apparently a match.”
She looked at Charlie. “Special circumstances?”
“I figured this was a need-to-know situation, and that was all he needed to know.”
Donna appreciated that. “I think we can tell him a little more. Mr. Donovan, the fae have drugged me in an effort to incapacitate me. The drugs heighten all of my emotions while also lessening my inhibitions. I’m sure you can understand how that might affect me.”
He scowled. “I’m sorry they did that to you, Governor. How does my blood play into this?”
“Your blood is the only one that tested negatively for increasing the effects of those drugs.”
His frown remained. “The fae aren’t a problem for my kind, but that doesn’t mean I’m a fan. In fact, I’m glad they don’t like us, but I know how they hunt vampires, and it’s disgusting. I would be pleased to help.”
He started to roll up his sleeve.
Donna cleared her throat. “I don’t need to drink directly from you. My physician is here. He could easily take your blood, and then—”
Kace shook his head. “I know you’re not too familiar with my kind, but that’s not possible. There are very few things that can pierce a gargoyle’s skin. Certainly no kind of needle or small knife. A sword wielded by a strong opponent? Maybe. But don’t expect the sword to be good for much after that.” Then he smiled. “Vampire fangs, however, seem to work just fine.” A wild, mischievous light danced in his eyes. “You’re going to have to bite me, Governor.”
Heat spilled through her, turning into need. For blood. And for him. Her fangs shot down. That need coiled out from Donna’s center like ink through water, coloring every inch of her until she teetered on the brink of helplessness.
She tore her gaze away from him to look at Charlie, hoping Kace hadn’t noticed she was digging her nails into her palms. “Is anyone in the sitting room?”
“No. I’ll make sure you’re not disturbed.” She spoke to Kace. “If you’ll follow me? We certainly appreciate your assistance.”
“Happy to do it.”
They left, giving Donna a chance to breathe and regain her composure. The pain in her palms hadn’t helped at all. How was she supposed to bite him and not lose every shred of control?
She was too young a vampire to handle this. She didn’t have the practice necessary. She wasn’t even that good at drinking directly from the source. Sure, she did it with Pierce, but look what she’d done to the first human she’d ever tasted. Yuri was dead.
Okay, he maybe deserved it a little since he’d intended to either rape her or kill her, or both, but draining her first human wasn’t a good precedent. Kace would be only the third mortal she’d bitten. And the first one she’d bitten while under the influence of fae drugs. The kind that heightened all her emotions and impulses. Without realizing it, she’d begun to pace the living room.
“Governor?”
Donna found Charlie standing at the divide between the living room and the kitchen.
“He’s waiting on you. Are you okay?”
Donna shook her head. “I’m a little afraid to do this.”
“Because of how the drugs are making you feel?”
“Yes. What if I can’t stop? What if I do something to embarrass myself?”
“For one thing, if you start to go too far, Kace will stop you himself. And you don’t need to worry about embarrassing yourself. He knows you’re under the influence of drugs against your will. If anything, he’s completely sympathetic to what’s happening.”
That made her feel only marginally better.
“You know, your control might improve with a good feeding. You know what Dr. Fox said. The weaker you get, the more power the drugs exert over you.”
Donna took a deep breath and got ahold of herself. “Then I need to stop stalling and get it done.”
“Pretty much.”
“Okay. Thank you for doing all this.”
Charlie smiled. “Anything you need, Governor. I’ll be in the office if you need me.”
Donna gave her a nod. As Charlie left, Donna walked toward the sitting room.
The door was closed, but she could feel Kace on the other side. It was like all of her senses were trained on him. She went in.
He was standing by the windows but glanced at her as she entered. His sleeve was no longer rolled up. “Your view is a lot better than mine. But you’re a lot higher up too.”
She wasn’t interested in small talk. “I’m not myself right now. You need to know that. I wasn’t myself at the pool either.”
He turned around.