Ivan knew he should run. Staying was most likely going to get him in a whole heap of trouble, but he also knew he couldn’t leave this woman’s side. The second he’d caught the scent of her, The Thirst had released its clutch at his throat, and the panic that had gripped him since waking faded away. Nothing else existed now except for her. The moment he’d scented her, he’d known she was his, and he was going to be hers. If only everything wasn’t so damned complicated. If he’d met her yesterday instead of today, then things would have been all right. Had he messed everything up before they’d even had the chance to meet?

He’d watched this happen once before with his own progeny, and now it was happening to him. This woman was his Bloodmate, and he couldn’t just walk away from that. He needed her, wanted her, desired her more than anything else in his life, but he could tell this wasn’t going to be easy. She was a naturally sceptical person, and a human, no less, who didn’t look as though she’d had much contact with the paranormal world. She was going to take some convincing, and he’d be lucky if she didn’t slap a pair of cuffs around his wrists and haul him off to jail.

But he’d had an effect on her; he knew he had. He’d sensed it in the race of her pulse, the way those perfect lips had parted, the hitching of her breath. He longed to yank her hair out of that prim bun and rake his fingers through her tresses. He wanted to tear off the restrictive police uniform and feast on the glorious body he was certain lay beneath.

She thought he might be responsible for killing a man on the moors, however. Truth be told, he wasn’t totally sure he hadn’t been the one to do it either. She might be his Bloodmate, but that didn’t mean he was any good for her. She clearly had a successful life here. What good would he do her by coming into it? But at the same time, her role as a police officer was to keep people safe, and her being in his life would do that. Without her, he would continue to go on a downward spiral, and if blackouts were a part of The Thirst, there was no telling what he might be capable of.

He didn’t know what he was supposed to do. Perhaps he needed to call in The Directive and get them to make that decision for him. He knew what they’d say—that she needed to be with him, that Bloodmates were destined to be together, and their bond was more important than anything else. But would they think differently if they knew he’d already killed someone?

“I need to contact The Directive,” he told her. “If the man’s death is down to me, then it’s because The Thirst took hold, and that is their jurisdiction. I know you probably won’t believe me, but that isn’t who I am normally. I’m not going to pretend I don’t feed on blood, but normally only from a blood bank, or from a willing participant. I wouldn’t kill someone I fed from.”

“So maybe you weren’t the one responsible,” she said.

“If it wasn’t me, then I’m afraid you might have something else to worry about.”

“Let’s get your shirt back and then go down to the station and find out.”

He didn’t want to go down to the station, but what choice did he have? He needed to be with this woman, and she needed to find out who was responsible for the death. If it was him, then they’d have to get The Directive in to deal with him. His heart tightened at the thought. He’d only just found her, and now there was a chance he’d lose her again before they’d even had the chance to get to know each other.

“What if I choose not to?”

Her shoulders straightened. “Then you’ll force me to arrest you.”

“I’m a vampire. I’m afraid you’ll find it difficult to arrest me if I choose not to let you. I’m stronger than you’ll ever be, and I’m fast, too. You could lock me in a cell, but I’ll simply bend back the bars and step out again.”

She seemed to consider his words. “If you could have done all of those things, why are you sitting here with me now? You could have run the moment you saw me, but you didn’t.”

“No, I didn’t.”

They sat, staring at each other, and everyone else in the room fell away. The space between them tingled with charge, and he longed to cross it, to lean in and tangle his fingers in her hair and push her back across the bar. His cock stiffened at the thought. She might not know it yet, but that was what they were destined to do, and though she looked as though she’d punch him in the mouth and then sit astride him and handcuff him if he so much as attempted something like that, somehow that made her even more enticing. This woman wasn’t the kind to go fawning over him just because of his appearance or how much money he had. No, she valued integrity above all else. He’d not lived a flawless life—far from it—but maybe she would be the woman to change all of that.

Assuming he didn’t end up being taken down by The Directive for his part in current events, of course.

“Okay. Take me wherever you need me to go, but there are three things you need to agree to first.”

“You shouldn’t be the one making demands in this situation.”

“You don’t have any choice. Agree to them or I’ll run.”

Her full lips thinned, but she gave a single nod. “Tell me.”

“The first is that I’ll need to be somewhere away from any windows by sunrise. The sun will kill me.”

She nodded again. “Agreed.”

“The second is that we need to contact someone at The Directive and let them know what’s happening here. I’ve been struck by The Thirst and you’re my Bloodmate. There are people who may want to use that to their advantage, and besides, if it turns out I’m a killer, The Directive are the ones who’ll decide what to do with me.”

“I think I can manage that. What’s the third?”

“That you stay nearby at all times. You’re my Bloodmate, and I need you with me.”

A small, disbelieving smile touched her lips. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am. The only reason I’m not running right now is you. I know you don’t feel it the way I do, but we’re connected, you and I.”

“Destined,” she said, but he didn’t miss the disbelieving tone in her voice.

“Yes. I hope we have time for you to be able to discover that for yourself.”

She closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. “This is insane.”

“Do you agree to my terms?”

“I guess I don’t have much of a choice.”

It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. With her at his side, at least he didn’t need to worry about hurting anyone else. The Thirst had released its hold on him and would continue to do so while they were together.

He still hadn’t checked out of his hotel room but he figured there wasn’t much point in doing so now. It didn’t look as though he would be returning to London any time soon.

“Give me a minute,” he said. “I need to go and find the maid’s cart and hope she hasn’t disposed of the black rubbish bag already.”

Charlie got to her feet. “I should come with you.”

“No, really. I’ll be quicker on my own.”

Her blue eyes narrowed. “Because of your ... speed?”

“Exactly.”

Before she could say another word, he’d already left, darting out of the bar area faster than she was able to see. He took the stairs back to the floor his room was on and spotted the maid’s trolley only a little farther down the hall. The black bag still hung from the end, and from the smell of blood which filtered through to his nostrils, he was able to tell the shirt was still in there. Using his speed, he ran to the cart, plunged his arm into the bag, and pulled out the bundle of material. Before anyone had even noticed him, he was back in the bar, taking his seat opposite Charlie.

She widened her eyes at him. “Now, that was fast.”

He repressed a smug smirk. He wasn’t in any position to be smug right now.

Not wanting any of the other guests to see what was in his hand, he pushed the bundle of clothing into the top of his bag.

“We’re taking my car,” Charlie said.

He wasn’t going to argue with her about that. “How far away is the station?”

“About forty minutes’ drive.”

He allowed a small smile to play across his lips. “A little time to get to know each other, then.”

She shot him a look. “This isn’t a date, Mr Sokolov.”

He trapped the smile between his lips. “Of course not. My apologies.”

But he was still happy to spend time in her company, even if it was only to be driven to a police station and possibly arrested for murder. He’d have considered the idea laughable if someone had suggested such a thing to him only a matter of days ago, but he discovered things could change fast and with no warning at all.

He threw a ten pound note onto the bar to pay for her drink and then got to his feet. Already, Charlie was walking away, heading out of the door, and he found his gaze drifting down to take in the way her waist nipped in and flared out at the hips. Even the bulky police uniform couldn’t hide those curves.

He let out a sigh and ran his hand over his lips. Life could be so damned cruel. He’d found her—the rare thing that was a vampire’s Bloodmate—but she thought he was a murderer.

Reaching down, Ivan picked up his bag and followed her outside. She was already at her car and had opened the rear door.

He cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t expect me to sit in the back?”

“How am I going to explain to my colleagues that I’ve arrested a suspect, but I let him ride shotgun?”

“Don’t tell them you’ve arrested a suspect. I’m not under arrest, am I? I’m coming in voluntarily.” There was no way he was sitting in the back like some kind of criminal. Okay, maybe he was a criminal, but he was still working on the innocent-until-proven-guilty theory. Anyway, he wanted to sit beside her.

She ground her teeth at him. “You’re not making this easy for me.”

“I am,” he replied, thinking of all the ways it could be difficult to take a vampire in for questioning. “Believe me, I am.”