Shea found Jesse in the bar just off the lobby. He didn’t acknowledge her when she sat down one stool away from him, but she knew he was more than aware of her presence, just as she was of his. She stared at his strong profile. The neon lights cast shadows in the hollows of his cheeks, making them appear sharper than normal. “I’m not going to apologize,” she told him.

Pushing away the glass in front of him, he gave her a tight smile. “I wouldn’t expect you to, Shea. You can’t help the way you feel.” He stood up. “Are you ready to go?”

“Don’t you want to finish your drink?” There was a good two fingers of amber liquid left. Whiskey, from the smell of it. This was the second time she’d found him with an untouched drink in front of him.

“No. I’m good. We need to go.”

Shea slid off the stool. “Where are we going?”

The tense smile was back. “To pay our respects to a certain group of monks.”

“Are they dead?”

“Not yet.” Extending an arm to the side, he indicated for her to go before him. “There’s a rental car waiting in front of the hotel,” he told her.

Shea headed out the front doors with the warlock close on her heels, but she waited until they were alone in the car before she asked the question that was burning in her mind. “You’re going to kill them? The humans we’re going to see?”

“Only if they don’t give me what I want.”

“The location of the demon’s blood.”

“Yes.”

A horrifying thought occurred to her. “Do you expect me to help you? They’re innocent humans, and monks are male. I wouldn’t be able to touch them, even if I wanted to. Which I don’t.”

He gave her a sideways look. “Ridding ourselves of a few human lives is a small sacrifice to make to save the world.”

“But we don’t have to hurt them. You can read their minds, and I can make them forget we were ever there. There’s no need for violence.”

“A pacifist vampire? What are the odds?”

It took her a moment to realize that he had gotten over his pique and was teasing her. “They’re holy men,” was all she said.

She felt Jesse’s eyes on her, but didn’t feel the need to elaborate. It’s not that she was religious. The gods knew, after all she’d been through in her life, she didn’t believe there was any higher power looking out for her. Yet, she felt an affinity with others who lived a holy life. And monks believed all life was important, even the tiniest insect.

Perhaps they would even see the value in a deranged existence such as hers.

Shea turned away to stare out the window. He could make fun of her all he wanted, she wasn’t killing anyone just for the sake of doing so. So, instead of arguing more, she tried to get her bearings as to where they were. If she remembered correctly from the last time she was here, it looked like they were just leaving the residential areas. The city had changed a lot over the years, but the monk’s location had not. “Isn’t the Temple like, a few days drive from here?”

“We’re not going to the main temple. There’s a small group just outside of town at a smaller temple near Dalian Xijiao National Forest Park. They’re the ones we’re going to see.”

“Oh.”

He was quiet for a few seconds, and out of curiosity, she tried to open herself up to what he was feeling. But if he was experiencing any nervousness or disquiet of any kind, he was blocking it from her again. She’d never met anyone who could do that. It was disquieting.

“Or maybe I’m just not nervous,” he responded to her unspoken thought. “May I ask you something?” he added before she could scold him for reading her mind—again.

“Sure. But I’m not promising I’m going to answer you.”

He smirked a bit at that. “Fair enough. What was your life like before you became a vampire?”

“My life?”

“Yes. I’d like you to tell me about your human life.”

“I was a lady’s maid, for a very rich and spoiled lady in London.” And she was. At least for a little while.

He glanced at her with a small frown. “You don’t sound like a Londoner.”

“That’s because I was born in France.”

“Ah, yes. Makes more sense. You still have a slight accent.”

Shea would swear she had lost her accent a lifetime ago. As a matter of fact, she tried very hard not to sound French. But perhaps she was not as successful as she believed.

“Did you like being a lady’s maid?”

“I didn’t like or dislike it. It was what it was. My employer was kind, and I was grateful for the income.”

“Why did Luukas turn you?”

Memories, long forgotten, flashed through her mind at warp speed. Lost in the nostalgia of times past, she simply said, “Because I asked him to.”

Jesse kept his voice even and his foot easy on the gas pedal, as though he knew how fragile her attention was. “Why would you ask something like that?”

“So I could kill her.” The words were out before Shea realized she’d spoken them aloud. Frowning, she looked over at Jesse, but he was staring straight ahead.

“Kill who?” He sounded neither shocked nor horrified, just genuinely curious. His eyes went back and forth between Shea and the road as he waited for her answer.

“The lady I served.”

“And did you?”

“Yes.”

“Are you glad?”

She took a deep breath, and looked directly into his stunning golden eyes. “Yes,” she said. “I am. It had to be done.” His face wavered before her. Shea blinked hard, and felt a single tear slide down her cheek.

He searched her expression, and then he nodded once. “Good.” Looking forward again, he added, “We’re almost there.”

Shea directed her attention back to the road. She’d never told anyone that before. Not even Luukas. The Master Vampire had turned her because she’d told him she was sick and pleaded with him to save her. One taste of her blood and Luukas had quickly figured out that she was lying. However, to this day, he’d never questioned her choice.

Yet, it was surprisingly easy to share that most intimate detail of herself with Jesse. “She was my sister.” The words came out with no coercion.

Jesse nodded, as if he had known this all along. And perhaps he had and just wanted to see if she would tell him. Fool that she was, she’d played right into it.

“You’re wrong. I didn’t know,” he said softly. “Not until just now.”

She’d had enough. “Get the fuck out of my head,” she told him through clenched teeth.

“Shea….” He paused, inhaling a quick breath and releasing it again. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I haven’t respected your wishes, and I apologize.” He paused, and when he spoke again, his words were rushed, like he didn’t want to say them but felt that he needed to. “It’s hard for me to be patient, to feel any kind of separation from you, even if it’s simply something you don’t want me to know.” One side of his mouth lifted in a small smile. “Particularly if it’s something you don’t want me to know.” He glanced over at her. “I’m so used to doing it, I don’t realize that I am at times. With the company I’m used to keeping, it was necessary for my survival to know what others were thinking. I promise I’ll try to stop…for you.”

She sighed audibly, feeling like a complete bitch. “Jesse, I just—” She trailed off, unsure how to say what she wanted to say, or even what it was.

“I know. It’s all right.”

No more was said, for they turned down a gravel road that discouraged conversation, and soon arrived at their destination. The temple at the edge of the forest was surrounded by leafy trees, the stones weathered and covered with creeping vines, but alive with the ancient spirits of the monks who had come before. A light mist blocked the light from the torches burning on either side of the doorway, and made the entire scene dreamy and mystical. Shea kept her voice to a whisper, afraid of disturbing the peace and solitude of the place. “Are they expecting us?”

“No.”

“Then how do you know they’re here?”

Jesse gave her a look that seemed to say, “You really need to ask me that?” then got out of the car.

With another quick look around, Shea joined him.

Walking with a confidence she didn’t feel, she followed him to the entryway and into the interior. The first room they arrived in was dark, only the dim light from the torches outside coming through the doorway to give the faintest illumination. Being a vampire, Shea could still see quite well, but there wasn’t much to see. The stone floor and walls were barren, except for a table-like structure toward the back.

Stopping in the middle of the empty room, Jesse called, “Come out, come out wherever you are!” He repeated the words in Chinese.

“Maybe no one is here,” Shea said when she heard no sounds of alarm, and no one came running.

“They’re here.” Walking toward the back of the room, he ran one finger along the top of the table. Holding it up, he showed her the lack of dirt or dust.

“Mystical cleaning sprites?” she suggested.

He smiled at her little joke, an honest and open smile that made the skin crinkle around his eyes and laugh lines appear on his cheeks, and Shea couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sight. His eyes roved over her face and landed on her parted lips. They stayed there, his amusement fading, replaced with the scent of his lust for her.

Shea’s breath caught in her lungs and she turned away, uncomfortable with the intensity of his attention.

“I know you’re here!” Jesse shouted a few seconds later. “Don’t make me come find you.”

She was just about to suggest that maybe, quite possibly, he had been wrong this time, when a slight movement caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she saw a man. He stood serenely with his hands tucked into his sleeves, and did not seem at all surprised by the sight of unexpected visitors. Wearing not the red and yellow robes she was used to seeing on the monks in town, but dark gray with a white sash, he was nonetheless still an impressive figure. Shea glanced quickly around, wondering how he’d gotten into the room without her seeing him, as there was only the one doorway and he was standing against the far wall.

“What can I help you with?” he asked in perfect English.

“Oh, good,” Jesse responded. “You’re here.”

The monk flicked his eyes over to Shea, then back to Jesse. If he knew that she wasn’t human anymore, he gave no indication of it. “Do you need assistance?”

Though it was obvious he was asking if they’re car broke down or some such business, Jesse answered with the affirmative.

“Yes, actually we do. I’m here for the location of the blood. The demon blood,” he clarified.

A slight pause was the only indication that the monk was surprised by the request. “I’m sure I do not know what you mean.” He didn’t move from his spot by the wall, or show any type of discomfort or panic.

“I think you do. Also, I promised this stunning female that I would not kill you for it. Please don’t make me rescind that promise.”

Brown eyes held steady as they met Jesse’s golden gaze. The monk was obviously taking his measure, and his next words confirmed that he had correctly determined the type of male he was dealing with, and that it would do no good to lie. “I cannot tell you the location. I have made a vow that cannot be broken.”

Jesse sighed, crossed his arms over his chest, and regarded the monk. It didn’t take him long to decide his next move. Turning to Shea, he cocked one eyebrow. “I gave him a chance.”

Her heart skipped in her chest. “You promised.”

His features grew softer as he looked at her. “So I did.” Dropping his arms back down to his sides, he stalked the monk with long strides that quickly took him across the stone floor. Leaning down until they were face to face, he said, “Tell me the location of the blood, or I will retrieve it on my own. And being that I’m certain it’s buried deep within the gray matter of your brain behind lock and key, I cannot guarantee the condition you’ll be in when I’m finished.”

“Jesse.”

He held up one hand, asking for her silence.

The monk stared up at him impassively.

“All right, then,” Jesse told him. He glanced back over his shoulder at Shea. “I’m sorry, love. But we don’t have time for this. I have to do what I have to do. I promise I will try my best to leave him intact.”

Shea watched as Jesse gave the monk his full attention. She wasn’t overly concerned at first; Jesse read her mind all the time. It didn’t hurt her. However, she soon realized that there were different ways of sucking out one’s thoughts.

Jesse’s head tilted to the side as he focused on the monk, and soon the male’s eyes grew wide, then rolled back in his head. She heard a clacking noise, and realized his teeth were chattering, though there was no chill in the air. His jaw slammed together, and his head fell forward. The entire process took less than a few seconds.

“Got it,” Jesse announced. Striding back over to Shea, he left the monk standing by the wall, his eyes blank and a trickle of drool running down his chin. When he reached her, he appeared sincerely sorry as he said, “I tried to harm him as little as possible, I swear it. But these men are masters at the art of mind control, and this was a secret he didn’t want anyone to find.”

Sorrow and anger filled her as she watched the stoic male slide down the wall to the floor. His robe pooled about his shrunken body. “What will become of him?”

“He may recover somewhat, enough to live a simple life. I don’t believe it’s necessary to remove his memories of us, however. There’s nothing left.”

He was so matter of fact, so cold about it all. Filled with disgust for what he’d just done, Shea turned away and headed back out to the car.

Jesse caught up to her quickly. “And there is that look again.”

She didn’t respond. She had nothing to say to him.

With a burst of speed, he got in front of her, appearing so fast that Shea had no choice but to stop. She tried to go around him, but he threw out his arms.

“Get out of my way,” she snarled.

But though he lowered his arms, his body remained tense and alert, ready to cut off any means of her escape. “Shea, it had to be done. It was necessary.”

“Not like that,” she gritted out.

“Yes. Exactly like that. There was no time to try to cajole the location from him. We have no time. The demons have all the clues. This monk is one of the few who are still alive with the knowledge of the location. We’ll be lucky if they haven’t already been here and have gotten to their original blood before we ever make it there. It may already be too late.”

“Then why are we even here?” She threw up her arms. “Why coerce me into coming on this trip with the false hope of stopping them?”

His chin rose as his teeth clamped together. “There is still a chance. If we hurry.”

She stared him down. “Then what are we waiting for? This is why I came with you. The only reason.” Her tone was sarcastic.

“Shea.”

This time when she walked around him, he didn’t stop her.