Page 49

“I . . .” He looked a lot like Imogen. His jaw flexed, seeming to understand my unsaid words. His hand dropped to his side, and he took a step back. I ran my tongue against the back of my teeth. Shoving to my feet, I stalked from one end of the room, to the other. Their heads comically followed my path.

I stretched my jaw side to side. My teeth felt bigger, but that was an illusion, it was just my brand-new fangs.

“Why did you lie to me?” I took care with my tongue and enunciated my words.

“No one lied to you.”

“You thh—ssaid no female could be turned. That if they somehow managed, they’d end up blood-mad.” I pointed at myself. “Explain this?”

“We are just as shocked as you.” Asher sat up, stretching his arms up.

They’d cleaned me up, and by the matching set, I would bet everything that Asher dressed me in the silk night gown. Honestly, I was surprised he’d put underwear on me.

“If you all thought I would turn and be blood-mad, then what?” My eyes widened and I whirled on them accusingly. “You were going to keep me here, trapped and contained like Bastien.” I scoffed. “What? Just let me sit on the sidelines as you found a different?—”

“No,” Asher and Ren said at the same time. Tobias remained quiet and in the background with his expression stiff.

“We would try to search for the cure again.”

“Right,” I snorted. “You could have done the same with Bastien.”

“Bastiencalledme.” Asher was off the floor and approaching me. The urgency in his tone . . . Right, they hadn’t heard him talk like I had.

Asher frowned.

“You’re not shocked?”

“He spoke to her,” Ren said so sure, coming to the right conclusion.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Asher questioned.

“Like you guys tell me everything.” I shrugged. Bastien didn’t come searching for me because he’d been trapped. When vampires shared their blood, they could find the human that drank from them. It had never been because I was somehow immune to their ability. It was because Bastien had been locked up.

But now as a vampire, no one would find me. Not even the three in front of me.

I rubbed the back of my neck. Pounds kept compounding on my shoulders. They dropped under the weight.

“My body feels heavy,” I stretched my arms experimentally. It felt like weights were attached to my wrists.

“It’s the sun, Love.” As if on cue, the shutters clicked with their decent. I swayed, then nothing?—

EIGHTEEN

catalina

The viewfrom my window left a lot to be desired. I ran my fingertips along my windowsill. Crimson Manor stretched up intimidatingly. If only I’d known. The edges of my vision blurred. This was a dream.

I whirled and faced Bastien. He sat on a large recliner that had not been in my room when it existed. His ankle was crossed over his knee.

I pressed flush with the wall as I eyed Bastien. His white, long hair smoothly rested around his shoulders as if he’d artfully arranged it around himself. No robe, no nudity, instead, he wore slacks that had a neat crease down the pant legs as if ironed. His white button-down had a few buttons opened at the collar, allowing me a view at his golden skin.

“Little One.” His voice seemed to vibrate inside me. Why did he sound so pleased? He grinned at me, his long, sharp fangs fully on display while his red eyes studied me. “Come now, we do not have much time. Free me before they wake.”

“How areyouawake?” His dark eyebrows flicked up and he stood slowly. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. He seemed so unfamiliar to me, yet I wanted to run into his arms. The shirt moved over his wide, muscled chest.

“Why do you back away from me?” He frowned. “I will never harm you, Beloved.”

I squeezed my lips tightly together.