Tall and muscular with dark blond hair spilling down his nearly na**d body, the vampire looked like he had been carved from sheer granite. And he was a vampire, she silently acknowledged. Even standing several feet away, she could feel that electric buzz filling the air.
Of course, the fact that he was heart-stopping, knee-melting gorgeous was clue enough.
Styx spoke with the vampire in a strange language. Then, with a faint nod, he pushed open the door to the cell.
“This is it.” He pointed toward the gargoyle. “Levet, come.”
The gargoyle tossed his stunted arms in the air, but he wasn’t stupid enough to ignore the stark command. Shuffling forward, he stomped past the looming vampires, his tail twitching in annoyance.
“You do know that I’m not a dog?” he muttered, his voice lowering to sound remarkably like Styx. “Come, Levet. Sit, Levet. Roll over, Levet.”
Without warning Cezar was moving forward, reaching out to grasp the tiny demon by one horn. He lifted the gargoyle until they were eye to eye and even Anna shivered at the expression on the dark, beautiful face.
“This is no time for your peculiar sense of humor, gargoyle. You will shut your mouth and do your thing or you will answer to me. Is that clear?”
Levet gave a tiny squeak. “Ah…very clear. Clear as crystal. Clear as…”
His words trailed away as Cezar lowered him back to the ground and he was able to scurry into the cell with his tail between his legs.
Styx and Darcy entered behind the demon, but as Anna moved to follow them, she felt a restraining hand on her shoulder.
“Anna, there is no need for you to go in there.”
Anna swallowed her snappish retort. As much as she longed to blame Cezar for this craziness that was now her life, she had to concede that it wasn’t entirely fair.
Whatever had happened between them in the past, there was no mistaking that he had done everything in his power to protect her over the past twenty-four hours.
Whether it was out of a desire to crawl back into her bed or out of genuine concern still remained a question.
“I’ve seen death before, Cezar,” she said in a quiet voice. “And I need…I need to see if I can help Levet. I need to do something, not just wait around for that woman to rip out my heart.”
His brows snapped together. “That was just a dream…”
She pressed a finger to his lips. “Cezar, partners don’t lie to one another. We both know that wasn’t just another dream.”
Chapter 7
Cezar growled deep in his throat. He’d never been good at compromise. Especially when it came to females.
He saw, he took, he conquered.
End of story.
Now he was forced to battle his natural instincts as Anna regarded him with those huge, hazel eyes that could melt the damn Arctic. Dios. Global warming had nothing on this woman.
He wanted to toss her over his shoulder and return her to that soft bed where he could distract her with his fierce, driving hunger. He wanted her soft and willing beneath his body, a satisfied smile curving her lips as he thrust her to a mindless orgasm.
Instead he could do nothing more than jerk her close to his body, his head lowering to claim her lips in a frustrated kiss.
“You do know you’re going to drive me stark, raving mad?” he whispered against her mouth, demanding another hungry kiss before lifting his head. “Let’s get this over with.”
She appeared momentarily dazed, her hands lifting to touch her lips. Then, with a shake of her head, she was tilting her chin and forcing her feet to carry her into the cell.
Cezar was a half step behind her.
Unlike the dirt tunnels, the cell was lined with heavy lead that was etched with scrolling symbols that looked faintly like hieroglyphics. The room had been hexed by an imp to dampen any magic.
In the corner of the small cell was a cot where the once beautiful Sybil Taylor rested in silent peace.