Hot Blooded

Get ready.

I listened for a second and then poked my head around the corner. Nothing jumped out at me,

which was both a relief and a disappointment at the same time. The first thing that caught my eye were the thousands of candles lining the walls of what was indeed a huge dome-shaped cavern, easily a hundred feet across. The candles hung in metal hangers secured somehow into the rock, as well as perched on various outcroppings and ledges.

I scanned the rest of the room quickly.

There was a short natural rock wall cutting off my full view, but from what I could see, there was a raised dais in the middle of the room.

Of course there was a fucking dais.

The Vamp Queen had a throne on hers, but it seemed Selene, the Lunar Goddess, had a bed. A

huge, ornate mahogany bed, which appeared to be covered with hand-carved celestial beings—small,

chubby cherubs with feathery wings and cruel expressions. The scarlet-red covers were mussed and appeared to be very well slept in. My ire spiked, right as my wolf let out a terrifying snarl. I hadn’t realized the snarl came out of my mouth until I heard a tinkle of laugher.

“What’s the matter, darling?” Selene’s voice echoed around the cave, impossible for me to pinpoint directly, which I’m certain was her intent. “I can’t help it if your mate loves to bed me. It’s hard to keep up with his stamina, you know. He requires sex so often and is so lusty, it’s a full-time job. But I do try my very best.”

I ignored her, which was a feat, and scanned the room, trying to locate where her voice was coming from, but I couldn’t, which maddened me. Continuing to stay quiet, I ducked a little farther into the room, sticking to the wall, my eyes tracing their way back to the dais and raised bed against my will.

It’s going to be a great joy to tear her to pieces. My wolf snarled in agreement. The silky sheets were illuminated by a huge chandelier glowing with flickering candles. A low orange cast spread downward, creating dancing shadows on the rumpled sheets.

I growled out loud again. I couldn’t help it.

My wolf threw graphic images of us ripping Selene apart with blood and bits flying everywhere. I

know. We’re going to do it, but we can’t fall for her taunts. She’s only playing with us. Rourke is incapacitated, or we would’ve heard him by now. Large stationary boulders still stood in my way, so I couldn’t see what else was inside the room unless I broke away from my position by the wall and slipped into the open space. It was tricky and I didn’t have a good plan.

Once I was in the open, things would happen fast.

My hands ran along stone as I made my way forward, keeping all my senses alert. I took in breath after breath, testing for smells. I didn’t smell anything other than Rourke’s blood. She must have it masked all the other scents and was taking glee in knowing I could smell only him.

“Come in, by all means. What’s keeping you?” Selene’s voice betrayed its practiced calm. “Not backing out now, are you? The gifts I’ve labored and toiled over, in your honor, have almost been spoiled by your tardiness.”

Gifts? I asked my wolf. My nose worked overtime.

“No need to be overly frightened. You will die, of course, but I promise to take my time with you.”

She laughed again. Her voice still echoed around the cave, but this time I could tell it was coming from above. I lifted my head up and scanned the walls. When I didn’t respond to her, she snapped,

“What’s the matter, little wench? Don’t you want to come claim your prizes?”

I knew refusing to acknowledge her would only piss her off more, which was my plan. I wanted her angry and sloppy. My movements were slow and methodical as I crept forward, still scanning the shadows. There were several ledges and cutouts in the cavern above, but I couldn’t see all of them from my vantage point. I slowed my heartbeat with effort, taking only quiet, shallow breaths. The smell of Rourke in the cavern, which I tried my best to ignore, was assaulting me on every level. His scent sang to my wolf, who was now beside herself, trying to urge me on faster. We’re going. The wall ends in ten paces. I parceled his scent away as fast as I could. If we go out on emotion, we lose.

“Fine, if you don’t want your gifts, I’ll just take them back. It will take only a moment of my time.

Your loss.”

It was time to play.

I slid forward. “Of course I want to claim my prizes, Selene. That’s what I came here for, right?” I

drawled in a lazy tone. “But more important, I’d like to remove your head from your body. After that,

I’m sure I’ll have enough time to free my lover and whatever else you have in store for me. Where do you keep the clean sheets, by the way? Your bed looks so wonderfully inviting.”

Hatred reverberated around the room in waves as she snarled, “Your mate will be hard-pressed to fulfill his duties as a lover before he takes his last breath. Why don’t you step into the room and see for yourself? It’s such a shame you never got to taste him or feel his hardness rock your core. He is divine and such a very, very skilled lover.”

My wolf surged so quickly I dug my claws into the wall so we wouldn’t gallop into the room in a blind rage. She’s playing with us! Calm down!

I cleared my voice. “There will be plenty of time for me to feel all of him as soon as you’re dead and gone, Selene. We’ll start the minute you die; no need to worry yourself needlessly. Your bed will be well used.”

“He’s a lover worthy of a goddess—not,” she spat, “a mongrel such as yourself. If he were to live, he would bore of you within a week. He would be back in my bed where he belongs, his cock firmly embedded inside me for all eternity.”

“Unfortunately for you,” I answered as I took a step forward, “I’m extremely talented in the bedroom. Boredom won’t be an option.”

“Show yourself!” she raged. “I’ve had enough of these games!”

“Selene,” I taunted, “you sound a little stressed.”

“I am not stressed!” she yelled. My head snapped to her location. She was in the upper-left corner, just out of my sight. Keeping her enraged was working. Her spell was wavering. “I am a goddess. I have immense powers; nothing stresses me—”

“Having to tell people you have immense powers defeats the purpose entirely.” I shifted closer. I

was almost ready to spring. “Maybe you’ve lost some of your mojo with all your beheadings—”

“Enough!” Selene raged. “Show yourself!” A shock wave hit the boulder in front of me. It exploded. I dove to the right, rolling into a shallow recess. “Come forward, wench, and we’ll see who is stronger and has more stamina.”

I crouched, waiting. Selene needed to be lost to her anger. No matter what we see once we clear this wall, we go straight for Selene. Understood? Keeping her from spelling us is our top priority. My wolf whipped her nose down, but I didn’t trust her not to react to Rourke. His scent still rocked us, making us distracted. My wolf’s instinct would be to go to him, to save him above all else. He’s going to look bad. There’s no way around it. If we don’t defeat the witch, we all die. She was barely listening. I inhaled, at her urging, and scented for trouble. Stop trying to figure out the smells. We can’t be distracted—

Naomi.

Selene had the vamps.

The traces were faint, but Selene’s masking spell was breaking down because of her rage. She hadn’t wanted me to know yet.

“You are too late, coward,” Selene called. “She dies now.” Power filled the room. It was time to act, and I needed Selene focused on me, not Naomi.

I sprang, bounding out into the open.

This was exactly what Selene wanted, but I had no other choice. Once I cleared the barrier, the scene in front of me was almost too much. I stumbled for a single moment as I took in the whips and sinister devices lining every inch of the vast cavern, each alcove adorned with shackles, implements of torture, spikes, and chains.

Blood, old and new, drenched the walls and ground like a thick carpet of red paint.