How to Seduce a Vampire (Love at Stake 15)

“The owl said the invader came from the north.” Nima looked at Neona. “You didn’t see him?”

Neona shook her head, then pretended to be entirely focused on stirring the pot of rice. What on earth was she doing? She’d never lied to her mother before. Or her friends. At first, she’d told herself she was simply avoiding unnecessary embarrassment. Who, among the female warriors, would want to admit that she’d captured a prisoner, tied him up, and then managed to lose him?

It was embarrassing, but now Neona ackowledged there was more to it than that. Meeting Zoltan had been special, and not simply because of his extraordinary strength and handsome appearance. She’d never seen an unarmed man survive one of her attacks before. He’d also proven a worthy opponent during their verbal sparring.

A challenge, that was what he was. A challenge physically, intellectually, and even emotionally. She’d lived long enough to know such an occurrence was extremely rare. Precious, even. So it was something she wanted to keep to herself, hoarding it like a treasure.

But at the same time, she felt some anger with him and herself. He’d agreed to mate with her, but then he’d run away. Why should she protect a man who couldn’t honor his agreement? How could he kiss her like that, then leave?

Just thinking about the kiss made her stomach flutter. Remember me, he’d whispered. As if she could forget a man like Zoltan. So strong and handsome. Fearless and noble . . .

She winced. How could she be so attracted to a man she hardly knew? Maybe it was a good thing that he’d run away. She couldn’t allow herself to develop feelings for him. The women of Beyul-La could not have relationships with men. It had happened a few times before, and the results were always bad. Disastrous, even.

“I wouldn’t worry about it, your majesty,” Lydia said as she prepared the dough for their flatbread. “It was probably a drunken villager who scurried back home once he realized he’d ventured into our territory.”

Nima sighed. “Probably so.” She dropped the fish into the hot skillet.

“If you like,” Tashi said, “the next time I’m in the village, I could remind them that invading our territory means death.”

Nima nodded. “Do that.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Tashi ducked her head and smiled.

Neona exchanged a look with Winifred. Freddie suspected that Tashi had taken a lover in the village, and that was why she volunteered to go there once a month to barter for rice, flour, and the occasional bolt of fabric.

For weeks, Neona had refused to believe that Tashi would bed a villager. The men there were farmers, not warriors. Their seed would not produce the exceptional daughters who were needed to protect this sacred valley. Besides, developing a relationship with a man was dangerous. They could never be trusted with the secrets of Beyul-La. That was why they were not allowed here. And it made no sense for the women of Beyul-La to leave the valley to live with a man. Neona had seen numerous villages in Tibet and Nepal, and in each place, the women lived poor, subservient lives. It was not a life a warrior woman could ever accept.

But something new had happened to make Neona reconsider her disbelief of Tashi’s alleged affair. Zoltan’s kiss. Even now, her lips tingled at the thought of his mouth on hers. If that was the sort of excitement Tashi was enjoying, then Neona could understand the desire to take a lover. She hadn’t wanted Zoltan to stop. The movements of his lips and hands had awakened a yearning deep inside her. She closed her eyes, remembering the touch of his hand on her breast.

“The bread is ready,” Lydia announced, jerking Neona back to reality. Lydia stacked hot loaves of flatbread into a basket and passed it around.

Neona spooned rice into six bowls, then passed them around till everyone had one. Another wave of grief swept over her. It was hard, at moments like this, not to recall that only two weeks ago, there had been eleven of them sitting around the fire. Now there was an empty space next to her where her sister, Minerva, had sat.

Minerva had been able to make delicious salads from the vegetables grown in the garden and from the many wild plants and berries that flourished in the valley. Neona hadn’t attempted to duplicate her sister’s recipe yet. Just the thought of it brought tears to her eyes.

“Here.” Nima chopped off the fish heads and scooped them into a wooden bowl. “Give this to your cat, Neona.”

“Thank you.” Neona took the bowl over to Zhan. Luckily, the queen had accepted her pet. The leopard had earned everyone’s respect by killing any mice that tried to get into their storeroom.

Neona placed the bowl in front of him and rubbed his ears to thank him for keeping her secret.

“The cat’s complaining again,” Lydia muttered as she took a portion of fish onto her plate.

Tashi nodded. “He says he’s tired of fish and wants rabbit instead.”

Neona gave her pet a pointed look. The rascal. Was he letting her know that his continued silence came at a price? “I’ll go hunting for rabbit tomorrow, okay?”

The leopard butted his head against her hand and purred.

Neona returned to her seat close to the fire and picked at her dinner. Maybe she should hunt tomorrow evening in the same area where she’d met Zoltan. Maybe she’d see him again.

Maybe she was losing her mind. She ripped her piece of bread in two. Relationships with men always ended the same way. With disaster. If she had any sense, she’d hope never to see him again. She would forget all about him. And his last words, which kept echoing through her head.

Remember me.

Having worked up an appetite from his unexpected adventure, Zoltan teleported straight to the kitchen in the basement of his castle. From the fridge, he selected a bottle of AB negative, since it reminded him of Neona, then he popped it into the microwave, noting the time on the clock. Almost midnight. He’d been gone three and a half hours.

When his cell phone started dinging over and over, he checked it. Over thirty missed calls and texts? He’d deal with it later. For now, he needed food, a shower, and a change of clothes.

He guzzled down half of the warmed-up bottle, then proceeded up the backstairs to the Great Hall. To his surprise, Elsa was pacing back and forth by the front door. Shouldn’t she be upstairs with her husband?

He took another sip of blood. “Is there something wrong?”

With a gasp, she spun to face him. “Zoltan! You’re all right!”

“Yes, of cour—”

“We were worried sick!” She strode toward him.

“He’s back?” Howard’s voice boomed from the stairway leading to the armory. No doubt his superior hearing had caught the sound of his wife’s shout. The were-bear burst from the stairwell into the Great Hall.

“Good evening.” Zoltan took another sip from his bottle. “Did you enjoy your—”

“Where the hell have you been?” Howard stalked toward him, scowling. “We came back from dinner, and you were gone! Milan was frantic because he couldn’t find you anywhere, and you were missing some important meetings in Budapest.”

“Oh, right.” Zoltan winced. He’d completely forgotten about the closing on his latest real estate venture. And then there was the other meeting with the Society for Architectural Preservation. “Not to worry. It can all be rescheduled.”

“That’s not the point!” Howard gritted his teeth. “This was my first night here as head of security, and I lost my client!”

“I wasn’t lost. I knew exactly where I was.”

“I didn’t know.” Howard gave him an exasperated look. “We tried calling you, but you didn’t answer the damned phone. Do you know how embarrassing it was to tell Angus you were missing?”

Zoltan groaned inwardly. “You called Angus?”

“Yes. He was in Tiger Town in China, so he was still awake. He came right away and brought Mikhail with him. Angus and I have been searching the castle and the grounds. Mikhail and Milan are in Budapest, searching for you there. Oh, I need to let them know you’re okay.” Howard whipped out his cell phone and started texting.

“Oh, my gosh!” Elsa eased closer to Zoltan. “Is that dried blood on your forehead?”

Howard glanced up. “You were attacked? I’ll need a full report.” He sent his texts and pocketed his cell phone.