Page 31 of His Eternal Temptation

Rowan couldn’t seem to hide a flicker of pleasant surprise. “Thank you. You’re a good person.”

Lane’s insides felt like they’d been left behind as they ran. Why did a simple compliment have him in a chokehold?

Maybe he was getting through to Rowan more than he realized.

A scream cut through the air as they reached the ground floor. Rowan banged out the front doors and ran across the street, heading for a small café. Lane kept at his heel, magic at the ready.

The door was open. Inside, tables and chairs were scattered, and smashed cups and spilled drinks littered the floor. Most people seemed to have run.

Behind the counter, a man in an apron struggled against a headlock. He was clearly no match for his captor’s strength despite being larger. The little guy clutching him snarled, his eyes glowing white and fangs bared.

Lane stopped short. Rowan’s hand shot out to halt him unnecessarily. Felix and Cecile—who Lane hadn’t seen in ten years but would never forget—stood frozen beside them.

There was no blood. Not even on the vampire’s mouth.

“Help me,” the trapped man pleaded.

Rowan held out his hands. “We will, I promise. Stay calm. You’re doing a great job.”

The feral vampire screeched, yanking his captive toward the back of the café. The man whimpered. It was hard to tell through the white glow obscuring his eyes, but the vampire seemed as terrified as his captive, not like the mindless beasts Lane imagined ferals to be.

“Rowan,” the vampire rasped, clutching his hostage tighter. “Rowan sired me.”

“Yes, I’m here. I’m Rowan.” He inched steadily forward. “It’s me you want, not that human.”

The vampire’s grip on his captive slackened. He blinked, his glowing eyes confused, and the human almost broke free.

In a whirl of blurred movement too fast for Lane to follow, Rowan and Felix rushed forward. Snarls and shouts filled the café, then everything went still. Rowan now held the terrified human, and Felix had the feral vampire in an iron grip. Next to the giant enforcer, he looked about as threatening as a puppy.

Well, maybe more like a wolf pup. He screamed and thrashed, the white light in his eyes pulsing. His sharp fangs sank into Felix’s arm, tearing flesh and spilling blood. Felix didn’t even flinch. He clutched the vampire tighter and tangled a hand in his hair to pull him off. The feral yelped as his mouth was torn from Felix’s arm, sending blood splattering across the floor.

Rowan shoved the human to the side, staggering forward and stumbling to one knee, his fists clenched.

What the hell? Lane glanced at Cecile. Alarm lined her face for a split second before the frantic human commanded her attention.

Lane took a step forward. “Rowan?”

He turned, fangs extended and mouth open in a silent snarl. The hair on the back of Lane’s neck stood on end.

“Snap out of it, Rowan,” Felix said, stern but level, his grip on the struggling vampire unrelenting.

Was Rowan reacting to Felix’s blood? Shit. Lane was sure that wasn’t normal, especially the way the other vampires reacted to Rowan’s sudden shift.

He rushed forward and clasped Rowan’s shoulder. “It’s all right. Tell me what you need.”

Rowan didn’t move for long seconds, his twisted features fixed on Lane. Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath. Even the snarling vampire faltered.

Rowan shook Lane off and stood. “Apologies.” His fangs retracted, and his features smoothed out.

The feral vampire growled with renewed vengeance, teeth snapping at Felix like a crocodile. The human whimpered.

“Would you mind taking care of him?” Rowan asked Cecile, gesturing to the terrified man as if he hadn’t fallen to his knees in some sort of weird vampire meltdown.

She gave him a searching look, but nodded and walked the human outside. Lane watched through the window as she spoke to the man, her eyes glowing orange, likely indicating her use of hypnosis.

Rowan might not use the power lightly, but this wasn’t a light situation. Lane couldn’t see any way around erasing this horrible disaster from the human’s mind without making him aware of the magic world in the most traumatizing way.

A whimpering snarl dragged Lane’s attention to the feral vampire. He whined like a hurt dog, and Felix’s features twisted in pain, a flash of deep emotion, there and gone.