If she kicked him in the knee, she could loseher heels and be on the run before he recovered. The heels weregoing to make it challenging to get a solid kick in. She wouldn’ttry for his nuts; he’d probably block her before she could get tothem, and she might only piss him off. No, the knee was her bestoption, especially since her skirt wouldn’t let her get her footmuch higher.
“How did you know his name was Julian?” sheasked.
Slowly, she worked one foot out of her heeland stood on her tiptoe to try to cover what she’d done. She didn’tknow if she’d been successful, but she was ready for him.
“I like to learn as much as I can about thoseI’m going to kill.”
CHAPTER 36
Aida kicked him in the knee and darted to the sidewhen the movement knocked him off balance. She limped awkwardlyforward before she succeeded in freeing herself of her other shoe.Lifting her skirt, she sprinted down the hall but only made it tenfeet before a hand entangled in her hair and yanked her back.
Another hand slammed over her mouth to cutoff her scream. The hand in her hair let go; it encircled herthroat as she was plucked off the ground and smashed into thewall.
Not human!
She was small and didn’t weigh a lot, but nohuman could have lifted her with such ease. Adrenaline coursedthrough her veins so forcefully she felt flayed by it. She swungher feet as she continued to try to run or kick him or draw someattention to them.
Then she recalled him speaking with Nicoletteearlier. If he’d planned this, then he might have commandedNicolette to make sure no one came back here.Shit! Shit!SHIT!
She clawed at the hand on her throat, andblood oozed between her fingers, but he only smiled grimly at heras his red eyes bore into hers.
“Calm down,” he commanded.
His power wormed its way into her brain likea parasite devouring and destroying everything it encountered.Renewed strength surged into her, and she wiggled in his graspwhile she twisted to break free.
“Stop fighting me,” he ordered.
Aida’s brain screamed at her to continuekicking and screaming, but she went limp as his words and his powerwormed their way into her mind. She whimpered, but it was the onlysound she issued, and she hated herself for making the noise.
“Much better,” he said as he lowered her tothe ground.
Adrenaline continued to flood her system, andher feet twitched with the urge to run, but she remained standinghelplessly before him.
“You are a beautiful little thing.” He ran afinger over her bottom lip. “I’m not sure what you see in Julian,but I understand what he sees in you. I’m going to enjoy this somuch more than I thought I would.”
When his gaze lowered to her breasts, shecouldn’t suppress another whimper as the lust in his red eyes madehis intent clear.
“Did you enjoy the present I sent you?” heasked.
She had no idea what he was talking about, soshe kept her lips clamped shut.
“Answer me,” he commanded.
Aida bit her lips as she fought his command,but she lost in the end. “What… what… present?”
“My little gift to you in the bar? He wassupposed to bring you outside to me so we could get to know eachother better, but Julian ruined that. However, I did get to learnhow much he cares for you, and I’ve been trying to figure out howto make him suffer the most by using that knowledge.”
“Youhad the vampire attack me in thebar?”
Gerald gave her a wicked smile. “What can Isay? I enjoy toying with those I’m going to kill. And I amgoingto kill your boyfriend. Besides, I’m not going totangle with three vampires. It cost me alotof money, oractually it didn’t as Julian killed him before I had to pay him,but it was worth it. I also sent a present to your boyfriend.”
The blood drained from her face as, for afrightening second, Aida assumed he meant he’d sent someone afterJulian too, and then he continued speaking.
“When I learned he was coming to Boston, Icalled an old friend of mine and asked him to follow Julian, but hedecided to try playing with him.”
“The Savage who attacked him when he firstarrived here,” she muttered.
“Yes. It was too bad he was impatient and gothimself killed.”
