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"Of course" His gut twisted as he recalled the fragile hope that sireen eyes He couldn’t bear to have that bastard Salvatore use her vulnerability to har her"

Levet studied hih you know that itelse in this world?"

Styx disoyle’s words with a ruthless efficiency

Salvatore was a clever foe ould stoop to any level to lure Darcy from this secure lair This was no doubt just another means to capture the woman he so desperately wanted

And if it wasn’t

A dark sense of dread filled his heart

If it wasn’t, then he still could not allow Darcy to escape hie to force the pack back to their hunting grounds without open bloodshed

"We know nothing yet," he at last said stiffly

"If this woan, only to coh We will discuss this later For now I e into Salvatore’s damnable trap"

Darcy was startled to discover her hands shaking as she pulled on a clean pair of jeans and soft green sweater She glanced down at the labeled a freak, been tossed out of a dozen foster homes, and lived on the street until she could at last h money to find an apartment

In the past week she had been stalked by a olf and kidnapped by a vaive even the most cool, cal--nothing--had shaken her asa hand to her quivering stomach, Darcy forced herself to take several deep breaths

It would be so easy to leap to conclusions No, not leap Jued wryly

But first things first

She had to track down Salvatore and discover the identity of the woman

He held the key to the questions that had haunted her for far too long

She had just Finished pulling on her leather boots when the door to her room was thrust open and Styx flowed toward her with that aloof expression that warned trouble was brewing

Planting her hands on her hips she refused to flinch as he came to a halt only inches froth to crush her with one hand And then there were those pesky fangs that could drain her dry

Perhaps foolishly, Darcy wasn’t frightened

Not even when he reached out to grasp her arm "Darcy, we must speak," he coaze squarely "I will not argue about this, Styx I have to know the truth"

"And you do not trust me to discover the truth for you?"

"I trust that you will always do what is best for your people," she cautiously hedged Vampire or not, Styx possessed all the pride of any other man Hell, he possessed the pride of several men all rolled into one It didn’t see all over it "And you have to adht not always be best forI need to do on my own"

He stiffened as if she had slapped his face "On your own?"

"Styx, this is important to me," she said in a tone that quivered with the desperate need that clenched at her heart "I have spent allIf there is someone out there who has answers, then I have to find them Surely you can understand that?"

His raised hand dropped as he turned to walk toward the darkenedShe frowned at the rigid set of his shoulders and unh the air

"You seeel," he said, his voice oddly thick

Darcy shuddered at the dark premonition that hovered about her

"And what is that?"

"For the moment you are my prisoner"

Prisoner

Her heart threatened to halt as she clenched her hands at her sides

"You will keepwith Salvatore?"

"I will keep you safe"

"And what about the woman?" she rasped "What if she disappears before I can speak with her? What if Salvatore harms her?"

He slowly turned, his beautiful face unreadable "I understand you are upset"

Darcy struggled to breathe No, no, no This couldn’t be happening Not when she was so close

Not even a vampire could be so coldhearted

"Of course I’ for this moment I can’t let it slip past me" Her chin abruptly tilted "I won’t let it slip past"

"And I won’t allow you to rush into danger while you’re obviously overwrought," he gritted "Salvatore is a dangerous pureblood, not a pathetic human you can manipulate with a bat of your lashes and a winsoht"