How to Seduce a Vampire (Without Really Trying) (Love at Stake) by Kerrelyn Sparks Page B

bunch.” Russell downed his glass of Blissky. “They’re in danger from Master Han.”
    “Why?” Zoltan and Howard asked at the same time.
    “I don’t know.” Russell poured himself another glass. “I’ve been spying on Lord Liao for a while now. I can learn more from his camp because he and his soldiers complain to each other. At Master Han’s camp, I can’t get near him. He’s too heavily guarded, and no one says anything there for fear that Han will kill them.”
    “Great guy,” Howard muttered.
    Russell nodded. “I overheard Lord Liao talking to his minions, and he’s getting frantic. Apparently, Master Han said he doesn’t miss the two vampire lords who were killed. And he bragged that he doesn’t need the demon Darafer in order to take over the world. He says he can do it all by himself. So Liao is worried that his days are numbered if he can’t prove his worth to Master Han.”
    “And he can prove his worth by attacking the women of Beyul-La?” Zoltan asked.
    Russell’s eyes widened. “Is that who they are? They wouldn’t even tell me that much.”
    “Beyul-La?” Howard asked as he retrieved a cell phone from his pocket. “How do you spell it?”
    “You won’t find it online,” Zoltan told him. “I already looked. It’s a hidden valley in the Himalayas. I don’t know why, but no men are allowed there. When I first approached the place, one of the women tried to kill me.”
    “Sheesh,” Howard breathed. “What are they hiding there?”
    Zoltan shrugged. “I don’t know.”
    “Whatever it is,” Russell said, “Master Han wants it. And Liao is determined to get it for him.”
    Zoltan winced. “There are only six of them now. They can’t fight off an army of supersoldiers.”
    Russell nodded. “That’s why I’m here. To see what we can do.” He gave Howard an annoyed look. “I guess you’d better let Angus know about it.”
    “We could send a group to make first contact with them,” Howard suggested. “Angus would go with—”
    “They’ll try to kill any man who approaches,” Zoltan interrupted. “They don’t believe men can be trusted.”
    Howard sat back, frowning. “But you’ve been meeting one of them?”
    Zoltan nodded. “Neona.”
    “The healer?” Russell asked.
    A spurt of anger jabbed at Zoltan, surprising him with its intensity. Damn. He was jealous that Russell had met her first. “How do you know her?”
    “I hardly know her at all, so you can relax.” Russell gave him a wry look.
    Was he that obvious? Zoltan sat back, affecting a nonchalant look. “How did you meet her?”
    “I spent a few months following Lord Liao around Tibet. He was asking villagers where he could find the hidden valley of warrior women. I guess the news got back to the women, because they attacked. They were outnumbered but were fighting so fiercely that I joined in to help.” Russell downed his glass of Blissky and slammed it on the table. “I was so close to killing Liao, but the bastard teleported away. Then the rest of his army fled. I was wounded and lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was in a cabin. Frederic’s cabin, they called it.”
    Zoltan nodded. “I know the place.”
    “I found out later that I had saved their queen’s life, so they felt honor-bound to nurse me back to health,” Russell continued. “They had borrowed some horses from a nearby village, and they used them to carry me and their dead back. I was unconscious in the cabin when the sun rose, so I started sizzling. They realized I was a vampire and shuttered all the windows.”
    Zoltan winced. “How did they feel about you being a Vamp?”
    “When I woke up, they were staring at me like I was some kind of monster. Then they gave me a bowl of blood to drink.” Russell grimaced. “It tasted awful. They’d gotten it from a donkey.”
    Howard chuckled.
    Zoltan smiled to himself. The damned donkey was good for something.
    Russell poured himself another glass. “They were amazed that my