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wrist, then held the wound to her lips. “Drink this.”
    She wanted to refuse, but she was so thirsty. And there was nothing else. She forced down a swallow, gagged, and turned her head to the side.
    “Look at me, Kiya.” He captured her gaze with his own. “What’s your favorite drink?”
    “Hot chocolate with a dash of cinnamon and lots of whipped cream on top.”
    “Okay, that’s what this is, and it’s the best you’ve ever had, hot and sweet. Drink now. You need it.”
    When he held his wrist to her lips again, she drank willingly. When he took his arm away, she asked for more.
    “That’s all for now,” he said, gathering her into his arms. “Go back to sleep.”
    Her eyelids fluttered down, and she slept.
    “Damn.” Gideon stroked her hair, bemused by his feelings for this woman. In the three years he had been here, he had never offered his blood to any of his prey. It had grieved him to take their lives, but it was theirs or his, and his sense of self-preservation would not be ignored or denied.
    But this woman … Kiya. She was different, and it wasn’t just because she was a werewolf.
    The witch’s appearance at the cell door put a stop to his musings.
    Verah lifted one brow when she saw the girl cradled in his arms. “Like this one, do you?” she asked with a leer.
    He shrugged. “Her blood pleases me.”
    “And yet she still lives.”
    “I decided to savor it while I could. It was a long time between meals last time.”
    The witch looked thoughtful. “I suppose I could prolong her life, since she pleases you.”
    It took all his self-control to keep his surprise from showing on his face. In all the weeks and months he had been here, she had never done him a kindness.
    He grimaced as she reached into the voluminous pocket of her robe and withdrew her silver-bladed dagger and jewel-encrusted goblet.
    She looked at him, one brow raised, until he shifted Kay to one side and shoved his right arm through the bars. He clenched his jaw as she made a long shallow gash in his forearm, felt his anger grow as his blood flowed into the goblet, although he didn’t miss the irony of a mortal taking vampire blood.
    When the goblet was full, Verah wiped the blade on a scrap of cloth, then dropped the dagger into her pocket. “I’ll send someone with food and water for the girl.”
    Looking perplexed, she stared at him a moment.
    Gideon stared back. If she was waiting for a thank-you, it would be a hell of a long time coming.
     
     
    Kay woke feeling strange and with a bad taste in her mouth. But all that was forgotten when she opened her eyes and found herself nestled in Gideon’s arms.
    She glanced around, as if uncertain of her surroundings. “What happened?”
    “You were hungry. I gave you something to drink.”
    “Something? Like … ?” Revulsion flashed in her eyes. She had tasted his blood, but only one taste, but she no longer felt weak or dizzy. Comprehension dawned with a jolt and she shook her head in denial. “You compelled me, didn’t you?”
    “You needed nourishment, and it’s all I’ve got.”
    “But … you drank from me! And now you’ve given me your blood… .” She bounded out of his arms and fled to the far side of the cell. “Am I going to become a vampire now? Is that even possible? I’m a werewolf !”
    “Calm down, Kiya. You’re no different than you were before.”
    “How can that be?”
    “I’d have to drain you to the point of death and then give you my blood to turn you. And like you said, you’re a werewolf. It probably wouldn’t work anyway.”
    Slightly mollified, she slid down on the floor across from him, her back propped against the bars. He had given her his blood. No wonder she had a bad taste in her mouth.
    At least she wasn’t hungry anymore.
    Was he? How often did he have to feed?
    “Normally, once a week or so,” he said, replying to her unspoken question.
    She felt her cheeks grow warm. “Do you read all my thoughts?”
    He shrugged.