...She padded back to the bed, found the elastic band next to the pillow, fixed her hair in a ponytail, and slipped on her sandals. She wanted to be ready for Hal when he came to check on his prize.

She didn’t have long to wait. He must have been watching for her to wake up, because less than a minute later the door opened.

Hal stood on the threshold. Taller than she by two inches even though she towered over the average human female, he had the lean, muscular build of a man who jogged and worked out regularly. Running shorts and a T-shirt displayed those attributes to full advantage. His golden-brown hair, trimmed to just below his ears, looked damp from a recent shower, and his hazel eyes scanned her with wariness but no fear. The warm glow of his aura reinforced the impression of calm confidence. He held a pewter beer mug in one hand. The sharp tang of heated blood drifted to her nose.

She gritted her teeth, determined not to show how the aroma affected her. The whole point was to convince Hal she wasn’t what he thought. Unclenching her fists, she wrapped her arms around herself.

“Hal, what’s going on? Is this some kind of sick joke?” She pitched her voice higher than normal, with a quaver to hint at barely tamed fear.

“It’s not a joke.” He leaned on the doorjamb, his arms folded with the mug clutched in his right hand. “Don’t waste time pretending you don’t know what’s going on.”

“How could I?” She whimpered. “I’ll do anything you want. Just let me go. If you let me go now, I won’t tell anybody about this.” She infused the words with her hypnotic influence. As usual, he acted oblivious to it.

“Face it, Monique. You aren’t much of an actress. Never had to be, did you? With most people, your mind control works perfectly.”

“Mind control? I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.” The wide-eyed maiden in distress pose was turning out a dismal failure.

“Cut it out. I know you’re a vampire.”

Okay, change tactics. “Vampire? Have you lost your mind?” She stood and planted clenched fists on her hips. “If this is a joke, you better drop it this instant. If not, when I get out of here I’m going to sue you for every cent you’re worth. After you go to jail for assault, that is.”

He chuckled. “I like the righteous indignation act better than the other one, but this line won’t work, either. The quicker you admit the truth, the sooner we can get on with what I brought you here for.” He held out the mug. “You want this or not?”

All right, there was no use denying what he obviously knew. Better to find out what he wanted and possibly escape this snare. “Yes.” She glided toward him.

“To give it to you, I have to come within arm’s reach,” he said. “Of course, you’re stronger and faster than I am. You could take me down with no problem. But I hope you realize I’m not dumb enough to carry the key to that ankle cuff on me.”

She glared at him. “Of course I do.” At least, she’d realized that fact a fraction of a second after the impulse to tear out his throat had leaped into her mind. “I don’t have any desire to be stuck in this room alone for the indefinite future. And I also know you’re too smart to leave me in a situation where screaming for help would do me any good.”

He nodded. “Right, considering this house sits on a ten-acre, wooded lot.” He strode toward her and put the mug in her hand. “Drink up. We need to talk.”

To her annoyance, her hand shook as she grasped the cup. She hadn’t fed the previous night, since she’d planned to feast on Hal. She sat on the edge of the bed, forcing herself to sip slowly. Human, probably O-positive. A bit stale but drinkable, no worse than the backup supply in her own freezer at home. Although it lacked the psychic energy that spiced the real thing drawn from living veins, it was better than nothing. “How did you get this?”

“The same way your people do sometimes. I bribed a blood bank employee to sneak me a few bags from expired stock they were clearing out.” He took a seat at the other end of the bed and watched her like a tourist at feeding time in the zoo.

“Stealing blood?” She arched her eyebrows at him. “Doesn’t that sort of put you on a level with us?”

“What I took would have been useless to anybody else. I don’t consider that on a level with mind-wiping innocent victims and feeding off them.”