Jo was up before she woke up. In fact, that was what woke her, her body sitting up and climbing out of bed. Startled awake by the activity, she blinked her eyes open and glanced wildly around, confused even as to where she was at first. It took only a moment to recognize that she was in the bedroom of Sam's apartment. It took another moment to spot and recognize the man standing by the bedroom door, and apparently controlling her, Jo realized as her body straightened beside the bed.
Bad-Breath Boy, Ernie.
"It's not my fault," he snarled, managing to sound both angry and petulant at the same time. "It's because of the blood. We have to have it but it gives us bad breath."
He was in her thoughts and had heard her nickname for him, Jo realized. Apparently, it had pricked his ego. She knew she was still half asleep when her only thought was that his excuse didn't carry much weight since Nicholas didn't have bad breath and that perhaps Ernie should consider brushing his teeth. As first thoughts went in this situation, it was rather inane, she acknowledged.
"Yes, it is," Bad-Breath Boy Ernie growled unpleasantly, and then added, "And why should I brush my teeth? The nanos keep me from getting cavities."
Well, that pretty much said it all, Jo supposed, and was amazed when she was able to ask, "Where is Nicholas?"
She wasn't completely under his control, she realized as she waited for his answer and began to try to move. Jo was able to wrinkle her nose, lift and lower her eyebrows, and move her mouth. But that was it. Everything from her neck down appeared to be under his control. It was not a pleasant sensation. In fact, it made her feel terribly vulnerable.
"You are vulnerable," Ernie said suddenly, making her realize he was still in her head. "At least you know it. Most mortals walk around completely oblivious to the fact that superior beings walk the earth who can make them do anything they want at any time."
Jo felt the sneer that claimed her lips at those words. "Superior? That's what you think it is to make me stand here naked? It seems more perverted than superior to me."
He gave a harsh laugh at that. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm old enough that sex holds no interest. You're nothing but a walking blood bag to me."
A quiver of fear ran up Jo's back at those words. While Nicholas had bitten her twice now, she suspected his bite and this man's would be two entirely different things, and she was pretty sure she wouldn't enjoy Bad-Breath Boy's bite.
"You didn't answer my question," Jo said, trying to change the direction of his thoughts. "Where is Nicholas? What have you done with him?"
Ernie stared at her resentfully for a moment and then moved out of her line of vision as he said, "I haven't done anything to him. He left."
"Left?" she squawked with disbelief, trying to see what he was doing. Jo could hear rustling and walking, but couldn't turn her head to see what he was up to.
"Yes, left," Ernie said with irritation. "Believe me, I'm not pleased either. I was intending to surprise you while you were sleeping and capture you both. Nicholas blew that plan all to hell. As I was about to slip out of the stairwell, he came sauntering out of the apartment. Fortunately, he took the stairs at the opposite end of the hall. I followed." Ernie came back around the bed into her line of vision, his eyes scanning the room. "I thought he'd be heading to the van, but he went to the lobby, borrowed a phone from a woman there, and called Mortimer to come and get you. Then he went to the parking garage and drove out of here."
"You're lying," Jo snapped, but was afraid he wasn't. It was just the dumb, stupid, caring kind of thing the big idiot would do. Have Mortimer come and get her thinking she'd be safer at the enforcer house. Men were such boobs sometimes, she thought with disgust, and then noted the odd way Ernie was looking at her and supposed he was still reading her thoughts and had heard all that. She couldn't tell what he made of it.
Rather than comment, Ernie simply said, "I decided it was too risky to jump him and came up to get you instead. It's not as good as both of you, but I think Father will still be pleased."
"Your father," Jo said frowning. "What would your father want with me?"
"You're Nicholas's life mate," Ernie said, and actually sounded resentful. "And Nicholas is the reason five of my brothers were killed. My father will consider you a worthy gift. And then he'll realize that I am as good as my brothers," Ernie said grimly and moved back out of her line of vision as he gloated, "None of them were able to locate the new enforcer house. None of them have even tried since Basha convinced him to lay low for a while. I'm the only one who knows where it is and when I bring him its whereabouts and Nicholas Argeneau's life mate, he'll realize that just because I'm immortal instead of no-fanger doesn't mean I'm inferior."