one of Marcus’s powers. He’d taken me to my parents before. He could take me wherever he wanted in his mind.
“I’m on the balcony.”
I touched my neck before turning back to him because something was missing. My charm was gone and there was only smooth skin there. It had been years since I’d seen myself without it. An odd longing went through me as I remembered how good it had felt to use my magic. My magic healed and calmed others. It protected.
It also killed.
I turned and walked to the balcony. “Tell me we’re in some weird space in your head and that I’ve still got my charm on in the real world.”
He was standing at the wrought iron that lined the balcony, looking out over what appeared to be a bay of some kind. I stopped, the sight stunning to my eyes. There was a massive building to my right and a square where people were gathered, but in the distance there was gorgeous water with boats floating and the sun beginning to rise.
“If it’s important to you,” he murmured but did not turn around.
The charm was suddenly back at my throat and for once it didn’t give me comfort. I had forgotten how confining it could be. Still, it was important to me. Not even in a dream could I take it off for fear that I would wake and be unleashed.
“Was it a gift?” he asked. The words were negligent, as though he didn’t truly care about the answer.
“Of sorts,” I replied. “Where are we?”
“This is my home,” he said, glancing back my way. “I live in the townhome we’re in. I’ve owned this building for centuries. We’re in a city on the Earth plane called Venice, in a country known as Italy.”
The vampire knew how to take my breath away. I would give him that. He wore pajama bottoms and a masculine-looking robe that contrasted beautifully with his skin. His raven-dark hair was mussed and all the sexier for it. He had belted the robe at his waist, but his muscular chest peeked from between the sides.
He was simply the most stunning male I’d ever seen and I wanted more than anything to be in his arms because I had the feeling things had gone wrong. Very wrong, if the memories surfacing were true.
Instead I moved to his side and looked out over the plaza. “It’s beautiful. Were you born here?”
“No. I was born in a city called Rome almost two thousand years ago. I left my home city after I became a vampire and settled here eventually. We are not born as vampires on my plane.”
“You live a human life and then turn after death,” I said, remembering a bit of what I learned from my father. “I don’t know this place though. I don’t think there’s an Italy on the Vampire plane. I’ve only been to Dallas. It can be hard to tell. The vampires live high above the ground. At least the wealthy ones do.”
“I’ve spent much time in Dallas on our plane,” he murmured. “I suspect that’s where we’re going to be taken. Our captors talked about getting back there.”
“So that wasn’t a dream either? Someone shot us up with tranquilizer and I was arrested by a man who’s been hunting me for the last couple of years.” I said the words so I could wrap my brain around reality. Taggart ran a security firm, but he was also licensed as a bounty hunter who could cross the planes in pursuit of his prey. I was certain the witches had contacted him after they figured out I was the one who’d taken their book. The joke was on them because I no longer had the sucker, and by the time they got it back, Erna would have the information we needed.
Not that it would be much comfort when Taggart turned me over to the witches and they executed me.
“No, it was not a dream. Though it greatly resembles a nightmare. We are currently on our way to a holding cell,” Marcus confirmed. “According to what my captor has said, we’re still an hour away from their headquarters. They said they won’t call the client until they’ve thoroughly interviewed you and figured out who I am. That should be amusing.”
At least we had some time. “So we’re still knocked out?”
“Yes, and should be for most of the night according to the men who have taken us. They have someone named Jesse preparing sleeping