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project was going to be
making catnip cat toys for Phantom, not that he needed more
spoiling. Having never visited a grocery store, Devlin had not
known there were such things as cat treats. Now Phantom had a row
of treats in a special plastic case.
    I smiled. Phantom was an odd cat. He curled
at the bottom of Devlin’s bed each day, but spent his nights
someplace else. Though he’d always been sweet and loving with me,
he was destructive, destroying the cat treat bags, chewing them
apart to get at the treats, prompting the special plastic case. His
temperament was similar to Dev’s. Maybe that was why Dev loved him
so much.
    I packed up the painting paraphernalia, and
put it to the side. I’d carry it down to one of the storage rooms
tomorrow. Taking my cell phone out of my pocket, I dialed Lash.
    As usual, he answered right away. “Lunch?” he
hissed querulously.
    “Lunch,” I affirmed. “You ready?”
    “I’ll meet you there. Don’t hurry; I’ll be a
second or two finishing up.”
    “Okay. Five minutes?”
    “More like two,” he hissed.
    “Sure. Bye.”
    I hung up, then caught sight of myself in the
mirror. I had paint in my hair, a few silver streaks near one ear
and also at the crown of my head. I put my fingertips to the paint,
which was dry.
    “Nice. I’ll have to scrub it out later.”
Wincing, I shook out my hair from its clip and rubbed my scalp. It
hurt from having my hair up so long. “I need a hair appointment,
too,” I added under my breath, then headed for the door.
    Just as I grasped the knob, The Lust reared
up within me.
     

 
    Chapter
Three
     
    Lash.
    I wanted Lash.
    Devlin was sleeping upstairs, but I didn’t
want him. He wouldn’t drink me down like water. He hadn’t taken any
of my blood for weeks now. But Lash likely didn’t know that he
shouldn’t. If I told him to, he would.
    I threw open the door, and bolted into Kev in
the hallway, knocking him off balance. “Sorry,” he said, then did a
double take at my wanton expression.
    “Where is Lash?” I drawled, giving him a
smoldering look.
    His eyes widened. “I’ll take you to him,” he
said, grabbing my hand.
    He walked fast down the hallway toward the
ballroom, pulling me along after him. Pushing through the doors
with a shove of his hand, he started across the wide hardwood
floor.
    I registered my surroundings, scanning
eagerly for Lash. The cracks in the walls had been fixed.
Scaffolding had been erected to reach the ceiling cracks, but it
was empty. There was no one here, least of all the person I was
looking for. Fury rose up in me in an all-encompassing wave.
    “Where is he?” I snarled.
    “Lash is upstairs,” Kev said quickly,
dropping my hand. He turned and ran for the door.
    I ascended the stairs, and began looking
around. There were a lot of supplies up here, but no Lash.
    God damn it, I need him! He must have left
for the kitchen. I would have to go after him. When I found
him…
    “Sarelle,” a voice called teasingly.
    I turned around. Kev and Vince were there at
the top of the stairs, blocking them.
    “Where is Lash?” I hissed angrily. “He’s not
up here, like you said!”
    Vince and Kev didn’t reply. They spread out,
and began to advance toward me slowly. Both of them were big men,
burly and muscular, and the way they moved was meant to be
menacing. If I had been in my right mind, I would’ve been afraid,
would have known immediately what they were planning.
    Instead, I was pissed off. “Get out of my
way!” I shouted, grabbing a claw hammer from the stack of tools
beside me. “Now!”
    “We just want to give you what you need,
Baby,” Vince growled eagerly. “We won’t hurt you, if you let us
have you—”
    I dashed between them. They lunged for me as
one. I hit Vince solidly in the teeth with my hammer. The entire
front five caught the impact, breaking several as he let out a
scream more surprise than pain.
    Kev grabbed me around the waist. I kicked him
hard in the balls. He