“No. If he did, it would change their feelings toward each other. It is a different kind of relationship and would break their connection as lovers.”

“Someone else, though?”

He shrugged. He doubted there were any immortals Tulio trusted enough to change Cirilda. Any vampire who sired her would have her loyalty and an unbreakable bond for eternity, possibly interfering with her loyalty to him. “She may not want to become a vampire, Natalie. I don’t know.”

“What will happen to her?”

“I imagine he will take care of her until she dies, unless she wants to leave. He is an honorable man.” Why was she so troubled? “Are you worried about her?”

She shook her head and moved farther away from him, which displeased him. “No. It’s none of my business.”

“But you are worried about something.”

“I, uh…” She stood up and grabbed her purse. “I’m worried about the case. What’s our next step? Are we leaving soon?”

She was lying, but she did have a point. They had little time to waste. He needed to drive to Los Angeles, find a safe place to keep her, then speak to his father. Ernesto wouldn’t be pleased, but there was little he could do about that. This problem of the murdered humans had landed on his father’s back porch, courtesy of a visitor from the south. It could be an isolated challenge to Ernesto’s authority from a rebellious underling, or it could be a more dangerous test from the cartel. Either way, the time for sentiment was over. His father would have to deal with this, and he’d have to speak to Baojia.

“Wow.” Her laugh was tense and nervous. “Whatever it is we have to do tonight, it doesn’t seem like you’re looking forward to it.”

He stood up and walked to the kitchen to leave a note for Tulio. Who knew when the vampire would leave his bed? “Let’s get on the road. We have a long way to drive tonight, and I have a meeting that can’t be put off. Our host won’t mind if we see ourselves out.”

She was quiet in the car all the way to Los Angeles. She was quiet as they exited the freeway in Pasadena and headed toward Matt and Dez Kirby’s house. She was just… quiet. Baojia almost wished she would start the incessant chattering again. His mind raced back to their kiss. That was when her behavior had changed. But she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Though she had backed away from his bite, she had been as affected by it as he had been. He was certain.

But perhaps he had been wrong. Perhaps she still feared him in some way. The thought sickened him. He had never taken a woman who was unwilling.

“Natalie?”

“Hmm?” She t kHmmeles, finurned her head toward him, a polite distance in her eyes, and he realized what was wrong. Their kiss on the couch in Tulio’s cave had affected her. But then came the questions. And if he’d learned anything about Natalie, it was that she didn’t ask needless questions.

What will happen to her?

She hadn’t been asking about Cirilda; she’d been asking about herself.

She was human. He was not. And she was pulling away from him before she got too close. If he was human, she would have taken him as a lover, perhaps more. But he was not human, and she was not a vampire. His eyes left hers and turned back to the road.

He had been wrong. Despite appearances, Natalie Ellis’s survival instincts were very well honed.

CHAPTER TEN

He just left.

Baojia dropped her off at Dez and Matt’s house, spoke a few words to Matt, then disappeared into the night. She should have felt relieved. For the first time in days, she didn’t feel like she was being kept. And she was free of the annoying vampire who bossed her around, stole her phone, and kept her as a prisoner—albeit a very well-treated prisoner. She was at her friends’ house, sitting in their kitchen, enveloped by warmth and light and people with pulses. But… the feeling of unease bombarded her as soon as his car pulled away.

“I feel like I’m going crazy,” she said as she collapsed at the table. Dez sat across from her, rocking a sleepy Carina as Matt made her some tea.

“Welcome to my world.” Dez reached across and squeezed Natalie’s hand. “I’m so sorry you got pulled into this.”

“I’m not,” Matt said. “Well, I mean if you were going to pursue this story, I’m glad you got pulled in on this end and not when you were a body found out in the desert.”

“Thanks, Matt.”

“You’re welcome.” He set down the tea. “I’m not going to lie—you’re not in a good position, Natalie. You know about the vampire world, but you’re not employed by a vampire and you’re not under anyone’s personal aegis. You are—by your own admission—pursuing a story that could expose a lot of very dangerous secrets. And you’ve attracted the attention of a very unpredictable representative of the Mexico City cartel.”

“Mr. Mysterio called me ‘his’ in front of the other vampire out in the desert. And the ones in Mexico. That mean anything?”

Matt shrugged. “Unless he’s actually been biting you, that doesn’t mean much.” Suddenly he narrowed his eyes. “Has he?”

Natalie flushed and Dez slapped Matt’s arm. “Matt!”

“What?” He stood and went back to the kitchen, still frowning. “It’s a fair question.”

“No. No biting. But Baojia promised to keep me safe.” She swallowed the lump in her throat and asked the question that had been circling for days. “Can I trust him? Really?”