“She’s spent too much time with Daryl; she’s built defenses,” Jaguar swiftly countered. “Give Ravyn to Gabriel; she’s his type.”
“One week with Daryl’s pet,” Jeshickah allowed.
“Two.”
“Unnecessary,” Jeshickah argued.
“Jeshickah—” Lord Daryl again tried to interject his opinion, only to be cut off as Jeshickah tossed him casually against the far wall. Lord Daryl stayed sulking in the corner.
“One week,” Jeshickah repeated. “No special privileges or protection, no silken pillows or puppy treats. I want her licking your boots, or I’ll take her from you, train her myself, and have her slit your throat. Understand, kitten?”
Jaguar lowered his gaze for a moment, and then returned it to her face. The moment of submission was brief, but visible all the same. “I understand,” he answered, voice tight with barely controlled anger.
“Good.” She disappeared, at which point Jaguar swung around and slammed the heel of his palm into the wall. Turquoise winced at the sound of flesh meeting stone, not sure whether the sharp
Turquoise had not stood. Instead, she had discreetly worked the safety pin and pen cap out of where she had taped them to the inside of her pants cuff. Her body shielded from view her right wrist as she worked on the lock.
Trying to ignore Lord Daryl, who was glaring at Jaguar but had not yet spoken, Turquoise raised her gaze to Jaguar’s.
“What now?” Her voice was calm, and betrayed none of her thoughts. The lock was a tricky one, and doing it one-handed behind her back did not make the job any easier. Once it was open, she had no idea what she would do, but she didn’t have many other options.
“Get out, Daryl,” Jaguar ordered.
“I think I would like to hear the answer to Catherine’s question first,” Lord Daryl replied.
Jaguar glared at the other vampire, whose expression instantly shifted to surprise. Turquoise could tell there was some silent communication going on between the two, and she would have given good money to know what it was—especially when Lord Daryl smiled.
“That settled?” Jaguar asked coolly.
Lord Daryl nodded slightly. “Fine.”
Focused on their exchange, Turquoise’s concentration broke. The safety pin slipped, and she heard the lock click back into place.
“Would you like me to unlock that?” Jaguar asked, hearing the sound.
“That would make things easier,” Ravyn drawled. “While you’re at it, would you mind opening the doors and then going out to lunch?”
Lord Daryl’s lips twitched again in amusement; Turquoise was beginning to get nervous.
Jaguar smiled wryly. “You,” he told Ravyn, “are not my problem anymore.” He tossed the keys to Ravyn, who had her lock undone in an instant. She stood, eyeing Jaguar and Lord Daryl warily.
“You’re not going to let her out,” Lord Daryl argued.
Jaguar ignored him, and continued to speak to Ravyn. “You’ll be in the west wing as soon as you go through that door. Gabriel is staying in the second room. I hear you two have a . . . business relationship?”
Ravyn nodded, handing the keys back to Jaguar. “We’re very close,” she purred. She started to leave, the grace of her exit marred only by a slight stiffness in her walk.
Lord Daryl grabbed Ravyn’s arm, and the hunter froze, her gaze flashing to Jaguar. She was obviously sizing up the situation, debating whether to fight Lord Daryl off.
“She isn’t yours.” Jaguar’s voice was cool, the very absence of expression in it a warning.
“She isn’t yours, either,” Lord Daryl countered.
Jaguar stepped forward, and put a hand on Lord Daryl’s wrist above where the vampire was clutching Ravyn’s arm. Lord Daryl’s grip on Ravyn tightened, and Jaguar’s grip on Lord Daryl did the same. Turquoise saw Ravyn’s eyes flicking from the faces of the two vampires to the doorway.
“Gabriel will not be pleased if you mark her.” Lord Daryl winced as if Jaguar’s grip was getting painful.
“She can’t just wander around.” There was a moment of pause, and then Lord Daryl added, “Let me go.”
Turquoise leaned back against the wall, content to watch the vampires engage in their game of male dominance.
She flinched at the sound of bones crunching.
Lord Daryl shouted a curse, flinging Ravyn away, and swung a punch at Jaguar. Ravyn instantly took advantage of her freedom to disappear out the door.
Jaguar grabbed Lord Daryl’s wrist before the blow hit and twisted it behind the fair-skinned vampire’s back; Turquoise heard the wet snap as tendons in the elbow joint tore. Lord Daryl whimpered, and Jaguar wrapped a hand around his throat.
“Midnight is my property,” Jaguar stated, “and so long as you are here, you will obey me. Understand?”
Lord Daryl started to struggle, and Jaguar’s grip tightened until Turquoise looked away from the sickening sound of her former master’s windpipe collapsing.
“Understand, Daryl?” Jaguar repeated.
Jaguar dropped his captive, and Lord Daryl fell to the ground, his hands at his throat. Turquoise watched, her emotions a mix of distaste and surprise. Here was the creature who had tormented her, terrified her, emitting soft sounds of pain from his crushed throat as it quickly healed. For the first time since the day she had first learned his title, this black-haired creature ceased to be Lord Daryl. He was still stronger than she was, physically, but he was no one’s master.
Daryl slid away from Jaguar. He pushed himself up, and coughed a couple times before answering, “Fine.” He leaned back against the wall, and rubbed his throat.
“Out, Daryl,” Jaguar ordered again. This time Daryl obeyed without hesitation.
CHAPTER 15
“AS FOR YOU . . .” He tossed the keys to Turquoise and then sat cross-legged in front of her. “I could not let you kill Jeshickah. The woman has very powerful friends who would have killed you shortly after. I didn’t expect that to be a problem when I hired Jillian Red to find me some hunters, but unfortunately I seem to have become quite fond of you, and it would distress me to see you tortured to death.” He spoke with a calmness that belied the violence of his fight with Daryl.
Turquoise unlocked her cuff. “You hired her?”
Jaguar nodded. “She’s a witch, very powerful and very well informed. I believe she worked with Nathaniel to destroy the original Midnight, so I didn’t think she would have any hesitation to help this time.”
“I’m confused,” she protested. “You worked in the old Midnight, but aren’t upset it was destroyed. You founded this Midnight, and are actually trying to ruin it.”
“I’m very happy with Midnight as it was two weeks ago. Jeshickah wasn’t. Her authority always has been and always will be higher than mine. Either I can let her turn my haven into her own empire again—and she has the power to do it—or I can get rid of her.”
Turquoise nodded, contemplating. “How long have you known who Ravyn and I were?”
“I was suspicious the moment I saw you,” Jaguar answered. “Nathaniel rarely trades in flesh, and his selling me two strong women, both unbroken, just a few days after I hired Ms. Red . . .” He shrugged. “I wasn’t sure until I saw you go for the knife, though. Jillian picked you well. I knew you used to belong to Daryl, and Ravyn’s description rang a few bells when I asked around. The more I learned, the more likely it seemed that you two were both exactly what you were pretending to be—two humans who got tangled up in the trade, and were lucky enough not to be broken yet.”
“It’s the truth,” Turquoise answered, with a bit of a smile. “You just neglected to account for the two years
