He lunged once I was within reach, his fangs penetrating my skin deeply.

Followed by a loud crack.

“Dammit, Ray! You broke my arm.”

10

“Okay, that’s enough,” I told him after a few minutes. I was dizzy. Ray drank faster than I could replenish.

No response except for slurping noises. Ew. That was something I would never get used to.

“Let go of her now, vampire,” Rourke ordered. He stood over us, his voice threatening. “Or I’ll bash your head against the rocks and we’ll see how long it takes you to regenerate from that.”

Naomi stepped forward. “He is not in control. His instincts have taken over. It’s very hard for a fledgling to disengage on his own from any feeding, much less the blood of a supernatural.”

“That figures,” I muttered. “So how do we get him off?”

“You must rip your arm away. We will brace his shoulders.” She nodded at Rourke, who already had Ray by the back of the neck.

“Let’s go on three,” I said. This is going to hurt like a bitch, I told my wolf. A shot of adrenaline hit my system in the next beat, fortifying me.

“As much as I’d love to stick around and witness Ray tearing your arm to pieces, I’m going to head out if that’s all right with you,” Danny said. He inclined his head at me. “I’m assuming it’s not necessary to stay. Seeing you harmed is ghastly on any level, but this is particularly gruesome.”

Tyler grumbled, “I’m going too.”

I felt their need to somehow fix the situation, but there was nothing they could do. Giving them a task would help. “Yes, go. Hank is out there. Find him. We need to figure out what to do with his body.”

Tyler’s eyebrows shot into his hairline. “I scented him here, but it smelled off, too old to be recent.” His nose immediately went into the air and he turned toward the tunnel entrance.

“It seems he never left,” I said. “We fought last night. I’ll explain it all later.”

“We’re on it.” They both trotted out of the cave, and I turned back to a concerned Rourke and a poised Naomi.

They both nodded to me.

“Are you sure this is our only option?” I asked. “How about we try and coax him off with sweet talk? He’s such a sucker for niceties. It just might work.”

Naomi stifled a smile. “We must do this; I know it is not ideal, but he has already taken too much.”

“On three,” Rourke said. “Let’s get this over with. And if this bastard goes crazy, he’s in for the shock of his sorry life.”

“One … two”—I clenched my teeth—“three.” They held him as I tore my arm from his grasp. His fangs shredded my skin in a horrifying way, making my eyes water. “Gahhh,” I screamed through a locked jaw. I cupped my good hand over the wicked wound. It was healing quickly, but damn. I took a deep breath and blew it out. “Remind me not to do that ever again. If that wasn’t enough blood for a lifetime of normal for Ray, I don’t want to hear about it.”

In one motion, Rourke ripped the shirt clean off his body and wrapped it around my arm before I had time to stop him. “If I have to witness you feeding a vamp again,” he growled, “we’re going to have a serious problem.”

I grinned, holding the bloody T-shirt as I stood. “Ripping your shirt off was totally unnecessary, but the view is spectacular.” I nodded down at my wound. “My arm is already healed.”

I unwrapped it and tossed it back to him. He growled, “There’s no control when I’m around you. I just react.” His voice got throaty and I shivered. “But next time I’ll be sure to sacrifice my bottoms instead.”

Naomi interrupted us politely. “It seems the fledgling is unconscious.”

My gaze shot to Ray. His head was indeed lolled at a funny angle.

“Ray,” I said, bending next to him. “Are you okay?” I reached an arm out to shake him, but the moment it came close enough, he lunged forward snarling, his fangs lashing out, his eyes flickering like a movie reel. “Easy there.” I braced my palms firmly against his shoulders. We were lucky he was still in chains.

He seemed stunned by the sound of my voice, and calmed considerably.

I peered at him closely. “Is my blood hurting you?”

“No,” he half gasped, half coughed. “It’s energizing and … making shit change. I feel … different already.”

“What kind of shit is changing, Ray?” I asked patiently. “You need to be more specific.” I turned toward Naomi. “Is this normal?”

She made a sound close to a snort. “No. But nothing is normal when it comes to your blood, Ma Reine.” Touché. She edged in closer to examine him. “Does your mind have more clarity, fledgling? Do you see the way now?”

“What is he supposed to see?” I asked curiously, immediately envisioning a vampire headmistress with a high collar and a pointy stick tapping a blackboard to inform him about the basics of flight and impaling your fangs into unsuspecting humans.

“His inner mind should open and he should ‘see’ the way of the vampire. His body should give him cues. A normal fledgling vampire would be in awe of this and look for immediate guidance.” She narrowed her eyes at Ray. “However, I suspect he will remain himself, but now with a second sight.”

“I see it,” he grumbled again. “It feels like I’m remembering myself from a long time ago, but the visions can’t be real. I’ve never been afraid of sunlight or had an aversion to eating any food.”

“I get a cranky she-wolf in my head fighting me for control and you get nice, peaceful daydreams. It so figures.” I stood and took a step back. “Ray, pay attention to what you’re seeing. This is how you get your survival information. Make sure the pieces fit together so you don’t lose your mind again. Once you finish catching up, and my blood does what it needs to, all the information should seem like a nice, coherent package.”

“When does it stop?” he complained. “I don’t need my brain filled up with a bunch of useless crap. I get that I’m a vampire. I suck blood and sleep during the day. What more do I need?”

Naomi shook her head. “He is unlike any I’ve ever witnessed. There are no explanations.”

Raymond Hart was the most stubborn soul I’d ever come across, and as a human, he’d never been susceptible to Nick’s persuasion. It seemed logical to assume Ray’s mind had been resistant to change as a human so as a supe it would be twice as bad. That, coupled with my powerful blood, meant there would be no dealing with him now.

I waited for a minute and watched as his eyes continued to flicker. “How’s it going now?” I asked, glancing at Naomi. “How long do you think he needs? Didn’t you tell me new vampires lose their humanity for a time? He’s obviously gone through the major part of the transition already, because he is a vampire, but what happens now?”

Naomi shook her head. “I do not know. He might need another night or two to adjust fully, it’s not easy to see. I believe he will continue to be unpredictable.”

“I’m fine,” Ray grumbled. “And I want out of these chains. I need clean clothes and a shower.”

I sighed. “Ray, you just heard Naomi. You’re unpredictable, and I can’t let you out of here until we know for sure you won’t run amok. You wanted to eat my intestines only a short time ago,” I reminded him. “If we let you loose on humanity, and you’re not back to yourself, you could kill innocent people before we could stop you.”

As a former police officer, this should still be important to him. I knew Ray would hate the thought of being a harbinger of death to innocent people—if he was still Ray on the inside.

He eyed me, his eyes finally settling into their normal hazel color. “My head is clearing. I get what happened to me. I’m a vampire now. I see the dreams and I can guarantee I’m not going crazy. But if I were to go crazy again … you can tie me up. Is that good enough for you, Hannon? Now let me out of this place.”

I bit my lip.

If he learned to fly, he could disappear. Naomi could barely control him before, and he’d been weak. “I think the best thing to do is establish the Master-fledgling thing before I set you free,” I answered. Ray didn’t know he had to accompany us to New Orleans in the next few hours or that he’d be a key piece in saving my father’s life—whatever that meant. So I couldn’t risk him taking off and not returning, and I wasn’t exactly sure how much to share with him until I understood our new relationship. I turned to Naomi. “How much control does a Master usually have over the fledgling?”

“They have considerable control, but normally it is unnecessary to wield any power, because the fledgling would willingly do anything for their Master. They seek approval and love, much like a puppy to its new owner.”

I arched a skeptical brow at Ray. That so wasn’t happening. The day Ray was my puppy the Earth would cease to turn. I was going to have to barter with him and we both knew it. I turned to Rourke, who stood next to me, his expression severe. “What do you think about letting him go?”

“I’ve never come in contact with a fledgling before, but I think threatening him within an inch of his life to do what we say is the first step. I’ve heard young vamps can be unwieldy, and I have zero problem killing him if he doesn’t follow your program.”

“I don’t want Rourke to kill you,” I told Ray, “so it would be nice if you followed the program. Does that mean anything coming from me as your new Master?” Crossing my fingers would be childish, but that’s exactly what I felt like doing. Any extra nugget of help I could get, I’d take right now.

Ray’s irises flicked silver. “Yes.”

His response had come through gritted teeth, but it was a start.