She thought twice about her second question of 'Why?' and decided it might be better just not to ask. Colin seemed so irritable!

Noticing the spoon lying beside her plate, she turned to Ben. "Do you suppose I could get a fork?" She asked him rather than Mr.

Moody at the sink, because at least Ben smiled sometimes, and she almost enjoyed his giggling. Even though she whispered, the cranky dishwasher heard and answered for Ben.

"We have none. Eat your food with the utensil provided."

Did he have to be so commanding? The utensil? To her he was acting like a drill sergeant, so she saluted his back and jerked the spoon off the bar, glaring at him the entire time. The eggs looked gross, but not wanting to raise the ire of Mr. Cranky Pants by refusing to eat them she took a gulp of air then shoveled a spoonful in her mouth.

They didn't taste as bad as they looked ... and she could tilt the spoon at an angle and let most of the grease drip out.

In the corner of her eye she glimpsed Ben falling forward onto the bar. His ivory face flushed red and his hand clamped over his mouth. She started to call out to Colin for help, but he'd left the kitchen before she said anything. Plus, Ben shook his head no.

Then he held up one finger in front of his mouth.

Finally it dawned on her ... suppressed laughter turned his face that lovely red shade.

"What..." He clamped his hand over her mouth and shook his head again. Looking her in the eye, then glancing toward the doorway, then back again to her face he shook his head again and waited to see if she understood and planned to keep quiet. Removing his hand from her mouth, Ben pointed to the doorway and made a stern face, imitating Colin. Then, he mouthed the words BAD TEMPER to her. Joanna rolled her eyes making a big "duh" face. Colin gave the words bad temper a whole new meaning in her opinion!

"Do you have any c.o.ke?" She changed the subject.

"I a.s.sume you mean the carbonated beverage?"

She wheezed, offended.

"Of course you a.s.s.... er, I mean, Ben."

He handed her a cola from the refrigerator and she pulled the tab and guzzled the drink.

"Ahhhh. Thanks. I think I'm addicted to these things." She took another long drink then she twisted her stool around to face him.

"How did my animals get here?" He gave her a look she couldn't decipher, but then he answered.

"We brought them, of course."

"Why?" He seemed to be annoyed by her question and he snapped at her, reminding her of Colin and his bad temper.

"Maybe so they would not starve to death alone in your cabin, Joanna!"

Something in his expression made her feel like she should apologize, but that would be stupid. They kidnapped her! Why shouldn't she think the worst of them? They were vampires! They couldn't have feelings. Then why did she feel like she should say she was sorry? She was about to tell him so when he began speaking.

"Ask me no more questions. Anything you wish to know, you must ask the creator." The creator? What a crock of s.h.i.t. She almost gagged.

"Are you finished with your meal?"

She nodded, one eyebrow c.o.c.ked as she glanced at Ben with a sarcastic sneer curling her top lip.

"Come along then, I'll take you to the library." He held out his hand to her, and when she hesitated he sighed and grabbed her hand, pulling her off the stool.

"Come on, Joanna, now is not the time to turn squeamish."

He was right, but why did she feel like he led her to the slaughterhouse? They had fattened the calf by feeding her, now what?

Dinner for two?

The library proved to be a more comfortable room than the remainder of the house. Well furnished with two couches and several arm chairs and a fireplace at one end of the room, which of course had no fire in it in the middle of summer. Books covered an entire wall the length of the room from floor to ceiling. Small tables with spindly attached lamps dotted the room and on top of each, magazines and books appeared to be arranged to look casual. At the far end of the room sat a huge old-fashioned desk, roll top part of the way down and inside she saw a computer monitor! How bizarre. She didn't expect to see that here with this stuffy, very old-fashioned vampire.

Colin reclined in an over-stuffed chair near the fireplace. He glanced up when Joanna and his protege entered the room.

"Make yourself at home. Feel free to read any book you desire." He beckoned to Ben and ignored her, so she walked over to the bookshelf as naturally as possible on languid legs and pretended to peer at the book t.i.tles.Ben and Colin conversed in low voices and no matter how hard she strained her ears, she couldn't hear what they were saying.

After a few minutes, Ben left Colin's side and made his way out of the library. Joanna peeked at him as he went by and he had the audacity to wink at her! She averted her eyes, but he knew that she saw him, and she heard his laughter as he walked away.

She busied herself inspecting the book t.i.tles on the library shelves until she was sure the blush was gone out of her cheeks, then she stole a look at Colin. He was engrossed in his book, his long fingers turning page after page as he read. He was so attractive and yet repellent at the same time. If it weren't for his pallor, he would look like an ordinary man sitting there. Well, a man, but definitely not ordinary!

Her gaze drifted towards the doorway when she heard tapping sounds echoing through the cabin. She wondered what Ben was doing and if she would get killed for leaving the room to find out.

"He is doing some remodeling." Colin's voice broke into her thoughts and startled her. "Do not stare at me as if I had two heads, Joanna." She hadn't realized she stared at all, and she chose to look at his hands instead.

"I know how inquisitive you are. Come over and be seated, perhaps I will answer a few of your countless questions." He placed a marker in his book and put it aside, then he positioned his hands in his lap, crossed his long legs at the knee, and sat waiting for her to sit down and speak. She burned with curiosity, but still fearful of him, she sat on the couch at the far end of the room.

"I could get to you in the blink of an eye no matter where you are, so you might as well come over here to the chair beside me. It will save you from straining your ears to hear me speak."

She sat on the edge of the couch, watching him, trying to decide what to do.

"I detest raising my voice."

Remembering his bad temper, she jumped up and moved to the chair indicated. She didn't like being in such close proximity to him.

His extraordinary magnetism affected her like that of an undertow, invisible on the surface, yet strong and lethal underneath.

Examining the fringe on her blue jean shorts, she started to question him.

"Why am I here? How long must I stay?" She glanced up to his expressionless face.

"You are here because I wish it, and you will remain here as long as I wish."

Some answer. She tried again.

"What about my clothes? I can't wear the same clothes every day. Can you imagine how I will smell?" She grew more upset by the minute. "Why can't I go home?" She whined now, her eyes br.i.m.m.i.n.g with unshed tears.

"Do not be so upset." He gave her his crisp white handkerchief and placed his hand on her leg. He squeezed then released her and sat back in his chair.

"Your clothing is here. You have your own bathroom so you can shower any time you like. You may not go home. This is your home now, for you are my chosen one. You may do anything you wish here in the cabin. If there is some other thing that you want, you need only ask and I will send Ben at once to obtain whatever you desire."

She watched him now through teary eyes as she asked her next question.

"Are you gonna kill me, Colin?" He met her gaze for a moment, running his fingers through his curly hair before answering.

"That is a difficult question for me to answer truthfully, Joanna, and I do not wish to lie to you. I can say that I will protect you from harm by anyone, including Benjamin, but as for myself, I cannot say."

He paused, rubbing his lips with his fingers, then reached under the table and drew out a tube of lip balm. After applying some to both lips, he smacked them together and returned the tube to its cubbyhole.

He saw Joanna's astonished face. "Chapped lips."

She had never expected a vampire to suffer from something as mundane as chapped lips! Heartburn maybe, or sunburn more likely, but chapped lips?

"Back to your question. If I felt it was in my best interests to kill you, I would do so without hesitation."

Joanna had moved as far away from him as she could in her chair, and she stared at him with a horrified look plastered across her face.

His voice grew louder than he'd ever spoken to her before. "But, for the present time, you are much more valuable to me alive."

Was that supposed to make her feel better? What a rea.s.surance.

"Do not anger me, Joanna, just do as you are told and you will be fine. Now, have you any more questions this evening?" She gulped several times before she could speak, and then her voice squeaked.

"May I open the shutters in my room?" He appeared dumbfounded for a moment, but recovered his expressionless facade in an instant.

"We shall see." He rose from his chair with almost fluid grace. He stopped in front of her chair and gave her a partial bow. "Excuse me for a moment." Then he left the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

What should she do? In many ways the vampires acted considerate. They brought her clothes and her pets with them, oh yeah couldn't forget that crazy bird. They gave her food and didn't attack her when she cut her hand and she could tell they wanted to.

Colin tended her wounds for her. Ben made her laugh even though she found him very annoying.

On the other hand, Ben attacked her with the intent to suck her dry, and Colin brought her here and made her stay, and he said he would kill her without hesitation. Ben was nice to Patches. Colin said she could have anything she desired, except freedom.

These two were an enigma. She pressed her fingers to her temples, mashing harder and harder as she rocked to and fro. She had to stop this jumble of thoughts. Her head would burst at any moment!

"Oh G.o.d, I'm losing it ... I'm losing my mind!"

"No you are not. Stop it this instant." Colin stood at the foot of her chair, holding a wine gla.s.s out to her.

"Drink this."

"Oh my G.o.d, it's blood!"

"Stop the theatrics, Joanna. It is only wine. Must I slap you to settle you down?" His words worked as well as a slap and she stopped her hysterical behavior.

"No.... no.... I'm fine." She took the wine from his hand, sipped it and found it to be quite good, so she downed the rest and handed the gla.s.s back to the surprised vampire.

"May I have another gla.s.s please?"

"Of course ... should I bring the entire bottle to save myself another trip?"

She couldn't tell by his face if he joked or not. "No, thank you, one gla.s.s will be fine."

When he left she glanced around the room again, her knees bobbing up and down in time with her throbbing temples. Her eyes settled on the fireplace. Could she climb out through the chimney? Jumping up, she darted to the doorway and looked out for signs of either one of her captors. Not seeing them, she tiptoed to the fireplace and bent down to peer up the chimney. It looked wide enough. Too dark to see very far, but it seemed large enough for her to get into anyway. Pulling the chain to open the damper, she crawled into the empty fireplace and stood up inside the dirty flue.

She tried to hold back her coughs, but they escaped her lips anyway and she blew even more dust into the small s.p.a.ce that her head occupied. Reaching up with her hands, she quickly realized that her body would never fit through that opening. Her heart sank. Utter disappointment immobilized her for a moment then her fear returned when she figured that Colin probably stood right there watching her feet in the fireplace. That fear prompted her to slither as quick as possible back out of the flue.

How fortunate, neither vampire had returned to the room so she ran over to the chair and plopped down in the same spot she occupied before Colin left, just in time for him to walk back in the room.

He stopped short, staring at her with obvious astonishment.

"WHAT?" She laced as much righteous indignation into that one word as possible and tried in vain to make her heart slow back down.

Colin came closer, setting the wine bottle down on the table without lifting his eyes from her face. Such a peculiar expression on his face for a brief moment then it blanked, devoid of emotion ... like staring at a Halloween mask. Not saying a word to her, he strode to the chair and sat down facing her, his legs crossed at the knee with elegant grace and continued to stare.

Her discomfort increased as the silence grew thicker and thicker still. Finally she could take it no more.

"What the h.e.l.l are you staring at me for?"

Colin cleared his throat, grimacing when she raised her voice, then leaned forward as if to share a secret with her.

"Did I not just tell you it would be wise not to anger me?" Joanna's eyes widened, then dropped to her lap. It was then that she noticed the black s.m.u.t all over her hands, arms, and chest. Oh s.h.i.t. What was she supposed to say now? A sudden burst of laughter startled her and she looked up to see Ben in the doorway, looking right at her, laughing his head off.

He couldn't help himself. There she sat covered with black grime trying her best to appear innocent. Black smudges even covered her face. And to make matters even funnier, Colin sat across from her watching her ... his creator vampire facade plastered on his features.

Too funny! He roared with laughter made even funnier yet when she squirmed in discomfort.

"You tried to climb up the fireplace didn't you?"

Joanna had never felt so stupid. Searching the area for something, anything to throw at Ben, she grabbed one of the cushions off the couch and flung it with all her might at his laughing face. Of course she missed and instead knocked an ornament off the shelf, which fell to the floor and broke into several pieces. Ben's laughter died in an instant and she heard him mutter, "Uh oh" as he beat a hasty retreat.

Colin's face never changed, but Ben's quick exit confirmed Colin's displeasure well enough. Urging her limbs to move, Joanna jumped up from the chair and bent to pick up the pieces of the broken horse. The mirrored base of the statue remained unbroken, and in that mirror a blackened face stared back at her.

Just lovely. Now what could she say?

Colin cleared his throat and stared at her, hiding his amus.e.m.e.nt as her face flushed red under all that soot.

"I trust our chimney met with your approval."His velvety voice traveled along her spine like a caress and a rash of goose b.u.mps broke out on her skin. He kneeled down beside her, his leg brushing against her thigh and her heart raced out of control.

"S..ss..sorry about your statue." Her head felt light and her fear of him grew so strong that even she could smell it so she knew without a doubt that he knew of her apprehension. How could he not?

Trying to remain sane, she examined the pattern of the rug that she kneeled on, following its intricate patterns with her eyes. He knelt beside her, not saying a word, not moving, just staring into her filthy face. Joanna was just as determined not to look up at him as he was to stare her down.

Snapping out of his control she tried to push him over so she could flee. All she managed to do was break a nail as it snagged in his pants. Mortified, she stood up fast, dropped the statue and stumbled away from the silent vampire.

With effortless speed, he caught her by the neck and held tight. His long fingers fit all the way around her throat, but he restrained himself, not squeezing to the point of suffocating her, but just tight enough to rein her in. He knew hysteria swelled in her chest and he found himself tightening his grip as she opened her mouth to scream.

"No! You will not scream."

A gargled squawk left her lips anyway, and he did squeeze then ... a bit too hard. When she went limp, he regretted his anger and lifted her like an infant and draped her across the sofa. She only fainted, but nevertheless, he should not have been so brutal. Fear was normal after all and he should not let it disturb him.

Arranging her limbs into a comfortable position and her head on one of the many soft gray pillows, he allowed his gaze to wander down her body and back up to her exposed throat. Had he done that on purpose? That positioning of her head so that the entire length of her lovely neck laid bare and enticing?

Ben returned to the room and caught Colin standing over Joanna as she slept on the couch. His creator, bent at the waist, his arms hanging as if attached by rubber bands as he gazed at the woman he'd mesmerized. Colin seemed annoyed that Ben disturbed him, but he pretended he didn't notice the drawn eyebrows and narrowed gaze from his maker. Heedless of any warnings Colin may have been giving him he padded across the thick rug anyway, and stood beside the now very annoyed older blood seeker.