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trained on Ronan’s chest.
    â€œI said, turn around and face the wall.” She wasn’t going to leave anything to chance. He cocked a brow, a corner of his mouth teasing at a half smile. She flicked the dagger at him to urge him on and he sighed. “I usually stab first and ask questions later, so be thankful that I’m in a charitable mood today.”
    â€œThis is charitable?” Ronan asked, that damn half smile returning to his face. His moss green eyes sparkled with a mischievous light and Naya couldn’t help but admire the chiseled features of his handsome face and the way his tawny hair fell across his brow, almost brushing his long lashes. “I’d hate to see you when you aren’t feeling so generous.” He held his arms up again in compliance and turned toward the wall. He braced his legs apart and put his hands behind his back, palms facing outward. Apparently he wasn’t a stranger to the command “assume the position.” Figured. Naya had known from the moment she’d laid eyes on him that he was trouble.
    Magnificent. But still trouble.
    When she felt confident enough that she’d have the upper hand in the event he went back on his word and decided to attack, Naya slid the dagger into its sheath and retrieved the chains and cuffs from the floor. The incantation she’d used to reinforce the headboard had been a simple one and it took almost no concentration at all to release the spell, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t surprised as hell at the havoc Ronan has wreaked to release himself. The sturdy metal frame looked as though it was made of nothing more than flimsy wire, bent and curled backward until the slats of the headboard looked like a jagged metal crown.
    The chains jangled as Naya gathered them in her hands. Ronan tensed, and every muscle on his well-built body went rigid. Naya wondered at his reaction and thought about drawing the dagger from its sheath. She’d seen animals tense like that when they were cornered, and Ronan was no harmless woodland creature. No, he reminded her more of a desperate wolf. “I’m going to cuff you now,” she said in a placating tone. “And I’d advise you not to do anything sketchy, got it?”
    â€œI already gave you my word.”
    â€œAnd you also promised me that you wouldn’t hesitate to sink your fangs into my throat again. Just don’t move.”
    â€œYes, ma’am,” he drawled.
    The words rolled off his tongue, smooth. Naya felt a stirring in her gut that had nothing to do with fear. Who in the hell was he? A gorgeous, powerful—not to mention bloodthirsty—stranger who knew her name and was … what? Trying to flirt with her while she tied him up? She reached down and captured one of his wrists in her grip. He clenched his hand into a fist, and Naya could practically feel the tension rolling off of him. Ronan’s skin was warm, warmer than she thought a vampire’s should be. The music that had been so riotous in her ears calmed. He had an iron grip of control, the notes resonating in Naya’s soul one at a time, like a music box that needed to be wound. Was he even aware of the power contained in his massive form?
    As she secured the first cuff, the pace of his breathing increased. The muscles rippling across his back expanded and contracted at a rapid rate, as if he were on the verge of panic. She hadn’t noticed his distress earlier, when he’d been bound to the bed. Don’t feel sorry for him. In fact, don’t feel anything for him. Dangerous. He’s a threat. Get your shit together, Naya . Quickly she grabbed the second cuff and secured his other wrist. The chains were too long for her liking. She didn’t want to give him the benefit of mobility. So she pulled the chains together, giving Ronan only a few inches of breathing room, and with her free hand retrieved the dagger from its sheath. Naya ran the