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Daniel appeared in the short tunnel entrance and immediately strode to the chains lying on the stone pavers near the smooth wall. “Where the hell is Lucian?”
At least ten guards had followed him inside. The one in charge stepped forward. “He was in here just a few minutes ago. No one went in. No one out except the cleaning crew. I swear it.”
Daniel, his flecked blue eyes glowing, turned in a slow circle as he checked out the entire space. He ended up facing the exact spot where Claire stood with Lucian. It was clear that he didn’t actually see them, yet he must have sensed their presence, or maybe Lucian’s.
“I know you’re still in here, my son. I can feel you but I can’t see you. Show yourself. I take it you’ve had help. It will go easier with you if you don’t defy me right now.”
He started moving slowly in their direction.
Claire rubbed Lucian’s shoulders. “You’ve got to fly us out of here. Now. Daniel can’t see us, but he’s coming straight for us.”
Lucian groaned loudly as he forced himself to stand upright. His eyes were narrowed as if in great pain, but he put his arm around Claire’s waist. “Okay.”
Having flown with Rumy, she knew the drill and threw her arms around his neck. She held on tight.
Daniel was only fifteen feet away and moving faster now.
She shouted, “Lucian, get us out of here.” The vibration of flight began.
Daniel lunged the remaining the distance, just grazing her back as Lucian shifted to altered flight.
His words trailed after them. “I’ll come after you, Lucian. You’ll never be able to hide from me, and when I find you, I’ll destroy you.”
But Lucian had them in the phenomenon called altered flight, allowing them to pass easily through any kind of solid matter. Faster and faster he flew, away from the horror of his prison cell, away from Daniel.
Pressed against him the way she was, she could feel the solid weight of him, not just his physical body, but what he carried in his soul. Rumy had said that he bore the sins of his father. Maybe that was what she felt from Lucian: the weight of all that sin.
In that moment, she knew she really was in trouble. She hadn’t expected to be able to feel so much of what Lucian felt, to divine his soul. Her quest, which had begun with a need to find Zoey, had just become layered with elements that disturbed her deeply, that threatened how she viewed who she was, even what her life should be. She was a simple New Mexico girl with a degree in social work and a job rehabilitating prostitutes. She wanted a husband and a home of her own one day. But sensing Lucian in this way made her long for things she couldn’t put a name to.
As he sped back to Italy, however, the effects of the flight hit her like a brick. Her head once more felt split wide and her stomach boiled.
Can you hear me, Claire?
She frowned. Even though she’d known that telepathy came with the connection they now shared, it was still strange to have another person’s voice in her head. I’m here. Is this real? Are we talking mind-to-mind? She winced again. Damn, altered flight hurt.
Yes. Mind-to-mind. Sorry about the pain. I can feel that you’re hurting. Can’t be helped.
I know. But just to warn you, I’ll probably pass out when we arrive back in Italy.
Is Rumy expecting us?
At the secret entrance. He said you’d know where that was. Do you?
I do.
She felt him shaking suddenly. Hey, you all right?
This f**king blood-madness.
I’ll feed you when we get there.
I’m counting on it.
She felt his flight begin to slow. Glancing down, she recognized the familiar Italian landscape below, and despite the pain she realized exactly how much the completion of the chain-bond had improved her vision. The night was dark, but she saw everything as though warmed by the sun in late afternoon, even though it was the middle of the night.
She breathed a sigh of relief as Lake Como came into view. Rumy’s extensive sex-club complex ranged well into the surrounding hills, through miles of caverns and caves, invisible to human eyes. She could even see through the heavy disguise that covered the secret entrance to the club.
A tall vampire, in black leather, with an automatic weapon slung over his shoulder, stepped aside as Lucian descended onto the small landing platform.
The moment she let go of Lucian, however, the pain and nausea caught up with her. She fell to the pavers of the landing area, her head spinning.
Her last thought before she passed out was that she really hoped she wouldn’t throw up.
Chapter 2
Lucian gathered Claire up in his arms, working hard to ignore the scent of her blood. The flight, however, had helped relieve the bulk of his symptoms, and he felt more like himself. Still, he knew the relief he experienced would be short-lived.
For now he’d get Claire and himself to a private room.
He crossed the threshold and addressed the guard closest to the door. “Where’s Rumy?”
“In his office. He’s expecting you.” The guard didn’t flinch at Lucian’s na**d state.
Lucian nodded. He knew the way well. All the brothers had spent time at The Erotic Passage, both for pleasure and at other times to recover from battle wounds. Each had served for decades as a policing force in their world with an eye to bringing Daniel down for good.
Moving into the hall, he veered right, headed up another hall, then made another right. The arched wood door was wide open.
Rumy leaned against his desk, arms over his chest, his gaze falling to Claire. He frowned. “Is she hurt?”
“Just flight sickness, she’ll be okay. Looks like we have a couple of issues to deal with. Daniel is after the extinction weapon and Claire wants to find her friend, someone called Zoey. But you know all about that.”
“You’ve summed it up exactly.” Rumy held his gaze and smiled. His fangs were permanently on display and he even had calluses on his lips. “So how the hell are you, boss?” Rumy always called him that, though it was in no way a formal designation. He wasn’t the boss of much these days. Before he could respond, however, Rumy’s gaze once more dropped to Claire. He smiled. “So how do you like Claire? She’s got some crazy-ass courage, this one.”
Lucian scowled as he looked down at her. “I guess she does. But these blood-chains chafe like hell.”
“You mean you don’t like being bound, not even to a beautiful woman?”
“Hell, no, and this one’s human.”
“But strong.”
Lucian nodded. “Yes, I’ll give her that.”
