"If Austin doesna… make it in time, use it… on me."
The stake fell from her hand. Her heart froze. "No."
"If I wake, the hunger will take me. Ye must stop me."
"No!" She scooted back.
Tears glimmered in his green eyes. "I swore never to hurt you."
"You are hurting me! I can't do it. I care too much about you."
A tear slipped down his cheek, tinted red with blood. "If ye care, doona allow me to hurt you. I couldna live with myself."
"Angus." She moved closer and wiped the tear from his cheek.
He smiled slightly. "Ye were wanting to kill me for days."
She sniffed and wiped a tear from her face. "Not anymore."
"I'll be in my death-sleep," he whispered. "I willna feel… a thing." His eyes closed. "Angus." She leaned over him, her hands on his cheeks. He wasn't breathing. He was gone. Her heart constricted with pain. She couldn't bear to lose him. "I love you."
She laid her head on his chest and let the tears flow. How could she ever harm Angus? In just a week, he'd taught her so much. That good, honorable men like him stayed the same after death. That she'd existed for too long with only hatred and revenge in her heart. Love was a much nobler cause to live for. Love didn't follow its own selfish agenda; it was willing to make sacrifices for others. How strange that it took an undead man to show her how to live.
Sun poured through the window, and she hustled to pull Angus's body to a darker side of
the room. She placed the screen around him.
She began calling out to Austin telepathically. No answer. She washed up. The human slave dogs brought her breakfast. She tried communicating with them, but they wouldn't respond.
By noon, she was frantic.
Emma, I'm here, Austin called.
Oh, thank God! Where have you been?
Asleep, sorry. We were up till dawn, searching for you. I figured you were safe during
the day, so we took a nap.
You need to find us by this evening. Emma glanced at the stake on the floor where she'd
left it. She didn't want to think about it.
We set up headquarters in Kiev, Austin explained. There were ten of us last night. We spread out in a circle and checked a two-hundred-mile radius. During the day, it's just me and Darcy, but I have a plan to help us narrow the search parameter.
Sounds good. Emma paced about the cell. What can I do?
Just keep in touch. We're going to start traveling one direction. Eventually I'll be able to tell if we're getting closer or farther away. If I'm getting cold, I'll turn another direction and see if that works.
The rest of the afternoon passed while they played psychic Marco Polo. Austin discovered south was the wrong direction, then headed west. That direction worked.
You must be close to the Carpathian Mountains, Austin observed. There are four passes through the mountains. I'll start with the one to the south.
By suppertime, Austin had determined they were on the wrong pass. He had to backtrack to get to the next one.
Hurry! Emma nervously watched the window as Austin tried the second mountain pass.
The sun was lowering in the sky.
I think this is it! Austin sounded cheerful. As soon as the Vamps wake up, I'll call them here, and we can spread out and find you.
Emma glanced at the screen where Angus's body was hidden. That will be too late. I need you now.
There was a pause. Emma, we'll try our best, but I can't make any promises.
I understand. As the room dimmed, Emma realized the lightbulb was no longer working.
The room would be dark when Angus awoke. She walked behind the screen and crouched beside him. He looked so peaceful and harmless.
She touched his cheek. "I know you don't want to live with the guilt of hurting me." She took in a deep, shaky breath. "But I can't do it. I can't kill you." Tears welled in her eyes.
"Even if it means my own death."
CHAPTER 22
With her decision made, Emma prepared herself. She stood in the tub, soaped up, then poured cold water on her head from the bucket. She washed her undies and hung them over the screen to dry. Then she pulled the thin mattress off the cot and dragged it behind the screen. She positioned it beside Angus.
Dressed only in her shirt, she sat on the mattress and waited for the last of the sunlight to fade. She ran her fingers through her wet hair to ease out the tangles. The room grew darker. A quiet stillness filled the air. She imagined the sun on the western horizon sinking lower and lower, and her spirit sank with it. Was she making a terrible mistake?
What if Angus lost complete control and attacked her like the monster who had attacked her mother?
A wave of panic seized her. She ran to fetch the stake, then returned to the mattress. She placed it on the floor within her reach. Just in case she ended up struggling with a mindless creature intent on killing her.
Surely not. Surely Angus would be as gentle as possible.
She jumped when his body jolted. His chest expanded with a deep breath. She placed her palm over his heart and felt the strong pounding through the thin cotton T-shirt. How amazing that his heart could suddenly leap to life with the setting of the sun.
He grabbed her wrist, locking his fist around it. She flinched. He'd moved so fast. She'd barely detected the blur of motion before he'd seized her. His eyes opened. The green irises glowed, focusing on her with the look of a predatory animal.
"Angus?" Did he even know it was her?
He pushed her down. A growl rumbled deep in his throat as he leaned over her.
"Angus!"
He blinked. The ferocious look on his face melted into an expression of sheer horror.
"Emma." He released her and sat up. His body shook with a great tremor. He cried out as his fangs erupted.
Oh God, they looked so sharp. Emma squeezed her eyes shut.
He cried out again, a sound so full of pain that Emma knew he was as terrified as she was. She opened her eyes and reached out to him.
"Nay!" He rolled onto his side, facing away from her, and sank his teeth into his arm. His body trembled.
She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him from the back. Slowly his body ceased shuddering.
"I–I was afraid I would kill you," he whispered.
She nestled her cheek in the dip between his shoulder blades. "I hate to see you mutilate yourself."
"Better me than you." He turned to face her. His fangs had retracted. "I only bought a little time. I'm so verra hungry."
The need in his eyes was so strong, she couldn't deny him. "It's all right." She touched his cheek. "I love you, Angus MacKay."
A look of wonder crossed his face, then he frowned. "How can ye? I nearly attacked ye like a monster."
"But you didn't. Even in the worst throes of pain and hunger, you protected me. You're the most beautiful man I've ever known."
"Emma." He propped himself on an elbow. He skimmed a hand down her face and gazed into her eyes. "I love ye, too. So verra much." His arm shook, and he collapsed onto his back. "Bugger. I'm so weak."
Emma smiled. He might feel weak, but his declaration of love filled her with a sense of power and contentment. She sat up and gave him a seductive look. "I believe I have just what you need." She brushed her hair back to expose her neck.
His gaze drifted to her throat. "Ye smell verra good."
"I am good." She unbuttoned her shirt. "I'm everything you need." She peeled her shirt back to reveal her breasts.