But as she made her way through the station toward the cab stand, Vasco appeared at her side.

“I have a town car,” he said, taking her elbow. “I’ll give you a ride home.”

Sid felt a trickle of unease. It was one thing to flirt on the train, but something else entirely to stalk her through the station and touch her uninvited. She jerked her arm away from him.

“That’s all right,” she said firmly, “I’ll take a cab.”

“Don’t be silly,” he insisted, his eyes going flat as his fingers closed around her arm. “It’s far too late for that.”

Unease turned to genuine alarm, and Sid stared around, looking for help. The station was busy, but no one was paying attention to them.

“Look,” she said, trying to remain calm. “I appreciate the offer, really. But I don’t know you, and I’d really rather—”

“Sid!”

Sidonie looked up at the sound of her name and saw Kage striding toward her, a big smile on his face and one arm raised in greeting, as if they were long-lost friends. Next to her, she felt Vasco stiffen. His grip tightened enough to leave bruises, and she thought for a moment that he was going to make a break for it and drag her with him.

But then Kage was there, flashing a hint of fang as his fingers gripped Vasco’s wrist and forced him to release Sid’s arm. Kage wrapped an arm around Sid, placing himself between her and Vasco, who backed away with a hissed curse.

“This isn’t over, vampire.”

Kage grinned. “Bring it on, human,” he said dismissively, then guided Sid toward the exit.

“Thanks,” she said breathlessly, trying to keep up with his long strides. “That guy was a jerk.”

“He was more than a jerk. He knew who you were.”

She glanced up at him as they left the station and climbed into the SUV Kage had left parked illegally.

“He knew you were a vampire,” she said in sudden understanding.

“Right.”

“How would he know that?”

“I couldn’t guess.”

“You mean you won’t.”

His gaze cut over to her. “Same thing.”

“Not really. How’d you know I was on that train?”

“You should ask Lord Aden.”

Sid rolled her head back against the seat. She could push for answers, but there was no point. The one thing she’d learned about vampires was that they were completely loyal to their Sires. That loyalty could be compromised, according to Dresner, if a vampire was strong enough to break away. But Sid’s impression of Aden and his people was something closer to a brick wall. They were solid.

If Aden didn’t want Kage to talk to her, he wouldn’t talk.

She looked up in surprise when Kage pulled the SUV up in front of her building and stopped, clearly waiting for her to get out. She’d expected him to take her to Aden and had to stifle the surprisingly strong surge of disappointment.

“Thanks,” she said, forcing a smile. “For rescuing me.” Although she still wondered what exactly she’d been rescued from.

“No problem,” he said, giving her a quick sideways smile. “See you around, Sid.”

She made a beeline for the elevator, giving her doorman a wave as she went by. She was beyond tired and imagined she could hear her bed calling to her with its down comforter and soft sheets. Her hallway was empty as she unlocked her door and stepped into the quiet darkness of her condo. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it with a sigh of relief, then pushed away and was already stripping off her jacket when she made her way down the short hall to her sparsely-furnished living room. Her bedroom was on the other side of that open space, and she could see the white of her comforter gleaming in the moonlight from a window she rarely covered. That was her only goal for tonight. Bed.

But then a light clicked on, and her heart nearly stopped.

“Good evening, Sidonie,” Aden’s deep voice purred.

Sid clutched a hand to her heart, feeling it bouncing so hard behind her breastbone that her ribs rattled.

“Aden, damn it,” she swore, hanging on to one of the tall stools lined up at the bar between her kitchen and living room. “You scared me half to death. What are you doing here? And how did you get in?”

Aden stood to his full height. He remained still for a moment, as if inviting her to admire him, and damn it, she did. He looked good. He wasn’t wearing a jacket, just a black long-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of black jeans that showed off the length of his legs, the powerful muscles of his thighs, and cupped the rest of him lovingly. Sid blinked, honest enough to admit that she wouldn’t mind cupping him herself. She raised her gaze to his face, and his knowing smile told her he was aware of the effect he had on her.

Sid gave him a narrow look and opened her mouth to tell him to take his beautiful self right out of her home, but then he moved, and she was caught up in the pure, lethal elegance of him. He didn’t so much walk across the room as he prowled—long graceful strides, loose hips rolling like those of a big cat, his dark eyes limned in blue.

She looked up at him, suddenly right on top of her.

“Where have you been, Sidonie? And more to the point, whom have you been with?”

Sid blinked, the spell of his beauty broken by her sudden anger. What right did he have to ask her such things?

“None of your business,” she snapped and tried to push past him. It was like trying to push a ton of brick.

“You’re my business,” he snarled.

“Is that so? Don’t you have better things to do? Winning the challenge, world domination? Don’t let me get in your way. Isn’t that what you said, that you’d never let a woman”—she added a sneer to the word, just as he had the other night—“get in your way? Well, I’m officially taking myself out of your fucking way. So you can leave now.”

She pushed at him again to no avail, but this time he bracketed her arms with his big hands.

“World domination?” he repeated, smirking.

“Whatever.”

“Where have you been, Sidonie?” he repeated implacably. He was like a stone statue, immoveable and unmoved by anything she said.

“Fine. It’s my father’s birthday. We had a party for him. I went. Happy now?”

“And who’s William Englehart?”

Sid’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “How do you know about Will?”

“So it’s true,” he snarled, stepping even closer until she was backed up against the bar.

“What’s true?” she asked in confusion. “And what about Will?”

“What is he to you?”

“He’s a friend.”

“Did you fuck him?”

“What?” Sid glanced around. She didn’t see any of Aden’s vamps, but there was no way he’d come here alone.

“We’re alone,” Aden said, accurately reading her concerns. “Bastien’s in the lobby by now. He started down when you started up.”

“How did you . . . Kage,” she realized. “He must have called you from the car.”

“Must have,” he said. “Did you fuck Englehart?”

Sid glared at him. “You know what? Go to hell. And how did you get in here anyway? I thought you guys needed an invitation, like at Dresner’s house the other day.”

“Your doorman let me in.”

Sid scowled. “Why would he do that?”

“I persuaded him you were missing. He was very concerned and invited me to search your condo.”

“I thought you needed my permission.”

“Not really, just an invitation from someone with the right of entry. Your doorman has that.”

“Not for long. And I’m going to hang garlic over the threshold.”

Aden laughed. “That won’t do anything but smell up your home, and I don’t like the scent. Don’t do it.”

“Stop giving me orders.”

“Then tell me the truth. Did you fuck Will Englehart?”

Sid was on the verge of telling him to go hell again, but she saw something in his eyes, a hint of vulnerability in that otherwise tightly-controlled face. Too many people bought into Aden’s hard-ass exterior and never looked beneath the surface, probably because he didn’t let them. But for some reason, after a long lifetime of protecting himself, he’d let her in. He’d trusted her, and she couldn’t imagine what it must have cost him to do so. She wouldn’t betray that.

“No,” she admitted softly. “Will and I dated, but we haven’t been lovers in years. Our families are close, and he’s a very old friend, but that’s it.” She flattened her palm against his chest, feeling his muscles bunch beneath her fingers. “I haven’t fucked anyone but you lately.”

“Define lately.”

“Jesus, you’re a pain in the ass.”

“Answer the question.”

“No, you answer the question. How long’s it been since you fucked someone?”

“Other than you?”

She gave him an impatient look.

“A couple of weeks,” he admitted. “Not since I came to Chicago for the challenge.”

Sid’s breath ran out in a rush. A couple of weeks?

“They meant nothing, Sidonie,” he murmured, cupping her cheek in his warm hand.

Weren’t vampires supposed to be cold? Aden never was. Wait. They?

“They?” she said out loud.

He shrugged carelessly. “Until you, I never bothered to stick with anyone.”

Well, that was sweet in a man-slutty sort of way. “But you told Bastien—” she started, but couldn’t finish. She didn’t want to sound like a clingy, needy woman.

His eyes lit with understanding. “So that’s what this is all about. You eavesdropped, and as is often the case when one listens to a conversation that is none of one’s business, you misunderstood.”