Page 53 of Don't Bait Me (Nora Jacobs 3)

Henry pauses. With that one word, I’ve caught his attention.

I open my eyes and meet his gaze. “Get out of my head.”

He immediately slips from my mind. He steps back, a look of complete adoration on his face. He’s under my thrall 100 percent. “You are so beautiful,” he murmurs. “I need you, Nora. I can’t live without you.”

I cringe. For sure his obsession with me is only going to be worse from now on, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m not letting him back in my head. Ignoring his desperate pleas, I say, “Release me from your compulsion.”

He nods slowly. His eyes blink heavily, as if he’s half asleep. “I release you from my compulsion.”

I let out a huge breath of relief when I regain control of my body. But Henry’s henchman is still holding me. “Boss…? What’s going on?” he asks.

“What’s wrong with him?” the other one asks. “Is she a fey witch? Did she put him under a spell?”

Henry doesn’t hear the questions. His attention is focused solely on me. “Tell your man to release me,” I say.

Henry doesn’t miss a beat. “Release her.”

“But master—”

Henry snarls at the man’s balk. “Release her!” he hisses, going from zero to furious in an instant.

The man lets me go, and for a moment I don’t know what to do next. The two enforcers don’t seem to be under my spell. The last time I was able to enthrall a man, it only worked while I had eye contact. I’m afraid if I look away from Henry, the spell will be broken. “Tell them to call the elevator,” I order.

Henry nods to his men to do as I said, and we all wait in a standstill until the elevator chimes and the doors slide open. “Have your men step aside, Henry. You’re going to let me leave now, and you’re never going to bother me again.” I’m not sure the command will stick like a vampire compulsion, but it’s worth a shot.

On Henry’s order, both men step aside, and I slowly back up until I’m in the elevator. I break my stare to glance quickly at the buttons. I hit theLbutton and look back at Henry. He’s already blinking rapidly and shaking his head, trying to clear the haze from his mind. I smash theCLOSE DOORbutton several times. And just as the doors slide closed, Henry’s eyes snap wide with shock. He lurches forward, but it’s too late; the doors close, and the elevator makes its way to the lobby.

My escape is short-lived. I barely get to the floor of the casino when three of Henry’s security guys sweep me up. Two men grab me. One on each side of me. The third handcuffs my hands behind my back. Then I’m escorted right back to the elevator. “Face her to the corner,” the guy who cuffed me says. “Boss said we can’t look at her, that she’ll put us under some kind of spell.”

I fight as hard as I can, but the vampires are just plain stronger than me. I’m thrust into a corner like a naughty toddler forced to sit in timeout. I look over my shoulder, but one of the men grabs my head and holds it in place. “Let me go,” I say, but it does no good. Without being able to make eye contact or at least focus on any one of these men, my song doesn’t grab hold of any of them.

Henry’s two main enforcers are waiting with a blindfold when we reach the penthouse. I don’t even catch a glimpse of Henry before my vision is blocked. No matter how much I thrash and shout, the security guards’ grips never slip. I’m going to have bruises on my arms from their holds.

I stop fighting when Henry speaks. “How did you do it, Nora?”

Yeah, as if I’m going to answer his questions. “What’s the matter, Henry? Didn’t like having the tables turned? Doesn’t feel good to have someone controlling you, does it?”

“Answer me!” Henry snaps. “How did you do it?”

“I’m not telling. And you can’t compel me without taking this blindfold off. What do you say we find out which one of us is stronger?”

Unfortunately, my taunt does nothing. “I don’t need to compel you to get answers.”

Shit. I know what’s coming next.

Henry doesn’t waste a second with pleasantries this time around. I know it’s his hands that grab the sides of my head. “You will give me what I need,” he says, his voice now right in front of my face.

“What you need?” I sneer. “More like what you want, you greedy sociopath.”

Henry sighs. “You are better than paltry insults, Nora. Now, I’ll say it again, though I know it won’t do any good: don’t fight me. You’ll only hurt yourself.”

He’s right. The warning won’t do any good. The second he enters my mind, I fight his presence as hard as I can. He knows this is coming and skips being gentle. He pushes into my mind so hard that I scream in pain and collapse. Henry’s enforcers keep me upright when my knees give out.

I’m completely helpless as Henry skims backward through my mind. I keep fighting, though it’s a weak attempt that does absolutely nothing. My head is pounding. My nose is bleeding, and I’m trying not to vomit.

Henry watches my heated makeout with Parker and then jumps further back to watch my perfect day with Rook. “Henry, damn it, this is none of your business!” My voice is weak and scratchy. “Just get the face you need, and stop!”

I try to help him out, recalling the vision I had of the bloodbath at the Riverfront. I pull up the killer’s face. “There. That’s the guy. Now get out of my head.”

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