The doors were all locked from the outside, of course, but she could hear voices coming from the rec room. She stood there a moment, listening to the muted voices of the women, the occasional laughter. She felt a brief rush of loneliness. The sheep might not be free, but they seemed happy in their captivity, while she had nothing, and no one.

The next floor down was pitch black and eerily silent. She knew immediately that this floor housed the vampires. Was Drake down here? Would she feel his presence if he was nearby? She tiptoed down the long hallway, her footsteps muffled by the thick carpet. She paused at each door but heard nothing. Did Rodin and Liliana live down here with the others, or did they have quarters elsewhere?

At the end of the hallway, she found a narrow wooden door. When she tried to open it, the drone caught her hand. When she looked up at him, he shook his head.

“Dungeon,” he said, his voice flat. “You should not go there.”

“Liliana said I could go wherever I wished.”

The drone looked confused for a moment, as if no one had ever dared defy him before, and then it occurred to her that she was probably the first to do so. Surely the sheep would not disagree with any order given them. When she didn’t back away, he shrugged and allowed her to pass.

Elena opened the door, and then hesitated at the top of the stairs. Did she really want to go down there alone? But then, she wasn’t alone. The Hulk was right behind her. Still, it seemed the height of foolishness. Who knew what she might find down there? Visions of skeletons and dead rats flashed through her mind. Maybe the drone was right.

With a shake of her head, she was about to close the door when she heard Drake’s voice in her mind, as clearly as if he was standing beside her. She peered into the darkness at the foot of the stairs. Was Drake down there?

Chewing on her lower lip, she started down the stairs. The musty scent of rot and decay rose up to meet her. She paused midway down the staircase, one hand on the rail, listening, but all she heard was the sound of the Hulk’s breathing coming from behind her.

She had come this far, she thought, might as well see it through. She moved cautiously down the remaining steps, the drone at her heels.

When she reached the bottom of the staircase, she paused. In the eerie glow of the candle, she saw that she was indeed inside a dungeon. Iron-barred cells lined both sides of the room. Did the vampires keep prisoners down here? If so, how did they survive the smell? The air was rank, the low ceiling and stark surroundings oppressive. She shuddered at the thought of humans being locked away down here for days, or perhaps weeks, at a time, where no one could hear their screams for help.

Elena moved forward, her steps sounding overly loud in the silence. She gasped as a rat scurried past her. She was about to turn back when she heard Drake’s voice in her mind again.

“Drake!” She hurried forward, her gaze darting right and left. “Drake?”

She found him in the last cell.

He blinked against the light of the candle. “What the hell are you doing down here?”

“I was just exploring, and . . . Oh, Drake.” He looked a little better than the last time she had seen him. It was obvious that he had been given the opportunity to bathe and change his clothes, but it still broke her heart to see him locked away in this dreadful place. “How long are they going to keep you here?” she asked, then frowned. He wasn’t chained this time. “Why don’t you just . . .” She lifted her free hand and let it fall. “You know, just leave?”

“I gave Rodin my word I would do as he wished.”

“And that includes letting him torture you? What kind of monster is he?”

“I defied him,” Drake said. “For centuries. Whatever fault there is, is mine.”

She reached through the bars, needing to touch him.

“Keep away from me.”

“Drake, please.”

“No, Elena. Whatever we had is over.”

“Is it?” She hated the way her voice trembled. “You said you loved me.” Why couldn’t she be as cool and detached as he appeared to be?

“I do love you. I will love you as long as I live.” Unable to resist her tears, he moved toward her, one hand reaching through the bars to wipe the dampness from her cheeks. “Did he hurt you?”

She didn’t pretend not to know what he was talking about, just as she knew there was no point in lying. “Yes, but I’m all right.” She placed her hand over his, then rubbed her cheek against his palm. “I don’t want to live without you.”

“You must. I need to know you are alive and well. I have made provisions for ownership of Wolfram Castle to be transferred to you.”

“But it’s your home!”

“I will be staying here from now on. Rodin will see that you have everything you need.”

“I don’t want anything from him!”

“Take it. It comes from me, not him.” His gaze moved over her face, as if to memorize every line. “I am sorry for the pain I caused you. Had I stayed out of your life, none of this would have happened. Forgive me.”

“There’s nothing to forgive. You saved me from my uncle. I’ve loved the time we had together.” She blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. “And I love you.”

His hand slid down her cheek, his fingers curling around her nape, gently drawing her closer, closer. Murmuring her name, he pressed his lips to hers.

Holding the candle out to the side, she placed her free hand on his shoulder and closed her eyes. His kiss was so tender, so filled with longing, that it brought a fresh wave of tears to her eyes.

Knowing he would not be alone with her again, Drake kissed her harder, deeper, his tongue tasting the sweetness of hers while a voice in the back of his mind urged him to defy his sire, to hold fast to Elena and will the two of them back to Wolfram even though he knew it would be madness. There was no escape. If he defied Rodin again, his sire would hunt him down and destroy him, and Elena, too.

She moaned softly as his tongue tangled with hers. The sound, filled with yearning, fired his desire and he kissed her again and yet again, his rising desire igniting his hunger. His fangs extended. One sharp tip grazed her tongue. The taste of her blood roared through him. It had been days since he’d fed. Need rose up within him, urging him to drag her closer, to drink his fill and, in so doing, ease the dreadful agony that ebbed and flowed with every breath.

Cursing the bars that separated them, he slid his hand over her shoulder and down her arm, his fingers curling over her wrist. He could feel the rapid beat of her pulse beneath his fingertips, hear the quick tattoo of her heartbeat.

Why not take what he so desperately needed? He lifted her arm, ran his tongue over her palm to her wrist. The scent of her warm, living blood called to him, enflaming his hunger, promising an end to his pain. The beating of her heart was like sweet music to his ears. His hand tightened on her arm as his fangs teased the tender skin of her wrist.

“Drake . . . Drake! Stop!”

He was breathing heavily now, the urge to feed riding him with whip and spurs.

Elena struggled in his grasp. She would willingly have given him what he needed, but he wasn’t going to allow her that option. He was going to take what he wanted. For the first time since she had met him, she was in sudden fear for her life.

Muttering, “Forgive me,” he bit down, his fangs piercing the tender skin on the inside of her wrist.

Exclaiming, “Forgive me!” Elena jabbed the candle’s flame against his neck.

With a howl, he released her and backed away, one hand slapping at the scorched cloth of his shirt collar.

“I’m sorry!” she cried. “So sorry!”

“Go.” He forced the word out through clenched teeth. “Go now!”

Sobbing, Elena turned on her heel and bolted up the stairs as if all the hounds of hell were barking at her heels.

She didn’t stop running until she was safely in her room, with the door locked.

Chapter 18

“She was here.” It was not a question.

Drake nodded. There was no point in lying. Rodin could detect Elena’s scent in the air as easily as he.

“You promised not to try to see her.”

Drake glanced at his surroundings—the thick iron bars, the stone floor, the corpse of the large brown rat in the next cell—before he stated the obvious. “She came to me.”

“You expect me to believe you did not summon her? That she found you without any help?”

Drake shrugged. “Believe what you will.”

Rodin lifted his head and sniffed the air. “You drank from her.”

Drake’s hands curled around the bars, his knuckles going white as he tightened his grip. “I tried.”

Rodin grunted softly as he caught the faint odor of burnt cloth. “Are you ready to feed?”

Drake nodded. He was certain Elena would never return to the dungeon, but if she did, he needed to be in control of his hunger.

“I will send one of the sheep to you,” Rodin said, approval in his voice. “Is there anyone in particular you would care for?”

“ No.”

“I have arranged for a meeting between you and Katiya for tomorrow night.”

Drake took a deep breath. Then, knowing it was useless, he asked, “Is there nothing I can say or do to change your mind about this?”

“You are my eldest son. You should have taken your rightful place at the head of the Council centuries ago.”

“Let Olaf take my place as head of the Council. He has made no secret of the fact he wants it. I do not.”

Rodin uttered a short, pithy curse. “I thought we had come to terms on this!”

“Yes, your terms!”

“Did I not agree to your stipulations regarding the woman?”

Drake snorted. “My stipulations? Keeping her safe is nothing more than she deserves. I brought her here as a guest. I expected you to treat her as such.”

“Be careful your weakness does not become your undoing.”

Drake shook his head. “Be careful your arrogance does not become yours.”