Power.

The most corrupting influence in the vampire world.

The thing that had made his father a monster.

And now it filled every cell of Adrien’s body.

Would he become corrupt like his father?

His muscles contracted painfully, released, contracted again, his arms, his legs, chest, and back. Sweet Buddha Christ he hurt. He sank to his knees and held his head.

The waves struck hard again, causing the double-chain to vibrate.

He didn’t want this. He’d never wanted this level of power because there was nothing he feared more than becoming like the one who’d sired him.

The more he resisted, the greater the pain, yet he couldn’t let go, couldn’t embrace what he’d always hated so much.

He groaned and rocked on his knees, his head still in his hands, his eyes squeezed shut.

He felt a pressure on his arms, a cool touch that began to ease a new kind of soothing wave through him. His muscles stopped seizing and the throbbing in his head calmed. The new waves of power began to flow.

He let his hands fall away from his face and opened his eyes.

Lily stared back at him. I didn’t know what else to do, she said. But I remembered that in the cavern, when I first met you, my touch calmed you down. Remember?

He nodded. Lily was so beautiful and so pure—pure of heart, of soul, of conscience. He saw an aura around her, a silver shining glow. He blinked several times but the glow remained.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

He touched her cheek. She had soft skin and a creamy complexion, much prettier than a vampire’s usual porcelain look, healthier, more alive.

“Adrien?”

He nodded. “I’m okay now. You were right to touch me. For whatever reason, contact with you helps.”

“It’s the bond of the chains.”

“Maybe. Probably. Who the hell knows.” He rose to his feet, lifting her with him, but he was surprised how much lighter she felt. Apparently even his physical strength had been enhanced.

He turned to Gabriel. “Thanks for helping out.”

“Anytime. You know that.”

“Yeah, I do.” He turned and clapped Gabe on the shoulder.

“You’re going to feel strange for a while.”

“I can tell.”

“And your speed will increase during altered flight, so watch those takeoffs and landings.” He smiled crookedly. “I mean it. Be careful.”

“I will. And thank you for doing this.”

Gabriel nodded.

Adrien shifted toward Lily. “You’re anxious to get going.” He touched the chain, the double loops feeling strange beneath his fingers. “I can sense you even more clearly than before, the level of concern, almost desperation that you feel.” He narrowed his gaze at her. “Almost as though you believe your life depends on getting that weapon. That’s how you feel, isn’t it?”

But the sensation that returned to him in a ripple of emotions felt more like deception than concern. He grabbed her arm. “When are you going to tell me the truth?”

But that stubborn chin of hers rose. “Never.”

“Never’s a long time,” he murmured.

“Yes, it is.”

“Fine.” He released her arm, then addressed another issue. “You’re a locator, we know that. And so far, you’ve had little success getting a fix on the weapon. But with this change of mine, I’m hoping that you’ll be able to do better. Can you give it a try?”

Lily’s hazel eyes widened. “Absolutely.” She closed her eyes and touched the chain at her neck.

He felt her effort, even that his increased power was assisting her, but after a moment she opened her eyes and shook her head. “The tendrils were more active, but seemed to be reaching out in every possible direction.”

“That would make sense,” Gabriel said. “I know that when the Council shut down the scientific experiments all those years ago, many of the documents and more than one of the actual weapons were hidden in a bunch of cavern systems.”

“Then we need more information.”

Lily nodded. “So, it’s on to The Erotic Passage.”

Adrien slid an arm around her waist and pulled her tight against him. As she had been doing, she put her left foot on the top of his right boot.

She slung an arm around his neck and for a long few seconds desire for her rose, as it always did when he got this close to her. Only this time, given that his power level had been bumped up, a wave of need poured over him like a brushfire.

He trembled—not just because of what he felt, but because his desire ignited hers. This terrible attraction between them, which shouldn’t have existed, roared to life.

With every ounce of strength he possessed, however, he turned away from his need, dipped his chin at Gabriel, and took off in a streak of altered flight that stunned him, straight up through the cavern, up and up.

Lily’s arm around his neck tightened.

Are you in pain? Shit, I’m sorry. I’m going too fast.

He started to slow down, a process he found incredibly difficult since he’d launched them well through the cavern system and into the night sky.

I’m fine. Her arm relaxed. Adrien, there’s no pain at all. Don’t slow down. You don’t need to. You were right about this; more power has changed the experience for me. I have no pain.

He rocketed through the air, heading north back to Italy. But as he passed over the Mediterranean, then the Italian landscape, before he knew it he found himself well over the Alps, having overshot his destination.

That’s never happened before.

What?

I’m having a little difficulty gauging distance.

Well, just remember what Gabriel said about landings.

Right.

He spun around, headed south once more, then promptly overshot Lake Como by about fifty miles. And he kept overshooting. Again and again.

Eventually, he made enough adjustments to finally reach the lake, but it still took three landing attempts before he finally brought Lily to Rumy’s private side entrance.

The bouncer knew him well and didn’t even glance at Lily as he opened the door for them. Adrien had brought lots of women to the club over the years, and Lily, in her halter, short skirt, and damn sexy boots, fit right in.

Of course he’d donned a new set of battle leathers and was armed to the teeth. He also wore a black tee made of soft cotton, which seemed to make Lily happy since she kept touching him, or maybe it was the chains, or the sex. Hell, he didn’t know. Didn’t care, only that she stuck close, because that’s where he wanted her, which begged a new question: How had he come to care so much in just a few hours?

He heard Lily gasp.

He stopped and turned toward her. “What? What’s wrong?”

But she was staring at the carvings on the wall. “These are couples doing it, in about every position imaginable. Oh, that one is really inventive.” She tilted her head sideways.

Instead of following the direction of her gaze, he looked away from the wall. He didn’t need a reminder of what he really wanted to be doing right now. “I guess I should have warned you.”

“I should have known. I mean, come on, The Erotic Passage?” She laughed.

He took her arm and gently put her back in motion.

“Are all the walls carved like this?”

“No. Some have bigger etchings.”

“Well that’s not going to help anything, is it?”

“Tell me about it.” Her sweet feminine scent rolled around him now, and if that wasn’t bad enough the new double-chain told him the rest of the story. He could sense the level of her desire and it matched his. He took deep breaths and started doing sums in his head.

A few yards more and the tunnel branched.

He made a right and after another ten yards, he came to Rumy’s office. He glanced up at the security camera, red light winking. He rapped on the arched, wooden door. Black wrought-iron hinges and a ring-pull above the latch fit the club’s overall feel, very dominance-based.