"I should leave ye alone."
She glanced up to see Angus watching her with a confused look. He could probably tell she was upset about something. "I'd like to talk, if you don't mind." She sat on the bed, close to her pillow, and turned to face him. Her robe fell open as she rested one bent leg on the bed in front of her.
His jaw shifted. Heat blazed in his eyes as he approached her. "Are ye trying to get me in yer bed, Miss Wallace?"
Her pulse quickened. "I thought we could talk, maybe get better acquainted."
He paused beside the bed, frowning. "Ye hate vampires with a passion. They murdered yer parents, and ye've been seeking revenge ever since."
"I call it justice." She closed her eyes and rubbed her brow. Shit. She should have known he'd see through this.
"If it helps, I can tell ye that I'm having my operative in Moscow investigate the matter."
She lowered her hand. "You are? You'd do that for me?"
"I want to know who's responsible."
She stood. "Thank you. I have tried and tried to find out, using my resources in MI6, but they don't know about vampires, so there was no information."
"I'll do what I can to help ye find the culprits. I'm hoping once ye've had justice, ye can stop the slaying."
She blinked. Stop slaying?
He tilted his head, studying her. "Can ye stop, Emma?"
She sat on the bed. How could she stop when vampires were killing night after night? Didn't the other innocent victims deserve as much justice as her parents?
Angus sat beside her. "Ye have to stop. 'Tis suicidal to keep attacking an enemy who is stronger and faster than ye are."
"I've done all right so far."
"Ye canna catch them by surprise any longer. They'll start hunting for ye in groups. Ye canna survive if several attack ye at once."
She clutched the comforter in her fist. "What if you never find the ones who murdered my parents? You think I should just give up?"
He gave her a stern look. "Aye. Ye must."
Rage simmered inside her. "And I should just let those monsters feed off people? Rape women? Murder the innocent?"
"Leave vampire justice to Vamps like me. I'm much more capable than you."
"You think you're so much tougher than me?" Emma slammed her hands against his shoulders and knocked him back onto the bed. She jumped on him, straddling his lap.
"Emma, what are ye doing?" He started to sit up, but she shoved him down, pinning his shoulders onto the bed.
His mouth curled. "Ye like to be on top? Ye only needed to say so."
She ignored him as she reached under her pillow for the silver handcuffs. They were sideways on the bed, so she couldn't lock his hands over the headboard like she had hoped. No matter.
"Is that silver?" he muttered.
She snapped a handcuff around his wrist. She grabbed his other arm to bring his hands together. Just as she clicked on the second handcuff, she heard him inhale with a hissing breath. A burning smell wrinkled her nose, and she glanced at the first wrist she'd imprisoned. The silver was sizzling against his bare skin, cooking the raw flesh into ugly red welts.
"Oh, I'm sorry." She tugged the sleeve of his duster underneath the handcuff to insulate his wrist. His other wrist was safe, the silver wrapped around his sleeve.
"Thank ye."
She detected anger and pain in his sharp green eyes, although his voice remained soft and calm. In fact, he seemed very calm for a man who was being restrained. Maybe the silver was sapping his strength like kryptonite.
"I'm no' verra experienced with such games, but shouldna ye be wearing a black leather corset and high-heeled boots? And ye forgot yer whip."
"This is not kinky sex, and you know it."
The corner of his mouth tilted. "It should be. Will ye no' honor a dying man's last wish?"
She snorted and whipped the silver chain from under her pillow.
He smiled slowly. "Yer idea of foreplay is killing me."
Unbelievable. She was getting ready to kill him, and he was amused? She crouched on the floor where his feet were dangling off the bed and wrapped the silver chain around his ankles. With his legs restrained, she stood, her legs straddling his knees. "Still think you're tougher than me?"
With a blur of speed, he sat up, looped his handcuffed wrists around the back of her neck, and pulled her forward. He fell back onto the bed, taking her with him.
Her nose bumped into his hard chest. "Oof." She breathed in the scent of cotton and soap. He smelled good and felt warm.