Carefully, she made her way around the ballroom. There were at least two dozen Breeds present. But the one she was searching for hadn’t attended. Jonas Wyatt was noticeably absent from this event. Which was rare. Too rare.

Sipping at her champagne, Scheme skirted the edges of the room, heading for the patio doors and the gardens beyond. Escaping the stifling atmosphere of the party filled with suspicious gazes was imperative. Almost as imperative as finding Wyatt. Damn, he was supposed to have been here.

Lifting the skirt of her blazing scarlet evening gown, Scheme stepped from the marble patio, following the stone path that led into the dimly lit gardens. It wasn’t the safest place for her to be, not with the number of Breeds milling around, but she needed the silence, needed to weigh her options now that her main objective had made himself scarce.

Coming here was a risky move. Not just because there were any number of Breeds willing to put a hole in her head, but because too many eyes were watching for what she had intended to attempt. Betraying Cyrus Tallant wasn’t a good idea, especially as openly as she had planned.

With the induction of Breed Law several years past, Scheme’s life had been placed, more or less, on hold. Working as her father’s assistant, she had been the liaison with his Council contact, and once that contact had been arrested and tried for his crimes, Scheme had come under fire as well. And under suspicion. She had been her father’s shield and she hadn’t even known it.

Moving through the gardens, she drew farther away from the party and deeper into the shadowed peace the lush landscaping afforded her. Here, there weren’t as many eyes following her, the gazes sometimes condemning, always suspicious.

“It could be dangerous roaming around in the dark, Miss Tallant. You’re not exactly well liked these days.”

The voice drew her to an abrupt stop. Deep and smooth as aged whiskey. Tanner Reynolds slid from the darkness and faced her from within a small grotto echoing with the soothing sound of a nearby fountain.

The atmosphere was pure romance. Dimly lit, water trickling in the background, shadows lengthening around them. For a moment, just a moment, Scheme let herself regret. Regret that the atmosphere and the sudden heightened tension in her body wasn’t for a lover, but rather a man who considered himself her enemy.

And he was dressed in a tux. Sweet heaven, men like Tanner Reynolds should never be allowed in a tux. It should be criminal. It was like putting a bow on a tiger. It only served to emphasize the primal danger of the beast wearing it.

“I was invited,” she assured him, wondering at the husky sound of her own voice.

“Of course you were,” he said softly. “I made certain of it.”

Now that was enough to make a girl’s nerves clatter in sudden shock. It also had her nipples peaking in interest. That wasn’t a good thing, for the simple fact that she was well aware that Breeds could sense and smell female arousal.

“You made certain of it?” She tilted her head to the side, allowing her hair to fall over her shoulder and shield the side of her face. “And why would you do that?”

To kill her maybe, a cynical, suddenly less-than-pleased voice reminded her. Forget the sudden warmth between her thighs and the sensitive budding of her nipples. This Breed was liable to kill her rather than fuck her.

And she couldn’t blame him. He was aware of nothing but the impression she had sought to give for the past ten years. That she was indeed Cyrus Tallant’s daughter, not just by blood but by mercilessness. That she was a part of factions determined to destroy them, an enemy of the very species she had risked her life countless times to save. And she couldn’t reveal the truth. Not now. Not until Jonas learned who the spy was within the Breed community. Not until she found Jonas and insured that the information she had made it to the right hands.

“Let’s say, I thought it was time we should meet,” he informed her. “We’ve been dancing around each other for years, making certain to stay out of one another’s space. I’ve grown impatient with the game.”

“We’re playing a game then?” She arched her brows curiously. “The rules must have been lost in the mail.”

“I think you’re very well aware of the rules.” He moved from the shadows, stepping onto the path beside her, seeming to suck the oxygen out of the air as he did so.

“You’d think I would be,” she murmured. “But I’d have to understand the game first. What do you want, Mr. Reynolds?”

“You aren’t calling me Breed,” he reminded her chidingly, the sound of his voice stroking along the sensitive nerve endings. She actually had chill bumps racing up her spine. “Wasn’t it your father’s opinion that by giving us names we were given the mistaken impression we were of worth? That we could be human.”

Warning tension filled the air. His warning. She chose to ignore it. She had been avoiding this for far too long; she was growing tired of the battle. Tired of avoiding him and making excuses. Tired of the fear, the blood and the death.

“I work for my father, Mr. Reynolds, I don’t live his opinions,” she stated.

His chuckle was low and dangerous. It was so dark here, this far into the gardens, that as she stared up at him she could see nothing but the golden glitter of his eyes. And they too were mesmerizing.

Another chill raced up her spine as his hand lifted, his fingers brushing back her hair. Long, thick, the silken strands brushed across the bare flesh of her shoulders and heightened her awareness of him.

The low cut of her strapless gown was no protection against his fingers as they trailed over her bare shoulder, or when they outlined her collarbone. Warm flesh, slightly rough, touching her, easing her. She could feel it easing her even as it heated her.

Her heart was racing, banging between her breasts with fear. Or excitement. Fear, she told herself; she wouldn’t allow herself to be excited by something so small as the whisper of his calloused fingertip over her flesh.

“Your father should protect you better,” he said softly. “Blood was shed last month in the attack against Sanctuary. We know the two of you were involved. All we have to do is prove it.”

“And you have no proof,” she reminded him just as softly. “Accosting me in the dark isn’t going to provide that.”

He paused, his nostrils flaring as he watched her, his gaze quizzical. He was dangerous, much more dangerous than the other Breeds, and she knew it.

There was no hiding her arousal from him; she knew he sensed it. She could see it in the ready tension of his body and the glitter of lust in his eyes. Tanner was the Breeds’ answer to a Hollywood playboy. The bad boy. The one that reveled in his sensuality and his sexual hungers.

“Tell me, Scheme.” He bent closer, blocking out the light, his eyes mesmerizing as she stared up at him. “Aren’t you the least bit frightened? I could peel your flesh from your bones and hide your body in such a way that no man or Breed would ever find you. And I could show you pain unlike anything you’ve ever known.”

“It’s not pain you want to show me,” she whispered back. “And it’s not murder you’re considering at the moment. Is it, Tanner?”

“Don’t tempt me.” His dark voice deepened, carrying an unmistakable sexual edge now. “You could never handle what I could give you.”

She forced her lips into a little pout. “But, Tanner, tempting you would be so much fun,” she drawled. “Surely you know it’s my favorite sport? Tempting otherwise good men to be bad boys.”

“I’m already a bad boy,” he growled, suddenly looming nearer. “Of the worse sort. You don’t want a piece of me; you wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

“Oh, a dare.” She teased him, actually enjoying the repartee. “If I weren’t on such a tight schedule, I’d be sure to take you up on that.”

“And actually let an animal fuck you?” he asked. “Why, Miss Tallant, your father would have a stroke.”

If only that were true.

“All men are animals, no matter their birthright,” she assured him, fighting to hold back the bitterness. “Don’t worry, I’d never let that affect my decision.”

He leaned closer, his lips suddenly at her ear, caressing the fragile shell as he whispered, “Pretty girl, you’ve never had me. I could show you what being with an animal is really like. I could make you beg for more.”

She had no doubt in her mind. If the state of her body were any indication, begging for him would not take long.

“You’d have to actually get me in a bed first.” She moved her lips until they touched his ear as well, allowing her tongue to peek out, to flick over the tough earlobe. “And I make it a rule to never fuck men who hate me. That counts you out, Mr. Reynolds.”

He held himself perfectly still, his hands at her hips, barely touching them, his body tense, ready, as though scenting danger.

“I never claimed to hate you, Scheme,” he finally whispered, nuzzling her hair aside, his lips suddenly at her neck, his incisors raking a burning path across the vein at her neck. “But one of these days, you will fuck me. Unless I kill you first.”

He nipped her neck, causing her to jerk back in surprise, her hand flying up to the smarting skin as she frowned back at him with a spurt of anger.

“That was uncalled for.” She hardened her voice as she straightened her shoulders and glared back at him. “Don’t you know the rules, Tanner? You don’t bite on a first date, let alone a chance meeting in the dark. The mark of a civilized male is his control.”

“Who said I was civilized?” He was laughing at her now. The flash of a smile, his wicked incisors gleaming in the dark. “That was just a warning, pretty girl. Once I get my dick inside you, you’ll be begging me to bite you.”

Yeah, that was what she was afraid of now. Dangerous. Very dangerous. She was playing with a fire hotter and with a greater potential for destroying her than the one she had been playing with for the past ten years.

“In your dreams.” She scoffed him with much more confidence than she felt. “And if you will excuse me, as entertaining as this little adventure is, I really must be leaving. It’s getting late.”

She moved to pass him, only to come to an abrupt stop against the chest suddenly blocking her way.

“You’re running away,” he accused, one broad hand reaching up, his finger running down her cheek. “Do you think I conspired to get you here just so you could get away so easily?”

“I think I’ve had enough of your charming company.” Her body was begging for more, but hell, it didn’t have the good sense to pick decent lovers, so why should she begin paying attention to it now?

“I’m going to have you, Scheme. Fighting it isn’t going to do anything but prolong the battle.”

“And I’m just shaking in my shoes.” She rolled her eyes before moving to the side and, this time, succeeding in skirting around him. “Haven’t you heard, Tanner? The chase is half the fun.” Actually, she had found it was the only fun, but it wasn’t considered an intelligent move to insult the male ego. Let alone a Breed male. “And you will have to excuse me now. I’ve had enough of the party and the witty sexual innuendo. It’s time I leave.”

“Miss Tallant,” he murmured as she walked back toward the party. “It has definitely been a pleasure.”

Tanner watched her walk from the garden, the light from the house spilling around her, causing the scarlet dress to blaze on her slender frame and darken the lush fall of sable hair.

He ran his tongue over his teeth. No swollen glands there. For a moment, just a moment, he had tasted something so unfamiliar in his mouth that his heart had tripped in suspicion. Could Scheme Tallant be his mate? The woman he had been plotting to kidnap for years, watching with an almost fanatical fervor, held a fascination for him that no other woman ever had.