Torrence's gaze shifted from her to Adam.
Maya's whole body tensed.
She could so do with a distraction about then. Where were those damn wolves? "Dragons are wild, unpredictable beasts." His mouth frowned with distaste as he stared at Adam.
"So hard to control."
"You're f**king dead!" Adam yelled, the words rumbling from within his chest. The air around them grew thick and a deep, menacing growl filled the hall.
Torrence stepped toward Maya.
She still had her gun in her hands. Ready to fire. No way could she take them all out, but she could hit Torrence straight in the heart.
But then the other vamps would rip her apart before she could get to Nassor.
What would happen to Adam? To Cammie? "He was protecting you, wasn't he?" Torrence asked.
Maya didn't answer.
"I saw him. He put his body before yours-and he attacked." Torrence tilted his head to the side.
"Got a pet, do you, bitch?"
She bared her teeth at him.
He lifted his hand, ignored her gun, and pressed the tip of his claws against her cheek.
Maya felt the warmth of blood on her face.
"Get away from her!" Adam wrestled free from two of the vamps, broke the neck of a third-not something that would kill the guy, but it would definitely take him out of commission for a bit.
Her eyes closed. No, Adam, don't-
The claws dropped to her throat. "Move and I'll cut her head off."
Her lashes lifted and she met Adam's desperate stare.
Dragons-so fierce. So emotional. Damn, but the guy made her heart ache.
Torrence circled behind her. "Drop the gun." He whispered the command into her ear.
The gun hit the floor with a clatter. Maya was hoping a bullet would shoot out at the impact and kill one of the goons. No such luck.
Adam wasn't moving. The vamps had him pinned to the ground. His head was tilted up, and he stared straight at her.
"You've got a weakness, don't you, dragon?" Torrence taunted. "And it's this bitch."
Adam didn't speak.
"Let me tell you what's going to happen." His claws dug into her neck. "You're going to do what I say, when I say it, or the woman's going to find herself without a head."
"Adam…" If he shifted into the dragon, he could take the vamps surrounding him, she knew he could.
But she also knew the shift wasn't fast. He'd need precious minutes to fully transform-and she'd be dead before the dragon could fight.
At least he'd survive.
"Don't worry about me," she said, her voice firm as she gazed down at him.
"Fuck that!" He made no move to fight his captors-or to transform.
"I've always known there was something special about a female vampire's pu**y," Torrence murmured and she felt his tongue lick down her face, tasting the blood that fell from her cheek. "It's all that drinking and f**king-makes men into slaves."
The scent of smoke teased her nostrils.
The dragon was close.
Change, Adam. Change. Forget about me-you have to stop them so Cammie will be safe.
She didn't know if he heard her mental plea, but she drove the words as hard as she could through their blood bond.
"Get him up."
The vampires dragged Adam to his feet. His eyes never left Torrence's face.
"Nassor wants them-and we don't want to keep the Born Master waiting."
Where were those damn wolves? The vampires yanked Adam down the hallway.
"You shot me, bitch." Torrence grabbed her hair, jerked her head back.
She ignored the pain and said, "And I'm going to kill you."
He laughed at that-right in her face. "When Nassor's done with you, we're going to play." His mouth pressed against her throat. Licked away the blood. " If there's anything left of you."
Then he shoved her down the long hallway, and the rest of the vampires swarmed in behind her.
"Lucas?" Daniel's voice was tense.
He put the binoculars down. Fifteen minutes. Maya and the dragon had been inside for fifteen minutes.
There was barely any activity outside the fortress.
Doubt nagged at him. Was it a trap? Or could he trust her? Was there even a choice? Fuck it.
Time to hunt.
He threw back his head and howled.
CHAPTER 17
Torrence took her downstairs. Not just to the basement, but down a good three levels. They entered a room lit with torches. A room with a dirt floor and a golden throne. A room with an opened sarcophagus that waited, half in the earth.
Blood stained the dirt. Human bodies-at least seven-littered the floor.
And the Born Master waited.
He turned at their approach, moved his body in a slow glide like a snake.
His skin was golden, his hair black and loose around his shoulders. His face wasn't handsome-it was absolutely perfect. Sensual lips, sculpted cheekbones, strong nose-the guy could have been some kind of cover model-
If he weren't the leader of the dead.
Time had frozen him young. He barely looked twenty years old, but his glittering black eyes reflected the centuries he'd lived-and the evil he'd wrought.
He smiled when he saw her, lips curving back to show his white fangs. "Ah, my little cop." His voice held no accent, but was a deep, echoing rumble. "I've been waiting for you, dreaming of you, for so many years."
She'd didn't want this guy so much as thinking about her. He lifted his hand to her cheek, touched her-not with claws but with soft fingers.
She expected to be repulsed by his touch. Instead, her heart began to race and a strange hunger swept through her.
What the hell? Thrall. The answer whispered through her mind. Nassor was an ancient. He'd be able to control her, make her feel anything he wanted.
Oh, shit.
His nostrils flared as he stared down at her. Then his eyes lifted to Torrence. "You tasted her."
He sounded seriously pissed.
Torrence gave a jerky nod.
Nassor smiled. Maya let her gaze drift over him, helpless against the draw she felt for the Master. There was a red line circling his neck. Puckered skin. A scar-but vampires didn't scar.
Not usually.
The guy had almost gotten his head chopped off. The wound had nearly killed him, and, judging by that scar, he still hadn't fully healed.
Or the scar would be gone.
Nassor was dressed in a pair of dark, flowing pants. His chest was bare, completely hairless, and Maya saw the second scar that lined his chest. Right over his heart.
Because he'd been staked.
Staked and nearly beheaded-and he'd still lived.
Killing him was going to be damn hard.
"We have something for you," Torrence said, bowing his head slightly.