The scenery was no more than a blur as she concentrated on retracing the path back to Tane’s isolated lair.
At last she could see the crumbling red brick chimney in the distance, and ignoring the growing stitch in her side, she dodged past an abandoned barn and leaped over a small creek.
It never occurred to Regan that she might not be welcomed at the vampire stronghold without Jagr at her side. At least not until Tane’s massive form abruptly vaulted from the second-storied balcony to block her path to the door.
Skidding to a halt, Regan barely avoided colliding into the very broad, very bare chest.
“Tane.” She pressed a hand to her thundering heart. “God, you scared me.”
Pinpricks of pain stabbed into her flesh as Tane allowed his power to be released into the night.
“Where’s Jagr?”
She was smart enough to feel a jolt of fear at the fierce expression on Tane’s beautiful face, but she was too concerned for Jagr to truly appreciate just how dangerous her position might be.
“He was taken through a portal by an imp,” she said in a rush, too rattled to spell out more than the most pertinent information. “I can’t find him.”
Thankfully, Tane didn’t press for details. It was enough to know a brother was in trouble.
His long, lethal fangs emerged, along with a dagger he pulled from the waistband of his khakis.
“Stay here. I’ll try to pick up his trail.”
“Wait, I want to go…”
Ignoring her urgent demand to be taken with him, Tane slid past her and silently disappeared into the dark.
Regan clenched her teeth, knowing she’d never catch him.
“Damned vampires.”
Briefly considering her limited options, Regan at last heaved a sigh and climbed the steps to the wide verandah.
She could return to the golf course and hope to stumble across a means to follow Jagr, but she wasn’t so full of herself to believe that she would have better luck than a trained vampire assassin, who no doubt had had several hundred years to perfect his skills. The painful truth was she would likely be more a burden than help.
There was also the option of simply walking away and washing her hands of Jagr and everyone else determined to force her into a family she didn’t want or need.
It wasn’t as if she owed them anything.
Okay, Jagr had come in handy a time or two. Hell, he’d just saved her from being pulled into the damned portal.
And no woman, no matter how innocent, could deny that he was a world-class lover who’d made her first experience one she would remember for all eternity.
Still, he was possessive and bossy and ruthlessly worming his way into her heart. That alone should be enough to send her screaming into flight.
She didn’t…of course.
Mere logic couldn’t overcome the desperate need to rescue the aggravating beast.
Even if that meant doing the one thing she’d sworn she would never, ever do.
Squaring her shoulders, Regan entered the abandoned building, easily finding her way down to the basement where she was met by a military looking vampire guarding the opening to the lair.
Since he didn’t attack at her approach, Regan could only assume that Tane hadn’t left standing orders to kill on sight. In fact, the vampire actually bowed, making Regan halt in shock.
Was she supposed to bow back?
Curtsey?
She shook away the inane thoughts as the vampire straightened and regarded her with a stoic expression.
“May I be of service?”
Regan briefly struggled against the bitterness she’d nurtured for thirty years. It was an ugly battle filled with less than admirable emotions.
Pride, envy, festering resentment.
Yeah, ugly. But thankfully short.
Less than a heartbeat passed before she was sucking in a deep breath and taking the irrevocable plunge.
“I need to contact the Anasso,” she said, relieved when the words came out almost steady.
“Here.” Without hesitation, the vampire pulled a cell phone from the pocket of his camouflage pants. He flipped it open and scrolled through his contacts before handing it to her. “It’s a direct line.”
Regan took the phone and, not giving herself time to consider the consequences, punched the send button.
There was a buzz on the other end, then before Regan was entirely prepared, a low, commanding voice came on the line.
“Tane?”
“No.” Regan was forced to stop and clear the lump from her throat. It had to be Styx. Who else would have a voice even more arrogant than Jagr? “No, this is…Regan.”
There was a shocked pause, then the leader of all vampires softened his tone.
“Regan, I cannot tell you how good it is to hear your voice,” he murmured. “Darcy has been most anxious to speak with you.”
Her jaw clenched, but she refused to be distracted. “Maybe later.”
She could sense the moment he realized that this was not a social call.
“Tell me.”
She did.
Chapter 14
Jagr hated magic.
As a vampire, he’d become accustomed to being firmly on top of the food chain.
He was the bump in the night that scared all the other creatures.
For all his powers, however, he had no defense as Gaynor plunged the two of them into the portal, and he was surrounded by the relentless sting of the strange mist that seemed to bite into his skin with malicious glee. He had a brief moment to savor the knowledge he’d managed to keep the imp’s filthy hands off Regan before he was flung out of the portal with enough force to slam his head into a cement wall.
Briefly disoriented, he didn’t realize that magic wasn’t the only danger. Not until he heard the slam of a heavy metal door and he turned to discover he’d been locked in a cell that was custom-made to hold demons.
Any demon.
Including vampires.
Furiously wiping the blood from his forehead, he slowly turned, allowing his senses to flow outward.
His first realization was that they were deep below ground (which at least meant no early morning sunrise), and that the cement walls and ceiling were several feet thick. His next realization was that there were a number of hexes etched on the walls, and thick steel doors that were specifically created to drain the strength of any demon stupid enough to become trapped.
A dark, vicious dread curled through him.
It had been centuries since he’d been locked in a cage, but the memory was still vivid.
Starkly, painfully vivid.
He clenched his jaw, curling his hands into fists. Madness threatened to consume him. The same madness that had led to the bloody slaughter of his previous captors.