"How do you know that?" Cain asked.

She whipped her head in his direction. "Because they love me. They would never give up on me." She withstood Cain's scrutinizing look until Cain was the one who broke it. When he did, she turned and looked back at Oliver. "I need to tell them I'm alive."

He recognized the pain that sat deep in her eyes and felt his heart clench in response. Maybe she was telling the truth, as outrageous as it sounded. But for the sake of Scanguards and their own safety, they had to take precautions before they could proceed.

"Later, but we'll have to verify a few facts first." His years of training with Scanguards kicked in. It was vital that he didn't make a mistake now: Gabriel was already keeping an eye on everything he did because of his uncontrollable hunger for blood. If he now jeopardized Scanguards by not verifying Ursula's story first, then his boss would have his hide.

"We need to know about your background so we can confirm who you are," he said, feeling just a little bit guilty for not believing her.

The disappointed look she shot him cut through him like a knife. Yep, there was no way in h.e.l.l she would ever sleep with hima"not now, not after he'd disappointed her. It shouldn't matter, but it did. Because the kiss she'd given him had held such promise and made him hungry for more. Was he doomed to fight yet another hunger he had no way of satisfying?

Her voice sounded resigned when she finally addressed him again. "What do you want to know?"

"Your name, name of your parents, where you lived. When you were abducted and where." Then he nodded to Cain. "Cain, make notes. I want you to search for anything you can find. There would be police reports and possibly newspaper articles of Ursula's kidnapping."

He hoped so, because he didn't like the idea that she was a liar and trying to trick them. However, he liked the idea even less that she had lived in captivity for three years, subjected to a group of vampires who fed from her whenever they pleased, and probably even worse.

He knew what went along with a feeding, the s.e.xual arousal it produced in both the host and the vampire. If her story was true, they would have raped her countless times. Violently.

But he couldn't bring himself to ask her. For his own sake: because knowing that somebody might have used her that way, violated her body not just by taking her blood, but by s.e.xually a.s.saulting her, made his blood boil. He would have to kill somebody then.

11.

After Ursula had given them the details Oliver had asked for, Cain nodded and headed for the door. "I'll get back to you with my findings as soon as I can."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Oliver answered.

The entrance door fell shut behind Cain, and Oliver's gaze fell on Maya who picked up her black doctor's bag.

"Blake, Oliver, a word." She motioned them into the foyer, but turned before they reached it to look back at Ursula. "Everything will turn out all right. One way or another."

Oliver noticed Ursula's doubting look, then followed Maya, pulling the door halfway shut after Blake had joined them.

"Yes?" Oliver asked tightly.

"I'll be speaking with Gabriel about this."

"Why bother him? He's busy in New York right now." He'd rather not have Gabriel find out about this when there were so many things that weren't clear yet.

"Just because he's gone for a few days doesn't mean anybody is going to keep anything from him. You should know that." She gave him a stern look. "You're both responsible for the girl's wellbeing. Keep a close eye on her, and don't allow her to leave. It's for her own safety. Do we understand each other?"

Blake nodded.

Oliver grunted. As if he needed to be told. He knew what the drill was. "I've got it covered. This is my case."

Maya raised a surprised eyebrow. "Gabriel will decide that. In the meantime, do as I say." Then she put her hand on the door handle. "And Oliver, I'm really sorry I accused you earlier. But if you bite her now, Gabriel will have your a.s.s."

Oliver huffed angrily. "I have no intention of biting her!"

"I've seen the way you looked at her."

Blake put a rea.s.suring hand on her shoulder and opened the door in her stead. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't touch her."

"Thanks, Blake."

When the door closed behind her, Blake grinned at him. "Well, let's see how we can make our charge a little more comfortable."

Before he could reach the door to the living room, Oliver pulled him back. "Oh, I know what you're doing."

His half-brother glanced over his shoulder. "Just saving a pretty girl from the big bad vampire."

Oliver clenched his teeth. "You're not saving her from anything! I saw her first."

"What's that got to do with it? She clearly doesn't like vampires, and since I'm the only human around at the moment, don't mind if I try my luck."

"You're not gonna try anything, do you understand me?"

"How are you gonna stop me?" Blake challenged.

Many things came to mind as an answer: to rip his throat out was one of them. Shocked by his violent thoughts, Oliver dropped his hand and simply glared at him. Blake knew full well that he wouldn't hurt him and thus draw Quinn's wrath upon him. But it didn't mean, he'd allow Blake to make a pa.s.s at the girl.

"Why would she go for you? You really think you're that charming?" he mocked.

Blake grinned and pulled his stomach in, puffing his chest out like a peac.o.c.k. "Oh, I am. Much more charming than you can ever be. Plus I have an advantage: I'm human. I'm afraid, for once, you've encountered a woman who isn't gonna drop her panties for the mighty vampire."

Fuming at his claim, Oliver opened his mouth and let out words he wanted to take back a second later. "She's already offered me s.e.x!"

A gasp from the door made him cringe.

s.h.i.t, s.h.i.t, s.h.i.t!

He shouldn't have allowed Blake to provoke him. In slow motion, Oliver turned toward where Ursula stood in the door frame, staring at him in horror. Clearly, she hadn't wanted anybody to know what she'd said to him in that dark street. Neither had he. Not only had he told Maya about it, which Ursula thankfully didn't know, but now he was even bragging to Blake about it. Stupid move!

"Guess my chances just went up," Blake murmured.

"Shut up!" Oliver hissed.

Ursula glared at both of them. "If you think that I'll spread my legs for either one of you, think again!"

"But I'm human," Blake said.

"So are millions of other men in this country, and I won't sleep with them either."

"But you don't even know me yet."

Oliver couldn't suppress a grin at Blake's pathetic attempt to win her favor. At least it took the heat off him.

"I've seen enough!" Then her eyes shifted and she stared at Oliver. "And what are you grinning at?"

Instantly, he put on a serious face. "Just a facial tick. Don't take any notice of it."

By the indignant look she tossed him, he realized she knew he was lying. But was she at least giving him points for originality?

She huffed, obviously lost for words, and turned, slamming the door behind her.

One nil for the vampire. At least he still had a chance.

"No way did she offer you s.e.x." Blake's incredulous words made him turn his head.

He wouldn't be goaded into giving any more secrets away than he already had, such as that Ursula had kissed hima"quite pa.s.sionately at that. This time, his half-brother would not provoke him into saying something he didn't want to divulge. Therefore Oliver simply shrugged.

"Think what you want."

It was bad enough that Maya knew about it. He could only hope that she didn't pa.s.s this piece of information on to Gabriel. Knowing his sense of propriety, he'd pull him off this case instantly and have somebody else watch her. Not that it was a real case yet. At the moment it was nothing more than Oliver helping a girl in trouble. Whether this had anything to do with Scanguards would unfold soon, he hoped.

In the meantime, he should mend what he'd screwed up.

When he put his hand on the doork.n.o.b, he felt Blake's hand on his shoulder. "Hey, what are you doing?"

Oliver gave him a pointed look. "What's it look like? I'm going into the living room." He shook off his hand. "So if you wouldn't mind . . . "

"Not alone, you're not."

"Don't you have anything better to do than spy on me?"

Blake's eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't have to spy on you if you knew how to behave."

"That's rich, coming from you! If I remember well, you just tried to make a pa.s.s at her. And you're telling me I can't behave?"

Without another glance, Oliver opened the door and entered the living room. Behind him, Blake crowded into the room. Figured that his halfwit half-brother couldn't take a hint.

Ursula stood at the window, peering out into the dark, even though he knew she couldn't see anything out there with the light from the living room reflecting in the gla.s.s pane. She spun around when she heard his footsteps.

"I didn't mean to startle you." Oliver pointed to the window. "You should come away from there. Somebody might see you. I can't be sure that n.o.body followed us."

She quickly walked away from the window and approached the fireplace. Even though Oliver hadn't noticed anybody following them, he had to admit that he had been too preoccupied to pay proper attention.

Ursula raised her chin and looked straight at him. "I want to call my parents."

For a moment, he contemplated her request, but he already knew what his answer would be. He couldn't allow her to contact anybody. Not until Cain had verified her story. "Later."

Her eyes blazed with anger and hurt. "You're not any better than the vampires who kept me captive."

"That's not fair. I haven't done anything to you to hurt you."

"But you're locking me up just like they did. You don't allow me to talk to my parents. And how long until you're going to attack me for my blood? How long?"

Right now, he wanted to scream, but clenched his jaw. "Never! I'm not a savage. I'll prove it to you." What was he saying?

"How?" she challenged.

Without taking his eyes off her, he issued an order. "Blake, get me a bottle of blood from the pantry."

"What?" his half-brother asked. "You serious?"

"You heard me."

He heard Blake's boots scratch against the wooden floorboards as he left the room.

Ursula gave him a doubtful look. "What are you trying to do?"

"I'll prove to you that I'm civilized, that I don't want your blood." He knew he was lying, but he had to convince her otherwise. Or he would never get the other thing he wanted: her body, underneath him, panting in ecstasy.

"By drinking blood from a bottle? That's not going to prove anything!"

She was probably right, but it would establish something else. "At least for the next twenty-four hours you'll know that I'm sated and that you're safe from me. If you've really spent the last three years with vampires, you know their habits, their urges, their needs. You know that a vampire has no urge to attack you for your blood if he's fed sufficiently."

There was an almost unperceivable nod. Still, the doubt in her eyes didn't disappear. "Doesn't mean I'm safe from you."

He met her eyes and had to silently agree with her. No, she was not safe from him. He could maybe stave off the hunger he felt for her blood by feeding more than he normally did, but how could he suppress the desire that was growing inside his belly? Could he really watch over her without giving into the temptation to touch her, kiss her, press his body against hers? Or would the fire that she had ignited with her kiss get out of control and demand he take her and strip her naked? And once she was naked and panting beneath him, would he find the strength to resist biting her? He doubted it.

How could he even have such thoughts, knowing what she'd been through? The last thing she probably wanted was a man l.u.s.ting after her, let alone touching her.

Unable to rebut her statement, he looked away. He was glad that he was saved from answering when Blake reentered the room and pressed a bottle of blood into his hand.

"Thanks."

Oliver didn't waste a second uns.c.r.e.w.i.n.g the top and putting the bottle to his lips. It was awful: lifeless, bland, and cold. But it wasn't the temperature that bothered him: it was the fact that he couldn't sink his fangs into human flesh as he drank. It was different and didn't give him the same thrill he felt when hunting a human and feeding from him. It left him with a feeling of emptiness. But he swallowed the blood nevertheless. His body would be sated, and just like he'd told her, he wouldn't l.u.s.t after Ursula's blood for many hours. It didn't mean his mind would be sateda"that part of him still hungered for the hunt, to feel the thrill of sinking his fangs into a living, breathing mortal.

From under his half closed eyelids, he noticed her watching him. She showed no disgust at his action. Maybe she had been desensitized by what she'd seen in captivity, or maybe she had learned to hide her feelings well.

When he set the empty bottle down, he addressed her again, "Maybe you want to rest. I'll show you to the guest room."

"The guest room is a mess," Blake claimed. "It's full with boxes of Rose's clothes while the closet in the master is being redone."

Oliver glanced back at Blake. "I forgot. My room then."

"I'm not sleeping in youra""

He raised his hand to stop her. "I won't be using it. Besides, it has an en-suite bathroom with a tub, in case you want to . . . " He allowed his voice to trail off. Imagining her in his bathtub, surrounded by hot water and foam suddenly robbed him of his ability to speak.