Page 9 of Kiss of Seduction

Natalya frowned. “Why would he allow us to rest here if he has no plan to honor our agreement?”

“He has people everywhere, but they can’t move in the daylight. If you left after the meeting, he wouldn’t be able to follow you for long. He wouldn’t insist you stay unless he planned on causing an accident.”

Evie had heard Varro discuss the topic many times. He always stationed vampires at all nearby roads whenever he had guests. Sometimes, these guests disappeared before they could leave the area. No one could blame Varro for accidental deaths. It kept his hands clean. It was just rare the guests were daywalkers.

Natalya narrowed her eyes. “Are you a spy?”

“No.” Evie’s voice was little more than a whimper.

“Why did you feel the need to warn me?”

“I…” Evie didn’t know. She hadn’t earnestly meant for Natalya to hear her. It was too much like working against Varro. It came with too much risk. She’d just felt a need to dosomethingto repay her kindness.

She regretted it now. She wished she’d never said anything.

Natalya’s brows furrowed, and she looked at her watch.

“There are several hours of daylight left, and this place has limited human staff. Do you know the layout?”

Evie nodded. Varro’s estate was an expansive property outside New Orleans. She’d been taken everywhere on it, save for the east wing. No one except Dominic, Varro, and Stefano were allowed in there.

“Do you know where the other slaves are?” Natalya asked. “The humans that were with you in the parlor?”

“They could be anywhere.”

Natalya muttered something that sounded like a curse. She pulled at the sheet wrapped around Evie’s shoulders, avoiding her skin.

“Come with me.”

“No!” Evie knew what happened if a slave tried to escape. It didn’t matter how rare she was or how favored. Her uniqueness wouldn’t save her from Stefano’s whips.

“Who do you think Varro will suspect? When he finds out we were tipped off to our lack of safety?” Natalya said. “He’ll find out it was you. And even if he doesn’t guess, he’ll enthrall you and make you tell him everything.”

Evie shook her head. Not in denial of what Natalya was saying, but in denial that this was even happening.

“I can’t.”

“You can. I know you can.” Natalya held out her hand to Evie. She still hadn’t touched her. She’d said she wouldn’t, and she hadn’t.

Natalya was right too. Escape attempts were one thing, but there would be no mercy for traitors. Evie’s death would be assured, but it would come slowly and painfully enough that she would go mad long before it came.

Shaking with fear, Evie took Natalya’s hand.

Chapter 3

Natalya led Evie out of the room into the hallway beyond. There were no guards, a consequence of Varro mainly housing vampires. They required little oversight during the day as the sun rendered them almost completely useless. Natalya and her entourage were anything but.

She knocked on the neighboring guest room doors, drawing out her people. Diana and Flea looked like they’d just woken up. The lycan siblings had been sleeping in shifts, while Flea had just slept without anyone guarding him, like the madman he was.

“Why’s the chick here?” Flea asked, seeing Evie. He gestured at the sheet wrapped around her. “And what’s with the getup?”

“Quiet, Flea.” Natalya ran them through the situation, seeing the siblings tense as they listened while Flea giggled.

“So we’re leaving?” Cassius said. “Varro won’t like that.”

“I’ll contact him at nightfall and tell him there was a situation,” Natalya said. “If we’re allowed to leave unbothered, then no harm done. We were never supposed to stay the day anyway.”

“How do we know she’s not lying?” Diana shot a look at Evie, who cowered in response. The poor woman knew nothing else but fear.