Selene sat on the small white bed and stared at the door. She tried to piece together what had happened in the last hours. She remembered going to her apartment, and lying down on the couch to get over the trip. Then she’d got up and went out and… She’d just woken up in this room with the sexy blond vampyr thrusting a set of clothes fit for a drill sergeant at her and telling her to stay put. A worrisome sense of foreboding sat in her stomach. It had been decades since she’d woken up somewhere new and that had only been because of—
She leapt from the bed.
No. This couldn’t be happening.
She reached for her amulet, wishing she still had it. Taking a deep breath, she tried to retrace her steps from the night. She pounded her fists on her temples and focused. She started at the beginning, getting flashes.
In an effort to gain her bearings, she’d gone north to the park where she and Mason had found each other. She’d gone around on foot for hours taking in the devastation of Chicago, the buildings, the smells, the cars, the phones that had no wires, and the closed businesses. All of it was different. She’d kept to the shadows easily so as not to be seen in the darkness.
Going to the club had been a whim. With fifty bucks in her pocket and no idea what to do, she’d gone to get a drink. One thing she’d missed from this realm was margaritas.
That’s where things started to get fuzzy. She’d used her magick and the Vampire at the door had let her in. The vamp at the bar had given her a margarita without asking for money, and the vamps on the dance floor had flocked to her like bears to honey.
She’d been dancing, by herself, when the blond male had shown up and carried her out.
She got the vague sense she’d tried to charm him, but it hadn’t worked, because now she was stuck in this tiny room without windows, a prisoner.
“Way to go, Seraphine!” she whispered. She crossed her arms over her chest.
A chuckle of laughter sounded, chilling her soul. Real great way to spend her first day back in Chicago!
The door to the room opened and the blond male vampyr stood holding a tray of food.
He was handsome with shoulder-length hair and a stubbly chin giving him a rugged appearance. Memories of pressing up against him in the club and the feel of his sinewy muscles, which bunched and coiled beneath his clothing—
“I thought you might be hungry.” He stepped into the room and set the tray on a small table.
“I’m not,” she lied.
He looked at her and his brows furrowed.
“What?” She eyed the tray of food.
He shook his head. “Nothing, I just thought your eyes were a different color. At the club, they looked purple but they’re not. They’re jade green.”
Dammit. It was happening again. “Where am I?”
“You’re at the tracker’s compound.”
“Do you know Mason?”
“Yes.” Neeman crossed his arms over his broad chest and leaned against the wall.
“Can you call him?”
He looked at her quizzically. “I already did. We’ve had this conversation, remember?”
Crap. Selene crossed her legs and put on her best annoyed face. “Well?” she finally asked. “What did he say?”
“He said he didn’t own any slaves.” The blond shrugged.
Selene jumped to her feet. “But did you tell him my name?”
“Yup.” He watched her closely, making her cheeks heat.
Sheesh! He was infuriating. “And?”
“He said he’d come down and take a look at you.”
“Take a look at me?” Selene’s anger blossomed. Her cheeks flushed with heat and she rubbed at them in annoyance. “You’d think I was a dog at the pound.” She turned from him and his icy stare.
It didn’t matter. What mattered was Mason was coming and he’d see her and take her to his house. Then they’d take up where they’d left off. Hanging out and doing whatever they wanted.
“Why did you lie?” the vampyr asked.
“What?” She spun to face him.
“Why did you say you were his slave when you aren’t?”
“Because…” She didn’t even know his name.
“Neeman.”
“What kind of name is Neeman?”
“What kind of name is Selene?”
She liked her name.
“It’s not your real name.”
“Anyway, Neeman, I said I was his slave because I’d hoped you’d take me to him.”
“How’d that work out for you?” He cocked his head to the side and chewed on a piece of gum. Selene had to squelch a flutter in her stomach at the sight. He really was quite an amazing specimen for a vampyr.
“Usually it works out fine.” She gave him her most beautiful smile.
His expression darkened. The gum snapped and popped in his mouth. “Not with me it doesn’t. I don’t like being lied to, or manipulated for that matter. If you want my help, you have to be honest.”
“Well you won’t have to worry about it after tonight. As soon as Mason comes, I’ll be out of your hair.” She let her smile drop.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” he muttered.
“You think I’m lying again?”
Neeman shook his head. “No. Just mistaken.”
“How so?”
Neeman chuckled and snapped his gum again. “You really aren’t from around here, are you?”
“What does that mean?”
“It means things aren’t how they used to be when humans ran the country. Not in the encampment you came from and especially not here in the cities. Unless Mason is prepared to take you on as a slave, you aren’t going anywhere. And believe me when I say, I know his mate, and it isn’t going to happen.”
Anger flushed Selene’s skin. He had no idea. When Mason saw her, there would be no doubt. Whether he was now mated or not didn’t matter one whit. What they shared was a bond that couldn’t be broken by mating or years apart or anything.
“You’re different,” he said.
“Different. What do you mean?” She walked to the tray of food, picked up the lid, and picked at the food with her fingers.
“I don’t know. In the bar you weren’t so…”
“So what?” She looked up at him.
He shrugged. “Bitchy.”
She slammed the lid back down, pinching her finger. “You think I’m bitchy? Me? I’m not the bitchy one. I’m the nice one!”
Neeman opened his mouth to speak but there was a knock behind him. He snapped his gum and pulled open the door.
The years melted away as Mason entered the room. Selene’s head went fuzzy as she was flooded with wave upon wave of unexpected emotions. Her heart beat wildly but her stomach turned to gelatin as anxiety knotted her chest.
He shook hands with Neeman before turning to her. He stared for a long time, looking her up and down. He’d gotten older and his hair was longer but other than that, he was exactly the same. He didn’t move and her surety that he would take her with him ebbed away. The anxiety in her chest wound tighter and she feared she might pass out.
“Seraphine.” He crossed the room in one large stride and lifted her off the floor.
Crushed against his giant chest, she let out a sob and clung to him.
“Mael.” The feel of his hug was so familiar it was if she’d never been away from him. He shuddered and warm tears fell on her cheek. Memories long since buried rushed back to her. Long walks at night. The park they’d gone to visit that was no longer there. So many things. Years and years and years together. Times when all they had was each other. And now after being separated, it was like she’d never left to begin with.
They held each other for several minutes before he finally set her on the floor and pushed her to arm’s length to look at her again.
“I thought you were dead.” He brushed the tears from her eye. “Where have you been?”
“With my mother.”
He twirled a lock of her hair and tugged on it. “You cut your hair and went natural.”
“Yeah, there’s no such thing as hair color where I was.”
Mason nodded and his brows knit together. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m so glad to see you I can barely contain myself, but, why are you here? How are you here?”
The truth bottled up inside her like a shaken soda can. The pressure built and built and she wanted to release it before she exploded. She didn’t want to lie to him. It didn’t matter what her mother said, or what the elders of the fae wanted her to do to him. Let them come and try to wipe out the Earth, at the end both she and Mason would still be standing.
She opened her mouth to tell him the awful truth. To tell him about her mission to ensnare him and what was going to happen if she didn’t succeed. To tell about the fae and the demons and what was coming for him. All of it. Everything. But the words that tumbled out of her mouth were not her own.
“I escaped. It was terrible. You have no idea how they treated me. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I was no better than a curlumon. Only at least curlumons get patted down and brushed by their owners and a nice place to sleep after a hard day’s work. I had to get away. To get here. Back to you.”
She resisted the urge to cover her mouth with her hand. Her voice had been too husky. Hopefully he would attribute it to her being emotional.
The words that rushed out weren’t far from the truth. In a way, she had escaped and it was true about the things that had been done to her… She sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes in an effort to force away the images.
When she opened her eyes again, his golden stare pleaded with her. He wanted it to be the truth. She knew he did. But she read the wariness in his gaze. She’d seen that look before. She couldn’t blame him. She’d been gone for over twenty years, not a word, not a whisper, nothing. She held his stare. If she showed one ounce of nervousness, he’d know she’d lied.
Finally he nodded, pulled her close, and kissed her atop her head. “I missed you,” he whispered.
“I missed you too.” She hugged him tighter.
* * * *
Neeman’s muscles wound so tight he thought he might shred apart. It took every ounce of restraint he had to keep his mouth shut as he watched Mason with Selene. Mason loved the human, that was obvious. What Neeman wasn’t so sure about was how that would work out with Danika.
Danika had never been the jealous type, but she was fiercely protective of what was hers. And Mason was hers.
Mason turned to Neeman. “Thank you for calling me.”
Neeman nodded and chewed his gum.
“Can we leave now?” Selene looked at Neeman and for a split second, he didn’t want her to leave.
How had this infuriating female with the black hair and eyes the color of jade gotten to him? It was her scent. It had to be. Her scent swirled in his head and mixed him up. It was because he’d never drunk from the vein and he’d finally met a human who tempted him. He would not let that happen.
Mason looked down at Selene and squeezed her hand. “I’m afraid not.”
She pulled away. “What?”
“Selene, please. You must understand. I am mated now, to my soul bound mate. I need to tell her you’re here. I need to explain. Things are tense in the Vampire society. Between me, and all the humans we’ve found. Trying to make things better for the slaves and—”
“I can’t stay here.” Selene’s gaze moved to Neeman.
Neeman stiffened under the weight of her green gaze. What had he done?
“I need to talk to you. There are rumors.” She lowered her voice, as if Neeman couldn’t hear her. “Demons are returning.”
“What do you mean returning?” Neeman asked.
Her eyes stayed glued on Mason. “They’ve sensed you and now they’re coming. Some are most likely already here and my mother said—”
“Where’s your amulet?” Mason’s voice held a hard edge.
She reached up and clutched at her throat. “It didn’t make it through the rift.”
“Selene, you need your amulet.”
She pulled free of his grip. “I’ll be fine. I am fine. It was more for mental stability anyway.”
“Wait.” Neeman’s mind moved a mile a minute. If more like Mason were on this plane, it could mean the end of all of them. “How do you know more demons are coming?”
“She’s fae,” Mason said.
“She’s what?” Fae? How were the fae involved? They’d gone to their own plane years ago, Mason had said.
The phone rang in Mason’s pocket. He pulled out the phone and looked at it before pushing the button.
“Danika, what’s the matter, my love?” Mason continued to look at Neeman. “No, I just ran out to see Neeman, to explain why we weren’t able to meet with him earlier… Yes, I could have just called him, but you were resting and I wanted to get some fresh air anyway… Yes, I’m on my way, I’ll be back shortly… You, too.” He ended the call. “I have to go. Neeman, walk me out so I can let you know what’s going on.”
“What about me?” Selene thrust her hand on her hip.
Mason looked back at her. “I told you. You need to stay here. It’s only for a little while. I’ll come as soon as I can. Believe me, there is no one else I’d entrust your safety to other than Neeman. He’s the most honorable man I know.”
Mason’s words were a compliment of the highest degree. And despite Neeman’s reluctance to keep Selene in such a confined space, and so close, he wouldn’t be able to deny Mason.
“Besides, without your amulet, you need to stay inside.” Mason gave Neeman a knowing look.
Selene’s gaze burned into Neeman, making his gut twist. He snapped his gum.
“All right. But I refuse to be a prisoner here. I won’t be locked in like an animal.”
“But you won’t leave,” Mason said. It wasn’t a question.
There could be only one reason Mason had sway over her so completely.
“I won’t leave.” She looked at Neeman again. “You have my word.”
Mason turned to him. “Is it all right if she stays?”
“As long as she doesn’t disrupt our routine and she stays away from my men.”
“No worries there.” She rolled her eyes.
Neeman’s reasons for wanting her to stay away from his men weren’t purely for her safety. He didn’t need a riot on his hands when his men smelled her.
“She can stay. But she has to help out.”
“In what way?” Selene pursed her lips.
“Do you cook?” Neeman smirked.
Her mouth gaped open. “No!”
“Do you file paperwork?”
“Do I look like a secretary?” She glared at him.
“Well then I guess you can clean.”