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* * *
An hour later,Don scowled down at them from his skybox in the training room. Tate, Juan, and Cooper were on one side of the open space, and Cat, Bones, and Belinda were on the other. Bones had Belinda gripped to him, and she stared at Cat’s men as if they were candy-covered jugulars.
Cat shook her head but said, “If you guys are ready, then take a knife, each of you. But only one.”
They did. None of them were in their bulky tactical gear or helmets, either. They were dressed in the same clothes as earlier, which was sweats and tee shirts.
Cat glanced at Bones, her gaze asking,ready?
He was. “Remember what I told you,” he said quietly to Belinda, and then released her.
She ran straight for Cat’s men as if she were starving, which wasn’t far from the truth. Bones had given her a cup of blood before this session, but only a shallow one. Her real meal would come only if she performed as agreed.
Cat’s soldiers ran at decent speeds, avoiding Belinda’s charge. They were also smart enough to run in different directions so she couldn’t corral them. Then, Tate darted behind Belinda and flung his blade. It sank into her back at heart level, and Belinda glared at him as she tried to swipe it free.
“That’s great if you’re intending to kill vamps, but I told you to treat this like a test run for Ian’sguards,” Cat said in a highly disapproving voice. “If you murder everyone, then what hostages am I supposed to bargain with?”
Tate had the grace to look abashed. “Sorry. Knee-jerk reaction.”
Belinda finally angled her arm enough to yank the knife from her back. “Asshole,” she muttered, flinging the knife at Tate’s feet.
Bones gave Cat a pointed look. “This is why I insisted on changing out the knives from silver to steel. Knew one of them might panic and go for the kill instead of the capture.”
Cat gave her men another scowl. “Your objective is to restrain Belinda by non-lethal means. If you can’t manage that in the next couple weeks, then you’re off this mission.”
“And if you haven’t restrained me within the hour, then I get to taste one of you,” Belinda said, licking her lips. “Mmm, fresh blood. I haven’t had that in over a year.”
Her soldiers swung appalled looks Cat’s way, but her gaze was harder than the steel in their hands.
“There’s your motivation to take this seriously. Now, who’s going to be happy in an hour? Her? Or you guys?”
Her soldiers exchanged grim looks, and then charged Belinda. Bones watched, impassive, as the next hour ticked by. Juan was knocked unconscious halfway through when he paused to leer at Belinda’s breasts after she distracted him by tearing her top off. That left only Tate and Cooper, and with their ability to kill taken away, they proved to be outmatched even though Belinda was hardly a Master. This didn’t bode well. Any one of Ian’s guards would be tougher than Belinda.
When the hour was finished, Cat’s expression was dark as thunderclouds while Tate and Cooper were shamefaced, and Juan was still unconscious. Belinda smiled, her fangs showing.
“I won, so I want my victory spoils.”
“I said you’d get your prize,” Bones agreed coolly. “Didn’t saywhen, though. Just that it would be due to you.”
Belinda began cursing him in Flemish. He hadn’t realized she was Dutch. Then again, they hadn’t talked much during the brief time they’d spent together.
“Let’s get this over with,” Tate said, interrupting Belinda’s insults as he limped over to her. “Bite away, bitch.”
Cat turned ashen. “Tate…”
“Don’t,” Tate said curtly. “You trusted us to take her down, and we failed you. You think her biting me is gonna hurt more than that?”
Cat looked away, blinking, but she set her shoulders and said nothing else.
Belinda wasn’t quiet. “Who says you’re the one I want?” she challenged Tate.
He grunted. “Don’t care. I’m the one you’re gonnaget. You understand chain of command, suck head? I’m on top, so you get my vein and no one else’s.”
A sense of honor as well as bravery. No wonder Cat tolerated the lovesick sod. If Tate lived long enough to become a vampire, he’d be a strong one…or Bones would kill him for his open pining after Cat. Whichever came first.
“I guess you’ll do, then,” Belinda said. “Come here.”
“Wrist only,” Bones said when Tate bent his neck. He wasn’t taking any chances that Belinda would “accidentally” tear into Tate’s jugular.
