Despite the fact that she was still in bed and sleeping peacefully, guilt assaulted him. Seven months ago, he’d experienced suffering firsthand. This past week, he’d witnessed hers. How she’d been sure, despite his assurances otherwise, that there would never be enough blood to sate her hunger, never be enough sex to appease her lust. How she’d cried, certain she was being eaten from the inside out. Time and again, he’d cursed himself a hundred times for allowing her to put herself through such torture, certain he wouldn’t be able to stand it for another second …
But now …
Now, thank God, most of her pain had eased. Even with the worst of it over, the next few months would still be difficult—for both of them.
He made sure she got what she needed to drink—bottled animal blood, since giving her human blood risked her becoming addicted to it. And he made sure she got what her body needed in other ways.
Sex … God, they’d been going at it until he was raw. He’d given her orgasm after orgasm, exhausting both of them until they were unable to move. She’d be satisfied for a while, barely enough for them to rest, and then it would start all over again. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t pretty. But it wasn’t the same kind of transition he’d experienced, either. Ana had him, and thank God, that seemed to be enough for her. He hoped it always would be.
He loved her more than he’d ever thought possible. She was his. Whatever happened next, they’d work through it together. After all, their reward would be an infinite future in one another’s arms. Included in that future, however, was the need to finish their work with Belladonna.
Above all, to find the person who had set them up by sending them to Salvation’s Crossing.
Until they found him, stopped him, he would always be a threat. And they would find him.
Swiftly, in case Ana woke and needed him again, Ty called Carly.
“How’s she doing?” she asked.
“She’s strong. She’s handling it.”
“And how are you doing?”
He swallowed hard. “I’m doing the same. Waiting for her suffering to ease. Praying that she never regrets the choice she made.”
“Give her more credit than that, Ty. She’s seen firsthand what she’s going to have to deal with. She obviously thinks you’re worth it. And she’s right, of course.”
It was a rare compliment from Carly and sure enough, before he could even attempt to respond, she kept talking. “So you found hard evidence of human blood trafficking. Looks like a vampire sex ring is up next.”
“Based on what?”
“The Russian women who posed as Ramona and Becky Montes have been identified via a DNA match through Interpol’s Most Wanted. Their real names: Oksana Kaptsova and Daria Tkachuk.”
“Who played whom?”
“Oksana impersonated Ramona, Daria impersonated Becky. Even though Daria passed for sixteen, she’s actually twenty-one.”
“Did they kill the Montes women?”
“Maybe. They have a string of prior arrests but none for murder. Oksana practically raised Daria. Encouraged her to join a cult.”
“Another cult. Just what we need,” Ty spat. “What kind this time?”
“Pseudoreligious crap, dark and deep,” Carly said. “With ties to vampire cults in Eastern Europe. Their mystical leader saved lost souls, cash only, but he did admit young women for free if they were pretty.”
“I get the picture.”
“Anyway, Oksana and Daria signed up new members. They cleaned out the cult’s bank accounts and fled to America. But not before they founded a multimillion-dollar whore factory in Odessa.”
“Nice way to put it. What happened?”
“The Russian mafia muscled in.”
“So how did you find all this out?”
“They’re looking to strike a deal and they’re willing to talk to get one. Daria met Miguel online and they hit it off. Posing as Ramona and Becky, they volunteered to be a part of Salvation’s Crossing. To work with the teenagers.”
“Of course. Full access to innocent and vulnerable girls. They couldn’t know Miguel and Gloria were vampires.”
“Oh, they knew,” Carly said. “And common sense tells us Oksana and Daria had partners on the outside. I’m betting at least one was a vampire, too. They’re not talking.”
“You think they’re scared?”
“Of us? No. Of whoever they were working with? Definitely.”
“So who’s handling it?”
“Barrett. She helped find trafficked children in foreign countries while she was in the army.”
“She had support in the army. Miguel told Ana we were set up. Have you decided about Rick Hallifax? Mahone? Queen Bianca?”
“Until we have time to check it out, I’m not giving anything away. Our intel stays within Belladonna. Same for the fact that Ana’s been turned. And your current location.”
Ty nodded even as he heard movement in the other room and Ana’s voice softly calling his name. All concerns fled but one.
“I’ve got to go. Ana needs me.”
Gloria had been so busy playing with her new doll that she hadn’t even noticed their mother had left and they were alone in the house with nothing to eat but leftover cake. Eliana, however, had known the moment her mother had left, taking the man with the slicked-back hair and shiny leather jacket with her. She’d seen that look on the faces of her mother’s “friends” before when they looked at her, when they looked at Gloria, and it scared her. She knew what they wanted, and it wasn’t what Prince Eric wanted from Ariel, or Prince Charming wanted from Cinderella, or Prince Phillip had wanted from Sleeping Beauty. Luckily, however, Gloria seemed oblivious to such realities, and was content to play with her baby doll, brushing her yellow hair and smoothing her gingham dress while feeding her her “bottle.”
“I’ll take care of you, baby,” Gloria crooned. “I won’t ever let anything happen to you. We’re going to have a wonderful life together—you, me, and Eliana. I’ll protect you the way Eliana protects me.”
Eliana smoothed Gloria’s hair. “That’s right, Gloria. I’ll always protect you.”
Gloria smiled up at her, the dimple in her cheek flashing, but then she frowned. “But if I’m taking care of my baby, who’s going to take care of you, Eliana?”
Eliana shook her head. “I can take care of myself, Gloria. You know that.”
“But everyone needs someone to take care of them. When you work so hard, who’s going to take you to the ball? And if you sleep too long, who’s going to kiss you awake?”
No one, Eliana thought, thinking once more of her mother’s “friends.” “I have you, that’s all that matters to me.”
Biting her lip, Gloria stared down at her doll. When her eyes filled with tears, Eliana hugged her.
“Why are you crying? It’s your birthday, Gloria. Mama got you a beautiful doll. She loves you. I love you. Be happy.”
“I love you, too, Eliana. Do you think that someday, when you don’t have to worry about taking care of me anymore, you’ll find your prince?”
Eliana had thought about it, but even with all her fantasies about being a Disney princess, she couldn’t lie to Gloria. She didn’t have a fairy godmother, after all … “True princes are hard to come by,” Eliana said. “But anything’s possible. Now come on. Let’s have some of that cake.”
Giggling, they dug into the leftover birthday cake. Afterward, Eliana and Gloria climbed into bed and snuggled, just as they had for years. Just as they would for the months to come, until the day that Gloria would leave Eliana for a better life …