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“I would not,” Dominique said under his breath. He didn’t even want to imagine such an intimate bond with a man who had so delighted in torturing him.
The patient shrugged by lifting both hands and putting them back down. “I can work on the other side of the world then. Whatever you need. Just say you’ll think about it.”
Dominique stood as though getting ready to leave.
“Please. If you tell me ‘no’ right now, I’ll end it tonight.”
He arched a questioning brow. “You don’t have a gun here.”
“There are cleaner ways in a place like this. Believe me, I know them all.”
“I believe you.” He eyed his former foe with care. Garrett, the blood-drinker, would be formidable. Still, having him in his head every time they were near each other was too high a price to grant this favor. Far too high.
Garrett extended his arm. “Here. Take some. Start the process maybe, or at least see for yourself how serious I am.”
Dominique wanted to refuse, but the shimmering ribbons in the offered wrist held him spellbound. Blood, freely offered, was beguiling enough. Blood, freely offered by a foe? Irresistible.
He half-expected Garrett to snatch his arm back before he closed his hand around it. Instead, the patient lay back in mute surrender.
It didn’t take much. A mere taste was enough. Fear was Dominique’s first impression. Fear of death. Anxiety, too, over whether his request would be granted. Also, respect for the young vampire who had claimed a kingdom and knew how to keep his word. A fierce warrior spirit dwelled in this man, and a ruthless determination for anything he undertook—not unlike another mind he had touched tonight.
One thing that was not there was love. Garrett wanted to be turned to survive, and he justified this solution by acknowledging Dominique as worthy of being his master. But that was all. This man would never love him any more than he loved anyone else.
“So, what will it be?” Garrett asked.
Dominique turned away from the window he had been staring out of as he processed all these impressions. “I will consider your request.”
The body in the bed seemed to deflate a little. “Thanks. I’ll take that for tonight.”
Dominique was already at the door when Garrett added, “But don’t consider too long. I haven’t got forever.”
27
A Simple Plan
Atsundown,Cassidywaspacked and ready to go. The plan was simple. Drive as far as they could get toward their destination in the Rocky Mountains—a solid nine hours away—during the not-quite-nine-hours-long night, pull Adilla out of his hole while the sun was high tomorrow, and have Dominique set him straight come night. Another day after that, two tops, and they’d be home again resuming their not-so-ordinary lives.
Simple. What could possibly go wrong?
She scoffed to herself as she zipped up her overnight bag. According to Jackson—not to mention history—plenty. He had unloaded the tools of his trade from the jet today—full-spectrum torches, canisters of silver, serrated daggers, body bags—all now tidied away in the back of a rented SUV. She guessed he shared this with her to make her feel better about how prepared he was.
He was also under the impression she would stay in Vancouver.
Fat chance.
Not after the day she had.
The days right after she and Dominique renewed their bond were never pleasant. But now, with her hormones agitating like popcorn in a microwave, she felt even more like she had been hollowed out with a rusty spoon while the sun was up. Part of her psyche collapsed once Dominique became unconscious, leaving her empty and incomplete. Like missing an arm or a leg—or both. And today, she didn’t even have the luxury of having him physically near her. On learning that the vampire his life depended on slept in a hotel room closet, Isao had invited Dominique to spend his days in Vancouver safely tucked away in his own downtown lair. The samurai did not take no for an answer.
So Cassidy spent the soggy gray morning in Jackson’s protective custody as he collected supplies for their trip. Along the way, Samantha called. “I thought you should know. Étienne is part of the club now.”
“The club? What club?”
“Our club. The mortals-of-the world-of-night club.”
“Oh, good God. What happened?”
“Serge happened.”
