Rhys had gone out, but he would be back soon. She was thinking about slipping into a sexy black nightgown she had bought on a whim and never worn when the doorbell rang. Wondering who it could be, she drew her robe around her and went to the door.
Looking through the peephole, she saw her former best friend standing alone on the front porch. But it wasn’t surprise that had Megan gasping. It was the blood dripping down Shirl’s face and neck, the complete lack of color in her face.
Without thinking of the consequences, Megan opened the door and reached for her friend. Shirl staggered forward, then came to an abrupt halt at the threshold.
Megan tugged on her arm, frowning, and then, after muttering “Shirl, come in,” she helped her friend inside and guided her to the sofa. “Shirl, what happened to you?”
“Tomás…he got angry with me because I refused to try to trick you into coming to the boat. He beat me and drank from me and…”
“Are you going to be all right? What can I do?”
“I could use a glass of wine.”
“Of course.”
Megan hurried into the kitchen, her thoughts tripping one over the other as she opened a bottle of wine and pulled a glass from the cupboard. Shirl needed to get away from Tomás, she thought as she filled the glass. But that wasn’t all. Shirl needed fresh blood to heal her wounds and a place to stay. Maybe Rhys would know what to do.
Megan was still weighing possibilities when she returned to the living room, only to come to an abrupt halt when she saw Tomás Villagrande standing in front of the hearth, a smirk on his face.
Feeling betrayed, Megan looked at Shirl, who had miraculously recovered. “How could you?”
“We’ve no time for this,” Villagrande said.
Before Megan could respond, he was at her side, his arm snaking around her waist. She stared up at him, a hard, cold knot of fear forming in her stomach as his gaze trapped hers.
His eyes grew darker, more intense. He whispered one word. “Sleep.”
And the world went black.
Megan woke slowly. Her first thought was to wonder why the room was rocking back and forth. Were they having an earthquake? She took a deep breath, and her nostrils filled with the scent of the ocean. It took her a moment to realize she was on a boat.
A boat? Frowning, she tried to sit up, only then realizing that her hands were tied behind her back. A quick glance showed she was lying on a narrow bunk. In the dim light of a hanging lamp, she could see that the floor was highly polished. A patch of sky sprinkled with stars was visible through the porthole across from the bunk. How long had she been unconscious? How had she gotten here?
Fear hit her then, hard and quick, in the pit of her stomach. Feeling as though she was going to be sick, she rolled onto her side as the memory of what had happened came rushing back. Shirl had come to the house with some phony story, and Megan had swallowed it hook, line, and sinker. And then Shirl had invited Villagrande inside, and he had hypnotized her or something.
Where was he now? And what was he going to do with her? Nothing good, she was sure of that. She told herself there was nothing to worry about. Rhys would find her.
And then she gasped. Of course, that’s why Villagrande had kidnapped her. Because he knew Rhys would come after her.
But maybe she was worrying for nothing. Rhys had said he was going to give Villagrande what he wanted, so maybe there was nothing to fear. If Rhys wasn’t going to fight Villagrande for control of the city, then the conflict should be over.
So why didn’t that make her feel any better?
Her heart skipped a beat when the cabin door opened. A moment later, Shirl came into view looking as long-legged and gorgeous as always. Tonight, she wore a pair of skintight white pants and an emerald green silk shirt.
Megan glared at her. It was hard to remember that Shirl had once been her best friend. They had shared a home, laughter and tears, their secret hopes and dreams. Looking at Shirl now, all Megan saw was a stranger. Rhys had told her that becoming a vampire brought out the best or the worst in people. It had definitely brought out the worst in her former best friend.
Shirl moved closer to the bunk. “Would you believe me if I said I was sorry?”
Megan struggled into a sitting position. “What do you think?”
“I can’t help it, Meggie. I have to do what he says.”
“I don’t believe that either.”
“He promised not to hurt you.”
“And you believed him?” Megan asked incredulously.
“Meggie, you’re my best friend.”
“Then untie me and let me go. There’s no need for any of this. Rhys isn’t going to fight your lover for the city. He’s going to leave.”
“Did Rhys tell you that?”
“Yes. Where’s Villagrande?”
“He went hunting.” A dreamy smile played over Shirl’s lips. “He loves to hunt when the moon is full. I don’t know why.”
“Why didn’t you go with him?”
“I went earlier. Sometimes he likes to hunt alone.” Shirl lifted one shoulder and let it fall, as if it was of no concern whether he hunted alone or not, but she couldn’t disguise the petulant tone in her voice.
Megan shook her head. “I look at you and I hear you, and I can’t believe what I’m hearing. You talk about hunting as if it’s nothing at all. Have you forgotten that you were once human? That all you wanted was to live a normal life? And now you’re no better than he is.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Shirl murmured.
“Then let me go! If there’s any humanity left in you, let me go before it’s too late.”
“He’ll only find you again,” Shirl murmured, sounding both resigned and proud at the same time. “No matter where you go, he’ll find you. You can’t hide from him. You can’t fight him. He’s not only immortal, Meggie. He’s invincible. And some day, I’ll be just like him.”
Megan closed her eyes as Shirl’s words crushed her only hope of escape. She didn’t know what Villagrande had done to Shirl, but it was obvious he owned her, body and soul. Megan had a terrible suspicion that Shirl would kill her without a qualm if Villagrande said the word. And that was the scariest thought of all.
Rhys whistled softly as he made his way back to Megan’s house. If he had known what spending the day in Megan’s bed would lead to, he would have done it a hell of a lot sooner, he thought, and then swore softly. He would have to be more considerate of Megan in the future. He had behaved like a rutting bull. She hadn’t complained, but in the future, he needed to remember that she didn’t have the same strength and stamina that he did. Had it been up to him, they would still be in bed, but she had needed rest and nourishment, and so he had told her he needed to feed and left the house.