than a year, when the first batch of sweetbloods was born, the lucky souls who chose to follow him would be granted unlimited Sweet. How much blood could they take from a human infant without killing it? They’d soon find out. If things progressed well up here, the other labs around the country were set to go online shortly, and then they’d have a plethora of test subjects. Many of his kind had never even tasted Sweet before and when they did, he had no doubt he’d have throngs of eager followers. No, he wasn’t about to let the momentous events of the next few days pass without witnessing every last detail himself.
He tilted his head as the woman screamed, but he didn’t hear a thing. Thank God for soundproof glass. Maybe she wouldn’t pass the tests. Sweet from a vial didn’t compare to the energies one could get straight from the source. Forty-five was a bit old to bear children, so it was a definite possibility she’d fail to qualify for their little project. If so, he’d have her brought around to his quarters for disposal.
One of the doctors, holding a metal instrument, stepped between her spread legs. The woman twisted, tried to buck her hips up from the gurney. Was that glitter polish on her toenails? With narrowed eyes, the Overlord noticed her white-tipped fingernails, too. She was a woman who took care of herself.
He pressed the intercom button. “Remove the sheet.”
The woman’s head cranked around in the direction of the speaker and someone whipped off the hospital-blue cloth.
As the Overlord eyeballed her heavy breasts, curvy hips, and shapely calves, his erection tented the fabric of his robe. On second thought, maybe he’d have a little fun first. Licking his lips, he watched as the testing began.
“SO WHAT DID you need this for again?” Mackenzie put her driver’s license back into the slot in her wallet.
“I want to be able to take you into the field office and you needed clearance. Here’s your key card.”
She slung the lanyard around her neck and followed Dom out the door of the loft. “I’m a little nervous. Won’t they all want to…ah, you know. Bite me?”
“As a Guardian, part of our training involves becoming desensitized to attractive nuisances. You should be fine, although you shouldn’t sneak up behind someone. In fact, that cat bell idea you joked about earlier isn’t a half-bad idea.” She glared at him as he pressed the elevator button. “I wish I were kidding, but I’m not. Chuck has a theory that— Never mind. I’ll be with you at all times. I’ll never let you out of my sight when we’re around other vampires. Except for Lily. You’ll be safe with her. And Cordell. Changelings don’t seem to be as affected by Sweet as the rest of us.”
“Why is Lily okay?”
“She’s been around several sweetbloods. I think one of her last human boyfriends was Sangre Dulce. Oh, and Kenz, just so you don’t think I’m keeping secrets from you, she and I have slept together.”
Mackenzie bristled. “Were you in love with her?”
“Hell, no. And she doesn’t and hasn’t ever loved me. She’s just a very dear friend. Remember when I told you about our sexual drives? For us, it’s a relatively common occurrence among unmated couples. It really was quite casual, but I know it must be hard to comprehend.” He gave a reassuring squeeze of her shoulder. “But in a committed relationship, we’re completely monogamous. Much more so than most humans are.”
Mackenzie relaxed somewhat, although she was prepared to hate this Lily chick. “What is Chuck’s theory?”
The elevator doors opened and they stepped inside. Dom flashed her a naughty smile—the same smile he’d given her back at the resort—inserted his I.D. card in a slot on the panel and pressed the button for the lower level.
“He thinks that when we’re together—when we’ve made love—it alters your scent slightly to make you less…how shall I put it? Less potent-smelling to other vampires.”
She almost choked. “You mean the more sex we have, the safer I am around them?”
“I think so. Chuck said it was…ah…very obvious when we left.”
With a clunk, the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. She followed Dom into a dimly lit corridor. The lights must’ve been on a motion sensor because every time they were about to step out of the ring illuminated on the cobblestone floor, the next overhead bulb clicked on. Good thing she wasn’t claustrophobic as the tunnel seemed to stretch