Kane’s POVObliterating Blaylock was my number one priority. Yet my sister kept getting in the way. If I didn’t know better I would have suspected she was doing it on purpose. And after I’d let her off with a caution following her unscheduled visit to Zena. I didn’t have the heart to reprimand her properly, given what she was going through.I informed Ms Harvey in no uncertain terms that I wasn’t going to spend another second in her lab as a guinea pig and that she was lucky I didn’t throw her ass in my dungeon.Francis backed me up, for which I was eternally grateful. Cornelius opened and closed his thin lips a few times but nothing of substance emerged. At this stage I wouldn’t have been surprised to see ectoplasm.It had been that kind of a year.I asked to see my clone then changed my mind.“Have it brought to my office.”The lookalike could be dismantled there. It was as good a place as any, and I assumed Darius would be handy with a hammer.Lisa turned up unexpectedly. Actually,
Amy’s POVThe prince took the fur coat from my shoulders in a sensuous move which I suspected he had performed many times before.“Lie down and stretch out your arm,” he ordered.Unlike the Alpha, there was no aura, yet I hurried to obey. Fear had diminished, leaving a heady anticipation.Had he softened me up merely by placing his cold lips on mine?The man who entered looked ghastly. Saliva dripped from fangs he was unable to properly conceal when he saw me. I jammed my legs together, wondering wildly if I’d forgotten to shave them.That wasn’t the part he was interested in, but he obeyed the vampire prince and kept his bloodless white hands to himself as he attached an odd-looking contraption to my bare upper limb.A vampire with a bald head chose that moment to glide through the door.“Mina said you woke early again. Oh, is this the new lady?”“Allow me to introduce Arnold, my second-in-line. This is Amy, a healthy she-wolf. I doubt she will be joining our group.”“Can I watch you
Amy’s POV Did I mention his lips were cold? I scarcely noticed at first until a pint of rhesus negative left my rapidly cooling limbs. Come to think of it, the whole room was freezing. “Are there any candles?” I murmured, drowsily. “I thought you would want to sleep, my precious.” “I meant for warmth.” “Arnold.” Mina’s crush had several attempts before an elaborate candelabra appeared in his gloved hand. Any other vampire might have set his hair alight. I suppressed a giggle. Maybe this wasn’t the first such request. Still gawking at me was the farmer I’d dubbed Horace. I supposed he had to stick around to oversee proceedings. Then it struck me. I’d been likened to a cow. This new drowsiness was getting in the way of my indignation. I allowed my head to loll back on the pillow and closed my eyes. I really didn’t want to see the rust and peeling black paint. “What’s your castle like?” Arnold tittered. “She doesn’t know, does she?” Prince Leander ignored him. “I’m about to
Kane’s POVI had no idea what Ingrid’s sister was talking about but I played along.“What do you take me for? I’m not someone who would ever pry into another’s private affairs.”“Affairs? Good choice of word. Did Jake enlighten you? Lori said he stole it at one point.”I might have known Amy’s brother would be involved somewhere along the line.“Do you want it back?”“There is no point,” she said, her tone bleak.One less thing for my to-do list.“Don’t give up,” I urged. “Mina hasn’t.” Her mouth opened and closed but she said nothing. “Noah?”“I’ll take you to him, though I should warn you, he’s very sick.”She wasn’t lying. Those furs seemed familiar and yet my Delta’s teeth were chattering.“Amy?” I queried.My sister’s mate did his best to respond through a parched mouth. Ingrid offered him a little water from her flask, a drop at a time.“In case you’re wondering, that’s my coat,” Diana said.“Good of you to think of him. I mean it.”“Prince Leander likes the females in his group
Amy’s POVIt seemed I was his new flavour of the month, or so Mina informed me. I groaned and began to scratch my back. I didn’t fancy her input in that respect; her nails were close to talons. Well, maybe I am exaggerating a little.“Where are we?”I didn’t really expect an answer.“In transit.”It meant precisely nothing to me.“Is that why everything is grey?”“Uh-oh. I think you might be coming down with something. As far as I’m concerned this whole cloud is yellow.”Cloud, what cloud?“Well, I’m not a vampire,” I snapped.“Someone’s crotchety this evening.”Crotchety? She didn’t know the half of it.“Where’s Diana?”Mina’s face changed.“Lost,” was all she said.I felt lonely all by myself following her abrupt departure and attempted to contact Anastasia.Success!For here she was sitting beside me on whatever this fluffy cotton shape was as we floated to nowhere in particular.“Hey,” I said. “What’s happening, Stace?”The blind spirit took me literally.“Kane’s searching for you
Amy’s POVWe’d been gazumped, can you imagine that? Squatters were inhabiting Prince Leander’s new palace and they were being paid to stay there by the one who’d acquired it from under his nose.Mina told me they were members of a coven. Not even a bloodsucker would tangle with witches and warlocks if he could help it.“Ever thought of going to Mexico?” I asked when he came to me that night.“Too hot.”Now I had him.“Canada’s closer. The Scots who came over probably built lots of castles to remind them of their homeland.”I was improvising madly. Those poor crofters were more likely to have begged at the servants’ entrance after having been driven from their land.“Do you speak French?” he asked.“I like their way of kissing.”I went on to demonstrate, wondering if I’d gone too far when he pinned me to the rocky wall.“Show me more,” he urged.“Only if you promise not to bite off my tongue.”That cooled his ardour. He tapped at a vein instead.“Why are you less responsive today?”“Ho
Amy’s POVThe prince was furious, bitterly bemoaning the treachery of someone he hadn’t turned. It seemed he was even contemplating casting out anyone who had joined the ranks of the undead by another’s bite. However that had been achieved.Arnold to the rescue. He pointed out that would mean Leander had a group of half a dozen or so.My throat was squeezed a few times initially.“What would you have done in my position?” I croaked, eventually. “I have responsibilities, pups to raise.” Then I played my ace. “Didn’t you ever stop to think who alerted Mina?”“Hedging your bets, were you?”“Don’t be mean. I may have no loyalty to you, but I had even less to him. Putting my life in danger like that. I nearly slid off the third roof.”I was outraged by my network, as well.Agatha, if you’re listening … I quit.I meant it. I wasn’t working for her any more. That didn’t mean the cause still wasn’t close to my heart.She means well, dear.Ariadne, are you feeling better?I’ll live.Help me. H
Kane’s POV In the end I chickened out, sending in Ariadne to pose as Amy’s auntie. She would claim that her niece was touched in the head and prone to pilfering. An offer to compensate the store for any “inconvenience” should avoid awkward questions. If my mate was spitting feathers by the time she climbed into the limo I had waiting, I hoped a cocktail or two would calm her down. I wanted her lightheaded and walking on air before I presented her with my gift from Tiffany and Co. That was the plan anyway. As always, with Amy, nothing was straightforward. She fell asleep on my shoulder while Ariadne played third wheel. Connors was driving the car I’d splashed out on for the occasion. We attracted plenty of interest curb side, I can tell you. Had they mistaken me for a celebrity A-lister? Not when they saw the state of my mate. She was thinner than normal and not making a lot of sense as she weaved her way across the pavement in a kind of horrible dance. “Join me,” I said, once my