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Disorientation accompanied Nadya’s return to consciousness. Nausea assailed her, and it took her a long moment to realize she wasn’t imagining the rocking motion that was making her stomach churn and head spin. Cautiously, she opened her eyes and saw the ground beneath her passing in a blur. A horse hoof came into her line-of-sight, helping her orient herself—atop the back of a horse, on her stomach, slung over the saddle with all the care of a sack of potatoes. Her other senses confirmed her deduction. A rough woolen blanket abraded her cheek. The distinct aroma of the horse blended with the pungent odor of the man on whose lap she lay. Instinctively, Nadya knew it was Rem. She remembered him coming into the room she shared with Jalen, waking her from a sound sleep. Before she could scream, his eyes had sucked her in like a vortex, and she had fallen limp again. After that, she had no recollection until now. She stiffened, struggling to sit upright from the precarious position. “Jalen,” she said with a gasp. What had happened to her vampire lover? Rem’s large hand settled on her back, and he rubbed in a circular motion. Even over the clomp of the horse’s hooves, she could hear his deep voice. “There now, honey. You’re safe.” Safe! How could she be safe in the hands of this man? “What happened to Jalen?” Her voice was raspy, and she doubted a human would have been able to hear the question. Of course, Rem’s vampiric senses aided him, and he clearly heard her. “I didn’t kill him, but you are safe. He won’t come after you.” Nadya struggled again to get upright, surprised when Rem assisted her. The way he settled her on the saddle, her chest pressed to his, discomforted her, and she found it difficult to meet his gaze. “He will come for me.” Rem shook his head, making his long hair and shaggy beard fly. “Not a chance, honey. I know he’s intimidated you, but you don’t have to be afraid. Regardless of what he told you, vampire lords rarely track down runaways. Or rescued slaves, as the case may be.” Nadya didn’t refute his words. How could she, knowing they were probably accurate? Why would Jalen come after her, risking a confrontation with Rem’s army before he had the numbers to do so? Even if he loved her, he probably wouldn’t attempt to rescue her from Rem. Since she had no idea how Jalen felt about her, she couldn’t bank on him coming for her. Instead, she would have to escape Rem on her own. Where she would go after that, Nadya didn’t know. Her heart urged her to return to Jalen, but her brain cautioned against doing so. He cared for her, but he was going to marry Kumiko. Nadya weakened Jalen in the eyes of his clan, so her disappearance would benefit him. She couldn’t think of a single logical motive to go back to the N’work province and Jalen DuMond, though her heart provided several illogical reasons. Of course, it was a moot point at the moment, because she had to escape Rem first. “Where are we?” “Headed back to my stronghold.” He gestured with a hand. “This is the Catz-Kills province. We are in the heart of my territory and safely away from Jalen’s. No other vampire lord has dared venture here in years.” She imagined he meant the words to be reassuring, but they had a different effect. Knowing she was in the heart of his territory left her claustrophobic and hopeless. How would she ever escape, and if she did, how could she make her way out of the Catz-Kills? “What are you going to do to me?”
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of Vampire Union 2: Liberated