My stomach clenched. All of the bindings, the wardings, the protections were gone—useless. Even my police training would do me no good against this creature. I could feel the wood paneling of the illusory wall at my back, and I fought to control the urge that screamed at me to turn and claw a way out.

“Then where are the stairs?” I demanded, hating the note of hysteria in my voice.

He shrugged eloquently as he stepped closer. “I am responsible for careless architecture? I think not.”

He stepped to within a pace of me as I tried to press back into the wall. He reached out to touch my face, and I jerked away from his hand. A snarl curved his mouth, and then, before I could move, he seized me, holding my face in both hands, pinning me firmly though not hurting me. Yet, I thought wildly. It’s going to start hurting really soon.

He gazed down at me for at least a dozen heartbeats, eyes locked on mine as if searching through my essence—eyes that promised death and pain and vengeance. I could feel the rage that he held in check, could feel myself trembling violently in his hold, but I couldn’t look away, didn’t want to look away.

Then suddenly the fury in his eyes faded. “I see,” he murmured, so softly I never would have heard it if he hadn’t been inches away from me.

I gasped for breath as my heart hammered so loudly I knew he could hear it. “Let me go … please.”

He was silent for several more heartbeats, his eyes still holding mine. Then he smiled—a dazzling sight—and gave a small laugh. “But … you do not want me to let you go.” He bent and brushed my lips lightly with his.

My heart jumped in a combination of confusion and shock. What the fuck? Surely he was toying with me. He would destroy me, but first he would humiliate me….

“No. Don’t do this,” I breathed. “Just kill me quickly. Get it over with.”

He continued to cradle my face, then trailed the fingers of one hand lightly down my throat before slowly withdrawing them. He tilted his head slightly, eyes on mine. “So eager to die,” he murmured, then laughed low in his throat, shaking his head. He no longer looked enraged. Instead, he looked amused and … delighted? I blinked, terror shifting into bafflement.

He lifted a hand and I flinched, expecting a flare of pain, but instead he merely reached out to stroke my hair, sliding his hand to the back of my neck. My confusion increased tenfold. Was this just a prelude to some sort of complex torment?

“Look,” I said, working hard to keep my voice from quavering. “I’m very sorry I summoned you. I didn’t mean to. It was a mistake. Please, let me go, and I’ll dismiss you and send you back.”

He gave no indication that he heard me and trailed his other hand over my cheek and down my throat. The unmistakable caress slid slowly over the buttons of my shirt and over the swell of my breast until his hand came to rest lightly on my hip.

I stiffened and sucked my breath in through my teeth, dark memory suddenly crowding in. Another time I’d been pressed up against a wall, an unwanted touch fumbling over my body …

His eyes caught mine and a sudden shiver raced through me. I could feel the slow and gentle movement of his hand on my hip and along my side. Not so unpleasant. Not unwanted. No reason for me not to want it, to enjoy it.

I blinked. There’d been a reason. Hadn’t there?

He smiled down at me, his hand still moving in a slow caress. A tingle of warmth simmered through my body. It had been a while since anyone had touched me like that. A long while. And I hadn’t realized just how much I’d missed it until this moment.

He pulled me closer with the hand cradling the back of my neck, then bent and kissed me—lightly at first, then gradually with more depth and insistence.

Oh … wow. I’d never been kissed like this before. His lips moved sensuously against mine as I briefly struggled to keep from responding to the kiss. But I didn’t struggle for long. My lips parted and I groaned softly as his tongue whispered sweetly against mine. Damn, but he was good at this. My hands reached up automatically to circle his neck, and I quickly jerked them back down. But his skin was warm and smooth, and the feel of him pressed against me made thoughts of resistance difficult. But this is no human, I reminded myself as I fought to gather my scattered wits. He was a damn good kisser, but other than that I didn’t know a thing about him. I didn’t even know what he was, except that he sure as shit wasn’t Rysehl.

I broke the kiss with a rough gasp. “Please. Stop.” I was no prude, but this felt wrong and dangerous and a thousand other things.

He slipped a hand around to the small of my back, caressing lightly as he looked down at me, ice-blue eyes echoing the faint smile on his lips. I let out a small moan at the feel of his hand. Maybe I was being silly. He obviously wasn’t going to kill me. It didn’t matter who or what he was. Would it really be so wrong to enjoy a little bit of comfort and pleasure? I deserved it. I needed it.

He lowered his head down to mine again, teasing my mouth open and quickly deepening the kiss. I groaned against the heat of his mouth as he pulled me close against him. I could feel the strength of his form, the smooth muscle of his chest and legs, and I could feel the hardness that pressed into the curve of my belly. Warmth surged through me as I felt the power of the arms that held me. His mouth was hot and sweet, and in the kiss was all the power and strength and dominance that I had seen in his eyes.

His hand slid up to gently fondle my breast, his fingers lightly circling my hard nipple through the thin silk of my shirt. I put my hands on his arms to try to push his hand from my breast, but the muscle beneath the silk of the shirt was hard as iron and soft as velvet. I moaned softly and slid my hands up higher, holding on to his shoulders. The lustrous fall of his hair tumbled over me, and the pleasant, musky smell of him filled my senses.

He broke the kiss gently and nuzzled my throat as I tipped my head back, gasping, trying to gather my scattered wits. He released me slowly, and I clutched at the wall to support my wobbly legs. Smiling, he stepped back and turned away.

I stared at him, confusion and wariness mingling with a healthy dose of horniness. He walked to the fireplace, then turned back to me, looking at me expectantly.

What the fuck just happened? I took a deep breath, feeling as if I needed more oxygen so that I could wake up. “Are—” My voice cracked. I took another deep breath and tried again. “Are you going to kill me?”

Amusement lit those crystal-blue eyes. “Do you wish me to?”

“No!” I replied quickly. I cautiously pushed off the wall and took a wavering step forward. “No, I’d really rather you didn’t.”

His shoulders lifted in an elegant shrug. “Then I will not.” He held his hand out to me. I blinked stupidly at the proffered hand, then looked back up to his beautiful face.

“Come to me, Kara,” he said, voice rich and inviting.

“Why?” I asked, still wary. “What are you going to do?” With him across the room from me, it was easier to think clearly.

He laughed, still holding his hand out to me. “I would like to kiss you again.”

“Why?” I asked again, not moving. It wasn’t a stupid question. I was no raving beauty. I was the one who’d had a grand total of two boyfriends in my entire life, neither of whom had lasted for more than three months.

A look of surprise flickered across his face, then was gone. “Because I enjoyed it,” he responded simply. “Did you not enjoy it as well?”

I slowly walked toward him, brow furrowed. I stopped in front of him but didn’t take the proffered hand. “I did enjoy it. But … I don’t understand.”

He lowered his hand and tilted his head, regarding me. “Must you?”