“The keys. We need the keys to these cuffs.”I turned my head to look for Corbin. He was standing at the foot ofthe bed, watching us with a bemused expression on his face asthough he wasn’t sure what to think of what he was seeing. “Thekeys!” I said again, which seemed to startle him into action.
He turned to Danica. “Does your mistresshave the keys to these cuffs binding the fledgling to the bed?”
“Here they are.” Roderick was suddenlythere, holding out a small iron key on a wire ring. Corbin took itand strode around the bed. While he was busy unlocking Taylor’shand, I smoothed her hair back from her face. Her cheeks werestreaked with blood and it had dripped down onto her chest.Obviously she’d been crying for hours.
“Hurts,” she whispered in a soft, brokenvoice.
I felt my heart squeeze in my chest. “Iknow, hon. We’re getting you out of the cuffs right now.”
“Not just that.” She nodded her head at theblack satin sheet pooled in her lap. “There too.”
“What else did he do to you?” I cast afurious glance over my shoulder at Roderick who looked back at meblandly, as though he hadn’t just been torturing my bestfriend.
“Hurts,” Taylor moaned again, drawing myattention back to her problem.
Carefully I lifted the sheet and saw…“Crap—is that a chastity belt?”
“A silver one,” Taylor gasped as I touchedthe contraption that appeared to have hinges in the crotch andlocks on either side of the waist. There were multiple plumes ofsmoke rising from her bare pelvis, everywhere the silver wastouching her.
“We need the key for this too,” I said toCorbin who was staring at the silver chastity belt with anunreadable expression on his face.
“I recommend you leave that on her.” Celestewas suddenly there again, by the side of the bed. Taylor shrankaway from her mistress, her eyes wide with fright. “It’s a valuablepart of my collection and I’d be sorry to lose it,” the blondevampire continued. “But it keeps little Taylor in line beautifully.She’s been wearing it every minute she’s in the house—except whenInquisitor Roderick takes it off to fuck her, of course.”
“The key, Celeste,” Corbin grated.“This is sadistic, even for you.”
She handed over the key, which was much moreelaborate than the one for the cuffs, and shrugged. “I was justhaving a little fun.”
“Fun?” I looked at her in disbelief.“Handing Taylor over to be raped and tortured was what you considerfun? You sick bitch!”
Celeste hissed but Corbin was suddenlybetween us.
“Step back, Celeste. Let my consort tend tothe fledgling.” He gave me the key, which felt oddly heavy in myhand, and shook his head slightly. I wasn’t sure if he was warningme not to fight with Celeste anymore or what but I was too upset tocare. With trembling fingers, I unlocked the two sides of the beltand pulled it away from my best friend’s smoking flesh. There wereburns on her lily-white skin that made me think of the marks from abarbeque grill. I had to fight my gag reflex as I helped her out ofit and threw the hateful thing over the side of the bed with aclatter.
“You shouldn’t have come,” she whispered,casting a fearful glance over my shoulder to where Roderick watchedus expressionlessly. “It’s not safe.”
“Corbin is helping,” I told her. “He’s gotmy back so don’t worry about it.”
She got a worried expression on her face.“What did you have to promise him?”
“Later for that. Do you have some clothesaround here?”
“By the side of the bed. He…he made me stripthem off before he…” She shook her head, unable to continue.
“You don’t have to say it.” I reached forthe clothes but Corbin was already handing them to me. He stoodwith his back to us, considerately shielding Taylor from bothCeleste and Roderick while I got her dressed. Thankfully her fleshwas already healing so by the time I got her into her pale pink topshe was able to slide on the tan linen skirt that went with itwithout too much pain.
“We can really leave?” She looked at mehopefully as I finished getting her dressed.
I nodded firmly. “We really can. We’re goingto get you out of here.”
I tried to help her off the bed but shenearly fell. “Sorry,” she gasped, clutching her head. “Just alittle weak. Light-headed.”
“How much blood have you lost? You need tofeed.” I pushed up my sleeve automatically, offering her my wristbut suddenly Corbin was gripping my arm.
“No.” His silver-blue eyes were hard,possessive. I glared right back at him.
“Let me go. There’s nothing sexual aboutthis—Taylor is weak after what that bastard did to her. She needsblood.”
“Well, she’ll get no more of yours.” Corbinswung Taylor into his arms and carried her around the side of thebed. I followed reluctantly, glaring at his back. Possessiveasshole!
I noticed that Roderick and Celeste werewhispering together but I was too angry to pay much attention tothe way they were staring at me. Let them look and I didn’t give adamn if Roderick had heard me call him a bastard either. In fact, Ihoped he had heard me. All I needed was a tiny excuse topull the trigger and it would be fine with me if he gave meone.
We marched out of the house and it wasn’tuntil we were in Corbin’s Mercedes with Taylor safely stowed in thebackseat that Corbin said anything. He drove several blocks incomplete silence and then he turned to me, his eyes blazing.
“Do you have any conception of what you’vejust done?”
“What do you mean? I didn’t doanything.”
“You most certainly did. I claimed you as myconsort and then you offered to feed another vampire. You made thisoffer right in front of me as well as the Area Inquisitor and oneof my inferiors.”
“Taylor’s hurt—she needs blood.” I crossedmy arms over my chest defensively. “Look, I’m sorry but I wasn’tthinking about your precious
