It’s no wonder I’ve never found one I liked half as much as Ambrose.
I snorted. “I might be an infernal human, but I’m also a Langston—just like Ambrose. I’ll save my own damn company and take your name off the building, you pompous asshole.” I drew a deep breath, trying to come up with a pithy parting shot. “I don’t need…your help.”
Not exactly the scathing jab I’d been going for. I cradled the bottle so it didn’t slip from my hands. “Like I said before, I’m perfectly capable of following instructions. When they make sense.”
Whirling, I made for the door, the whisky safe and my temper on fire. No way I’d waste anything this good on Forge and his glowing-eye freak show. But when I tugged on the knob, the door didn’t budge. “Open the damn door,” I growled over my shoulder at him. “Open it or I swear…” I yanked the handle again while balancing the precious bottle.
I wasn’t even scared, which really said something about my self-preservation instincts, but damn was I mad. Before I could get out another word, Forge appeared beside me.
“You heard my thoughts?”
“If you mean the freaky insult thing you just did inside my head, then yes, I heard you, loud and clear. I hate to tell you this, but you aren’t a huge prize either, hiding in the shadows in your enormous house.” I kept my hand on the knob. “Let me out.”
Ambrose came to me with a proposition. How much did I loan him?
“A thousand pounds sterling,” I snapped, and his face changed, ever so slightly. “Happy? Can I go home now?”
Impossible.
“Weird, but clearly not impossible.” My mind was spinning. I could read vampire thoughts. Over twenty years and this had never happened to me before. Of course, I’d never been this close to a vampire before, either. I would have pondered this further, except I had to get out of this damn house.
“I’ll help you.”
“Too late. I don’t want your damn help. Not after hearing your opinion of me.” Dad would say I was just cutting off my nose to spite my face, and maybe I was. But damn it, after months of trying to fix Brandon’s fuck-up, after losing Dad, after trying to earn the board’s respect—and failing—I was tired of defending myself to men. Vampires, I decided, were even worse.
“I will provide you enough working capital to last you six months and pay off all outstanding debts.”
My hand fell away from the door as I weighed his generous offer. I was still pretty pissed off, though. “That’s a lot of money. I can’t pay you back until—”
“I don’t want your money,” he said abruptly, the eerie glow sparking in his eyes. “All I want in return is a favor.” He went still as I considered my answer. So still that I was tempted to poke him to see if he was still alive.
I eyed him suspiciously. “What kind of favor?” He didn’t look quite as frightening anymore, but there was something in his tone that made me hesitate. “I think I’d rather repay the loan.”
“I have a very delicate meeting to attend in a few weeks, and I have a lot riding on the outcome. If I knew what my adversaries were thinking, it would give me an edge in the negotiations. Accompany me, and I’ll forgive your debt entirely.”
“Nothing is ever that simple,” I said. “What’s the catch?”
“It’s called Assembly—a meeting of the high vampires in my clan.” He cocked his head, as if sizing me up for dinner. “I can’t read their minds.” This time when he smiled, I got the full-fang treatment. “But you can.”
4
As I waited for her to respond to my offer, it struck me that the girl was the spitting image of her ancestor, right down to her curly blond hair and slanted emerald eyes. For the first time in a long time, I felt a twinge of…curiosity toward a human.
Whatever desperation had brought her here, it was her gutsy determination that convinced me she might be of use to me—if her ability was real. Once I determined that, I’d still have to train her, which I wasn’t holding out hope for. She couldn’t be more than twenty, and I briefly wondered why she was shouldering this burden by herself.
Selena tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned her eyes on me. She was suspicious, but there was a kernel of hope growing in her gaze. “Where is this meeting?”
“Scotland.” The same place I’d met her ancestor, but I saw no need to mention that. Not until she agreed. Even if she did…
“Why do you need to know what everyone else is thinking?”
I almost laughed. “Obviously, you haven’t sat through many negotiations.”
“Enough to know that reading people’s thoughts is like…”
As she floundered for the correct word, I helpfully supplied it. “Dishonest?”
“Exactly.”
“Nonetheless, will you help me?” Her thoughts were everywhere, fluctuating between dismay and optimism as she weighed my offer against her fears. Watching her internal debate was fascinating, and when she chewed her bottom lip—when those white teeth closed over her pink lip—my cock twitched against my pants. Well, well—that’s a surprise.
“When is this mysterious meeting?” She was clutching that bottle like a lifeline, so I took a step closer, noting she didn’t shrink back, although her heart rate sped up. I held my hand out for the bottle, and she obligingly slid it into my palm, the glass warm from where she’d been holding it.
“Let me explain everything, then you can decide. In the meantime, tell me about this.” I gestured to the bottle.
“It’s a special blend. This”—her face brightened as I held the bottle up to the light—“will transform Langston-Forge.” She had a breathy way of speaking when she was nervous, and her scent was musky, tinged with sweetness. She was exquisite.
“A bold claim,” I said evenly. Her ancestor had said much the same, and
