“Dante.” I greeted him and then nodded toward the officer. “You’re controlling him, aren’t you?”
“I don’t have the power to turn or even bite anyone here.” His mouth turned into a small pout of disappointment. “This prison is warded against turning others, as well as certain compulsions—releasing me or anything violent. However, harmless little favors”—he motioned around him—“for an experienced vampire who has mastered the song are within my ability to compel.” He waved a dismissive hand at the officer.
I took a step back, the sickly feeling in my gut growing. The song was something only very seasoned vampires could do. It compelled a human or even fae without a vampire needing to bite them. I had yet to master the song. If Dante could do it, and I had heard his melody, then he possessed the ability to compel me.
In fact, he must have used it to convince the authorities to let him stay here. If they could have decided for themselves, they wouldn’t have allowed him to remain in such a low-security prison. At least that worked out for me today, because it granted me easy access to my sire. But it also made me vulnerable. I thought of leaving but clenched my hands into fists. He could stop me before I got to the door, even with my speed. All it would take was one word from him, and he looked ready, like he expected me to try.
It was too late.
“Leave us,” Dante snapped at the corrections officer. The officer bowed and left the room. Dante turned his full attention to me. “It was clever what you did, working with that fae princess to bring me down and get me locked away. I couldn’t control you anymore.” He cast me a low glare.
Alarm shot through me. Was that how he saw it? As me plotting against him? I wished I had been that smart, but the moment I found out that my sire was involved, I did everything in my power to get Georgiana to stop investigating the case. But she’d uncovered the truth anyway with the assistance of the plants with whom she could communicate.
“That’s not how it was,” I blurted. In fact, putting others in danger had forced me to remember that horrifying moment when my sire turned me. After seeing how easily I put Georgiana at risk, I broke things off with her and sworn never to get serious with anyone again.
Until my fae-witch fought her way into my heart.
“Oh well, either way it’s foolish of you to come here and place yourself at my mercy,” Dante replied.
I swallowed. It was, but I hadn’t realized he’d mastered the song. “You can’t compel me to do something violent.”
He sighed with disappointment. “Alas,” he said as he picked up a dart and threw it. At the center of the bullseye was apicture of a rose plant. The paper hung torn and shredded, almost unidentifiable. “To what do I owe this surprise?”
“I’m here to make reconciliation. What do I need to do to get you to leave us alone?”
He arched an eyebrow at me. “Us?”
My eyes narrowed. He had to know about Lydia. “Someone left a dead fae man on my doorstep, drained of blood. I figured you aimed to send a message.”
He tossed another dart without looking, and it struck the rose plant picture. Part of the image ripped off and fluttered to the ground where I noticed the remains of other shredded plant images. “What message might I want to send?” He picked up yet another dart and rolled it between his fingers. “Sounds as if someone is trying to set you up, dear Wickham. But I’m slightly disappointed to inform you it wasn’t on my orders.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“You think I’d ruin everything I have here simply to exact retribution on you? If they suspected that someone was setting you up, who’d be the first person they’d look at? Even if you were accused, who’d believe that you’d be so stupid as to leave a body on your own doorstep? It’s a tad too convenient. And then, of course, suspicion would fall on me since I supposedlyhave a motive, and I’m also a vampire who you’ve had contact with. A simple witch spell could confirm I was your sire.”
I hesitated. Could this be true? “So you weren’t trying to get back at me for…”
“For what? Why do I care that you married some insignificant witch?” His eyes gleamed. If there was anything about Dante, it was that he loved keeping his subjects off balance.
“So you’re aware of that.”
“I have my informants who keep me up to date on people I find… of interest. But again, your little witch means nothing to me… unless you told her about us?”
“No, I can’t tell anyone what I am. You compelled me against it when you turned me, remember?”
He hummed a melody. “Let’s try this again. Be truthful. Did your witch wife discover that you’re a vampire?”
The compulsion washed over me like a wave, and the answer rose unbidden up my throat.
“Yes.”
He was powerful. He shouldn’t be in here. Despite that, I felt certain he couldn’t have forced anyone to harm the slain fae man. The wards at this prison were strong enough to prevent that but not much else. The undertaking to prevent every urge proved too difficult—the spell craft and witches needed tomaintain it proved excessive. That was why this facility could only partially contain vampires and why he should be in a maximum-security prison where they took the care to have enough witches on hand.
He tsked. “That’s against vampire code, my offspring. Was this witchling present when you found the dead fae body drained of blood?”
I clenched my jaw, but still the answer forced its way from my lips. “Yes.”
“I have given you my explanation. Even if I wanted to exact retribution, not only would it be against my own interests to do so, I literally cannot command anyone to do anything violent. Such as killing someone.”
