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"You mean the one you sent away because you couldn't control me." Shanna's face flushed with anger. "Give me some credit for once in your life. If you couldn't control my mind, what makes you think my husband can?"
Sean blinked. A horrible feeling swept over him. "You - you want this? They're not controlling you?"
"No, they're not."
Anger seized him so hard, he trembled. "Then you are a traitor to mankind."
Shanna sighed. She glanced back at the mirror with an exasperated look. "He's hopeless."
"A stubborn fool." The Scotsman's fingers dug into Sean's shoulders.
Sean glared at Connor. "Get your filthy hands off me."
Connor tightened his grip, and Sean steeled his face to show no pain.
"Connor." Shanna motioned for him to release Sean, and he did. "Dad, I chose to talk to you tonight, because I wanted to assure you that I'm all right."
Sean snorted. About to give birth to a demon baby, and she called that all right?
"I also wanted to tell you what's going on. My husband and his followers are not the monsters you think they are. They take their meals from a bottle."
Sean snorted again. "Are you saying your husband has never bitten you?"
She hesitated.
"Aha!" Sean leaned forward. "How often does that bastard feed off you?"
"Never," Shanna insisted. "Roman invented synthetic blood so he and other Vamps like him would never have to harm another mortal again."
"Vampires kill mortals all the time."
"The Malcontents do," she continued. "They're an evil bunch who enjoy hurting mortals. They are our enemy."
"All vampires are evil."
"No!" Shanna planted her fists on her hips. "You have to stop persecuting the good Vamps. They're trying to protect mortals."
"Aye," Connor added. "Ye should let us take care of the Malcontents."
Sean shook his head. "Vampires killing other vampires? I'll never believe it."
"Why not?" Shanna asked. "Haven't you heard of humans killing other humans? Think about it. You know Ivan Petrovsky was killed by other vampires. It happens."
"Ye need to leave us alone." Connor circled the chair to stand in front of Sean. "The Malcontents are raising an army. If we doona defeat them, humanity will suffer greatly for it."
Sean swallowed hard. "You're just trying to trick me, to scare me off." Was this all a pack of lies? He had to know. There was no way he could invade a vampire mind, but there was a human here. He gathered up his psychic power and targeted his daughter with a full assault.
She stumbled back, taken by surprise.
Connor steadied her. "Are ye all right, lass?"
Glaring at her father, Shanna shoved all his power back with so much force, he rocked back in his chair. Shit. She was incredibly strong.
"Are you convinced now?" she asked quietly. "No one can control me."
"Traitor," he whispered.
She turned away. "Take him away, Connor."
"Aye. I'm sorry, lass." Connor circled behind Sean.
He gasped when the Scotsman picked him up, chair and all. "What are you doing?"
"Taking ye on a wee trip," Connor answered.
Shanna regarded him sadly. "By the way, your grandson will be born Friday night."
"He's not my grand - " Sean's voice broke off when everything went black.
Chapter 12
Angus knew he should say something comforting to assure Emma she was perfectly safe, but he didn't. He couldn't. It irked him that she'd participated in Sean Whelan's attack. And that simmering anger made him want to torment her. Or kiss her senseless.
Better to keep his distance. He strode toward the kitchen. "Ye're sure ye want nothing to drink? We have stuff like soft drinks and juice in the fridge."
"You do? Why?" She kept watching him with that wary look, as if he might swoop down on her neck any second now. It was a beautiful neck with pale, tender skin, but that didn't mean he wanted to punch holes in it. Kissing, though, would be very...
He shook his head, struggling to keep up with the conversation. Oh, aye, her surprise over mortal drinks. "The mortals who guard the house during the day get thirsty."
"You have human guards during the day?"
"Aye. They're verra good. And trustworthy. They work for me." He paused with a hand on the swinging door. "Anything to drink?"
She hesitated. "Some... water, thank you."
A safe choice. She'd be able to taste if anything odd was added. Bugger. Had he lost her trust so easily? "Make yerself at home," he muttered, then couldn't help but add, "If ye try to escape, an alarm will sound."
He strode into the kitchen to avoid the worried look on her face. The devil take it. He was already pissed. Why was he goading her and making it worse?
He grabbed a bottle of Type O blood from the fridge and popped it into the microwave. Maybe her distrust was a blessing. He could use it to keep a distance between them.
He fixed her a glass of ice water and removed his bottled blood from the microwave. The foyer was empty, but he spotted her in the library. She was wandering along the bookshelves, examining the books. It had been only last night that he'd stood in this same room, confiding in Roman and declaring his intent to protect Emma from a distance.
And yet here she was - alone in the house with him.
He approached quietly. "Yer water."
She spun toward him. "I - I didn't hear you come in."
He held the glass out to her, and she reluctantly took it. Bugger. "Do ye think I'm poisoning you?"
She blinked. "What?"
"Ye act like I can no longer be trusted. I thought we'd gotten past that."
"We have." She gulped down some water.
"Then why do ye keep looking at me strangely?"
"I'm not. I'm just not sure this... friendship is a good idea. It's causing me trouble at work."
"Really? Ye seemed happy enough to attack us alongside Whelan."
She sighed and walked into the foyer. "I tried to talk him out of it, but the man won't listen to reason. He's not going to believe anything I've learned from you. And I'm in an awful position. He had a photo of you tonight, and I had to lie that I don't know you."
"Ye lied for me?" Angus's heart expanded.
She glared at him. "Don't look so happy about it. This whole thing has me in such an awkward situation."
"I'm sorry." Angus smiled. "I'm just happy I havena lost yer trust."
She rotated the glass in her hands. "I'm upset about another murder in Central Park. I know you don't want me to go hunting - "
"Nay, I do no'."
She gave him an exasperated look. "But you said the Malcontents are your enemy, too. Why don't you help me slay them? Wouldn't that be the friendly thing to do?"
Ah, so that was the problem. He gave her a reassuring smile. "We are friends." He motioned to the parlor. "Let's have a wee chat."
"Fine." She strode into the parlor. "Nice room." She circled to the right around the three maroon couches. "Big telly. I suppose you watch a lot of DVN."
He waited by the door, sipping from his bottle. "No' much, really. I usually work all night."
She set her ice water on the coffee table. "Don't you get vacations? You know, a week off every fifty years or so?"
"Verra funny." He headed toward the couch to the left. "I give my employees a few weeks every year."
"What about you?" She removed her backpack and dropped it on the couch to the right.
He ignored her question, since he couldn't remember his last vacation. "What's in yer backpack?"
"The usual party favors. Wooden stakes, silver handcuffs, whips and chains." She settled on the couch next to the backpack. "You'll be proud of me. I even brought duct tape."
"Ye're a fast learner." He sat across from her on the left couch. "I'll be keeping yer backpack."
"What? Are you trying to get me fired?"
Angus leaned forward to set his bottle on the coffee table. "Ye can tell yer boss that I took it forcibly from you."
She rose to her feet, glaring at him. He immediately stood.
"I need my weapons to go hunting. And I thought, since you're my friend, that you would come with me. After all, you claim to be worried about my safety."
