
Something wasn’t what it seemed.
A tiny click, only audible to immortal ears, sounded in the quiet room, and they both turned to see the red camera light switch off.
Free, she thought, ready to take advantage of the camera malfunction. She might not be able to escape, but at least she could take her pound of flesh without Dominic calling in backup.
Flying to the bed, she grabbed the silver letter opener even as she heard Tarian call out.
Fire flashed up her arm when her fingers touched the cursed metal, but she didn’t pause. Whirling around, she drove the blade toward Tarian’s chest.
The glass of blood smashed to the floor as Tarian blocked her attack and neatly twisted the letter opener from her hand.
“No,” she cried as the burning metal fell to the ground. It had been her one chance. The only time she could hurt him the way he had her.
Tarian didn’t even glance at the fallen weapon; instead he grabbed her wrist and forced her hand up to his view. Burns blistered her fingers, and angry red welts littered her palm.
“What did you do?” he breathed.
“Let go of me, you monster,” she snarled, tugging at her hand.
But he didn’t let her go. Bending low, he pressed his lips to the unharmed skin of her wrist.
Melissa blinked, looking down at his bent head. “What new game is this?”
“No game,” he said, rising. “We need to get you out of here as soon as possible.”
Hope tugged at her before she forced it back. “You’re lying,” she reasoned. “This is some new trick, and I’m not playing.”
Tarian grabbed her arms, giving her a shake. “Listen to me. I only rigged the camera to give us a brief window of opportunity. We need to leave while we have the chance.”
She studied his face and saw only honesty. “I don’t understand.”
“Dominic’s plan will set both our races on a collision course. I’m trying to stop a war. Help me do that.”
“What do you care?”
His hands tightened on her. “My people will die, just as easily as yours, if you stay in my grandfather’s clutches. I’ll take you back to New York, Melissa, but you have to trust me.”
“Sure. Hell should be freezing over any day now.” She tore herself from his grip.
Tarian ran a hand through his hair. “Fine, but you want out of here as much as I do. I’m your ticket, sweetheart. Make your choice.”
Melissa glanced at the deactivated camera. Dare she believe him? If it was a trick, she wouldn’t be any worse off than she was now, just a bit more humiliated, and that was survivable.
But if he was telling the truth…
“I don’t trust you,” she said. “I do, however, need you.”
“Good enough.” He held out his hand.
She hesitated before slipping her uninjured hand into his.
“Let’s go.” He tugged her out the door.
The hall was empty as they crept toward the stairs.
“This is insane,” she whispered.
“Most people are asleep,” he replied. “The whole night schedule thing is not a popular decision.”
“I’m betting the guards aren’t asleep.”
“Luckily, there’s a distraction in the back of the house.”
Melissa glanced at him and saw the utter concentration on his face. Maybe this wasn’t a prank after all.
They raced down the staircase, hopping over the one creaky step. The guard at the front door was absent, and Melissa ran forward across the entryway.
“Careful,” Tarian said, pulling her back when she would have grabbed the door. “Give me a minute.”
Opening the door, he stepped out into the pre-dawn morning.
Melissa pressed against the wall as she listened to Tarian call out to the guards in the front yard.
“There’s smoke billowing from the kitchen,” he said, his voice filled with urgency. “Dominic wants all hands on deck.”
“We can’t leave our posts,” one guard argued.
“If we don’t stop a fire, there won’t be posts to worry about. I drugged the vampire myself, so there’s no danger of escape. Why else do you think Dominic would have sent me?”
“I see smoke rising over the house,” one called.
Melissa arched a brow. What had Tarian done?
“You three go help. I’ll man the front door,” an authoritative guard ordered.
Footsteps ran passed the door as Melissa slid further along the hall wall in case she was spotted.
“I’ll stand guard,” Tarian said. “Go help my grandfather.”
“I’m not leaving this position unless Dominic himself orders me gone.”
There was a pause before magic began to seep through the air. Melissa shivered, rubbing her hands along her arms for warmth.
“Dominic is requesting you,” Tarian said, but something was off about his voice.
Inching closer to the door, Melissa dared a small glance around the corner.
The guard stood transfixed, staring at Tarian with a blank expression.
“You will go and help the others. If
anyone asks, another guard is holding the door.”
“Another guard is here,” he said, swaying slightly.
“Good man,” Tarian purred. “Now go. It’s an emergency. Run.”
The guard took off at a hard sprint.
Melissa ducked back behind the door as Tarian turned. What had she just witnessed? Necromancers couldn’t command each other the way they could vampires. What had Tarian done?
But before she had time to puzzle out the strange occurrence, Tarian popped around the door.
“Come.” He held out his hand.
Better the devil you know, she reasoned, joining him.
He pulled her out into the yard as they ran for the cars parked in the driveway.
“Please tell me one of these is yours,” she said.
He already had the keys in his hand. She spotted one car’s lights flash as Tarian pressed the button on his fob with a beep.
She slid into the passenger’s seat as he jumped behind the wheel. With a turn of the keys, the engine roared to life.
“Hang on,” he said, wheeling them around.
Melissa bit back a cry as they reversed into another car before Tarian stomped the gas. Grabbing for the door handle, she held on tight as they shot forward across the flat desert landscape.
“We’re going to be pretty easy to spot,” she said as the speedometer climbed above a hundred.
“The kitchen will keep them busy for a few minutes, and I’ve got a recording of you lying down set to play on a loop when the cameras switch back on. We should have at least a bit of time to put distance between them and us.”
“Did you go all Firestarter on the house or something?”
“It’s just a very small, contained fire,” he replied. “External damage only, nothing that will harm the structure of the building. My goal is to save lives, not endanger them.”
She twisted on the seat to face him. “You better start explaining what the hell is going on, or I will be introducing you to my claws and stealing this car.”
“Try.”
Fangs exploded in her mouth as she hissed at him. “I am not playing.”
“Neither am I,” he shot back. “Nothing about this situation warrants humor of any kind.”
“Who are you?”
“I already told you that. I wasn’t lying when we met.”
She scoffed. “I beg to differ. I think several rather vital facts were left out of our initial conversations.”
His fingers tapped against the steering wheel. “Nothing I say right now will make you any less angry at me. Just trust that I had nothing to do with your kidnapping.”
“Right. Date a necromancer and then get abducted by a whole group of them. Total coincidence.”
“As incredible as it seems, I don’t walk around with criminal intentions, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.”
“Well, aren’t you one of a kind.”
She saw his jaw clench tight enough to make a vein throb in his temple. “You have an ignorant view of my people.”
“Given the current situation, I think my belief in the danger of necromancers is pretty damn valid.”
“One group,” he stressed. “One small faction of radicals. They do not speak for the entire population.”
“Yes, because the rest of you are cuddly teddy bears. Must have been a different race that laid waste to half of Europe during the necromancer wars.”
“My only point is, not every one of us is evil,” he said. “I came to rescue you, didn’t I?”
Melissa leaned back against the car door, her body angled to face him. “So you weren’t pursuing me with evil intent?”
He glanced at her before turning back to the road. “No.”
“Then why…”
“What is the point of defending myself, Melissa?” he cut her off. “You already think I’m a monster, along with the rest of my people.”
She didn’t deny his words, and her silence only caused him to grip the steering wheel tighter.
“Tell me how this plays out for you, necromancer. You can’t imagine my people will welcome your return to the city with open arms.”
“Luckily, I have days to convince you to be my champion.”
Melissa snorted. “Not bloody likely. I’m getting on the first plane I can find.”
“You’ll never reach New York,” he replied. “My grandfather is a powerful man. Necromancers will either catch you boarding or disembarking. Hell, they might hijack the whole damn plane. They’ve shown their hand with your abduction. No turning back now. They have to recover you at all costs. Air travel is not an option.”
Dread filled her. He wasn’t wrong. The race was now to see if she could reach New York before the necromancers reached her.
“I’m sure you’re about to offer a plan that’s not in the least bit self-serving.”
“We drive,” he said shortly. “We use cash, and we stay as far off the beaten path as possible.”
“With you.” There was no doubting the disdain in her voice.
Tarian glanced at her then back to the road. “Right now, Melissa, I don’t care if you hate me. This is far bigger than you or I. All you need to focus on is getting back to your father, and I can help you do it.”
She tapped her fingers on the door handle as she considered her options. Though she didn’t have her purse or credit cards, she could surely beg a phone call from someone. Her father had contacts all over the country. There must be somewhere safe she could go.
Her next move, however, was the least of her current problems.
“I’m going to put a pin in this argument for the moment,” she said, trying to keep herself calm. “Because dawn in coming.”
She held out her hand to show small wisps of smoke curling from her fingers.
Tarian swore as he swerved onto the side of the road. “Get out,” he ordered, jumping from the car.
Melissa pushed free of her seat just as the sun broke over the horizon. A cry tore from her as light hit her body. Agony flared in every cell in her body as her skin started to blister. Full-on flames were only moments away.
But then Tarian was there at her side, ushering her toward the open trunk. He lifted her in and shrugged out of his jacket.
“It’s not perfect, but it will keep you protected while I find somewhere to stay for the day,” he said, throwing the jacket over her head.
Melissa heard the trunk slam shut, encasing her in near darkness. The collision from their escape, however, must have warped the trunk’s seal. She scuttled back as far as she could to avoid the thin strips of sunlight streaming through gaps. When she woke she’d have some serious blisters to heal, but at least she’d survive.
At least, as long as Tarian didn’t wait till high noon and open the trunk to roast her alive.
He risked a lot to free me, she reasoned. I’m valuable to him alive.
But in the end it made no difference whether she could trust him or not. Dawn was fully upon her, and she lost her struggle to keep her eyes open.
As she slipped into her daylight sleep, she prayed Tarian would find some way to keep her safe from the merciless sun.
Chapter Eight
She opened her eyes to the water stained ceiling of a cheap motel. Turning her head, Melissa saw Tarian lying next to her, sound asleep. One arm was thrown over her waist, and she wasn’t sure whether it was to keep tabs on her or just an unconscious caress.
Moving slowly so as not to disturb him, she twisted her head to scan the room. It had been many years since she’d been in such a run-down motel. She wouldn’t be surprised if she’d seen it as the setting in a horror movie.
The yellow walls and wood paneling had a distinctive seventies vibe, as did the beaten down forest green carpet. A television with old rabbit-ear antennas perched atop the one set of drawers, but she could see its electrical cord had been chewed through by some small creature.
Tarian had wisely stripped the bed of the ugly floral bedspread which lik
ely hadn’t seen the inside of a washing machine in months. The only light came from the single bare bulb set in the center of a slowly rotating beige fan. All in all, the room wasn’t worth whatever fee Tarian had paid for it. And that was absolutely perfect. No one would ever imagine an heiress to bed down in a place like this.
Turning back to her bed partner, she wondered what her next move should be. She might be able to use her super speed to run from the room before Tarian woke enough to trap her with his magic. Once on her own, however, was she better off or worse? She didn’t know this part of the country, but Tarian obviously did. If she could reach a phone and contact her father, backup would be sent her way, but it would still take time to reach her—time where she’d be vulnerable.
Of course, choosing a necromancer as a traveling companion came with its own host of pitfalls.
Better on my own, she decided. At least if she failed, it would be due to her own choices, not because she was naïve enough to trust an enemy.
Melissa eyed the door, knowing she’d only have one chance. She’d have to be fast. Faster than she’d ever been before.
Behind her Tarian inhaled as his body started to wake, and she shot from the bed.
She was out of the room and flying down the corridor in seconds. Decreasing room numbers flashed passed her as she sprinted for the stairs. Her vampire speed allowed her to cross the distance in a fraction of the time it would take a human.
The stairwell was only a few feet in front of her when magic washed over her skin
No, she thought as her legs stopped running.
She jerked to a halt, standing frozen in the motel hallway. Without her permission, her body turned, and she saw Tarian leaning against the doorjamb of their room. He hadn’t even bothered to chase after her. Not that he’d need to.
With his powers surrounding her, her feet moved forward of their own accord as she walked back to her betrayer. Unlike when Dominic had controlled her, Tarian’s magic wasn’t biting. It caressed her skin in a touch that was unwelcome but not wholly unpleasant. The fear she’d felt when Dominic had controlled her was absent under his command.
Dying to Date Page 7
