Dying to Date(19)

“Who gave you this bracelet, Melissa?”

Tarian’s face flashed across her mind. Had he known? Fear clutched her heart. He’d refused to tell her his race, after all. But as soon as the panic gripped her, it faded. The idea of him being a necromancer was ridiculous. He never would have willingly pursued a vampire, let alone kissed her the way he had. And if he’d been her enemy, he’d never have given her such a powerful weapon against him. Especially not at a first meeting.

But how had he come across it in the first place?

“Vampire, who gave you the rield?” The friendly Southern charm had dropped from Dominic’s voice.

“My father,” she lied. “Who else would be able to find something like that?”

“Damn Redgrave,” Dominic muttered, pocketing the bracelet. “Well, at least that’s one problem solved.”

He flicked his fingers at her, and ice swept through her body. Melissa tried to open her mouth, but she couldn’t move. She couldn’t even blink. Dominic’s magic sank into her like a second skin.

“Come here,” he said.

Melissa wanted to tell him to go to hell but instead, her feet moved forward. No matter how she screamed in her mind, her body refused to obey. It glided toward the necromancer with natural grace. Someone watching her would never know she wasn’t in control of her own actions.

“Perfect,” Dominic said. “Come down for dinner with us, Melissa. We have quite a bit to talk about.”

Her lips stretched into a polite smile when all she wanted to do was rip him to shreds.

Instead, she turned and walked out of the door. She swept down the hall completely surrounded by her people’s worse nightmare.



Though she’d been sure she was walking to her doom, Dominic really had just ordered her to dinner. A massive table had been set with easily twenty places. Her seat was just to the right of Dominic. After ensuring she was seated, the necromancer’s magic had faded away, leaving her able to move.

Not that she had many options. Running to the door would have been a waste of effort in a room full of people who could stop her with a thought. All she could do was sit in silence as the group ate.

A glass of blood was placed before her, but she made no move to touch it. Though she needed to replenish her strength, she didn’t trust these people not to drug her again.

A wide window cut into the wall opposite her, treating her to a night view of desert wasteland beyond the house. Where was she? Arizona? Texas? Certainly not New York, that was for sure. Just another nail in her coffin. Lucian wouldn’t even know where to look for her.

Halfway through their first course, Dominic finally turned his attention back to her. “Is the blood not to your liking?”

She glanced at her chillingly solicitous host. “Not hungry,” she lied.

“Nonsense. Drink.”

Her hand reached out of its own accord and brought the glass to her lips. She swallowed twice before her hand set the blood back down.

“See, this won’t be so bad,” Dominic said. “I doubt you’ll be here more than a few days, and now that the rield problem is taken care of, you will have full reign of the house. Though I caution you, this home is always full. Someone will be close to you at all times if you choose to make…poor decisions.”

“What do you want with my father?” she asked.

“To broker an exchange, so to speak.” Dominic cut a precise piece of meat and popped it in his mouth. “Your father is the vampire elder of New York.”

“Yes.” It was common knowledge. Each faction of supernatural had an ancient representative speaking on behalf of their people. Lucian was, for all intents and purposes, the king of the undead in New York.

“He has the power to give us what we want.”

“Which is?”

“Why, a home.” He took a sip of his wine.

Melissa waited, but Dominic seemed to be finished with his explanation. “What do you mean, home?” she said. “What’s this then?”

“Not a house, child,” he said. Though his smile remained in place, his eyes were blank. She’d seen gazes like that before and never in well-adjusted, peaceful individuals. “For centuries necromancers have been unwelcome in the supernatural community merely because of the threat we pose to the leading race. To avoid further conflict, we took our banishment in silence and did our best to stay away. We stick to rural areas. We scatter to avoid detection. Well, no longer. We want New York.”

“The…the city?”

“Precisely. You for the city. Finally we’ll have a place where we can live in peace. Vampires can go anywhere. You’ll be fine.”