death. Teeth sank deep and the rich taste burst through her, into her, filling organs and tissue with strength and energy. Lara gasped and pulled her mind away, stumbling through the water toward the rocks where she could steady herself.
Need and hunger poured through her body, overwhelming with its intensity. She fought it back, but knew, once that need was there, only blood would satisfy it. He had awakened the one thing in her she had always tried desperately to suppress.
Nicolas was taking blood from a human being. Using that person as cattle. Worse, he was controlling his victim's mind and he'd done it without using spells and potions. He was that
powerful.
Her wrist ached and burned. She looked down and saw her flesh torn open-chewed-as if teeth had gnawed and ripped. Blood splashed onto the boulders and droplets hit the pool. Her neck ached where Nicolas had sunk his teeth into her and she covered the spot with her palm. It came away smeared with blood. The illusion was so strong she stared in horror before she realized it was illusion.
Slowly, Lara looked around the cave. How had she let this happen? No matter warm and beautiful, a prison was still a prison. A predator was still a predator. She'd been mesmerized by him. She'd recognized the danger in him from the start, but somehow he'd made those concerns vanish from her mind. Was he controlling her? Manipulating her mind?
Shivering, Lara staggered out of the pool, looking around for something to dry herself off with. Where had she planned to sleep? In the ground with him? On the bed with him? With him? Why hadn't she even considered that? She wasn't stupid, yet she'd followed him here without question or protest. What woman would go off alone with a stranger for the night where no one knew where she was? Nicolas De La Cruz exuded sex from every pore. His walk, the roll of his shoulders, the dark eyes burning so intensely-he was a sexual man and she was sure he didn't expect to sleep in a bed with a woman without possessing her body.
Lara dragged on her clothes, heedless of the way the material stuck to her still damp skin. Panic rose, and she spun around, determined to find the way out. He'd given her directions-were they real?
Do not be foolish, Lara. The sun is rising. I will be there soon and we can discuss this calmly. You are merely having a panic attack and there is no reason for it.
The calm voice grated on her nerves. He was condescending and arrogant. She had every reason to panic. Any sane woman would have done so a long time ago. Using the directions in her mind, she sprinted out of the glistening chamber into a long corridor.
I forbid you to risk yourself. Wait for me.
This time that thin veneer of civilization cracked and she could feel the edge to his voice. Her stomach lurched. She gasped and pushed herself harder, increasing her speed, using her night vision in the dark confines of the cave. She couldn't think about how deep she was or the maze of tunnels that ran miles beneath the mountain. The only objective had to be to get out as fast as she could. She rounded a corner and the corridor divided into two paths.
The air is heavy in the cave, difficult to breathe, to run fast. Each step is harder. You are sinking into sand, your legs heavy. You are so tired, Lara. Why not sit and rest. Your mind is confused and the directions are fading from your memory.
The voice was low and insidious, filling her head, the compulsion spreading through her body. She stumbled, confused, and halted, twisting this way and that.
It is becoming difficult to see in the dark. You should stay still.
Stop it! "Stop it!" Lara repeated, shouted aloud.
Her voice echoed through the caverns, disturbing returning bats. The creatures took to the air, wheeling and fluttering, thousands of them, filling the spaces around her. It was difficult to breathe, and impossible
to move. She stood there, trembling, waiting, held prisoner by the mesmerizing voice. She felt the surge of power in the chamber heralding his arrival, and the bats immediately renewed their aerial acrobatic performance.
Lara forced herself to take a breath. She had to resist him. She could see in the dark. She was unafraid of bats. The earth pressing down on her didn't bother her, yet here she was cowering in the