Misha didn’t deny it. Uh. Oh.
I cleared my throat. I wanted to date a master vampire as much as I wanted to get declawed. “You said you needed my help. What can I do?”
“You can help me invade her home and kill her.”
CHAPTER 5
“Why do you regard me in such a manner?”
The “such a manner” Misha referred to included my jaw scraping the floor and my eyes bulging out of my skull. I blinked back at him. “Oh. I’m sorry. I just didn’t realize you were nuts.”
Misha leaned toward me. “Celia, if Zhahara is behind this, it is now within my rights to destroy her.” His body seethed with rage. “I will not submit to anyone.”
My entire body straightened. Inside me my tigress came to her feet, ready to emerge. The scent of my tension must have reached Misha. He closed his eyes and took a breath. “Forgive me. My anger has nothing to do with you.” He focused hard on the photos. “I am certain Zhahara threatens my family. Yet I do not have enough vampires left to fight her. You and your family have no ties to the supernatural world. You’re the only ones I can trust. Help me destroy Zhahara, Celia. Help me end the bloodlust.”
I leaned away from him and crossed my arms. “What makes you think we could be of any help?”
He paused. His gaze bore into mine with uncomfortable intensity. “Celia, I can feel the power dripping down your body.”
I suddenly felt na**d again and had to cross my arms over my br**sts before speaking. “Why should we help you? You’re nothing to us and you almost got us executed.”
“The bloodlust infestation forced me to wrongfully seek vengeance. For that I am truly sorry.”
“Oh, yeah, I’m sure it’s kept you up at night.”
I could almost see Misha’s anger dissipate. A slow smile spread across his handsome face. He placed his lips close to my ear. “I only did as you would have done in my place, my darling,” he murmured.
His breath tickled and gave me chills. I dismissed it as part of his vampire charm. “You don’t have to get so close. I can hear you from where you’re seated.”
Misha’s mouth parted; he was apparently confused as to why I didn’t immediately straddle him and shove my tongue down his throat. Geez, hasn’t anyone ever told this guy no before? I stole another glimpse at him. A lock of hair rested against his perfect skin, while his gray eyes sizzled enough to fry my thick lashes. Okay. Maybe not.
Misha resumed his more serious demeanor. “Consider this, Celia: Do you think Zhahara will stop after the fall of my family? How many others will she infect, and how many of those will go on to kill innocents? Hundreds, perhaps thousands of lives may be lost—not just vampire, but human, as well. When David attacked Taran, he had just trace beginnings of chronic bloodlust. Were your family merely human, he would have killed you all.”
I stood to leave. “This isn’t our problem, Misha. Give Destiny a call. Maybe she’s free.”
Misha motioned for me to sit again. I did so only because his gesture seemed more of a request than an order. “My maid’s death and the escalating level of bloodlust within my family obliges the court to prosecute me, despite their conceivable involvement. I have until the next full moon to unearth and eliminate the perpetrator.”
I froze. “And if you don’t?”
“I will be left with two choices: Kill all my family—infected or not—to eliminate the plague or be condemned to death.”
Good God. “So it’s either your life or those of your family?”
“Yes.”
Whoever cursed Misha’s family was hell-bent on destroying him. I glanced back at the photos, understanding why it could easily be one of the judges. Misha’s death sentence would be at their hands, therefore granting them his power. If Misha killed his family, he’d also be vulnerable for attack. I didn’t know how to respond. If roles were reversed and there was no other choice, I would sacrifice my life to spare my sisters without hesitation. And while masters didn’t regard their servants with the same love, there was no mistaking Misha’s remorse and fear. It would destroy him to kill his own. Still, all sympathy aside, Misha had no right to drag us into his mess. “What about Petro? You think of him as your brother. Can’t he be of help?”
Misha stilled like I suggested something asinine. “Vampires are only as strong as their masters. He and his keep would be devoured like lambs.”