She almost forgot he was naked and barely stopped herself from turning around. “Do you know what location we’re at? Like a guess? I have no idea. I was taken and knocked out. I woke up here.”

“Not really. They drugged me and I woke right before they brought me inside. It’s boarded up from the outside, they had to lift a section to drag me in. Who gives a shit where we are?”

“I do. I don’t know if it’s night or day, how long I’ve been here, but I’d like to figure out where I am in case I can find a way to escape.”

“Pay attention to when you don’t see the soldiers. They’ll be sleeping during the day. That’s how you can tell the passage of time.”

“Soldiers?”

“The ones with the red eyes and the veins showing on their skin. They are soldiers.”

“Creepers. I call them that because they’re as creepy as hell.”

“You can call them whatever you want. Vampires make them and use them until they become too insane and unstable to control any longer.”

“How do you kill one? Do you know?”

“Take the damn head off.”

“What about a stake to the heart or crosses?”

“Total bullshit. You have to take the head off to keep them from healing and getting back up.”

She filed that information away. “Where’s a machete when I really need one?”

He made a snorting sound. “As if it would do you any good. You’re human. The only way you’re going to be able to kill one is if you attack it while it’s sleeping during the day.”

She didn’t like the sneered tone. Someone sounded prejudiced against her kind. He’d said “human” as if it were an insult. “Like you could kill them either.”

“I could if I were free.”

Her heart sped up. “You could?”

“I have claws. I could rip their heads right from their bodies. They wouldn’t have gotten me if they hadn’t cheated by drugging me.”

“I’ve counted at least nine of the creeper things, plus the master and Vlad. Those two don’t have red eyes or ugly skin veins like the creepers do.”

“Soldiers,” he corrected. “That’s how you can tell what they are.”

“Okay. You think you could win a fight against that many of those things?” She wasn’t sure.

“I’m strong and fast. I could take out the soldiers and Vlad. He’s a younger bloodsucker but a full one. The master would be harder to kill, but I could win if I were able to destroy everyone else in the nest first. They wouldn’t be able to swarm me.”

“Swarm?”

“They would all attack at once to bite and claw me. The massive blood loss would weaken me enough for the master to have a chance at winning.”

Glen slid a glance his way, taking a quick peek. He did appear really big, even lying down. He was also very muscular. She could try to free him but then he could become a threat to her. She retook a seat on the dirt, trying to weigh her options.

“What are you doing?”

“Thinking.”

He mumbled, “I’ll kill them all. They’ll have to let me up at some point.”

“What makes you think that?”

“I have to piss, and I’m going to start smelling after a week or so if I can’t bathe.”

She wrinkled her nose at the thought of that, then felt sympathy. “You have to pee right now?”

“Yes.”

She’d hate being chained down. The poor guy would have to urinate where he lay. She glanced around and only spotted a bucket in the corner. It was a poor man’s version of a camping toilet. Shit.

She rose to her feet and hesitated, trying to form a plan.

“What are you doing now? Keep away from me. I’m not breeding you.”

“Stop being paranoid. I’m not going to jump your bones. I’m trying to come up with a way to help you out.”

“You don’t have keys for these chains. There’s nothing you can do.”

He had a point about not having keys. He was restrained to a gurney table though. She snapped her fingers. “I’m going to go under you. Don’t freak out.”

“What?”

“I’m going to investigate that bed you’re on. I bet it has screws or something. Maybe I could take it apart enough to free you. At least it means you’d be off the table and able to move around.”

“Go ahead.”

She hesitated then faced him, keeping her gaze locked on his face. “How do I know you won’t kill me? You obviously don’t like me, but I’m a prisoner here too. I just want to survive and go home.”

His lips twisted downward as he scowled. “Try to set me free.”

“Are you going to hurt or kill me if I manage to do this?”

His chest distracted her when he sucked in a deep breath, watching it expand. She darted her gaze back to his face. He was grimly staring at her. “I give you my word. I won’t harm you.”

“How do I know you’re not a liar?”

Anger glittered in his eyes. “I’m honorable. I’m a VampLycan.”

“And that means what, exactly? I know jack shit about you except you’re super pissed, don’t seem to like what I am, and you’re supposed to be some kind of half Werewolf-slash-Vampire. Maybe you’ll go for my throat and suck my blood.”

He growled low. “Fine. I need you to escape. Do you believe that?”

“You said you could kill them if you’re free. It doesn’t sound like I’m of much use since I can’t kill them.”

“I need you to draw them in here,” he stated softly. “It will get them to open that door. That’s honest enough. I won’t hurt you.”

“Why would they open the door?”

“You’re important to their master. They’d rush in here to save you if they thought I’d gotten free and might kill you.”

“Will you take me with you if you get out of this room?”

He hesitated.

“Don’t be an asshole.”

He surprised her by smiling. It reached his eyes, and he actually seemed amused. “Fine. I swear on my life to not harm you, and I’ll take you outside. You’re on your own after that.”

“Okay. I guess that’s a good compromise.”