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So you see yourself as a prince?

No, I’m no prince … In fact, I’m more devil than anything
.

He knew they’d never actually had that conversation outside of his own mind in Seattle, but the insult she’d just delivered …

Was it possible he’d somehow inserted himself in her mind, the same way he’d done with Bobbie Hernandez? He frowned, unsure what to think. “What did you just say?”

“I said, you make it sound so easy.”

“No. Not that part. That part about me being more devil than prince.”

Her eyes widened and he swore he heard her heart start beating faster. Briefly, she glanced at the intercom, as if more embarrassed by the fact that Carly could hear them than by his actual question. Of course, Carly, likely intrigued by the turn of the conversation, remained silent.

Ana’s expression cleared and she shook her head. “You heard me. Did I insult you?”

He was tempted then. Tempted to try to read her mind. To see if what he thought was impossible was actually true. But he resisted. A man, he thought. To her, I’m just a man. Just another human. It wasn’t true, but he wanted it to be. So he didn’t try to read her mind. Instead, he shrugged. “Look,” he said. “I never said rescuing anyone would be easy. Far from it. Salvation’s Crossing is heavily guarded. Even so, if I’m the devil, I’m one that’s going to help you find your sister. If she needs help, then you have the power to help her. The question is, will you?”

“What choice do I have? You waited to tell me what you know because you needed to hold something over me. You’ve been manipulating me since the second I met you.”

“Did it work? Because if it has, once you’re done with
your temper tantrum, you might want to start reading the information we have on Salvation’s Crossing. Given your history, I think you’ll find the reading material quite interesting.”

“Because Gloria’s there?”

At her question, Ty hesitated then looked at the intercom that had remained noticeably silent. As if she knew it, as if she could see him waiting for her to speak, Carly said, “Gloria’s there with other members of Primos Sangre. That includes the cult’s leader, Miguel Salvador. You knew him as Miguel Santos.”

Stunned, Ana stumbled slightly and caught herself on the table as images of Miguel’s face flashed before her. “M—Miguel? The leader of a cult?”

“That’s right,” Carly said.

Automatically, Ana shook her head. Miguel had been a survivor. He’d done bad things to protect himself—and protect Ana—but he’d always been her friend. He’d known how much Gloria meant to Ana. How much Ana wanted a better life for her sister. He’d even sworn to watch over her when Ana was taken away. “You must be mistaken.”

This time, Ty answered. “He’s the acknowledged leader of the group even though he rarely makes public appearances. Occasionally, he meets with investors. Solicits funds. I’ve tried to meet with him myself, posing as an investor who shares the group’s mission to support Hispanic rights. So far, he hasn’t taken the bait.”

When she remained silent, he walked up to her. Grasped her chin and tilted her face up so he could stare into her eyes.

“You want to know why we chose you to help us with this mission, Ana? It’s because you’re a survivor. You did what you had to in order to survive, and when it
comes to protecting your sister, you’ll do the same. Another reason? The gang you belonged to has grown. And while you might have walked away from it and never looked back, the same isn’t true for the rest of its former members.”

“You’re saying Primos Sangre joined Salvation’s Crossing?”

“I’m saying Primos Sangre
is
Salvation’s Crossing. It’s being led by a man you know. A man you befriended. A man you once had an intimate relationship with.”

She jerked her chin out of his grasp and shook her head as she backed away. “Who gives you your intel? Because whoever it is sucks.”

“You’re denying you once had a relationship with Miguel Santos?”

“I didn’t have a relationship with him. He fucked me. Once. To jump me into the gang.”

Ty shrugged, seemingly unconcerned by Ana’s revelation, not giving away whether he’d known that little fact or not. “Let me ask you this. The fact that he only fucked you
once
. Was that his choice or yours?”

“What—what do you mean?”

“I mean, I have reason to believe he cares for you. Deeply. That if you’d let him, he’d have fucked you far more than once.”

Her eyes flickered with the knowledge that he was right. That Miguel had loved her. That he would have, if Ana had been interested, wanted more from her than friendship.

Belladonna wants to whore me out, she thought. And even though she’d been fully prepared for that possibility, somehow this all seemed like a betrayal on Ty’s part.

To torture herself, Ana played back that moment he’d kissed her, not in a dream but for real, when they’d been wrestling in her café. He’d kissed her twice, and though
they’d been fighting and he’d simply been proving his power over her, that kiss … that kiss had
felt
real.

It had made her feel alive, in a way she hadn’t felt in her entire life. And as much as she wanted to deny it, she’d wanted him to kiss her again. And she’d wanted to kiss him back.

You’re a fool. You always have been and you always will be. This man was never interested in you for himself. He just wants you to spread your legs for someone else.

He knows, just like you do, that you did it once. And he knows that you’ll do it again.

But even with that knowledge, she couldn’t go down like this. Couldn’t let him see how devastated she was. She wanted to cry. Instead, she simply turned on her heel and left.

“She took that better than I expected,” Carly said over the intercom.

Ty cursed. “Life’s always thrown her shit. Maybe she’s simply used to it. Little does she know the worst is yet to come.”

“You sound upset by that fact.”

“Of course I’m upset,” Ty gritted out. “She doesn’t deserve this. None of it. Least of all the games we’re playing with her.”

“Whether she deserves it or not, we can’t just blurt out what’s really going on here. We decided the best strategy was to get the women here, assess their talents, and evaluate what they’re willing to do—all before we drop the mother of all bombs—that you and Peter are vampires and, oh yes, by the way, will you help us prove Salvation’s Crossing is turning humans into vampires and trafficking in human blood slaves?”

Pacing, Ty swept his hands through his hair. “You
don’t have to remind me why we’re doing what we’re doing, Carly.”

“No? Because it certainly sounds like you need to be reminded. It sounds, God forbid, like you’re getting soft.”

“Soft? You think? I almost bled a homeless man dry; the fact that I left him alive didn’t matter. He still died because of me. Believe me, I’m not going soft.”

She hesitated for a moment, but when she spoke, her voice was gentler. “You fucked up, Ty. You caught the attention of two vampires and one was able to read your mind. Bad luck for us, but as far as the homeless man is concerned? You didn’t kill him. They did.”

“He was killed because of me. Same difference.” He closed his eyes. “Just like you think Ben was killed because of me. Because he was trying to help Peter and me escape the Rogues. You do think that, right? And if that’s the case, then I’m just as much responsible for the homeless man’s death as I am for Ben’s.”

This time Carly’s lapse into silence was longer. He pictured her stricken face—a sickly white, her features pinched, grief and anger flashing in her eyes because of the way Ty had mentioned Ben, a man who had been Carly’s lover. But when she spoke, her voice was measured and controlled. “We don’t know if Ben’s dead. Even if he is, I wouldn’t blame you for that, Ty. He was trying to escape, too, remember? He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just like you and Peter. Just like that homeless man. But I’m not going to argue with you. Right now, we need to focus. Ana knows enough. She knows we need her to get into Salvation’s Crossing. She knows about Ramona and Becky Montes. She’ll learn the rest later.”

“Right. The rest. Like the fact that the Rogues turned humans into vampires for the FBI? And that even though the FBI wants those Rogues dead now, it also wants to
find a way to continue the Turning Program? God, everyone wants a part of the immortal pie. But what they can’t know is that it sucks. It
sucks
being a vampire!” he roared as he swept a table free of books.

The silence in the room was deafening. Then Carly laughed. Not one of the mocking, arrogant laughs that he hated, but a genuine, I’m-trying-to-stifle-it-but-I-can’t laugh.

And to his shock, after hearing his own words echo around him, Ty laughed, too.

“Fuck,” he said when he could finally catch his breath. “I can’t believe I actually said that.”

“Screamed it at the top of your lungs, more like it. Let’s hope Ana didn’t hear you. Or maybe that was the point. You’ve never liked deception, not when it comes to someone you consider an ally. If that’s going to be a problem … if you feel it’s imperative that you tell Ana about vampires now … then maybe you should. She’s going to learn it soon, after all, and—”

“No,” Ty said tiredly. “You’re right. It’s too much to spring on her at once. We need her invested in Belladonna first. Committed to doing whatever it takes to find her sister. Only then can we tell her.”

“You’re that sure she’ll fall into line? Because proving that she’s committed to doing whatever it takes? That’s not going to be easy.”

“We need her,” Ty said.

“We need her in control,” Carly corrected. “But I suppose if anyone can tame her, you can. You’ve had to work to control your wild side, too. As a human and a vampire. Your tirade a few minutes ago aside, Ty, I want you to know I have confidence in you. You’ll be able to get her where she needs to go. So what now?”

“Now, we test her. Train her. And hope that in two weeks, she’ll be ready to attend that fund-raiser with me
and, more important, get us inside Salvation’s Crossing.”

Twenty minutes later, Ty knocked on Ana’s door then entered without waiting for her to give him permission.

She sat cross-legged on the bed, arms folded over her chest, glaring at him.

She probably hated him right about now, assuming she hadn’t already felt that way before. He couldn’t blame her, but he couldn’t afford to go easy on her, either.

“Have you made a decision?” Ty asked Ana.

“About whether I’m going to join Belladonna or whether I’m willing to fuck Miguel in the process?” she snorted. “I don’t have a choice.”

“We all have choices. And I never said you have to actually fuck him.”

She shot him a look of disbelief and he scowled darkly. “I’m not saying it’s not a possibility, but do you think I want that? After the way I kissed you? The way you almost kissed me back?”

Her eyes widened. “I didn’t—” she whispered.

He leaned down, getting right in her face. “You’re attracted to me. Just as attracted as I am to you. And believe it or not, I’m not dragging you into this situation for fun, Ana, but because something very important needs doing. We’re giving you options. You have a choice whether to be involved in all this. And you’ll obviously have a choice if and when it comes to … that. Doesn’t mean you’ll like it and it doesn’t mean I will, either. Never think that. Never think that anything I ask of you, I ask lightly.”

Her eyes were even wider now and she looked away. “I obviously have a history of making the wrong choices. I’ve been trying to change that. I thought—I thought I
was going to be able to rewrite my past, but …” She shrugged. “I can’t change my past. Not until I can be certain Gloria has moved past it herself.”

He straightened, giving her breathing room so she’d look at him again. “That’s why you want to find your sister so badly? So you can write her off as happy and healthy, and in doing so, write off your past? Or how did you put it
—rewrite
your past?” So he’d been right about her tendency toward denial; he just hadn’t realized she was conscious of it, as well. “No one can rewrite the past, Ana. We have to face it. Accept it. Move on.”

At his words, his conscience tingled.

Was he being a hypocrite, telling her that? No, he reassured himself. He wasn’t denying he was a vampire. He just accepted the fact that being a walking science experiment wasn’t something he wanted. That didn’t mean he was in denial. Ana, however, still had her entire future in front of her. She just needed to accept what had happened in her past, move on, and stop caring more about her sister’s well-being than her own. Of course, he couldn’t tell her any of that because it was her connection and her loyalty to her sister that they were counting on for this mission.

“Easy thing to say when you obviously grew up on easy street,” she retorted.

“And you know that how?”

“Your clothes. Your accent. You reek of old money. Why? Am I wrong?”

He pressed his lips together. “No. You’re not wrong about my privileged childhood. But you think that made my life easy?” He shrugged. “You’re obviously not as smart as Carly and I gave you credit for.”

“Obviously not. Because I have made my decision. I’m going to work with Belladonna. And I’m going to save my sister,” she said. “No matter what it takes.”

So it was done, Ty thought. Ana Martin had agreed to work for Belladonna, only she had no idea what they were going to ask of her.

Just like she had no idea what Ty was.

Soon she would.

And when she did, she’d look at him differently, he knew.

He angered her now. Frustrated her. Annoyed her. Confused her.

But despite all that, she wanted him. Craved him, just like he craved her.

Soon, she’d crave nothing but getting as far away from him as possible. All he could do was enjoy what little time he had left with her.

As if she sensed what he was thinking, she narrowed her eyes on him suspiciously. He didn’t smile. Didn’t give away by word or expression anything that he was thinking. But his gaze took her in. Every detail. His nostrils took in her scent. His skin absorbed the thrumming of her pulse as his ears heard the rush of her blood through her veins. No, he didn’t react to her suspicions, but like an animal being stalked by a predator, she stiffened, as if she could read his thoughts.