stop.
“No one would hold up to what you were going through forever, anyway,” Charles said. “If you’d taken much more, I think you’d have gone insane. And a crazy vampire, well, more than one person would die from that, I think.”
His words were soothing as he held her, and she leaned against him. For a long minute, they said nothing. Then Charles murmured, “Show me the rest. Show me the night you and Mario came for Kent.”
Doreen nodded, and looked up again, until their gazes met.
“Come, Dori.” Mario’s voice, again.
“I don’t want to.”
“You have no choice. You’re bound by a blood oath.”
“I think I’ll just sit here.”
“No, you won’t. The outfit I’ve selected for you is hanging on the chair. You want to break free, don’t you? This is the way to do it. This is half of your promise. And there is one there whose blood will help make you stronger.”
“I don’t want to be stronger.”
Mario smirked. “Only the strongest can stay free, Dori. You’re a bit slow in the head, aren’t you? Get dressed, and come.”
She shook her head. He walked out of the room, not sparing her another glance. I’m not going. I’m not going. But five minutes later, she was dressed in the leather cat suit he’d laid out for her, and sitting in the back seat of a Lincoln Town Car. The clothes made her think of Emma Peel. Another time, other circumstances, and she might have thought it was sexy. Now, it only seemed menacing. There was a zipper that could take the neckline as low as she wanted. No doubt Mario wanted it pulled up to make her look more dangerous. She pulled it down as low as she dared, out of sheer obstinacy. Mario didn’t give her a second glance. If he had, no doubt she would have pulled it up again.
Charles broke her reverie. “So then you came to Dark Xanadu the first time.”
“Yes.”
“And you say this blood bond had a hold on you?”
Her heart beat faster. It must sound so improbable to him. “Please, believe me. That’s what happened.”
“Until last night, I would have said magic was even less likely than the existence of vampires. So he singled out me as someone whose blood would make you stronger?”
Doreen nodded. “Maybe because of your magical ability. You were really great last night in the basement, and I have noticed something. You taste better to me.”
“Are you biased?” His eyes glittered with amusement. Maybe he believed her after all.
“Absolutely. And becoming more so all the time. But, I’m afraid it’s not only you. The woman who had the wand tasted extra good too, and I suspect it was because she could do magic as well, had magical potential, or whatever it is. I may be biased, but a gourmet meal tastes good even when it’s made by an enemy. Or in this case, made of an enemy.” She turned away from him. He watched me feed on them. He knows what I really am. A hungry, bloodsucking animal. “If I could live on nothing but you, I would.”
“So why didn’t you jump on me and start feeding?”
Doreen thought about that. “That was what Mario expected, I think. He made sure I hadn’t had anything to drink for a while, so I was definitely hungry. But he’d have made me drain you dry, Charles. If I could seduce you first—hold you under the sway of my gaze—then I could easily make you forget everything that happened, and then we could leave you alive.”
Charles nodded. “But maybe Mario was lying.”
“Excuse me?”
“He could have made up the whole business about me being the right person to make you stronger. He wanted to take me out, and he used you—as the weakest of his team in combat at least—to take out the enemy’s weakest piece.” Charles paced the floor. “I suppose his motives don’t matter a lot now. Kent sent him straight to hell.”
“You think I’ll go to hell when I die, too?”
“Hmm?” It took Charles a moment, and then he chuckled. “No, I don’t think so. I was using a metaphor.
“No one would hold up to what you were going through forever, anyway,” Charles said. “If you’d taken much more, I think you’d have gone insane. And a crazy vampire, well, more than one person would die from that, I think.”
His words were soothing as he held her, and she leaned against him. For a long minute, they said nothing. Then Charles murmured, “Show me the rest. Show me the night you and Mario came for Kent.”
Doreen nodded, and looked up again, until their gazes met.
“Come, Dori.” Mario’s voice, again.
“I don’t want to.”
“You have no choice. You’re bound by a blood oath.”
“I think I’ll just sit here.”
“No, you won’t. The outfit I’ve selected for you is hanging on the chair. You want to break free, don’t you? This is the way to do it. This is half of your promise. And there is one there whose blood will help make you stronger.”
“I don’t want to be stronger.”
Mario smirked. “Only the strongest can stay free, Dori. You’re a bit slow in the head, aren’t you? Get dressed, and come.”
She shook her head. He walked out of the room, not sparing her another glance. I’m not going. I’m not going. But five minutes later, she was dressed in the leather cat suit he’d laid out for her, and sitting in the back seat of a Lincoln Town Car. The clothes made her think of Emma Peel. Another time, other circumstances, and she might have thought it was sexy. Now, it only seemed menacing. There was a zipper that could take the neckline as low as she wanted. No doubt Mario wanted it pulled up to make her look more dangerous. She pulled it down as low as she dared, out of sheer obstinacy. Mario didn’t give her a second glance. If he had, no doubt she would have pulled it up again.
Charles broke her reverie. “So then you came to Dark Xanadu the first time.”
“Yes.”
“And you say this blood bond had a hold on you?”
Her heart beat faster. It must sound so improbable to him. “Please, believe me. That’s what happened.”
“Until last night, I would have said magic was even less likely than the existence of vampires. So he singled out me as someone whose blood would make you stronger?”
Doreen nodded. “Maybe because of your magical ability. You were really great last night in the basement, and I have noticed something. You taste better to me.”
“Are you biased?” His eyes glittered with amusement. Maybe he believed her after all.
“Absolutely. And becoming more so all the time. But, I’m afraid it’s not only you. The woman who had the wand tasted extra good too, and I suspect it was because she could do magic as well, had magical potential, or whatever it is. I may be biased, but a gourmet meal tastes good even when it’s made by an enemy. Or in this case, made of an enemy.” She turned away from him. He watched me feed on them. He knows what I really am. A hungry, bloodsucking animal. “If I could live on nothing but you, I would.”
“So why didn’t you jump on me and start feeding?”
Doreen thought about that. “That was what Mario expected, I think. He made sure I hadn’t had anything to drink for a while, so I was definitely hungry. But he’d have made me drain you dry, Charles. If I could seduce you first—hold you under the sway of my gaze—then I could easily make you forget everything that happened, and then we could leave you alive.”
Charles nodded. “But maybe Mario was lying.”
“Excuse me?”
“He could have made up the whole business about me being the right person to make you stronger. He wanted to take me out, and he used you—as the weakest of his team in combat at least—to take out the enemy’s weakest piece.” Charles paced the floor. “I suppose his motives don’t matter a lot now. Kent sent him straight to hell.”
“You think I’ll go to hell when I die, too?”
“Hmm?” It took Charles a moment, and then he chuckled. “No, I don’t think so. I was using a metaphor.
Similar Books
