His eyes were blood red and his fangs werelonger and looked sharper than I had ever seen them. God, no wonderhe’d wanted to take me from behind! If I’d seen him looking likethat while we were making love I would have freaked out forsure.
“Uh, Corbin?” I backed away from him slowly,not wanting to make any sudden motions and make it worse.
“Just a moment, darling. Stand back,please.” He took a deep breath and then another. “God, your scentis so sweet. So delicious…”
“You’ve already had my blood for tonight,” Ireminded him sharply. “Quite a lot of it, in fact. You don’t needthe rest.”
“No. No I don’t.” He took another deepbreath and slowly his eyes went back to normal. “All right. I’m allright,” he said, nodding at me.
I looked at him uncertainly. “Are yousure?”
“Perfectly fine,” he assured me and thistime he sounded much more like himself.
I breathed a sigh of relief—once again I haddodged a bullet. But how long could my luck last?
“Well, well—most impressive,” Roderick saidfrom the couch at the far end of the room.
I jumped at the sound and hastily smootheddown my dress. For some reason I had completely forgotten about himwatching and the entire reason we were doing this. I shot a glanceat Corbin—had he glamoured me somehow? Kept me from rememberingwhile we were actually doing the deed so I wouldn’t feel inhibitedor uptight? Or had my mind simply blocked the whole “we are beingwatched by a very creepy Vampire Inquisitor” thing out of my headon its own?
I didn’t have time to ask because Roderickstood smoothly and came toward us. He looked at Corbin and smiled,then looked at me and bared his fangs.
“My turn,” he said.
Chapter Eighteen
“What did you say?” Corbin growled,putting himself between us at the speed of light. My view ofRoderick was now limited by his broad shoulder—not that Iminded.
“You heard me.” Roderick smiled, baring hisfangs. “I found your little show most amusing and not a littlearousing. It was so moving, in fact, that I would like a turn. Sostep aside, Corbin—let me see if I can fuck your little human aswell as you did.”
“Now you’re just trying to pick a fight,”Corbin said. “You know damn well I won’t let you anywhere nearAddison—she is mine.”
“You’re lucky I’m only asking for a turn tofuck her,” Roderick remarked coolly. “After all, as she is notbound to you, it is within my rights to choose her as my tributeinstead of that lovely vase. In fact…” He looked thoughtfully atthe vase which he had left on a chair beside the desk. “I thinkthat’s exactly what I’ll do. You can have the vase back, Corbin. Iwill be taking the girl.”
“I’ll die before I let you take her.”Corbin’s voice was utterly deadly and utterly cold. “You know that,Roderick.”
“Well, then, I guess we’ll have to revisitthe idea of a formal challenge after all.” Roderick’s eyes weresuddenly blood red and from the deep, angry snarl rising inCorbin’s throat I was certain his were too.
“You bastard,” I said, speaking to Roderickunder Corbin’s arm. “You planned this all along. Why make us put ona show for you if you were just going to fight Corbin anyway?”
“Because, my dear…” He grinned at menastily. “I so enjoyed your submission the other night that Iwanted to see it again. When you are mine, I will force you to doall sorts of deliciously humiliating things—acts that will make youcringe with shame and beg for the release that only death cangive.” He licked his lips in anticipation. “But I will not killyou…not for a long, long time. Oh, I simply cannotwait to have you.”
“You’ll be waiting a long time for that,” Isnapped. My fingers itched for my gun, which was still in Corbin’ssmall restroom. The only problem was, Roderick was between me andit and if I stepped out from behind Corbin’s protective stance, Iwas making myself all kinds of vulnerable—and probably all kinds ofdead.
Corbin solved my problem for me by circlingslowly away from Roderick, as though trying to find a betterposition. I circled with him, being certain to keep him between meand the other vampire. Soon I had access to both the door to theoffice and the door to the bathroom.
“Addison, go,” Corbin said in a low voice,not looking at me. “Get out now. Take Taylor and drive as far fromhere as you can and don’t come back.”
“You think that will save her?” Roderickdemanded. “I’ll find her, Corbin. I’ll find both of them and fuckher little friend to death while your consort watches, just as soonas I’m finished killing you.”
“You may try,” Corbin said evenly. “But Ipromise you, Roderick, it will not be an easy fight.”
Roderick gave him a bloodthirsty grin. “Iwould be disappointed if it was.”
He lunged forward in a movement too fast formy eye to track and suddenly he and Corbin were locked together,grappling. Just as quickly, though, they broke apart. Roderickappeared unharmed but I was disturbed to see a line of bloodrunning from Corbin’s temple.
“Very good.” Roderick was looking at himappraisingly. “You may be a more challenging adversary than Ithought. Which will only make my victory all the sweeter.”
Corbin didn’t take his eyes off his enemy oranswer Roderick’s taunts. Instead he spoke to me from the corner ofhis mouth.
“What are you waiting for—go!”
“I won’t leave you here with him,” I saidstubbornly.
“There is no way you can help me other thanleaving.” Corbin risked a quick glance at me. “Addison, I am almostcertainly going to die here tonight. Don’t let my sacrifice be invain—go!”
I was almost swayed by the desperation I sawin his eyes but then I saw Roderick laughing and my resolvehardened. No, damn it, I was not going to leave a man Icared for—even if he was a vampire—to face certain death alone. Iwas going to do something, even if it got me killed too.
The vampires came together again, strikingwith the speed that made a king cobra look slow. This time I didn’twait—I took the opportunity to run for the door.
Behind me I heard Roderick laugh. “Runlittle consort—run as
