Chapter One
I took another look over my shoulder. He was still there. The cold from my bottle of tea was seeping into my skin, a sharp chill, but not as painful as the possibility that I was being followed. I ducked down a hallway and came out into the cafeteria. How had I come full circle? I could have sworn I was heading out of the hospital.
While I stood in the cafeteria doorway—the aroma of poorly prepared, somewhat-healthy food assaulting my nose—my stalker caught up with me.
“Could I speak with you for a moment?” His voice was a velvet rumble and made me shiver.
I turned slowly and looked up into a pair of the bluest eyes I've ever seen. Oh, I know that people say that all the time, but this time it was true. His eyes were startling in their intensity, such a deep sapphire that they were nearly purple. They caught the light coming in the large windows set into the far wall of the cafeteria and seemed to glow. They were so beautiful—surrounded by thick lashes—that I nearly didn't notice the rest of him. And the rest of him was worth noticing.
His body was sleek but thickly muscled, and he was a good ten inches taller than my five-feet and seven inches. His skin was pale, and for a moment I thought it shimmered silver, but then I blinked, and the illusion was gone. His midnight hair was pulled back in a tidy ponytail; highlighting the stark handsomeness of his face. Those cheekbones...
“Miss?” He asked with a smile. “Perhaps we could have a seat?”
He motioned to an empty table—round and plastic; so very ordinary. It seemed odd for him to even acknowledge it. This man should exist in a world where there were no such things as plastic furniture.
“Please.”
It also seemed odd for him to use that word.
“Um, I suppose I can spare a few minutes.” I looked around the room.
The cafeteria wasn't crowded, but it wasn't empty either. There were at least six other people eating, not to mention the staff. I sat in a plastic chair, my butt making a nervous squeak as I shifted. He smiled at me.
“My name is Drostan,” he said, “and I'd like to offer you a bargain.”
“A bargain?”
“I know about your sister,” he said gently. “She has bone cancer.”
“What do you want?” I growled; the interlude had suddenly become sinister.
People could be such assholes; taking advantage of others when they were at their most vulnerable. I'd heard about such things happening in hospitals before.
“Relax. I assure you that what I have to offer will interest you,” he said. “What would you say if I told you I could cure your sister?”
“I'd say you're a scam artist who preys on desperate fools,” I snapped. “And that you're despicable.”
“I can prove it,” Drostan said calmly; not at all offended.
“How?” I narrowed my gaze at him.
“I will cure her for free,” he offered. “You will have a full week to verify that she has been cured and then get your affairs in order.”
“Get my affairs in order?” I gaped at him. “Are you insane? It sounds as if you're offering me her life in exchange for mine.”
“In a way, I am,” Drostan stared unflinchingly into my eyes as he said it, and if he'd been saying anything else, I would have believed him.
“You're an evil bastard,” I muttered. “Do you get your kicks on giving people hope only to dash it away? My sister will die any day now; I'm afraid to even leave her side to get a drink.” I waved my iced tea at him. “And you want me to believe that you can cure her?”
“I said that you didn't have to believe.” He smirked. “Call it a good faith gesture. I will cure her, and you will have your week to accept that I am genuine. Then I will come for you.”
“You'll do what now?” I cocked my head at him.
“I will go to your home and collect you,” he said simply. “You will come with me to my home, and be mine.”
“And be yours?” I blinked in shock. “Like what; a slave?”
“A sex slave, to be exact,” he said with a purr. “You will obey my every wish.”
