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counter and squeezed some of the
blood into it. “I don’t even know your name.” She shouldn’t care. It was unwise
to form any sort of attachment with the enemy. Or better yet, she should figure
out a nickname he’d find as annoying as “baby doll”. Setting the bag aside, she
raised the glass to her lips and took a sip. Her stomach knotted and her throat
tensed.
    “Name’s Bronik.” He watched her closely, eyes narrowed yet
bright.
    “Bronik,” she acknowledged with a nod then returned her
attention to the task at hand. She had to feed. There was no option unless she
was ready to die. She could feel what little strength she had left slipping
away. Reinforcing her resolve, she brought the glass back to her mouth and
parted her lips. The metallic scent and bitter taste made her stomach heave.
She ignored her body’s protest and forced several mouthfuls down her throat.
    “Has the blood gone bad?”
    Apparently she wasn’t concealing her reactions as well as
she thought. She prepared to take another drink but her body rebelled even more
violently. She shuddered and gagged then set the glass aside. “I guess I’m not
as hungry as I thought.”
    “I can’t remember the last time I saw a host gag on blood.”
His head tilted as he stared at her. “What did they do to you?”
    Unwilling to reveal the truth, she changed the subject. “How
did you escape the Vancouver compound? The shields surrounding the bunker where
Garrett had you stashed are supposed to be impenetrable even to a Strigo host.
Or did Prince Alexi snap his fingers and demand your release? He had my mother
jumping through hoops like a circus animal.” She couldn’t keep the bitterness
from her voice. Tara was one of the most powerful hosts on Earth, yet she’d
trembled at the thought of Alexi Yeager.
    Bronik stalked toward her. She instinctively backed up until
she found herself pressed into one corner of the kitchen. Placing his hands on
the counter to either side of her, he trapped her in place. “Let’s start at the
beginning and work our way forward.”
    “The beginning of what?” Her pulse leapt and a familiar
surge of energy tingled along her nerve endings. She wasn’t sure if it was his
nearness or the threat of his sudden advance, but for just a moment her
symbionts had stirred, fighting against their sedation.
    “Why were we treated like prisoners when our ship was
sabotaged?” His already deep voice became little more than a growl. “If it
weren’t for Prince Alexi’s unexpected return, I’d likely still be in chains.”
    “If it weren’t for my brother’s interruption, you would have
enjoyed being in chains.” It was an intentional provocation and he didn’t
disappoint. He pushed her head back, baring her throat to his fangs. Another
tingle of energy accompanied his aggression and heat curled through her
abdomen. She didn’t care if it was fear or desire stimulating her symbionts.
She needed them awake and fighting and they’d reacted to nothing else.
    He bent to her neck and scraped her skin with his fangs, a
sexual gesture every host understood. “I ached for hours after you left me that
night. Did you find someone to scratch your itch or are you still restless?”
    “It’s none of your damn business.” She shoved against his
chest but he didn’t budge. She hadn’t really expected him to. “You’re the one
who came on to me. I tried to be professional.”
    He released her head and returned his hand to the counter,
surrounding her with his brawny arms. In the depths of his dark eyes emerald
light began to glow. “Let me tell you how this is going to work.” His gaze
lingered on her face then gradually descended to the swell of her breasts, left
bare by the dip of her bodice. “We’re going to spend the next few hours
exploring this tension.” Suddenly he leaned in and nipped the sensitive spot
below her ear. Sharp pleasure skittered along her neck and dropped down her
arm. “Resist if you want, I