direction with his brows drawn and teeth gritted, and she found that so much harder to see now.
When did my curiosity turn to caring?
His brothers had treated him like an animalâbecause that was how heâd acted mere days ago. She understood the need to keep him contained, because he was so incredibly powerful and could be dangerous if freed.
But heâd been doing so much better. And they hadnât even given him a chanceâ¦.
As Nikolai and Sebastian led him, docile and barefooted, into the oversize master bathroom, Conradâs eyes were heavy-lidded, and heâd begun speaking in that low, unnerving voice. His wrists remained chained behind his back. They must be intent on washing him. Curious, she followed them in.
Néomiâs second dirty secret? As a ghost, sheâd become quite the voyeur.
Sheâd watched men shower before, but sheâd never been so intent to discover what a particular manâs body would look like as she was now.
While Sebastian adjusted the water temperature and opened a bar of soap, Nikolai ripped away the remains of Conradâs tattered shirt.
From her spot halfway up the far wall, Néomi sighed, admiring Conradâs powerful physique. She hadnât appreciated exactly how tall he was because heâd been lying down for so long. He would tower over her if she stood near him.
He had a narrow waist and hips and broad shoulders that looked tailor-made for a woman to hold on to during sex. With his hands behind his back, the corded muscles of those shoulders and his chest were stretched taut, displayed so attractively.
He was all male hardness, with so many scars marring his flesh, like the narrow one slashing up his torso. But sheâd begun to find the evidence of his formidable life attractive, had begun imagining a scenario for each battle wound.
Sheâd seen Conrad fight with a ferocity that astonished her. She could all too easily see him brandishing a sword three hundred years ago, a massive warlord fearlessly storming a battlefieldâ¦.
A ragged bandage on his arm caught her attention. Sebastian too frowned at the gauze, tearing it off to reveal a peculiar, blackened injury. âWhat the hell is this?â It appeared as if heâd been attacked by a beast, and then the skin around the mark had died.
Why would Conrad have healed from the gashes across his chest, but not from another wound?
Nikolai narrowed his eyes. âWith his strength, he should have mended that easily by now. Maybe if he cleans it, it will improve.â
âChrist, look at all the scars, Nikolai.â
âI had no idea heâd sustained this many hits during the war,â he answered, moving behind Conrad to inspect his back.
âMaybe he had them before the war.â Sebastian yanked free Conradâs belt. âThink about itâhe never worked without his shirt, and he continually went off by himself. He could have been a highwayman for all we knowâ¦.â He trailed off at Nikolaiâs expression. âWhat?â
âCome look at this,â Nikolai said, so Néomi followed Sebastian around. All three of them frowned at an elaborate black tattoo covering his entire right shoulder blade. It was unusual, with its slashing lines, but compelling in a way. âIsnât that the mark of the Kapsliga Uur?â
Whatâs the Kapsliga Uur? Why did their faces pale at the very idea?
âThat canât be right,â Sebastian said, an edge to his voice. âWeâd have known. They recruit young. He couldnât have hidden his involvement for two decades.â
Seeming lost in his own world, Conrad continued his rasping mutter, unaware of their discovery.
âHe always did his own thing, always brushed off questions about where heâd been or with whom,â Nikolai said. âMy God. Heâd been out hunting vampires with the Kapsliga. No wonder the turning maddened him.â
Sebastianâs face
Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Martin A. Lee, Bruce Shlain