Blood Ties Bundle: Blood Ties Book One: The Turning / Blood Ties Book Two: Possession / Blood Ties Book Three: Ashes to Ashes / Blood Ties Book Four: All Souls' Night

I had a ridiculous urge to thank him, but I pushed it aside. “This was Dahlia’s room?”

He lifted what looked like a Fabergé music box from a plant stand by the window, frowning. “Yes. For a while, anyway.”

I dropped my bag and removed my coat, draping it over the back of the settee. “Why’d you kick her out?”

“Truthfully? I didn’t like having her so close. The jealous witch monitored all my activities. It was a bit like being married again.” He wound the mechanism of the box and an unrecognizable tune began to play. “Let me show you something.”

He walked to the small corner hutch and slightly pulled on one of the shelves. The whole thing swung forward with ease. “This leads to my chambers.”

I stared at the door as if it were ignited dynamite. “Any way we can wall that up?”

“I prefer to have unhindered access to you.” He closed the secret passage. “But I’m sure you understand why I’d want to keep Dahlia elsewhere. Under heavy guard.”

If I were him, I’d want to keep her in a different country. “She thinks you’re going to turn her.”

“Her power is beyond any I’ve ever seen.” He paused thoughtfully. “But I fear how she’d wield that power with a vampire’s strength behind it.”

I sniffed derisively. “Because you’re so moral.”

“Because I’m a realist.”

“Couldn’t you just control her with the blood tie?” I folded my arms across my chest. “I mean, since you’re so good at it.”

“You’re perfect.” A wry smile formed on his lips. “Alas, she has more power than I. And I won’t chance her ruling me.”

“Well, I’m glad to know you’re not a completely remorseless psychopath.”

Cyrus sighed with theatrical weariness. “What you perceive as evil is only an acceptance of our true nature. I only do what I am built to do. That doesn’t mean I’d want some complete nutcase steering the world toward doom.”

“Could she do that?”

“Probably. That’s the thought that keeps me awake during the day.” With a look of feral hunger, he crossed to me. “But now it seems I have a better reason for my sleepless days.”

He raised his hand and I trembled, alternately wishing he would touch me and cursing myself for wanting him to do so. When he dropped his hand, I turned away from him in embarrassment.

“I have some gifts for you. In your bedroom.”

The last place I wanted to be with him was anywhere with a convenient horizontal surface, but I went, anyway. As I passed the open door, I noticed the key had been removed from the lock, the keyhole soldered closed. I had no way to keep Cyrus out should he decide to come courting in the middle of the day. Would you want to keep him out? As disgusting as I found his predilection for pubescent girls, my revulsion didn’t dampen the power of the blood tie. I assured myself it was only the new vampire side of my nature, and that I’d simply learn to ignore it. I had no intention of acting out his perverse fantasies.

The bed was huge, larger than any I’d ever slept in, and was covered in a thick blue duvet with lace-trimmed edges. A mountain of pillows was at the head, and a half canopy with curtains brushed the high ceiling.

“This is like a fairy tale,” I said, trailing my fingers over the soft bedspread. It was hard to imagine Dahlia, in her fishnets and heavy eyeliner, curling up to sleep here.

Cyrus closed the door and leaned against it casually. “I’m glad you like it. Of course, I hope you don’t spend much time here. Look in the armoire.”

The large mahogany wardrobe was already stocked with clothes. Rich fabrics in colors I’d never imagined myself wearing crowded the space, and when I opened the drawers I found a selection of jewelry that would put Tiffany’s to shame. I nearly choked on my surprise. I was so hypnotized by the sparkling jewels that I didn’t notice he’d stepped behind me until his arms clung around my waist. I jumped, startled, when he reached for a large, pear-shaped emerald pendant.

“I’ve never had so many…liquid assets,” I rasped as he lifted the necklace to my throat.

Laughing, he brushed my hair aside. “Everything in this house is yours.” He fastened the clasp, then smoothed the chain against my shirtfront.

I stepped away, immediately reaching to remove the bauble. “As long as I’m obedient, right?”

“To a point.” He regarded me with a calculating stare. “I don’t believe I need to press my will with you.”

A chill crawled up my spine. “And why is that? Because you gave me expensive things?”

“Because I don’t want to create distance between us. You’re an intelligent woman. You’ll realize soon enough that fighting your true nature is futile. When you do, I will be there.” He turned to the door. “I’m sure you’re tired, so I’ll leave you to settle in.”

So he wouldn’t require my company after sunup. “What about Cami?”

Confusion sparked across his face. He’d already forgotten her name. Only after I angrily began to tap my foot did he understand who I was referring to. “Oh, yes, the girl. No, I think I’ll get my rest, as well. However, if you wished to join me after all—”

“I don’t foresee that happening.” I dropped the necklace into the drawer and slammed it shut.

“No, of course you don’t. But you know where to find me.”

I stood in the doorway and watched him exit through the hidden passage. When it closed, a deliberate and ruthless wave of lust washed over the blood tie. I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes.

God, help me, I pleaded to a deity I’d never bothered to speak to before. If you don’t, my sins are on your head.

Eleven

A Sleepless Day, An Uncomfortable Night

Although there were still hours before sunrise, fatigue forced me into the huge bed. I left the lamp on at the bedside table, as I found it slightly unsettling to be alone in the enormous room.

You don’t have to be alone. The thought couldn’t have been mine. I sat up, peering into the dark corners of the room to see if Cyrus had returned. But I was the only one present, and as much as I hated to admit it, curling up next to Cyrus was an appealing prospect compared to spending the night by myself in this museum of a bedroom.

It had to be the blood tie. Cyrus was a monster who preyed upon the weak and helpless. The attraction between us wouldn’t have been so strong if he were anyone but my sire.

But even I couldn’t believe that. I’d felt the excitement of sinking my fangs into a warm, human neck. I’d known the hot, heady feeling of blood rushing into my mouth from a tapped vein. That kind of gluttonous pleasure could be addictive. I’d done it once, I wanted to do it again, and Cyrus offered the very thing I craved.

I was attracted to Cyrus because my darker nature wanted me to give in and become like him. A predator, with no remorse or humanity to interfere with my base desires.

A horrendous scream tore through the still night. I ran to my window in time to see a half-naked girl racing across the lawn toward the dark shape of the hedge maze. Four of the Fangs followed her.

Her pale body cut a glowing streak through the darkness and I recognized her at once. Cami.

“Don’t look back,” I whispered, willing with all my might that she make it to the maze. She could hide there, maybe even until the safety of daylight.

But I knew my worry was in vain. I’d seen her kind many times in the E.R., souls so abused they were afraid to find help for their situation. Having escaped death, Cami would just slink back to the house, and death would find her again.

The vampires gained more ground. She looked over her shoulder, screaming again at the sight of her pursuers. The glass of my window muffled the sound and I was glad for it. I wouldn’t have wanted to hear the full might of her mortal terror.

Looking back proved to be a fatal mistake. Her feet tangled beneath her and she sank to the ground. All four vampires fell on her. She didn’t scream this time.

It took them only a moment to finish her. As they dispersed, I caught a glimpse of the body, or what was left of it. They’d ripped her apart and fed until not even her organs remained inside her mangled corpse. She looked like a rag doll whose stuffing had been ripped out.