Candice smiled to show her teeth. Ignoring Trent, she fixed her brown eyes on my neck, a red tongue edging the corner of her mouth. Exhaling, she eased closer. “Lee, sweetheart,” she said, and I gripped Trent’s arm tighter when her voice ran like ripples over my scar. “You told me I’d be entertaining a man.” Her smile went predatory. “But this is okay.”

I forced a breath. Waves of promise were coming from my neck, making my knees weaken. My blood pounded and my eyes almost slipped shut. I took a breath, then another. It took all my experience with Ivy to keep from responding. She was hungry, and she knew what she was doing. If she had been undead, I would have been hers. As it was, even with my scar she couldn’t bespell me unless I let her. And I wasn’t going to.

Aware of Trent watching, I gained control of myself, though I could feel the sexual tension rising in me like fog on a damp night. My thoughts slid to Nick, then Kisten, where they lingered to make things worse. “Candice,” I said softly, leaning closer. I wouldn’t touch her. I wouldn’t. “It’s nice to meet you. And I will break off your teeth and use them to pierce your belly button if you even as much as look at my scar again.”

Candice’s eyes flashed to black. The warmth in my scar died. Angry, she drew away, her hand atop Lee’s shoulder. “I don’t care if you are Tamwood’s plaything,” she said, trying to be all Queen of the Damned, but I lived with a truly dangerous vampire and her efforts were pathetic. “I can take you down,” she finished.

My jaw clenched. “I live with Ivy. I’m not her plaything,” I said softly, hearing a muted cheer from downstairs. “What does that tell you?”

“Nothing,” she said, her pretty face going ugly.

“And nothing is exactly what you’re going to get from me, so back off.”

Lee stepped between us. “Candice,” he said, putting a hand on the small of her back and pushing her to the door. “Do me a favor, sweetheart. Get Ms. Morgan some coffee, will you? She’s working tonight.”

“Black, no sugar,” I said, hearing my voice rasp. My heart was pounding and sweat had broken out. Black witches I could handle. Skilled, hungry vampires were a little harder.

Unkinking my fingers from Trent’s arm, I pulled away. His face was quiet as he looked at me and then the vamp Lee was escorting to the door. “Quen…” he whispered.