SEDUCTIVE PREY

SCREAMS AND SMOLDER

Lucas circles us, and when my heart rate kicks up, Ethan begins massaging circles into my palm with his thumb to calm me down.

"Look," Ethan steps into Lucas' face. "If we should happen to find her, rest assured we wouldn't just hand her over. We'd use her to trade for the rest of our friends. Including my sister. So tell Zayd he better find her before we do."

Lucas seems surprised by his response. Then right before our eyes he transforms from Lucas into Zayd, and I damn near crap my pants.

I didn't even know he could do that.

Ethan doesn't seem phased, but he does pretend to be surprised.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you now?" Ethan's lethal gaze pierces Zayd's.

"I still have your sister." Zayd replies.

"Yes, but you're smart enough to know that if you kill her, you'll have more than me to worry about."

"That is true. I guess your girlfriend's sis-"

"Wife." Ethan cuts him off.

Zayd blanches. Flicking his gaze back and forth from Ethan to me.

"You're married?"

"We are now."

An unnerving smile spreads across Zayd's face as he regards us with renewed interest.

And I don't like it one little bit.

"That's a very interesting turn of events." He chortles. Then he shifts his gaze to Ethan and asks. "Was it your doing?"

"Yes." Ethan nods.

"Then you're a lot cleverer than you look."

"And you're still an arse."

"You do know it won't stop me, don't you?" A sinister smile forms on Zayd's face. "If anything you've just upped the ante."

"Your funeral." Ethan matches his smile with one of his own.

The smile is gone from Zayd's face, and he narrows his eyes at Ethan.

"If a hair is harmed on my sisters head-"

"I'm sure she'll have you to thank for it." I cut him off.

Annoyed, Zayd makes like a tree and leaves. I let out a long sigh noticing that rather than be happy, Ethan appears more cautious than ever. He immediately storms into the house and down several halls before coming to a stop outside of a room I've never seen before to pound on the door. Trudy answers, but her smile quickly fades when she sees the look on his face.

"Is something wrong, dark prince?" She asks.

"Yes." He replies before stepping into the room and closing it behind him. Leaving me all alone in the hallway.

"Ahem." Vivienne clears her throat.

Whirling around, I face her. Startled. I didn't even know she was there.

"They're probably going to be a while." She tells me. "Whenever he gets that vein in the middle of his forehead it's because we've done something wrong, and he wants to yell at us about it. I'd rather get the less angry version from you."

"We were confronted by Zayd in a Lucas suit in the garden a few minutes ago." I give her the short, calm version.

"What?" She looks alarmed.