She fingered the latch. Curiosity killed the cat, she chided herself. It was wrong to snoop around in Russell’s things.
But was he the type of guy who would ever confide in her? Mister “I don’t explain myself” would never talk. Snooping was the only alternative left to her.
She snorted. Her excuse sounded lame, but what the heck? He was dead at the moment and would never know.
The box creaked as she opened it. Nothing but a lumpy, old, dirty rag. Grimacing, she folded back the edges of the oilcloth. There were two pistols inside. Old, she could tell, but she had no idea how old. Revolvers. She touched a shiny barrel. Russell was keeping them in excellent condition. They reminded her of the old pistols she’d seen in American cowboy movies.
She glanced over at Russell. “Are you a cowboy?” It was one of the few words she knew in English. She and her grandfather had loved watching American cowboy movies.
With a smile, she imagined Russell riding on a horse alongside John Wayne. She closed the box and put it back on the bottom shelf.
What to do now? She noticed his discarded trousers on the ground next to the tub. To show her gratitude, she would do his laundry. She gathered up his dirty clothes and towels, then dumped them into the tub he’d filled with water. After adding some soap, she swished them around.
“I might as well do mine, too.” She glanced over at Russell. He’d never know. She stripped and tossed her clothes into the tub.
Ten minutes later, she had the laundry rinsed and hanging on the drying racks. She opened the spigot on the tub to let the water drain.
“Time for my own bath.” She grabbed the bucket and began refilling the tub. The river water was cool, so she microwaved some water to make it warmer. Each time she passed Russell’s bed, she glanced at him. Still dead and completely oblivious that she was crossing back and forth completely naked. For the fun of it, she started striking a pose each time she passed by.
After her bath, she slipped on some clean panties and a camisole. She brushed her teeth and left her toothbrush in the tin cup next to Russell’s. She stared at the two brushes awhile.
She took a deep breath and retrieved the sat phone so she could call her cousin.
“Jia!” Rajiv’s voice sounded fuzzy. “Are you all right?”
“Of course.”
“I can hardly hear you.”
“I’m fine!”
“But you’re—” Rajiv’s voice faded out, then came back. “—Russell.”
“He’s dead right now. I might as well be alone.”
“Where are you?”
“In a cave. I don’t really know where.”
“I sent Rinzen and Tenzen—” Rajiv’s voice crackled. “Once they find you—”
“You didn’t need to do that. I’ll be fine.”
“It’s not fine. You’re a member of the royal family, engaged—” More crackling noises. “What you’re doing is not acceptable, and you know it.”
Her face grew warm. “I know you’re upset. I’m sorry.”
“The only thing saving you right now is that no one but me, Jin Long, and your uncles know what you’re doing. I told everyone that Jin Long teleported you to my brother’s village in Thailand. Jin Long actually went there to convince my brother to play along.”
“Thank you.”
Rajiv snorted. “Don’t thank me. It’s not like I wanted to do this. If I had my way, you’d be home safe and sound, not trapped in some cave with a crazy vampire.”
“He’s not crazy. And I’ll come home as soon as the job is done.”
Rajiv’s voice faded, then came back. “—home before your betrothed arrives. I asked the ladies to go ahead and make your wedding gown.”
She winced. How could she even think about getting married now? “I’ll call you tomorrow. Bye.” She hung up and plugged the phone back into the charger. This was not the time to worry about the future. She had a mission to accomplish first, and only eleven days left to do it. For now, she needed her rest.
She turned off all the lamps. With a yawn, she unhooked her bedroll from her backpack. Where to sleep? The kitchen area was too bright now that the sun was shining straight through the hole. She wandered across the cave. The ground was too damp by the tub where she’d done the laundry. And too sandy close to the river.
She looked at the bed. Russell was taking up only half of it, and he certainly wasn’t going to be rolling about. She walked up to the empty side and pressed her hand against the makeshift mattress. Three layers of sleeping bags were a lot more comfortable than her thin bedroll on the hard ground. And there was even a spare pillow.
Gingerly, she sat on the bed. No reaction from Russell. How could he react? The poor guy was dead. She jiggled the bed, then leaned over to peer at his face.
Nothing. His face was relaxed, the thin lines that usually lined his brow completely gone. His jaw was no longer clenched in concentration, his mouth no longer thinned with irritation but soft. He looked peaceful and almost . . . sweet.
She scoffed. What was she thinking? He was a vampire.
There was no way she was getting under the blanket when he was naked, so she stretched out on top and used her bedroll as a blanket. Just a little catnap, then she’d get up and he would never know she’d shared his bed.
She rolled over, snuggling her face into the pillow. It was really quite comfortable in the vampire’s lair.
Some time later she heard a sound, but it hardly registered. She moaned and rolled onto her back.
Two hands grasped her shoulders, and she jerked awake. It was dark in the cave. She’d slept past sunset?
Oh God, no! Russell was awake! She tried to get up, but he pinned her back down.
It was hard to make out his body in the dark, but not his eyes. They were glowing red. His grip on her tightened as his fangs shot out.
A growl rumbled low in his throat. “You should never sleep with a vampire.”
Chapter Ten
He was scaring her. Hell, he was scaring himself. In the three years that he’d been a vampire, he’d managed never to bite a person. Thanks mostly to Zoltan, who always had a supply of synthetic blood just a short teleport away. But then, in those three years, he’d never wakened with a woman in his bed, especially a beautiful woman like Jia.
The second he’d taken his first breath, he’d caught her scent. Woman, sex, and food all rolled into one luscious body that was warm and ready for the taking. Immediately, his eyes had turned red. His dick had grown hard.
Her blood was coursing through her body, the scent rich and intoxicating. The added fragrance of were-tigress unleashed a primitive hunter inside him. His fangs shot out, and he was gripped with a need to attack and conquer.
His fingers dug into her shoulders as he fought for control. No doubt she’d be left with some bruises, but it was better than a shredded neck.
“Russell,” she breathed. “I’m sorry.”
She was sorry? He was the monster here. With a growl, he shoved himself away and reeled out of bed. He stumbled to the ice chest in the dark and drank half a bottle cold. The blood eased his hunger, and the chill cooled the raging beast inside him. Unfortunately, his erection showed no sign of slacking off.
“Russell, are you all right?” her soft voice came from the bed.
God, he wanted her. He wanted to take her into his arms and make love to her. She was so brave and clever. Sweet and beautiful. She defended him, believed in him, trusted him. Or she had until he’d scared the shit out of her. “I apologize for losing control,” he said.
“You didn’t lose control. You stopped—”
“I frightened you.”
“I shouldn’t have been in bed with you. I meant to only take a nap, but—”
“It’s not your fault I’m the way I am.” He set his bottle down and strode to the bookcase where he kept his clean clothes.
“I doubt it’s your fault, either. You didn’t ask to become a vampire, did you?”
“No.” Was she still defending him, even after he’d come close to biting her?
“Was it Han who changed you?”
He ignored the question and pulled on a pair of briefs. “I’ll go topside for about ten minutes so you can have some privacy.” He lit a lamp and glanced over his shoulder at the bed, careful to keep the bulge in his underwear from showing.