The furrow between her brows deepened.
“You think I don’t have help coming?” He winked at her. “I do. We aren’t the only ones on this island. Back-up will be here by dawn.” Since he’d already been unconscious a few hours, dawn wouldn’t be far away. “Then I’ll be free and you…you will be mine.”
She hurried toward the wall and her hand hovered over the button that would dispense that drugging gas once more.
He tensed.
“Tell me where the Eye is,” Mina ordered him, her voice shaking just a bit. “Or you will go down.”
He didn’t relish another face slam into the stone. “Another dosing will kill me.”
Her fingers trembled, a small, but telling movement. Interesting.
“Is that what you want?” Luke pushed her. “To kill me? If I’m dead, then I guess you can search my whole house for the Eye.” But you won’t find it.
“I don’t want to hurt you.” Her fingers hovered over the button. “I just need that Eye. Please, give it to me. Give it to me.”
The power was back in her voice and this time, he could feel the push against him. But…Sorry, sweetheart. I’m in control now. “That Eye is mine. I don’t give up what’s mine.” You’re mine, too. You just don’t realize it yet.
I do.
She stared at him and he could have sworn tears gleamed in her eyes. Odd, most of the Dark Ones didn’t cry, at least…not until after they’d suffered a whole lot of pain. “Who hurt you?” Luke asked and his own voice had gone cold and hard.
“They’ll keep hurting me,” she said, her voice soft now. “Unless I have the Eye. Give it to me. Please.”
He couldn’t. It was far more dangerous than she realized. And only he could control it. “Get me out of here. Now.” Because he didn’t like her tears.
She glanced at the button.
“Mina…” he growled.
Her hand jerked back. “It was my last hope. I-I was desperate.” Her hand raked through her hair. “I didn’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt anyone! That’s the problem—don’t you see?”
He saw that she was on the edge. “Open the cell.”
But Mina shook her head. “When you get free, I know you’ll want your pound of flesh, but I can’t give it to you.” She turned away from him. “Forget me.”
Impossible.
She was heading for the tunnel.
“Stop!” Luke roared and yes, that was fear inside of him. Unusual. Unwanted.
She looked back.
“You can’t escape the island. Marcos left with the boat right after we walked away from the dock. He’ll only come back when I call him.” And he wasn’t planning to make that call. “There’s nowhere for you to run. I’ll be out of here soon and you—”
“I’m one hell of a swimmer,” she told him, even giving him a weak smile. One that made his chest ache. “I’ll take my chances with the water.”
His body tensed. “Going for the deep blue sea instead of the devil, huh? Bad choice.” A choice that might just kill her.
She wasn’t looking at him any longer. She was heading through the tunnel.
“You won’t make it if you swim! The water’s too rough! It’s too far from shore!”
She wasn’t stopping.
“Mina!” Luke roared her name. “Mina!” But she didn’t look back. And soon, the sound of her footsteps had faded.
Fucking hell.
He grabbed the bars—bars that were made of silver so they’d burn werewolves, bars that had been reinforced so that even a vampire’s strength couldn’t break them. He grabbed those bars and he bellowed as he fought to pull them apart. Caught in my own trap. An inescapable hell.
Or at least…it should have been inescapable.
He pulled up more power and his roars echoed around him.
Chapter Four
Luke’s roars and bellows followed Mina as she ran through the tunnel. She ditched her shoes because those heels were just slowing her down. She needed to run and she needed to run fast.
He said there were guard dogs on the island. The last thing she wanted was for one of those beasts to tear into her. No, actually, the last thing she wanted was for Luke to get her. She didn’t even want to imagine what sort of punishment the Lord of the Dark would hand down to her. Probably the killing kind.
She staggered to a stop before the second metal door, the one that blocked her frantic exit from the tunnel. It was locked and the keypad blinked at her. It must have locked automatically when it had shut after her and Luke. Good thing she’d been paying attention to the code when he typed it in…
Her fingers flew over the keypad. A moment later, the lock disengaged and she was racing through the mansion. Her bare feet slipped on the marble floor, and she hurriedly steadied herself by grabbing for a big, nearby vase.