“For tonight, you may not leave. Past that, I do not know,” Gaston said.“I am still a prisoner,” I said sharply.“If that is how you wish to look at it.”“Was I set up?”“I cannot answer this line of questioning, Tara.”But he had answered me. I handed him the note. My fingers shook slightly with anger.“You must remain in the suite,” he said. “Everything you need is here. Ode will check on you in the morning. If something is remiss, please tell him and he will do his best to take care of it. Good night.”“Good night.” My tone was stiff and I felt bad after the door closed behind him. I also realized I should have questioned him about the plants. They swayed toward me as I paced around the large room. I checked the door and it was locked from the outside. My anger grew.Energy shot through my body when a vine fell on my shoulder. Other plants extended their branches and feathered across my bare arms. I calmed internally at the same time energy filled me. A second before I pulled away
The food was delicious and I finished it quickly. The room was much larger than my tent. I needed a workout and this area would do. I walked around the room until my food had settled.I grabbed my sword from the bedroom. When I walked out, the plants had pulled their branches and vines back. It should have weirded me out, but it didn’t.I laid the sword on a table and began my warmups. The jeans did not have much give but if I needed to fight, I would be wearing them. I wasn’t sure about the leather.When I was ready, I lifted the sword and went through my drills. Unpleasant thoughts swirled in my mind and the sword moved faster and faster. If this was what it meant to come into my power, I liked it.My thoughts wandered with the swish of the blade. What would have happened if I hadn’t come here willingly? Would Sable have forced me? Was the attack a setup? It wouldn’t be a surprise. None of this pleased me. I pictured Sable as my opponent.Right arm, severed. Fell to the floor. Left
His eyes closed for a moment. When they opened, I saw ravenous need that made my heart skip a beat. He didn’t look any happier about it than I did. The look disappeared and a lazy I don’t give a damn expression took over.“You smell divine.” His voice did more wicked things to me and matched perfectly to my dream man. Smooth as silk, deep, and delicious, it vibrated inside me. “Tara”—my name on his lips was warm velvet—“knew exactly what she was doing.” He didn’t look at anyone but me while he spoke.He guided me to the opposite side of the table and I didn’t resist. Was I in shock? Had he cast some vampire spell over me?He turned his attention to the men and women seated at the table.“Ladies and gentlemen, this is The Promised, the wielder we’ve been waiting for. She will be staying with us for the foreseeable future.”The words slowly drifted through my head. They were wrong. He was wrong. I bit my tongue until I tasted blood.Damn. That was the wrong thing to do. Multiple vampire
“Dinner, my liege?” Ode said over Talon’s shoulder.“Yes.” Power continued to radiate off him, the waves pulsing around me, trying to find a way in. I wasn’t sure if he was doing this on purpose or if it was a natural state of being for him.What would happen if I pulled my sword? I wanted to. I felt threatened but worse, his seeing my energy turned me on. What did that say about me?Ode set a new wineglass in front of me and filled it with deep-burgundy liquid. The vampires’ wineglasses were filled too.Was it blood? It had to be.“Yours is wine,” Talon assured me after I stared at the liquid in my glass a moment too long.I lifted it to my lips and drank half. It wasn’t a polite gesture but I needed liquid courage. Talon grinned and his eyes sparked with subdued flames. Vampire entertainment was not what I was going for when I came to dinner. Talon obviously found me amusing and I didn’t like it.He glanced to the side and gave Ode a small nod. A moment later, the doors opened and
The word was said so abruptly, I leaned away. The flames in Talon’s eyes didn’t help. Should I go for my sword? I had a feeling it would do no good.My anger boiled. If he didn’t like me, why did he bring me here?“I want to leave,” I said succinctly, failing to hide my anger.“It is not safe.”“I’ve been on my own for six years,” I practically shouted. “I do not need your protection.”“You were never on your own,” he said bluntly.“How can you say that?” I demanded. It wasn’t just anger rising inside me; power tingled from my fingers to my toes. The grapevines swayed closer and even without their touch, I could feel energy flowing from the vines to me. They were feeding me power.“You were flown to the outskirts of the city by helicopter. Three gang members accosted you on motorbikes. They were to bring you to me. You killed them and stole one of the bikes. You saved me the trouble of killing them myself because they were to intercept you within minutes of the helicopter leaving and
It happened much too fast. My sword went flying. At the same time, my legs flew out from under me and I landed in his former position. Sable didn’t bother threatening me with his sword, but his smug expression was infuriatingly worse.“Someone I have yet to discover,” he said. “Leaked information to the wolves that you would be at Murdock’s place.” His smile turned devilish and I stopped breathing. “Our plan was to entice you to our home. From the smell of your arousal when we met, it may have worked. Our goal wasn’t to force you. Our only priority was keeping you safe.”I would give anything to remove his smirk. I was mortified that he could smell my arousal at our meeting. This meant Talon could too. Damn vampires.Sable placed his hand out. To slap it away would be the sign of a poor loser. I took it and his energy sizzled against mine. There was a small spark not unlike a static electricity zap, but this was much more powerful. He swore and instantly yanked his power back. In my c
Two women in one of the hallways moved aside with malicious glares when Ode grunted. Their faces were pale and I wondered if they were vampires. We passed another woman who had been at the dinner the night before. Energy rolled off her in waves. It made me realize the glaring ladies were human because they carried no power that I could feel.Blood donors?The vampire nodded but didn’t speak.We reached our destination.“Tara,” Talon said in his whispered low voice, his back to me.He looked forbidding in a dark suit. He faced a small blazing fire. When he turned, ruffles from his white shirt spilled from the open suit jacket. I wouldn’t think the style appealing but on him it was mouthwatering. Damn, I should have worn the silver gown I’d placed in the closet. The night before I hadn’t felt out of place with all the overdressed vamps but with just Talon, I did.He held a wineglass with dark-burgundy liquid. I didn’t need to ask what it was. It should have disgusted me, but it only mad
“Where is this home you speak of?” Talon asked, ignoring my anger.Everything that had happened since the general called me to his tent brought me up short. Edwards had all but cast me from the only home I’d known for six years. Kenner and Mira would allow me to stay with them, but it was their home and would never be mine.I didn’t have anywhere to call my own.I looked down at the wood floor and Talon’s warm fingers tilted my chin so our eyes met.“Make this your home,” he said sincerely, his frustration gone.The offer pissed me off more.“You said a moment ago that I had destroyed your life. You don’t want me here. You don’t even like me.”Fire roared in his eyes, but it wasn’t anger. I might be a virgin, but I knew lust when I saw it.“I like you too much,” he said. “I thought I could simply take what the prophecy offered and be done with it, but I cannot.”“You’re talking in circles again.”He stepped back. “You are not ready.”My anger rose even higher. I pictured my hands grab