Dropping the lid down over the toilet, she sat and contemplated, racking her brain trying to remember everything she could from the brief glimpse she’d been given into the building she now occupied. The bathroom was across the hall from two huge double doors that led to…where? If she could slip out of here and make a mad dash for the door, maybe she could get lost and make her escape.

  The element of surprise always worked in the movies and had been a critical part of her training. She’d wager they wouldn’t expect her to run. Her best advantage right now was hoping they had underestimated her diminutive size, because she was a long-distance runner and could outpace just about anyone once she got going. If only she had clothes and shoes. Running barefoot and naked with only a blanket for clothing hindered her more than she cared to admit. But hell, she’d run into the nearest convenience store or pound on the nearest residence buck naked if it brought the police.

  Ear pressed against the door, she listened for sounds of movements outside. Nothing. Squinting, she carefully turned the knob and pulled the door open an inch, quickly scanning the hall. No one stood between her and the front door. This was her chance. She tucked the blanket edges between her breasts, lifted it off the floor and tiptoed onto the tile, sucking in a deep breath.

  She’d reached the handle and began to turn it when strong fingers clamped down around her wrist. Her gaze shot up to a pair of deep brown eyes as a man with salt-and-pepper hair shook his head.

  “I don’t think so,” he said in slow, clipped tones, jerking her hand away from the handle and pulling her against his chest.

  Goddamit! Her one and only chance to escape and she’d missed it. She blinked away the tears threatening to fall, refusing to show these people any weakness they could use against her.

  They entered a room on the other side of the hall. Another man was in there. Broad, with brown hair and intense turquoise eyes that caught and held her gaze.

  The one holding her nudged her toward the center of the room. She stumbled against the tail of the blanket but quickly caught her balance.

  Okay, time to start figuring out how she’d get out of here. Deciding to encourage them to let down their guard, she moved to the fireplace and tried to calm the tension in her body enough that she wouldn’t look like she was poised for flight. Let them think she was resigned to her predicament. As soon as they relaxed a bit, she’d get the hell out of here.

  Wherever “here” was.

  “What is this place?”

  “You’re at the Dark Moon headquarters.”

  “And what’s that?” She’d never heard of it.

  “It’s the joint venture for the integration of vampire and werewolf nations.”

  Holy shit! Smack dab in the middle of enemy territory! And why the hell were they revealing their corporation name to her? Or their faces? Didn’t they know who she worked for? Confusion made her frown. Why tell her this, unless they planned to kill her now?

  “Okay, none of this makes any sense. You wake me up, blindfold me, kidnap me then bring me here and tell me where I am? You’re either the worst kidnappers in the world or you’re going to kill me. And if you’re going to kill me, why the hell didn’t you do it at my house?”

  “We’re not going to kill you,” the lean one said, looking at her as if she were an idiot. “And we blindfolded you to disorient you, to make it easier to subdue you.”

  “Not that you made it easy. And that’s all you get to know right now,” the other one said.

  Some of that actually made sense. Not all of it, but some of it.

  Harlee surveyed the area she could see, still confused but rather excited to be given an inside view of the vampire/lycan headquarters. The government had been after the whereabouts of these creatures for as long as she’d been working for them. The vampires and lycans were still a mystery to humans. A very dangerous mystery that her government intended to uncover, then eliminate. The stories she’d heard of the atrocities committed by these creatures made the hair on the nape of her neck prickle. Did she have anything to fear from them? Would they do to her what she’d heard they did to their captives?

  Casting a wary eye around her, she became more determined than ever to find a way of escape. Though the man indicated they were in an office environment, this place looked like a home. The foyer was huge, the walls decorated with dark paneling, reflecting lights that were only marginally lit throughout the room. Expensive marble flooring decorated the foyer, leading her to believe that whoever lived in this house of horrors had some serious money. The whole place was huge if this library-sized room was any indication.

  Heavy double doors led outside, but they were now guarded by two men who hadn’t been present earlier. And if she thought the two in the room with her were imposing, they had nothing on the gargoyles dressed in dark camouflage guarding the doorway to her freedom.

  “Who are you and why am I here?” she asked. Answers might help just a little.

  “I’m Duncan,” the broad one with the dark hair and blue eyes said, then added, inclining his head toward the older one, “He is Adrian.”

  “And?”

  “And that’s all we can tell you until Robert gets here,” Adrian said.

  Eyes narrowed, his expression hard and unyielding, Adrian obviously wasn’t at all happy to be her babysitter right now.

  She couldn’t care less what he thought. “Let me go.”

  Adrian snorted. Duncan’s lips curled into a half smile and they both crossed their arms over their chests, a silent “no fucking way” in response to her request.

  Any other time she’d notice how tall they both were, how big, how…damned sexy and fucking hot they were. Okay, so she did notice it. She supposed even kidnappers could be good looking.

  But were these two vampires? Or lycans? She’d met others. It was her job to psychoanalyze them, to use the government drugs on them in an effort to learn the whereabouts of their headquarters. But human drugs didn’t work on lycans or vampires. Though she had medicated enough of them to get some really interesting insights into their physiology.

  The main thing she’d learned over the past years about vampires and lycans was their inherent sensuality, their love of all things related to sex. Ruled by passion and desire, they fed on it, used it as part of their survival. They saw beauty and sensuality in everything, from art to literature to people. Things that the average human ignored, vampires and lycans found mesmerizing. Their senses were keen while the humans around them tuned out sights, sounds and scents.

  Maybe that’s why she’d always been fascinated by them, why she’d dreamed of them since her childhood, before she ever knew they existed.

  The woman in her couldn’t help but acknowledge that they were two of the most gorgeous men she’d ever laid eyes on. Testosterone filled the room, making it seem suddenly smaller and warmer. The really tall one had very broad shoulders and large…everything. Big hands, tree trunk legs and shaggy brown hair. His blue eyes appeared kind, though obviously they didn’t fit his personality since he’d just abducted her.

  Then she turned her attention on the other one. A couple inches shorter than the first, though still more than half a foot taller than her, he was leaner and definitely more mature. The silver intertwined with the black in his hair made him look wild and sexy and…what? Experienced, she supposed was the appropriate word. His dark brown eyes studied her like she was some unusual zoo exhibit.

  “Sit down and relax,” Adrian said, inclining his head toward the sofa.

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t remember a fucking invitation to tea,” she sneered, her fists clenching in the blanket wrapped around her. “I need to get out of here.”

  They approached her slowly, cautiously, their bodies tense and expectant. She resisted the urge to back away. The last thing she’d show them was the fear threatening to turn her legs to jelly.

  They both dressed in black. Leather. God, under normal circumstances a vision like that would make her mouth water. She forced a measure of strength to her voice. “Answers would be really nice as a start.”

  “How about a drink?” Duncan stepped to a bar across the room and poured a glass of water from a pitcher, handing it to her. She cupped the glass and drank greedily, trying to wash away the cotton in her mouth. Once she’d drained the glass, she cupped it tight in her hand, realizing that it could be used as a weapon if needed.

  “Why am I here?”

  “Everything will be explained to you once Robert gets here,” Adrian answered in a cool tone.

  His voice made her shiver, and not just from fear. Maybe it was the combination of pure sexuality dripping from his voice along with his penetrating eyes. She felt the husky tones vibrating in her pussy. It annoyed her that she could have such a physical reaction to a kidnapper who was either a vampire or lycan. She shook off the mesmerizing quality of his gaze and pulled the blanket tighter around herself. “Whatever it is you think you’ll get from me, you’re wrong. You might as well let me go.”

  “Not possible, lass,” Duncan said.

  There it was again. That hint of Scottish brogue she’d heard when he’d spoken in her bedroom.

  “You’re not safe there anymore.”

  Safe? What the hell was he talking about? “I was doing just fine until the two of you kidnapped me.”

  “We had our reasons,” Adrian said.

  Right. Like they could come up with any reasonable explanation for jerking her from her bed in the middle of the night, scaring her out of at least ten years of her life. She still couldn’t fathom them knowing who she was. Deciding to play dumb, she said, “Then I’d sure as hell like to know what those reasons are. I’m nobody. I’m not important or a public figure. I have no money. I’m a psychiatrist and have nothing of value to offer. Why would you kidnap me?”

  “More like a rescue, actually,” Duncan said with a hint of a smile. Adrian followed up with a slight smirk.

  Rescue? Now that made no sense at all. Her jaw clenched in anger. “I’m glad you both find this so amusing, but I don’t know who you are, I don’t understand why I’m here and I have absolutely no interest in hanging around to meet this Robert person.”

  The sound of pounding footsteps caused her to flinch, the awareness that the sound couldn’t be caused by one person sending her heart racing. The more people who surrounded her, the less chance she’d have of escaping. She backed against the couch, bracing herself to bolt, gripping the glass tighter even though she knew it was useless as protection.

  A half dozen men dressed in the same black combat gear as the goons at the door appeared at the foyer entrance, flanking either side of the wide doorway. Their dark eyes locked on her, suspicious gazes filling her with dread as she stared back in shock. Moving between them, a very tall, thin male entered the room. Long red hair flowed around the stark, savage features of his face as the floor-length black silk and brocade robe covered his body. He swept into the room with an air of authority and ownership, his gaze riveted on hers.

  Adrian and Duncan bowed their heads and he nodded at them briefly before turning his attention back to her. His eyes widened for a second before his lips quirked in an amused smile. He turned to the men who’d come in before them and said, “Wait outside.”

  Tension filled the air before they turned and left, retreating like ghosts in the night to no doubt fill the nooks and crannies of this haunted castle with their scary blackened faces and battle gear.

  He sat down on the sofa next to her. This was her chance. Gripping the glass tighter, she reared back, intending to crash it over his head. But he caught her wrist in a vise-like grip that belied his frail appearance. She winced at the pain shooting through her arm, but the pain was forgotten when he smiled at her and said, “Now you wouldn’t want to hurt your uncle, would you, Harlee?”

  The fight in her dissipated at his words and he released her wrist, prying the glass from her tension-filled fingers. She rubbed the spot where he’d gripped her. “What did you just say?”

  “You look exactly like your mother.”

  She’d never seen him before in her life. Surely if her parents had known this man, she would have met him at some point. And she would have remembered him. “You know my mother?”

  He nodded. “Not the mother you know. Not the woman who raised you. That woman was not your real mother.”

  Confusion was now a normal state of being it seemed. She shook her head and swallowed past the tight lump in her throat. “What do you mean?

  “Your mother was not Louise Parker.”

  Okay, this wasn’t funny. “Yes, she was.”

  “No. Your mother was my sister Amelia. And you look exactly like her.”

  Who was this guy? And why was he lying to her? “I don’t think so.”

  He watched her with cool detachment then reached for her hand. She jerked it away, deciding this man was some kind of crazy lunatic with an agenda she couldn’t begin to fathom. Which only made the need to escape even stronger.

  “Who the hell are you?”

  “I am Robert, leader of the vampire clan. My sister Amelia fell in love with Stefan, leader of the lycans.”

  As a psychiatrist she understood the concept of brainwashing. If these people were in fact vampires and lycans, they were clearly trying to gain her cooperation by filling her mind with bullshit.

  She was human. Her background and genetics had nothing to do with either the vampires or the lycans. She studied their species but only in order to find a way to break their silence, to help the government determine their whereabouts.

  “You’re lying. And that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. My parents were Louise and Carl Parker and they were both human.”

  His smile was kind, but something cold lurked behind his icy gray eyes. “Yes, they were your adoptive parents. They were human. You are not. You are a unique race of half vampire, half lycan, and as far as we know, the only one of your kind. You are my niece and Stefan’s daughter and within the last twenty-four hours you became the heir to the lycan throne.”

  TWO

  Harlee stared, open mouthed, at this man who claimed he was the head of the vampire clan and her uncle.

  A cold chill crept up her spine and she shivered, pulling the blanket tighter around her. It wasn’t true. She had to remind herself that in war, captors would do anything to convince their prisoners to cooperate. “You can’t really expect me to buy this. Surely I’d have realized by now if I wasn’t human.” The government had conducted an extensive background check on her prior to granting her high security clearance. No mention had ever been made of her being adopted.

  Then again, court records were typically sealed. No! The whole idea was ridiculous and she felt stupid even pondering it. She wasn’t adopted, that’s why nothing was ever uncovered. If there had been anything, anything at all about her, the government would have uncovered it when they investigated her background.

  Robert shrugged and examined one long fingernail. “Not necessarily. If you are not brought up knowing the species you were born into, there’s no way you would have known. You would not exhibit any of the characteristics of either species, unless you were taught or forced to change. You have to be trained to use force of will to enact the change or an act of passion might trigger it.”

  “Act of passion?”

  “Sex,” Adrian interjected.

  Her gaze shot toward the two men who’d taken her. Both of them stared back at her, their lips quirked in half smiles.

  “Sex?” she repeated.

  “Yes. Sex,” Robert said. “Sex with a lycan or vampire. Since the government doesn’t even acknowledge our existence, that would have been difficult. Although if you had murderous intentions, that could also bring about the changes within you. But we really don’t know how any of this affects a hybrid such as yourself. It’s never been done before, but we are fairly certain that tandem sex with one member of both species will bring about the changes.”

  She ignored his comment about sex with two men, the visual too uncomfortably familiar. Instead, she focused on the other words he’d used. Hybrid. Different. Like her other dreams, the ones she’d had since she was a child. She’d always thought she had a vivid imagination that had manifested itself in her strange dreams. She’d often dreamed of vampires and werewolves when she was little. Their world was so real to her it seemed as if she had grown up a part of it, which had seemed so strange to her since she’d never even known they existed until she went to work for the government. She’d always chalked it up to wanting to be unique, to wishing she had those special abilities that the mythical vampires and werewolves had. Their power, their sexuality, their ability to manipulate their environment in many different ways. As an adult, her childhood dreams of living with them had changed, becoming more erotic, kinkier than anything she’d ever done in real life.

  Just like the one she’d been having tonight when they’d broken in and kidnapped her. Two men fucking her, licking her, biting her. She studied both of them now. They were so much like the men in her dream, though she hadn’t been able to see their faces. But body size, hand size, they were pretty damned…

  No! It wasn’t them! She hadn’t been dreaming of them, it had been two nameless, faceless humans. And a normal fantasy for a woman who hadn’t had sex in too long to remember.

  Living among vampires and lycans had been nothing more than childhood fantasy. She wasn’t different and she sure as hell wasn’t some hybrid. They had her confused with someone else. This was a mistake. Vampires and lycans weren’t magical, sexual creatures. They were murderers and cannibals, preying upon humans and using them for their own twisted experiments. And now that she’d been led right to their headquarters, it was her duty to find a way to bring them down. “I don’t believe any of this.”