Ruby opened her eyes to a white, sterile room. She tried to lift her head, but found she couldn’t. It felt like it weighed a ton. She could barely turn her head, but when she succeeded the wave of dizziness and nausea made her glad she hadn’t been able to lift it. She stared at the large mirror that graced one wall and barely restrained the urge to roll her eyes.
“I’ve either been abducted by aliens or the Feds.” Her speech was slurred. She vaguely remembered swallowing a pill a handsome, dark-haired man handed to her, but everything else was a blank.
A male voice chuckled softly from behind her. “How are you feeling?”
“Dizzy, weak, pissed off. You?”
The voice chuckled again, and then replied, “Fine, thanks.”
“Oh. Glad to hear it. Not.”
The vampire sighed and stepped into view. “I don’t have a great deal of time, so listen well, Ruby.
Kaitlynn’s insane.”
Dana Marie Bell
“Oh. Really?” Ruby licked her lips. It tasted like something had crawled into her mouth and died there some time ago. “Didn’t notice.”
“Hard to miss, actually. I’m going to drug you again.”
Ruby couldn’t quite hide her wince. “Why?”
“She can’t get inside your head if you’re drugged out of it.”
She thought about that briefly, about what an insane Sidhe could force her to do in her own mind. Her little dance with Cullen backed up the vampire’s words. “Drugs are good.”
The vampire smiled. “Thought you’d see it my way. Open wide, sweetheart.”
Ruby opened her mouth and allowed him to place the pill on her tongue. When he gave her a drink of water to swallow it down, she nearly choked.
“Careful.”
“Why are you helping me now?”
The vampire threw a quick glance at the door, and then leaned down over her body. With a start she realized that he really was incredibly handsome, something she hadn’t had a chance to notice before.
“Kaitlynn is a bitch. I work for Duncan, but he’s gone missing. Kaitlynn decided to appropriate my services in her brother’s absence, and holds something over my head to force my compliance. However, I don’t like what she’s doing here, so I’m going to do my best to stop her at every turn without getting myself killed in the process. Simple enough?”
“Did you help Shane escape?”
He nodded happily. “I knew you were a smart girl.”
Ruby blinked sleepily and yawned, her head beginning to spin. “Did you hurt Moira?”
His cheerful fa?ade dropped away immediately. In its place was a ruthless predator. “The only people who are completely safe from me are Duncan Malmayne and Moira Dunne.”
“Kaitlynn might hurt her, to get to Leo.” Her speech was barely human. The medication began to take effect, making it nearly impossible to keep her eyes open.
Red flames danced in his eyes. “No. She won’t. I’ll kill her first.” Ruby felt a cool hand smooth her hair down as she drifted into unconsciousness. The last thing she heard was the vampire’s departure as he left the cell she lay in.
Jaden stood outside Ruby’s cell, watching her sleep. Duncan hadn’t contacted him yet; soon, he’d have no choice but to remove Kaitlynn permanently. He couldn’t risk Moira’s life, or Ruby’s, on the whim of the madwoman his bond-brother called sister.
Ruby slept peacefully, her heart rate normal, her blood flowing smoothly through her veins. Moira lay awake somewhere in her house, scared for her sister-in-law and…brother? Ah, Leo is on his way.
102
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Dare to Believe
Surprise, surprise. He wondered how close the Sidhe was to the Malmayne estate. He did his best to send his feisty little blonde reassurances, but until he deepened the bond between them fleeting impressions was all he could send her.
He did his best to convey that Ruby slept peacefully. Unfortunately, not knowing where Leo was, he couldn’t help her there.
It was with real pleasure he felt his little leprechaun relax a little.
For that small amount of implied trust, he would ensure Ruby’s life with his own. For the first time in over a century, someone other than Duncan had a hold on his cynical heart.
Kaitlynn stepped into the room and he watched out of the corner of his eye, curious to see her reaction. She glided over to the one-way glass, her eyes glued to the sleeping figure of Ruby Dunne.
“When will she wake up?”
The sick anticipation in her voice made him shudder. “I don’t know.”
Kaitlynn took a step closer to the glass. “How much did you give her?”
“Only the one.”
Her eyes narrowed, her lips pouted, and in that moment her smooth loveliness turned hard and ugly.
“Wake her.”
Jaden turned to her, one brow lifted in disbelief. “And how would you like me to accomplish that, your highness? Intravenous caffeine?”
Her lips turned up sweetly, but did nothing to dispel the frost in her eyes. “You know, Jaden? Perhaps your usefulness is at an end.”
If he hadn’t been expecting treachery of some kind the rowan stake might have found its mark. Jaden screamed as the stake entered his back, the pain nearly crippling him. He fell to the floor, slowing his heart rate, nearly stopping his breathing as Kaitlynn laughed in delight.
Jaden closed his eyes and lost his hold on consciousness.