Insane. The madness had pushed to the surface so easily when he drank. She cleared her throat. “He and John grew up together. They were friends.”

The city lurked behind them now, a glittering trail of hazy lights reflected in the water. She swiped her hand along the door handle. “Where are we going?”

He glanced her way, and a faint smile curved his lips. “Don’t worry. I’m just taking you someplace safe.”

She tried a weak smile in return because his words should have been reassuring.

They weren’t.

His gaze returned to the road before them. “Do you trust me, Seline?”

No. Not even for an instant.

“I mean, you came to me, a man you don’t really know and you asked me to kill for you.”

She swallowed to ease the dryness in her throat. “I asked for your help.”

“Because I’m such a f**king helper.”

Not exactly. “Because I didn’t have anyone else to turn to.”

Sam pulled off the interstate, and the car began to rush down the twisting, snaking highway that led into the swamps. There was no light here. Just darkness and predators waiting.

Uneasiness skated down her spine. The plan had worked just as she’d planned, but . . .

Something’s wrong.

His low laughter filled the car. “Do you think I’m an idiot?”

No, she didn’t, and that was why she was trying to play the game so carefully.

They were off the main highway now. The car bumped along a thin dirt road. The headlights cut a path through the black night.

Finally, finally, a light appeared up ahead. The hunched trees parted and a graveled drive waited. “I’m going to run a check on everything you told me,” Sam said. The Jag braked in front of a faded antebellum home. Weathered, but still strong against the swamp. And what the hell was that place doing out there, with its lights shining? It looked creepy. Like something out of a horror movie. Being what she was, Seline should love horror movies.

She couldn’t stand them. There were enough monsters in her real life. She didn’t want to sit and watch them terrorize people in a movie theater.

“Run the check,” she said, her voice too soft.

He killed the engine, and she immediately became aware of the chirping of what sounded like a hundred insects. She knew gators and snakes waited in the shadows. Those were the predators she didn’t fear, well, not as much as the Others that could wait in the night.

Sam turned his head toward her. She could only see darkness when she looked at his eyes. “If I find out you’re lying to me, if this is all some kind of setup . . .”

She didn’t flinch. “I need your help. There’s a death warrant on me.”

His fingers trailed up her arm. “I’m not a good enemy to have.”

Neither am I. She tried not to shiver at his touch, but his fingers were slightly rough, and she liked that hint of danger and strength. She had a dark side, too, one that he seemed to arouse too easily. “I don’t want you for an enemy. I only want to get my life back.”

“If you’re telling the truth, I’ll give you that life”—he paused—“for a price.”

Because everything had a price. She’d never gotten anything for free in this world. Even her birth had been at the price of her mother’s life. “What do you want?” she asked. “Sex?” Taking her would be his mistake. Sex would simply give her power and give him a fast trip to hell.

“Eventually.” His fingers were still on her arm, and the interior of the car seemed small and tight. The scent of leather and man permeated the air. “But for now, I’ll start with a simple trade.”

Nothing was ever simple. She had to bite back “Am I the one who looks like an idiot now?” Seline wanted out of that car. He seemed too big and strong, and right then, he had her at a serious disadvantage. Her power was low, and she needed a serious recharge—a recharge she planned to get from him at the earliest opportunity. “When I first asked for help, you—you said no.”

His head inclined.

“You were going to let me die.” Heartless bastard. Or he would have been, if her story had been true. Since she hadn’t actually been in danger of an immediate death . . .

“I’m not here to save the f**king world.”

Very true. “But you saved me in the alley.”

“Did I?” he murmured. “Guess that is how it appears.”

This wasn’t going the way she’d planned at all. Usually, her plans worked so well. He should have taken her back to his place—that nice apartment in the Quarter—where they would’ve been under surveillance, and she should have been well on her way to seducing him.