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“You’ll watch him with Carly?” I asked Prosper. “We can’t afford another fuck-up like with Gwen.”
Most of our thralls had been born on the island, members of families that had worked for the syndicate for generations. One “accident,” our people could forgive, but if it happened again, we might have a revolt on our hands.
“Yes,” Prosper said without looking at me, and urged Jules deeper out of the office and toward the door which led to the quarters occupied by his personal thralls.
Prosper pulled the door shut behind them with a quiet click. I stared at it for a long beat, then left.
In the hall, Talon and Cain scowled at the fingermarks on my throat. Talon rumbled angrily, and Cain cursed under his breath.
“Not here,” I said tightly. “Tonight.”
They nodded, still visibly upset. But we all knew that this wasn’t the time or place to talk about my father.
The day sleep tugged at me. The summer nights were short this far north, and it was even worse for Cain and Talon. Although a half-dozen years older than me in human years, they were young for vampires, having been turned when I was already a teenager. If we didn’t get to bed soon, we’d drop where we stood.
I dragged a weary hand over my face. “Let’s get to bed,” I said, and we set off at a jog for the other side of the castle.
When we reached my apartment, Talon and Cain went inside to do a quick sweep for bugging devices, a precaution they took whenever we left the island. Meanwhile, I slipped around the corner to the garden suite.
I didn’t go inside, just listened at the door. From somewhere in the apartment came the steady drone of running water. Twilight was taking a shower.
Something settled in me. She was here in my lair, where she belonged. I listened for another minute, then returned to my own apartment.
Cain and Talon had the apartments on either side of mine. Cain gave me the all-clear and wished me a good sleep before heading for his place. Talon simply grunted, then disappeared, yawning, into his own apartment.
I engaged my security system and peeled off my clothes, dropping them next to the bed. Outside, I sensed the sun pushing above the horizon.
Twilight would be finishing up her shower. Reaching for a towel.
My dick hardened.
Her skin would be slick from the water, her hair a wet dark rope. Her nipples would be puckered, her throat clean and sweet-smelling.
Craving obliterated my common sense—for her blood, her tight little body. My fangs lengthened and I actually took a step toward the hall. Then my eyes glued themselves shut.
I’d never resented the sun so much. The vampire’s curse.
But there was no fighting it.
I turned back to the bed, fell sideways onto the mattress, and was out.
9
TWILIGHT
Ihad a bad night. It seemed like I’d barely fallen asleep when I was awakened by a cat meowing.
I groaned and dragged a pillow over my head to shut out the sound. It came again, too piercing to ignore.
I pushed up on an elbow and growled, “Go away.”
“Mee-rroww.” The cat was getting upset now.
Grumbling to myself, I threw off the covers and padded into the living room, dressed in the ribbed tank and sleep shorts I’d worn to bed.
Demon pawed at the French door, meowing furiously.
“Hang on,” I muttered and let her in. Judging by the sunlight pouring into enclosed garden, it was ten or eleven o’clock. I must’ve slept six or seven hours, although I’d been so twitchy, it felt more like three.
