This time, he felt only a vague tightness in his neck that faded before it could even fully form. “No.”
“Stand up.”
Sammy found himself on his feet before he registered the intent to do so.
It seemed he had no resistance to orders that didn’t conflict with his mate bond. Not ideal, but he could work with that. He only had to hold out a little longer, and hopefully, he wouldn’t be there long enough to get himself into any real trouble.
And where the hell was Dominic?
“Dominic?”
“On my way. Just hit a bit of a roadblock.”
His mate said this like someone who had encountered traffic on their commute home from work. Yet, he could hear the strain, the slight growl that rumbled through the words.
“What kind of roadblock?”
“Hold tight,colibrí. I’m coming.”
While Dominic’s deflection wasn’t comforting, he resisted the urge to press for more information, concerned he would distract his mate during a critical moment.
Instead, his attention flickered to Henri again. Probably best not to let himself get distracted either.
“Remove your clothes.”
His hand twitched at his side, but it took almost no effort to defy him this time. “No.”
The bloodsucker’s eyes flashed with menace, but when he spoke, it was in that same calm, overly polished tenor. “Come here.”
His legs propelled him across the room, and knowing it wouldn’t do any good, he didn’t try to fight it. His trajectory carried him right into Henri’s outstretched hand, and he winced when cold fingers gripped his jaw painfully.
The vampire forced his head to one side, then to the other, craning his neck at nearly impossible angles. Sammy wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly what the male expected to find.
Only a heartbeat later, Henri confirmed his suspicions when he gripped the collar of Sammy’s see-through top and jerked it to the side. The sound of tearing filled the room, and the fabric fellaway from his shoulder, revealing the mark Dominic had left on him earlier that evening.
Henri didn’t curse. He didn’t hiss or growl, nor did he recoil from the sight of the twin punctures. But a hardness came over his face, transforming his already sharp features into something truly terrifying.
“Bring me the witch.”
For a heartbeat, Sammy thought the guy was talking to him. Then movement from the corner drew his gaze, and his heart jackknifed into his throat when a guard emerged from the shadows and hurried out of the room.
“You are mated?”
Sammy forced his eyes back to the vampire. “Yes.”
“A true mate bond?”
“Yes.”
Henri sighed. “Am I to assume your mate is the werewolf currently destroying my home?”
Sammy’s lips twitched. “Sounds about right.”
“He is no ordinary wolf.”
Not a question, but Sammy shook his head anyway. “No, he’s not.” And because he couldn’t resist, he added, “He’s the alpha of the Blackrock Pack.”
Henri’s eyes flared, a minute widening at the corners, but for him, it was a big reaction. “Your mate is Dominic Rivas?”