Kadie remained mute on the drive back to Saintcrow’s house. She felt him watching her several times, but she refused to meet his gaze. He wasn’t human. He was keeping her a prisoner in this accursed town. She might hate him, but there was no denying the attraction between them. But was it even real? If he could keep people from leaving here, if he could read her mind, how did she know that whatever she felt for him was genuine and not just more of his vampire tricks?
And even if what she felt was real, she wasn’t going to do anything about it.
As soon as he pulled into the driveway, she jumped out of the car and hurried up the porch steps. When she tried the door, it was locked.
He took his time getting out of the car.
She was all too aware of him when he came up behind her. Every nerve and cell in her body came to attention. His breath fanned her hair, his arm brushed hers as he reached past her to unlock the door, which he did merely by touching it. A little push and it swung open on well-oiled hinges.
Lights came on when she crossed the threshold.
More vampire magic? Or merely some sort of sensor? Without a word, she walked swiftly toward the staircase. Her hand was on the banister when his voice stopped her.
“Kadie.”
Taking a deep breath, she turned to face him.
“I’m still hungry.”
She frowned. What did he expect her to do about it? she wondered, then felt her blood run cold. He wasn’t asking her to fix him dinner. She was dinner.
She turned away, her only thought to dash up the stairs to her room and lock the door, but her feet refused to obey. Was this how it was to be from now on? Would he feed on her every night? She told herself that wouldn’t happen. The vampires weren’t supposed to feed on any of them more than two or three times a week. But maybe the rules didn’t apply to Saintcrow.
He closed the distance between them in three long strides and then he was standing on the stair beside her, towering over her. His hand slid around her nape, his fingers gently massaging her neck.
“What you feel for me is quite real, Kadie,” he assured her, his breath warm against her cheek. “I could compel you to want me, but there’s no fun in that. I could mesmerize you, make you do whatever I wished, whenever I wished. But again, there’s little pleasure to be gained from bedding a robot.”
“I can guarantee you’ll find no pleasure in my bed if you take me against my will.”
He lifted one brow. “That sounds like a challenge.”
“It’s not!” she said quickly.
“No?” He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her gently, his tongue sweeping over her lips.
Kadie refused to kiss him back. She kept her body stiff, her eyes open, even though she wanted nothing more than to surrender to the need burning deep within her.
He kissed her again, his hands stroking her hair as he pushed her back against the banister, his body pressing against hers, letting her feel the hard evidence of his desire.
She fisted her hands at her sides, determined to resist.
He gazed into her eyes, his own filled with amusement. “You are a stubborn wench,” he remarked. “But I can wait. I have all the time in the world.”
And so saying, he released her and vanished from sight. Feeling suddenly weak in the knees, Kadie grabbed the banister, clinging to it as she climbed the stairs and hurried into her room. She locked the door, though there seemed little point to it. Nothing as flimsy as a lock would keep him out.
She climbed into bed, fully dressed except for her shoes, pulled the covers up to her chin, and closed her eyes. But sleep would not come. His scent was all around her. She licked her lips, and tasted him there. Her body throbbed with longing everywhere he had touched.
She wanted him.
Knowing what he was, how could she feel this way about him? He was a vampire, a monster.
A single tear slid down her cheek. How long would she be able to resist before she surrendered to him? How could she give in now, when she had so adamantly declared that she never would?
Kadie dreamed of him that night . . .
She was a peasant girl in a medieval village when Saintcrow came to town in the