Page 65

Victor hastened to the side of the pool. Behind him, a blonde with a dazed cast to her eyes stumbled past us, heading toward her room.

Custodis snarled, glowering at us. “What is the meaning of this?”

I stiffened at his tone. “Just a little meeting of the minds.”

The vampire’s deep growl sent a shiver down my spine. That damn golden gaze of his was back. The one he denied existed.

He sliced the shifter a daggered glare. “You don’t belong here.”

Energy jolted through the water in a crackling wave, and I flinched at the sudden shock of power that rippled over me. Thorne flinched as well, and his muscular thighs flexed beneath my palms.

Rather than respond to Victor’s aggressive tone, he gazed up at Custodis, his expression scrutinizing.

Yeah. Good luck, buddy. I’d spent days with the vampire and had yet to figure him out.

Before I could formulate a rebuttal about bossy males who needed to know their place, firm hands grasped my forearms, yanking me out of the water and free of the shifter’s lap.

“Hey! What are you—”

“Time for bed,” Custodis snarled. Then, his icy gaze traveled down my body and my now transparent undergarments. Air gusted over my damp flesh, and suddenly, a towel whipped around my frame.

Holy bula-crap, the vampire was fast.

“You, return to your cell,” he barked at my bathing partner while I wobbled, tucking the length of material under my arms.

The orders, as well as the manhandling, set my teeth on edge. “I will go to bed when I—”

In yet another whoosh of dizzying speed, Custodis swept me into his arms and had us back in our room in seconds.

The minute my feet hit the ground, I came up swinging.

My fist rocketed through the air, and I spun in a circle, losing my grip on my towel. Regaining my balance, I turned to confront the vampire, fists raised. “Touch me again, and you’ll pull back a bloody stump.”

Instead of protecting himself from my wrath, he directed a long searing look at my exposed skin and snarled, whipping his tunic over his head.

“Put this on. Now,” he snapped, tossing the garment at my face.

“Bula-hole!” I stomped my foot, jerking the offending fabric off my head. Seriously, what the hell? The vampire was as bad as my brothers. Maybe worse.

When he continued to glare at me, I pursed my lips, stabbing him with my eyeballs. “You going to watch?”

He snapped a smart turn, giving me his back while I removed my wet undergarments and tugged his tunic over my head.

Taking advantage of his turned back, I smacked my palms against his bare flesh, hard enough to leave handprints. “What the hell was that all about?”

Rather than answer, he used that damned vampire speed again, snapping an arm around my waist and dragging me with him when he laid on his cot.

Resting against his naked chest, I struggled in his hold. “Release me.”

Instead, his grip tightened. “You’ve already proven that I can’t trust you not to sneak off.”

I sputtered a hacking cough. “Trust me? I’m not the one slinking around with harlots, sucking soiled blood. And for your information, I didn’t sneak off. I was working Thorne for intel. Much as you were working your latest conquest.”

“What did you tell him?”

“Me? Tell him?”

“He’s a skilled manipulator. The male has obviously targeted us for a reason. The assassin with the tray was likely a set up to allow him into our ranks.”