pup."
***
Fiona heard a snapping sound. She opened her eyes to find a hand near her face trying to get her attention.
"Ah. There she is. I'm so glad you could join us, hours after you were bespelled. Are you sure this woman's a witch?"
"Yes, sir. She's a witch, just not a very good one."
Fiona would be angry if it weren't for the mind-numbing terror. Her vision blurred as she opened her eyes. Everything looked strange and warped, like she'd been drugged. She took a deep breath and things began to clear. She scooted away from the hand that had been snapping at her.
"Drink this."
A glass of clear liquid was shoved in her face.
"W-what is it?" As if she had a choice in the matter.
"Water."
She struggled to a seated position and took a tentative sip. When nothing tasted off, she drank the rest down quickly. She hadn't realized she'd been so thirsty.
"It's an aftereffect of the spell."
Vampire. He knows what I'm thinking.
"I do. So it's going to be pointless for you to lie to me when I ask you questions."
Fiona glanced around the room. It was warm and masculine, like somebody's home. Z could have lived there if not for the cave. It had that bachelor-pad feel to it.
"This is my penthouse. I don't live here anymore, but I still keep it just in case. The pup is playing on the roof by the pool."
"The pup's here? Y-you haven't hurt him?"
The man stood in front of her, menacing in all black. His long blond hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, making him look like a hit man. At least he wasn't wearing black leather gloves.
"Of course I haven't hurt him. I need him for information. That's all. Tell me, dear, when Cole came for his pup, did he tell you anything about where he lived?"
"N-no, he just wanted the pup. Why would he tell me anything about..."
"Stop talking. I don't care what your mouth says. I care what your thoughts say."
Fiona froze while he stared hard at her, poking around in her head, searching through her thoughts. She tried not to think anything lame or weak.
After several minutes, an exasperated look crossed his face. "I didn't expect anything. Oh well. Cole will be here soon enough, but let's make sure, shall we?"
He produced a phone from his jacket pocket. It was the prepaid phone Z had left with her when he'd gone searching for the pup's family.
"Call him."
Fiona's brow creased in confusion. "Call who?"
"Your boyfriend. Make sure he's sending Cole. Use your sad little tears on him. I'm sure that will sway the therian."
As if on cue, tears began to track down her face. "He won't come. He doesn't care for me. I was never anything more than a conquest."
The vampire's eyes narrowed. "I don't think so. You smell like him. He marked you."
Fiona blushed. Was there a sign over her head? Perhaps someone had given her a tramp stamp while she'd been out cold. Z hadn't bitten her or left any other kind of mark. He'd slept with her, yes, but that didn't make her his.
"Cats rub against things to mark them. You smell like him in a way that is deliberate. It's not just sex. He cares. And I'm betting he's the last number that called you while you were unconscious."
Her hands shook as she took the phone from the vampire and checked the missed calls. Z's number was there. And the vampire was right, it wasn't long ago. A couple of hours at the most, depending on how long she'd been out.
"It doesn't mean... "
"Call him. And when you ask him to send the wolf tomorrow night, make sure it sounds like your life depends on it. Because it does. I have no other use for you. I'd just as soon drain you for dinner and be done with it. You're a bargaining chip. Once that value disappears, I get hungrier."
"How will Cole know how to get here?"
"The panther already has the address. A member of the coven delivered it."
She wished the vampire would give her some space and stop hovering. Despite what he'd said, she wasn't sure Z would help. All he has to do is call Cole and relay a message. Even if he doesn't want to see you again, he'll do at least that much. It won't interrupt his bachelor lifestyle.
Z answered on the second ring. "Fiona?!"
Okay. Maybe he cared.
"Z! Are-are you sending Cole? I mean I know that we aren't a thing or