I moved on instinct. My sword was in my hand and blue fire lit up the room.“That answers my question,” the vampire said. He remained seated, seemingly unconcerned that I was prepared to remove his head from his body. “I would suggest you take a seat. It wasn’t easy to find you or get you here and we have much to talk about.”“I do not talk to vampires.”He smiled, showing fangs. His hand came up and he flicked his fingers. Murdock stood from the table and left the room with the man who showed me in.This gave me a minute to observe the vampire. The fact he was the most gorgeous man alive shouldn’t affect me, but it did. I had to remind myself that vampires were designed this way. They tempted their prey with staggering sexuality. I was not immune.“You are coming into your power,” he said.He knew who I was. This was not good. I remained in my fighter’s stance, ready for the coming battle.“Tara.” My name was a caress on his lips. “I have known who you are, what you are, and where yo

I wasn’t sure of the protocol. Should I ask what species he was?He spoke to Sable. “Dr. Gaston will be here momentarily. He was delayed.”Sable didn’t appear happy but he smiled at me.“This is Ode. He is a guttybrew. You will see them throughout the compound. They stay underground and serve Talon.”The guttybrew simply stared at me.I placed my hand out, which startled him. I kept it out.“I’m glad to make your acquaintance. Thank you for explaining about the plant. It’s not something I’ve encountered before.”He looked into my eyes, then at my hand, and growled.“Ode, that was unkind. You may leave,” Sable said from behind me.Ode turned and walked out of the room.“I’ve been put in my place,” I said plainly.Sable smiled and dimples showed on his cheeks. I hadn’t noticed them before.“My pardon. Guttybrew can be difficult. They are devoted to Talon and put up with the rest of us.”“I’ll survive,” I assured him.“I’m not angry with the guttybrew. They can’t help their disposition.

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

“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

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