I started the process over. These shields became a part of a person over time. Images held in place consciously, at first, but after some time you forgot they existed. Until some vampire asked you to take them down.
“Concentrate,” he whispered.
I scrunched my eyes and poured all my effort into the door’s existence.
“Hmm, it looks like you’re trying to lay an egg instead.”
I sighed and opened my eyes. “Your comments are not helping.”
Chin in hand, he sat observing me, not amused. “It takes only a few minutes to sail to Dragos ’ temporary compound.”
“Where are you both from?”
He shook his head. “None of that should concern you. Try again.”
“At the A38 you gave me the impression that you could break through my mental shields.”
“It would hurt.”
He cared if he hurt me? I took a deep breath and blew it out slow. The door came easier this time. Something knocked from the other side. It wanted to come in but it frightened me. Instinct took over and I shrank from the door. I heard a faint growl of frustration. The door bulged inward. It hurt. I ran forward to brace it, to prevent it from shattering but the pain became too much.
I heard a scream then realized it belonged to me.
A hole appeared where the door should have been and darkness flowed in.
Strong arms held me in a firm hug. My face rested on a shoulder and long fingers ran through my hair. I loved it when someone played with my hair. It relaxed me and made me feel loved.
Laurent.
No, I wiped the sleepy cobwebs from my brain cells. Rurik. I pulled him closer and snuggled deeper in his arms.
A deep chuckle vibrated in his chest. “I doubt you’d survive if Eric caught you in my arms, Rabbit.”
Tane’s voice skewered me. A thousand questions assaulted my thoughts. I jerked out of his arms and stumbled out of a wide armchair. The room rocked and swayed with a steady motion.
Where the hell was I? The last I remembered I’d been in Red’s van.
Tane remained curled up in the chair with a small satisfied smile.
“How’d I get here?” The view from a window showed the river. We were on a boat.
“Your people brought you to me as a trade for Colby.”
I recalled Colby’s disappearance and my suspicions that Tane had him. Did I tell Red? “They wouldn’t do such a thing.” I sounded more confident than I felt. They needed Colby, he ran everything. I was just bait. “I don’t want to believe you.” It came out wrong but honest.
“Doesn’t matter.”
The ship shuddered and stopped. I made a futile attempt for the door but Tane caught me in his steel hard arms.
“Save your energy. Dragos likes his prey to be feisty.”
“No.” I wanted the pain of Rurik’s death to go away but not like this. Dragos would make my end long and painful, if he ever let me die.
Tane kept a tight grasp on my arm and guided me to the deck. Eric tied their ship to the dock. He looked awful, like he’d been used as a vampire all-you-can-eat buffet.
We were moored to a small private island. A large stone mansion, or better yet a castle, stood on the gently sloped hill.
Dragging me onto the pier, Tane stopped by Eric. “Stay here and rest. I won’t be long.” We continued to a guarded gate where we were greeted.
“Master Tane, we weren’t expecting you. The Master is in the city at present.” The pale faces of these vampires watched me with interest.
“I brought him a midnight snack.” He pulled me in front of him as they laughed. “Send him a message that I’ve caught him a rabbit.”
They opened the gate and let us through.
“I’ll lock her in his study.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Tane dragged me through the front doors into a large open foyer. The place oozed of history with old paintings and tapestries covering the walls. A huge chandelier hung above us, not illuminated by modern bulbs but by candles. Crystals decorated the piece and they sparkled with the soft light. He didn’t hesitate to admire anything, just continued to pull me up a wide marble staircase, and made a right down a hallway. A set of double wooden doors stood open and we entered the dark wood paneled room where he escorted me to a delicate Victorian chair.
A large black granite fireplace stained with age and use sat across from me. It was full of kindling but no fire.
“I’ll make you a drink.” Tane’s offer rang strange.
Yet, I found myself saying, “Thank you.” My thirst grew as I watched him pour orange juice in a glass at the bar. He stirred in a small vial of blue liquid into the drink. It reminded me of the one I found in Rurik’s trunk but how would Tane have gotten it?
Ever since we walked into the house a veil of calm enveloped me. Everything would be fine as long as I followed my instincts, a little voice told me. This mantra repeated itself. My personal demon squatted in front of me to hand over the drink. “This will quench your thirst.”
How did he know I was parched? I sipped it, the taste pleasant.
“Finish it, Rabbit.” He watched as I emptied the glass. When did he become kind? “The windows in these rooms are huge almost the size of doors. They must let in a good quantity of sunlight during the day.”
I twisted in my seat to see them. They were thin and tall. Only a foot of wall under and over them. “Maybe you should stay and find out, Tane.”
“We were being so civil to each other until now.” He ruffled my curls with his hand as he rose. “But I would have been disappointed if you remained polite.” Before exiting the room he glanced at me and stated, “Windows.” Then he closed the doors and the lock tumbled into place.
That word stuck in my mind. What about them? So they were big, whoopee shit. I set the empty glass down and crossed the room to one. Why didn’t Tane tie me up? Did he think I wouldn’t try to escape? Maybe that’s what he wanted me to do. He said something about Dragos liking his prey to be feisty. A midnight hunt for the runaway rabbit? I could be reading too much into things. If I stayed I was dead, if I ran it would take a miracle for me to escape but at least I had a chance.
In my hand the window knob turned and the panel swung inward. A stone ledge ran the length of the house. Like an idiot, I looked at the ground. I changed my mind, this idea sucked. I’d try to pick the lock on the door first.
The boat dock was visible from here. Tane’s boat floated by it while another smaller one pulled up behind.
I almost closed the window completely when I remembered who was on his way home from the city anticipating a rabbit dinner when he returned. Dragos.
The window rattled in my haste to open it again. I took my first tentative step onto the ledge. This ranked as the second stupidest things I’d ever done. Letting Johnny Turner convince me to give him my virginity in the seventh grade still took first place.
A breeze blew around my legs as I hugged the building. Even with the cool spring weather, sweat trickled down my back and made my palms slick. Inch by terrifying inch I groped away from Dragos ’ study. My plan only went as far as to escape the room. The overcast night sky hid the moon so the darkness surrounding me seemed endless. We only climbed one set of stairs to get to the study, which meant I should be on the second floor. The ground looked far, then I remembered the house sat on a hill and the land must slope away.
A decorative stone protrusion blocked my path. Every ten feet one marked the ledge. Their width gave me pause. Five inches sounded small until you hung from the side of a building like Spiderman. Except when I fell I wouldn’t swing away safe. I’d go splat.
I wiped my sweaty hands on my jeans before reaching around the obstacle to search for a handhold. An outcrop of what felt like mortar met my fingertips after searching forever. I grabbed it and hugged the pillar with my knees.