CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

A nna blinked, and her vision cleared as Ben came into focus.

“Where am I?” she repeated.

“My apartment,” Ben replied. “In Rome. You’re safe, Anna. I’m taking care of you. Of everything.”

Anna just stared at him. Ben was taking care of her? And what did he mean by everything .

More memories began to return, and her lids lowered in an attempt to push the darkness away.

She cleared her dry throat, and Ben grabbed a bottle of water from the side of the bed and twisted the cap off. Anna let him guide the water to her lips. She sipped. Coughed. Drank more.

“Take it slow,” Ben said.

How did she get here?

“Hey,” Ben started, moving closer and reaching for her arms. “What’s wrong?”

Anna felt conflicted. She felt safe with Ben, nearly more than with anyone else, but she didn’t understand why she was here? Especially as the last thing she remembered was being at the bar and feeling those same terrifying feelings before she had been kidnapped to yet again find herself waking up somewhere that wasn’t home.

“I just...I have to go home, Ben,” Anna said, her breathing labored. “Can you take me home, please?”

Ben sat back and ran a hand through his short hair. “Do you remember being at the bar?”

Anna nodded. “We spoke, by the bathrooms. I was going to leave with you, but the hallway...it was like...”

Anna stopped. She couldn’t tell him.

Ben placed his hand on her face. “You’re safe. I’m here.”

“Yes, but why am I here with you?”

“I, ahh...” Ben trailed off.

Anna knew Ben wouldn’t hurt her, but he didn’t understand the situation; few did. And while she knew some of the offenders were in prison awaiting execution, there were more of them.

She knew there were. She’d seen them in her dreams.

Her nightmares.

“I have to return to the castle. You don’t understand...”

“Yeah, I do, sweetheart. I know everything,” Ben told her, anger swirling in his eyes. “I’ve always known everything.”

Anna’s mouth fell open.

“You know? How could you know what happened to me?” she gasped.

How?

“Who are you?” she demanded, trying to scramble away, but her body was stiff and sore. Nothing made sense. How did he know? Was he working for the people that had hurt her? She began to tremble.

Ben held her arms.

“Stop. I’m not going to hurt you, Anna. I am on your side. I will protect you with my last breath; I swear.”

She froze, narrowing her eyes, her breath labored.

“Tell me what you know. Ben, goddamn it. I am freaking the fuck out here.”

“I know it all; maybe more than you do. Or the Moretti’s. But I didn’t know you were one of the victims, Anna. I swear I am going to kill every single one of them with my bare hands.”

Anna studied his face, his eyes, his body for signs of dishonesty and only found fury. Fury for her.

Why?

They’d flirted and had sex once. She was nobody important to him. Anna was aware Ben was a powerful alpha male, which meant he was highly protective, but his anger was at an unreasonable level.

Perhaps someone else he’d known had been in the labs with her. Still, he hadn’t fully answered her question.

“How?”

Ben glanced away. He was going to lie to her. Disappointment filled her, and she pressed her lips together.

“I read your file,” he said, his eyes returning to her.

Anna’s eyes remained on his face. A half-truth. What wasn’t he telling her? Ben stared back at her stiffly, and she knew she wouldn’t get anything more out of him.

“Why did you bring me here?”

He stood and ran his hand through his hair again. This time, she noticed the muscles on his arms, his thick veins. It wasn’t really the time for her to be checking him out, but from the moment she’d met him, Anna had been highly attracted to him.

And now she was in his home.

Was it his home?

Anna looked around the sparse bedroom. It barely looked lived in. There were two side cabinets beside the bed. A watch lay on top of a tall set of drawers alongside a bottle of aftershave, and there was a novel of some kind. Probably called How to Kidnap a Female .

Anna arched a brow.

To her left, a door was left ajar and looked like it led to a bathroom. Another sliding door exposed a wardrobe with a bunch of black clothing typical of the Moretti uniform.

She sat and flung her legs over the bed, sitting, and her head spun. Ben watched her with concern on his face.

“How do you feel?”

“Ben, answer my question,” she insisted.

He sighed, crouched in front of her, and placed his hands on her knees. “You blanked out and have been in a catatonic state for a few days.” He glanced away. “There are things I cannot tell you, Anna, but I need you to stay with me. So that I can protect you.”

She frowned. “King Moretti’s army is protecting me, Ben,” she said. “You think you can protect me more than they can?”

“Yes, and I wish people would stop fucking asking me why. I just have to, okay? I HAVE to protect you. It’s my job...or something.”

His job?

“Does anyone know I’m here?” she asked quietly. When he didn’t answer, a feeling of unease crept through her. “I can’t stay here, Ben. I have to call Sofia. Where’s my phone?”

Ben opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it.

She tried to stand but wobbled. “Jesus, Ben.”

Anna fell back down on the bed just as Ben reached for her.

“Stop. No. Yes. It’s not like I kidnapped you, Anna,” he cried. “I...shit, I didn’t think this through very well.”

“That’s exactly what you’ve done. Who the hell are you, Ben?”

Ben crouched down, and Anna stared back at him, feeling extremely vulnerable. She also felt weak. She needed blood. Plasma. Food. A tear escaped down her cheek and anguish filled Ben’s face.

“I...work for someone I cannot identify. Someone with the same desire as you: for those who harmed you to no longer live,” Ben said, and she wondered if that was what she wanted. She wasn’t a murderer. “I swear, Anna, neither I nor anyone will ever harm you again. Before I leave, I will seek revenge for what you experienced. I just need you to trust me and stay here.”

“And then?”

“Then I will return you to my sister,” Ben replied. “And you will never see me again.”

Was that what she wanted?

ANNA DRIED OFF AFTER her shower and walked into the bedroom, where Ben was waiting for her with a nice, rich glass of red blood.

She greedily reached for it and took a long gulp.

“You might want to go slow,” he suggested, and she gave him a small smile, wiping the back of her hand over her mouth. Immediately, the minerals from the liquid began to absorb, and Anna felt her strength returning. It wouldn’t take long now.

Anna had pressed Ben for information about his employer, and he’d stubbornly refused to give her any further information.

“ So, you were spying on the Moretti’s? ” she’d asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

“ No ,” Ben had responded adamantly. “ I thought I might get some information to help me, so I accepted the king’s offer. But it was more than that; it was a knee-jerk reaction. Something I have been trained not to do and did anyway .”

“ Because it was the king? ” Anna had asked, understanding that. Vincent Moretti was a powerful and much beloved king. It was an honor for any vampire to work for him.

“ No, Anna ,” Ben had said with a smirk. “ Because of you .”

Heat had flushed across her skin as a mix of surprise and pleasure filled her. Her lips had parted, meaning to respond, but she hadn’t been able to find the words. Ben had reached out and run his thumb over her lower lip until she’d swallowed.

“ Go shower before I lose all ability to keep my hands to myself ,” he’d said, standing, his voice that rich timbre that melted panties.

Ben had joined the Royal Army for her. Or at least partly.

Anna’s mind flashed back to the day she’d met him. The chemistry flowing between them in the foyer of the Moretti castle had been exciting and overwhelming, as had every moment with the large alpha male since. Then she’d given herself to him in the changing rooms, and later believed he’d been flirting with the females at the bar. Anna had been about to leave with him when her brain had blanked out.

Now she stood in a towel, drinking blood as Ben leaned against the doorjamb. Still as goddamn sexy as the first time she’d seen him. Yet she realized she knew very little about who he really was. All those times she’d felt safe with him—something she desired more than anything—had been based on a whole bunch of assumptions.

Anna couldn’t fully trust Ben.

She’d been here for nearly two days, and the Moretti’s hadn’t come for her. That was concerning. How had they not found her? A part of her ached, wondering if they had even tried to look for her.

Anna had no family now, and being in the castle and in her new job had begun to feel like she belonged somewhere. Anna didn’t want to lose that. She needed it to be real. But what if it had all been based on guilt and obligation? What then?

What if she truly was alone in this world?

Even Ben had said he was leaving.

If that was the case, then she needed to be street-smart. Starting now. No more swooning over hot guys with dimples, no matter what they promised. The truth was Ben had taken her from the royal family, and it really wasn’t okay with her.

He was out of line and arrogant to think he could protect her more than the Royal Army. Part of her thought he was out of his goddamn mind.

How he’d gotten her out of the castle was a whole other question which she would ask another day. Right now, she needed to get back to the Moretti’s.

“Is this your bedroom?” When Ben nodded, she asked, “Is there another?”

“No,” he replied firmly. “Or rather yes, but it is occupied.”

Anna’s eyes flew wide open, and Ben raised a hand to calm her.

“You will meet Oliver when he returns later. He left when you woke up to give us space,” Ben said. “He is a trusted colleague of mine. He will also protect you with his life; I can promise you that. I trust him with mine.”

Anna chewed her lip.

“You are asking me to trust a lot of things, Ben. Do you realize how mad this all is?”

He watched her for a moment, then stood up straight away from the wall and nodded. “You’re right; I am. Would it help if you called Sofia and told her you’re with me? But not our location?”

She didn’t know their location, so that was easy.

And terrifying.

“Yes. It would. But Ben, I also want you to tell me exactly where we are and promise me that if I want to walk out this door, you’ll let me.”

His eyes hardened, and he cursed under his breath.

“Ben, for God’s sake, this is kidnapping if you don’t! Fucking hell. Don’t you think I’ve been traumatized enough? You said you read my file!” she yelled. “How could you keep me here?” All her fear and frustration just poured out of her.

BEN HELD OUT HIS HANDS in defense. “Okay. Dammit, you’re right. Shit, Anna, I don’t want you to feel trapped. That’s not what this is. I just want to protect you, goddamn it.”

“Why?” she cried. “I was safe where I was. It’s not your job to protect me, Ben.”

“Yes, it damn well is!” he yelled back, and now they were standing toe to toe.

Why couldn’t she or anyone damn well understand this. And now, with her body so close to his and the thought that he could lose her at any moment, Ben snapped.

Panting and staring at each other, Ben grabbed the glass from her hand, slammed it on the cabinet, and pulled her into his arms. His lips slammed down on hers, and the world began to right itself.

Within his arms, Anna began to tremble with desire as their tongues entwined and their bodies found each other.

He wanted that feeling of being deep within her again, dominating her, tasting her. He needed all of her.

Ben pulled back, panting, his eyes full of desire and question. He couldn’t push. Not when she was feeling trapped. That wasn’t who he was.

She moved an inch away, and Ben’s arms fell to his sides.

The sting of her rejection coursed through him. He’d fucked up and he knew it. What did it matter, if he was leaving?

But it did. It mattered a lot.

Ben pressed his eyes closed.

“Get dressed. I’ll meet you in the kitchen and feed you,” Ben said, heading out the bedroom.

“Ben,” she called out. He turned. “I want that phone call, and I need my own bedroom.”

He nodded.