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“How did you know it was me?” I asked.

The corner of his mouth ticked up. “I will always know you, Charlotte.” He leaned in and sniffed me.

Ah, so I smelled like me at least. I wondered how long the effects of Zoe’s charm would last and what would happen if I suddenly shifted back to myself while here.

We have to get you out of here.

We both said the same thing at the same time in our minds.

They gave me GodKiller, Julian. You can’t drink from me no matter what happens.

He growled low, and his too-light eyes flashed crimson again.

I backed off of his lap, accidentally putting weight on my bad wrist. When I cried out, he instantly pulled me back to his chest.

“You’re hurt.”

“So are you,” I said, cradling my hand.

He glared at me and lifted his arm to his mouth.

“No!” I shouted as he bit into himself letting a few drops of his precious blood well to the surface. “You can’t afford to lose any.” I knew the physiology of vampires. It was my life’s work. And if he didn’t feed before his supply ran out, he’d become the kind of monster you’d see in a horror film. A husk of a human, mindlessly searching for blood. It would take quite a few human lives to get him back to normal.

I also knew Julian, and he’d be devastated.

He held the welling blood to my lips, pressing the back of my head firmly but gently so I couldn’t move away.

Drink, Charlotte. It won’t take much to heal you.

Reluctantly, I licked his wound until he released me. Immediately, the pain in my wrist and face melted away. It wouldn’t counteract the GodKiller drug, since that was built to change a vampire’s DNA, but I wondered…

“Julian,” I said as he stroked back the hair that had escaped from my braid.

“Yes, love,” he murmured.

“Freeze.”

It was a huge chance I’d taken. Not that he’d be angry, but I was hoping they didn’t have any sensors or alarms on his cell that would tell them I’d used my abilities.

Julian stopped in mid-stroke and remained unblinking as I breathed a sigh of relief. His blood had counteracted the suppression drug they’d used. It had been a long shot, but I’d hoped it was based on shutting down the neural pathways between thought and whatever area of my brain sent out the psychic energy. Apparently, I’d guessed correctly, and those pathways had been healed.

I pressed my lips to his with glee and said, “unfreeze.”

“You could have just kissed me,” he said with a smirk.

“I’m mad at you,” I announced, standing, and offering him a hand. “And I know why you left and who Silas is, by the way.”

He gripped my fingers, and I hauled him to his feet. “Then you know why I must stay away from you and that monster.”

“Not buying it,” I said, moving toward the door and standing on my tiptoes again to see through the bars. “No one’s there.”

“It’s not something you have to buy, Charlotte,” Julian said from right behind me. “It’s a fact.”

“Get ready to run. Do you know a safe way out of here?” I asked, ignoring him.

“I’m not sure I’m capable of maintaining speed for more than a few seconds,” he admitted softly. “Nor is my strength at full capacity.”

“You’ve only been here a couple of days,” I said, turning to look at him. Now that I thought about it, I couldn’t understand how he seemed so starved.