Duncan chuckled at the child's question. "Rose is much better at explaining things than me."

The little girl looked at Rose expectantly. Duncan heard Rose clear her throat. He waited, curious to see what she would say.

Rose stood and gathered Katie's toy cars. She handed them to the little girl with a smile. "Well, Katie, two people fall in love, then get married. Then they have children."

While Katie nodded as if what Rose said made perfect sense, Rose's words kept reverberating in his head. "Two people fall in love, then get married."

Duncan glanced at Rose as she sat back down, but even when he said her name, she refused to look his way.

The reason for Rose's resistance hit him. Did she not love him? She'd never told him she did. He knew she wanted him. That part she couldn't deny, but love? He'd never thought the idea she might not love him would strike him so hard.

His stomach clenched while he watched Rose continue to talk with the little girl, discussing one of her cars with her. Rose was so beautiful through and through. He'd find a way to make her love him, to want to be his mate.

"Use your heart to win her," the Saoi's words came back to him.

Duncan clasped Rose's hand and lifted it to his lips. Truce, a ghra?

Spreading her fingers to lace them with his, Rose smiled. Truce.

I still want you.

I know. She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed.

Duncan kissed her hair and inhaled her floral scent as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer.

Rose waved as Mark drove up to the terminal to pick them up in Duncan's black sports car.

"Hi, Mark," she said when he jumped out and took her suitcase.

"How was Ireland?" Mark's gaze darted back and forth between Rose and Duncan.

"Breathtaking and enlightening," Rose said at the same time Duncan said, "Educational."

She laughed at his one-word assessment of their trip, but Duncan seemed preoccupied. His gaze scanned the crowds around them several times, his entire demeanor tense.

"What's wrong?" Rose glanced around, trying to see what would cause his tension.

Duncan shrugged and put his suitcase in the trunk. "Nothing," he said, shutting the trunk. "I'll just feel better when we're back at Ian's house. We got back to Chicago later than I preferred with the hour delay added to our layover."

Rose glanced at her watch, then the blue sky with a laugh. "It's four in the afternoon and sunny. We'll be fine."

When Duncan insisted on driving, Rose just rolled her eyes. She climbed in the passenger seat and waited for Duncan to get in and Mark to slide in the backseat.

While Duncan punched the button to roll down all the car's windows as he turned onto the highway, she spoke in his mind, her tone teasing. So when am I going to get to see your place?

Duncan cast his gaze her way. As soon as James and Ronan are no longer a threat to you. I can protect you better with Ian and Jax's help.

"Anything happen while we were gone?" Duncan asked, looking at Mark in the rearview mirror.

Rose glanced back at Mark to see him nod. "Yep, with your mother's help we caught Ronan for a brief time. James got away."

"Where'd you find Ronan?" Rose asked.

"Fighting James at your house."

"What!" Rose's voice elevated along with her anger. "They were in my home?"

"Uh...yes."

"What happened?" Duncan interrupted, his hands on the wheel tightening.

"Your mother asked Ronan to join with us to fight James."

"Hell no!" Rose yelled, fury slicing through her.

"Huh?" Mark asked, glancing at her with a confused look on his face.

"Ronan killed Rose's father," Duncan said in a cold tone.

Mark ran his hand through his blond hair. "Man, Rose, I'm so sorry. Well, no worries on that one since Ronan refused to join us. He threatened to take your life, too, Duncan."

"Just what I need, a psycho Guardian on my tail," Duncan grumbled. He started to speak again when the sound of metal hitting metal caused the car to pitch forward. While Duncan jerked his gaze to the rearview mirror, Rose screamed and quickly turned to see an SUV had hit them from behind and was riding their bumper.

"Sonofabitch, he's got transers working for him!" Duncan yelled as he gripped the wheel. He had to swerve to the right to avoid another car that had come up on his left. "I hope to hell you came prepared," he gritted out to Mark.

"I'm a boy scout, remember?" Mark said pulling out a gun he had tucked in his boot.

"And that you have more than one of those," Rose yelled, gripping the dash as their car took another hit from behind.

Mark handed her his weapon, then leaned down to retrieve another one from behind the front seat.

"Shit!" Duncan hissed when the car beside them suddenly moved in front of them, then slammed on its brakes. Another car had moved to take its place to the left of Duncan's car, and a truck was now on their right. Duncan had no choice but to hit the brakes. It was too late. Wheels screeched as they rammed into the back of the black car in front of them.

Rose's airbag deployed, but Duncan's didn't. The impact sent him flying headfirst into the windshield.

"Duncan!" she screamed at the sight of his blood all over the broken windshield. He wasn't moving. God, no! she mentally screamed as she tried to pull him back, to see if he was still conscious. As she tried to shake Duncan's limp body leaning over the steering wheel, the smell of burned rubber and blood assailed her senses. She'd dropped the gun when they'd hit the car in front of them, but the sight of several men surrounding their car, guns pointing at them, made her dive for the gun to defend herself.

Rose glanced back to see Mark lying on his side, unconscious and bleeding from bullet holes in his chest. She bit her lip to keep herself focused when all she wanted to do was scream at the top of her lungs. Guilt overwhelmed her that she'd been so out of it seeing Duncan's still body and trying to check if he were okay, she didn't even hear the gunshots that Mark had taken to his chest.

The odor of burning flesh slammed into her as she gripped the gun tight in her hand. She started to aim her weapon at the men approaching her side of the car when the sound of James' voice outside Duncan's door sent an ice-cold chill down her spine.

He held a gun to the base of Duncan's skull.

"I'll put a bullet right through the back of his head if you don't leave with me right now."

James was wearing sunglasses, a hat, a long coat and gloves, but still she smelled his flesh burning. Even the slightest movement exposed his skin to the sun. The foul smell made her stomach turn.

She set her gun down on the dash. "I'll go, but if anything happens to Duncan, I'll kill you."

"Why would I kill him? He still has his uses."

One of the men pulled open the bent passenger car door so she could get out. Once she stood outside the car, Rose smelled James' scent on the men surrounding her. But they still smelled human, too. "Duncan called them transers. What are they?" she asked, narrowing her gaze on James who'd come around to her side of the car.

"My very own private army, bitten twice. Just one more bite and they'll be full vampri. A nice incentive, don't you think?" he smirked.

Sick at just how ruthless James turned out to be, she wanted to make sure he understood her terms in agreeing to go with him. "You know I have the power to inflict serious damage if you go back on your word."

James' laugh sounded off balance to her ears as he moved to stand in front of her. His burning flesh made her want to hurl. "I'm well aware Mordoor converted you." His lighthearted tone turned cold as he grabbed her by the throat and squeezed. "Why would you betray me like that, Rose?"

James' grip felt as if it were crushing her throat, that at any moment her neck would snap in two. Her fingernails turned into claws as she desperately ripped at his hand around her throat.

James roared at the wounds she inflicted. Lifting her bodily, he slammed her down on the hood of the crushed car. Pain splintered through her skull at the impact.

"You're going to give me what I've been waiting for," he hissed out between clenched teeth.

As he finished speaking, blessed darkness engulfed her.

Chapter Fifteen

Sweet blood. The smell permeated her consciousness as she awoke. It was so close, she could almost taste it. Her head ached but she didn't care. The blood smelled so good as if it were on her lips. Reality kicked in and she realized blood coated her mouth. It smelled of Duncan, but different. She started to flick her tongue out to taste it when she heard Duncan's pained voice in her head. No, Rose!

Even though her heart thumped in happiness that Duncan still lived, the horror in his voice snapped her fully awake. She jerked her eyes open to see two of James' men holding Duncan by his arms a few feet in front of her. Two other transers trained their guns on his head. She quickly glanced around and realized she was in some type of abandoned warehouse.

Stacks of shipping crates surrounded them. Boat horns sounded off in the distance. Her heart jerked when her gaze landed on Mark's still body lying near a crate. Only a faint heartbeat remained. She held back a sob as her gaze shifted back to Duncan once more.

He was on his knees on the dirty concrete floor, his face pained, but his gaze full of intensity as it met hers. Two streams of blood made bright red streaks down his throat, staining his light blue shirt. From the pale color of his skin, the weakness she sensed from him, someone had taken his blood-a lot of it.

Her stomach knotted in fear.

James.

"I know you're hungry, Rose. Taste it," James demanded from somewhere to her left.

Rose sat up from her lying position on the cool, hard floor and narrowed her gaze on James. He'd removed his hat, coat and sunglasses. He stood there in black pants and a black T-shirt, his thick arms crossed over his chest. The blood he took from Duncan must've sped James' healing because his skin showed no signs of burns. Still, the smell of burned flesh clung to him. Her stomach lurched at the faint lingering scent.

She wiped her lips on her sleeve to remove the offending blood. "Nice try, but I'm not in the mood for tainted blood."

James clenched his hands by his side, roaring in fury. "You will take my blood. You will become my mate."

Stomping over to Duncan, he grasped his hair and jerked Duncan's head back.

James stumbled as if he'd been punched in the gut. The smirk on Duncan's pained face told her Duncan still had some kick left in him.

Go Duncan, Rose spoke to him mentally.

But James quickly recovered and slammed his fist into Duncan's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. While Duncan coughed, trying to bring air back into his lungs, James punched him in the jaw, then turned to Rose, his fangs extended. "Or do you want me to finish him off now?"

He's mine to kill, Duncan spoke in Rose's mind right before he lost consciousness. Rose's fear for Duncan's life skyrocketed. Unconscious, he'd be an easy target for the bastard.

"No!" Rose screamed. Without a thought, she launched herself at James, knocking him away from Duncan.

James slammed to the floor, deep red gashes striped across his torn shirt and chest. Rose landed on her hands and feet, panting as satisfaction rushed through her. The sight of the vicious wounds she'd inflicted surprised her. She glanced down at her hands to see she'd converted to a jaguar without conscious thought. The need to defend Duncan flared within her making her actions as primal and instinctive in nature as a jaguar protecting her mate. She'd protect him at all costs.

James ripped his shredded shirt off with angry, jerky movements and tossed it on the floor. As he ran his hand across his wounds, Rose watched in amazement to see his heated touch sear the wide, bleeding furrows closed. Once again the smell of burning flesh reached her sensitive nose.

She swallowed the bile that hit the back of her throat.

James narrowed his gaze on her. "I see Ronan has gotten to you. The jaguar always was his animal form of choice," he sneered.

You've fucked with my family and loved ones for the last time, she threatened as she pawed the dust on the floor and moved to place herself between Duncan and James.

The sound of guns being cocked didn't even faze Rose. She knew James wouldn't let his transers kill her. She was too valuable to him alive.

She'd barely gotten out her cat's raaaaaagh battle roar when James shifted to a lion and pounced on her.

The impact of his larger size and heavy body knocked her to the ground with a hard thud. Their claws dug into each other's hides as they rolled on the floor.

Rose gritted her teeth against the pain his claws inflicted. She smelled her own blood running free from her wounds, but couldn't concentrate on healing herself since she was protecting herself against new wounds.

Instead she took the offensive, swatting at James. Satisfaction rippled through her at his roar of pain and the sight of red welts surfacing across his lion's muzzle. Her head snapped sideways when he returned the favor. Searing pain sliced from her temple to her chin. Blood stung her left eye. Rose shook her jaguar head and blinked to clear her vision.

James took advantage of her weakness, locking his large, powerful jaws on her throat.

Her heart racing, fear paramount, Rose's jaguar instincts caused her to freeze at the sensation of his huge canines clamped on her neck. Panting, she blinked several more times, trying to clear the blood from her eyes.

James put a huge paw in the center of her chest, then released her neck. While his rough lion's tongue laved at her face, he spoke in her mind, his tone cold, bloodthirsty. As much as it disgusts me to see you risk your life for Mordoor, you've given me what I needed. Leverage.

He stopped licking her wounds and clamped his teeth on her neck again, this time piercing the skin.

Rose jerked at the pain but her heart sank at his next words. If you don't take my blood, I'll rip Duncan's heart out of his chest as you watch.

When James released her throat, Rose blinked once more, finally clearing her vision. She looked up to see his hazel lion's gaze staring down at her. She knew he spoke the truth. The vamp didn't have an honorable bone in his body. He'd attack Duncan while he was out cold and unable to defend himself.

Blood dripped from the wounds she'd inflicted on his face, landing with a warm splat on her neck.

The lion moved his head, letting his blood drip on her chin, close to her mouth.

Her stomach roiled in revulsion, but Rose knew she didn't have a choice. She closed her eyes and nodded her agreement.