I ask for?” Royce drawled. He pushed off the doorframe, moving with all the sinuous grace of a panther, stalking toward me on bare feet. I didn’t flinch when he ran a fingertip over my cheek, testing the heat that no doubt rose from the blush marring my skin. “That could be dangerous. Very, very dangerous …”
Sara’s nails dug into my wrist, dragging me back to reality.
“Within reason, you perv. Don’t touch me.” My demand would’ve been more impressive if my voice hadn’t been shaking so badly.
He threw back his head and laughed, giving me an excellent view of his extended canines. Wes was rolling his eyes behind the paperback he’d resumed reading.
“Oh, you are a treat. All right, enough with the dramatics. No need to worry, Ms. Waynest, Ms. Halloway. You are welcome to stay, and have my word you won’t be in any danger while you’re with us,” Royce said. He slid past me to take Sara’s free hand, the one that wasn’t clinging to mine in a death grip. He brushed a kiss over her knuckles, smiling that wicked, winsome smile that had won him a place on the cover of innumerable fashion magazines. Her blush was as clear as her unease. “Mr. MacLeod will no doubt be pleased to see you again.”
“Oh, he’s here?” she stammered, drawing back. I stared blankly at this exchange. Since when did Sara know anything about Royce or his people?
“Indeed. It just so happens that one of the apartments on the first floor is available. Your timing is convenient, as I was about to have some tenants reassigned. For now, I’ll have Ryan and Louis help you get your things from the car. If you’re planning to bring those dogs inside, see that you keep them quiet. Many of my people are asleep for the day and won’t appreciate being woken by excessive noise.”
“Oh,” she said faintly, her grip finally loosening on me. “Oh, all right. Thank you. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Wesley, if you can see to that?” At the Vikingesque vampire’s nod, Royce turned his attention to me. “Ms. Waynest, might I have a word with you?”
Sara looked like the proverbial deer in headlights at being left alone. Come to think of it, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of separating either, but now wasn’t the time to be ticking off the vampire. I gave her hand one last squeeze, passing her my car keys and leaving her with Wes. He was busying himself with an intercom set into the wall, telling someone named Julio to kick Louis’s lazy ass out of bed.
Royce pointed out the apartment that I’d be sharing with Sara for the next month, then led the way to the stairwell at the far end of the building, saying nothing as we headed up to the third floor. On the way, a yawning guy who could have modeled for Calvin Klein ads in his spare time passed us, giving Royce a nod and me a curious look on his way down the stairs. His chiseled features looked familiar, but I couldn’t remember if that was Ryan or Louis, one of the human servants catering to the vampires in the building.
Sara would fit right in with all the pretty people here. I felt like the redheaded stepchild from hell, particularly with my hopelessly frizzy hair, utter lack of any curves where they counted, and the scars on my face, stomach, and arm acquired in my “adventures” over the last year or so.
Not that I was really worried about fitting in with a bunch of vampires and their servants. Yeesh.
When we reached the top floor, Royce let me precede him into the giant, wide open room with its Greek statuary of long-dead gods lit by tiny spotlights. All the windows were, of course, shuttered for the day, leaving the space in a semblance of twilight. The little lights helped brighten the room by reflecting from the mostly bare hardwood floor, giving the illusion of walking on a carpet of stars.
There was a girl seated cross-legged on one of the chaise lounges in the middle of the room, a stack of books to one side of her, typing furiously on the laptop balanced between her legs. She was effortlessly lovely in that way that some girls manage to pull off. The smooth, clear skin that needed no makeup to the grace infused in the simple motion of absently sweeping long auburn tresses out of her eyes made her