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  Leaving early from work so we can talk. Have you eaten?

  Her breath caught in her throat. He was inquiring about her eating? Did that mean he wanted to make sure she had eaten so he could eat? Or was he simply curious about her eating habits? Or did he want to take her out to eat in one of those ridiculous outfits?

  She remembered the second message and returned to the screen to open the second.

  Where are you? I’m home. I’ve tried to reach you. I told you to have your phone on you at all times. Call me immediately upon receipt of this message.

  “What’s wrong?” Brian asked. “You’re white as a ghost.”

  “I…I should have been back already. He needs me to leave.”

  “You can’t stay for a little longer?”

  “No,” she said flatly.

  Brian pursed his lips. “I don’t like this, Reyna.”

  “Well, we all have to make sacrifices.” She bit her lip and then stared down at her phone forlornly. “I have to call him back.”

  “You look terrified, Rey,” Drew said softly.

  She locked eyes with him. “I am.”

  Then she entered the bedroom for a semblance of privacy.

  She had planned her entire day around getting back to Beckham in time. And she couldn’t even manage that. She knew he had a temper…that he was volatile and erratic. She could see that in the short interactions she had already had with him. The last thing she wanted to do was upset him.

  Gulping dramatically, she pressed the number to call him back and held the phone awkwardly to her face. It rang only once before his deep voice cut through the line.

  “Reyna,” he growled.

  “Hey,” she said awkwardly. “Sorry. I guess I didn’t hear my phone.”

  “Where the hell are you?”

  “I…I went out,” she said defiantly. “I texted you.”

  “That was hours ago and you didn’t even say where you were going.”

  “I didn’t know I had to.”

  He grumbled under his breath. She knew that she was irritating him with her comebacks, but she hadn’t actually broken any rules except that she hadn’t answered her phone right away.

  “Well, where the hell are you, then?”

  “I’m…visiting some friends. You said I could leave,” she reminded him again.

  “I bloody well know what I said, Reyna. Stop avoiding my question. Where? Where are you? And why the hell are you not in my penthouse?”

  Reyna closed her eyes and cleared her throat. Here goes nothing. “The Warehouse District.”

  Beckham cursed under his breath. “That’s an hour away!”

  “I know,” she whispered.

  “This is unacceptable. I said you could have anything within reason. Within reason does not mean driving an hour out of the city and spending the day in the slums!”

  “You didn’t specify!” she cried.

  “Well, now I am. Get back here now, and we’ll discuss exactly what within reason means to me.”

  The line went dead in her hand.

  Her lower lip wobbled as she fought to hold the tears in. She wouldn’t cry. Not over Beckham. This was her first job and already she feared she was going to be fired. This Permanent position wouldn’t be that permanent if he got this angry with her on day one.

  She waited a few minutes to compose herself. Another message came in from Beckham.

  I’ve sent a cab to retrieve you. Respond with your address immediately.

  She typed out the address to her brothers’ home. She hated that he would now have access to it. Though it was probably in her file if he wanted to retrieve it himself. She almost apologized through the message, but stopped herself at the last moment.

  “What happened?” Drew asked when she walked back into the living room.

  “I have to leave. He’s sending a car to pick me up.”

  “Rey,” Brian said, his voice strained. “Are you sure about this?”

  “There’s no other choice, Brian.”

  “We can’t protect you out there. How do you know that he’s not going to just kill you on a whim? He’s a monster after all.”

  “I guess…I don’t. But he’s paying a lot of money just to kill me. I suppose…I need to trust that things will work out.”

  The words were difficult to get out. She didn’t trust that things would work out. She trusted that Beckham was going to fire her for insubordination and find some way to fine her for the exorbitant cab ride she had taken. But she had to put on a brave face for her brothers. They needed the reassurance more than she did.

  Fifteen minutes later, a large black SUV parked outside of their apartment. It couldn’t have looked more out of place.

  “Here,” she said, handing them a piece of paper. “I know you don’t have a phone, but if there’s ever an emergency, you can get ahold of me at that number.”

  “How will you reach us?”

  She sniffled and looked away. “I don’t know.”

  “When will we see you again?” Drew asked.

  She shook her head. She didn’t know that either.

  “I’ll miss you,” she whispered. Then she pulled them both into a fierce hug and quickly disappeared into the tinted car. She had wanted to prolong her goodbye as long as she could, but it hurt too much. It hurt leaving them behind.

  As they drove away from the Warehouse District, Reyna twisted in her seat and watched her brothers’ bodies slowly fade into the distance. When she could no longer see them, she turned back to the front of the car and tried not to cry. She needed to put on a good face for Beckham. She had almost an hour to practice.

  * * *

  —

  It took less time to get back than it had to get to the Warehouses. She figured Beckham had put the fear of God into the driver.

  If he even believed in God.

  If God even believed in him.

  Her one friendly face wasn’t working valet, and she walked briskly across the entrance to the elevators. She knew that she didn’t look presentable. All the people who had stared at her so enviously just this morning now looked on with disdain. She didn’t even want to see what she looked like.

  She slipped her black card into the slot in the elevator, and it rose up effortlessly. It dinged open to Beckham’s spotless penthouse. She took a deep breath and then walked uneasily on her wedge heels.

  Beckham wasn’t in the living room or the kitchen when she arrived. She glanced over at the door that always remained closed. She wondered if it was to his bedroom or if it was another corridor. Either way, she wasn’t planning to find out when he was already pissed off at her.

  She tiptoed toward her room, hoping to change into something more presentable before she had to face him down.

  “Reyna.”

  Her feet stilled on the carpeted floor. Her eyes closed for a moment as she tried to rein in her fear. She couldn’t face him like a scared puppy. She would get through this.

  She slowly turned to face him. “Hi.”

  “How was your trip?” Beckham’s voice was like ice.

  “Fine.” She swallowed and held her hands at her sides. “How was work?”

  “Fine.” He moved toward her with such ease and grace that he was almost floating. She tried not to shudder at his approach. She would not fear him openly, but she was sure that he could practically smell it.

  “Reyna,” he said, stopping directly in front of her. “You are the most insubordinate employee I have ever had, and you’ve only been working for me for twenty-four hours.”

  “You must have a very predictable work environment.”

  She couldn’t believe she had just said that. Provoking him was at the bottom of her list of things she wanted to do.

  “I like my work that way. I
like my life that way. You, however, are not fitting into my life.”

  “You haven’t given me much time. I had to leave. It was really important.”

  “I shouldn’t have to give you time,” he growled. “Tell me why you went down to the Warehouses.”

  She swallowed hard. She didn’t want to talk about her brothers. The more he knew about her the more he could use against her. This was a professional relationship, and she didn’t have to share anything about her life with him.

  “Well…?”

  “Look, if you’re going to fire me, just get on with it.”

  Beckham tilted his head. She stared up into the depths of his eyes, which appeared almost as black as onyx. When he looked at her like that, she would give almost anything to know what was running through his mind.

  “Fire you? Is that what you think?”

  “What am I supposed to think?” she asked helplessly.

  “I just want answers. You work for me. You missed an important meeting. I deserve to know where you were.”

  Reyna looked away for the first time. She couldn’t stand there and lie to him, but she couldn’t say anything about her brothers either. She didn’t think he was going to let her off the hook. She couldn’t believe he hadn’t immediately fired her. So, things were already looking up.

  “I…went to visit my brothers. I didn’t tell them I was going to Visage, and so they didn’t know where I was once I got the position with you.”

  Beckham visibly relaxed at the news. “Your brothers.”

  She sagged. “Yes. I just needed to tell them where I was. I didn’t want them to worry.”

  “And that’s all you did? You look like you’ve been rolling around in the dirt.”

  “I…well—“She cringed. “—I did run into my ex.”

  All the tension returned to his shoulders. “You look like you literally ran into him.”

  “It was nothing. He just…” Reyna shook her head. She couldn’t even bear to say it. How could she explain to a vampire that she was getting judged for living with him? Simply for doing what was right for her family.

  “He just what?” Beckham spoke in such a forceful command.

  “Nothing. People don’t always have high opinions of women who work for Visage.”

  “Was he rude to you?”

  Reyna actually laughed. Rude. “Now that I think about it, he’s always been rude to me. Or more like he’s never been rude, he’s always been a jackass.”

  “And yet you went to see him?” Beckham asked.

  What was with the third degree? And why was she answering his questions anyway? He just looked so interested…enthralled. In fact, it was kind of hard to tear herself away from his eyes. They were so captivating. She should have been shaking in her heels while talking to him about this, but he seemed tense not enraged. It gave her the courage to continue.

  “No, I didn’t. He works at the warehouse. I ran into him when I went there looking for my brothers,” she explained.

  “And what is his name?” Beckham demanded.

  “What? Why?” she asked, snapping out of her trance.

  “I won’t have anyone threatening you. You are very valuable.”

  Valuable. Like a diamond or a piece of art. An object. Not a human at all.

  She turned away from him, the words stinging. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Don’t turn away from me.”

  Her body stiffened at the command. She swallowed hard, worried that the fierce predator would return and he’d start looking at her as if he was going to break her in half.

  “We’re not finished here,” he told her, forcing her to look back up at him. “We have to lay some more ground rules. I can’t let you leave the building unless you are with my driver at all times. Additionally, I want to be informed of where you are going, not just that you are leaving.”

  “I don’t need a minder.”

  “You’ve proven that to be false.”

  Reyna sighed. Though she wanted to be angry that she had these additional restrictions placed on her, she couldn’t manage it. He had seemed so concerned, in his own way, with her safety. She almost felt a little guilty for scaring him. She could have laughed at the absurdity of it all.

  She had scared a vampire.

  “I’m sorry,” she finally whispered.

  She hadn’t been before. She had been angry. Now she felt bad about her actions. She had needed to see her brothers, but she hadn’t thought it was possible to upset Beckham. Not that he looked upset exactly. It was just a feeling she got from him.

  “I accept your apology. That’s all.”

  He strode back toward the hall as if that was the end of everything for the evening.

  “Excuse me,” she whispered. “Didn’t you want to speak with me about something? Or was that all?”

  He stopped walking, but didn’t turn toward her. “Actually, yes. We have plans tomorrow morning. Be ready to go by eight.”

  “Plans?” She lifted an eyebrow in question.

  “There have been some developments.”

  He finally looked at her across the distance, and she tried not to get lost all over again. How were his eyes so hypnotic? Was that some kind of vampire sense? He still made her nervous, yet she couldn’t look away.

  “You’ll be informed in the morning now that I know that you’re safe,” Beckham said.

  She opened her mouth to ask another question, but then quickly snapped it shut. Some other time.

  “Was there something else?” he asked.

  The few feet of distance between them felt like an eternity. He was so close and yet so far, and she felt reluctant to ask the one question she had regarding their situation. The one question she dreaded.

  “I read through your schedule and didn’t see anything on there about eating,” she whispered. “I didn’t know if it was a mistake or when…” Her voice trailed off as she watched the hungry glint in his eye reappear. Why the hell had she brought this up again?

  “Why?” he asked, taking unhurried steps toward her. “Are you so ready to give your blood to me, Little One?”

  Reyna stood stark still, uncertain how to respond. She wasn’t eager. She just wanted to be prepared. But the way he was looking at her set her blood to boil. She had never been looked at like that before.

  “Well?”

  He was directly in front of her now, and she couldn’t hide her racing heartbeat. She had unlocked Pandora’s box. Any minute now she would feel what it was like to have a vampire take from her. She felt shaky and afraid and like she couldn’t breathe, all at once.

  Beckham raised his hand and slid it through her hair. Her eyes automatically closed at the feel of his large hands taking control of her. She realized it was the first time he had actually touched her, and it made her so very aware of how powerful he truly was. This was what she always saw brimming under the surface. With the weight of it directed at her, she felt as weak as a lamb beneath his fingertips.

  Slowly he ran his hand down the curve of her neck to the vein beating fiercely against her skin. She opened her eyes and was certain fear reflected back into them. Here were her fears magnified tenfold.

  His head dipped down to the soft skin. She inhaled deeply as his lips caressed the tender skin. Her eyes fluttered closed again, and all thoughts seemed to flee her mind.

  This wasn’t what she had expected. Terror, stark terror. That was all she had anticipated. Not this. Whatever this was fluttering around in her stomach and heating her lower body at his nearness. Some part of her mind told her to pull away; that this was the last thing she wanted…she would give her blood out of necessity. She wouldn’t like it. But it was quickly silenced by the soft kisses trailing up her neck.

  Then she felt it…a sharp prick against her neck. Her entire body shivered in
anticipation of what was to come.

  And then she was roughly shoved away from Beckham.

  Her body collided with the wall five feet from where she had been standing. Her head cracked back against it. It wasn’t all that hard, but she could already feel a headache blossoming, and her vision went blurry for a second. Her hand went to her neck where there was the faintest trace of blood.

  “What? What happened?” she asked. Fear crept back in, obliterating everything else that had just shot through her.

  He was breathing heavy and refused to look at her.

  “Beckham?” she whispered, using his name for the first time.

  His eyes snapped to hers. “Nothing. Nothing happened,” he growled, and then stormed from the room without another word.

  She was so terribly confused.

  Why hadn’t he followed through? Why did she wish he had?

  Chapter 9

  Reyna wasn’t used to the new clothes.

  She wondered if she would ever get used to the new clothes.

  There was nothing in her closet that was less extravagant than her ensemble from yesterday, and her wedges had disappeared. Beckham had probably had someone trash them since they had set foot on warehouse soil.

  She almost wanted to wear something over the top, but she still didn’t know where she was going. And fear of what had happened last night and Beckham’s uncontrolled anger kept her from acting out. She slipped into a plain black dress that was surprisingly comfortable. The material felt light as air. She wished for her Converse in that moment, but ended up in a pair of four-inch black heels. They squished her toes a little bit, but otherwise had a good bit of cushion in them.

  She teetered over to the mirror to take a look. Though she felt ridiculous, she had to admit that she looked…good. Not great. But passable.

  Beckham was waiting for her when she exited her room. He looked dangerously good-looking in a stark black suit with a black shirt and tie. The way he seemed to drink her in was enough to say that she had done well. He stared at her a full ten seconds longer than normal before staring back down at his phone.