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My stomach gave an uneasy flutter.
I’d known the island, named after the vampires’ Dark Lady, was a dozen miles off Nova Scotia’s coast, with no way on or off except by boat or aircraft—controlled, of course, by Brien’s syndicate. Still, you had to see Lilith Island from the air to understand how isolated it was. A jagged chunk of land surrounded by the North Atlantic’s cold, inky waters.
I wasn’t leaving until Brien allowed me to leave, and without a phone or other device, I couldn’t contact anyone for help, either.
Not that I had anyonetocontact.
Brien eyed me from the comfortable leather seat next to mine. He’d loosened his tie and undone the first couple of buttons of his shirt, and something about his expression made me think he was recalling last night.
Heat swirled through my lower abdomen. I squirmed on the seat, and a corner of his mouth kicked up.
I dragged my gaze back to the window. I could see Castle Leclerc now, its four black towers rising from a wispy fog like something out of a gothic novel.
Brien spoke into my ear. “The ocean here has wicked currents.”
I snorted. “You must think I’m an Olympic-class swimmer.”
“The ocean’s too cold for humans to last for more than a few minutes, anyway—and the water is infested with great whites. We encourage them.” He sat back, his mouth curved in a very sharklike smile. “Oh, and by the way, the castle grounds are patrolled by wolfdogs and their handlers.”
“You’re worried I’ll try and escape.” I dredged up my best Lucy-Liu grin, all badass confidence. “How…cute.”
“What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, this isn’t you. You don’t keep blood slaves. You’re going to let me go.”
His green eyes hooded. “Will I?”
I swallowed. Maybe I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did.
I lifted my chin. “Yes. You can start by allowing me to have a phone. It’s medieval, keeping me incommunicado like this.”
“A phone?” His look said I was out of my freaking mind. “I’d have to trust you to give you a phone.”
I rolled my lips in. He was right not to trust me, but it still hurt.
“Whatever.” I ran my fingers up his thigh, taking a savage satisfaction in how his gaze followed the movement. “I can wait.” I stopped just short of the erection pressing against his zipper. “Like I said, the perks aren’t bad.”
He lifted his eyes. I gulped at the heat in them. He caught my hand and brought it to his lips, scraping his teeth over the wrist.
“I hope,” he said, “that I can do better thannot bad.”
I moistened my lips, searching for a comeback, but my mind was picturing what could be better than last night.
His expression was darkly amused. “Later.” He put my hand back in my lap.
I swallowed dryly.Later.
I couldn’t wait, damn him. He could seduce me with a few words and a touch. I was loose-limbed and wet, just thinking aboutlater.
Brien turned to say something to Cain and Talon, and I settled deeper into my seat. That’s when I felt the crinkle of paper in the back pocket of my chinos.
WTF?
When we’d left for the airport, my pockets had been empty. I surreptitiously touched the pocket and confirmed there was what felt like a folded piece of paper in it.
The pilot aimed the small jet for a narrow landing strip in the forest near the castle. As the plane descended over the thick trees, I mentally tallied everyone on board other than Brien and myself—Cain, Talon, a trio of thralls, Brien’s PA, and two Maritime soldiers. In addition, there was a pilot, co-pilot and a flight attendant.
I could rule out the pilot and co-pilot; they remained in the cockpit for the entire flight, and when they’d greeted Brien before takeoff, they’d been several feet away.
