Vampires? Living and breathing… or whatever it was that vampires did… in Chicago? Nuts. Full-out, engines-roaring madness.
But the dream. It had been so vivid. So real. Even now she could smell the foul, damp air and the acrid burning of the torch. She could hear the screams and chanting. She could hear the rattling of heavy chains. She could see Dante being pulled forward and the fangs that marked him as a beast.
Real or not, it had unnerved her enough to desire a bit of space between her and Dante. And perhaps several crosses, a few wooden stakes, and a bottle of holy water.
Barely daring to breathe, Abby sat upright and swung her legs over the edge of the mattress. Her head threatened to revolt, but she gritted her teeth and pushed herself upward. She wanted out of here.
She wanted to be in her familiar home, surrounded by her familiar things.
She wanted out of this nightmare.
Taking one unsteady step followed by another and another, Abby moved across the room. She was just upon the point of reaching for the doorknob when there was the faintest whisper of sound behind her. The hair on the nape of her neck tingled before a pair of steely arms wrapped about her.
"Not so fast, lover," a dark voice murmured directly in her ear.
For a moment her mind went blank, and she was paralyzed with fear. Then sheer panic took control.
Arching her back, she frantically attempted to kick at his legs. "Let me go. Let go."
"Go?" His arms merely tightened at her struggles. 'Tell me, sweet, where do you plan to go?"
'That's none of your business."
Surprisingly he gave a short, humorless laugh. "My God, you don't know how I wish that were true. We were both released, do you realize that? We were free. The chains were broken."
Abby stilled at his rough, accusing words. "What do you mean?"
He brushed his face over the top of her head in an oddly intimate manner before he was firmly turning her to meet his shimmering gaze.
"I mean that if you had kept that beautiful nose out of matters that are none of your business, we both could have gone upon our merry way. Now, because of your Florence Nightingale act, where you go, what you do, what you bloody well think is now very much my business."
What the hell was he talking about? Unconsciously her wide gaze skimmed over the perfect alabaster features. The last thing she needed was more trouble.
'You're insane. Let me go or—"
"Or what?" he demanded in silky tones.
Good question. A pity she didn't have a brilliant answer.
"I… I'll scream."
The dark brows lifted in sardonic amusement. "And do you truly want to discover just what sort of hero is going to rush to your rescue in this place? Who do you think it will be? The local crackheads? The whores working the lobby? You know, I'd place my money on the drunk next door. There was a definite hint of rape in the air when I carried you past him in the hall."
Suddenly Abby understood the cramped room, the vile smells, and the echoes of despair. Dante had taken her to one of the endless seedy hotels that catered to the poor and desperate.
She might have shivered in disgust if it hadn't been the least of her worries.
"They couldn't be any worse than you."
He stiffened at her accusation, his expression guarded. "Rather harsh words for the man who might very well have saved your life."
"Man? Is that what you are?"
"What did you say?"
His fingers dug into her shoulders, and belatedly Abby realized that confronting Dante directly might not have been the wisest decision.
Still, she had to know. Ignorance might be bliss, but it was also freaking dangerous.