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
Amy’s POVSame old Kane. Or so I thought. Always boasting.This time he came good.The dress was out of this world.That reminded me.“We need to talk,” I said. “How did you manage to prise me away from the vampire prince?”“Keep your voice down,” he hissed.I hadn’t realised I was shouting.A quick shower had refreshed my body without having the same effect on my mind.“Let me guess, you didn’t.”“Ariadne’s waiting,” he growled, pointing to his timepiece.“Oh, so it was her,” I said, just to antagonise him.My personality hadn’t been totally wrecked by my experiences in what I thought of as a twilight world. The colours had been fuzzy, the accommodation left a lot to be desired and I was feeling bereft.Could you get withdrawal symptoms if no-one was depriving you regularly of your blood?“What do you remember exactly?”I thought for a minute.“Weird dreams, mostly. I was sitting on a cloud talking to Stacey. Or was it Mina? Maybe both of them.”“Someone told me you were on another p
Amy’s POVIt was good to be back. This was my home and my girls were here. I was ordered to take things easy for the first few days but I was keen to be kept in the loop. Francis was only too happy to oblige, though I swore him to secrecy about my visit to his den. The place the monitors were to be found.I didn’t want the Alpha to think I’d had trysts here with his former Beta in the past.He beamed when he informed me Jake had made a good recovery. Tapping the side of his nose, Francis also hinted that he was growing closer to a certain waitress.Waitress? Maybe he meant Ingrid, who so often turned up with a food order.“How’s Noah?”“I won’t lie to you, Luna. It’s not looking good.”My hand flew to my mouth. This wasn’t what I’d been expecting.“And Lisa?”It must be hitting her hard.“That’s just it, she doesn’t seem to care.”Was she still pining for my no-good brother? Doubtful. I decided it must be a Lycan thing. Kane was still blowing hot and cold.I was furious when I discove