Leo pressed his hand to the human’s forehead. Instantly, she awoke, jerking upright and gasping.
“Nice trick,” Rayce muttered, and he actually meant that.
Leo didn’t look back at him. His eyes were focused on the woman—the woman who appeared increasingly terrified as her frantic stare flew around the room.
“Who are you?” she demanded. “Where am I? What’s happening?”
Leo touched her forehead again. “Your name.”
Rayce rocked forward on the balls of his feet. “Yeah, so, the last human that Simon got—he’s still locked up in a cell, by the way—we needed vamp blood to break the compulsion that controlled him. So you might just want to hold off on the question and answer session until Rose is back in fighting form.”
“I don’t need Rose. Humans are under my dominion.” Then Leo muttered something low—something that sure sounded like some kind of spell. Mind be free, respond only to me.
Rayce’s eyes narrowed.
“Tell me your name,” Leo ordered.
The terror vanished from the woman’s face. “Keri.”
“Keri, what were you supposed to do when you reached the island?”
“Shoot anyone who wasn’t Rose.”
“And just who gave you that order?”
“Simon. Simon says…find the vampire. Shoot the others…”
Rayce was getting real sick of old Simon. “How’d she know what Rose even looked like?”
Keri blinked. “I saw her picture. He showed me, on his phone.”
Rayce’s hand raked over his face. “Right. Of course. His freaking phone.”
“I was supposed to call him if she’s here.” Her words tumbled out quickly, easily, as if she had to speak them. “Simon says he’ll fly in. Simon says they won’t hurt me. I’m human… They won’t hurt me.”
“See?” Leo glanced back at Rayce, smirking. “I told you, she’s under my dominion. I can control—”
“Simon says death.” And the little human had just yanked a knife from her boot. “Simon says kill if anyone gets in my way.” She drove the knife straight at Leo. Blood flew from his neck, but when she came at him again, he knocked the knife from her hand.
It clattered across the floor.
“Sonofabitch.” Leo glared at the woman.
Her face was slack once more. “Simon says kill.”
Rayce wouldn’t let himself smile. Oh, hell, why not? It was his turn to smirk as he said, “You should really consider waiting on Rose. That vamp blood might come in handy after all.”
Leo grabbed the woman’s arms and pulled her up. “Mind be free, respond only to me.”
“Yeah, that didn’t work so well the first time…”
But Leo ignored him. “Tell me the plan. When you find Rose, what are you supposed to do?”
She blinked her wide, blue eyes. “Don’t have to do anything. He’s already coming…I already told him she was here. Saw her from my boat.” And then Keri smiled. “Simons says…we will all die.”
***
“Julian?” She had him on the bed. He’d stumbled out of the shower with her then collapsed on the mattress. His eyes were closed and he barely seemed to be breathing…and he was terrifying her. “Julian, wake up.”
Her shaking fingers pressed to his throat. The wounds she’d made with her bite were still there. They usually faded—he usually healed so quickly.
But he’d been tranqed today. And I…I took too much.
Guilt ate at her soul. She knew she’d taken too much. But she’d been caught in some kind of firestorm. She’d seen herself from a distance, and she hadn’t been able to stop. She’d fed and fed and the fire inside of her had demanded more. It had demanded that she keep taking. Taking. Until nothing was left.
A tear slid down her cheek. She brushed her mouth against his. “I’m sorry.” She’d hurt him. But she could make this right. He was still breathing. His heart beat…it was just slow. I have to make this right. She bit her wrist and then forced it to his mouth. He’d take her blood and he would get stronger. It had worked before for them. It would work again.
“Julian, drink.”
She kept her hand shoved against his mouth. Her blood trickled inside his mouth, but he wasn’t swallowing. She was straddling his body, and while she kept one wrist at his mouth, her other massaged his throat, forcing him to swallow. She made him take her blood. She wasn’t just going to watch him die on her. That wasn’t ever going to happen—
Oh, my God.
As she just realized what she’d thought, her heart stopped.
I can’t watch him die…just like he couldn’t watch me die.
Then his eyes flew open. Julian’s stare burned with power—with the force of his beast. His golden eyes were glowing and she felt his canines lengthening. Then he was biting her. His hand flew up and held tightly to her wrist, forcing her even closer to him. He bit, he drank, and he…