Free Bond of Darkness by Diane Whiteside

learned, but to no avail. She kicked; she jabbed him with her elbows; she tried to throw him. She'd been taught well in some very vicious schools. If he'd been a prosaico, he wouldn't have wanted to fight her.
    But, dammit, they needed to finish this. Once he started to twist so he could throw her.
    Don't hurt her
! Don Rafael ordered.
    Of course not, sir
! Ethan froze immediately. After that, he simply used his strength against her and held her, letting her exhaust herself. Finally, she relaxed, although she was probably only waiting for an opportunity to escape.
    Then Don Rafael walked onto the road, clad only in his shirt and jeans, and faced her.
    "Buenas noches, doctora."
    "
Buenas noches
, señor," she choked out. Good, they'd managed to catch her off guard.
    "Did you enjoy your observations,
doctora
?"
    She deliberately forced herself to relax a little more, matching Don Rafael's tone.
    Despite himself, Ethan started to admire her but he couldn't afford to release her.
    "They were somewhat—unusual, señor." She shrugged, striving for a ling atmosphere.
    Even though he'd promised not to use vampiro mind tricks, Don Rafael's eyes were searching her face as if he'd never seen anyone like her, the way a prosaico would, as if he wanted to read her every thought. His fingers curled and his hands lifted, almost reaching for the curve of her cheek. Trying to probe her more deeply? Caress a long-lost lover? Surely not, especially when his conversation was unexceptionable.
    "Do you intend to share them with others?"
    "What's to share? A man and woman did some necking in the woods. Would anyone in authority believe the man bit the woman for a nefarious reason, especially when he's such an important member of the community?"
    He studied her then nodded.
She won't harm us, Ethan
.
    Very well, sir
. Ethan reluctantly released the choke hold but didn't step away.
    "May I remove this impertinent twig from your jacket,
doctora
?"
    He wanted to seduce her? Just how many hair-brained chances did the old man plan to take tonight?
    Ethan! Let her choose freely.
    Ethan gritted his teeth but eased off until he was barely touching her. If she started any trouble, he could wring her neck in an instant, given how close they were standing.
    Still, the lady vet was one damn smart cookie. She eyed Don Rafael very suspiciously before nodding. "Certainly."
    "You may depart, Ethan."
    Ethan hesitated. If anything, his grip tightened on her. After all, what if she was working with Devol? "She could be the bait for another assassination attempt, Don Rafael."
    "There is no threat to me here and now." Rafael's voice was deadly calm—and it sliced the night air like the
doctora's
best scalpel.
    "As you wish, sir." Ethan reluctantly released her and left—without a sound, of course.
    What the hell was different about Grania O'Malley? It'd be a pleasure to know why Don Rafael was behaving so damn oddly for a woman he'd just met. She was either his salvation or his biggest threat.
     
    Ethan was still pondering that question when he arrived at Calatrava Resort a few hours later. Having drunk twice from Brynda, Don Rafael wanted to know if she was showing any signs of distress.
    Ethan stopped his big black pickup just below where the hotel slept, careful to avoid the more revealing surveillance cameras. Rough Bear silently emerged from the gardens, quiet now without their jewel-like fountains, and stepped inside the truck, inconspicuous in jeans and an ancient Willie Nelson T-shirt.
    "How is she?" Ethan decorously turned the truck around, trying to look like an early morning landscape service.
    "Fine. She said hello to her friends on the boat, then went below and slept. She hasn't been seen since but her friends are pleased she's already started to relax."
    Ethan's gaze flickered sideways. For Rough Bear, that number of words at one time almost amounted to nervous chatter.
    "Good," he said noncommittally, shards of ice playing hopscotch on his neck.
    The