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Alone.

I stumble forward, arms outstretched, trying to find my bearings. My hip collides painfully with what must be the edge of the bed. I swear under my breath, fighting the urge to call out for Lucien, to beg him to turn the lights back on.

But I can’t give in. Not yet.

I’m still holding the pill packet, and for a moment, I’m tempted. The pain is still there, a constant throb that seems to intensify in the darkness. But I resist.

I need answers. Real ones. And if this is what it takes to get them, then so be it.

If he really can’t stand to see me in pain, then surely he won’t sit back and let me suffer for long?

He killed for me.

He brought me here to protect me.

And the look in his eyes when he asked why I hadn’t come to him for help...

I sink onto the bed, wrapping my arms around myself. The darkness presses in, and I can feel my resolve wavering. But I think of Steven, of all the times I gave in, all the times I let someone else control me. Not this time.

“I can do this,” I whisper to myself. “I have to do this.”

Chapter 15

Lucien

“You gave her the pills? Her clothes?” Kim is leaning on the edge of my desk. He watches me storm into the room and go straight for the decanter of blood on the sideboard.

“She refused to take them.”

“The clothes?” Kim frowns.

“The pills,” I bark, downing a glass then pouring another.

“Why?”

I stalk to the computer and turn on the feed to the bedroom. She has moved the tray onto the floor, pushed it up against the armchair so she doesn’t bump into it, and is feeling around on the bed for her clothes.

I watch her take off her jeans and her underwear.

She is completely naked.

“Lucien?” Kim taps the top of the screen, demanding my attention. “Why wouldn’t she take them?”

“She says she won’t take them until I tell her why she’s really here.”

I meet Kim’s eyes. He smiles and nods approvingly. “Clever girl,” he mutters. Then he nods at me. “She got the measure of you quickly, didn’t she? She’s been here less than twenty-four hours and she’s already worked out that she’s your Achilles heel.”

“Tell me about the vampires at the house.” I force myself to stop watching her. Even though she’s bending over the bed, using it to steady herself as she steps into a fresh pair of underwear, exposing her ass in a way that practically makes me salivate.

Kim’s expression turns serious. He runs a hand through his hair, a habit he has when he’s about to deliver bad news.

“It was a mess, Lucien. Two vampires. They ransacked the place, looking for something. When I confronted the younger one, an older one showed up.”

I tear my gaze away from the screen, giving Kim my full attention. “And?”

“The young one said something. ‘He will destroy you... all of you.’ Before I could get more, the older vamp staked him.”

My fist clenches around my glass. “And the older one?”