Normally, such thoughts would give him pause, but his compulsion to find her was far too great for him to fight.

She’d saved his life, given him her blood. He was connected to her so acutely, he knew when she grew tired or afraid. He knew when she was hungry and when she laughed, which wasn’t nearly often enough.

He’d fed from thousands of people in his long lifetime, and while he’d felt a connection to each of them, too, it was nothing like it was with her.

He ached without her. Craved her.

She was his.

When he finally found her again, he would make sure she accepted that. Make sure she never ran from him again. He would force her to answer some questions so he could understand why he felt the way he did about a woman whose name he didn’t even know.

Another set of flashing blue lights appeared in his rearview mirror. He focused his gaze on the man behind the wheel, compelling him to blindness with a single, brutal compulsion.

The cruiser veered onto the shoulder and came to an abrupt stop.

The policeman would regain his vision in an hour or so—just long enough to make sure that Ronan had time to cross the state line into Nebraska.

His mystery woman was only hours away now, drawing closer with each minute that passed. Soon she would be in his grasp, and he’d never let go of her again.

*   *   *

Eric jerked away from the guards that had hauled his ass through the cave system back to Treszka’s quarters.

She was beautiful, dressed in a green silk gown this time. It shimmered with some kind of golden thread that sparkled as it clung to deceptively inviting curves. Her breasts spilled out over the top, begging for a man’s touch the way only a woman could.

Not a woman. A demon. He kept reminding himself of that, of what was under that flap of hair on her head.

A spread of fragrant food was laid out on a table set with two plates. There were so many smells bombarding him, it was hard to tell what she was serving, other than some kind of lamb.

“Hungry?” she asked, waving in invitation for him to sit.

“Not really. I’d rather eat with the young.”

She glowered at him. “Sit, or they won’t eat at all tonight.”

So it was night now? He’d long ago lost track of the passage of days. He could barely feel the pull of the moon on him down here, well out of its reach.

Which was probably just as well. The closer it got to a full moon, the more his libido would flare, and the harder it was going to be for Eric to remember that the beautiful creature who wanted to fuck him was a demon.

Eric sat, just to get her to leave the kids alone. The poor things had already been through more than their fair share of fear and trauma down here. He’d do whatever it took to protect them as much as possible for as long as he could.

Kayla would be the first one they’d kill. She was fierce and hard to control. They’d get rid of her before she could rile the others to create trouble. At least that’s what he’d do if he were in charge. The idea of never seeing that aggressive little half-pint again was enough to encourage him to behave himself.

He even pulled Treszka’s chair out and smoothed a napkin over his grubby jeans, as if this were the finest restaurant in town. If playing civilized gentleman kept the kids safe for another night, it was worth the lie.

She ladled something from a pot into his bowl. He could smell about twenty different spices he couldn’t name, but none of them seemed toxic.

He waited until she took the first bite, just to be sure.

“Vazel informed me that he told you why you’re here,” she said.

“As a sperm bank?”

“Yes.”

Eric lifted his eyes from his spoon to stare at her. “Never going to happen.”

“I’m unconcerned about your intent—only your worthiness.”

“I’m definitely not worthy.”

“Your blood says otherwise. You’re stronger than your kind are reputed to be. Can you shift?”

“No,” he lied a little too fast.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Your goons saw the extent of my ability when they attacked our settlement. I get some claws and teeth, but that’s about it.”

“Why do you smell like you’re lying?”

“Believe me. If I could have wolfed out on your idiot brigade, I would have. The fact that they were able to capture me is proof to the contrary.”

She pondered that for a minute, like she was trying to decide if she believed it or not.

The truth was, Eric could shift all the way into his wolf form, but only when the moon was full and only when Mother Nature decided it was time. It was completely out of his control.

Kayla, on the other hand, had shown some inclination toward controlling her shift. She was the generation after Eric and Andreas, and their careful breeding laws had proved to be working. Each generation was stronger than the last—more Slayer, less human. It was hard to know for sure how well she’d be able to control it until she was a little older.

He hoped like hell she’d live that long.

He’d nearly finished his meal when he felt a subtle shift in his body temperature. His kind ran hot, but he was starting to sweat, despite how chilly it was down here underground.

Treszka regarded him with a knowing smile. “Something wrong?”

His skin started to tingle, and all that hot blood began pooling in his groin. “You drugged me?”

Her satisfied grin was answer enough. “Why do you say that?”

Within seconds, he had an erection hard enough to hammer railroad spikes. “It doesn’t matter what you do or how horny I get. I still won’t fuck a demon.”

All amusement faded from her face. She bared her teeth in a snarl. “I’m your queen.”

“You’re my captor. My warden.”

“I’m the mother of your future children.”

“I’d sooner cut off my own dick than breed you.”

That was the wrong thing to say if ever there was one.

Eric flew across the room, kicking over the table and the rest of the food as he went. Soup splashed across the hem of her silk gown as he slammed into the rock wall and stayed there.

She looked down at it in fury. “See what you did?”

He didn’t dare speak. Not now. Even if he could catch his breath. As it was, his ribs were being crushed by the magical force that held him in place. The pain of his bindings grew, especially against his cock, which finally decided to retreat.