Catalyst Page 0,55

draw attention to the row of windows that lined the ceiling of the room. Cassie swallowed hard. A poster bed with a slatted headboard was in the center of the room, the windows directly above. There were a few vampires looking down at her. She could make out their shapes through the glass. Cassie ignored them and walked toward the bed. She didn't see Brent. For some reason, he wasn't here yet. That was odd. Cassie always thought that they brought the girl in second. There were things that the vampires told the males they had to do to make sure they did their job right. That included the location of rope, amongst other things to make their encounter more successful.

Cassie stopped when she reached the bed. Turning slowly, she looked around the room. The walls were perfectly bare, nothing but black paint. A lamp flickered on a nightstand next to the bed. When examined more closely, she could see that the flame was contained within a safety housing. It was a safe-lamp, made from glass that wouldn't shatter and oil that wouldn't burn if the lamp was damaged. Cassie bent over to watch the flame dance, wondering how they lit the thing in the first place.

At that moment, the door behind her creaked open, and Brent said, "Stay just like that and things will go well for you." His voice dripped down her spine like ice. Cassie straightened and turned quickly, her hands flying up to cover things that she didn't want to reveal. Brent laughed, "The vamps took a little extra time with me. They think you and I are a good pairing, Cassie. And I told them I'd do whatever it takes to make this happen. So what's it going to be? The easy way?" He grinned wolfishly and Cassie's pulse shot into heart attack territory. A piece of rope appeared in his hands. He snapped it, and it made a loud cracking noise as he moved toward her. "Honestly, I prefer the rope."

Cassie's spine straightened. Her heart pounded relentlessly against her ribs, telling her to run, but she didn't. Cassie forced her arms to her sides and held Brent's gaze. She moved toward him slowly, gracefully. The only thing she didn't plan for was her voice, but when she spoke she didn't recognize it, "Honestly, I'll let you do whatever you want as long as this Pairing is successful. The girls told me that there are certain things you need to do to make sure it is."

Brent stopped in his tracks, his jaw fell open. Cassie grinned in response. "You're going to let me?" he asked, baffled.

Cassie folded her arms over her chest, forcing her cleavage higher, before throwing her hip out. Brianna had done it so many times. It made her figure look curvy. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Your brother, he said - " Brent stammered.

Cassie cut him off, "Cole's not here. Do you seriously want me talking about another guy? Or would you like to get on with things?"

"Get on with things," he said obediently. For once, Cassie was glad she listened to the girls gossiping. They said a powerful woman was attractive, that a man couldn't resist a girl who knew what she wanted. Cassie played the part to the extreme. She walked up to Brent and yanked the rope from his hands.

"Save this for later. Right now, I want you on the bed." When he only managed to stare at her, she barked, "Now!"

Brent ran to the bed and jumped on. He was beaming, suddenly compliant. Cassie felt sick. She didn't know how far to push things. Walking slowly toward the bed, she held her shoulders back, forcing her chest out. Swaying her hips as she walked, Cassie stole a peek at the windows above. One figure stood at the glass watching them. The pit of her stomach fell as she looked away. Looking up was stupid. It made her lose her nerve, and if anything she needed more guts right now, not less.

Cassie's lips pulled into a smile. It felt fake, but Brent beamed back at her. Lifting one leg, Cassie climbed up onto the bed and crawled toward Brent, moving slowly, letting him watch her.

"Cassie, I had no idea - "

"Shut up. If you talk again, I'll gag you." Brent's smile widened and he shook his head vigorously. The stories that were going to circulate about her tomorrow would make her face burn for a year. There was no way to hide