always wanted.”
He laughed and dropped his formal demeanor. “It’s the stubborn-bitch thing. Most vampires like a woman they can’t bowl over. Supposedly, instinct makes us hunt for a strong mate. Only mentally tough people can survive the transformation and thrive as vampires.”
Dara arched an eyebrow. “Unfortunately, your unbreakable will won’t stop me from sending you back to Zarek.”
I raked a hand through my hair. “Look, you said when you were me, you wouldn’t have gone to a vampire willingly either. Can’t I get some sympathy here?”
She met my eyes, and I saw the full force of her understanding. “You have it, but I am no longer you, and I’m still sending you back to him.”
She nodded to Kennedy and Kalen, and they seized my arms. I let them lead me from the room. I didn’t want to start fighting until I had the perfect moment. Right now I’d just get tranquilized.
Regan, just give in. Come home. I jumped as Zarek’s voice filled my head.
I’m not at home with you. Home is a sanctuary. A place where a person feels safe. I’m not safe with you.
Your brother misses you.
Oh, that was low-down and dirty. The pang in my chest told me to go back to my brother. And that traitorous part of me whispered that I should return to Zarek. But, then, Zarek knew that would happen.
He could use a friend now, a sister…I’m a poor substitute.
I laughed out loud, and Kennedy and Kalen passed me a worried glance. For someone he actually likes? Yeah, you are definitely a poor substitute.
Kalen shoved me into the back of the car while Kennedy got behind the wheel. I hadn’t been able to convince Dara to let me go, but maybe I could get Kennedy to. We were friends.
Kennedy started the car, and we drove down the long, winding driveway.
I took a deep breath and prepared for some fancy talking. “Kennedy, you’re a witch. You can’t possibly support this. You’ve hunted vampires your entire life!”
“I’ve also seen what the Scourge can do. Trust me, vampires are the lesser evil.”
That might be, but did that mean I wanted to go back to my vampire? My vampire? Where had that come from? “You really think the vampires are going to let those Gifts go? I doubt it. Zarek will never let me go. If other vampires are half as territorial as he is, they’ll feel the same way.”
Kennedy met my eyes in the mirror. “They’ll let them go. Dara will make certain of it.”
I snorted. “Yeah, like she can keep an eye on them all. The bigger her army gets, the more likely there will be a coup d’état. No leader stays in power forever.”
She didn’t respond, and her eyes returned to the road. Great. I was going to have to fight to get out of this mess. My saviors had suddenly become my captors.
I eyed Kalen, searching for bulges under his clothing that might indicate he was concealing weapons. There was nothing, but that only meant he was very adept at hiding them. And even if he didn’t have a weapon, he did have a syringe full of sedative in his right hand.
If I wanted to get away from them, I’d have to take him out hard and fast. Dara had said he was her best warrior, and I didn’t doubt that. He also had at least a hundred pounds on me, and he was all muscle.
I needed to get that sedative away from him.
Kennedy met my eyes in the rearview mirror. I thought there was a second of camaraderie in her eyes. The kind you can only get from going into battle with someone. But she blinked, and it was gone. She switched her attention back to the road. “Kalen, will you take a look in the backseat and try and find my purse? I don’t see it, and if we get pulled over, we’ll be in big shit because my driver’s license is in there.”
Kalen glanced at me but reluctantly nodded. “Yeah, I’ll look.”
He unbuckled his seat belt and hung himself over the seat to look in the back. That’s when Kennedy struck. She released the wheel, leaned as far into the backseat as she could, and shoved a
He laughed and dropped his formal demeanor. “It’s the stubborn-bitch thing. Most vampires like a woman they can’t bowl over. Supposedly, instinct makes us hunt for a strong mate. Only mentally tough people can survive the transformation and thrive as vampires.”
Dara arched an eyebrow. “Unfortunately, your unbreakable will won’t stop me from sending you back to Zarek.”
I raked a hand through my hair. “Look, you said when you were me, you wouldn’t have gone to a vampire willingly either. Can’t I get some sympathy here?”
She met my eyes, and I saw the full force of her understanding. “You have it, but I am no longer you, and I’m still sending you back to him.”
She nodded to Kennedy and Kalen, and they seized my arms. I let them lead me from the room. I didn’t want to start fighting until I had the perfect moment. Right now I’d just get tranquilized.
Regan, just give in. Come home. I jumped as Zarek’s voice filled my head.
I’m not at home with you. Home is a sanctuary. A place where a person feels safe. I’m not safe with you.
Your brother misses you.
Oh, that was low-down and dirty. The pang in my chest told me to go back to my brother. And that traitorous part of me whispered that I should return to Zarek. But, then, Zarek knew that would happen.
He could use a friend now, a sister…I’m a poor substitute.
I laughed out loud, and Kennedy and Kalen passed me a worried glance. For someone he actually likes? Yeah, you are definitely a poor substitute.
Kalen shoved me into the back of the car while Kennedy got behind the wheel. I hadn’t been able to convince Dara to let me go, but maybe I could get Kennedy to. We were friends.
Kennedy started the car, and we drove down the long, winding driveway.
I took a deep breath and prepared for some fancy talking. “Kennedy, you’re a witch. You can’t possibly support this. You’ve hunted vampires your entire life!”
“I’ve also seen what the Scourge can do. Trust me, vampires are the lesser evil.”
That might be, but did that mean I wanted to go back to my vampire? My vampire? Where had that come from? “You really think the vampires are going to let those Gifts go? I doubt it. Zarek will never let me go. If other vampires are half as territorial as he is, they’ll feel the same way.”
Kennedy met my eyes in the mirror. “They’ll let them go. Dara will make certain of it.”
I snorted. “Yeah, like she can keep an eye on them all. The bigger her army gets, the more likely there will be a coup d’état. No leader stays in power forever.”
She didn’t respond, and her eyes returned to the road. Great. I was going to have to fight to get out of this mess. My saviors had suddenly become my captors.
I eyed Kalen, searching for bulges under his clothing that might indicate he was concealing weapons. There was nothing, but that only meant he was very adept at hiding them. And even if he didn’t have a weapon, he did have a syringe full of sedative in his right hand.
If I wanted to get away from them, I’d have to take him out hard and fast. Dara had said he was her best warrior, and I didn’t doubt that. He also had at least a hundred pounds on me, and he was all muscle.
I needed to get that sedative away from him.
Kennedy met my eyes in the rearview mirror. I thought there was a second of camaraderie in her eyes. The kind you can only get from going into battle with someone. But she blinked, and it was gone. She switched her attention back to the road. “Kalen, will you take a look in the backseat and try and find my purse? I don’t see it, and if we get pulled over, we’ll be in big shit because my driver’s license is in there.”
Kalen glanced at me but reluctantly nodded. “Yeah, I’ll look.”
He unbuckled his seat belt and hung himself over the seat to look in the back. That’s when Kennedy struck. She released the wheel, leaned as far into the backseat as she could, and shoved a
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