She tossed her head in frustration at his refusal to give his opinion. A mistake as the wind caught the golden curls and sent them spinning across her face.

  “Argh.” She reached up to try and clear away the mess. “Why would anyone want so much hair?”

  * * * *

  Locke motioned for Kyi to remain near the door as he crossed the flagstone floor of the demon club. He didn’t worry about the handful of customers scattered around the narrow space, not even the two trolls drinking grog in a shadowed corner. None of them could match a vampire in brute strength.

  But the club wasn’t one of the five-star establishments on the island. In fact, it probably rated a negative one star. It was created out of a decaying villa that had damp crypts dug beneath the pitted marble structure. The interior was stuffed with a jumble of furniture that had been pillaged from local hotels, and splotches of mold adorned the walls.

  Locke had chosen the establishment to avoid meeting up with any vampire who might recognize him. No demon would willingly stay at this sleazy club unless they were hiding from something. Or someone.

  He wanted to spare Kyi from spending more time than necessary in the disgusting place.

  Heading toward the end of the room, Locke approached the mongrel goblin slouched on a stool. Locke doubted he was the proprietor, but he was surveying the common room as if he was in charge.

  “Yes?” the creature demanded as Locke halted in front of him. He was a good six inches taller than Locke, with bulging muscles beneath his filthy T-shirt and jeans. He had coarse black hair, brutish features with a heavy brow, and eyes that held hints of crimson fire. There was a smug swagger in his manner that assured Locke the creature was accustomed to being the biggest, baddest demon in the club.

  Good. An inflated ego made demons careless.

  “I want a room,” Locke said, keeping his disgust out of his tone.

  The goblin sucked air through his pointed teeth, as if considering whether or not to allow Locke to stay.

  “A sun-free room is extra.”

  “Fine.”

  “Do you want dinner?”

  Locke shuddered, unable to imagine what the goblin considered dinner. “Just the room.”

  The goblin glanced over Locke’s shoulder, a sudden leer twisting his lips as he caught sight of Kyi. There was even a bit of spittle at the corner of his mouth.

  “Ah. You have your own snack. There’s a service fee for bringing take-out unless you’re willing to share—”

  Fury burst through Locke before he could leash it. Not that he would have tried, even if he could.

  Snapping out his arm, he grabbed the demon by the throat and lifted him off the floor. Behind him the customers released shouts of alarm as the air snapped and sizzled with his power.

  “Give me the key before I use your head to ram open the door,” he said in a cold voice.

  The goblin struggled, as if too stupid to realize his survival was hanging in the balance. “We haven’t negotiated the price.”

  Locke tightened his fingers, intending to crush the creature’s throat. Then, with an effort, he gained control of his temper. It seemed unlikely any of the customers would rush to this male’s defense, but he couldn’t risk a potential battle that would leave Kyi vulnerable.

  With a flick of his hand, he tossed the creature against the marble wall, taking a childish satisfaction in the idiot’s grunt of pain.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Stepping back, Locke watched with a derisive expression as the goblin struggled to salvage his balance. “Send the bill to Styx.”

  The goblin blinked, as if he was having trouble comprehending what Locke had said. It was possible his brain had been rattled when he hit the wall, or more likely he was horrified by Locke’s words. Evoking Styx’s name had a tendency to spread terror far and wide.

  “Styx? The An…Anasso?” the goblin stammered.

  “I’m one of his Ravens.” Locke reached up to touch the scar on his neck, as if it was some sort of symbol of authority. The goblin would have no idea he was lying. “If you want to haggle the price you can call the King of Vampires.”

  The male was shaking his head before Locke finished speaking. Reaching into the pocket of his jeans, he pulled out a handful of keys. Choosing one, he tossed it toward Locke.

  “Just take it, spoilsport.”

  Locke flashed his fangs. “I try.”

  Turning, he nodded toward Kyi, who warily joined him. Together they walked through the arched doorway that led to the stairs heading down to the crypts.

  “Winning friends and influencing people?” she murmured once they were out of earshot of the glaring demons.

  Locke shrugged, allowing the last of his anger to drain away as her sweet scent perfumed the stale air. Just having her near was soothing. One of many reasons he was eager to keep her close to him.

  “I don’t have your charm,” he told her.

  “Charm?” Kyi released a humorless laugh that echoed through the spiderweb of tunnels as they reached the bottom of the steps.

  Locke arched a brow, leading them through the middle tunnel toward the back of the crypts. He didn’t need directions to know that any demon club placed the vampire rooms as far away from the other demons as possible. It couldn’t prevent all accidents if a vamp lost control, but it gave the other customers a chance to escape.

  “You don’t believe me?” he demanded.

  “I’ve spent the majority of my life alone in my grove. I don’t have any practice at being charming.”

  “Then you’re a natural.”

  They reached the end of the crypts and Locke halted at a wooden door. Using the key, he led them into the small room, pleasantly surprised as he glanced around. It was sparse. Just a bed shoved against a stone wall and a chair near the door along with a wooden stand that held a pitcher of water. But it was dry and basically clean. Unless you counted a stray cobweb.

  Closing the door behind them, Locke leaned against the rough wood as Kyi paced the cramped space in the middle of the room.

  “How long will it take?” she demanded.

  Locke shrugged. He’d contacted Jagr as soon as they’d arrived in Cyprus. The vampire had promised he’d search for any information on gateways he could find.

  “It could be a few minutes or several hours. I’m going to guess it’s the latter,” he warned in dry tones. “Jagr tends to forget what he’s supposed to be doing when he’s in his library.” He nodded toward the bed. “You might as well make yourself comfortable.”

  She continued to pace. “I can’t.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  Her jaw tightened, her steps jerky as if she was straining against a fierce emotion.

  “I’ve always known my mother was evil,” she suddenly burst out. “Even before she tried to kill me. But my father…”

  Her words trailed away, her scent of bougainvillea suddenly subdued, as if her sadness was muting her very essence.

  Locke resisted the urge to step forward and pull her into his arms. She wasn’t ready to accept comfort. Not until she’d worked through her complicated emotions.

  “No demon is perfect,” he pointed out in low tones. “Not even me, as hard as that is to believe.”

  Her lips twitched, but she couldn’t conjure a smile. “I don’t expect perfection.” She grimaced. “Just basic decency.”

  Locke considered his words. He’d lived among vampires who had their own value system. He wasn’t offended by Kahn’s desire to take over rival tribes. But he was deeply offended by his underhanded way of doing it.

  It made it hard to know exactly how to ease Kyi’s distress.

  “He was obviously ambitious,” he finally said.

  “Ambitious?” She glared at him. He’d apparently said the wrong thing. “He made a deal with the devil for power, and then tried to kill the devil.”

  “Climbing to the top of the demon hierarchy is usually a bloody business,” he reminded her. “But you have good memories of him, don’t you?”

  Her lips tightened, as if she wanted to deny Kahn’s good qualities, then, with a sigh, she slowly nodded.

  “Yes.”

  “Tell me.”

  She bent her head, allowing the sweep of golden hair to hide her profile. “Every morning he would take us to a small spring in the center of a nearby meadow so we could play in the water,” she said, her voice so soft it was hard to make out the words. “And he always pretended to forget how to get back to the village so either Cleo or I could lead the way back home. It made us feel…”

  “Feel what?”

  “Special.”

  Locke could no longer resist his instincts. Pushing away from the door, he wrapped his arms around Kyi and pulled her against his body.

  “You are special.” He brushed his lips over her furrowed brow. “Special enough that your father was willing to sacrifice his life to protect you.”

  She melted against him, laying her head against the center of his chest. “Yes.”

  With one fluid motion, Locke swept her off her feet and carried her toward the bed. He sank down on the thin mattress, cradling her slender body in his lap.

  “Hold on to those memories, Kyi.” He gazed down at her, letting her see his regret that he’d allowed his bitterness toward the Anasso to turn his back on the Ravens. They’d been his brothers and he’d walked away. “Nothing else matters.”

  She released a shaky breath, raising her arms to wrap them around his neck. “Locke.”

  Chapter 17

  Kyi didn’t struggle against his possessive hold. She didn’t want to struggle. After endless centuries of solitude, the sensation of being wrapped in strong arms was a balm to her weary soul. She’d been so utterly isolated. Now she eagerly snuggled against him.

  Locke pressed his lips against the top of her head. “Why were you alone in your grove?”

  “I was afraid,” she admitted, revealing her long-hidden secret.

  “Of Xuria?”

  “Yes. Not only for myself, but I couldn’t risk allowing anyone else to become collateral damage,” she said.

  It had been a constant fear that her mother might arrive without warning and harm some innocent bystander. How could she risk having a lover? Or even a friend?

  He lifted his head to gaze down at her, his lips twitching. “Collateral damage?”

  She shrugged. “When I’m bored I like to watch human television to pass the time. My favorite is Arnold Schwarzenegger movies.”

  Locke paused, as if searching his memory. “‘I’ll be back,’” he at last quoted in robotic tones.

  She snorted, although she was pleased that he’d seen the movie. As if it proved they had something in common beyond their hatred toward Xuria.

  “That’s a terrible impression,” she teased.

  He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. “What else do you do to pass the time?”

  Desire spread through her. A slow, relentless flood of need that she’d kept trapped for too long.

  “I read and tend to my trees,” she managed to say, her mind clouded with the tingly sense of anticipation.

  His lips skimmed over her brow. “And create traps for unwary vampires.”

  She smiled. “Every girl has to have a hobby.”

  “You don’t need any cages to trap this particular vampire.” He nuzzled the tender skin at her temple.

  She sucked in a deep breath of his coppery scent. “What do I need?”

  “Your smile.” His lips brushed over her cheek, the faint scrape of his fangs sending shudders of pleasure through her. She wasn’t a demon who craved pain with her sex, but the fantasy of feeling those fangs sinking deep into her throat was intensely erotic. “Your scent.” He pressed his lips against hers. “Your taste.” Kyi readily parted her lips to allow the sweep of his tongue into her mouth. An electric shock tingled through her. “Your heart.”

  Kyi plunged her fingers into the cool, silken strands of his hair. It felt oddly decadent, but then everything about Locke was decadent. His astonishing blue eyes rimmed with gold. His bold features and the chiseled body that held such enormous power. And the electric sizzles that crackled through the air.

  Decadent and sexy and utterly fascinating.

  Just what she needed to drive away her aching sense of betrayal.

  He deepened the kiss, his fangs pressing hard against her lower lip as his hands smoothed up the curve of her back. A tremor raced through her.

  Lifting his head, Locke sent her a quizzical glance. “Kyi?”

  “You make me tingle,” she murmured.

  “In a good way?”

  She allowed a slow smile to curve her lips. “In the best way.”

  Locke growled, swooping down to bury his face in the curve of her neck. At the same time he allowed his power to dance around his fingers as he smoothed them down the length of her bare arms.

  “Is it time?” He pressed his lips against the rapid pulse at the base of her throat. “No more teasing?”

  She snuggled closer, heat exploding through her at the feel of his hard erection pressing against her hip.

  “Not unless you ask very nicely.”

  Locke’s eyes shimmered with enjoyment as he laughed in startled appreciation.

  “I’ll get on my knees and plead at this point,” he promised.

  Kyi lowered her arms, slipping her hands beneath his leather jacket to explore the hard, sculpted muscles of his chest.

  “I’m not averse to having you on your knees,” she told him in a husky voice.

  With a speed that stole her breath, Locke was lifting her off his lap and setting her on the edge of the mattress. Kyi shivered. Not from the cold. The air in the crypt was surprisingly warm. No. It was a fear that Locke was rejecting her.

  Swallowing a sudden lump in her throat, Kyi tried to speak, but before she could say a word, Locke was sliding off the bed and onto his knees.

  “Your wish is my command,” he assured her.

  She watched with painful anticipation as he gently tugged her legs apart and slid his hands along her inner thighs. Jolts of pleasure ignited, bursting through her, like the fireworks she’d seen the humans shoot into the sky.

  “I thought only jinn could grant wishes,” she gasped, leaning back on her elbows as Locke lowered his head and followed the path of his fingertips with soft lingering kisses.

  “I have all sorts of talents.”

  Kyi believed him. Right now, however, she was focused on his skill at stirring her hunger to a fever pitch.

  Had she forgotten how glorious it was to feel the touch of a male? No. A shudder raced through her as his mouth found the sensitive apex of her body. It had never been like this. Never. It wasn’t just the pleasure that sizzled and zapped through her. It was the heart-pounding certainty that this was special.

  That Locke was special.

  With a low groan, Kyi tilted back her head and closed her eyes. She wanted to savor the sensation of his tongue as it slid through her slick heat. Her breath hissed through her clenched teeth, her back arching as he found her sweet spot.

  “You taste of summer,” he murmured, chuckling as her moan echoed through the cramped room. His tongue dipped inside her heat, thrusting deeper and deeper. Kyi released more moans, her head twisting from side to side. “Bougainvillea.”

  “Locke.” Kyi reached down, her fingers tangling in his hair as a delicious pressure started to build. As anxious as she was to satisfy her aching desire, she wanted her arms wrapped tightly around her lover.

  Easily sensing her need, Locke straightened and stripped off his clothes with quick, efficient movements. Kyi watched in silent admiration. almost wishing he would slow down so she could thoroughly appreciate the unveiling of his magnificent form.

  Almost.

  Right now, she was as anxious as Locke to be rid of their clothes so she could feel those hard muscles pressed against her.

  As he approached the bed, she did have a few seconds to savor his perfection. The broad chest where her amulet glowed. Someday she would demand he return her property. Or maybe not, she silently conceded. She liked the thought that he carried a part of her with him wherever he went. Her attention moved to the tapered waist and the long solid length of his legs. His skin was a pure ivory that had more to do with his Nordic ancestry than the centuries as a vampire.

  He was every inch a conquering Viking.

  Then her gaze locked on the proud thrust of his erection and her mouth went dry.

  Yes. She needed him.

  Now.

  Reaching down, she grabbed the hem of her dress, but before she could pull it over her head, Locke was brushing away her hands.

  “My honor,” he insisted.

  Locke leaned forward, gently tugging the straps of her dress off her shoulders and down her arms. Then, careful not to rip the soft fabric, he shimmied it down her body, tossing the garment aside. His eyes widened at the sight of the knife that was nestled between her breasts, kept in place by a hidden leather strap. Slowly, he removed the weapon, then pulled off her slippers to gaze down at her with a strange expression.

  Kyi shivered. “Is something wrong?”

  “I thought Xuria bewitched me,” he murmured.

  Kyi frowned in confusion. “She did.”

  “No.” He shook his head as he placed one knee on the edge of the mattress. “She blinded me with magic. You…” He urged her to lay back on the mattress. “You bewitched me.”

  His husky words pierced her heart, shattering the barriers she built to protect herself. If she didn’t care about anyone, then she couldn’t be hurt or betrayed.

  Now she eagerly welcomed Locke as he at last settled on top of her. The cool press of his body was paradise. Kyi released a sigh of bliss, wrapping her arms around him. Still it wasn’t enough. Hooking her heels over the back of his legs, she allowed him to settle between her legs, positioning the hard length of his cock in the perfect position.