Rose jerked her chin from the man's grasp, reacting to his commanding voice. She let her disgust come across in her tone as she pulled on the handcuffs once more. "God, I hope not. The last thing I remember, I was drinking a second glass of wine. Then I woke up here. I've been knocked out cold for..." she paused, glancing at the covered windows that gave her no indication of the time of day, before she finished, "who knows how long."

The tall, handsome stranger narrowed his lion-like golden eyes as if assessing her. Apprehension rippled through her. Her heart rate picked up when he put his jeans-clad knee on the bed next to her and clasped the back of her neck.

As he pulled her toward him and leaned close, her heart jerked at the thought he might be a vampire too. Did he plan to bite her? She tried to pull away, but his grip was like steel. His overnight beard brushed her cheek while he coaxed in a gentle tone, "Tog go bog e." He moved to the other side of her neck, treating her to the same strange inspection. What had he said? she wondered. Intuitively she knew he'd told her to be calm since his actions were slower, more attentive than brusque. His hand cupped the back of her head, then shifted to her hair, gently pulling until she turned her head in the other direction to expose her neck.

He smelled so good, like fresh outdoors, leather and all male. When his rough beard brushed her cheek again, she found herself wishing her hands weren't bound so she could touch his light brown hair and run her hands across his black T-shirt, to feel the strength of his broad shoulders and chest.

An unbidden shiver coursed through her when his warm breath caressed her skin. The fact she was totally naked and bound, making her the most vulnerable she could possibly be, only added to her confusion of the strange sensuality of the moment. Her heart rate increased tenfold at the realization that she felt no hesitation with this man, only...complete trust.

His hand tightened in her hair for a brief second before he released her and pulled back to stand beside the bed once more. "Good, he hasn't touched you. One less complication to worry about," he said in a matter-of-fact tone as he reached for the handcuffs that bound her to the wooden headboard.

When he pulled the metal handcuffs off her wrists as easily as if they were made of aluminum foil, Rose blinked at him in surprise. She stepped off the bed beside him and covered her breasts with her arms. "Are you a vampire, too?"

"My name is Duncan Mordoor." He tugged off his black T-shirt and handed it to her. "Here. Cover yourself until we can find your clothes."

Embarrassed heat rode up her cheeks and she grabbed the shirt, pulling it over her head while she mumbled, "Thank you for your help, Duncan."

Shrugging the shirt on in quick, jerky movements caused the material to rub against her wrists. Rose hissed at the pain, then blew cool air on her stinging, raw skin and berated herself for causing such harsh damage to her wrists while trying to get free.

Duncan moved in front of her and took her hand. Raising her wrist to his lips, his golden gaze met hers as the warmth from his mouth grazed her flesh. "I mean you no harm-" he began, then paused. A look of surprise crossed his face before his eyebrows drew together. "What is your name?"

"Rose," she said in a breathless whisper and nodded her assent for him to continue. As he swiped his tongue across her wrist in a gentle stroke, she thought she saw desire flicker in his eyes, darkening the hue to the color of whisky. She gasped at the sensations rolling through her as her gaze landed on the sprinkle of light brown hair across his muscular chest.

Her line of sight dropped to his well-formed abs and she whimpered at the tingling that spread throughout her body from just one swipe of his tongue. Her nipples had immediately hardened and her sex began to throb. Frightened by her instantaneous reaction to this stranger, she tried to pull her hand away, but Duncan laced his fingers with hers and tightened his hold.

"Trust me, Roisin," he said in a husky voice before he turned her wrist and applied the same soothing ministrations on the other side.

Ro-sheen? Why did that name sound familiar and comforting to her? He'd said it with a slight accent. And what he'd said to her earlier sounded foreign too. Was he Irish? "You're a vampire." She panted the statement as he moved to her other wrist.

Yes, I'm a vampire, he spoke in her mind.

When he began the process all over again, she lost the ability to string two words together, let alone coherent thoughts. Instead of Rose fearing what he was, this man made her feel cherished, desired and protected.

Why did what he was doing to her feel right and not the least bit bizarre? Instead, the sensation of his tongue running across her skin seemed to be a prelude to what he wanted to do to her in more intimate places. It felt sensual, seductive and incredibly erotic. Every nerve ending tensed in anticipation, waiting for the next brush of his tongue. When it came, a blush spread all over as her body ignited, burning from her head to her toes.

She closed her eyes, fighting the all-consuming sensations. No. He won't make me feel. Refusing to acknowledge the tide of emotions rolling through her, she tried to shake them off and swayed, causing her knees to buckle.

Duncan's arm came around her back and he pulled her against his warm, hard chest. An overwhelming sense of security washed over her at the feel of his arm supporting her, pinning her body against his. Her eyes flew open in time to see raw hunger reflected in his gaze before he shuttered it behind a look of indifference.

"Your wounds will heal soon," he said in an aloof voice. He set her away from him then moved across the room to open drawers and closet doors. "James is out of commission for now, but I don't care to linger." Opening a deep drawer in the nightstand next to the bed, he pulled out a stack of folded clothes and tossed them to her. "I presume these are yours."

She captured the clothes, but concern gripped her when he didn't pull anything else out of the drawer. "Is my purse in there? I don't want to leave it behind."

Duncan shook his head then walked back to the closet. He opened the doors, reached up to the shelf and slid his hand across the top. When he pulled down her purse, she breathed a sigh of relief. He frowned as he squeezed the soft, thin, leather material. She held her breath, waiting to see if he was going to ask her about the gun inside.

He didn't say a word about it, but instead of tossing the purse to her, he walked over and put it in her hand.

"Get dressed and we'll get out of here."

Once she'd put on the underwear, sweater, leather miniskirt and her shoes she'd found under the bed, Rose started to hand Duncan his shirt, but held fast to it when she noticed the rips and bloodstains on the back. Deep fear gripped her at the sight. "Ohmigod, what did this?" she asked, then demanded, "Let me see your back."

He tugged the shirt from her hands and shrugged it on. "I'm fine."

At his casual tone, as if his wounds weren't very serious, she glanced down at her wrists and realized her wounds had stopped stinging. Shaking her head in total wonder, she followed Duncan through the dark mansion, then outside. She stayed close to him until he stopped beside a motorcycle on the driveway. Inhaling deep, calming breaths, she welcomed the warm morning sun on her face. She'd never been so glad to see sunlight in her life.

Wait a minute. Duncan had just waltzed outside as if he didn't have a care in the world. "Hey, how can you walk in the sun? I thought vampires and sunlight didn't mix." She squinted against the bright sun and waited for his response.

He gave her a curt nod. "Vampires can go out at dusk or if it's very overcast or stormy out. I'm half-human so I can withstand the full sun." He glanced back to the house with a cocky smirk. "Unlike James."

"You're going to call the police, right?" she asked when he handed her an extra helmet. "I'm not leaving until I know James has been arrested."

"James will be dealt the harshest punishment by our council. If not, I'll take care of him myself."

The dark ruthlessness of his words made goose bumps form on her arms. She didn't doubt for a minute he meant what he said.

Before she could respond, Duncan continued, "After I make this phone call, I'll take you to your car or home, wherever you need me to take you. But before I leave you, we need to talk."

She stiffened then wrapped her arms around the helmet, holding it against her stomach. "Listen, I appreciate you saving me from the 'bad' vampire, but once you take me to my car, you can go your way and I'll go mine. I've got a client waiting on me. I don't have time to waste standing around talking."

His gaze narrowed on her. "We will talk, Rose."

"What do you want to talk about?" she challenged him. "You're not going to try and make me forget what I've seen and experienced the past few hours, are you?"

Duncan set his jaw. "You will forget everything that happened to you the past few hours. Once I drop you off, you'll also forget my existence as well."

Rose resisted the shiver than zipped down her spine at his commanding tone. At the same time, a strange pressure entered her head, as if a headache was about to start. She winced and held off the pressure in her mind, but she couldn't resist the jolting sensation any longer. She succumbed to the cold tremor that coursed through her but was surprised when it changed to sizzling warmth by the time it reached the ends of her fingertips. Whoa, that was intense.

"When you do that it feels very different than when James tried to make me forget." Her brow furrowed as she rationalized the reason why in her mind. "Maybe it's because you're from another clan. Which clan? The Kantres, the Rueans, or the Arryns?"

Duncan's expression betrayed very little emotion at her question, but for some reason she knew she'd just thrown him. Big time. He clenched his jaw, turned on his heel and walked away as he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. With his back to her, she noticed just how broad his shoulders were. She winced at the claw tears and dried blood spatters on the back of his shirt, but she couldn't keep her gaze from straying lower where she noted just how well his jeans fit his nice ass.

As much as she appreciated Duncan's help and his fab body, she didn't like anyone trying to erase her memory or compel her to do his bidding, vampire or not. No one was screwing up this chance to fulfill her dream.

Cell phone in hand, Duncan stood there, contemplating Rose. The fact he couldn't read this woman's mind unnerved him. He'd tried to discover her name and something about her earlier, but she'd totally blocked him. He could sense her, hear her heart beating and he could smell her.

Damn, he could he smell her. Something about her was so intoxicating he couldn't stop from inhaling when he was near her just to catch her spicy rose scent again and again. His discovery she couldn't be compelled or have her memory wiped floored him. My God, no wonder James found her so intriguing.

How much had the vamp told her about the Kendrians? The woman obviously wanted to keep the information she'd learned about them. To what purpose? Did her appointment have anything to do with the information she'd gathered? And why was she carrying a gun? Shit, he'd never had so many questions in his life and so few answers.

Shaking away the frustrating thoughts concerning Rose, Duncan glanced up when a gust of cool wind blew against him. Clouds had begun to form. He frowned as he dialed Sabryn's number and waited impatiently for her to answer.

"Hey, Duncan," she answered, obviously looking at her caller ID. "How'd it go?"

"James is secured for now. While I take care of the woman, I'll send Mark to keep an eye on James' house until I can come back and retrieve him."

"Mark's a Tracker, Duncan. Vampire hunters aren't my idea of help-"

"He's a vampire, too, and loyal to the Kendrians," he interrupted her in a harsh tone.

Sabryn sighed. "Just in case, I'll send men to help as soon as it's safely possible for them to go outside. Is the woman okay?"

He cast a glance at Rose as she hiked her short skirt to the top of her thighs so she could climb on the back of his bike. The additional show of gorgeous long legs as she settled on his leather seat made his cock jump to attention. His blood boiled at the thought James planned to "take" her without her permission.

"They'd better make James' punishment a harsh one, Sabryn, or I'm going to take care of him myself."

"He hurt her?" she asked, compassion lacing her words.

"The woman is fine."

"Ah, I see." She chuckled at his gruff response. "Bruised your ego, did he?"

"The vamp crossed the line." Annoyed, he punched the button to end the call. As he scanned for Mark's cell phone number in his caller ID history listing, he cast a glance over at Rose once more to see her running her fingers through her hair. Unable to look away, he watched transfixed, his groin throbbing as she shook out her hair, then put on the helmet. She was completely unaware how sexy she looked perched on his bike, her firm thighs hugging the leather seat.

He groaned inwardly at the things she made him think of doing to her, to find out just how far she'd let him go. Not once had he been able to read her, to hear her thoughts. And damn if he didn't want to know what she was thinking when he'd cleansed her wounds.

Earlier, when he'd brushed his tongue against her skin, the look of surprise on her face, followed by the rampant sound of her increasing heart rate, made him want to roar. When he first tasted her blood, it took all his willpower not to clamp down on her wrist and devour.

Her essence was so unique, like an ancient, seductive wine, yet pure and innocent. The intriguing mixture thoroughly intoxicated him. He had to force his lustful thoughts back to a clinical mind-set, focusing on her welfare to keep himself from pulling her hips against his. He'd wanted to find out just how well he'd fit inside her sweet body.

Looking at her now, the memory of her warm, rose-scented body pressed close fresh on his mind, Duncan gritted his teeth and once again had to force his mind back to his task at hand. Staring into the woods to the side of James' house, he hit the redial button for Mark's number. He'd done his duty, saved the damsel in distress. The sooner he got this all over with the better.

"I do believe hell just dropped a few hundred degrees," Mark answered, annoyance accompanying the sarcasm.

"Cut the wiseass comments. I need your help."

"My help? You don't sound like you're on death's door. Did James knock you in the head one too many times?"

"Devlin," Duncan warned.

"What do you need?" Mark's tone instantly changed.

"I've secured James in his home but I have to take care of the woman. I need you to stake out the house and make sure no one goes in or comes out."

"That's a little hard to do on all sides."

"Call your Tracker buddies to help you," Duncan suggested. "If the vamp so much as blinks, take him out."

"He's rogue?"

"In my book, he is."

"Council-sanctioned?" Mark asked for clarification.

Duncan didn't respond.

"Damn it, Duncan, you know if I call in a bunch of human Trackers, they'll want to do what they do naturally."

"If he makes even one move, take him out."

"Got it."

"I'll be back to help as soon as I take the woman-" Duncan cut himself off at the sound of his bike's engine roaring to life.

He turned in surprise to see Rose drive past him as she called out over the loud noise, "See ya, Duncan. I'll leave your bike at the Lion's Lair."

Mark's chuckle in his ear grated on his nerves. "Seems the lady's taking care of herself and you're free to give us a hand."

"She and I have some unfinished business first." Duncan punched the phone off and narrowed his gaze on Rose's retreating back.

He stood there for a few seconds, dumbfounded that she'd had the nerve, let alone the skill, to take off on his bike. He eyed James' bright red, top-of-the-line sports car sitting on the far side of the driveway. Without a second thought, he walked over and tried the driver's side door. Rolling his eyes that James didn't bother locking the vehicle, he slid into the soft leather seat and ran his hand across the ignition.

A spark was all it took and the car's engine purred to life. Before he could let Rose go, he had one more chore to accomplish. Erasing her memory was best for all involved. With his heightened mental capabilities, he should be able to figure a way past her unusually strong defenses.

Duncan waited until Mark showed before he put the pedal to the floor in James' car. He took the car's speed capabilities to the limit as he used back roads and shortcuts to get to the Lion's Lair. When he got to the parking lot and saw his motorcycle sitting alone, his irritation at the woman's gumption spiked.

A rumble of thunder caused him to look up at the steadily darkening sky. He'd noticed the heavy clouds rolling in on his way to the nightclub, but now his irritation turned into concern at the impending storm. He got out of the car, walked over to his bike and was in the process of putting on his helmet when his cell phone rang.

Once he flipped open his cell, Mark called out over the thunder rumbling in the background, "Duncan, this storm's timing sucks."

The fact the sky might be dark enough for James to escape Duncan's makeshift prison of sunlight caused fear for Rose's safety to ripple through him. But he couldn't pit Mark against James. The battle would be an unfair one.

"Tell me the Trackers are there."

"Yep, they just got here."

He could hear the excitement in Mark's voice. Knowing firsthand the extent of James' powers, he warned, "James is a formidable adversary, Mark. His shape-shifting is unlike anything I've ever seen. Do not underestimate him or it'll be the last breath you take."

Men's voices, accompanied by the distinct sound of clips being loaded into guns, filtered across the line. "I hear ya," Mark replied before he hung up.

As he closed the cell phone, Duncan couldn't shake the sense of foreboding that washed over him, making his entire body tense. Tracking Rose's scent wouldn't be hard, but tracking her in the rain added a layer of difficulty he didn't need, not with the sky getting darker by the second. Why the hell hadn't he asked her for her last name?

When the first few fat drops of rain began to fall, he opened a waterproof compartment on his bike and put his cell phone in it. Then he quickly put on his helmet and hopped on his bike, kicking the engine to life.

He rode in the rain for half an hour, following her lingering scent. But when the rain began to come down in sheets, the downpour washed away her presence. After fifteen more minutes her scent stopped dead at a T in the road.

He ignored his soaked clothes and the cool spring air on his skin while he sat at the crossroads, his bike's engine rumbling. Left or right? While he debated, the heavy rain slowed until only a fine mist coated his helmet's visor.

The sudden ringing of his cell phone jolted him out of his deliberation. Pulling off his helmet, he opened the compartment on his bike and grabbed the phone, flipping it open.

"Mordoor."

"He's gone," came Mark's terse reply.