As fast as a bullet, his hand encircled her throat, and as tight as a hangman’s noose, he squeezed it, lifting her up.

“Where the fuck is it?” he pressed out from between clenched teeth, his vile breath ghosting over her face.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she managed to say with the limited supply of air he granted her.

He squeezed harder. “You lying whore!”

His other hand came up and slapped her hard across the cheek. The force of the impact whipped her head to the side. At once, she smelled her own blood as it ran down her nose, trickling over her mouth and chin. The sensation tickled just the way she imagined Chinese water torture felt like: annoying as hell. Yet she felt no pain. Too much adrenaline coursed through her veins, equally preventing her from feeling the fear that should drench her body from head to toe at the knowledge of what cruelties Keegan was capable of when he knew he’d been betrayed.

And he had been betrayed. By her.

His eyes drove into her as if he thought he could find the answer to his question there. She would have to disappoint his arrogant ass.

“Call me what you will,” she spat with barely any air left to breathe. It didn’t matter: vampires couldn’t suffocate. They might lose consciousness for a while, but death would have to be delivered by different means.

“I asked: where the FUCK is it?”

When she attempted to shake her head but couldn’t, his grip preventing her, he tossed a glance at his men. “Search the place!”

The three vampires, with more brawn than brain, firmly licked their chops at being ordered to tear her home apart. She didn’t care. She had planned on leaving it all behind anyway. Her real estate agent was going to put the place up for sale tomorrow. Looking at how the three thugs went about their search, it appeared that some major restoration would be necessary before her house would be suitable for viewing by any potential buyers.

“I don’t have it,” she lied.

Another blow broke her nose—she would have to set it before her restorative sleep to make sure it didn’t grow back crooked.

“I saw it on the security camera, you fucking bitch!” Keegan thundered.

Shit! She’d known that his office was wired, but what kind of freak had a camera hidden in his bedroom?

“You recorded us in bed? Fucking perv!”

The thought that tapes of their sexual encounters existed, sickened her. If she had any opportunity, she would go back there now and erase whatever he had recorded. But unfortunately, that plan was dead in the water.

“Oh, I’ll keep watching those tapes whenever I want to. And there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Rage boiled up in her. Without thinking, she jerked up her knee and kicked it into his nuts. Satisfaction flooded her as his hand around her neck loosened and he doubled over, his face contorted in pain. But her glee was short lived.

Witnessing their master’s predicament, two of his vampire minions instantly charged her. Despite her own speed and agility, they made mincemeat of her efforts to do a runner. Not that she had earnestly thought she stood a chance, but she had never been one to throw in the towel without trying.

By the time the goons had restrained her, bending her arms backwards and holding them in a decidedly uncomfortable position, Keegan had recovered from his temporary pain. She attempted a shrug. Seeing Keegan in pain had been worth it, even though she wished it had lasted longer.

Rose couldn’t bring herself to regret the action even though her erstwhile lover now looked even more pissed off than when he’d stormed into her home.

“Try that again, and you’ll end up at the end of my stake.”

She raised a mocking eyebrow. “Go ahead. Kill me.”

Clearly furious at her taunt, he pulled his stake and launched himself at her.

“But you’ll never find it. Because it isn’t here,” she added calmly, stopping him in his tracks.

“Where did you hide it?”

She let out a bitter laugh. “Do you really think I’m stupid enough to tell you? . . . Men.”

“I’ll make you,” Keegan threatened.

“I’m not afraid of dying. I’ve had a long enough life. I’m tired of it.”

In part, it was the truth. She’d had a long life, and she wasn’t afraid of dying. She’d died before. In fact, tonight was the anniversary of her death as a human and her rebirth as a vampire. But what wasn’t the truth—and what she could never let him guess—was that as much as she hated being a vampire, she wasn’t tired of this life, because she had a purpose.