Bound by Danger (The Alliance #6) - Brenda K. Davies Page 0,20

was weak and starved, but it was the worst possible time to lose the ability he required the most to get them out of this mess.

“Was that your big car-stealing plan?” Callie asked. “Because it didn’t work.”

He shifted his attention to where she stood on the sidewalk with an almost amused look on her face. The sun streaming over her illuminated her striking eyes and delicate beauty.

The depth of that beauty slapped him in the face. In the tunnel, he was motivated by an incessant compulsion to keep her safe. That compulsion continued to thrum through his veins; he didn’t understand it, but he couldn’t deny it.

He’d taken note of her appearance too, but it didn’t really sink in… until now. With her full lips, oval face, and straight-edge nose, she was lovely. A thick fringe of black lashes framed her large, almond-shaped eyes. He didn’t detect a hint of a blemish on her smooth, olive skin.

He guessed her to be about seven inches shorter than his six-foot-two height. Her jeans and formfitting, short-sleeved, maroon shirt emphasized her curvy, hourglass figure. For the first time since his captivity, a new hunger woke inside him, and his deadened cock stirred.

His new desire didn’t last long as the burning in his veins returned and his parched guts twisted into knots. However, he couldn’t remain unaware of her beauty.

“It should have,” he said. “But I was too weak to take control of his mind; I’ll have to take the next one by force.”

Callie’s jaw fell open at this revelation. “Control his mind?”

“Yes, it was a talent of mine, but it’s not working right now. Once I feed, I’ll be more capable of protecting us and getting us out of this city.”

“You can control minds?” she practically squeaked.

“When I’m stronger, yes. All vampires possess the ability.”

Holy shit. Callie’s mind spun as she tried to process this information.

Her eyes flew around the quiet street. Some kids were hanging out on a porch at the end of the road, and a man was passed out on a set of stairs, or maybe he was dead. She really hoped he wasn’t dead, but she wasn’t going any closer to find out.

She was sure the guy in the beater car had come here for drugs, but she didn’t know where his supply was located. However, just because she didn’t see many people didn’t mean they weren’t there.

Lucien might let her go rather than cause a scene. If she got free, she could go to the police and tell them someone abducted her.

Yeah, that will go over great. You can explain to them how you were tossed into a van by a group of vampires. I’m sure they’ll think you’re perfectly sane.

Her heart sank as she realized she could never tell anyone about her abduction. If she gave all the details, they would consider her nuts, and if she omitted some of what happened, they would realize she wasn’t telling the whole truth.

She couldn’t go to her friends; she’d only put them in danger, and how could she explain what happened to them? How could she tell them she couldn’t return home but not give them a reason?

And she had to go home. She didn’t care what he said; she had to at least return for some of her things. They may be things, but they were hers, and some of them held a really special place in her heart. Some of them were all she had left of her father.

Tears burned her eyes at the possibility of never collecting her things, and she glanced around the street again. It might be stupid, but if she got free, she could go home, pack a few things, and get out of there fast.

As if he sensed her thoughts, he spoke again.

“I’m the only protection you have against the vamps who captured you; if you run from me, you’re on your own against them. Humans have no idea what they’re up against when it comes to them. As soon as the sun sets, they’re going to start tracking us; can you survive against them on your own?”

She wasn’t sure if she could survive against him, but he’d gotten them this far. As much as he unnerved her, she couldn’t deny that she would be dead if it weren’t for him.

“Why did you take me from there?” she asked. “Why didn’t you take one of the other women? Why didn’t you kill me? You tried, and I know you wanted to. I