Darkness Dawns

Chapter 18

Sarah watched the emotions flitting across Bastien’s battered face. Even though she was angry at him for kidnapping her and trying to kill Roland, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

He had been trying to avenge his sister’s death and instead had learned that his brother-in-law and best friend was the one who had murdered her, and he had his enemy to thank for bringing him to justice.

What a mess.

“Why?” he asked Roland. “Why would he kill her? He loved her. I know he did.”

“The bloodlust is very strong in the beginning, even stronger in vampires than it is in us.” Roland shook his head. “He may have only intended to take a sip and lost control. It’s how I killed my wife.”

Sarah wished she could find a way to erase that memory for him.

Seth, Marcus, Lisette, and Étienne entered the next room.

Their faces were Jackson Pollocked with scarlet streaks and blotches. Lisette and Étienne’s rubber suits glistened wetly and sported numerous neat cuts. Marcus’s clothing was torn in several places and boasted large damp patches. Seth’s clothes, though stained, were completely intact.

All four, from the knees down, looked as though they had waded through a vat of blood.

As they strolled forward to stand just inside the entrance of the small room Sarah, Roland, and Bastien occupied, Bastien stiffened and straightened his shoulders.

Marcus took in the chains on the wall, as well as Roland’s and Bastien’s bloody dishevelment, with speculative eyes.

Lisette moved to stand beside Sarah. “Are you all right?”

She nodded. “How about you?”

“I could use a shower.”

Bastien stared at Seth. “You’re the daywalker.”

“Yes.” Seth looked past Sarah at the painting, his face grim. “I know this comes inexcusably late”—he met Bastien’s combative gaze—“but I would like to offer my sincere condolences on the death of your sister.”

Bastien’s look turned uncertain.

Seth’s words, his expression, his body language broadcasted nothing but genuine regret.

Kindness was surely the last thing Bastien had expected from the leader of the Immortal Guardians.

“Where are my men?” Bastien asked in a low voice.

“Are they your men?” Marcus asked. “Did you transform them?”

When Bastien refused to answer, Seth said, “No, he recruited them after others transformed, then abandoned them.”

“Where are my men?” he asked again.

Marcus, Lisette, and Étienne looked away.

“They’re dead,” Seth informed him flatly.

Bastien blanched. “All of them?”

Sarah wondered how close he had been to them, if he had considered them his friends.

“All but one of the humans—”

“You said you didn’t kill humans!” Bastien shouted, turning on Roland before Seth could finish.

“I said we didn’t kill innocents,” Roland corrected.

Lisette nodded. “And those men were not innocent, Bastien. They were depraved. They just hid it well.”

Bastien shook his head, his face full of denial. “What about the vampires? Did you kill them, too?”

“All but three,” Seth acknowledged.

The next thing Sarah knew, Bastien was beside her, yanking the sword from her hands and swinging it at Seth with phenomenal speed.

Seth vanished before the blade could strike home. The other immortals lunged at Bastien, then stopped short when Seth reappeared behind him. Wrapping one arm around the younger immortal’s chest and sword arm and the other around his neck, he deftly restrained him.

“Étienne, you and Lisette take the vampires and the human we spared to the network. They’re to be guarded at all times, but treated well. I’ll call later with further instructions.”

The network.

Sarah’s eyes widened. Chris!

She had forgotten all about him. He had been guarding her when Bastien had taken her. Had Bastien …

Were Chris and his men dead?

She couldn’t remember what had happened.

“Roland,” Seth went on, curbing Bastien’s struggles as easily as a parent would a child’s, “don’t kill Chris when you see him.”

Relief supplanted worry. Chris was okay, then.

Roland’s expression turned mutinous.

“None of us knew Bastien had found the tunnels,” Seth said. “Had he been aware, Chris would have been better prepared.”

Étienne frowned. “He got in through the tunnels?”

“Yes.”

Roland glared at Bastien. “How the hell did you know about them?”

“It’s called surveillance, asshole,” Bastien snarled.

Sarah sighed. She supposed she could understand his hostility. He had just found out that Roland’s friends had killed all but four of his.

In the next instant, Seth and Bastien vanished.

The tension in the room left with them.

“So,” Marcus said, “someone want to clue me in? Unlike Seth and these two”—he motioned to Lisette and Étienne—“I can’t read minds. What happened to the sister?”

Roland motioned to the painting. “Shortly after turning vampire, her husband killed her. To cover his ass, he said I killed her, then transformed him. Hence Bastien’s thirst for revenge.”

Marcus stared at the figures in the portrait. “She was Bastien’s sister?”

Roland frowned. “You knew her?”

He looked uneasy. “No.”

“But you recognize her. How …” Trailing off, Roland groaned. “Don’t tell me.”

Marcus nodded. “She was at your house the afternoon it burned down and she was standing in the corner just now when we came in.”

Everyone followed his gaze to the empty corner opposite the portrait.

A chill skittered down Sarah’s spine. Roland had told her Marcus could see dead people. Had Catherine’s ghost been there, watching, the whole time?

“Is she still there?” Lisette asked uncomfortably.

“No, she vanished when Seth and Bastien did.”

Shoulders drooping wearily, Roland dropped his sai, crossed to Sarah, and took her in his arms.

Sarah clung to him, glad it was finally over.

As Roland rested his cheek atop her hair, she buried her face in his chest.

Behind them, Étienne spoke.

“Marcus, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. That shit is creepy.”

The moment Seth teleported Bastien and himself into the massive entrance hall of his castle in England, he released him.

Stumbling forward several steps, the newly discovered immortal swung around and raised his sword. “What …?” His faintly glowing gaze scoured his surroundings. “What did you do? Where are we?”

“My home,” Seth told him. “One of them, anyway.”

“Where are the others?”

“Still in your basement, where we left them.”

“Why have you brought me here?”

Seth read Sebastien’s mind without difficulty, feeling only slightly guilty for the intrusion. His new charge thought Seth was going to kill him and was digging deep to find strength enough to fight him.

“I didn’t bring you here to harm you, Sebastien. I brought you here to do what I should have done during the first few weeks after you were transformed: help you understand who and what you are and aid you in making a new life for yourself.”

Sebastien barked out a bitter laugh. “Are you kidding me? I had a life. I had a purpose, people I cared about, people I was trying to help, and you just slaughtered them all!”

David entered from the kitchen, munching an apple.

Sword held out defensively in front of him, Sebastien angled his body so that he faced both of them.

“You’re back,” David commented, studying Sebastien curiously and with a complete lack of fear or concern over his weapon. “How did it go?”

“It went,” Seth replied. “You may have cared for the men you commanded, Sebastien, but they didn’t care for you. They were using you, taking advantage of the safety you provided. They were not your friends.”

“And I’m supposed to believe you?” Anger rolled off him in waves.

“Yes.”

“I tried to kill one of your own. Two if you count Marcus. Hell, I thought I had amassed an army large enough to kill you all when you came for Sarah. Yet you expect me to just take your word for it that everyone I have associated with for the past two centuries has lied to me?”

“Everyone but the four we spared.”

David glanced at Seth. “You found four who were salvageable?”

“Yes.”

Darnell entered from the living room/great hall. “What’s going on?”

Sebastien started, then shifted so he could keep all three of them in his sights. He was in his enemies’ lair, trying hard to deny everything they were telling him, and expected one or more to attack at any moment.

It was about what Seth had expected. Knowing the hard climb he would have ahead of him winning Sebastien’s trust, Seth had taken care to touch many of the vampires he had fought before he killed them, leeching from them the memories of the innocent blood they had spilled and how they had hidden it from their leader.

He would offer to show Sebastien the atrocities they had committed now, but thought it best to wait until the younger immortal’s head had cleared.

Sebastien began to back away, swinging the sword and his watchful gaze from one to the other.

A faint rustling sounded in the hallway behind him.

Seth’s heart nearly stopped when he realized who had made it.

Sebastien swung around, roaring and raising his sword to attack the immortal he thought was sneaking up behind him.

Time seemed to freeze.

Because Seth was the most powerful Immortal Guardian on the planet, he kept a very tight rein on his temper. So tight very few had ever seen it unleashed.

But when he looked past Sebastien and saw the mystery woman cringe in fear as she stared up at Sebastien with wide, terror-filled eyes and a face devoid of color, the reins slipped.

With only a thought, Seth ripped the sword from Se-bastien’s grasp and flung it away with such force it embedded itself halfway to the hilt in one of the heavy oak front doors. The stone wall beside them cracked when another thought catapulted Sebastien after it.

Sebastien grunted on impact and fell forward.

With a speed no other Guardian could match, Seth caught him with a hand to the throat before he hit the floor and shoved him back up, feet dangling a foot or more above it.

His fingers tightened, cutting off air, threatening to crush the trachea.

The ground beneath them rippled as though from an earthquake. The castle itself began to rumble and vibrate. Somewhere a lamp crashed to the floor.

Through a red haze of fury, Seth caught and held Se-bastien’s gaze as that one struggled to breathe. “Listen closely, Sebastien Newcombe,” he gritted in low menacing tones. “I will only say this once. I understand the despair coursing through you. I understand the rage that is eating away at your insides like acid. If you want to lash out at me, you are welcome to do so. You can even lash out at David and Darnell. But if you ever give me reason to believe you have been anything less than kind to the woman who resides here, I will strike your head from your body and you will go down in history as the only immortal I have ever killed. Nod your head that you understand me.”

Face red from lack of air, Sebastien nodded.

The ground gradually ceased its trembling. The castle quieted.

His fury abating, Seth lowered Sebastien until his feet settled on the floor, then released him.

Sebastien coughed and sucked in great gasping breaths.

“Are you all right?”

He nodded warily.

“Good. Now apologize to the woman in such a way that will make her think you no greater threat than a newborn pup.”

Seth stepped aside and turned toward the mystery woman.

She was barefoot again, clad in loose sky-blue pajama bottoms with bright yellow smiley faces on them and a matching yellow tank top. Her narrow shoulders were hunched, her arms wrapped around her middle, as she watched them anxiously.

David and Darnell had moved to stand on either side of her, close but not touching.

Seth felt regret suffuse Sebastien when he saw her. She looked so frail. The younger immortal felt bad for scaring her. A promising sign.

Brow furrowing, Sebastien made a few futile attempts to straighten his clothes and wipe the blood from his face, then cleared his throat. “Forgive me,” he beseeched her gently, his voice hoarse from Seth’s abuse. “I did not mean to frighten you and have no desire to harm you. You startled me and I overreacted. I apologize. It won’t happen again.”

When the woman looked to Seth, he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Returning her gaze to Se-bastien, she nodded.

“David, would you take our guest to his room and help him get settled?” Seth requested.

“Sure.” Strolling forward, David addressed Sebastien as casually as he would an old friend. “We weren’t sure whether you would prefer a room above- or belowground, so we prepared one of each. Both are safe for day sleeping.”

“Belowground,” Sebastien said uncertainly.

“Belowground it is. Right this way.”

Once they were gone, Darnell ambled over and surveyed Seth carefully. “You okay?”

Seth nodded, then proffered his own apology to the woman. “I’m sorry. I thought he posed no threat to you, otherwise I would not have brought him here.”

She nodded, her gaze lowering to take in the blood that painted his clothes.

What must she think, seeing him like this, and after all she had just witnessed?

“Did I hear you say you spared four of them?” Darnell asked curiously.

“Yes, one human and three vampires who have not yet succumbed to the madness. Like Sebastien, they were unaware of the others’ actions.”

“What are you going to do with the vamps?”

He sighed. “Help them any way we can.”

“Roland and Sarah and everyone else come through all right?”

“A little banged-up, but they’ll be fine.”

Darnell looked in the direction David and their unwilling guest had gone. “Sebastien doesn’t seem to appreciate your having come to his aid.”

“No.”

Seth felt a small hand touch his arm and looked down to find the mystery woman at his side, staring up at him.

Her lips parted. “I do,” she said softly. “Thank you for saving me.”

A tiny thread of joy wound its way through him at the sound of her voice.

He smiled.

Smiling back, she closed her eyes, then sank limply toward the floor.

Darnell leapt forward as Seth caught her and lifted her into his arms. “What is it? Is she sick?”

“I don’t know.” Frowning, Seth swiftly carried her to her room, Darnell right on his heels.

Darnell hastened to the bed and drew the covers back.

Seth carefully laid her down, then sat beside her on the mattress. Placing one hand on her forehead and the other on her chest, he sought the source of her unconsciousness.

When he found it, he looked up at Darnell.

“What is it?” Darnell asked apprehensively. “What’s wrong with her?”

Seth smiled. “She’s sleeping.”

Roland and Sarah were curled up on the sofa, watching the news, when his cell phone rang.

Retrieving it from the coffee table, he answered. “What?”

“Are you decent?” Seth’s deep voice drawled.

“Have I ever been?” Roland answered wryly.

“Put Sarah on the line.”

Frowning, he handed the phone to Sarah. “It’s Seth. He wants to talk to you.”

Eyebrows raising, she took the phone. “Hello?”

“Hello, Sarah. I know it tends to startle you when I pop in unannounced, so I thought I’d call and warn you this time.”

Roland mirrored her smile as she said, “Oh. Okay. Thanks. Pop away.”

Seth appeared just inside the front door.

Roland and Sarah both stood as she returned the phone to the coffee table.

“Calling ahead now?” Roland asked.

“Marcus thought it would be wise.”

“He told you?” Sarah blurted, face reddening as Seth joined them.

Apparently David had something of an open-door policy. Any immortal who knew the security codes were invited to come and go at will. He always welcomed company and was so powerful he sensed their presence long before they entered, so they needn’t even knock.

Out of habit, Marcus had let himself in without knocking the day after they had stormed Bastien’s lair and inadvertently walked in on Roland and Sarah making love on the sofa.

Sarah hadn’t been able to look Marcus in the eye since without blushing as floridly as she was now.

“Please tell me that didn’t make it to the Immortal Guardian message boards,” she begged.

Seth smiled. “No, he only mentioned it to me and David so we wouldn’t intrude.”

She groaned. “Oh, lovely. I’m sure that went over big. Don’t go home without calling first, David. They might be having sex on your couch.”

Roland laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she covered her red face.

Seth’s dark eyes danced with merriment. “Actually, we weren’t given the details. He only said he had accidentally disturbed you when you were not prepared for company.”

Lowering her hands, Sarah stared up at Roland with rueful eyes. “Why do you even let me open my mouth?”

Roland dipped his head and stole a kiss. “Because I love that mouth and it says such entertaining things.” Sinking onto the sofa, he pulled her down beside him. As Seth settled himself in his favorite chair across from them, Roland draped an arm across the back cushion so he could toy with Sarah’s hair.

Two weeks had passed since they had cleaned out the vampire lair. Because Bastien had been unaware of some of his men’s activities, Roland had worried that Sarah may not be safe in her home. It had been the site of two confrontations with multiple vampires, and there was no way of knowing if any of Bastien’s followers had spoken with vamps who weren’t under his guidance. So when she had invited Roland to come and stay with her, he had instead talked her into remaining with him at David’s place until they could find a new home of their own to share. (Seth had assured him that Bastien had not disclosed the location of David’s home or the tunnels to anyone else. )

“We talked to Chris,” Sarah said, her blush lingering. “He seems a little worried about the vampires you guys saved.”

Nietzsche meandered into the room, trilled a greeting when he saw Seth, then trotted over and leaped into his lap.

Seth smiled and stroked the small furry body with oversize hands. “Lacking the freedom to come and go at will is a little tougher than they had expected, but I think they’re adapting well. They’ve settled into their new apartments and are already pestering our doctors and scientists, wanting to know how and when they can begin helping them.”

Roland wondered how many of the men and women at the research facility had ever actually met a vampire face to face. Those who worked the day shift had probably never even met an immortal. “What do the doctors think of them?”

“They’re understandably wary—the whole staff is—but everyone seems to be getting along.”

“Have they found the biochemist yet?”

Montrose Keegan had disappeared before the network had had a chance to confront him. Apparently his brother, one of Bastien’s vampires, had managed to call and warn him before he was killed in the attack at the farmhouse.

“No. Reordon has tagged his cell phone, social security number, bank account, and credit cards, but there’s been no activity. He’s living off the grid.”

Great. “I understand Tanner fit in instantly and is well-liked.”

Sarah glanced up at him. “Which one is Tanner?”

“The human Chris inducted into the network.”

“Oh, right.”

Seth nodded. “Once Sebastien and Tanner have both been trained, I intend to assign Tanner to be Sebastien’s Second.”

It made sense. The two were already friends and worked well together.

“How is Bastien?” Sarah broached hesitantly.

Roland was still fuming over Bastien hurting her, so she tended to avoid mentioning his name lest she set off another rant.

“Not good.” Seth paused while Nietzsche sprawled on his side, then twisted his upper body so that his head was upside down and his chest, front paws, and chin all faced the ceiling. “He doesn’t eat. He doesn’t feed. He is consumed with anger.”

Sarah frowned. “Anger at whom?”

“Everyone, I think.”

Roland brushed his fingers across her black T-shirt–clad shoulder. “Did you show him the memories you took from his vampires?”

Seth nodded. “It only infuriated him more, knowing they had found a way around his gift and lied to him, perpetrating such atrocities while he was trying to save them.”

Roland glanced down when Sarah rested a hand on his thigh and looked up at him.

“Maybe you should go see him,” she suggested.

He gazed at her in disbelief. “What?”

Reaching up with her free hand, she laced her fingers through his at her shoulder. “Who better for him to talk to? He’s going through the same thing you did, only on a larger scale. Maybe you could help him.”

“You’re delirious, aren’t you?”

She smiled, hazel eyes sparkling. “Come on, Roland, think about it. You were betrayed by your wife and brother. He was betrayed by his brother-in-law and best friend.”

Seth held up a finger. “Who was the one who turned him, by the way. He told Sebastien it was an accident, that he hadn’t known feeding from him repeatedly would transform him, but—considering his other lies—I have my doubts.”

“You see?” Sarah said as if that proved her point. “Then you were betrayed again by Mary. Bastien was betrayed by—what—seventy of his closest friends?”

“What’s your point?” Roland asked, hardening his heart against the sympathy that threatened. It must be Sarah’s influence. Normally he wouldn’t have felt anything for Bastien but contempt.

She rolled her eyes. “That you had Seth and Marcus to help you through it, unappreciative though you may have been, and Bastien probably feels like he has no one.”

Roland glanced at Seth, who was watching him with a neutral expression. “I appreciated it,” he admitted.

Seth shifted his gaze to Sarah. “You’re good for him.”

She squeezed Roland’s thigh and tossed him a teasing glance. “I know.”

“Actually, Roland, I agree. That’s one of the reasons I dropped by. I think it would help if you spoke with Sebastien.”

“No. He hurt Sarah.”

“It was unintentional and he regrets it. He expected her to come along docilely, not shoot him in the hamstrings and stab him in the ass.” He smiled at Sarah. “That made it to the message boards.”

Roland was guilty of that one himself. When speculation had arisen on the boards regarding Sarah and the role she had played in the battle, he had posted a message for the first time ever, boasting of her quick thinking and bravery.

“Please, Roland,” Sarah entreated, unfairly irresistible.

“I’ll think about it,” he grumbled, knowing he’d cave in the end. He could deny her nothing. “You said that was one of the reasons you came by,” he told Seth before she could elicit a solid “yes” from him. “What was the other?”

The older immortal was quiet for a moment. “Chris told me you took Sarah to the lab to have her blood tested.”

Roland stiffened. Every immortal he had ever heard of had either been transformed forcibly against his or her will or accidentally, as Étienne and his brother, Richart, had been. If Sarah, against all the odds, turned out to be a gifted one, she would be the first to actually ask to be infected.

Did Seth intend to forbid it?

Roland’s heart thudded loudly in his ears. “And?”

Seth focused on Sarah. “You wish to be transformed?”

“Yes,” she answered somewhat nervously.

“Why?”

Her grip on Roland’s fingers tightened. “I want to be with Roland. Always.”

“You love him that much?”

“Yes.”

“Has he explained the negative aspects of his existence?”

“Yes.”

Seth studied her intently.

Too intently.

“Stop reading her mind,” Roland snapped, wrapping his other arm around her protectively, as though that could stop it.

Her eyes widened.

Seth shrugged. “I had to be sure she understood, that she was certain.”

“And?” he demanded shortly when Seth said no more.

“She does and she is.” Scooping Nietzsche up, he rose, then lowered the sleepy feline to the cushion he had just vacated.

Roland and Sarah rose as well.

It was like waiting for a judge to hand down a sentence.

Sarah’s arm crept around his waist. His tightened around her shoulders.

One corner of Seth’s lips tilted up. “You need not wait for the lab results. She’s a gifted one.”

For a moment, Roland couldn’t breathe. “What?”

Seth smiled fully. “She’s a gifted one. I don’t need the blood test to be sure.”

Sarah squealed and hugged Roland, jumping up and down until he laughed, though he was still afraid to believe it.

“But she doesn’t have any gifts.”

“Of course she does. Her dreams foretell the future.”

Sarah stopped jumping and stared at Seth. “They do?” she asked incredulously, continuing to cling to Roland.

“Yes, you simply haven’t learned to decipher them. Contrary to popular belief, prophetic dreams are only literal in the most powerful of the gifted ones and immortals. For the rest, there are symbols that must be learned and deciphered and the meaning of the dreams can be vague. For example, a week or so before you met Roland, you dreamed there was a large cockroach in your living room that you had difficulty killing. The living room represented daily activities, such as work. The cockroach, due to its size, represented a substantial irritation. The next day, your student went to the head of the department and lodged a complaint against you.”

Which had been a major irritation, she thought.

“A few days later you dreamed of tornadoes.”

“I did,” she said, amazed. “It was like in that movie The Day After Tomorrow, when all the tornadoes spiraled down and hit Los Angeles. They were all around me. And one even seemed to be chasing me. It was terrifying.”

“Tornadoes represent great emotional turmoil, danger, and, at times, death … all the things that accompanied Roland when he entered your life shortly thereafter.”

Wow. She had never paid much attention to her dreams beyond wondering why so many people believed dreams only came in black and white when hers were always in vivid color.

“I can aid you in learning how to interpret your dreams, if you wish.”

Realizing her mouth was hanging open, Sarah hastily closed it. “That would be great. Thanks.” She looked up at Roland, who was frowning. “My dreams foretell the future.”

“So I heard.” He grimaced. “Sorry about the turmoil, danger, and death thing.”

She smiled. “It was worth it.”

Roland looked to Seth. “What about the physical characteristics?”

“They’ve begun to weaken a bit in the last century or so. Nothing dramatic. Dark brown hair instead of black. Hazel eyes instead of brown. Even those changes are still extremely rare.”

“So I can be safely transformed?” Sarah pressed, just to be certain.

“Yes.”

Roland’s hold tightened. “You don’t object?”

“This is Sarah’s decision to make, not mine. If she wishes you to transform her, you may do so whenever you choose.”

Now that she knew it would happen, Sarah felt both excited and nervous.

Seth’s features softened. “It won’t be too bad. Roland will drain you until you are near death, then infuse you with his own blood. You’ll feel like you have a bad case of the flu for a few days. Then all will be well.”

He shifted his gaze to Roland. “You look as nervous as she does.”

Sarah glanced up and had to agree.

Roland’s lips tightened. “What if something goes wrong?”

“It won’t. She’ll be fine. And I’m only a phone call away if you have any questions or concerns. I’ll leave her training up to you, if that’s all right.”

They both nodded.

“I should be going now. I need to stop by Seattle on my way home.”

“Thank you, Seth,” Sarah said, “for everything.”

He smiled. “You’re welcome.”

An instant later, he was gone.

Sarah smiled up at Roland. “I’m a gifted one.”

“I know. I can’t believe it. But, Sarah …” He lightly clasped her upper arms and stared down at her, his expression earnest. “This doesn’t have to change anything. The fact that you can be transformed doesn’t mean you have to be. I don’t want you to feel you—”

“I want you to transform me,” she interrupted.

Extreme relief blanketing his features, he slid his arms around her, lifted her feet off the floor, and twirled her around. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

She laughed and, wrapping her arms around his neck, hugged him back. “So you’re happy?”

He nodded, his face buried in her hair. “I wouldn’t love you less if you said no. But, given the choice of spending either decades with you or centuries, I’d much rather have centuries.”

“Me, too.”

Setting her down, he drew back slightly and touched his lips to hers, first buoyantly, then tenderly.

Her heart did a funny little skip when she met his faintly luminous eyes.

“I love you, Sarah.”

“I love you, too.” So much more than she had dreamed was possible.

He kissed her again, held her close. “I’ll leave it up to you to decide when you’re ready.”

“There’s no time like the present.”

His face lit with surprise. “Now?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

She didn’t blame him. She had expressed, more than once, uneasiness over how quickly all this had happened. But she felt no such uneasiness now.

“I’m sure. I’m not going to change my mind. And the longer we put it off, the more nervous we’ll both become.”

His lips twisted ruefully. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”

“What? That you’re nervous?”

“Yes.”

She shrugged. “I would’ve known even if you’d hidden it. You’ve never transformed anyone before and you’re a tad obsessive when it comes to preventing me from experiencing any discomfort.” When his arms tightened and his face filled with dread, she patted his back comfortingly. “That look right there is why we need to go ahead and get it done. I know Seth said it’s like having the flu, but the longer we put it off, the more we’re both going to imagine it being worse.”

He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You’re right. Now it is, then.”

Thump.

Roland’s head snapped around at the odd noise that came from the kitchen. Eyes flaring, fangs descending, he was gone before Sarah even finished tensing.

“It’s all right,” he called a second later. “Come and see.”

Curious, she strode to the kitchen and paused just inside the entrance.

The largest gift basket she had ever seen sat in the middle of the floor. Decked with ribbons and bows, it was so large that if the contents were removed, she could curl up in it like a cat and take a nap.

“It’s for us,” Roland pronounced, opening a white envelope.

“Who’s it from?”

As he pulled out a folded sheet of paper, she moved closer and began to pick through the basket’s contents.

“It’s from David.”

There were several enormous bags of organic oranges so fragrant they made her mouth water, bottles of club soda, all-natural crackers sprinkled with sea salt, icy gel packs….

“Seth must have told him I’m going to transform you. David says you’ll have difficulty keeping food down for a couple of days, but fresh-squeezed orange juice and club soda will help.”

“And crackers?”

“Crackers and pita chips.”

Sure enough, there were several bags of super-crunchy baked pita chips with sea salt included.

Had David known it was her favorite brand or had it simply been a lucky guess?

She looked at Roland.

His eyes had lost their glow and were once more brown, his expression just this side of stunned.

“This is really nice,” Sarah said, a little stunned herself. David didn’t even know her and had only encountered Roland a few times, yet he’d opened up his home to them, told them they could stay as long as they wanted to, and now this?

Roland nodded slowly. “It is.”

She smiled. It was going to take him awhile to get used to having friends rather than acquaintances. “Let’s put the soda and the oranges in the fridge and get the gel packs in the freezer.”

There was so much it took them several minutes to finish.

“So,” she broached when they were done, “how are we going to do this?”

She was nervous. She didn’t want to be but couldn’t help it.

He swooped down and picked her up, one arm supporting her back, the other under her knees. “First, I will carry you to our bedroom.”

“Ooh,” she crooned, wrapping her arms around his neck as he left the kitchen and put action to words. “I like it so far.”

“Then … I’m going to place you on our bed.”

She nuzzled his neck and felt a shiver ripple through him. “Go on.”

“Peel your clothing off with my teeth.”

Her body melted at his words as he descended into the basement and made his way to their bedroom. “What next?”

“Make a slow exploration of your body with my tongue.”

His tongue, she thought as he crossed to the bed. His wicked, wicked tongue. “And then?”

“And then,” he said, placing her gently atop the covers, “as your body clenches in one of the many orgasms I intend to give you”—he knelt on the mattress beside her, leaned over her, kissed the base of her neck where her pulse hammered just beneath the surface—“I will bite you right here and make you mine forever.”

She arched against him when he drew his tongue across her skin. “Mmm. Don’t forget the stripping me with your teeth part.”

He chuckled, a warm, growly sound that sent excitement skittering through her. “I wouldn’t dare.”

Roland was true to his word. With teeth, tongue, and hands, he aroused Sarah to a fevered pitch, distancing himself from his own desire and gently rebuffing her attempts to pleasure him, too. It was imperative that he keep a clear head, which meant ignoring his own needs and focusing solely on hers.

And, as her body writhed in orgasm for the third time, he gently sank his teeth into her throat and, exalting in the life that flowed into his body, devoured her like the monster he had so often been named.