Tied With a Bow

slaves?”
    “No.”
    “But they don’t have full citizenship? They’re treated like foreigners?”
    “Kind of. Vampires were predators and were killed for that reason. The ventala are part vampire, so they’re treated differently from people who are fully human. The laws put special restrictions on them. It pisses them off. They’d like more freedom, but it’s tough to trust them with it.”
    “Since they’re stronger and more violent than human beings?”
    “Exactly. They’re impulsive, and they sometimes fly into a rage without warning. In this case, though, their pursuit of you is obviously premeditated. You know what’s strange? They knew you’d lost your memory. Maybe they attacked you and gave you a head injury? But how did you escape if you were badly injured? And if you can heal wounds so fast, why wouldn’t you have healed a head injury just as quickly?” She paused, shaking her head. “So many questions. Not enough answers.”
    “Nathaniel.”
    She blinked.
    “My name is Nathaniel,” he said triumphantly.
    “That’s great! Do you remember your last name?”
    He shook his head.
    “ES—Etherlin Security—should be able to help us. They have sophisticated equipment to identify nonhuman creatures and people with superhuman abilities. If anyone can figure out what you are, it’s ES, so don’t worry.”
    “I wasn’t worried, Kate. I have faith that my memory will return in its own time. Now tell me about your dreams of us. How did we meet? And what’s the nature of our relationship? Are we in love?”
    Her gaze slid to him. “Well,” she said, and then smiled self-consciously. “Sometimes we are really . . . close. Other times you’re very focused on fighting and barely register that I’m there.”
    “Is that so?” he said, clearly skeptical. “I don’t think your presence is something that would easily escape my attention.” He clasped his hands, tapping his thumbs against each other. “They’re only dreams. They don’t tell the entire story.”
    “You’re sure of that, are you?” She smiled. “And what do your instincts tell you is supposed to be between us? A great love affair?” she teased, wanting him to say yes.
    “No,” he said, and her smile faded. “Not an affair. That would ruin your reputation. You’d be a fallen woman.”
    Oh my. There’s some more of that two-thousand-year-old morality, she thought, her spine stiffening.
    “If there was love between us, I’d make you my wife, Kate. And you’d belong to me for life.”
    Belong to him. For life. Wow.
    The idea sent an odd thrill through her, but was also kind of terrifying. What would it be like to be married to someone as stubborn, archaic, and uncompromising as Nathaniel? What would that mean for her career? Would passion totally consume her and leave room for nothing else? Emotions certainly seemed to swallow her whole in those dreams. She shivered. Yes, thrilling. And also terrifying.

Chapter Four
     
    The white stone walls around the Etherlin had been sanded smooth and covered with a gloss that made them opalescent. They were topped with glittering silver barbed mesh that matched the silver and white gates.
    Kate pulled over and killed the engine. If she had been alone, she wouldn’t have needed to get out of the car, but since she had a visitor unknown to ES, she walked to the guard post. The blazer-wearing guard looked like he should have been rowing crew in the Ivy League. His mop of curly hair had been aggressively tamed with gel, but it still made him look slightly boyish.
    Kate explained that she’d brought someone whose nature was, as yet, unclear and that she hoped they could help. She waited while the guard, whose badge identified him as J. Pinter, called for a more senior officer. Nathaniel emerged from the jeep and stood silently beside her as she chatted with Pinter.
    Kate smiled when she saw Grant Easton, the ES director. Grant lived up to the blue-blood cut of his nose and jaw. He strode forward like he owned the world—or soon would.
    “Well, if it’s not our vampire-hunting aspirant,” Grant said with a broad smile. “How are you, Kate?”
    She smiled, too. “I’m well. Thank you.”
    “Vampire hunting?” Pinter asked.
    “Sure. Kate’s an investigative reporter, and she uncovered a hot spot for missing persons. A human Bermuda triangle for travelers on road trips that turned out to be the hunting ground for a huge nest of cave-dwelling vampires who escaped the