That made him smile. “And you’re happy here? Being part of the legion?”

“Very. Please be happy for me.”

His shoulders slumped, but his smile remained. “I still say you’re fucking clueless for getting involved with him. But if he’s what you want, I’ll back off.” He awkwardly patted my back when I again wrapped my arms around him. “Now let’s talk about something else, get my blood pressure down. What’s going to happen to Giles?”

Returning my gaze to his, I replied, “Sam and Jared will be executing him on V-Tube, along with the others who were involved. I’m guessing the survivors of the brothel will be glad to hear that.”

He frowned. “They haven’t returned home yet?”

“Their Sires sold them, so they don’t know who they can trust in their nests.”

His expression turned pensive. “I don’t mind taking some back to our nest. Thanks to Victor, our numbers dwindled. But even if it wasn’t now punishable by death, I wouldn’t want to be like him – going around Turning humans against their will so I can increase my numbers.”

See, Cristiano wasn’t a total pain in the ass. “I could ask them, but I’m not sure if they’ll be keen to go with you. They’re pretty distrustful of everyone right now.”

“Understandable. But it might make them feel better to know I’m tightly connected to you – one of the legion members – and that Sam was once a part of our nest. She’d vouch for me. Just don’t ask for a character reference from Jared.”

I smiled. “It’s your own fault that he seethes at the very sight of you.”

Cristiano shrugged, unrepentant. “I better get going. The nest will be eager to get home.”

“But you’ll come back for the Binding ceremony?”

“I’d never miss that,” he assured me. “Even if you are planning to spend your immortal life with a complete nutter.”

“It’s so cute that you two have pet names for each other.”

He snorted. “What is it exactly that he calls me?”

“My personal favourite is ‘fuck-faced bag of shit’. But mostly he just refers to you as ‘that asshole’.”

“I think Jared does, too.” It was said with smugness. He liked the affect he had on Jared.

“Tell me you’re going to stop winding him up now that he rules our kind.”

Cristiano grinned. “Where would be the fun in that?”

I rolled my eyes. “They’re right. You are an asshole.” He just laughed.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

(Ava)

Once Cristiano left, I decided to take a shower, knowing Salem – who had agreed to wait until my brother had left before coming home – would walk through the front door any minute and probably join me. But it was at least twenty minutes after I’d dried myself off and changed into fresh clothes that he appeared in the doorway of the bedroom.

I smiled. “Hey. Cristiano wasn’t too happy to hear our news at first, but after a little –” I frowned as a familiar and offensive scent reached me.

That was when Gina stepped up behind Salem. “Hello, child.” Her grin was arrogant and superior. “Look who I bumped into outside.”

Returning my gaze to Salem, I found him staring hard at me. There was no emotion there, no sense of recognition. My stomach sank. No, no, no, no, no – this just wasn’t happening. I leapt from the bed, intending to charge at the bitch.

“I wouldn’t do anything hasty, if I were you. My protector here wouldn’t like it.”

Protector?

“He’s my puppet now, just like I told you he would be.” She stroked his hair as she pressed up against his side. His gaze moved to her, stayed there. “The adrenalin crash made him susceptible to me.” She’d spoken as though she, as a woman, had seduced him as opposed to him being under her thrall.

“Susceptible to your gift. Not to you.” I licked my lips nervously. “Salem?” No response – not even the flicker of an eyelid. “Salem, come here.” Still no response; he just continued to gaze down at Gina, as though she was all there was.

“There’s no point in calling to him.”

Ignoring her, I repeated, “Salem, come here. Come to me.” But he didn’t. It hurt that I couldn’t get through to him, even though I knew it wasn’t his fault. I’d always suspected Gina would seek him out at a moment when he was weak. It hadn’t occurred to me that the after-effects of a battle could make him vulnerable to her gift unless they were injuries.

“Why do this?” I demanded. “You don’t want him. Not really.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder, rubbing one hand up and down his arm. “You’re right. I don’t. But he betrayed me. And I can’t allow that.”

“Betrayed you?” Maybe if I kept her talking, it would give the thrall time to wear off.

“He left me. And then he chose you over me.”

“But if you don’t want him, what does it matter? Is it an ego-thing? You want to fuck him to shine your ego?”

She laughed. “Oh child, I don’t want him to fuck me. Originally, it was my plan. But then I came to realise a few things as I watched you two together. You’d forgive him, wouldn’t you? If he fucked me right now, it would hurt you, but you’d forgive him.”

Yes, I would. It would devastate me if he touched her that way, but I’d forgive him.

“You’d blame me. And he’d blame me. It would achieve nothing. But…if I made him hurt you, if I made him kill you – someone whose life he actually seems to care about – that would give me exactly what I want. You would be dead, and he would be punished for betraying me.”

And that really would hurt him. He’d already lost the people closest to him, and he blamed himself for their deaths. If I was to literally die at his hands, it would be a torment like no other for him. “It’s a good idea. In theory.”

Picking up on my scepticism, she prodded, “In theory?”

“You forgot one very important thing. The moment Salem realised he’d hurt me, he’d turn on you. Then you’d be dead too.”

“Oh, I’m quite aware that he’ll be hungry for vengeance. Salem always is. But in the moment that a vampire surfaces from a thrall, they’re disorientated and weak. It will be all the opening I need to leave.”