“Yes, yes, I appreciate your discretion.” Getting a straight answer out of her friend was like pulling teeth. Melissa had spent her hours since waking trying on dress after dress, hunting for the perfect outfit for her date tonight. She would have loved to have Abbey there, not only as a second set of eyes, but also so she could pick the other woman’s brain when it came to discovering mates. Abbey, however, was tied up at work, so a quick phone call was all she could spare.
Melissa tapped the speakerphone icon on her cell before tossing it onto the bed. “I was speaking in more general terms. How did you know Lucian was the one for you?”
Standing in front of her full-length mirror, she eyed the A-line lacy white dress with a critical eye. Though it fit her slender frame, it was a tad too innocent for the vibe she was hoping to project tonight.
“I didn’t,” Abbey’s voice rose from the bed. “Not really. It took me a long time to come to terms with what Lucian and I were to each other. And it took your father even longer than that.”
She tugged the dress over her head before rummaging through her closet. “How did you feel when you first met him? When you first went out with him?”
Grabbing a sexy black cocktail dress, she shimmied into it.
“I felt…” Abbey’s voice trailed off into a small, helpless laugh.
Melissa paused. That sound, the light, confused yet happy laugh exactly fit the coil of emotions she was trying to name.
“I felt off balance,” Abbey said. “He consumed my thoughts. My heart raced just being in the same room with him.”
“Did you feel more attracted to him than anyone else in a long time?”
Another laugh escaped her friend. “I’ve never needed anyone the way I do Lucian.”
Melissa smoothed a hand over the sinful black dress as she examined her reflection. It hugged her body in all the right ways while being demure enough to justify wearing to dinner. Butterflies filled her stomach at the thought of seeing Tarian in less than an hour.
“Does this phone call have anything to do with your date tonight?” Abbey asked.
“You know me. I like to have all the facts before entering into any new enterprise.”
“Finding your mate has very little to do with logic or facts.”
The words were nothing new. Her father had said much the same thing when he’d fallen for a human. Still, she couldn’t help wishing there was some magical way to know in advance whether Tarian would work out.
“Thanks for the chat, Abbey, but I’ve got to get across town.”
“Call me once your date’s over. I want to hear all the juicy details.”
“Promise,” she said. “Talk to you later.” She disconnected the call before throwing the phone into her black clutch. With one last look in the mirror to ensure everything was in place, she swept from her bedroom.
As she walked down the hall to the main door she did a mental review of her apartment. The living room was picked up, and her bed had new sheets. The kitchen was clean, not that dishes in the sink were ever much of a problem with her. The place was ready to entertain some company and so was she.
Melissa checked her watch as she left the apartment. Less than half an hour before she was supposed to meet Tarian. Her driver had his work cut out for him tonight.
She took the elevator down to the parking level and stepped out to see her town car already waiting for her.
The driver stepped from the car as she approached and opened the back door for her.
“Thanks for coming, Luke,” she said as she drew closer.
Luke didn’t respond.
A frown crossed her face as her steps slowed.
“Luke?”
Still no response.
Her instincts flared to life. Her driver didn’t have a quiet bone in his body. Nothing stopped his incessant flow of chatter.
Something wasn’t right.
But before she could run, bodies burst from the cars around her. Shadows surrounded her, grabbing her arms and holding her down.
“Use your powers,” someone said.
“It isn’t bloody working,” another replied.
Fangs sprang to life in her mouth and claws shot from her fingertips as she fought her captors. She heard a cry of pain and grinned in feral satisfaction for having wounded one until a sharp prick hit her arm. The sight of a depressed syringe filled her vision even as the world started to spin around her.
Her struggles slowed and grew sluggish. Melissa tried to keep her eyes open but against the drug, there was nothing she could do.
The pavement rose up to meet her as she fell into utter blackness.
Chapter Five
“Call on line two, Mr. Drake.”
Tarian waved to the secretary before reaching for his phone. “Drake speaking,” he greeted the caller, turning back to the spreadsheets littering the desk in front of him. “How can I help you?”