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Someone was arguing, and though she couldn’t make out exact words, she heard Ty’s British accent added to the mix. Swiftly, she jumped out of bed, dressed, and followed the voices to the Belladonna library.

Collette, Barrett, and Justine were there, but they were quietly sitting in various chairs. Peter stood grim-faced next to the table that held the intercom box.

Ty stood in the center of the room. He wore a crisp button-down shirt and slacks and a blank expression. When he saw her, heat flooded his expression, but he quickly banked it and looked away.

Carly’s voice filled the room, setting Ana’s teeth on
edge, but she forced herself to walk into the room and take a seat.

“—screwed up time and again, Ty. If you can’t control yourself now, what the hell are you going to do if Miguel decides he wants a little piece of Ana before he’ll let you into Salvation’s Crossing? Are you going to forget why you’re really there and rip him apart, too?”

What a wonderful feeling. Ana was topic A and she hadn’t been invited.

So much for girls sticking together.

Ty glanced at Ana again, and this time his gaze was as cold as ice. “She’s not going to give Miguel anything,” he said quietly.

“Can you guarantee that?” Carly scoffed. “You know he wants her. And that’s why we’re bringing her in—”

“He might want her but he’s not going to have her. I know that with absolute certainty.”

“But …”

As Carly’s voice drifted off, Ana took the chance to think.

Ty couldn’t lie, and Carly had to know that. Which meant she now knew that something had changed between Ana and Ty. That Ty meant what he said—he wasn’t going to let Ana sleep with a man even if that was the only way to get them what they needed.

Ana smiled at him but he looked away again, as if he was afraid he’d revealed too much of himself. To others? Or to her as well?

The atmosphere in the room was strained and heavy. No one was talking but him.

“All we have to do is convince Miguel that Ana and I are lovers,” Ty insisted. “Once I’m inside—well, I’m a goddamn vampire, for Christ’s sake. If I can’t get the information we need, no one can.”

He strode toward Ana and held out his hand.

What he’d just told everyone communicated that Ty
now thought of Ana as his, but he wasn’t taking any chances. He was making sure there was no room for doubt.

With only a slight hint of hesitation, she reached out and took his hand. Only then did she see his body relax slightly. In front of everyone, they walked out of the room. Together.

As soon as they were back in his room, however, Ana tugged her hand out of his.

He watched her warily. Then frowned.

Had he read her mind? Or was she simply that easy for him to predict?

“Don’t,” he warned.

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t tell me you’re still going to do whatever you need to do to get Miguel to do what we want him to do.”

He was normally so articulate, so unflappable, that she smiled at the convoluted statement. He didn’t smile back.

She got it. Of course she didn’t want to sleep with Miguel. And she was overjoyed that Ty didn’t want her to, either. But if she
had
to … “Ty, you said it yourself. An agent has to be willing to do whatever it takes to get a mission done.”

“You’re not an agent. Not really.”

Where had
that
come from? Apparently Ty was two different vampires in public and in private. She’d had to inadvertently eavesdrop on him and their colleagues to find that out. She was reminded of how little she really knew about this man. This vampire. And although the sex had been amazing between them last night, that didn’t mean that in the cold light of day anything had changed.

She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted out her hip with attitude. “Oh? Then what have I been doing
here for the past two weeks? Providing naughty entertainment? That’s Justine’s game.”

“Cheap shot. She has nothing to do with this.” He gestured toward his bed. “In case you’ve forgotten, things changed for us last night.”

He was right. Things had changed drastically. Being with him had been the best experience of her life. She wanted more. She wished the world would disappear and they could ride off into the sunset together. But they couldn’t. He’d brought her here for a reason. Her past. She’d come for another reason. Her future. Her future with
Gloria
. She couldn’t let her growing feelings for him get in the way of that future. She was human, he was vampire. He was going to live forever. She’d once more be left behind.

Unless she left him first.

With that thought strengthening her resolve, she forced herself to say, “Why? Because we had sex? We were due, Ty. I wanted you, and though I can’t believe how lucky I am that it’s true, you wanted me.”

He groaned. Strode up to her and cupped her face. “Ana. I’m the lucky one. Don’t you get that by now? In your arms, I’m a man. You make me feel the way I did before I was turned.”

She reached up and patted his cheek. “I’m so glad. So, so glad. But you brought me here to work, not to fool around. Maybe it’s best if we both remember that.”

“Ana—”

She interrupted him. “And I do have my own agenda. Sneaking into Salvation’s Crossing isn’t just about getting you and the FBI what you want. It’s about saving my sister, remember?”

His mouth flattened and his expression hardened. “I remember. But how far are you willing to go? Would you seduce Miguel, let him touch you just like you let
Louis touch you when I’m giving you a way out? I’m trying to tell you I’ll take care of things for you.”

“Who asked you to? Carly?” The sneer on his face when he mentioned Louis touching her irked her. He didn’t get to tell her what to do just because he’d gotten between her legs. “Gloria doesn’t know you from Adam. Why would she trust you?”

Ty didn’t seem to have an answer for that.

“Yeah. So don’t tell me what I can and cannot do,” she insisted. “Whatever it takes. That’s the Belladonna way, right?”

His head inclined in an almost invisible nod.

“You taught me that.”

“Don’t remind me,” he growled softly.

“Let’s keep our priorities straight and get back to work. We had one night together, Ty. Sure, it felt great. Sure, it was fun. I certainly wouldn’t object to having more. But did you really think because you made me come I’d just let you take over? Trust something as important as my sister to a man I barely know—to a
vampire
?” She hadn’t meant it as an insult, not exactly, but that’s obviously how he took it.

His face darkened and he stepped away from her. “Right. So in the end, that’s all I am to you. A means to your sister. A vampire.”

“You are those things, Ty. I can’t let a—a good fuck—get in the way of my ultimate goal. And neither can you.”

He stared at her for several seconds, his expression blank. Even so, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her words had hurt him. Understandable, since they’d hurt her to say them. But she had to be realistic. Practical. It’s what had kept her going all these years. She couldn’t pretend Ty was her prince come to rescue her from some lonely tower. If life had taught her anything, it was that
she had to depend on herself to get the important things done.

Still, something compelled her to reach out her hand to him. “I’m sorry, Ty, I—”

He stepped back before she could touch him. “I guess there’s nothing more to say right now. You want to do things your way, then you can do without the physical pleasure I gave you last night.”

“Okay. If that’s what you think is best,” she whispered, even as her heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vise. But she couldn’t back down. She’d had him. She’d enjoyed him. But there were limits. When it came to Gloria, that was where she drew a big, thick line.

He walked out of the room without answering.

So. She’d woken up all pink and glowing, and less than an hour later, got demoted from lover to coworker simply because she wouldn’t play things the way he wanted her to. Life went on.

Ty wasn’t more important than Gloria.

Unfortunately, the thought did nothing to ease the pain of his absence.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-SEVEN

The rolling hills of the Napa Valley were clad in golden
grass growing thickly under dark, gnarled grapevines in orderly rows belonging to countless vineyards. The drive up from San Francisco Airport had taken them over the Golden Gate Bridge and through Marin County, a wealthy coastal community that was nowhere near as rustic as it looked. Ty had told her that dozens of multimillionaires and several billionaires resided there and in Napa as well.

It took fifteen minutes to get to the end of this so-called driveway. The Hispanic Alliance fund-raiser was taking place on an estate that was well hidden from casual visitors. It was also open to the public—assuming one was prepared to pay a grand a plate.

Their driver left them near the main house, an enormous adobe structure with a roof of curved Spanish red tiles and walls punctuated with the round ends of viga beams. Antique doors that looked like they came from some ancient Mexican hacienda had been flung open. The low, semicircular tiled stairs leading to them held terra-cotta planters bursting with unusual plants and small trees.

Ana looked to the left as the luxury car moved into a slot among others, guided there by a bow-tied valet.

“Did you forget something?” Ty asked. “I can have the car brought back.”

She shook her head. “No. I was just looking at all the others.”

Ana barely knew one make of car from another, but the different vehicles gleaming under the brilliant California sun looked expensive to her, even from here.

Ty didn’t seem particularly impressed. But then he was a blueblood and used to all that. Ana straightened up and smoothed her dress.

“Ready?” He offered her his arm.

“I think so.”

Ana and Ty made their entrance. She touched a hand to the carved wooden doors for good luck as they passed through them. The gala was in full swing, but a lot of the guests weren’t in formal wear. They could have been in Seattle, what with all the natural fibers, artisan jewelry, and hair au naturel. Still, Ana had a feeling that the understated look didn’t come cheap.

She felt like she’d stepped into another world. It had nothing to do with the existence of paranormal creatures and everything to do with the unseen power of privilege and wealth.

Unlike Los Angeles, rich people in Northern California weren’t in your face with it. But in their own politically correct way, it took about five minutes for this crowd to let you know that they had it all and you didn’t.

Ana’s radar picked up on the quiet condescension—and a few approving glances. Her classic white linen dress didn’t raise any eyebrows. She saw a longer version of it sweep by on a redhead. Probably couture.

This
was
a gathering of the country’s philanthropic elite. People who had so much money they could generously give it away to help the less fortunate.

People like her. People who needed help no matter how much they wished they didn’t.

The decor was beautiful. The people were beautiful.
Even the trays of champagne glasses and little appetizers were beautiful.

Everything was so frigging beautiful that she suddenly wanted to knock the silver trays out of the hands of the tuxed-up waiters circling the room. At the same time, she wanted to kick her own ass because she couldn’t deny that resentment and jealousy were driving her.

For many of these people, this was just a special evening, an occasion to get dressed up. For others, however, it was a way of life. Ty, for example, had probably gone to parties like this all the time. He looked so comfortable, so right in his tux.

If not for Barrett and Justine, she could have looked like a hobo trying to pass herself off as royalty. Both had told her to go for elegant simplicity and be herself. Collette had bowed out of the discussion, saying fashion scared her. Barrett had taken Ana shopping, and Justine had tried out several hairstyles until settling on loose curls. The style softened her scar, which had virtually disappeared under expertly applied makeup anyway.

She’d felt a little like Cinderella, but with much nicer stepsisters.

Afterward, the four of them had stared somberly at one another. They’d all agreed to talk when she got back.

So this was the ball. There wasn’t anyone dancing at the moment, even though there was a small orchestra playing soft music under a pavilion tent on the other side of a vast patio.

She forced herself to be honest. She was not Cinderella and she wasn’t going to be marrying the prince when this was all over. The best she could hope for was an invitation into a cult to determine whether her sister and her former best friend Miguel were enslaving humans for the purpose of making them feed vampires.

“I don’t see Miguel or your sister. Shall we circle the crowd?” Ty murmured into her ear. Although his words were bland, the warmth of his breath and the rough timbre of his voice made her shiver with memories of their night together. Instinctively, she shoved those memories away and stepped forward. As she did, her ankles wobbled underneath her.