Date: 2000-01-01 05:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Paranormal; Vampires; Romance; Menage; Paranormal Romance; Werewolves; Urban Fantasy; Erotica; Adult; Shapeshifters
Description: ACE for ASIN: B00G00GUVM Nosferatu rule from the shadow and keep order over their blood thirsty people. Bald with pointed ears, they give vampires something to fear. If a law is broken, they have only one punishment. Death. They are the most powerful clan in the Vampire Nation and the most monstrous. Only a male vampire can be transformed into a Nosferatu but not all survive. Connie Bence is on the run with her two lovers, Rurik and Tane. As leader of the Nosferatu, Tane’s only threat is his own clansmen and they want all three of them dead. When Rurik began to lose his hair rumors spread and

Release

The Angler series: Book Three
by

Annie Nicholas

Nosferatu rule from the shadow and keep order over their bloodthirsty people. If a law is broken, they have only one punishment. Death. They are the most powerful clan in the Vampire Nation and the most monstrous.  Only a male vampire can be transformed into a Nosferatu, but not all survive.

Connie Bence is on the run with her two lovers, Rurik and Tane.  As leader of the Nosferatu, Tane’s only threat is his own clansmen, and they want all three of them dead. When Rurik began to lose his hair, rumors spread, and the Nosferatu accuse Tane of trying to transform Rurik into one of them illegally.

With the Nosferatu on their heels, Connie tries to figure out what’s changing Rurik and cure him before she loses him to blood lust.

Table Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Epilogue

About Author

Other Books by Annie

Scent of Salvation

Koishi

Starved for Love

Chapter One

Sweat trickled along the crease of my spine as I stood behind Tane’s chair. Like music playing in the background, nobody in the meeting paid any real attention to me. I was just a human caught in vampire society. Being a blood slave to the vampire king was a two-edged sword. My bond to Tane would last until death-do-us-part. His death, not mine. I would never age or get sick but I was still mortal.

Tane sat at the head of the conference table. Broad shoulders relaxed as his back molded into his chair much like a tiger watching his prey.  The artificial light gleamed off the surface of his smooth bald head and the tips of his pointed ears. He faced some of the most powerful vampires in the world across the dark wooden table. Their bald-headed and pointed-ear appearance made them seem more like Tane’s brothers than just clan.

They stared at us in silence. Not unnerving at all.

“Why have you summoned me?” Straight to the point for a change. Tane’s whole existence revolved around subterfuge. I would have felt better if he’d started the meeting with a bluff or his trademark bravado.

“Why haven’t you brought Rurik?” Damius asked from the far end of the table.

Tane leaned forward and folded his arms on the surface. “I wasn’t aware Rurik had joined our clan, brother. Why would I bring him to one of our meetings?”

“This isn’t the time to play one of your games. Rumors are spreading, and we’ve gathered to warn you. Possibly to keep you from being executed.” Tane might be king of the Vampire Nation, but the Nation didn’t include his nasty clan and they apparently ran things differently among themselves. So when he had launched into action yesterday afternoon, ordering his private jet prepared when they summoned us, my Richter scale of oh-shit registered a 9.0 on a scale of one to ten.

“What are you talking about?” Tane spoke quietly. Some people attributed volume with power but someone with real authority never had to shout.

Sucking in my stomach, I stepped closer to his chair. Only Tane’s favor kept me safe. I was just a Happy Meal to these other vampires.

“We know Rurik is losing his hair.” Damius tossed a set of pictures on the table.

I controlled the urge to gasp and almost suffered an aneurysm. “How do they know about him?” I mentally sent this question to Tane. What the fuck? We’d been so careful to hide Rurik’s mysterious affliction but we hadn’t been able to find the reason for his slow hair-loss. His blood lust had recently grown stronger as well. We could only assume a poison at this point, yet all our efforts to find a source or a cure had turned up nothing.

Slowly, Tane inspected each picture. They were of the three of us in Mexico last month in our private rooms. A blush flashed across my cheeks. I wouldn’t prance around naked ever again. Thankfully, Rurik was the focus of each shot. “All this trouble because my companion shaved his head? He still has stubble over most of it. Obviously, not naturally smooth.” He ran his hand over his own scalp. “He’s insanely jealous for Connie’s attention and thought to copy my appearance. Should we shackle him for it?” Tane chuckled and tossed me the best fake amused glance I’d ever seen.

I tried my best to return it. All the while I was trying not to shit bricks. Some men went bald. Vampires didn’t, not unless they were Nosferatu. Rurik was Tane’s right hand vampire and our shared lover. So I was beginning to comprehend why Tane had dragged me to an emergency Nosferatu clan meeting and insisted Rurik stay at our hotel room across town. The sudden role reversal had done horrid things to my stomach. A room full of Nosferatu warriors would make any regular vampire toss their cookies. Let alone little human me. Antacids didn’t cover this kind of stress.

The brother to Tane’s left set a small clear bag with black hairs on the table. “My sources within your home sent me these from your bed a few months ago. Before these pictures were taken.” He pointedly stared at my blond hair. “Don’t tell me they came from her.”

Tane raised his eyebrow. “Pulled hair found in my bed is why you called this meeting? Who knows what Connie and Rurik are up to when I am away.”

The one on the right rested his hand on Tane’s arm. “I understand your attachment to Rurik, but you can’t make someone Nosferatu without a clan vote.”

Tane yanked his arm from his clan brother’s grasp. “You are making a grave accusation with very little proof.” He poked at the bag. “This…” He shook his head. “This is ridiculous.”

The vampires grew still like only their kind could and just the sound of my breathing broke the heavy silence.

“Either way, I doubt the rest of our clan will be pleased by this change.” Damius gathered the pictures. “We have also heard that Rurik’s blood requirements have tripled. Send for him. Let us examine Rurik for ourselves before the others learn of his hair loss.”

If they didn’t already know. This made me more nervous than the garrison of guards standing outside the room. Apparently, the clan brothers thought they should bring a small army with them, where we only brought Kam, the sole wolf shifter of the group. I chewed on my bottom lip. Poor planning on Tane’s part? I couldn’t believe that. He’d kept our group small for a reason. Inwardly, I cringed. That didn’t reassure me.

All that work to hide Rurik’s hair loss for nothing: Wigs, checking his suits for loose hairs before meetings, Youtube videos on comb overs. When he arrived at the meeting how would we explain the smoother sections of his scalp that didn’t show in the pictures? The stubble would eventually fade. Then what?

Tane leaned back in his chair. “Connie, send Kam for Rurik and make me something to drink. There’s a bar in the room off the hallway.”

I startled at the mention of my name. Habit almost had me tell him to get his own freaking drink but I managed to hold my tongue and escape the room.

Shit. Rurik was on the Nosferatu radar. I didn’t know the total number of members in Tane’s clan, but I was sure it took more than the five present to police all the vampires in the world. These were warriors bred and trained. If they wanted you dead, you died.

I exited the meeting room and came face-to-face with a group of armed vampire guards. Kam, my personal shifter bodyguard, stood apart from them. He leaned against the wall, appearing bored. His dark chestnut hair reached his shoulders but he kept it back in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. I’d seen many a female throw themselves at the muscular shifter’s feet. I couldn’t really blame them. He had that rugged mountain man look that some women loved. I liked my men less furry. He met my nervous glance.

I approached him. Before I could open my mouth, I sensed Tane slip inside my head.

“Run!” The order was whispered yet sharp like a strike of a whip. “Get Rurik out of the city. This is worse than I suspected. They’ll kill him. I’ll get you as much time as I can.”

I stumbled at his sudden retreat from my head and landed against Kam. With wide eyes, I met his golden gaze.

He gripped my arms and his nostrils flared as if he could smell my fear. Quickly, his gaze shifted to the other guards in the hall. He knew something was wrong but neither of us could verbalize anything in front of these warriors.

Swooning against him, I did my best impression of a fainting southern belle. “I don’t feel well. Take me home. Tane will meet us there later.” We needed to vamoose. Tane had insisted on staying in a separate hotel across town. He must have suspected something, or maybe it was from past experience with his clan. Either way, he did well by keeping Rurik out of easy reach.

Kam scooped me in his arms and strode to the elevator, hitting the button with his elbow. The muscles in his arms tensed as if preparing to attack at a moment’s notice. With my mind, I tried to touch Tane, but he shielded against me. The mental walls he could build blew away anything I’d ever encountered. Being king meant he kicked ass on high levels of vampire abilities. His brothers were strong, but he was stronger.

The door slid open with a ding, and Kam carried me inside. None of the guards questioned us. What damage could a small human woman and a hulking wolf shifter do? As soon as the doors closed, Kam set me back on my high-heeled feet. “What’s going on?” He took up most of the space in the small area.

“They want to kill Rurik. We have to get out of the city.” Pressing my hand to my stomach, I fought rolling nausea. “I’m a blank. I don’t know this city and I haven’t an idea how the fuck to hide from Nosferatu. I mean, they only have to scan the minds of surrounding humans to find us, right?” They’d done this in Rio last year when hunting Colby, my old slayer boss. We had barely survived that fiasco and we only had to deal with one rogue Nosferatu, not five working together.

Kam’s face paled. “What about our Master?” His pack served Tane and, by proxy, me.

“I think he can handle himself. They want Rurik dead, not him.” I slapped his rock-hard abs. “Focus. Where can we go?”

“The marina. Master Tane had his yacht brought here. He’d thought to surprise both of you with a cruise of the Mediterranean.”

My heart fluttered at the gesture. Since we’d become a three-way couple, he’d been non-stop romancing us. Damn his stupid brothers for wrecking that trip.

“Give me your cell.” My dress didn’t have enough material for pockets.

Kam pulled out his phone.

I dialed Rurik’s number from heart. My pulse hammered in my ears as I listened to the ring. I disliked speaking mind to mind but at the moment I would have been thrilled for Rurik’s velvety presence in my thoughts. We didn’t share a blood bond so such a link was difficult. Distance made it even tougher

Chapter Two

“Hello?” Rurik’s voice melted like butter over my frayed nerves.

“The Nosferatu want you dead.” My words stumbled over each other. I paced the short distance inside the elevator. “We have to get you out of the city.”

“I knew this meeting would be about me. I shouldn’t have come.” He sounded so calm compared to the panic drumming inside of me. “Is Kam with you?” Rurik’s sharp tone stopped me in my tracks.

“Of course he is.” The shifter had become my constant shadow. Both Tane and Rurik agreed that I got into too much trouble without someone to guard my human ass. “Are you listening to me? You have to leave the hotel. Now! Tane’s trying to buy us time while we escape the city.”

“Why kill me?”

“Now’s not the time. We run. Then I explain.”

Kam pulled the phone from my hand. “Tell your guards to take you to the marina. Master Tane’s yacht is moored in the harbor. We’ll leave by water.”

The elevator door opened to the front lobby.

Kam returned the phone to his pocket with one hand and grabbed my upper arm with the other. “Stay close. We’re taking the car.”

I jogged on tiptoes, trying to keep pace with Kam’s long legs as he half dragged, half carried me. We crossed the busy lobby and out the front door. The hotel attendants had allowed Tane to park his convertible sports car by the entrance. With the key fob, Kam unlocked the doors. I scrambled into the passenger side and snapped the seatbelt in place while Kam did the same. “How far is the marina?”

“About seven blocks from here.” My shifter guard started the car and pulled away from the hotel, merging into the traffic. “Rurik is a little farther.”

“Is the boat a good idea? The Nos wouldn’t attack us is public. Maybe we should stay in a crowded area.” Humans didn’t believe in vampires anymore. No one seemed to really question where the myths started. Or maybe those who did vanished? Either way, the Nosferatu guarded the secret of vampire existence above all else. Those who broke this law died quick, violent deaths. See, even vampires had their own version of the boogie man.

“The night has just begun. Do you think you can keep ahead of them until dawn? They only want Rurik. Once they have him, the hunt is finished.”

“Shit.” I twisted in my seat to stare at the traffic. Monte Carlo was Las Vegas’s prettier sister. Gilded, it appeared more welcoming than its American sibling but under all the rich tapestry laid the same crap: sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Each shadow held a ghost of my past. The city sparked memories of empty liquor bottles and cheap motels. A time I wished I could permanently erase from my mind. Welcome to the adult version of Disneyland, where all your dreams could come true…for the right price. Even with the glitter, Monte Carlo was a tragic kingdom. “The boat is so isolated, especially out on the water. At least with people around us, the Nos will have to behave.”

He snorted. “Connie, the Nosferatu only have to wipe the human memories clean. With five of them in the city, they could have a blood bath in the middle of Le Metropole shopping center and everyone will believe it was an explosion or a terrorist attack. They’re very powerful in comparison to the other vampire clans.”

“Fine then, what will keep them from following us out on the water?”

Sighing, he turned a corner with a squeal of burning rubber. “Nothing until we’re out of sight. The ocean is a big place to hide on.” He shrugged. “If they’re really lucky they might find us, but the odds are on our side.” Kam slammed on his brakes. “Fuck.”

I flew forward, only to be snapped back into my seat by the safety belt. Stars blinded me as they flashed in my vision. Once they faded I noted all the cars in front of us had stopped. A traffic jam at nine o’clock at night? Peering ahead, I spotted plumes of smoke spiraling in the street lighting. An accident. Nice timing.

Climbing out of the car, I searched the shadows for any movement. Kam claimed the Nosferatu would only hunt Rurik, but I was sure if the opportunity to snack on the vampire king’s blood slave arose, they wouldn’t pass it up. I kicked off my heels and climbed onto the hood of the car.

“Get down from there,” Kam barked.

The vehicle jerked under my feet slightly. He must have geared it into park before storming out and joining me. With a clear view over the other cars, we both could see an SUV on its side about ten cars in front.

My composure was cracking. The broken bits crumbled at my feet as I recognized the vehicle. “Uh, isn’t that the same truck you rented at the airport?” The guards had driven it ahead of us after our private plane had landed.

“Yes.” He tilted his head back and sniffed the wind. “I smell pack. It’s definitely our rental.” Snaking his arm around my waist, he guided me to the ground. “Keep up with me like we do in training.” Then he took off, jogging with a loping grace.

Six months ago, I’d realized I was tired of getting my ass kicked whenever a conflict developed around Tane or Rurik. It must seem safer to bully the human pet than assault the vampires directly.  I’d decided I needed to grow some sharper teeth so I could bite back when the going got tough and had coerced Kam to teach me during the day while my boys had their beauty sleep. This training included endurance running and sprints, since my best defense was to run away from assailants then to take them on directly.

I raced to keep pace with him, dividing my attention between the wreck ahead and the dark corners around us. Had the Nosferatu attacked so soon? With my mind, I reached out to Tane, only to slam against a solid mental wall of do-not-disturb. When Tane decided to block me out I could never squirm my way in, no matter how determined.

My pulse sped and my lungs burned, but not from exertion. I’d barely scratched the surface of my endurance. As we drew closer to the vehicle, I spotted paramedics pulling out a dark-haired body. Blood painted his face in a gruesome mask. It was Rurik’s guard, one of Kam’s packmates. I lengthened my stride and passed my bodyguard.

Focused on the accident, I weaved through the growing crowd and ducked under an officer’s arm. Skidding to a halt by the truck, I fell to my knees and scanned the interior. The muscles in my neck tensed. No other bodies. The tension in my shoulders dissolved. Rurik had gotten away. My stomach knotted as I glanced at the growing crowd. Or the Nosferatu had him.

Iron strong fingers grabbed my shoulders from behind.

I jerked away from the unfamiliar touch. As a blood slave I should have been able to break free without any effort. Most humans couldn’t compete with my strength, one of the perks of being bound to Tane, but the hand still held me in its steel grip. I twisted around and came face-to-face with Damius’s Asian blood slave.

Any strength I’d gained from Tane’s bond was negated by the fact that this human male was also bound to a Nosferatu warrior. We were on equal ground and he’d squash me like a bug.

Somehow he loomed over me even though we were almost the same height. Cold and dark, his glare bored into my soul and I could sense he wanted to hurt me bad.

I widened my stance and twisted my body around sharply to break free. Yeah, that didn’t work either. I had yet to pass my yellow belt in martial arts so Asian dude would most likely clean the pavement with my ass.

He smirked and said something that sounded Japanese.

My heart dropped into my gut and sizzled in the stomach acid. He didn’t seem like the kind of person I could reason with.  He had seppuku determination written all over his face and the whip-like reflexes in his limbs hinted at killer martial arts skills. So I did the one thing growing up on the streets of New York had taught me. I closed the distance between us and grabbed his jewel sack in my bone crunching grip. Didn’t need to pass no dumb belt test to learn this skill.

His eyes bulged with a snarl, but he still refused to ease his hold. His fighting style might come with a code of honor, but mine sure didn’t. Fight dirty, fight to win was what my grandma had taught me.

Like a synchronized dance, I swung upward as he folded forward in pain. My elbow met his nose and a satisfying bone-cracking noise followed. Sharp pain traveled along my arm and I yelped, stumbling free from Damius’ blood slave. I cradled my injured elbow. This all took place in a matter of seconds and from the shocked expressions of the bystanders’ faces, they hadn’t processed our fight yet.

As I passed my bent-over assailant as I raced toward the crowd, he twisted around with a backhanded swing.

The solid hit landed across my face. I flew against the crashed vehicle, knocking the wind out of me. I puddle to the ground. With moan sounding suspiciously like a moo, I sucked in air and relearned how to breathe. The left side of my face went numb for a second before a throbbing ache took its place. I tasted blood and tongued my teeth to check if any were missing. My left eye was already swelling and made it harder to see.

The fellow blood slave in arms faced me, and I saw my death in his cold glare.

Two police officers closed in on us with guns drawn. Score one point for humankind. Bullets could kill us, unlike our masters.

I rose to my feet and spotted Kam on the edge of the crowd. A deep frown marred his handsome face, which meant I’d get a talking-to later if I lived.

Damius’ slave watched my every step until I moved behind a policeman, and then he lunged.

Shots went off, the crowd scattered and like any self-preserving herd animal, I ran with the stampede.  In the confusion I lost track of Kam, so I stuck close to thickest part of the crowd and did my best to blend in. I glanced over my shoulder.

Both police officers were down and others had drawn their weapons but lacked a target to aim them at.

My assailant was nowhere in sight. I tried to look in every direction and run at the same time. Not an easy feat. Our simple escape plan to the yacht was falling apart. I’d lost Kam and I’d never found Rurik. Heck, I didn’t even know where the marina was located.

A man’s arm snaked around my waist, and I screamed. Struggling, I twisted in his grasp like fish out of water until I met Rurik’s ice-blue gaze. He wore a blond wig and a paramedic’s jumper. Without a word, he fought against the scattering crowd and led me to the back of an empty ambulance, where he set me inside. “Strap in. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.” He slammed the doors shut in my face.

I blinked and cradled my sore arm. I tried to smile but my face ached too much. Rurik was fine and I was a mess.  Just like old times.

Rurik entered the front of the ambulance and flicked the sirens on. The sound blared over the noise of the chaos outside. He geared it into drive, hitting the gas pedal as if we were in the grand prix. The tires peeled before we shot into motion.

Flung back by the sudden acceleration, I hit the closed doors with a solid thunk that vibrated deep into my marrow. My bones melted and I sagged. What kind of life did I live where I needed self-defense classes to survive the people who loved me?

The ambulance slowed, and the passenger side door opened long enough for Kam to clamber inside. He glared at me. “What are you doing on the floor?”

Many retorts tangled on my tongue and I settled on giving him the one-fingered salute. I sat up, resting against the doors with my legs sprawled in front of me, and rubbed the back of my head. Son of a bitch, pain never grew more tolerable with experience. “What happened?” I shouted to be heard over the siren.

“We were ambushed.” Rurik glanced at me through the review mirror. “Oh honey, you look…uncomfortable.”

I crawled forward so we could talk easier. “I’ve suffered through worse.” Let me count the ways: whipped, fileted, beaten, almost drowned… This was just a scratch by comparison. “Did the Nosferatu do this?” Damn, they moved fast.

“No, these were vampire soldiers.” Rurik steered around the cars that pulled out of our way. The marina came to view.  “I’m sorry about your packmate, Kam. He was a good shifter.”

Kam gripped the chicken bar in a white-knuckled grip. “What of the others?” There had been four guards left with Rurik.

“They fought the vampires and allowed me time to escape and acquire this disguise. I knew you’d be stopped by the traffic so instead I waited.”

I smacked his shoulder. “You should have run to the boat.” Didn’t he understand he had a bull’s eye painted on his back?

He caught my hand within his and brought it to his lips. “If I waited here or at the boat, I would still be a sitting target. At least the accident caused enough commotion to possibly distract them.” He tossed me a questioning glance over his shoulder. “Can you reach Tane?” My lovers couldn’t commune mind to mind from a long distance, either.

“No. He’s shut me off tight.” I pointed toward the gated marina. “There’s the entrance.”

Chapter Three

Rurik aimed for the entrance to the marina that was barred by a drop arm barrier.

My gut clenched and I braced for impact, but the gate rose. Someone inside the guard house must have heard us coming. I sagged, sighing in relief.

A familiar boat drew my attention as Rurik parked the stolen ambulance. Tane’s yacht, the same one he’d used in Budapest where he’d tortured Colby. Dread settled in my heart. The click of the front doors opening barely registered in my consciousness as I stared at the upper deck, where Tane had revealed his plans to kill Dragos and shocked me with the news—

I hated Tane for the longest time. I would have happily staked him when we first met, but a fine line lay between hate and love.

“Connie!” Rurik had opened the back doors while nightmares plagued my memories.

I spun to face him and flung myself into his arms. Somehow we’d find a cure for him. I couldn’t face losing him again as I had in Budapest and I wouldn’t let a disease take another person I loved away.

“Whoa.” He caught me in a hug and swung me to ground. “What’s that for?”

Releasing my vice-like grip on him, I eased back and wiped the wayward curls from my face. “That boat holds bad memories.” Like waking in Tane’s arms for the first time. Who would have guessed we’d end up as lovers?

Not me. He’d changed quite a bit since then, sort of, or I’d grown more tolerant. I glanced over my shoulder and spotted the plume of dark smoke from the wreckage rise in sky.

Rurik slipped his arm around my shoulders. He hadn’t been with me on this yacht those many, many nights ago. He’d been chained to a wall in Dragos’s fortress facing east so he could greet the dawn. But he knew what Tane had made me do.

I shook my head and huddled closer to him. “I hate this place.”

He held me tighter. “We will replace those bad memories with good ones.”

Kam was untying the ropes from the dock. “Hurry. We have to be out of sight before they locate us. Otherwise they’ll just swim to the boat.”

Rurik climbed aboard then offered me his hand to steady my climb. As soon as my feet hit the deck, I headed for the ladder leading to the control room.

Why? I didn’t know. Sailing wasn’t in my skillset; heck, I didn’t even know how to start this thing, but it seemed like a reasonable place to sit down.

The dark dials were silent as I entered and stopped in my tracks, unsure where my next step would take me. I glanced over my shoulder, but Rurik hadn’t followed. Reaching my hands in front of me, I felt along the smooth walls until I discovered a light switch and flicked it on.

I melted into the closest seat and watched the dock for any unnatural movement. The left side of my face throbbed where the Asian blood slave had backhanded me. I suspected it would leave a mark. Once Tane arrived, he could heal me with his blood and all these injuries would vanish.

Kam stormed into the room and tossed me a flesh-searing glare. “The point of having a bodyguard is so he can protect you when the shit hits the fan.” He searched blindly under the control panel until he pulled out a key.

I rested my aching head against the back of the chair. “I know. I didn’t think, I reacted.” He meant my crazed flight through the crowd when I’d seen the car wreck. Being small came in handy sometimes. I could fit in smaller spaces, while my hulking guard had to move either around or through the obstacles.

He stuck the key in the ignition and started the boat. “That blood slave could have killed you.”

“He almost did until Rurik showed up.”

Kam grimaced. “You would make my job easier if you just stuck close instead of acting like a lunatic.”

I flinched. Kam didn’t know about the consequences of being a blood slave or the threat of not having Tane’s blood available always hanging over my head. If I didn’t take a dose as needed, I would go insane. I’d met a blood slave who had suffered this condition. May Belle rest in peace.

The boat drifted from the dock and the engines purred to propel us from the marina. I jerked in my seat. “Aren’t we waiting for Tane?” I rushed to the window, thinking I’d missed his arrival.

“His orders were to get Rurik out of Monte Carlo.” Kam twisted the wheel and accelerated toward the open ocean.

I reached out with my mind but sensed nothing. Nothing? My heart revved in time with the engine and I tore out of the control room. Taking the steep steps two at a time, I descended into the luxurious living space below.

Rurik stood in the minimal kitchen, pouring ice into a Ziplok bag. He raised an eyebrow as I barged in.

“We’re leaving without Tane.” I struggled with the words between breaths.

“Yes?” He pressed the ice to the swollen side of my face while cradling my head in his other hand.

“I can’t sense him. The only time I haven’t been able to sense him was when Luckard was torturing him.” I gripped Rurik’s wrists. “What if they are hurting him?” If Tane hadn’t blocked our mental connection, I’d sense all his pain. His seasoned mind could handle a lot more than mine.

Rurik stroked my hair, his eyes growing sad. “Do you think he can’t handle it after everything he’s been through over the centuries?”

I took a deep, slow breath. “He can take care of himself.” After being around for over a thousand years, he should be able to, right? Part of me didn’t believe he could.

Rurik gave me a small smile. “Yes. He’s better off with us out of the way. We’re a—”

“Weakness.” I leaned into the ice pack and allowed the cold to numb the pain. “What if they kill him?”

The gentle fingers running through my hair tightened. Neither of us spoke, but that didn’t make the consequences of my bond any less real.

I would die too.

“Come let me check your injuries.” He handed me the ice pack and pushed me toward the bedroom. “How did you lose your shoes?”

“Long story.” Basically, I was screwed. Separated from Tane, I couldn’t do anything to secure my future without risking Rurik’s life. Would the Nosferatu clan take Tane as a hostage? I didn’t know enough about vampire politics to hazard a guess. But I knew an expert. Glancing at Rurik, I smiled. He worked as Tane’s right-hand man. His people skills outweighed his fighting skills, which made him a fantastic ambassador and politician. Tane wouldn’t have such a strong hold on the Vampire Nation without Rurik’s network of spies and allies.

He came to a halt. “What?”

I gave him my best innocent blink. “Nothing. I’m happy you saved me.” I really was. If not for Rurik, I’d be human confetti. “You’re my hero.”

He snorted and pulled the ice from my face. “You should learn to duck faster.”

My smile became more crooked as a small wave of shame burned my cheeks. “I’ll take that into consideration.” I trained hard with Kam so I wouldn’t have to rely so much on a rescue, but the odds weren’t in my favor. Sure, I had a blood slave’s strength and speed; however, in comparison to a vampire’s or shifter’s it didn’t matter. I was still human, frail.

He circled me with that unnatural predatory grace his people possessed, the kind that set off my genetic reflex to flee. Capturing me within his arms, he pressed his hard, muscled body against mine. After years together, my skin still tingled at Rurik’s touch.

I leaned into his embrace, letting my curves conform to his solid plane.

“Connie, I need to feed,” he whispered in my ear. An unusual plea tinged his voice.

I sucked in a sharp breath and went stiff in his arms. “You already fed earlier today.” A vampire his age shouldn’t need to feed more than two or three times a week. I couldn’t keep up with his increasing demands for blood. Being bonded to Tane didn’t cover unlimited blood supply. Tane had been using his own magical blood to heal me more often than usual, due to anemia.

With a groan, Rurik released his hold on me and leaned against the wall.

I took note of the slight tremor in his hands. Things were getting worse and we weren’t closer to diagnosing what was wrong with him, let alone finding a cure.

He gave me a weak smile. A dark, thinning fuzz covered his head now. He shaved in a poor attempt to hide his hair loss. If he were human, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

I set my hands on my hips and took a deep breath. Tane had insisted Rurik drink only from me until we figured out what was happening so we could ensure a clean blood source. This meant some serious anemia unless Tane healed me.

“I can’t help it. My hunger grows worse. It’s like I’ve drunk only water.” He crossed the small space between us and ran his hands over my arms, creating that sexual friction I couldn’t resist. He guided me backwards to the bed. “Lay down.” Pushing me onto the mattress, he ignored my weak protest. His darkening gaze held more than hunger for blood as he loomed over the bed. The way he raked his eyes over my body sent shivers up my spine.

“Rurik.” I barely got his name beyond my lips.

He unzipped his ambulance jumper. I always was a sucker for a man in uniform.

Chapter Four

Rurik’s jumpsuit parted enough to give me a fine view of his chest and stomach. Being predators tended to make vampires lean. They must metabolize any fat within the blood they consumed, because I’d never met an overweight blood-sucker. They all had the sleek edge of a hunter’s build.

The zipper extended to his groin where he slipped out, hard and ready. He gripped his cock and stroked himself, making a rolling motion with his hips. “You called me your hero.”

I pried my gaze away from what he did with his hands and met his lustful stare. “I did.”

“Then take off your clothes and show me how grateful you are.”

I quirked my eyebrow at him and resisted the urge to grind my heel to his groin. “That’s abusing the uniform.”

He made an appreciative noise deep in his throat and slid the hem of my dress over my hips. “There has to be some perks to saving lives for a living.” He gave me a playful wink. “Looks like you still need rescue. That dress appears too tight to breathe in.”

“You’re right.” I mean, I was breathing heavy, except the dress didn’t constrict my chest in any way.

In one swift jerk he tore the silk material from hem to collar. That took skill and I didn’t want to know the details of how he’d acquired such talents. The vampire had centuries on me. I was sure he wasn’t a virgin when we’d met.

My breasts tumbled free.

He sucked in a breath and stroked faster. Dark energy filled the small room. Something new that poured from Rurik. It shadowed his eyes and sharpened the edges of his face. With a shrug of his shoulders, he let the jumpsuit fall off and stepped out of it.

I broke away from his burning glare. With the hair loss, I would have thought he’d grow weaker from the sickness, but Rurik kept growing more powerful. Tane didn’t see it though. To him, we were gnats metaphysically. I was on the bottom of the food chain in our threesome, so I noticed even the smallest spike. I had to. Prey should always know who the biggest, baddest predators in the room were.

Spreading my legs with his hands, Rurik kept one on my knee and moved the other along the line of my thigh. He hooked the edge of my panties with a finger and guided it down my legs, where he tossed it to the floor with his jumpsuit. Eager, he bent forward, placing my legs over his broad shoulders and resting my heels on his back. He ran his fangs along the sensitive skin over my femoral artery.

I squirmed and tried to grip his nonexistent hair.

“Don’t you trust me?” He gave me that look. Where his face seemed so serious but his eyes hinted at teasing. I knew him. He’d never hurt me and had even risked his life to save mine. This new blood lust, though, was a stranger in our bed. It rode my lover hard, and I seemed to be its focus. Without Tane accessible to heal me or referee Rurik, I could end up dead.  “You don’t.”

He traced his fingers over the fine hair covering my pussy.

“The last time you fed, Tane had to intervene.”  My voice shook. We hadn’t shared a bed alone in a long while, where I’d be his sole focus. Rurik could be quite demanding and recently he kept forgetting I was only human.

He slipped his fingers between my labia but didn’t enter my body. He just rubbed over my clit, sending waves of pleasure over my limbs. “Tell me no. I’ll stop.”

Gooseflesh puckered my skin at his touch. Even the air seemed charged with his scent. I fluttered my eyelids closed and moaned. He could be so evil. Saying no to Rurik didn’t come so easy, and he knew it. This talent made him an excellent politician and a fabulous ally.

He trailed his tongue after his finger.

Gripping the sheets, I writhed on the bed. It also made him a determined and skilled lover.

He slid his fingers inside and pumped slowly, heating my desire. “Do you want me to stop?”

I pressed my heels into his back so he couldn’t escape. “Not yet. Maybe you should put more effort into it.”

He barked out a sharp laugh. “I like it when you get bossy.” With a shift of his shoulders against the back of my thighs, he pinned my hips to the bed then gripped my hands to my sides with his own. “Let’s get to work then.” He pressed his mouth on me and replaced his probing fingers with his tongue. Hot and slick, he explored my pleasure points.

My frantic breathing forced my upper body to move from shoulder to stomach. Everything else was impossible to budge under Rurik’s vampire strength. Pressure built in my lower abdomen the more he pleasured me. He knew my special spots, the ones that zinged when touched or sucked or mouthed. Oh God, and he used them all.

I screamed. The release came so hard and sudden it stole my breath until the only evidence of my orgasm were my mouth opened wide and my eyes squeezed shut.

He didn’t let me go.

I shuddered and gasped for air. A sharp sting burned in my groin and morphed into something bordering on ecstasy. I arched my back, driving my head further into the soft pillows. Rurik always influenced my mind to change the pain of feeding to pleasure.

His moans echoed mine as he drank.

The grip on my wrists eased as he let me go. With a gentle kiss to my inner thigh, he guided my ankles to rest on his hips and rose over me until he was cradled between my legs. His look of control faded as our gazes met. He plunged inside of me, but not to his root.

“Don’t stop. You won’t hurt me.” I already had an orgasm. I couldn’t be more primed for him.

“You didn’t seem this sure a few moments ago.” He worked his way deeper. “Fuck, Connie, you’re still so tight.”  Moving his hips, he found a hard and strong rhythm. I’d be walking softly in the morning. Rurik preferred fucking over love-making. Control over his lovers seemed paramount. We never spoke of his need for dominance in bed, but I think it had something to do with what he’d endured as a Roman slave.

Immortality meant vampires had to learn how to deal with bad shit happening. A person couldn’t live for centuries without abuse or pain at some point. Made me wonder about Tane, who had lived thousands of years.

Rurik’s passion slid me across the narrow bed until my head hit the wall.

“Ouch.” I tried to sit, but he scooped me onto his lap and pressed me against the wall. Sandwiched between a hard surface and hard man, I clung to any piece of flesh I could grab. “Fuck yes.” Sweat slicked our skin as we slid against each other.

A grunt followed each of Rurik’s thrusts. His fingers dug into the flesh of my hips as he guided them to his needs. He pounded into me so hard and fast, the sound of flesh thudding on flesh masked everything else.

I felt my body tighten.

Rurik arched back in silent release. He still rolled his hips, grounding against me.

My nails pierced the skin on his shoulders as another wave of intense pleasure crashed over me. I did trust Rurik. On some basic animal level, I knew he’d never truly hurt me. Our love had been forged in blood and fire. Nothing could tear us apart.

Chapter Five

The crash of waves stirred me awake. Had we arrived close to shore? Water didn’t sound like that when hitting the side of the boat though. I cracked open my eyelid and stared at a blanket of stars above. I’d been inside the cabin when I’d fallen asleep. Sleep walking on a ship seemed hazardous. Sitting up, I stared at the dark ocean trying to suck back this strip of beach.

Okay, so not on the yacht anymore. However, I’d been here before. Tane’s mental beach. He’d pulled me in here years ago when one of his brothers had tortured me with a hooked whip. A shudder rocked my shoulders. Tane had done it to save me from the pain. Since then, he enjoyed slipping into my dreams and taking me to places in his memories. My favorite was a certain temple in Babylon where people had sacrificed their virginity for fertility.  He’d been quite creative sacrificing mine.

Soft sand squished between my toes as I stood. Twisting, I searched the beach for signs of Tane. I’d never arrived in his head without him waiting for me. The ocean breeze pulled at the hem of my dress. Not the one Rurik had torn but something made of animal skins and rough beads. I smoothed my hands over the material and stared at the dark jungle ahead.

Something stirred the underbrush.

Could his clan brothers be doing this to me instead? My bond to Tane tended to keep me safe from unwanted intrusions. If he didn’t show up, how did I wake? I pinched my arm hard and flinched.

Nothing.

Being trapped in Tane’s head would be bad. He’d only shown me good things, but terrible things lurked in here as well. Babylon had been fun, but I’d caught a glimpse of his real memories there. Human sacrifices happened at the temples as well. Vampires had to feed, after all. He’d capped that memory almost as soon as it had spilled into our games. I’d rather not get caught up in some massacre.

The thick leaves parted, and a young native male stepped onto the beach. He carried a short spear and skin shield. His silken, black hair spilled down his back. When he strode toward me, he walked with the grace of a predator.

Cool water licked at my ankles, and I yelped. I hadn’t realized I’d retreated toward the ocean. There wasn’t any place to run. This wasn’t real. It was time to wake up.

The man drew closer. There was something familiar about his face and body.  He gave me a crooked smile. “Rabbit.”

My knees wanted to turn into water. “You asshole. You scared me, Tane.” I’d only seen his human face once in another person’s memory. So he really was from South America, though his dark skin had faded with time to porcelain white. I rushed to his waiting arms and hugged him close. He even seemed warm. “Are you all right?”

He stroked my hair and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips. Where Rurik was all seduction and volcanic passion, I found Tane enjoyed more romantic interludes. “I’m well.”

“As in ‘they’re about to stab me with metal rods,’ or ‘they let me go?’”

“My brothers have no qualms with me. They think you did this of your own volition. Everyone knows I indulge you too much and they’re not surprised you’d risk your life for Rurik’s.” He gave me a big smile. “They are shocked you escaped the city. Are you both safe?”

“Yes, we’re on the yacht. Where should we meet?”

“The three of you will have to decide that.”

“But—”

He pressed his finger over my mouth. “Don’t tell me where you’ll go. The less I know, the better. My brothers can’t break into my mind, but we should act wisely.”

“What should we do?” We weren’t equipped to fight Nosfertu. My old slayer friends didn’t own enough weapons to take on Nosferatu. Heck, I didn’t even have my passport on me, let alone a weapon.

“Do what you do best, Connie. Run and hide. I will leave a false trail for my brothers to follow. Once I’m sure I can escape unseen, I will find you.”

“How?” The question came out more like a wail than I had wanted.

He tapped my forehead. “Our bond.”

My heart raced. I thought we only had to escape Monte Carlo then Tane would take over and make us safe. A wolf shifter, a vampire, and a human woman did not an army make.

“Take care of Rurik. I’ll be with both of you soon.” He released his hold on me.

“No!” I jerked out of a deep sleep and sat straight up. “Fucker.” I punched the bed.

Rurik blinked the sleep from his eyes. “Bad dream?”

“Tane.” I scooted to the edge of the bed and sat. The clock showed that we’d slept the day away but I didn’t feel rested. My guts twisted and my body ached everywhere. I’d grown too accustomed to Tane being available to heal every little problem. Time for me to pull on the big-girl pants.

Speaking of which, Rurik had torn my only set of clothing asunder. I pulled open the drawers and found clothes but all of them were for men.

“What did he say?” Rurik sat on the edge of the bed, watching as I searched for something that might fit my smaller frame.

I tossed Rurik some jeans and a shirt. “We’re on our own.”

“Shit.” He dressed. The jeans hung low on his hips and the shirt was too tight around the shoulders and chest. Yum.

With a little creative rolling, I made a pair of track pants fit and I swam inside the smallest T-shirt. “He doesn’t want to know where we’re going until he’s sure his brothers are following the wrong trail.”

“We should go to Venice.” He futilely pulled up his jeans. “Once there, I’ll disembark. Then Kam can take you to meet Tane.” He climbed the stairs that led to the deck.

That stung. “And desert you?” I asked his retreating back. What kind of girlfriend did he think I was? “Wait, let’s discuss this.” I tied a knot in the T-shirt’s hem so it wouldn’t hang around my knees then hurried after him.

The deck was empty except for the light of the full moon. I climbed the ladder to the captain’s deck.

Kam sat at the helm. “Rurik says you heard from Tane?”

I tapped my head. “We have to find a place to hide for a few days until he can reach us.”

“That’s not exactly what Rurik told me.” Kam folded his arms across his chest.

Rurik searched the drawers. “How do you plot a course without maps?”

I pointed to a little box by Kam’s chair. “GPS system. See, there are these machines call satellites that…”

If the look Rurik tossed me could spank, I wouldn’t have been able to sit for a week. “I know what a GPS is, Rabbit. I wasn’t aware we had one.”

“I was teasing.” I curled up on the white leather bench bolted to the wall behind Kam. “Why Venice?”

“I have supporters in the area. They can hide me until I come up with a better plan.” Rurik and Kam huddled around the GPS. “Do we have enough fuel on board to reach the city?”

“What if you get worse, Rurik? Will they care for you like I would?”

He sighed. “I am getting worse. It took all I had last night not to drink every last drop of your blood.” He turned his head to meet my gaze. “You’re right to not trust me.”

I swallowed with a throat gone dry. “But you stopped.” How close had I come to dying last night?

“I may not the next time. We should go our separate ways until it’s safe for you to be around me again.” He turned his attention back to the GPS.

“You’ll risk bringing Nosferatu to your supporters’ doors? That’s not like you.”

His shoulders dropped as if in defeat. “Then where would you suggest we go?” He gave me a weary smile and leaned against the helm controls.

I pursed my lips. We had to hide from the worst vampire clan in known existence. Any vampire contact would be liability because they might betray our position in fear of what the Nosferatu would do to them. That meant none of Rurik’s supporters could be trusted. I glanced at Kam. The wolf shifters were loyal to Tane but some did work for his brothers as well. The Nosferatu and shifters had an odd relationship that no one would explain to me. Running to Kam’s pack would be an obvious choice. One that Tane’s brothers would be likely to monitor. “Is there a place where vampires don’t live? Where is there a small population or none?” What would keep vampires from settling in a place?

Rurik snorted. “We’re everywhere, unless you wish us to move to one of the poles. I could hunt seals and penguins for you to eat.” He raised a questioning eyebrow. “I’m sure blubber is an acquired taste.”

“I had something more tropical in mind. What about a deserted island?”

Kam shook his head. “We’re in the Mediterranean, not the Pacific. I can drive this boat in good weather and if we’re close to land, but don’t test my skills by crossing oceans. In other words, it needs to be close.”

Europe had a higher concentration of vampires than any other continent. Was this why they’d chosen Monte Carlo for the meeting, so it would be difficult to run? Those sneaky bastards were too smart. “What about Budapest?” Rurik had been the Overlord of the city when we met.

Rurik shook his head. “My people all fled when Dragos tried to kill us. The new Overlord would not welcome my return. We may as well surrender than go there. What of the Alps? We could find a cabin.”

I nodded. Plausible. “How far from the coast are they?”

Kam grimaced. “Too far. Someone would spot us on the journey.”

“Not to mention we don’t have any money.” I hung my head. My purse was at the hotel with all my cards and ID. The credit cards would have been useless. I was sure the Nosferatu had techie vampires working for them who could track those. I knew Tane did.

“Money is something I can fix.” Kam announced with cheer. “My pack keeps bank accounts in most major cities. I have access to them and can acquire enough cash to last us a few weeks.” He shrugged at our questioning looks. “We’re security for many vampires. Shit happens.”

It sure did. It also ran downhill, where I usually hung out. “That’s a relief. One problem solved. The last time I had cash issues…” I gasped. “How far from Rome are we?”

Rurik straightened from his slouch. “No.”

“Yes.” I rose from the couch and confronted him. “It makes perfect sense.”

“It’s suicide.”

Kam waved his hands between us. “We could be in Rome by tomorrow night if the weather holds.”

I couldn’t stop the smug smile on my face. It was well-known that Rome was a city of slayers. The church had begun the systematic destruction of vampires before the dark-age. They drove them into hiding until all that remained was myth. The Nosferatu had decided to stay there. They created and upheld the laws preventing vampires from disclosing their existence to the general population. No killing that attracted human authorities and no loose ends that could provide proof. I’d met Rurik when he’d been accused of mass murder in Budapest. The Nosferatu, as well as slayers, had descended upon the city. We’d cleared his name but only after his people had all fled, he’d been almost smoked by the sun, and I’d been drained dry by the old vampire king.

“Rabbit, I once was stuck in that city during World War II. It’s not a place I care to return to.” He used the nickname he’d given me when we first met. He had thought of me as soft and vulnerable. A small prey animal. Boy, had I shown him and his old vampire king.

“Rome is the last place on Earth they would expect us to go and if they did, they’d hesitate to swarm the place. It’s our best chance. We find some hole to hide in for a few days and wait for Tane. You stay out of sight, don’t attract any attention, and it will work.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’ll control my urge to attack small groups of children.” He met Kam’s stare. “Slayers guard the city well. I barely escaped with my life last time. How well armed are you?”

The shifter rubbed the back of his neck. “I took stock of what’s on the ship. A couple of handguns and a box of ammunition is all I have.”

Great. What an invasion we would make. “Well, the point is to not attract attention, right? So we shouldn’t need weapons.” Dead meat walking if slayers spotted us. Given the choice between fighting slayers and Nosferatu, I’d take the slayers because I might know some of them.

Colby, my old slayer boss, was in New York City on some secret mission for Tane, but I’d been to Rome before and had met a few of his contacts. With some dumb luck, I might be able to get us safe passage. Not all slayers were created equal, though. Colby wouldn’t kill a vampire unless he was a proven human murderer. Others weren’t so picky.

Rurik’s brow furrowed in thought. “Hide in the slayers’ backyard?”

I nodded and held my breath. It would give us the time we needed to plan what to do next. I turned to Kam.

“My pack has a bank in Rome. Sounds like a solid plan.” The shifter turned to Rurik.

Rurik took my hands and kissed the back of each of them. “Set a course for Rome.”

Chapter Six

Rome didn’t have a seaport. The Thames River ran across the city and emptied into the ocean, but Kam wasn’t confident enough in his boating skills to attempt navigating the river. Running the yacht aground would draw unwanted attention. The port of Civitavecchia seemed a better and safer choice. I watched the last of the sunset from the deck while waiting for Rurik to rise.

Kam slid down the ladder from the control room with his shifter’s grace. He pulled out his wallet and counted his cash. “I only have a couple hundred Euros. You?”

I shot him an annoyed look. “My purse is at the hotel in Monte Carlo. Tane didn’t think it appropriate for me to carry one to that stupid meeting.” Lesson learned—the vampire king could be blindsided. At least Kam was thinking ahead. I couldn’t drag my sorry ass out of the past this evening.

My mind kept circling around Rurik’s condition. His hair loss had started when we moved to Rio. There had to be a connection. Maybe it was an allergy? The possibilities were many, but without a lab or a specialist on vampire physiology we were shit out of luck. Vampires didn’t fall ill, so why would they have bothered to study their bodies?

“That’s enough money for a cab into the city and some food.” He returned the cash to his wallet and tucked it into his back pocket. “Here.” He handed me a wooden stake. “I found these in the control room. Tuck it in the back of your pants and under your shirt. You never know.”

I did as he asked. Stakes worked on humans too. “We can carry what little food we have on board.” I pulled the loose waistband of my track pants higher. Rurik and I had done some creative sewing with fishing line and hooks to resize the clothes. They still hung on my small frame but not on the verge of falling off anymore.

Kam shook his head. “I ate what we had left.”

Both my eyebrows shot up.

“What?” He shrugged. “I stress eat.”

“With that in mind, we’ll need a lot more money soon.” I wrapped my arms around myself in a hug. “How do we get through port immigration without our passports?” I’d grown accustomed to Tane wiping human minds clean of our presence in such cases. This was the worst escape plan in the history of escapes.

“No worries.” Rurik ascended from the hull, looking fresh and rested. “I can take care of the officers.” He tapped his head. Vampires’ powers varied as much as hair color and temperament. Rurik’s ability leaned more toward sedation. Changing a person’s perception required a lot of skill, and I’d never seen Rurik attempt it before. He cocked his head to the side. “You doubt me?” It must have shown on my face. “My powers have been evolving over the last few months. I’ve practiced with Tane.”

I thumbed my ear. “Umm…is that normal or a new symptom?” With Rurik, anything was possible.

He frowned. “It happens. Usually with age and experience, our powers grow. I can do this.”

I nodded. What choice did I have?

Rurik disembarked from the boat first and approached the immigration officers with a charming smile. The vampire could melt a set of panties from twenty paces without effort, but the officers were both male.

With hands resting on the batons hanging off their belts, they quietly waited for the three of us to approach.

Rurik’s smile faded to a scowl.

Beads of sweat formed on the officers’ foreheads as I witnessed a silent war of wills. Most humans fell prey to vampire mind tricks. My old slayer boss had taught me how to shield my mind. It took focus and concentration. Kind of how these officers looked.

“They’re slayers,” I whispered so low that only Kam’s and Rurik’s supernatural hearing would pick it up. Darting my gaze around the pier, I tried to find an escape route. Fighting would be foolish. We didn’t need to add a city of anti-vampire crazies to the list of people who wanted us dead.

Rurik gestured for us to move. “I’ve got them.” He seemed short of breath. “They can’t move, but they’re strong. I won’t be able to wipe their memories.”

“How long can you keep control?” Kam pushed me ahead of him as he pulled a gun from his waistband. He scanned the pier like I just had and probably came to the same conclusion. We had to control the officers to get through the customs building and hail a cab.

“All night, but I can’t move far.” Rurik wouldn’t take his glare off of them. How much longer before someone noticed?

“There could be more. We need to move.” I approached the closest slayer and pulled out the baton on his belt. It was made of wood and sharpened at the other end. “They’re armed with stakes? Maybe Rome wasn’t the best idea.”

“Too late to change your mind.” Kam grabbed my arm and guided me toward the building. “Knock them out, Rurik. That should give us enough time to get into the city.” Solid piece of advice. Rurik might not be capable of breaking their mental shields to wipe their memories but he should be able to make them sleep.

A thud of bodies hitting the ground followed our hurried steps to the building. Due to the late hour, there weren’t many people in customs. “That wasn’t as easy as I anticipated.” Rurik waved at a waiting cab and opened the back door when it pulled up.

Kam shoved me inside and took the passenger front seat, instructing the driver in Italian.

Rurik slid in next to me. “Tell him to take us to Via Bartolomea Captianio.”

I slumped into the seat. “You don’t speak Italian?” So far I hadn’t encountered a language he hadn’t mastered.

His scowl grew deeper and he refused to answer. What was up with that? We’d been through some rough situations before and he hadn’t acted this stressed. Rome wasn’t vampire-friendly but…

Rome.

Oh my God, I could be so insensitive. The Romans had taken over Rurik’s fishing village when he’d been human. Of course he could speak Italian. He just didn’t want to. Here, I’d dragged him back through his painful past without a second thought toward his feelings. Slayers weren’t the only reason he hadn’t wanted to return to this city.

I rested my head on his shoulder, not sure what to say. Sorry didn’t cover how terrible I felt for forgetting, but we couldn’t change plans, no matter how much I wished.

He sighed while staring at the city lights. “So much has changed.” Had he expected it to remain the same after so many years? Maybe this would help exercise some of his demons.

The hour-long drive continued in silence until we reached our destination. Rurik spoke to the driver alone after Kam and I exited the vehicle.

I assessed our location and scratched my chin. Not a motel in sight. Then again, we didn’t really have the money to waste on a room. Why had Rurik chosen this corner? Maybe we’d grab another cab to make sure our location wasn’t so easy to find?

Rurik joined us and the cab pulled away. “I was able to wipe his memory at least.”

Kam rested his hands on his hips. The expression on his face mirrored my growing anxiety. “The slayers will be tearing apart the city, looking for you.”

“I know.” Rurik handed me a small flashlight he pulled from his front pocket. “But it will be harder for them to find us here. Follow me.” He grabbed my hand and led us deeper onto a dark street. The old trees creaked as the wind swayed their branches. We came to a dead end, entering an overgrown property. This seemed to be the road’s only destination.

I faced what once use to be a grand four-story building. It resembled a castle of sorts but now the glassless windows stared at us like a corpse. “What is this place?” I cringed at the tremble in my voice but I still moved closer to Rurik.

He squeezed my hand. “It used to be an orphanage.”

I sensed my eyes bulge. “You want to stay in an abandoned orphanage?” Yeah, that wasn’t creepy.

“Cool. Is it haunted?” Kam whistled The X-Files tune and strode ahead.

I shuddered and hugged Rurik’s arm to my chest. The song hit its mark on my spooked-out system. I might have reacted better in daylight but darkness set the horror-movie vibe. Not that this place needed help with being scary.

“Stay close,” Rurik whispered in my ear, his voice husky with dark promises. He slid his hand over my ass as he pulled me against him.

“Are you serious?” I elbowed him in the side. “My libido took a one-way trip out of here the moment I laid eyes on this place.”

“You’re really scared?” He grinned like a teenage goof. It was the first genuine smile I’d seen on his face in days. He rarely gave those to strangers, and I was honored to be one of the few people he saved them for.

“Anyone sane would be.” Oddly enough, the building frightened me more than the blood-sucking vampire or ravenous shifter in my company. What did that say about me?

“The night is still young. Maybe we could play chase?”

“No, that would require me being alone and I’m not up to that.” Every person had his or her kink. Rurik liked to hunt me in strange places. Most of the time, I indulged him because he generously rewarded my efforts. I’d need a lot more incentive to play here than a talented tongue. “The probabilities of my wetting my pants are pretty high and I don’t have a change of clothes.”

He kissed my forehead. “I love you.”

I leaned against him and soaked him in. “I love you too, but I question your sanity.” It was awesome to hear him express his feelings for me, even though I never doubted them. “Are we really going to spend the night here?”

Guiding me toward the building, he nodded his head. “It’s free and no one, not even the slayers, will suspect we’re here.”

“How did you know about this place?” I resisted entering the gaping doorway.

“During World War II, my maker and I were trapped here for a few weeks. We made due.” He let me go and strolled inside the rack and ruins. “I’m surprised by your reaction. Have you grown soft living with us? I thought you’d been homeless once.”

That slapped the Jell-O from my spine. I ground my teeth. “Doesn’t mean I want to go back and relive those glorious days.” I had survived living on the streets of New York as a teenager. Miraculously, I managed to get through it without a pregnancy or a drug addiction. I hadn’t had a scrap of dignity left and I swore I’d never sleep in an abandoned building again. I glared at Rurik. Love meant sacrifice sometimes. This was mine for Rurik, but he didn’t need to know about my issues. He had enough of his own. “Fine, give me the grand tour.”

Chapter Seven

There was a certain charm about the forsaken place. Many of the walls had crumbled into nothing and those still existing were covered in graffiti. The building’s former glory was hard to imagine in the dark and shadows. By the rays of my flashlight, I could see creepers had entered the building through windows and had taken the place by force.

“Are you sure we can’t stay in a cheap motel?” I scowled at the cold concrete floor, stirring memories of many sleepless nights. I had left this kind of life behind.

Rurik made a noise of assent. “The Nosferatu are more powerful than you can imagine. They’re probably scanning weak human minds, looking for one who glimpsed us. I’m not certain if they’ll gather information from those slayers at the dock so I’d rather err on the side of caution.”

“Paranoid much?”

“Don’t make light of it. They are a patient clan. What is one day for them? I may have to hide in Rome for a very long time.” He led me to the back of the building.

“How long is long for you?” I, on the other hand, had only recently become immortal, and time still sped at the same rate as when I’d been mortal. Spending more than one day in the house of horrors would be plenty.

He shrugged. “A century if I’m lucky. By then we should know what is truly wrong with me if it doesn’t kill me by then.”

I stopped in my tracks. A century? “I wasn’t planning to hide for that long.” For one thing, I’d lose my grip on reality if I didn’t feed from Tane at least once a year. His blood was what kept me sane and alive. “The slayers will find us for sure in that time frame. The fact that they can fight stronger, faster creatures and survive means they’re kind of smart. Tane should have this problem fixed soon. No?”

“No.” He cupped my face. “I forget how young you are sometimes.”

“You mean stupid.”

“Naïve. There’s quite a difference. You, my dear, are far from stupid. Neither Tane or I can tolerate stupidity.” He placed a tender kiss upon my lips that tasted of long-lost promises. “Tane will help but as king, his hands are tied. The Nation has to come first. Not me.”

“Not us,” I corrected. We were a team. If Rurik went down, so would I.

That sad smile returned to his face. “You don’t belong to me.”

“Don’t start with that bullshit. Let’s get through the next few days before we start making long-term plans.” I started to walk ahead of him then twisted to face him again. “And I’m not staying here for a century. There’s gotta be some quiet villa we can buy. Well, once we get money.” Shit. We’d live in this orphanage forever.

“I’ll get cash in the morning.” Kam’s voice came from the shadows.

My heart leaped, tangling with my tonsils as I screamed.

“I love this place, Rurik.” Kam chuckled as he approached us.

“How long have you been there?” I gathered what little dignity I still owned. “And how will you withdraw money without the Nosferatu tracing it? They know you’re my bodyguard and will track any transaction you do.”

“Ancient shifter secret.” He took my flash light and aimed it at a closed door. Actually, it was the only door I’d seen. All the other doorways were bare. “It’s locked.”

Rurik watched the shifter. “Answer her question. She needs to learn how to survive under the radar.”

Kam glanced at us. “Safety deposit box. We have them in major cities. Rome is one of them. If I empty it, we should be covered for a year.”

“Yes, there is a God.” I spoke to the ceiling. “Can you buy me some clothes that will fit while you’re in the city?”

He shrugged. “Sure.”

“Now that’s taken care of.” Rurik gestured to the locked door. He felt along the top of the door frame and pushed something that clicked.

I aimed the flashlight at the cracked open door. “Secret panel. Nice. How come no vandals broke through this door?”

“It’s made of steel. The kind banks use. Same with the lock. No key, no entry. We installed it to ensure our daylight safety.” The door swung open to a stairway that descended to a large underground room. Rurik crossed to a table and lit an old kerosene lamp.

We stood in a sitting area with a sofa and a chair. Stacks of books with worn, cracked covers lined the walls.

I spun in a slow circle. So many books and one bed. I stepped closer to it. “You stayed here with…?”

“My maker.” He stood next to me, his gaze following mine to the bed. “Rabbit?”

“It’s fine. I’m just curious.” Jealousy gripped my gut with its sharp talons. “I don’t really want to know more.” They’d been hiding in this room. Alone. Together. With one bed. Rurik liked men as well as women. Who was I to judge what they did to pass the time? Yeah, maybe if I kept repeating that to myself I might start believing it.

“So.” Kam toed the floor. “I’m going to check the perimeter. Uh, leave a sock on the door or something so I don’t walk in on anything I don’t care to see.” He left the room at a trot.

I scowled in Kam’s direction. Romance was the last thing this place inspired.

“Such a severe frown.” Rurik’s words slid over my skin like velvet. The lamp light flickered, casting shadows over his face. It made him appear fierce. Hungry.

That couldn’t be. I fed him twice yesterday. “I have a lot to frown about.”

“You heard Kam. We’ll have you back in semi-luxury by tomorrow.” He entwined his fingers with mine. “In the meantime, I remember this bed being quite comfy.”

“I’m sure you do.” I ran my hand over the dark peach fuzz over his head. It seemed thinner than a few days ago. His hair loss had begun slowly. I’d find a few strands on the pillow now and then. It took me weeks before I finally asked if that was normal. In the last month it had gotten worse until he’d buzzed his hair very short. The blood lust had started at the same time.

Something bumped against the back of my knees, and I fell back to sit on the edge of the bed. Rurik had steered me. Bad boy. The bed creaked with the sudden weight being dropped on it. “I don’t know if it will hold us.”

“It always creaked.” He whispered in my ear as he pressed me back onto it. “I find it stimulating.”

“You—” I placed my hands on his shoulders and tried to push, but I had a better chance bench-pressing a Volkswagen, “—don’t need more stimulation.”

He squeezed a knee between my legs, spreading them apart against my resistance. “Is this a new game you want to play? Would you like me to take you against your will?” He pinned my hand to the bed.

I gasped at the sheer force of his strength and reflexively struggled. “That’s not what I had in mind.” My words came out strained. Rurik could be a little rough in bed, but he never frightened me.

Slow kisses fell upon the line of my neck as Rurik lay across my body. The material of his T-shirt didn’t mask the shift of his hard muscles against my body.

I moaned. If Rurik could harness his sex appeal into power, he’d be capable of squeezing water from stones. His hunger for sex equaled that for blood. At least with Tane around we shared satiating Rurik. The last twenty-four hours I’d borne the brunt of this burden. Oh, the sacrifices I made for my men.

He pressed his hard bulge against me and rocked with an expert’s skill. “Maybe a little ravaging?”

I dug my heels into the edge of the mattress and tried to buck him off me.

A low growl furled from his throat and he pulled my T-shirt over my head. Then with one hand, he kept my wrists pinned and with the other, he explored my breasts like a pirate on shore leave.

My desire level went from too scared to exist to volcanic explosion. We hadn’t played this game before but I could guarantee we would explore it again. Especially the pirate part, since Tane had admitted to some experience in this lifestyle. Short of breath, I couldn’t even utter his name. I bucked again, wanting him to touch me in my special spot.

He slid me farther up on the bed and set his fangs to my pulse.

I quieted. “You shouldn’t feed from me again.” It came out more breathy than I wanted.

His mind caressed the walls of my mental shield like he did when he wanted to ease the pain of his bite. The sharp tips of his fangs poked with intent. I didn’t think I’d be able to stop him.

With reluctance, I allowed him in my mind. A tidal wave of fiery need washed over my consciousness.

His fangs punctured my neck. No pain accompanied the bite, but it didn’t matter. The hunger that drove him filled my head. What I’d experienced when I’d first come to Rio was a drop of rain to his storm.

I tried to cry out for Kam. My mouth opened but darkness slid over my senses. Dear baby Jesus, Rurik would drain me dry.

Chapter Eight

Warmth cocooned my body. It sank into my bones and chased the aching cold from deep within. I nestled closer into the arms that held me and combed my fingers through the chest hairs cushioning my cheek.

Chest hairs?

Tane’s body was as smooth as a baby’s bottom, and Rurik’s had vanished not long ago. I jerked, sitting up. The dark room spun, and a flood of nausea rose. I sank back in place, still in control of the contents of my stomach but not my body.

“Easy, Connie.” A familiar voice rumbled inside the chest pressed to my ear. Something cool touched my lips. “Drink.”

I took a sip of water. The liquid soothed my parched throat. I took a gulp, then another. I had to ease this driving thirst.

The bottle was pried from my fingers. “You’ll make yourself sick drinking that fast.”

Peering between my eyelids, I made out Kam’s face. “Where’s your shirt?”

“You’re wearing it.” He gave me a sad smile and tenderly touched the side of my neck. “How does it feel?”

I flinched. “It hurts like a son of a bitch. No pun intended.” Ha, see, I could make shifter jokes. I’d live. Rurik. I rubbed my eyes and tried to spot him in the dark. He had drunk from me against my will and he needed a good ass-kicking.

My little flashlight came on, and Kam pointed it to a slumbering Rurik, handcuffed to an old pipe sticking out of the wall. “You shouted my name and I found him feeding from your unconscious body.” I sensed the muscles in Kam’s arms tighten around me.

“Those cuffs shouldn’t have held him.” Even before Rurik had grown stronger, a pair of regular cuffs wouldn’t have kept him prisoner.

“I knocked him out first.” He showed me his bruised knuckles. “The guy has a head made of concrete. Maybe the Nosferatu have the right idea, Connie. He’s growing dangerous. I can’t leave you alone with him anymore.”

I sat up slower this time and the room only spun around once. “Kam—”

“I won’t hear it. My specific instructions from Master Tane are to keep you safe. I won’t shame my pack by failing something so—so mundane.”

“If this is mundane, I’d hate to see your version of armpits deep in trouble.” My lightheadedness eased. As a lover to two vampires, I’d had my fair share of anemic awakenings. Except this time, Tane wasn’t around to heal me. Should I try to contact him? How angry would he be at Rurik? If Kam was ready to stake Rurik, I couldn’t risk a chance with Tane. “I’m okay.” I patted Kam’s arm, but the tremble in my hand betrayed my words. “Go get the money so we don’t need to stay here another night. I’ll just sleep this off.”

“Sorry, pumpkin.” He swung my legs over the side of the bed. “You have two options. You keep your dignity and come voluntarily, or I carry you out of here kicking and screaming.” His stern stare convinced me he’d follow through on the threat.

“He’s handcuffed and out cold. What harm can he do to me?” The prospect of moving my limbs didn’t seem plausible. I ached and generally felt like shit.

“I’m more worried about what you’ll do.” He helped me stand and straighten my clothes. “Here, you dropped this.” He tucked the wooden stake I’d been carrying since we debarked from the yacht back into my waistband. “You’re not as resilient to his charms as you think. He almost killed you last night. I don’t trust you to not go to him if he woke and asked. Love makes us all do stupid things.”

I opened my mouth to protest but nothing came out. Kam was right. I didn’t have a good track record for saying no to Rurik. “You sound like you speak from experience.”

“I’m an expert on the subject. Sometimes you need a friend to point out the obvious. Trust me. This isn’t the person you fell in love with. Rurik would never have endangered your life. Not the way he was feeding from you last night.” He made a sour face. “That was a different creature.”

My gaze wandered to Rurik, curled on the floor. “Did he know what he was doing?” I cringed, not sure if I wanted to hear the answer. Wounded hearts never healed completely and mine was no exception. Knowing Rurik would have killed me purposefully just might shatter me.

“No, he wasn’t himself, which scares me more than it should. When he wakes, those handcuffs won’t hold and you are not going to be in this room. Are we clear?” Kam kneeled in front of me so our gazes could clash.

“Crystal.” I knew firsthand how blood thirst could drive someone to do crazy things. How did I fight for Rurik when I couldn’t even see the enemy stealing him away?  “You can’t go into the city without a shirt. You should take Rurik’s.” I watched as Kam stripped the T-shirt off Rurik carefully and cover his very masculine torso. “What if someone finds him?” Leaving Rurik like this felt like abandonment. I shuffled behind Kam toward the exit.

“No one has figured out that lock in all these years. Chances are they won’t today.” He held the door open just wide enough for me to squeeze through into the sunlight.

I blinked at the sharp contrast. “Slayers weren’t looking for him last time he used this hiding place.”

Kam snorted. “Slayers are always hunting for vampires and shifters, Connie. That won’t ever change. Come on, if we hurry I can be back before sunset to check on him.”

*                            *                            *

I sat in the marble waiting area of Kam’s bank while he went to the secure safety deposit box vault. The receptionist kept eyeing me from her desk. She didn’t keep the distaste off her face. Apparently my oversized men’s clothes and bare feet weren’t in fashion. Or could it be my pasty white skin and crazed curls that made her nervous. I must look like a crack-head, except the tremors in my hands weren’t from withdrawal but from anemia.

Should I go to a hospital? I wanted to glare back at the bitch, but she made me even dizzier. Maybe I shouldn’t go? Then I could yak on her shiny marble floor.

Kam strode out from behind the back counters, a leather satchel on his shoulder. He paused long enough to wink at the receptionist.

Slowly, I rose to my feet and whispered, “You could do better.”

From her wide eyes, I realized the cathedral-like ceiling carried sound very well.

Grabbing my arm, Kam led me out of the bank. “Who says I want better?” He shook his head as he assessed me head to toe. “You look worse.”

“Thanks, I feel worse.” I pointed to a bench along the sidewalk facing the street. “Can I rest?”

“We’ve barely walked a block. At this rate we won’t reach Rurik before he wakes.” He searched the crowded street.

Most the people seemed like tourist dressed in relaxed wear with backpacks, water bottles, and the accompaniment of children. I returned a little pigtailed girl’s small smile.

Her mother gave me warning glare then pulled her offspring away from the ‘nasty street lady’. AKA me.

A bus pulled up and a group of elderly couples climbed aboard. Pictures of the Pantheon and the Roman Forum were pasted on the vehicle. Bitter sweet sorrow weighed my heart. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy such vacations. I’d never get the chance to grow old with the ones I loved.

The scent of fresh bread tickled my nose, stirring my empty stomach. Restaurants and hotels lined both sides of the busy street. Tables were set on the wide sidewalk so tourists could enjoy a meal outside and watch the modern part of the city. Cars cruised by and the occasional song beat thump the air. I wished we had time to see the Coliseum or the Vatican. If we survived this, I doubted I’d return. Maybe we should have gone to Venice like Rurik wanted? We would have had more help.

“Let’s get some food in you.” With an arm around my waist, Kam half carried me to an outdoor table at the closest bistro.

A waiter appeared at Kam’s elbow, and the shifter’s nostrils flared. They glared at each other until Kam exchanged a few Italian words with him. Our server visibly relaxed. The next I knew, a cool glass of juice was pressed to my lips.

“Drink up,” Kam ordered. “You’ll feel better with some sugar in your system. We’re in luck. The waiter is from the local pack.”

“Can we stay with them?” I gulped the sweet orange juice and sighed. “Thanks.”

“That wouldn’t be a good idea. I won’t bring Nosferatu trouble upon them. They don’t deserve that.” He sat, chin in hand, across from me. His intense gaze gave me the impression he was preparing to catch me if I collapsed. “You can’t feed him anymore.”

“I know.” Without Tane around to heal me, I’d be taking too huge of a risk. Rurik grew more unpredictable every day. Until recently, he’d fed from Tane’s donors. We thought maybe one of them was making him ill, so he’d been feeding solely from me. That just seemed to make things worse. “How will we feed him then? It’s not like I have of list of donors to call.” Hunting humans went against what Rurik and I believed in. He started the whole trend to care for voluntary donors. They gave the vampires blood in exchange for shelter and financial security. When they tired of the life, a skilled vamp cleaned their memories and set them free.

Kam grimaced. “He can feed from me. But only every other day, and with all his fucking clothes on.”

It was my turn to make a face. “It won’t be enough and, uh, he doesn’t like the way, um…”

“We taste?” Kam chuckled. “Too bad. Beggars can’t be choosers.”

The waiter arrived with two of the biggest steaks I’d ever seen. They took up the whole plate and were served without any side dishes. I leaned toward the herbivore side of our ancestors.

I raised my eyebrows at the huge plate of meat. “You do realize I’m not a shifter.”

“You do realize you need the iron and protein to recover. Eat your food like a good little pup.” He grinned, showing me his thick canines. Then he dug in like a starved wolf. “The waiter says he reserves this dish for pack members. You should be honored.”

I gave the waiter my most grateful smile.

He nodded and pointedly stared at my neck where Rurik had fed before leaving.

“What did you tell him?”

“That you were attacked by a vampire and aren’t recovering quickly. I had to stick close to the truth or he’d smell my lie.”

I hated to admit it, but I was beginning to feel a bit better. Food, drink and rest would cure me. Unlike poor Rurik. I chewed my meat while watching Kam devour his. He must have been starving yet never uttered a word of compliant. “You seem angry at Rurik. It’s not his fault. He’s sick.”

“He almost killed you.”

“This condition is affecting his control.”

“It’s transforming him into a monster. I’m telling you, the Nosferatu clan might be right about killing him.”

The mouthful I tried to swallow got stuck in my throat. I gulped my water to ease its passage.

Kam watched until I caught my breath. “You have to see him for what he is and not who he used to be.”

“What do you want me to do? Abandon him?” Not going to happen. I’d been left on my own at a young age. I knew the horror of being alone with no support or love. How could I do that to someone I cared about?

“No.” He sighed and shook his head. “But you should accept that Rurik isn’t the same person you fell in love with.”

The pressure growing within my chest had nothing to do with my lack of blood. Tears burned my eyes but I blinked them away.

Kam groaned. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.” He shook out his napkin and tried to hand it to me.

“I’m not crying. Look.” I pointed to my face with a hard gesture.

“I suck at this stuff.” He pushed his empty plate away and tossed the linen napkin on it. “Are you going to finish that?”

I handed him the half-eaten steak. My stomach sat like a bag of lead. “We’ll figure things out eventually.” With a ton of luck or an act of God, we would.

“Right.” He mumbled around a mouthful. “First, we’ll get you some clothes and a place to rest.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but he raised his hand.

“You can’t keep up with me, and if Rurik is out of his mind I can’t fight him and protect you at the same time.”

“But it’s getting dark.” I fidgeted with the edged of my borrowed T-shirt. “Rurik will wake soon. I should be there.”

“He’s a big boy. I’m sure this isn’t the first time he’s woken in handcuffs.”

I gave Kam the weary smile he deserved. “I’m sure it isn’t, but I’m not sure how he’s going to react. What if he escapes?” His hunger wasn’t questioned. He’d be starved, I was sure. “He might hurt someone. Then he’ll be doubly on the Nosferatu’s most wanted list.”

Kam growled and it sounded almost like words under his breath. I understood his frustration. I was having my own version of it.

“Fine, I’ll stay here in the city. But don’t stake my sweetie.” I tossed my napkin at him. Even if I went with Kam, I wouldn’t be able to stop him from killing Rurik. I rubbed my chest to ease my aching heart. Kam wouldn’t hurt me like that. Behind all the manly muscle was a gentle soul. “I’ll get us a room in the hotel across the street for one night. We can make more plans when you come back with Rurik.”

Kam tossed some bills on the table then handed me a roll. “Pay for the room in advance. If they ask for ID, tell them your purse was stolen. Wait for me outside the hotel in two hours. I don’t know what state Rurik will be in so we might need to secret him inside. Do you still have the stake I gave you?”

“It’s poking me in the back as we speak.”

We left the bistro, and I waved as Kam left in a cab.

Alone in a strange city where I couldn’t speak the language. Again. I needed to break this bad habit. First Budapest, then Rio, now Rome.

I rented a room at the hotel without much of a hassle. Apparently, I appeared like I’d been mugged. They even had a well-stocked gift shop where I purchased some clothes, a pair of flip-flops, and a box of hair dye. Nobody would recognize me in these regular clothes with a hair color change. The bruised, swollen face helped as well.

After a quick nap and a long shower, I dressed. Night had fallen, and it was time to meet Kam. I would dye my hair when we returned. I grabbed my stake and hurried outside. Across the street, I spotted a shirtless Rurik on his hands and knees, as if he was smelling the sidewalk concrete.

“Rurik?” I called to him.

His head jerked and he grinned. Even from this distance I could see his fangs. Was he trying to attract every slayer in the city? He ran through the traffic to reach me with an unnatural grace, dodging cars without a care. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“Where’s Kam?” I peered around him for the shifter.

“I don’t know.” Rurik drew me into his arms. “Connie, I’m so hungry.”

Chapter Nine

My heart drummed. Trapped in Rurik’s arms, I couldn’t escape. I’d done it again. God, I was so lame. Kam was right. Love blinded me and I would pay for my misguided trust with my life. “I know you’re hungry, but you’ve fed from me twice in the last twenty-four hours.” I pressed my hands to his chest and gently pushed, hoping not to trigger a predatory reflex. “We’ll find you someone else.” I forced my voice to remain calm and controlled.

Slowly, he relinquished his hold on me. “Not Kam. I don’t like shifters.” His eyes were wide as his gaze darted around us. Dark circles had formed under them, giving him a haunted look.

I followed the direction of his erratic gaze. It was targeting a group of humans across the street. They were dressed nice as if going out for dinner. “Kam would be safest.” I took his hand, trying to draw him into the hotel. “Remember, the Nosferatu are hunting you. We should stay out of sight.”

“No, I feed first.” He yanked his hand from mine. “One of these will be easy to catch.” He nodded toward a group of elderly tourists debarking from a tour bus. The same one I’d seen earlier today?

My racing heart sank to the depth of my toes. Would I ever get my Rurik back? This wasn’t the vampire I had risked my life for and given my broken heart to.

“We don’t hunt the general population, remember?” I stood between him and his intended prey, attracting his attention.

His focus went straight to the bruised bite marks on my neck. He touched the spot. “I did this?”

“Yes.” Rurik’s question was destroying my calm. “You don’t recall?” Fuck a duck, what should I do? Tane could be close, and Kam…what had happened to him? I eyed Rurik closer and noted blood on his knuckles. “Are you sure you haven’t seen Kam? He went to the orphanage to free you.”

“I freed myself. Why do you doubt me, little rabbit?” His Hungarian accent grew thicker the longer we spoke. It sent shivers down my spine—not the good kind, either. He approached me and inhaled. “You smell divine. I’d rather eat you.”

I glanced over my shoulder at the tourists. They hadn’t done anything to deserve death by Rurik. I’d brought him to this city, knowing something ate at him. The vampire I loved might still be inside this emerging monster and I wouldn’t let him do something I knew he’d regret. I faced him once again.

Scanning the surrounding area, I tried to visualize escape routes. “Let’s play a game.” As soon as my offer slipped passed lips my stomach rolled. I fought to keep my steak dinner down.

He stepped closer, his expression intense with concentration.

“We’ll play catch like we used to.” Oh shit, oh shit. I never won this game but this time I had major motivation, like my life.

His fangs peeked out as he lunged for me.

“You’re breaking the rules,” I shouted and swung my hands between us. “I get a ten-minute head start.” The way he acted, I’d be lucky if he gave me two minutes. I kicked off my flip flops and left at a wobbly trot, heading away from the populated area. My blood loss made it hard to focus and move.

I opened my link to Tane but couldn’t sense him. “We’re in Rome. Please be close. You have minutes to save my ass before Rurik eats me. Also I think he might have killed Kam.” Who knew if he heard me? I didn’t have time to sense if Tane’s mental shields kept my message out. I just projected it outward to anyone willing to listen.

Narrow alleys lined the street between the buildings. I knew very little of Rome’s layout, but people didn’t tend to gather in dark places. I turned down the first one. The adrenaline kicked in and I set my speed at scared-shitless. It didn’t take long to find my pace and streak through the night. My lungs bellowed and my chest grew heavy. I never won when we played this game but when I’d lost, I had been rewarded with carnal pleasure of a happy vampire lover. This time I doubted I’d enjoy my capture.

Sweat drenched my shirt and my pulse became irregular. I couldn’t catch my breath and had to slow to a halt. Leaning against the stone building, I tried to shake the dizzy spell then searched the dark for a place to hide. Somehow I’d made my way in front of a parking garage. I trotted from car to car by leaning on the metal monsters until I managed to get further inside. My knees turned watery and I slumped to the ground.

Something sharp poked my behind. I started yet managed not to make a noise. Patting my back pocket, I pulled out the wooden stake Kam had given me.

Kam…

He’d been such a great bodyguard and reluctant friend. I hoped he managed to escape Rurik, but the blood on Rurik’s hand didn’t bode well for my shifter buddy.

I ran my hands along the length of the stake until the sharp point poked my fingertip. Could I do it? Could I stake Rurik? I leaned back against the car and rested my dizzy head.

Would I wake only to discover this had been a horrid nightmare? I wished. The ache in my chest grew as my heart shattered. Did I even want to live without Rurik?

Footsteps echoed in the garage. I tightened my grip on the stake and held my breath. My energy gauge read empty. Hiding would be the only way I’d escape this alive. The sound echoed within the dark building, making it difficult to pinpoint Rurik’s location. For all I knew, he stood on the other side of this car. I quietly moved onto my stomach for a better view. Maybe I’d see his feet approaching.

My gaze met another set of eyes watching me. I screamed so loud my tonsils touched and the stake clattered to the cement floor. With a clack of teeth, I shut my jaw and jumped to my feet.

It was too late. Rurik had me. My vision tunneled and I ran blindly. Not four steps into my flight I hit something solid enough to knock the wind out of me. Stumbling back, I blinked at the shadowed outline of my assailant.

He held a flashlight to my face while someone else grabbed my arms. They conversed in what must be Italian. The one with the flashlight pushed my upper lip away from my teeth and inspected my mouth. He said something to me.

I shook his hold off. “English.” If I’d known we’d end up in Rome, I would have studied a few phrases in Italian. Since I hadn’t, I didn’t even know the simplest of things to say, like no speak Italian.

He aimed the flashlight away from my face. “You are not a vampire.” He spoke understandable English with a thick accent. “Let her go.”

His companion released me, and I finally noticed others scattered in the parking garage, searching the dark corners armed with familiar weapons. Light grenades hung from their belts next to wooden stacks. The guns wouldn’t kill a vampire but slow them down enough to kill them with the other things.

Slayers.

The rescuer next to me handed the flashlight-man my stake. They watched me with more respect in their gazes.

Flashlight-man tilted my chin to the side and assessed my neck wound. “That’s at least a day old. How long has the vampire kept you captive?”

I stared at him, not sure how to answer. The last thing I’d expected was a slayer rescue. If they knew who I was, I doubted they’d be so kind.

“Looks like the vamp rolled her, Anthony.” The one next to me inspected my eyes. “Her pupils are reactive to the light though, so I’m not sure.” He spoke about a vampire’s power to mesmerize humans. I’d been resistant to weak vampires since Colby had trained me as bait and had grown in strength since Tane’s bond. Let them think I’d been compromised. It gave me time to gather my exhausted wits.

“Did you get him?” I didn’t have to act afraid. The shake in my voice came out naturally. I had really thought that was my last moment on Earth.

Anthony pressed something by his ear and spoke into a small mic. “They lost him.”

I did my best to hide my sigh of relief. “How did you find me?” That wasn’t too difficult to guess by the way Rurik had showed up at my hotel, half naked, flashing fang at everyone.

“Someone spotted him along the Thames and called us in. We barely caught sight of you running. You’re very lucky.”

Tell me about it.

Anthony slipped his arm around my waist for support. “You look terrible. We’ll get you some help.”

Sweat beaded on my skin yet I shivered. “No hospitals.” I sounded distant, as if I spoke from a long corridor. Whatever had kept me going until now vanished, and I slumped against Anthony.

He pressed me against him, juggling an automatic rifle and my limbs. Not the safest trick to attempt. Swearing under his breath, he handed over his weapon to his companion and scooped my body in his muscled arms.

At this height I might suffer altitude sickness. I chuckled. This night couldn’t get weirder. I could only pray Rurik would only feed from someone without killing the person or getting his face plastered all over YouTube. I let Anthony carry me past his staring comrades.

“Let’s get you patched up, little slayer.” He climbed into the back of a SUV and set me on a bench. Gently, he pried my numb fingers open and set the wooden stake back in my palm. “Keep this close.” From under the bench, he pulled out a jacket and spread it over me. “Rest. We’ll be home soon.”

My eyelids drooped and I snuggled under the warm coat. Sleep crept upon me.

Tane’s voice whispered in my head, “Connie?”

Exhaustion crashed over my consciousness and I sunk so deep not even Tane could find me.

*                             *                            *

A jolt woke me from my deep slumber. I jerked awake and glared at the strange man poking my finger.

He squeezed my hand so tight I couldn’t escape his grasp. “Easy. I’m checking your blood levels.” Pressing a thin glass tube to my fingertip, he filled the miniature vial with drops of my blood then let me go.

I stuck the tip in my mouth reflexively.

He made a grossed-out face and pulled my finger out. “That’s not sanitary.” He wiped it with a cleaning pad and placed a Band-Aid over the spot.

“Who are you?”

“Jonah.”

“Where am I?” I sat up straighter but the room spun. Oh yeah, I recalled the slayers and feeling like crap. I lay back down before I passed out again.

“In a safe place.” He twisted around and shouted out the door. “Anthony, the little slayer is awake.” He set the glass tube in a spinner and set a timer.

“That’s all you need?” I peered at the ancient machine.

“Yes.” Anthony answered as he entered the room. Short black hair framed his face and a lock of his bangs fell across his eyes. A five o’clock shadow covered his strong, wide jaw but it was his sharp green eyes that hooked my attention. They reminded me of another certain slayer with that exact same killer stare. “With this, he can test your hematocrit and how many bags of blood you will need transfused.” He pointed to a spot on my arm where I wore another Band-Aid. “They are already matching your blood type. Shouldn’t be long.”

I sank deeper in my bed.  Colby’s slayer group ran transfusions as well. It was an occupational hazard, but I’d never been on the receiving end. “Okay.”

He set a paper bag on my bed. “Food.” After pulling a stool by my bedside, he settled next to me and rummaged through the bag, naming the things as he placed them on my lap. “Sandwich, apple, soda.”

“Thanks.” Was food every man’s cure? I placed them next to me for later when my stomach didn’t feel so fragile. “Did you catch the vampire?” Mentally I crossed my fingers.

“Not yet. We lost his trail. Don’t worry, we’ll find it again.” He leaned forward. “Vampires are rare in Rome. We guard this city against them as best we can. Most are smart enough to stay away.”

Not if their crazy girlfriends convinced them otherwise.

Chapter Ten

I breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn’t caught Rurik yet. I fiddled with the sandwich Anthony brought me. “Did the vampire kill anyone?”

Anthony shook his head. “No reports have come in from the hospitals or police stations.”

“You have people in all those places?” Impressive. Most slayers worked in small cells. Easier to train, move quickly, and strike. What Anthony described sounded more like a small army.

“Yes, at the port too. I have men who remember your arrival with this vampire.” He continued to stare at me as if expecting a response.

I didn’t have one. Would the slayers kill me if they knew I came voluntarily? I didn’t know. I had worked for Colby, who held high standards when it came to slaying vamps. He wanted proof they were killing humans before he hunted them and now worked for Tane sometimes. What about Anthony? Some slayers didn’t even discriminate between vampires and shifters. I treaded rough waters.

Anthony pulled out a black and white picture of me at the port from a surveillance camera. “Have you no memory of this?”

I did a slow blink and took the picture. “No.” Thanks for the idea, buddy. “The last thing I remember was being in Monte Carlo.” I took Kam’s advice and stuck as close to the truth as possible. “How long do I have—can I stay here?”

The guy running my blood test glanced our way and held up two fingers. “She needs two bags before she can go.”

“We’ll transfuse you then in the morning we’ll find you transport home.” He rose and nodded to a tech who came to hang my first bag of blood.

I watched him plug me in without a question. Most slayers donated to their own, so sources tended to be clean. Who knew with such a large group how they ran things? My bond to Tane kept me resilient to disease though.

What the fuck was I going to do about Rurik? He had the city of Rome hunting him and the Nosferatu. How long before Tane’s clan heard about this fiasco and came to join the search? Ugh, helping someone who refused to help himself was impossible. This change would kill Rurik. Not from getting ill but from him acting foolhardy. Time was running out and I had to find him before anyone else but first, I needed this transfusion. Otherwise I’d end up passed out before I made it down the street.

Once they released me, how would I find him? I closed my eyes. Shit. I wouldn’t have to. He’d find me. For some reason he seemed fixated on my blood. Would he try to break in here? I groaned. I hoped part of the real Rurik remained aware enough to keep him from doing something that stupid.

“Well, I’ll be damned. It really is Connie.” Red’s familiar voice boomed inside the large room I occupied.

My eyes sprung open and I rubbed them to make sure they worked properly. “What are you doing here?” I scanned behind him for Anthony. Red, Colby’s right-hand-man, could blow my cover as the ‘little slayer.’ He knew my role as Tane’s blood slave and didn’t approve. He was also one of the few people I missed from when I worked with Colby’s slayers. Big as bear, swift as a fox, and skin so pale he could be Tane’s redheaded stepbrother. Even though my question came out sharp, I reached out to him for a hug.

He engulfed me in arms thick enough to wrestle alligators and squeezed me tight against his chest. “I can’t believe my eyes, kid.” He buried his face in my hair. “I wanted to ask you the same question.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “The others don’t know, but you’re on the vampire’s most wanted list with your boyfriend, Rurik. Colby sent me a text about it this morning. What the fuck have you both been doin’?”

“How did Colby get that information?”

“He’s hooked up with Gwen. She’s helping with a vampire problem in New York City. Avoid going there until they get a handle on the problem. Anyway, she still gets news from her pack. They asked me to keep an eye open for ya.”

“Fuck a duck.”

“I doubt the duck would enjoy it.”

“Not as much as you.” The response came out automatically. Nothing like insulting the person I needed help from the most.

He laughed, then grimaced as he rubbed his side. “I miss you, sweetie. Our new bait doesn’t give it back as well as you do.”

New bait? That stung more than it should. I pressed my face against his solidness. I wasn’t alone. Red would help me, though he would hate doing it. Red had been against my leaving with Rurik from the get-go. He’d pleaded with me not to live among the vampires, not because he’d harbored romantic feelings for me, but he’d thought they’d abuse me in the end.

He pulled away and his gaze locked onto the ragged bite mark on my neck and the fading bruises on my face from Monte Carlo. “Which one of them did this?”

The air I breathed froze from the chill in his question. “Red…”

“Don’t, Connie. Don’t defend ‘em. Rurik promised to take care of you. This ain’t care in my book.” His face turned the shade of his name.

“Is Colby in Rome too?” I curled into his arms, hoping to defuse his temper.

“Nah, he’s in New York City and in love.” He chuckled. “Nice ta meet a woman who can knock him on his ass.”

I grinned. So Gwen had finally caught him. She’d been my bodyguard before Kam, who was her brother. Once she’d laid eyes on my old slayer boss, it had been love at first sight, but he hadn’t returned the sentiment. I guess she’d changed his mind. “Doesn’t explain why you’re here.” I poked him in the side.

He flinched in real pain. Leaning back, he lifted the hem of his shirt up and showed me the incision across his flank. “Some vamps got a hold of me for a few days. Colby and Gwen pulled my ass out but I was in rough shape. They had to take my spleen out. I decided to recuperate here. Rome’s a good place for an old slayer like me to let his guard down.” He sighed. “Until you showed up. You going to tell me what’s really going on? I don’t buy what Anthony told me about you getting rolled by a vamp and brought here as food.”

I glanced around the empty room. So much of me wanted to tell him everything. To lean on his shoulder and let him make everything better. I sagged in his arms. He knew about Rurik and Tane. He knew I loved them both and chose to stay with them of my own free will. If he wanted to betray me to the Rome slayers, he didn’t need my confession. Still, I kept my voice low so it wouldn’t carry. “Something’s wrong with Rurik. He’s changing and we’re on the run.” I met Red’s gaze to make my point. “From them.” Not even slayers knew about the Nosferatu except for Colby’s crew. To reveal their existence meant death. I wouldn’t chance someone over hearing us.

Red’s eyebrow rose. “Tane’s them?”

I nodded.

“Tane too?”

“No, he’s trying to help in his way,” I answered

“Which means he’s not doing much. Who did this?” He traced the bite mark.

I left the security of his arms. “Rurik attacked me last night. If not for my bodyguard, I think he would have killed me. He’s loose on the streets, Red, and I can’t figure out how to help him get better.”

“Sometimes you have to put a sick dog down.” He touched my wooden stake that Anthony must have left on my bed.

I ground my teeth. “Everyone keeps saying that and I’m getting fed up.” I jabbed my finger against his chest. “Fuck, he deserves a fighting chance. I would hate to depend on any of you if you were sick.”

“You’re not an indestructible vampire. Should we wait until he kills someone for you to see the light? Are you prepared to sacrifice an innocent life so easily?” He frowned. “That’s not the Connie I remember.”

I mirrored his expression and hugged myself. “I’m still that person. This change has only taken place in last twenty-four hours.”  I took a deep, shaky breath to relieve the growing pressure in my chest. “I can’t stay here all night. I have to find him.”

“Stay. They have the whole community searching the streets for him. There’s not a hole dark enough for him to hide in.”

“They want to kill Rurik and I want to help him. Tane might be able to get him under control.”

Red closed his eyes and hung his head. “I feel like I’m at your funeral.”

I lay my small hand upon his huge one. “Don’t let me down.” We’d been in some tough scrapes together and he had always had my back. “Please.”

“You finish the transfusions first.”

“That can take hours.” I released the clamp that controlled the rate and let the blood pour into my vein.

“You’ll have a bad reaction doing that.”

“I’ll have a worse reaction if they get to Rurik before I do.” My blood-slave-boosted immune system should be able to handle the blood faster than a regular human’s. Part of me knew the transfusions could be futile. If Rurik caught me unprepared, he’d just drain me again. I needed to return to the orphanage and find out what happened to Kam. From there I could devise a plan. I glanced at Red.

“What?” He scowled at me. “You have that I need a favor look on your face.”

“Can you get your hands on a light grenade for me?” It was a fallback plan in case everything else failed. Everyone thought I was a patsy for my vampires, but the rules of the game had changed. If nothing remained of the person I loved within that body, I’d take care of business before I let him kill anyone. Including me. I prayed it never came to that. Life without Rurik didn’t seem worth living. He wasn’t just my lover, he was my best friend. But killing might be for the greater good if he turned into a monster. He’d be anguished if he knew he had hurt people.

It also ate my soul that I might have sent Kam to his death. How could I have guessed that Rurik could take on a full-grown male shifter? As far as I knew, only vampires of Tane’s caliber could match their strength and agility. Maybe Rurik had escaped before Kam had returned. That was my only hope.

He leaned toward me. “You ever use a light grenade before?”

“It was part of my initial training.” I didn’t mention that I’d sustained second-degree burns to my hand and singed Colby’s eyebrows off. Some things were just too private to share. Light grenades sent a burst of UV light, kind of like a sunlight bomb. It fried any vampire in the area and could burn any humans too close to the detonation.

Rising from his spot, he gave me a grave look. “Ya really have the gonads to pull the pin on your boyfriend?”

I pointed to my stake at my side. “I haven’t so far.” I stared at the empty transfusion bag. “Hook me up to the second?” Just because I’d be armed didn’t mean I would use the weapons. It only meant I’d have a hard choice.

Red switched the blood bags. “How do ya convince me to do things that are against my better judgment? Is that some kind of power you’ve developed?”

“Nah.” I smiled. “I’ve always been able to do that. You of all people recognize that if you try to stop me, I’m going to do it anyway. It’s better to help me than work against me, Red.”

He snorted and pulled something from his backpack. Holding up the light grenade, he pointed at the pin. “Pull this, and you have fifteen seconds to toss and find cover. It works better if you find cover before you pull it.”

Duh, I learned that the hard way the first time I’d used one. After that, Colby never let me touch a weapon again.

“Got it.” I caught the grenade when he tossed it to me and tucked it in my front pocket of my loose pants. “So how do you plan to smuggle me out? No duffle bags this time.” He had actually carried me in one when we’d been in Budapest to transport me to their secret slayer lair.

He shrugged. “Let you walk out the front door.”

“That’s it? I thought you liked to keep your locations secret.”

“Not here. It’s suicidal for vamps to come to Rome.” His frown grew deeper. “Connie, I can’t keep them from hunting him. He’s as good as dead.”

I glared at the blood pouring into my body, urging it to go faster, and tempted to cut it short but not if I had to run later this evening. I reached out to Tane once more and found nothing again. My mouth went dry. What would I do if they killed Rurik? The last time I’d lost someone I loved it had ended with me trying to drink my sorrow away. This time I’d have someone to catch my fall. I’d have Tane, if I could find his sorry ass.

The bag appeared mostly empty. “Okay, that’s enough. I’ve gotta run.” I yanked out the IV before Red could protest and pressed my thumb to the insertion site to stop the bleeding. “You going to pass me a Band-Aid or just glare at me all night?”

Shaking his head, he searched the drawers until he found what I asked for.

I got to my feet, only to be swept into another bone-crunching hug.

Red was there when Colby had pulled me out of the liquor bottle. He knew why I’d been drowning myself. “Ya call if you need me. Ya don’t need to be alone, babe.”

I clung to his big shoulders and inhaled his cheap cologne. “Thanks.” The urge to ask him to come with me almost won over my common sense. It would split his loyalties, and I couldn’t do that to Red. He’d been too good to me. I couldn’t be a slayer and date vampires. I’d made my choice a while ago, and so had Red. Pushing from his arms, I gave him a sad smile.

“How do you plan to find him when a whole city of slayers can’t?”

“I don’t have to. He’ll come for me.”

Chapter Eleven

Anthony and Red argued in the next room as I prepared to leave the building. They had left my wad of cash in my pocket so I could take a cab back to my hotel. Kam might be waiting. If not, then I’d travel back to the orphanage. How long did I have before the Nosferatu heard of a vampire hunt in Rome and added up all the facts?

Time raced against us. We should leave the city ASAP. Maybe hiding in the mountains would be best.

I hurried to the front door, passing empty dormitory-like rooms, but Anthony stepped in my path. “You should stay and rest for the night.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“I’ll rest in my hotel. I have confidence in your people keeping the streets safe.” I patted his beefy bicep and scooted around him. “Thank you for patching me up. I appreciate it.”

“If you did then you would remain here and not risk my people’s lives by stirring this vampire again.”

“I’ll be leaving the city in the morning. I promise.”

Red leaned against the wall. “I told you it wasn’t any use in arguing with her. Connie can take care of herself most of the time.”

I blew Red a kiss. “Love you, too.”

He grinned. “Stay in touch.”

I closed the door on Anthony’s stern face and flagged a cab quickly. It was getting late and the streets were empty, so it didn’t take long for us to reach my hotel. I paid the cab driver but kept my attention on the street. Neither male would be in my room. They didn’t know the number or what name I’d used to register so I waited outside the door in the light and listened to the noises of the night.

My limbs weighed heavy. The blood helped, but it wouldn’t replace my lack of sleep. I’d been awake since the afternoon and last night I’d been unconscious—not the same thing. I leaned against the wall and searched the shadows. If Kam were out there, he wouldn’t hide. His absence left my chest hollow. I wrapped my arms around myself afraid to shatter in public. When this night was over, I’d fall apart in private. What if Rurik didn’t come looking for me? I groaned and hung my head. I wanted to scream and shout and rage at the world, but it would waste what energy I had left.

Seeing Red again had stirred old heartaches. The slayer team had treated me well and in return, I’d betrayed them by running off with a slick vampire lord. Could our present situation be karma? I sighed. Didn’t matter; I wouldn’t change a thing even if I could. The Rome slayers had been very accommodating in comparison to Colby’s team. They never would have let me go after an attack. Living in a city devoid of vampires could soften a slayer, I guess. Even Red hadn’t put up much of a fight.

A figure strode toward me, the dark clinging to him like an old friend so I couldn’t see his face. The wide set of the shoulders and predatory grace seemed male.

My limbs froze. All the things I’d learned during my sparing sessions with Kam vanished with a pop. The light grenade and wooden stake remained untouched, and my love for Rurik had nothing to do with it.

The shadowed man stood just outside my circle of light and loomed over me. A hand shot out and caressed my bruised face. It was smaller than Rurik’s but just as firm. “That looks painful.” Tane’s voice swept the tension from my body and left me sagging against the building.

I stepped out of the light on rubbery legs and drank him in. He still wore the suit from the meeting. It was wrinkled with a torn seam along the side.

He gave me a timid smile as if shy. “You’ve never looked at me like that before.”

I rushed into his waiting arms and rested the injured side of my face against his solid chest. “You’ve the best timing ever.” He smelled of rescue and hope. It was the finest thing I’d ever breathed.

“I heard your call for help. Where’s—” He cut off sharply and tensed. With a smooth swipe of his arm, he drew me behind him.

I peeked around his side. “What is it?”

Red confronted of us, gripping a wooden stake in his hand. The tools of his trade hung from his belt and he didn’t look like a slayer on vacation. “Tane? I was expecting Rurik.”

I clenched my fists. “You followed me?” Like a lightning strike, the reason behind my easy release from the slayers dawned on me. They had used me as bait. “I’d expect that from Anthony, but you, Red? You’re supposed to be my friend.”

“And as your friend, I’m doing what’s best for you.” He extended his hand. “They’re killing you, Connie. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Come back to New York with me.”

Other people moved on the street around us. Their predatory grace exposed them as slayers and not common pedestrians.

Tane frowned, his gaze traveling from me to Red. “You called Colby? Of all the silly things you could have done.” The heat of his words scorched my ears.

“I didn’t call anyone. They rescued me.” I eased away from Tane. The anger on his face stung. There was a time I would have ran to Colby at the first sign of trouble, but over the years I’d given Tane more than my heart. I’d given him my trust as well. “Rurik tried to kill me. The local slayers stopped him. Red is here recuperating from some injuries he got on the job.”

“I know of Red’s situation. Who do you think is paying his medical bills?” Tane shot Red an accusing glare. “She belongs to me, human. Don’t start a war because of ignorance.”

My heart skipped a beat. War? Geez, Colby’s group had a truce with the Nosferatu but if Red betrayed it, they were all good as dead. The Nosferatu took guarding their existence seriously. The only reason Colby and his men lived was because of their help in killing Dragos.

Anthony approached us, his eyes growing wider as he stared at Tane. “Holy shit. Is that what I think it is?” He pulled out a second stake. “I thought they were just myth.”

“Red.” I ground out his name between my clenched teeth.

“How was I supposed to know he’d be here? We came looking for Rurik.”

“And you would have killed him in front of me?” I swung my hand but before it made contact with Red’s face, something stopped it.

Tane held my wrist. “Enough.” He kept his eyes on me. “Rurik really tried to kill you.”

I nodded, unable to speak.

He spun and stared as the slayers. I sensed the shields collapse from his mind and create a small bubble around me. All the humans on the street stopped moving as if under a trance. Red and Anthony’s eyes glazed over. As one, the group turned and left the area, marching quietly away from us.

A chill ran down my spine. “Did you do that?”

Tane’s shields were back up, and I’d been released from his protection. “Of course I did. I can’t leave a bunch of slayers alive with knowledge of my existence.”

I startled. “You’re not going to kill them, are you?” I stepped toward the retreating slayer zombies, but Tane scooped me against him.

“Rabbit, if I wanted them dead, they’d be corpses. Unfortunately, it takes time to bury that many bodies. I wiped their memories, which took considerable effort since they’d all been trained against such tricks.”

“Oh.” I watched Red shamble away. “What will he remember?”

Tane’s eye narrowed. “That I’ll kill him if he ever makes such demands from me again.”

I closed my eyes and rested my head on Tane’s shoulder, trying to soak in his strength. “He didn’t mean to insult you. He’s just worried about me. All he sees are bruises and bites. He doesn’t know the whole story.” Only Colby knew of my bond to Tane, so Red thought I’d been rolled into some kind of sex slave. I ran my hand over Tane’s muscled back. I could think of worse fates.

“What’s been going on? Where are Rurik and Kam?” He squeezed me tighter and nudged at my mental shield, asking to enter my memories. He could ram his way in like he did the slayers but with me he always used a gentle touch. He hadn’t never forced his way in since Budapest. I opened my recent memories and let him view what had happened since I’d left his side in Monte Carlo.

He sighed. “I wasn’t expecting this change in him.” He pulled away and paced, setting his hands on his hips as he concentrated. “First, we’ll return to the orphanage and see what has happened to Kam. His alpha will want to tear into my hide if something happens to his only son.” Tane grabbed my hand and led me toward the garage.

“The cabs are that way.” I pointed behind me.

“No cabs. We need to move fast if we want to catch Rurik.” He started to check the vehicles.

“Can you sense where he is like you do me?”

He shook his head. “I’m bonded to you, so that was easy. Finding Rurik is more difficult, especially if he’s grown stronger. He can shield against me and my brothers.” The door to a white work van opened. “Good. It’s an old model. It’ll be easier to hot wire.” Bending under the steering wheel, he began to tear things apart and look for wires.

I blinked and drew closer to him. “You’re a man of many hidden talents.”

He snorted. “What do you think I do with my time?”

“Plot.” I grinned at his sharp look. The truth hurt, and I knew I hit a nerve. Tane watched his nation very closely and always had a scheme up his sleeve.

The van started. “Get in, belt up. If I scramble your brains in a crash, I won’t be capable of healing that kind of injury.”

I climbed into the passenger seat. “You do realize I still experience pain when injured. No crashing of any kind.”

He gave me a familiar evil smile. It should have turned my marrow to ice. Instead his smile sent a wave of warmth through me. Tane, master plotter and liar extraordinaire, was back in action. He attached my seatbelt. “We have to find him before someone else does. Who knows what kind of trouble Rurik is causing.” He pulled onto the street, squealing the tires and tilting the van in alarming manor.

I clung to the chicken bar.

“Where is this orphanage?”

I pictured the directions in my head. It seemed easier than guessing street names. Sometimes the ability to speak with Tane using my mind came in handy. Learning to build stronger shields and open them at will had provided a challenge for both of us. Tane had proved he could be a patient teacher though.

We drove to the orphanage and parked at the end of the road. The tree branches creaked and their leaves swayed in a breeze. Darkness cloaked the forest surrounding us, and I turned on my little flashlight. I did my best not to cling to Tane’s arm. This place sucked.

A shadow moved in the forest out of the corner of my eye. I halted and searched between the trees but couldn’t make out anything. It was the motion that had caught my attention, not the details..

Tane returned to where I stood. “What is it?” He peered into the woods as well.

“I thought I saw something move.” I shrugged. “Must have been an animal.”

Slipping his arm around my waist, he pulled me toward him. “Stay close. I don’t like this.”

Those simple words electrified my pulse to a standstill. My limb went stiff as I tried to look in all directions at the same time. If this turned into one of Tane’s asinine pranks, I’d rub habanero pepper pulp on the inside of his underwear before he wore them.

Tane twisted to face me and his eyes went wide.

My stomach dropped so fast I got vertigo. Slowly, I made a one-eighty and came face to face with Rurik. “Hey, sw—sweetie.”

He towered over me, his gaze dark with hunger. “Rabbit.” The way he surveyed me sent my prey genes screaming to run. I’d seen jaguars stalk through the jungles of Brazil with similar looks in their eyes.

“What is wrong with you, Rurik? She was almost drained.” Tane moved between us. “Let us go hunt together. Once your hunger is satiated then your mind should clear.”

I could only hope, but he’d fed less than fifteen hours ago and seemed worse.

Like a baseball bat aimed at my head, an idea struck me. “Maybe it’s my blood that’s making him worse.”

Tane glanced at me over his shoulder. “Why do you say that?”

Rurik didn’t give me a chance to answer. He tackled Tane, fangs extended. They tumbled to the ground and rolled toward the edge of the forest.

I gasped. Once I saw them next to each other, I finally understood what was happening to Rurik. He’d been only drinking my blood for the last few weeks. Before that, he’d used donors as well, which must have diluted my blood in his system so the changes were less drastic. His change had grown quicker, and I’d been so stressed I hadn’t really examined him close enough.

The light from my penlight shone on Rurik’s balding head and the slightly pointed tips of his ears. Vampires didn’t go bald…except Nosferatu. They lost all their body hair.

Tane’s brothers were correct in their accusation that we’d transformed Rurik to Nosferatu. We just hadn’t done it on purpose. My blood must carry some of Tane’s from all the times he’d healed me, and it transferred to Rurik. Why hadn’t we thought of this?

Rurik clawed at Tane, his teeth snapping at him, but with age came power, and Tane was as old as dirt. Rurik’s power had grown with the change. My lover seemed determined to hurt Tane, who appeared to be just defending himself.

I loved Tane in my own special way, but this restraint made it bloom into a new level of respect. Like me, he still wanted to save Rurik and took damage for his blinded love.

This fight couldn’t continue though. I pulled out the wooden stake from my back waistband and hurried to them. Killing Rurik wouldn’t be difficult with his attention focused on Tane, but that wasn’t my intent.

I pierced the right side of his back, the opposite side from his heart.

He screamed. The wood would burn but not kill him.

My master lifted Rurik and tossed him through the air toward the orphanage where he hit the side wall.

I couldn’t move. My feet remained rooted to the ground, unsure who to run to. Tane was my protector. It hurt Rurik whenever I sought Tane’s comfort from nightmares or monsters, but my Rurik was the monster who frightened me this time.

Tane eased my tortured soul by coming to me instead. He hugged me so tight my bones creaked. “What did you mean about your blood?”

“Have you tried to change Rurik into a Nosferatu?”

“Never.” The word came out sharp with honesty and he hurried toward the area where Rurik landed.

I followed at a slower pace, not wanting to see what I had done. Only the wooden stake lay on the ground. Rurik wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

Chapter Twelve

Twisting around, I scanned the forest for any sign of movement, but nothing stirred. I clutched my hands together to hide their trembling. “He’s gone? Has he become fucking Houdini?”

“I don’t sense him.” Tane dropped to one knee and touched the crushed grass where Rurik had landed. “I can’t believe this is happening.” He hung his head. “Where’s Kam?”

My racing heart skipped a beat. “He left before sunset to free Rurik.”

“Free?”

I fingered the healing bite marks on my neck as a reminder of what had transpired the night before. “If not for Kam, I’d be dead.”

Tane ran his hand over his head. “I’m not sure what to do. It was one thing to save him when he seemed sane, but after this attack I wonder if we can save him.”

“He got worse after drinking so much of my blood in one day. I think my blood is carrying something that’s making him change.” I stared at Tane, waiting for the light to dawn in his eyes but they remained blank in confusion. “It’s our bond. I carry your blood inside of mine.” I pushed my crazed curls from my face. “I drink from you and heal. How often? At least once a week, right?” Our bond required I drink Tane’s blood to live, but only once a year, but his blood held the power to heal me as well. With Rurik’s hunger growing worse, I’d needed to heal more often. It was a tragic cycle that caused Rurik to ingest more and more of Tane’s blood unintentionally through me.

Tane nodded, his face growing immobile. It was the mask he hid behind when in public so no one could read his emotions. A twinge plucked at my heart strings that he need to wear it for me.

“Rurik ingests your blood when he drinks from me, couldn’t it trigger some kind of reaction?” I drew closer to Tane and brushed his cold face with my fingertips, needing to draw him back out. I’d been watching the man we loved vanish before my very eyes in the last twenty-four hours. I couldn’t bear for Tane to withdraw from me as well.

He’d grown very still like only the ancient vampires could. If I’d been a stranger I would have mistaken him for a statue. After what seemed like the longest minute of my life, he took a deep, shaky breath. “I did this to him?”

Without a second thought, I pulled him into a hug. “We did.”

He flowed against me, his head resting on mine. I didn’t know how long I could hold his weight but I locked my knees and did my best. Tane loved Rurik as much as I did. Sometimes I wondered if he loved him more.

“Now that we have an idea of what’s causing this change, can we stop it?” I stroked the smooth skin of his head then trailed my hand along his broad back. He was more muscular than Rurik. Tane’s body came from a centuries of fighting and hunting. Rurik’s came from fishing and working on his father’s boat.

A raw spot on my heart stung at the memory of how Rurik had become a vampire. Of how the Romans had stolen him from his home because of his pretty face. Tane was the one who’d eventually saved him, but not the one who had turned him.

“Tell me how becoming Nosferatu works.” Rurik had told me once, but it had been so long ago and I’d just been tortured. I hadn’t given a rat’s ass then how it worked. Shame on me, I might have prevented this from happening.

Tane pulled me even closer, lifting me off my feet. “Only male vampires can become Nosferatu. Female vampires and all humans die when we’ve tried to change them.”

My chest constricted and made it hard to breathe. “Do any of those males go mad with hunger like Rurik?” I could barely get the question out since Tane squeezed my chest so tight…

Easing his hold, Tane set me back on my feet. His face appeared composed again. I’d never seen such emotion from him and couldn’t help wonder what had happened to the last human who had. Vampire kings could never show weakness. If they did, those who witnessed it wouldn’t live to tell their tale. “No, they have to get use to their new power but nothing this severe. It must be because Rurik hasn’t completed the process. He’s half Nosferatu, half regular vampire. It must be tearing him apart.”

“That’s probably why he’s so focused on my blood. I’m carrying what’s changing him so it makes sense that he’d instinctively crave my blood except I don’t carry much.” I stared out at the dark forest and the night sky. Where was Rurik? Injured, he’d be more dangerous. Did he have enough power to heal the wound I’d inflicted? I made it easier for the Nosferatu and the slayers to kill him. “We’ve got to find him.”

Tane grabbed my hand. “I have an idea how we can do that.” He led me inside the orphanage, and I showed him the locked room. We found Kam on the floor. I gasped and rushed to him, feeling for a pulse. The big hulk could annoy the shit out of me, but he was the closest thing I had to a friend in Tane’s court. How sad was that? A steady pulse beat under my fingertips. I cushioned his head on my lap and watched as Tane kneeled next to us.

He set his hand over the shifter’s forehead. “I remember the first time his father brought Kam to meet me. He was just a pup. The little brat bit my ankle.” He grinned. “I knew then he’d grow to take his father’s place one day.” Sighing, he released his gentle hold on Kam. “His head injury is almost healed. Thank goodness for shifter metabolism.” With a tap to Kam’s cheek, Tane tried to stir him awake. “Kam, open your eyes.”

The shifter groaned and took a lazy swing at Tane’s head. “Go away.” He rolled on his side and snored.

Tane poked him again. “Let’s go. The hunt will leave without you.”

Kam jerked in his sleep and sat up, rubbing his eyes like a little kid. “Where the hell am I?” He twisted around and assessed the room until his gaze landed on me. “Connie, you’re alive.” Rubbing the side of his head, he faced Tane. “Master? Geez, the last thing I remember was opening the door. The bastard must have ambushed me.” He turned to me again. “I would have thought he’d come after you.”

“He did. I barely got away. How are you feeling?”

“As long as I look in better shape than you, I’m golden.” He gave me a cheeky grin and searched behind us. “Did you bring him back?”

Tane sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed the back of his neck. “He’s gone, and it won’t be long before my brothers realize they’re on a false trail. I had hoped to arrive here and leave right away. It’s imperative we find him quickly.” I jerked as Tane continued only inside of my head. “Don’t tell Kam about what we suspect.” He stood and offered his hand. “Let’s leave this place.” He made a disgusted face. “I can’t believe he housed here.”

I took his help to stand. “With his maker, so he had good company at least.”

Tane steadied Kam as he joined us on his feet. “Depends on your taste in companionship. The sun will rise soon, and I’ll have to find shelter.”

“Connie rented a hotel room.” Kam grabbed Tane’s shoulder. “I’m well enough to track him on my own. He’ll have to go to ground soon, as well.” The shifter had just had his ass kicked but appeared fully energized.

“Don’t you ever get tired?” I asked him.

He laughed. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Tane snarled, baring his fangs. “You forget yourself, pup.”

I jumped from Tane’s side in surprise. I hadn’t ever seen Tane berate Kam before, or any shifter for that matter. I rested my hand on his arm. “He was just joking.”

“Forgive me, Master. I didn’t mean anything by it. I prefer my hide still attached to my body.”

Tane glared at Kam until the shifter broke eye contact and bowed his head. “We lost Rurik outside. He’s injured and bleeding. It shouldn’t be hard to pick up his scent.”

Kam nodded but remained silent.

“Once you find him, try to drive him from the city but don’t fight him. I can’t afford to lose you.” Tane caressed Kam’s head. “I’ll find you. Don’t lose his trail.”

“I won’t fail you.” Kam’s solemn gaze traveled from him to me. “We should send her away. Rurik is unnaturally attracted to her blood. He’ll kill her next time.”

Tane focused his cold stare on my bruised face. “I’ll consider it. For now, I need her.”

“You consider things all you want, but I’m not leaving. We’ve faced worse than this and we’re stronger together than apart.” I recalled Tane’s clan brothers in that meeting and gulped. Okay, maybe not worse. How different could fighting five Nosferatu be compared to one?

Yeah, we were dead.

“We could send her to Gwen,” Kam continued as if I hadn’t spoken.

“Your sister is busy with other matters.” Tane took my hand. “Come, rabbit. Take me to your hotel.” Tane pulled me behind him as he led us out back to the van.

At this point I didn’t care if we stayed in this nightmare building. I wanted to be horizontal and close my eyes. Pretend the last two days had been a bad trip. Control of my future slipped between my fingers. The harder I tried to save Rurik, the faster he fell away. I didn’t want to spend eternity without him. He’d been my solace in the vampire world and one of the few people who truly cared about my wellbeing.

Tane cared on a certain level. As my master, he had to make sure my needs were met, but Tane couldn’t remember being human so how could he truly understand what I needed? Then again, in my dream, he’d surprised me by showing me what he’d looked like as human. Maybe I was wrong.

On the ride back in the van, I rested my head on his shoulder and absorbed what comfort he offered. I suspected he could use the contact as much as I. He hid his pain well. The centuries taught him how to shield his true emotions; however, our bond gave me an insight most of the Vampire Nation would kill for.

He sighed and rested his arm around my shoulders. “My brothers were right. Rurik’s change to Nosferatu will have my whole clan after him instead of a few.”

“Why?”

“We keep our numbers small for a reason and only make a new brother when one dies.”

“So Rurik could take Dragos’s or Luckard’s spot.” Dragos had been a blood thirsty king before Tane had betrayed him with Rurik and they’d killed him with a little help from me. Luckard was the ass who tried to do the same thing to Tane.

“They have both been replaced.” Tane turned off the highway and drove toward my hotel.

“By who?” When had this happened? I was by his side most of the time yet he still managed to keep so many secrets.

He searched for parking and ignored my question. Let him keep his damn silence. I pressed my hand over the hard ridges of his stomach. His thin linen shirt hid little from my fingers. My attraction to Tane came from a darker part of my soul, the part that liked to fight and not back down.

He found a spot and parked the van. Turning his stare on me, he leaned in close enough for a kiss. “Let’s go heal you.”

Chapter Thirteen

I showed Tane my hotel room.

He tossed his jacket on the plain wooden chair by the narrow desk and didn’t comment on the average accommodations. The king lived in lavish style, and I never wanted for anything.

Most of the time, objects would arrive without my even asking, like I had a fairy godmother who read my mind. So this mediocre room seemed a poor return for what he’d done for me.

“I didn’t want to attract attention by renting a suite. Flashing that much cash would bring trouble.”

He undid the buttons of his shirt, and my gaze riveted to the thin line of flesh beginning to show. “The curtains are thick enough to keep out sunlight, the lock is strong, and it has a clean bed. I’m, how would you say it, golden?”

I grinned. “Yes.” Modern slang was his latest hobby. Ten years ago I would have thought this room heaven on Earth. Though I’d grown up dirt poor, it didn’t compare to being raised in a jungle before civilization existed, like Tane had been. No wonder his people had once worshiped Dragos as a god. What did Tane truly think of humankind after watching our evolution over the centuries?

Tossing his shirt over his jacket, he lifted the phone handset and discussed a few things in Italian with, I assumed, the concierge.

I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the square set of his shoulders. While he paced, the muscles of his back slid under his skin as if his whole body was involved in the simple action. I liked watching him move, especially in bed.

Pairing my pale master with my dark hero in my mind sent chills over my skin. Rurik dominated in bed. Tane seemed to enjoy relinquishing control when it came to pleasure. They were a perfect match to watch. I fit in there somewhere. I’d figure out where eventually.

What if Tane was organizing my return home? I wouldn’t put it past him to do this behind my back. Tane might be less domineering in bed, but in life he tried to control everything and did a pretty good job at it. I think therein lay his devotion to me. I wasn’t compliant when it came to things I considered important. He could order my food and pick my clothes. Those were just things and really had no meaning, but try to decide my fate, then we had a problem.

Tane hung up.

“Don’t send me away.” It came out more like an order than I wanted.

“I won’t.” That seemed too easy.

I narrowed my eyes and waited for the catch. Tane had spent such a long time alone that he didn’t know how not to manipulate those he loved. I couldn’t recall every argument we’d had over such instances where he thought he had to maneuver my actions instead of just asking me to do something for him because I cared. I ground my teeth as the silence grew.

He shot me a tired look. “I need you.”

Something fluttered in my stomach. “For what?” I hadn’t much left in my reserve and my skillset was limited.

He ran his thumb over my swollen bottom lip. “Sometimes, I wish you had chosen to become a vampire. I wouldn’t have to worry so much about your safety.”

I scooted onto the bed and pulled him next to me. “Why do you need me?” From his expression, I could guess it involved placing my life in danger again.

“For this.” He gave me a gentle kiss, a butterfly’s touch. Trailing these tender kisses, he traced my injuries.

I closed my eyes and absorbed each gentle gift. The pain from my physical injuries didn’t compare to my heartbreak and Tane’s presence soothed the ragged edges of the wound. “I miss him too.”

He stopped and we locked gazes. “He’ll never be the same again. I can’t undo…” Resting his forehead against mine, he pressed his body next to me. “Once the changes start there’s no stopping it.”

I tried to take a deep breath but my lungs didn’t want to work. “So he’ll be Nosferatu.”

“He’ll be dead.”

“What the fuck?” I clasped his face between my hands, forcing him to meet my glare.  “You need to stop saying that. You’re rattling my cool.” I let him go and relaxed my fists. “Rurik’s changes have increased. He’s almost done, isn’t he?” I sank deeper into the pillows.

He shrugged. “Once the change reaches the genetic level then a bond is created between maker and child. Much like we have. I don’t sense such a link with him.”

“Oh, by all that’s snap crackle and pop.” I screamed the words to nobody and everybody. “What is that supposed to mean? Will he link to me?”

He regarded me as if I’d lost my mind. “He might not link to anyone. His change is unique. I haven’t a guess what will happen next.”

My raw insides burned. Too much crap in a short span of time. Life as I knew it would never return to normal. If only I could go back in time and enjoyed those last few months with more appreciation. I ran my hand over Tane’s solid arms, wanted something real to cling to, someone who was mine. Adrift in an ocean of grief, I needed an anchor or I’d be lost. I took a calming breath. “So we complete the process, then. We finish makimg him Nosferatu.” The depth of that statement settled into my bones. How could I manage two of them without losing Connie Bence in the process? Tane’s personality and wisdom crushed me at the oddest times. What would I do with two?

“That won’t stop my brothers’ desire to kill him. Rurik would be changed without clan consensus. They’d probably execute all of us.”

“You’re their fucking king.”

“I’m the Vampire Nation’s king. The Nosferatu clan has always stood apart. If they don’t kill me, they will definitely take my throne as punishment. May as well be dead.” He leaned into my caresses as I moved my hands over his sculpted chest.

“We didn’t do this on purpose. Can’t they give us some slack?”

“My clan is not known for their empathy. You know this firsthand.”

A chill ran down my spine. Luckard, with the cat-o-nine tails and the small, barbed hooks, still starred in most of my nightmares. The Nosferatu clan policed the regular vampires. If a blood-sucker broke the law, he or she died. His brothers wouldn’t be lenient on one of their own. They’d be tougher. “You’re telling me we’re dead no matter what.”

“I’m sorry it has to end so soon for you, Connie. I looked forward to watching you grow over the centuries. I think eventually you would have made an excellent queen.”

A death sentence for a perceived crime. This was Nosferatu justice. No wonder their people coward at the mention of their name. I felt hollow. Fragile. If anything struck me, I’d shattered to dust. “This sounds like a good-bye.” I turned my head away from him. “Don’t do that.”

He caressed my bruised cheek. “I can at least heal these injuries for you.” I heard him bite down on his wrist before he offered me his blood.

I closed my eyes. It was this routine that had started Rurik’s transformation. If only I’d partaken of Tane’s blood as necessary instead for every little injury.

“Connie, this won’t change what’s been done. There’s no point in suffering.”

“He’s suffering though.”

Tane pressed his wrist closer. “Don’t make me force you. I have enough to worry about with Rurik. I can’t have you weak. Drink.”

I licked at the wound. It didn’t take much to heal superficial injuries like cuts and bruises. If the slayers hadn’t transfused me, I would have needed more. The ache on the side of my face eased until it vanished. I’d grown so accustomed to it that I hadn’t realized how much it hurt until it was gone. I smiled.

Before I could thank him, he pressed me onto the bed with an opened-mouthed kiss, his hands roaming under my shirt and his knees prying my legs apart.

Tane and I rarely played alone in real life. In my dreams, yes, but in reality, he was just too busy. He seemed so substantial all of a sudden, as if denser. I explored his mouth and traced my tongue over his fangs until with a sharp sting I poked my sensitive flesh. The metallic taste of my blood slid into his mouth, and he went still. There were few instances in my life where I could say I surprised my Nosferatu warrior.

He moaned and kissed me deeper, lapping at the drops from the small wound. With a few well-placed yanks, he undressed me, letting my clothes fall wherever.

Blindly, I assisted in undoing his pant’s latches and zipper, releasing his hardening cock into the palm of my hand. How could something so hard feel so silky? I smoothed my hands over it, stroking it to full size.

Tane wiggled out of his pants, kicking them from the bed, yet he never stopped kissing me. He pulled my hands from his shaft and pinned them over my head with one hand.

I yanked but couldn’t get free. This game was new with Tane. It seemed more up Rurik’s lane. Dominance in the bed required trust, and I flip-flopped a lot with Tane. I pulled away from his kiss.

He ignored my questioning look and inspected my body. His focused assessment burned over my breasts. With his free hand, he molded one to his palm. “I’m not usually drawn to tits, but yours, they fit perfectly.” He pushed at my entrance with the tip of his cock.

I arched my back and watched the yearning in his eyes grow. Tane could manipulate people very well, but so could I. Giving my breasts a small shake, I smiled at his rapt attention.

He bent to trace my bared nipple with his tongue. Around and around he went until I arched more out of desire than play. He pushed a little deeper inside of me.

Most of the time, I needed more foreplay than this to accommodate his size, but the stretch felt so good, as if he filled me more than usual. I wrapped my legs around his hips. This sweet surrender helped ease some of our mutual pain. Alone and driven insane, our Rurik hid from the sunlight alone. Neither of us wished this on him, but we were powerless until night. I wanted to weep and thrash at the Nosferatu clan for being so unfair. I wanted to follow Kam and find Rurik to make sure his stab wound had healed. I wanted all the bad things to go away and for us to return to our life as before. No magical genie would pop out of my cheap hotel lamp to grant me my wishes. Reality was that we’d die horrid deaths. Right now, we had each other. Tane loved me and I loved him. Flesh and passion would help pass these long hours. Kisses would be the balm for our souls and bind us tighter than ever before.

Tane ran his hand over my torso and breasts, trying to touch every inch of my body.

I squirmed under him as he set me on fire. Pumping my hips, I slid his cock farther in, but he didn’t respond to my rhythm. “Tane. Faster.”

His chuckle held an edge of evil. “Oh, no.” He slid in to his root with a hard shove.

I cried out and clenched my restrained hands. The burn spread through my lower abdomen, but it was a good burn, like stretching a cramped muscle.

He leaned by my ear, brushing my hard nipples against his chest, and withdrew gradually until his tip rested once more at my entrance.

The double sensation stole my breath. I struggled against Tane’s hold, his callused hands rough on my wrists.

Then he proceeded with the slow process again.

Panting, I writhed, trying to coax him to lose control.

He pressed gentle kisses to my eyes, my nose, along my jaw until sweat coated my skin.

It built hotter, the pressure so intense I ached as he slid slowly. In…and…out… I couldn’t catch my breath. The room had grown too small. My vocabulary shrank to words like oh and yes, with a few pleases tossed in. In…and…out… Bastard had stolen my IQ. I clung to his hips with my ankles. The root of his cock rubbed against my clit with each movement until I vibrated with ecstasy. “Fuck.” I stretched that word out as my climax clenched me low in the gut and shot through my mind. My inner muscles seized and I strained against his hold as he continued his torture.

With a heave, I sucked in a shaky breath and shuddered into a limp form. One factor to being Tane’s age was his vast knowledge, and he knew how to work a person’s body. “No fair. You didn’t come.”

He gave a small smug laugh. “You think this is the end?” He withdrew from my body and flipped me onto my stomach. With a few swift moves, he stuffed all the pillows under my hips, lifting my ass in the air.

I remained limp, since my brain cells still sparkled with orgasm aftershocks. Breathing seemed to be the only function that I controlled.

Tane ran his hand over my ass and made an appreciative noise deep in his throat.

“Easy, cowboy. That end needs more foreplay than what you provided.” Even my lips felt numb.

He spread my knees and slid his cock between my thighs. “No worries, rabbit.” He thrust into my pussy, moving until his hips leaned against my cheeks.

I clutched the sheets and raised my ass higher against him. I knew from experience how he liked it when I stretched like this.

His growl was my reward. He pumped harder and faster. The pillows held my hips in place, and he set his hand in the middle of my back so I’d stay low, opening myself for his deep thrusts.

Small mewling noise slipped from my lips. Tane held his enthusiasm back though. I wasn’t made vampire tough. He could hurt me without trying. I sensed his fingers curl on my back. He didn’t make noise like Rurik and I.

His hand traveled to my breast, where he caressed my curves, then slid to pinch and roll my nipple.

The sharp pleasure shot straight to my core and my inner muscles clenched around his hard cock. Life returned to my limbs and I moved with him, milking him with every stroke. He moved with such grace and focused on me like I was the center of his vast universe.

He bent, resting his forehead on my back. “I’m so close.” Instead of allowing the passion to overtake him, he slowed to a stop and rolled off me onto his back. “Ride me?” He held out his arms. “I want to see your face.”

Something in his voice shook me. He sounded so vulnerable, as if he’d break if I said no.

“Tane.” I moaned and crawled onto his body, slipping him back inside me where he belonged. His full lips pleaded for a kiss, and I took them against mine, exploring him once more. I guided his arms over his head, where I pinned them there by pressing my weak strength to his biceps.

He rested his head against the bed. The strongest vampire on the planet gave himself over to me and returned my gentle kisses with eagerness. His body cried take me and his soul pleaded love me.

I moved my hips to a softer beat, rolling them to maximize the sensuous motion of our bodies. With a mental reach, I opened my mind to his and invited him inside. We’d never shared such an intimate joining during sex, mostly because I shied from letting anyone inside.

His body tensed, then he swarmed into my mind in a flood of passion that swept me into a whirlpool of sexual overload. Our bodies faded and all that existed was the sheer amount of love he felt for me. No words could ever express the emotion inside his aged heart. How he cherished my quirky attitude and my youth. How I made him feel young and human. How I fought him and kept him honest.

I cried out and exposed my heart to him. How I loved his dry sense of humor and how he used it to tease us. How his confidence fed mine and gave me strength in the face of the impossible. How he squashed his enemies to protect those he cared for.

It became too much. My mind couldn’t handle all of him. Inside Tane’s body hid a vast ocean of power that spanned ages. Just as quickly as he’d flooded my mind, he retreated and left a void.

I opened my eyes and found his dark stare boring into mine. I rode him hard and fast now, out of control of my body and clinging to the mental wave of emotion.

He breathed heavy and thrust from under me. “Connie!” He shouted my name and arched back.

I clutched him close as he came and whispered his name in his ear.

Limp, he lay still under me.

I petted his arms and sides. Whatever flesh I could touch. We’d never connected like this. Suddenly, I never wanted to let him go. He might have surrendered all hope of our survival, but the one thing I’d learned in my short life was to never surrender. Somehow I’d have to figure out how to save us.

Chapter Fourteen

Time seemed to slow down as I lay in Tane’s arms. When he’d taken a wooden arrow to his chest to save my life a year ago in his Rio home, it had changed our relationship. Before that, I would have gladly shot the arrow at him. He’d gone from being a monster to being a lonely vampire with a complicated life.

I had accepted him as a lover for both mine and Rurik’s sake. This morning changed things between us once more. Like the arrow, Tane took me by surprise. I knew he loved me but there were so many levels of affection. A person could love his dog and love his child; however they could be different kinds of love. Some people loved their dog like a child. Same thing went for a new lover in comparison to one who’d stood the test of time. They were both love but different. Was I the dog or the new lover? Until now, I hadn’t known where I’d fit and I was so much more to him than I’d ever imagined. Somehow over the last year we’d truly fallen in love. I would not lose my personal demon to a simple mistake.

Quietly, I slipped from his comforting arms and sat on the edge of the bed. I crossed the room and picked up the stake. Rolling it in my hand, I stared at the blood-stained tip.  The stake suddenly grew very heavy. It wasn’t fair that we’d be punished for a simple error. Hadn’t there ever been a relationship such as ours?

I dropped the stake onto the carpet. We would have to take a stand. Turning to face the bed, I startled.

Tane leaned against his pillow, watching me. He moved so quietly for someone his size. “You want to fight my brothers?”

I nodded. “You and Rurik are both trained warriors. I’m good at running and hiding. We might have a chance.”

“You’ve killed more Nosferatu than any human alive.”

“I assisted. It’s not like I did it alone.” I grabbed my clothes and pulled out the single light grenade I owned. “I could do a lot of damage with this.”

He grimaced. “You might catch me or Rurik in the crossfire. I’d rather not get fried by my own human companion.”

I sighed and set it on the night table. He voiced my own worries. First things first, I yanked on a blond curl before picking up the paper bag next to the grenade.

“What’s in the bag, rabbit?”

I glanced at the bed and almost jumped out of my skin as I came face to face with Tane. “Stop doing that.”

“What?”

I clutched the bag to my chest. “Moving so quietly. It’s creepy.” I’d be no match fighting a Nosferatu by myself. I’d have to use something like a UV grenade.

He rolled his eyes. “I have to concentrate to be clumsy enough to make noise. Being this quiet is natural evolution for a predator such as me.”

I bypassed Tane on my way to the bathroom.

He followed. Quick as a viper, he snatched the bag from my hands and inspected the contents. “No.”

I grabbed the bag back, but it tore in half. “Yes.” The pair of scissors I’d purchased clattered to the tiled floor. “It’s only hair. It will grow back.”

He sorted through the other items that had fallen. “Did you have to buy the tackiest hat in the store?”

I’d originally bought it for Kam to hide his long, brown hair but it worked to hide Tane’s bald head as well. “You’d never be caught wearing a baseball cap. It’s the perfect disguise.” I grinned as he set the souvenir hat on his head. “We should get you some shorts and a T-shirt that matches mine.”

“Your sense of humor borders on evil.” He picked up the scissors. “Face the mirror.”

“You want to cut my hair?” I hesitated in the bathroom doorway.

“Do you think you could do better?” He had a point. I’d planned on grabbing handfuls and hacking at the curls.

Slowly, I nodded and turned to face the mirror. My gaze met his over my shoulder, and he winked.

He bent by my ear and whispered, “Don’t move.” With a few precise cuts, he reduced my shoulder-length hair to a pixie poof.

I gave my reflection a slow blink. “I look like Shirley Temple.” My hair had been compared to sheep’s wool and cotton candy all my life. For some reason, the men in my life had always refused the idea of me getting it straightened. I picked up a cut strand in the sink. Rurik loved my hair. The night we met, he’d sat in my hotel room on the floor, picking trash out of it. Really, what woman wouldn’t have fallen in love with him?

Tane pulled the curl from my fingers and ran it over my nose.

I held up the box of hair dye. “I always wanted to be a redhead but I thought it would draw more attention than brown.”

He frowned. “Do you really think it’s necessary?”

I raised my eyebrow at him through the mirror. “You tell me. Your brothers can read people’s mind for glimpse of a blonde traveling with a scary bald dude and an incredibly handsome man.”

“Rurik isn’t that scary.”

A laugh shot from my throat. It felt wonderful and real.

Tane sat on the edge of the tub and watched me go through the process of changing my hair color with interest.

“So what do you think?” I faced him with my new hair-do.

He wore the stupid hat tilted to the side. “You’re finer than frog hair,” he drawled with a perfect southern accent and tipped his hat.

The heat of a flush flashed across my cheeks, singeing the skin. I lowered my eyelashes but met his stare. “Let’s go back to bed.”

Chapter Fifteen

Tane nuzzled my neck, resting his fangs on my pulse point after an enjoyable afternoon in bed, but he didn’t break the skin. He made a regretful noise deep in his throat and rolled out. “I can’t afford to weaken you.”

I glanced at the clock that read six PM. “I’ve been transfused, and you healed my injuries.”

“If I fed, I’d make you anemic again and I need you at your best.” He rose from the bed and sat on the edge. “I think it would be best to avoid infusing your blood with mine until this problem is resolved.” His glare darted to me. “Emergencies only.”

Frowning, I nodded. It made sense but part of me was addicted to the thrill of power his blood gave me. I’d done cold turkey once before when I stopped drinking. The experience equaled spooning my eyes out with a spork.

Tane strode naked across the room to the door and opened it, retrieving a package left in the hallway. Thankfully, no young children stood outside. The male had no shame.

I pulled the blanket over my chest and sat up. “What’s that?” My pulse skyrocketed. Who knew where we were to deliver us a gift?

“I sent the concierge to purchase us some clothes.” He tossed a paper-wrapped box on my lap and winked. “Hope you like it.” Retreating to the bathroom with his package, he glanced over his shoulder. “Joining me in the shower?”

“Only if it’s ice cold.” My nether regions needed a rest and apparently Tane’s didn’t. As soon as he left the room, I opened the gift and found running shoes, jeans, and a pink cotton button-down blouse with matching sweater. Listening to the shower noise, I smiled. Everything was in my size.

Tane didn’t like to dress me like Rurik did. Tane seemed more interested in undressing us and the things that followed. At some point, he must have taken note of what Rurik ordered for me otherwise how would he have known? Warmth spread over my body. Silly, I know, but I still wasn’t used to receiving presents.

A shower would have been great, but I’d taken one yesterday and I didn’t want to waste valuable time waiting for my turn. With a wash cloth, I scrubbed the important bits at the sink. Funny how old habits from the street returned so easily. While I dressed, I caught a glimpse of a stranger in the mirror. I jumped and faced my reflection.

Tane ambled out of the shower, leaving a trail of water in his path. He kissed the top of my head. “You’re beautiful.”

“Rurik will hate it.” I regretted my words as soon as Tane’s amused expression grew somber.

“We have bigger issues to worry about. I’ve located Kam.” He tapped his head. With his mental powers, he could do as his brothers and glean through human thoughts. “He’s outside of Rome. We should hurry if we wish to find Rurik tonight.”

“He left Rome?” I followed Tane back into the bedroom, where he dried off. Try as I might, my gaze still roamed the lines of his muscular legs. Oh, mama.

He pulled on his own outfit of jeans and T-shirt, all in black, then put his baseball cap on. “Let’s be off.”

I grabbed a sandwich and coffee to go at the restaurant in the lobby. Gobbling it down, I waited out front while Tane retrieved the van. He pulled up before I was done, so I climbed into the passenger seat with my meal. The food hit my empty stomach like a ten-ton block and shattered in nauseating waves. I should stop hanging out with shifters and learn to eat slower.

“Where could Rurik be heading?” Tane regarded my consumption with fascination.

“I thought you would know,” I responded around a mouthful.

“He has many connections in Europe. Some who would even brave the displeasure of my clan and give him sanctuary. But we don’t have the time or resources to investigate them all.” He wiped something off my chin with his thumb. Sniffed it and made a face. “That doesn’t smell natural.” He gave me a hard look. “Or organic.”

“Quiet, it tastes good.” Both he and Rurik insisted I eat a healthy diet of ‘rabbit’ food. How could they understand the refined palate of a junk food junkie when they’d been born before processed meat?

A frustrated growl rumbled in his chest as he maneuvered the streets. “Paris, Florence, Berlin, Copenhagen… There are so many cities where he could find sanctuary.”

“Maybe we should figure out why he’d go there. It might narrow our choices.” I tossed the sandwich wrapper on the floor and chugged my lukewarm coffee. “Or we could just follow his trail like we’re doing.”

Tane shot me a daggered glare. “I haven’t risen to my position by allowing others to guide my hand. Rurik might be heading straight for a trap. We have to apprehend him before he reaches his objective, not follow him to it.”

I set my empty cup in the holder. “Then we should set up our own trap.”

“What are you thinking?”

“We use our secret weapon.” I pointed at myself. “Me. I’m the one he wants to devour.”

The sultry heat in Tane’s gaze shot straight to my core and reignited the desire I thought well satiated. “How can I forget?”

I swallowed with a throat gone dry. “The change is driving him to crave my blood to finish the process. We just need to give him the opportunity.”

“Use you as bait?” He nodded. “Excellent plan.” With a roar of the motor, Tane took the exit for the highway.

I seemed destined to play the role of bait. This had been my job in Budapest years ago to capture Rurik. My slayer boss had been convinced Rurik had committed mass murder and it had almost cost us our lives to prove his innocence. Now I fought for him once more. This time the stakes were higher. The vampire king might join us on death row.

Had Rurik killed anyone since escaping us? Was he technically guilty of murder, since he no longer controlled his body? The families of any victims would think so. Rurik would too if we ever recovered his mind and soul.

Silently, I sent a small prayer to heaven that he’d avoid causing any death. Would God care about a vampire who did his best to be moral? Did they even have souls? I think in essence all good creatures deserved to have one. For as long as I’d known him, Rurik always strived to do the right thing.

We left Rome on the E35 heading North and continued in the direction for an hour.

“They’re moving fast.” Tane broke the quiet. “Rurik’s not circling Rome as I’d hoped.”

“What cities are north of here?” I peered into the dark landscape, as if I’d glimpse Kam chasing Rurik at inhuman speeds across the landscape.

“Florence. Did he mention going there after you escaped Monte Carlo?”

“No, he wanted to go to Venice.” The city of canals and the most romantic place on Earth. I’d begged Rurik to take me there many times, but he’d always managed to misdirect our conversations or draw my attention to another place to visit. Why would he want to go there now?

Tane’s silence drew me out of my thoughts. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t probe past his mental shields and read his mind. From the look on his face, I wouldn’t want to.

I pinched his thigh.

“Hey.” He jumped.

“You know something. Tell me.”

He squeezed the steering wheel until it creaked. “Rurik’s maker resides in Venice. She’s the Lady of the city.”

Lady? I had assumed his maker was male. Rurik had never corrected me when I’d referred to his maker as him. Bastard. We’d promised no more secrets between us. When he’d mentioned being trapped in Rome with his maker and the one bed in the orphanage hideout, it hadn’t really bothered me. He liked men as well as women. Obviously, I didn’t mind sharing him with other men, but the claws came out when another woman stepped into my territory. “What could she possibly do for him?”

“She would never deny him anything, rabbit. And never betray him. He’s her offspring.”

Egad, I was grossed out on so many levels. “You asked the Lady to turn Rurik into a vampire for you?” Nosferatu were incapable of creating regular vampires.

“More like hired.” He dragged out the words as if reluctant to admit it.

“Then she would help us if Rurik arrives there first, right?”

“None of us parted on good terms. When Rurik returned to me, as contracted, she viewed it as abandonment and expressed her displeasure with me quite publically. I let her live because of the service she provides my brothers. Then Dragos’s court grew too dangerous for Rurik to stay. I had no choice but to send him back to her.”

Damn and double damn.

Tane made a small noise of surprise. “We’re both Rurik’s makers now. He’s stuck between me and her until the change is finished.” He grinned. “We might be able to use this to regain control of him again.”

“How?”

“I’m not sure yet. We’re treading unknown waters and have to sail carefully.” He tried to give me a reassuring smile, but it only filled me with dread. I didn’t want to go to Venice now. Not with Rurik’s maker lurking in the shadows. “This changes nothing,” Tane continued. “We still need to capture Rurik before he hurts himself or someone else.”

I nodded. “Can you still sense Kam?”

“He’s about an hour ahead of us. We should reach him before dawn.”

I settled in for the drive. My butt felt numb from sitting, my stomach queasy from the fumes, and my bladder wanted to explode from the mega coffee I’d chugged at the beginning of the trip.  Even with all this discomfort, I dosed. Tane kept me busy most of the day, allowing a few cat naps. That didn’t replace the solid sleep my body craved. Headlights streamed by my window as we passed other vehicles heading north. We’d spent some time in Florence last year in a villa outside the city. I had dragged Kam from one tourist attraction to another during the day and spent the nights socializing with my vampires, moving through the city to all sorts of vampire functions. It wasn’t every day the king came to visit. I rubbed my eyes, watery from exhaustion. It seemed so long ago.

Tane pulled into an all-night fueling station.

I straightened in my seat and before he could ask my destination, I scooted out the van, scurrying to the lady’s room.

“Connie—”

Glancing over my shoulder, I glimpsed Kam approach Tane. I’d thought the need for gas the reason for our stop. I found the public bathroom empty and relieved the pressure consuming my attention for the last hour. Why had Kam stopped here? Had we caught up to him as he tracked Rurik…?

Shit. Jumping off the seat, I dressed and made sure the door was locked. “Tane?” I sensed his presence within my head. “Tell me Rurik isn’t in the area.”

“You get very angry at me when I lie. Didn’t you offer to be bait?”

“Fucker,” I whispered into the empty room. Pressed against the door, I listened for anything unusual. I’d volunteered but I had wanted something more organized then run, rabbit, run. Okay, I had Tane and Kam guarding my ass. If we were going to catch Rurik, I would have to pull on the big-girl panties and stroll outside like nothing was wrong. I could act sometimes. Mostly when my life depended on it.

I glared at my reflection in the mirror and cringed. “You can do this, chicken little.” Last night’s terror still seemed close to the surface. I gripped the locked doorknob. If Rurik found me in here, this door wouldn’t hold. Better to be out in the open with room to move.

Counting back from three, I exited the bathroom and continued outside, strolling without a care in the world while my racing pulse blocked out all other noise. It took all of my control not to glance behind me.

The van appeared abandoned by the pump. I stood next to it and searched the surrounding area. When had I become so frightened of someone I loved? The bright light shining from the canopy above made it difficult to peer into the surrounding dark. I stepped toward the edge where the light and dark met. I hesitated. “Are you close?”

“Always.” The warmth of Tane’s presence gave me courage. I wrapped it around me like armor and stepped out of the light.

Chapter Sixteen

The night swallowed me whole. I’d done this a hundred times. Acting as bait should be a breeze, except Colby and Red weren’t my backup, I wasn’t wearing a tracking chip if the predator snapped me away, and we wanted to catch Rurik alive, whereas on all other stakeouts the vampires I’d lured were killed. Trust was an important factor when I placed my life on the line.

Rurik might snatch me out in the open and that would draw unwanted attention. The last thing we needed was human authorities searching for him as well. I looked around and headed toward the back of the building. Walking with purpose, I turned the corner.

He waited there, leaning against the building with his arms crossed over his chest. The starved look around his eyes had faded into something darker.

I opened my mouth to scream but he moved fast and pressed his finger to my open lips.

“Shhh, Rabbit.” He stared into my eyes. A wave of warmth flooded pass my mental shields and through my body. It had nothing to do with attraction and everything to do with mesmerizing my mind.

I reached out to Tane and came against resistance shielding me from him. Too late—Rurik had taken me right from under Tane’s nose.

Carried in his arms, I struggled as he raced into the countryside. My limbs moved as if in deep water, unable to break his iron hold. “Rurik, let me go.”

He slowed and set me on my feet. “I thought you’d want to be with me.”

“I do.” A sob strangled my chest. I pulled from his grasp and tumbled to the ground. “Not like this. We figured out what’s wrong with you. We want to help.”

“We.” He snarled the pronoun and kneeled in front of me. “You were once all mine.”

Searching the surrounding area, I saw lights in some houses in the distance. Rurik had stopped in field of wildflowers. Nothing appeared to move in the underbrush. No sign of my rescue anywhere. Shouldn’t Kam be capable of following his scent? Maybe, but not before Rurik killed me.

I touched his hand. “I am yours. Always yours.” On a whim, I rose to my knees. “We—we shouldn’t do this here. I’d like somewhere more private.”

He ran his fingers though my short hair and hesitated. The glassy hunger faded from his eyes. “You cut your hair?”

I blinked. His voice was gentler too, almost hurt. “To hide from the Nosferatu.” He appeared so normal all of a sudden. It gave me whiplash. I wanted to dig my claws into his soul and keep him above the waves of his horrid change. “Baby.” I kissed him, clashing teeth to fang.

He pulled me against him, returning my kiss with just as much loss. His fingers splayed over the middle of my back as he bent me backwards.

I wrapped my arms around his neck. Could it be over? The transformation didn’t seem finished. He still had some peach fuzz on his head and his ears weren’t anywhere near as pointed as Tane’s.

His fingers dug harder into my flesh. He clutched me too tight and I struggled to breathe. Like a switch being flicked off, he faded and was replaced by the monster I feared.

Yanking my mouth from his, I gasped for air in a wheeze. With my elbow, I jabbed him in the side of his neck to distract him from squeezing the guts out of me.

He jerked away.

“Pull it together.” The words came out strangled. I pressed my hand to my stomach and crawled away, catching my breath. “You’re transforming. Tane’s blood is inside of mine and it’s turning you into a Nosferatu.”

He bent low to the ground and snarled. “They want me dead.” His eyes reflected the moonlight and he no longer even looked like the person I’d met in Budapest. This stranger sent chills down my spine and not the good kind.

“Can you blame them? You’re acting nuts. You have to fight these urges.” I climbed to my feet.

“But you smell so good.” His fangs grew to the size of a tiger’s as he followed my motion.

I did the only thing left in my defense arsenal. I screamed like a horror movie heroine. It came up from my diaphragm and burst from my throat, filling the empty countryside with an ear-piercing sound.

Rurik lunged for my throat as if to rip it out.

Reflexively, I slammed my eyes shut and kicked out like Kam taught me. I was thrown aside like my heel caught a moving train and I rolled with the momentum. When I untangled my limbs enough to manage to sit, I stared at all three of my boys.

Kam held Rurik from behind, while Tane grasped his head between his hands. He touched foreheads with Rurik. Instantly, Rurik went limp, and Tane caught him before he hit the ground. Gently, he pressed a kiss to his slack lips.

Air rattled in my bruised lungs. The scream had knocked something loose. “Took you long enough.” I struggled to my feet once more, covered in new bruises. I wiped the dirt from my jeans so Tane wouldn’t see how much I shook. “What did you do to him?” My pulse calmed from racecar roaring to pony trot. It would take time before my body realized it wasn’t about to die.

“I made him sleep. He’s grown stronger mentally as well as physically. He might have beaten some of my weaker brothers.”

I leaned against Tane and joined him in staring at Rurik’s angelic face.

“He’s my child but I still don’t feel a link forming between us like it should. I wonder if he’s still connected to Catarina, his maker. This might be the cause to his madness.” Tane lifted Rurik in his arms and handed him to Kam. Sighing, Tane scanned the area. “Wait at the gas station for me.”

“Where are you going?” I asked.

He stared out in the darkness. “It’s hard to explain, but I sense something is…off in the area. I should take a look. It might be nothing or it could be one of my brothers poorly trying to mask his presence and creating a mental void around the humans.” He took off at speed I couldn’t achieve on my own.

“Don’t eat anyone,” I shouted after him. “What?” I aimed the question at Kam, who gave me a raised eyebrow. “I already have one boyfriend starting bad habits. If Tane goes back to hunting humans then I’m cracking the first bottle of hard liquor that has the misfortune of crossing my path.” It had been years since I craved a stiff drink but I sure could use one or three or twelve.

“Connie.” Kam’s voice took a warning note. He knew about my past issues with the bottle. It never occurred to me he cared until now.

“Everything is going straight to hell, and I don’t think I want to be sober when the end comes.”

Kam shook his head and left me staring after Tane. I didn’t like him facing his brothers alone. Who knew what waited for him in the night? It would be best if we stuck together. With that small piece of advice, I trotted after Kam so I wouldn’t be alone. The distance to the station was farther than I’d thought. No wonder it had taken them so long to track me. Maybe I should apologize for my outburst? I glanced at Kam. Nah.

Rurik’s arms hung loose, swinging back and forth. How had we gotten here, running in Italy with the world’s deadliest killers wanting our heads? We couldn’t get a break. Whenever I thought my happily ever after had arrived, someone came along and snatched it away. Maybe I didn’t deserve one. If I left Rurik and Tane, maybe my dark cloud would follow. They would finally have a chance at the happiness I yearned for.

The side door of our van slid open.

Fear stiffened my spine.

Tane waved us inside. Geez, he could move fast. I didn’t want to imagine a whole clan of vampires with his skills hunting me but I couldn’t ignore it. Not anymore.

Kam set Rurik on the back third seat and blocked my attempt to follow. “Best if you stayed separated.” He pointed to the front passenger seat.

“Fine.” Once we were belted in, Tane took off on the highway toward Florence but took the first exit heading east. “Where are we going?”

“We’ll seek sanctuary and council from the Lady of Venice. Maybe with her help we can save Rurik’s mind.”

My stomach plunged, hitting rock bottom. He needn’t say more. “We’re going to Rurik’s maker?”

“Though it pains me to seek her help, yes, we are.” Tane stayed focused on the road ahead.

His response hammered my sliver of worry deeper. “So this is a sane thing we’re doing? I thought you weren’t on good terms. What will keep her from calling the Nosferatu when we arrive?”

“Rurik. They’ll kill him first then figure out creative ways to punish me.”

The marrow in my bones froze. “What about me?”

His worried glance gave me little comfort. “Many of my brothers are lonely. One of them will keep you.”

“Nice.” I drawled out the word laced with venom. “I think I like the plan where they kill us better.”

“If this comes to a bad ending, I’ll shield you from my pain as long as I can.” He’d done it before. What a Nosferatu warrior could suffer would vaporize a normal human’s mind. I’d experienced it for a flash second in Rio and it had left me inert on a sidewalk. Being linked to Tane had its bonuses, but the downfalls would kill me literally.

“Let’s not plan on them catching us alive. Keep the focus on finding a hole deep enough for us to hide in until we can fix what’s broken.”

He opened his mouth to respond then snapped it shut with an audible click. Turning to face me, he gave me a reassuring smile. “Everything will be all right.”

Oh God, he thought we were all going to die terrible, painful deaths. “I thought you were better at lying than this.” I crossed my arms and glared out at the starry sky. Barely any traffic joined us on the highway at that time of the night. I just didn’t get men sometimes. When Laurent, my deceased husband, had found out he had cancer, he’d hidden the truth from me. He’d hoped not to upset me, but it had done more damage once I’d discovered what I thought was him slipping out to see a mistress were really chemo treatments. I might look fragile but I was made of titanium when it came to the ones I loved.

I twisted in my seat. Rurik lay in a peaceful slumber. “How long of a drive are we looking at?”

“Two and a half hours. We’ll be there before dawn.”

“Let’s hope she’ll give us shelter.”

“Do you think she’d refuse her king?” Tane’s smile held an edge of sly amusement. I loved that about him.

Chapter Seventeen

In a daze, I watched the land vanish as we drove onto the bridge spanning the space between the mainland and the many islands of Venice. The glow of the city lights ahead broke through the night like a beacon of hope.

I leaned forward. “Do you know where to go?” Even from this distance, I could discern the canals crisscrossing the city. The water reflected the lights and it seemed like the city floated on a sea of stars.

“Don’t I always?” Tane drove the van with confidence. I hadn’t seen him behind the wheel once during the years of living with him. This skill didn’t surprise me as much as it should. Tane always tried to keep up with the times. “Have you been to Venice?”

“No.” The bridge descended toward land and ended by the biggest parking lot on the planet. “Why do we have to stop here?”

“No cars allowed past this point. The best way to travel in Venice is by boat.” Tane exited the van.

Kam followed with Rurik in his arms. “I might attract attention carrying an unconscious man.”

Tane slid his arm around my waist. “Nonsense. This is Venice. They’ll think he drank too much.”

Where we stood the canals ran black with inky water, and the dark cobbled streets echoed our footsteps. I hadn’t imagined this sinister side of Venice. My mind held images of crystal-clear blue waters, pots over-flowing with brightly colored flowers, and song filling the air. I guess the night touched all things. Even the ancient brick buildings seemed to weep at our passing as the condensed humidity trickled down their walls.

As I stared down at the water I recalled an unexpected swim in the Danube River in Budapest. It had seemed like hands of the unfound dead reached for ankles in the murky waters.

“We’ll take that boat.” Tane pointed in the distance.

A motorized water taxi immediately aimed toward us without anyone making a signal that we wanted a ride. Docking against the stone canal wall, the driver climbed out in a daze and sat on the cobblestone. Tane jumped on board and secured it to the wall.

The boat wobbled wildly when Kam hopped in with Rurik. It tore the wall from Tane’s hold. He swore and held out his arms as they floated away. “Jump.” The command came out sharp as a whip. He expected everyone to follow his orders instantly. I was the only person who gave him shit when he spoke to me in this manner. Except tonight.

Shutting my eyes, I leaped from the edge of the canal in what I hoped was Tane’s direction. I held my breath, expecting to plunge into the dark waters. Fear sent my limbs flailing as if I could swim through the air and avoid the horrors below.

With a sudden halt and jerk, I landed on something hard instead of liquid. I opened my eyes and met Tane’s displeased gaze. We lay sprawled on the bottom of the boat with me on top.

“I said jump, not have a seizure.” He shoved me off and grabbed control of the boat, steering us along the narrow water ways with his superior night vision.

Lucky I jumped at all.

“I wouldn’t have dropped you.” His response caught me off guard. I hadn’t meant to broadcast that thought.

“No, you would have thrown me. And get out of my head.” I tried to slam my mental shields to block him, but stubbornness ran in Tane’s blood as much as it did in mine.

“You deserved it. If you keep acting like this, I might dip you again.” He gave me a grin, the one that showed more fang than was necessary.

The boat pulled into a much larger canal. Lit bridges spanned the width and the light shimmered on the water, chasing away the eerie gloom. A few people walked next to the canals, some less stable than others, and waved at us.

Tane grabbed my wrist before I could wave back. “They think I’m a taxi driver and they want to share your ride. That wouldn’t be wise.”

I broke eye contact with them and turned my back to Tane. “Will we ever live a normal life?”

He barked out a sharp, surprised laugh. “No, we’re far from normal people.” I sensed his eyes boring into my back but he stayed quiet. I didn’t need a mind link to hear his unspoken questions. Until tonight I hadn’t regretted my choices, but I was growing tired of fighting to survive. This would be the third round of battles with Tane and Rurik.

“Does fighting ever end?”

“What do you mean?”

Kam cleared his throat. “She means, will she be able to live without a bodyguard watching her back all the time?” He gave me an understanding smile.

Tane’s silence was answer enough.

I sighed and sat next to Kam, who somehow understood me better than my vampires. That wasn’t as reassuring as it sounded. “How do you know this woman still resides in the same house?” I asked Tane. Vampires, like humans, grew bored of homes and moved.

“Some vampires don’t accept change as well as others. They remain stagnant.” He steered us under the bridge. “Catarina’s existence is a swamp.”

I’d met a few of these types of vampires while in Tane’s court. Like a person caught in a snapshot, they couldn’t progress, learn, or evolve. Some visited court to protest Tane’s stricter laws about killing. Most didn’t leave with their heads. Ever since Luckard had tried to take Tane’s throne, he had grown much colder toward those who couldn’t follow the new ways he supported.

Visiting Rurik’s maker sounded better and better the more I learned about her. I tossed Tane a sharp glance over my shoulder. “Can you refrain from killing her? You seem on a short fuse.”

He gave me such a shocked expression I almost thought him sincere until he opened his mouth. “I’ll wait until we’ve resolved our current predicament.”

Kam laughed. He had set Rurik in the seat next to him and had his arm around Rurik’s shoulders for support. This wasn’t the romantic boat ride I’d envisioned us sharing in Venice.

“Don’t encourage him,” I snapped at the shifter.

Tane turned off the main route into an unlit narrow canal. I would have missed it. The city consisted of many islands linked with bridges and the buildings were ancient compared to my native New York. I could understand how this place would lure vampires trapped in the past. It smelled of decay and history. Tane pointed toward a moss-covered stone dock. “That the place.” He landed the boat with ease, and Kam secured it.

The building rose above me by three stories, each with its own balcony. Curtains shrouded tall windows that lined the walls. I grew dizzy as I stared and I hugged the side of the boat for stability.

An arm snaked around my waist. “Don’t fall in. I’m sure you’d find a way to blame me if you did.” Tane lifted me effortlessly onto the dock and followed.

“Umm…are we telling her the truth?” I whispered low enough so only Tane and Kam could hear with their supernatural hearing.

“The truth?” Tane straightened his causal wear as if in full regal attire. “What a novel suggestion.”

“That’s usually not your forte.”

“I’m aware of my habits, but I won’t risk Rurik’s life just so I can save face. She will have to accept that I’m running from my brothers for Rurik’s sake.”

I stood at his right hand and one step back, where a good little blood slave should, so this vampire would understand I respected Tane. I had to admit that last part to myself again to be sure the thought really came from my brain and not his. Respect? Yes, I was beginning to sense some of this foreign emotion toward my personal demon. I had better keep watch so it didn’t blow out of proportion and I started jumping at his orders. Oh wait, I already did that once tonight.

“Give me Rurik, Kam. I want you to rid us of this boat and any evidence left behind. Then get a room in the tourist section. Stay sharp until we need you.”

Kam’s gaze wandered to me then back to Tane. “Gwen will have my balls if something happens to Connie.”

“I’m quite capable of taking care of her. You’re dismissed.”

Kam bowed low. “Yes, Master.”

“Is that the best thing to do?” I leaned over Tane’s arm for a glimpse of Rurik’s sleeping face.

“Yes. We may need backup, an extra pair of eyes, or possibly a rescue. It’s better that no one knows of Kam’s presence. I can sense my brothers have realized the trail they followed was false. I’m sure one of them was in the Florence area. Time is running out. This will be a place they’ll search if they haven’t already.”

My heart seized. “What the fuck are we doing here then?”

Tane kicked the door since his arms were too full to knock and I was too flabbergasted to function. The sound vibrated within my marrow, but the door remained intact. Maybe this would be a good place to hide from Nosferatu.

It opened without a creak, and a withered old man blocked our entry. “May I help you, sir?” He wore an old-fashioned butler’s suit of a fine cut, his back bent with age, and all five of his hairs were combed neatly to the side.

I blinked. His sharp gaze didn’t match his frail body and he didn’t flinch at the sight of a Nosferatu at his doorstep.

“Inform the Lady Catarina that her king is at her doorstep.” Tane barged past the old man.

He teetered on his feet in the strong vampire’s wake. “Please, come in.” He spoke to the king’s back.

I steadied him with my hand under his elbow. “Don’t mind him. He’s a little testy. I’m Connie Bence.” I offered him my free hand.

“Very kind of you, Madame.” He spoke with a lovely British accent. “You may call me Hayden. Come this way.”

My feet tread upon gleaming marble tile that stretched ahead like an ice rink until it ended at a wooden staircase at the far end. Dim lights on the wall scones flickered until I realized they were old gas lamps. The kind that could explode if aged. Had to love old vampires who scoffed at electricity. Bet they didn’t have wi-fi. Hadn’t she heard of online shopping?

Tane lay Rurik on an elaborately embroidered sofa then sat on one of the matching chairs. He could make a stool seem like a throne.

I aimed for the only other empty seat, but Tane shook his head slightly. Sighing, I stood behind him. As the king’s blood slave I should set an example to all others. Yada, yada, yada. As long he understood it was only show. How long before this show became reality? A hundred years, maybe two? I couldn’t foresee ever getting out having to publically defer to him. It would eat at my soul until nothing of me would remain. Would our relationship survive if what he loved most about me vanished? Yet, how could I remain an independent me when the public only saw a slave? I strove to bring our private life out in public but he insisted to separate the two. Could our public relationship overtake our private one someday? I would turn into a Hayden, who answered doors and presently shuffled to a brass tube on the wall.

He opened it and announced our arrival in a loud voice.

I cringed. “I don’t think your brothers heard him. Maybe you should ask him to repeat it.”

Tane remained still, but I could sense his amusement in the way his shoulders relaxed.

A swish of cloth announced someone arriving. Descending the stairs, a young woman in an old-fashion pale green gown met my wide-eyed stare.

Her curly blonde hair was piled on her head with a few stray strands strategically loose around her shoulders. Her cool blue eyes assessed me from head to toe. She filled the elegant dress beautifully with lush, feminine curves. She made a deep curtsey to Tane. “Your Majesty.”

He nodded. “Lady Catarina.”

She rose, her attention not on her king, but on me.

I gasped. Who could blame her? It was like looking in a mirror, except my hair was short and dyed brown.

Chapter Eighteen

Catarina broke away from our staring match. She seemed just as shaken as I was by our similar appearances. Short, pretty, and blonde apparently was what Rurik preferred. The blood-sucking asshole.

When we’d met, had our similarities occurred to him? Was I a replacement for his maker? And the jerk sitting in front of me hadn’t mentioned a thing. Tane must have known. He was a lot of things, but dumb wasn’t one of them. Nausea rolled in my stomach. Our love was a sham. I’d been a Catarina-shaped sex toy.

“Rurik,” she gasped and raced toward the sofa, where the scum lay unconscious. Kneeling on the hard floor, she ran her hands over his balding head. “What have you done to him, you monster?”

I jerked at the verbal insult tossed at Tane, half expecting him to break her knees. He’d promised not to kill her, but that didn’t include maiming.

Tane rolled his eyes and sighed instead of ripping her head off. Good for him. I, on the other hand, was disappointed by the lack of violence. Her hands roved over Rurik’s body with a possessive nature. “He’s going through a metamorphosis.”

She hesitated in her frantic petting. “Into what?”

“As one of my kind.”

She tossed him a daggered look. “Why bring him to me?” My, what a sharp tongue Catarina had. It reminded me of someone else. Not once in the four years together had Rurik mentioned her by name or that his maker was a girl who looked just like me. He’d allowed me to assume she was male. I wanted to curl into a ball and rock in the corner.

Tane turned his soulless gaze upon me as if reading my thoughts. He’d known Catarina. Maybe our resemblance had caused Tane’s initial dislike for me. I had thought my relationship with Rurik had been the only source. Now I saw a second one. He must have had a Nosferatu version of a stroke when Rurik had arrived to Dragos’s party with me on his arm.

“Rurik’s transformation isn’t intentional. My clan wishes him dead. He needs a safe place to finish the process and his makers to help heal him.”

Her eyes went wide. “Heal? One doesn’t normally need healing after changing. Is it different among your kind?” It was then I noted her expression of innocent curiosity was a ploy. Intelligence sparkled deep in the depth of that gaze.

“That isn’t any of your concern. What Rurik is going through is unconventional. He should be developing a bond with me, yet hasn’t and I can sense your link still exists. I think it’s tearing his mind apart. If we work together, we may recover his sanity.”

“Of course. Anything to help.” Catarina tucked a pillow under Rurik’s head and brushed her fingertips over his forehead. Why hadn’t I thought to do that? Lack of food and rest did not a smart brain make. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen him. Even without his hair, he’s still so handsome.” A wistful tone touched her words.  “Is there anything else you wish, your majesty?” She straightened Rurik’s clothes and kissed his forehead until she finally turned to face us.

Tane didn’t answer. He’d been watching her fuss over Rurik.

What she saw in his face made her pale even more. “Forgive my manners.” She curtsied again but didn’t rise. “Rurik has always had a way of drawing my full attention. Apparently, he doesn’t need to be conscious to have power over me. He has a special place in my heart.”

“As he does in mine.” He blessed me by turning his regal stare in my direction. “Catarina, this is Connie Bence. My blood slave and…our lover.”

I saw my death flash in Catarina’s eyes and I stepped closer to Tane. Way to paint a bull’s eye on my back. “He seems to have a certain taste in women, apparently.”

Her strained expression softened. “Yes, I guess he needed some kind of substitution after I turned him out.” She produced a lace fan that matched her outdated attire and fluttered it by her face.

I fingered my stake, still in my waistband.

“Did you not tell me we needed her alive?” Tane’s voice purred inside my head. I could sense his pleasure at my violent urges. The gentle lover of yesterday was gone. He always did prefer me riled to meek.

I released the stake and gave Catarina a forced smile. “I heard he left of his own accord.” That didn’t give me much comfort, but I’d be damned if she got the last word.

Hayden approached his mistress. “Their rooms have been prepared.” He stood behind her so she didn’t see the wink the old rascal directed my way.

“Very well.” She frowned and focused on Hayden. “Send for someone to carry Rurik to my quarters. I can care for him better myself.”

A bomb of over-my-dead-body went off in my head. I tried to deny her and stay quiet at the same time so only garbled noise came out of my lips. Torn between what I wanted and what was best for Rurik, I just stood there with my mouth open, a silent scream on the tip of my tongue. She might be able to help him. Whatever the price, it would be worth it.

Tane climbed to his feet, pulling me under his arm. Waves of calm flooded my mind and tried to wash away the homicidal images of her flesh under my nails as I ripped her face off. “Creative.”

I didn’t want her touching him. She’d try to steal him away from us. Glancing at Tane, I focused inward. That last part wasn’t my thought. To know he shared my angst eased my anxiety just a bit so I wouldn’t jump her prime ass and yank out her perfect tresses.

“Rabbit.” Tane laughed, a genuine expression of surprise on his face.

“Shut up.”  Shrugging off his arm, I didn’t give a crap about respecting him in public anymore. As Rurik’s maker, did that make Catarina my mother-in-law? She’d be family then. I could bitch as I liked. “He’s not well in the head.” I tapped my noggin. “Keep your paws to yourself because if he wakes, he might bite them off, and we need you alive.” With a twist of my hips, I made sure she saw the stake. “For now.”

Her eyes narrowed. The weight of her age pressed on me. A vampire didn’t survive this many years by being weak. On the outside, she acted the lady, but that glare told me I’d be on her menu as soon as she could figure out how to do it without being blamed.

“Even asleep, Rurik has women fighting over him.” Tane slipped his hand into mine and gave it a sharp, painful squeeze. “Forgive my human. She’s quite possessive.”

I tugged my hand, but short of cutting it off, I wasn’t getting free.

Catarina snapped her fan closed and meandered closer to Tane. “Both? Such a greedy pet. Would she really react the same if you came to my bed?”

I grew very still. She was agitating me on purpose, and I’d given her enough fodder to play with. Gritting my teeth, I kept quiet.

“What would be left of my soul after a day in bed with you?” Tane gestured for Hayden to lead the way.

“You have a soul?” We echoed each other.

I cringed, and she fanned hurricane force winds.

Laughing quietly, Tane pulled me away. He pressed his finger against my lips when I opened my mouth. Fine. I wouldn’t dare speak. She might echo me again. I could only take so much horror.

Two vampire males strolled into the room. They both bowed to Tane then moved to carry Rurik upstairs.

Before anyone could object, I followed. Bad enough we’d be separated.  With him in Catarina’s bed unconscious, I had to know exactly where that room would be. I couldn’t imagine him sleeping with her willingly, but what if he woke and mistook her for me? I shivered. “Are you sure he won’t wake?”

“Positive, or I wouldn’t have agreed.” Tane escorted Catarina behind me. We were like one happy parade, bringing my lover to his ex’s bed.

“Great, she can paw him all she wants.” I crossed my arms under my breasts.

“Nothing she hasn’t pawed before.”

I slammed my mental shield closed, cutting contact with Tane. Maybe he should sleep with Catarina after all and give me the excuse to castrate him.

We climbed two flights of stairs to the third floor. The whole level was dedicated to her bedroom with a huge wooden bed heavy enough to sink the Titanic. Thick brocade curtains covered all the windows.

The vampires set Rurik on the bed and left without comment, as if dragging unconscious males to her bed was routine.

I planted myself at the foot of the bed. “There seem to be plenty of sofas. I don’t see why I can’t sleep here.”

“Please do.” Catarina circled behind me. “Where are my manners? Would you like to feed, your majesty? Your human doesn’t seem to be an agreeable mood.”

“She rarely is.” Tane leaned in the doorway. “I appreciate the offer.”

“Hey, no drinking from unknown sources.” Something moved in the corner of my eye. Did I just see Rurik’s finger twitch? “You remember what happened last time you fed from someone else’s donor?” I meant the drug that rendered most vampires powerless and the Nosferatu weak. Tane used to have a penchant for wayward young men. It landed him as a pincushion twice. “I’ll feed you. Hold your horses.”

Catarina had angled to the other side of the bed and quirked an eyebrow. “She’s feisty.”

Rurik’s hand moved to his stomach. All eyes in the room riveted on him.

“Tane?”  I backpedaled from the bed. I loved Rurik, but I loved living too.

My Nosferatu warrior concentrated on Rurik. Tane rubbed his temples. “He’s resisting me.”

Catarina dropped her Lady’s mask and grew serious, crawling onto the bed like she wasn’t wearing an expensive gown. “How is that possible?”

I scooted closer to the door. Shit, if Rurik woke, I’d be his first stop. I wanted Tane between us.

Rurik’s eyes fluttered open.

Catarina caressed his face. “Sweetheart.” She leaned in close.

“Careful. He’s not been himself. Can you sense anything through your bond?” Tane’s forehead creased with effort. “I can’t put him under.”

“I can barely sense him at all.” Panic rose in Catarina’s voice. “Where has he gone? There is only hunger.”

Rurik’s eyes suddenly shifted to Catarina. “Connie?” He sprang.  Neither Tane nor I had a chance to react since Rurik moved so quickly. He and Catarina rolled off the bed before we reached them.

Tane beat me there, and I had time to watch him tear Rurik from Catarina’s throat.

Thick, dark blood oozed from her wounds. Not the red of humans but something of a burgundy hue that turned my stomach. Ragged edges of his bite knitted back together.

Rurik struggled in Tane’s grasp. The muscles of his neck strained until I came into his view. He went quiet.

“Rurik?” I hated the tremor in my voice.

He closed his eyes and turned into Tane’s arms. “Is that her ghost come to haunt me?” He spoke broken words as if someone had grated his vocal cords.

“No, you mistook Catarina for Connie.” Tane held Rurik tight against him. I felt no jealousy at this. If anything, it made me feel safe. Tane our protector, and Rurik our lover, and me their human clown. We fit.

Chapter Nineteen

Catarina climbed to her feet, the perfect coif of her hair a thing of the past. Her curls fell in a wild mess like mine used to.

Of their own accord, my fingers found their way to my short hair. With a jerk, I pulled them away. It would grow back if I lived long enough. I offered Catarina a steadying hand. I’d been in her shoes not long ago and understood the wild look in her eyes.

She squeezed my hand in a bone-crunching fist. Not in a malicious way, but in a moment of forgetting her strength. She loosened it at my grimace. Her throat appeared normal. Unfortunately, the wounds on her ego would take longer to heal.

I wasn’t ready to braid friendship bracelets with her, but she’d taken the attack meant for me and she obviously still loved Rurik. I couldn’t hold good taste against her.

Tane gathered Rurik closer against his chest. The motion reminded me they hadn’t been alone since before Monte Carlo. For all we knew this might be Rurik’s last night. I’d had him to myself on the yacht and though we might not have said our goodbyes, we had expressed our mutual love.

Whatever he’d done to me over the last few days, it wasn’t truly him but this transformation. I held no grudge. Only regret that I couldn’t save him and that in some unintentional way I’d been the cause of his suffering.

I sniffed and blinked my tears away. “You should take him to your room. It’s almost dawn. You have the best chance of containing him until the sun rises.”

Tane dragged his gaze from Rurik and met my burning one. “Where will you stay?”

“I plan on raiding the kitchen.” I stuck my hands deep in my pockets and left the bedroom. Stuffing my face would help distract me long enough to get over the agony growing inside of me. The end to this adventure was growing near and it wouldn’t be a happy one. I always bragged about my inner strength but when the push came to shove would this mythical might really exist? Doubt crawled around inside my head. When Laurent died I crumbled.

Hayden followed in my footsteps and remained quiet until we reached the main floor. “This way, my lady. I will also send someone to prepare another room for you while you eat.”

“Call me Connie. I’m nobody’s lady.” The words came out easy enough. I half expected to choke on them, since my throat ached as if I’d swallowed razor blades.

Grief and I were old friends. For a few wonderful years we’d forgotten each other. Amazing how easily we returned to old habits. Like an old sweater, it fell upon my shoulders and I would once more bear its weight.

I entered the kitchen on Hayden’s heels. Clean and sparse, the small space felt open in comparison to dark, heavy wood of the house. Sitting on the stool by the counter, I picked a banana from a bowl and peeled it. The unmarred white flesh reminded me how easily a person’s soul could be bruised and damaged forever.

My life as I’d known it was gone. I’d be on the run if Rurik survived, punished if the Nosferatu captured me, or dead if they killed Tane.

How long before someone in this household betrayed our location to the Nosferatu? Did everyone know that we were fugitives? We’d shown up at their doorstep with an ill Rurik. Tane hadn’t mentioned the Nos wanting Rurik dead when staff had been around.

I bit into the banana as Hayden moved around the kitchen; chewing slowly, I considered the older man. He now moved with confident grace. The shuffling when we were first arrived was gone.

He set the pan on the gas stove and tossed some shrimp in it, stirring briskly. “It’s so nice to see the mistress this happy again. None of her other boys make her smile like Rurik does.”

I hesitated in taking another bite. “You know him?” Rurik had said he hadn’t seen his maker in a long time. I took that to mean centuries. Hayden didn’t look that old. Unless… “Hayden, are you a blood slave?”

“Of course, my—Connie.” He gave me an apologetic smile. “Forgive me. I was raised in a more formal time.”

I eyed him carefully. The last blood slave I’d befriended had almost killed me in her insanity. “I was under the impression we didn’t age.”

“We don’t. I served the mistress well into my old age. As I grew frailer, she decided to grant me a long life as her blood slave.”

Too bad she hadn’t considered making this offer to him sooner. Then again, Catarina had a butler for eternity. People did say good help was hard to find.

“When was the last time you saw Rurik?” Guilt pulled at my heart strings. He was suffering, and I sat here doubting his loyalty. But could anyone really blame me?

“Oh…” He added the shrimp to some pasta and tossed it. “Turn of the century? During the big war.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. At least, Rurik had told me the truth about the last time he’d been with Catarina in Rome.

He set the plate in front of me. “You’re jealous.” A small smile tugged at his lips.

A lie came to my tongue but I swallowed it, along with my pride. “Of course I am. We look so much alike I can’t help feel like a replacement for her.” I stared at my untouched plate.

Hayden pushed it closer to me. “Eat. You’ll need your strength. I fear things will only get tougher for you.”

I took a reluctant mouthful and nodded to my fellow blood slave. “This is good.”

He bowed, producing two wine glasses and a bottle of red from under the counter. “It’s a good year.”

“I don’t drink alcohol.”

He shrugged and poured me a glass anyway. “You look like you need it.”

I concentrated on my plate so my gaze wouldn’t wander to the wine. Allowing reflex to take over, I fed my starved body.  “What do you mean, things will get tougher?” Weary with worry, I couldn’t imagine much worse.

“Things are always tougher when we choose this type of life, Connie. Trust an old man when I say being a blood slave is not for the faint of heart.” He sipped his wine. “Most of us go mad in some way.”

“So I’ve heard.” I swallowed a mouthful, forcing it past the lump growing in my throat. “Are you crazy?”

He laughed. “To a certain extent. If I remain inside the house, I am happy but when I am sent out I have difficulty with the new world. Automobiles, planes, computers, cell phones…” He shuddered. “Being bound to a Nosferatu can’t be any easier.”

“Is anything easy with them?” I set my fork down, happy that a quarter of my plate was empty.

“I don’t know. Master Tane is the only one I’ve ever met. His kind tend to keep to themselves.”

“You’re not missing anything but fear mixed with a touch of terror and horror.” I pushed my glass of wine toward Hayden. “Just some water, please.” Both my vampires would be proud. It never grew easier to say no.

I had stared my own death straight in the eye and spit in his face. Each time, he had bypassed me like I wasn’t worthy of his attention. Instead, he’d stolen someone important from my life. First my family, then my husband. Now this.

I watched Hayden drink my glass of wine. Alcohol could numb my pain. It always had if I drank enough and sleep would be hard to come by tonight. I grabbed the bottle. “Sorry, changing my mind about drinking.” I didn’t wait for Hayden’s answer and vacated the kitchen. I really needed something to take the edge off. My insides were in shards and each thought cut. I just—just wanted oblivion for a few hours where the world wouldn’t seem to be coming apart at any moment. Was that too much to ask?

He followed, directing me to a small bedroom on the second floor. “If you need anything, pull the cord by the bed. A servant will attend you.”

“Where will you be?” I set the bottle on the side table and stared at it.

“Asleep. Dawn is approaching, and my mistress requires me at night.”

“How many humans guard us during the day?” This type of question usually was Kam’s responsibility but without him here to act as guard, then I guess that duty fell onto my shoulders. Sure my boys could fight but the sun weakened Tane and knocked Rurik unconscious.

“Seven. They are all well trained and loyal to Lady Catarina.”

“And where are Master Tane and Rurik?”

“Across the hall.” He gave me a low bow and exited my bedroom.

I fingered the bottle. Should I? What if things went south and they needed me? I was the only one in the household that Tane and Rurik could trust. I could also go out in the sun if they required it. What did it say about me if I placed my petty need to escape above their need to survive? If I started drinking, would it be easier to say yes the next time it was offered? I set the bottle on the bedside table and stepped away. Conquering my addiction was the hardest thing I’d ever done and something that gave me pride. Fear drove me to take the bottle from Hayden. I was selfish and weak. Characteristics I didn’t care for.

Dawn would arrive soon and knock Rurik out. Tane could remain awake, but that was a power a vampire obtained due to age, not being Nosferatu. He’d kept Rurik asleep all night and that might have tapped into his strength. I reached out mentally to him to test his exhaustion level and let him know I could feed him now.

My heart raced. Nothing, I couldn’t sense him anywhere. I stretched my puny abilities to their limits yet couldn’t find him. Oh shit. I chewed my bottom lip. If Tane were in trouble, he would have called for me, right? Wrong. When Luckard had kidnapped him in Rio years ago, Tane had shielded me from his pain and didn’t call for me. He had wanted to protect my mind from the devastating effects of such torture.

Without hesitation, I raced from my room and crossed the hall. Hand raised to knock, I hesitated when I heard Tane moan on the other side of the bedroom door. It didn’t sound like the kind of noise made from torture either. I pressed my ear to the wood. Heavy breathing and the creak of bed springs…

Retreating, I stared at the door as if trying to see through to the other side. My imagination stripped them of clothes and covered their flesh in sweat. Oh dear, a flash of desire burned my insides. I’d seen my men together before. How couldn’t I in a three-way relationship? Each time surprised me in how visceral my reaction grew to seeing them touch…and kiss.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Sex between couples differed. Rurik enjoyed things physically passionate and rough. Tane liked things slow and torturous. I brought the emotion to our recipe. Watching Rurik and Tane together sent shivers down my spine. Two masters of sexual pleasure trying to make the other lose control.

Part of me wanted to crack the door open and spy. Yeah…

I swallowed with a parched throat. The other part remembered how Tane had somehow made himself disappear. He wanted privacy. If I entered the room, Rurik’s blood lust would focus on me. That would be bad. Rurik’s future seemed the bleakest of us three. Who knew if Tane and Catarina could return his sanity? This might be the last opportunity when Tane could say good-bye. I wouldn’t deny him. I sucked at good-byes anyway.

When I’d first discovered Tane’s feelings for Rurik, I wanted to shove a light grenade where the sun never shone and pull the pin. Jealousy spawned from lack of self-confidence. Rurik hadn’t given me any cause to distrust him and every reason to feel secure. Rurik loved us equally. What threw me for a loop was my growing affection for Tane. Animal attraction had become friendship and developed into something much more.

I went back to my bedroom, grabbed a pillow and blanket, then curled in front of their door. With Kam gone, someone had to play security guard for the king. If one of Catarina’s humans wanted access to their room, they’d have to step on me. I didn’t have the skills to stop them but I’d be a heck of an alarm clock, giving Tane enough time to react.

Chapter Twenty

Sunlight warmed my face as I sat in Central Park. Cool grass tickled my toes, and a breeze played with the curls along my neck. I touched them. Hadn’t I cut my hair? I held a cone in my other hand with vanilla-flavored ice cream that melted slowly.

Suddenly the bench I rested on flipped back, and I smacked my head on grass that felt more concrete than it should. “My ice cream.” I flailed and came into contact with something solid. The smack sounded like flesh on flesh.

I opened my eyes to Tane’s face hovering close to mine. What the fuck was he doing in the sun? Blinking in the dim light of gas lamps, I took in my real surroundings of hardwood floors and old Venetian building. It had been only a dream. Instead of lying on the cool grass in a park, I was on the floors of Catarina’s home twisted in a blanket. I wish Tane had waited until I’d eaten the damn cone.

He scooped me into his arms, a confused expression on his face. “What are you doing?”

I peeked over his shoulder at the tangle of blankets and Rurik’s naked limbs. “Have a good time?”

He squeezed me tight, and I glimpsed what could possibly be a tinge of blush on his cheeks. “It wouldn’t have been safe for you to join us and it kept his mind off your blood.” Stalking across the hall to my room, he set me on my bed. “Why are you sleeping in my doorway?”

I shrugged. “Just in case one of the humans thought it would be cool to stake the king of vampires.”

He blinked and tilted his head to the side.

“I was guarding the door since Kam isn’t here.” Duh, I shouldn’t have had to spell it out.

A reluctant smile tugged at his lips. It developed into something shy and sweet. Wow. The man could be breathtaking. “You were protecting us?”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it protecting, since that requires combat skill, but I could at least scream if someone stepped on me.” I searched the room for a clock. “What time is it?” According to my body, I didn’t sleep long.

“Late afternoon. I have to feed before the sun sets and Rurik wakes.”

I perked and offered my neck. “Say no more.” No other human would be trustworthy in this household. Heck, in this city. The nations couldn’t afford to lose Tane. We might argue over many petty things, but Tane was the best king they could have. He truly cared about what happened to his people, humans, and their futures. It had nothing to do with power.

He ran his thumb over my pulse. “Odd how being with both of you for a mere year, I’ve developed a wider spectrum of emotion.”

My eyes fluttered shut at his feathered touch. “What do you mean?”

He licked along the same path with the tip of his tongue before whispering, “Guilt. I’m about to feed on the one person Rurik desires the most but can’t have.” And he’d had sex with the one person I was losing and couldn’t even be in the same room with.

The air suddenly grew too heavy for my shoulders and I melted into Tane’s arms. There had been a time when I’d wanted to start my own family. With Laurent’s death, that dream had died. One had to lead a normal life to raise children, and like Tane said, we weren’t normal people. Sometimes, in my darkest moments, I wished I could return to humanity with a fresh start. No ghost of Laurent to haunt me, no slayers to expose me to a new world, and no vampires to drag me into danger. How much longer could I keep up with Tane and Rurik before my luck ran out? So far I’d been surviving by the skin of my teeth. I don’t think I had many layers left.

Tane set me on the bed and turned away. “I am old and selfish, Connie. Forgive me. I shouldn’t have lain with Rurik.”  He misunderstood my silence.

Pinching my lips together, I stared at his tense back. “For all your age, you can be pretty stupid. If your being with Rurik upset me, I would have let you know. I’m not exactly known for my reserved tongue.”

He chuckled. “You’ve been under a lot of strain. I thought maybe you had developed some tact.”

I snorted. “Don’t insult me.” I opened my arms and engulfed this hulk of a vampire. “This is a shitty, shitty situation.”

Curling around me on the bed, Tane rested his face in the crook of my neck. “Catastrophic.”

“Wow.” For me and Rurik, yes, this description fit what was happening. But Tane? “You really feel that way?” He was old as dirt. He must have lost many loved ones over the centuries. Didn’t it ever get easier?

“Of course I do. By now my brothers will have realized I betrayed them. My kingdom is without their ruler. All those who oppose me will run amok until I can regain control again. I’m losing the man I love and my human companion is exhausting herself trying to save everyone.”

“Oh.” Not the same level of catastrophe as mine. My world seemed much smaller and simpler than Tane’s yet not less important. He was sacrificing a lot to save us. Mine and Rurik’s deaths would not affect his rule but our living could destroy it. Yet he fought alongside me without complaint. “If anyone deserves to feel terrible, it’s those god-awful brothers of yours.”

“Even if they had left us alone, I’m not sure it would have made a difference. The transformation is taking too long, and Rurik’s mind is devolving.”

I rubbed his smooth head. “We’re in a safe place now.” Relatively speaking. “Maybe you should go back to Rio and do kingly things. I’ll take care of Rurik until this resolves.”

“How do you plan to care for him after he drains you dry and leaves you dead?”  He nibbled my earlobe.

“I’m sure Catarina would console him, and he can replace me with her.” The bitterness in my voice didn’t come as a shock. Even though I kept reassuring myself that it was a coincidence, I didn’t believe it.

I could sense Tane smile. “Jealous?”

Elbowing him would hurt me more, so I pouted like a sap. My options were limited when entrapped in Nosferatu limbs. “Shut up. Wouldn’t you be if you found out he had an ex-Nosferatu lover?”

“Who says he hasn’t?”

“Uh…” I glimpsed the amusement in his eyes. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m not. Well, not intentionally.” He shrugged. “People have certain characteristic they like in their mates. So you look like Catarina a little. Do either of us resemble your late husband?”

My gut twisted in a knot. Did they? Laurent had been tall and with dark hair. All three men had dominated my life yet allowed me more freedom than I’d ever experienced on my own. Security and protection were two major things they all had in common. So I had less physical attributes I required and more emotional.

Tane pressed his fangs to my neck but still didn’t break skin.

“What are you waiting for?”

“I’m listening to your body to see if you’re strong enough yet to feed me.”

“That’s so romantic. Do I pass, doctor?”

“There’s more. I can’t use any of my mental powers to mask your pain,” he whispered in my ear. “We’re hiding. My presence on the other plane is so much larger than on the physical. I’ve created a type of void. It’s more difficult to find me this way.”

I blinked and faced him. “I’d think it would be impossible. I sense nothing from you.”

“You sense nothing. Not just from me but from this house and this neighborhood. My brothers would have to look for a spot of nothing to know where I am. Much harder to find.” He sighed. “I’m not the only one who knows this trick. I sensed something similar near Florence when we’d caught Rurik.”

I recalled him taking off and leaving me with Kam in the field. He’d sensed a nothing? “Okay, so this is going to hurt?”

“A lot.” He hesitated. “I could use one of Catarina’s humans.”

I gave him my what-the-hell look. “And hurt them instead? Are you nuts?”

“Given the choice, I’d rather not cause you pain.” He gave me an amused smile. “You tend to be vengeful.”

I sighed. “Fine, you get a free pass on this one due to the circumstances, but I’d appreciate it if you aimed true and make it fast.”

He made a hungry noise and rolled on top of me, pressing his very naked body against my clothed one.

“God, why am I always wearing more clothes than you lately?” I ran my hands over his firm, wide back and arched my throat.

With a playful growl, he bit deep and hard. He dug his fingers into my short curls, holding me tight in his grip. Tane moaned and bit even deeper, drinking in quiet gulps.

I dug my nails into his flesh and sucked in the cry of pain wanting to burst from my lips. The sharp pain was new. I had expected something like a regular human bite. This came closer to what a tiger would do to my neck. Too many years defending myself on the streets took hold and I jerked my knee as if trying to crack it against my forehead. Instead, my knee slammed against Tane’s balls.

He yanked away. Curling into a fetal position next to me, he gasped for breath. “Fuck.” He closed his eyes. “Next time I’m using a donor.” Ancient vampire or not, his balls hurt like any other man’s.

I sat up and clutched my neck. “That hurt like a son-of-a-whore.”

His gaze focused on me. He let go of his precious cargo and pressed his hand to my bleeding wound. “I should heal you.”

I smacked him in the forehead with the heel of my hand. “Healing requires more of your blood in my system. We decided that was bad.”

He flinched when I hit him and laughed. “Stop hitting me, woman.” Crawling onto his knees, he clutched his nuts again and grimaced. “I bit deeper than I’d wanted. You’re bleeding too much. The damage is done with Rurik and I don’t plan on letting him feed from you again. So take a little.” He licked along the edges of my wound. Nosferatu saliva slowed the healing process enough to prevent scarring. Without it, my flesh would seal too quickly. Once he finished coating the wound, he dripped his blood into my mouth. Tane’s last blood slaved liked the scars. I didn’t. The process didn’t even tingle. Pain faded and skin knitted together as if nothing had happened. Too bad the memory remained.

I cupped his face. “Sorry about kneeing you. I’m not a fan of pain.” I rubbed the spot where he’d bitten me. It didn’t hurt anymore, but the shock still made my flesh tingle. “It’s a reflex that’s saved my ass quite a few times.”

He nodded and lay next to me, staring at the ceiling. “I truly needed to feed. I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.” He twisted to give me his shy smile, the one that could melt my clothes off. “I love that you don’t fear me like you should.” He cupped his sore spot. “You could kiss it and make it better.”

I snorted and whacked him across the face with my pillow. “You’re lucky I do love you. Otherwise I’d agree and bite you back. See how it feels on the other end, if you know what I mean.”

He paled, which I didn’t think was possible. “I should be present when Rurik awakens.” Tane stroked my face. “I did miss you in our bed.” He left me lying limp. The blood loss wasn’t much. He’d taken the equivalent of a snack but emotionally I just felt drained to the bone. What were we supposed to do now? Hide in Venice forever or until the Nosferatu clan found us? Because find us they would. They’d only had a few days to organize their search. In a few weeks the whole nation would be after us. If I could toss a stone into my heart, I didn’t think it would ever hit bottom.

Chapter Twenty-One

Tane hadn’t been gone from my room for more than ten minutes before someone else disturbed me by knocking on my door.

I threw a pillow across the room and missed the door by a mile. “Go away.” Couldn’t I have a moment to wallow? I grabbed another pillow, but a woman I didn’t recognize poked her head inside and I let go of my missile. I’m not sure who I had expected but it wasn’t her.

“Master Tane asked me to prepare a bath for you.” She spoke in broken English with a thick Italian accent.

“I’ll just take a shower.” Tane had called her? It seemed uncharacteristic. Rurik would have thought of it, but not the vampire king. Maybe old dogs could learn new tricks.

“There is no indoor plumbing.”

I glanced sharply at the bathroom and the wooden toilet I had used. I had forgotten. No wonder I couldn’t figure out how to flush. I didn’t want to know where it emptied.

When had I last washed? At the hotel, I’d done a cursory swipe of armpits, tits, and ass before we’d gone after Rurik. I’d been through hell since then and a hot soak sounded like heaven. “That would be great.”

“I’ll have it prepared in the kitchen in thirty minutes.” She curtsied.

“Wait. Uh…what were you doing, speaking with Master Tane?” Paranoia would save me if it didn’t drive me mad first. Maybe I should make sure my boys hadn’t been staked.

“Mistress Catarina assigned me to feed him, but he said he’d fed already.”

I touched my throat. I’d saved her a lot of pain. You’re welcome.

She curtsied again and left me alone in my darkening room. Even though the curtains were thick, the sunlight still faintly lit the room so I could make out silhouettes. The oil lamp on my bedside table remained unlit since I didn’t have any means to make fire.

Too bad I couldn’t have ignited it with the flames of passion that had scorched Tane’s sheets.

I straightened my clothes and left my room to find the kitchen before I fell asleep again. The lure of slumber and sunlit ice cream cones were strong. Such a simple pleasure that I didn’t get the chance to indulge in anymore. Laurent would join me on my walks through Central Park. He had liked ice cream too. It was something I never received as a child, when we didn’t even know where the next meal would come from.

My joy in this ritual didn’t come solely from the treat, though it helped; it came from the fact that I finally had the means to indulge. Freedom came in many forms. Poverty was the chain I’d worn for a long time. Grief had been another type of jail. One that Rurik saved me from. Ironic he’d be the one to send me back.

I took a wrong turn and ended up in a lit sitting room. My bad. A lamp burned on the fireplace mantle. Turning to leave, I caught a glimpse of the painting above. My heart skipped a beat. I lifted the lamp higher so I could see it better. Catarina sat in a chair with a lovely dark-haired man behind her. His ice-blue eyes were too familiar for my soul not to ache. Rurik’s hands rested on her bare shoulders and he appeared as he had before the change had gripped him.

I set the lamp back on the mantle before I dropped it. The last time I’d done that I’d burned down a whole vampire nest and the biggest bitch I’d ever met.

Knowing that Rurik had once lived in this house was something I could deal with as a semi-mature woman. Finding physical evidence of his relationship with Catarina made me finger my stake. I slapped my hand against the mantel. She’d been pining for him all this time.

Rurik had a life before me. How would he feel if Laurent returned? Jagged agony ripped through my chest and I clutched it. How would I feel? I shouldn’t tread this trail of thought. The last few days had left me so emotionally fragile the slightest upset could possibly fracture my sanity. I loved Rurik and he loved me. Rubbing the ache away, I stared up at the painting. Or did he? I think that was what was shredding me inside.

“Signora?” The young woman who had come to my bedroom stood at the entrance. “The bath is ready.”

I nodded and pulled my shit together. There were times to fall apart. This wasn’t one of them. I was strong and had held myself together while I’d watched Laurent die. I’d find this inner strength again. Maybe if I made this my mantra, I’d start believing it.

The young woman led me to the kitchen, where a huge copper tub gleamed by the candlelight. “The sun will set soon and the house will stir.” She set some towels on a stool. “Give me your clothes and I’ll launder them. Signora Catarina does not approve of modern clothing in the household.” She touched a dress hanging by the fireplace. “I took the liberty of finding you something more appropriate to wear until your things are clean.” She motioned me to hurry.

I got undressed and set the wooden stake I’d been carrying since Rome aside before she carried my pile of clothes away. Even my bra. Sliding in the tub, I hissed at the scalding temperature. Any bacteria clinging to my skin were seared off, along with a little of my flesh.

The initial flash-fry disappeared quickly and I examined the selection of soaps. Catarina might frown upon modern technology, but shampoo didn’t seem to fit in that category. Thank God.

I wished I could soak longer, but the thought of Catarina’s ‘boys’ walking in on me sped my washing. I poured water over my head, rinsing away both physical and emotional aches.

Catarina stormed into the kitchen. “You have to speak some sense into him.”

I squeaked and sank lower in the tub. “What the fuck?”

Tane stormed in after her. “This isn’t open for discussion. You haven’t been part of his life in decades.”

“Then why bring him here?”

“You know why. He needs a place to finish this change. You wouldn’t betray him.”

“There is almost nothing left of our bond. I can’t even touch his mind.” She twisted toward me. “He’s going to steal Rurik from me.”

I glared at Tane. “What the fuck?” I repeated. They both spoke English but I couldn’t process my own chaotic emotions, let alone theirs.

“Catarina is being overdramatic.” He folded his arms across his chest and loomed over the smaller vampire.

She didn’t even notice. “Stop saying that.” Then she turned to me. “He wants to give Rurik his blood directly. This could kill him. Talk sense into your master, Connie.”

“First, why do you think he’d listen to me?”

Tane snorted.

“Second, he would do just the opposite.” With Tane, the best policy was to ask politely or after sex. Ordering just pissed him off. “Third, I’m in the bath.” I splashed water at both of them to make my point. “Can this wait two minutes so I can dry and dress in private?”

Catarina huffed and left with a pout, but Tane remained.

With a resigned sigh, I rose. Water dripped from my body as I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me. “What brought this on?”

His frown deepened. “I had hoped as the change progressed that Rurik would get better with Catarina being close enough to help support his mind, but his sanity is growing more unstable.” He pressed his fingers and thumb on his eyes, rubbing them. “After I fed and returned to my room, I found him gnawing his arm.”

I gasped and took a step toward the door.

He blocked my path. “He’s fine, for now. Our link has begun to form finally and I was able to bulldoze my way into his head. I’m holding him together but I can only do this for a few hours before permanent damage sets in.”

“Hours?” I dried and grabbed the dress.

“You should put on the corset first.”

“You wear the corset. I need to breathe. So your blood could keep him sane?”

“Or kill him. Catarina wasn’t being overdramatic about that part. At this point, it’s a risk he should take. The change to vampire sometimes makes the candidate animal-like. It burns all their humanity away and leaves a—a—”

“Monster.” I turned my back to Tane. “Tie this dress up.”

He assisted without comment. His silence worried me. It meant he was deep in thought. That he was trying to figure out things as much as I was. Not reassuring.

I slipped the wooden stake between my breasts. “What if Catarina gave him her blood?” I faced him, resting my hand on his upper arms. “Maybe it would reverse the process?”

He chewed his bottom lip. “We’re treading new waters. He drank from her last night, and I see nothing positive so far. I can’t be the only Nosferatu in our history to have a blood slave. Why is this happening now?”

“No, but we’re in a three-way relationship. Most people don’t want to share.”

“True.” He took both my hands within his and kissed them. “Rurik’s body is in such a flux of genetic rewiring. The Nosferatu genes will overpower it eventually. If he drinks mine directly, it may give him the strength to heal like it does you, and he can finish the process.”

Rurik and I weren’t the only ones fracturing. Tane showed signs of it, too. I hugged him tightly. “You know I won’t leave you. No matter the outcome, I’ll still be your girl.” It sounded stronger and more confident inside my head. Saying it out loud only expressed my fragility.

He gathered me in his arms and took a shaky breath. “I wasn’t so certain.”

I nodded and patted his ass. “Okay, let’s save Rurik.”

Chapter Twenty- Two

Catarina paced outside the kitchen. Lines wrinkled her forehead in concentration. She spun on us. “Don’t you think Rurik should have a say in this?”

Tane scowled. “When have you ever cared what Rurik wants?” The accusation hung in the air like a guillotine.

I grimaced and set a warning hand on Tane’s arm. Catarina was our ally. She risked her safety by housing us and did so because she still cared for Rurik. The least I could do was keep Tane from maiming her. “Let me speak to her.”

She blocked his way. “Don’t let him be alone with Rurik. Not until we discuss this like rational people.”

Tane lifted her by the shoulders and set her aside. “You forget yourself, Catarina. I’ll forgive your behavior for now but don’t push me any further.”

“You will wait, right?” I wanted to trust him with all my heart but I wouldn’t put it past him to do this behind our backs. I mean, if Tane truly wanted my trust, he’d act trustworthy, which he didn’t always do. He could be a jerk that way.

He sent me a scorching look.

Catarina moved to stand next to me and watched Tane’s ascent to the second floor. When he was out of sight she grabbed my hand and dragged me to the closest love seat in the receiving area. The tiles felt cold under my bare feet and sent chills up my legs. There were different sitting areas in this room as if groups of people gathered here often. Since our arrival I hadn’t seen any other vampires. Tane had that effect on nests, especially when he dropped in uninvited.

She wrung her hands. “There’s another way to save Rurik that Tane hasn’t mentioned.”

We sat facing each other. “What do you mean?” Would he keep secrets from me? Of course he would; it was second nature to him. I caught myself reaching out mentally to him but stopped. There’d only be a void.

“A vampire is always linked to his maker. There’s something in the blood that produces the effect.” Vampire blood could create miracles. No wonder they hid themselves from public notice. I couldn’t imagine what would happen to them if humans found out their blood healed all diseases and could stop aging. Visions of chained vampires with tubes running from their veins bloomed.

I shook them from my mind in horror. With the wrong king in place, this image could become a reality. Good thing the nation had Tane to secure them. “Tane already explained this to me.” I raised my eyebrow. See, he could be trusted.

“I can barely sense my link to Rurik. Once Tane turns him completely Nosferatu, it will break. Then there will be no chance to turn him back.”

I sat straighter. “What do you mean?” Five years ago if you’d told me I could be brought back from the brink of death by a drop of vampire blood, I would have said that it was impossible. Rule books didn’t exist in life. Everything could be possible with the right circumstances.

“I’ve heard rumors of how to reverse the change.”

I tried to take a deep breath but my lungs didn’t want to work. “How?” My question came out as barely a whisper.

“Kill the maker before it’s complete.”

Closing my eyes, I fought off the crushing disappointment. “I’m Tane’s blood slave. If I kill him then I die as well.” Catarina knew this. Why would she bother me with such a desperate idea?

“This is a fragile time for Rurik.” She gave me a small smile. “You do love him?”

“With all my heart.” Whatever Rurik’s excuses for our resemblance, it didn’t matter. He’d chosen to spend his life with me. “And I’d sacrifice myself if there was a guarantee it would work, but I’m not killing the king on a rumor, Catarina.” Did she truly think I was that stupid? If it worked, if, and Rurik lived, he’d have Catarina to console his loss. What a bitch. Next time Tane wanted to flex his royal muscles on her, I wouldn’t stand in his way. I rose from the love seat and headed toward the staircase.

She hurried to her feet and with her vampire speed she blocked my path. “Wait. What if I told you there was a way we could do this without your death.”

I gave her my coldest expression while inside I boiled. Tane hadn’t mentioned any of this over the last few days. How could I believe a word she says?

“You wouldn’t die if I made you vampire.” She seemed out of breath. Not for lack of air but from fear. She glanced over her shoulder at the staircase where Tane had gone. Her words came out quick, tumbling one after the other. “If you’re vampire, my link will save you and we could save Rurik together.” Either she was the best actress I’d ever met or I was desperate enough to believe in anything that might save Rurik.

Pressing my lips together, I dragged my stare from hers and gazed at the floor. The price was too high. “No.” I shook my head. Which suggestion I denied the most, I wasn’t sure. “I never want to be a vampire. Rurik’s best chance is to become a full Nosferatu.”

“But he’d be different. Don’t let Tane convince you otherwise.”

“He hasn’t. He’s been honest about the whole thing.” Or so I hoped. I didn’t think Tane would lead me wrong. “Rurik will be…different, but at least all three of us will be alive and together.” Why hadn’t Tane mentioned this to me before?

“On the run from the Nosferatu? Death would be a mercy once they catch you.”

My mouth went dry. “I know.” Catarina didn’t need to paint me a picture. My imagination was vivid enough. “It’s worth the risk.”

She stumbled away as if I’d physically hit her. Covering her face with her hands, she sobbed. “You’ve both stolen him. I won’t even have the link anymore.” She ran from the room. That could have gone smoother.

Did she really expect me to be on board with killing Tane or becoming a vampire? If I’d wanted to cross over I would have already done it. I loved my humanity with a side order of sunshine. Being a blood slave, I had the best of both worlds minus the hard-to-kill part.

I hurried to Tane’s room, not sure what I’d find. What if Rurik acted more crazed? I paused in the hallway outside the door. I’d rather seek out Catarina’s company than watch him gnaw his arm. It was a coward’s thought. If Tane was going to complete the process, I wanted to be at his side. He never wanted to change Rurik and this would hurt him. Without hesitation, I stormed into the room and halted just after the threshold.

Rurik sat on the edge of the bed, washing his face with a wet cloth. He handed it to Tane and gave me a weak smile. The sanity in his eyes speared me to the spot. He was back. “Hi.”

I took a step toward him, but he held his hand up to stop me. He remembered the last few nights? Bad enough he’d tried to kill me numerous times but to recall it seemed so unfair. Rurik fought for human rights among his people and ushered in a new philosophy of caring for one’s blood donors. He deserved better than transforming into homicidal maniac.

“My willpower is not as strong as you think. I still have the urge to drain you.” His gaze soaked me in. “You look beautiful in that dress and…” He squinted. “You changed your hair.”

Tears flooded my eyes. I couldn’t stop the outpour any more than I could have stopped a tsunami. Instead, I hid my face under my hands.

“Don’t just watch, you arse. Go take care of her,” Rurik snapped at Tane.

A moment later, Tane pulled my hands from my face and hugged me against his solid chest. I didn’t move. I wanted to vanish. It would be easier to lose a crazed Rurik, thinking he’d be at peace if we had to kill him, than to see him appear sane once more. Control of my breathing slipped through my fingers like grains of sand.

Tane’s big hands stroked my back, but in stiff motions. “It’s not working.” He glanced at Rurik with an exasperated expression.

“You can fuck for seven hours straight in Sultan Zumire’s harem, but you can’t comfort one human girl?” Rurik rolled his eyes.

I pushed from Tane’s arms. “Seven hours? Didn’t you chafe?” I gave Rurik a watery grin and wiped my face with Tane’s shirt.

Rurik winked. “That’s my girl.” He’d said that on purpose. Even from across the room, unable to touch me, he could make me smile through my tears.

My shoulders trembled as I took a deep cleansing breath. “So, what’s next?” I smoothed nonexistent wrinkles from my dress and avoided looking at Rurik. Three days had gone by since our night on the yacht, but it seemed like weeks. I missed the way he flirted with Tane or teased me, the brush of his fingertips on the back of my neck as he passed me on some errand as if unable to not touch me, and his easy smile.

On the outside, I pulled my shit together and even managed a stronger smile. Inside, pieces of my heart and mind fell apart and I scrambled to figure out how to fit them back together. Something immense brushed along my mind. It made me feel like the size of a minnow next to a whale. By the sheer power I recognized Tane as he rebuilt my mental shield and stabilized my breakdown by lending me support. Was this what he’d done for Rurik to return this semblance of sanity?

I touched my fingertips to Tane’s. “I thought you were trying to hide.”

“I am, but I need you whole more.” And just like that, his massive mental presence vanished. He hugged me again. “I’d fight an army of my brothers before letting you fall, Connie.”  Tane may not understand what it was to be human anymore but he cared for me in his Nosferatu way that no human man ever could.

“I’ll be fine.” He needed to focus on Rurik. If things failed and Rurik fell into madness, forcing us to do the unthinkable, then Tane could waste his time putting me back together again.  I crossed my arms. “How the fuck do you make yourself disappear like that?”

Tane chuckled. “I suck it all in and contain myself. That’s the best way I can explain it. For ages I have always allowed my presence and strength to be known. My mental disappearance has left a vacuum that the vampire nation will soon sense.”

Rurik ran his hand over his head. “I still have some hair left?” He then explored his pointed ears. “Why do our ears have to grow like this?”

“It’s to mark us apart.” Tane left my side with a warning look to stay put. “Our clan should never be mistaken for human. Could you imagine the devastation we’d cause if we moved among people as the others do or bred so easily?” Tane kneeled in front of Rurik. “There’s a reason we keep our numbers so small.”

“To keep the carnage to a minimum.”

“No.” Tane shook his head. “To make it easier for the others in our clan to hunt us down if one were to go mad. The mental abilities we inherit are vast, and you haven’t scratched the surface yet.”

“The other will never accept me.”

“Not unless you kill one of them on your own and have the support to take his place.”

“Much like you did with Dragos.”

“Sort of.” Tane assisted Rurik to stand and held him in his arms.

Rurik sighed. “You can’t hide forever. Everything you’ve worked for will fall apart.” He frowned and his shoulders drooped. “All this trouble for me.”

“You are worth every second of it.” My words came out louder than I’d meant.

Both of them stared at me.

I cleared my throat. “Let’s do this before I fall to pieces again.”

Rurik blew me a kiss. “How will you ever deal with two Nosferatu lovers?”

My eyebrows shot up. “I want firsthand experience of this so-called stamina to start with.”

Tane snorted and rolled his eyes.

I had to keep the conversation light. My hold on stability would slip otherwise, and I was not going to be the blubbering girlfriend again. Rurik shouldn’t have to comfort me during his crisis.

Rurik ran his hand over the back of Tane’s neck. “I understand what’s wrong with me now. Such a simple mistake we could have avoided.”

Tane stared at him, his cheek ticking as if fighting emotion.

Ice-blue eyes met black. “Is there nothing else we can do?”

“No.”

I clasped my hands to my mouth. Why? I didn’t know. Not to scream? Or cry? Either way, I kept silent.

“Connie, it was never my desire to hurt you. I just have no control.”

I nodded, too afraid to speak.

Rurik pulled Tane closer, lips parting.

“Once you start to drink from me, don’t stop.” Tane leaned his head to the side, exposing his carotid. “I can’t remember the last time I was bitten.”

Rurik looked puzzled. “How will I know when it’s enough?”

“You will.”

I glimpsed Rurik’s fangs before he buried them into Tane’s neck.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Tane set Rurik on the bed.

I hurried to his side. “Is it normal for him to pass out so fast?” He had barely taken a swallow.

“Yes, and he’ll stay like this until the process is done. We’ll see who awakens in this body. The person we love or a monster.” He held out his hand. “Give me the stake you’re carrying.”

It took me a moment to fish it from between my breasts. I clutched it to my chest. “Don’t use it unless I’m here.”

He pried it from my fingers. “Under no circumstances will you watch me kill him. I won’t let that memory eat away at what you feel for me.”

I tried to grab it back. “I have a right to say goodbye.”

Twisting to face me, he easily kept the stake out of my reach. “What do you think we just did?”

“I couldn’t touch him.” I stomped my foot. That was the worst goodbye in the history of goodbyes.

“Well, you can now.” He stepped aside and waved toward the bed with his back turned to me. “You’d never forgive me, Connie, if you watched. Don’t fight me on this.”

I sat on the edge of the bed and traced Rurik’s strong jawline. “You act like he hasn’t a chance.”

“I can’t afford hope.” The haggard lines of Tane’s face finally drew my attention. His sunken eyes shielded the torment boiling underneath. He was preparing to kill someone he loved. Tane was the rock of our relationship. He solved our problems and shielded us from those who would hurt us. He gripped the wooden stake tight, ready to selflessly do battle with heartache alone.

I kissed Rurik, his soft lips unmoving under mine and cold as a corpse. If Tane couldn’t afford hope then I had to do it for both our sakes. Without it, fate wouldn’t see us fit to be granted a miracle. Rising to my feet, I faced Tane. “Call Kam. Let him do it if we haven’t any other choice.” I set my hands on his. “Please,” I whispered.

He eased his grip on the stake until it slipped into mine. “Either way, if he lives or dies, it will destroy me.” Blinking, he searched the room as if seeing it for the first time. “How did I get caught in such a corner?” Rubbing his head, he stared inward. “I can’t think of any way to escape this fate.”

I set the stake on the side table. “What are you talking about?”

He tilted his head so his black gaze engulfed mine. “If I’m forced to kill him, part of me will break and I will not be fit to rule. If he lives, my clan will force me from the throne. Either way, I’ve lost the crown I’d fought so hard to gain and I have no successor. This will plunge us into war. Something the human race can’t afford.”

The last vampire war had sent us back into the dark ages. Plagues had run rampant, decimating vampire blood sources as part of their strategic efforts to win. All this before modern weapons were invented. What if some power-crazed Nosferatu got his hands on a nuclear warhead?

“Hey.” I grabbed Tane’s shoulder and shook him. “You’ll stay in power because you have to. At least until you’ve trained a successor.” I took his face within my hands and spoke with as much confidence as I could muster. “You are not alone.” I wasn’t Rurik with his political connections or diplomatic manners, but we’d handle this. “One fucking problem at a time, okay?”

He nodded.

“How long before Rurik wakes?”

He shrugged. “He’d already stared the change. My blood should finish the process, so five minutes to a couple of days?”

“Ugh, for the love of ever getting any sleep.” I paced the room.

“It’s not an exact science.” He chuckled softly and shook his head. “I’m not sure if there is any science to it.” He stepped in my path. “Go lay down, even if you can’t sleep. Once he wakes, I can’t promise rest.”

I watched him with a sinking stomach. “What about you?”

“I’ll stay here and inform you if he stirs.” He tapped his fingertip against my temple.

“I thought you were hiding?”

“It will be a small ping.” He gave me small push toward the door.

Nodding, I retreated from the room to mine across the hall. My clothes were neatly folded on the bed. Quickly, I changed out of the dress and lay it on the bed. I’d never been very good at waiting.

The thick curtains covering the window caught my notice. I peeked behind them. Lamp light glimmered on the canal below. A boat passed by filled with young couples. They laughed at something the driver said.

I watched them until they vanished from my window view. The closest thing I’d had to a group of friends had been Colby’s slayer team. Sad, I know. It would have been nice to have someone about now. I always ended up alone. Maybe I should stop fighting fate and accept that happily ever afters were for other people. Not everyone deserved one. I believed in ying and yang. For every person who found a happy place, there was another who didn’t. My lonely existence could mean someone else had it good. It was my only consolation.

The window didn’t budge as I tried to open it. I wanted to feel the fresh air on my face just to prove the world outside really still existed and this wasn’t some nightmare I couldn’t wake from. I shoved away from the stuck window and strode out of my room, down the stairs to the main floor. Other vampires sat in the sitting area. The first I’d seen since arriving last night. They tossed me curious looks. Maybe they were oblivious that their king was a floor above them, but no one stopped me. Catarina wasn’t among her nest.

Hayden appeared at the front door. “May I be of assistance?”

“No, I need some fresh air.”

“May I suggest the gardens on the roof?” He gestured back the way I came.

I stared at the walls. It was a gilded cage of Catarina’s making. I wanted a reminder of freedom, of being a woman in the world of humans. “I want to walk.” I reached for the door.

Hayden let me pass but set his hand on my arm. “It’s dangerous. Maybe you should take someone with you.” He aimed his stare at the vampires on the sofas.

“The point of my walk is to get away from vampires. If you wanted to come, I’d reconsider.” Being alone and pretty hadn’t inspired much fatherly reaction from older men when I’d been young. I’d been prey, but my grandma had taught me to how to fight dirty when cornered. Those lessons had saved my ass countless times. Hayden didn’t set off my pervert alarms. We were both blood slaves and at the mercy of our vampires. Luck had given me a kind master. How had Hayden faired?

He shook his head. “I have duties to attend. Will your master mind your absence?”

“My master is otherwise occupied. I won’t be long, Hayden. I’ve never been to Venice before. Let me watch the boats for a few minutes.”

He gave me an uneasy nod.

Leaving the old house with its gas lamps and lack of plumbing, I strolled along the canal. The warm wind blew the scent of salt water from the nearby sea. Cobblestone lined the edges of the canal so I could stroll from Catarina’s neighborhood to a more-traveled street.

Everyone either walked or boated. A gondola floated by, and the gondolier sang in a loud voice to the tourists.

I slowed to watch, a little green with envy. Odd how the world still turned when it seemed like my life fell apart. I promised myself hope, but the burden of it weighed too much.

Maybe I should plan for our getaway. Where would we go from here once Rurik awoke? We couldn’t hide in Venice forever. The Alps were rural in some parts. We could live off the land; me and my city skills would do so well in such an environment.

I slouched on a vacant bench and stared across the water. We could sail. Tane had more money than God. If we could obtain cash then we could stay on the move until a storm sank us and my vampires could watch me drown or better, eaten by sharks. We didn’t have a whole lot of options. I could understand Tane’s worries now. I’d been so focused on Rurik surviving, I hadn’t gazed beyond the horizon of present problems and into our future.

It sucked monkey balls.

Someone heavy landed next to me, making the bench creak.

I glanced and grinned at the familiar handsome male. “Shouldn’t you be doing shifter things?”

Kam frowned. “Shouldn’t you be indoors with your master keeping an eye on you?”

I sighed. “Did he send you?”

“Yes, he’s hopping mad. He can’t watch Rurik and hunt you down at the same time. I’d appreciate it if you’d cooperate and keep a low profile until we get the worst predators on the planet off our asses.”

“I just walked a block. I don’t even look like myself, especially in the dark. Hey, how’d you get here so fast? I thought you were supposed to be chilling in the tourist section.”

“You’re not the only one who can’t follow orders. Master Tane likes his space but he forgets my pack has sworn to protect him. I was close by.” He set his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close enough to whisper. “They’re in the city.”

Every muscle in my body, including the ones controlling my pinky toes, went rigid.

“Shhh…” Kam stroked my hair. “I’ve only spotted one Nosferatu’s scent. Bet he won’t be traveling alone though. He must be combing the city.”

“Does Tane know?” I wrung my hands together and tried to search the shadows without looking obvious.

“Not yet. I caught the scent while following yours, so they’re close. You should tell Master Tane through your link.”

I grew very still, sinking against Kam. My scent trail had crossed the Nosferatu’s and I hadn’t gone far from the house. I didn’t believe in coincidence. “I can’t contact him."

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Tane has been hiding mentally since we arrived in Venice.” How did I explain telepathy to someone who’d never experienced the mental touch? “I can’t knock on a door that I can’t find.”

Kam jerked to his feet, pulling me along. “We should hurry back then.” He dragged me at a shifter’s walking pace, which translated to me jogging.

“What I’m trying to tell you is he might be all right.”

“He also might not be. As the only member of my pack present, the king’s security falls upon my shoulders.” He turned down the canal leading to Catarina’s house. “Neither of you are very compliant in keeping your necks out of trouble.”

I couldn’t argue with him. He was right. Trouble followed me around like a bad boyfriend.

Catarina’s front door was unlocked, and Kam entered first. As soon as he crossed the threshold he came to a standstill and his back stiffened.

I peeked around his brick-house body but found the sitting room empty. The vampires crowding the space minutes ago had vanished since I’d left. Off hunting? All of them together like a cackle of hyenas? I went very still and listened to the echoing silence of the house. Yeah, I didn’t think so either.

Kam twisted his eyes wide and wild. He tucked me under one arm and pressed his hand to my mouth as he carried me to the coat closet, stuffing us both inside.

The lamp light outside the closet streamed under the door and lit Kam’s paling face. He set a finger across his lips, imploring me to keep quiet.

Why bother? The hammering of my heart would lead anyone to our hiding place. I took deep, calming breaths. I hadn’t a clue why we were hiding or why he seemed scared shitless. My pulse geared up another notch. I’d never seen Kam break into a sweat until now.

He gestured to his ears and made a point with his hands.

Pointy ears? So he either smelled Nosferatu close-by or the Keebler Elves came for a visit. I could so use a box of cookies about now. Crouching on my stomach, I peeked through the crack. Nothing like a Nosferatu presence to vacate a nest of vampires. I was used to being around Tane and had forgotten the amount of fear they could generate among the vampire populace. Dragos’s visit to Budapest had cleared the city clean of them. Did Tane do the same when we traveled? I should pay more attention.

Gritting my teeth, I glanced at Kam. He had crawled on top of me on his hands and knees so we could both look out the same narrow crack.

“He’s very close,” Kam whispered in my ear. With quiet inhales through his mouth, Kam tasted the air and grimaced. I’d been around shifters long enough to know the Nosferatu had to be really close for Kam to sense something on his tongue. I also knew Kam would sacrifice his life to save mine. Against a regular vampire, shifters would win the fight, but the Nosferatu were in a different class of bad-ass. Not only were they faster and more powerful, they trained their asses off as warriors. Kam didn’t have a chance.

A door creaked open on the far side of the house, followed by the stomp of booted feet.

My heart and gut switched places.

The Nosferatu strode into the sitting area buttoning his shirt, his fly still open. I recognized him from the meeting. Damius, the one with the Asian blood slave who’d kicked my ass in Monte Carlo. He stopped by the fireplace and tucked in his shirt. Had he been taking a shower? Changing clothes?

Lighter footsteps drew my attention back to the doorway where Catarina exited. She would have appeared her perfectly dressed self if half of her coif wasn’t tumbling on the right side of her head, a fresh bite mark on her neck and…oh, a hicky? How high school.

Hadn’t she described Tane’s clan as monsters? Yet she was lifting her skirts for Damius? He bore the same traits Tane and all his brothers did. What made him so special?

Kam’s fingers dug into mine. His eyes had shifted to wolf’s amber.

My gut sank back where it belonged. Catarina had betrayed us? That didn’t sit right. She’d kill Tane without a second thought if she could get away with it, but not Rurik.

“Your hospitality is appreciated, Lady Catarina. I wasn’t expecting such a warm welcome.” He picked up a jacket discarded on a chair. “My men should be finished searching the house by now.”

She attempted to straighten her hair in vain. “Rurik and I did not part on good terms. You won’t find him near Venice. Ever. I’ve strict orders to kill him on sight.”

Damius grunted and shook his head. “And my brothers wonder why I keep no women.”

I bit my tongue. What Catarina said hit me. She was lying for us, and Damius’s men were searching the house. I hung my head. Maybe Tane and Rurik hid in a similar closet as well. The absurdity almost made me laugh out loud.

At the back of the house I could make out the bottom of the staircase leading to our bedrooms. A group of vampires descended them. The swagger in their gait told me they knew how to use the weapons hanging off their bodies, especially the wooden stakes belted to their chests.

Seemed like Damius owned his very own death squad. How chic.

They gathered before him, and his blood slave spoke. “We didn’t find anyone within the house. Not even the humans. There’s evidence of a hurried evacuation.”

Damius raised his eyebrow at Catarina.

“What do you expect when you arrive in my home unannounced? They’re all terrified.”

Approaching the leader, Damius plucked a stake off his chest and set the point over Catarina’s heart. “Why aren’t you?”

I had to give Catarina credit. She stood tall and met his glare. “Of course, I—I am. But I am Lady of this city. I will not hide.”

He traced her bosom with the tip. “That’s commendable. Please be sure to contact me if you hear of Rurik’s whereabouts. I would be disappointed to have to return for less pleasant reasons.”

She bowed her head. “What of Master Tane?”

“The king is of no concern of yours.” Damius handed the stake to the leader and headed toward me.

Pain exploded in my head as I geared my body to reverse and clipped Kam’s chin. Curling into a ball, I grasped my noggin and returned Kam’s glare as he clutched the lower half of his face.

The clomping of boots outside our door stilled our nerves. Even my erratic pulse went quiet. The dust floating in the air made more noise than us.

More feet shuffled past, exiting the house.

I turned my head. Under the door I could see the black soles of Damius’s boots next to the hem of Catarina’s dress.

“If my journey brings me this way again, I will be sure to visit and enjoy your hospitality.” I heard him kiss her. He left, closing the door behind him.

Neither Kam nor I moved. Fear had seized our muscles.

Something slithered on the floor outside of the coat room.

I jerked to my knees, still not in complete control of my body, and crawled out of the small space.

Catarina sat on the floor, blood tinged tears streaming down her face. Her eyes went wide at my exit from the coat room. Quickly, she wiped her cheeks but the tears kept trickling. “What—” She tried to stand but got tangled in her dress and fell back to the floor.

I pulled her into a bone-cracking hug. We both needed it.

Kam wasn’t far behind me. Blood stained his lip where he must have bit it.

“Who is this?” Catarina pushed me away and gathered her dress so she could stand without help.

“Kam is my body guard.” I left it at that, too exhausted to explain anything. “Where are Tane and Rurik hiding?” I accepted Kam’s hand and let him pull me onto my rubbery legs.

Catarina pushed past me. “I don’t know. Tane shouted that he sensed a Nosferatu close and to delay him as long as possible.” She halted and tossed me a daggered glare. “Either of you whisper one word of what transpired between me and Damius, and I will make anyone you ever loved suffer.” She resumed her journey to the fireplace and sat in the closest chair.

We followed her. “Did he search your mind?” I pictured a Nosferatu invasion with more blood spatter and flames than this.

“Yes.” She shot me a daggered glare. “I’ve worked long enough with Tane to know how to keep secrets from his kind. I should never have given you sanctuary.” Resting her head in her hand, she closed her eyes. “Oh my Rurik, you will destroy everything I built.”

“They obviously didn’t find them in the house. Could Tane have carried Rurik out?” I aimed my question at Kam. “They were on the second floor when I left.”

“I’ll find them.” He tapped his nose and hurried toward the staircase.

I met Catarina’s pointed stare. “He’s a shifter and the pack’s best tracker. He’ll find Rurik. He’s done it before in worse circumstances.”

“Connie, I’d prefer to be alone. I have a nest to gather and reassure.” She waved me away like a servant.

I withheld my snide remark and swallowed bitter words. “Thank you for…uh…” I pointed to the back room where she’d distracted Damius. Catarina and I didn’t see eye to eye on who Rurik belonged to, but she’d taken one for the team tonight. I wouldn’t forget it. I traced Kam’s path to the second floor and entered my dark bedroom. My boys couldn’t be far. I tried connecting to Tane without success. Him and his uber shield drove me nuts.

Unable to see well in the dark, I made it across my room step by slow step, waving my arms in front so I wouldn’t stub my toes. I came into contact with the oil lamp but still had no a way to light it. The hall lights were lit. I could get flame from them.

Carrying it out to the hall, I tipped the lamp to contact wick to wick but a small amount of oil poured out and flash-fried on the flame. I finally got it lit without setting the house on fire and returned to my room. The flame light flickered off a bald head of a Nosferatu sitting on the edge of my bed.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Exhaustion played havoc on my mind and I blinked in the dim lighting, unable to make out who sat on my bed. “Tane?” I remained frozen to my spot and squinted. My tired heart hammered. Damius hadn’t departed that long ago. It could be either of them.

He lifted his head slowly and rose from the bed a little unstable on his feet. The light revealed a set of ice-blue eyes that crinkled with his smile. He held out his arms. “Rabbit.” His voice sounded as welcoming as a hot bath on a cold winter’s night.

The lamp trembled in my hands, and I set it to the floor before I set us on fire. “Rurik?” I took a step toward the doorway; however, I couldn’t run from him. Last I’d spoken to him he’d been mostly sane. Had the transformation finished? “Are you normal?” I didn’t know how else to ask. He hadn’t torn out my throat yet.

Rurik touched the points of his ears. “I guess, if you call this normal. It’ll take some getting used to.”

The tension in my shoulders and neck washed away as he spoke. Dare I believe? I raced to him and flung myself into his arms, wrapping my legs around his hips. “You survived.”

He tumbled upon impact and we hit the floor.

The landing jarred my teeth as they clanked together. I jerked from his hold. “Are you still fighting the urge to drink my blood?” Better to ask late than never.

His wide grin faded. “No, the urge has passed.” He ran his fingers though my short curls. “I’m sorry—”

I set my hand over his mouth. “Don’t. You weren’t yourself. All that matters is I have you back.”

He kissed my fingertips. “Forever.” His gaze focused on my hair. “You’re cute. We should buy you a school girl outfit to go with this hairstyle. I have a few games we can play.”

I ran my fingertips over the points of his elf ears. “I’ll wear it as long as you bake me cookies.”

With a hungry growl, he pulled me against him. His mouth instinctively found mine, and lips met in a clash of something being found at long last.

I breathed him in. Until this moment I’d been coming to terms of losing him. The burning ache within my soul, the one I’d been trying to ignore, had branded a permanent mark. I clung to his shoulders, fearing if I let go he’d vanish into a dream.

He slowed, brushing his mouth against mine until my desperation eased our kiss into an affectionate rhythm.

I broke from his gentle hold and sat on the floor next to him. His questioning gaze followed me.

He rose with jerking movements, not his usual grace. He’d been through a lot of physical changes over the last few days. Weakness was probably expected but it hurt seeing him in this condition. Laurent had moved in the same manner near the end and those memories had been so close to the surface of late.

A knock interrupted my thoughts. Hayden opened the door. “Senora. Master Rurik, it is good to see you well. Master Tane bids both of you to join him and Lady Catarina in the south sitting room.” When he retreated, he left the door open.

I chewed my bottom lip. Couldn’t we get a break? The meeting meant nothing good. I wanted a few more minutes, if not hours, pretending we’d be fine before doom and gloom broke me.

Rurik ran his thumb over my chin. “Stop that. You’ll leave a mark.”

“Just because you’re Nosferatu, don’t expect me to jump at every order.” I stopped wearing away at my lip though.

He snorted. “Why would I expect that when you don’t even listen to the most powerful of their clan?”

“Your clan as well.” I leaned forward. “Do you feel different?”

Shrugging, he grimaced. “I ache everywhere.”

“That’s it?”

“Isn’t it enough? I’ve only been awake a few minutes. If I grow a second cock, you’ll be the first to know, okay?” He winked and rose to his feet by climbing the side of my bed.

“Wow, are you sure you haven’t transformed into a fourteen-year-old boy?” I jumped to my feet and slipped my arm around his waist.

“I was much worse back then.” He gave my ass a hard pinch and chuckled. “Much, much worse.”

“No need to convince me. I believe it.” I pinched his ass in return. The depression dragging me into my dark place had vanished, and I wanted to sing. Less than an hour ago, I thought everything was coming to end. With Rurik alive and well, we had a fighting chance. “Where’s the south sitting room?”

“Follow me.”

“So…” I leaned against him as we strolled arm and arm. “I couldn’t help but notice a certain resemblance between me and Catarina.”

“Hmm.” He led us to the first floor.

“That’s all you have to say?” I stopped on the landing, not sure if I really wanted to hear his answer but unable to leave it alone. It was like a sore tooth. I knew the more I poked at it, the more it would hurt, but I couldn’t stop.

Sighing, he faced me. “What is your concern?”

How did I answer that question and keep my dignity? There wasn’t a way. If I wanted to know the truth, I’d have to speak the truth. “That you replaced her with me.”

“Do you think Tane would have bound you to him if you reminded him of Catarina?”

I opened my mouth then snapped it shut. I hadn’t thought that. There was no love lost between those two.

“You look a little alike. I never held that against you, but that’s as far as the resemblance goes. You’re both very different women.” He left me gaping. Hold it against me?

“You’re so lucky I’m happy to see you acting like an asshole instead of a serial killer.”

He tossed me a playful smile.

I loved him so much I feared for my rationality.

The room was past the kitchen on the side of the house I hadn’t been to yet. Large windows looked out over the canals and moonlight streamed in, mixing with the flickering light. Tane sat in a plush chair like a predator at rest. His gaze never left Catarina as she paced back and forth in front of him.

She came to halt when Rurik arrived. Her hands fluttered to cover her mouth.

“Catarina.” He took one of her hands and kissed the back. “Thank you for sheltering us.”

“Our link isn’t broken. I can still sense you. How is that possible?” She asked this to Tane.

He looked thoughtful. “The link forming between me and Rurik is growing stronger, but it has not solidified. Rurik is still in a state of transformation, I assume. This is all very new to me as well. As far as I know, no other has become Nosferatu in this manner before Rurik.”

Catarina and Tane had both mentioned this period of change. She’d wanted me to kill Tane while Rurik was still in this fragile stage so he would revert back to being a regular vampire. Could that even work?

As if hearing my thoughts, Tane’s gaze traveled to me. “Catarina told me of your adventures with Kam while Damius visited.”

“I’m tired of adventures. I’m ready to retire into a quiet life after this week. Where is Kam?” I searched the room for the big shifter.

“I sent him on an errand.” Tane’s grim expression turned weary. He hated how the shifters shadowed his every move when we traveled, but they took their oath seriously and so should he.

“How did you escape Damius?” I asked.

“I sensed him when he arrived at the front door. It gave me enough time to carry Rurik out to the neighboring house.” His frown grew deeper. “My brother has kept his increasing strength a secret. I fear he’ll rival me soon.”

“Are you sure he didn’t sense you?” Catarina asked.

“Very sure. If not, Rurik would be dead.”

I sat in the antique love seat across from Tane, and Rurik joined me with his arm across my shoulders.

Catarina frowned.

“How did you distract my brother for so long?” Tane leaned his chin against his hand.

Catarina’s frown faded as she paled. For a vampire, this wasn’t an easy feat.

I cleared my throat and drew Tane’s attention. “She’s very schooled in the art of conversation.” Though this talent seemed to have disappeared when Tane asked his question. She fucked Damius for Rurik’s sake, and in my book she deserved a medal. “Where do we go now?” I assumed we should be on the run again, away from Venice, Catarina, and Damius.

From Tane’s expression, I could tell he didn’t share the same train of logic. “Damius searched the house and found nothing. There’s no reason for him to return. This is probably the safest place on Earth for the moment.”

Catarina had asked me to keep my mouth shut and I had, but Damius had seemed pretty interested in returning for more conversations with Catarina. She stayed quiet with her back to us. Would she really place Rurik in danger of being found just to keep him close for a little longer?

“It’s unfair for us to place her and the nest at risk.” Rurik spoke into the void of silence filling the room.

I shifted in my seat and met Tane’s questioning gaze. Our mental link was convenient for moments like this, but he still wouldn’t use it with Damius so close. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him. See, it wasn’t fun when someone kept secrets.

“We can return to Rome and retrieve the yacht.” I glanced at Rurik.

He stared off in space.

I poked him. “We can find a deserted island. You can fish for me.”

He gave me a halfhearted smile and stuck his fingers inside his mouth.

“Or not.” I leaned forward to assess what the hell he was doing. “What’s wrong?”

He said, “My tooth hurts.” But it sounded more like I-ooth-urts with his digits obstructing his tongue.

Tane kneeled in front of him. “Now what is going wrong?”

I glanced from one to the other. “They’re not supposed to do that?” He tilted Rurik’s head back and examined the inside. A little blood oozed from his gums. “Are his teeth growing?” Seemed plausible. Tane’s fangs could match a tiger’s if hungry enough.

Catarina approached us. Her concern for Rurik must outweigh her dislike for Tane. “Our hair and nails continue to grow, but I have never heard of teeth unless they’d been lost. Did you knock out a tooth?”

“Not that I remember.” Rurik jerked and pulled out his fingers. He clutched a bloody fang. “Maybe I had? They still hurt though.” He opened wider. “Is it growing back?”

Three heads gathered in front of his mouth. While examining the inside, I saw his other fang fall out. It clattered to the floor, shattering in small pieces.

Vampires were made to last. They didn’t break.

“Fuck, forget the island.” Rurik was falling apart.

Chapter Twenty-Six

A heavy curtain of humidity hung in the night air over the rooftop garden. After realizing Rurik was falling apart and no amount of wishing would put him back together again, he suggested we move to the garden. He’d been trapped indoors for days and wanted to look at the sea one last time. Catarina remained inside, incapable of finding the courage to console him. Rurik sheltered under the patio roof from the scattered raindrops falling from the sky. He stared at the water. Nothing major had fallen from his body yet. All his digits were accounted for, but his skin had grown dry and cracked and the tips of his ears had turned black—this had happened within an hour since he’d awoken.

I sat in a chair with my knees drawn to my chest. A dog howled out of tune in the distance, sending a chill down my spine. “You should lie down.”

“I missed the scent of saltwater.” Rurik had his back to me but I could tell by the set of his shoulders that nothing would make him leave until he was ready. He’d grown up in a fishing village by Budapest and after all these years, the sea still called to him.

Tane sat in a dark corner, unmoving as the brick building behind him. He hadn’t spoken since Rurik had led us here. A statue showed more signs of life. What was he thinking so hard about? We’d reached a dead end. Literally.

Rurik’s shoulders sagged. I would hug him but feared something might break off. He grew more fragile every minute. “When this is over…” Rurik faced us. “I want you to scatter my remains over the water.”

My heart beat out of time. I couldn’t meet his pleading stare and focused on his chest instead. It wasn’t fair. He wasn’t allowed to die first.

“Any particular body of water?” Tane asked.

“Tane!” I curled tighter into a ball as if chilled by a winter wind instead of sweating in a Venice summer heat wave. Walls of all sorts were slamming into place around my thoughts. I hadn’t wanted to speak with Laurent about funeral arrangements either.

Rurik kneeled jarringly in front of me. “I’m dying, Connie. I feel the rot deep within my bones.” He grasped my chin, forcing my eyes to meet his. “Do this for me. Promise.”

The dry flesh on his fingers scratched my skin when we touched. He felt made of parchment paper. “I promise.” Such simple words, but the voice speaking them came out so soft and vulnerable I almost didn’t recognize it as my own. “Cross my heart.”

He ran his thumb over my pouting lip. “That’s my girl.” He turned his attention to Tane. “This lagoon is fine. Once I’m dead, will your clan be satisfied?”

Tane’s shadowed head nodded. “It’s all they asked of me.”

“Good.”

I rested my chin on my knees. Somewhere inside, I owned strength. It gave me the balls to face and kill vampires a hundred times stronger. But when I needed it the most, it vanished. Or was it linked to something else than myself? All those times I’d fought, it had been for or with Rurik. Without him, I was nothing but a frightened woman, vampire bait for slayers to use for their own gains. I didn’t want to be that person again.

“We should make contact with Damius.” Rurik sat in the chair between us. “My ashes.” He stared at his hands and watched as a fingernail slid off the tip. “Shit!” He tried to catch it but his nail turned to dust upon contact. “Or whatever is left of my fucking body won’t satisfy everyone that I have truly died. Damius should witness this freak show.” He wiggled his fingers, and another nail fell off. “You can’t afford any doubts.”

“Doubts? Who gives a shit what they think?” I punched the cushion on my seat. “Those assholes had us running scared for days, and they win. They get what they want.” Rurik dead. I grasped at the shreds of calm and weaved them together. Biting the inside of my lip, I stopped them from trembling. Rurik’s last memory wouldn’t be of me losing my composure. I crossed my arms over my chest and met both of their wide-eyed stares.

Tane rose from his chair and strode to the edge of the roof. “There are no winners. No matter what they demanded, it wouldn’t have changed Rurik’s outcome.” A thick veil still surrounded his mind, and I couldn’t guess what he was thinking or feeling while he wore his ancient-vampire-of-the-night mask.

Sighing, Rurik shook his head as if exasperated. “Tane’s reputation is marred by this, Connie. He has to save face or there will be assassins around every corner, waiting for either of you. Trying to save me will be seen as a weakness, and the vampire nation will not follow a weak king.”

“It always comes back to politics. Why would they see love as a weakness?”

Tane spoke quietly. “I defied my brothers. I rule because most of my clan supports me and my ideals. After this, I may have lost that support.” Vampires succeeded the throne by killing the existing king. Tane always wore a bull’s eye on his back, and Rurik had worked twenty-four seven as a political liaison to keep him as safe as possible. Even now, as he was dying, he worked to save Tane.

“We’re already fucked. Why have Damius come here to gloat?”

“To prove to them that Tane hadn’t defied them. That in his own way, he killed me.”

“So we’re being honest?”

Rurik gave me a small smile. “With flair.” Even on death’s door, he was trying to save us. God, how much time did he have? One, maybe two nights? I didn’t want to wake up knowing he wouldn’t be there to place a smile on my face. I felt so hollow inside as if all my emotions were dammed behind a wall of fear. When that blockade broke I would drown.

“You have to make sure Tane stays in power.” Rurik brushed his fingers over mine and drew me back into reality. I feared touching him because I didn’t want to hurry the process by accidently snapping something off. “He’s the best protection your people have.” How could he care when pieces of his body were falling off?

“I—I’ll do my best.” Rurik wanted me to take his place? Might as well hit the self-destruct button now. Something tingled in the back of my mind that had me turning toward Tane. Power suddenly washed over me like a tsunami. I clung to my chair. Who was I? Why am I sitting in a garden? What sort creature was sitting across from me?

“What’s wrong?” Concern laced the creature’s voice as it reached toward me.

I flinched at its touch. “My head hurts.”

“Connie?”

I blinked. Yes, that was my name. The pressure inside my head eased. I rubbed my temples and stared at the male with a skin condition. Rurik…Oh God, my head spun, but at least it stopped pounding. Venice. I was in Venice at Catarina’s home. “Tane’s flexing his mental muscles.” I squeezed my eyes shut to block my dizzy spell. He must have released the veil hiding him. “Can you give a girl a warning?” Whatever he’d done had crashed my mental shields. I slowly began the process to rebuild them.

“Damius is not within the city anymore.” Tane twisted toward us. “Sorry, Connie. I lost control for a moment while searching for my brothers.” He masked his outward pain so well, but that slip spoke volume on how much he was hurting. The garden faded, and we sat in Tane’s office in our Rio home.

My heart wrenched at the familiar safe space. I shrank even deeper in my chair. It wasn’t real. We were in Tane’s head within his memory of his office. We weren’t really home. Tane shouldn’t dangle one of my greatest desires in front of me. I bit back a sob. Who wouldn’t want to be home at time like this? Not when my fragile heart was so close to shattering like Rurik’s fang.

Damius appeared within the room. “You summoned me.” His presence sucked my sense of security away and sobered my melancholy.

I gave Rurik, who sat next to me, a questioning look. Tane had pulled me inside his mind before. I hadn’t realized he could host other people at the same time. This required more power than I could imagine.

Tane sat across from us at his desk, business as usual. He leaned forward. “I thought meeting here would expedite things considering time is of essence.” He seem to aim this comment at me. His gaze moved to Damius. “Rurik requested that you witness his death.”

Damius faced my sick lover and didn’t disguise his disgust.

In the lit office, Rurik’s skin appeared tissue-paper thin, and blue veins spider-webbed his flesh.

Tane rubbed the bridge of his nose between two fingers. “It’s no secret I share my blood slave with Rurik. She partakes in feeding from me more frequently than is necessary.” He frowned and met Damius’s glance. “Rurik has been drinking from her almost exclusively for the last year. Enough of my blood must have entered his system to trigger a slow transformation.”

Damius gave Rurik a thoughtful glance. “He’s become Nosferatu. That seemed obvious in Monte Carlo—”

“It’s killing me,” Rurik interrupted. “Changing like this wasn’t meant to be. My body is disintegrating as we speak.” He turned his head so we could see where part of his ear was missing.

Narrowing his gaze, Damius confronted Tane. “You shouldn’t have hidden this from us.”

“Two days. We’ve only known for two days. Before we had thought it was poison or a disease. We didn’t do this on purpose,” I answered. “None of us knew why Rurik changed. When you gave the order to kill him, I panicked and helped him escape Monte Carlo. Tane didn’t know my plans.” We needed to show a solid front. Damius had to believe Tane had nothing to do with our running or Rurik’s transformation.

Tane waved his hand. “I will inform our brothers of this development so such a thing can be avoided in the future.”

Damius nodded thoughtfully. “It is unfortunate for you, Rurik, that your end draws near but good for Tane that the transformation did not take. It is one of our worst crimes. Bad enough we need to deal with the whelp in New York.”

Tane’s frown grew deeper. “Mutt will do well. We needed fresh ideas and younger blood in our clan.” Tane leaned back in his chair, his hands folded across his stomach. “You agreed to his change, Damius.”

“I didn’t agree to be one of his teachers.” He leveled his gaze to meet Tane’s. “I will come stand witness to Rurik’s death for our brothers.” He faded from the room just as quickly as he’d arrived.

Mutt? A new brother in New York City? Tane hadn’t mentioned anything until tonight. Gwen and Colby were in the city as well. Had they met? I couldn’t imagine that going very well.

For a moment, I’d almost forgotten we weren’t home and blinked at the empty spot where Damius had been standing. “That’s it?”

Tane snorted. “Not likely, but for now, yes. At some point, my brothers will make me pay for this.”

“It’s not your fault.” Those jerks had better wait until I was cold and in the ground before placing blame on him.

“I’m king. Everything is my fault.”

The room wavered and my stomach tried to turn inside out. Catarina’s garden returned around me. I hadn’t really left but mentally it was jarring. Normally, I did this stuff in my sleep where my brain accepted the unnatural with ease. It was the closest thing to an out of body experience that I had suffered. I moaned and rubbed my empty stomach as the wave of nausea grew stronger.

Tane rubbed my back. “This will be over by tomorrow.” He didn’t mean my motion sickness. He meant Rurik. “We will stay with him as much as possible.”

I leaned against his solid shoulder and nodded, unable to speak for a sore throat.

“I’ll take you home after and take care of you, if you let me.”

I nodded again. “That would be nice. I’ll take care of you too.”

He gave me a chaste kiss and helped me back into my chair.

Someone cleared their throat, and the three of us turned to see Catarina in the entrance. “Your shifter is in the foyer. He wishes to speak with you.”

Tane rose. “Why didn’t you send him here?” Where had Kam been all this time?

Chapter Twenty-Seven

She frowned. “You might tolerate shifters in your home, but this is my house.”

Tane snarled. “Mind yourself, Catarina. I am still your king and my patience has worn thin.” He pushed past her, almost knocking her to the ground.

“You may break my body and call it justice, Master Tane, but everything you touch wastes away.” She pointed at Rurik. “I made him. He’s my child, and look at what you’ve done.”

“Catarina!” Rurik slapped his hand against the arm of the chair and his hand cracked, falling into pieces on the ground.

Her hands fluttered to cover her mouth.

I jumped to my feet. “Are you okay?” Of course he wasn’t, but the stupid question popped out anyway. Blood didn’t pump out the broken end like I’d expected.

Rurik examined the dry stump with a weary smile. “It doesn’t hurt. That’s a small blessing.”

I sank back onto my seat and stared at Tane. What were we supposed to do? Rurik took this all so calmly. No matter how much I wanted to freak out, I had to keep it together.

Tane looked away, his features hard with grief, then he exited the gardens.

Catarina collapsed at Rurik’s feet and touched a piece of his hand on the ground. It disintegrated to ash. “It’s like the sun is burning you away from the inside.”

“Except it doesn’t burn.” Rurik stared at her bent head. They’d been lovers once. She obviously loved him in her own way. I couldn’t tell what he felt though.

“Catarina.” He said her name softly like he sometimes said mine. It was a dagger in my chest. “Don’t antagonize Tane. For your sake and your nest’s.”

“He took you from me.”

“You were well compensated for making me a vampire, and I left willingly. No one took me from anyone.” He sighed and risked brushing his remaining fingertips over her hair. “I came back of my own free will afterwards though.”

“Dragos would have killed you if you had stayed in his court.” She spat the words out.

“Yes, and I could have gone anywhere I wanted, but I returned to you.”

She sobbed once, still refusing to look at him. “Yet you still left me again.”

“People change, Catarina. Vampires should change too, but you remained stuck. I couldn’t continue living in the past while the world evolved around us.” He searched the horizon of rooftops. “This city suits you. It, too, is stuck. For all it’s worth, I’m sorry for hurting you. That wasn’t my intention.”

Catarina picked at her dress and glanced at me under heavy eyelashes. “There is still a way we might be able to save you.”

She jerked the world from under my feet with that reminder. I leaned forward, speaking close to her face. “I won’t let you kill Tane.”

“Silly human, he doesn’t allow any of us to get close enough to hurt him, but he does let his guard down around you.”

“You think I would do it?” I rolled my eyes. I had just promised Rurik I’d keep Tane safe. Even if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t kill him. God, she had a one-track mind and couldn’t take no for an answer.

“What are you both arguing about?” The edge in Rurik’s voice brooked no defiance. He could command a room on words alone if he wanted.

“Catarina thinks if we kill Tane, you will revert to your regular vampire self.”

“Until the transformation is complete, it might be possible.” She made a face at me. “I have heard of this happening. When a fledgling’s master is killed before the transformation is done, then they revert back to human.”

Rurik snorted. “I’ve heard these stories. Most of those humans died from the shock and if you hadn’t noticed, I haven’t been human for a very long time.”

“The process could work.” Catarina stood and brushed ash from her dress. Her fingers slowed as she stared at Rurik’s remains clinging to the material and she stopped touching her clothes.

I approached Catarina. “The operative word here is could. We really don’t know what would happen.”

Rurik leaned forward. “And you’re both forgetting the most important thing. Connie’s life is tied to Tane. If he dies, so does she.”

Catarina huffed. “I wouldn’t have suggested it if I didn’t have a way to save your precious human pet.”

I already knew what she was going to say. I stomped my foot. “No.”

“If I made her vampire, her link to Tane would break. She’d be released from her bond.”

Rurik grimaced and shook his head in disgust. “You’ve actually discussed this before now?”

“Catarina approached me with the idea before Tane gave you his blood.” Guilt twisted my insides until it grew harder to breathe. “I said no.” I turned, unable to face him anymore. Nobody wanted to die and sometimes we made rash choices when faced with the grim reaper.

“By doing nothing, you are choosing Tane’s life over Rurik. Don’t let yourself believe any different.”

“Enough, Catarina!” Rurik climbed to his feet with some effort. “No harm is to come to either of them. If you attempt this crazy plan and it works, I will spend my eternity making you regret it.” He shook with the strain of his anger.

Tears spilled from Catarina’s eyes and she raced from the gardens in a flounce of fabric and hair.

Rurik’s legs gave out and he sank to the ground.

I hurried to his side. “I would have told you, but it was such a crazy idea.”

He leaned on me. “I’d never place you in such a position.” Cupping my chin, he made me meet his crystal-clear stare. The rest of his body grew dry and cracked, but not his eyes. “If I wanted you to become vampire, I would have asked long ago. I love you as you are, Connie. You’re my sunshine girl. Never forget that.”

I chewed my inner cheek until I tasted blood to keep from crying.

“I’m growing weaker. It’s time to return inside before someone is forced to carry me.”

“Kam or Tane can do it.”

He chuckled. “I fear I might explode in a cloud of dust if they squeezed me the wrong way.” The horror must have shown on my face because he gave me a sad reassuring smile. “Just help me walk to the bedroom.”

I rested my shoulder under his arm and let him lean against me. He seemed lighter, as if hollow instead of made of flesh and bone.

Slowly, we descended to the second floor returning to the room he and Tane had shared. I wish the three of us could be together one last time. I helped him lay on the bed and crawled in next to him.

He held out his arms, one of them handless.

“Are you sure?” I eyed his body.

“Nothing you do will prevent my body from crumbling. Don’t stop me from holding you a last time.”

I held my breath as I slid into the crook of his arms and gently rested my head on his shoulders. “I don’t want you to die.” Now that I spoke my worst fear, it sounded so shallow compared to the raw, dark ache growing inside of me, but I couldn’t find the right words to express this pain. I wanted to pour it out onto the bed so he could understand the misery his death would cause. He was so loved and would be missed more than he could ever imagine.

He tightened his hold on me. “I hate that I’m hurting you again, Connie.”

The muscles in my throat constricted. Rurik referred to my first husband’s death. I’d been huddled on a death bed with the man I loved before. The deep scars his passing had left on me had driven me to a life of reckless abandon.

That drive led me to become vampire bait for slayers and to be sent after a certain sexy Hungarian blood-sucker. I’d be lying if I said the lure of an immortal lover didn’t draw me, someone who couldn’t grow old or sick. I never imagined I’d be in this position again. My heart shrank. “It’s not fair. I’m supposed to be the one who dies first for once.” The ache in my chest grew hotter. “Everyone I love dies and leaves me alone.” It sounded so selfish but that didn’t mean it wasn’t true.

“I’m so sorry, rabbit.”

I gulped air and twisted to face him. “No, no, don’t be. That’s not what I want. I—I just want you to know th—that I’ll miss you so much.”

The cracks widened on the dam I’d built around my soul to protect my sanity over the last few days. Piece by piece it fell apart until like a stack of cards, it all tumbled and let all my crazy out. I pressed my face against his chest and sobbed. “Don’t leave me. Please, don’t leave me.”

He hugged me so hard it felt like his regular strength had returned. His chest heaved as if he struggled for breath.

I looked up.

Tears streamed along his chiseled face. “You saved me.” He pressed his lips to mine for a tender kiss. “Don’t ever forget that. No matter how hard things get.”

I tried to speak with lungs that refused to work. “I love you. What am I supposed to do?”

“Tane loves you, too.”

I sobbed even harder. “He doesn’t understand me like you do. I’m just an ant in his shadow.”

“Shhh.” He guided my head back on his shoulder and rocked me. I was awful. Our roles should have been reversed with me comforting him, but I’d been through what would happen next and knew the horror that awaited me once he left his body. He’d move on to a better place and leave me to pick up the pieces. How often could a person gather the shards of her soul and mend them before she started not to look human anymore? I’d lost so many people in my life, I doubted those pieces could be placed together again. I hadn’t the strength or the will. Missing him was worse than dying. At least the dead’s pain ended. Mine would go on day and night until I might feel like I was dying but I never would.

He sniffed. “I can’t stay.” He stroked my hair. “Have you ever given thought of what it would have been like if we’d both met as humans?”

The pain grew sharper. I couldn’t speak but nodded. Of course I had. I gripped his shirt as if he hung from a precipice and if I let go he’d fall.

His hand rested on my lower abdomen. “Would you have wanted children?”

I nodded again. Afraid to speak. He’d never told me of his dreams.

“Me too.” I could feel his smile against my hair. “Lots of them.” Silence accompanied my strangled sobs. Some women were beautiful criers. I wasn’t one of them. My eyes got puffy and my nose ran like a fountain. This was Laurent’s last memory of me and apparently it would be Rurik’s as well.

“I could go with you.” The words just fell out.

Rurik went still.

“Do you believe in heaven?”

“Yes,” he whispered. “I’m not sure that’s where vampires go when they die though.” He sat up straighter, pulling me along by the arm until our faces were close enough to touch. “Don’t.” He gave me a good shake. Blood-tinged tears had dried on his face, giving him a savage appearance. “You. Must. Live.”

My arm ached where he gripped it with his only hand.

“Promise.” He shook me again. “Swear it on your grandma’s soul.”

I took a deep shaky breath and nodded.

“Say it.” He snapped out the order.

“I’m sorry.” I touched his haggard face, but he jerked away.

“Promise me.”

“I promise on my grandma’s soul.” Like a pin to a balloon, my admission deflated my despair. All that was left was a numb sense of doom. The blankets under us, the heavy drapes hanging over the windows, the silence eating away at our existence were all I could register. I’d shattered inside and I didn’t think a glue existed to fix me. “I’ll be good.”

“Well, I don’t want you to strain yourself.” He gave me a crooked smile, showing me the gaps in his teeth where he used to have fangs. “Just live for me. If Tane can’t make you happy, find someone new. Get married.” He rested his hand on my stomach. “Have babies. You’d make a fierce mother.”

I laughed, but it was false. I did it for Rurik because he needed to believe I’d be all right. “I will marry Tane and make him adopt some.” Painting a smile on my face, I eyed the wooden stake on Rurik’s bedside table. I’d been carrying that thing since we debarked from the yacht. Rurik’s blood still stained the tip.

Catarina loved Rurik enough to kill for him. Did I love him less? Did I have the nerve to love him as much as her?

Chapter Twenty-Eight

I tucked Rurik under the blankets. Babies and weddings were for other lucky girls. My life had always been filled with death and tragedy. I wouldn’t inflict that on any child. The best thing I could do for my babies was to never conceive them.

Running my hand over Rurik’s bald head, I recalled his thick black hair. The kind a woman could tangle her fingers in. How had I ever caught his eye? I’d seen more than one female toss herself at him, yet he’d only had eyes for me.

And Tane.

I grinned. Rurik knew how to push the vampire king’s buttons. I loved watching him flirt with Tane, drawing him out of his serious shell until the vampire king relearned how to be playful. I would miss that the most.

“What are you thinking about?” Rurik rested his hand on my thigh.

Grief did funny things to a person’s mind. “How I’d never really fit in with humans again.” I kissed him one last time and grabbed the stake in one swift motion. Pulling away, I met his intense stare with mine. My insides went cold. “I choose you.”

He tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

I rose and left the room, ignoring his questions and pleas for my return. If I listened, I might change my mind. The rough wood of the stake bit into my palm as I tightened my grip. Pain cleared my head sometimes and I needed to be sure of my decision. I loved Tane. Pausing in the hallway, I listened for his voice but heard nothing. Fate had given me a terrible choice when Catarina had told me her plan. Up until now, I’d ignored fate’s offer. I had pretended it didn’t exist in hopes things would resolve themselves, but I couldn’t hide behind denial anymore.

Rurik would be dead in hours. Even if we found a cure to his decay, the Nosferatu clan would hunt him down and kill him. The only thing that would save him would to reset his system back to being a regular vampire. I stared at the stake. Saving Rurik required a sacrifice so large I didn’t know if I had the courage to go through with it.

“Connie!” His voice cracked as he shouted through his closed bedroom door. His shouts would bring Tane and then my time to think would be gone.

Grief had pulled away my curtains of disbelief. I couldn’t bear to watch him die. Not another person I loved. He was the best of the three of us and I’d try anything. My chest grew tighter. No matter what my heart was going to break.

First thing I had to do was find Catarina. Without her, I couldn’t finish my task. Her rooms were above ours. I ascended the stairs and found her lying face-down on her bed.

She lifted her head upon my arrival. Like me, she wasn’t a pretty crier either. Puffy-eyed and red-nosed, she didn’t fit the image of the Lady of Venice. “What do you want?” She moved to sit on the edge of the bed. “I know he’s alive. I’m still connected to him.”

I showed her the wooden stake in my shaky hand. “I’m ready to kill Tane.” The words came out so simply but she would never know how much it cost me to speak them.

Her eyes went round. “Rurik said he’d never forgive me.”

“You’ll have eternity to make it up to him.”

“I?” She approached me like cat circling a wounded bird.  “Time is running out. I wish you’d decided this when I first approached you. Making you vampire will take hours and I don’t see how else to release you of Tane’s bond.”

“I assume the reason for this idea is so you can be part of his life again by killing both Tane and me with a sharp stick.” I followed her movement, not letting her out of my sight. “We don’t have time to make me vampire.” I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if she did. Not when I had to stab Tane to save Rurik. I didn’t know which level of hell I would be sent to after this.

She came to a sudden halt. “You would sacrifice yourself for him?”

“Yes. I was afraid before. But watching him die is a worse fate. I know you love him but it’s up to Rurik to return your love, Catarina. That’s something neither of us have control over. You have to be good to him.”

“He might leave me after this.”

“That’s a risk we’ll have to take.” Bolder words than what I felt in my heart. Right and wrong both seemed the same. I couldn’t win no matter what decision I made. My grandma raised me to fight until I had no more fight left in me. Never surrender. Fight until your back was against the wall. I took a shaky breath and waved my imaginary white flag. Whatever it was that had been trying to break me all these years had won.

What if I staked Tane and this vampire urban legend didn’t work? Shit. Sweat trickled along my spine. Did I have the right to make this decision? Oh my God, what was I thinking? This was Tane. My Tane. I loved him. The oxygen in the room grew too thin. I couldn’t catch my breath. I loved them both. How could I choose? How could I live with myself if I let Rurik die?

Catarina grabbed me by the shoulders. “Slow your breathing. You’re hyperventilating.”

Heavy footsteps thumped on the stairs leading to Catarina’s bedroom. Tane entered, his forehead furrowed with concern. “What’s going on?” He hurried toward me, shoving Catarina out of the way. “I told you not to touch her.”

“She’s in a panic,” Catarina shouted.

Darn right, I was freaking out. Who wouldn’t when faced with such a decision? I met Tane’s dark, solemn eyes and wanted to drown within them. He had held me after my nightmares and soothed my tears. He always pushed my boundaries, daring me to be more and believing that I could live up to his expectations. These last few years I’d been safe for the first time in my life and it was because of him. With each thought, my breathing grew more erratic.

Tane held me in place and brought his hand to my cheek, giving it a sharp tap.  A full-blown slap from him would have snapped my neck.

Pain exploded across my jaw and I jerked in his grip. I rubbed it and shuddered.

He helped steady me. “I sensed your distress.” He hugged me against his chest. “Connie, you’re shattering.”

“I’m losing my mind.” The whisper barely made it through my numb lips. If I didn’t kill Tane, Rurik would definitely die. “I can’t go through this again.” I shook my head uncontrollably and hugged him close, the stake still clutched in my hand.

Stroking my head, he pulled at my tangled curls with his fingertips.

Catarina cleared her throat.

My gaze snapped to hers.

She motioned toward the stake.

I closed my eyes and soaked in Tane’s comforting strength. He was the monster that frightened the things that went bump in the night and he trusted me. Who else could cuddle against him with a stake in her hand? I was the worst kind of traitor. I deserved the anguish doled out to me since I was a child and there would be a special hell created for me when I died. That moment could be eminent.

He eased away from my arms.

“Connie,” Catarina said.

Tane shot her a look then slowly twisted to gaze at the stake in my hand. “You aren’t carrying that to kill Catarina, are you?”

Unable to move, I clutched the stake to my chest as if it were a shield. Ice flowed in my veins. “Catarina is still linked to Rurik. He’s still in the transition phase, right? He never made it to full Nosferatu.”

Tane’s concerned gaze turned sad. “You would risk your precious life on a myth?” With a blur of motion, he yanked the stake from my hand. “You’re just a babe compared to us, Connie. You have so much to live for.”

“No.” I retreated out of reflex. Just when I thought my body couldn’t produce anymore adrenaline some more kicked in and my heart galloped. “No, I don’t. I’m not made of stone like you or full of hope like Rurik. I just ache.” How had I managed to string words together?

Tane’s dark stare wasn’t angry. Grief poured forth from him, past my mental shield like a river. He suffered as I did. Losing Rurik hurt him but he could deal with it because he had me. I was his girl. “I can’t let you die.” He didn’t even think about himself or my betrayal. People called him monster but I was the real beast. The creature that stabbed those she loved in the back when they let their guard down. “Catarina, you’ll start the process in making Connie a vampire.”

“What the…What?” I twisted from Tane to Catarina and back.

“It’s the only way you’ll survive my passing.” He ran his finger along my jaw, tilting my chis up so he could lay the gentlest of kisses. He whispered, “What if this doesn’t work and he still dies?”

I stared into the depth of his eyes and drank him in. “I won’t be far behind either of you, so save me a seat next to you.” I sniffed and wiped a tear that escaped the corner of my eye.

More footsteps raced toward our room, and Kam ran in. “You called, Master?” His eyes widened at the sight of us.

“Shift,” Tane ordered but his gaze didn’t leave mine.

Without question, Kam changed into his beast form. Joints popped and flesh grew until Kam’s bipedal wolf beast loomed over us.

Tane pointed at Catarina. “She’s to make Connie a vampire once I’ve been staked. If she doesn’t comply, kill her.”

Kam did a double-take. “Master?”

“Do as you’re told, Kam.” Tane’s voice cracked. “Catarina, for Connie to survive my death, you must transform her after I’ve been staked but before my head is separated from my body.” He approached me, setting the stake in my hands.  He then gripped the neck of his T-shirt and tore the front down the middle. Baring his chest, he set the tip of the stake over his heart.

I couldn’t pull away from his stare. “Why?” This wasn’t how I imagined staking Tane. I pictured anger and fighting, him cursing me to the nine circles of hell.  Not understanding and love. And it was love in his eyes. Pure, nonjudgmental love.

“I’ve lived a very long time. You and Rurik have just begun. If my death will keep you together then I gladly sacrifice my life.”

My fingers wouldn’t work. They fumbled around the wooden shaft like a two-year-old controlled them. What was I doing? When did I start listening to vampire fairy tales? We’d all be dead if I kept on this path. But Tane was his maker…

“Do it like I showed you. Put your body weight behind the thrust and angle up, since you’re shorter than me.”

“I’m shorter than everyone and I know what to do. You’re not the first vampire I’ve staked.” The words came out shaper than I wanted but something nagged at me. Catarina’s link to Rurik still worked. Why?

Tane gave me a small smile and tugged one of my short curls. “Thank you for sharing your humanity with me. I’d lost all hope of ever being happy again.”

I hung my head and leaned against the stake but without any force. If anything, it kept me from falling on my knees. Rurik’s transformation never took. He never truly linked to Tane. Not like he had with Catarina. His body was in a flux, which was why he was decaying? He didn’t have a solid link to his maker to hold him together. What would happen if…

“Do it, Connie.” Tane set his hands over mine as if he’d do it for me.

“No,” I shouted and pulled the stake from his hands. Sniffing, I hadn’t realized my tears flowed freely. I was about to drown in my own body fluids. How had I ever thought I could? Grief had torn my sanity to shreds but rationality shone like a mirage just out of my reach. Was Tane really sacrificing himself for my happiness? His loss would send the vampire nation into chaos. What if another Dragos came into power? I’d be responsible for the destruction of the secret peace between humans and vampire.

He reached for the stake. “Give it to me.”

I danced out of reach.

Catarina grabbed my arm, her sharp nails digging in my skin. She believed we could save Rurik. She seemed so sure.

And…I saw another truth in her eyes. I blinked, and for the first time in days the clouds of despair parted enough for me to see an interesting fact that Catarina had omitted. Tane didn’t need to die, because Catarina was just as much Rurik’s maker as he was.

Not allowing any further mental debate, I thrust the stake into her heart. Killing Tane wasn’t an option, and letting Rurik die without a fight wasn’t one, either. Staking Catarina? Not my best moral moment.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Catarina’s gaze bore into mine. Disbelief filled them as her eyes grew wider. She gasped then stared at the stake protruding from her chest and my hands still gripping the shaft.

I couldn’t let go. My hands wouldn’t listen. They’d gone cold and numb. “You’re Rurik’s maker, too.” Like she cared why I’d just murdered her. And Hayden… Oh my God, I’d killed him too. I hadn’t even given him a thought until it was too late.

Understanding dawned in her gaze as her skin turned ashen and fine cracks spread across her face as if it were made of porcelain. It mirrored my soul. She no longer blinked and her lips didn’t move. Slowly she crumbled until her body avalanched into a pile at my feet.

Scooting from the spreading ash, I slapped my hands together until the stake fell next to what was left of Catarina.

Tane spread his hands and pleaded to the ceiling. “I can’t even pretend to comprehend why you just killed her.” He joined me in staring at the floor. “What the hell?”

Kam scratched his head. “Was that the plan? I’m lost.”

“How am I supposed to explain the murder of the Lady of Venice, Connie?” Tane rested his forehead in the palm of his hand. “I have to set an example by living by my own laws. More so than others.” He ran his hand over his face. “What…” A frustrated noise rumbled in his throat and he paced the room. “Why didn’t you just do as I asked? Fuck.”

I finally drew in a deep breath and fed my starved lungs. In the years I’d been with Tane I’d never seen him so flustered. If the situation weren’t so dire, I would have laughed. My brain had been racing out of control until I staked Catarina. It wouldn’t surprise me to see smoke rising from my ears since the inside felt like a burned-out wreck. I watched Tane cross the room, back and forth. “What did you say?”

“What happened to saving Rurik?” Tane picked up the stake and placed it in my hand then pointed at his chest.

I stared at it. “You don’t understand. I thought I could choose between both of you, but I can’t.” I dropped the stake and couldn’t met his glare. He hated me. How could I blame him? I just tried to kill him. “Catarina was Rurik’s maker before you. His body is in a flux of change and she was linked to him. I took that link away. I took her out of the equation so he’ll be linked to just you.”

Tane’s jaw unhinged.

I rubbed my hands together to get feeling back. The doorway leading downstairs seemed close but I couldn’t move.

Kam crossed the room and pulled me against his warm body. “You’re frozen. I think she’s going into shock.” He yanked a blanket from Catarina’s bed and wrapped it around me. “Life is never normal around you three, is it?”

“Normal is boring,” Tane and I echoed each other.

I soaked in Kam’s heat and met Tane’s stare. “I could use a few decades of boring.”

Tane shook his head and stormed out of the room.

“Will he ever forgive me?” I gazed at the empty spot Tane had left in the room.

“For trying to kill him? Well, you’re still breathing so I’d say that’s a good sign. I think he’s angry because you surprised him. He’s used to being in control of things. You caught us all off guard.” Kam licked the top of my head. “I’m not a hundred percent sure if I could have let you do it.”

I twisted to look him in the eye. Sometimes it was difficult to tell when a shifter in beast form joked. “You let me press the point of the stake against his chest.”

He shrugged. “You need more than that to kill a Nosferatu, but I didn’t think you could stake him. I know what love smells like, and the three of you stink of it. Let’s check on Rurik. I’m curious now.”

I allowed Kam to guide me to Rurik’s room. Tane sat on the edge of the bed. He didn’t acknowledge my entry.

Kam stayed in the hall.

Taking a few steps in the room, I hesitated and looked back at the shifter. Would Kam protect me if Tane decided to tear me limb from limb? I wiped my clammy palms on my pants. King of the vampires probably trumped vampire bait. I tentatively reached out mentally to see if I could pick up Tane’s emotional aura and found him waiting outside my shields for me. I gasped, but it was too late—he trapped my mind.

Dragos had once done the same thing. He’d raped my memories and tortured me by making me relive the deaths of my husband and grandmother. I went stiff where I stood and braced for the worse, but instead of a violent entry, Tane sent waves of soothing affection over my raw nerves.

“I’m sorry.” I spoke out loud, still too shredded inside to converse mentally. That sounded so weak compared to what I had done. I’d consciously decided to kill him. How did I apologize? When it came down to it, I’d been unable to thrust the stake. I couldn’t kill Tane any more then I could have killed Rurik. This truth struck me hard. I didn’t think it possible but I never would have been able to go through with my plan.

Tane twisted to face me so I could see Rurik’s hand resting on his lap. My Nosferatu breathed with difficulty. “It grew back.”

Tripping over my own feet, I rushed to examine Rurik’s hand. It was the one that had broken off. “Holy Toledo,” I whispered and sank to my knees.

“I think you saved him, Rabbit.” Tane smiled at the limb. “I can’t believe it.” He shook his head and touched Rurik’s new fingers in awe.

Rurik jerked his hand away and arched his back. His mouth opened in a silent scream as new teeth pushed out from his gums.

I rose quickly to watch. “Those aren’t fangs.” What had I done? Rurik lived, but as what? He obviously was continuing the transformation part. If he completed the Nosferatu change, shouldn’t his fangs be bigger instead of gone?

He flopped back onto the bed, still unconscious. His chest heaved, and sweat beaded on his skin.

I ran my hand over his upper arm. “He’s very warm.” Unless a vampire just fed or been really physically active, he or she didn’t create heat. Maybe the change did it?

“And pink.” Tane gave me a strange look. “I hear something.” He set his hand over Rurik’s chest as if to calm his labored breathing then yanked it away with a hiss. “His heart is beating.”

I pressed my fingers to Rurik’s neck and felt a pulse. “Oh my God.” The beat seemed erratic and faint though. I jumped to my feet. “He’s becoming human.” I ran my hands over his face. “Rurik?”

“But that’s impossible. Dead flesh can’t be reanimated. Not after centuries.” He glanced at me. “Right?”

“How the fuck would I know?” Rurik looked like shit. His hair grew back before my eyes. Short and wavy black like before, but it was plastered to his head with sweat. He breathed as if fighting for his life. I kept my fingers pressed to the inside of his wrist, afraid if I didn’t, his faint pulse would stop. “This is taking a lot of him.”

“He didn’t have much of a reserve to begin with. I’m not sure if he can take much more.”

I kneeled on the bed, preparing to do CPR if needed. I hadn’t murdered someone for him just so he could die on me. I’d follow him to hell and drag his soul back if I had to at this point. “Does Venice have a 9-1-1 system? If he’s human, we should get him to a hospital.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Tane rubbed his temples.

I pointed to my face, quite aware of my blotchy skin, crazed hair, and wild eyes. “Do I appear sane to you? He needs help.”

“We can’t take the risk. They’ll take blood samples and may find something proving our existence. I won’t be responsible for exposing us. Not for any price.”

“Tane.” His name came out as a plea. He had to agree to this since with his power, he could wipe out anyone’s memory. Including mine.

“I know, Rabbit. I love him too.” He frowned and glared at Rurik as if willing him to live. Then he brought his wrist to his mouth and bit. Blood so dark it appeared black oozed from the wound.

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, you can’t mean to turn him again.” Stopping him would be impossible, a gnat against a lion.

“I can’t, even if I wanted to. He’s not vampire anymore and I can only change him Nosferatu if he were vampire.” He dripped a few drops into Rurik’s mouth. Tane had done the same thing to me a long time ago in Budapest as I’d lain dying on the floor of Dragos’s home. The blood had saved my life and created our bond. It would do the same for Rurik.

He’d become Tane’s blood slave like me. He wouldn’t age or sicken but he’d be mortal. Blood slaves could die from trauma since technically we were still human.

I touched Tane’s shoulder. “Can you sustain both of us?” Our lives would be tied to his forever, which meant we drained power from him.

Giving me a smug look from the corner of his eyes, he didn’t answer. Yeah, I’d sensed the size of his mental self. He could handle the drain.

Rurik’s labored breathing eased and his tense muscles relaxed until he seemed asleep.

I came around the bed and crawled onto Tane’s lap, tangling our arms and legs until we sat face to face, my limbs wrapped around him.

“He’ll be fine—”

Not letting him finish, I pulled his face to mine and kissed him. I’d chosen Rurik and had decided to kill Tane. How could I ever make it up to him?

His wide, soft lips opened, inviting me to explore deeper. He tasted of his own blood, iron with a zing of power. I knew the flavor well and craved it due to our bond. Now I could share him with Rurik on a new level. If he’d ever have me back.

I ran my fingertips over the points of his ears the way he liked it and sensed him shiver. He hadn’t fought when he’d realized the stake was meant for him. He could have killed me and Catarina in a blink. Pulling away, I gazed into his eyes. “Can things ever be the same with us? Watching Rurik fall apart in front of me was too much.” Doubt would hammer a wedge between us unless I could find a way to let him feel what I’d been through.

I opened my mind to his. Not like when we spoke. I let all my hard-built shields fall and offered him full access.

He didn’t know much about Laurent. I didn’t speak about my past. I showed him all my memories so he could know me like no one else ever would. No amount of apologies could ever make up for what I tried, but maybe this would help him understand why I had considered killing him an option.

I’d always been alone. Few people touched my life or loved me for all my crazy like Tane had. He deserved so much more than a young human woman flailing through her life.

He kissed the tip of my nose. “You’re adorable.”

I jumped. “That’s all you have to say?” I’d just shared my soul, and he made a joke of my pain.

“You seek forgiveness when I’m not angry.”

“But I hurt you.” I didn’t need a mind link to know this. I’d seen it in his eyes when I’d held the stake to his heart.

He pulled me closer but stared at the wall above my head. “Maybe a little bit.”

I snorted and punched him in the arm.

He gave me a devilish grin. “Are we good?”

I sighed. “Yeah.” Why did I bother trying to figure him out? He was easily a thousand years older than me, and worse, he was male. I couldn’t guess what he had experienced and the changes in society he’d witnessed. “Am I a pet to you?”

He circled my throat with his hand. “I don’t see a collar, and you sure as hell don’t heel when I order you to.”

“I might if you said please.” Payback would be a bitch for what I done. He said we were good, but I believed in karma and mine sucked.

“Flirting on my death bed?” Rurik peered at us, his voice rough. A small smile took the edge off his question.

“I’d call this your birthday bed.” I slipped off Tane’s lap and eased in next to Rurik.

He ran his hands over his head and jerked them away. “I have two hands.” He stared at them then at us. “I have hair. What have you done to me?”

“That’s not the only change.” Tane guided Rurik’s hand onto his chest. This miracle would go into vampire legend.

Rurik’s eyes widened as he sat up straight. “My heart…” He weaved. “I’m dizzy.” Then he swallowed. “And—and I’m going to throw up.”

“Whoa.” I leaned him over the bed and laid him his side. “Too much, too fast. Breathe slow and deep. In through your nose and out through your mouth. You have to do that all the time now.” I rubbed his back, like he had done for me when I’ve suffered the same symptoms after being drained of too much blood. “Maybe you should give him a little more of your blood?” I pointed to Tane’s healed wrist.

“No. No.” Rurik waved us away. “It’s passing.” He rolled onto his back. “How the fuck am I human?”

Chapter Thirty

I looked to Tane, who shrugged. “We’re really not sure of the exact mechanics.”

Rurik leveled a glare in my direction. “The last thing I remember was you leaving with a stake in your hand.” His icy glare traveled to Tane. “But you’re not dust.”

“I killed Catarina.” There. Like a Band-Aid, I ripped out the truth.

His eyebrows shot up. “And that made me human? How did you make that leap of logic?” He sounded a little upset at waking up human.

I crossed my arms. “She’s your maker and told me she was still connected to you while you were dying. If killing Tane at this point of transformation could save you, I didn’t see why killing Catarina wouldn’t do the same.”

“Her original plan was to kill me.” Tane rested his arm over my shoulders.

I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. And let the payback begin. I could use less of this kind of support. “Do I look like a girl with a plan? You were transforming. Catarina said it was a fragile state where you could revert to your original form. When I realized I couldn’t kill Tane, my mind finally made the connection. I didn’t know what would happen.” I took Tane and Rurik’s hands in mine. “We’re all alive and together.”

“At a great cost.” Rurik sat up again with more care. “Venice won’t take it lightly that she’s been killed.”

Tane heaved a great sigh. “I know. I’ve been mulling over the problem.”

I looked from one male then the other. “Thanks, Connie, for saving my rotting corpse and not using Tane to do it.” I rose and headed for the exit. They could plot Venice vampire shit without me. I needed sleep.

“She so easy to rile,” Tane whispered loud enough for me to hear.

“But she does have a point. How should we repay her?” Their tone told me I’d been played. Again. Rurik was now human, but he still had the conniving soul of a vampire.

I twisted to face them. “To start, I’d like us to vacate this place for somewhere with running hot water and electricity.”

“Kam?” Tane shouted.

The shifter poked his head in the open doorway above mine. “Yes, Master?”

“Call my plane. Have them meet us at the Marco Polo airport.”

I grinned. “Are they still in Monte Carlo?”

He nodded. That meant luxury in a few hours. The plane’s interior boasted a fully functioning bathroom and a queen-sized bed. A king-sized would have been too extravagant.

Tane’s smile faded. “Shit.” He rose to his feet with an inward gaze. “I knew things were going too well. Damius is close. I can sense him.”

My gaze lurched to Rurik. “Will he still want Rurik dead?” There was no second-guessing Tane’s clan.

Rurik got to his feet. His skin held a healthy glow and he seemed so alive.

I pinched him.

“Ouch, what was that for?” He rubbed his arm.

“To make sure I wasn’t dreaming.”

“You’re supposed to pinch yourself.”

“I already have enough bruises.”

Tane watched us, his expression growing more serious. “I don’t want Damius to know about Rurik’s change. Can you imagine the mayhem this will cause?” He turned his attention on me. “There are always vampires who regret surrendering their humanity. How many would torture either of you to learn the process?”

“Torture isn’t necessary. I’d tell them. Not like the solution is easy.”

“Don’t ever tell.” Rurik gave me a stern grimace. “Some will uselessly turn on their masters for this chance. There was a time I might have done it if I’d known.”

“Oh.” I hadn’t thought out the consequences. Civil war with human collateral damage wasn’t what I wanted. “What do we do then?”

Kam returned in his human form, dressed and ready to leave. “The plane will depart as soon as they get clearance.”

“Damius is in the city and drawing nearer to the house.” Tane pointed upstairs. “Retrieve Catarina’s ashes. I’ll greet him at the front door. Rurik, hide somewhere in this room so your scent stays close. Connie.” He shot me a hard glare. “You need to act like you were before staking Catarina.”

“Crazy?”  I asked Tane’s back as he left the room. I twisted to face Rurik, a tight grin on my face. “Shit.”

He met me with one of his own. “You can act. You’ve done it as bait.”

“I was dead inside when I worked for Colby, so pretending was easy. I’ve just been through a marathon of emotions in the last few days. I’m a jumbled mess. I couldn’t fake a laugh, let alone try to—to be like I was.” Rurik didn’t know how far off the deep end I’d gone. I couldn’t revisit that.

Kam returned, carrying a large bucket filled with ash. “Stop bickering. He’s at the door and will hear you.” He poured Catarina’s remains on Rurik’s bed.

Rurik cupped my face between his hands and stared with intensity into my eyes. “You can cry.”

I blinked. “Dumbass, you’re human. You can’t mesmerize me.” If we weren’t so under pressure, I would have kissed the stunned expression on his face. Instead, I shoved him toward the door. “Hide in the garden. Damius shouldn’t wonder if a human is spotted up there.”

He snorted as he hurried out.

Facing Kam, I took a bracing deep breath. “Hit me.”

Without hesitation, he slapped the stupid out of me and exited the room.

Stars flashed, and I blinked until tears laced my eyelashes. I clung to the edge of the bed as the room spun. Kam had used shifter force behind that slap. I’d think twice before asking him to do that again.

Male voices grew louder until Tane and Damius entered the room.

Dazed, I just stared at them.

Daimus assessed me from head to foot. “Your human is distressed.”

“She’s very young.” Tane gathered me in his arms and pressed my face to his chest. “Rurik was the one who found her for me.”

Something gentle and alien brushed over my mental shield. I stiffened and gasped at the intrusion. Suddenly Tane’s presence wrapped me in a bubble.

“I’m sorry, brother, I only wished to console her.”

Tane didn’t move physically, but mentally he had placed a wall between myself and his clan brother. “I’ll take care of my own.”

Damius touched the ashes on Rurik’s bed. “I hope you both know that this was not a personal attack. Such disturbances need to be dealt with swiftly. Rurik’s absence in the nation will leave an echo.” He wiped the residue off his fingers. “Catarina harbored you when I was here, yet I didn’t sense your presence.”

“Of course you didn’t. I am a shadow of the night.” Tane’s voice came out flat and cold; his acting skills outdid mine. “It’s best our clan remember that before threatening me with ultimatums again.”

Damius bowed. “Yes, your majesty. I’ll be sure to relay the message.” Was he sincere? I couldn’t tell. “Do you know of Catarina’s whereabouts? I would have thought she’d want to be present.”

“She and her nest took leave once they heard you were returning. She didn’t know how you’d react after her deception. You know we strike fear in their hearts. Two of us have proven too much for this city.”

“Very well, I will report Rurik’s death to our clan and leave you to grieve in peace.” Damius bowed once more.

“Kam will see you out.” Tane gripped me against him until I heard Damius’s footsteps fade to silence.

“Wait…” Tane whispered. The front door boomed closed and I sensed Tane’s mental presence expand. “It’s safe to return, Rurik.” He spoke out loud but I knew he mentally sent that message.

Rurik returned from the gardens and gave us a weary smile. “Thank you.”

Tane released his hold on me. “You did well. Not many can move one of my brothers to pity.”

“You can give Kam the credit.” I rubbed my head. “I may have a concussion.” Bending to sit on the bed, my tush never made contact since Tane scooted me toward the door.

“We aren’t staying a moment longer. Best to leave the city before this nest returns to find their Mistress gone. The plane will have landed by the time we arrive to the airport. Let us be away from this dead place.” Tane picked up an ancient oil lamp and lifted it over his head.

I blocked his toss. “What are you doing? You’ll set the house on fire.”

“That’s the point.” He tucked me under Rurik’s arm. “This place is a tomb.”

“But the fire might spread to the other homes.” Human homes, families, children. “Don’t. Isn’t it enough that I took away their Lady? Appoint someone to rule here who will help these vampires change.”

“She has a point.” Rurik removed the lamp from Tane’s hands. “This isn’t a time for carnage.”

I took Tane’s hand and dragged him the door. “I promise. You can burn down something at home.”

Rurik followed behind him and winked at me. “Now you’ll have two humans to act as your conscience.”

“I am spoiled.” Tane’s word dripped with sarcasm.

Chapter Thirty-One

Kam rented a SUV after we boated off Venice, driving us to the airport where Customs and Immigration acted as if we didn’t exist when we arrived to board Tane’s private plane.

Tane didn’t usually mask all of our presences from the public like he did himself (someone had to appear to be traveling), but none of us had passports. I had wanted to race straight to the shower and soak until the tanks ran dry, but the pilots wouldn’t take off if I was unsecured in the bathroom.

Instead, I prepared a couple of Dagwood sandwiches as they taxied to the runway. Tane settled in his reclining chair with a pitcher of martini mix, and Rurik watched me make the sandwiches with a similar hunger he’d worn a few nights ago when looking at me.

“Hungry?” I put together a third sandwich since I’d been making the second for Kam, who had settled by the cockpit in his usual spot.

“I think I am.” Rurik rubbed his stomach and gave a nervous laugh. “Do you think all my organs are working properly?” His gaze traveled to his new human body. “I keep waiting for my heart to stop and me to keel over.”

I stopped layering the sandwich meat Tane’s staff kept stocked for me on the plane. Keeping up with these two could be hungry work. “Don’t say that.”

His stomach growled in response. “I want cheese on mine.” He grinned. “This will take some getting use to. I went from indestructible to fragile overnight.”

I rolled my eyes. “Welcome to my world.”

Tane remained silent while sipping his martini glass; his stare never left Rurik. I’d give everything I owned to know what was going on inside his head. Did he want to be human again? This process wouldn’t work for already existing Nosferatu.

Rurik carried the plates to our chairs across from Tane, and I handed Kam his meal. Lap tables pulled out from the sides of the chairs so we could eat while the pilots took us away from Italy. One day, I’d like to come back and see the sights, but not for a long time. Memories needed to fade before I could face what I had done in Venice. Every life I’d taken so far had been out of self-defense. Catarina’s murder was out of pure selfishness. She’d had something I needed and she paid the price. I had crossed a line I didn’t like and wasn’t sure what that meant for the future. Maybe I really was more like Tane than Rurik.

My Nosferatu master raised his glass to me as if making a toast. I checked my mental shields quickly, but they were still intact. He shouldn’t have gleaned my thoughts but he didn’t always need to read my mind. How I felt was probably plastered on my face.

Rurik nibbled on a piece of meat and closed his eyes. “Better than I remember.” Then he took a huge bite and chased it with a sip of beer I had provided.

I ate more slowly, fascinated by Rurik’s focus on his food. I wish I could have prepared something more elaborate for his first meal, but he didn’t seem to mind. From the noises he was making, he seemed to worship my Dagwood.

Kam grinned from across the room and gave me a thumbs up. From the dark circles under his eyes, it wouldn’t surprise me if he became comatose within minutes of eating. The shifter had barely rested these last few days, trying to protect the three of us. His loyalty wouldn’t be forgotten or go unrewarded. I just had to figure out what he wanted.

The pilots came on the intercom and announced we had reached their goal altitude so we could move about the plane.

Rurik slumped in his chair, patting his stomach. “That was quite fulfilling.”

Tane set his glass aside and leaned forward. “How?”

“It’s more a physical satisfaction than feeding from blood. I don’t feel energized but happy and a little lethargic.” Rurik glanced at me as if for reassurance. I didn’t have any experience as a vampire but I’d drank from Tane. His description sounded solid, so I nodded.

The shower beckoned me. I set my empty plate away and left the boys to discuss the details of eating. The plane had a living area at the front but the back half was a private bedroom with a full bathroom. Tane hadn’t spared us anything. As king, he traveled all corners of the world and this plane was sometimes the only home we had.

Hot water coursed over my skin, feeling akin to sand blasting. I closed my eyes with my back turned to the jets and leaned my forehead against the cool white tile of the shower stall. How would we explain Rurik’s humanity when we arrived in Rio? Maybe we should call ahead and have the place cleared of Tane’s court for a few weeks until Rurik adjusted.

I gasped. I’d have a daytime playmate. I’d have to teach him about sunscreen. We could go to the beach. Learn to surf or dive. Try some restaurants.

The door to the bathroom slid open and closed. “Rabbit?” Rurik’s silhouette filled the clouded glass of the shower stall. “Are you almost done?”

I shut off the water, my skin stinging from abuse. I pulled on a robe as I exited. “Do you need a tutorial on how to use the toilet?” I grinned at his scowl.

“I’m sure there will be a learning curve to being human once again, but I’ll wing that one on my own when the time comes.”

“I have better uses for this.” I caressed the outside of his fly and found quite a hard package behind it.

With one arm, he pinned me to the wall and yanked my robe from my shoulders. “Why do think I’m here?” He gaze drank me in.

I shuddered at his forceful act, still sensitive to his last attack. No fangs grew from his gums, though he remained stronger. He didn’t look at me with the hunger of a vampire but of a man deprived of his lover too long. I undid his zipper and released his hard cock.

He rested his forehead against mine, his breathing already heavy, and chuckled. “This might not take long.” Caressing my shoulders, he slowly slid his hands down my arms, leaving a trail of goose bumps. He guided both my hands to his thick, hard cock, wrapping my fingers around his shaft.

I squeezed him tight like he enjoyed.

He hissed. “Not so rough.” Then he laughed. “Never thought I’d say that, did you?”

I eased my hold and stroked him very gently. This was a new Rurik I’d have to get to know. What would he like to eat? Would his skin burn easily after not seeing the sun in centuries?

“Everything feels new,” he whispered. “Like I’ve just been reborn but out of glass. How can you stand it, Connie?” His breathing grew more labored as I increased my stroking pace. He wrapped his hand around mine, pumping it faster and faster. “I’m so damn close.” He moved his hips in time. “After this, I’m going to fuck both of you.” With his body, he sandwiched me against the wall. “Hard.” He groaned and arched his back. Hot jets hit my stomach. He loomed over me panting.

I’d never seen him so short of breath or so animated before. Not like this. Not like a man. His flushed face close to mine seemed more real than before.

He shuddered. “I’m a little dizzy.” He laughed. “Wow. Can you love me like this? Weak and slow and—”

“Human.” I inhaled and smelled the spiciness of him. “And so damn hot.” I ran my hands under his T-shirt. “I’ve never wanted you more than now.” I spun him around and pushed him toward the bedroom. He couldn’t be allowed to think of what he had lost. He needed to be shown what he’d gained.

We hurried toward the bed and skidded to a stop.

Tane lay on the bed, naked as the day he’d been born. “What took you so long?” He ran his hand over his bare abdomen, heading south. Not an ounce of fat impeded him. Everything about Tane screamed predator, from his sharp fangs to the hard cut of his muscles. “I heard whispered promises of being fucked.”

I crawled onto the bed on my hand and knees, inching my way toward him.

His eyes riveted to my swaying breasts. Nothing made me feel sexier than when my men couldn’t pull their gazes from my body.

Rurik stumbled against the bed in his haste to undress. “No fair. You both have a head start.”

Tane gave a deep-throated laugh. “From what’s on Connie’s stomach, I’d say you’re the one with the head start.” He stroked his hardening cock and dragged his gaze to Rurik. The hunger in his eyes didn’t fade. He lusted after both of us equally. “I also need to feed.”

I sat up on my knees and met Rurik’s surprised look. Tane owned two blood slaves now. Spoiled boy. We’d all been through the wringer and our rock had been Tane.

Rurik seemed to understand my thoughts. He joined us on the bed and cradled Tane in his arms. Their lips connected instinctively and tongues met.

Watching the thorough kiss tightened my lower abdomen so hard, so fast, I clutched the sheets and groaned. I really liked being in bed with two men. It wouldn’t be the same if they didn’t want to touch each other. A lot of men enjoyed watching two women together. Why should I be any different with my lovers?

Tane tangled his fingers in Rurik’s hair and yanked his head back. With exposed fangs, he bit into his neck with more aggressive force than if it were me. The sheer violence took my breath away. Hard bodies pressed against each other, fingers digging into flesh, with the strain of muscles as they almost fought each other.

Their love play was usually more aggressive together, but Tane would have to be more careful with Rurik. Tane blindly grasped Rurik’s hardening cock and milked him.

Breathing heavy, Rurik flung his head back, giving Tane full control while I worked my way between Tane’s legs.

He was hard enough that the head of his cock poked past his velvety foreskin. I ran my tongue over it until his hips rolled with urgency then I thrust him in my mouth as fast and hard as I could. It choked me, but it also tore him from Rurik’s throat and made him stare at me wild-eyed.

I swallowed him once more, going slower, lingering to sense the silk over iron against my tongue.

Rurik lay next to me. He ran his thumb over my bottom lip, touching both me and Tane as I slid his cock in and out. Rurik’s mouth parted, his tongue flicking out as if imagining the taste. He leaned closer until his lips brushed Tane’s shaft, moving lower toward his balls until he sucked those in his mouth.

Tane made a strangled noise. He leaned back, supporting his weight on his arms while kneeling. This position arched his body and gave us better access. His thighs trembled under my hands as nonsense fell from his lips.

Rurik’s hands caressed my waist. He moved them over my skin, setting me on fire. His fingers skimmed over my underbelly until they slipped inside my core.

Three was considered the luckiest of numbers, and I understood why. When one fell, the other two were there to catch. How could anyone fail with that kind of support? Tane and I had proven this. Jealousy didn’t have a place to root in our triumvirate because we wouldn’t let it.

We three felt…right.

I knew they’d both sacrifice everything for my happiness and I would do the same for them.

Tane jerked away from us. “Enough.” He lay on his side. “Too fast.”

Before I could respond, Rurik kneeled in front of me. Licking his lips, he offered me his cock.

I grinned and took my time to crawl closer. “You want something?”

“Very desperately.’’ He curled his fingers in my hair, bumping his tip to my mouth. “Please, Rabbit.”

I’d been with Rurik long enough to comprehend his need for control, especially in bed. I opened my lips and relaxed into his hold.

Gently he thrust inside, working deeper into my throat.

I had to time my breathing with his rhythm or suffocate. Fingers traced my ass and I glanced at Tane laying next us, a crooked little smile on his face. His mind caressed mine.

Salty air filled my lungs and slid over my heated skin. I jerked from Rurik’s hold. We weren’t in Kansas anymore. I gave Tane a long blink. We were still in bed but on his mental beach. Then I jerked, glancing at Rurik. “How?”

Rurik was short of breath but gazed at our surroundings in bewilderment. “Where are we?”

“Inside Tane’s head.”

“This is where you go when he slips into your dreams?” Wide-eyed, Rurik stared at the ocean.

“One of the places,” Tane answered. “Now you can play with us.” Tane’s appearance changed to his human form. Long, dark hair feathered over his broad shoulders. His sun-kissed skin felt warm where it brushed against mine. “I wondered how it would feel if we were all human.”

I curled into his inviting arms and rolled onto my back. “We weren’t asleep when we came here.”

“Nor are you. You’re just seeing what I want you to.”

“Like the airport personnel?”

He nodded and rolled on top of me. “Are you ready for me?” The tip of his cock nudged my entrance before pushing deeper inside. He propped on his arms so Rurik and I could watch him slide into me. His thrusts grew stronger until I cried out at the end of each one.

Rurik moved behind Tane. We’d all had our turns at being sandwiched. Tonight would be Tane’s. He’d risked his crown to save Rurik. He could have let his brothers take him in Monte Carlo. He could have let us run, but he’d come to our rescue in Rome. What difference would it have truly made to him? There were lines of vampires waiting to share his bed next. Except Tane loved us, and those others would wait a very, very long time. That love made a huge difference in Tane’s life. It was also a weakness for him as king.

Rurik started by exploring Tane with his fingers, using my wetness as lubrication.

My connection with Tane was still open and I glimpsed others in his memories—some men, others women, sometimes multiples of both. Their surroundings changed from outdoors to luxurious rooms, but he had loved them all. He preferred an emotional attachment to his lovers.

He stared into my eyes, daring me to understand what he showed us. We stood above all the others he’d ever loved.

With Rurik’s probing thrust, Tane grew more eager. He lowered his body against mine, crushing me into the bed.

Rurik urged him on until all I could imagine was how it would feel to have Tane inside as Rurik rode him. Rurik rose behind Tane and entered him slowly. He stared at me over Tane’s shoulders, eyes ablaze in ice-blue desire. His hair hung in strands, clinging to his face. The two of them found a rhythm so that Rurik’s thrust would push Tane into me a little deeper, a little harder.

I couldn’t move under their combined weight so I used my hand to caress and stroke whatever flesh I could reach. I knew my orgasm was coming by the heaviness growing in my lower abdomen.

Tane whispered something in my ear that sounded guttural and ancient, tripping my control.

In an abyss of flesh and motion, I drowned in sensation until I released and screamed.

Tane thrust inside me two, three more times and cried out as Rurik arched back, clinging to his hips. Their bodies melted around me, surrounding me in hard, male flesh as the starry night faded to the airplane ceiling once more.

“You’re capable of drawing us in your head while we’re awake. Will you be able to bring both of us into your dreams as well?” I wouldn’t mind taking Rurik to that Babylonian temple.

“With some practice, I think we can enjoy each other’s company unobserved this way.” Tane stroked my hair; his tone had grown sad.

I reached for him. “What’s wrong?” Dread deeper than anything his clan had ever inspired in me sank into my bones.

Rurik rolled behind me so we could both face Tane. He grasped our Nosferatu’s hand. “You’re afraid. You’re never afraid.”

I opened my senses and felt what Rurik did.

Tane clung to our hands. “I can’t take you home with me.”

I finally understood the dread inside of me. Tane was dumping us. “But you love us.” I glanced over my shoulder at Rurik for assertion. Had I misunderstood what Tane had shown us? He loved us more than anyone in his existence.

He scooted closer until I was nestled against his chest and Rurik enveloped within his arms. “That’s why I can’t keep you close. You’re both human and so fragile. I’d expend most of my resources protecting you. And—and how can I explain Rurik being not only alive but human? Or my allowing you to kill Catarina unpunished?” He rested his head close to mine and let his questions unfold inside of me.

“Can’t you leave them and stay with us?” As soon as I asked that question I knew how childish it sounded but I wanted so desperately for him to say yes.

“I love you for asking, Connie. More than you’d ever know.” He kissed me softly. “It’s not goodbye though. We’ll have our dreams.”

I sniffed and cursed the stupid tears welling in my eyes. “How will that work?”

Rurik stayed too quiet for my comfort. He’d known this would happen and had figured it out long before I had.

“I can reach you wherever you are.” It was a small consolation. We’d be together in Tane’s dreams, where we can be safe.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. “The pilots want you to know we’ll be landing soon,” Kam spoke through the closed door.

“Landing? We haven’t been flying that long.” I sat up and was comforted by the confused expression on Rurik’s face.

Tane jumped out of bed and dressed. “Get dressed. I have a villa in Greece on one of the rural islands. Kam will take you there. For your punishment, for killing Catarina, I am banishing you from my court for fifty years. Rurik is now officially dead. I will visit when my schedule allows it. Rumors will be spread that in your grief, you’ve found a similar-appearing human male as a lover.”

I laughed. “Like I ever could.”

He tossed me a pink summer dress, his favorite color on me. “Very pitiful of you, I know.” He grabbed and kissed Rurik as if it were the last time he’d see him. “We came too close to losing you. Stay safe and keep her safe as well. New passports, credit cards, and accounts will be processed soon. Stay with Kam—he knows the estate well.”

Rurik clung to him. “This is not goodbye.”

Tane gave him another molten kiss before gathering me in his arms. “Stay true to yourself.” His hands lingered on my lower stomach. “He’s human now. You can have your dream now. Don’t deny each other.”

“Family.” I rested my hand over his.

“You won’t ever have to be alone again.” He glared at Rurik. “Marry her first.”

I glanced from one smiling male to the other. “But it’s not goodbye, right? Not forever. You promised me forever, Tane.”

“Just for now. I’m giving you the break and rest you need. You’re so young. Love and live. I’ll be back before you know it.”

I followed Rurik and Kam to the front of the airplane after we landed. Tane remained in the bedroom since it was daytime and sunlight would pour in when we exited. I glanced back at the door and touched his mind. The fear he’d harbored was gone. It hadn’t existed because he was releasing us but for us if we’d insisted on staying. I now sensed relief and joy. “You will come visit in person as well, right?”

“Of course, any chance I get. Especially at your wedding.”

“Won’t you marry me, too?” I sensed his shock and grinned. Oh yeah, king Nosferatu, this young human girl could still surprise you.

“Do you want me to?”

“Are you sweating?”

“A little.” His amusement filled me. “Yes, I’ll marry you, too.”

The door to the plane opened, and sunshine hit Rurik against his chest. He flinched but didn’t jump away. He gave me the most precious smile. “I can get use to this.”

I had thought only lucky girls could find their happy endings. I proved myself wrong.

Epilogue

Time seemed to increase speed when Rurik and I rejoined the human race. Endless nights in Rio transformed to fast-paced days on our rural Mediterranean island. I sat on the beach of Tane’s secret villa. The sunset painted the sky blood orange and the light glinted off the sweat beading on Rurik’s back as he secured his rowboat to our small private dock. The sun suited him. So did his golden tan and he hadn’t missed a sunrise yet.

I twisted the wedding rings on my finger, yellow gold from Rurik and white gold from Tane. I’d been waiting all day to speak with Rurik. A wave of nausea swept over me and I clung to my stomach contents by sheer willpower. Why had I thought doing this on my own was a good idea? I spent the day on the edge of a cliff after I took the test.

Tane would meet us in our dreams tonight, and I had news. How would I ever fall asleep feeling this terrible? I resisted the urge to call to him mentally. Again. My big girl pants felt too loose and kept wanting to fall around my knees no matter how often I told myself I could wait for the right moment to tell them.

Kam squatted next to me making me jump a little. I hadn’t heard him approach. “Everything is locked tight. I’m going out. Do you need anything?”

I shook my head and gave him a watery smile.

“Why are you so agitated?” He sniffed. “You smell different.”

“I’m sure I do.” Shifters could smell changes in emotions and bodily functions. I waved him away before he wrecked my surprise. “I’ll be fine. Have fun.” Who knew what he did when he went out? As long as it made him happy. He refused to leave our side or train a replacement, so I accepted his need for privacy.

“All right.” He gave me an odd look. “Maybe I should stay.”

“Don’t you dare.” I gestured for him to leave.

He inhaled deeply and his eyes went wide. “You smell like you’re—”

“Hormonal and going to kick your ass if you don’t shut up right now.” I stared pointedly at Rurik who approached us with a basket.

Kam gave me a secretive smile before kissing me on the forehead. “Congrats.” He scooted off inside the house, leaving me alone with my newly human husband.

“Dinner is on me tonight. I hope you’re in the mood for fish.” Rurik helped me to my feet and led me by my hand into the villa. “I found a fantastic spot. Tomorrow, I want you to come with me. We can swim the reef.”

“Sure…” I felt like shark bait floating on top of the water.

He set the basket on the counter and faced me. “You’ve been acting strange all day.” He leaned closer until our noses almost touched. “We promised no secrets between us a long time ago.” His eyes narrowed as I kept my silence. “Spill it.”

My heart raced. I had wanted to wait until we were in Tane’s dream but I was too excited to fall asleep. Instead, I did something I hadn’t done since I left the airplane six months ago. I reached out with all my mental strength and called out to Tane. If his brothers heard my cry so be it. I was banned from court, not from communicating with my master.

“Rabbit?” Concern poured from his strong presence as he cradled me within his mind.

From the way Rurik jumped, I could tell Tane had touched his mind as well. “I don’t know why she’s calling you.” I suddenly heard Rurik’s voice inside my head as he spoke with Tane.

“Can you hear both of us, Connie?” Tane asked.

I nodded and realized Tane couldn’t see me. “Yes.” How did I begin? I’ve gathered you here today for a thing called life… I grasped Rurik’s hands and looked into the blue eyes that had gripped my heart years ago. I wrapped my puny mental self against the titan-sized Tane who had stolen it not long after Rurik. “I’m pregnant. You’re going to be dads.”

Rurik’s mouth hung open and he blinked as if trying to focus. Then he clutched me to his chest so hard I feared breaking.

A heavy silence hung inside my head.“Tane?”

He didn’t answer.

“I think he fainted.” Rurik kissed me. Heat still sizzled between our bodies as hot as the first time he’d taken me. “Tane?”

“A dad? But I can’t make children. This baby is Rurik’s.” Tane’s voice sounded so small.

I ground my teeth and pulled away from Rurik’s embrace. “You’re every bit this child’s parent as Rurik  and I are. We’re a family, a real family, now.”

Rurik slid behind me, circling his arms around my waist to rest his hands on my lower abdomen.

“A child?” Love seeped into my every pore from Tane, even at this great distance. It folded over us and brought the three us together mentally. This baby would be loved and safe as long as one of us still lived. “And the first of many.”

I snorted. “Let’s start with one for now, okay?” Butterflies took wing in my stomach once more. Would I be a good mother? I leaned against Rurik physically and Tane mentally, gaining strength from them. We’d be fine. This child couldn’t be any luckier to have us as parents. Maybe Tane had it right. This could be the first of many.

Published 2013

Copyright by Annie Nicholas

Cover design by Kanax

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews--without the prior written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental and not intended by the author.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Email:   annienicholas@ymail.com

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/v7gm5

About the Author

Annie Nicholas writes paranormal romance with a twist. She has courted vampires, hunted with shifters, and slain a dragon’s ego all with the might of her pen. Riding the wind of her imagination, she travels beyond the restraints of reality and shares them with anyone wanting to read her stories. Mother, daughter, and wife are some of the other hats she wears while hiking through the hills and dales of her adopted state of Vermont.

Annie writes for Samhain Publishing, Carina Press, and Lyrical Press.

Website: www.annienicholas.com

Blog: www.annienicholas.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Annie-Nicholas#!/pages/Annie-Nicholas/162716537103705

Twitter:  @annienicholas

Annie’s Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/v7gm5

Books by Annie Nicholas

The Angler series

Bait  (FREE)

Catch

Hunting Colby

Release

Chronicles of Eorthe

Scent of Salvation

The Vanguards series

The Omegas

The Alpha

The Beta

Omegas in Love

Sigma

Prima

Lake City Series

Starved for Love

Stand Alone Books

Irresistible

Koishi (Gatekeeper Book One)

No Refuge (releasing May 2014)

For more information on coming releases go to http://www.annienicholas.com

Love blooms across species, culture, and time.

Scent of Salvation

By Annie Nicholas

Chronicles of Eorthe, Book 1

Stranded in another dimension, on a primitive version of Earth, Dr. Susan Barlow needs to find a way to survive. There’s no electricity, no cities, and to her shock, no humans. Instead, she faces a population of werewolves, vampires and incubi. The people are vicious but she must find her place among them. And live.

An illness is killing Sorin’s pack. As alpha it’s his responsibility to save them, but it’s a battle this warrior doesn’t know how to fight. Then a blue light in the sky brings a creature he’s never seen. She calls herself human, but to him she smells like hope.

Sorin offers Susan a safe haven in return for a cure, but she’s not that kind of a doctor. She’s a doctor of physics, not a physician. Yet as they search for a cure to save a dying people, they find something special—each other.

But even with Sorin’s protection, Susan can’t help but wonder how long she can survive in a world without humans…

Warning: Feral shifters, power-hungry vampires, and a sole human female suffering culture shock.

Buy

Chapter One

Today seemed like the perfect day to burn bridges. Technocon, a small technologies company, had promised Susan free rein on all her projects. She ran her lab, hired her own staff, and ordered what she needed within budgetary reason.

Technocon was a liar, and she’d swallowed their scientific support story like it was candy, but really what they had served her was chocolate-dipped bullshit.

Who said a genius couldn’t be an idiot?

Out of public sight, she melted into her office chair and leaned her head against her hands. The universities had laughed at her proposals and her math on dimensional travel. She hadn’t been able to find a grant anywhere to allow her to build her machine, which led her to the private sector—to Technocon.

For five whole minutes, she’d been able to open and sustain a dimensional gateway to…God knows where. She had sent a chimp through and back yesterday with no apparent damage to his cellular structure. Last night she’d celebrated with her team, taking them all to dinner. It seemed like a hundred years ago.

Sitting at her desk, she stared at her blank computer terminal. The last seven years of her life were accumulated on the hard drive. Calculations, theories and articles she’d written. Her gaze wandered. Not a single picture adorned her desk or walls—no boyfriend or kids, not even a pet. How empty it all appeared.

She’d sacrificed everything for a glimpse of blinding blue light that led to possible exploration of the unknown and…adventure. What a waste.

She’d created DOUG as a means for peaceful exploration. To study other cultures on alternate Earths, maybe learn from their mistakes or successes. She doubted the military invading her lab wanted the same thing. Ultimately, she was responsible for any consequences of DOUG’s misuse. As creator, the weight of responsibility sat heavily on her shoulders.

She rose to her feet and straightened her lab coat with a sharp tug. Before she left her office, she grabbed the document her printer spit out and ignored the pointed stares from the soldiers while she exited the work area.

Crumpling the paper in her hand, she strode across the lobby, her lab coat swaying with her momentum. She couldn’t stop seeing the words in her mind’s eye.

Congratulations, the United States Marine Corp (USMC) has a legal interest in the Dimensional Opening Universal Gateway (DOUG), therefore you must present the following list: design specification, running systems, test results…

Didn’t matter how pretty their wordage, they were taking over her freaking life’s work. In less than five minutes she had typed her resignation—not too many ways of saying I fucking quit.

Her heels clicked on the cheap, faux marble flooring, and the sound echoed in the wide open space. The soldiers milling around the area parted like the Red Sea as she stormed toward the closed wooden door to the project manager’s office.

She swung it open and paused, taking a deep, shaky breath. Nothing good ever came from violence. Racing across the manager’s office and tearing out his flabby throat wouldn’t prevent DOUG from falling into the wrong hands.

Jeff sat facing the door. His assistant squirmed in a small plastic chair next to the desk and stared at his tablet.

“Get out, pipsqueak.” Susan pointed to the doorway.

“Yes, Dr. Barlow.” The assistant didn’t even glance at Jeff before jumping to his feet and scurrying from the room.

She slammed the door behind him.

“Was that necessary?” Jeff folded his pudgy fingers over his belly. At first sight, he gave the impression of a chubby favorite uncle, but under that soft exterior lived a cold-hearted number cruncher.

Susan used her best die-and-go-to-hell glare on him but it didn’t work so she tossed her neat resignation on his desk with the crumpled memo instead. “How could you have allowed DOUG to fall into their hands?” She leaned across his desk, jabbing her finger at him to punctuate her words. “You promised no military.” Tightness squeezed her chest. She wouldn’t dare sob in front of this jackal. Clearing her suddenly rough throat, she met his beady-eyed stare.

He spread his hands as if pleading with her. “I never thought in a million years you’d make that thing work.”

She took a step back, his words a slap to her ego. “What?” Her voice rose to a painful octave. “Why fund it then?”

“Tax break. We needed a pro-bono project or Uncle Sam took a chunk of our profits, but you made your crazy idea work. So I had to sell it to stay in the green.”

“They’ll abuse it,” she whispered. “DOUG was meant for exploration. I wanted scientists to cross into other dimensions, people who could understand the delicate balance between universes. Those soldiers will conquer or destroy any dimension they travel to, and God knows what they’ll bring back.”

“Or they’ll prevent us from being the ones who are conquered or destroyed. Did you ever think that maybe a different version of you might be developing the same machine in another dimension?”

“You’re afraid of DOUG. It’s a gateway to learning, trade—” She saved her breath. They’d argued this before a thousand times until she was blue in the face and Jeff’s face had been red.

He lifted the paper she’d thrown on his desk and read her resignation, then promptly dropped it in the shredder. “Nice try, Susan. Read the fine print on your contract. As long as the project is open, you’re bound to it. You can’t quit until you’ve trained a replacement.”

“Or what? I can’t be held prisoner. It’s against my civil rights.” She folded her arms. When she signed the contract she had thought that clause would protect her job, not trap her. Crap. They were going to force her hand somehow. She could see it in Jeff’s smug expression. “The contract states that once completed no one can take over my project without my consent.”

“You still haven’t had a human test subject go through DOUG, only animals. Technically, it’s not finished.”

“Bastard.”

“Flirting won’t get you anywhere with me, toots. According to subsection one seven four, you can get arrested for obstructing a military project of this classification.” He produced a file from his desk and offered it to her. “You’re not a civilian anymore. You’ve been drafted.”

Susan skimmed over the file. “This was prepared ahead of time. How long have you been working on this?”

“Doesn’t matter. Every bigwig with more stripes than brains is waiting for someone to hit the start button on DOUG. Either get in there and take some credit for your hard work or let me call the MPs in to arrest you.” He leaned forward and waited.

“I hate you.”

“I don’t care.” He raised a bushy eyebrow. “You’ll never get another job in research again if you ditch now. Choose.”

Exhaling a long, slow breath, she forced her shoulders not to sag. All that work, all those sleepless nights, and for what? To create a machine the government didn’t understand and would probably misuse. She clenched her fists. No one would take her control of DOUG away. Not now, not ever. “I’ll start it.”

She spun and left his office. He might think he’d outsmarted her, but there was still a way out if she could muster the courage.

Returning to her designated area in Technocon, she forced herself to meet the gaze of anyone brave enough to look her way. She passed a large window in the narrow hallway that didn’t face the outdoors but gave a view inside her lab. DOUG sat in the center of the room, a slim, clear rod standing eight feet tall. She slowed her pace to admire her achievement. At each compass mark rose a smaller version of the main rod. Thick, conductive fiber optic cables connected the rods at their bases, making a circle of electric tentacles.

By the wall, her staff stood guard at their computers, attention focused on the warm-up sequences and not on the gun-toting marines at their sides.

She entered her lab and pushed her way through the military personnel. Everyone turned to face her, and all her bravado wavered at being the center of attention, the butt of the unspoken joke. Leader of the DOUG project tricked by her supposed supporter and now an employee of the US military.

“Dr. Barlow?” An important-appearing, middle-aged man approached. “I’m General—”

“Don’t bother with your name. I won’t remember it by the end of the day. Kate, start it up.” She left General Buttinski gaping as she circulated to each workstation.

With a whispered request, she sent each member of her team on individual missions outside the lab. Her heart galloped as she changed the settings on DOUG’s start up to maximum power and glared at the thieves observing by the back wall.

If the military moved their uniformed asses fast enough, they’d make it to the exit in time and wouldn’t be hurt by the possible explosion. She really didn’t know what would happen with the overload.

Wiping her sweaty palms on her coat, she listened to the increasing hum of the crystal rods and faced her audience. “DOUG was created to open gateways between dimensions. I’ve studied multi-dimensional science long enough to see a pattern that integrated reality with mysticism.” She gestured toward her creation and blinked away the tears burning behind her eyelids. “It’s the next best thing to space exploration.” By some miracle, she’d kept her voice steady.

Heart drumming, Susan caught a glimpse of the red alert warning sign on the computer screen. The overload grew, and it would be seconds before the audio alarms outside her lab went off—before there was no turning back. “Naturally, some would claim it’s a supernatural phenomenon, but I assure you that solid science has been used to develop this technology.”

A blue glow formed around the rods as they shed the extra electrons produced. The protons remained trapped within, building a concentration strong enough to puncture a hole through reality and create a bridge to a parallel dimension. She only needed to hit the switch to release the energy, but that wasn’t the plan.

Her fingers itched and she rubbed them together, relieving the ache to stop the process and end her madness. Could she escape the lab in time if it exploded?

The screens flashed red and the sirens outside her lab rang. Startled by the sudden noise, she jumped and pointed to her audience. “Everyone out! It’s going to blow.” A low vibration ran through the floor, and loose objects on the tables rattled.

As one, the mob crowded toward the exit.

The rods shook. A blue halo surrounded DOUG. She couldn’t look away from the swirling light gathering in the center of the rods. It faded at the edges into nothing. The power within the Gate thrummed through the building. She’d never poured so much energy into the device. What would happen?

All she wanted was to make a difference in the world. Instead, she’d be a footnote in some military manual and a stain on the lab wall.

Blinded by the light, she shielded her eyes and turned to follow the last person out of the lab. She took an unsteady step, but a powerful blast rushed past her legs, knocking her off her feet. Gasping, she flailed and tumbled forward, heels overhead, yet never hit the wall.

Round and round she fell. Her head spun and nausea flipped her stomach. If this was the road to heaven, they needed a better engineer.

With a sudden halt, she hit something hard. Her back ached with the impact. She tried to scream but nothing came out. Flopping onto her side, she gasped until her lungs remembered how to work. Next time she blew up something, she would get out of the freaking way faster.

Stars flashed in her vision. Air finally flowed into her chest, and she let out a groan. She felt more like she’d fallen than been blown to pieces.

Something cool and soft touched her cheek. She flinched and tried to sit up but only managed to roll onto her stomach. That didn’t help her nausea, and she struggled to keep breakfast down.

Fuck it. The blast hadn’t killed her so the military could clean her puke. Then they could haul her ass to jail—or the hospital.

Resting, she waited for Jeff’s yells for her arrest and execution, but the only sounds came from birdsongs. She jerked her face off the moist ground and grunted.

Birds? Had she blow the roof off the building?

Cool.

She rubbed her blurry eyes and blinked. Her heart did a double beat. She shook her head and blinked again.

Surrounded by lush green plants, Susan sat on a carpet of soft moss. She rose onto shaky, numb legs. A giant tree loomed thirty feet over her head. Three grown men touching fingertips might be able to hug the trunk.

There wasn’t a forest for miles, yet here she stood in the middle of one. She did a slow three-sixty. Tree, tree, bush, tree, building. Bingo.

Before her towered a stone structure overgrown with flowering vines. Taking one slow step at a time, she approached it. The steps were swept clean of any debris or growth. She climbed, listening for anything inside. Huge gaps in the walls let the sunlight in between the stone slabs, and deep, worn engravings covered them. She traced one with her fingertip and didn’t recognize the language. Hell, she couldn’t even read the symbol. Where was she?

Sucking in a sharp breath, she clapped her hands over her mouth.

DOUG had worked?

She was standing in another dimension.

Alive.

Her trip had been unintentional yet successful. She needed to high five someone. It had worked just like she’d said it would. All those people who’d laughed at her idea could shove it up their collective—

Twisting around with a foolish grin cramping her cheeks, she saw only rainforest. Shadows covered the ground since the trees’ canopy blocked most of the sunlight. Her grin faded and she broke into a cold sweat.

Oh shit, it had worked.

A vacuum of dread sucked the excitement from her body. The explosion must have punctured a hole through the dimensional veil and thrown her through. She couldn’t see the blue portal light. Without the machine, the gateway couldn’t remain open. Or ever open again since it should be slag with the rest of her lab. She shivered and pulled her coat tighter.

She was alone. Stranded God knows where.

For all she knew, T-rex lived over the next hill or worse, the Nazis had won World War II.

Taking a shuddering breath, she closed her eyes. She was a brilliant scientist, graduating at the top of all her classes. The unknown wasn’t something to fear but to be embraced and studied. However, field operations had never thrilled her. She was a lab geek with delusions of exploration. She’d always pictured herself guiding those brave souls who would step onto a new world from the safety of Technocon, not being that person. Glancing over her shoulder at the forest, she took a steadying breath.

What lived out there?

Birds sang, loud and uninterrupted by the hum of cars or machines. She couldn’t see any electrical lines or other buildings. Please, let there be some kind of path or road to follow. How long could she survive in the wilderness? Probably a couple days before something ate her.

The birds fell silent. She froze, facing the forest. Nothing moved. Her heart galloped as she searched the gloom. She backed into the building, not wanting to take her eyes off the woods. A crack in the floor caught her heel, and she stumbled while her arms pinwheeled until she caught her balance.

All right, she needed to get a grip. Just because things were quiet didn’t mean she should panic. Breaking her leg would be a death sentence. She kicked off her shoes. The logic was sound but the adrenaline coursing through her body told her to screw off and run. A cold sweat broke out over her skin, and a cool wind made her shiver.

She scanned the inside of the building. It didn’t have a roof. A stone altar in the center offered the only shelter. She hurried across to it and laid a hand over the smooth, cool surface. Breathing a sigh of relief, she closed her eyes for a heartbeat. It wasn’t bloodstained. That was a good sign, right?

She crept around to the other side and knelt behind it. Hiding felt right.

Crouched on the cold stone floor, she hugged her knees to her chest. At least the military hadn’t gotten her machine. A small consolation while squatting in another dimension, all alone like a frightened animal.

The rustle of leaves to her left made her squeak. She clapped her hand over her mouth and peeked around the corner. Something with silver-gray fur crawled under the vines through one of the wall’s many gaps.

Please let that be a big-ass raccoon. She watched as the creature’s dark, wet nose moved in her direction and sniffed. All her muscles seized. She couldn’t move or breathe.

The nose pushed through, followed by a large, wolf-like head. On his stomach, he crept into the building. Her vision tunneled as he rose to his hind legs and kept rising until he towered over her. Long claws protruded from his fingers and toes. Swinging his head, he sniffed the air. Three jagged scars ran over his muzzle. His amber gaze met her stare, and he bared his sharp teeth. As he moved, thick, solid muscles slid under his silver fur.

With a knocking heart, Susan was anchored to the spot. A werewolf. A real, honest-to-God werewolf stood not five feet from her. She hadn’t crossed dimensions. She’d died and gone to hell.

As he stepped toward her, something flipped off in her brain and it stopped functioning. Deductive reasoning vanished like a cheap parlor trick. Sixty thousand years of human instinct buried in her genes kicked in, and Susan scuttled away from the beast until her head hit the stone wall. Ignoring the sharp pain, she grabbed the vines and pulled herself to her feet. All the while she couldn’t stop staring at this magnificent creature made of nightmares. She took a deep breath and let out a scream that rattled her tonsils.

Chapter Two

Once in the faint sunlight within the Temple, Sorin rose on his hind legs and loomed over the cowering female in his feral form. Running as a beast was the fastest and safest way to travel through the forest.

Ever since the Dark Moon Goddess disappeared over one hundred years ago, the Temple resembled a tomb. The solitude appealed to him. It usually helped him think; however something strange disturbed the place today.

Shaking his mane, he tried to settle his crazed fur. He’d been awake all night tending the sick, and he stank of it.

The strange blue light no longer burned in the sky but he’d tracked an odd, delicate smell to this spot. Something different, something he couldn’t place. It smelled female, and she now crouched behind the altar. Screaming.

His ears folded back against his furred head as he continued to bare his canines at the female. Slim and tall, she remained in her civil form. Odd—she should have shifted at his challenge. She wore a well-tailored jacket that fell to her knees. He’d never seen cloth so clean and white. Her doe-brown hair was pinned in a strange manner, twisted behind her head. Inhaling her scent through his mouth, he tried to taste her pack, but couldn’t find anything.

Leaves rustled behind him as Peder, one of his pack’s omegas, crept through the bush and entered the Temple. Sorin shouldn’t have favorites, but if he did, Peder would be one.

The thin, wiry shifter glanced at him and ducked his head when their eyes met. Sorin’s father had been hard on the weaker members of the pack. Five years since the bastard’s death, and still none of them would meet his gaze, even after all the effort to place his omegas at ease.

He normally wouldn’t have dragged an omega from the pack on this type of journey, but he had to leave what healthy hunters remained to guard the den. Peder had to wolf up and take a more dominant role today.

For a little thing, the female sure could make a lot of noise. “Shush, you’ll attract every creature within earshot.” He had to shout so she could hear him as he stepped around the altar.

Her eyes widened to the size of the giant pink blooms adorning the Temple. All the color drained from her face. Flailing her arms around, she tangled them in the thorny vines growing on the walls. “You can speak?”

He winced. Those thorns could poke through the toughest hides but she didn’t seem to notice them piercing her delicate skin. Thin streams of blood trailed over her pale flesh. “By my hairy arse, female, what are you so afraid of?” He reached to untangle her, but she shrank away, deeper into the vines.

Her limbs trembled, and the scent of her fear almost choked him.

His ears shot up. “You’re afraid of me?” He sniffed her again and sneezed at her strange odor. She didn’t carry a shifter’s scent marks and definitely wasn’t a bloodsucker. What kind of female traveled alone?

Shifters stuck together. It was instinct. He couldn’t imagine any of his females leaving pack lands by themselves.

Maybe she was an outcast from her race? Eorthe held many species. The female could have wandered into their forest by accident. Being unmarked meant anyone could claim her, and that always meant trouble: challenges between males, jealousy among the females, dominance ranking shit. His pack had enough problems.

His heavy heart sank. He’d come to the Temple with Peder to gather the blue flowers that grew on these lands to help the Apisi, his small pack. An illness had set its deadly sights on them. Something invisible, something he couldn’t fight with tooth and claw. The fever was burning through his people, who now had no healer as Sorin had buried their pregnant healer just this morning. Before she passed she’d told him to gather more of these flowers to fight the fever since she’d used the last of her stores, and others still fell ill.

Then this stranger had fallen from the blue light in the sky above his head.

“What are you?” the female asked.

He glanced over his shoulder to make sure she was speaking to him. “I—I’m a wolf shifter, alpha of the Apisi.” Taking a slow step forward, he sniffed close to her body. “What in creation are you?” Now that he stood only a few inches from her, he could see her un-callused hands, as if she’d never seen a single day’s hard work. No scars on the exposed skin of her neck and face. Apparently, she’d never fought for dominance either. Even her fine, tailored clothes appeared too rich for the area.

She struggled to free her arms but only made things worse. “What?” Cocking her head to the side, she stared at him. “I’m human.”

“Stay still.” He snapped the order. Sorin released his retractable claws on one hand, sliced the vines, and freed her arms. “I’ve never heard of hu-man. You must live farther south from the vampires.” So he’d been following the scent of a human.

She clutched her neck with shaky hands. “Vampires?” Her gaze never left his claws as he slowly sliced her legs free.

Once done, he gave her space. Her fear scent excited his beast since fright usually accompanied prey. He tapped his foot, his claws clicking against the stone floor. “What are you doing on Temple lands?”

“I’m lost.” The human spoke so softly he had to strain to hear. She kept glancing between him and golden-furred Peder as if waiting for one of them to pounce.

He tried not to stare so hard. Soft creatures didn’t survive in the wild long, and this female was filled with all different kinds of softness. He sighed. “Did you see the blue light?” All he had wanted was a few moments of peace. Instead, he found…her.

“No, where was it?” She sidestepped toward the Temple exit.

“Right above our heads, not long ago.” His eyes narrowed. “I don’t know how you missed it.” Since she fell out of it. He’d seen her limp form tumbling in the air from the light just before it winked out.

She trembled, and her scent changed. “I—I—oh yeah, the blue light. Weird phenomenon. Scared the shit out of me.” She quickened her steps to the exit. “I should be heading home.”

“How?” The scent of her untruths grew stronger. Everyone knew you couldn’t lie to shifters. Why was she trying? “You just said you were lost. Will you wander unaccompanied through our forests until someone worse than me finds you?”

Peder quietly stepped behind her to block the exit. He might be submissive for a male, but he was smarter than most and could work without guidance. Sorin would make a hunter of him if it was the last thing he did.

The human blinked her large brown eyes, such an unusual color. Everyone he knew had amber, blue or green eyes, never the rich darkness of mother earth. Life came from the earth, which was why they returned their dead to it. Did this human bring life with her?

“Maybe the Goddess sent her?” Peder’s softly spoken question quieted Sorin’s doubts.

Fanning his ears, Sorin stepped closer to her. “Did she send you?” What little hope he’d sheltered for his people had vanished this morning when he’d spoken the burial rites over the graves. This stranger shed some light through his despair.

She shook her head. “N-no.”

“You will return with me.” Sent from the Goddess or not, he couldn’t afford to take any chances by letting her go. So much for not dragging an unmarked female to his den. It would make hunting and defense that much harder since his healthy hunters would strut through their canyon home and beat each other senseless over a stray.

Her gaze darted to the doorway just before she slipped under his arm and past Peder’s reach. Swift as a jackrabbit, she scrambled down the stairs and squeezed into the thick brush surrounding the Temple.

As he watched her escape, Sorin shook his head. He really was tired. Too many sleepless nights in a row were affecting his reflexes. The odd blue light, her sudden appearance and his need for a miracle were too coincidental.

He pointed at Peder. “Go get the flowers and bring them to Lailanie. I’ll take care of the female.”

“Chasing will only frighten her more, Alpha.” Peder still stared at the floor, but at least he offered his advice without being coerced.

“What would you have me do? Let some other pack have her?”

“No, just don’t be so…intimidating.” He pointed to his exposed teeth with his claws. “Try not thinking she’s prey.”

“Go get the fucking flowers, Peder. I promise not to eat her.” He leapt from the stone steps and skirted brush too dense for him to enter. The sly female wedged easily into the smaller spaces where he couldn’t pursue with his bulk, but the brush didn’t lead anywhere. It only surrounded the Temple foundation. She was trapped.

Crouching low to the ground, he moved along the thick wall of plants. His little prey made enough noise that even the youngest of pups could track her. With ears fanned open, he followed her progress. The birds started their songs again as he got to the far end of the area.

By the Dark Moon, she moved slowly. He could have taken a nap while waiting. He watched Peder head toward their home with a small sack of flowers. The rustling in the bushes drew closer, and Sorin gathered his energy to pounce.

From out of the brush snapped a young sapling, which whipped the sensitive tip of his nose. With a yelp, Sorin fell back, clamping his hands over his muzzle. Through pain-filled eyes, he watched the female tear across the open ground.

Sorin blinked to clear his vision and bounded after his suddenly fast quarry. Her white coat fluttered behind her like a treaty flag, but this female didn’t show any signs of surrender.

She ran full-tilt up the hill toward its summit.

Trailing closer, he could smell the trace of border markings on the wind. If he didn’t hurry, she’d run off the neutral ground of Temple lands and onto some other pack’s territory. He couldn’t follow if she did. “Stop! There’s danger that way.”

She twisted and glanced at him, not watching her step. Something caught her foot at the top of the hill and she fell.

Sorin leaped, reaching with clawed fingers. They pierced the hem of her white jacket. The delicate material tore along the sharp edges of his claws, and the shreds slipped through his fingers. Relief mixed with triumph, pumping through his veins, gave way to dread. He scrambled to grab the tatters and not lose the female, but the momentum of her flight downhill sent her tumbling head-over-heels out of his grasp.

A cry echoed over the quiet forest of Payami lands. Kele spun toward the sound. It came from the direction of the hills, off their path.

Her guards, in feral form, tightened the circle around her. They perked their ears forward as low growls rumbled in their chests.

The thick forest blocked her view. She couldn’t see who cried out. Shoving past the males, she headed toward the noise.

Ahote, her primary guard, blocked her way. “We’re to take you to the Temple and the Temple only.” He gestured at the overgrown path that connected their den and their place of worship.

Well, her place of worship. Not many of the pack prayed anymore.

“I’ll send someone to investigate.” He gestured to another of the males.

She glanced at each of her four guards. It wasn’t their fault she needed protection. Her defective body made her weak. Not being able to shift to feral form, stuck as a civilian, left her defenseless in the wilds. Traveling in the forest was safer as a beast, with sharp teeth and claws to fight. Until she figured out her trigger to change shape, she’d need guards whenever leaving the pack’s den.

But she rapped her knuckles on the tip of Ahote’s nose anyway. If she let him boss her around, the others would eventually start. Her place in pack hierarchy was a constant battle. Even her own mother didn’t know how to treat her. “I’m not ignoring a cry for help. They might be hurt.” As daughter of the Payami alpha couple, Kele was due more respect, but the fact she couldn’t shift confused everyone’s instincts.

Ahote’s ears folded back and he moved aside, not breaking eye contact. A quiet growl stirred in his chest as she passed him. It was difficult to ignore the huge, black beast, but if she showed even the slightest scent of fear he’d attack her.

With practiced ease, she slowed her heart rate and kept breathing in a steady rhythm. Any of her guards could tear her to pieces, but she needed to believe they wouldn’t. The only thing stopping them was her overprotective father.

Pushing past the bushes, Kele inhaled. A strange odor blew in the wind, mild and floral.

Not far from the path, a female in civil form lay on the ground at the bottom of the hill. She rested just over the Payami territory line, marked every four days by her father’s scent.

The female sat and gaped at them. Leaves and twigs clung to her brown hair. What used to be a white coat was twisted around her torso.

Kele halted in her tracks.

A massive, silver-furred male raced down the hill toward them.

For a second, Kele lost control of her fear as her heart took flight. He was big—bigger than her father. This boded ill. Packs were not allowed on each other’s territories without an invitation from the alpha.

Her guards charged forward, blocking the strange shifter’s path across their border.

The male slid to a stop but his feet remained on Temple ground. Barely. “She belongs to me.” He leaned forward and confronted Ahote nose-to-nose.

Kele knelt next to the female. “Are you injured?” The female had a traumatized expression. “Did he hurt you?”

She stared at the feral males and grabbed Kele’s hand, her eyes never wavering from the beasts.

Sniffing, Kele tried to detect any scent of abuse. Small amount of blood from minor scrapes. Nothing major. No smell of sex either. Actually, the female smelled very clean, of soap and flowers and more importantly, no scent markers declared her attachments. Not even a pack’s.

“She clearly isn’t yours.” Rising, she stepped between the female and all the males. Unmarked females were a rare commodity. Females were always in demand. Between childbirth and illness, their numbers were less.

Ahote turned, his nostrils flaring as his ears came forward and fanned in surprise. “She doesn’t carry anyone’s scent.”

Kele sighed as all her guards twisted toward the runaway female. Nice. An unmarked female surrounded by a bunch of unmated males. Even though her father kept assigning unmated guards to protect her in hopes one might claim her, no male ever had. Her natural gift to ward off mating interest was an unwanted talent.

She growled her own warning to back off. Not very impressive coming from her in civil form; however something had to be done before their intelligence dropped and they began to think with their cocks. Mating challenges could be bloody.

The silver-furred male crossed his arms over his chest. “She’s not a shifter, which is why she’s free of marks. She calls herself a hu-man.” He snarled at her guards. “I found her first. The Goddess sent her to me.”

If she could be in feral form, Kele’s ears would have perked. “You still worship the Goddess?” She’d thought most shifters either prayed to the vampires’ God or didn’t pray at all.

The strange shifter eyed her from head to foot and kept silent.

“Do you have proof?” Kele raised an eyebrow.

“She fell from a blue light in the sky. Ask her.” He pointed to the unmarked female, who rose to her feet and stood close to Kele’s back.

“Did the Goddess send you?” Kele asked. The blue light was the reason for the trek. Guards watching the entrance to their den reported seeing it burn in the sky above Temple lands. Her parents had sent her to investigate.

The female blinked, her gaze traveling from Kele to the strange male. “I—I don’t know. All gods work in mysterious ways, don’t they?”

Kele didn’t smell any lies. “Did you fall from a blue light?”

Wringing her hands, the female backed away. “Yes,” she whispered.

Kele’s breath caught in her chest. “Truly?” She looked at the strange male once more for confirmation and approached him. He easily towered two feet above her short frame, but she was practiced in how to hold her ground. “She’s on Payami ground now, so I lay claim to her.”

Surprised grunts came from her guards.

“You can’t claim her. You’re—you’re female.” The strange male lifted his foot as if to step over the territorial line.

Her guards growled and closed in on him.

Ears folded back, he bared his teeth and stayed on his side of the border.

“Enough of this.” She clapped her hands as if disrupting a puppy squabble. “She’s not a shifter so she’s not part of pack hierarchy. None of you have rights to her. But she’ll be my guest.” She glared at the foreign shifter who acted like an alpha. “Be off.”

The female leaned close. “Thank you.”

“You’ve grown bold, Kele, for someone who can’t shift.” The stranger shook his mane and relaxed his stance. “You don’t possess the power to order me.”

A small muscle ticked along her jaw. This mutt didn’t need to remind her of her impotence. She was quite aware of it. “And who exactly are you?” Especially since he knew so much about her.

Fur melted to tanned skin. The male kept his muscular shape as his animal nature faded and he changed to his civil form. His muzzle and ears reshaped, leaving a rugged, angry face. A pale scar ran across his face to the corner of his lower lip, giving him a perpetual frown.

He didn’t cover his nudity. “Sorin, alpha of the Apisi.” His untidy silver hair hung down his back to his hips.

The female who tumbled down the hill gasped, her tight grip on Kele’s hand weakening as her eyes rolled back. She crumpled to the forest floor.

Kele blinked at the prone body at her feet. What had happened? Did she just die? She knelt, pressed her fingertips to the female’s throat and found a steady, strong pulse.

The ground vibrated with the rising sound of growls.

The alpha had crossed the line and squatted across from her. “Is she hurt?” Sorin brushed a loose strand of hair from the female’s cheek. Concern flashed across his face—so quick Kele wasn’t sure if she’d truly seen it. Dark circles and worry lines made Sorin appear older. Her gut said the female wasn’t the cause of his premature aging.

Ahote went down on all fours behind Sorin. The fur along his spine stood on end, and his bared fangs dripped saliva. He crept closer.

“Wait!” She raised her hands to stop the attack but a second too late.

Sorin twisted in time to meet the assault but her guards were in feral form, and the alpha was outnumbered.

She heard the crack of flesh hitting flesh, and the scent of fresh blood masked all other smells in the area. The fight didn’t last long. Her guards stood over Sorin’s prone, unmoving body and panted.

“You better not have killed him!” The idiots. Her father had no tolerance when it came to trespassers. They were usually beaten and returned to Temple land as a warning. Repeat offenders became omegas of her pack.

But Sorin was an alpha. She shook her head. This was different. Kele had heard the stories about the Apisi, a small pack to the North—too small to be a threat and too crazy to absorb into her pack. Her father barely tolerated their existence. She didn’t want them to retaliate over something as insignificant as young males fighting over a female. “Toss him back to neutral ground.”

Ahote returned her stare with his sharp blue eyes. “You sure? Your father may want to speak with him first.”

“About what? It’s not like his pack has anything we want.” Trading for the return of a trespasser was a common practice. Someone had to pay the price of breaking pack law. As an alpha, Sorin should have brought a nice bounty, but she knew his pack was poorer than dirt. She ground her teeth. She wouldn’t risk displeasing her father either. He might protect her from others but he didn’t have a problem tanning her ass. “Fine, bring him.”

She regarded the prone female.

Ahote knelt on the other side of her.

“She fainted. Sorin frightened her, I think.” Kele kept her laughter in check. “I don’t care if the Goddess sent her or not. That’s not a good way to leave an impression on an unmated female.”

Her first guard ran a gentle fingertip over the female’s unmarred cheek. “She acts like she’s never seen a shifter before. Have you ever heard of a hu-man?”

“No.” Kele bent closer to examine the inside of the female’s mouth. “No fangs. Her canines are too small and dull for a shifter.” She rolled her onto her side. “No wings, tail or fins.”

He leaned closer. “The light?”

“That’s why my father sent us.”

“Do you truly think she came from the Goddess?”

“She doesn’t work so openly, Ahote.” She rose to her feet. If the female came from the light, she’d need to question her before anyone else questioned her. Maybe she held the key to freeing Kele from the curse of remaining in civil form.

She assessed the female’s slim shape, a shape that contained a nice touch of extra curves that Kele lacked. “You’ll care for her? Not let these dogs abuse her?”

A snarl escaped Ahote. “But I’m not interested in a permanent mate.”

Kele fought to control a grin at his expression. Ahote could use a little humility. “I know. That’s why it has to be you until I find out more about her.”

He grimaced. “Fine, but you can’t hold it against me if I play with her. This is your idea, not mine.”

“Fair enough.”

Koishi

Never make a deal with a dragon.

Sandra’s sister is dying. All the doctors agree that nothing more can be done, but she can’t give up hope. After using all her resources searching for a cure, a little bird whispers in Sandra’s ear about secret worlds, Gates, and the Keepers who protect them. A dragon Gatekeeper, who hoards magical treasure within his volcano home in Japan, can possibly hold an item to cure her sister.

Gates choose their Keepers and Koishi thinks his did an excellent job in picking him. Not many dare to cross and none who try survive.  However, one tiny human female with either the courage of an army or the intelligence of a gnat has arrived on the island asking for him. Curious and not wanting to disappoint, he waits for the locals to steer her to his human ‘servant’, which is him in his man form.

Let the games begin…

CONTENT WARNING: Goblins, mayhem, and sushi await you with hot dragon sex and Koishi’s odd sense of humor.

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Chapter 1

Never make a deal with a dragon.

Koishi yawned so wide his jaw cracked. If he didn’t kill something soon, he’d--he’d have to find a hobby. A shudder ran down his human form’s spine. At least the winds were growing stronger so there would be good flying tonight.

Takai Crossing, the gate to Outremer in the east, had been quiet the last two months. Too quiet. Nothing had tried to escape into Inverness, otherwise known as Earth.

Outremer was the realm of magic. All manners of creatures lived there, including his kind. It was a dark and dangerous world. The gates, where both worlds touched, allowed people to cross. Keepers, such as he was, protected the worlds from spilling too much into each other.

The two worlds around his gate were safe for the moment.

The rough seas splashed warm water onto his bare feet and washed away the dirt from the dock. Dark storm clouds brewed over the horizon, racing toward Izu Oshima Island. Bands of orange and red slashed across them as the sun set.

He couldn’t wait until it arrived. Flying against the elements, muscle and sinew versus lightning and rain, would provide some relief from this calm.

Sheep bleated as the cargo ship knocked against the dock wall.

“Moe,” he called out over the noise.

The animals scurried to the far end of their pen and silence fell over the small herd.

Sometimes animals were smarter than humans. They could sense a predator in disguise.

“Koishi.” Captain Moe waved from across the ship’s deck. He helped a female to stand, hanging her head and arms over the side rail. “Vomit in the sea, not on my ship,” he told her before shuffling toward the stern.

Clinging to the pens, Koishi kept his balance and surveyed the stock. A few cattle, less than he’d like. Twentyish head of sheep, difficult to count when they squeezed together like that.

From the barking--he grinned--a few dogs.

Moe gave him a quick bow, then gestured to the livestock. “This week’s order. Was

Master Ishi pleased with last week’s?” His voice shook. Who could blame him? Koishi’s dragon form was fierce, which forced him to hide among them in his man-form, as his own servant. A genius idea.

“Yes, he especially enjoyed the little dogs you brought.” The small bundles had been tender and their hair very short so they didn’t tickle when swallowed. They went well with a movie.

“The Chihuahuas?”

“Yes, those. You should buy a few breeding pair and start producing them. He’ll buy

whatever you bring.”

Moe grimaced, but nodded.

Why did humans frown upon him eating dogs? They were delicious. He’d even sent his

crazed mother a basket of them as a present. He would have loved to see the expression on her stern face when those arrived. She never played with her food. Her warrior nature wouldn’t allow such nonsense.

The boat jerked from under his feet as a fierce wave knocked the ship once more. “Better unload my--uh--Master Ishi’s--cargo before the storm hits. He finished the last of his prey yesterday and is hungry.” His stomach grumbled and he rubbed it. Not long now.

A groan traveled from the half-conscious female hanging on the side-rails for dear life.

“Your woman looks ill.”

Moe snorted. “Not mine. The ferry won’t run in this weather and she refused to wait. She bought passage with me.” He chuckled. “She fed the fish the whole way across. Where such a tiny thing keeps all that stored is beyond me.”

The smell from that side of the ship soured the air. He shook his head. Tourists. Always in a rush, clogging the beaches and disturbing his home. No matter the rumors of his existence, a few had to be chased down the volcano’s side as a reminder that the area wasn’t safe to play around. He doubted any of them truly wanted to cross through the gate--it would be suicide--but he couldn’t allow concrete evidence of him to surface. Baker Morris, a human company that dealt with the gatekeepers, would have a fit.

The magic realm tolerated some humans, but not the section where his gate exited.

Shadowburn was a place where nightmares were born, and Takai gate resided close to a goblin nest. Whatever mortal stepped through wouldn’t survive for long. No, his duty was to keep the vermin from crossing into Inverness, or like the humans called it, Earth.

His memory surpassed those of the short-lived locals, though they did tell their young the goblin stories. He had heard them repeated often in taverns and around campfires. In each one he was the hero. He’d driven back the goblin hordes when the last gatekeeper had been

overwhelmed, and he would continue to do so until he fell.

What dragon wouldn’t want such a destiny?

He had easy food, battles at his doorstep, and an island full of people who worshipped the myth of him. The gate had chosen well when it bonded to him.

Moe followed him off the ship. “She barely speaks Japanese.”

“Who?”

“The puker.”

He shrugged and continued along the dock. A truck backed close to the ship. “Load the livestock in there. I’ve hired new handlers, so show them what to do.” He dropped a gold coin into Moe’s waiting hand.

Unfortunately, changes happened quicker in the mortal world. Not many dealt with gold or silver anymore. Humans wanted paper or plastic now, but where was the warm and shiny in that?

Moe liked gold. Koishi could appreciate that in a male, and he trusted greed. They

worked well together. Too bad Moe would be dead in a few decades. Finding ships, not only to transport, but to make his purchases on the main island, grew more difficult with each generation. If he had to start hunting the old fashioned way, they’d find a replacement fast, he guessed.

“Don’t let them release the dogs. They escape the pastures too easily, then the fucking locals adopt them. Master Ishi hates to make little girls cry.” He gave Moe a meaningful glare.

Some of those Chihuahuas had escaped the pen last week. Little slippery snacks. His old handlers didn’t want them eaten.

Nobody would ever see him setting farmers’ poultry loose because he didn’t agree with the human penchant for winged meat, though technically, chickens couldn’t fly. He wouldn’t eat them. It wasn’t ethical.

Moe bowed. “Please extend my apologies to your master, Koishi. I’ll make sure these

handlers are more respectful and unauthorized releases never happen again.”

* * * *

Sandra stared at the mocking gray waves. They rolled the ship back and forth, back and

forth, back and…she heaved one more time, pain radiating across her stomach, but nothing came out. Vomit had stopped flowing out of her before they’d docked. There was only so much a woman could puke, after all.

The lovely captain, who smelled of a wonderful combination of aged sheep and fish, had yelled at her the whole trip. Every time he approached and made her lean over the side of the ship, his stench would start a fresh wave of heaving. She needed to get off this forsaken ship before they had to bury her at sea.

Pushing against the railing, she took one stumbling step at a time across the rocking deck.

If she waited for the world to stabilize, she’d grow old and gray before making one move. As she fell forward, something hard caught her under the arm and prevented a full force belly flop. A nibble on her fingertips shocked her straight out the nausea. She jerked her hand away and braced herself against a wooden pen.

Sheep.

She wiped the ewe spit on her shirt, next to the vomit stain. A sob knotted in her chest.

She had to be here. She’d had no choice. Glaring at the animals, she wobbled away, using the pen’s fence as a crutch.

Captain Moe stood on the dock speaking with a tall Asian man. Hell, they were all Asian.

She was the foreigner here. Japan had sounded so distant a few days ago, yet here she stood after spreading her DNA across the narrow strip of ocean separating the main island from this small one.

She hadn’t met too many Asians who were taller than her. Eyeing him, she appreciated the way his jeans clung to his muscular legs. His white t-shirt had a few dirt smudges on the front. He folded his thick arms over his chest and watched her slow progress with what she thought was a hint of amusement.

On weak legs, she stepped off the death trap and took a deep breath. It didn’t smell any better, but it at least didn’t smell worse. She had to find somewhere to stay before beginning her search. Someplace with a shower. Oh yes, a long, hot shower with lots and lots of soap to wash away the boat journey’s nightmarish memory.

The last few months had shredded her world. Her sister’s condition had taken a turn for the worse and the doctors had told Beth that her prognosis was poor. When Sandra had left, they were trying to convince her to send Beth to a hospice. She’d refused the idea.

Beth was all the family she had left. Nothing would stand in Sandra’s way of finding some hope, a procedure, or a…cure.

Not even a dragon.

She had run to her best friend and they’d cried on each other’s shoulders. That was when her friend had confessed a have-to-take-it-to-the-grave secret or her employer would kill them both. Her friend worked for Baker Morris, an agency that researched, chronicled, monitored and sometimes was forced to police creatures that came from another plane.

This other world was called Outremer and certain areas of both worlds touched to create gates. That was when she learned about gatekeepers. Especially about a certain dragon keeper who hoarded magical treasure.

Humans didn’t know about the magical realm. Hell, it had taken some convincing to get her to believe, and she was desperate. Determination could stiffen any spine and give courage to any coward. She’d need to muster all she could to face Gatekeeper Ishi. They didn’t have dragons in the mid-west. He’d be her first, and she didn’t know shit about them.

Flipping through her English-to-Japanese phrase book, she approached the captain and asked for the closest hotel.

Both men blinked and stared as if she grown a second head.

The stranger snorted, then threw his head back laughing. He slapped the captain on the back and dropped him to the ground. “Oh!” Bending over, he helped the captain back to his feet.

“We don’t run those types of tea houses on the island anymore. It’s frowned upon.”

“Tea house? I asked for a hotel.” Slapping the book closed, she stuffed it in her pocket.

“You speak good English.”

“So do you.” He continued to grin as the captain bowed to him and returned to the ship.

“It’s an odd time of the year to visit Izu Oshima Island. Tourist season doesn’t start for another month.”

“Good, it should be easy to find a room. Can you point me in the right direction?” The seasickness fogging her head faded and her vision cleared. Her gaze met the man’s dark, intense stare. Heat flushed her cheeks in a wave of awareness. In her state of disarray, puke stains and all, she wanted to crawl back on the boat.

His gaze traveled lower, caressing her curves, before returning to her face. Only a

predator could own such a hungry stare. “If you make a right off the dock, it will lead you to the main road.”

“Thank you.” She shifted the weight of the pack on her back and marched toward the

street.

He twisted as she passed him, his gaze weighing heavily on her. “It’s about a three hour walk to the nearest hotel. If you run, you might beat the storm.”

She spun around. “What?” she wanted to smack that stupid grin off his face. The trip across the strait had been harrowing enough. She wasn’t in any shape to hike in a storm. “Do you have cabs?”

“Yes.” He approached her. “During tourist season.”

“Then how do people move around the island? There have to be buses.” She peered at the storm clouds, which appeared closer than before. She hadn’t considered the consequences of rushing here. Time was running out and she’d jumped on the first flight out to Japan.

“They walk or bike. There are a few buses, but I don’t know their schedules.” His gaze lowered to the opening of her blouse. “Maybe we could come to some kind of arrangement.”

Gasping, she clutched the edges of her blouse shut. “I don’t think so.” She must look better than she felt or smelled. How could anyone be interested in her in this state?

He rolled his eyes. “I meant your necklace.”

“Oh.” The heat of her mortified blush almost blistered the skin off her cheeks. Of course, he wasn’t making a crude pass at her. He was only trying to swindle her. Nice.

He gave her a crooked smile as if he knew exactly what she’d been thinking. “The gold reflects the light very nicely.” Reaching for her jewelry, he bypassed her swatting hands until he held the small heart-shaped pendant in his palm.

She yanked it away. “It’s not up for trade. My mother gave it to me.” She’d died in her sleep a year earlier after a long, happy life. Out of all the things from her estate, Sandra had only wanted this necklace. Her father, who’d passed years ago, had given it to her mother when they’d first met.

“It has a nice weight to it and is well crafted.” His gaze lingered on her necklace for a second longer before meeting her stare. “I have a truck. I could drive you into town where you would have a pick of fine hotels.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

“For the necklace.”

She growled like a rabid dog. Yes, it had been that kind of day. “I said no. Nain!”

“Nine?”

“What?” She threw up her arms and abandoned all hope of help.

“That’s what you said. Nine what? Rides? I usually don’t play taxi for tourists, but…”

His gaze grew heavy with darker promises. “For you, I’d offer a ride on me.”

She blinked. Did he understand what he’d just said? “I think we lost something in

translation.” In both their cases. “I’ll manage on my own.” Stalking to the road, she ignored his laughter and pulled out her phrase book. Lost and tired, all she wanted was a room. Maybe she could stay in someone’s home for the night. But how did she ask? These sentences were more tailored for people who had already arrived at their destination. Where is the bathroom? Where is the phone?  She didn’t see a Can I spend the night?  written anywhere. Then again, that could translate improperly and she’d end up in a worse situation.

Reaching the road, she turned right and kept searching for some kind of help. Another American tourist, an embassy, or even a flipping McDonald’s would be welcome.

A pick-up truck slowed next to her and the window rolled down. “Maybe you have

something else to trade?”

The stranger had followed her and she gave him a what-the-hell look.

“I’d hate for you to walk all that way after such a harrowing boat ride.” He winked at her.

“That’s very kind of you.” She stopped walking, forcing him to slam on the brakes to maintain their conversation. Could she trust this stranger who exhibited a touch of stalker tendency? Flashes of serial killer music sang through her thoughts. She glanced around at the mostly empty road. What choice did she have? At least he spoke good English so when he murdered her she’d understand his evil monologue. “Maybe you could offer to drive me for free?”

He stared at her with mock surprise. “There’s such a thing?”

“Yes.” She dropped her pack to the ground, her shoulders already aching, and tried her best to not smile back at the jerk.

Leaning forward, he tilted his head to the side. “Why?”

She shook her head. “It must be a cultural thing.” Kneeling, she rummaged inside her bag and pulled out her wallet. She was on a tight budget. All her savings had gone to purchasing information. “How much?”

“Money?” He grimaced. “I don’t like paper. Don’t you carry anything valuable?”

“Most people would consider money valuable.” She mumbled under her breath as she

shoved her wallet back into her pack. With a little more digging, she found her small carrying case and held out two silver earrings. “That’s all I’ve got. Take it or bug off.” She laid them on his outstretched hand.

He sniffed at the metal. “There’s not much silver in this.”

“How can you tell?” Her shout echoed over the water.

“I just can. Get in. I’ll give generosity a try.”

She climbed inside the old cab with peeling leather seats before he could change his mind. “It’s only charitable if you don’t keep the earrings.”

He dropped them in his breast pocket. “Believe me, this is charity.”

Starved For Love

By Annie Nicholas

After almost dying of starvation to remain faithful to a mortal lover, succubus Pia Blyton now shields her heart by feeding solely on men she won't fall for. The only trick is, to create energy to survive, she must achieve orgasm. At least that rules out bad sex with her three lovers. Too bad she's a sucker for falling in love.

When her demon lover doesn't arrive for their arranged rendezvous, Pia is forced to ask her vampire lover to step in before her energy becomes dangerously low. In return he demands a favor and Pia finds herself in the hotel suite of the mysterious Valerio Hunan, who seduces her with a devastating kiss. Too late Pia learns he's an incubus who wants to lure her into marriage—a marriage without love.

As an incubus used to bedding a variety of succubi, Val doesn't understand Pia's yearning for love. He needs a succubus wife to provide him with a steady source of energy. But he wants Pia for the passion and renewed interest in life she makes him feel. Can Pia convince Val that sex isn't just for survival and love is for more than the weak?

BUY

Chapter One

Day three of my cycle

Sex and love should come in the same package, but for a succubus, that meant trouble. Sex equaled food and fidelity couldn’t be part of the equation. Humans couldn’t eat the same thing every meal and stay healthy, and neither could we.

I thumped on the steel door of an industrial garage. Most people didn’t know the largest vampire nest in the Northeast was contained in an underground facility below this building. I kept up my third round of pounding. I knew the vampires were in there. The sun had just set. Someone needed to drag his lazy butt out of bed to answer the door. “I’m not going away!” Security cameras and microphones monitored the place 24/7. The jerks knew I was here.

I needed to feed, and to do that, I needed to get laid. Like all succubi, I survived on the energy created in my body during an orgasm. I couldn’t even stay alive on bad sex. Finding attractive, skilled partners wasn’t a problem in Lake City, but I was a sucker for falling in love. I couldn’t handle the guilt of a one-night stand, and if I tried to live off one male forever, I’d starve, which my instincts wouldn’t allow. I’d tried it once and would never allow myself to go down that road again.

Neither would my parents.

Rain plastered my short curls to my head. Normally, they stuck straight out, the different shades of autumn leaves. I’d be lucky if my suitor didn’t slam the door in my face at the sight of my drenched appearance. But I needed him in a bad way.

I added a kick to my knocking. “It’s Pia, damn it. And it’s raining. Let me in.”

The door finally opened. “The Master’s not expecting you for another seven days.”

I pushed past Rat, one of Zur-Sin’s minions, and huddled in the antechamber. “I know. Tell him I have a problem.”

“What trouble are you in now, Pia?” Sin’s voice carried over an intercom by the door leading into the vampire lair. Pressing the talk button, I stood on tiptoe to speak in the microphone. “John left a note pinned to my door. He left town last night.” I hoped he was okay. Being a low-level demon bites. Someone was always on his ass.

“So?”

“He’s my suitor for today.” I glanced at Rat, who chuckled. “Shut up.”

“Go see Cooper.”

“Cooper’s on a hunting trip with the pack. Won’t be back for another three days when it’s his turn.”

“I can oblige.” Rat stroked a hand down my back.

His touch sent a wave of desire through my body, but I wasn’t so far gone yet that I’d jump anything with a dick. “Fuck off.” I shoved him away. At least, I tried to. Beauty was a succubus power, not muscle. “We made a deal, Sin.”

“Every nine days. You were just here three days ago.”

“Yeah, do the math, genius. Today’s day three in my cycle. You want me to do Rat instead? I’m out of options.” I crossed my arms and glared at the vampire lackey. I’d eat my own arm before touching him but Sin didn’t have to know that.

“Bring her down, Ratan.”

Rat’s fanged grin faded. “Yes, Master.” He unlocked the door and opened it for me like a gentleman. “Whores first.”

I pulled my jacket tighter around me and fought the shivers. Half-drowned, my need burned inside my body, the hunger for flesh rubbing on flesh setting my skin to oversensitive. If Sin didn’t take me to his bed then I’d have to find some stranger to screw. Nausea rolled in my stomach. I never should have been born a succubus. To my parent’s shame and concern, I wasn’t amoral enough.

They monitored my every meal. How much worse could my life get when my father interviewed potential lovers for me? For crying out loud, what happened with Pierre was history and they needed to let go of the past. I did. Tried…

Racing down the stairs and across the sub-basement, I strode by other vampires, all of them part of Zur-Sin’s nest. He controlled Lake City at night and my father had it during the day. That’s how I met Sin. My father hooked me up two years ago to keep me from starving. Twenty-five years old and I still lived with my parents. All four of them.

Most mortals wouldn’t understand my dad being interested in my sex life, but he worried and stressed about my lack of lovers to feed upon since I was so picky. I had three now. That should be more than enough if they would just cooperate.

I waited for Rat to twist his key in the elevator so it would travel into the secured areas below us. The doors slid open and I jumped inside. “Try not to take too long. He has appointments to keep.” With those lovely instructions, Rat keyed the doors closed and I descended into Sin’s world.

Shaking the excess water from my hair, I tried to poof some life back into my signature curls. They sagged on my forehead. Sighing at my reflection, I hung my head. Nothing was sadder than a disheveled, horny succubus.

The doors slid open and a large pair of bare feet stepped into my view. A finger slipped under my chin and raised my gaze. Zur-Sin, ancient vampire warrior, stared at me with his stern dark eyes. Dressed in only a pair of black silk pajama bottoms, he looked good enough to eat. He brushed the curls from my face and frowned. “You have much to learn about the art of seduction.”

“I dressed up last time I was here. I get panicky when things don’t go my way on day threes.”

“It’s not all about appearance, Pia. You’re beautiful even when left out in the rain.” He bent and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. Sin’s touch always struck a spark—even on my off days he could lure me to his bed. “Grace and tact would be appreciated at times. You can’t barge into my nest making demands. It makes me seem weak.”

“I’m sorry.” I leaned against his solid chest. His pale skin still retained the warmth of his last feed. I didn’t ask about his latest conquest. We had a business deal signed in blood. He gave me an orgasm every nine days and I fed him with my blood. No strings attached. I think I came out on top of that deal because Sin could be a generous lover when in the right mood. And I had learned how to guide him into those moods.

He placed a kiss to the top of my head. “Next time call. I have a human secretary, remember? She’d have made quieter arrangements.”

“She hates me.” I squirmed, pressing my thighs together to help relieve the growing demands between them.

Sin sighed and led me into his apartment, through the living room, past his office and into the bedroom where he sat on the edge of his king-sized bed. He plucked a remote off the mattress and turned on some slow jazz. Leaning back onto his elbows, he ran his gaze over me. “Undress.”

I knew this game. It was his favorite. The command was a comfort, something familiar in a day filled with anxiety, since my scheduled suitor had abandoned me. I had watched the sun move across the sky, feeling my need grow. Unbuttoning my raincoat, I tossed it to the floor. I listened to the music and allowed the beat to pace my movements. Shirt, jeans and socks came off slow and easy. Each stroke of my hand over my skin intensified my yearning. All the while he watched, his eyes caressing my curves, so intent it made me ache.

I unclasped the front of my bra and stalked toward the edge of the bed. The straps slid from my shoulders and down my arms, releasing my breasts. Cool air brushed over my wet skin and sent a shiver through my limbs.

“You’re cold.” He offered me his hand. I climbed in his warm bed. Lying next to him, I ran my hand through his short, sunny-blond hair. “What would I do without you?”

He chuckled. “Save those words for your other suitors.” Trailing a sharp fingernail over my breastbone, he drew a path to my belly button and teased the small ring pierced there. “What will you give me in exchange for tonight?”

I blinked and tilted my head to see his face better. “What I always pay, my blood.”

He shook his head. “I already fed and the price went up.”

“Sin.”

“Zur-Sin.” His dark gaze pinned me to the spot. Sometimes I forgot how old he truly was. The young-looking man lying next to me wasn’t from my generation and could be crueler than Lucifer when he wanted to be.

I swallowed the cold lump of fear in my throat. “What do you want?”

Bending over my nipple, he circled it with the tip of his tongue.

I groaned and arched toward his devilish mouth, unable to control my traitorous body.

Every three terrible days, I had to have an orgasm. My body wouldn’t stop until I did or I died. The more the need grew, the less control I had, until I was humping some poor schmuck in an alley. May that never, ever, happen again.

“A business rival of mine is in town. Valerio Hunan. I hear rumors he’s thinking of staying. I need to know if he is and what his plans are.” He blew over the wet spot he’d created. It sent a sharp pang of desire straight to my core. “You can practice your grace and tact on him and then tell me what I want to know.” He rolled on top of me, pinning my hands to the bed.

“I’m terrible at espionage. Ask my father.” I writhed under Sin. Not because I wanted escape, but to rub against his fine muscled body. The vampire was built to kill.

He settled between my willing thighs and rocked. “Time to grow up, Pia.”

“You’re such a tease.” I flung my head back in frustration. “Fine. Sex first.”

He chuckled, dark and deep; the sound made my soul tremble. “Of course.” With his sharp nail, he scratched the inside of my wrist.

I twisted to look at our hands. “What are you doing?”

“This pact has to be sealed in blood.” He did the same to his wrist—

“Wait…”

—and pressed our wounds together.

“Shit, Sin.” I yanked my hand away. “You can be such an ass.” If I broke a deal sealed in blood, he’d never help me again. I hated to admit it but Sin was my go-to guy for almost everything.

“You didn’t think I’ve obtained my position on charm and good looks?” He leaned toward his bedside table and buzzed his intercom.

“Yes, Master?”

“Reschedule my appointments. I’ll be busy for the rest of the night.” He flipped it off, knelt between my legs and, with practiced ease, slithered out of his bottoms. Trailing his fingers over my damp panties, he finally smiled, exposing his deadly fangs. “Let’s make sure you’re well fed.”

I wanted to kick him in the balls but the last time I tried such a dumbass move he’d spanked me. Hard. I couldn’t sit for a week.

Hooking a finger under my panties, he dragged them off my hips until I lay bare under him. “Where should we start this time?” He nipped at my collarbone as he ran his hands along my torso and hips.

“Sin.” His name dragged out of my throat. In a flash of desire my anger went poof. I’d find it tomorrow, tossed behind the bone-melting satisfaction he’d leave me in, and probably be too exhausted to care.

He swept his fingers between my folds. “Always so wet for me, Pia.” With familiar aim, he pinched my clit, rolling it between his fingertips.

“Oh shit.” I thrust my hips, raising them off the mattress. No matter what, I’d always be putty in his hands. A toy, a tool in a moment of his long existence, and I never doubted that he would outlive us all.

Guiding my legs over his shoulders, he bent me in half as he pressed the tip of his cock against my entrance. “Say it.”

I bit the bottom of my lip as I met his gaze.

Rocking his hips, he cock teased, driving just inside of me, then withdrawing. “I can do this all night.”

I knew he could—the bastard had done it before. He’d left me a quivering mass by morning. Sometimes I hated him. He’d make me say it.

He continued to stroke me in all the right places until I panted, the need so strong I thought it would burn me from the inside out.

“Please.”

“Please, what?”

“Master,” I cried out. As soon as the word left my lips, he plunged inside of me to the hilt.

Hard and fast, he pumped with my ankles around his neck. Like everything Sin did, he pushed with power and confidence.

I met every stroke, squeezed him with my secret muscles and felt every inch of his length. My need loved the energy he helped create.

It was dark and potent, curling inside my belly, then lashing out in a burst of adrenaline. What we created together carried an edge to it like suicidally hot wings. I loved their spiciness, but they were cruel to me, just like him. Nothing would keep me from ordering them, though. Sin was my zesty suitor, setting all my succubus taste buds on fire.

My body had the capacity to create energy from sex, but my partners each added a mysterious element of themselves that helped sate my need. That’s why masturbation didn’t work. I needed that pinch of sexual oomph from a lover to make my motor roar.

Each thrust brought me closer to the edge until I finally stepped off, crying his name until I was hoarse. Heat swelled in my abdomen as his seed spilled into me. The warmth spread as my body generated the added nourishment I needed to survive. Millions of years of evolution, descended from demons, and yet we were still parasites, living off other species, slaves to their sexual desires so we could survive.

Sin released his hold and rolled off me.

Groping for my purse on the floor by the bed, I searched inside for a glass vial. The cork popped off easily and I pressed the edge against my lips. A slow spill of blue energy poured inside until the bottle filled, then I capped it.

Sin watched with mild interest. “Do your sisters still feed your father as well?”

“Yes.” I set the vial in my purse. An incubus could only feed from a succubus and most incubi kept a harem of wives. But our mothers couldn’t support our father’s growing needs. The stronger the incubus, the more he fed, and my dad co-ruled a city. He should be shopping for a new wife, but oddly for our people, he loved our mothers so much he feared breaking the delicate balance they enjoyed.

Fidelity didn’t fit in our lifestyle. Since my sisters and I were old enough to feed, we decided to do our part by placing a small portion of our feeds in vials. This was only a patch, not a solution. Governing the charm, a group of succubi and incubi, in Lake City took power, but our supplemental feedings sustained him for now.

“That’s sweet.” Sin’s tone didn’t reflect his words.

“What is up your ass tonight?” I picked up my panties only to have him swipe them from my hand.

“You need to find more suitors. The three you have aren’t enough.” He yanked me back into his arms.

“I’ve learned my lesson. I promise to never barge into here again.” I turned away and faced the wall. “That’s not the point, Pia. You have to embrace your nature. Your sisters don’t have suitors. They—”

“Fuck around. I get it. I should be a slut.”

He rested his forehead against my shoulder. “What if I wasn’t here today? What if you had to make do with Rat?”

I closed my eyes, trying not to picture that image. “I don’t know.”

“You need backup. Would a mortal once in a while be so bad?”

“Did my father ask you to have this talk with me?”

He laughed and it sounded easier and lighter than before. “No, but contrary to popular belief, I do care about what happens to you.” He pressed a kiss against the back of my neck, his hand tracking toward my breast. “Think about it.”

I rolled onto my back and wrapped my arms around his neck. “I think you owe me a night of pleasure, Master.” I knew Sin cared but his brand of fuzzies stung.

He opened the drawer by the bed. “Let’s see what kind of toys I left in here.”

Table of Contents

- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Chapter Eleven
- Chapter Twelve
- Chapter Thirteen
- Chapter Fourteen
- Chapter Fifteen
- Chapter Sixteen
- Chapter Seventeen
- Chapter Eighteen
- Chapter Nineteen
- Chapter Twenty
- Chapter Twenty-One
- Chapter Twenty-Two
- Chapter Twenty-Three
- Chapter Twenty-Four
- Chapter Twenty-Five
- Chapter Twenty-Six
- Chapter Twenty-Seven
- Chapter Twenty-Eight
- Chapter Twenty-Nine
- Chapter Thirty
- Chapter Thirty-One
- Epilogue
- About Author
- Other Books by Annie
- Scent of Salvation
- Koishi
- Starved for Love