“What makes you think I’ll talk to you here, hmm?”

He gave another chuckle, that rich, rumbling chuckle that washed all over me, as intimate and inviting as the sweetest kiss. “As if you could resist.”

I released a frustrated growl. He was right. “Just fucking release me!”

“Were I to do that, you would lash out, and we would spend our time together fighting instead of talking.”

I chewed on my bottom lip and remained silent. I couldn’t deny his charge without lying, and while I didn’t mind lying to this man, I knew he’d know the truth, so what was the use?

“A.I.R. will come for you. They’ll trace you by your voice.”

“One, I am not in your database. And two, there are no amplifiers here. No recorders. Even if there were, my home was constructed of soundproof walls. I doubt A.I.R. even knows this place exists.”

I shifted my hips atop the comforter, away from him…and for the first time saw what I wore. I was dressed in a white gauzy froth of a gown. Pleats gathered in a low circle at my neck, then split down the middle to cover my breasts, yet bare my stomach. The soft material gathered again at my waist, riding low on my hips, then draped me from leg to ankle with a thin see-through veil.

A bejeweled armband circled my bicep. Mesmerizing purple stones, too light to be amethysts and too luminescent to be of this earth, formed an intricate pattern around the base. My nails dug into my palms.

How dare he undress me, then redress me so scantily?

“Where are my weapons? My pants and boots?”

Unconcerned with my questions, Kyrin lifted a strand of my hair. The dark lock proved an erotic contrast to the paleness of his skin. “I like your hair this way,” he said. “Unbound. Like a black thundercloud around your face.” Next he trailed a finger over my breast, causing my nipple to pebble and my breath to hitch.

I quelled the urge to dissolve into his touch. When had I become so eager for a man? So needy?

When had I become such a slave to my senses?

“I want my clothes back,” I said, purposefully making my tone harsh.

His gaze traveled the length of my body. “Do you not like this gown?”

“What do you think?”

He smiled slowly.

“Tell me, Kyrin. Did you enjoy yourself? Undressing a helpless, unconscious woman?”

With exaggerated movements, he leaned into me until our faces were inches apart. “I doubt you have ever been helpless, Tai la Mar.”

I lifted my head, closing even more distance. My nose brushed the tip of his. “You have one minute to return every article of clothing, every weapon that you stole from me. Or I’ll—or I’ll—”

His brows curved with insolence. “Or you’ll what?”

God, I didn’t know. My head flopped onto the pillow, and I screeched.

He didn’t hesitate, didn’t even seem concerned when he admitted, “I have already destroyed your clothing and your weapons.”

“You fucking bastard.”

“Do not be angry I have dressed you so. I wanted to see you in the attire of my homeland.” His voice lacked any hint of remorse, held only a husky resonance of desire. “And I must tell you, dark angel, that garbed as you are, you look like sex. Rare, carnal sex. You are more beautiful than I had imagined…” He leaned closer with every word, closing the distance between us again as if he didn’t like to be separated. “And imagine you I did. Naked, under me, over me, taking me inside your body and—”

“Shut up,” I said on a wispy catch of breath. Moisture pooled between my legs.

Don’t soften. He’s strapped you to his bed.

His gaze fastened on my lips, then moved to my eyes. I held his stare, the air around us thickened with sexual tension. Abruptly he shook his head. “No. Not yet.”

Breaking the strange spell he possessed on my senses, he jolted up and stalked to the window. Keeping his back to me, he said, “I want to kiss you again, but I will not until I have explained some things to you.” Here he drew in a sharp breath. “You cannot leave this house, Mia. The armband will see to that.”

I blinked in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“Do you stray outside of this home, a shock will begin at the band and travel the length of your entire body. The pain, intense and consuming as it will be, will only cease when you reenter my home.”

“You’re lying.”

“I tell you this not to anger or scare you,” he said, “but to warn you what an attempted escape will bring. You will remain here as my guest until our business is concluded.”

The husky timbre of his voice was so finite, so resolute.

My God, he really was telling the truth. He thought to trap me like an animal, to take away my freedom and rights. My toes curled with the force of my distress. “Did you abduct Rianne Harte and tie her this way?”

He pivoted and faced me, his eyes tortured. “I tried to protect Rianne.”

“The same way your sister tried to protect William Steele?” I sneered.

A muscle ticked in his jaw; he didn’t answer.

“This is not the way to woo a woman into your arms.”

His brows lifted. “Is it not?” He eased beside me again, his hip pressed against mine, and lifted another tendril of my hair. He shifted the glossy strands through his fingers, watched them fall, then recaptured them, desire growing in his expression. “Perhaps I should try and prove you wrong.”

The knowledge of my imprisonment warred with my still-swirling desire. Keep talking, I told myself. “You never told me what type of business we have, what was worth risking your life to abduct me from my own workplace.”

“At first I thought to trade you for my sister,” he admitted, caressing my hair against his cheek. His eyes closed in surrender, just as my scalp tingled with heady sensation.

I jerked my head to the side, quickly and efficiently tugging the inky locks from his hands. “An agent’s creed is duty before emotion. A.I.R. will not negotiate for my release.”

“Your colleges would sentence you to death?” he inquired.

“In a heartbeat,” I answered. No, that wasn’t true. They would hunt him down and fight for me, just like I’d do for them.

Kyrin’s chin edged to the side, his eyes lit with curiosity. “And this does not upset you?”

I understood A.I.R.’s policies. I’d even helped make them. “Why set a killer free to save one life? The killer will then take many more.”

“This conversation is moot,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Before you woke, I had already decided not to trade you.”

Dread unfurled inside me. “Then what do you plan to do with me? How long do you hope to keep me here?”

He deliberated a moment, before answering evasively, “I will keep you only as long as needed to gain your trust.”

Trust? Was he serious? I snorted.

“You trusted me once, to help you catch Atlanna.”

“You’ve got me tied to a bed. How can I ever trust you again?” I trusted so few, anyway, and those I did were human. “I did not think you a foolish man until just now.”

“We shall see,” was his only reply.

He eased to his feet and stepped toward the door.

A small ember of panic sparked to life. I wrenched again at my bonds. “Where are you going?” I cried. “Don’t leave me here.”

He paused, faced me. I collapsed against the soft mattress. I had to say something, anything, to keep him here. I didn’t want to be alone again. “Why are you so secretive about Atlanna?” I asked. “Are you helping her? Is keeping me here a plan you’ve concocted together?”

That tortured gleam returned to his eyes. “No. I’d rather die than aid her.”

“Then let me go and help me find her.”

“I will help you, Mia. You. Not A.I.R. I detest all hunters.”

“I am a hunter.” Our gazes clashed, and I was helpless to glance away.

“You,” he said, “I am willing to rethink.” He pushed out a breath. “Are you hungry?”

My stomach knotted in protest, but I said, “Yes.” Food always relaxed people. Made them more willing to talk.

“We shall eat.”

“You’ll have to untie me,” I said, making a conscious effort not to beg.

He nodded. “I had thought to bring you food in here, but I have decided to trust you the way I hope you’ll trust me. You must give me your word that you will not fight me.”

“I vow I will not murder you until after our meal. How’s that?”

Grinning, he said, “After we eat, I will simply retie you. How is that?” He approached me, slipped a small, thin blade from his pocket, and gently cut the silk that bound me.

Once freed, I reacted on instinct. Sitting up and jerking back my elbow in one fluid motion, I made a fist and punched him. My knuckles connected with the top portion of his cheekbone. His head whipped to the side.

When I made no other move to attack him, he slowly turned back to face me. He fingered the now reddened skin.

“I said I wouldn’t kill you, and I haven’t. I said nothing about beating the shit out of you.”

“My mistake,” he said.

“Don’t ever tie me up again,” I growled. “Now, let’s eat.”

CHAPTER 15

Guilt wound through me as I sat at Kyrin’s dining table, feasting on rosemary salad and shrimp scampi. Dallas lay in the hospital, fighting for his life. Hunters were probably scouring the city limits for me. Yet here I lounged atop a high-backed gold satin chair, stuffing my face with delicacies.

Worse, I was actually enjoying myself.

Kyrin and I had formed a sort of truce. For now, this moment, we were simply a man and a woman, enjoying a delicious meal. A hand-carved Egyptian tabletop separated us, but our legs were close enough to touch, and touch me he did, caressing his thigh against mine. The softness of his pants and the thinness of my veil created an unignorable friction.

I found myself breathlessly awaiting his next touch.

“Would you care for dessert?” he asked, easing back on the brocade bench.

My mouth watered. “Yes,” I said, the cool air wafting along the walls and tormenting my bare skin. “Thank you.”

One of his servants, who refused to meet my gaze, arranged a porcelain platter of chocolate eclairs and blackberry truffles directly in front of me. I almost purred in sheer joy.

Since the near annihilation of the cocoa plant, chocolate was considered a rare treasure. Only the most wealthy and influential of people were able to acquire it. Before he’d decided he didn’t like me, my father had given me a chocolate treat. I still remembered how wonderful it had been. How I’d begged for more, but he’d had only the one.

With shaky fingers, I placed one gently in my mouth and…my taste buds burst. Oh, my God. My eyes closed of their own accord as pure surrender dissolved in my mouth. That’s what chocolate tasted like. Pure surrender.

Kill me now, I thought, because I’ve finally entered the gates of paradise.

When able, I opened my eyes. Kyrin was watching me, molten fire in his eyes. I held his stare for a protracted minute. “Are all Arcadians as…sexual as you?”

He grinned sheepishly. “We are a highly sexual race, yes.”

I forced my gaze away from him and watched the flickering vanilla- and cinnamon-scented candles. Shadows and light frolicked along the rose-tinted floral-painted walls, dancing with the flames. Those same shadows had danced across Kyrin’s face, giving his cheekbones a stark, almost harsh appearance.

My attention veered to the surrounding furniture. A sea of vivid colors and textures, eclectic all, filled his home. Fresh flowers overflowed from end tables, and the edges of a finely woven rug were fringed with those same flower petals. Elegant ivory chairs offset a silver-flecked wall.

Such wealth amazed me.

“How did you acquire all of this?” I asked.

He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “Arcadia is rich in the rocks your world holds dear. Diamonds, gold, sapphires, and many more. When I came through the interworld portal, I simply brought those things with me.”

The more he spoke, the more intrigued I was. “Tell me about Arcadia.”

“It’s much smaller than this world and much more crowded, with barely room to breathe. Our people live so long that the population is never evened out.” He fingered the rim of his wineglass. “We enacted a law years ago forbidding women to have more than one child, but many have them in secret.”

“You are obviously more technically advanced than us, which explains your ability to molecularly transport outside.”

“We’ve yet to master indoor transportation without seriously damaging ourselves. Whoever tries ends up with pieces of the wall or furniture inside them, and dies soon after.”

“Since you’re determined to stay here, perhaps you should be working with our scientists to help advance this world.”

“Or perhaps,” he said, meeting my stare dead on, “technological advancement does more harm than good.”

My brow furrowed. “Explain.”

Glancing down at his food, he gave another shrug. He couldn’t hide or mask the haunted pall that settled over his features. “Innocent people die during experimentation. Sometimes they die horrible deaths.”

I leaned back in my seat, keeping my gaze on him. “I’m beginning to figure you out, Kyrin. You’ve done some things you’re ashamed of. Don’t try to deny it,” I said when he opened his mouth to speak. “Figuring people out is part of my job. You performed experiments, didn’t you? Those experiments killed people. At the shootout with Atlanna, you mentioned atoning for past sins.”