The Warrior Vampire(19)

The chains jangled as Naya gathered them in her hands. Ronan tensed, and every muscle on his well-built body went rigid. Naya wondered at his reaction and thought about drawing the dagger from its sheath. She’d seen animals tense like that when they were cornered, and Ronan was no harmless woodland creature. No, he reminded her more of a desperate wolf. “I’m going to cuff you now,” she said in a placating tone. “And I’d advise you not to do anything sketchy, got it?”

“I already gave you my word.”

“And you also promised me that you wouldn’t hesitate to sink your fangs into my throat again. Just don’t move.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he drawled.

The words rolled off his tongue, smooth. Naya felt a stirring in her gut that had nothing to do with fear. Who in the hell was he? A gorgeous, powerful—not to mention bloodthirsty—stranger who knew her name and was … what? Trying to flirt with her while she tied him up? She reached down and captured one of his wrists in her grip. He clenched his hand into a fist, and Naya could practically feel the tension rolling off of him. Ronan’s skin was warm, warmer than she thought a vampire’s should be. The music that had been so riotous in her ears calmed. He had an iron grip of control, the notes resonating in Naya’s soul one at a time, like a music box that needed to be wound. Was he even aware of the power contained in his massive form?

As she secured the first cuff, the pace of his breathing increased. The muscles rippling across his back expanded and contracted at a rapid rate, as if he were on the verge of panic. She hadn’t noticed his distress earlier, when he’d been bound to the bed. Don’t feel sorry for him. In fact, don’t feel anything for him. Dangerous. He’s a threat. Get your shit together, Naya. Quickly she grabbed the second cuff and secured his other wrist. The chains were too long for her liking. She didn’t want to give him the benefit of mobility. So she pulled the chains together, giving Ronan only a few inches of breathing room, and with her free hand retrieved the dagger from its sheath. Naya ran the blade through the links, joining the chain. She focused her magic, channeling it through her body, down her arm and wrist, and into the blade. It flashed white-hot for a single moment, just long enough to fuse the chains together.

Naya let out the breath she’d been holding and pulled back on her power, centering herself once again. It took a fair bit of energy to manifest her magic so quickly and it had taken a toll on her already-exhausted body. Without realizing it, she reached out, bracing herself with her palm on Ronan’s back.

“Are you all right?” He turned his head to glance at her from over his shoulder.

“Living room,” Naya ordered as she dropped her hand to the chain and guided Ronan toward the door.

True to his word, Ronan played the obedient captive and allowed Naya to direct him out of the bedroom and into her living room. The space was sparsely furnished with only one couch, but it was open and bigger than the bedroom, so if need be Naya had the space she’d need to fight if Ronan decided to retaliate. She turned him around and pushed against his shoulder with two fingers, urging him to sit down. He complied with that lopsided grin and Naya couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Gods, he must have had women falling at his feet with that expression. Rather than sit and thereby put herself at a disadvantage, Naya chose to stand a good eight feet away at the far end of the room near the small fireplace, giving her plenty of space to prepare for an attack. She propped her elbow up on the mantle and cocked her head as she appraised her prisoner. “You said you wanted to talk. So … talk.”

Ronan sighed, and again Naya pictured him running his fingers through the thick tangles of his hair. “I’m not even sure where to begin.”

Great. She should have known he’d try to weasel his way out of talking. “You lied to me earlier when you said you didn’t know my name.”

“Not true.” Ronan rolled his shoulders and Naya couldn’t help but notice his discomfort. “I didn’t know your name when you asked me, and to tell you the truth, I don’t know how I know it now. It could be that I know it through our tether.”

“That smells like bullshit to me.” There were ways to get the truth out of him. But neither were options Naya was willing to explore just yet. “You’re throwing some weighty words around, vampire. ‘Mate’ being one of them. And I don’t know what in the hell a tether is, but if that’s how you know my name and that I’m in some kind of danger, it’s time you came clean.”