Predatory

Chapter One

A ticking clock.

The creaks and groans of an old building settling.

A print of Edvard Munch’s The Scream hanging on a pale green wall.

They didn’t mean much individually. But as Cassie sat alone in the office of Eternal Rest Funeral Home listening to the tick tocks, the creaks and groans, and staring at the print . . . She took a deep breath and prayed for human contact before she did her own interpretation of The Scream.

Those creaks and groans? Definitely sounds of the dead rising, shuffling across the floor in the basement, coming for her. The ticking clock counted down the minutes before the walking dead crashed through the office door and tore her into bite-size bits.

Cassie shivered. Why had she agreed to sub for Felicity for even three minutes let alone three hours? She hated funeral parlors, hated the concept of putting dead bodies on display, hated dead bodies. For twenty-seven years she’d avoided going to a viewing—as a child with tantrums and as an adult with polite refusals.

Now, because her best friend had plied her with sobs and a giant guilt trip, she was here, by herself—not one other freaking person in the building except for dead guys—in the office of Eternal Rest. And it was getting dark outside.

She should have stood firm against Felicity’s begging. No one needed her here. She’d only answered the phone once in the last two hours. Fifteen minutes ago a woman had called to ask about her husband’s funeral. The woman had hung up with a huff of irritation when Cassie couldn’t help her.

Cassie’s heart did a giant ker-thump at the shrill sound of the doorbell. Get a grip. Zombies didn’t ring the bell.

The back entrance, the one with the very large doors that opened to allow very large things—definitely not thinking about what those were—to be carried in and out. She took gulping breaths and tried to calm her primal fears. But that was the problem with primal fears—they weren’t rational, and she couldn’t control them.

Cassie pushed to her feet and hurried toward—thank God—human interaction. As she yanked the doors open, and flipped on the outside light, she thought about shoving aside the man standing there and running like hell. Breathe, breathe. Fact: she could leave whenever she wanted. But then Mr. Garrity would fire Felicity. Fact: a live person stood not three feet from her. Her panic subsided.

“Can I help you?” She smiled as she took inventory. He looked around forty with thinning hair and an ordinary face. Cassie felt the rest of her fear slide away.

“Where’s Felicity?”

He didn’t sound too surprised that she was gone. Did her friend make a habit of skipping out on her job? “She had an emergency. She’ll be back in”—Cassie glanced at her watch—“an hour.” That’s all Cassie had to last. Sixty more minutes.

Felicity owed her big-time for this. No explanation, just a frantic call. Panic had ridden her voice as she’d begged Cassie to fill in for her. And no matter what, Mr. Garrity couldn’t find out that she was gone. She’d promised to leave the back door unlocked and then hung up.

Cassie had sat staring at the phone. What kind of emergency? It must’ve been serious from the sound of her friend’s voice. Her conscience pointed out that Felicity was allowing her to sleep in her spare room while Cassie searched for work. This small favor was the least she could do in return. Cassie wished her conscience would mind its own business. After about a half hour of mental hand-wringing, though, she’d temporarily beaten her fears into submission and headed out to spend a few hours in her personal nightmare.

“Does Mr. Garrity know you’re here?” He speared her with a hard stare.

Cassie had to protect Felicity’s job. She pasted on her most sincere expression. “Of course.” On the shades-of-gray scale, this lie was almost white. Her conscience subsided with a grumble.

The man nodded. “I do special jobs for Mr. Garrity. When a client wants a picture hand-etched onto a headstone, I’m the one who does it. Felicity probably told you that.”

“Uh, sure.” Felicity had told her nothing.

“I delivered one here this morning, but I have to make some minor changes.”

He held up a few pointy tools she hadn’t noticed at first. She frowned. Why would he deliver the headstone here and not to the cemetery? “So you do custom work?” That was her, the queen of obvious.

He smiled for the first time. “Every headstone is one of a kind. Why don’t you get the keys to the basement rooms and meet me down there?”

“Keys?” She’d seen the elevator doors in the hallway right behind her, but Cassie had tried not to think about what lay beneath her feet. Not too successfully if she was imagining zombie attacks.

He’d stopped smiling. “The keys are in Felicity’s desk.”

“Right. Desk.” Something didn’t feel right. Cassie glanced past him to where he’d parked his small, unmarked delivery truck. Another man was climbing from the passenger side of the truck. Now this guy was scary, and big, but he was human and alive. Both points in his favor. She dismissed her feelings. This whole place spooked her.

The first man nodded toward his friend. “Forgot to introduce myself. I’m Tony and the big guy is Len. Takes size to handle the stones.”

“Hi.” Cassie smiled at both men. No way was she giving her name. If the funeral director got cranky because Felicity had called in random secretarial help while he was gone, Cassie didn’t want to be in the line of fire. “About those keys. Why don’t you wait here for a moment? I’ll find them and bring them right back.” She did not want to take that elevator anywhere.

“Can’t waste time waiting for you. I have someplace to be in twenty minutes. Besides, I might need your help.” Tony held her gaze. “Oh, and make sure you press the bottom button.”

Help? For what? Musical accompaniment? He could hack away at his tombstone in time with her chattering teeth. But she couldn’t think of an excuse that wouldn’t make her look like the giant wuss she really was.

The two men walked past her, heading for the elevator.

“Oh, um, do you know where Mr. Garrity is?” In fact, where anybody was? There hadn’t been one person in the place when she’d arrived. She refused to think about the non-living that probably populated the basement.

Len answered her. “Mr. Garrity was also called away on an . . . emergency.” He seemed to think that was funny, because he smiled.

Cassie thought he had a sinister smile. Okay, maybe not. Her imagination was a terrible thing. Proof? Nonexistent zombies shambling down the hallway. To stop herself from babbling something that would get Felicity in trouble, she turned and walked back to the office.

On the way there, it occurred to her that the men wouldn’t save any time by making her bring the keys downstairs because they’d still have to wait for her to unlock the door. She shrugged the thought away.

Keys, keys . . . She found them in the top drawer of the desk. That part had been easy. Now for the tough part. She had to go back to the elevator, walk inside, and hit the down button.

By the time she reached the elevator, she’d almost made herself believe that this whole experience was a character-building event. She’d be stronger for having spent time at Eternal Rest. You are such a liar.

Inside the car, she had a choice of three unlabeled buttons. The funeral home was only one story, so that meant ground level and two levels below ground. Weird. She hit the bottom one. All the way down she tried to convince her heart it didn’t need to pump gallons of extra blood so she could handle a few minutes among the dead. Her heart didn’t believe her. It redoubled its efforts.

The elevator doors slid open, and Cassie stepped out. She was in a long wide hallway with closed doors lining both sides. Was this usual for a funeral home? The lights were a little too dim, the shadows a little too deep. Relieved, she saw Tony and Len waiting for her at the end of the hall in front of the door on the right.

Please, no bodies, no bodies, no bodies. Her legs felt rubbery by the time she reached the men. They moved aside so she could open the door. She was proud that her hand didn’t shake as she slipped the key labeled with the number eight into the lock and turned it. Cassie pushed the door open and then started to step aside.

After that, things happened too fast for her to react. Tony reached into the room and flipped on a light at the same time someone gave her a hard shove. She stumbled into the room, tripped over something on the floor, and went down hard on her hands and knees. She heard the door slam shut behind her.

She opened her mouth to scream. Then she looked down. The scream froze in her throat.

She was kneeling in a pool of blood—

And staring into Felicity’s sightless eyes.

Dead. Felicity was dead.

Cassie couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think.

She didn’t see her best friend sprawled on that floor, didn’t see the girl she’d shared notes with in school, the woman who’d comforted her when she’d lost her job. Cassie only saw—

A dead body. She was kneeling next to a dead body. Whimpering, she scooted backward, still on her hands and knees. The blood smeared, sticky on her hands, soaking into her jeans.

Never get it out, never get it out. Panicked, she knelt up and tried to wipe her hands on her top.

“Gee, looks like your friend had more of an emergency than she expected.” Tony’s voice.

His soft laughter jerked her back to some level of sanity. Scrambling to her feet, she whirled to face the two men standing in front of the only door.

She still couldn’t force any sound from her locked throat muscles, clenched teeth. But she didn’t need to, because Tony had plenty to say.

“Mr. Garrity got a call on his cell phone from a Mrs. Hodges. She was really upset that you couldn’t help her when she called. Said the regular woman was a lot more efficient.” He took a step toward her.

Cassie backed up a step, her eyes riveted on what he held in his hand. The long pointed tool now looked exactly like what it was—a weapon.

“This really upset Mr. Garrity. See, no one should’ve been here to answer any phones. And since he was tied up with his . . . emergency, he asked us to take care of the problem. Lucky that we live close by.”

She was going to die. Just like Felicity. She’d be lying in a pool of her own blood staring at the ceiling. Funny, the thought of dying didn’t paralyze her with fear. It was just the bodies. It had always been the bodies.

“Why?” She forced the one word past lips that felt numb. Not much, but it was at least a start. Don’t look at the body, don’t look, don’t look, don’t look.

Tony shrugged. “No need to know all the details. Besides, I was telling the truth about that appointment. Let’s just say your friend found something she wasn’t supposed to find and was running off to give it to someone we didn’t want to have it. So we stopped her.” He smiled. “Now we’re going to stop you.”

She saw the intention in his eyes as he started toward her. Survive. That’s all that mattered. Weapon. There had to be something. Panicked, she bumped into a table beside her. An empty glass sitting near the edge fell to the floor and shattered. Without thinking, she crouched and picked up the largest shard.

Len chuckled. “Looks like the little girl thinks she can defend herself.”

Tony wasn’t laughing. He launched himself at her, ready to bury the tool’s point in her heart. Then she’d be just a body, a body, a . . .

No! Cassie reacted. Lessons learned from years of modern dance kicked in. She might not have the talent to be a professional dancer, but she knew the moves.

Leaping into the air, she spun away from Tony’s charge. At the same time she slashed at him with her glass shard. She was too terrified to aim. But she’d hurt him. She’d felt the resistance of the glass digging into his flesh.

Sobbing, she whirled to fend off another charge. A charge that didn’t come.

Silence filled the room. Then she heard Len cursing. Glancing down, she saw Tony sprawled on the floor. Saw the moment he died, his throat sliced open. Saw the blood pouring from the wound. The body. She dropped the bloodstained shard.

Nothing to protect yourself with now. The thought floated around in her mind, for the moment overwhelmed by the coppery scent of blood and the memory of the glass cutting, ripping, ending a life.

She supposed she was lucky then that Len didn’t attack her right away. Forcing herself to think instead of just feel, she looked at him.

But he wasn’t watching her. He was staring past her at . . . She turned.

The horrors never ended. A transparent coffin rested on another table. A man’s body lay inside. He was naked, and his pale skin gleamed under the ceiling light. Someone had set a headstone beside the table. Only two things about the stone registered.

A sick mind had created that image. It was an etching of the man in his coffin with thick chains wrapped around almost every inch of his body. A huge padlock trapped the man inside. The etched lock almost seemed to glow.

And a name. Ethan.

“You stupid bitch! You killed the binder.”

Cassie had never heard that much fear in any person’s voice. A binder? What was a—

The man in the coffin turned his head. He opened his eyes and stared at her. Eyes with no pupils, no white, just solid black.

She stopped breathing.

Len screamed, a high keening sound filled with unspeakable terror. He threw himself toward the closed door.

The coffin shattered.

Chapter Two

Cassie flung her hand in front of her eyes and turned her head away to protect herself from flying glass. At the same time, she bent to retrieve her own glass shard. Because beneath her gibbering fear, she still wanted to live. Then she straightened.

Who to face? But her subconscious recognized the real danger. She looked at where the coffin had rested. . . .

At the man crouched among the shattered remains, all smooth bare skin and hard muscle. Cuts from the broken glass dripped blood that trailed over his chest and stomach. His tangled dark hair framed a face that spoke of violence in shadowed planes and sharp edges. He stared at her, his black eyes alive with rage and something so predatory that she stepped back. Len seemed safe compared to this . . . She wasn’t sure anymore. The word “man” suggested human. Too tame a category for what glared back at her. Male. Definitely male.

As she stared with unblinking horror, he curled back his upper lip, exposing long sharp fangs.

She gripped her small glass shard so tightly it dug into her palm. Blood trickled between her fingers. The pain kept things real, because on some level she still wanted to believe she’d wandered into a dark nightmare alley. But this was no dream. And she didn’t have any illusions that her puny weapon would stop him.

Then she realized he wasn’t looking at her any longer. His gaze swept past her to focus on Len, who was throwing himself against the door in a vain effort to break it down. The force of his desperation shook the room.

The fanged . . . male laughed, a soft sound that terrified her more than an angry roar ever would. She edged over to the wall and pressed herself flat against it, wished she could sink into it and disappear, and prayed to a God she hadn’t spoken to since she was ten.

“Leaving so soon?”

His voice was dark and deep, filled with such menace that she had to force herself not to join Len in flinging herself against the door. Instinct whispered, “You’re prey. Don’t move. Don’t breathe. Don’t call attention to yourself.”

“I’m sorry that I don’t have more time to discuss things with you—life, death, and how payback is a bitch.” He didn’t move closer to Len.

Len finally turned away from the door. All color had drained from his face, his eyes were wide and staring. “No. Don’t. Tony did the binding.” He sounded almost incoherent.

“But Tony is dead. That only leaves you.” He sounded regretful that Tony was beyond his reach. Then he smiled.

Cassie shuddered. She felt what was coming, sensed death filling the room, the air thick with fear and finality. She told herself to close her eyes.

She watched.

Suddenly, Len’s head jerked sharply to the left, farther than any human neck should be able to twist. If there was an accompanying sound, Cassie couldn’t hear it past the roaring in her head. Len dropped to the floor. Cassie recognized death in his loose-limbed sprawl and empty eyes. And no one had touched him.

She stared at Len’s killer. Was she imagining the slight change in his face—the more predatory shape of his eyes, a more dangerous slant to his mouth? Cassie blinked. Of course she was. No way could she trust any of her senses right now.

It was too much, too much. She slowly slid down the wall until she was sitting. She opened her hand and released the bloody piece of glass. Cassie couldn’t even blink as she stared past Felicity, Tony, and Len. She’d finally found something that frightened her more than dead bodies.

He ignored her as he methodically stripped Len of his clothes. He pulled on the dead man’s pants and shrugged into his shirt. He glanced at the shoes. “Too damn big.” But he put them on anyway. Finally, he turned his attention to her.

“What’s your name?” He moved closer.

Cassie should be a shaking, drooling puddle of terror, but she felt strangely calm. Her heart still pounded way too fast, and she knew her breathing wasn’t normal, but she felt detached from what was going on around her. He would kill her now. He didn’t need to know her name to do that. But she couldn’t work up enough emotion to care. “Cassie.”

He crouched in front of her. “Well, Cassie, we need to get the hell out of here. Now.” He reached for her.

She started to cringe away from him but then stopped. Get out of here? He wasn’t going to kill her? Why not? Cassie’s thoughts felt as though they were slogging through knee-deep mud, each word coming loose with a sucking sound.

His black gaze pierced her. “Here’s the deal. If you stay in this room, Roland Garrity will take care of the job that Tony and Len botched. Even if you run home, you’ll die. You can’t hide from him.” He grabbed her hand and hauled her to her feet.

She flinched at the sharp pain in her cut palm.

He didn’t miss her reaction. Loosening his grip, he examined her bloody palm. “Nasty cut.” He glanced up at her from under thick dark lashes. “It’s not wise to tempt me.” Without warning, he bent his head and slid his tongue across her palm.

The stroke felt warm, and weird, and something . . . more. What should have been a shudder turned into a shiver. But she stopped wondering about her strange reaction as she stared at her palm. The cut was closing. And within a few heartbeats, she couldn’t see where it had been. “What . . . ? How . . . ?” She knew her eyes must be wide and staring.

He didn’t bother answering. “We’re wasting time. Let’s go.”

“What if I don’t want to go with you?” She realized she was in shock, but even knowing that, she couldn’t shake the inertia holding her in its grip.

“Did I say you had a choice?”

He led her to the door, and she didn’t fight him. Even through the shattered reality messing with her mind right now, she recognized the futility of trying to escape.

“I need to call the police.” She glanced back at Felicity. Her friend was dead. Soon the horror of what had happened would crash over her, and she’d drown in her what-ifs and should-haves. But not now. Now her mind was still wrapped in a cotton wool world.

“No police.” He barely touched the door and it swung open. “Tony would’ve had instructions to call in as soon as you were dead. He hasn’t called, so Garrity will know that something went wrong. Right now all of his people will be on their way. We don’t want to be here when they arrive.” He pulled her into the elevator and hit the top button.

“But the police . . .”

He hissed at her. “By the time the police get here, the bodies will be gone. Where’s your purse?”

“How can they get rid of the bodies so fast?” She winced. When had Felicity become just a body?

Cassie was starting to think again. She needed her cell phone and her car keys. Once out of the elevator, she ran down the hall with him right behind her. She grabbed her jacket and purse before following him out the back door. Night had fallen while people died in the funeral home’s basement. She was selfish enough to be thankful she hadn’t been one of them.

“They have . . . resources. Where did you park your car?”

“Out front.” She hadn’t wanted her car sitting in the funeral home’s parking lot. Stupid. As if death would stick to her tires if she parked it there.

They were almost to the street when he suddenly grew still—not moving, not even breathing. Cassie looked away. His complete stillness creeped her out. She scanned the street. Quiet. A mixture of homes and businesses. For the first time, she really thought about running.

“Don’t. I’d catch you. Besides, we don’t have time for that crap. I can feel them. Any minute now they’ll turn the corner and see us.” He’d emerged from his suspended animation thing and herded her toward the street.

How had he known . . . ? No, she’d think about that later.

When they reached her car, he took her keys from her and slid into the driver’s seat. She didn’t argue. Her mind was starting to function, and depending on his answers to her questions, she might decide to bail at a stoplight along the way. Then she remembered. He could kill without touching his victim.

“Won’t need to kill you. All the doors are locked. Relax and enjoy the ride.” He pulled away from the curb and merged into Philly traffic.

Cassie sucked in her breath. Okay, she couldn’t ignore it this time. Her fear had receded a little, but now it came flooding back. “You were in my mind.” Breathe, breathe. “Look at me.”

He glanced at her and smiled. The smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Blue eyes. Straight, even teeth. She folded her hands in her lap to stop their shaking. Had she hallucinated the black eyes and fangs? Had seeing Felicity’s corpse pushed her over the edge? She closed her eyes for a moment, and once again saw his body lying in that glass coffin with the headstone beside it. She opened her eyes.

“Is your name Ethan?”

“Yes.” He didn’t elaborate.

“Where’re we going?”

“To check on some friends.”

Ask him. The sensation of the world she thought she knew flipping upside down made her want to throw up. Ask him. Cassie had never thought she was a coward except for her horror of dead bodies. But at least there was a good reason for that particular phobia. The fear she’d felt in that room, though, proved she’d never make anyone’s top ten fearless women list. To make up for her total shutdown back there, she had to ask him.

“What are you?” Please, please don’t say it.

“I’m vampire.” He never took his eyes from traffic. “But you knew that already, didn’t you?”

“There are no such things as—”

“There are. I’m one. Get over it. We don’t have time for you to have hysterics.” His voice was cold, devoid of any sympathy, any understanding.

“Bastard.” She didn’t know how he’d react to name-calling, but for just this moment she didn’t care. Surprised, she realized that some of her fear had faded. No matter what he was, or said he was, he hadn’t killed her yet. Maybe a person could only sustain mind-numbing terror for so long.

“Technically, no. If you’re making a judgment of my character, though, then you’ve nailed it. Give me your phone.”

Cassie pulled her cell phone from her purse and handed it to him, then watched as he tapped in a number while weaving in and out of traffic.

“That’s dangerous.”

He took his attention from the road to stare at her. “I can’t die.”

“I can.” Did anyone really have eyes that blue? Pale skin, blue eyes, dark hair. She’d guess at an Irish ancestry. But then what did she know about vampires? They all had pale skin, didn’t they?

Vampire. She flinched as she thought the word. Even after everything she’d seen, she wasn’t doing a great job of wrapping her mind around the realness of him.

She waited quietly as he tried to make his call, then another and another. No one answered. He didn’t leave any messages. And he didn’t return her phone.

“Something’s wrong.” He sped up.

“You think?” She was substituting snark for courage.

A short time later, he parked on a street lined with row houses. Cassie didn’t have a clue what part of the city this was. She’d moved to Philly a month ago to search for a job. The city was still strange to her, and getting stranger every minute.

They got out and he led her down a side street before turning into an alley that ran behind the houses. “We’ll be going in the back way.”

Cassie didn’t care which entrance they used. She was still fixated on the vampire thing. “If you’re a vampire, couldn’t you just dematerialize and pop up wherever you wanted? Avoid traffic?” Avoid women who won’t shut up? She closed her mouth.

“Not one of my powers. But I can move so fast humans think that I’ve vanished. Can’t move that quickly right now, though. Energy’s low. I was in that damn coffin for days. And killing Len drained whatever I had left. I need to feed.” He glanced at her. “Want to volunteer?”

She widened her eyes. He was joking, right? “Umm, no.”

He looked away and picked up his pace. He was walking so fast now that she almost had to run to keep up.

“Too bad.” He didn’t sound as though he was joking.

She could see him studying a man who was outside emptying his trash. Don’t even think about it. She wouldn’t survive watching him chug down a human energy drink. Cassie rushed into speech. “Where’re we going?”

“To my house. Three of my friends are staying there with me.” His eyes narrowed. “None of them answered when I tried to call.”

Please, no more life-or-death moments today. Sudden weariness washed over her. Her adrenaline supply must be running low. “Won’t Garrity check there first?”

“He didn’t capture me there, so he might not know about it.” His smile was a mere baring of teeth. “And if he does, he’ll think I’m too smart to go home. He vastly overestimates my intelligence.”

“But what if he has people watching the place?”

“I’ll kill them.”

His answer would’ve horrified Cassie this morning. Now? It made perfect sense.

He finally slowed down and moved into the shadows. Silently, he pointed at a brick row house with a green rocker on the back porch. She covered her mouth to keep from giggling at the image of a vampire rocking on his porch. Or maybe the urge to giggle was the first stage of hysteria.

Sliding along fences and gliding around trash cans—he slid and glided, she shuffled and tripped—they drew close to the house. Then he raised his hand to stop her. He grew still again, and she held her breath. She wanted the house to be empty so they could leave for somewhere safe.

“There’s one person in there.” He sounded grim.

She didn’t question how he knew. “Anyone you know?”

“Yes.” With no other explanation, he guided her to the back door. He did his magic door-opening thing again and slipped into a darkened kitchen. He beckoned her inside.

Cassie was beyond thought, beyond feeling, beyond everything. Right now he was the only real thing in her life. So she followed him.

He moved quietly into what must be the living room. She couldn’t hear his footsteps. Behind him, she was an elephant tramping through a field of bubble wrap, announcing her presence with every step she took.

For the first time, she noticed the smell. It was coppery and too familiar.

He stopped so suddenly that she almost slammed into his back.

“Hello, Ethan.” The male voice came from whoever was sitting in an overstuffed chair she could see silhouetted in the darkness.

“Dan. What’re you doing here?”

Ethan’s voice might sound neutral, but she sensed tension, and something else.

“Trying to figure out who the hell to call.” The man’s, or maybe vampire’s, voice sounded terrified. “I couldn’t reach you on your cell. Then I came here. I used the key you gave me. No one was here, but . . .” His voice trailed off.

Cassie moved up beside Ethan. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark and there was a tiny bit of light filtering in through the slats of the blinds. She could now see that the room was trashed—furniture overturned and pictures knocked from the wall. There were dark stains on the walls and carpet. “Is that . . . ?” Blood.

The other man said it for her. “There’s freaking blood everywhere. Fresh blood. What’s going on, Ethan?”

That explained the coppery scent. The rising panic in his voice mirrored her own emotions. She wished someone would turn on a light so she could see both of them. Then she thought of Roland Garrity hunting them and decided the darkness was just fine.

“I’ll explain later. Do you have your car?”

Cassie didn’t have to be particularly sensitive to feel Ethan’s rage. It didn’t seem aimed at the man in the chair. She thought that Roland Garrity should be very afraid.

“No. There was nowhere to park, so June just dropped me off. I told her I didn’t know how long I was staying, and I’d call her when I was ready to leave.”

Cassie had kept silent as long as she could. “Who is this, Ethan?” Using his name sort of moved him a little out of the mythic-monster column into the almost-human one.

Ethan turned to look at her. In the darkness, his face became a stranger’s again, all sharp planes and dangerous shadows. She’d been wrong. He wasn’t even close to the human column.

“This is Dan. My brother.”

Chapter Three

Why the hell had he brought her with him, and what was he supposed to do with her? Ethan wasn’t impulsive, so his unexplained need to keep her out of Roland Garrity’s hands didn’t make any kind of sense. He should’ve just sent her on her way with a warning not to go home.

Whatever his reason, he had to park her in a safe place soon because he could feel his Second One beginning to rise. And if she thought he was terrifying now, did he have a surprise for her in a few hours.

“He’s your brother?”

Her expression said everything her words hadn’t—monsters didn’t have mothers, fathers, brothers. Definitely should’ve ditched her.

“You have a problem with that?”

“No, I was just wondering—”

“You can wonder later. I’ll grab a few clothes and then we have to get out of here.” I was just wondering how many throats you’ve torn out, how often the bloodlust drives you to murder, if you have a conscience, a soul. Not as many as you’d think, never, sometimes, and probably not. He’d keep his answers to himself, though.

He didn’t give her a chance to comment as he strode to his bedroom, crammed some clothes and shoes into a bag, and then handed the bag to his brother. Quickly, he herded everyone out the back door, through the tiny yard, and into the alley. If Garrity had someone keeping an eye on the place, they must be out front because he didn’t sense watchers nearby.

Then he paused. His place had looked as though a bomb had gone off inside it. There must’ve been lots of noise. The row houses were connected. Mrs. Kimsky didn’t get around much anymore. She would’ve been home. And what about George and Janice on his other side? They only went out on Friday nights. This was Wednesday. If any of them had heard a fight in his house, they would’ve called the police. They hadn’t.

Keep going. Being vampire means checking your emotions at the door. Yeah, that was why Cassie was standing in this alley with him. Because he was so good at not feeling anything. No use fighting it, he was going to check on his neighbors.

“I have to do something before we leave. Stay close and don’t make any noise.” He speared Cassie with a glare intended to keep her quiet for a few minutes.

Dan didn’t say anything. He knew what his brother was, and he understood the need for caution.

Ethan went through the back gate and across the small yard. Mrs. Kimsky’s door was unlocked. Not a good sign. “Step in and shut the door. Stay here and let me do the checking.”

He didn’t have far to go. What was left of his neighbor lay on the living room floor. In pieces. Blood was soaking into the carpet. The TV was still on.

“Oh, my God!” Horror filled Cassie’s hoarse whisper behind him.

He glanced back. “I told you to let me . . .”

Cassie stared at the body, her eyes wide, unblinking. There was so much fear. She shook with it. Bracing herself against the doorjamb, she covered her mouth with her hand. To hold back a scream or to keep from throwing up? Maybe both.

Ethan could hear Dan puking into the kitchen sink. “Next time listen to me.” He sounded hard. Good. He wanted them to believe he was a cold-blooded son of a bitch. Because he was—he closed his eyes for a moment—most of the time. “Open the door and get some air. Both of you. I have to find something.” He didn’t look to see if they followed his directions.

Trying to make sure he didn’t step in any blood, he went into the bathroom. He pulled a large bath towel out of the linen closet and began his hunt. A few minutes later he joined the other two at the door with a spitting, hissing bundle of pissed off cat safely wrapped in the towel. He watched Cassie’s eyes widen when she saw the bloody claw marks on his hands and arms.

He scowled at her. “What?”

She didn’t get a chance to say anything because Dan spoke. “You’re taking the old lady’s cat with you?”

Ethan didn’t have time for explanations. “Out. I have to check the people on the other side of my place.”

Everyone was silent as they walked to the second house. Ethan knew what he’d find. The hunters must’ve left the door open because he could smell blood and death long before they climbed the steps.

Dan stopped on the porch. He put the bag of clothes down. “This is as far as I’m going.”

Ethan didn’t blame him.

“Here. Hold the cat.” He shoved the animal at his brother before stepping into the house.

Cassie walked in behind him.

He paused in the kitchen. “This will be just as bad. Wait with Dan.”

“No. I need to see it.” She met his gaze. “I’ve been afraid of the dead all my life. But my best friend is one of those dead now. This is more important than my fear. I have to see what they did so I’ll never forget, so I’ll know exactly what I’m destroying when I take these animals down.”

Ethan raised one brow. Wow, where had that come from? Beneath all her fear, something fierce lived. He looked away. He didn’t want to find her interesting in any way. “You couldn’t even imagine what things did this.”

Cassie looked puzzled. “Roland Garrity’s people, right?” Then she shook her head. “No. I can’t believe humans would do that to an old woman.”

You’d be surprised what humans would do. He walked toward the dining room. “They didn’t do the actual killing, but they held the remote.” She wouldn’t understand. He hoped she’d never have to.

They found George and Janice on the stairs. They must’ve tried to flee to the second floor. It hadn’t worked. Body parts littered the steps and blood dripped over the side onto the floor below.

Cassie didn’t last this time. She ran for the downstairs bathroom and slammed the door behind her. He waited until her retching stopped. When she finally opened the door and joined him, she was pale but steady. He said nothing, only returned to the back door. He waited until she was outside before closing it carefully behind him.

But even closed, he could still smell the blood. The Second One screamed, clawing at his soul, demanding that he feed, kill. He clamped down on his hunger. But it wasn’t the hunger for blood that would grip him soon. He hoped Cassie was gone by then.

Dan took one look at the stark horror in Cassie’s eyes and didn’t ask any questions.

Ethan talked to his brother on the way to Cassie’s car. “You’re still living at June’s place?”

Dan nodded. “Things haven’t been too great between us lately, though. I’m thinking about moving back to my own condo.”

“Don’t. At least not until things are safer.” The ones who’d found him might not know about his brother, or where he lived. But Ethan didn’t want to take a chance. Dan would be safer staying with his girlfriend for now.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Frustration roughened Dan’s voice.

“Yes.” They’d reached the car. “Once I figure it out myself.”

Ethan slid into the driver’s side and headed back out into traffic. He’d made sure that Cassie was beside him. She’d be easier to control in the front seat. At least she hadn’t blurted anything about what had happened at the funeral home. In fact, she hadn’t said anything for too long. Probably in shock from the last few hours.

The only one who had anything to say on the drive was the cat, and she kept up a constant stream of yowling complaints. Finally, Ethan pulled over a few blocks from June’s apartment.

“I’ll let you out here. No one followed us, but I still don’t want to take the chance that someone might see you going into June’s building.”

Dan didn’t comment as he handed the cat over to Cassie, got out, and slammed the door. Ethan watched him walk into a store that was still open. Then he pulled away from the curb. And just when he was wondering if Cassie would ever talk again, the floodgates broke.

“We need to call the police. You can’t leave those poor people alone like that in their houses.”

“I’ll take care of it when we stop.”

“Where’re you taking me?” She didn’t do a great job of covering the quaver in her voice.

“Somewhere safe for now.”

“When are you going to explain what the hell is going on?”

“Later.”

“Wow, way to ease my fears with your detailed explanations.”

“Look, it’s been a long night. Let’s save all the questions until we can relax and get something to eat.” The word “eat” drove his hunger into a frothing frenzy. It didn’t help that he could hear her heartbeat, sense the blood coursing through her veins, and knew that all he had to do was stop the car and . . . No. He stomped the hunger into submission.

He concentrated instead on the slight shifts he could feel in his facial muscles, the tingling in his fingertips, and the tightening of Len’s borrowed shirt across his shoulders. Not enough change for her to notice yet. But soon, very soon, she’d see.

There was a long simmering pause.

“Why did you bring the cat?”

“To eat. You wouldn’t volunteer, so . . .” He shrugged.

She gasped and tightened her grip on the cat. The cat rewarded her with an annoyed hiss.

If the last few days hadn’t sucked so badly, he would’ve laughed. Or maybe not. The idea that she might actually believe he ate small animals bothered him. Not comforting. Nothing she said or did should be able to touch him.

“Relax. I don’t eat cats.” He knew he sounded angry. But it seemed that everything about her made him mad. Those big brown eyes and all that blond hair don’t make you mad. Neither does the rest of her body. Okay, so maybe it was all about sex deprivation. He could live with that explanation.

She nodded and some of the tension left her. “How old is your brother?”

“Twenty-seven.”

She frowned. “Then that means you can’t be ancient.” The fact that he wasn’t seemed to bother her.

“I’m thirty-two, but I was turned when I was twenty-eight. So I’ll pretty much look that age forever.”

“But I saw you kill Len without touching him. Doesn’t a vampire have to be old and powerful to do that?”

He made an impatient sound. “Power doesn’t come with age. Wisdom does. And a smart vampire will live a long happy life.” He thought about that. “Or unlife. If that’s not a word, it should be.”

Her questions stopped for a short time while he bought cat food and litter box stuff. Once back in the car, he hoped she’d run out of things to ask.

“Why did you save me?”

There it was. The one question he’d hoped she’d keep for later. “I don’t know.” An honest answer.

She didn’t look satisfied. Too bad. Relieved, he pulled in beside Zareb’s warehouse.

Cassie seemed to finally realize they’d stopped. She looked around. “Where are we?”

“A warehouse. That’s the Delaware.” He pointed to where she could just see the river flowing dark and cold past the back of the building. “This isn’t a residential part of Philly. Once the warehouses shut down for the night, the area pretty much empties of traffic and people. We’ll be safe.”

They climbed out of the car. It was so quiet their footsteps rang loud in the darkness. Even the cat had shut up. Nothing moved. She tugged her jacket more tightly around her. The night must’ve turned cold. He felt nothing. For a moment, he considered pulling her against him, but offering warmth or comfort would only lead to other temptations. He led her toward a door hidden in the shadows.

He pressed a small button next to the door and waited. She shivered beside him, and with a frustrated curse he gave in and wrapped his arm around her. When she moved closer, he wasn’t sure if it was an attempt to get warm or a lesser-of-two-evils thing. Even a human had to pick up on the scary vibes surrounding this place.

After what seemed forever, the door creaked slowly open. No light came from inside. No one stood in the opening. If anything, the blackness seemed deeper, more silent than the night. Ethan felt Cassie cringe away from the open door.

“You’re safe.” Maybe.

He pulled her inside. The door closed behind them.

“Come.” The voice was a deep rumble. Disembodied. Terrifying.

Even knowing who spoke, Ethan couldn’t control an instinctive shudder. He led Cassie further into the darkness.

Suddenly, a candle flickered on, quickly followed by more and more until the room was ablaze with their glimmering lights. With a quiet whoosh, flames leaped in the fireplace.

A figure glided from the shadows. Tall and muscular, he moved with that strange flowing motion only very old vampires achieved, those who no longer remembered they’d once been human.

Ethan knew by Cassie’s frightened gasp when she finally got a good look at their host. And if Ethan hadn’t been determined not to make an ass of himself, he would’ve gasped too.

“Hello, Ethan.” The vampire shifted his gaze to Cassie. “You come bearing gifts. A beautiful woman and . . .”

Screeching and hissing, the cat leaped from Cassie’s arms.

“A bad-tempered cat.” He smiled. “We’ll dine well tonight.”

Ethan grabbed her hand before she could make a dash back to the door.

“Cassie, meet Zareb.” He took a deep breath he no longer needed. “My maker.”

Chapter Four

Cassie didn’t think there was room inside her for more fear. She was wrong. Zareb had an overwhelming presence. His movements were too fast, too smooth, too predatory. He’d pulled his long black hair back and fastened it with a leather thong that had a silver medallion on it. His sharp cheekbones and exotic darkness drew attention to his eyes. He had terrifying eyes. They were slightly tilted and glowed yellow. Glowed. Yellow. No white showed, and he had vertical slits for pupils. Cat eyes.

The yellow glow should have been the scariest part of him. It wasn’t. There was something else. . . .

He captured her with his eerie stare, and suddenly she couldn’t understand why she had ever thought his eyes were strange. His gaze drew her, filled her with a yearning that was almost pain. It reached down, down to a place never touched before.

She couldn’t blink, couldn’t look away, couldn’t control the erratic beating of her heart, and couldn’t seem to breathe. Cassie gasped for air even as she sank into the alien beauty of those eyes. And if her heartbeat felt as though it was stalling, threatening to stop altogether, she couldn’t muster the energy to worry about it while the yearning grew and grew.

Cassie jerked as Ethan commanded, “Stop it.” She didn’t think he was talking to her.

Startled, she closed her eyes. She concentrated on breathing and felt her heartbeat kick back into a normal rhythm. What had just happened? You couldn’t breathe, your heart was stopping. She’d almost died.

When she opened her eyes, Zareb had turned his attention to Ethan.

“And here I thought you’d brought her as a gift to atone for abandoning your loving father.”

Ethan simply stared at him from the shadows.

Zareb smiled. “I suppose the loving father reference was a bit overdone. But you do owe me some recompense for my anger, and yes, there were a few moments—very few, I’ll admit—of heartfelt sorrow.”

Ethan made a dismissive sound. “I brought you a pet that will suit your ‘loving’ personality.”

The cat poked her head from beneath the couch and hissed her general discontent with everyone in the room.

Zareb’s smile widened. “So you have.”

Cassie’s whole body thrummed with her need to run to the door, rip it open, and race screaming into the night. Her instinct had it right, but her mind insisted she listen to reason.

Even if she could escape, even if she could go home, even if she could be safe there . . . Okay, so none of those “even ifs” were viable options. And it wasn’t just about her anymore. If she tried to run to family, to friends, she’d put them in danger too. The police? They’d question her and then release her. Back to square one.

Besides, wherever she went, her nightmares would follow. She still saw Felicity’s body and those other people when she closed her eyes. If Cassie didn’t do something to help stop the ones who had murdered her friend, she might never sleep again.

At this moment, Ethan offered her a lifeline, even if it was frayed and liable to dump her into the deep without warning.

She blinked hard. No tears. Not yet. She would do the sobbing and wailing thing in private, if they ever allowed her to be alone again. If she lived long enough. Until then, Cassie would stuff the huge empty place inside her with answers to her questions. She took a deep breath and met Zareb’s gaze. “What did you just do to me?”

“Women.” Zareb’s sigh was filled with drama and sly amusement. “They can never just accept things. They always want explanations.”

Thank heaven he didn’t try to meet her gaze.

“I was merely playing. I rarely allow myself recreation time. You wouldn’t have died.” He cast a quick glance her way. “I’m very careful not to kill unless it’s unavoidable. I’ve killed often over the centuries, and the Second One is too close, too powerful now.”

What did that even mean? Since he didn’t offer to explain, she launched another question. “Did you make Ethan vampire because he was dying and that was the only way you could save him?”

He looked surprised in the same way he would if the cat had spoken to him. “No. I was bored that night, and I hadn’t made any children in a long time.” He shrugged powerful shoulders. “It was simply a need to procreate. So I made Ethan vampire.” His full lips twitched in the tiniest of smiles. “He was angry with me for a very long time. In fact, this is the first time he’s visited me of his own free will. I’m ecstatic.”

Well, Cassie could get rid of any heart-of-gold hopes she had regarding him.

Zareb looked at Ethan. “I assume there’s some pressing reason for your presence here.”

“We have a situation.”

Ethan still stood in the shadows. Cassie frowned. She couldn’t see his features clearly, but she would swear there was something different about him, something changing. She pushed the thought away. Too much had happened today, and her mind was probably a little unreliable right now.

Zareb glanced at the cat hiding under his couch and at Cassie. “Yes, we do.” He motioned toward the couch. “Since you’ve already interrupted my busy night, you may as well sit down.”

Cassie walked to the couch and sat on the edge. The cat seemed to think that underneath it was a better place to be. The cat was probably right. Ethan didn’t leave the shadows.

Zareb stood beside the couch staring at Ethan. “You killed tonight.”

“How did you know?” The question just popped out of Cassie. And when Zareb turned his yellow gaze on her, she felt her courage shrivel and crawl down her throat. He was just that scary.

“The Second One is rising.”

Zareb evidently thought his explanation was sufficient because he turned back to Ethan. “You have about two hours. The woman must eat and you must feed. I was about to make a dinner run when you arrived, and since the woman doesn’t seem to be on the menu, I’ll pick up something for you on the way back.” His eyes narrowed, yellow cat eyes filled with darkness. “Do I need to bring the others with me?”

“Yes.”

Cassie’s heartbeat picked up its pace. Ethan’s voice . . . It was different—deeper, smoother, more threatening. And for one mad moment she wanted to ask Zareb to take her with him. Then she thought about his eyes. Maybe not. He moved toward the door.

“Wait.” Cassie couldn’t do much for the dead, but this one thing she could do. “The police. They need to know about the dead people in those houses.” She didn’t know why that was so important to her. The dead sure didn’t care. But she cared.

Zareb raised one brow. “Dead people?” He looked at Ethan.

“The dead are in the houses next to mine. I didn’t kill them. Explanations when you come back.”

Zareb nodded. “I’ll make an anonymous call.”

“You know where I live?” Ethan sounded surprised, and not too happy.

“Of course.” Zareb sounded amused. “I made you. You can never hide from me.” And then he was gone.

Silence settled over the room, the shadows seemed to thicken, and Cassie’s fear expanded exponentially. She took a deep breath. “You may as well come out where I can see you. Not knowing what’s going on is scaring me more than if you’ve morphed into something gross.”

Ethan’s cold laughter scraped along her nerves, frightening enough for her to rethink her come-out-of-the-shadows request. Some things were better not seen.

Too late. He moved so quickly that she didn’t even have time to gasp, to run into the bathroom and hope the door had a lock. He was simply there beside her on the couch.

Cassie stared at him and swallowed hard. Don’t scream. Prey screamed. Prey ran. Prey died.

He leaned close and smiled. “It will get worse before it gets better.”

She couldn’t look away, a bird caught by a raptor’s stare. He looked bigger, harder. He’d split Len’s shirt, exposing a broad expanse of muscled chest and abs. Cassie was tempted to continue staring at his chest, because the rest of him was . . .

“Look at me.”

The voice in her head was warm and rough and an absolute compulsion. Slowly, reluctantly, she lifted her gaze to his face.

Cassie now knew the true meaning of terrifying beauty. His hair had become a silken fall so black that it shone with blue highlights. And his face . . . What was happening to his face? His eyes seemed larger, and they now had the same tilt as Zareb’s eyes. They were green with no white showing and vertical slits for pupils. Cat eyes.

She pushed words past lips that felt frozen. “Will they be yellow like Zareb’s?”

He nodded. “Blue and yellow make green. In two hours they’ll be pure yellow.”

His voice was darkness, leading to places she feared but would explore if he beckoned. No. She wouldn’t explore anywhere with him. His eyes probably had the same power that Zareb’s had. Even as she pummeled herself for her momentary weakness, she reached out to run her fingers lightly along his jaw and watched it clench.

“Is this the Second One you’ve been talking about?” If so, he was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Words couldn’t describe him, so she didn’t try. Cassie only knew his beauty hurt, a deep hungry hurt that made her yearn. . . .

Cassie yanked her hand away from his face. She knew her eyes were wide. “You’re doing the same thing that Zareb was doing.”

He didn’t look away. “Not yet. Even Zareb wasn’t showing you the full power of the Second One.”

“Explain.” She was tired of not knowing, not understanding. Cassie had been lost since the moment she’d walked into Eternal Rest Funeral Home.

Ethan finally moved. He stood and then paced over to the fireplace. “The ones who wrote the vampire legends were wrong.” He stood with his back to the flames. “It was never about bloodlust. We can feed whenever we want. We’re no more ruled by our hunger than you are.” He turned his back to the fire and stared at her. “It was always about the kill.”

“Zareb said he knew you’d killed because the Second One was rising. Who or what is the Second One?” Fascinated, she watched his face changing in small increments even as they talked—lower lip growing fuller, lashes lengthening, each change making him more breathtaking. Then she looked away. Beauty that hurt to look at couldn’t be good.

“The First One is our humanity. Even as vampire it’s dominant unless we kill. The act of killing wakens the Second One.”

“You make it sound as though the Second One is a separate entity.” Trying to keep from staring at him became harder with every passing moment.

“It is. The Second One is an elemental consciousness passed on in the blood my maker used to create me. It lies dormant until it senses a kill. It doesn’t care about conscience or human emotions. Its primal drive is to destroy.”

“After what I saw today, I don’t think you need any help in the killing department.” Fear coated Cassie’s thoughts, making it tough for her to concentrate. He’s turning into this thing. I’m alone with him, alone with him, alone with—She shook her head to clear it.

“What I did today is my particular vampire talent, not attached to the Second One. I have control of when and how I use it.”

“Meaning you don’t have control of the Second One.” She stared down at her hands. Blood. Her hands were covered with dried blood. So were the rest of her clothes, even her shoes. How had she not noticed before this? His voice dragged her back.

“I can’t stop the change. It’s not that it makes me lose control, it’s . . .” For the first time he seemed lost for words.

“Yes?” No matter what he said, it wouldn’t matter, because Cassie had reached her limit for shocking disclosures. Her mind was beginning to shut down, refusing to react emotionally, trying to protect itself. A little too late.

“Scientists are finding out more things about the brain every day.”

She blinked. What the hell did that have to do with anything?

“Some believe that beauty stimulates primal brain circuits. It’s not a response anyone can control any more than they can control their reaction to cocaine.” He shrugged. “And if the beauty is extreme, it acts as an overdose and—”

“People die.” She remembered the feeling of her heart slowing, faltering, almost stopping. “I can’t believe it.” But she did.

“The beauty of the Second One’s face attracts its victims, its eyes hold them captive while it kills.” He turned to face the fireplace, his back straight, tension radiating from him. “In two hours you won’t be able to look at me. If you try, the Second One will kill you. I’ll be Medusa in reverse.”

She swallowed her fear as she stood. “Then I won’t look at you.” Even though I want to so badly it hurts. “I . . . I have to take a shower, change clothes.” She raked her fingers through her tangled hair. She couldn’t think. Clothes. She didn’t have any, and she couldn’t see herself returning to Felicity’s condo anytime soon.

“The bathroom is down the hall to the right. There’s a lock on the door.”

Left unsaid was that a lock probably wouldn’t stop a determined vampire. But Cassie was too desperate to shed her bloody clothes, to scrub the blood from her body to care. “Clothes?”

“The closet across from the bathroom. Zareb . . . entertains a lot. You should find something to fit you.”

Cassie nodded even though he still faced the fireplace. She grabbed her purse and scurried down the hallway. From the closet she grabbed a top, pants, and a pair of shoes that looked as though they’d fit, then locked herself in the bathroom.

A little of her tension eased away as the hot water sluiced over her body. Cassie scrubbed until her skin felt raw, until not a speck of blood remained. And she thought about Ethan.

What she’d felt when she looked at him, the yearning, wasn’t the same as what she’d felt for Zareb. Yes, she understood that in both cases she was reacting to the Second One in them, but still, it had felt different with Ethan—more personal, more . . . something.

Once out of the shower, she used the dryer lying on the counter for her hair and then pulled her makeup bag from her purse. The makeup, the hair, they were important. They gave her confidence, and confidence along with a few weapons would be all she’d have tonight. And Ethan. A vampire. Funny, just when she’d thought she had life figured out, it had given her a swift kick in the behind.

Cassie was still thinking about her reaction to Ethan as she dressed in her borrowed clothes and then returned to the living room. Head down, lost in thought, she had almost reached the couch before the complete silence hit her—no greeting from Ethan, no hisses from the cat, not even the crackling of the fire. She looked up.

Vampires, lots of them, stood in the shadows at the edges of the room. Motionless, silent, they watched her from gleaming eyes, hungry eyes. Except for one. He wore sunglasses and had a hoodie that hid most of his face. Which was scarier, what she could or couldn’t see? Her breath caught in her throat.

Zareb broke the silence. “Ethan told me what happened to both of you.” He pointed to a bag he’d set on the coffee table. “I stopped at McDonald’s. Ethan already ate.” He didn’t offer to explain.

A vampire stopping at McDonald’s. That should make her laugh, but all Cassie could do was shudder at the thought of all those silent killers listening as the water ran—imagining, hungering.

“My children and I will be paying a visit to Eternal Rest as soon as Ethan’s change is complete.” The predator lived in Zareb’s voice, his gaze. “You’ll stay here with the cat.”

Cassie opened her mouth and said what was probably the most stupid thing she’d ever uttered.

“No.”

Chapter Five

“Did she just defy you, Zareb?” Darren’s voice was quietly mocking.

Ethan frowned. Darren wasn’t one of his favorite vampire brothers. He’d killed too often with too much enjoyment, and now the Second One was close to claiming him permanently. It made him eager for violence wherever he could find it. At least he’d had the sense to wear his sunglasses and hoodie.

“Can you allow that to go unpunished?” Darren injected a fake note of concern into his voice.

Ethan ground his teeth. He’d gladly separate Darren’s useless head from his shoulders. The jerk wanted to see Zareb hurt Cassie. He lived for causing pain.

One glance at Cassie assured Ethan that she recognized the danger too. He crouched. When had his mind made the decision to defend her against his maker?

Zareb didn’t even glance at Darren. “Your need to see blood flow is much too obvious. Do you really think you can manipulate me, Darren?”

“Of course not.” Darren sounded nervous as he moved farther into the shadows.

Zareb’s smile never reached his eyes. “I didn’t think so.” He looked at Cassie. “And why do you think you should come with us?” His expression gave away nothing.

She fixed her gaze on the middle of his chest. “If someone found Ethan’s home and attacked his friends, then who’s to say they don’t have a list of where all of you live? I don’t think Cat and I would do a great job of defending the old homestead.”

“I’m certain that Cat is a ferocious warrior.” Zareb’s lips tipped up in a brief smile.

Ethan relaxed a little.

“Besides, they killed my friend. I want . . .” She took a deep breath. “I need to be there to see that they’re punished.”

Zareb nodded. “I understand the hunger for vengeance.”

She corrected him. “Justice.”

He shrugged. “Call it what you will. You deserve to see them punished.”

“You’re letting her come?” Ethan narrowed his eyes. Amazing. His maker didn’t do crap like this. Stupid. Who took a human into battle anyway?

Zareb moved toward the door. “Yes.”

Ethan didn’t even try to explain away his need to protect her. “She’ll die.”

“It’s her choice.” Zareb’s expression said the decision was made.

Ethan glared as he watched his maker head for the door. “Do you still keep your weapons in the same place?”

Zareb paused. “Yes. You’re going to arm her? Excellent idea. I’ve learned that the least capable among us often perform extraordinary feats given the right incentives.” Then he left. The other vampires disappeared after him.

“And sometimes the ‘least capable’ have skills that could put your butt in the ground.” Her mumbled response was almost lost in the slamming of the door.

Ethan would have smiled, but he was too pissed to find anything funny right now. “You’d be a lot safer here.”

Her gaze challenged him. “I’ll be a lot ‘safer’ if I operate under the assumption that hiding isn’t an option until these animals are stopped. Because from what you’ve told me, they’re very good at finding people, and a false sense of security could kill me.”

Cassie was wrong. She hadn’t seen what they’d be facing.

He reached for another argument. “What do you fear the most, Cassie?” Whatever it was, he’d use it to convince her to stay away from Eternal Rest.

“Having to cook dinner for my whole family? World’s worst cook here.” Her smile was small and tight, but at least it reached her eyes.

“Right. Won’t have to cook Garrity dinner.” He searched his mind for a clue to her real fears.

Then he remembered her words when she’d seen the bodies of his neighbors: “I’ve been afraid of the dead all my life.”

“Death. You’re afraid to die.” He knew he sounded triumphant. “If you go with us, there’s a good chance it could happen.”

She ignored him.

Frustrated, he watched her pull on a borrowed jacket. If she was determined to go, he’d have to give her a weapon, for all the good it would do. Ethan turned to head down the hallway. He pulled open the door to the smallest bedroom, strode to the walk-in closet, and took the key from the hook beside the door.

“Wait.” Her voice was right behind him. “Did you just get that key off the wall? I didn’t see a key there.”

“You weren’t supposed to see it. A cloaking spell. Zareb wears many hats. Sorcerer is one of them.” He hoped he sounded as angry as he felt.

He could sense her rolling this latest bit of weirdness around in her mind. He yanked open the door and turned on the closet light.

“Wow.” Her hushed exclamation said it all.

“Wow, indeed.” He stepped inside the huge walk-in closet and studied the hundreds of weapons lining its walls. “Can you shoot a gun?” As he spoke he lifted a small handgun from the wall.

“Yes.” She reached past him and chose a different one.

He frowned. “Why not the one I picked?”

“I’ve practiced with this one.”

He watched as she chose ammunition and deftly loaded the gun. She shoved it into her purse.

Ethan studied her. “You’re different from when I first met you.”

She didn’t answer, just lifted a knife from the wall, chose a sheath, and strapped it to her thigh.

“That’s a big-ass knife.”

“That’s why I like it.” She started to turn away.

“This is the real you, isn’t it? So who was that person back in the funeral home?”

Her eyes looked flat, expressionless. “I killed the binder, didn’t I? Oh, and I still don’t know what a binder is.”

“You got lucky. Who taught you how to use a gun and knife?”

“My grandfather.”

He picked up on the slight hesitation before she said “grandfather.”

Ethan had a gut feeling. “Does your grandfather have anything to do with your fear of death?” Maybe she’d seen him die. That could be traumatic for a kid.

He needed to know, and he was prepared to stand here until she told him. Ethan didn’t have a clue why knowing was so important to him. This whole not-having-a-clue thing was getting old fast.

She met his gaze, and for a moment he thought she’d refuse to explain. But then she sighed and looked past him. “I’m not afraid of death. I’m afraid of dead bodies.”

“Why?”

Cassie hesitated, and he could almost hear her inner battle.

“I’d like to know.” He tried to soften his voice, but he hadn’t done soft in a lot of years. His “soft” probably sounded like an angry growl.

He told himself that she knew his secrets so it was only fair that he know hers. But that wasn’t the reason at all.

“My grandparents lived on a farm. Once a year my parents would leave me with them for a week. I loved the animals and all that space to play. My grandmother spoiled me the whole time I was there. My grandfather was a scary man once my parents had gone, though. He never touched me, but I saw how he treated his animals, how he treated Grandma. Even though she was afraid of him, she begged me not to tell my parents, because if he got mad he’d have one of his ‘spells.’ She swore he was a good man, just crotchety in his old age. I was young, so I believed her.” She still wouldn’t look at him. “When I was ten years old, my grandmother died. She’d been sick, and one afternoon my grandfather came in from working in the fields to find her dead in her bed. He told me to go into the room and say my last good-byes to her. I was frightened. I refused.”

Ethan watched her raise a shaking hand to push back a strand of hair.

“He’d always been about staying strong and controlling situations. When his dogs didn’t obey him, he tied them to a tree. When Grandma didn’t obey him . . .” She shook her head. “I don’t really know because she never told me, but I suspect it must’ve been bad for her to fear him that much. He’d taught me to hunt, to know my way around most weapons by the time I was eight. He saw my refusal to go into that room as weakness. His cure was to chain me to my grandmother’s bed, close the bedroom door, and leave me alone with her corpse for two days.”

Ethan couldn’t believe his explosion of fury. He hoped the man was still alive so he could kill him. The Second One murmured its approval.

“He released me on the third day. The first thing I did was to run all the way to the next farm and call my parents. They came and took me away. I never saw the old man again. I refused to talk about him, but a few months later Mom told me that he’d been committed and that he would never hurt me again.” She laughed softly. “It was too late, though. That particular horse had already left the barn.” Cassie finally looked directly at him. “But after what happened in the funeral home, after what they did to Felicity, you can count on me to do my part tonight.”

“Is he still alive?”

“No.” Then she walked away. “Let’s get going before your maker sends someone to see what’s keeping you.” She didn’t glance back as she walked into the living room. She stopped at the door. “Did you feed the cat?”

He almost smiled. Almost. Such an ordinary question in the midst of extraordinary events. “Yes. And Zareb took care of the litter box.” Something he’d never thought to see his maker doing. He would’ve taken a picture and loaded it onto YouTube if he hadn’t thought that Zareb would kill him.

Ethan had stopped to pull a hoodie from the closet. His change was almost complete. From this moment until the Second One retreated, Cassie couldn’t see his face. He pulled the hood far enough forward so he was hidden in shadow. On the way out, he picked up his sunglasses.

She frowned. “The Second One?”

He nodded.

Then they left. Cassie didn’t say anything until they were in her car. “No one waited for us.”

“We’ll meet up near Eternal Rest. They’ll all come in their own cars. They’ll park a few blocks away and wait for Zareb to give instructions.”

“Cars?” She smiled. “I’m disappointed. I thought vampires would have a sexier way of getting around than that. I know you don’t do the dematerializing thing, but how about flying? Do vampires fly?”

“No.” Ethan knew she was trying to sound calm, but he could hear her quickened heartbeat, sense her tension. “If we could do all the things myths say we can do, we’d have conquered the world centuries ago. We have preternatural speed and strength, enhanced senses, and our own specific gifts. And if you belong to my bloodline, you have the Second One.”

She remained silent for a few minutes, and Ethan was hopeful that she’d run out of questions. She hadn’t.

“I was in the shower when you explained things to Zareb. So how did you end up in that glass coffin? And please tell me what a binder is?”

He kept his attention on the road. He didn’t want to repeat the story, but she had a right to know. “I was in Jersey when they caught me.” He wouldn’t go into details about the chase, about how the hell they even found him. “They shot me up with something to keep me weak until they got back to Eternal Rest. Then they took my clothes and dumped me into the coffin. I was still too weak to do anything when the binder came in with his freaking headstone.” Where had they found someone like him?

“They? Who are ‘they’?”

“I don’t know. Some kind of hunters.” Human, but not human. And they’d brought beasts with them. His mind skittered away from thoughts of the beasts.

“So explain ‘binder.’”

Ethan could feel her gaze on him, but he didn’t turn to glance at her. He couldn’t take the chance that she’d see his face. “A binding spell bends someone to your will, makes them do what you want them to do.” He shook his head. “But I’ve never seen or felt anything like this. Tony brought in his headstone, set it next to me, and suddenly I couldn’t move a muscle. I was like that for days.” He’d fought, tried to at least twitch. Nothing. He was a mind trapped in a useless body. He’d never admit how terrified he was. “I don’t know where Garrity found someone that powerful.”

Cassie nodded. “The etching on the tombstone showed you wrapped in chains and a lock on the coffin. So he made you feel exactly what his drawing depicted.”

“I don’t know why they wanted me, or why they put me in a glass coffin. I need answers.” He hoped he would get those answers tonight.

Even though Ethan suspected that Cassie had more questions, she stayed silent for the rest of the drive. He parked her car three blocks from the funeral home. His car was still in Jersey. At least he hoped it was.

Once out of the car, Ethan moved close to her. Her emotions touched him—fear, sorrow, anger, determination. He’d tried to stay clear of the feelings of others in the past. Nothing good came from allowing yourself to be sucked into the maelstrom of human emotions. Involvement made you careless, vulnerable.

He recognized the risks. But this time he couldn’t resist. Ethan wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Whatever goes down when we get there, Zareb will want me to go in first because I have the big guns tonight. He’ll follow me in. He’ll choose a few others to go in with us. The rest will stay outside to deal with guards or anyone trying to flee.”

“What about me?” Her expression said that if they planned to tuck her safely behind some tree, they could just forget about it.

“I want you between Zareb and me. It’ll be the safest place. You know what I can do. And Zareb is old enough to remember the pharaohs. Hell, he might’ve been one. He has crazy survival skills.”

She nodded, her whole body tense.

He couldn’t help himself, Ethan reached over with his free hand and slid his fingers along her clenched jaw. “I’m here.” Stupid words. They’d mean nothing to her.

She drew a deep shuddering breath and relaxed into him. “Thanks.”

And that one word made him feel . . . good. No matter what they’d find when they reached Garrity’s, or how much the Second One’s need for violence pushed at him, right now, with her human warmth pressed against his side, he was content. Not a word anyone would use to describe him.

Ethan stilled as he felt the familiar touch in his mind. Zareb could get into his brain without Ethan even knowing he was there, but his maker always announced his presence as a courtesy.

Ethan listened to Zareb’s message and then spoke to Cassie. He made sure he didn’t look at her as he talked. “Zareb just did some mental messaging. He’s already at Eternal Rest. Armed guards are scattered around the place. People are moving things out in a hurry. Guess they figure they might get company. He’s not going for sneaky. As soon as we get there, we’ll go in.”

“Good. I don’t think I’d survive a long wait.” She paused. “Can all vampires read minds?”

He slowed down a little as they got closer to the funeral home, his senses alive to any enemy who might be nearby. “Most can read human minds, but nonhuman minds are tougher. A maker is always able to access the minds of those he created.”

She smiled. “Well, at least you didn’t shatter all of my illusions about the children of the night.” Cassie stared into the darkness. “We must be close.”

He nodded.

She opened her purse and rested her hand on the gun inside.

Ethan leaned down until he could whisper in her ear. “I’ll keep you safe tonight. Trust me?” Stupid question. He was a vampire.

“Yes.”

He released her and beckoned her deeper into the shadows. He put his finger to his lips. They crept from building to building until they finally worked their way around to the back of Eternal Rest.

Zareb glided from the darkness. Ethan could see the silhouettes of the four other vampires who would go inside with them. He only hoped crazy Darren wasn’t one of them.

Zareb’s whisper was brief. “Ethan, Cassie, and I will go in the back door. The rest of you will go around to the front. If everyone else did their jobs, the outside guards should be gone by now.” Zareb watched the other vampires fade into the night. He avoided meeting Ethan’s gaze as he nodded at him. “Let’s go.” He didn’t even glance at Cassie. “Oh, and the door’s locked.”

Ethan turned his head away as he spoke to her. “Don’t hesitate to kill.” He took his place in front of her and faced the back door. “And whatever you do, don’t look at my face.”

He pulled the hoodie from his head, took off his glasses and shoved them into a pocket, then lifted his foot and kicked in the door.

Chapter Six

No plan? Just kick down the door and wing it? Where was the damn plan? Cassie’s heart was beating so fast she thought it might explode from her chest. That would pretty much put a kink in their covert action. Covert? Hah.

She gripped her gun as she wondered how Zareb would even know if his outside vampires had gotten rid of all the guards. No sounds of a struggle, no screams, no grunts or triumphant whoops. Cassie didn’t want to think about fanged shadows moving silently through the night.

Then she remembered what Ethan had said about a vampire’s power to read thoughts. Zareb would be connected mentally to all of his children. He was probably in her mind right now too.

A soft chuckle from behind Cassie shivered up her spine.

“Why would I not be there? Your mind is a delight, Cassie.” Zareb’s whisper seemed way too close. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m in everyone else’s mind as well, even the enemy’s. My only limit is distance.”

She forced herself not to respond. Instead, she stared at Ethan’s back as he strode down the hallway. He was all power and smooth deadly grace. And even in the midst of her panic attack, his presence did weird things to her nervous system.

Zareb spoke softly. “If I’m not mistaken, four of them are heading our way right now, and they’re extremely pissed off.”

The sound of running footsteps snapped her attention back to the hallway. Four men rushed toward them, guns in one hand and swords in the other. Swords? Really? They looked human to her—no fangs when they snarled—but they moved faster than a human would. What were they?

The need for action was almost a relief. Cassie pulled her gun from her purse. But she needn’t have bothered.

Ethan waited. The men facing him slid to a stop and then just stared. They dropped their weapons. Their expressions slowly shifted from fury to something so creepy that it made Cassie shiver. They looked as though they were in some sort of ecstatic trance—eyes half closed, mouths twisted in grotesque travesties of smiles. They stayed frozen like that while she held her breath. Then they simply collapsed. She exhaled. She recognized death in their loose-limbed sprawl.

Don’t shake, don’t shake. Whatever those men had seen in their last moments had killed them. For the first time, the Second One became real.

“But they died happy. How many of us will be able to say that?” Zareb’s voice in her head sounded mildly amused.

Cassie tried to control her horror. She’d seen enough violent death today to fill several lifetimes. Zareb’s attitude shouldn’t shock her. But it did.

“When you live thousands of years, Cassie, death becomes an old friend.” Zareb spoke aloud as he watched the vampires he’d sent around to the front entrance coming toward them.

Ethan pulled his hoodie over his head again. He hadn’t spoken or looked at them since they’d entered Eternal Rest.

Cassie couldn’t stop the questions flooding her mind. If the Second One was in control, did it recognize her? Did it care about any of them? The thought of a cold emotionless entity crouching inside Ethan’s body not only terrified her but also made her incredibly sad. She forced her gaze from him.

Zareb didn’t ask the others if they’d cleared the front of the building. The fact that they were standing here proved they had.

Cassie tried not to stare at the bodies. “Those were humans, weren’t they? Then how were they able to move like vampires?”

Zareb looked thoughtful. “I don’t know, but I intend to find out.” He walked to Ethan’s side. “What do you think about getting into the basement?”

Ethan kept his head turned away. “If anyone is down there, they can nail us as we get off the elevator. Let’s look outside. They wouldn’t want to get trapped with just one exit. I’m betting on a trapdoor and stairs.”

“Wait.” Cassie held up her hand. “When I used the elevator, there were three buttons. The top one was ground level. I hit the bottom one and it took me to where Ethan was being kept. But there was a second button in between the other two.”

Zareb nodded. “The place probably has a sub-basement.” He looked at the vampires who’d entered by the front door. “Two of you stay here to stop anyone coming up on the elevator. The other two check out the second button. When I call for you, come down to the bottom floor.” Then he waved for Ethan and her to follow him.

Once outside, Cassie stayed close to Ethan’s back. The darkness closed around her. The brave words she’d spouted to Ethan were all lies. Fear was a scalding acid eating its way through her. Her legs shook, but she forced herself to keep going. She owed this to Felicity.

Ethan worked his way around the house, his gaze fixed on the ground. She couldn’t see anything but grass in the darkness. Finally, he stopped. He bent down and lifted a large square of what must be fake lawn. It looked exactly like the rest of the lawn to Cassie.

Then everything happened almost too fast for her to follow. Zareb stepped around her and carefully raised the trapdoor hidden beneath the grass. It didn’t make a sound. Light spilled from the opening, revealing stairs. He stood aside so Ethan could descend first.

Once again Zareb was in her mind. “Stay out of the way. I’ve called the others down. We have to do this fast and get out of here. Reinforcements will be on the way.” Then he leaped down the steps in a blur of motion.

No way would Cassie be left standing by herself in the dark. She took a deep breath. Oh, what the hell. She pulled the knife from its sheath and the gun from her purse. With a weapon in each hand, she admitted that her grandfather had done one thing right. He’d taught her to be comfortable fighting with either hand.

Cautiously, she followed the two vampires. There was no need for quiet, because as soon as Ethan and Zareb hit the basement floor, shouts and gunshots exploded.

Just as she took the last step down, silence fell. Cassie suspected what she’d find when she looked around.

Six humans—at least she assumed they were human—were caught in the Second One’s deadly web.

Zareb was busy in the corner of the room where three glass coffins rested on gurneys. A naked man lay inside each of the coffins. She shuddered. Déjà vu. There were no signs of any headstones. She’d bet that the six men had been getting ready to move the coffins out of Eternal Rest.

Cassie turned her attention to Ethan. She didn’t hear the man silently descending the stairs behind her until he shoved her to the floor. She fell to one knee and lost her grip on the gun. It slid under a nearby cabinet.

Cassie looked up in time to see the man step behind Ethan. He raised the sword he carried over his head.

Ethan’s attention was focused on the men in front of him. Even as she watched, the men started to collapse. Zareb was turned toward the coffins.

With no conscious thought, just the lessons drilled into her by the man she’d called Grandfather, Cassie raised her knife in one smooth motion and threw it. If her target was human, he was dead, because the knife was buried to the hilt in the left side of his back.

He fell and his sword clattered to the floor.

She might never have wanted to see or think about her grandfather again, but right now she was glad she hadn’t stopped practicing with weapons. Cassie had promised herself that she’d never be a victim again.

She stood up, unable to look away from the body of the man she’d killed. Bodies, so many damn bodies. She tried to close her eyes, but she couldn’t blink, couldn’t turn from the man.

Luckily, others were capable of movement. Ethan put on his sunglasses and yanked his hoodie over his head before turning around. He took in the situation at a glance. He didn’t get a chance to say anything because at that moment, the four vampires that Zareb had left above burst from the elevator.

Ethan didn’t rush over to help the others get the men out of their coffins. He moved to Cassie’s side, still keeping his face turned from her. He didn’t speak.

She needed him now—his strength, his solid presence standing between her and the body of the one who would always be her dead man, between her and the six bodies sprawled in the middle of the room. She knew she was swaying. But she didn’t move toward him, didn’t know how to relate to the Second One, wasn’t sure she even could.

And just when she thought she’d turn and run screaming up the stairs, Ethan moved. He simply took her hand and pulled her against him.

His words were almost a whisper. “Thank you.”

That’s all. But that’s all she needed. Those had been Ethan’s words. And if she was wrong, then she’d just hold on to her illusions.

Zareb moved quickly toward them along with the rest of his vampires, who were holding up the three semiconscious men they’d rescued. “We have to get out of here. I sense others coming. This isn’t the time for a stand.”

Ethan didn’t argue as he scooped her into his arms and then moved with preternatural speed. They were a blur as they all rushed up the stairs and into the darkness. Once hidden by the night, Ethan set her down.

Zareb allowed the others to scatter, but put up his hand to signal that Ethan and Cassie should wait. “I’ll destroy Eternal Rest before I leave. You head home.”

Before his words could even sink in, the funeral home exploded in flames. Cassie only had a moment to be thankful that no other buildings were close by, and then Ethan dragged her away.

Zareb disappeared in the opposite direction.

Cassie remained silent as Ethan drove. She was tired all the way to her soul, but she knew sleep would be tough tonight. If she’d thought that seeing lots of bodies would desensitize her, she was wrong. She’d killed two men today. They would follow her into her dreams and beyond.

Ethan spoke just before they reached Zareb’s place. “Those three vampires are the friends who were staying with me.” He allowed the silence to build. “I’m thankful that we reached them before Garrity’s new binder did.”

“If the binder had already put the headstones by them, would destroying the headstones have broken the binding?” Nightmares or not, she needed sleep so that she could think clearly. Right now everything was just a tangled web of confusion.

“You didn’t get a good look at me when I was in that coffin. If you had, you would’ve noticed the same scene that was on my headstone burned into my chest.”

“That’s just sick.” She frowned. “Wait, I saw you right after you escaped from the coffin, and all you had were cuts from the glass.”

He nodded. “No one burned that into me. It just appeared at the same time the binder put the headstone next to my coffin. At the moment he died, the image disappeared from my chest. I think that even if someone had destroyed the headstone, as long as the binder was still alive, the image would have stayed on my body.” He seemed to think for a moment. “And the binding would have held.”

Cassie didn’t have time to comment on that because they’d reached Zareb’s warehouse. She climbed from the car and headed for the door. Ethan put his hand on her arm to stop her.

“I wanted to tell you how amazing you were back there. I’d have gone to my final death tonight if you hadn’t thrown that knife.”

She couldn’t see his face, but she sensed his smile.

“Zareb has a talent for reading what’s inside a person, knowing how to get the most from them. I know why he let you come with us. I think he knew that you were capable of performing ‘extraordinary feats.’”

Cassie didn’t want to be pleased. Killing a person shouldn’t make anyone feel proud. But it wasn’t the killing that brought her a sense of wonder. It was the fact that subconsciously she’d known that she couldn’t allow this man to die.

“Thank you.” She took a deep breath and asked the question that had nagged at her all night. “You sound normal. Why aren’t you all primitive rage and savagery with the Second One in control?”

She could feel his gaze—hot, disturbing.

“Exactly because the Second One is a primitive force. It only has one focus—violence. When it doesn’t have a target, it subsides.” He paused. “But it’s still there, waiting for the moment it senses anger or any emotion it can hook its claws into. I have to be careful until it fades. Oh, and my face will still kill.”

“How long until it’s gone?”

He shrugged. “Not for a while now. I killed again tonight.”

Cassie swallowed hard. She should leave now, walk into the building, because his closeness was making her forget things she needed to remember—he was a vampire, he had killed ten men tonight, he was a vampire.

But her feet didn’t move. Everything that had happened today, every moment of emotional turmoil was breaking like waves against the dam she’d erected in her mind. And the dam had sprung leaks. Lots of them.

Even as she took the step toward him that she knew would change everything, the dam collapsed and her emotions swept her away.

If she thought he’d be the one to wield some common sense, she was wrong. With a guttural groan, he pulled her to him.

“You shouldn’t do this to me when the Second One is around. It doesn’t understand limits.”

Cassie closed her eyes as she reached up to trace his jaw with shaking fingers. “Bring it on. It seems I’m into expanding my limits today. I’m willing to live dangerously for a little while longer.”

And with a muffled curse, he covered her mouth with his.

Chapter Seven

There were moments when people did things they never thought they’d do. This was one of them. She would kiss a vampire.

It was her in-between time—after Felicity’s death, after she’d killed two men, but before the dreaded instant when she’d have to finally accept that everything she’d experienced today was real. And definitely before she lay alone in her bed and slept, only to live it all again in her dreams.

This was her moment to forget—no before, no after, just now. And what a now it was. Ethan wouldn’t kiss her gently. Not with the Second One lurking so close to the surface. But that was okay, because she didn’t want kind and understanding right now. She wanted a kiss that would obliterate her memories of the day.

He pulled her to him, and she savored the anticipation. He was sexy, masculine, and warm. Who knew a vampire could feel warm? His lips moved over hers—no attempt at seduction, just all hard demand. And she opened to him.

Let the sensations begin. Or not. Because something strange was happening. She’d prepared herself to absorb the scent, the feel, the taste of him. That’s what you did when you kissed someone. But instead, she fell straight through the hole that must’ve been in the bottom of her box of sensations and hurtled into . . .

What the . . . ? Darkness, heat, and emotions so strong that they shook her. No up, no down, just feelings—stomach-churning desire and a need that clawed her bloody inside. She was moving too fast, gasping for breath as everything gathering inside her expanded, threatening to fill her universe.

Every once in a while she’d catch a glimpse of reality in a flash of light seen out of the corner of her mind’s eye—his tongue stroking and tasting, his lips sensual and tempting. But then it would be gone.

Emotions. So many of them. All struggling to be acknowledged, to be felt. Finally she couldn’t stand it anymore. It was too much, too unexpected, too frightening. What the hell was happening? She opened her eyes.

For one terrifying second she stared into the reflection of herself in his glasses—wide-eyed, confused, scared. And then he turned his head away.

“Don’t look at me when the Second One is near. Not even if I’m wearing the glasses.” His voice was a raspy warning. “Unless you have a death wish.” He released her and stepped back.

Cassie swayed, not sure if she was about to humiliate herself by falling flat on her face. Taking a deep breath, she locked her knees and stood tall. It had just been a kiss. Right. Way to lie to yourself.

“I don’t understand.” Any of it. Not what he was or why one kiss felt as though he’d changed her on a molecular level.

“I explained before. You stare at my face and the Second One notices. It wants me to chuck the glasses so that it can reach you through my eyes. It wants to kill you.” He shrugged. “If it catches me at a weak moment, I’ll take them off.”

He’d misunderstood her, but that was okay. Her reaction to his kiss was too raw, and examining it would hurt.

“We need to go.” He sounded angry.

What did he have to be mad about? She was the one who had just discovered a whole new weird world inside her. Since Cassie didn’t trust herself to speak rationally, she simply nodded and followed him.

Zareb waited for them in his living room along with the three rescued vampires. He sat in a leather recliner, and the cat lay in his lap purring as Zareb idly stroked it. He speared Ethan with a hard stare.

“It took you long enough to get in here.” Zareb’s expression said he knew exactly why they’d made him wait. “Your friends will be staying here along with you and Cassie until we find our favorite undertaker and fit him for one of his own coffins. The bastards won’t get through my defenses.”

Left unsaid was that Ethan had been woefully negligent in not erecting a twenty-foot impenetrable wall around his house. Cassie noticed that Ethan didn’t argue about their staying with Zareb, so this place must be safe. And Cassie was all about staying safe right now.

“How much do we know?” Even as he spoke, Ethan stepped into a shadowed corner.

Cassie had to sit down before she fell down. The memory of what forever after would be known as The Kiss, along with everything else that had happened today, was finally taking its toll on her.

The three rescued vampires sat on the couch. They still looked groggy. After removing the knife sheath and dropping it to the floor beside her, she collapsed onto the only chair left. Cassie still clutched her purse with the gun inside. She never wanted to be without a weapon again.

“We still know almost nothing. Perhaps when their heads clear we’ll learn more.” Zareb glanced at the vampires on the couch as though he could force them into coherency by his will alone.

After being around him for a while, Cassie was almost willing to believe he could. “How were they captured?”

“They’ve been mumbling something about humans that moved too fast and creatures like nothing they’d ever seen before.” Zareb glanced at Ethan and Cassie. “Anything to add?”

Cassie nodded. “The humans that ran at us in the hallway moved like vampires.”

“The creatures they brought with them to capture me looked like someone had taken parts from different animals and glued them together.” Ethan spoke from the shadows.

One of the vampires on the couch continued in a monotone. “Big hairy bodies. Claws like some prehistoric raptor. Fangs of a freaking saber-toothed tiger and . . .” He paused before going on. “And the eyes of a vampire.”

Zareb frowned. “Disturbing.”

Another vampire joined in. “The creatures didn’t maul us much, just helped to subdue us so the human bastards could shoot us up with something that knocked us out.” He peered at Ethan and then at Cassie. He offered her a lopsided grin and a wink. “You look too good for Ethan. I’m Stark. When you dump his ass, look me up.”

Cassie swallowed her laughter. Now wasn’t the time.

The last vampire on the couch finally spoke up. “I heard one of the humans promise to reward the creatures when they visited the neighbors.”

Cassie remembered the torn bodies and shuddered.

“How did they get to Ethan’s house? I doubt they could parade their furry friends through the streets without anyone noticing.” Zareb stopped stroking the cat. It hissed its displeasure but didn’t leave his lap.

“A truck? They could’ve parked behind the house and gotten them inside without anyone noticing once it got dark.” Ethan sounded as though he was ready for the conversation to be over.

“Why are they capturing vampires and putting them in glass coffins? And what did my friend Felicity know that got her killed?” Cassie’s lids kept sliding shut.

They all thought about her questions in silence for a few minutes. None of them offered answers.

Zareb finally stood. He set the cat gently on the floor before facing his guests. “I have one thing to add. I was in the minds of the humans down in the basement before Ethan short-circuited their brains. One of them was thinking about someone called the Collector. I got the impression that this Collector was the boss, and that he wasn’t Garrity.” He motioned for the three vampires on the couch to follow him. “I’ll show you your rooms.”

She thought about mentioning that no one had introduced her to the other two vampires, but she was too tired to care. “Where will Ethan and I sleep?” Cassie didn’t want to think about the nightmares waiting for her tonight, but she couldn’t stay awake much longer.

Zareb paused. “I only have one guestroom left. It’s the one Ethan used when I first turned him. You can share it with him.” His smile said he knew his choice would upset her, but he didn’t give a damn.

Cassie narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips together to keep from shouting at Zareb. He’d enjoy it too much. Instead she turned to Ethan. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Zareb didn’t even turn. He threw back over his shoulder, “Can’t. It’s a sofa bed and I’m sleeping on it. I wouldn’t usually give up my own bed to guests, but I want to be the one closest to the door if trouble comes calling. My three friends here are still a little loopy and Ethan’s Second One would overreact. You? You’re only a human. Sorry.”

He wasn’t sorry. She watched the cat leap onto the couch. It lay down and watched her from half-closed eyes. Cassie recognized the self-satisfied feline smirk it wore. The damn cat would get to sleep on the couch while she’d be sleeping . . . She glanced at the floor. Maybe with a few blankets and a comfy pillow it wouldn’t be—

“No.” Ethan emerged from the shadows, his hoodie and glasses still in place. “We can share my bed. It’s not far from dawn, so you don’t have to worry about me staying awake looking for my chance to pounce on you.” He strode past her, headed for the hallway.

And because she was so exhausted that her brain felt scrambled, she followed him.

He opened the door at the end of the hallway and stepped aside for her to enter. She had a vague impression of a large space, a massive four-poster bed, and furniture scattered around the room that looked as though it belonged in some ancient castle. No windows.

“This was originally Zareb’s room. He wanted to re-create the special feel of that last great castle he conquered.” Ethan laughed softly. “The one with the throne and the willing widow. My maker can be a nostalgic bastard.”

Cassie stared at him stupidly. “Huh?”

“But then Zareb decided he had to move into the modern era. His present room is metal and glass along with a big-screen TV that takes up a whole wall.”

She didn’t give a damn about Zareb. “Shower.”

Cassie didn’t really need a shower. Her last adventure at Eternal Rest had been a bloodless one. Ethan’s kills were terrifyingly tidy and her knife had produced no splatter. She could skip the shower. But even though there was no physical evidence of death, she still needed to wash the feel of it from her body. Yes, it was all in her mind, but right now her mind was running the show.

While she stood in the middle of his room and tried to keep her eyes open, he disappeared, only to appear a few seconds later with a nightgown and robe. Where had he . . . ? Then she remembered. The hall closet with all the extra clothes. When she turned to go back out the door to reach the hall bathroom, he stopped her.

“The room has its own bathroom.” He pointed to a door in the far wall.

A few minutes later, Cassie stepped into Zareb’s glorious shower. It could hold a small army. She made the spray hot enough to peel the skin from her body and then scrubbed and scrubbed. When she finished, she turned off the water and sank onto the stone ledge for a short rest. Yes, she was putting off the moment when she’d have to go back into the bedroom and face Ethan. She closed her eyes. It would only be for . . .

When she opened her eyes again, she was lying in bed staring at the clock on the nightstand next to her. Almost noon. She turned her head. Their bed.

Ethan lay on his back next to her. Asleep.

How . . . ? The last thing she remembered was sitting on the ledge in the shower. Ohmigod, she’d conked out. He must have gotten her out of the shower, dried her, and pulled on her nightgown. Then he would have had to carry her to the bed. How had she slept through all of that? The wet and naked part made her feel a little warm. Memories of the The Kiss tugged at her.

He wore a sleep mask, but no hoodie. She dared to look. After all, if he slept, then the Second One probably did too.

Ethan’s face left her breathless. Even without being able to see his eyes, she felt the inexorable pull that the Second One’s victims must feel. But at least she was able—with superhuman strength—to drag her gaze from that full lower lip, the lines and planes of a face that would bring humans to their knees in the streets if he chose to mingle.

She shifted her gaze lower. He’d pushed the covers down to his waist, exposing sculpted arms and a muscular torso that made her swallow hard. Sure, she’d seen it all before in Garrity’s basement, but this was the first time she’d had time to appreciate it. Cassie bit her lip, focusing on the pain to stop herself from reaching out to touch, to smooth, to rip the damn covers off to see if he slept naked.

Taking a deep calming breath, she wondered how she’d survive another night sharing his bed. Because only total exhaustion had kept her from lying awake thinking about him next to her.

But then she remembered Felicity. She hadn’t dreamed about her friend last night. She must have been too tired to dream. But the nightmares would come. And she didn’t want to be sleeping in this bed when she woke screaming.

She climbed from the bed. No need to tiptoe around. Ethan was deep in his day sleep. And if legends were to be believed, the place could collapse around him and he wouldn’t wake. Throwing on her robe, she went in search of coffee.

Cassie was lost in thought about Felicity as she walked into Zareb’s kitchen. What would her friend’s family think when they found out that she’d just disappeared? Felicity had never talked much about her family, and Cassie had never met them.

Her frustration grew. She couldn’t contact them, couldn’t tell them the truth. And what about her own family? When she finally called them, she’d have to pretend that everything was fine. She hated lying.

All thoughts came to a sudden halt, though, when Cassie looked up and saw two massive men standing by the sink. She couldn’t control a startled yelp.

They didn’t smile. Jeez, they both had to be at least six feet five with muscular everything. They must be brothers—same size, same hard features, same orangey hair and strange amber eyes.

She froze. Who were they? If they were the enemy, then she was screwed because a houseful of sleeping vampires wouldn’t be much protection.

Her weapon. She’d left her gun in her purse. The purse was still in the bedroom. Memo to self: gun goes everywhere, even to the bathroom.

No one spoke, so she finally broke the silence. “And you are?”

The one on the right answered. “I’m Ben and this is my brother Todd. Zareb hired us to guard the place during the day. You’re the human.” He still didn’t smile.

You’re the human. That must mean that he wasn’t. “What are you?”

The other man, Todd, finally smiled. “We’re the ones strong enough to keep you safe, little girl. Maybe you’d better hope you never have to find out what we are.”

Well, that solved that. Little girl? Jerk. At least they’d cooked breakfast. “Do you mind if I steal something to eat and some coffee?”

Todd shrugged and picked up the conversation with his brother that she must have interrupted. Sports.

She tuned them out. No way did she want to spend any quality time around these two. Cassie piled bacon, scrambled eggs, and a piece of toast on a plate, then poured a cup of coffee. She carried all of her food back to the bedroom. A sleeping Ethan made a better companion than they did.

She set her food and coffee on a small table tucked into the corner of the room and sat down to eat. Then she noticed that the cat had slunk in behind her. She’d leaped onto the bed and promptly curled up at the foot of it.

Cassie smiled. “We agree on something, cat.”

She stopped smiling as she slid her gaze the length of as much of Ethan’s body as she could see. Then she looked at that breathtaking face. Not too long at one time. Just a glance here and a glance there.

Finally she accepted the truth. She couldn’t sleep next to Ethan for another night. The attraction was too strong, her sensual thoughts too potent, and her willpower almost nonexistent. If she was lucky, they’d locate Garrity tonight and she could find somewhere else to stay.

Cassie forced herself to turn her back on Ethan and stare at the wall. She thought about the horrors of yesterday, grounded herself in what was important, and tried to ignore the vampire in her bed.

No, she definitely wasn’t spending another night sleeping next to him.

Chapter Eight

The sixth night.

For five nights she’d lain alone in their bed with her eyes closed so he wouldn’t know that she was still awake when he finally returned. Forget sleep. She couldn’t relax until she was sure Ethan had gotten home safely before dawn.

For five mornings she’d lain awake gazing at his face—and when the sheet gods smiled on her, his body—before falling into an uneasy and nightmare-ridden sleep herself.

At least she could stare her fill, because the Second One had faded almost completely. It was the almost that bothered her. She could see the tiny changes the Second One had left behind, the ones that were part of him now—his slightly fuller lower lip, eyes that seemed a little larger, a little more beautiful than before. Cassie tried not to dwell on the consequences if he continued to kill.

For five days she’d gotten up and dressed right before dusk and then waited for him to awaken.

That had been the best time of the day because he’d had time to talk with her. A lot. He’d explained how they were making a systematic search of the city. Until Garrity was eliminated, she had to stay hidden. She’d reminded him that she was the one who had saved his vampire butt at Eternal Rest. He was grateful, but no, she couldn’t hunt with them. Arguments ensued. She’d enjoyed them a little too much.

And they’d spoken about other stuff. About his human life as a horse trainer and how he sometimes still went for night rides. About her life as a consultant, a life that seemed to grow more distant and unreal as the week progressed.

Cassie had also unburdened herself about emotions she normally would’ve felt hesitant to share—her memories of Felicity, feelings about her grandfather she’d bottled up inside for a very long time, and her attacks of conscience over the men she’d killed.

But most important of all were the things they didn’t talk about. How she came alive when he was near. How the need to touch him became a driving obsession as the days passed. How she knew if he disappeared from her life tonight she’d mourn his loss for a long time. And how sometimes she caught him staring at her with an intensity that made her catch her breath, made her weak with need.

Tonight was the sixth night. Tonight would be different.

She heard the door open. Cassie didn’t hear him enter. She never did. He moved so silently that she didn’t know he was in the shower until she heard the water running.

She pushed aside her usual fantasy, the one where she watched the warm water sluice over his powerful back, thighs, and perfect tight butt. The one where she moved up behind him and molded her bare body to all that heat and smooth wet flesh.

Tonight would be different. She opened her eyes.

After what seemed an eternity, Cassie saw the bathroom door open. She watched him move quietly across the room, his face in shadow. When he reached the bed, she saw that he wore his sunglasses.

He’d killed. She almost closed her eyes. Almost. But she wouldn’t allow the Second One to destroy her hopes tonight.

She felt him slide into bed. He was naked.

Ethan broke the silence. “You’re awake.”

She smiled. “I’ve been awake every night.”

“I know.”

Okay, that shocked her. “How?”

“Your heartbeat. It was too fast for normal sleep.” He rolled onto his side facing her. “I stayed awake listening to it every night until the day sleep took me.”

She glanced at his face from the corner of her eye and then away. “I never knew.” Now that the moment was here, Cassie fumbled for words. “I watched you sleep. In the morning.” Fine. Now he’d think she was some kind of creepy voyeur.

“And what did you think about while you watched me, Cassie?”

His voice was deep dark chocolate coating all of the desires she’d kept carefully hidden for the past five nights. Now was the time for truth.

“I thought about making love with you.” She held her breath. Only desperation would drive her to say those words. What if he didn’t feel the same way? After all, he’d had five nights to make his move if he was interested. What if—

His soft laughter wrapped her in warmth. “Good. I wouldn’t have made a seventh night.”

“Why didn’t you say something?” Do something? She turned on her side to face him, careful not to focus on his face for too long.

He reached out to touch her then, just a slide of his fingers along her jaw. But that simple touch amplified her needs, sent them crawling along her nerve endings, awakened her in ways she’d never imagined. Something exciting and new opened its eyes for the first time and blinked in the bright light of her anticipation.

“You kept your eyes closed. No matter what you thought you wanted, Cassie, you weren’t ready to see me yet.” He leaned closer. “The real me. Acceptance comes from in here.” He tapped one finger over her heart.

That tap felt like the boom of a kettledrum and her heart leaped in response. “Are we finished with the deep stuff yet?” Her breaths were coming faster. When had she grown into an impatient bitch? About six nights ago.

His smile was a flash of white in the darkness. Without answering, he pushed himself to his knees and leaned over her. “Sit up.”

Now that she’d exhausted her supply of bravado for the night, she simply obeyed. Raising her arms, she allowed him to slip her nightgown over her head while she focused on his throat and the pulse that beat there.

Cassie looked up to find him staring at her, and she swore she could see his eyes gleaming behind the dark lenses.

“You’re beautiful. I thought that from the first moment I saw you.” He lowered his head to kiss a path starting at the sensitive skin beneath her ear and continuing down her neck.

Cassie closed her eyes and murmured her pleasure.

She felt him pause at the hollow of her throat, his lips all heat and pressure. Cassie swallowed hard and knew he’d feel it. “From the first moment? I don’t think so. Your eyes were black and you were flashing fangs.”

He didn’t answer for a moment as he slid his tongue along her collarbone, then kissed the swell of her breast. “I compartmentalize my emotions well. My rage was completely separate from my appreciation of you.”

She was finding it hard to concentrate. To ground herself, she smoothed her fingers over his broad shoulders and along his biceps. His muscles tensed beneath her touch.

This time the sensations came. His scent—clean, male, and filled with memories of the night. His skin, smooth and warm. His taste? She’d find out.

But as she leaned in to kiss him, he put his hands on her shoulders and took her down to the bed with him. Then he rolled her onto her back and straddled her hips. “There. That’s better.”

Cassie forgot not to look. She opened her eyes and glared up at him. “Excuse me? Where’s the equal access? You can reach everything. I can only reach . . . some things.” She took a deep breath and dropped her gaze.

“Ah, but they’re the important things.”

He tangled his fingers in her hair and leaned down to cover her mouth with his. Cassie explored the taste of him fully as the long drugging kiss threatened to spiral out of control. She closed her eyes again as she traced each fang with the tip of her tongue. So different from her, but so right for him.

He finally broke the kiss in favor of focusing his attention on her breasts. And as he circled her nipple with the tip of his tongue and then covered it with his lips, she encouraged him with breathy moans.

The heat of his mouth, the way he flicked each nipple with his tongue before nipping gently, and the pleasure/pain as he drew on it made her gasp.

Pleasure drove her. Cassie arched her back as he licked a path over her stomach. Then she spread her legs when he moved lower to trail the tip of his tongue up her inner thigh.

But when he slid his hands under her bottom, lifted her to meet his mouth, and then used that same tongue tip to tease the sensitive nub that was control central for what seemed to be every nerve ending in her body, she took a dive into the same place she’d visited the first time they’d kissed.

“Please, please, please.” Her breaths came in tortured gasps as she pleaded with him. Please hold me so close that you absorb every cell in my body. Please fill me so the emotions won’t hurt so much. Please let me touch you. Cassie didn’t think she meant his body with that last “please.” But then she wasn’t doing much thinking at all right now.

Raw emotions and sensations that threatened to wash her away shook her until she gripped the bottom sheet as an anchor. She whimpered as he slipped his tongue in and out, in and out.

Cassie clenched her muscles around the indescribable pleasure—trying to slow it down, hang on to it. Finally her emotions overflowed the dam she hadn’t done much to shore up.

Need, want so intense that it hurt, and an unnamed emotion that tugged and tugged at her heart until she expected it to explode from her chest battered her. With a growl she didn’t even recognize as coming from her, she raised herself enough to tangle her fingers in his hair and yank.

He didn’t fight her. She sensed that his eyes would be black behind his glasses, and she would’ve sworn his hands shook as he grasped her arms and flopped onto his back, dragging her on top of him.

Cassie wasn’t sure who the vampire was here, because she wanted to eat him alive, drain him of every drop of whatever magic he was feeding her. She whimpered as she rose to straddle him the same way he had her. Strands of thoughts mixed with the sensations and emotions, driving her into a feverish frenzy to . . .

She knew if she didn’t put her mouth, her hands, on his body, there’d be nothing but an empty husk of a woman left when this was over. The heat of her hunger would burn her to gray ash and then the ash would blow away on the wind of her frustrated need.

Cassie memorized every line, every curve of him as she slid her fingers over his smooth sleek body. Her fingers trembled as she spent quality time running one fingernail lightly over the hard length of his erection. Before she knew it, her mouth had replaced her hands.

She’d never get enough of him. She glided her tongue over his cock—all velvety soft skin and hard male need—and slipped her lips over the head. As she mimicked the rhythm of love, she soaked up his deep groans.

It wasn’t enough, it would never be enough. Her feelings fought the tangle of physical sensations, trying to tell her something, something important.

But all coherent thought fled on the surge of what had to be her own Second One, and it was shouting, “Now, now, now.”

It must’ve been loud enough for Ethan to hear because he put his hands on her hips and effortlessly lifted her onto his erection.

Slow. She wanted to make it last. Forever. But her body didn’t agree. Cassie felt the head of his cock pressing, pressing and . . . She. Couldn’t. Stand. It.

She lowered herself slowly, with exquisite care, with deep breaths each time she felt him spread her apart and push in a little farther. Slowly, focusing on the moment, the sensation, the feeling.

Then he moved. With a hard thrust, he drove into her and she lost it.

She met his thrust with her own, joining them completely, and nothing she’d ever experienced felt like the sensation of him completely filling her—pressing, pressing.

She cried out as the deep dark emotional place she’d found before swallowed her. Want so powerful, so primal that she felt tears streaming down her face. She wanted, no needed his body, his soul, his everything. This couldn’t be love, because love wasn’t this savage. And right now she could’ve stepped right out of the primordial ooze.

Then she stopped thinking.

The friction. The rise and then the plunge to meet his thrusts. The hammering of her heart. The harsh rasps of her breath. The sensation of his body hard between her thighs. The friction, friction, and oh my God!

Her orgasm caught her and shook her with so much power that she couldn’t even scream. She hung there while spasm after spasm shattered her past and rebuilt her future expectations. Never would she feel this way again.

And as the spasms slowly grew weaker, she mourned their loss. She was thinking again. Had he gotten his release? He hadn’t . . . “You didn’t bite me.” She weakly climbed off him and lay on her back beside him.

He picked up her hand and placed it over his heart.

Surprised, she could feel his heartbeat. “It isn’t racing.”

“Believe me, for a vampire, that’s a racing heart. Any more excitement and I would’ve been the first vampire to die of a heart attack.”

She laughed, but then grew silent. Something was wrong. Cassie didn’t know how she knew, but she felt the tension in him. Was it her? “Is everything okay?” Did she sound pitiful or what? Tell me I didn’t take the most incredible trip of my life alone.

“What we just had . . .” He didn’t turn his head to look at her.

Lost for words? Not something she expected from Ethan.

“It changed everything, Cassie.”

What the hell did he mean by that?

“But something’s wrong. I feel it.” Strange how she was so sure she could sense the feelings of a man she’d known for such a short time. It was what it was, though.

Ethan finally looked at her, but his glasses hid his emotions.

“You felt what happened between us.” He held up his hand to stop her response. “Just know that I will keep you safe.” His lips softened into a smile. “Because I can’t imagine ever finding someone like you again in a thousand lifetimes.”

Chapter Nine

Cassie’s surge of joy came first. It was all emotion. No thoughts involved. She would have been happy to stay in that state forever.

But her mind couldn’t keep from messing with her happiness. The doubts began. He hadn’t mentioned love. Vampire or not, he was male. Was this only about mind-blowing sex? And he’d mentioned a thousand lifetimes. She’d be able to share only one with him. He’d have to trudge through the other nine hundred ninety-nine alone.

Since she didn’t particularly want to start a dialogue on any of those topics, she chose to discuss something impersonal, nonthreatening. “Is there a reason you think you might not be able to keep me safe?”

Only when she saw the flash of disappointment in his expression did she realize her mistake. He’d opened to her, told her his feelings, and she’d ignored him. Regret weighed her down, but it was too late to go back. She’d chosen to retreat from emotions that were too scary, that opened her up to hurt, and that had happened way too fast.

His expression smoothed out and he turned his head away. “We lost Darren tonight.”

Shock punched her hard enough to drag a gasp from her. “How?” She hadn’t really known Darren, and he’d been a jerk the one time they’d met, but she hadn’t wanted him dead.

Ethan laid his arm across his eyes as though the dim glow from the nightlight was still too much. “We’ve been splitting into small groups searching for Garrity and his men. Tonight it was just Darren, Zareb, and me. We found a gang of Garrity’s enhanced humans—or whatever they are—and their beasts. Lots of them. They were trying to capture a lone vampire.”

Cassie realized how totally selfish she was. All she felt was terror at knowing the danger he’d faced, was facing every night. She didn’t have any fear left over for Zareb or the others.

“There were too many of them. We knew if we tried to fight them, there was a good chance they’d get one of us. Vampire numbers are down in the city, so we couldn’t afford to lose anyone. We decided to follow them instead and see if they led us to Garrity.”

He paused and she sensed he was back in the darkness watching the enemy, wanting to destroy them, but knowing he couldn’t do a damn thing.

“But Darren had always been a killing machine. He was too close to the edge. His Second One took control. It didn’t have a lot of survival instincts, just a lust for slaughter. He attacked Garrity’s men before we could stop him.”

She wanted to say something comforting, but her mind was blank to everything except the horror.

“He caught a lot of them by surprise, and they looked at him. The ones that did died. The rest were smarter and didn’t stare directly at his face. Once Darren betrayed our presence, we had to fight too.”

He turned his head enough for her to see the bitter twist of his lips.

“Zareb went into kickass sorcerer mode, I was picking the humans off without getting my hands dirty, and Darren was berserk. We made a great team.” He paused and allowed the silence to gather. “We’d killed most of the humans and a lot of the beasts, but we were tiring. We decided to leave.”

He took his arm from his eyes. “We turned to run but Darren stayed. I saw one of the beasts rip his head from his body.” Rage filled his voice. “I stayed long enough to destroy the beast, and then I followed Zareb.”

Ohmigod, Ethan had almost died tonight. The realization froze her.

Ethan snorted. “The vampire we saved escaped while we fought Garrity’s men. Gratitude isn’t a vampire characteristic.”

“I’m sorry about Darren.” She had no other words.

“This is why I worry. Garrity could take Zareb or me some night and then he’d come for you. I have to find a way to keep you safe.” He was silent for a moment. “Your family doesn’t live here?”

“No.” She knew what he was about to suggest. “Forget it. My family might live in a different state, but I still wouldn’t take the chance of leading those monsters to their doorstep.”

He simply nodded before climbing from the bed. She couldn’t help appreciating the play of muscles across his back and the motion of his tight butt cheeks as he walked across the room and reached into the closet. He came back to bed with his sleep mask and hoodie.

He took off his glasses, and she quickly looked away.

“I like to see the woman I’m making love with.”

She smiled absently while he slipped on the sleep mask and pulled the hoodie over his head.

“Would someone who was with you a lot ever become immune to the Second One?” Dumb question. She would only be with him until Garrity was dead. That should make her happy, right? It didn’t.

He remained silent so long that she thought he wouldn’t answer. “Eventually you’d be able to look at my face without being affected as long as my eyes were covered. There’s no immunity to the face and eyes together.”

She felt his stare.

“You’ll wake before I do. Dress and get out of the bedroom before me.”

She could only nod. There was nothing left that either of them was willing to talk about. Cassie glanced at him. He’d tugged the sheet completely over his head. Evidently breathing wasn’t an issue.

They both lay still until the clock told her that dawn had arrived. She didn’t need to see Ethan to know that the day sleep had taken him.

Closing her eyes, she forced everything from her mind. Allowing her thoughts to run in circles would drive her crazy. She could only help Ethan if she stayed sane. And somewhere during her attempt to think of nothing, she slept.

Cassie sat on Zareb’s couch with the cat curled up beside her and watched them leave. After finding out what had happened last night, she was terrified to see them go.

Ethan paused to look back at her right before he walked out. He had his glasses on and was holding his hoodie closed over the lower half of his face.

For a moment hope flared that he’d come back to kiss her good-bye.

He shook his head. “Can’t. Not when I’m like this.”

She didn’t bother yelling at him for being in her mind. “You did the first time.”

“That was different.” He didn’t explain how it was different. “Stay safe.”

“Right back at you. . . . What the heck is your last name?” She was doing her best to sound perky, but Cassie had the feeling that even though her “per” might be fine, her “ky” was drooping badly.

“Russo. For now.”

His voice had that deeper, more dangerous tone she associated with the Second One.

“Well, right back at you, Russo.”

She kept her smile pasted on her face until they’d left. Then she sighed and looked down at the cat. “Anything you want to see on TV?”

The cat yawned to express her complete disinterest.

“Me either.” Cassie glanced over at the two men who stood by the door looking bored.

Colin and Dylan. They were almost carbon copies of their brothers, Ben and Todd—big, muscular, with shaggy orangey hair and amber eyes. They were her bodyguards for the night.

“The TV is all yours, guys.” She’d go into her room and read a book.

She wandered into the bedroom, grabbed her book from the nightstand, and flopped onto the bed.

A half hour later she was still on the same page. She put the book down. Cassie hated waiting here for Ethan to come home. She felt useless. But she’d learned a lot during the last week. Not the least of which was that she had no place in the middle of a battle involving vampires. She’d been lucky to survive that first day. Even loaded down with weapons, she was a liability. Ethan might try to protect her instead of watching his own back.

Just when she was about to give up on the book and try the TV again, someone tapped on the bedroom door. She climbed off the bed to answer it. Colin, or maybe it was Dylan, stood waiting.

“Zareb just sent us a text message. They’re in a battle and pretty much outnumbered. They need us now.” He looked torn. “I sent for someone to take over for us. He’ll be here in about twenty minutes. We don’t like leaving you alone, but Zareb wouldn’t ask for us if he wasn’t in a bad situation.”

Cassie didn’t hesitate. “Go. I’ll be fine.”

Colin nodded and ran back down the hall. A few minutes later, she heard the front door close. She was alone with her panic.

What had happened? Were they all still okay? Why couldn’t Zareb call in some of his other children who were scattered throughout the city? Was Ethan safe?

She was pacing the living room with her phone in her hand when the knock came. Cassie frowned. That was fast. The new guard must have been closer than Colin had thought.

Cassie hurried into the bedroom and got the gun from her purse. If she had to open the door, she’d do it with a weapon in her hand. She shoved her phone into her pocket.

Before opening the door, she tried looking through the peephole. Damn it, the outside light had burned out. “Who is it?”

“New guard.” The man’s voice was gruff but sounded normal.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

Cassie glanced past him to make sure no one was lurking in the shadows. “Did you see anyone—?”

She didn’t get any farther because someone grabbed her arm and yanked her outside. Before she could raise her gun to shoot, something massive hit her with enough force to flatten her. The gun fell from her hand. Dazed, she stared up into gleaming feral eyes.

The animal, because it was an animal, curled its lips back to reveal fangs at least six inches long. Terror froze her in place.

A man leaned over her. “Don’t move, lady. Oh, and I wouldn’t scream. Loud noises make Henry here excited. I’d hate to deliver you with puncture wounds.”

It only took seconds for Cassie to put together the steps of her stupidity. She hadn’t asked Colin for the name of the new guard, and she hadn’t asked this man for any proof of identity. He worked for Garrity. And she was having an up-close-and-personal introduction to one of his beasts because she’d been naïve enough to think she could shoot faster than the animal could move. She wasn’t suicidal, so she remained motionless.

“Very good.” The man sounded almost fatherly. “Cooperation makes things a lot less messy. Now I’m going to call off Henry, and you’re going to get up and walk quietly to that big van. Understand?”

She nodded, never taking her attention from the beast’s lethal fangs.

Her heart pounded, pounded, pounded as she took short gasping breaths in an attempt to control her fear. Think. Panic wouldn’t save her ass.

As she climbed to her feet, she noted that her captor had picked up her gun and shoved it into a jacket pocket. He held the end of a long leash that was attached to the beast’s collar. The leash looked way too flimsy to contain all that animal power, so she assumed there was more involved in controlling it.

Cassie didn’t move as the man took her phone from her pocket.

“Love cell phones.” He chuckled. “They store so much great info on them. For example, that bloodsucker we offed last night had the phone numbers of the guards that I just sent on a trip to an empty lot on the other side of Philly. Guess they’ll be pissed.” He handcuffed her hands behind her and nudged her toward the van. “We need to move fast. Bet they called in a new guard to watch you. I don’t want to be around when he gets here.”

Cassie bit her lip to keep from screaming. She wanted to fight. But her common sense kicked in. The beast hadn’t killed her, so they must want her alive for some reason. Fighting wouldn’t free her, and there was no one around to hear her scream. Besides, alive was a lot better than dead.

She stared at the van’s open doors. To hell with common sense. She fought. Cassie kicked the man in the leg at the same time she screamed. When he tried to grab her arm, she bit him. She had to keep him from putting her in that van until the new guard arrived.

But as she stumbled away, he moved with a speed no human should have. She had no way to defend herself as he reached her. He punched her in the stomach. At the same time, she felt a searing pain in her arm. Cassie fell.

With a curse, the man dragged her to her feet and toward the van. “See, that was just dumb. You upset Henry, and he got your arm with a claw. The boss’ll be mad because you have a mark on you. That doesn’t make me happy, and you want to keep me happy, lady.”

He shoved her into the van and pushed her down onto the bench. Then he locked her cuffs to a short chain attached to the side of the van. The beast crammed its massive body into the back with her. It crouched a few feet away, its unblinking stare fixed on her. Cassie swallowed hard. She would not throw up.

The man closed and locked the back of the van before climbing into the driver’s seat. He started the van and pulled away from the warehouse.

“How did you know I was alone?” Don’t panic, don’t panic.

“I watched. Two guards went in. The same two came out.”

“Where’re you taking me?” Her stomach ached and she could feel blood trickling down her arm.

“To hell, lady. And if you try any more tricks, you’ll get there sooner than you expected.”

Asshole. Cassie didn’t ask anything else.

Instead, she tried to get her terror under control by staring at the beast. Face your fears. The man had called him Henry. Who would give an animal this frightening such an ordinary human name? Someone sick, that’s who.

He’s only an animal. Calm down. Right. That was like calling a tornado only a breeze. She took a close look at him. Huge furred body. A grizzly came to mind. Three clawed toes on each foot. The talons were at least five or six inches long. And the middle talon on each foot was longer and more curved than the others, good for ripping out stomachs and throats. Breathe, just breathe. They looked like the talons she’d seen in pictures of the Velociraptors from Jurassic Park. And those fangs. Definitely saber-toothed tiger–sized.

Finally, she lifted her gaze to the beast’s eyes. She caught her breath. The beast stared back at her. Those eyes. Cassie recognized them—haunting, compelling, savage.

They were the yellow eyes of the Second One.

Chapter Ten

Cassie quickly shifted her gaze while she tried to control her shaking. “His eyes . . .” She bit her lip to keep from screaming when the animal edged a little closer, as though he knew she was talking about him.

The man sneered as he glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Recognize them, do you? Go ahead, stare at him. You won’t die. He has the Second One’s eyes, so he can draw you in, but he doesn’t have the pretty face to go with them. That means he can’t kill you that way. Doesn’t matter, though, because he has lots of other ways to end your life.”

Questions whirled in her mind until she felt dizzy. What were the beasts? Where was this guy taking her? What would happen when they got there?

Then she thought of Ethan. Would he search for her? She had to believe he would. Cassie prayed that Garrity wasn’t going to use her as bait. Not that she’d have to live with any guilt if she was the instrument of Ethan’s death, because she had no doubt Garrity intended to kill her once her usefulness ended.

And just when she didn’t think she could stand one more minute of feeling Henry’s stare on her, his hunger, the van pulled up behind what looked like a large abandoned building. She didn’t see any lights inside.

The man got out and came around to open the van’s back doors. Henry jumped out and waited as his handler snapped his leash onto his collar. Then the man climbed in to release Cassie from the van. He didn’t take off the cuffs.

He gave her a little shove toward a door hidden in the shadows. “We’ve kept Mr. Garrity waiting long enough.”

Inside, the darkness was complete. Henry’s hungry whining urged her to go faster. Panic made her clumsy, and she tripped on what felt like a raised board. Unable to break her fall, Cassie fell to her knees hard and for a moment the pain took the place of terror. Something sharp had torn her pants and cut into her knee. But then the man was there yanking her to her feet and pushing her forward.

While she stumbled along, Cassie sensed others in the darkness. They didn’t speak, didn’t move. Guards?

Finally, she reached another door. He pulled it open and light flooded out. Cassie saw a stairway leading down. Anxious to stay a few steps ahead of Henry, she didn’t hesitate.

Once the man joined her at the bottom, he led her to the end of a hallway and then knocked on the door there. With an electronic hum, the door slid open.

He pushed her inside. “This is as far as I go.” The door slid closed, leaving her alone with . . .

The smell of disinfectant made her wrinkle her nose. She glanced around the large room. It looked terrifyingly familiar. Lab equipment, sinks, and containers with God knew what in them. Gurneys, some of which had empty glass coffins on them. A man and woman stood by one of the gurneys watching her with unblinking intensity. Human? She thought so. At least the woman was. The man had that complete stillness she associated with vampires.

Cassie’s gaze finally settled on the far corner of the room. A desk with a man sitting behind it.

“Garrity, I presume.” Cassie hoped she sounded at least semi in control. She clenched her cuffed hands into fists so they wouldn’t shake.

“Cassie, I’ve looked forward to this moment.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Come. Sit.” He pointed to one of the two chairs facing his desk.

Just to make sure, she reached back awkwardly with her cuffed hands to try the door handle. Locked. Taking a deep calming breath, she walked to the chair he’d indicated and sat. Then she took stock of Roland Garrity.

Cassie had pictured someone who would look the part of a human monster. He disappointed her. Standing, he’d be of average height and build. Thinning, light brown hair. Faded blue eyes. A weak chin. She would pass him on the street and never notice him.

Right now, she didn’t have control of her physical situation, but her mouth was still her own. “Why did you bring me here? If you try to use me as bait, Ethan won’t be stupid enough to walk into a trap.”

Garrity raised one brow. “Bait? I’m afraid you overestimate your importance to the vampires. They won’t bother searching for you.” He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his desk. He steepled his hands and studied her. “No, I only went to the trouble of sending Caleb to take you for two reasons—vengeance and to make sure Felicity’s family doesn’t discover that I was involved in her disappearance. Families can be tenacious and meddlesome.”

Vengeance. Cassie repressed a shudder. She didn’t trust herself to speak, so she simply stared at him.

He went on as though he hadn’t expected her to comment. “You are directly responsible for the loss of Eternal Rest. Now I’ll have to deal with insurance and a police investigation besides having to find a new place of business. I believe you owe me for all the trouble you’ve caused.”

“What’re you going to do?” No matter how horrible, she wanted to know his plans.

“First I’ll explain all this”—he swept his hands wide to encompass the room—“because no one should have their human life terminated without knowing why it happened. And then I’ll change you from a pain in the ass into a useful commodity.”

Human life terminated. There it was. She was going to die. There was a kind of sick relief in knowing the worst. Cassie didn’t say anything, because if she tried to speak she knew her voice would shake. She wouldn’t give him the opportunity to gloat over her terror.

“I and all my employees are part of a larger organization run by a brilliant man. He’s never shared his name with us, but I understand his desire for anonymity. We simply call him the Collector.” He paused.

“And he collects what?” She was proud that her voice sounded clear and steady. He would never know how much effort she’d put into those four words.

“Nonhumans with extraordinary powers and humans with potential.” He leaned back in his seat again, his expression filled with admiration for the Collector. “He’s an amazing scientist, and he’s found a way to transfer power from nonhumans to very rich humans willing to pay for it. The nonhumans are kept alive while their power is slowly leached from them. Our clients have a lifetime supply as long as they don’t get greedy.”

Cassie knew her horror was written all over her face. She couldn’t put together words to describe her disgust. So it was lucky that Garrity wasn’t expecting a comment.

“Those we choose to sell must be physically beautiful as well as powerful. We package our products in attractive clear glass coffins so that our clients can not only enjoy their new power but also have something aesthetically pleasing to admire.” He raised one brow. “Any questions so far?”

Can I throw up on your desk? She forced words past the boulder lodged in her throat. “Fine, so I understand why you collect beautiful vampires. But why humans?” Other questions pushed and shoved to be next in line.

He looked surprised that she’d ask that question. “Every human has latent power. When the human becomes vampire, that power is freed. Of course, we can’t charge as much for humans we’ve just changed because they don’t have a proven gift yet.” He smiled. “You can think of them as sort of grab bags. The buyer has no guarantee, but sometimes he gets a pleasant surprise.”

Cassie felt as though her eyes were glued open. She couldn’t blink, couldn’t breathe, and her heart was pounding so hard that she wondered if every vampire in the city could hear it. No, he couldn’t be going where she thought he was going.

Garrity’s smile was twisted and evil and happy.

“Will your buyer get a pleasant surprise, Cassie?”

Whatever had been holding her in her seat snapped. She was out of it and running for the door even though she knew it was locked. Reason didn’t enter into the blind terror she felt. She kicked at the door and screamed. And when the human who wasn’t a human grabbed her, she bit and kicked and cursed.

Somewhere deep inside where her reasoning self hid, she wasn’t surprised when she felt the prick of a needle. Cassie fought to stay awake, because to close her eyes was to lose her humanity. The man picked her up and placed her on one of the empty gurneys. He took the cuffs off her and then immobilized her with leather restraints. As her vision began to dim, she was aware of Garrity leaning over her.

“This is your binder, Cassie.” He beckoned the woman closer. “She’s a member of a powerful binder family that works exclusively for the Collector. Fortunately, he’s loaned her to me until I replace Tony.” He frowned. “You’ll have to bring a good price to make up for killing him.

“Once we’ve drained you and replaced your blood with nice fresh vampire blood, we’ll tuck you into your shiny new coffin, bind you there, and then bury you in one of the cemeteries I own until someone purchases you.” His smile returned. “Did I mention that the Collector is brilliant? We can hide our merchandise in ordinary graves where no one would think to look.” He started to turn away, but then glanced back. “I do hope you’re not claustrophobic.”

Cassie couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer. Her lids drifted shut, and surprisingly, the last thing she thought about was Ethan. Now she’d be able to stay with him for the rest of his nine hundred ninety-nine lifetimes. As blackness descended, she screamed and screamed and screamed inside her head.

Chapter Eleven

No one would look at his face. Ethan didn’t blame them. The Second One was strong tonight.

He’d hunted for Cassie alone last night. And when he’d tracked down a group of six of Garrity’s men, he hadn’t hesitated. He’d killed them all along with their two beasts, one at a time, while he hid in the shadows. The last man he’d kept alive long enough to get the information he wanted.

He put on his sunglasses and pulled his hood forward to hide his face.

Zareb paced his living room restlessly. The other vampires stood motionless around the room’s edges, unwilling to come closer to him or Zareb.

“You returned home almost at dawn this morning. Tell me anything you didn’t have time to tell me before the day sleep took you.” Zareb paused in his pacing.

Ethan almost growled. Cassie had been gone for three days. The hell with talking, he wanted to get moving. They’d finally figured out where Garrity had Cassie, and Ethan wanted to be there now. He’d kill every one of the bastards. And if they’d hurt her—he wouldn’t even consider the possibility that she was dead—he’d kill them slowly. No Second One for them. Too easy. The Second One rumbled its thoughts on that.

But Zareb wouldn’t get his ass moving until he got an answer to his question. “The Collector is a scientist and a fucking entrepreneur according to what the guy said last night. I told you about the coffins and the binders. This Collector rewards those who work for him by feeding them small doses of energy from captive vampires. That’s why his men move so fast.”

“And?” Zareb glanced at his watch.

“The Collector created the beasts. He’s a stem cell research genius. The beasts really are made from a bunch of other animals.” He stopped and closed his eyes. This was the hardest part to tell. “He searches particularly for vampires from our bloodline who’re lost to the Second One. I don’t know how the hell he does it, but he uses their brain cells to create the beasts’ brains. They have our intelligence, hunting ability, and the Second One’s mindless lust for killing. The one difference is that the Collector has programmed their brains so that he or his people can control them.” He turned away. “I’m sure he was pissed off that one of his beasts killed Darren and that Garrity didn’t get a chance to harvest his brain.”

The gathered vampires moved restlessly. Their hate, their need to kill battered at Ethan.

“After we take care of Garrity, this Collector is fucking finished.” Death lived in Zareb’s eyes. “Let’s go.”

Ethan was oblivious to the dark streets, to the others in the car. He reached out with his thoughts, searching, searching. Damn it, why couldn’t he sense her? He finally grew aware that the car had stopped. He climbed out and waited while other cars parked nearby.

Zareb had pulled out all the stops. Twenty of his children surrounded him. The four brothers who guarded his home stood a little apart from them.

One of the brothers spoke. “We left her alone, so we’re here to help get her back.”

Zareb nodded. “We’re a mile from the building where we think Garrity is headquartered. He’s grown careless and arrogant. He doesn’t know how many children I have or how powerful we are when united.” He stared into the darkness. “Run, my children. And then kill.”

And so they ran, shadows gliding silently around buildings and through streets. Ethan was the first to reach the abandoned building. The rest spread out around it, looking for other ways in. He wanted to tear the door off with his bare hands, but Zareb moved in front of him.

“You’re too lost to your anger. We don’t need any noise to announce our visit. Let me.” Zareb touched the door and it simply dissolved.

Ethan stepped inside and then froze. He knelt and touched his finger to the floor. Her blood, her scent. He looked back. “She’s here.”

They flowed silently into the building.

Cassie lay in her glass coffin. She could see everything as long as she didn’t have to turn her head. Her mind was alive, a maelstrom of panicked thoughts and emotions. Where was Ethan? Had Garrity caught him? And how could she exist like this—her eyes the only thing she could move—for a lifetime?

No, no, no! Horror broke over her in waves of terror and despair. She was a vampire. She could live for many lifetimes. Like this.

She couldn’t even twitch, but her senses were so sharp they almost hurt. Cassie could hear sounds from outside the coffin—whispers, laughter, and a discussion about when the best time to bury her would be. Her heartbeat raced, and she would’ve screamed if she could make a sound. Her mind spun images of looking up from the bottom of her grave as clods of earth landed on top of her coffin over and over until she was imprisoned in darkness. Since she couldn’t pray for death, she’d pray for insanity.

Objects within her range of vision looked vibrant, almost unreal. Every detail, no matter how tiny, was distinct. Right now she could see her binder working on another victim’s headstone. His name was Jon. Cassie never knew that hate could devour. She didn’t need a Second One urging her to kill the binder bitch. She’d put her shiny new fangs to good use if she ever got free.

No smells seeped into the sealed coffin, but if fear had an odor, she was suffocating in it.

At least they weren’t starving her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a stand with a bag of blood hanging from it. The blood was draining down a narrow tube that had been inserted through a small opening in the coffin. Since her arms were at her sides, she couldn’t see it flowing into her body.

Cassie closed her eyes, the only physical power she still controlled. She would survive on blood until . . . Would some merciful person eventually remove the tube? Did she want to die from starvation? Would she die? A question she hadn’t asked. Maybe even starvation wouldn’t kill her, just torture her forever.

What about her family? She’d never see them again. They’d grow old wondering what had happened to her, imagining her lying dead somewhere, never knowing that her fate was much worse than that.

And when she thought she couldn’t bear the parade of horrendous possibilities one more second, she thought of Ethan.

Ethan who had dragged her from that nightmare basement in Eternal Rest. Ethan who loved his brother, cared about the death of his neighbors, and who rescued a bad-tempered cat that no one else would have wanted.

Ethan. The man she wanted to sleep beside for the rest of her lifetimes and now never would. The realization that she loved him came too late, much too late. A tear slipped down her face and she couldn’t even freaking wipe it away. How pathetic was that?

The sounds of raised voices yanked her from her pity party. Damn, she wished she could turn her head. Everyone was yelling at once. She could just see Garrity.

“What do you mean they killed all the guards? There were two dozen of you up there. How did they get past the fucking beasts?” Garrity was shouting into his cell phone.

The binder crouched, whimpering beside Jon’s headstone.

Cassie pictured herself bringing the stone down on top of her murderous head. And then she forgot about the woman. Was the place under attack? Finally, she dared to think the impossible.

Had Ethan found her?

Garrity cursed as he shoved the phone into his pocket. He ran toward the other side of the room, but Cassie couldn’t see what he was doing. Then she heard the sound of a door opening.

“Cut the crying crap and get over here. I always have an escape route. This tunnel will bring us out one street over. Once I close this door behind me it’ll lock. I won’t wait for you even for the Collector.” Fear lived in Garrity’s voice.

“Then maybe you’ll wait for us.”

Cassie would’ve laughed if she could. She recognized the voice of Ethan’s friend. Stark.

“We figured you’d have a secret hole to crawl into, so we looked for it.”

Garrity came back into view as he scuttled away from the door. He grabbed the screaming binder and yanked her in front of him. Then he dragged her back toward his desk. Cassie could hear him pulling a drawer open.

Frustrated, Cassie lost sight of him again.

“I won’t need a sword. This gun will splatter your skulls all over the room. No regenerating a new head.” Garrity’s voice shook. “And I have her in front of me. I’m walking out of here and you’re not going to stop me.”

Stark’s laughter rang with wicked anticipation. “Oh, I’m not going to kill you. Someone else wants that pleasure. But forget about walking out of here because . . .”

Cassie rolled her eyes to the left in time to see the hall door implode.

“My buddy’s here to send you to hell.” Stark’s voice ended in a snarl.

Whatever Garrity saw in the hallway, it sent him stumbling over to put her coffin between himself and the door.

Cassie was still thinking about that snarl. That sound couldn’t have come from Stark’s throat. Cassie mentally cursed as she made a desperate attempt to see. She needn’t have bothered. Suddenly, a tiger leaped into view. It faced Garrity across the width of her coffin. It rose onto its hind legs and put its freaking front paws on the coffin and growled at him.

“Look at me.”

The new voice came from the doorway. Cassie knew that voice. Ethan.

“Don’t look.” Garrity sounded as though he were in full panic mode as he warned the binder.

Too late. The binder had looked. Cassie watched her die. And as much as Cassie wanted to feel sorrow at another death, she could only remember what they’d planned for her.

The binder’s death freed her. Cassie pounded on the coffin and shouted for someone to let her out. She watched in horror, unable to help, as Garrity’s finger tightened on the gun’s trigger.

Then he was yanked from her view. She twisted her head in an attempt to see what was happening at the same time she heard one blood-chilling scream. Then silence.

Zareb loomed over the coffin and lifted the lid. “Ethan really should have made it last a little longer. But the Second One was impatient. It doesn’t understand the beauty and satisfaction that come from a lengthy vengeance.”

Ethan shoved Zareb aside and lifted her from the coffin. He’d remembered to put his glasses back on and he’d pulled his hood as far forward as he could.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” He grabbed a sheet from the nearest gurney and wrapped it around her.

Then he gathered her close to his body and she could hear the rapid beat of his heart against her cheek.

How to tell him—what she was, and how she felt about him. But she didn’t have to bother with one of those disclosures. He lifted her chin and stared at her.

“You’re vampire.”

She nodded. Would that make a difference?

“I’m sorry.” His voice was soft with his regret.

What should she say? It’s no big deal? Hey, I was ready for a lifestyle change anyway? There was no good response, so she simply nodded.

Cassie felt dazed as she looked around her. A bunch of vampires and four tigers were crowded into the room. Some of the vampires were smashing coffins and equipment while others searched through file cabinets and Garrity’s desk for information. The tigers just lay there looking bored.

“Tigers?” The word came out as a squeak.

Ethan laughed. “Those are our four guards. They’re shifters. They wanted in on the takedown.”

She swallowed hard. Vampires and shape-shifters were real. What other myths and legends were real? “Can we find somewhere to talk alone?”

“Let’s go home. They don’t need us here. I came in Zareb’s car. I’ll borrow it and he can get a ride with one of the others.”

She waited while he retrieved the key and then followed him back to the car. As if by mutual agreement, neither of them spoke during the drive. Once back in Zareb’s home, he heated some bagged blood for her and drank some himself. Then, still silently, he led her to their bedroom.

Cassie really wanted to just jump into bed with him and make love forever. But that would be impulsive. This was one of the most important decisions of her life, and she had to take her time. She took a shower first and then waited while he took one.

He came to the bed naked except for his dark glasses. It wasn’t hard to keep her gaze from his face. She had other interesting places to look, scenic views to enjoy.

Ethan slid into bed and drew her to him. She hadn’t bothered with a nightgown so it was skin against skin. She couldn’t help it, she rubbed her hands over his back, his buttocks, and then she closed her eyes as she tangled her fingers in his hair and he covered her mouth with his in a long drugging kiss. The sensory overload almost blew her vampire circuits.

When she finally drew back, she knew she’d stalled long enough. “I had lots of time to think while I was in that coffin.” She couldn’t do this with her eyes closed, so she drew in a deep breath of courage, and stared at his face. And discovered something amazing. Yes, she could still feel the pull, the compulsion, but she could resist, she didn’t have to look away.

“Uh-huh.”

He smoothed her hair from her face and then kissed her forehead, her cheek, her throat.

Just say it. This had all seemed a lot easier in theory. She took a deep breath. “I . . .”

“You love me?” His breath was warm on her neck.

“Yes.” She absorbed the wonder of him.

“I know.”

“How?”

He smiled and she had to rethink her earlier confidence that she could resist him.

“Okay, maybe I didn’t know. But I had hope. Lots of hope. Besides, I’ve just spent three nights practicing how to say ‘I love you’ in a way that would convince you that I could make you happy for life.” His tone suggested he hadn’t quite believed he could do any convincing at all.

Fine, so she was crying. She swiped at her tears with her fingers. She glanced at them. “Oh, yuck. I’m really crying bloody tears. Gross.”

His soft laughter sent chills wherever chills could go.

“Then I’ll have to make sure you don’t cry anymore.”

She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. “I love you. And you don’t have to worry about making me happy for just one lifetime. Now we have a thousand lifetimes to work on it.”

He used his thumb to dry any remaining tears. “And once we reach a thousand lifetimes, we can start all over again.”