The alpha left Mel to stew in the cell for two full days. A guard came once in the morning and once at night to lead her down a pitch black hall to a bathroom with no windows. They offered her no avenue of escape. That was fine, really. She didn't need one. Mel didn't need to be given anything; she took what she wanted, and damn everything else.

The bathroom had a faucet so she tried to take in at least a few swallows of water before being lead back to her cell each time. It wasn't enough. She didn't know if they were planning to deprive her until she talked or what, but she knew that if they kept up like this another day she would be in serious trouble. She still had at least three days before any help came for her and she couldn't afford to be weak before then.

If Krista came through.

No. Mel rejected the doubt. It was only the hunger and dehydration talking. This was the job, and no matter the personal shit, Krista would get it done.

Mel's head jerked up when the door opened. She wasn't certain of the hour, but it couldn't be time for her guard to take her on her bathroom trip. And if it was, she was super screwed, that meant she'd lost all sense of time. Or they were staggering the rotations to encourage it.

But it wasn't one of the two guards she'd seen before. A short Latina woman stood in the doorway, her colorful red hair held back in a braid and her outfit nearly bright enough to blind Mel who'd grown accustomed to the dullness of her cage. "The alpha has had a meal prepared for you," the woman said. She spoke with the slightest southern drawl. "He has asked me to tell you that you are to attempt no escape and harm no one, unprovoked. Of course, if you are challenged, you are welcome to defend yourself."

Standard stuff. As the alpha's ward, Luke was responsible for her protection. And until he decided what to do with her, she was honor-bound to obey his commands. Lucky for Mel, she'd always been a bit short on honor.

It took her a moment to stand, and when she did the room wobbled for a few seconds. Mel clenched her teeth but concentrated on keeping everything else loose. These people didn't get to know that what they'd put her through had any effect on her. She would not appear weak. Once the room righted itself, Mel smiled at the woman. "That sounds wonderful." Her voice was hoarse. Nothing a little water wouldn't fix.

Her guide didn't speak anymore. She led Mel through the lower level and up one flight of stairs making no attempt at hiding their path, leading Mel directly to another small room set up with a cot and a table. They were still underground and there were no windows. But this room had a light switch inside the door and Mel could see a small bathroom.

What on Earth were they playing at?

"Were they fresh out of bars when you were building this place?" she asked.

The woman gestured for Mel to take a seat at the small table. There were two chairs, one facing the door, one facing the wall. The woman stood next to the one facing the wall. Wonderful. Mel's back prickled as she left herself exposed. But she sat up straight. Especially if she was getting fed.

Mel smelled her visitor a second before her captor looked up. Heat coiled through her, making her pulse jump. This attraction to the alpha was beyond inconvenient. And frustrating as hell. If this had been any other time she could have indulged him in a bit of play and been done with it. As it was, she was completely under his power and almost wished he would take advantage of that fact.

She'd hate him forever, but damn if it wouldn't be fun.

"Thanks, Maya." He took the other seat after Maya closed the door behind them.

Mel meant to study the room, but her entire focus was absorbed by the alpha. After more than two days he looked worse for wear. Though at least he'd eaten something. Speaking of food, she could smell something warm and delicious. Her eyes followed that scent all the way to one of his hands. He set a small plastic container down and popped the lid off. It was just some rice and chicken, but Mel had to keep herself from snatching it away. He placed a bottle of water next to the food.

He sat the container down between them and waited for her to look at him. After she did, he spoke. "You've hidden the Emerald well. I hope you're happy."

It wasn't hidden, but Mel didn't say that. She was trying to keep her eyes off the food. If she didn't look at it, maybe her stomach wouldn't hurt as much.

"All I want is a direction." He pushed the food and water across the table and Mel's hands jerked up to keep everything from falling.

"What?"

"A direction," Luke repeated. "I'm not going to play some fruitless game with you. I know you won't tell me exactly where it is. But I hope you'll indulge me in this." He pulled a spoon out of his pocket and set it next to her food. "The food is yours either way."

After giving it a cautious sniff, Mel dug in. She wasn't waiting for him to change his mind. In two minutes she'd eaten half of what she'd been given and looked up to see Luke watching her. She didn't slow.

"You've gone hungry before." It wasn't a question.

Mel swallowed and wiped the back of her hand against her mouth, clearing away a grain of rice. "I suppose everyone does one time or another."

Luke sat on the bed, giving her the entire table to herself. "I wouldn't have withheld food if I knew. I'm sorry."

A hint of anger bubbled, "I don't need your pity." She grabbed the last bit of rice and swallowed it down.

"It's not pity," he leaned back, his entire body lying across the small cot to rest his shoulders against the wall. "But I don't hold to torture. Not for punishment."

"That was punishment?" She couldn't stop the abrasive laugh. "Never been to the Forests of Fire, I take it?"

The alpha sat right back up, his eyes narrowing. "You're too young to make it out of there alive. No one with less than a century could do it."

Mel grabbed the plastic container and spun it around idly. "People always try to tell me what I can't do. It never works out for them." She studied Torres. He didn't pretend to be casual, didn't pretend disinterest. She slid the container back and forth and his eyes followed her fingers. There was something deliciously wicked about holding that man's attention. "So you've done your research now?" she asked. "You had no idea who I was two days ago."

He stood and crossed the room. He leaned across the table, planting his hands beside her own. "Two days ago you didn't matter."

That stung, even if it shouldn't have. "I've always mattered."

Luke got three inches from her face and did the strangest thing. He smiled. "I didn't know that before two days ago."

She caught a whiff of his scent. The room had started to smell of him from the moment that he walked in, but now it hit her all at once. Pine, with some citrus undertone. His eyes dilated and she licked her lips. His gaze dropped and she did it once more. His mouth hung open the tiniest bit.

Oh she was in trouble. Even more than she knew.

Without thinking, she covered his hand with her own. He didn't move away, didn't try to grab her. Luke stayed rooted in place and Mel wanted to lean forward and steal those precious inches between them. They could be hers and then she would know if he still tasted as good has he smelled, as good as he looked.

His other hand covered hers.

What the hell.

She leaned forward and swiped her lips against his, only for a second, before leaning back into her chair. Mel was satisfied when the alpha leaned forward and tried to follow her. She licked her lips but kept the space between them. "I always thought an alpha would taste bitter."

He froze, an expression between horror and laughter on his face. "What?" Speaking broke the spell and he took the chair opposite her, resting his elbows on the table. It took her a moment to realize that their hands were still touching.

She didn't pull back. "I've never kissed an alpha before you. And that makes it twice now. You're messing with my expectations."

"I've never kissed a cat burglar. I suppose that makes us even." He pulled his hands away.

Mel had no idea what she was doing. She was in no position to be kissing anyone, let alone her captor, but all she wanted to do was to smile and keep flirting. "I suppose it was better than a vampire, though." What was she even saying?

Luke seemed just as confused. But his hand crept forward. She let her fingers crawl across the table to brush against his nails. He was so close that not touching him felt wrong somehow. "You kissed a vampire?" She didn't know if his disgust was the thought of the vampire or the thought of her kissing someone else. She didn't know what she wanted it to be.

"I was sixteen and curious." She couldn't help but smile. Even being held prisoner in his castle, talking to him, teasing him, was fun.

But Luke paled. "Please tell me he wasn't... that is... how old was he?"

Mel took hold of one of his hands and traced a small scar that crossed between his thumb and forefinger. Her smile faded while remembering the vampire. "That doesn't matter." She didn't expect his skin to be soft. And when she ran her fingers over his palm it wasn't, but the top of his hand was smooth except for a little hair and that one scar. "Did you ever?"

He understood the question. "Next week will be the first time I'm around vampires for more than thirty seconds without punching anyone. I hope."

Of course, the reason the job had to be done so quickly, so sloppily. "I suppose I've thrown a wrench in your plans then." She didn't want to upset him, but speaking whatever came to mind with this man felt natural. She liked it.

And Luke wasn't upset. He looked up from their joined hands and she saw a small smile playing across his lips. "Yes, you have." But in saying the words he interrupted whatever strange magic that was developing between them. The smile slid from his lips, leaving in its place a melancholy frown. "Who hired you?

Mel pulled all the way back, breaking the contact between them. "Thief/client privilege, I'm sorry."

Luke grabbed the plastic food container and stood. "When you're ready to talk, we'll talk." He left without a backward glance.

Mel felt adrift. She'd been held captive before, sometimes on purpose, sometimes not. And no matter what happened, she always had a plan, had some control of the situation. But this was something new. She wanted to talk to Luke, to tell him what was going on. She definitely wanted to kiss him all night and through the morning.

And that wasn't normal. An idea, barely more than an intrusive thought tried to suggest what was going on, but Mel pushed it away. She didn't have time for whatever it was.

To distract herself, she studied her new cage. In the short time that he'd been in the room with her, Luke's scent had begun to permeate the place, blending with hers and leaving an aroma that should not have been nearly as appealing. Then again, she'd not bathed in three days and anyone's scent might have been preferable to hers alone.

There wasn't much to the place other than the cot, the table, and the small bathroom. The most dangerous item in the bathroom was a small bottle of shampoo. While she could squirt it in one of the guard's eyes, the seconds it bought her wouldn't be enough to be useful. There were towels, which was nice, but no shower rod or curtain. She wondered if it was intelligence on Luke's part or something learned from experience that took away the easiest items to make improvised weapons. Most shapeshifters didn't worry about it. Either he was smarter than the average alpha, or he had the experience to deal with unconventional threats.

Mel's hand landed on the silver chain around her neck. The alloy combined with her relatively high silver tolerance meant that the necklace didn't bother her. She twirled the chain, tracing back and forth to the pendant hanging on it. If she had to choose between Luke having experience or wisdom, she'd hope for wisdom. Because even the smartest shapeshifter wouldn't see what she had coming.