Night's Journey

BLOOD LINES: NIGHT’S JOURNEY Mechele Armstrong ® www.loose-id.com Warning This e-book contains sexually explicit sc...

Author: Armstrong Mechele

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BLOOD LINES: NIGHT’S JOURNEY

Mechele Armstrong

® www.loose-id.com

Warning This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Loose Id® e-books are for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

***** This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable.

Blood Lines: Night’s Journey Mechele Armstrong This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Published by Loose Id LLC 1802 N Carson Street, Suite 212-2924 Carson City NV 89701-1215 www.loose-id.com

Copyright © June 2007 by Mechele Armstrong All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared in any form, including, but not limited to printing, photocopying, faxing, or emailing without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC.

ISBN 978-1-59632-448-0 Available in Adobe PDF, HTML, MobiPocket, and MS Reader

Printed in the United States of America

Editor: Erin Mullarkey Cover Artist: April Martinez

www.loose-id.com

Chapter One

Titius’s boot tapped on the black asphalt under his feet. “What do you mean you don’t know where he is?” “He left Richmond. But we can’t track where he went.” The vampire in front of him scratched a small goatee that looked as if it had only grown for a few days. He scratched it constantly. Titius could take a razor to it, but he’d be too tempted to slice the newly made vampire’s throat and have a feast instead. “That’s bullshit…” What was his name? Titius couldn’t call it to mind. No matter, he wouldn’t last a year, more than likely. Most vampires didn’t. Made sense -- they came from the human ranks. But he’d serve Titius well while he was here. Afterward, Titius would make another one like him. “Even a vampire leaves a trail.” His foot tapped faster. “I need Nick Mancuso found.” “We did manage to obtain…a video.” All the stores had security cameras somewhere these days. “He was with a red-haired woman.” “A woman?” Titius sighed, turning to look out toward the Richmond canal. “Seems like he would have learned his lesson. Stupid.” Nick, you should have learned more from me. Not that Nick would hear that. Oh no, something had blocked Titius from feeling out his best student, who seemed to have dropped off the earth. If he’d been killed, Titius would have sensed it. The vampire of his line still lived, though Titius couldn’t find him. The last place he’d been able to sense him had been in Richmond. Trees rustled in the wind under the shining street lights, which blocked the stars. No moon shone down. Instead, a steady layer of clouds blanketed the sky. His lips drew up in a sneer as he watched humans board a canal boat. He could hear their blood pumping over the lapping sounds of the water against the concrete of the canal. Along with the moldy scent of wet, he could smell blood. The metallic aroma made his senses hum. Someone had a large

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cut. He could go over and take them all, have a gluttonous feast worthy of him. They were such simple little things. Like sheep. How they still ruled the world remained a mystery to him. “We’ll find him, or where he went.” Goatee vampire folded his arms across his chest. Such a good little soldier. It was a wonder the man didn’t salute him. Had Titius been the general he’d once lived as, the little peon would have been made to. Perhaps he should institute a new rule within his ranks. Maybe that would prevent what had happened last time. Titius glowered. “You’d better. Have you secured me his apartment?” “Yes, sir. Someone else takes possession of it in a day or so. We’re getting in just in time. But, it’s been so long, you won’t be able…” Titius held out his hand for the key, which goatee vampire plopped down onto it. The stupid minion had no idea of the powers of his kind. He had no idea what he should be able to do. And because of that stupidity, he’d probably be dead before he could learn. Titius sauntered down the street near the Canal Walk. Humans had put up a flood wall to stop the James River from flooding their fine city. As if they could control nature. One day, he’d delight in showing them how weak and dumb they were. He’d have the world at his fangs. He’d have humans as his banquet. It was the natural order of things. He’d tried once before. It hadn’t worked out. But, this plan was foolproof. Nick had been his second-in-command the first time. And he would be again. Whether he wanted to or not. Titius didn’t need Nick’s consent to draw from his power. He opened the door to the small apartment where Nick had once lived. Surely a psychic glimmer of his former student resided there. “Nick, this was so beneath you.” He clucked his tongue as he drew the air deeply into his nose with his vampire sense of smell. All he could detect was the strong scent of soap. Soap? Dammit, the place had been fumigated. It had been washed down beyond a normal maid’s cleaning. They’d ripped out carpet, putting down new. How unusual. Almost as if they didn’t want anyone to know Nick had been there at all. Stalking room to room, he explored every inch of the apartment. Nothing. There was no trace of Nick in the scents. Sliding open the patio doors, which squeaked a little, he stepped onto the balcony. The view looked out to the river. It gurgled as it made its way around interstate pilings and rocks. The fast-moving sounds of nearby rapids reached his ears. Titius sat on the floor, eyes darting around the dark night. And there it was. In the old concrete, which no one would think to deep clean. Nick’s scent lingered there, trapped in the sand and various pores.

Blood Lines: Night’s Journey

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“Oh, Nick. Where are you?” He let his mind filter into the smell, hoping to achieve a connection. Nothing. Taking a great big breath full of the slight scent, he tried again to get a jingle of Nick. His mind concentrated with all its might. Nothing. Not a hint existed of Nicholas Mancuso. Or Nicolai Romanov, as he’d been when Titius knew him. He shifted to his feet, damning not only Nick, but the vampire with whom Nick had hung out fifty years ago. If he ever ran into Henri Baptiste, the stinking Egyptian wouldn’t know what hit him. The world would be such a better place. It would have no one confusing vampires with talk of humanity and getting away from what they were by couching themselves in misplaced nobility. Predators. They’d been selected to take over humans and keep their muddled race in check. And it was time all vampires were shown the proper path.

***** Another minion met Titius at a patio bar across from the farmer’s market. They sat beside each other at a table facing the street. “Want anything?” Titius shook his head at the waitress. She frowned, probably figuring her tip would be nonexistent from him. She left him alone with Bert, who settled his bill right after ordering. Bertram had managed to last two years, mainly because of his computer savvy and a willingness to suck up whenever Titius required him to. He might live to mature some more. “Did you find anything?” Bert pushed his glasses up onto his nose. The other hand was wrapped around a glass of wine. “Not a whole lot. But the unsolved case is well documented.” Titius leaned back in his wrought iron chair. People milled around the small patio. The acrid scent of cigarette smoke burned his sensitive nostrils. Several people smoked along with drinking copious amounts of alcohol. One man got up and staggered inside, muttering about “taking a piss.” Another couple moseyed down the side street. The sweet smell of marijuana wafted in low. Easy pickings. Humans made it so simple. “Tell me what you know.” Bert took a sip of his wine, his throat moving with the gulp. “Murders. Several women. All were drained of blood. A few homeless men. Few gay men. It sounds as if it were a vampire. But, it stopped here.” Titius folded his hands together on a leg. “Nick stopped him.”

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“Stopped who?” A police car stopped near the farmer’s market, its lights bathing the building it rested by in blues and reds. “The vampire, of course.” Titius rolled his eyes. Fuck, new vampires could be dense. Almost as stupid as they were as humans. “How do you know that?” “Timing. They stopped right after Nick arrived here.” Titius had heard about Marcus, the vampire Nick had made. Marcus was, in a roundabout way, of his line as well. But he’d heard nothing recently about the psycho. Perhaps he had been the vampire doing the killing. Why had Nick stopped him? “Well, after here, Nick’s steps are covered. There’s nothing. Not even a plane ticket. Do you think he’s still here?” Titius’s hands clenched tightly together on his leg. “I don’t know.” If Nick were here, he should be able to sense him. But, he couldn’t trust anything, because he hadn’t had a sense of him in so long. “Why is Nick so important to you? And who’s the woman?” Titius looked up into the neon signs of the bar next door. Nick had stood by him when things went to hell last time. He could only trust Nick with his new plan. He’d tried to get things started with a recent vampire of his line. The stupid man had become focused on a myth, a legend. Conduits didn’t exist. Lang had gotten himself killed before they could set up their headquarters in a warehouse. No, only Nick would do for his team. “He just is. And I don’t know.” He hadn’t heard of Nick making another vampire, but Nick had probably been thinking with his dick and not his big head again, so who knew. Why was news of Nick so squelched? What did the woman have to do with the murders? Some vampires who made it through the change became obsessed with finding their mate. Not Titius. Love got in the way. It was an obstacle, not a necessity. Too bad Nick had yet to learn that. Hunger beat at his senses. His stomach growled. He couldn’t find Nick; what better way to take out his frustration than to find a meal? Bert must have seen the change in his eyes. “Can I…service you?” He licked his lips in anticipation, reading the change wrong. But with those words, a different hunger raged through Titius. Desire for sex and blood spread through him as if it were a wildfire. His cock sprang to attention, making him shift so his leather pants could accommodate the change. Bert trained his eyes downward, focusing on Titius’s cock, and licked his lips. “Yessssss.” Titius got up. He pushed his chair back against the wall so hard it clanged. Bert followed behind him like a lap dog. Images pulsed through Titius’s mind of Bert on his lap, his cock going into Bert’s asshole, in and out quickly. Now that was a proper lap dog.


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Into the alley he marched, turning and shoving Bert up against the wall. Bert’s whimper inflamed him as yanked his own pants down before pulling Bert’s to his knees. Planting his feet, he spread Bert’s cheeks apart, making him bend, before shoving his cock deeply into Bert’s hole. Usually, Titius used something for lube, but not this time. Bert howled like the dog he was. His fingernails raked the wall as Titius thrust and thrust into the unyielding flesh. The moans of pain and pleasure sounded like a symphony. Titius shoved in even farther, and Bert’s back arched, a gasp mewling out of him. Titius ran his hands under Bert’s shirt, pinching a nipple before going down to stroke Bert’s straining cock. His hands did not gentle as he plucked it, stretching it out. Bert’s sides heaved. Another groan, and semen spurted from Bert’s cock. Bert began to go limp. His body wanted to relax. Unacceptable. He squeezed Bert’s now spent cock, thrusting into him even more fully. When Titius came with a jerk, Bert whimpered again. Titius wiped the come on his hand onto the back of Bert’s shirt before pulling up his pants. Blood mixed in with the come on Bert’s bare white ass. “Fix your clothes.” Bert nodded blankly, managing to get his pants up. He took a step, looking as if he’d been riding a horse. His lips grimaced as though he was in pain. A soft sigh took Titius’s attention off Bert. He’d sensed the woman coming around the corner as he came. Felt her delight and arousal at watching the two men get off. “How hot was that?” Her words slurred slightly as she pushed a long brown lock out of the way. A tight blue lycra skirt encased thin hips and thighs below a spaghetti-strap shirt that showed off the tops of melon-sized tits. “You tell me?” Titius crooned, stalking to her. “Fucking hot.” The scent of tequila rolled from her lips with her words, and cigarette smoke clung to her as if it were a second skin. “Want to get fucking hot with us?” Her eyes widened as Titius smiled at her. A police car rested around the corner. Not that they’d catch him, but he’d rather keep this as quiet as possible. “You mean that?” He leaned down to kiss her cheek before moving in to kiss her lips. “Sure do.” Before she could resist or scream, he had her against the wall, hand over her mouth, fangs in her neck. Soft keening sounds were all that escaped. She did manage to get free of his mouth, smearing blood around his lips before he retook the bite. “Oh, yeah, this is fucking hot,” he said, curling his lips into the wound. “Titius…” Bert’s voice came low and needy. “Please.” The man walked as if each step hurt as he came over to beg. Titius heard a click, and bright lights flashed on and off several times from the main street several feet away; probably the headlights of an oncoming car trying to go the wrong way in the one-way alley.

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Without checking into the lights further, Titius pulled her skirt further up her thigh. Bert kneeled down to take a drink. Her life spent quickly with two vampires feeding from her. He’d have to find another meal sometime soon, but it would do for now. He dropped her body by the garbage cans in the alley like the trash it was. “Shouldn’t we dispose of that?” Bert continued to walk stiffly, though it was better than it had been. The blood was helping him to heal. Good. Titius would have more needs before morning. Usually, he would be more careful in his disposal. But he’d not be in the one-airport town much longer. And, perhaps the finding of another body like those from long ago might bring his student back to see what was going on. “Leave it.”

***** Theo pushed the pictures down in the tray, waiting for each one to develop. The stuffy darkroom, which had been a closet, was sweltering with the door shut. The chemical smells burned his nostrils. He willed his homemade vent to work. Sweat ran down his face in streams. He needed to turn on the air conditioning in his apartment, but was trying to stave it off for as long as he could. Summer officially started in a few days, even though it had been hot, hazy and humid for two weeks now. He could make it until summer with no air conditioning. He tried to think of the money he’d save, but all he felt was hot. The picture formed on the paper in the tray. This was the part he loved. Taking an image with his camera and seeing it form on the print. Sometimes it didn’t look as good as it had with his eyes. Sometimes he got more than he’d intended. Either way, developing pictures was something he loved to do. He pulled one out of a girl laughing as she danced outside on a patio. Her image had come out better than he’d imagined. She’d been nice when she’d signed the release. Her number rested in his pocket on a cocktail napkin. Yeah, she’d had a nice ass. His cock concurred, hardening to fullness as he imagined a different dance they could do.

Focus. Get your shots developed so you can deliver them tomorrow. It was four A.M. Granted, tomorrow was Sunday, or rather it was Sunday now, he didn’t have to work. But come Monday morning this would be almost time to start work. He hated the morning shift at the local TV station because it put him off center from most of his friends’ work schedules. “You’re getting old.” Yes, once upon a time, he would have gone out right up until work time and gone in to work a full day. He’d have collapsed after getting off, but he could have done it. Now, it sounded as if it were too much work.

And old people talk to themselves, too.


7

He pulled out another picture of a group. They’d been having a good time outside of the bar across from the farmer’s market. He’d have a lot of pictures for the editor of a small local magazine to choose from for their article on city nightlife. Maybe they’d pay him extra. Maybe they’d print all his shots. Maybe he’d win the Pulitzer for great photos of Richmond. He’d settle for getting paid enough so he could turn on his fucking air conditioning. Eying the picture of the group as it hung on the wire drying, he liked the looks on their faces. They looked happy, as if they were having fun. When was the last time he’d had fun? Lately, not much had been a funfest. The party life was getting tedious, not as much fun as it had been, especially because of his job. And the job wasn’t fun because he didn’t enjoy video camera work as much as he did photography. He pulled out another photo. His head cocked to the side as he looked at it. What in the hell was that? He blinked to check his vision. The image remained. He remembered shooting a couple of pictures of an empty dirty alleyway, thinking they might be good shots even though they wouldn’t be for the magazine. Sometimes rubbish made a good backdrop for a gritty photo. There’d been enough light at the back end of the alley, he’d thought the shots would come out with the flash and maybe he could get a rat eating trash or something, an urban decay shot. While he’d thought the alley had been empty, the pictures weren’t. He stared at the drying paper. A woman was pressed up against the wall. A man had his hand over her mouth, holding her against him, his mouth on her neck. The next one was the same of the woman and man, but the man was looking in the direction of the camera. He had a cruel expression. Theo shuddered simply from looking at the picture. That was a bad mother fucker. The last picture developed enough to pull it out. A second man had joined the first, kneeling down, his mouth on her exposed thigh. The first man had pulled her skirt up enough to show it all. Theo rubbed his itchy nose. The second man wasn’t high enough to be giving her cunnilingus, a fancy word he’d learned in his college sex education class. The man seemed to be centered on her thigh. What the hell was he doing? The first man still had his hand over her mouth, and he’d gone back to her neck. Theo studied the woman. It was hard to see her for the men, but she looked almost limp in that last shot. He clipped it on the wire, staring at the series of three.

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Mechele Armstrong

As soon as they were dry, he turned on the light in the little room. He opened the door, grateful for the push of air from the other rooms. He’d opened his windows in the rest of the apartment trying to let in some breeze and fresh air. Thunder crackled in the distance. He settled back in front of all his pictures. As he glanced at the three shots of the alley, he pulled the middle one down. And stared. The shots were color for the magazine. The man’s mouth was covered in red. His heart pounded. The scent of his developing chemicals faded as more air invaded the room, but still his head continued to buzz. “That has to be lipstick.” He grabbed the first shot. The man was attached to her neck, not her lips. Surely, even if he’d kissed her before Theo had clicked, it would have wiped off when he’d kissed her neck. If it wasn’t lipstick, what was it? Only one thing red came to mind. Blood. “Damn.” He grabbed the pictures and quickly scanned them into his computer. Some said he should shoot in digital because it was easier, but he was a sucker for a 35 millimeter camera. He liked hands-on photography, which was probably why he liked it better than video. Yes, he couldn’t cut on the air conditioning, but he never scrimped when it came to gadgets and technology for his photography. More than one person had pointed that out. He focused into the middle picture trying to get a better look at the man’s mouth. A definite red substance splotched around those tight lips. His foot bounced up and down under his chair as he tried to come up with another explanation for red. Jello? Jelly? Red punch? The man didn’t look like the type to consume that kind of stuff. He looked at the evil face. Nope, he didn’t look as if he’d eat anything Theo could come up with. He saw a speck on screen in the enlarged picture and focused in on that. It was on the woman’s neck. More red. Could it be…a wound? It was hard to tell, zooming in fuzzed the picture, but something marred her neck. Theo leaned back in his cheap desk chair, and it made sounds as if it might break. Now that was crazy talk. Why would she have a wound on her neck?


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And an even more interesting question, if it was a wound, why would the man be sucking on it?

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Chapter Two Theo yawned as he walked into the station. He hadn’t slept a great deal on Sunday, too many things wrapping around his mind. The morning’s work consisted of manning the camera for the traffic reporter at a busy intersection. They witnessed an accident, though thankfully not while they were on-air, and no one had been seriously hurt. Back at the station, he was working up his timecard when he overheard two words in a conversation not far from him. “Body” and “murder.” With the current events in his life, it perked Theo’s interest, so he ambled over to find out what the topic was. It probably had nothing to do with it, but Theo wasn’t going to sit around speculating. “What’d I miss?” The morning show’s producer and another reporter were discussing events over the coffee pots. The station had several, always simmering and pouring out the black juice that kept them all going. “They found a body overnight. Downtown.” Julie, the chipper morning producer, took a swig of her overly creamed and sugared cup of coffee. “It was sort of creepy. Lanny went down there to cover it.” Lanny was the other photographer. Theo eased down frustration that he’d had a murder to cover while Theo had been doing grunt work. A person was dead, which beat out frustration over his job any day. “He back yet? Did you say downtown?” “Near the farmer’s market. I gotta run. Time for…” She babbled about needing to do something. Theo didn’t notice as the other reporter left him, but all of a sudden, he stood alone by the coffee pots. He poured some in a cup without adding anything. One taste, and his eyes shot open. They might not ever close again. Either someone had added a few scoops too many, or it had been sitting awhile.


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A murder downtown. Well, there were a lot of murders in the city. It didn’t mean anything. He was going to wait for Lanny and discuss it with him, hence the cup of extraextra strength coffee. Lanny wandered in a few hours later. “Hey, Lanny? I heard you got a murder case. What’s the deal?” Lanny sat down at a desk, chewing gum as usual. “Woman downtown.” Uh huh. A woman. He mentally willed the normally reticent Lanny to spill. He pushed out with his mind. “Didn’t get a lot from the police on the record. But the guy who found her, said she was pale. Like a ghost. And had bite marks in her neck and two in her thigh.” Lanny looked stunned, having said that much. Theo didn’t remember that many words at one time ever coming from Lanny. Theo didn’t know how he did it. But people tended to do what he wanted them to. Sometimes he didn’t even mean to compel them. It just happened. Other times, he pushed out, trying to make their brains click in with his to do what he needed them to do. Once he’d established that he’d had some sort of power of persuasion, he didn’t use it on purpose often. But finding out more about this murder was a dire need. It was important. “Gotcha, man. Check you later.” His heart pounding, Theo left the station. He hopped in his car and headed for the downtown expressway. He’d gotten on it when he remembered he had no change in his car. It took a lot of digging but he came up with toll money. Who knew the toll took pennies? After that it was straight interstate driving and plenty of time to think. For a while, he drove by the train track running between the two sides of the interstate. Pale, as if maybe…drained of blood? Bite marks? The Vampire Killer, or so he’d been nicknamed by the press, had done several murders a few years ago, stopping here in Richmond. What if the killer had rested, living here until now? Bided his time, and now had decided to start up again? Better yet, what if the man in Theo’s picture was him?

Theo could have captured a killer with his camera.

***** Anna Grace descended the steps before toddling down to the tarmac. Her high-heeled boots clickety-clacked on the metal. A burst of hot, humid air hit her in the face as she fully exited the plane, a sudden change from the cool cabin. “Holy shit.” She pulled her shirt top in and out to fan her breasts. Yeah, the tits were so big they needed their own air. At least her pilot, Gates, hadn’t joked about her not needing a life-jacket if they’d crashed in the ocean, which he had a tendency to do. Good thing, she might have bitten him. She blew out a breath, trying to cool herself down.

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So this was Richmond. Hotter than hell and humid, so her hair would frizz all over the place. Great. Leave it to Titius to pick it. “Hello, Anna.” Kent’s European manners showed as he kissed her cheeks. “It’s great to see you again. “Kent.” She nodded to him, looking around behind him. “Is Agrippa here? And is it always so hot?” Her leather pants were already starting to swelter under her boots. She could feel sweat run down her leg.

“Non. She’s out at the house.” He pointed up the sky. “She loves the heat about like you do. I figured you’d drop me back at the house, so you can visit with her.” He chuckled as they walked over to the parked car, a tan sedan with four doors. “It’s nearly summer and the South. What did you expect?” His snicker and voice were snide. She walked to the right side of the car and glared at him, wondering what was so funny. “Wrong side. Unless you want me to drive. But you always liked driving.” His smile merged into a wry grin. “In everything.” Acting as though she’d intended to take a walk around the car to check it out, she sauntered to the left side. Silly Americans, putting the steering column on the wrong side. “And you always liked to let me.” He had the grace to blush. Once upon a time, she’d met a man who intrigued her with his scholarly ways, boyish good looks and quirky charm. At times, she wistfully thought it would have been nice had it lasted. But the truth was, she was too much of a bitch to have a relationship over three days. Luckily, she’d turned Kent due to some danger he’d been in and had acquired a lifelong friend. And Agrippa suited him much more than Anna ever had. “How long are you staying? You’d better get used to the heat.” “I’ll be here until I stop Titius. I knew I should have stayed in Ireland.” She swung her long legs into the front seat, before pushing it back a little. How had the man driven like this? He had to have been scrunched; he was the same height she was and with muscles. The cool air blew out from the vents. She tilted her head so the air would blow on her throat. Titius would not escape her this time. “Has there been any more from him?” Kent had alerted her that Titius had come to Richmond. Why, they still weren’t sure yet.

“Non. All I know is that he arrived.” Kent frowned deeply, lines etching his youthful, narrow face as she started the car, revving the engine. It sounded as if it burped before the pistons fired. Kent didn’t like the vampire in his territory. He had moved to America, to Virginia, roughly a year ago. He and Agrippa had wanted to “see the new continent.” She’d had a hearty laugh over that. The new continent hadn’t been new in about a couple hundred years. As she put the car in gear, she was glad Kent had better taste in women than cars. This was a grandma car. Or maybe that choice had been deliberate, considering her driving. It


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had. As if that would stop her. She sighed. He knew she liked fast cars. “Does he know you’re here?” “I’m not like you, Anna. I can’t hide from him.” Anna felt the ripple of fear roll off of him in a thick wave. “But he hasn’t come to talk or anything.”

“Non. He has to sense me as I sense him. I’m too old for him not to.” They could all usually tell when one of their kind was in the immediate area. “But so far, he hasn’t come to me. Turn left, it will take you to 64 West. It’s an interstate. And don’t forget, they drive on the wrong side of the road here.” “Why is that, you think?” Anna merged into traffic following Kent’s directions to take him home. She noted his look of surprise as a horn sounded at her speed in merging. “Why hasn’t he contacted you?” It didn’t make sense. Kent was an older, stronger vampire than most of those Titius had recruited. Titius was assembling a vampire force to lay bare the world. She would think he’d want to some older vampire muscle to do it. “Perhaps he knows that as I’m of your line, I’d never join him.” Anna made an incoherent noise. That could be true enough. Not that Kent didn’t know, but if Titius didn’t think Kent would join him, he’d be more likely to kill him. She didn’t need to say it though. Kent would have gone through all the possibilities, probably had them listed somewhere. So why hadn’t Titius done that already? He’d taken out opposition in the last cities he’d visited for any length of time. “He has made inquiries into the vampire community.” “Oh?” Now that was interesting. “About what?” “About Nick Mancuso.” Anna merged onto the interstate, coming in the lane between a huge semi and a minivan. Kent tapped on the floor as if he had a brake. He always did that no matter how fast or slow she drove. She didn’t even comment anymore. She zipped in and out of traffic, looking for the fastest lane. Mancuso had helped Titius before. It made sense Titius would seek him out. “Ahhh.” Kent patted the floor again and held onto the door as she spoke. “No one knows where Mancuso is. He’s disappeared since that stuff that went down…it was here, wasn’t it?” “Yes.” Kent cringed as she drove up near the rear of a tanker truck. He pushed a hand through his thick mahogany-colored hair. “This isn’t the autobahn, Anna.” She shrugged. “You never liked riding with me there, either. And everyone’s driving this way.” “I know. And that was only because I don’t want to go up in flames even if I can heal myself.” He lowered his body in his seat, sinking down as she pulled out in the other lane with enough room to spare. “Too close.”

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“He must be after Mancuso to join him.” She tapped the steering wheel with one redpainted nail. It hadn’t chipped yet, much to her surprise. She tended to tap on things. “If we get to Mancuso first, perhaps he’ll join us instead.” Mancuso was supposed to be reasonably sane. And he’d spent time with Henri -- hopefully Henri had taught him some things. Like refinement and class, neither of which Titius had. “Do you think this organization is going to get off the ground?” Kent looked out the window, deliberately not looking at her. “I do.” Her words were firm. She wanted Kent to have no doubts. “The lines are so much more stable now.” Thank God. Enough culling and careful making had been done to finally have an effect on stabilizing the vampire race. Whereas Titius went out and created vamps at will from anyone he could turn. That didn’t work well. It had led to them being a race who would kill over a mistaken jaunt into another’s territory. They were predators, yes, but Anna refused to believe that’s all they were. Too many, like her, had gotten a handle on the beast that threatened to take them over. They’d tried to form a consortium of vampires many years ago. There had been too much of everything. Too much infighting, too many rivalries, too much power seeking. Animalistic vampires in a group led to bloodshed. It had fallen apart before it had ever gotten off the ground. Several remembered that, and it kept them leery about the current process going on. But Anna had to believe they could do it. They had to. Whatever Titius had planned, it wouldn’t be good for vampires and humans alike. Organizing could help with that, and also with any further threats that came along. Now, the older vampires were looking for some way to effectively deal with threats, and there were many more of their kind who had passed the dangerous time of transformation than there used to be. The oldest of them had all come to similar conclusions. They had to live with the human race to survive. And that was more of a challenge than preying on them. It seemed logical to organize, to facilitate it. Without knowing it, Titius had rapidly driven this new push with his plans to take over. He’d had unsuccessful ones before, but none of the old ones wanted a vampire organization with Titius at the head. None of them trusted him not to take them out. Not since he’d taken out the one of their kind who’d been his maker. He was power hungry. Anna and he had tangled a time or two. Her psychic shields were in place to block other vampires from sensing her. If they came face to face, they’d sense nothing. It would tip some off to what she was, but most would figure she was a human they couldn’t read. Best of all, Titius would have no idea she was in town. Until it was too late. “Do you think Mancuso will join?” Kent backed up, pressing against the seat as she flew up on a slow-moving small car before zipping into the other lane. His blue eyes turned to her as she glanced at him a second before turning back to the road. He always reacted like this to


15

her driving, even now in the grandma car. She might scare him with her speed and merging abilities but they weren’t in any danger. She’d driven faster on the autobahn. “I don’t know. I’ve never met him. And we have to find him first.” That might be tricky. Especially if Henri was helping him. No one had approached Henri yet. She was the one who did most of that, and she’d been sent to track Titius before she could. Maybe the whole Titius drama would be taken care of before she approached Henri. “I’ll get right on it. I have some sources who can find out what Titius knows. And also try to find out information.” “How big is the vampire community?” “Fairly sizable. Two major interstates come together here. And there’s a relatively sizable homosexual community.” Two major roads meant the city caught travelers. And vampires liked cities with a population of gays and lesbians. It enhanced the number of food choices, even for those not killing. Most vampires enjoyed a little from both sexes, until they found a mate.

Ha. As if you believe in that shit. Anna didn’t think the whole mate thing existed for them. Despite knowing those like Kent who thought they’d found them. “The next exit is mine. Will you be fine with finding your way about town using my notes?” His voice rose several octaves on the latter as she shot around a dump truck to jump into the passing lane. “AG, I’d like to get home in one piece. And you don’t need a ticket.” She laughed, tossing back her hair. He’d called her AG. That meant he was supremely ticked off. “I’m not driving that bad. Be glad this is a grandma car.” She pulled back in the right lane to speed up the exit ramp. “You don’t know how glad I am. Stop sign!” He pointed at the end of the ramp with a whole line of cars on the street they’d be taking. Anna came to screeching halt at the end of the ramp. “Which way do I turn?” She looked at all the cars going this way and that. “Shit.” His breathing panted from his lungs in a short burst. Kent rarely cussed. So she must have been driving a little too fast for him. Her vampire senses gave her a quick enough reaction time to handle a car even at speeds most humans couldn’t. Not too mention, she loved to race, and knew her way around a car’s handling. All of which Kent knew, but it didn’t stop his reactions. Which was probably a lot of why she drove as she did when he was in the car. “Which way?” “Left.” On the residential roads, she drove much more cautiously, before pulling in his driveway. He straightened and quickly opened the door before turning back to her as an afterthought, looking as if he couldn’t wait to be out of the car. “You are coming in?” He hopped out, taking another deep breath.

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Mechele Armstrong

“I am.” She wanted to visit with Agrippa for a few minutes. Then, the hunt for Titius and Mancuso would begin. Somehow she’d find a way to end it here. “The directions are in here to my place?” She indicated the folder lying between the seats. He peered into the car to nod. “Along with things about sections of town, nightlife, that sort of thing.” With his thoroughness and his knowledge of her, it would be a wealth of information. He suddenly smiled at her. “What?” She quickly looked up towards the mirror. Did she have something on her face? “Nothing.” “What?” Her eyes narrowed as she scanned his face, ticking at his mind. The shields she’d raised inhibited her ability to read other vampires slightly. Not to mention they could read her human side quite well. Because of the shields protecting the vampire psyche, her emotions sometimes lay bare. She’d never been as good at the psychic shit as some of the others. “Tell me.” He shouldn’t have started it if he didn’t want to share. She folded her arms across her chest. “You looked like a kid when I mentioned nightlife.” She shrugged, getting out of the car and slamming her door. “It will be nice to have somewhere new to be. Maybe have some outings while I search.” She enjoyed traveling, always had. Kent was a one-place-to-be kind of guy. “You have fun in whatever you do, AG.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek before leading her into the cozy bungalow. AG was an endearment, but also what he used when he was pissed at her. It summed up the extremes of their friendship. One minute he’d be so pissed at her and the next, he was kissing her cheek. The house was small, not ostentatious, and sedately decorated. Very much Kent and Agrippa’s style. “Anna Grace.” Agrippa came gracefully strolling in to do air kisses toward Anna. “Sorry your first visit is under these circumstances, but glad you came to see us.” She walked to Kent, giving him a deep-throated, full kiss on the mouth. He leaned into it. After they’d finished, his trousers looked a little tented. Agrippa looked him in the face and belted out a laugh. “Let me guess. Anna Grace drove.” Kent let out a sigh. “How’d you guess?” “Hon, you’re pale even for the undead.” Agrippa guffawed. “You always could shake him up.” Anna grinned. “I try.” “You succeed, woman. Want a snack before you go? You should stay with us, you know.” Agrippa took Kent’s muscular arm in her slender one. Her head shook the long, darkred hair back and forth. Were those extensions? Probably.


17

“I’m fine. Thanks anyway, but best I stay on my own.” Titius wouldn’t be forgiving to them for sheltering her, even if they weren’t already on his list of vampires to take out. Anna’s eyes wandered down Agrippa’s short, thin frame. How much padding was in that bra? She looked as if she might tip over. Agrippa caught her looking and winked. “They’re new. I needed to be up to Anna standards with you visiting. They bounce as if they are the real thing. See?” She jumped up and down, showing off whatever was stuffed into that bra. Kent shook his head, an amused look on his face. “Ugh. Shouldn’t have bounced. My dick came loose.” She blew another kiss. “I’ll be right back.” Anna chuckled, watching Agrippa bound away. “She’s still something else.” Agrippa dressed so consistently as a woman, it had become habit to use “she.” Kent’s eyes brimmed over with love and longing. “She never changes. Yes. Yes, she is.” Anna turned from Kent’s face. Had he ever looked at her like that? She didn’t think so. There had been too much fighting between them, and not enough looks like that. Probably why they hadn’t lasted longer than they had. Agrippa had a love of living, but was never reckless. Her positive personality was infectious to all who knew her. Anna Grace liked living, but did a lot of reckless things to enjoy it. Plus, she was cynical as hell and knew it. She’d embraced her cynicism, lived it, loved it, and wasn’t about to change it. She didn’t want Kent. He was happy with Agrippa, and in her own way, she loved him too much to begrudge him that. She wasn’t even sure she wanted what Kent had. Except sometimes in the dark of a stormy night, it would be nice to grab someone and have them grab back. Agrippa shimmied back, batting her lashes, which surrounded brown eyes. “That’s better. Gotta keep that thing tied down. Course with him here, it does tend to pop up.” She blew Kent a kiss before her eyes dropped to Anna’s feet. “Oh, I love those boots. Where did you get them?” “A leather store in Dublin.” They had long, spiky heels and came up to mid-calf. Her leather pants were shoved inside them. It was perfect for Irish coolness. Not so good for this hot weather. Hell, it was after dark and still this hot, she might have to rethink her wardrobe in this sauna of a town. Kent started to comment but Anna Grace interrupted. “I think I’m going to go. See you guys later.” She needed to be alone and figure out what she was going to do to find Titius and Mancuso. “Later, AG.” “Oh, what am I doing for food?” It had been a while since her last meal. Linnea, a human, always provided a good shagging along with the meal, too. No time for that though. Not while she was on the job.

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“The fridge is stocked.” Kent wrapped an arm around Agrippa. “I figured you’d be hungry. I put it in myself. We get deliveries.” “Thanks.” He always looked out for her. “Stay safe.” “I always do.”

***** Titius walked down Grace Street, his boots clacking on the crumpled sidewalk, which needed repair. Several shops had their doors open, some with wares out on tables or in bins beside them. They would be closing up soon. Night had fallen. The shop’s signs had all been switched on. His powers rose within him. A man passing by jostled him followed by a muttered apology. Titius kept pressing forward, for once ignoring the slight. One foot fell after the other. Where the hell was he going? A blood moon hung low in the sky, pale and ghostly over the small city. Had there been one last night? He couldn’t remember seeing it. Tonight, he could detect several stars and at least one airplane rushing through the few threads of wispy clouds. Bert scrambled behind him, trying to keep up with Titius’s longer legs. “What are we doing, sir? Why are we down here? I thought that we were looking for signs of Nick.” He managed to keep pace to stay beside Titius. Titius sidestepped a homeless man playing a guitar for money on the sidewalk. “We are.” “How? Here?” Something about this area had drawn him. Why, he didn’t yet know. Perhaps Nick had been here once upon a time. “Quiet, Bertram. You talk too much.” The vampire pursed his lips together but stopped speaking. He fell back behind Titius as they walked further, which was the way it should be. Lessers, minions, should always walk behind their betters. If only the world had kept those simple rules, they might not be in so much chaos. Of course, this disorder would help the vampires take their rightful place above their slaves, the human race. A storefront caught his eye. Divinities, the red and blue neon sign proclaimed. Tarot cards and a crystal ball had been strewn around in the window on a black drape. The sign on the door said, “Fortunes told. Palms read.” The inside looked mostly dark, though he could see the flicker of a candle flame. A fortune teller? Not something he’d expected in the sleepy little city. Oh, every city had those who proclaimed to read palms, tea leaves, or tarot cards. But bigger cities seemed to have more of a concentration of them, especially New Orleans before the floods. This shop nestled among art and fashion stores, making it unique along the block.


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Titius took one step toward the door. What the fuck was he doing? Why was he going in a shop meant to bilk people out of their money? No human had that kind of power. They couldn’t. Only vampires were worthy of such a thing. This would be a charlatan. Someone who fooled people by telling them what they wanted to hear. Not that deception was hard with humans. Yet, he had to go inside. Titius had never believed in fate mumbo jumbo. If he had, he would have died that day he fell on the battlefield, and a soldier had recreated him to what he was now. Fates didn’t affect the vampires. They were too powerful to be controlled by such small things and things of natural order. But, somehow, Titius had to enter that store. He couldn’t pass it by. He’d only stay a minute. Scare the piss out of the operator. Then, he’d go on his way and get to the task of finding Nick.

If Nick wanted to be your second, he’d have found you by now. Titius shrugged off such nonsense. Of course, Nick wanted to be his second. Why wouldn’t he? He needed to find Mancuso and tap him. Nick would be punished for being so fucking hard to find. And for spending time with that ass, Henri Baptiste. Perhaps his next visit should be to Henri and Nathan. Henri could possibly tell him where Nick had gone. A few knives into the Egyptian’s lover would loosen his lips if he didn’t. If Nick didn’t wish to join Titius, which was truly unthinkable, Titius would show him the error of his thinking. No one turned Titius down. Ever. Not in centuries. He always got what he wanted when it came to others, and he wouldn’t stop now. He wanted Nick as his second, therefore, Nick would toe the line. Pushing open the door and then letting it fly closed in Bert’s face as it chimed his presence, he stalked into Divinities. Bert wouldn’t follow him. The proprietor would be a little scared white chick, thinking she had the power to talk to the beyond. Well, she’d give off that impression, but would be in it for the money only with no real powers of her own. She’d be fun to terrorize for a while. What psychic could divine he’d been a general in the Roman army? The shop had little lighting, which he found odd. It was hard enough for him to see. Smoke smells from candles and incense, which mixed in sweeter smells as well, stung his nose. He peered, looking into the dimness. Shelves of various things spread haphazardly on the sides of the shop. A round table sat in the middle. A curtain had been pulled across a door at the back. There must be another set of rooms back there. Humans probably wouldn’t see this much with their limited vision. Why plunge a shop such as this into darkness? Whoever ran this place could at least pay their power bill.

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The light switched on, illuminating so quickly, his eyes blinked with the adjustment. The fluorescents crept into every crevice, showing cracked floor and walls. It was a shop in need of some upkeep. “The lights are on now.” A deep,husky voice came from a corner. A chill started down low in Titius’s spine and wiggled its way up. He never got chills. Fuck. Rustling sounded from the back right corner. Was that rats? He’d seen a few in the city already, probably because of his choice of where he found meals. Or could he have walked into a trap set by his enemies? He wouldn’t put it past the cowardly Irish wench. He could never sense her presence. One day, he’d make her blood flow from stripes of her skin so that it would be as red as the lipstick she wore. He stood on alert, hand securely on his weapon. “Stand down, General.” The voice came again. And, she glided into his line of sight, seeming to walk on air instead of the floor with the graceful way she moved. “I’ve been waiting for you. All my life.” He stared at her. His mouth wouldn’t quite work. She wore a gauzy dress of rainbow colors that made cloth sounds. Thin and sinewy, her waist tapered into slim hips that moved down into long legs, which peeked out from the layers of the dress. Her small breasts enticed him by showing hard tips through the material. Either she was chilly or having a reaction to his presence. As this place was heated as if it were a sauna with the summer-like weather, he couldn’t see her being cold. Her long dark hair pulled back from her face into what he thought was a ponytail, but it didn’t harden her face any. Clear brown eyes stared back at him from a memorable face with high cheekbones and a lush mouth, which begged for kisses. Her almond-colored skin appeared flawless, looking as soft as silk. Was she of Spanish descent? Mexican?

Wait a minute. “What did you call me?” Her smile twisted up the edges of her mouth, revealing small white teeth. “General.” She took steps nearer to him, her small feet padding on the worn carpet. “That’s what you are, aren’t you?”


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Chapter Three Titius watched as the woman came toward him. Her skirt made a swish as she moved across the floor. He wanted to reach his hands up under and pull her to him. Take her on the counter. Shaking off his desires, he cleared this throat. “You think I’m in the armed forces? How? I’m not wearing a uniform.” His feelers beat at her mind, trying to get in. “The uniform you wore isn’t in use today.” Long eyelashes fluttered down to cover those piercing orbs. None of his psychic tendrils could take hold. He couldn’t get in to read her mind. No crack existed that would give him access. He’d never been unable to read a human before. “Oh? What uniform did I wear?” This was a trick. It had to be. Maybe that Irish bitch hid in the back, ready to ambush him. Hiding herself was a specialty of hers. She was more a fool than he thought if she believed a simple act of trickery would distract him enough for her to take him. His hand rested on his knife. Bring it on, Anna. I’m ready for you. Her eyes widened to stare slackly into his. “Metal. Shield. Sword.” Her head twisted to the side as her voice took on a dreamy quality, as if the things she saw carried her far away. “Chariots. Like Gladiator. Only…different.” His heart pounded. He thought often about his time in the Roman army. These seemed as if they were flashes of his life. “How? How do you know this?” His breath sawed through his nose. This couldn’t be. She couldn’t know. Anna Grace would come flying out any second to fight him. Good, he was tired of all the games. “Anna Grace isn’t here. Well, I mean she’s in the city. But not here.” He stared at her. “Roman. You were Roman.” “Yes.” This was still all stuff that Anna Grace knew and could have told someone. Nothing had impressed him yet.

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“Now, you seek someone. A man. He’s…yours. You made him. Not the normal way. With dicks and come. But with blood.” She licked her lips. “You can’t find him. Can’t get into his head. Haven’t since…since he killed someone. A man that was his.” Titius’s neck tensed. Though most probably wondered why he didn’t use the line of communications that should be open to him, Titius had never discussed with anyone they had closed, much less the exact timing of the facture of his connection. “Yes.” If this was true, maybe he could use the woman. Even if it wasn’t true, and Anna came bursting out of the back, he’d still use her. “Where is he?” Maybe this woman’s façade would slip, and she’d accidentally tell him something that could lead him to Nick. It was a long shot Anna Grace would know where Nick was. She wasn’t that bright. “He was…” Her eyes closed, a completely far away look on her face. Her hands came together in front of her at her waist, fingers twisting together. “…here.” “In the city?” “Yes. Near here. He…picked up a woman. More blood. But not…not the woman he wanted. Not the redhead. The one in danger…in danger from the blood kiss.” “Where did he go after here?” Titius reached out to draw her head back up with his hand. His fingertips tingled where he touched her silken skin. She smelled of mimosa. Her eyes opened to stare into his. He got lost in the pooled depths that her irises became. His hand dropped to touch her other places. Needed to feel her body against his. No. He had to find out what she knew. “Was he with that redhead when he left? Fuck, where did he go?” “Hazy. It’s all hazy.” Her voice sounded tired as her shoulders drooped. A voice boomed from the curtained door. “Dammit, Chey. I’ve told you about interacting with the customers. You’re supposed to come get me when someone comes in.” A short woman with darker coloring, almost mocha, and three times the pounds of the young woman ambled to the circular table. Her footsteps were short and halting as if each one hurt. She wore a turban on her head and several large sets of colorful beads, which clinked over her ample breasts, covered by a colorful gauzy dress similar to the one her daughter wore. “I’m sorry for my daughter. She’s a bit touched in the head.” Chey’s eyes opened as she shook her head. “I’m sorry, Mama. This one…this one is special.” She took no offense to the comment about her mental state but smiled at her mother brightly. “All customers is special, baby girl. Least you didn’t have the lights turned off again.” Titius didn’t enlighten the woman on the off status of the lights when he’d entered the shop. “The voices like the dark.” Chey’s voice still had that sing songy quality. “They like to come out and play.” The woman’s eyes widened. “You go on in the back now, child. I’m out here again after settling my stomach. I’ll handle it from here.” The woman kissed her daughter’s head before


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she stepped to the table to plant her bulk in a chair. “I am Madame Cephina. Come. Let us divine your future. What have you? Your palm read? Tarot cards? Perhaps a tea leaf reading?” Her breath blew out of her mouth. Apparently, settling her stomach involved gin. From the smell of it, several glasses. Her dark eyes shimmered brightly under the harsh lights. Chey had hesitated a moment but slowly tiptoed to the curtain. Her hair hung down her back in a long braid, which reached her waist. Sliding the curtain to one side, she darted through it as though it might be a flame and burn her. Titius slipped into Madame Cephina’s easily plucked mind. That wasn’t her real name. Rosa Manuel Smith pretended to have future-telling talent. She had a few regular customers that allowed her to meet the mortgage on the little store, where she and her daughter worked and lived in the apartment above. Close proximity to VCU, a college, also brought in customers. She was a fraud, who used knowledge of what people needed to hear mixed in with reading people’s body language along with a few leading questions. Apparently, it was discussed that in her family, a great-great-great-grandmother had had “the sight.” Somewhere down the line, it was expected someone would pop up with that talent again.

Chey. Until he’d met her daughter, he’d thought all human so-called psychics cheated as Rosa did, out to dupe humans into giving them money for false information. Most of the time it would be such cryptic messages, the interpretation might be held accountable for real life events. But somehow, Chey knew things about him. Things she shouldn’t, unless she had some real talent. He searched her mother’s mind for any trace of Anna Grace. Not one piece of evidence existed that they knew Anna Grace. Rosa’s mind was easy to pick from. He learned much in a brief spate of time. The mother hardly let the young woman out of the house except for an occasional package pickup and rarely left her alone in the shop excerpt for brief trips to the back to “settle her stomach.” If the daughter knew Anna Grace enough that Anna Grace could use her to get to him, the mother would know of it. And he’d be able to sense it, to find it in her mind. And there was nothing that would indicate they knew Anna Grace. Chey was a real psychic. The mother had no idea of her daughter’s abilities. She thought her daughter was schizophrenic, though she wouldn’t allow her to be put on medicine because of the expense. Instead, she allowed the young woman to exist as she was, refusing to take handouts. Good thing. Chey wasn’t completely crazy, only special as she called him. But in truth, had Chey been so mentally disturbed, the mother would have been allowing her to suffer by not taking the medicines. And all for the almighty dollar, too. Bitch. His compassion for the slight against Chey made him pause. Where had that come from? No matter. He’d found a talent he intended to exploit. Striking at the right time would

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net him a psychic. If her powers were this strong as human, they should be phenomenal as a vampire. Not to mention she fanned the flames of his blood. He’d combust if he didn’t get inside the woman who would become his. “Not tonight.” He moved toward the door. “But don’t worry. I’ll be back.” But not for

you.

***** Anna Grace pushed her tousled hair back from her head, tossing the pillow that had been on her head to the floor. One eye peeked open. It quickly slammed shut. Little cracks of light from behind the shade told her it was still daytime. The eye ventured open again to glance at the tableside clock. It was seven forty-five. She’d gone downtown and watched the nightlife in Shockoe Bottom for most of the night before returning to the place that Kent had rented for her. Her apartment set right on the banks of the James River. It had a nice view from the balcony. And a nice comfy bed. She yawned, rolling over, acquiring another pillow for over her head. It muffled noises, but not so much someone could sneak up on her. Almost back asleep and having a vivid waking dream of being sandwiched between the Irish rugby team, she snuggled into the covers. Long, lean bodies and many hands. Now that was a dream.

Ring ring ring. The noise intruded into the fun. “Go away,” she mumbled, clasping the pillow tighter around her head. It was the phone on her night table. Her cell was there, too, but set to vibrate. Only one person had the apartment number.

Ring ring ring. It wasn’t going away. She was going to drive him around town some more. On the interstate.

Ring ring ring. The rugby team vanished as she tossed the pillow on the floor. If only it was Kent’s head. Being alone in the apartment in Richmond with no Irish rugby team didn’t thrill her. Next time she thought he and Agrippa were getting it on, she was shitting sure calling him. Picking up the receiver, she growled into it with a grimace. “This better be fucking good.” He had the nerve to chuckle. “Good morning, sunshine to you, too.” Kent sounded too chipper. Maybe she’d put tranquilizers in his blood bag. “What d’you want?” “We’ve got a problem.”


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She sat up in bed, pushing back the covers, exposing her nakedness to the cool of the air conditioning. Didn’t they always have problems? “What’s up?” “The news director down at the local TV station knows about us.” Kent’s voice sounded grim as the reaper. “The hell you say.” She rubbed a hand over her face. Oh, that was so not good. When the media found out about vampires, it never went well. The human race individually was nice to deal with. As a collective, they tended to do witch hunts. Kent’s voice went up in exasperation. “Let me finish. That’s not the problem.” “Oh.” She made a face into the phone. “Well, hurry it up then.” God, he could be so dramatic with pauses and shit. She was a cut to the chase kind of girl. “He was a blood donor before he became director. He’s a good guy. For extra money, he keeps me informed of news relating to vampires before it hits the television. He can put spins on it so it seems innocuous.” She nodded her head up and down. “That’s a great deal.” It was. But would he get on with whatever the issue was? Damn man. “It is. A photographer contacted him early this morning. There was a murder downtown. A woman, drained of blood…” “One of our kind.” She blew out a breath. Even when she’d killed, she’d never been so clumsy as some of the vampires were. Nor had she been so callous. Her victims had been those who preyed on their own kind. In her mind, that made them worse than vampires, who only wanted to eat. “It gets worse.” Her eyes blinked, trying to clear the last bit of sleep from them. “Worse?” Worse didn’t bode well. “A photographer snapped a picture that he’s sure is the girl who was killed.” “And it has our vampire in it.” Shit. That wasn’t good. It probably showed him feeding from the girl. It could get human sentiment all riled up and make it harder for the rest of them. She’d lived through witch hunts. Not something she wanted to relive. Not to mention, scientists and their labs would rival an inquisitor’s torture chamber any day. At least, most humans didn’t believe in anything they couldn’t deal with on a logical level. And most considered vampires illogical. “My friend emailed me a scan of the color picture. It plainly shows our vamp. Guess who it is?” “I’m not in the mood to play guessing games.” She slid off the side of the bed and headed for the small kitchen. Time for breakfast. Did the kitchen have a microwave? Oh good, it did. “Titius. I’ve only seen the pictures that you sent, but I’m sure it’s him.”

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“Shit and shinola.” Titius was in the picture? Titius? How had the stupid shit let that happen? “When I find Titius, remind me to kill him slowly.” For that and many other things. “You got it.” Kent blew out a breath. “I know we don’t want Titius’s picture plastered on the front page.” “Hell, no.” Not that it wouldn’t serve the little pissant right to have every human in town looking for him. How tempted she was to let that happen. But it wouldn’t do well for the vampire race to have one of them in the spotlight so much. “So what do we do about it?” She could picture Kent from the sound of his voice, arms crossed in front of his chest, looking so serious. Agrippa would goose him when she saw him. If only Anna could see that. “The photographer wanted to let the station handle the delivery because of the way the police department handled the last witness. So Chester can put it off, but not long without the kid getting suspicious.” “Can we find out more? Especially about the picture taker?” “I dunno. I can check. What are you going to do? Kill him?’ She snickered. Kent sounded as if he believed she might and was horrified. “No. But I can watch for him to be gone from his place, go in and take the film.” “He could have copies stashed. And how will you find it?” “Hang on one second.” She took the blood bag from the fridge and popped it in the microwave. Then headed for her bedroom to put on some clothes. She didn’t care, but last thing she needed was to be busted for nudity in public when she went out on the balcony. She held the phone away for a second as she pulled on a shirt. She was struggling onehanded with her shorts as she continued, “I’ll find it. Look, right now, your director friend and he are the only ones who know, right?” “Yeah. Chester said the photographer was specific on not wanting his identity to come out as it did in the last case. The guy works there as a cameraman.” “So call him. Get the photographer’s information. Find out when he works. And then I’ll go score me some Titius pictures.” Clicking off the phone, she took her warmed blood and headed for the balcony to watch the James River roll along as she waited She didn’t have long to wait. She hadn’t even come in from the balcony or taken a shower yet. A car revved in the distance, spewing a cloud of exhaust, which she could scent, as she picked up the phone. “Yeah.” “I have an address. And he works the morning shift so he has to be at work at three A.M.” Well, how convenient was that. She wouldn’t have to spend much time in the annoyingly itchy sunshine. Traipsing back in the apartment, she said, “Let me get something to write with.” It took a lot of searching, but she found a pencil and pad of paper tucked in a drawer of a small table with a marble top. “Shoot.”


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“His name is Theo Billings.” She jotted down the address as Kent read it off. “It’s in the Fan.” “As opposed to the A/C unit?” She snickered, twisting the phone up against her shoulder to hold it while she finished making the last of the letters in the address. There was silence on the other end for a second. “It’s a section of town, Anna.” He sounded as if he didn’t know whether to laugh or get upset. He probably wanted to get upset. Oh, well, it was payback for waking her up, even it had been important. The rugby team would have to wait until the next day’s sleep. She shrugged, taking the phone back in hand. So he didn’t get her humor, nothing new. “I’ll find it on the maps. Thanks, Kent.” “Chester will make the pictures disappear from his computer today due to a computer malfunction. Talk to you later.” “Later.”

***** Titius sat in the dark of the shop with his feet propped up on the circular table. Candles flickered from several of the corners. The neon sign outside cast a red and blue glow across his face. Good thing it didn’t blink. It was annoyingly bright enough without that. He’d been tempted to pull it down a couple of times before as he waited. But no, he couldn’t clue anyone in that something was wrong. It would be found soon enough, but hopefully he and his new protégé would be well on their way to anywhere but here, on the trail of Nick Mancuso. The door chimed and shut. Titius sat up straighter as the scent of mimosa drifted to his nose with its sweet underpinnings. “Hello, Chey.” “General. You’re back!” Her excitement showed in her voice, and made strange flipflops happen in his stomach. She took two small steps toward him, then stopped. “Yes. I am back.” “Where’s Mama? She sent me on an errand to pick up a box. It wasn’t even there. She’s going to be so pissed as they called and told her it was there…” She broke off, her head tilting to the side much the same way she had last time they’d seen each other. He smiled softly at the beauty before him. Her mother would no longer care. “I’m sure your mama will understand. She’s settling her stomach. Why don’t you and I go…Chey, what’s wrong?” She frowned, her full lips turning upward as her head righted itself. “Mama’s in the back…room. Blood.” She drew her arms up around herself as if a chill had descended upon her. “Blood.”

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Titius slid slowly to his feet, coming toward her. Fuck. He should have expected she’d sense what he’d done. How strong was this human’s psyche? How strong were her powers? From what he’d seen they were beyond anything he’d ever known in vampire or human. She never should have been able to sense what he’d done to her mother. As a vamp, she should be incredible. She didn’t back away from him but looked up at him with big eyes, similar to those of a doe, the pupils thick and round. He ran a hand against her cheekbone and down her neck. Her skin ran so warm under his cool fingertips. So soft. Not even down from a rabbit was this soft. “Chey.” “I have to come with you now. You want to know where he is.” Her voice came out more frightened than he wanted. “I’m yours now. As I’ve always been.” He continued to stroke her skin. His possessiveness surprised him. “Yes. You’re mine now, Chey. And I need to know where he is. I think you can tell me.” Her small hand slipped into his large one. “Come.” Too bad he couldn’t transform her now. But, he needed a safe place to do it. In the little store, where people would come for their fortunes, was not the place to do it. She led him several blocks away from her store, which they had locked up tight. Probably Madame Cephina’s next appointment would get authorities. He’d have a few days to get this going before humans looked for Chey. Dropping his hand, she twirled, her crinkled skirt spinning, beads clinking as she spun around. Her sandaled feet moved to do one more twirl before she came to a stop. Sometimes she looked almost childlike in her actions. But all he could think as she spun around was what a beautiful woman she was. Such a lithe graceful dance she did. She’d be the same in the oldest dance of time. His loins ached from thinking about it. “This is it.” He blinked, looking around at the nondescript street. “This is what?” Maybe he’d been wrong on the not crazy part about her. There was something a little off in her reactions. He’d noticed it more and more. But the talent that flowed through those veins was a treasure worth cultivating. Her eyes closed as a shudder racked her body. “Where he picked up the woman. The woman who was not the redhead.” Her eyes didn’t open but she pointed to another street over. “And that’s where the redhead went into him. Into the…bad elf. The one who wanted to do the blood kiss. Marcus. It’s where he tossed himself into her. To find Nick. The same as you want to do. He wanted to hurt Nick.” She sensed things that had happened when Nick was here before and after with Marcus. But that wasn’t what he needed to know. He kept his voice easy. Light. “I need to know where he is now. I want to know where Nick is now.” Her face creased in the light from the street lamp into an expression he couldn’t read for a second. She concentrated, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. The sight captivated


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him. He wanted her mouth on him. She’d have such a hot, wet one as she nibbled from throat to lower. His cock tightened, tenting out his pants. “It’s hazy. All in the mists. I can’t…get it. Even with it dark.” She’d mentioned haziness last time. Her strength hadn’t reached its zenith. Not the amount it would come to when she was a vampire. “Chey. Come with me.” He held out his hand. Trembling, she took it. She didn’t struggle against him, but continued to shake. “You’re going to change me.” “Yes.” He saw no reason to deny his plans for her. She’d divine them out of him anyway. Still unable to get into her mind, he didn’t even feel her in his, but she had to be there. She knew way too much about him to have not been. “Change Mama, too?” The question gave him pause. It wasn’t possible. She’d been dead too long and hadn’t died well. The gory details didn’t need to make it to Chey. But how would he keep her from them in his head? He’d have to find a way. Sharpening his mental acuities, he locked his brain up tight as he could. “No. No changing Mama.” She sniffled, a sob wrenching from her chest. He pulled her into his arms, cradling her head against his chest. Her body slid in against his so naturally. “I’ll miss Mama. But she’ll talk to me in my dreams. In the dark. Like she never left.” He stroked his fingers down her braid. “I know you’ll miss her, sweetheart. But, this is the only way this could work.” Her mother would have tried to keep control over her if he’d allowed her to stay in Chey’s life. And with her new powers, only one vampire should be holding Chey’s reins. Him. “Come with me now. I’ll make it all better.” She blew out an uneasy breath. “Yes, General. I’ll go with you. As I’m supposed to. Like I dreamed about.” She wiped her eyes on his shirt. “Will it hurt?” It had been so long, fuck if he could remember. Of course, the sword wounds in his stomach and chest might have had something to do with that. “I don’t know, Chey.” He kissed her head, releasing her. “I’ll make it as painless as I can.” She grabbed his face in her hands and forced him down for a kiss. Her taste drove him nuts. She tasted as good as she smelled and felt. Their tongues played a game of chase, which he won. After she released him, she said, “O.K. Let’s go.” Unused to the sensual side of her, all he could do was nod until he recovered thinking abilities. His cock stiffened even more, aching to fill the lovely woman before him. Later. He would do that and more. He’d taste her pleasures, taste all the warm blood rushing about her body. They’d be such a sweet treat. He’d give her his blood, bind her to him forever. No woman had ever captivated him this much. He’d never allowed a woman such liberties as deciding when they kissed. He’d have to bring this back around to him being in charge.

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He pulled her into his arms for another stolen kiss. This one frazzled him as she arched into him, plastering her breasts against him during the embrace. She never once asked where they were going or about her mother again. Did she even remember? Perhaps she was much crazier than he’d first thought. In fact, she didn’t say another word until they reached his suite of rooms at the high rise hotel on the James River in downtown. Bert met him at the door of his first room. “I’ve been looking all over for you…” He broke off when he saw Chey. “Who’s she?” “You’re his, too.” Chey rolled her head around. “Like I will be.” “My woman.” Titius didn’t stop but led her to the next door of the connecting rooms. Damn Bert for being there. He’d not wanted anyone to see her before. “Order a bottle of champagne delivered to this room. And don’t disturb me. For anything. Or you’ll find your intestines used for appetizers.”

***** Anna Grace parked outside the duplex apartment at about four the next morning. Theo worked at least until nine apparently, so she’d have plenty of time to search. Theo’s apartment was the top one. There were no lights on. It looked like a typical frame Colonial house. Right next door rested a house covered in stucco. Interesting. Different than the subdivisions she’d heard of where all the houses looked the same. She moved out of the car, boots clicking on the street, then moved to the sidewalk. Her eyes flicked up and down. No one was out in the sticky hot night. They all were holed up in their air conditioning. The low hum of window units droned in the night air.

Theo, are your pictures in there? Moving up the steps, she came to the bright red door. There was a small porchlike space. A dim yellow light tried to shine its rays. A candlefly fluttered around it. She pulled on latex gloves. She didn’t think Theo would go to the police. But she didn’t intend to leave behind any easy forensics evidence. She made short work of the easy lock. Yes, her lock picking skills weren’t utilized often, but she liked to do it. Pushing open the door, she crept inside. No heartbeat sounded. No blood rushing through a body. No one was home. She gently shut the door behind her. Her sharp eyes gazed around the room as hot air bunched up and smacked her in the face. “Holy shit, it’s hot in here.” No air conditioner hummed in his window. She stalked over to it. It wasn’t on. Various windows were open in a breezeless night, doing absolutely no good. Grumbling, she searched the apartment. What kind of a moron didn’t have his air conditioning on when it was this hot?


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Her feet tapped on hardwood floors. This place was old. It reeked of molds and olden days. There was a hole in the plaster wall. She knew from talking to Kent that no one did plaster anymore. Everything was drywall. He’d wanted his walls plastered and had trouble finding anyone to do it. It was a dying art form, so he’d said. She located a room that had to be the darkroom. It was a former closet, small, stuffy, no light, with wires hung for pictures and tubs for developing. “Where do you keep your prize photos?” She turned, looking around, moving into the living area. In more affluent times, it had probably been a sitting room. Now it seemed to be an office and living room combined. A 35 millimeter camera hung on a hook with every attachment known nearby on a desk. It went with the computer that looked fairly new. The darkroom and this space were neat. She’d never known a neat man. Even Kent, for all his anal oddities, had liked to toss his breeches on the floor and not bathe for a fortnight. Of course, back then, no one did. A folder lay on top of other papers. She opened it. Three pictures were clipped to the back of it. “Wow.” Her head cocked as she shifted to get a better look, pulling them out of the folder. She stared, taking the black and white pictures in hand to get a better look at them. They weren’t what she was looking for. But, they were good. One was a woman, sitting on a large window sill, looking out of the window, a book on her lap. Her face had a dreamy expression. The shadows and contrasts were clear and dramatic. He’d caught whoever it was at the right moment. The second was a naked woman, with her arms over her chest, leaning back, lips pursed as though someone was about to kiss her. The longing reflected in the woman’s face, in the whole visual of the picture made her thighs clench together. The third was a man walking along the beach, swells behind him as he dipped one big toe into the ocean. The wonder and surprise on his face made her feel the coolness of the water. Anna had always liked art. And that’s what these were. Art. Lots of time and care had gone into those photos. What kind of man took pictures like these? She blew out a breath. He also took pictures of vampires over dead women. Yeah, probably a nut job. Which led her to an interesting question. Did Titius know? She would assume not, as Theo still lived. But why didn’t he? How had the photographer gotten close enough to snap shots and still be breathing? Clicking on Theo’s computer, she found her way in, locating the pictures he’d scanned and deleting them. He had nice photo software, too.

There goes that. Now where are the rest?

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She’d seen enough to know he wouldn’t make many if any copies. He loved his work, and with the big scoop he could get, he’d never let them go to someone else. There was a printer, but not a color one. He wouldn’t trust anyone else to handle these shots. So all she had to do was find the originals, and she’d be set. She did a twirl again. Where would he hide the pictures? An awful thought paused her heart. What if he was carrying them with him? Suppose he took them to work so he’d keep them safe? “He’d better not.” And so began a grueling search of the apartment. She reached his room and stared. Clothes were everywhere. The man had a hamper and dressers; didn’t he use them? No, the floor was apparently his sorting pile of laundry. This Theo was so neat with his professional stuff, but so messy with his personal space. Sounded similar to someone else she knew. Anna always kept her weapons in fine working order. The rest of her stuff, not so much. In his underwear drawer, which was empty of actual underwear beyond a bright green thong, she found a manila envelope. Inside were pictures. She pulled them out warily. Being stuck in a man’s drawer made her think they might be porn or something. What other kinds of pictures did he take besides art and news? She shuddered to think. “Holy shit.” It was them. “Later, Theo.” Clutching them in her hand, she sauntered to the door. She’d rub Kent’s nose in it that she’d found the pictures and had three hours to spare. It was only six A.M. Dawn was gearing up for the day. She’d only be out in the sun for a few, before settling down at her apartment. About three steps from the door, she heard the heartbeat on the other side. “Oh, shit.” Nowhere to run to, she stilled as the door pushed open. The man stopped in front of the door, blinking at her. “Well, this is a surprise.” No shit.


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Chapter Four Home early from work due to a schedule malfunction, Theo stared at the raven-haired beauty standing in his apartment. All the blood drained down low as his eyes took her all in. Her hair swept down her back as if it were a wavy dark waterfall. Her body was long; she was only a few inches shorter than him. Her eyes were at neck level, making her tall for a woman, probably only a couple of inches shy of six foot. Normally, he was a leg man, and his eyes might have sought out her limbs, if they hadn’t gotten stopped by her chest. He’d wager many men got stopped there. They were too magnificent not to linger. And that was with her clothes on. With her clothes off, she’d probably make one blind. She’d make a fine subject to take pictures of. “What…are you doing in my apartment?” May she be a hooker sent by a bud to have

her wicked way with me. “You could at least look in my eyes when you’re talking to me,” she said with a sarcastic tone. Then, she straightened. “I’m here to surprise you.” Her voice dropped octaves into a deep,throaty purr.

Yes, there is a God. One hand slipped behind her back. She had something, something of his. She was trying to steal something. Even as his cock screamed at him not to care, he pointed. “What are you holding behind your back?” “Nothing.” Her smile grew lazily to seductive heights. “Nothing at all.” She lied. He couldn’t make out what it was, but her hand stayed back there. She poked her chest out more, running her other gloved hand over the skin exposed by the top of her scooped neckline. The tops of her breasts were slightly exposed. He swallowed, his mouth dry. He took a step forward before stopping. She was trying to distract him. Trying to use her

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tits to take his mind off anything serious. It probably worked most of the time, too. He had a hard time focusing on anything but her bodacious boobs. He shoved down the sexual attraction simmering in him. “Show me your hand.” Her eyes blinked. “What?” “Show me your hand.” He folded his arms across his chest. She did a little more rubbing with the hand at the top of her shirt. He snorted. “The other hand.” She did a quick exchange of her hands’ places. “Here you go.” The hand that had been behind her back shot out to wiggle in front of him, while the one that had been around front was now in the back. That hand could find a few things to wiggle on him. He shook his head, clearing it of the aroused haze his body wanted to put him back in. He had to admire her way of getting around what he’d asked. “Both hands in front of you.” “Why don’t we stop this? Being childish. And get down to what I came here for.” Her melodic voice lilted along. “I want to see your hands.” “Don’t you want to know what I came here for? Huh, Theo?” She lowered her head, her full mouth pouting slightly as lovely green eyes stared up at him. Her eyelashes batted at him as her lips poked out more.

Oh, yes. He blew out a breath. She was a whiz at using her sexuality to get what she wanted. He’d give her that. “I want to see your hands.” His cock tightened as though it might never forgive him for this. “Suppose I said I was sent here by a friend?” “Uh-huh. What friend?” “His name doesn’t matter. Suppose I said I was here to strip? Give you a good birthday present.” Her hand ran down her hips, bringing his attention down finally to her legs. Leather pants fit her so snug, they were like a second skin, only black, instead of the milky pale white of the rest of her. They were tucked into wicked black boots with high heels. That was one reason she was so tall. Yeah, he’d come fuck with her anytime. “It’s not my birthday.” “He wanted to be early.” She swayed slightly, rotating her hips. And he got a glimpse of what lay behind her back. It was only a moment. But it was enough for him to see what it was. A recognizable manila folder. His eyes narrowed as his heart pounded. “Give me back my pictures.”


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***** Busted. Anna Grace licked her lips. He’d seen what she held behind her back. She took two steps away from him. He followed, maintaining the same distance between them. “I said, ‘Give me back my pictures.’” Yeah, yeah, she’d heard him. “Look. Theo…” “I don’t care who you are or what you’re up to. But you’re not leaving here with my pictures.” Her brain raced, trying to think of some way to get out of this. If only she had mind control powers. That would be helpful in most situations she found herself in. But alas, that was a vampire myth, not a reality. She affected a bubble-headed laugh. “These old things? Why, I was getting a look at your talent. You are quite the talented man.” She batted her eyelashes and tried not to barf. Because men tended to equate her tit size as an inverse from her IQ, she often played the dumb little woman to her advantage. “Yeah, I bet you were.” Theo stepped back and locked the door. “What are you doing here?” She could still run for the door if she could get him away from it, although unlocking it would take a few seconds off her escape time. Theo had a head on his shoulders, which he used, unlike most. Appraising him, her feminine motor hummed. His jet-black hair reflected the light off of it in shiny waves. It was not long, but thick, and her fingers itched to press into the softlooking strands. Tall and lanky with enough rope-corded muscle to look yummy, he radiated a certain arrogance even in casual khakis and a polo shirt. Under different circumstances, she would have been thinking about a good fuck. “Done checking me out?” He arched a brow. She lifted her head, looking straight into his dancing eyes of bluish grey. They reminded her of the sky. “Not really.” He grinned, a bit lopsidedly. “Flattery will not get you out of here with my pictures. Who sent you to take them?” The mafia? Another news station? The FBI? “The people I work for don’t want these pictures to get out.” That was true enough. “Do you know him? The guy in the pictures? Is that who sent you?” His voice sharpened to a tone like the blade of a razor. She hesitated on the answer. “Dammit.” He huffed out an indignant breath. “I told Chester to keep my name out of it. I didn’t want what happened last time to happen again.”

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“Last time?” Her eyes glanced between him and the door. If he’d move over a smidgeon she could get out of it even with the lock. “Yeah. With the murders. I didn’t want my identity broadcast.” He ran a hand through his hair, not moving to where he needed to be for her to escape. “The last thing I needed was a killer out to get me.” He affixed her with a glare full of malice. “But you’re not going anywhere with those pictures. I don’t care if he is out to kill me now. The police will get them as evidence. I’ll see to it.” His arms folded against his chest as he continued. She hemmed, breaking into his speech, though his determination made her stomach flutter. Nothing like a man who knew what he wanted and wouldn’t give up to get it. Would he be so single minded about other things? Oh my. “I’m not from…the man in the pictures. You’re not in any danger from me.” “You know his name. You know who he is.” “That’s not important.” She stepped closer to him, not to manipulate him with her body but to look at him face to face. Maybe she could talk her way out of this. “Look, the man in these pictures will have to answer for what he did. I promise you that.” Sometimes, justice was important to humans. The idea of it was a good way of getting them to agree to other things when they didn’t want to. She did intend Titius to pay for everything he’d done, so it wasn’t a lie. “But they can’t go forward. Too many people would be…hurt.” “How would they be hurt?” “They just would. I can’t explain it other than that.” She let her eyes bore into his, unable to initiate him into vampiredom. There was too much at stake. He was a cameraman for a TV station and could blow the cover off their whole entire world if he found out about it. She shuddered to think what the scientists of today would do to them. “These pictures can’t go forward. But the man in them will get what’s coming to him.” And more. For too many crimes against humanity to list. “I will tell you that.” He stepped closer to her. “Promise?” “Yes.” He came even closer. “You’re sure.” The proximity of his body made hers shiver. His warmth drew her. He’d noticed the reaction and a look of pure masculine pride washed across his face. She wanted to press herself against him and, most importantly, feel his body against hers. Her wrapped around him sounded about as nice as it got. The feelings perplexed her. She’d never had thoughts so strong before, even with her healthy libido. Screwing Theo into next Tuesday shouldn’t be her priority. But as her thighs clenched together, her pussy walls slick with arousal, she found it hard to think about anything else. He reached out to run a hand along her neck. The fingers glided across her skin, causing nerve endings to fire off. Shudders started at her pelvis and ran up her spine. Her skin tingled where the pads of his fingers had touched long after they’d moved on. Such


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strong rough hands. His head lowered to slowly capture her lips with his. As their lips slid together, and he kissed her masterfully, a moan escaped her, one that was deep seated and throaty. A touch of tongue, and her knees almost buckled. Her heart raced as if a racehorse had taken up residence in her chest. The folder jerked out of her hands. His lips yanked from hers, and he backed away. “Excuse me when I say, not in this lifetime. Don’t know you. Don’t trust you.” Her mouth fell open before she closed it. Her senses hummed from his simple kiss. Her vampire reared up to say, Mine. Take him. She ignored her beast. Theo had played her! No one did that. He’d done what she started earlier with him, using his sexuality to distract and acquire what he wanted. Even as she wanted to smack him over the head, it was a well played move. One she’d done in the past. Not only could the man use his head for something other than to grow thick hair, he could use it while his little head was engaged. She’d felt his erection against her. “That was not a wise move.” He held up the folder. “Got me my pictures back, didn’t it?” She grabbed for them, and he jerked them higher. “Ah ah ah.” “Theo, I need those pictures. They can’t go to the police.” She could do this the hard way. In a fight, Anna Grace could take Theo down, knock him out and steal them. Her vampire skills had been honed to perfection in fighting other vampires for years. A human male would be no match for her. But she didn’t want to do it that way unless she had to. No matter how much the bastard frustrated her. She would hurt him, and unlike Titius, Theo was an innocent victim in all this. Taking them by force would be her last resort. “Yeah, yeah, I know. The safety of others and all that bull. You haven’t given me a good enough reason why I should trust you. Why I should hand my pictures of a killer over to you.” He waved the folder around again. “Until you do, I’m keeping them.” “Because if you don’t give them to me, it will endanger me and a lot of others.” Maybe he had a conscience. It was true enough. Titius getting caught could bring about the vampire race’s downfall. That was why she’d become so determined to create a unity among them and stop Titius at the same time. In this day and age of technology, the vampires needed to group together. Or they might find themselves under society’s microscope. “How?” “Because of who he is.” She pulled off the gloves. No need of them now. She tossed them in a nearby trashcan. He had a visual on her. That would do more than fingerprints ever would. “Is he in the witness protection program or something? Are you FBI?” His eyes narrowed as he watched her. “Look, why don’t you put down the photos, we’ll sit down, have a nice talk about this.” His mouth quirked up into a smile. “You’d take them again. I’m not about to let them out of my hands.”

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Fifteen minutes with her, if that, and suddenly he’d become an expert. It chapped her that he was right. A grab and run wasn’t out of the game yet. Her frustrations, the sexual ones and the ones devoted to getting those pictures, mounted. She almost stomped her foot. Childish, but she could be that way. “Theo.” “What’s your name, anyway? You know mine. I should know yours.” “Anna Grace.” “Anna Grace.” His eyes swept across her. His voiced downshifted to husky. “It suits you.” The attraction between them still ran its currents around. That was nice to know. Her desire wasn’t one-sided. Her gaze descended to look where his pants tented out from his body. He still had a roaring erection. Uh-huh. The attraction was definitely not one-sided. Not that Anna Grace was into denying her carnal instincts, but as a clever and a worthy opponent, this man was way too dangerous to indulge that desire with. There was too much to lose if things went downhill. “Look, is there any way we can make a deal? For the photos?” She ran a hand down her neck to the top of her chest, before yanking it back. No fair tempting him with things she wasn’t going to give him. “I can make it worth your while.” “I’m sure you could.” He chuckled wryly. “Boy, am I sure you could.” “I can offer you things, Theo, that you’ve dreamed about. Money. Travel. All kinds of wants could be fulfilled for those pictures.” What would she do if he picked sexual payment? No, he wouldn’t. Even though he was a male human, he’d pick the money. His eyes lit up at the word before he caught himself. “Money?” “Uh-huh.” All his gadgets cost. Of course, he could use a new air conditioner more than more photography technology, but she could tell where his spending money went. “Lots of it.” “How worth my while?” Humans. They were so predictable with finances. Of course, vampires did like to live well themselves, including her. Most of them lived rather extravagantly. Maybe it was something they carried over from their human side. “I can give you enough to live well, Theo. For a while.” “But you wouldn’t be turning the pictures over to the police?” “Shit, no. I told you.” Her voice rose. “I can’t let them go to the police.” “And you can’t tell me why.” “Right.” “How will it endanger you? And others? If these pictures get out.” She let out a long, drawn-out sigh. If only she could tell him everything, it would be easier, but with his position, she didn’t see a way. He posed too much of a danger. “If the


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pictures get out, the police might catch the man who did this. That would mean bad things for many people.” “So he did kill that woman? How?” She nodded. “I’m sure he did…” She paused. “You can’t tell me how.” His face looked serious and thoughtful. She shook her head, hair softly rustling about her ears. “Is he the Vampire Killer?” He held the folder in back of him with his other arm straight down at his side. Her brow wrinkled. “The who?” “The Vampire Killer.” She shrugged her shoulder, her face creasing to tell him she wasn’t sure what he was talking about. “Geesh, what did you live under a rock? The Vampire Killer. He canvassed the Eastern Seaboard a couple of years ago. Lots of murders that stopped here. He drained his victims of blood. Like this one.” “I was living in Europe.” Something pulsed in her brain. Marcus? She’d heard some of the tales of Nick Mancuso’s lover. She hadn’t known it was that serious and well-publicized, as she’d been involved in her own mess at the time. A mess of Titius’s making. “I think I know what you’re talking about. And no, this isn’t him.” “I shouldn’t believe you. You broke in here, tried to steal my pictures.” He glanced around his apartment as if making sure everything else was there. She smiled gently. “But you do.” “Yeah. I do.” “So you’ll give me the pictures?” “For a date.” “What?” Her voice snapped out as if it were a whipcord. “A date?” Now, Anna Grace fucked. She went out and had fun, sometimes with men, sometimes with women. But she sure as hell didn’t go on dates. “You’re kidding.” “Nope. I want a date with you.” Then, the biggest surprise of the evening happened. Anna Grace opened her mouth, and acceptance flew out of it. A tingle sputtered against her mind. “I’ll do it.” She’d agreed to go on a date with Theo? What the hell was she thinking? He’d proved himself a clever man. The more time she spent in his presence, the more of a chance there was he’d guess some of her secrets. She’d never hidden her vampirism well. What the hell had come against her mind before she’d accepted? She’d felt it, but not long enough to decipher its origin. Her talents lay in masking her presence, not in psychic abilities.

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His face contorted to a frown, then it turned into a rakish smile. “Good. Give me your address. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

***** Titius stretched out in the bed alongside Chey. The sheets and coverlet were all twisted around them. His hand on her flat stomach gleamed white against the darkness of her skin. Putting his head on her shoulder, he pushed her hair away from his face to inhale. Mimosa. Even over the scents of sex and blood, she managed to stay sweet. Two puncture wounds gleamed on her neck. He frowned, touching them with a fingertip. They should have healed by now. Maybe the initial wounds didn’t heal as fast as any further wounds would once vampires had been made. He remembered so little of his own making. He’d never paid much attention to the other vampires he’d created. She sighed, turning over to cuddle into his chest. He lay back, rubbing a hand over her back. A sound like a purr started low and deep in her chest and rattled up. Shifting her weight, she moved and was on top of him. He arched a brow. “Something you want, sweetheart?” Her mouth erupted in a smile. Her canines had started enlarging. They weren’t all the way developed yet. But soon enough. “You, General.” She pinned his arms, or rather, he allowed himself to be pinned. Lowering her mouth, she inhaled. “Such good smells.” Her mouth drew down onto his throat. When her teeth latched on, breaking skin, his body jumped. Fuck. She’d taken a bite out of him. Now, she held on the way some pit bull dogs did. He didn’t knock her off despite the pain, because to do so would send his skin in her mouth away from his body. “Chey.” He spoke through gritted teeth. “Chey. Stop.” Managing to grasp her hands in his, he pushed her gently over, keeping his neck within her mouth. A few seconds later, he’d managed to extricate himself. “Chey, we talked about feeding. And what we are supposed to do before you feed.” She giggled up at him. “Your blood smells so good. I couldn’t resist.” He patted his neck, which would heal in minutes. “I know, sweetheart. I know. But I need to know before you try and feed.” Or she’d rip his throat out or accidentally kill him. He’d not told her of the way to kill vampires yet. That knowledge wasn’t something that was passed down from teacher to student at first. It waited until the teacher was sure the student wasn’t rip-roaring crazy and was going to make it as a vampire. Chey would make it. He’d make sure of it. Anyone who said she was crazy would have a bloodletting by him.


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He’d need a good meal before they headed on their way out of town. So would she. He’d try somewhere they could find a couple. It would be her first kill. Something worth celebrating. She languidly stretched out her limbs. His eyes followed the movement. His cock, which had deflated with pain, perked up again. Her eyes caught both things. Slowly, she slid her hands down her torso, taking time over her breasts to tease her nipples to fine points and glide down her stomach before reaching down to her pussy to delve in. Her legs spread wide, giving him a good view of everything she did to herself. The musky scent of her arousal increased its intoxicating scent. He sucked in a breath, watching her play with herself. Her head arched back in pleasure. She strummed herself, her movements sure and not all that gentle. His lady liked it rough. She pinched her fingers over her tight bud. Not too much later, he pulled her hand away and replaced it with his mouth, unable to stand much more of the torture of watching her get herself off.

Her taste. He set forth a drawn-out growl. She tasted so like honey. His tongue delved between her velvety folds to find her clit. Pummeling it with his tongue, he tasted more of her pleasures as they surged forth. He alternated slow and fast licks meant to tease and drive her to her climax, and she soon rewarded him with a hip-bucking orgasm. Her come surged as if it were a river from her pussy as she crested over the brink. “Oh, General.” Getting up on his arms, he slowly pressed his cock into her willing depths. She sucked him completely in, swiveling her hips to take him even further than he’d pressed. Such a tight hole. He’d taken her virginity before he’d made her a vampire. Each time he took her, he had to stretch her out again. With being a vampire, she shouldn’t have any soreness as the tissues would heal themselves quickly. In and out he pistoned, keeping up a quick rhythm, driving himself as deep as he could get. She wouldn’t let him be gentle in any way. Each time he slowed or eased up the force, she would lift up her hips to slam into him or crimp her teeth on his neck. In her willing body, he found himself again and again. He’d never come close to wanting anything, save taking over the human race, as much as he wanted her. Never had anyone, man or woman, made him feel the way she did. Her hands wildly raked through his hair before driving down to claw fingernails into his back. They scraped, digging into his skin as deeply as they could much as a cat’s claws would. Scratching along his back, each one dug a trench. He hissed with the sting of the broken skin, but the edge of pain along with the pleasure drove him over the edge into bliss. His seed poured out of him as he called her name. His goddess. His angel. His. He stayed draped over her, heart pounding, breath slowly winding down from their adventure together. His back still smarted, but would heal quickly. It would heal faster if he

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had a meal, but one couldn’t be delivered here. Too many questions would be involved, as he stayed in a hotel. That was why he’d eaten out every day he’d been in the squalid city. Not that he thought humans could do much to him. They could only delay him and in doing so, delay his plans. That couldn’t happen. She shrugged him off to his already-healed back before pushing off the bed to her feet. “General, I feel so alive.” Her face lifted, beaming as if the light of the sun resided in her. She glowed all the time. “I know, Chey.” He rolled on his side to watch her strut around his hotel room. His cock re-energized, hardening again. “I’m hungry. We need to feed.” Her eyes glittered, overrun with blood lust. Such a voracious hunger in one so newly made. He’d picked quite the little hellion. “We will. Later. The sun’s out right now.” Her eyes shifted to the windows, which led to the balcony. “Sun’s out.” Dashing over, she pulled the curtains off the wall. Their hardware and the cloth landed on the floor with a soft plop. He shook his head at her action. “It doesn’t hurt me. The myths are wrong. See?” She danced around the light, which had entered the hotel room. Titius sat up, his mouth drying out. He’d forgotten to tell her how much was myth and how much was reality about their kind. She hadn’t known the sun wouldn’t kill her, but she’d pulled down the draperies anyway. His love was going to need lots of special care. “No, sweetheart, sun doesn’t kill us.” Her hands scratched at her arms. “It makes us itchy though. That’s why you’re scratching.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Garlic, crosses, holy water. None of that has any effect. Come over here, out of the irritation.” He’d have to get the hotel or Bert to put the curtains back up. “Oh, good, that can’t hurt me. Nothing can hurt me.” She jumped on the bed, sitting down beside him to grin. “Because I feel too alive.” He reached out to caress her face, hand moving over her jawline. She took his hand in hers, pulling it up to her mouth. She kissed each finger before getting to the last one and trying to bite. He pulled it back in time. “Chey.” “I’m hungry.” She poked her lip out in a mock pout. “I’ll get you food, sweetheart. We’re leaving here. Today. On the way out of town, I’ll get you a meal. Promise.” “We’re leaving. Getting out of Richmond.” “Oh, yes. Leaving Richmond behind.” Ready to blow this town, they’d have more luck in the bigger cities. And now that he had Chey, he’d find his protégé. “You’re going to look for Nick.” She propped up her head on her hand, which rested on her knee. “Yes. We’re going to look for Nick.”


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“Oh, goody. I’ve never been out of Richmond. Mama never took me on a vacation.” Her head peered around him. She jumped off the bed and moved to a desk. Picking up a photograph, which Titius had tossed on it, she looked at it sharply. “That’s Nick, Chey. The man we’re after.” He’d found that picture right before he’d come to Richmond. It had become helpful in asking people, “Have you seen this man?” She sat on the floor, her finger tracing the outline of the man captured there. “What are you doing?” Titius’s voice rose. “Why are you touching him?” Not that it was the real him. But a surge of jealousy had ripped through Titius with each movement of her finger along Nick’s outline. What was she doing?” As if in a daze, her head tilted to the side. “Nick.” Her voice sounded dreamy. Almost as if it came from far away. “Oh, Nick. Don’t worry. I can feed on anyone now. I won’t lose control. I haven’t yet.” “Sweetheart? Chey?” Titius got to his feet, drawing up to his full height before marching to her side. He knelt down beside her, trying to look into her face. “We need to go. Far away from here.” Her eyes didn’t meet his but stared straight into the picture. “Bad things are coming to us.” “What bad things?” Titius placed a hand on her knee, giving it a squeeze. She didn’t react but continued to look to the picture and babble along more. “Chey, are you here with me?” “Yes. I’m talking to Nick, though. But he doesn’t listen. He tries to protect me, but I’m stronger than he is. Isn’t that funny? I have more powers.” “Yes, sweetheart. It’s a riot.” He swallowed, looking at the woman in front of him. She’d tried to feed from him twice earlier, more chewing on him than actual feeding. Now, she sat in the middle of his room, talking to a picture of the man he was after. The girl was nuts. She had great powers. That was true. But the vampirism had driven her over the loony edge. Would he be able to control that to use her powers? He’d find out with time. “Why don’t you set that down? Come back to bed for some rest.” And maybe some other things. His cock hardened in anticipation of those other things. She let out a sigh, looking at Nick’s picture. “Nick’s taking me to bed, too. But I don’t think to sleep.”

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Chapter Five Nick’s taking me to bed, too. Titius’s spine stiffened as she put down the picture. “Sweetheart, pick that up. Tell me what you see again.” With a shrug, she picked up Nick’s picture. “Ohhh. A tangle of bodies. Nick’s sucking at my breasts. He never says they’re too little. He likes a mouthful.” She giggled. “He’s telling me to stop staring off into space and acting goofy.”

Well, fuck, what do you know? Chey was connected to someone with Nick. She’d developed an actual connection without any forethought. Eyes shuttering closed, her body clenched, her hands tightening on the picture. “He’s eating me. The good way.” Her voice sounded breathless. Reaching over, he took the photo from her fingers. “Chey.” “What?” Her eyes opened, looking at him as though she could see him for the first time since the picture had gotten in her hands. “Tell me what you saw.” “I was with Nick. Looking at him. We were talking. Then, he took me to bed.” She bit her lip. “He’s domineering. Like you.” So Nick had learned something from him. “Who were you in there? While you were holding the picture?” He had an idea of who it could be. “I don’t know. Nick called me ‘Sarah.’” She reached out a hand to him. “Can I hold it again?” “Not right now, Chey.” He didn’t want her vicariously experiencing Nick’s lovemaking. Then, he would have to kill his second-in-command before the man ever took the post.


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Sarah had to be the redhead. Somehow, Chey had become connected to her. And it sounded as if she had some power. She’d sensed Titius coming. Bad things are coming to us. This had to help him find Mancuso. He and Chey would blow out of town tonight and work on a location from Chey’s antics. As she strengthened as a vampire, she probably wouldn’t need the picture to maintain the connection. The problem would be, once she didn’t need the photo anymore, the connection might be hard to acquire and drop at will. He’d gotten his first break since Nick had taken out Marcus. “Come to bed, sweetheart.” He pushed to his feet and held his hand out to her. She accepted it, and he pulled her up to him. “I’ll eat you out again. The way you like.”

***** Theo rolled over to peer one-eyed at the clock. Two in the afternoon. He had to be up by five thirty to be ready. Maybe he could squeeze it until six. But, no later, as he had to shower and get dressed. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to be late. Once Anna Grace had marched her sweet little ass out, he’d stripped and tried to get some sleep in the hot apartment. But, all he could think about was that ass, which had wiggled and jiggled on her way out of his door. Her hips swaying would catch any man’s attention. And her breasts couldn’t be ignored when they begged to find a place under his questing hands. They’d be luscious. Then, there was that kiss, which had tasted so sweet. He’d gone in for that, intending to do what he’d done, take back his pictures. But when her mouth had opened under his, when her tongue had met his head on, he’d almost become lost in it, forgetting to do what he’d kissed her for. “Theo, you’re a dumb ass.” He pulled a pillow up over his head, trying to shut out the light in his apartment. He should have invested in some shades instead of camera equipment. Anna Grace hadn’t seemed to like the sunshine either. She’d winced when he’d opened the door to his apartment, before popping on black sunglasses. She’d gotten awfully itchy before leaving, too, scratching at her arms. Would she be well enough to go out with him? All the things in the world had been offered to him. Riches. Travel. He’d had a sense her body might be on the table if he asked politely enough. And what had he picked?

A date. Granted, it was a date with a Goddess. A Goddess who had broken into his apartment and tried to steal from him. A Goddess who couldn’t tell him the full truth about why she’d done it No one was perfect. He did believe most of her story. There was an earnestness in her voice, which eased his worries. The man in the picture posed a danger to her if he was caught. Why that was, Theo would find out.

Yeah, you’re a dumb ass sucker for a sob story.

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He blew out a hot breath under his pillow.

You pushed her into accepting. His eyes closed, blue sparkles flashing under his eyelids. He hadn’t meant to. The look of shock when she’d said, “I’ll do it,” had run across her face as if it were a cat chasing a mouse. His mind had gone out to offer a spike against hers.

You pushed her into accepting. And he’d been selfish enough to let the date roll forward without saying a word. Without taking it back. He could have called it off. Given her the pictures without it. But, he hadn’t. It wasn’t as if he’d pushed her for a million dollars. Or to sleep with him. It was one damn date was all. And he hadn’t meant to push her mind into accepting. The power drifted out of his control at times. She didn’t know she’d been compelled into accepting. Oddly, he’d felt something roll across his mind after she’d agreed. He wasn’t sure what it was. Because of his own talents, he tended to believe the mind had more areas than most people admitted or used. It was probably why so many only played with a fraction of their brain power, because they didn’t have extracurricular talents. As he did. Maybe she’d been trying to read his mind. That would make tonight even more interesting if she had psychic talents, too. Well, except for thoughts of her in various sexual positions, she wouldn’t have found anything of consequence on his mind. It’d been hard to think in her presence. In addition to her looks, he liked her. She was straight up and direct. She had a hell of a sexy attitude that emanated from her, not something she tried to project, but it was who she was. She’d displayed an intelligence beyond how she’d acted when he’d first caught her. He wasn’t usually all tied up in lustful knots when he met a beautiful, smart woman like this. No one had intrigued him this much before. Mmmm, tied up. At Anna Grace’s mercy. She’d have none on him. Those red lips would travel down the length of his body, licking and nipping across the expanse of skin. She’d grasp his cock in firm, warm hands, then take it in her mouth to suckle him before deep throating him. Her tongue would swirl around him as if he were a stick of candy. He rolled over again, thrusting his cock into the mattress, unable to get comfortable. Unable to get Anna Grace off of his mind. If only it were her warm, moist depths instead of the cold, squishy mattress. He’d go all the way into her folds. She’d be tight around him, all juicy and sheathing him, coating him in her. Surrounding him. His breathing quickened as he rolled over on his back.


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His hand moved slowly down his body. If only her hand could cup him right now. His cock rose up to meet him. She’d find him hard and eager. His entire body thrust forward as his hand grasped him. If only he could feel her breasts pressed against his chest. Up and down, he moved his hand over and along himself, thinking of her, her body, and her hands. Not enough satisfaction reached him. His rough fingers did nothing to ease his excitement. He needed hers, but in lieu of that, he’d need a further push. A bottle of lotion was set on his dresser. Not the best thing, but it would do in a pinch, which now was a pinch. Slathering his hands full of it, he eased his hands up and down himself. Pumping harshly, he worked his flesh, trying to ease his desire. His hips thrust in time with the workings of his hands. Anna Grace’s hands would be much softer, smaller than his own. She’d draw him into her palms. One manicured finger would press into his tip, taking off the pre-come and rubbing against it. Her mouth would open around him as her slender hands guided him in, taking in as much as she could of his length. He’d jerk around as she sucked his balls clear up to her lips, before letting him go to return to his cock. Her teeth would nip him before she got serious. He’d glide down her throat in a rush, savoring as her mouth stretched out around him. Only when he was close would she pull away and impale herself on his rigid length, grinding herself down on him from above. No space would be discernable between them. He’d rest completely in her molten pussy. Up and down, she’d move in a graceful jumble of bodies, tightening her walls around him, until his orgasm raced out of him in a torrent. He came into his own hands, his hips thrusting again and again until he’d pumped it all out. Sticky and sated, he rolled his head on the pillow and found an old T-shirt to wipe off his hands. Even with that release, thoughts of her plagued him as he tried to drift off to sleep. It would be one of those sleepless days. There’d better be some eye drops in the cabinet. He would not show up for his date with a Goddess and have red eyes. Finally giving into waking, he got up at five in the afternoon. Showering, he soaped himself up good, washing away the evidence of his pleasure. His pager went off from work. They wanted him to come in for the eleven news shift. Usually, he would have taken it, but he told them to call the other cameraman. He even stood firm when they told him he’d be sent to Grace Street due to a murder victim found there. Some psychic store. The daughter was a suspect and missing. It had been a gruesome crime scene. “Nope, I have a date.” He’d hung up whistling a merry tune as he finished getting ready.

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Ripping off the sheets to his bed, he then crumpled them in a hamper along with all the clothes from the floor of his room, and remade the bed with fresh smelling, newly washed sheets.

She’s already seen your bedroom. Didn’t mean he couldn’t clean it. In case he got lucky. Now, what to wear? Once he’d picked out the outfit, he faced a real dilemma. He’d put off laundry day a little too long. While he had clean clothes, his fresh underwear had about run out. All he had left in his drawer was a neon green thong a friend had given him as a gag gift. In desperate times, he would wear it when laundry day had been put off. Shrugging, he pulled up his khakis over his bare skin. Commando wasn’t usual, but again, maybe he’d get lucky. Not that he counted on it. She would probably take the date, the pictures, and move on. Regardless, he’d have this one night with her, no matter how it ended up. The last thing he did was hide the pictures in the back of his closet in an old shoebox. He trusted Anna Grace. But in case someone else went nosing around his apartment, the pictures wouldn’t be easy to find. Taking a deep breath, he exited to go on his date with a Goddess.

***** Anna Grace carefully put on red lipstick. A bit smudged, and she got it off with her fingertip. Another nail was chipping. Manicures never lasted with her. And she hadn’t even broken it in a fight as usual. She smoothed down her black lace tank top over her black jeans, which contained a few places to hide weapons. It was too hot for leathers in this city. But she wasn’t giving up her long boots with the silver edging, no matter how humid it was. It was almost time for her date to begin. Theo should be heading there right now. One date and get it over with. The pictures would be in hand. In hand. Theo’s cock would fill her hand up. Heat pooled low in her stomach, filtering out through all her body.

No. Theo, cute as he was, was a human and an astute one. She couldn’t risk being found out for the satisfaction of her pussy. No matter how demanding the impulse. Shitting shame, too. Her pussy would weep for its due and not get satisfaction.


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Of course, if she did act on her attraction, it would only be for one night. Her finger tapped on her chin. One night of pure sexual abandon with a man, what could be the harm in that?

The man works for a news show. It wasn’t as if she was going to feed from him. She’d had a blood bag an hour ago, so her hunger was well sated. Though, Theo’s blood would taste so sweet. As his skin would. Like his mouth had earlier. A chill ran through her, thinking of the molten kiss she’d shared with Theo. All she would do was take a little sex, get the pictures and move on. No one would get hurt and after one night, he wouldn’t suspect anything about her. What was the big deal?

You could get found out. Sighing, she ran her fingers through her wavy hair. There was risk in everything. Life, or in her case, death, was full of it. But this time, she wouldn’t only be jeopardizing herself. As one of the leaders in the unification movement, she could endanger the whole process by being found out. God, she hated being responsible. There were times it wasn’t any fun. Like now. She’d have to get cozy with her vibrator after their date. But the plastic, while for the most part satisfying, couldn’t hold her with two strong arms. Couldn’t kiss her senseless. Couldn’t whisper words into her ear while it took her from behind. A knock rapped on the door. Anna Grace walked stealthily to the door. “Who is it?” Habit had her hand resting on her weapon. There was a quiet pause. “Clark Kent.” She smiled, recognizing the voice, and opening the door. “Does this mean you’re Superman, too?” Theo handed her a long-stemmed pink rose as he strolled in the door. “If you want me to be.” She sniffed the heady scent of the flower, letting the door shut behind him. “Thank you.” She looked him up and down. A button-down blue shirt and khakis. Not her usual leather-toting boy, but he’d do. His eyes sure did look bright and sparking with a shimmer of amusement. His pants tented out in front as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. She wasn’t the only one enjoying what she saw. “And I always liked Wolverine from X-

men.” He laughed. “I bet you did. You seem that type.” “Let me stick this in some water.” She found a large glass in a kitchen cabinet and put the flower in water. It had been a long time since she’d had flowers, so she’d keep this one

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alive awhile. Her nose bunched up. She couldn’t remember when the last time she’d stopped to sniff flowers was. Maybe it had been when she’d been visiting a friend in the Highlands and had picked some heather. That had been decades ago. She sniffed the beautiful smell again. Flowers were something that she loved. Turning back around, she discovered Theo had followed her into the kitchen. He leaned against the door jamb. His hair looked much more styled than it had earlier, much to her dismay, but one errant little lock had rebelled and slipped down across the side of his forehead. “I’m glad you like the flower.” His easy smile made her want to throw him on the kitchen counter and eat him up, in the good way. She liked the flower a bit too much. “So what are we doing this evening?” “You’ll find out.” She frowned. “I don’t like surprises.” The last one she’d had had been a dilly. A lover had let Titius inside their bedroom while she was sleeping. She’d had to fight him off naked in a drafty castle in Austria. Theo shrugged, his hands down by his side. “Sorry.” He didn’t look sorry; instead, his chest puffed out with an arrogant look on his face. “I like your apartment. I’d heard about these being built but hadn’t seen the inside of one yet.” “It’s temporary.” As soon as she found Titius, she’d be heading back to Europe to help with the organization. “Only here for a short time.” “When do you head back? To where?” “As soon as my business is completed here, I’ll be moving on. And going back to Ireland. That’s where I’m from.” His lips turned down into a frown. “I thought I detected a slight accent. The photos are part of that business, aren’t they? And how soon do you think you’ll be completed?” His boyish face looked a little distressed at the thought of her leaving. Anna Grace pushed down the warmth that spread through her chest. It had been a long time since anyone had wanted her around to the point they didn’t want her to leave. Even Kent, for all his fondness of her, was usually ready for her to leave after an hour or two. Down girl, Theo just doesn’t know

you yet. “The photos were…an extra job, I hadn’t anticipated. I have other things I’m doing in town.” Tracking down the man in the photos was first on her list. She should be working tonight, scouring clubs for any sign of the Roman, instead of having some fun. “What other things?” She shook her head, moving toward him quickly. “Should we be heading out? For wherever you’re taking me?” “You can’t tell me.” His level eyes met hers. “It’s O.K. I understand, Anna.” Nothing in him reflected anger that she wouldn’t tell him. He pushed away from the door frame. “We’ll


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enjoy ourselves tonight on our date. Then, I’ll give you the pictures. So our business will be done.” No hint of hopefulness about anything further resonated in his voice. She might not be good at reading most people psychically, but there was truth in his eyes and voice. He wouldn’t push for anything more than this date and didn’t expect the date to be one that only landed them in the bedroom. If it did, he’d enjoy it, but he wasn’t counting on it. “Yes. Yes, it will.” Walking by him, she reached up to pull down the lock of hair. It wouldn’t go with the others, but sprang back where it had been. She grabbed a small purse from the coffee table as she headed for the front door. “Come on, Theo.” This was one date she would be ending in the bedroom, concerns go to hell.

***** Chey hummed a tune, dancing around the suite, her arms swinging wide, feet slowly turning. The light sundress she wore billowed out from her body in a tangle of cloth. Titius sat on the bed, watching her swirl and twirl. They’d woken up to a sex-filled afternoon romp. They prepared to leave Richmond. She’d had a few more flashes of Sarah, who must be the redhead in Nick’s life. They seemed to have established a strong connection. Chey could see things through Sarah’s eyes, seemed to know everything that was going on with her. Titius had figured out they were on a lake. In asking directed questions to Chey, he’d established Sarah and Nick were in Michigan. He’d find out more about where as they flew up there. Regardless, he would close in on his second-in-command. And their women being connected would cement Nick to him. Forever. He couldn’t have asked for it to work out any better. Did Nick know of his woman’s connection to Chey? Did he know Titius was coming to him? He still couldn’t connect to the fucktard. Maybe that would change once they reached Michigan. His cell rang. “Yeah.” Chey hummed louder, twirling, swaying her hips. Titius hardened, watching her. Maybe she’d join the mile high club once they got going. “The plane’s been taken care of. You can head for the airport whenever.” Titius clicked off without thanking Bert. “Chey, sweetheart. We need to head out.” He got up off the bed, reaching for the remote to turn off the television. Of course, that drew both sets of eyes to the screen. At that particular moment, Divinities’ store front was being shown with a caption “Murder on Grace Street.”

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He quickly clicked it off, ending the image on the screen. But it was too late. Chey had seen the newscast about where she used to live. Shaking slightly, she went to the TV, touching the screen with her fingertips. Her hushed voice whispered, “Mama?” They must have found Rosa’s body in the back room. He could have done without Chey seeing the story. It would upset her, maybe upset the balance that had developed between her and Sarah. He didn’t need that. He never should have turned on the TV, but sometimes it paid to watch the news, to know what was going on in the city he was in. “Mama’s gone.” She nodded, still touching the screen. “Mama’s gone.” She traced a pattern where the storefront had been. Suddenly, her hand shot up, pounding the TV screen with her balled-up fist with all her strength, which punched out a hole in the middle of it. She hit it again, glass going inside of the box, and then drew back her arm to do it again. “Chey! Stop that.” He ran to her, grabbing her hand, trying to keep her from doing any more damage to herself. “Hell.” Her hand dropped rivulets of blood from where the glass had cut her. She’d heal it in no time, but she didn’t need to be hurt like this. He held her hand gently in his. Her eyes looked wild as she stared at him intently. She reached out her other hand to stroke his jawline before dropping her hand to her stomach. “You. Your face.” He blinked at her before rubbing his face, searching for anything on it. His other hand still held her bleeding one. “What about my face?” “He’s got it. He captured it. You.” Her head dropped down to the side as she brought up her injured hand toward his mouth. She offered it out to him as if it were a prize with a hopeful look on her face. The scent of blood called to his animal as it reared up inside of him, wanting a taste of her. He took a small lick, enough to make Chey happy before cleaning the rest of her up with a tissue. Already, the wounds were almost healed. She smiled at him, looking so thrilled he’d taken her blood. “Who’s captured me? I’m right here. With you.” “Not you, silly. He doesn’t have you. He has your face.” Titius ran a hand over his face again, needing to check and make sure. “My face is here. See, sweetheart? No one has it.” Her head shook, her unbound hair moving quite wildly as she laughed, the sound full and throaty in the room. She hadn’t brushed her hair once he’d taken it down, and tangles lay everywhere. “He has your face.” “How did he get it?”


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“He clicked.” She moved away from the TV picking up the remote and hitting buttons. “Click. Click. Click.” What in the hell did Chey have on her mind? Sometimes, trying to decipher her wasn’t easy. She went on dancing around the room as she had before the news clip only now with “clicks” instead of humming.

Click. A camera.

He captured it. “Chey, does someone have a picture of me? A photograph? An image?” He looked in the mirror over the dresser to be sure nothing was wrong with his face. Not that anyone could take it from him. But who knew with otherworldly stuff. After all, vampires weren’t supposed to be reality. Chey stopped dancing to stand in front of him. She tossed down the remote. “Yes. Your face. He has it. The face of a killer.” She ended the sentence, growling. That didn’t sound like her assessment of him. It almost sounded repeated from someone else. Titius blew out a breath. So someone had snapped a picture of him. When could that have happened? His mind drew back over the events of the last few days.

Bright lights had flashed into his eyes. They must have been the headlights of an oncoming car. He’d heard clicks along with the lights. It hadn’t been a car. It had been someone taking pictures. It had been so long, he hadn’t registered what he’d seen with the noise. When had that been? The night he’d been in the alley with Bert. The night they’d killed a woman down by the farmer’s market. Titius had seen on the news that they’d found her body. Some were trying to connect it back to the Vampire Killer a few years ago. He’d been standing in the alley feeding from her body when the flashes had gone off. Fuck. His fists clenched. With a picture, it would be easier for the police to find him. People tattled on other people every day for money. All it would take was one bored hotel or convenience store clerk to see him and call the authorities. While they couldn’t hold him for long -- he was a vampire after all -- they could delay him. And now that he had an inkling of where Nick was, he couldn’t be delayed. Not for any length of time. He switched back on the television and watched more of the local news. His picture hadn’t been splashed all over it earlier so he must be safe for now. Had they gotten their hands on a picture of him over the body, it would have been all over the headlines.

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“Chey.” He grasped her shoulders in his hands, stopping her from dancing. “I need you to focus. Where’s my picture? My face? The one you told me the man had.” “I thought we were leaving. To find the girl in my head. I told her we were coming. She’s dancing, too. Trying to shake me out. But I won’t go. I need her.” Her lips pulled up into a pout. He gently smoothed them out with the pad of his thumb. He’d give her anything. “We’ll go, sweetheart. Soon. But this photo. I need to find it. It could cause trouble for me.” He moved his hand down and touched the skin of her neck. As always, it made him tremble to touch such warmth and softness. So little had been that in his life. Cold. He’d always been so cold from his early days as a soldier to his time in Russia as a vampire. And hard. So much had been hard. His cock engorged as his breath quickened from the feel of her. Mine. He needed to make her his, to mark again and again. “Wouldn’t want trouble.” Her hands reached out to grasp him tightly through his thin pants. He let out a moan as her talented fingers squeezed and fondled him. Even through the material, her touch was incredible. “Chey.” He panted. Only this slip of a girl could bring the mighty General to his knees with a mere touch. How he hated that. “I need to find my face.” Her eyes surveyed his as she released him. “It’s in a shoebox.” “Where, sweetheart?” He kept hold of her shoulders. “I need to know where. To find it. Tell me.” He shook a little, frustration getting the better of him. She rolled her head around. He stopped but her head continued to loll around. “The blades whir and whir around.” “Chey, I need to know. Who has the goddamn picture?” He released her to slam his hand down on the dresser. Fuck, he was too close to Nick to lose now. “Theo Billings.” His head jerked around to stare into his woman’s dreamy eyes. She’d said it so nonchalantly. “Why didn’t you tell me that before?” “You didn’t ask, General.” Her hands went to rest on both of her hips as though she were a schoolmarm admonishing him. “Can I suck you off now?” Before, he hadn’t asked who had the photo directly. She had a point. He had to remember to use direct questions with her. Her powers grew exponentially, but so did her craziness. How long would she be useful to him? He blew out another breath. Forever, but he also would have to look after his own safety. She’d bitten him too many times to count now. Sometimes, letting her mouth around his cock made him apprehensive. Could he heal a bitten-off cock to the way it was before the bite? He’d reminded her gently a few times that a cock couldn’t give her pleasure if it was in pieces. That had worked for now. What would happen if she went further down into insanity than this? He couldn’t think of that now.


“After one call, sweetheart.” He grabbed his cell phone and dialed. “Bert, I need an address.” “Are we still leaving, boss?” “Yeah. But I might have to take care of something first.” “Who do I need to find?” “Theo Billings is the name. He has a picture of me, maybe a few, that I need back.”

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Chapter Six Theo led Anna Grace down some long stone steps. Her boots clicked on them. “Where are we going?” They hadn’t gone far from her apartment, instead heading down to the riverfront, which wasn’t what she’d expected. “Here.” Her eyes scanned to figure out what they were doing there. Brightly painted boats of red and green sat alongside the wall, which must double as a dock. They were tied to black rails. She looked at them curiously, but her eyes drifted to Theo’s firm ass encased in his tight khakis. His walking in front of her kept distracting her. Oh yeah, cupping that baby would fill her hands up. A nip here, a kiss there… Theo stopped, and she ran into his back, which was hard as her breasts pressed into it. He glanced down over his shoulder at her to smile. “Like it close, do you?” He moved his back side to side to rub against her breasts. She backed off a step. “Sorry. Didn’t realize you were stopping.” He looked at her expectantly, turning half a step to face her. “What?” “Before I stopped, I said, ‘So do you want to take a canal boat ride?’ This was one thing I’d planned for our evening.” He stood up straighter. “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I thought you might enjoy it.” “Oh.” She looked at the long boats, bobbing up and down by the wall. “Sure. Sounds good to me.” It had been a long time since her last boat ride. Even longer since she’d done anything like a tourist in a city she’d visited. His face lit up the way it must when he developed a great photo. “Good. I’ll get us some tickets.”


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Did he look like that when he took a woman to bed? What a look. She reached for her wallet. “I can…” He shook his had. “No. You can’t. My date, my treat.” He trekked off to the ticket booth before she could argue further. She would have gone over with him and fought the matter, but from experience, it rankled guys when she did that. Not that she usually gave a shit. But she didn’t want the date to end here. And to her surprise, it wasn’t only because of the photos she had to secure from him. God. How long had it been since a man wooed her? Too long. She didn’t let anyone get that close lately. Her life had been turmoil for so long, she hadn’t wanted to bring anyone else into that. Not to mention, vampires usually didn’t date much as humans did. Vampirism didn’t lend itself to a rich social life. It had been too long since she’d enjoyed herself, as full of business as her life had become, so she intended to ride it out, not let anything get it in the way of it. Surely she deserved a few hours of peace. Maybe even a few more hours of good, hard fucking. She watched as Theo turned and headed back toward her, tickets in hand. “The boat leaves in five minutes. They’ll start seating soon.” A couple of other people milled around, probably waiting as they were. She looked around at the brick walkway as silence ensued. The water lapped at the sides with a swishing sound. She could hear rushing water in the distance. And the sounds of lots of traffic. Probably an interstate. “Nice river.” “It’s a canal.” “Oh. I thought this was the James River.” “Not this part. This is the Kanawha Canal.” He waved a hand toward the water. “It was built to bypass the falls that run through Richmond. The Canal Walk was built after they built a floodwall to try and keep the river from flooding downtown.” “Did the floodwall work?” She sniffed, the mossy smell of the water infusing her nose. A vampire rested nearby but it wasn’t the one she looked for. She couldn’t often sense vampires because of her shielding ability. This one must be close. As long as it didn’t have a beef with her, she’d let it be. Titius was who she was after. “It hasn’t been tested by a huge flood since they put it up. We’ve had a few little ones, but nothing major like happened before they erected the wall.” “You’re a fount of knowledge.” He turned his head. “You took pictures down here. Didn’t you? That’s how you know all this.” He didn’t seem to be a history buff to her. He let out a deep chuckle. “Yeah. A local magazine did an article on the Canal Walk and boats.” “I’d like to see them. The pictures.”

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He leaned closer, an excited look on his face. “Really? I have the magazine at home. A couple of copies.” His voice sounded enthused at her wanting to see them. “I’d like to see more of your photography. You do good work, Theo. Maybe later tonight.” He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “As if you could tell from the photo…of that man what I can do. That’s not my best work.” He had an arrogance about his work that she liked. “I found some other pictures before I found those. When I was…snooping.” She looked up at him and moved her hand over to touch his arm. “You had some nice shots. You have an eye.” Having seen those other photos, she meant every word. The evening was not about getting the pictures back anymore. He would hand them over, of that she had no doubt. So she could be honest with him, not blow smoke up his ass. “It’s a living.” He tossed the words casually, but she could see in his face, the compliment registered. Photography was more than a living to him. “Come on. They’re loading.” They took seats together up by the bow. “Bad time to ask. But, you don’t get seasick, do you?” He took the seat next to her, sliding in close. She let out a loose laugh. “I don’t.” “Good.” His arm snaked around the back of the seat around her. “I haven’t taken a night ride before. So this will be different for me.” She leaned into the curve of his body, letting his arm touch her. The level of comfort involved in his arm around her, she wouldn’t think about. The guide started talking about the building of the canal and the history of the city. Anna had been in Europe during the Civil War, so she didn’t know that much about the local history. The man beside her distracted her with his nearness. His scent took over from the scents of the river, a much nicer smell. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was, but it smelled spicy, maybe a hint of something musky. The boat slid easily through the gentle waters, though occasionally they slapped at the bottom. A white bird stood in the low water before spreading its wings and taking off to soar a few feet away. Theo tensed, watching the bird take flight. He let out a breath as it landed nearby. The sun had only started to fade. The moon would soon be on the rise. “Wish you had your camera with you?” She leaned her head around to him to see his face. He hadn’t brought any equipment with him. “Am I that obvious?” He scratched his nose from where her hair had tickled it. “You’d look so beautiful sitting there against the water. The moon will be out soon, probably still a


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blood moon as it has been. It would bathe you in the light. Only thing better would be you laying on a bed…” He trailed off with a clearing of his throat. She shivered against him. His arm tightened around her. “Chilly?” “No.” Horny was more the word she’d use. His talk of being bathed in the light made her want to be covered in his scent. To be impaled on his cock. Her eyes drifted down but with the lack of light and his thighs together, she couldn’t see enough to tell. If only the boat weren’t so crowded. She would have reached down to find out for herself. He’d seemed to have a nice package earlier when she had been looking. But touching was the best way to assess that. She was a hands-on kind of a girl. “I wouldn’t think so. It’s been hot.” His arm stayed tightened. “Tell me about it. Not this hot in Ireland right now.” “I bet not.” He moved his head, looking down at the water. “Hey, look, it’s a snake over there.” “Where?” Her head shot around to look around the boat. Her hand went down to her dagger to tighten around it. “In the water. It’s swimming.” He pointed over to it. A couple of people got up to look where he pointed. He leaned his head down to whisper, “Did you touch a weapon?” Her hand released it. “Um.” How the hell had he known that? He was a photographer, not a weapons expert. “It was a guess. But you did, didn’t you? Over a snake?” She huffed a breath. “Ireland doesn’t have any o’ those scaly bastards.” They were so slithery. She’d never liked that animal. Probably silly for a vampire as old as she was, but she didn’t care. Theo coughed out a huge laugh. “Since Saint Patrick drove them out of Ireland, huh?” “Damn straight. Best thing ever done for Ireland.” He toyed with a lock of hair, sliding it between his long fingers. “Your brogue comes out more when you’re upset. I bet when you’re mad, you sound very Irish.” “Hmmph.” No one had ever played with her hair. She usually wore it back when she was working. Tonight, she’d let it hang loose around her shoulders. “I do have to ask.” Letting go of her hair, he leaned in again to whisper. “How many weapons do you have?” “Enough.” She folded her arms across her chest. “Am I that dangerous?” “Huh?” Her eyes met his mischievous ones. “Wearing all those on a date with me.” She rolled her eyes. “Aren’t you a cocky one?”

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His laugh came from his belly this time. “You have no idea.” She could reach down and squeeze. Maybe find out how cocky he was under his pants. Bastard. He sobered a little. “Are you expecting trouble tonight?” The tour guide turned them around, heading back for the docks. “No. But I like to be prepared, Theo.” Sometimes overly. Titius seemed to have gone underground. He didn’t know she was in town, or he would have gone to pay Kent a visit to threaten them and her. Or maybe even worse. “The guy in the pictures. He’s…” “Deadly.” Titius had found her blood suppliers twice now, taking out the humans she called friends and lovers. They’d fought a couple of times. If she found Titius here, she was going to end it here. But she had doubts she’d find him before he skipped town. The clock had wound down on that. They rode in silence back to the docks. Theo’s arms stayed around her, warming her, making her tingle more than she’d ever thought possible.

Mine. The animal, which was the vampire side of her nature, bubbled up for the first time in a long time. The beast called to her to sample Theo. Even a promised later didn’t quell it. As they exited the boat, Theo got off first and took her hand to guide her off. He didn’t drop it as they walked, but held on to it. “So are you hungry?” “Famished.” “Then dinner awaits you.” Oh, he’d meant for food. She was hungry as all get out. But not for anything to eat. Yeah, the date might be ending in the car on the way back before the bedroom.

***** Titius exploded in a flood of come, which he didn’t think would ever stop. His climax left him shaking and blinded as he heard Chey swallow with a big gulp. After a moment, her lithe form crawled up him to lay her body against his. Such softness. Her long hair tickled his chest. He leaned down to kiss her forehead. Her scent, womanly musk and a hint of mimosa, filled his nostrils. “You taste all bloodylicious.” She nipped his pec lightly, swirling her tongue along a rib. “Do I?” He tensed, waiting to see if she’d bite down. But she didn’t. Maybe she was slowly gaining control over her vampire. He’d take whatever sign he could get. “You taste so sweet. All of you. Especially that pretty pussy.”


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“Yes, you do. Hmmmmm.” She lifted her head, brushing his arm with her hair. “It’s your pretty pussy. Like you’re my cock-a-doodle-do.” She crowed as if she were a rooster before sinking her teeth into his side. He startled with the pain of her clamping down. Patting her head, he tried to ease her off. Pulling her off would tear the skin. Not a good thing. “Sweetheart, we talked about this.” Maybe she still needed work at controlling her vampire self. A lot of work. Her teeth released his skin. Blood seeped from the wound as pain rocketed from his nerve endings. He had a perfect imprint of her teeth on his side. “I know. I know. Rules. Mama always had rules.” She licked at it, making the wound sizzle with pain. The telephone rang. Titius snatched it up, and then flipped it open. “Yeah.” “I’ve got an address on Theo Billings.” “Good.” Titius grabbed for a pen and paper, moving away from Chey to get all the information. She distracted him. His wound continued to heal itself. By the time he left this hotel room, it would be gone. Chey sprawled on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. “Give it to me.” “4532 Floyd Avenue. It’s in the Fan.” “The what?” “The Fan. It’s a neighborhood in Richmond.” Bert tittered on the other end of the phone. “Do you want me to handle this by myself, boss? Take care of this guy for you?” “No. I’ll get it done.” This was too important to leave to underlings. Titius would handle it before they left. No pictures would be left of him in this half-assed town. “I’ll be down shortly. Get ready to move. Our last stop in Richmond will be here.” He clicked off the phone. His eyes gazed at a vision of loveliness. Chey’s breasts pointed up from her body with the firmness of her youth. They had a firmness she’d never lose because she’d never age. She pulled at her large, dark nipples, making them into fine points. Her perfectly arched feet rested up on the headboard, pointing down to the center of her body covered by a thatch of dark hair. How he enjoyed parting those silken folds and driving himself into the oblivion that had become his Chey. Her neck lifted her head enough so she looked at him upside down. “You’re going to get the pictures of you.” “Yes.” “Suppose he doesn’t want to give them back?” She licked her lips. “I still taste you.” Titius’s lips lifted into a smile. “I’m not surprised. You took a lot from me. And he will give me what I want, sweetheart. I can be persuasive.” Her body shook, trembling as if she’d been given a cold chill. She whispered something he didn’t quite hear. “M…”

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“What, sweetheart?” “Nothing.” Her eyes glazed over as he walked closer to the bed. Her body flattened out. “Sarah wants me out.” “How about Nick?” Titius sat on the bed beside her, reaching down to touch her face. “Does he know you’re there?” “He thinks she’s gone nuts. He doesn’t know I’m in there with her.” She laughed as she flew off the bed to dance around the room again. This time, her movements were slow and precise, almost similar to ballroom dancing. “She thinks if she hurts herself, it will drive me out of her mind.” Her hands reached down for a shard of glass from the TV screen. “Cut her wrists. Slash. Slash. Slash.” Titius went still, breath freezing inside his lungs. “Chey, put that down, sweetheart. Please. No matter what Sarah is doing.” “But…” “No.” His voice grew sharper. “Put that down. Now.” She drew the glass along the outside of her wrist, creating a thin line of blood before moving it around to the front. Titius moved to tackle her before she could do more damage. As much of a wound as she might cause, he would have to go looking outside for a blood source. He hadn’t planned on feeding on any of the hotel workers this trip, but he would for his Chey. His intent had been to get to Nick as soon as possible. She dropped the shard before he got to her. “Sarah doesn’t want to hurt me. She…only wants me out of her. But I’m not sure…” Her head shook back and forth. “Not sure how to get out anymore.” Chey couldn’t pull away, and Sarah couldn’t knock her out. He could help Chey out of the other woman’s mind. But at what cost? “Chey, let the connection ride for now. Don’t tamper with it.” He couldn’t lose now. Not when he was so close to Nick. Nick was too vital to his plan working. Chey could keep herself together with the connection for a while longer. “It hurts sometimes.” Her voice grew distant and faint. “She panics with me in there. She feels…the craziness in my head. It hurts her. A lot. I don’t like hurting her.” She frowned, a look coming to her face he’d only seen with her mother. Had her eyes always had a greenish tinge? Hadn’t they been more brown before? He grasped her hands in his. “Chey, keep the connection. I promise you, we will find Sarah. For you.” That Nick would be with her when they found her was a big fucking benefit. “Hold on a little longer.” She nodded, closing her eyes and laying her head against his shoulder. She nuzzled into him as if she were a kitten seeking comfort. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body against him. They stood that way for several minutes.


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“Let’s go get my picture.” He released her. “Once it’s collected, we can find the woman in your head.”

***** Anna Grace looked up at the sparkling lights. They glittered against the dark sky. The cozy little restaurant had an open back garden with lots of flowers and greenery around the seating. Strung around the top were twinkling white Christmas lights. As they were in the city, and couldn’t see the stars, it was a nice substitute. “Like?” Theo took his seat across from her, having pulled out her wooden chair for her to sit and helped push her in. “It’s nice.” “I hear the food is pretty good.” He opened his large plastic menu. “You’ve never eaten here before?” She leaned into the white lace covered table. He shook his head. “Hadn’t yet. Heard lots about it, though.” She shook her head, looking up at the lights again. Not many men in her life had ever taken this much time to make things special for her. Hell, sometimes they’d had her hand down their pants by the fifth sentence. Theo was trying hard, and he’d earned so many points for that alone. She looked forward to taking him home with her. Her eyes looked him over. He peered intently at the menu. A fine specimen of man sat across from her. The waitress bobbed over to them. “Good evening. Welcome to Flickers. What can I get for you to drink this evening?” Before Anna could open her mouth, Theo spoke. “Your finest red wine.” His gaze transferred to Anna Grace. “If that’s all right with you, Anna Grace?” She nodded her head. It would have been her choice, though she wasn’t used to someone else taking the lead. “Yes, thank you.” “We’re still deciding on dinner, I think.” His head slipped back down to look over his menu. “Right?” Anna Grace didn’t say anything, but they took that as agreement. “Take your time. I’ll be back shortly.” The waitress traipsed back inside the restaurant to retrieve their wine. Anna Grace didn’t look at her menu, because what she wanted wasn’t listed there. Instead, she continued to scrutinize the man in front of her. What fascinated her about him? What made her vampire stand up and beat its chest over him? She didn’t hide her staring, but did it openly, crushing all the niggling little doubts about what she wanted to happen tonight.

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They might be leaving the restaurant soon if she had her way. The longer she spent with him, the more her arousal grew. If he’d been a vampire, he would have scented it by now. “You know I’m not on the menu. At least not here.” He shrugged, still looking down, not meeting her eyes. Did he watch her out of the corner? “Does that mean you’re on the menu…other places?” She slowly and deliberately licked her lips. He looked up slightly to catch her eye. So he did peek at her. He arched a brow. “You asking?” “I think I just did.” “That could be arranged later. Maybe.” Her tongue snaked out to lick again, winding its way around every curve of her lips. “Definitely.” He cleared his throat, looking around. “And I’m thinking about some pasta. How about you?” “I like pasta.” She smiled. It went inward, warming her through and through. She liked the thought of tasting him better. The waitress set down their glasses. “So, have you decided what you want?” Her chipper smile beamed as she looked back and forth. “I have.” Anna Grace looked directly at Theo. Yeah, he was on her menu. The waitress’s eyebrows rose. His lips slid up in a slow smile, which showed only the tips of his teeth. “Would you like to share a pasta dish, Anna Grace?” Anna Grace blinked. Hadn’t she just told him she wanted him? It hadn’t been subtle, either, the waitress had seen it. “Theo…” Was he ignoring her? Or not interested? When she spoke, most people jumped. They did what she said. Theo didn’t. His foot met hers under the table. Even through her boots, she could tell his was bared from his shoes. When had he done that? “Share with me, darling?” His foot rubbed small circles up her leg to her knee. With the tablecloth in place, no one could see his foot. “I think I will.” She didn’t know what he had in mind. But there seemed to be something. At least he wasn’t ignoring whatever this thing was between them, though he was taking his sweet time. “Fettuccine Alfredo, please. To share.” He picked up both menus and handed them to the waitress. “Thank you, ma’am.” “You’re welcome. I’ll have that out to you guys soon.” The waitress winked at Anna Grace. “I’ll put a rush on it.” Theo shifted in his seat as his foot rapidly ascended her leg. He pushed slightly on one of her knees to press them apart. His foot delved in to rub against the outside of her pussy, making her wetter. Good thing the table was small, and his legs were long, or he’d never be


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able to reach her. He pressed on the outside of her pants, pressing them in. She should have worn a skirt. It would have made this torture easier. She moved slightly against his foot. “So are we clear about what’s to happen next?” She took a sip of her wine. “I want to be sure.” Yes, she always took the direct route. “Crystal.” He pressed in and out several times. “My place after dinner, then.” His big toe pressed against her as tight as he could get it. He aimed for her clit, but the pants stood in the way. “Mine.” She gritted her teeth. “Mine’s closer.” His wiggled his toe back and forth. Oh, if only she could rip off what stood between them. Shit, it wasn’t quite where it needed to be, where she wanted it to be. He hesitated, and his toe stopped moving. “I thought…you might want to see my pictures. If you don’t, that’s all right. They’re all at my place.” She heard the vulnerability in his voice. “No. I’d love to do that.” Her words were honest. She’d fuck him first, then look through his portfolio. If he had more pictures similar to the ones she’d found, she’d enjoy it. Several of the vampires in the world were well connected in their art dealings. She’d have to see what she could do for Theo’s career later. After she’d left him, which would be sooner than she’d like. The toe wiggled again. “If you’re sure.” “Oh, yeah. I’m sure.” The pasta came quickly. Too quickly, because his foot withdrew back to his side of the table. Even as much as it wasn’t enough, it had still set her senses humming. He took his fork and began rolling noodles up on it. She went for her own silverware. Unable to eat much or she’d get sick, she would eat enough to satisfy him. As far as eating human food, pasta was a dish worth eating. Like chocolate. “Anna.” His head shook back and forth. He held out the fork with the tightly wrapped pasta on it. “Open up.” If only it were for his cock. With a sigh, she did. He tumbled in the food and tip of the fork. She wrapped her mouth around it and stripped off the pasta. Its rich sauce had a smooth texture. “How is it?” His voice sounded strained. He must have enjoyed watching her eat. Let him have imagined how good her mouth would feel around him. Maybe he’d end this torment. She wouldn’t end dinner before he did. She could take it. “Good. Not as good as what I’m going to have for dessert though.” “Oh. Going to try a cheesecake?” He pulled the fork up to his mouth and delicately put his mouth around the bite. Closing it, he suckled on the tines of the fork

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She shifted in her seat. Oh, my God. His mouth would do that so easily to her clit. “No.” Now her voice sounded breathless. He took another bite, doing the same slow, careful actions. She hadn’t known the mere act of consuming food could be so…erotic. Wrapping the pasta around the fork, he offered her another helping. She took it, letting the creamy, heavy sauce tickle her taste buds while she ran her tongue all over her mouth. He blew out a deep breath. The third bite he took, his tongue reached out to meet it, pressing from side to side against the fettuccine. Would anyone notice if she went under the table? Her hand quivered along with her clit as she reached for her wine glass. “Sure you don’t want cheesecake?” He offered her another large bite, which she refused. She didn’t want to push her luck and throw up on him later. Too much needed to happen later that didn’t involve anyone barfing. So instead, he sucked it in, noodle by noodle. She should have taken it to torture him instead of the other way around. A smug smile graced his lips. Bastard. “Only if it’s spread all over your big, pulsating…” “Can I get you guys something else?” The waitress had walked up while Anna Grace had been distracted by Theo’s mouth. She gave in to caving first. “Check please.” They both said it in unison. Theo tossed his napkin down. So he’d caved, too. The waitress chuckled, pulling it out of the pocket on her apron. “I thought as much. Would you like me to box the rest of that up?” “Yes, please.” Theo leaned back in his chair, pulling at his foot. He must be putting his shoe back on. Anna Grace grabbed for the check. His hand, which was quicker than she’d expected a human to be, landed on top of hers. Her hand tingled with the warmth and strength of that hand over top of hers. They’d be so good on her body. “No.” She kept her hand on it. “Theo.” “No.” “You paid for…” “No.” He rubbed a finger over hers, which was like an electric jolt. God, that was only his finger on her hand. What would they feel like other places? Her thighs clenched together. “My date. I pay.”


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“Theo…” Why was he so fucking stubborn about this? This wasn’t the Dark Ages where the man did everything. She had way more money than him, not that he knew that, but she did. “Look at it this way. The sooner you stop arguing, the sooner we get out of here.” He tilted his head at her. Her hand flew back. Anything to get him into bed. “Fine.” The smiling waitress took off with the check. Anna Grace willed her to hurry. If only mind push powers were real. “You’re going to pay for this.” “I already did.” He didn’t look smug about it. “Told you. My date, I pay. I know you can pay for stuff. But…” He waved a hand. “I needed to take care of this one. To make up for something.” “No.” She shook her head. “I mean you’re going to pay for all this. And pay quite a bit.” A delighted chuckle burst from him. “I certainly hope so.” Theo polished off his glass in a gulp. And she would have fun making him pay. More than she’d had in a long time.

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Chapter Seven Theo attempted to fit the key in his apartment door, which was no easy task while Anna Grace’s hands moved all over his backside. She’d goosed him all the way up his steps. It had been a flurried drive to his place from the restaurant. Thank God, there had been parking on the street right in front of his apartment. Or he might have had to park on the sidewalk. Her hands had delved into his lap about five minutes into the drive. She’d touched him until he thought he might go blind or shoot into his pants, not anything he’d ever done before. He might have finished before a lady before, but he’d never lost it while still in his clothes. And in those situations, he always made sure the lady got their own pleasure once he’d been able to think straight. One hand slipped under him to cup his sensitive balls. His whole body lifted up as he dropped the keys on the floor. “Hell.” Unable to take anymore, though he’d been the one who’d starting the teasing by insisting they have dinner, he turned in one fluid motion and pressed her against the door he’d been trying to open a few seconds before. She snickered from her place against him. He felt the motion rock her breasts. “Something wrong with your aim. Can’t find the hole?” He let out a growl, smushing her lips under his. Oh, she tasted sweet. A fine hue of red wine colored the flavor of her. He sipped her response, taking it in and giving it back. She rewarded him with a moan. His hips thrust against her, letting her know there wasn’t one fucking thing wrong with his aim. And how he was going to enjoy the continuation of their target practice once he stripped her of all her clothes. She moaned, her hands moving up and down his back to tangle in his hair.

Did I push her into this?


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Immediately, he pulled back, scanning her face, looking for any sign in his mind that his power had gone out of him without him meaning for it to. “What? What’s wrong? What are you looking for?” She panted, her pulse beating a frantic beat on her neck. In the yellow light from the fixture over the door, her hair looked tousled. Her lips were red and swollen. She looked as if she were a woman in the throes of passion. And, what a babe she was.

Please, no. Don’t let me have. Please. He needed her to want him, not because he’d pushed her, but because she wanted him and him alone. His power couldn’t have screwed this up. He didn’t find any evidence in her or him that his talent had jumped out of him unintentionally. And he sure hadn’t used it intentionally. He hadn’t pushed her into this. She wanted him.

Him. Fiery sparks went off all over his body as if flames licked at his skin. “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.” He pulled her to him again by grabbing her hips, letting his mouth do the talking without words. He nipped under her ear, tilting her head back to ravage her throat. Her softness tickled his lips. He could smell her perfume. Something flowery. One hand came up from her hips to cup her firm breast. His thumb circled a rigid nipple. She filled his hand and more. Oh, these babies needed to come out from under there. Soon. He’d strip her, take her, do it all again. Repeat as needed. His mouth met hers again, his tongue sliding in to duel with hers. She kept trying to take over the kiss. He wouldn’t let her, instead keeping mastery of it but changing direction and pressure. She liked to be in charge. She’d shown him that much tonight. Not this time, darling. When his hand went under her shirt to find a silken bra, the kiss intensified on both sides. His heart was about ready to rocket out from his chest fueled along by his fast breathing. Sweat beaded along his body with heat moving through at record temperatures. He liked the little moaning and whimpering sounds she made against his mouth. She broke away from him, pulling back. “Ohhh. Theo. Inside. Now.” Her hand moved down to try and cup his stiff cock so he tried to reclaim her mouth. She wouldn’t let him. “Soon.” He moved away, not letting her touch his cock either. If she did that, he’d be lost. He’d never last with her hands on him. And he had some things he wanted to do to her first. If he exploded, he wanted to be inside of her, not anywhere else. Plus, she was trying to reclaim control of the situation. And he wanted that control. Time Anna Grace learned to let go to someone. Him.

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“Now.” She growled, trying to pull more away from him but hampered by being against the door. “Soon.” “Where are the damn keys?” The keys lay under his feet somewhere, but he had no intention of giving in to her yet. She’d made him crazy on the drive home. Now it was his turn. “Soon.” He pressed her more into the door, using his body to keep her there. He wiggled his hips against her. Her body sagged. While normally not an exhibitionist, the alcove, which held his doorway, was somewhat secluded. Only those going up to his door would see anything they did. No company was due tonight. There was still a danger they’d be caught, but it was minimal. She writhed against him. “Take me inside and fuck me.” He would. Only not yet. He had so much he wanted to do to her. Why not start now? Out here? Yes, time to start their night. Pushing away, he then bent down as if he was going to get the keys. A soft breath blew from her mouth, a sigh of relief. She thought she’d won. Her hands stayed on him, going down to run through his hair. Her eyes shuttered closed. “Oh, good. Want you now.” Once he reached the ground, he dropped to his knees instead of picking up the keys. Her eyes flew open at the loss of contact from his body. “What are you doing? Get the fucking keys.” He placed his hand over her center. “This is what I’m doing.” Her eyes widened as her entire body stilled. He moved back and forth against her, pressing his palm in flat to her pussy. One finger found the line of her zipper and began to push that in, too. How he loved to tease. Her hips rotated. Her body rocked up and down with a huge whimper. “It’s not enough. Theo… God, it isn’t enough.” Too much of a barrier existed between his hand and her pussy for her liking. Time for something to give. Her clothes. “Shhh.” He lifted the hand on her zipper to the top of her pants. “I know, darling. I’ll make it enough. Promise.” He unbuttoned them before sliding down the zipper tab. It whirred as it glided along its track. “Theo. Let’s go inside.” She tugged gently upward on his hair. “No. I’m going to make it better. Here.” He inched down her pants to her boots. After sliding one boot off her foot, he followed it with the pants. Setting the boot down by him, he looked up at her. She’d been commando all night. Nothing under those pants but her. His cock pressed uncomfortably against the front of his pants.


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Her pussy peeked at him from above as if asking him to eat her. The dessert he’d planned on was in front of him, and what a delicious banquet it would be. He could smell her arousal now that she lay bare before him, musky and sweet. “Theo, we…” He lifted her unbooted foot up and over him, making sure she leaned back against the door frame for support. She almost straddled him as he let her foot rest on his shoulder. Lifting his head, he sucked in a breath, making cold air swish across her. Her body shuddered. “We…” His tongue swiped a line straight up her silken folds but only enough to tease. Her voice keened as her body arced, leaning more into the door. Her foot put light weight on his shoulder. “We…” Her hands rested on his head as he licked her again and again, tasting more of her precious cream on his tongue. Her legs quivered as her hips bucked against him. Pulling his head away, he looked up at her. “We?” “What?” Her voice came breathlessly. She only moved her head slightly to look down at him and frown. “You keep saying ‘we.’” He shot her a grin. “I thought I’d see what you were trying to say to me.” She pushed on his head to shove it back to her pussy. “You bastard.” He chuckled, then went to his work again. It was the fun kind. His tongue found all her crevices and saw them thoroughly swiped. Wiggling the bundle of nerves, he added more and more pressure. Lifting up, his teeth scraped against it gently. She cried out. “Theo.” She strained close to going over the edge. He could hear the plaintive note in her voice. He dragged his teeth against her clit again. Then, he pulled it into his mouth to suckle, much as he had the pasta from the fork earlier. Her hips picked up speed, pistoning back and forth. His hands helped to hold her up so she didn’t fall on top of him as she climaxed over him. Her pleasure filled his mouth, covering his face. He’d never had a better dessert. He wanted her without measure. Nothing had ever mattered more to him. And she was leaving… No. He wasn’t going to think about that. He’d have his one night with her, and they’d both enjoy it before going on their merry way. No one would be hurt. Wasn’t as if he was going to die from it. He’d known the risks going in. Sitting back on his heels, he looked up at her sated, beautiful face. She opened her eyes, breaths still coming in wide open pants.

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“Now we can go inside.”

***** When she could move again, Anna Grace had plans of jumping on Theo and not letting him up until morning. If then. She might keep him in bed for a day. Shag him senseless until they both couldn’t take anymore. He looked up at her from his kneeling position. He had a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Along with her arousal. More wetness seeped from her tingling folds at seeing the sheen of moisture glistening in the light. Everything quivered right now from her top to her bottom. Her heart wouldn’t stop pounding, nor would her breath slow down. Her legs trembled as if they’d been transformed by her orgasm to rubber. And she wanted more. So much more. She wanted him embedded in her for hours. Wanted the long feel of him thrusting against her. Never had she been so satisfied and so shitting needy at the same time. Her hand clenched into a tight fist. Never had a man wrested control from her that way. Oh, they’d given her oral sex before. But no man had ever done it on his own terms like Theo had. He’d made her feel helpless and powerful at the same time. Helpless by not letting her have a say in what was done, and powerful, because he so wanted to please her. She could have resisted, could have used her strength, but somehow it hadn’t seemed necessary. Had she shown even the slightest negation, Theo would have stopped. He was that kind of man. Theo Billings was dangerous. He did things to her in all her years of living she’d never had happen. He made her feel things she didn’t know she’d possessed. And if Titius found him, Theo Billings would be no more. Her eyes closed as she leaned back against the door. Its cool surface chilled her but not more than the thought did. The world would be less for the loss. There were few people that she thought that about. Theo had moved into that category way too soon. “What’s wrong?” He straightened up, suddenly in front of her. “Anna Grace?” His voice radiated his concern. “Are you O.K.?” Opening her eyes, she stared into his. “Nothing.” She could no more stop herself from having Theo this one night than she could breathing. Tomorrow, she’d deal with leaving him behind. And protecting him. If only things could be different, but they weren’t. Tonight, she’d devour him and enjoy it. “Nothing at all.” She stroked his shoulder. “Are we going inside now?” Her other hand reached down to grab her pants and pull them up the one leg, but she didn’t fasten them or pull them up the other limb.


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“Yeah.” He reached down and picked up the keys. Unlocking the door, he leaned down to pick up her boot. “Come on in.” She shuffled through the door in her one boot and pants only on one leg. Not her most dignified entrance, but who would see them? Theo followed her, sliding his hands across the curve of her ass. “Hey!” His chuckle was deep and throaty. “What?” The door shut behind him. He tossed her boot by the door. “Let me get inside before you manhandle me.” Not that she minded his hands. But they made it hard to walk. With her uneven steps and clothing disarray, she had enough problems with that anyway. “I didn’t see you saying that out there. And besides, you are inside.” “When someone’s face is in my pussy, I don’t tell them to stop manhandling me.” She arched a brow at him while letting go of her pants. They fell to the boot. “And I am now. I wasn’t when your hands were exploring my ass.” His hands slowly glided across her ass again, taking their time before they cupped it. “Like this? That how they were exploring your ass?” His touch frayed her already expansive nerve endings. “Oh, yes.” She leaned into him. His hands explored her skin while his mouth planted several kisses along the side of her throat and shoulder. Her body shivered. When his hands released her, she let out a whimper. “Shhh, darling. I’m taking off your other boot.” He picked her up before sitting her on his coffee table. Sitting on the couch, he pulled off her boot. Holding it up in his hands, he looked at it. One finger touched the heel. “These are some scary assed shoes. With or without weapons.” She grabbed the leather boot, tossing it down to the floor. “Never insult a woman’s footwear.” His grin crinkled his face. “Even if I made her see stars? I didn’t insult them. They are scary.” She hmphed. “Even if. And I didn’t see stars.” Maybe a few comets and suns. Something much bigger than stars. She finished taking off the pants, leaving her bottom half naked. All she wore was her tank top and bra. “You’re wearing way too many clothes.” He looked down at himself. “Am I?” She leaned forward to grab the bottom of his shirt, pulling it up over his stomach. “You are.” “You going to remedy that I take it?” She yanked the shirt up. “You bet I am.”

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He leaned forward, helping her get the shirt over his head. Her breath sucked in. Theo’s abdomen was ripped. His arms, while not huge, had muscles that creased with every move. One hand tossed the shirt down while the other went to explore the skin of his chest and stomach. Smooth, excerpt for slight sprinkles of hair, she could feel his six pack. His skin warmed her hands. Her photographer worked out. He didn’t sit in his darkroom all day developing pictures, that much was for sure.

Her photographer? God, she had to stop thinking like that. It would never work. This was a one-night thing. That was all. His eyes darkened as he watched her face. He didn’t look down to her stroking hands. One hand found his flat nipple and tweaked it. His breath sucked in sharply. A slight noise came from outside the door. Anna Grace tensed as she pushed to her feet, taking a defensive stance with her arms up as her senses hummed with new scents. Titius.

***** Titius sat in the back seat of the big SUV with Chey plastered against him. He liked the feel of her body against his. So warm and willing. Yes, she would be joining the mile-high club once they took care of this small piece of business. If only Theo wouldn’t want to tell him where the pictures were. It would prolong Theo’s torture. Increase his pain. But it would make it so much more fun. “And we’re going to go in the big airplane. Vroom. Vroom. Vroom.” She cupped her hand together, flying it around in the air as if they were a plane. “I’ve never been traveling before. Or in a plane. Never been out of Richmond. Is Michigan cold?” “It will be a bit of a plane ride. And I think so.” Titius’s hand tightened around her. “Chey. Once we get to Michigan, I’m going to want you to focus on Sarah. I think you can pinpoint her location once we’re close to her.” And maybe, he’d be able to ferret out Nick once they arrived. Looking up at him, her mouth quivered. “She doesn’t want to see me. She only wants me to let her go. But I don’t know how.” She banged on her head with her hands. “How? How? How?” Titius had noticed an escalation in her behaviors, but he needed her to find Nick. “Don’t let her go!” Titius’s voice came out sharper than he intended. Chey shrank back from him. He gently pulled her back against him. “Chey, I need you to keep that connection going a little while longer.”


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She nodded, her face clearly saying she didn’t like it. She was starting to like the girl in her head way too much. He wasn’t sure how to end that without severing the connection, which wasn’t an option. But once he met Sarah, he might have to curtail her influence on his woman. Chey’s eyes widened a little, her head shifting to the side. “When we find her. What are you going to do with her? To her?” “Nothing, sweetheart.” Unless she got in his way, which considering their connection, she probably would. But Chey didn’t need to know all that. She’d accept what he did, much as she had with her mother. And he’d have Nick at his side again. The best vampire he’d ever made. Most of the vampires he made were worthless. Not Nick. With Nick at Titius’s side, he’d be successful. If only Lang hadn’t gotten himself killed. Then, he would have occupied the spot as Titius’s second-in-command. But no matter, Nick would soon be with him. This time, they’d succeed and be unstoppable. She waggled her finger at him as if she were lecturing him. “You won’t hurt her.” “Not unless I have to.” And he probably would. She bared her fangs. “You won’t. I won’t let you hurt Sarah. Ever.” The show of aggression made Titius pull away from Chey. What the hell had the bitch done to his woman? Chey wasn’t supposed to be this way about anyone but him. Yes, the woman called Sarah’s days were numbered. Titius couldn’t have anyone interfering like this. The connection would be broken once they found them, and he wouldn’t need Sarah any more. Nick would have to find another lover. Easy enough to do -- find a woman on the street with red hair and make her a vampire. Nick would deal with it. But he didn’t say any of that to Chey, instead, he smiled to her. “Calm down, sweetheart. I won’t hurt her.” It was only a little lie. And as with her mother, it would be in Chey’s best interests. No one should have that much influence over her besides him. Before she could react to what he’d told her, Bert said, “We’re here.” He pointed to a duplex on the street. Eagerly, Titius sat forward. “That’s where Theo lives?” “Yeah, boss. That’s his address. The top place.” Rather nondescript little abode. “Why haven’t you parked yet? Let’s get this over with.” The quicker they dealt with this, the sooner they’d be on their way to Michigan. Bert swallowed. “There’s no parking lot. And no spots on the street that I can see.” The other minion in the front seat nodded. What was his name? “It’s hard to find a place to park down here. I used to live in the Fan.” Titius rolled his eyes. “There’s a spot right there.” He pointed to it. Fuck, finding good help got harder and harder. Stupid humans made especially dumb vampires. They couldn’t even park a fucking car.

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Bert cleared his throat, hesitating before he spoke. “It’s too small. This thing is huge, boss. It won’t fit.” Did he have to tell them everything to do? Gods, he didn’t have workers, he had children. “Circle around then. See if a spot opens up.” Three times around the block, and no cars had left. Titius was sick of it and of his minions. Maybe when he got to Michigan, he’d make a whole new crop. His hand balled into a fist, then relaxed. Not to mention he was hungry. He had looked forward to the meal waiting for him. Theo would give him the pictures, then pay for making Titius have to go out of his way to find them. “Look. Sit here. Drive around the block if you have to. It won’t take long. Come on.” Titius tapped the other minion on the shoulder. He’d have to hurry it along, but he didn’t anticipate Theo being hard to make talk. “Let’s go inside.” Chey clapped her hands together. The sound echoed in the car. “I can’t wait to see your face. The way he got it.” Titius ran a gentle hand down her cheek. His fingertips glided across her smooth skin. “You sit here. I’ll be back in a minute.” “No. I want to go with you.” She took off her seatbelt. Grasping her shoulders, he made her look to his face. “No.” “But…but…but…” “Stay here. I’ll be back in a minute. Bert might have to drive around, but it won’t take me long.” Her face rolled up into a pout. “General.” “No.” He slid forward to tell Bert, “Stay in here with her. Protect her.” He and the minion, whose name he still couldn’t remember, got out, leaving the SUV in the middle of the narrow street. Fuck, why weren’t people leaving? It was still early in the night. What a boring town. They climbed the long set of the steps anchored to the side of the building. Titius stood outside the door for a second, hearing a male voice. Good, Theo was home. He’d counted on that for dinner tonight and for finding his pictures. He smelled a familiar perfume before his foot raised. Where did he know that scent from? Kicking the doorknob, he crashed in the door. “Hello, Theo. Recognize me…” He broke off, looking at a man with no shirt, standing in front of a woman with no pants. So, he’d interrupted a fucking. And two meals for the price of one. Good, he was famished. Then, the woman stepped around Theo. “Hello, you son of a bitch.” Anna Grace.


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Chapter Eight Theo jockeyed for position around Anna Grace, who kept trying to push him to the side. “Dammit, stop it.” The look on her face told her this man was no stranger to her. Nor was he a friend. “Stay back, Theo.” Not something he would do. “No.” He would not be pushed to the side. He had to protect her. “Anna Grace.” The big man growled. He took two steps further into the apartment, followed by another man, who looked passive with his arms folded. “You bitch. And Theo. The man I’m looking for.” His lip curled up in a slight sneer. It was him. The man from the pictures. Theo took an even more defensive stance. He’d lived in the city for years. Defending himself wasn’t a stretch. It was a stretch to protect someone else. Anna Grace would be caught in the crossfire of this killer trying to nab his image back. No, he couldn’t let that happen. No matter what their past was, Theo had led him right to her, so it was his job to protect her. How the hell had Titius found him? Anna Grace pushed him to the side. “Titius. You sack-o-shit. We have to stop meeting like this.” In a flash, she had a knife in her hand. Theo didn’t even see where it came from. He wouldn’t have been able to draw one that quickly. Not that he had one on him. His eyes scanned his apartment. Yeah, let’s grab Richmond Magazine. That’d be a real weapon against a crazed killer. “Ye fucked up. Letting your picture get taken.” “We’ll stop. Once you’re dead, Anna Grace.” Titius affected a bored tone as if he couldn’t be bothered with her. She didn’t drop her guard but tightened her hold on her weapon. Titius advanced. “And, I’m here to rectify that mistake.”

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“Never going to happen.” Theo elbowed her, again trying to put himself between her and Titius. “Such a concerned little human.” Titius thrust his hips out. “Trying to defend your betters, boy? You’ve taught him well.”

Betters? Theo frowned, watching. The man behind Titius did nothing but stand there. They seemed to be at a standoff. Who would break it? Maybe Theo could inflict a paper cut. That was about all he had. Maybe there was a staple in the damn magazine. “He’s more of a man than you’ll ever be.” Theo blinked at Anna Grace’s words. Nothing he’d expected to come from her. His back straightened. The door banged open, catching the man standing there in the back. He moved to rub it with one hand. A woman flounced in, quickly followed by a babbling man. The strong scent of mimosa wafted behind her into the room. “She ran away from me.” The man panted in apparent panic at his lapse of duty. “Opened the door and jumped out. Ran across, almost got hit by a car. She was at the door before I got up here. The car’s in the middle of the street. I had to leave. She wouldn’t come back when I called.” Titius’s face tightened. “Chey.” He grabbed the woman’s arms, pushing her backward. “I told you to wait in the car.” Something akin to panic edged his voice. “You have a woman now, Titius? How interesting.” Anna Grace’s eyes glittered as she watched. “Got bored.” Chey’s high voice came almost dreamily. Not a voice Theo would associate with the high energy of the woman as she’d entered his apartment. Who was she? Someone important to Titius? Maybe he could toss the magazine over her head and get her as a hostage. Yeah, that staple would work wonders. His fingers clenched into a rounded fist. “Get her out of here, Bert.” Titius bit the words between clenched teeth. The man, who must be Bert, grabbed for her. Theo tried to keep Anna Grace beside him even as she tried to put him behind her. “Stay back.” Their struggles to protect each other made Titius raise a brow. Chey pulled away from reaching hands. “But I had to see what was going on.” She danced in the small space around them. Then, she grabbed her head, falling on the floor. “She’s pushing me out. Oh, my God.” She wailed, the sound earsplitting in the small apartment. Her head flailed back and forth. “Get out! Get out! Get out!” Titius grabbed her shoulders, shaking her roughly. Her head bobbed up and down. “Chey? Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” “Run out of women, have ye? Having to go after crazy ones now?” Anna’s Irish brogue crept out in her speech. “She’s pushing me out. I can’t…” She heaved, almost as if she was going to retch.


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Theo winced, but the vomit didn’t come. Chey swallowed, righting herself to her feet. “I can’t…not now. Need to stay with her.” “Stay with her.” Titius shook her again. “Stay with her. Keep that connection.” Chey rocked on her heels, almost falling. She clutched her head as if it hurt. “I’m trying.” Theo’s mouth drew up in a frown. Whatever was happening to the woman was hurting her. Yet, Titius was encouraging it. Suddenly, he blinked, as Anna Grace had stalked closer to Titius and Chey. He’d been so caught up in watching things unfold in front of him, he hadn’t noticed her inching forward with slow steps around him. She stood in between them, planting her feet wide. Titius, however, must not have been as distracted as he looked. Turning to face Anna Grace, he brought up his arm, though she’d made no move toward him to attack. Worry for the young woman must be influencing her actions. “Nooooo. Stay away from her.” He attacked with a knife, which had probably been concealed. Anna Grace struck out in self defense with her knife. She slashed across Titius’s arm. “General.” Chey’s face went white as blood flowed down in streaks. Her hand went to her hip. “Don’t you hurt him.” The authority in her stance almost struck Theo as humorous. Such a little slip of a thing to be acting so bossy. Anna Grace backed off. “Sorry. Can’t do that. Why don’t you go? Let General and I settle the score. In private. I’ll even send Theo with you.” She jerked a finger to him. Theo gaped at her. As if he was leaving her alone with Titius. Not a chance. Even if she was quick on the draw with a knife. “You’ll pay for that.” Titius snarled, leveling his knife. “Get her out of here, now. Before I kill you both.” He directed his order to his companions, who didn’t seem to know what to do. One of them moved to Chey, trying to pull her around with his arms. She resisted. “No! Must stay with my General. He’s cut.” “Chey. Go.” “No. Never.” She struggled against the men trying to bring her in her hand. They let her go immediately. Titius growled. “Take her out.” “I…don’t want to hurt her.” The babbling man named Bert grabbed for her again, but missed her. Considering the way Titius had jumped to defend her when Anna Grace had gotten too close, Theo didn’t blame them. How odd. Titius wanted “a connection” kept that was obviously hurting Chey, but wanted to protect her at the same time. What was up with her? She seemed to have something going on mentally. Maybe powers of some sort?

His powers.

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His hand balled into his fist. Maybe he could help. “Are we going to fight or are you going to play with her?” Anna Grace slashed at Titius again. “I don’t have all day.” He jumped back. “That all you got, you Irish whore?” “That and more.” Anna Grace’s smile came slow. It was the kind that would make anyone shiver. “For you.” Theo took a deep breath, concentrating with all the power he could muster. Never had anything been as important as right now. Please let this work. His power zipped from him, heading for Titius. Drop your weapon. Titius’s face blanched. His hand went up in the air, knife clutched in it. “What?” He shook his head. His hand tried to open, but he pulled the fingers back closed. “What the hell?” His hand released, opening completely, dropping the weapon with a clatter to the floor. The whole room hushed. No one spoke. Everyone’s eyes went wide. The two other men looked especially distressed. They must have never seen their leader disarmed before. Titius kept shaking his head as if he needed to clear it. It had worked. He had to keep at this. Had to keep Titius from hurting Anna Grace. How long could he use his power? Pinpricks poked at his eyeballs. He’d do it until he couldn’t muster any more mind control.

Don’t pick it back up. Theo’s vision swam as his head ached considerably more. Hammers banged away at his skull. That had almost been too much. Maybe he should have been using his powers more often rather than being a gentleman. Now he was at a disadvantage because they weren’t honed to perfection. Titius reached for the weapon, kneeling down, but his fingers wouldn’t close. “What the hell did you do to me, you bitch?” He slammed his hands upside his head as if he could pound the suggestions out of his mind.

Not going to happen, asshole. Theo winced, his head pulsating as if it were a basketball trying to go through a hoop. “I’ve done nothing.” Anna Grace took three steps forward. “But I will now.” Her knife poised for an attack. “Noooooooooooo.” Chey screamed, jumping down. She picked up the knife, which Titius had dropped. She stood up, it in hand, pointed at Anna Grace. “I won’t let you hurt General.” “Chey, whoever ye are. I have no quarrel with ye.” “You want to hurt General. He made me.” She flipped the knife at Anna Grace. “I won’t let you kill him.” “Get out of my way. I have nil wish to hurt ye.”


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“He made me.” Chey’s voice increased in tempo, volume, and pitch. Her hand never wavered with the knife. She would die to protect Titius. Anna Grace hesitated. She cursed. It sounded almost as if it were Gaelic. She would never hurt an innocent. And, despite Chey being with the man from the pictures, innocence radiated from her. Images flapped at Theo, but he pushed them down. His head hurt too much to explore anything. “Move, Chey.” Titius grabbed at her hips. He attempted to take the knife but his hands still wouldn’t close around it. “Fuck. I can’t get it.” Theo probably had enough for one more suggestion. What should it be? His head pulsed in protest. He’d never done so many so close and with such force. Titius’s eyes leveled at him, narrowing. “You. You did this.” He hissed the latter part of the words.

Uh-oh. Theo’d been busted. He swallowed, his ears buzzing. Anna Grace looked back at Theo, her eyes widening before her head shook. “No. He’s human. Not possible, Titius.” Titius’s lips twisted up. “Bert. You.” He pointed to the other minion. “Get him. Kill him.” The two men started toward Theo. Well, damn. He was capable of one last push. One suggestion. He looked at Titius and narrowed his eyes. You can’t hurt or kill Anna Grace. He didn’t know how long his pushes lasted, but that ought to keep her safe for a while. Despite his head swimming and a few black spots in front of his eyes, he brought up his hands in his best defensive posture to face his oncoming adversaries. His karate and judo might come in handy for once. He fought to stay on his feet as his head continued to throb. Three suggestions were almost too many. Titius pulled another weapon, a longer knife that bordered on being a sword. Maybe it was a stiletto? Or short sword? That didn’t matter. Because Theo’s second suggestion had been specific to the knife, Titius could draw another weapon. Dammit. Theo’d never had to use this for defense before. Titius raised the weapon where Anna Grace stood with her much smaller knife. So many different things he could have pushed with his mind. But, it was too late now. Theo’s breath hitched as he watched. He couldn’t get over there to help, not with Bert and no name on him. No. Theo’s suggestion had to work. His heart pounded as one of the minions swung for him, and he ducked. He punched the no name man, hearing a satisfying thunk as his fist connected. The man reeled backwards and went down. “Fuck.” Titius lowered his sword. “Why can’t…I…” His head swung back to look at Theo. “You fucktard. I can’t hurt her. I feel you against my mind. Get out.”

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Theo’s head pulsed as if a freight train drove across it. “I am.” It had worked. He’d expended himself beyond doing anything further. It couldn’t be for nothing. The other man hadn’t rejoined Bert but remained where he lay after Theo punched him. “Feel this.” Anna Grace stabbed at Titius, causing Chey to shriek like mad. “And this.” She stabbed again. Titius tried to raise his arm to her, but couldn’t. “I…can’t…hurt…you.” His teeth gritted as he fought against it, but couldn’t break the suggestion implanted in his mind. Nice to know Theo’s power was so strong. Anna Grace was safe for the moment. No one had ever been aware of Theo’s powers the way Titius was. What was it about him, which made him so conscious of it whereas others didn’t even notice? Theo jabbed his hand out, catching Bert across the face and knocking him backwards. Now would be a good time to run. Titius shoved Chey backwards onto her heels and took several steps to Theo. Theo blindly struck out with a shot, but Titius flipped the short sword around and embedded it in Theo’s stomach. He cut across, before viciously pulling it out. “I couldn’t hurt her. But I can hurt you.” Anna Grace had followed quickly, before getting waylaid by the no name man, who’d made it to his feet. She quickly dispatched him, but not fast enough to stop Titius from slashing Theo. “Shit.” He looked down to see blood spilling from his stomach. “Damn.” His hand went down to cover the wound. He lifted his head to stare into Anna Grace’s beautiful eyes before blackness engulfed his head, and he passed out.

***** Anna Grace saw the sword embed in Theo’s gut. “No!” She couldn’t get to Theo in time. Titius had finished, pulling out the sword before she reached his side. Hadn’t that always been the way with Titius? She could never get there in time to stop him from doing things like this. “You son of a bitch.” She bent down low over Theo, keeping a wary eye on Titius and his crew. Theo’s hands had covered the wound, which blood continued to seep out of. Too much blood. If it didn’t stop soon, he’d have no chance. How much of a chance did he have now? She grabbed a shirt from the floor and pushed it against the wound. Titius laughed heartily, the sound booming from his lungs. “Anna has a thing for the little human? How quaint.” Her eyes flew to Chey, who crouched on the floor, knife in hand, staring at Theo with wild eyes. “You have a little human, too. How quaint for you.”


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“She’s not a human…” He broke off, stepping toward Chey away from Anna Grace. He held up the sword in front of him, red tint gleaming on the blade. Theo’s blood. The bloody bastard. “Chey, get up, get out.” Panic registered in his voice. Anna Grace hadn’t sensed the woman’s vampire nature before now. But now that her feelers looked for it, she could feel it. There was something more to her as well. A sense of someone else lay behind Chey’s mind. Who was it? Who had made Titius do all those things? Including not being able to hurt her. Titius had thought it came from Theo. But that was impossible. He was only a human. Chey’s eyes didn’t waver from Theo. “The blood slides and rides.” Her voice possessed a musical quality. “She doesn’t like the blood I’m seeing. Screams and weams.” She tilted her head, humming a little tune. A part of Anna Grace wanted to go over and stab the young woman. Titius had hurt Theo badly. It would be quid pro quo to do the same to his paramour. No, the young woman was innocent. Her only crime was in caring for the wrong man. Not to mention she seemed a few stones low of a full load. And it wouldn’t do anything for Theo right now. Anna Grace wasn’t sure anything would. Titius looked from Chey to Anna Grace before going over and physically picking up Chey, who went limp in his arms. Chey wouldn’t leave without him, which impacted his ability to fight with Anna Grace as Theo had affected Anna Grace’s ability to fight. Not something she wanted to admit, but it was true. Titius carted Chey to the front door, retreating from the fray. “Come on. Nothing more to do here.” His voice hardened. “This isn’t over, Anna Grace. I will finish you next time.” So Titius wanted to kill her himself as much as she wanted to end him herself. Neither would be satisfied until it happened. “You’re right, Titius. It won’t be over until you die.” She ripped a quilt from the couch to replace the soaked shirt and padded it around the wound. Titius, Chey, and the two minions left her to deal with Theo. She pulled out her cell phone from the pants, which lay nearby, to dial 9-1-1. “Anna Grace.” Theo’s voice came weak and trembled. “I’m here, Theo. Right here.” She grasped his hand with her other one, trying to give him whatever comfort she could. She dialed. Nothing. Looking down, she had no dial tone. Shit and shinola. She tried to pull her hand away from Theo but wasn’t successful. He held on as if she were his lifeline. “Theo, I need to call for help. For you.” It would mean stepping away from him. Would he leave her while she was gone? Her mouth quivered. He might. His breath gurgled in his chest. A rattle she’d heard far too many times in her life. “Anna Grace. Don’t let me die.” Her eyes closed briefly. Theo was dying. She wasn’t sure emergency crews could do much for him even if she could have reached them. The wound was huge. Too much blood had already leaked from it.

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Her fault. Her breathing hitched. If she hadn’t been with him, if she hadn’t been going after seduction, Titius wouldn’t have killed him. Her desire for Theo had gotten him killed. Her distraction had gotten him killed. Titius never should have snuck up on her that way. Yes, her senses were dulled because of the dampening field she could create, but she should have been compensating. If only she’d gotten the photos away from Theo sooner, Titius wouldn’t have found him. She never should have agreed to spend time with a human like him. One who didn’t know of their world. She looked down at his mutilated body. They were so fragile. Sometimes she forgot how fragile they were. Titius had a nasty habit of reminding her. “Don’t let me die.” She squeezed his hand. “Don’t talk that way. You’re going to be all right, Theo.” A lie for the dying. She sagged as emotion hit her. She didn’t want him to die. He was too intriguing. Something was between them that she didn’t understand. And now, she never would. So much blood.

You could take the rest of it. Feed him. Make him a vampire. Her hand squeezed his even tighter. His hand opened up. Hers slacked off. She’d hurt him, though he was too far gone to express it. She could save him that way. Swallowing, she licked her lips. Could she do this? Make him a vampire. Tie him to her forever. There were no rules on making new vampires. It was something the Vampire Council had talked about changing. So many were made that never made it past their first few years. They turned animalistic. Suppose that happened with Theo? She didn’t know him well enough to tell what kind of vampire he’d be. He could turn into an uncontrollable monster for all she knew. Before, she’d always known people several months or even years before making them. He gurgled again, eyes closing.

You don’t have time. Make your decision. Don’t let it make you. There wasn’t time for a long debate. She had to act quickly. Did she make him a vampire? Or leave him to die on his floor?

***** Chey babbled about blood, streams, and dreams as Titius shoved her in the car. “Chey, you must listen to me, sweetheart. For your safety.” He slammed her door and stalked over to his side of the car.


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Bert stood by the driver’s door. “Boss.” He reached to open Titius’s door. “You took him out.” Titius jabbed, with no warning, expertly against Bert’s throat. He caught him in the voice box, doing a chop to it. Bert coughed, falling to his knees on the pavement. His hand clutched at his throat as he writhed along with the pain. “You let her close to danger. For that, you will pay.” His steel-toed boot swung to kick Bert squarely in the balls. No one was around to see them, and even if they were, he didn’t give a fuck. They’d be gone in minutes, and Bert had let Chey come too close to danger. Bert choked and sputtered. One hand stayed with this throat. The other slid down to rest over his injured privates. “Fail me again, and I will kill you.” Titius opened his door and climbed in. He pulled Chey across the seat to rest against him. Leaning down, he gave her a rough kiss with lots of tongue and little gentleness. A moment later, the other vampire tossed Bert into the passenger’s seat. He coughed again, laboriously breathing. The other minion climbed in quickly behind the wheel. He hunkered down, quaking. He would get his due later. He was smart to shudder. Would be smarter to run. The driver started the car. “Where to, boss?” He put the car into gear and started down the darkened street. “The airport, fucktard.” Chey shivered against him. He could smell the anxiety mixed with mimosa, which drifted from her in waves. “Cold, sweetheart?” He leaned back, wrapping arms around her. Gently, he stroked her arms up and down. He hadn’t intended her to witness anything with Theo. Damn Bert for losing control of her. He could have lost her. Lost her power. Lost her connection to the man he needed to put his plans into motion. They sped to the end of the street and into the night. The moon shone down, following them in the windows Titius continued to rub at Chey’s arms. “Better?” he asked, as her trembling slowed down. “Blood. All kinds of blood. Drip drop drip drop.” “Chey, are you all right?” The better question was, “was she still connected to Sarah?” but he refrained from asking it yet. “I’m fine.” She touched his arm, running up and down a blood streak left from where Anna Grace had stabbed him. “You were hurt. But, you healed.”

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“Yes. Yes, I’m fine. You should have left when I told you to. That bi…woman is dangerous. She would hurt you, sweetheart.” He was surprised Anna Grace hadn’t done more to go after Chey, especially after he’d gotten Theo. Something in Anna Grace was different about Theo. He’d taken out her meals before, taken out humans she cared for. Instead of going after him, this time she’d been at Theo’s side. Much different than her usual. “Won’t leave my General.” Her fingers continued her exploration of his arm. “Like I won’t leave my Sarah.” “Did she break the connection?” He tensed, shifting forward on the seat. If it was broken, then what? Michigan was a sizeable area. “No. Tried.” A ghost of a smile graced her lips. ”Tried to kick me out. But I held on to her. As you said. Must stay with her.” “Good girl.” He rested a hand on her knee. “Chey, did…she do anything back there?” Anna Grace was right. A human shouldn’t have the ability to alter someone’s mind the way Titius’s had been controlled. But it had seemed as if Theo had been doing it. Something he wouldn’t do anymore. “No. Sarah didn’t play Theo says.” She opened her thigh, encouraging his hand to go higher. “It was all him. His mind.” Exactly what Titius had thought. He hadn’t managed to score the pictures, but the photographer wouldn’t be using the evidence. Anna Grace knew it existed. She’d take care of it before she left the area. She was into preserving the secrecy of their existence. Even with how much she hated him, she’d destroy the images for the good of vampirekind. She was such a stupid bitch. He’d managed to slice her from someone she cared about again. His teeth broke free in a smile. “That’s what I figured.” His hand went further up Chey’s leg, nearing her pussy. Her scent pulled at his senses. A growl ripped up from his chest. How he hated that bitch could sneak up on him that way. Anna Grace had known he was in town, but he hadn’t known she was until he’d scented her walking in the apartment. The wind must have been wrong for him not to have noticed her scent before then. Chey had told him, now that he thought back on it, but it had been before he’d known her powers. He stilled as a new thought gripped him. Even his hand stopped inching up Chey’s thigh.

She’d known he was in town. Only surprise from him showing up at Theo’s had registered. She hadn’t been surprised to see him in Richmond. There was only one way she could have known where he was. Not that he was super secretive, but he took great pains to conceal his whereabouts from the bitch, who pursued him at every turn. Being in America, he’d thought it would take her a little more time to find him because her European network wouldn’t be tracking him. He’d be away from Richmond


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before she knew he was there. Other vampires could sense him, would know he came into their territory, but no one would dare mess with him. Only they had. Someone had squealed on him like a fucking dirty pig. He pulled his hand from Chey’s leg before clenching it tightly into a fist. They’d gone to her and ratted out his whereabouts, getting the small pat on the head while they helped Anna Grace do her dirty work. He would have left them alone. He would have let them live despite knowing they were of Anna Grace’s line. Different than he’d acted in most cities, but to go kill them would have brought Anna Grace there.

A fool. He’d been a fool.

Yu never let your enemies continue their existence because they will stab you in the back at the first opportunity. Instead, you take them out before they do the same to you. And see what this little show of mercy, of going against all the rules of combat he’d learned, had gotten him? Anna Grace hot on his heels. She could have hurt Chey, taken his woman from him. It was unacceptable. “Change of plans.” Titius leaned forward. “We do have one more stop to make before we leave town.” “Oh?” The driver put on a turn signal. “Yes. I have unfinished business.”

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Chapter Nine Theo stirred, rolling over. His eyes fluttered open, but quickly squeezed closed against an incredible light. It was blinding. He’d been having the strangest dream…more of a nightmare. Titius, the man in the photo had come, stabbed him, and taken off. His lips smacked. He was probably still in bed, late for his date with Anna Grace. That should have had him bounding out of bed, but tiredness had seeped into his bones. A few more minutes. He wasn’t sure he’d ever been this bone weary. Surely she’d wait for him. The scent of jasmine burned his nose. Someone had bathed in it. They should go home and wipe some off. His nostrils twitched and tickled from the harsh scent. He’d never smelt anything so strong. Sounds assailed his ears. Someone hammered in the distance. Tick tock tick tock. Didn’t they know it was too late for construction? A bird warbled, and it sounded as if it were screaming. Nothing had ever been this loud. “Theo!” Anna Grace’s voice shouted near his ear. Ah, yes, he was still in bed, late for their date, but she’d found him. That’s why she was screaming at him. “I’m right here. Don’t yell.” Even his own voice came so loud. Why was he yelling? Stretching, he tried to rouse himself to fully awake. “I’m not yelling.” But it still sounded as if she did. Maybe her hearing had gotten wrecked. His eyes opened to blinding light before quickly slamming shut again. Someone had a spotlight shining in his room. His eyes couldn’t get open due to the brightness. “Someone needs to turn off that spotlight.” Her sigh sounded as if all the breath in her lungs whooshed out. Either that or a jet airplane had taken off from somewhere.


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His skin prickled, noticing the most itchy thing he’d ever had against it. Like a Brillo pad, it put soft scratches against him. His own skin was too heavy against his bones. Ripping his skin off sounded as if it were a good idea. “There isn’t a spotlight. Open your eyes. They will adjust. It takes time.” One eye peeked open. The most intense lights bathed him in their glow. Only, there were no lights on. And the shades had been drawn. Then, what was creating that incredible brightness?

What the hell is happening to me? The other eye slowly opened. He had to concentrate to keep them open. They watered, but began to adjust. He lay on the floor of his bedroom. Anna Grace sat beside him, legs crossed. She had a washcloth and a bowl of water beside her. She wet it before wiping off his forehead. A drip ran down his cheek, feeling as if someone had a fingernail in the middle of it. “What’s wrong with me? Did I pass out? Or something?” Plastic crinkled by her, the remnants of something with a reddish hue contained inside. Almost looked as if it were jam. “Or something.” His hand reached down to where Titius had stabbed him, rubbing across his stomach to find it smooth and clear. A sigh of relief escaped him as he looked up at Anna Grace. She had on pants, too, unlike his dreams where she’d been half naked. Though there had been a lot of fun getting her that way. Too bad that part had only been a dream. Not that he’d thought he’d been stabbed that way or things had happened, which he’d seen. Because if he had been wounded like that, he would have died. “I had the strangest dream.” “Oh?” Anna Grace continued to rub the cloth against his forehead. The coolness was welcome, even though it made his skin erupt in goose bumps. And it felt heavy. Almost as if a five pound weight made circles over his head. “Yeah.” “Tell me about it.” The washcloth lifted. He smacked his lips again, trying to drum up moisture. A toothbrush would be nice right about now. “Titius came here. He had some crazy woman with him. You two seemed to know each other…” He frowned. “Then, he stabbed me in the stomach.” “That’s some dream.” She pulled up her knees, resting her hands on them. “Yeah. Yeah, it was.” He winced, the light still hurting his eyes, though as dark as it was, it shouldn’t be. “How did you get in here? Was I passed out?” He hadn’t been drinking, though from his body’s reactions right now, it almost seemed as if he had been. “Did you let yourself in again?” Her light smile came quickly. “No. I didn’t.” “What time is it?”

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The smile withdrew. “I’d guess it’s about three or four. I haven’t been paying attention to time.” Then, how had she gotten in? He sat up, her hands helping to steady him. His head pounded, the encasement of Styrofoam weighing it down. He’d never experienced his head feeling anything remotely like it. What had happened? Had someone slipped him something, a mickey? As his eyes closed, his hand came up to rub his face. He blew out a slow, shaky breath. Opening his eyes, his hand rubbed away at the lower half of his face. Something caught his eye. He blinked, his eye twitching to focus on it. His hand was red. He held it back from his face, staring at it. The red didn’t go away. How on earth had he gotten red paint all over his hand like that? He wasn’t three, he didn’t finger paint anymore. Maybe it was the jam in the bag beside Anna Grace. The hand trembled as his eyes spazzed out from looking at it. “Theo, what’s wrong?” Her voice came from what sounded like far away. “It’s going to be all right.”

His hands had gone down to the gaping wound on his stomach. In the dream. But, that was only a dream. He shouldn’t have anything red on his hands now. It couldn’t have been real. “I didn’t get much of a chance to clean you or things up. Got your face but missed your hands. I wanted to be here when you woke.” He sniffed. No plastic scent of paint reached his nose. No, that wasn’t the smell, which reached him. Instead, a slight metallic whiff did.

Blood. He’d once done a piece at a plant where they butchered cows. The smell of the place had almost gagged him. The reporter had thrown up several times. No, it couldn’t be. The dream about Titius had to be a…

Titius. He hadn’t known the man’s name from the picture. Now he did. Dammit. “Anna Grace.” “Yes, Theo.” His eyes met her concerned ones. “I didn’t dream that, did I?” “No.” “How the hell can this be?” He held out his hand. “That’s my blood. It covered my hand when I grabbed my stomach. Titius stabbed me with a sword. I remember the pain.” He


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reached down to his abdomen, which still was smooth with nothing to show he’d been stabbed. “But there’s nothing there. No wound… You healed me.” “I wish I had that power.” She reached out to rub a hand across his stomach. “But I don’t.” “Then how?” “You healed yourself.” He snorted. “I can’t heal a wound like that. I’m…” His head shook. “Hell, I can’t even heal a scratch I got two days ago.” His head reached down to his knee where it had been. Nothing. It was gone, too. “Damn.” She reached out to grab his hand. “Theo, I…I’ve got something to tell you. It’s going to be unbelievable at first. I need you to listen. I’ve got to go after Titius. So I don’t have as much time to explain this as I would like.” What on earth did she have to tell him? “Go ahead.” “I’m a vampire, Theo.” She squeezed his hand. “And now, you’re one, too.”

***** Anna Grace handed Theo a cup. It wasn’t much blood, but it would help him with his transition. He still had some healing to do as shaky as he was. His system was changing from human to vampire. His vampire self would soon be emerging. He took it without a word. Staring down into the crimson liquid, he grimaced. Shock had set in. She wasn’t sure how much he was hearing, but over the last twenty minutes, she’d given him a crash course in Vampires 101. It was all stuff he’d need to know but it could be repeated. At least he wasn’t attacking anything in sight. “When do I start killing people?” His voice came low, hushed. They were the first words he’d spoken since she’d said the V-word. “You don’t have to kill anyone.” She sat on the table in front of him, crossing her arms over her chest. “I don’t.” “What? How do you get blood then? You have a delivery guy?” The sarcasm, which entered his voice, was a welcome change from the monotone. “As a matter of fact, I do.” He’d taken this better than she’d expected. All the people she’d turned before now had known what she was before their transformation. He was finding out on the fly. “I do have people who…I take blood from. But, they’re willing.” “So, let me get this straight. Vampires are real. You’re dead, drink blood, and are immortal. But you can go out in sunlight, neither garlic nor holy things affect you, and you don’t sleep in coffins. That’s everything, right?” “More or less. That’s about the size of it.”

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He slammed the glass down on the table. It sloshed up but didn’t spill. “You’re so fucking nuts.” “What?’ “What’d you slip into my dinner, huh? What’d you have all your actor friends come over to give me a show?” He got up to pace across the floor. “You’re crazy.” Maybe it wasn’t going so well. “Theo, listen to me…” Or maybe it was too much at one time for him to absorb. “No. I’m done listening. I don’t know who or what you are, but I know what’s real and not.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Get out. Go have fun with the next victim. I hope your scam works better on them.” “You are a vampire. So am I.” She couldn’t leave him yet, or she already would have. Pursuing Titius needed to be done. But she had a responsibility to Theo to keep him safe. She’d brought him over, so therefore, she had to make sure his beginnings were solid. “It’s not a scam.” “What do you need, money? That guy in the picture’s your brother? I’m stupid. I let my dick think for me. But I’m not this stupid.” Theo railed before jerking open the door to the apartment. “I said to get out.” “No.” She shook her head. “Not until we finish talking.” “Oh, we’re done.” He arched a brow, waving his hand in front of the door. “Go. Leave me alone.” “Theo, think about this. Titius stabbed you. That’s how you suddenly knew his name when you woke up. It was no dream. The only way I could save your life was to turn you.” He had to understand and believe. Otherwise, that would put him at risk. “I don’t know what you did to me. But…this…it can’t be. Vampires do not exist.” He clung to the words as if they were all that was holding him together. “They do. How can I prove this to you?” His cynical laugh showed how much he was shutting down. “You can’t. O.K.? They don’t exist. You can’t prove something that doesn’t fucking exist.” He slammed the door shut and started pacing again. At least he’d stopped urging her to leave. She got up, stepping closer to him. “You think there’s no proof.” She pointed to the glass he’d set down on the table. “How much does that call to you?” His beast was already inside of him. And hungry. His face closed off. “Not at all.” But his eyes stayed on the cup. “You don’t desire to drink it? Not one bit?” She picked it up, holding it front of him, passing it under his nose. His hunger gnawed at him. She could see it in his jaw set, in his eyes. She hadn’t given him much earlier when he’d been knocked out, only enough to heal him and help get him stronger. She didn’t want him getting sick so she was taking it as slow


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as she could. Too much and newly made vampires threw up. “You don’t want to guzzle it down as if it’s water in a desert?” “No.” He snarled, moving away from her, from the glass. That told her so much more than his words. “I don’t.” “Don’t believe you. Because I do.” She knocked it back as if it were a shot. It was still warm from where she’d heated it. “Gross.” But his face didn’t say that. His face showed how much he’d wanted it. He growled. “It’s what you eat and drink now.” “No. I’m not a freak like you.” She grabbed her knife from its hiding place and sank it into Theo’s tricep. “Sorry about this.” He howled. “You stabbed me, you bitch.” She yanked out the knife. “Watch the wound. I hate to do it this way but I’m running out of time.” He wouldn’t turn his head. She grabbed it, pulling it around so he could see. “Watch.” She’d pry his eyes open if she had to. It was a harsh thing she did, but necessary. Swallowing, his eyes stayed on the quickly disappearing wound. His voice came quiet when it came. “This can’t be real.” God. The fear in his voice broke her heart. If only there’d been another way to save him. He’d had vampire knowledge thrust upon him, along with the shitting truth, he was now one of them. But it was done now. She couldn’t have let him die. After all, he’d asked her not to. “It is.” “Why did you save me?” Her throat moved with her swallow. “I…a lot of reasons.” She slipped one hand in his. “I know this is hard…” “You have no idea.” “Yeah, I think I do. I was dying of sickness. Not even sure what I had. Woke up one day…like this.” She squeezed his hand tightly in hers. It was warm and clutched back at her. “But I need you to accept what you are. Vampires can go insane from the power. If you’re fighting that plus the knowledge, you’ll lose to your animalistic nature.” “And what happens then?” Her eyes met his head on. “I kill you for real. Once you die as a vampire, there’s no coming back, Theo.” His back straightened as did his shoulders. “So what now? What do we do to ensure that doesn’t happen?”

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She let out a breath of relief. He would accept what he was. “First, you need a meal. I’ve…got to go after Titius.” As if on cue, her phone rang. Now it worked. God, she hated technology. “Hello?” It was the pilot who’d brought her over from Ireland. “I happened to be at the airport. When your friend came through. The one you came here looking for. I thought I’d let you know.” “Titius? He was flying out?” “Yeah.” “Did you catch his destination?” “Michigan. He left a few minutes ago.” He’d left Theo’s hours ago. What had he been doing all this time? And Michigan? Why go there? Not a big urban sprawl, which was Titius’s type of place.

Mancuso. Nick had to be behind Titius’s choice of destination. Titius had gotten a lead. He was following it. Mancuso needed to be warned about the coming affliction because he would have no idea what wicked thing was coming his way. How would she find him? She didn’t have Titius’s lead or his resources.

Michigan. Something occurred to her. “Gates, get the plane ready and file flight plans to Michigan. And…find me the exact location of Henri Baptiste these days.” Which she was pretty sure was somewhere in Detroit. Henri wouldn’t want to tell her anything, she would have to convince him she wasn’t a threat but that a real threat headed for Mancuso. “Affirmative. I’ll do it. What’s your ETA?” ETA? Oh…“I should be there within two hours or so.” She clicked off her phone. She had to grab her stuff and figure out what to do about Theo. “Where are we going?” As much responsibility as she owed to Theo, she needed to catch Titius first. He could be like the wind, disappearing. She couldn’t let him get away this time. And Theo was at a crucial stage. He wouldn’t be much good to her, adjusting to his powers. In fact, he’d be something Titius could use against her. Again. But what to do with him? “Hang on a minute.” She pulled out her cell phone again. “Come on, Kent, pick up.” No one answered. She checked the time. That was odd. She tried his cell phone. Again, no one answered. That was even odder. He always kept his cell with him. Tightness gripped her chest and throat. “Come on. I have some friends in town I was going to get you to stay with while I’m gone. But they aren’t answering. Let’s swing by there on the way to the airport.”


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“I want to go with you, Anna Grace.” He licked his lips. “I want to be at your side.” Something fierce shone from his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat. God, what was it with him? “Theo…” She took a deep breath. “We do need to dispose of the pictures before we leave.” He pushed to his feet. “I’ll get them.” He came back carrying the same envelope she’d taken on her first visit to his apartment. “Here.” She burned them in an ashtray. They flamed down to a crisp. She clenched her hands in relief. But, overriding that, her stomach still rolled, thinking of Kent and Agrippa. Kent should be answering. Maybe he’d let his cell phone lose its charge. The always in control Kent? Not likely. Maybe they’d lost phone service at the house. Titius had been gone from Theo’s apartment several hours before leaving town… “Pack a bag. We’ll discuss it on the way.” The quicker they got going to check on Kent, the better off she’d be.

***** In the foyer heading out of the living room, Anna Grace ran smack into Theo, who was supposed to be waiting in the car for her to come back out of Kent and Agrippa’s place. Her stomach rolled even as she opened her mouth, unable to force out the words asking him what the fuck he was doing in there. She forced down the bile by force of will only. His hands grabbed at her to keep her upright on legs, which had been paper thin since she’d digested the scene she’d walked in on. Her body chilled, breaking out into a sweat and goose pimples everywhere. It couldn’t be. But it was. “Anna Grace?” His voice sounded as if it were a dull drumming from far away. “Anna Grace?” It got louder, but not much. A hum overwhelmed her head. He shook her a little. Back and forth, it only increased her nausea. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt? I smell blood.” No wonder. The scent of it was strong throughout the house. “No.” She choked, pushing at his chest. Had to get out of there. She was out of the living room. but the images were those that would be burned into retinas forever. Not anything she could run from, but she’d try. The hurt she had would never be fixed. No doctor or even her vampire powers could heal it. He wouldn’t let her go, keeping her firmly against his body despite her struggles for freedom. “What happened?” She got an arm free and swiped at her eyes. Her hand came back wet. Her chest constricted until she couldn’t breathe. Her throat closed up. Get it together, Anna Grace.

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She’d seen the ashes, which was all that remained of vampires, before… No, don’t think

about them. About what you saw. About the hell that happened here. A noise ramped up in the small space they stood in. Something had burst forth from her throat. She didn’t even realize for a second it was her keening. Theo stopped shaking her, stopped talking. He pulled her against him. His warmth infused her shaking body. They stayed that way for several minutes. He held her until her body mostly stilled. His fingers traced a loose pattern over her shoulders. The touch kept her from sinking to the ground or into blackness. She pulled away. There were things to be done. She had to get control of herself and do them. For Kent. For Agrippa. “What do we need to do?” Theo looked down at her, his eyes solemn. What did they need to do? Besides gut Titius and feed his remains to the sorry ass vultures piece by piece. While he still lived. Soon, she’d make that a reality. Right now, she glanced back toward the living room. “I…we…” She swallowed. “We need to clean up the mess in there. Ke…Kent has some friends in town. They can help with taking care of…their things. But it needs to be cleaned up before someone calls the police.” “I’ll go in and do it. You wait here and call his friends.” He took a step toward the living room. His shoulders straightened, though his step slowed. There were still things about being a vampire that she hadn’t told him. She’d better advise him what to expect before he walked in there. “There aren’t bodies. Vampires disintegrate into ash when they’re killed. My friends were vampires. But…it looks as if Titius had fun with them before he killed them.” Her voice sounded hollow. Flat. Agrippa would have pulled her into a hug hearing that voice. She would have made Kent hug her, too. Red descended before Anna Grace’s eyes. The color of blood. The color their living room had become. She shook her head to clear it. Theo half-turned toward her. “So vampires aren’t immortal?” A chuckle, which sounded more as if it were a sob, erupted. “No. We can be killed. Only by each other.” God help them, there’d been too much of that for the wrong reasons. It was one reason why the Council was forming. Too late. Too late to help Kent and so many countless others. Not that Titius would ever respect any Council, but with more unity, they could do better at dealing with him and vampires like him. Only again, too late for so many. She’d failed Kent. Had she left right after Titius showed up at Theo’s and followed him, she could have stopped their slaughter. But then, Theo would have died. Her hand rubbed back through her hair. She couldn’t have won even if she’d had any idea what Titius would do. Speculation would drive her insane. Best to focus on revenge. That, she could do something about. “How? Do vampires die?” Theo shrugged. “I hate to ask right now with this going on, but as a newbie, I need to know.”


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Not something mentors told vampires right away. Shit on tradition. He needed to know. “Drain all of a vampire’s blood. Only a vampire can do the complete draining. We can heal anything else, which happens our way, even though it may take time.” Anna Grace squared her shoulders and walked back to Theo. She couldn’t let him do alone what she should be doing. He arched a brow, stepping in front of her to block her path. “Where do you think you’re going?” “I’ll help you.” She moved to go around him, but he moved with her. “No.” “Theo.” “No.” Her eyes narrowed along with her mouth. Who did he think he was? “I won’t be taking orders from you. Or anyone else.” “I know you won’t.” He leaned over to press a quick kiss against her mouth. “But it’s not an order. It’s a friend helping a friend with something difficult. You don’t need to go back in there. Not yet.” Her hackles, which had risen, settled back down. Her eyes closed before opening again. She could be such a bitch. Kent had said it many times before. Now, he’d never say it again. Her eyes heated up. He gripped her shoulders again. “Let me do a little cleaning in there before you go back in. O.K.?” She waited a moment, her heart thundering in her chest, before she nodded. Last thing she needed was to fall apart again. “Is the kitchen on the other side of this room? Or somewhere else?” He asked quietly from the doorway. He would need cleaning supplies to do anything to the living room. “Yeah. It’s connected to it. Walk through…” The carnage. “…the room, you’ll find it. There are some things in the pantry I think.” She paused. “And Theo?” “Yes?” “Thank you.” “No problem.” She heard him rummaging around while she leaned back against the front door. Titius was not going to live long enough to see whatever half-assed plans he had in mind. Run

hard, General. I’ll find you where ever you go. For Kent and Agrippa.

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Chapter Ten Theo peered out the plane window. Anna Grace sat on the other side, staring straight ahead. He frowned. She hadn’t said much since they’d left her friend’s. He shuddered. It had been a gruesome scene even without bodies. He’d cleaned it up as best as he could. He was a vampire. His eyes closed as he laid his head on the window, staring out into the space beyond. How in the hell had this happened? This morning he’d been a human going on a hot date with a fine lady. Now he was a creature of the night who drank blood. On that note. “Are you hungry, Anna Grace?” Her lifeless eyes glanced to Theo. “No. No, I’m not.” Her throat moved up and down in a swallow. “But there are blood bags in the cooler. Help yourself. Don’t drink too much though. Your system is still adapting.” He’d give anything to make her eyes snap with fire again. It would take time. Whoever that friend had been, they’d occupied a special space in Anna Grace’s life. He pushed down a pop up of jealousy. He and Anna Grace had just met. That gave him no rights to anything. Whoever had died had a history with her. “How are you doing?” “I’ll be better once this bird lands, and I kick Titius’s ass up into his throat.” Now, that was an image worth seeing. “Did he know your friend? Is that why he…did what he did?” “Titius knew after he saw me that Kent helped bring me to town. That Kent had been the one to tell me that Titius was here. So he went after him. Agrippa was extra. And it was to hurt me.”


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Two? Theo wasn’t sure he’d gotten the fact that two vampires had been taken out. “Agrippa? Was that Kent’s…?” He broke off. Did vampires get married? They hadn’t talked about much of the finer points of vampire life yet. Hell, his head had spun around as if it were a top that there were vampires in the world, and he was one of them. He’d only wrapped his head around it because he’d woken up with an ability to hear a bug crawling up someone’s ass from a room away, a sense of smell that could scent blood from outside a house, a serious thirst for said blood, and where he’d been gutted hadn’t even left a scar. “Agrippa was Kent’s mate. Vampires have mates, so some think. He was the perfect soul mate for Kent.” Her mouth quirked up in a sad smile. “Unlike me.” So Anna Grace and Kent had been involved at one time. Sounded as if it had broken off but amicably. A rush of air burst from Theo’s lungs. You just met her. No rights, remember? Wait a minute…he? “Agrippa was a man?” She nodded. “Oh. I guess I should mention…vampires are almost always bisexual. Some have a sex they prefer to be with, but the vampirism brings out that part in most newly made vampires.” He stilled as he digested that fact. Not anything he’d noticed yet. Even with her intense sadness since they’d found the murders at Kent’s house, the only person he’d gotten an erection for since his vampire clock had started ticking was Anna Grace. “A few vampires have mates, who they are monogamous with. The vampires we are going to see, they’ve been together since one of them was made. Nathan was never with anyone else as a vampire. And Henri has been with no one else since.” Nathan and Henri. Another male couple. “Do you have a mate?” Her eyelashes fluttered down to shield her eyes as her arms folded across her chest. “No.” “So what are a vampire’s powers?” Something bothered her when talking about mates. That much was obvious. Time for a new subject. “I touched on them before. Speed. Strength. Agility. Strong senses. We’re physical beings. You’ll be able to do a lot more things than you could do before.” She tapped a finger on the armrest. “Vampires have psychic connections between them. Some are stronger than others. A lot of the strongest connectors are with their makers. Some can read minds to a certain degree or use telepathy. We can often sense other vampires.” “Can you? Sense other vampires?” Her voice dropped down a notch. “I…I have a special power. Some vampires do but not all. I’m one o’ the lucky ones.” Her voice sounded bitter. “What is it?” “I can dampen my psyche so that other vampires can’t sense I’m there. It helps me hide. Helps me to pursue other vampires in secrecy. But, it also dampens my psychic senses.

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I’m not as good at that stuff as most are.” Her hand tapped more. “That’s why I didn’t sense Titius coming. Also, why he didn’t sense me there until it was too late.” Theo’s head came up. Something had never occurred to him. “You can’t blame yourself, you know. For all that happened.” Her head ducked down to her chest. “Can’t I?” “No. You can’t. Titius would have come after me and killed me if you hadn’t been there.” “If I’d been paying more attention. If I hadn’t been so focused…” His heart skipped as if it were a rock across the water. They’d been hot and heavy when Titius had come for him. She’d been tasty. But she couldn’t blame herself for that. Liquid heat moved through his belly into his cock. He tossed off his seatbelt and went over to her. He took her hands in his. “You couldn’t have known Titius would find me. I’m still not sure how he did. I’d covered my tracks. I’m not sure how you did…” “Your station manager is a friend of a friend.” “He’s still human, though, right?” How many acquaintances of his were vampires, and he hadn’t known? Scary thought. “And a friend of Kent’s?” “Yes to both.” He rubbed her chilled fingers. “He wouldn’t have told Titius. And when I called into work earlier, he’s there, still alive. So it wasn’t him. Regardless, were it not for you, I’d be dead. I’m betting Kent knew the risks he took when he contacted you.” “Yes. Yes, he did. Kent knew what Titius was capable of. He’s seen it firsthand. But, I should have protected him. He and Agrippa.” “You can’t protect everyone, Anna Grace. And you can’t protect when you don’t know what’s coming.” He leaned forward to plant a full kiss on her lips. “Don’t. Concentrate on getting Titius. I’ll help you.” She chuckled. “You’re a fledgling. What are you going to do?” He held up a hand. His teeth clenched but he made his tone light. “Hey, having new vampire senses like you talked about, I can help. I’m adjusting. I’ll help you get him however I can.” The pilot spoke. “Sorry to interrupt, but we’ll be landing in about an hour.” “Thanks, Gates.” He continued on, rambling about nothing in particular, but about Michigan and the great flying weather. Theo turned in his seat. Man, would you please shut up. He wanted to finish his conversation. The pilot broke off mid-sentence and didn’t say another word. Theo stared in the cockpit, his mouth agape. Could it be?


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“Theo, what’s wrong?” Anna Grace tapped his shoulder. “You look pale.” She felt his forehead with cool tapered fingers. “Is the pilot human? Or a vampire?” “Gates is a human. He works for me sometimes. Why?” Theo didn’t answer right away. It was wrong to try this without asking first. But, before he mentioned it to Anna Grace, he had to know. That was no worse than when he’d used it as a human when it was truly important. To the pilot, he directed, You’re hungry and can talk. “I’m fine.” “Man, is anyone else famished? Anna Grace, do you have anything else but blood in that cooler?” The pilot licked his chops loudly, looking back at them. “Sorry. That’s all I have. You’ll have to wait until we land.” She looked up at Theo as he stared back at her. His lips twitched up into a grin. “Theo, what’s wrong?” “Nothing’s wrong.” He shook his head slowly back and forth. The power was easier. Before with Titius, it had been so hard to send it out. It had made his head hurt, especially doing it those few times. Now, it flowed from him. His head barely tingled with the double use of energy. The ease was because he was a vampire. The vampirism had increased his power as it did his physical attributes, making him stronger in all areas. “I’ve got something to tell you.” He winced, because she might ask him about using it on her before she’d made him. And he hadn’t meant to with their date. But, now, he’d be able to help her a lot more than she thought he would. “What?” “I can push people into doing things. And, it looks as if being a vampire has strengthened my power.”

***** Titius sat with his legs apart in front of Chey on the hard hotel room chair. “I need you to concentrate. I need you to focus on Sarah.” She nodded. “Sarah wara punkin dara.” Her breathing quickened as she reached for his cock. “How hard you are, General. So’s he. So hard. But he won’t touch. Won’t let me touch.” Titius gritted his teeth and picked up Chey’s hand from his crotch. Any other time, he’d have done her in seconds flat. They’d had sex about everywhere they could on the plane. Now, they were in Michigan but nowhere nearer to finding Nick and Sarah. Who knew how many fucking lakes the state had? Too many to search in a short amount of time, that was for sure. “Sweetheart, I need you to tune in to Sarah. Come on. Work with me.”

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Her bottom lip poked out. “You won’t touch either. Won’t let me touch. Stick in the mud. You’re like him.” She leaned back into the red love seat. “Where is Sarah? Can you tell anything about where she is?” He needed something to go on. In the same state as Nick got him closer than he’d been in a long time, but he needed more clues. Only Chey could provide them. He’d tried the easy routes, looking up Nick’s name for addresses. His last known address was in New York City from all those years ago. Somehow, he’d covered his tracks quite well in the years since. But why? Titius would ask him when he found him. It all came down to Chey and her connection to Nick’s lover. “Why do you want Nick so badly, anyway?” She pulled her legs up under her to tuck them in while she sat. “Because he’s to be my second-in-command.” “Suppose he doesn’t want to be?” He shrugged. “He will.” Her mouth narrowed into a frown. “You’d force him? There are lots of others out there. Why him?” “Because…because he was there on my last successful bid. He’s stable. I need…” He broke off. Why was he telling her all this? The fact that Titius hadn’t found a better secondin-command in all the years since he’d made Nick Romanov, now Mancuso, was irrelevant. All that mattered was finding him. This bid had to be successful. Having a strong second would make it so. “Find him. Give me something I can use, Chey.” He got up, stalking around the room. “What does where they are look like?”

“Little House on the Prairie. Only it’s a big house. Oh, and there’s no prairie. Only a big lake.” She wiggled her upper body, dancing in place while sitting to music only she could hear. Her eyes looked even more green-hued than before. Maybe they’d always had a splash of green to them; he couldn’t bring them to mind without it. Well, that was helpful. A big house on no prairie. “Wait, do you mean the house is made of wood?” He approached her to sit in front of her again. What kind of house would look similar to one from the olden times? “Is it a log cabin or like one?” “Like with pancakes!” She grinned widely. Her mouth slurped. “Pancakes with syrup. Oh, that would be yummy. Let’s order some.” She grabbed the room service menu with one hand before stretching to reach for the phone with the other. “Chey, you can’t eat that much…human food.” There’d been an unfortunate incident when they’d arrived involving some donuts, and she had gotten sick. “You’ve had enough for now.” Not to mention they hadn’t disposed of a meal yet. Titius didn’t like to bring his meals back to where he stayed, but Chey’s sickness had warranted quick action. She’d needed a real vampire meal. No one would miss the homeless guy from the alley. “Spoilsport.”


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He pursed his lips together. “So, they’re in a log cabin. On a lake. Have you seen any numbers? Maybe an address?” Some places had their address on the door, or maybe she’d seen mail with it on there. There had to be something. “Oh, lots of numbers. They’re all around. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine.” It sounded as if she counted, but he had to check. Sometimes her abilities brought things to them in strange ways. “Do you see those numbers? What are they on?” Her fingers crept out, punching in the air. “Boop boop boop boop boop boop boop boop boop.” He rubbed his face with his hand. Or maybe they meant nothing. “Chey.” This wasn’t working. Fuck, there had to be another lead. “Hey, boss?” His head swiveled to stare at Bert, who hunkered down on the chair by the windows looking as if he now regretted speaking. “What?” Bert licked his lips nervously, pulse rate climbing. Bert had watched what he’d done to the other minion a little earlier. The goatee vampire needed some recovery time. Healing what had been done to him would take a while. “Well, what she did. It sounded like…like maybe a telephone.” “A telephone?” Bert nodded. “Her fingers acted as if they were pressing buttons, only in the air. The noises she made were similar to the ones you hear dialing.” He wilted under Titius’s considering stare. “A telephone.” “Ding ding ding.” She pointed to Bert and tapped her nose twice. “We have a winner! Come on down. See what you’ve won.” “Do you have a phone in your hands, Chey?” It couldn’t be that simple. She looked down and offered up her hands to Titius with her palms up. “Does it look like I do, General?” “Not here. With Sarah. Do you see telephone buttons?” “Oh.” Her eyes closed. She got a dreamy look on her face. “It’s by me. I had it in my hand playing with it a minute ago. But, he took it away. Won’t let me touch it. Won’t let me play anymore. Not that I can use it.” “Is he there now?” Titius sat forward on the table. It creaked under his weight. This could be a break. He had an idea of how to use this. The telephone had given him the idea. “Is he with you…with her?” “He’s always with me now. He…worries. I’m not myself.” Her eyes opened. “Where am I?” “You’re in Michigan, sweetheart.”

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Her eyes stared at him as if they could see right through him. “I live in Michigan. But, not here. Not this place.” Her face blanched. “You’re the General.” Titius drew back. “Chey?” Her eyes grew wild. “Chey’s not here. Why are you doing this? Let her let me go. It’s making us both unstable. We’ve been connected too long.” He was talking to Sarah. How was that possible? How had they switched places? Even vampires shouldn’t have that much power. “Let her come back here.” “You have to let her let me go. It’s hurting both of us. Can’t you see how unstable she is? This is making her worse. And me, much worse.” “Chey’s fine. I’ll worry about her. She’ll be even better soon enough.” “She’s not fine.” Her mouth tightened into a thin line. “Why do you want Nick?” “Tell me where you are, Sarah. I’ll let her let you go then. All you have to do is tell me.” Her eyelashes came down to shutter her eyes. “If you care for her, you’ll let her let me go now. Not later.” “Never. Not until it’s time for her to break the connection.” “Even though it’s making her crazier?” She blew out a breath. “You must have seen the changes in her.” He had. But he was too close to his goal now. A little while longer, and he’d have Nick. Chey could make it that long. Sarah only wanted the connection broken to save her precious lover. “No, she can’t make it much longer. And this has nothing to do with Nick. Each minute we’re together, she hovers closer to insanity. I’ve been helping her. I’ve spent too much energy helping her, but I’m not sure how much longer I can.” Her hands reached out to grab his. “You have to help her break this link. Don’t you care? Darn it, you’re hurting her.” “And you. Which is what I want. Tell me where you are.” He threw off her hands. “Only you can end this.” Her laugh came throatily. “I’m not a fool. I’m not going to lead you to us. You’d never keep your word. But you can stop this before you lose her. Forever.” Her eyes shut again. “Sarah? Sarah?” He reached out and clasped her shoulders to shake her. “Get back here, dammit.” “Ouch.” Her eyes opened, to regard him with a puzzled glare. “You’re squeezing me, General.” “Sarah?” He let go of her skin, scanning her face for any sign of who she was. “Who are you?” “Sarah’s back home now.” She shimmied her torso again, dancing in place. “Well, mostly. She’s always with me, now.”


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He pulled her into an embrace, kissing her fiercely. “And you’re back to me.” She’d had to get thrown into her own mind eventually. If only he could have gotten more out of Sarah. She trembled in his arms. He pulled back to look sharply in to her face. “What is it?” “Sarah says you don’t care about me. Only what I can do for you. She…says a lot of things.” “She lies.” That bitch. Yes, her days were numbered. Nick would have to find himself another lover. He wouldn’t put up with her interference with his Chey. Although, to do what Chey and Sarah had done must have taken intense powers on both sides. What was this Sarah? Too bad she was expendable. Out of the two, he’d keep Chey every time. “Listen to me. She doesn’t want us to find Nick. But, we have to. I need him.” “I told her…that. She doesn’t believe you.” Her mouth quivered. “She says you want to hurt him.” “No, sweetheart. I only want to talk.” So, for him talking involved weapons sometimes. She didn’t need to know that. “You mean that?” “I do.” She laid her head on his chest, her breathing slowing. “Chey, listen to me. There’s something you need to do when you go back there again completely as you. It will help us find her.” It had been what he’d been about to tell her to do when they’d switched places. “It’s so you can get out of her head and stop hurting her.” He stroked her face, listening to her breathe. “What is it?” “Get the phone while you’re in Sarah. Call my number. Let’s memorize it together. Then, when you call me, I’ll get Nick’s phone number. And, I can find him. I can end this for you, sweetheart. Break the line between you and Sarah. Stop hurting her.” Not that he cared about Sarah’s pain. But, Chey did. So that would matter to her. “O.K.” She nodded. “Tell me your number.”

***** Anna Grace gaped at Theo. “You what?” His eyes sparkled. “I can push people. Into doing things. I’ve always had the ability. But it’s stronger now that I’m a vampire. A lot stronger.” There was no fucking way. It couldn’t be. “No.” She shook her had. “No matter what you thought you could do as a human, you couldn’t.” “Yes.” He turned to her. “I know it’s hard to believe.”

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“It’s not only hard to believe. It’s impossible.” She looked out at the night outside the plane window. “Humans don’t have that kind of power.” “And vampires don’t exist.”

Touché. She breathed deeply. She appraised the man in front of her. Did he have the powers he claimed to? No human she’d known had ever had anything close to that. And no vampires had mind control. She’d encountered no vampires with powers like she possessed and few with any powers beyond the run of the mill physical and sense talents. Though there did seem to be more of the special vamps recently than there had been in the past. “I’m the one who controlled Titius before he stabbed me.” Her heart pulsed faster in her chest. “You made Titius do things?” Now, Titius had been under someone else’s control. The constipated look he’d gotten when he couldn’t turn a weapon on her had been almost comical. Whoever had done that had protected her, while leaving Theo open to attack. Skeptically, she looked him in the eye. “You did that? Why?” “Yes.” He licked his lips. “Uhhh…sometimes as a human, the power would go out of me before I knew what I’d done.” “So, you couldn’t control it.” He shrugged. “Not all the time as a human, no. Sometimes I’d wind up getting shifts I wanted, assignments I wanted, all because my power enacted, and I didn’t realize it. Dates…I wanted, too.” She blinked at him. “You bastard.” She thwapped his arm. Not hard and not his head where she wanted to hit him. How dare he coerce her into a date? Even though he hadn’t meant to. What he’d said made things make sense. She’d never been more shocked when she’d agreed to going out with him. Maybe Theo was onto something with declaring he’d had such powers as a human. “You pushed me to go on a date with you.” “It was accidental. I swear it. With Titius, I tried to direct my thoughts. Hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I had to hit him with three different pushes. I thought the last one would rip my head apart, it hurt so badly. The one, where…” He trailed off, looking away from her. He’d told Titius not to hurt her. Warm feelings spread throughout her midsection filtering down into her clit. “You made it so he wouldn’t hurt me. Why? You could have made him do anything, protected yourself. Why do that?” He looked surprised by the question. “I couldn’t let him hurt you. Ever.” He sounded so protective, growling along with his speech. No one had ever tried to intercede for her like that, from her parents on down. In most instances, she was the protector, the fighter. She moved toward him, catching him unaware. Her lips sank into his, her tongue twirling around his to wrestle. God, he tasted so fine. His scent invaded her sense this close as well. Fire sizzled along the kiss, staggering along to burn them both.


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Her hands tangled around the back of his head as she slid onto his lap. Several fingers went up to tangle into the silky darkness of his hair. As her hips touched his, the flames that had ignited inside her combusted. His muscular pelvis seated her softness. He shifted, his hard length coming between them. And oh, what a hard length it was. She lifted up to lower herself again, grinding against him. His head arched back, exposing his throat to her. She lowered her head to claim his lips again. The kiss started out gentle but quickly turned into a fierce meeting of warmth and wetness. His hand came up to cup a breast in one hand. He squeezed before ringing the nipple with his index finger. “Damn, Anna Grace.” His hoarse voice had a plaintive pitch she’d never heard from anyone. “What?” She leaned her head back to stare into his passion-glazed eyes. So blue. “What, Theo?” His eyes widened. “Didn’t mean to say that out loud.” She laughed. “I hope that’s a good thing.” “You’re so beautiful.” His other hand cupped her second breast, joining the first. They bounced her gently before pinching both nipples between thumb and forefinger. Her back straightened, pushing her even more into his hands. “Like that, do you?” “Oh, yes.” She wiggled her hips again, pushing herself into his cock. His eyes rolled back in his head as it went back into the headrest. “Like that, do you?” She grinned, repeating his own words. “Yes.” Nipping at his lips, she got her entrance into his mouth. Even as his hands continued to toy with her nipples and breasts, she kissed him thoroughly, allowing their tongues to play a ruthless game of catch. His hand skimmed under her shirt to play against the sensitive skin of her stomach. His warm hands glided across her skin so smoothly. He had artist’s hands. Nothing rough about them. And God, if he took the care he showed with his photography with her, she’d be one lucky woman. Her tight pants chafed her sex, which wanted to be free and taking the hardness between her thighs into them permanently. Her clit enjoyed the movement of his cock against it but it wasn’t quite enough yet to send her close to any edge. As his hand reached the top of her pants about to cross into the promised land of new pleasures, a throat cleared from the front of the plane. Anna Grace didn’t move, but Theo’s hand stilled. A muffled curse sounded against her lips, which wouldn’t release his.

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“I’m sorry to interrupt. We’re almost to the airport. I need seatbelts on you. And no, his body doesn’t qualify, Anna Grace.”


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Chapter Eleven Anna Grace walked down a sidewalk, with Theo in tow, to the front of the nondescript gray house in the suburbs with red shutters and a matching door. How odd. One of the most notorious vampires she’d ever heard tales about, and he lived in what Americans called “the Burbs” on a cul-de-sac. “Who are we seeing again?” Theo looked up at the house, probably as surprised as she was at where Henri lived. “Henri Baptiste. He and Mancuso lived together for a while. If anyone knows where he is, Henri will.” “Vampires live here? Huh.” His foot crunched a dry leaf. “And by live together, do you mean…” “We don’t all live in castles and none of us sleep in coffins…well, unless they’re weird.” She stopped again to look at the house. Henri had never met her or vice versa. They wouldn’t be able to sense her vampirism unless she allowed it, and she didn’t want to drop her guard with Titius in the state. But, they would be able to with Theo. What kind of reception would they get? Best to be prepared for an adversarial one. “And no, not that way. Henri has been with Nathan a hundred years. There are no reports of either of them with anyone else since Nathan appeared.” “Do you live in a castle?” She bit her lip, hemming. Americans found this amusing. “Well, actually…” “You do?” He laughed heartily. “You live in a castle?” “In Ireland.” She glared at him and started walking again. Why people found it so funny, she couldn’t fathom. ”Not that I’m there much. It’s…sort of an amusing story of how I acquired it.” Her mouth drew up. Kent’s family had owned it back when he’d been human.

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“I’ll tell you sometime.” She never spent enough time at her home, which was a comfy, not drafty, castle. Work took her all over Europe and now, America. The door opened before Anna Grace could knock. Her hand stayed raised in midair. A man with long blond hair appraised them with blue eyes. He wore blue jeans and no shirt or shoes. His eyes centered on Anna Grace, staring her down. Her psychic shields were in place in case Titius was around. So he couldn’t draw anything off of her to read, which also meant she couldn’t sense him well. “You must be Nathan.” She’d read enough reports to know his description. “Last time I checked. Who are you?” His eyes narrowed as his arms went into a defensive stance. “What are you?” She took a deep breath. She might have expected an aggressive posture from Henri, but not from his gentle partner. “I need to see Henri. It’s important.” “What about?” “Are you going to let us in?” Theo spoke up from behind her. “It’s kind of cold.” It was much colder than Richmond. Gray clouds covered the sky, while a sputter of rain threatened every so often. “Not until you tell me why you’re here.” Nathan folded his arms across his chest. “And why you want to see Henri.” “Hello, Anna Grace.” A low voice rumbled behind Nathan as two arms came around him. Nathan didn’t startle but leaned back into the body. She blinked. French accent. A rather short, burly man. She’d seen pictures but he was not what she expected. “Henri? Henri Baptiste?” “In the flesh.” “You thought he’d be bigger, didn’t you?” Nathan grinned. “He is where it counts, though. And you know him?” He pushed the door open wider so they could traipse in. “Why didn’t you say so?” “Because…we’ve never met.” She found the living room to be quaint. Almost homey, with carpet and pictures, a fire in the fireplace. “You know my name?” “Of course, as you know of me.” Henri waved his hand to the couch or loveseat. “Please have a seat.” He tossed some magazines from a chair, and sat down. “Make yourself comfortable. Both of you. May I offer you something to drink? Perhaps some blood? I’m afraid I don’t know your name.” He nodded to Theo, who straightened. “I’m Theo. Theo Billings.” This wasn’t a social call. There wasn’t a whole lot of time for niceties. She hated to break up his host-like manner, but it was imperative she find out what she’d come there for. “Henri, I need to talk to you. It’s important.” His eyes leveled with hers. “I know why you’re here.”


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“You do?” The man was as good as all reports said he was. Though he looked perfectly at ease, his eyes kept scanning. The man had a weapon on him somewhere. And one he could draw in seconds just as she could. She made sure to keep her arms away from any weapons she had on her, having no doubts he’d spotted them. “Yes. About the Council.” Henri rubbed a hand over his chin. “Oh, God. Vampire politics.” Nathan rolled his eyes. “I’m going in the kitchen.” He tapped Theo’s shoulder. “If it bores you as much as it does me, come with me. We’ll find some chocolate to eat.” Theo looked bemused as he glanced from Nathan to Anna Grace. He shook his head at Nathan, who stalked around the corner. “Oh. No. Well, I mean I was going to approach you. Later. But that’s…not why I’m here now.” “Then, why are you here?” Henri took a sip of something from a glass before placing it on the table. “I’m here because I need to find Nick Mancuso. It’s urgent. I would like to talk about the Council with you. Afterward.” That he knew of the plans for the Vampire Council made her heart speed up. They needed Henri Baptiste. And, he’d been keeping tabs on their progress. And because of that, on her. If only she didn’t have to find Titius first. His face tightened as it closed off. His hand went down to the seat of the chair. “What do you want with Nick?” “It’s about Titius.” “Nick’s maker.” Henri’s lips pursed up in a sneer as he said the name. Yeah, she’d made that same face a few times about the bastard. “Yes. He’s going after Nick. He wants him to join his cause.” “What makes you think I know where he is?” Henri leaned back in the chair. “Regardless, Titius won’t find him.” “I think he will. He’s already in Michigan looking for him.” Now that got Henri’s attention. “He’s here? In Michigan.” “Yes. He flew here overnight. He thinks Nick is somewhere in the state.” She sat down on the loveseat across from Henri. “He is, isn’t he? He’s in Michigan somewhere.” Stony silence met her question. “Titius is looking for him. And when he finds him, it won’t be pretty. Nick needs to be warned.” Henri blew out a breath. “Are you sure Titius came here because he thinks Nick is here? Nick and I have worked to make sure…” He paused. “…that no one knows where he is. Nathan and myself are the only ones who know. So how could Titius have found out?”

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“I don’t know how Titius found out. But he’s here because he’s looking for Nick. He went to Richmond, Nick’s last known whereabouts, looking. He took off for here last night. He wouldn’t go off on a goose chase.” Henri shook his head. “He killed a vampire of my line while he was in Richmond.” Anna Grace kept her voice steady. Theo patted her shoulder. His first action since she and Henri had started talking. “Brutally. I have no love for Titius, so I’m not out to gain anything by coming to you. Other than Nick needs to be warned.” Henri lifted his head, staring at Theo. “He’s of your line as well.” “Yes. I…he…it happened recently.” “Yep, I’m brand spanking new.” Theo shifted closer to her but didn’t sit. Henri’s head cocked to the side. “You can beat at my mind all you want, you won’t get in.” Anna Grace swiveled around to face Theo, who looked sheepish. “What are ye doing?” He couldn’t have been. “I thought…” He shrugged his shoulders. The movement rolled his head around. “I thought I’d help. But, I can’t compel him.” He had been. Shit, Theo had some balls. “Oh.” She licked his lips. One day she’d get her lips on his balls, but not now. This better not have blown her Council chances with Henri. “He’s new.” Would Henri take Theo’s probings personally? If so, they’d have a problem. She wouldn’t let anything hurt Theo. Her hand strayed near to a weapon, but at Henri’s tensing, she withdrew it. Best to keep this civil. “He’s powerful.” Henri took another sip from his glass. “Even with my mind closed off from him, I can feel his tendrils seeking entrance. I think many vampires with lesser psyches won’t be able to keep him out of their mind.” “He seems to have the power of compulsion.” Henri quirked one eyebrow up. “You can compel people to do your will? Make them do the things you want?” Theo nodded. “Seems that way. I call it pushing them. I did a lot accidentally before…when I was human. I’d wind up getting what I wanted from people.” “I witnessed it when he was a human.” Anna Grace tapped a nail on her knee. “So far, it’s only worked on humans since he was turned. But, we haven’t tried practicing much. We’ve been a little busy…” Her face heated, thinking about the plane. God, she’d been so close to ripping off his clothes and taking him. If only they’d not been interrupted. Her juices flowed remembering the touch of his mouth and hands. And all of Gates’s stupid comments. Yep, one day she was going to bite him. “I’ve never met anyone who had such power as a human before.” Theo’s nose twitched.


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So he could smell her arousal. Big shitting deal. She crossed her legs. She could smell his arousal, too, in the light drop of pre-come, which had dripped from his cock. Henri’s nostrils flared. Which could he smell? Her or Theo? Or most likely, both? Her beast rose in frustration. Mine. She squelched it as Henri talked. “Most vampires have strong psyches. My guess is the ones who aren’t as proficient in that area will be the ones he can affect. With training, he might be able to push more powerful vampires. It’s quite a power, mind control.” Yes, it was. Her eyes sought out Theo’s again. After this was over, all of it, she was going to have to devote some time to teaching him to use his powers. So far, his control had been in place on his vampire. But as the senses kicked in, which the vampire blood activated, he might start having trouble. No, it wasn’t the most ideal time to bring a new vampire into the world. But they’d find their way. “This is all fascinating. But, Titius has already landed here. He left Richmond before we did. He’s already had time in the state to look for Nick. If we’re going to warn him, we’d better get busy.” A smile graced Henri’s lips. “You would go the lengths you have for someone you don’t even know? Rushing here to save them?” “Titius killed a good friend. I don’t want to see that happen to Nick.” Henri somehow looked pleased with her answer. Would that help when it came down to talking about the Council? “Nick’s better equipped than you might think. He has his…how do you say it? Ace in the hole? But an early warning might prepare them better if Titius does happen to find him. I’ll tell you where he is. I think you might benefit from meeting him and his ace.” “Thank God.” Something was going her way. Theo cleared his throat. “Why not call him?” Shit. Anna Grace hadn’t thought about that. New technology took getting used to. Hell, that was half the reason her kind fought with knives and swords most of the time. “I would. But he’s in a place where service is spotty at best for his cell. He can’t get service inside the house he’s staying in. And he doesn’t have a house line. Neither has been needed as he’s been busy. It will be more reliable to tell him in person.” Henri reached for a pad. “I will keep trying him, but coverage has seemed even worse lately. Not unusual at all. Had there been a problem, Sarah would have contacted me. By other means.” “Thank you. Give me his address, and I’ll go to him. Warn him.” And try to convince him to throw in with the Council. If Mancuso did, that might help Henri decide. “Theo, go into the kitchen and see Nathan for some blood.” Henri directed Theo with a shake of his head in that direction. “You’ll need it for your journey, especially after traveling all night here.” Theo ambled around the same corner, which Nathan had.

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“Henri, I would like to talk to you about the Council later. It’s…well, it’s getting off the ground. We need to unify so that when we have threats like Titius, we can deal with them more effectively. Plus, it will help us…” Henri held up a hand to stop her. “I know all the arguments for forming the Council. But, I wonder how you will handle those -- animalistic -- of our kind.” “Why?” “Because of what I do when I meet one. I have no wish to join a Council which prevents me from doing what I must do.” His lips set in a firm line. “It’s not something we discussed. But I can’t imagine anyone would prevent you.” She closed her eyes a moment. “You’re the one responsible for…making the vampire lines so stable that we can do this now.” “You give me far too much credit.” “I don’t. Your culling of our ranks has helped considerably. Plus, you have created some of the most stable vampires out there. Nathan. Bastian. Amaretto.” His eyelashes fluttered down before opening to reveal eyes, which looked into the depths of her psyche. “You give me far too much credit. Regardless, it is something I will think about. Anna Grace?” “Yes.” “You have a special case in Theo. His powers are strong. And they need protecting from those who would abuse him.” “I’m not sure what you mean.” “Other vampires would kill to get him in their ranks with his abilities. They’d kill you to get him.” “I know.” She ran a hand through hair. “After I found his power, I knew. But there’s no way to protect him other than my skills. I’ll do my best.” She’d do more than that if she could. “There is another way to protect him from all of that.” Henri’s eyes glittered in the light from the lamp. “What do you mean?” Her mouth dried a little. “There’s no way.” “There’s a simple bonding ceremony. It works to bond two vampires together. Forever. In life and in death. That can help protect the special cases. Like yourself, though your gift protects you from most abuse. But it could protect Theo. If someone took him by force and made him theirs, it would not go well for him.” She shook her head. “It would never work. It can’t.” Nothing could bond two people together like that, could it? Yet, a part of her jumped for joy at the possibility. The same part that said “mine” when she saw him.


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“You feel protective toward him. And I scented both your arousals earlier. You both want each other.” She nodded. “It’s been crazy since he was made. I…have to get Titius this time.” His killing of Kent had sent him over a line with her. She wouldn’t stop until he was no more. What that meant for Theo, she didn’t know. Her responsibility to him must be met as well. She wouldn’t mention this bonding shit to him yet. Not as if she believed it anyway, or at least not yet. “Because of your shielding your true nature, your emotional psyche isn’t as protected as some vampires can do, especially from those of us with skill at finding minute holes. I sense how you feel for Theo. I felt your beast rise. Your wanting to take him in front of me to show who he belonged to.” There was no condemnation in his tone. Only careful consideration. She opened her mouth to deny it. An unintelligible noise crept out. No use denying what he’d felt. He’d sensed too much of her true nature. She cleared her throat before finding her voice again. “He doesn’t belong to me.” “My dear Anna Grace.” Henri smiled lightly. “Haven’t you considered the obvious? That he’s your mate?”

***** Theo walked through the door as if he hadn’t heard what Henri said or been standing there a minute. His heart pounded as he swallowed, trying to calm it down. Could they hear it? Most likely. He’d only heard the last comment of the conversation, but what a doozy it was. Anna Grace looked as if Henri had struck her. Maybe he had. With something she didn’t like the sound of. Was it that bad to think of being mated to him? Maybe it was. He put on his best game face, unwilling to let them know he’d heard the comment. “Are you ready to go? Or are you still discussing anything?” Henri surveyed him with eyes, which looked a little too knowing for his comfort. “Did you get some meals to tide you over?” Anna Grace jumped to her feet. “We’re done here. Weren’t discussing anything important. We need to get moving and make contact with Nick.” Theo’s gut tightened as if a knife had sliced through it at the words, “anything important,” without even a, “we’ll talk about it later,” to either of them. The cut of disappointment. So, they’d met only a short time ago. He felt things for Anna Grace he’d never encountered before. But the way she’d blown off Henri’s comment about mates, it was obvious she didn’t feel the same way. She had no interest in being mated to him. They’d only known each other a few hours. It wasn’t enough time to get attached like this to her. She obviously hadn’t to him. He bucked up his best smile. “I did get some blood to tide us over. And a small cooler to keep things fresh in. How far away does Nick live?”

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“About an hour or so. I’ve not heard from him recently. Nothing from out of the ordinary. He sometimes goes months without calling.” Henri leaned over to pick up a pad of paper and a pencil. He scratched on it with the lead. “So he is in Michigan?” Anna Grace shuffled her feet. Her boots clumped. “Titius has that right?” “Yes. They’d traveled around some before coming back here a few months ago. How Titius found this out, I’d like to know.” Theo would like to know how Titius had found out about the pictures. Something more powerful than Titius had to be going on. “I’ll tell you when I come back through. To discuss the Vampire Council.” She tossed a wink to Henri. Theo swallowed loudly. A part of him wanted to jump on top of Anna Grace and not let her up. A part of him looked at her and saw home. And it wasn’t a part of him he’d ever noticed before. He clenched his hands into fists. He wanted to claim her as his and didn’t like the interaction between her and others. He’d better get a handle on that feeling because she wouldn’t take kindly to it, mates or not. Taking a deep breath, he unfurled his fingers. Nathan padded into the living room. “Should we join in the fray? Of keeping Titius away?” He grinned, showing white teeth. “Quite the poet, aren’t I?” “A real Wordsworth.” Henri’s dry tone said he’d heard the joke before. “I don’t think Nick needs me to marshal around him and Sarah. They can take care of themselves. Knowing Titius, it would make him…vengeful.” Henri turned his attention back to Anna Grace. “I will think about your Council. That’s all I can say for now.” Sarah? Who was that? He hadn’t heard that name mentioned in connection with Nick, though Nathan had talked about the woman who Nick was with as if she was a goddess. The name sounded familiar. Where did he know it from? It only took a minute for his mind to call up the facts.

The Vampire Murders. Sarah Connelly had been the one to see the killer. They’d printed enough about her in the papers for anyone to figure out her identity. A reporter and he had discussed the dangers of that. “Who is Sarah? Is she originally from Richmond?” Nathan leaned on the chair, which Henri had been sitting in. “Sarah is Nick’s mate. Not many know of her existence. She’s…special. And, yes, he met her in Richmond.” “I appreciate your willingness to think about the Council a lot.” Anna Grace nodded to Henri. Her face looked impassive. “That’s all I can ask of you.” Henri handed her the paper, which she took in one hand. “Here are the directions. Tell them that I gave them to you and tell Nick, ‘If from one angle it seems hopeless, maybe you need to change the angle’. He’ll know that came from me. I’ve told it to him enough. And think also about what I said, Anna Grace. Nick can help you there.”


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“I will. Think about it, that is.” Theo put his hand on her back. How many sparks did she shoot off in him from a mere touch? He quickly withdrew his hand. She wouldn’t want the attention. “It was nice to meet you, Nathan. Henri.” Henri held out a hand, which Theo quickly clasped. Henri held it for a moment. “Be patient. With everything.” He looked at Nathan. “Did you two say you hadn’t tested his mental powers on vampires? Other than me? How about you, Anna Grace?” Her face flushed beautifully. “He…pushed me before he became a vampire. So, I have no doubts he could do it now. But my psyche’s not strong when I’m in hiding. Other than you, no, he hasn’t tried it on a vampire since he became a vampire.” He could push Anna Grace into more with him. Her admission confirmed it. He’d had the thought earlier. But, then, he’d never know if it was truly him or the push, which prompted it. And he wanted her feelings to be for him, not because of an impulse he’d created in her mind. So pushing her that way wasn’t anything that would ever happen. “Perhaps we should do that. Before you two leave. In case Titius does find you. You should know for sure.” Henri turned his body to the side to face Nathan. “Theo has the ability to push people into doing things.” “Mind control?” Nathan guffawed. “Way to go, Theo. That’s one we never thought a vampire would have, despite Hollywood’s notions.” Theo sighed. “It’s a gift.” “I’d like Theo to try something on you. He did so on me earlier. He couldn’t get through my psyche though.” Henri shrugged his shoulders. His tone held no smugness at being able to avoid Theo’s talents. “You want to see if he can get through mine?” There was no malice detected at the implied supposition that Nathan’s mind wasn’t as strong as Henri’s. Nathan stated the fact outright. Henri nodded to Nathan. “It will tell them how good his gift will be in a fight against Titius. That’s information you need to know in a skirmish. Nathan is strong, but not as skilled as I am at keeping others at bay.” Anna Grace stepped forward. “You don’t have to do this.” “Better to find out here, than in a fight. Last time, I got lucky I could influence Titius. I don’t want to count on it and not be able to this time. I mean hopefully, I can like before, but it would be nice to know for sure.” Theo rubbed his forehead. Would it hurt going against a vampire like it had last time? With a human it hadn’t hurt. But with Titius, it had hurt as if a poker had gone into his brain and pushed around. Of course, that was until Titius had taken the dagger and cut open his stomach. Somehow, his head pain had eased after that. “But…” She folded her arms in front of her ample chest. His cock shimmied to life again. Damn, but they’d taste so good. Her skin tasted so succulent. So sweet. He’d enjoyed

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their encounters thus far. She had the immediate ability to distract him from anything. He shook his head to clear it. Nathan noticed and amusement danced in his eyes. “Theo’s right.” Henri leaned forward. “It’s better to find out this way than in the heat of battle. Nathan, are you willing?” Nathan let loose a grin from ear to ear. “Only if I get payback from you.” “From me?” Theo frowned, looking at the fair-headed man. Making out with another man hadn’t been discussed before. Nor was it something he’d ever anticipated. He’d rather make out with Anna Grace. “Not you.” Nathan grunted after his words with his expression going from serene to horrified. “From Henri.” “Oh.” That was better. And, Henri didn’t look as if giving Nathan payback would be any big deal. Henri reached out a hand to stroke gently along Nathan’s jaw. “Your usual payment, Nathan?” Longing ran through Theo. What would it be like to be so much in love like this? They radiated deep emotions for the other. Anna Grace said they’d been together over a century. What a long time for a love to burn so hot and last so long. His eyes stole to Anna Grace. She watched Nathan and Henri as he did. She bore an unreadable expression on her face. What was she thinking? If only he could read minds as well as control them. “Damn right.” Nathan pressed a kiss against Henri’s finger before drawing it into his mouth. Henri’s breath caught in a hitch. He swallowed, the sound evident in the room. “Agreed.” He seemed reluctant to pull away from Nathan but did so. His head turned to Theo. “Theo, let’s see if you can compel Nathan.” “What should I push him to do?” Theo still wasn’t used to doing this on command. When he’d been human, it had mostly been used unintentionally. Something would make him realize it had escaped it without his meaning it to. “Nothing sexual.” Nathan popped a knuckle on the index finger of his right hand. “I’m already having those thoughts.” He winked at Henri. “We’d never know if I did it myself or he caused me to.” Henri let out a soft growl as arousal swirled around the room. He took a deep breath to compose himself. “Nathan, move away so you don’t hear what I tell Theo.” Nathan shook his head but moved over a few steps, turning his back on them. Henri whispered. “How about a push to watch TV?” He glanced over at the silent box. His voice rose. “How long do these pushes last?”


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Anna Grace said, “The one with Titius lasted a while.” Her eyes wouldn’t meet Theo’s. “He couldn’t hurt me at all before he left. I wasn’t with him afterward to see exactly how long, but it was longer than a few minutes.” Theo nodded. “It’s lasted for about a half an hour with some people.” It lasted long enough to set things in motion in his favor. “But, once he does it, he should be out from under my control. There aren’t any side effects.” Once he’d answered Theo’s push, the impulse would be sated. “Once the suggestion is satisfied, tampering with it wouldn’t upset him.” He didn’t mention what Henri had suggested. “Hello, I am still in the room. I don’t like it when people talk about me as if I’m not.” Nathan glared as he turned to face them. Theo concentrated, his mind going out of him. He poked at Nathan’s mind, seeing a hole in the fabric of the psyche. He slipped inside it and implanted the suggestion. Watch TV. Watch TV. It took several swipes. It was much harder than Gates or anything he’d done as a human. He found the blockage and curved around it to implant the suggestion. Nathan reached out and switched the TV on. A cartoon blasted from it with bright lights and loud noise. “I hate daytime TV, so no way would I be doing this on my own, by the way. I can’t stop myself.” Henri chuckled warmly. “I think that answers our question. Theo can compel other vampires, who might not have as strong a psyche as he does, not only Anna Grace. Nathan’s psyche is fairly strong. You have quite a talent already.” Anna Grace folded her arms in front of her. “Well, we’d better get going, Theo. Hopefully, it’ll be before Titius finds them.” Theo stuck one hand in his pocket as he headed out to the car, with the other one holding the light cooler. He stuck the cooler in the back after securing two bags from it. Would she tell him anything on her own? Now that they were alone? She took the bag, heading for the driver’s seat without saying a word. He reached out a hand, holding it out to stop her. “I’m driving this time.”

***** “Are we there yet?” Anna Grace leaned her seat back for the fourth time. She’d lean it back, then push it forward, trying to get comfortable. Riding wasn’t something she was used to. Most people let her drive after a while. It was easier on their nerves. At least Theo was driving fast, just not fast enough for her impatience. “Does it look as if we’re there? You’ve asked that ten times.” His mouth clenched the words out through tight teeth. “Now I know why my parents were always ready to smack me on trips like this.”

What bug crawled up your ass? She kept that response in by a millisecond of control. “I’m eager to get to Nick’s.” She looked out the window at the scenery rolling by quickly.

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Theo had been snippy since they’d left Henri’s.

He could have overheard your conversation. Shit. He’d come into the living room as if he hadn’t heard anything. But suppose he’d heard Henri’s pronouncement that they could be mates. Her eyes closed. Henri had smacked her with some things she’d already thought of, but hearing someone else say it made it that more real. Theo could be her mate. She’d never had such intense feelings for anyone. Not even Kent. She’d loved Kent, but she wasn’t in love with him. That could be different with Theo if she let it. He made her body tingle whenever he was close. His looks and voice could send shivers up her spine. And something in her looked at him and saw home. That had never happened before. Even now, with eyes closed, she could see him. Hands clenched on the steering wheel. Eyes facing forward to the road but taking small peeks at her. Hair laying in waves over his head. Full lips curled up into a frown. Muscular legs surrounding a hard-on of epic proportions, obviously shown through his pants. From what Henri said, this bonding ceremony was something that would conjoin two people forever. It must unite their souls. Even in death. She shivered. That was a long fucking time to be with someone. Marriage between humans was one thing. But, divorce rates told how hard it was to stay together. Vampire mates were bad enough. It was why she’d never thought she’d find hers. This mating bond was even worse. Yes, she was better suited to being a bitch than a mate. She hadn’t been able to protect Kent, an old lover and friend. Losing him would haunt her forever. What if she couldn’t protect Theo? Kent’s death had hurt her more than words could express. To get close to Theo and lose him would be even harder. Or worse, what if they bonded to protect him, and after a month of being with her, he decided to go? “Penny for your thoughts.” His voice softened, the lowest it had been since they’d pulled out onto the road. “They’re worth more like a quarter.” She sighed, opening her eyes. The scenery continued to rush by. “Nathan was nice enough.” He paused. “Did you get anything out of Henri besides talk of the Council? She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Had he heard them after all? “Nope. Nothing at all. Are we almost…”


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“Damn, but you’re one-track minded.” His voice reflected humor instead of irritation. “We’re close.” “Good.” “In fact, here’s the driveway.” He turned into a winding drive into some woods. They bumped around as the car navigated potholes. As they reached the end of the drive, she looked at the log cabin, which rested on a small lake in the woods. How picturesque. “This is the address that Henri gave?” Theo parked the car. “I followed the directions. This has got to be the place. And, it says it’s supposed to be a log cabin.” He turned off the engine. “Looks quiet.” She opened her door before stepping out. “Yeah.” The slight scent of a burning fire wafted to her nose. They walked up to the front porch together. Anna Grace rang the doorbell and knocked on the door. She could hear voices inside. Music was playing. “Nick. We need to talk to you. It’s important. Henri sent us.” The door flung open. A rumpled, messy man leveled a gun at Anna Grace and Theo. “What the hell do you want?”

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Chapter Twelve Theo scrambled up the steps closer to Anna Grace. Not quite the greeting they’d expected. And, they hadn’t even told him why they were there yet. Not a good sign. Anna Grace’s face stayed level with Nick’s. “Hello, Nick. Henri told us where you are. That’s how we found you. We have to talk to you about something.” Her hand went down to her pants and stayed there, but she didn’t pull anything. Nick’s hand tightened on the gun. He’d seen Anna Grace’s hands go down. The way he’d looked them up and down, he’d been checking for weapons. “He told us to tell you, ‘If from one angle it seems hopeless, maybe you need to change the angle.’ So you’d know we are for real. He said he told you that enough.” Nick nodded. “That he did. Only he’d tell me that. But, I’m a little busy right now.” “It’s important. Titius is in Michigan, looking for you.” The gun dropped down, still clutched in his hand. “There’s no way. Henri and I covered my tracks to prevent anyone from finding me. And why would he want me?” “It’s the truth.” Theo stepped up one step more. It squeaked under his weight. “He was in Richmond, trying to locate you. Now, he’s here. And it’s probably only a matter of time before he finds you.” If only they knew how he was getting all this information. Who knew what Titius would figure out next? And how would he use it? “This is not a good time for me to have a visit from anyone, much less Titius.” Nick raked his free hand through his hair. “Dammit, we haven’t seen each other in years. What does he want with me?” A woman shimmied out the door behind Nick. Her wavy red hair swayed along with her hips as she danced to music only she could hear. She wore a shimmering sundress of some incandescent material. “It’s the Irish wench and the picture taker. Welcome to hell.” She executed a perfect curtsy.


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Nick grunted, reholstering his weapon. “Sarah, let’s go back inside. Come in, we need to talk.” Irish wench? Picture taker? Theo’s eyes narrowed. How the hell had she known that stuff? Maybe she wasn’t as crazy as she looked. “But I want to dance. Dance -- dance -- dance.” She swirled around the small porch. “Wheee.” This was Sarah? Theo watched her move around. From what Nathan had said about her, he’d expected someone a little more stable. But she reminded him of someone. Who was it? Something niggled at his memory. Nick gripped her shoulders, gently trying to propel her. “Come on, ma petite. We need to go back inside.” “Spoilsport. Worse than him you are.” She didn’t fight but allowed Nick to guide her back inside. Theo followed behind Anna Grace. Her ass swung in a delicious motion back and forth. She’d gone back to leathers once they’d gotten to Michigan. First time he’d ever wanted to be a cow. Yeah, she had a way of distracting him. The smell of burning wood assaulted Theo’s nose as they walked inside. He’d mostly adjusted to his vampire senses, but strong things like this still set him off. His eyes watered as tried to adjust to the sharp smell. It was chillier than the heat of Richmond, but why have a fire? Nathan and Henri had had one, too. Must be a Michigan thing. “Why don’t you lie down for a bit? I need to talk to our visitors.” Nick walked down a back hallway. He was gone a minute, then closed the door behind him before locking it. “This isn’t a good time for us.” “So you’ve said.” Anna Grace sat down on a love seat. Theo supposed there were other names for the different shades in the room, but it was all brown to him. “We are sorry to bring the news, but you need to be on alert. Titius is looking hard for you.” “How did Titius find out I was in Michigan?” Nick paced. “Who are you two? You said you were from Henri. That was all I needed to know to let you in.” It was obvious what was going on with Sarah was tearing him up inside and distracting him from protocols like introductions, but he’d visually checked them for weapons before letting them in. If Henri hadn’t given them the sentence, they’d still be out on the front porch or driving away. “I’m Theo.” Theo offered his hand, which Nick shook. “I’m Anna Grace. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances.” She shifted. “I think he wants you to join him. His most successful run of…mayhem was with you. And you know he doesn’t like to be told no. I take it you have no interest in joining him.” “No. Never again.” “We don’t know how he found you. It’s a puzzle.” Theo took a seat by Anna Grace. His body touching hers warmed him. She fit so softly against him. Her scent overtook the wood.

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He’d never smelled something that made him so ready to jump someone’s bones. Arousal chafed at his nerves. Anna Grace shifted beside her. Her thighs clenched together. Her musky scent reached his nostrils, causing them to flare. He looked down at her, but she wouldn’t look over at him. He returned his attention to Nick. He swallowed before continuing. Focus. “What’s wrong with Sarah? The way Nathan spoke of her, I wasn’t expecting someone so…” “Crazy? She didn’t used to be.” Nick’s hands clenched into fists. “A few nights ago, she began acting this way. I don’t understand it. I thought we were past the instability of her becoming a vampire. It’s almost as if she’s someone else at times.” His jaw tightened. “She’s not herself, that’s for sure. She’s bitten me. And not…I mean, not like usual. It’s as if someone has invaded her psyche. But that’s impossible.” “I hate to rush us.” Anna Grace tapped a finger on her knee. “But Titius will find you. And if he can, he’ll make it impossible for you not to join him. If you want to get away before he comes, now is the time to do it.” Nick stopped pacing. “I won’t run from him. I would send Sarah away but…” He blew out a breath. “I…can’t even control her the way she is now. She’s gotten away from me. And she’s unpredictable. She keeps dancing around as if she hears music all the time.” A sad smile graced his lips. “And she’s never been so graceful like this as though she’s a real dancer. The other night, she fell to the ground, holding her head. She kept yelling, ‘Get out.’ It took forever to calm her down. She’s slashed her wrists up. She’s hurt me. Early in this, she kept saying we had to leave. To get away. I don’t know how moving her would go now, especially without me. She wouldn’t leave without me.” “I…have a score to settle with Titius. He’s mine. Theo can ensure you and Sarah get away if you want. While I wait for him here.” Theo’s head drew up. He wasn’t going to leave her alone to face Titius. But another thought got in the way of that before he could articulate it. The woman who’d been with Titius. Chey. She’d been graceful and limber. Dancing as if she heard music in her head. And while they’d been at Theo’s apartment, she’d fallen to the ground, talking about the woman trying to drive her out of her head. She’d rolled over and over, saying, “Get out. Get out. Get out.” No. It couldn’t be. But that was who Sarah reminded him of. He rubbed a hand over his face. “Sarah’s special, right?” Nick’s haunted face drifted to meet his. “More than you know. Are you Irish? Like she said?” Anna Grace nodded. “And I’m a photographer. What are her powers?” Nick arched a brow. “Why do you want to know?”


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“I’m working on theory about something. It might help explain some things going on. Her powers are?” “Her psyche is strong. Stronger than mine. She can mind talk with almost anyone. She’s also been able to move things with her mind, but we’re still working to control that. Making her a vampire put a delay in that training.” “Can she link with other people? Other vampires?” He wasn’t sure he was telling Nick enough about what he was looking for. “Can she connect her mind with others? Maybe even exchange psyches with them?” Nick looked thoughtful. “Yes, she’s done it once. Sort of. When she was still human. It’s how we met. But she’s learned how to control her feelers. She couldn’t have sought out any connections.” “This may sound a bit crazy.” He turned to Anna Grace. “Remember the woman who was with Titius that night? Chey?” “Yeah.” Understanding reflected in her eyes. “You think?” “I do. I think Chey and Sarah are connected in some way. As if they are in each other’s minds.” Anna Grace rubbed a hand over her mouth, stifling a yawn. Her entire body itched. Theo and she were both scratching from sunlight exposure. They’d traveled all night and all day. “Do you think that’s possible?” She’d never heard of anyone being connected like that, vampires or humans. Of course, she’d also never heard of another vampire who had a dampening field similar to hers, nor mind control as Theo possessed. Nick sank into a chair. “I suppose it’s possible. She did so with a former lover of mine, though not at all to this degree. She was asleep when it happened before all but once. And it hasn’t happened since. I thought we’d protected her powers with the bonding ceremony.” He leaned forward. “This…Chey? Is she a vampire? Is she special? This connection would make so many things make sense that have been happening.” “We don’t know a lot about her.” Theo rested his arm behind Anna Grace. She tried not to think about it being back there, and how much it made her yearn to be in his arms. “She came into Theo’s the night Titius came there. We only saw her for a few minutes. She did act a little strange. I think she was a vampire.” “She acted more than a little strange. I didn’t know what she was at first either. I’m…special, too. Sometimes, I can’t sense other vampires so well.” Oh, yeah, Theo had still been human at that point so he’d had no idea what either of them was. It had been before Titius killed him. Before Titius killed Kent and Agrippa. Anna Grace’s hands fisted on top of her legs. “And she lay on the floor as Sarah did. I’m betting they did that at the same time.”

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“Did she have brown eyes? Sarah’s eyes have been looking more brown than green the last few hours. I thought it must be tricks of light. But last time a link happened, her eyes went blue, the color of Marcus’s eyes, during an intense connection.” “That I don’t remember. We didn’t see her for long.” “Oh, damn.” Nick sat up straighter in his chair. “What?” Theo asked. “She’s talked about ‘General.’ It never hit me before. I thought it was all part of her…going crazy. I haven’t thought of Titius in years. Much less about what he was in his human past.” “Shit.” Anna Grace blew out a breath. If nothing else had been evidence of the connection, this definitely was. What did that mean for them? It sure made it harder for Nick and Sarah to run from Titius. He’d find them no matter where they went. “What? General?” Theo had a puzzled scowl on his face. “What does that mean?” “Titius was a former Roman general. He made me. But I haven’t seen him…” Nick shook his head. “Since not long after I was created.” “Man. I think that’s how she knew how to find you, Nick. This connection…it’s led him right to you.” Nick’s eyes glittered. “Which ensures I have to stay and face him. Get Chey’s mind away from Sarah’s. Or she’ll continue to act this way. Or worse -- lose her mind completely.” “Theo, this connection still doesn’t explain how he knew you had taken photographs of him. Or where you were.” Not that it mattered so much in the grand scheme of things. But it was important to know what they were up against, and this might be a part of Titius’s plans. Anna Grace liked to have all the information going into a fight. “I have a theory on that, too.” Theo’s lips curved up in a grin. He looked pleased that they agreed with his scenario. “If I had Internet access, I could find a news story, which might confirm my idea.” “What is your theory?” Anna Grace shifted in the seat. “Before…things went nutty, they called me to work. They said they had a big story. There’d been a murder of a psychic shop owner. Her daughter was suspected and missing.” Theo moved his arm closer to Anna Grace. “Suppose Chey’s that daughter? And suppose she had real psychic ability. Becoming a vampire would make it that much stronger. If I had an Internet connection, I could find out for sure. Damn, if I had cell phone service, I could find out for sure.” “Go down to the dock.” Nick tossed his head back toward the small lake. “There’s much better reception out there. Hell, the boathouse is mine. Take the boat out. Middle of the lake has great reception. I haven’t trusted Sarah to leave her and call anyone about what’s going on. Not that anyone could help me.” He let out a wry grin. “No one’s ever dealt with what


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she is before. We’ve had to find things out through trial and error on our own for the most part.” “We’ll do that.” The sooner they figured out things out the better. “We could call Henri, too. Let him know.” Nick could use his mentor here to perhaps help deal with Sarah. Too bad that they were too far apart for much telepathy, and phones had been such a problem. Henri might have already known about circumstances here before they’d arrived. “What did Titius do?” “What?’ “You said you had a score to settle with him. What did he do? To you?” Anna Grace’s lips pursed. “I had to make Theo a vampire to save him. He…” She licked her dried out lips. “He killed a good friend. Two good friends. He’d already killed people before that I knew. This…everything, made it even more personal.” “I’m sorry about your losses.” Nick waved a hand. “I don’t sense you, Anna Grace. I thought you were a human at first.” “I have a dampening field. It shields me from most other vampires. I’m special too, I suppose.” “You two found each other fast.” Anna Grace blinked at Nick. “We were together when it happened. That’s all.” It was Nick’s turn to blink. “I thought… Never mind.” His eyes glanced from Theo to Anna Grace. “Never mind.” Shit and shinola. Nick had thought they were mates. She didn’t have to be psychic to figure that one out. Did they wear some kind of a sign? Had Theo put it together? “I…he’s a new vampire.” “Does he have special powers, too? As you do?” “He can use mind control. On vampires whose psyches aren’t equipped to keep him out, or on humans.” Theo remained silent, not offering up anything else. It reminded her of how he’d been in the car. She’d hurt him at Henri’s. It was inadvertent. Maybe she’d better tell him this wasn’t about him. It was about her. He probably thought her reluctance revolved around him. Maybe that would ease his emotions. “Interesting.” “Yeah. Yeah it is.” Theo shifted his weight. “You mentioned a bonding ceremony earlier. Said you thought it would have protected Sarah’s powers.” She looked down at her knees, willing Nick not to answer. This wasn’t the time to go into all this.

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“It’s a simple bonding for special vampires.” Nick shrugged. “It bonds two vampires for an eternity. It also gives each of you powers over the other’s gifts. No one can use Sarah to fight their battles. They could never get her gifts away from me.” “Isn’t that what Chey’s doing?” Theo’s eyebrows furrowed. She couldn’t help but smile at his curious nature. “Not exactly. It’s more about controlling the powers. Chey and she are connected. Chey has to have powers of her own. They aren’t using each other’s gifts, they’ve simply connected them. They’d linked their powers and therefore their psyches.” Anna Grace didn’t understand it all, but it seemed to make sense to Nick and to Theo. She stood up. “We’d better get out to the lake.” She needed to talk to Theo. She’d made a mess of things with him on the mating situation. Time to nip it before it spread further. Nick stood up to face them. “Take all the time you need. I know you have a lot to discuss.” He seemed almost relieved to have someone else there. He’d been going through this alone. And it had to be hard watching someone you cared for go through it. What would that be like? She’d often wondered. “I’m going to check on Sarah. I’ll see you when you get back up here.” Theo nodded. “Come on, let’s walk down there. I don’t think Titius knows where we are yet in Michigan. Or Sarah would be spouting it.” “You’re right.” Nick nodded in agreement. “She would tell us. She’d told me he’s coming to Michigan. I didn’t understand then. But she’s never said, he’s coming here. I think if he’d found us, she would be telling it. I’ll tell you when that changes.” “Hopefully that won’t be for a while. Don’t wait up for us. We might be out there a while trying t o get reception and talking. Especially since we know Titius must not be on his way yet.” “As I said, take your time.” His mouth set in a grim line, he walked back through the hallway and disappeared. “I’ll yell if I need you. You can hear me from anywhere on the lake.” Anna Grace waited for Theo to get up from the love seat. “Come on. Let’s do this. Afterwards, we can get some sleep.” She’d make him understand what a terrible woman she was. Then, he’d understand why she could never be anyone’s mate.

***** Theo loped down the path, following Anna Grace. If he hadn’t known before, he now had been convinced. Anna Grace didn’t want to be mated. He might get a quick fuck out of her, but she’d never be bound to him. And, it shouldn’t matter. But somehow, a quick fuck wasn’t going to satisfy the longing inside of him. The longings, which had intensified since he’d become a vampire. Some part of him, the same part which reared up and said “Feed me” when it saw or smelled blood, also looked at Anna Grace and said “Mine.”


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The lake lapped at the edges of the shore in a rhythmic motion. The water looked dark and murky. It smelled of standing water, though he saw few lily pads. Anna Grace whipped out her cell phone. She looked at it curiously. “It’s now got three bars instead of no service. That should be enough. We could go out in the boat, I guess. Nick could still let us know when things change with Sarah, and Titius is coming.” “Let’s try it from here.” He pulled out his phone from his jeans pocket to check service. “Use mine.” She tossed it to him. He repocketed his. She’d let him use her cell, but not consider him as a mate. The story of his life. “O.K.” She picked up several rocks and tossed them one by one into the lake. He dialed the station, getting through to his manager. The one who’d told Kent about him. Theo made sure to tell him he was with Kent’s friend. Then, he asked for information. “Anna Grace, will this thing receive a picture?” “I think so.” A few minutes later he had a grainy picture, and Chester had told him details of the case. He flashed Anna Grace the image from the phone. “Look familiar?” Her breath sucked in as she took the cell for a closer look. “That’s Chey. The woman from your apartment that night.” “Her whole name is Cheyenne Smith. Her mother ran a psychic reading shop. Her friends and neighbors all said Chey was a quiet girl, but nuts. She’d dance all the time. And, she’d spout things off about people, which she shouldn’t know. Sometimes from great distances. A cousin who lived in northern Virginia? She saw his death.” “She was a real psychic. She could sense things from people.” He nodded. “I’m thinking that’s how Titius knew about me. Somehow, she picked up that I had the pictures. And gave him my name. Once he had that, it was easy enough to find me.” He was glad to know finally. “And, she was nuts. So that explains why Sarah’s picking up the insanity.” “We need to figure out how to break this connection. Now that they are in the same state…it’s only a matter of time before he finds us.” Anna Grace turned to the lake, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. “When he comes, I’m going to kill him.” “I know.” He took two steps toward her, then stopped. She didn’t want him. Never had and never would. The urges to be with her had to pass. She’d leave him behind soon. Probably only a sense of duty as his maker kept her with him right now. The waves continued to slurp at the shoreline. The sun broke free of a cloud chain, beaming out its rays. His fingers dug into the skin on his forearm. He’d almost forgotten

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about all the itchiness from today. He saw why vampires were nocturnal. The sun was an aggravation. “Theo?” “Yes.” “We need to talk.” She didn’t turn around but toed a boot into the dirt. She turned up a rock. “About mates.” “There’s nothing to talk about.” He kept his voice neutral. “Why don’t you call Henri? Tell him what’s going on.” “We need to talk first. There is something to talk about.” “No, there’s not. You don’t want to be mated. That’s cool, Anna Grace. You don’t need to explain anything to me.” She owed him nothing. They’d gone on a date because he pushed her, and she’d made him because he was dying. That was the extent of their relationship. Oh, and they’d had a few hot instances of making out. His nerve ending pulsed. Her clit had been so responsive on his porch, poking up to be petted and licked. “Theo, it’s not that I don’t want to be mated.” Her voice rose a notch. “I’m not mate material.” He took in her curves and hair. Thought of everything they’d been through together. She was funny, tough, vulnerable, courageous and sexy as hell. Why wouldn’t she be mate material? “What?” He kept his voice impassive. “I’m a bitch. I’m not a mate. I…I’m cranky. I get irritated. Impatient. When things aren’t in my control, I…well, I suck at that. I curse a lot. I’m flawed. I’ve never had a relationship last over a few months.” “Then they were fools.” The comment slipped out before he could stop it. He bit his lip. So much for staying neutral. Her laugh sounded bitter. “You say that now. Now, when you only barely know me. Even Kent, who had the patience of a turtle, couldn’t put up with me. I decided with him, if he couldn’t, no one could.” She continued to rub her hands up and down her arms as she turned to him. “I do one-night stands. Fucking. That’s all I know how to do.” “Who says we’re mates?” “Apparently everyone. I think Nick thought we were. Henri definitely did.” “And what do you say?” Theo blew out a breath. “Because that’s what’s important. No one else matters. Only we do.” The sun loped back behind a big gray cloud. “I could lie to you. But, I won’t. I look at you and see things that I’ve never seen before. Feel things I’ve never felt with anyone.” Her voice took on a renewed strength. “I know myself though. And, I don’t have what it takes to be your mate.” “Anna Grace, you don’t know if you do or not. Isn’t the deal with mates, there’s only one per vampire? Each vampire has one person they are mated to?”


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“Well, yeah. I think so.” Her forehead furrowed. A slight breeze rustled the leaves around them and blew her hair back from her face. “So, if you hadn’t met your mate, it wasn’t meant to be with all those others. Right?” He took a deep breath. “If we’re mates, it’s only meant for you to be with me. So, it couldn’t last before now, not until you met me. It wasn’t anything you did or didn’t do. It had to do with the fates and not your personality.” Her hand went to her mouth. It shook. She must not have thought of that logic. Good, because she wasn’t flawed. She was perfect. “I don’t know that we’re mates. I know…like you, I see things in you, which I’ve never seen before in anyone. I react to you as I have to no other. Both the vampire I’m adjusting to and the human want you more than anything. What that means, I don’t know yet.” Theo took a step closer. “But don’t we owe it to that thing inside of us to find out? Don’t say you aren’t mate material. You haven’t tried it yet. Not with me.” He reached her side to gently stroke up her cheek. “How do you do it?” “Do what?” He frowned at her. “Turn the tables on me. You weren’t supposed to argue with me. Or win quarrels. You do this all the time.” She leaned her lips down to press a gentle kiss on his hand. His skin tingled as his belly went sideways. It was working. He was convincing her. “Have I won it?” He grinned at her. “I beat you in an argument?” “Don’t get cocky.” “Never.” She snorted. “More like always. Look, this bonding thing Nick mentioned…” “Is beyond us right now. I don’t think we’re ready for it. Hell, you only got ready to think about having a mate a few minutes ago. You’re not ready to even contemplate a forever bond. And that’s fine. I just got used to being a blood sucker.” He’d take this slow. So much had happened to them both in the last seventy-two hours. Only time would tell if they were mates and eligible to bond. He wanted them to be mates more than anything. Wanted to spend time getting to know this beauty after their chores were done. First, they had to take out some garbage. Her genuine smile warmed him to his toes. She sobered as the smile closed up. “Good. But, I’m not sure I’m ever going to be ready for that commitment.” “Yeah, and ten minutes ago, you didn’t think you were mate material. Now you’re considering it with me. Don’t count it out yet. Nor count it in. Let’s take it one step at a time.” She nudged his side with her arm. He leaned into that little touch. “I take too many risks. I’d be risking you every time I went out. If we decide we’re mates, I’m not sure I’ll want to tie you to me.”

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Anna Grace tied to him. That had possibilities. Fur-lined handcuffs? Oh, yeah. “We’ll open that can of worms when we get there. Let’s see what happens between us, with us, for now.” Her smile turned into something that turned his insides to melting rubber. They could bottle that look and sell it in the Arctic for warmth. “Since we have some time before we have to be back to Nick, why don’t we continue things we’ve started that keep getting interrupted?” His cock swelled as desire rushed through his veins. It was a wonder he didn’t get a headache, all the blood leaving his head so fast. “To be sure. You’re talking about the airplane.” “And your place.” Her face flushed. Her tongue came out to swipe off her lips. His body churned at the movement. “What about Titius?” “Nick said he’ll tell us if anything changes. Sarah will know when he’s coming because Chey will tell them. We have a little while, now that we don’t have to rush Nick and Sarah to safety.” Her hand tapped on her chin. “I want to talk to Nick about a plan that came to mind while we were out here finding out about Chey. We might be able to use this connection between Sarah and Chey to our advantage if he’ll let us. Now that I have a plan, I’d rather talk to him about it first before I call Henri.” “But now you want to…” He licked his lips. He changed subjects to bring her back to them instead of fighting strategy. “Get out of your leathers?” Yeah, he wanted to see all those luscious curves laid bare before his eyes. He didn’t want to disturb Nick and Sarah at the house. They had enough problems. Was out by the lake too public? He glanced around for neighbors. She nodded, flashing him a grin. “This might be our only chance before things with Titius. We have to take advantage of the time we’re given.” Walking to the boathouse, she opened the door. “You coming?” He surely hoped so.


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Chapter Thirteen Anna Grace watched as Theo stepped over the threshold, not expecting a drop down, but he caught himself before smashing down into something. His vampire reflexes had kicked in to keep him from falling all the way down. “You all right?” She turned to walk to a spot with more room in the corner. She didn’t bother turning on the lights and neither did Theo. The place smelled musty as if it hadn’t been opened in a while. Nick probably hadn’t been out here since things had begun with Sarah. Anna Grace had been so shocked by the turn of events, she hadn’t even put in a plug for the Council. She’d have to talk to Nick about that, but after this was over. He was in his own private hell right now, which she couldn’t imagine going through. “Peachy.” A thwap sounded. “Ow.” “What did you do now?” She turned back to look at him. “There’s a boat in here. A pretty big one.” He moved closer into her view, rubbing the side of his head. It was shadowy in the small, dank house but not pitch dark. Dust flew up where they walked. The boat looked clean, though. It gleamed white in the murkiness. “It is a boathouse, you know.” “Smart ass.” “Always.” She moved a little closer to the boat, heading for the corner where they’d have room to lie down. They could do it standing up against the boat. Hmm, her legs over his shoulders. That could get interesting. He followed. Before he reached her, he sputtered. His hands went to his face, wiping it off. “What now?”

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“Spider web. You don’t have a big fear of spiders as you do of snakes, do you?” He pulled down a blanket, which rested on a set of shelves along with other odds and ends near the boat. “I’m not afraid of snakes. I don’t like them.” “Same thing.” “Is not.” She couldn’t stop a little shudder. God, they were the worst beasties. “You don’t think there are any in here, do you?” She refused to drop her eyes and look for them. If they were in here, she’d be up on Theo’s shoulders in a minute. He spread out the multicolored blanket on the concrete floor. “I bet it’s too damn chilly in Michigan for most snakes. Except for a mean kind.” “A mean kind?” Her eyes nervously scanned the boathouse. Normal snakes were bad enough. She’d thought this would be a good idea, away from the prying eyes of any neighbors, taking advantage of the small window of time they had, but if there were snakes out here, forget it. She’d go inside before she’d have sex with snakes around. “The trouser kind.” She tilted her head to the side, glaring at him. “Careful, because I stomp snakes.” She clicked her boot heel on the hard floor to make the point. “You won’t stomp this one. Ever.” He grinned, waggling his eyebrows. He was such a cocky bastard. Maybe he would fit in along with her inner bitch. “I won’t?” She arched a brow at him, folding her arms across her chest. “Why won’t I? I’d need a good reason not to.” “Nope, you won’t. Because this one’s going to have you screaming so hard, you won’t think about it.” “Uh-huh.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her against him, his wiry body compact against hers. “Uh-huh.” His lips dipped for a romp around hers. He wasn’t gentle, in fact he was rough, teasing her lips mercilessly with his tongue. He tasted of mint, probably because he’d brushed his teeth in the car at a stop. His cock pressed hard into her middle as his hips thrust against her. She aligned her curves with his, pressing herself into him as close as she could get. A strong ache intensified between her legs. She needed to be filled. Her leather pants pressed against her in irritating ways. Nothing pushed into the right places. They needed to be off. She needed to get naked. As if he’d read her mind, he reached down to unsnap them without removing his mouth from hers. His fingers fiddled with the zipper, tickling the sensitive skin beneath. The other hand went to the side of her hip before tugging on the pants. He shoved and pushed at them for a minute while his mouth continued to plunder.


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Finally, his mouth broke free of hers. He let out a curse. “Did you paint these damn things on?” He stepped further away from her. His hands wrestled with her pants in earnest, trying to slide them down her hips. She batted away his hands, missing both the contact of his body and his mouth. “Let me. And they’re a little tight.” “Hmph.” Theo yanked his shirt up over his head. “Didn’t see you complaining earlier when you watched me walk in front of you. In fact, I saw you admiring.” Distracted by the sight of his bare chest, she had trouble with the pants. After a second’s struggle, she wriggled them down along with her underwear, pulled off her boots, and kicked the pants off onto the floor. His hands lifted up her shirt, pulling it over her head. He made quick work of the front clasp bra, which she let fall from her arms down to the floor behind her. His jaw went slack as he stared at her. The breath whooshed from his lungs in one big puff. Leaning forward, she unsnapped and slid down his jeans. She couldn’t get him naked soon enough. Her brow quirked as he shrugged them off his feet along with his shoes. “Commando?” He didn’t seem like the type. The man continually surprised her. “Yeah.” He shrugged. His shoulders rolled, muscles flexing with the movement. “It was either that or…” “The lime green thong.” His eyes widened. “I forgot you went in my underwear drawer.” His voice sounded incredulous that she would do such a thing. “I was looking for the pictures.” “In my underwear drawer?” The sun must have come from behind the clouds outside. A small window up at the top of the boathouse let in a shaft of light, illuminating things into brightness. She peered at him, unsure of why he’d broken off. His head reeled back as though he’d been socked. “My…” His eyes narrowed as he stared at her. “You’re a poem come to life.” Her stomach fluttered at the romantic words. “So, I’m forgiven for rifling through your underwear drawer, huh?” She reveled in his scrutiny. His eyes almost seemed to drink her in. She’d never felt more feminine than she did at that moment. Hell, she’d been naked before men before. But no man had ever looked at her with such fire in their eyes. “You could put that thong on my head and call me Sally. I’d forgive you for it. Long as you were naked and let me look at you.” He stepped closer, reaching out a hand to hers. She put hers in his larger one. Lying down on the blanket, he guided her down to him. His body warmed hers, feeling almost hot to the touch. Their bodies became a mesh of skin, a jumble

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of arms and legs. They held on to each other as if they’d reached the end of a long night’s journey to find heaven waiting at the end. Maybe they had. She sure felt that way. Arousal moved down her folds. His nostrils flared before he claimed her mouth in a frenzy. His tongue instantly played at her lips, seeking entrance. She opened for him as he rolled her more on her side. His hands slid across her skin leaving a fiery trail of sparks. She ran her hands up and down the smooth skin of his back until she reached the rounded globes of his ass. Clutching them in her hands, she liked the way they fit. Enjoyed the way she could feel them flex under her palms. His hand came up to cup a breast, pushing it up with his palm. His fingers toyed with the nipple, bringing it out fully extended, then pinching it. Desire engulfed her. She brought her hand around the side of his hips to flatten down across his cock. His hips thrust it into her ready palm. She cupped it around him. The rest of him stilled. His mouth broke apart from hers. A drop of moisture had coated his tip. She brought her pointer finger and thumb up to squeeze the end. Then, she swirled the fingers quickly around him, one after the other, pressing in as she did so. He moaned. His head fell further back. The hand that had loved her breast dropped away. She took her time, dangling the fingers a millimeter at a time down his hard shaft. Moving them further, she cupped his balls in her palm. They were cool to her touch, while the rest of him burned. She rolled them around, grinding her palm in. The hair tickled her skin as he erupted into goose bumps. Moving back up to the bottom of his shaft, she moved her body around. Quickly, she shoved her mouth down onto him, taking him in deep, engulfing him. He’d not anticipated it coming. His whole body spasmed. He panted, breathing coming much faster. His heartbeat raced along, thumping wildly. Sweat coated him. This was going to be so good. Slowly, she inched him back up, pouting her lips to create a suction around his cock. As she reached the top, her tongue delved into the hole of his tip. Then, her mouth went down him again, not as fast this time. Again and again, she deep-throated him, intermixing that with stroking her tongue around him as if he were a stick of candy. Nothing had ever tasted better to her tongue. His whole body tensed. She could feel the pressure building in him. Feel the energy swirling around him. His hands clenched, shaking with the effort. “Anna Grace…can’t…hold…” He was trying to rein it back.


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“Don’t.” Her mouth ran down his length to take him all in as she had before. She licked up his front before doing it all again. His hips thrust wildly, lifting them both up from the ground. “Ohhhh.” His come jetted into her mouth. His hips continued to buck until each spurt had reached her. She pulled her mouth away when his orgasm had completed. After swallowing and licking the come from her lips, she smiled, looking at his supine form. He tasted salty, almost bitter. But, it was his come from what she’d done to him. She’d always enjoyed that power over a man. His arm came up to rest over his forehead. His eyes had already closed. The rest of him didn’t move. “You are a wicked woman.” She chuckled. “Am I, now?” “Yes. And you can be wicked with me that way anytime.” His eyes opened to look at her. “Anytime you want.” She snuggled up into his side. His arm came down to fold protectively over her. A rooster crowed somewhere in the distance. After the loving, lying in the stillness had often been her favorite time. Sex was great, she enjoyed it, would never turn it down. But, something about this mellow period always made her feel content. And somehow, being with Theo, the feeling was even stronger.

Mine. He’s your mate. No, she wasn’t going to think about it. As Theo had said, they’d take it one small step at a time. “Don’t get too comfortable.” “Yeah, I know. We have to go inside.” She snuggled in closer. She’d steal this minute. Who knew when they’d get another chance like this again? No matter what, the real world always dragged her back into it again. His breath soughed through his mouth. His heartbeat still hadn’t calmed down much. It rolled along as if there were a marching band under her ear. “No. I have to go inside you. I’m…” He broke off. “Well, damn.” “What?” “Being a vampire is better than taking Viagra.” A laugh broke out of her as she glanced down his body. His “trouser snake” had poked up again. “I guess I forgot to mention you have more stamina as a vampire than you did as a human.”

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“I’ve always had good recovery time. But…wow.” He looked down at it again. His head shook. “Vampirism has its perks.” He rolled her under him. “So it does.” His mouth met hers. It became a frenzied tasting and melding. He broke off, panting. “I had hoped what you did would take my edge off. But…I need you. I need to be inside you. I’m not sure how slow I can be.” She nodded. “I need you there. Do it.” When his mouth came down this time, it wasn’t on her lips, but on her nipple. Her hips bucked wildly as he sucked it into his warm mouth. His other hand came up to dally with the other breast. Both her nipples peaked, while a burning started in her belly. Her breasts had always been sensitive. And he was playing them as if he were a master. He held the nipple between his lips, inside his mouth, while he flicked his tongue over it again and again. Her body shook at the sensations of it. His hand changed position with his mouth as she moaned. Both nipples received equal treatment. Her hands reached up to tangle into his hair. It ran silky and thick through her fingertips. She tugged a little harder than she meant to. Her mind was on the lips and hands on her. Lifting up, he captured both hands in his and held them above her head. His body had her pinned, and now, his hands held hers captive. She was trapped under him. Not a bad place to be. Excitement raced along her veins. He nipped at a breast, pinching a nipple between almost closed teeth. He grated the teeth back and forth lightly. There was enough pleasure to make it not painful. “Uh.” His mouth suctioned as if it were a vacuum, sucking the tip into his furnace. Before long his mouth engulfed her breast, taking the entire nipple in. Something that sent nerve endings firing all the way to her toes. His hand released hers, pushing them into the blanket. He reached over, and before she could look, she felt something tickle her wrists. He kept her hands together and looped something around them. “What are ye doing?” She tilted her head to see if she could see more of what he was doing to her. “I’m ensuring that your hands stay as they’re supposed to.” A ball of twine had rested on the same shelf the blanket had come from. He must have grabbed it, as he now tugged one end around her wrists, loosely tying them together. Taking the ball end, he made another loose knot around the boat wheel, which rested right near their nook of pleasure.


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“Tying me up?” “I’d rather tie you to me but I don’t have anything to cut the twine with. Besides, I’m going to be busy.” He winked at her. “Are ye now?” “Yep.” His mission completed, he slid down her body, hands touching and teasing her skin. Her hands weren’t tied tight, but she couldn’t get them free without effort. Now, this was a new turn of events. Though she’d tied up lovers in the past, she couldn’t remember one ever tying her up. Moisture ran down a thigh. And apparently, she liked this idea. He’d picked up his pants, rifling through a pocket. “What are ye doing?” “I have condoms in my wallet.” “Ye don’t need them.” He blinked at her. “We are impervious to disease. And, I can’t get pregnant.” “Ah. I didn’t know that.” The act of protection he’d made was endearing. She couldn’t help her smile at him. “If you want to be let go, say, ‘Irish.’” Yet another way he looked out for her. He ran a hand over her stomach. She sucked it in on a shiver. “But I don’t intend you wanting to be let go.” Somehow, if he had his way, she was sure she wouldn’t want to either. Maybe even forever. Theo looked at the beauty splayed out before him. He’d always liked to eat his Halloween candy in one sitting. That was what he wanted to do here. But no, he had to savor this moment. Savor her. Taste every inch that he hadn’t yet explored. That she was tied up and at his mercy was a big plus. He recited statistics about his camera in his head. He had to make this last. Danger would come to beckon soon. But, they had this moment to enjoy. And, he planned on doing that to the fullest. She blew out a breath, her ample breasts shaking with the motion. He ran a hand down the silky skin of her side. Her miniscule hairs rose up, which were barely visible to his eye. Not feeling them, he turned his hand over and ran the other side of his hand along her. “Weren’t you in a hurry a few minutes ago?” She pulled slightly on the bonds, which held her.

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“I was. I’m slowing this down.” He circled one finger around her belly button. “If you break those bonds, I’ll stop.” She stilled with a huff. “Aren’t you impatient?” “I told you I had flaws.” “Never.” He leaned over to drag his tongue around the skin of her abdomen. She tasted salty with an underlying sweetness. He licked and nipped a trail down her hip. She tensed, anticipating what he was going to do next. She was wrong. He continued on down her legs, wiggling his tongue against the skin. Her body relaxed. He reached her small feet. Such dainty little things for those big black boots. Picking one up, he massaged it gently, pressing his thumbs into the middle. Her toenails were painted a fiery red to match her fingers. The color suited her energy. Her body sagged. Her eyes rolled back in her head. He lowered his head to lick a toe. She jerked and almost pulled her foot out of his hand. Holding fast, he sucked her big toe into his mouth. His mouth did a fish pucker around it, tightening, then releasing it. Each of her five toes on that foot got treated the same way, as did the five on the other foot. Turning his body slightly, he inched his way up her legs again, nibbling at her muscular calf. “Ye aren’t in any hurry, are ye?” She swallowed. Her breath came in ragged pants. Her heart sounded as if it were beating a maraca. “Not really.” He licked up the outside of her thigh until he reached the middle of her body. The scent of her arousal grew stronger. He licked across the top of her thigh, reaching her innermost part. She tensed again in anticipation. When he nipped the bottom of her stomach, she huffed a huge breath along with what sounded like “Shit.” He lifted his head to look at her face. She glared at him. “Something wrong? Am I not where you need me to be?” She mumbled something. “Say it again. Didn’t hear you.” He stroked the inside of her thigh with his fingers. Her hips lifted, trying to draw his hand to her pussy, but he stayed with her, keeping his hand where it was. “I said, ‘Get on it with it.’” “With what? Where do you want my mouth?” She bit her lip. “My clit. Lick me.”


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“Yes, ma’am. All you have to do is say the word.” His fingers traveled in before his mouth. She was wet. Warm. Inviting. His body shivered in response to the feel of her. His cock tightened. Savor the moment. He backed off a second to find his control. Recited more camera facts. Then, he lowered his mouth. He slurped his tongue up her folds several times. Then, he probed her pussy, winding his way as far as he could delve into the hole. She whimpered. Her taste was musky and most pleasant. He slurped his tongue around her folds again. She writhed under his touch. When his tongue found her nodule, her hips did a swivel. He wiggled his tongue back and forth, getting harder with each side to side motion of it. Her keening cry broke loose from her throat in a wave. Her orgasm shook her, body trembling all over. He didn’t stop. Instead, he pressed harder with his tongue. Moved her clit faster. His face had almost buried in her center. He could feel every movement she made. Hear every nuance of her breathing and heart rate. Her shaking had barely stopped before her whole body tensed again. She lifted up off the blanket several inches as another orgasm caught her. Her breath panted, wheezing out of her chest. And still, he didn’t stop. She whimpered. The sound was louder than before, more plaintive. He lifted his head. “Another good thing about vampires. We don’t tire as easily. I could do this to you for hours.” A rumble rose up from her throat. He went back to her pussy. It was so responsive. Her clit wiggled to his every touch. Moisture rained down, coating him in her scent and taste. And it showed him how much what he did to her caused her pleasure. Another orgasm made her tense and cry out. After she’d come down from it, he felt her tug at the bonds again. “Theo, want you inside of me, dammit.” He paused over her pussy. “You sure about that? Want me inside of you?” He raked his tongue down her one last time. “God, yes.” He lifted up. “Flip over, then.” She did, scrambling to get herself in position. The twine was loose enough for her to do so. She shifted up onto her hands and knees. Unable to resist, he leaned forward and nipped at her ass. She shrieked in surprise. “Ye bastard.” Her Irish lilt was in full force. He’d noticed when her guards were down, she gained her accent back.

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“It’s luscious. Begs for me to sink my teeth into it.” Growling, she rocked forward, pushing herself more up in the air. She swiveled her ass back and forth in front of him. Teasing him. He gritted his teeth together. Need coursed through him as it never had before. He grabbed her ass, stopping the motion. His thumb dipped into her anus, pressing forward a little. “Theo?” Her voice tensed. “I’m playing. Don’t worry.” He didn’t plan on taking her that way. It was something he’d never tried. One day. So good to think about being with her longer than a fuck. He closed his eyes a brief second. His. She was his. Nothing had even been clearer than that fact. He removed his thumb. Pushing her even more forward, he grasped himself with his other hand. He leaned himself to drape over her. The instant his tip met her molten heat, he hissed. Unable to control himself, he lunged forward to lodge himself completely in her. He stopped from moving further, but only barely. “Oh, Theo.” He sought out control but could find none. Pulling her back against him, he lifted out to thrust hard back in her. “You O.K.?” He couldn’t say anything more as he fought the urge to move against her again. He had to make sure he hadn’t hurt her first. “Shut up and fuck me.” That was all she wrote for his control. The pace became frantic as he shoved in and out of her again and again. He lifted up, taking her with him, shoving himself as far into her depths as he could get. Her sheath tugged on his cock, taking it in as deeply as she could. The orgasm burst from him as if it were a star exploding in the sky. He surged against her again and again, filling her with his come as he had his cock. Both of them sweaty and panting, they collapsed in a jumble of body parts, rolling over to find a comfortable position. “As soon as I can feel my feet and hands again, I’ll untie you. We’ll head for the house and shower. Get some sleep.” Limply, she nodded against his chest.


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Chapter Fourteen Titius rolled over, his arms going protectively around Chey while she slept. She let out a soft sigh, the air tickling him as she snuggled into him. She turned over again, facing away from him. Such lush curves pressed back against him. His cock hardened, bumping up against her ass. Sinking into her warm depths had become a new favorite pastime. One that he enjoyed doing often and for long amounts of time. Inside her, he went to a place he’d never been before. How did this mere slip of a woman hold his life in her long fingers? He reached up to stroke his hands through the dark strands of her hair. The luster of it glowed in the soft light of the room. How long would the peace last? Probably until she woke up. Then, chaos would erupt again. He’d had a hard time getting her to lie down. She whimpered, and he tightened his grip. She was getting worse. He could deny it no longer. Her actions had grown increasingly self-destructive, from running away from him along busy streets to mutilating herself. She’d bitten him to the bone with almost every feeding now. The jumble of minds, the connection between her and Sarah, was slowly siphoning away what sanity she had. Only Sarah’s strength and own sanity had been what kept Chey together up until now. But, Sarah could only hold out so long before the mind meld accentuated Chey’s mental state. If Chey had been this bad, Sarah had probably been even worse with her energies engaged on so many fronts. How much would return to Chey when the connection severed? Or would she stay this way forever? He was unsure. Surely the loss of the link would bring back the sanity she’d lost over to the connection. Wouldn’t it?

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Bitch. It was Sarah’s fault that he was losing his Chey. Why couldn’t she acquiesce? Accept Chey in her mind, stop fighting and the connection would stabilize. They’d both gain back some sanity. Maybe Sarah would even tell him where Nick was. It would make things so much easier on all concerned. But no, she had to fight each and every step along the way. The same thing taking Chey’s sanity best be taking Sarah’s mind as well. He thought it would but wasn’t sure. Otherwise, she’d face an even more gruesome end than she already was.

You could pull Chey out. Get her mind away from Sarah’s while there’s time, and she has a little sanity left. Especially if it doesn’t return, you’d better save what she does have. Find Nick another way. Yes, he could do that. He detangled her hair from his hand. He could slice through the connection or do it piece by piece. The link between them would be no more. It would protect the woman sleeping by his side. Maybe save what mind she had left. But Nick would be lost to him. It wouldn’t be for forever, but it might be a long time before Titius tracked him down again. So? What was his second-in-command compared with the woman of his dreams? Or rather, he’d been the man of hers. Nick was nothing compared to Chey. So why didn’t he sever Chey’s connection? One part was business. The other was personal. He’d never had a personal agenda before. And the General, which he’d been for so long, dictated that he needed to find Nick. That it’d be only a little while longer. Chey could make it. Then, he could have both Nick and Chey with him. The General had no desire to cut his losses and give up so soon. No, that was no strategy to win a war. And, no matter how hard he argued with himself that Chey wasn’t a war, he couldn’t bring himself to end her link to Sarah. His love life couldn’t interfere with his historic plans to take over the human race. It would be glorious. He’d rule with his lady by his side. The best of his line would stand to the other side. Together, they’d oversee a new era of vampires taking their rightful place. First, he’d overthrow the United States government. Then, he’d dominate the world. Only he was no closer to finding Nick than he’d been when he first arrived in Michigan. No new leads had developed. What if he lost Chey before he even found Nick?

No. He wouldn’t lose her. She would get her sanity back. He could play this to the edge and still win. He’d done it in life enough times. And in death. Losing on this front was unacceptable. Losing Chey to craziness was unacceptable. Not finding Nick was unacceptable.


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Somehow he’d make all this work. Gently, he place a hand over her flat stomach, pressed his palm against it. Her skin burned it. She stayed so warm. She would have been his savior during his time in Russia. Warming up from that had taken weeks. Russia. The last place he’d been with Nick. They’d had such a good run of it. And, they would soon again. “Mmmf.” He patted her gently. “Chey?” “Wha?” Her eyes flickered but didn’t open. “You haven’t forgotten. Have you?” “Forgotten what?” She smacked her lips together and rolled over toward him. “The phone.” One eye sprang open to glare at him. “I remember what to do. No. No phone. I pick it up. Nick says, ‘No.’ They don’t work right, anyway.” She rolled back over with a huff. “You must sneak away from him and dial me. Use his cell phone. It’s important, Chey. The sooner you do it, the better.” There. He’d put an urgency in her. She’d call him soon and end this nonsense. He would get his man and save his girl. “I will, General.” She saluted, though she faced the other way, so it wasn’t toward him. “I try my best.” Her voice lowered several decibels. He barely heard her. “Always have. Especially now for you.” “I know you do, sweetheart.” He lifted his hand to stroke her face. Such high cheekbones. “You do wonderful. I never would have known Anna Grace was in Richmond except for you. I need you to hurry this time.” “I dreamed of you. For years. Did I ever tell you that?” “Yes, Chey, you did.” “Once you came, I knew Mama would go. That I would have to go with you.” He felt her tongue creep out to moisten her full lips by the movements of her cheekbones. “I told her a few times about you. I didn’t…know…I never thought it would be so bloody.” She shivered. He pushed a finger against her mouth. “Don’t think about it. You’re mine now. I’ll take care of you. For always.” She opened her mouth and sucked in his finger. Her tongue twirled warmth and wetness around it. His cock tightened up against his body. Soon, it would be inside her as he claimed her for his yet again. Taking care of her made him feel. Something that even as a human, there hadn’t been much of. No, he wouldn’t lose that. He wouldn’t lose her.

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The bitch would have to die.

***** Anna Grace snuggled her head into Theo’s warm chest. They’d snuck back in from the boathouse to find a shower and a spare bedroom. Nick had been up but had gone to bed with Sarah almost as soon as they’d come inside. She couldn’t believe how all this made her feel. Settled. Even with Titius out there, and the job she had to do, a cozy feeling had descended on her. She heard banging around in the kitchen. The faucet ran. Microwave dinged. She placed a kiss on Theo’s chest. He mumbled something about ghosts and horses. She slipped out of his arms and slid to the floor. Pulling on a robe, she tiptoed across the cold floor to the door. She headed out into the living room to find Nick sitting at the table, looking at the lake with a mournful expression on his face. He sipped from a mug, which must be full of warmed blood. “How are you this morning, well, evening?” She pulled a chair out and sat down. “How’s Sarah? Any changes?” “I’m all right. And, no, no changes.” He blew out a breath. Lines had been etched in his face. Worry lines. “She bit me again last night. To the bone. It’s getting worse. She’s losing whatever coherency she had. Sometimes, before, it was as if Sarah was in there. Now, I’m not seeing a lot of her. Not seeing a lot of this other person. It’s like a mix of the two. A bad mix.” “I’m sorry. I wish I knew how to break her connection now. But we’ll find a way.” He looked skeptical. “We will.” “Even if we can break whatever exists between them, will she return to how she was before?” “I would think so.” His laugh was bitter. “She survived the change, only to be caught in the web of psyche by a crazy-assed vampire. I thought we were home free. I thought we’d be safe.” No one was ever safe from Titius. “I know. We’ll figure it out.” How they would, she didn’t yet know. But, once Titius came there, they’d find a way to break the connection. Which reminded her. “Nick, I need to talk to you about a plan. I wanted to talk to you about it before we contact Henri.” “What plan?” His dull eyes swung her way. He took another sip from his mug. “I had an idea.” “What?”


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“Let Titius come here.” A growl rumbled up from his chest. “Are you fucking nuts?” “No. Listen to me.” She sat forward in her seat. “We let Titius come here. And, we trick him.” “Trick him how?” “We let him think you’re going to join him without resistance. That you’ll go with him without question.” “I’m not.” “I know. That’s why it’s a trick.” She grinned. “He won’t think you’ll say ‘yes,’ when you aren’t going to do it.” “But, how do we let him think that?” He licked his lips before scratching his chin. “I don’t have his cell number to call him up and chat even if I could.” “We use his line of information.” So far Nick had been easy to convince. This would be the sticking point. “No.” “Nick, it won’t hurt her.” It would go this way. “This is the best choice.” “You don’t fucking know either of those things.” He folded his hands in front of his chest. “And, I’m not taking the chance.” “Nick.” “No. I will not let her do this.” “It might be our only chance at the element of surprise.” It was always good to catch the enemy unaware. “Find another way.” “There is no other way. Our best option is to let Sarah think that you’ll join Titius. She’ll feed that information to Chey, who will in turn tell Titius.” She tapped a finger on top of her hand. “I will not risk her.” His voice turned sharp with an edge like a knife. “She’s not an option or a choice. She’s mine. I’m hers. I will not do anything that puts her in jeopardy.” His blue eyes leveled at her. “Find another plan. This one’s a bust.” Well, shit. “You’d rather Titius surprised us?” “It’s over, Anna Grace.” “Nick, look…” “I appreciate everything you and Theo have done for me. But, I won’t risk her. No matter what you say.” It was a losing battle. Hard-headed man. So eager to protect, he wasn’t seeing the best way to protect was this plan. “Titius. He will find you and try to make you agree to be his

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second-in-command. And, if Sarah’s this bad, Chey’s probably worse. Unless Sarah’s stabilizing her behavior, which is possible. Titius won’t take kindly to his new friend acting like the way she will with Sarah. I don’t think Sarah will be on his favorites list.” “Titius doesn’t know where we are right now. Why don’t we work to preserve that, instead of working to tell him right where I am. Let him find out on his own. I’ll fight him when I have to. But I don’t want to bring him to me.” It wouldn’t work. Titius would find them soon enough. That was a given. But, Nick wouldn’t budge. She’d give up for now and try the argument at some point later to see where she got. Maybe Theo would back her up then. Her pussy clenched. Theo in back of her. Thrusting in and out. That had been wonderful. Hell, better than wonderful. She shivered a little. Maybe he needed a wake-up call. From her tongue. As she was done with Nick, might be time to find Theo and play a little more. ”I’ll leave you with your pleasant thoughts. I’m going back to bed for a little bit.” He polished off his mug of blood and put it in the sink. “I’ll go down to the lake and call Henri. Or, if you want to, you could.” “I don’t want to leave Sarah. If she gets up, let me know, though I usually wake up when she gets out of bed.” “I’ll be on guard.” After walking down the lake, Anna Grace flipped open her phone. A duck called from somewhere on the lake. Thin wispy clouds covered the high moon in the sky. Her eyes flicked to the boat house. Her skin became jazzed with electricity. God, it had been good. She shook her head as Henri answered. “’Allo?” “Henri. It’s Anna Grace.”

“Bonjour, Anna Grace. Did you find Nick and Sarah all right? Are they all right?” Slight concern laced his voice. “I expected to hear from you by now.” Henri had no idea. She bent down and picked up a rock. “We’re at Nick and Sarah’s. They are making it for now. Sort of.” How long they would be was the real question. “What is wrong?” She felt the picks at her mind begin. “You’re good.” She tossed the stone into the water where it landed with plunk. “I try.” He sounded amused. “I could hear it in your voice from the moment you spoke. I hadn’t worried much until then. What’s going on there?” So she launched into the tale of two connected women, who seemed to be making each other crazy, while she tossed rocks into the lake. Her nose crinkled as she scented out charcoal. Someone must be grilling out.


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“Merde. Sarah was connected to Marcus once upon a time. But that was nothing compared to this. Nick must be going nuts.” She heard a voice in the background asking, “What’s going on?” Henri shushed Nathan. “I’ll tell you un moment.” His voice came clearer into the phone. “We can be there soon. If you need us.” “Right now, nothing is going on. Henri, I’m trying to get Nick to use this connection to Sarah to our advantage.” She tilted her head to look into the night sky. “But, he won’t do it. I think that’s our best option. We can set a trap and be in control of his arrival. It’s a matter of time before Titius finds a clue to lead him to us. The connection ensures that.” A star blinked. Her eyes stayed with it. Maybe it was a plane. “Agreed.” “Stay put until I know more. We’ll talk later. I’ll let you know what’s going on.” She crept back up to the house and hung out in the kitchen until Nick got up. Then, she slipped into bed with Theo. Drifting off to sleep in his arms against his warm body was the most calming thing she’d ever experienced, despite the coming chaos.

***** Chey danced, flitting around the room as if she were a sparrow. Titius watched her from his spot on their bed. Bert cleared his throat. “Any word on where Mancuso is?” “No.” “Boss.” Bert grunted again. “Maybe this connection isn’t going to find us Mancuso. And as crazy…” Titius moved in a flash. His hand stung from whapping Bert across the face. Bert’s reddened cheek showed the mark. “Don’t you ever call her crazy.” Bert swallowed. “I… Yes, boss.” “The connection will net me Mancuso. You question me again, and I’ll rip your lips from your face.” “Yes, boss.” Titius looked away from Bert at a whimper. Chey stood there, staring at them, her hand up over her mouth. “Sweetheart, it’s fine. Bert said something wrong. I had to show him how wrong he was.” He walked over and enveloped the shaking woman in his arms. “It’s all right, I promise.” Her shaking stopped once she was against him. Bert said, “I’m fine, Chey. Didn’t hurt a bit.” The smile she flashed him was full of wonder and joy. It was a smile that made Titius feel more alive than anything had made him feel in his whole lifetime. And it wasn’t even directed at him. Bert smiled back.

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The growl, which rose up in Titius’s chest, almost surprised him. Bert had forgotten his place. How dare Bert smile at his woman? “I’m going now.” Bert must have heard the growl or seen something in Titius’s face. He looked nervously at Titius before he leaped off the chair. He reached the door and bolted through it, letting it slam behind him. Smart vampire. Titius eyed the door of escape. Bert was going to find himself a satisfying meal before too long, especially if he did anything more to Chey. Chey was his and no one else’s. He released Chey, before settling back onto the bed. She wanted to dance all the time so he allowed her free movement about the room. Such a graceful dancer. He liked to watch her. Perhaps one day, he’d take her to the ballet. Chey’s deep-seated eyes appraised him. “What, sweetheart?” Her head swayed to the side as she pushed her hair out of the way. “How precious. You call her sweetheart.” She smirked. “Even as you let her mind and mine be chipped away piece by piece.” “Hello, Sarah.” He sat up straighter in the bed. Chey’s whole demeanor had changed once he’d growled. They must have switched again. It seemed as if they had flashes of each other’s psyche, but occasionally they completely switched places for more than a few seconds. “You see what it’s doing to her. And, you won’t stop it.” She stomped her bare foot. “You’re a selfish…prick.” He laughed as she paced back and forth before him. “That the best you could do? I’m a prick?” “Bastard.” She spit with her fury. “Better, my dear. So is Nick a bastard, too? Surely he’s noticed your oddities. I don’t think you could disguise them.” Nick probably hadn’t figured anything out yet about Sarah’s problems and Chey’s connection. Did he think he was dealing with a vampire gone crazy the way Marcus had slipped over the edge? Coldness swept through Titius. Suppose he or that fake Frenchman, Henri, killed Sarah while under the impression that her vampirism had driven her nuts. What would that do to Chey? He best not have to find out. They’d die if they did anything to hurt his woman. “Nick can’t break my connection. But you could. Only you won’t.” “I can do something Nick can’t do? How original.” He leered. “Perhaps I’m more of a man than Mancuso.” She snorted. “He’s twice the man you’ll ever be. He would terminate the link if he could, but he can’t. He’s not strong enough. He’s still young. But you, you could do something about this. Instead, you stand idly by. I thought you said you love Chey.”


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“I do love Chey.” That brought him up off the bed. He leaped to his feet. “Don’t you doubt that, Sarah. She’s mine.” “You can’t possess those you love. You have a funny way of showing your feelings. You’ll let her destroy her brain. Even though you love her.” She shook her head. Her hair swayed back and forth. “You’re destroying her. All for your own agenda.” “No. She will not be destroyed.” “Yes. If this continues, she will be.” The telephone ringing caught them both off guard. “Excuse me.” He picked up the cell phone. It was a number he didn’t recognize. “Hello?” “Hello, General. Miss me?” It was a woman’s voice. He didn’t recognize it. But the words and inflection, oh, yes, he knew them well. His Chey. The mouth, which was Chey’s fell open. “No! She couldn’t have.” The eyes closed, and when they opened next, a slight smile lit her lips. “Did I do good?’ He looked down at the saved number. “You did more than good, sweetheart. You did excellent.” She clapped her hands. “Now we can go find Sarah.”

***** “Anna Grace!” The voice bellowed. “Anna Grace.” She shook off sleep. Theo was gone. Somehow waking up without him seemed wrong. It was now lighter outside than it had been when she’d gone to sleep. “What the fuck?” The voice continued yelling as it came closer. It was Nick. She grabbed a robe. She shrugged it on as the door to the room flung open. “Nick? What’s happened? Is Titius here?” She scrambled for her weapons. “No. He’s not here yet. But, he’s coming. Soon.” Nick’s words belted out of his mouth as if he’d thrown them with force. “What happened?” She followed him to the living room. Theo stood in the middle of the living room as Sarah danced around it. She flitted from one end to the other. “The General.” She stopped to salute with snappy movements before moving back and forth again. “He’ll come. He wants Nick. I never thought she would do it. We need to get out of here.” “I was fixing her some breakfast. We were in the kitchen. One minute, she was there. The next, she was gone. I found her down by the lake. With my cell phone. She took it off the counter.” “So?” Theo piped up. “I came back from checking on you. She’d slipped out while I was gone. We ran after her, but it was too late.”

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Nick’s eyes hooded. “Now Titius has my cell number. I’m sure that’s who she dialed with it.” He opened the phone to display the screen. Sarah swayed her hips, dashing around them. “Didn’t think she’d do it. He’s coming. He’s coming.” Anna Grace watched her dance with abandon. Occasionally, she’d stop and shake her head as if to clear it. “It was unlisted, right?” “It doesn’t matter.” Nick plopped on the couch. He put his head in his hands. “I get bills at this address. Even though not under my own name.” “Sure that matters. He won’t track the phone here.” “If Titius is computer savvy or has anyone working for him who is… It won’t matter, Anna Grace.” Theo shoved his hands into his jeans pocket. “There are places where you can look up numbers and pay for information on them. Pay for others to look up the address and name of who holds that number. Or track the towers. He can probably have our address in a few hours.” “So, Titius can find our address. We knew he would.” Or, at least Anna Grace had. “We talked about preparations to fight. You said you didn’t want to run because Titius would find you anyway no matter where you went.” She eyed Sarah, who smelled of nutmeg and vanilla. Must be her shower gel. The bathrooms reeked of it. “Nick.” “What?” “Can we talk in private? Theo, can you watch Sarah a minute?” “Sure.” Theo turned his head to watch the woman pirouette into the kitchen. She stumbled before shrugging back to her tiptoes. He trailed behind her. She waved Nick into the bedroom he and Sarah shared. She shut the door behind her. Unsure of who controlled Sarah’s brain right now, she couldn’t risk being overheard. “Would you rather Titius surprise us? Or, we surprise him?” “You’re talking about your plan.” He folded his arms in front of his chest. “I don’t know.” “With the plan, we could have an advantage. Titius could be allowed to think through Chey that you will be welcoming him. Instead, he gets attacked the moment he walks in. We could even have you call him and tell him that you’ll support him while Chey feeds him the same BS.” He started to speak, then stopped. He turned his head away from her. “We could have an advantage. One we don’t have right now. It’d give us a much better defensive position. Before you wanted to protect her but we didn’t know he was coming. Now we know.” He rubbed his face with his hands. “Fine. Do it. He already knows where we are so Sarah’s in danger no matter what I do.” His voice shook. “I’m going to kill Titius for what he’s put her through.”


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“Get in line. I kill him first. You can have second shift.” Nick nodded to her as he put a hand on the doorknob. “Titius has done a number on you, hasn’t he? Even more so than you’ve told me.” Kent and Agrippa’s faces flashed before her eyes. Her stomach rolled as she remembered the carnage in that room. “Yes. Yes, he has.” Nick walked out into the hallway with Anna Grace following. “I’ll take the second shift, but leave something for me.” “Sarah.” Theo followed behind her as she whirled into the hallway. “You two done? Second shift?” “I’ll tell you later. I need to call Henri and tell him what’s going down now.” “What’s going down?” She watched as Sarah danced side to side, humming an off-key melody. “Taking a stand.”

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Chapter Fifteen Titius snatched up his ringing cell phone. “What?” Chey danced to an old jazz song playing from the radio as Bert drove them down a long highway followed by a few humans and vampires they’d collected along the way in another vehicle. His patience had worn out long ago. The time for action was now. “Hello, Titius.” Titius stilled at the voice on the other end. “Hello, Nick.” Nick paused. “You’re heading my way?” Titius’s lip curled up in a smile. “Yes. Thanks to the Internet. And no thanks to you.” When he stood in Nick’s presence, there would be punishment for blocking him. And, he would find out how Nick had done it. “I’m ready, General.” Titius turned in the seat. “You’re ready for what?” “Whatever you have in mind. You must be coming to me for a reason. Your woman and Sarah must be joined for something. Aren’t they? I want in.” “I have a plan. To take over the world from the scum of humanity. I see a bloodbath, and we’ll always win when that happens.” Nick barked out a laugh. “You always did dream big.” “It’s not a dream, my friend. It’s reality. I want you to be my second. Like old times.” It would be even better this time around. They’d take over before the dull, brainless humans knew what hit them. “I’ll back you up. Like old times.” Nick cleared his throat. “Why doesn’t your woman let mine go now? You have the information you need.”


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Titius turned to look at Chey. She yawned and flashed him a smile. “Don’t think it’s time enough for that yet.” He didn’t yet trust Nick. This seemed a little too easy, even if there was satisfaction in Nick coming to him. And, Chey couldn’t disconnect herself. What would happen when they did break the link? His mouth thinned into a frown. He didn’t know. They’d been together in each other’s mind for days now without disruption. That was unprecedented. He had no idea what it would do to either of them. Perhaps it would be better to wait until they were face to face. He could break the link permanently then. Yes, that would better for all of them. Too bad Nick sounded as if he cared for the woman, but he would get over it in time. “How far away are you?” Titius’s eyes narrowed. What a clever boy. Even if it was for innocent purposes, Titius wouldn’t tell him the truth. “Oh, about four hours.” They were less than an hour away from the address they’d found. “You can trust me, General.” Nick’s voice remained even. “I’ll serve you well. I’ll be waiting for your arrival.” “I’ll see you soon, Nicolai.” The use of his original given name would remind Nick of all that he had been when Titius had found him, which was nothing. A Russian boy in a Mongol horde on the steppe plains. It would remind him of all that he’d been at Titius’s side. He’d do best to remember everything well. Nick clicked off the phone. Titius did as well, staring down at the silver and black plastic in his hand. “Was that Nick?” Chey leaned over into him, pressing her curves into his side. “Yes. He says he’s ready to join me.” He couldn’t keep the smugness out of his tone. He was suspicious, but Nick had contacted him. There had to be something to that. She tsked. “Blarney.” “Nick maybe plotting something. But, he says he wants to join me…” Titius gripped his hand on his leg. “Did you say blarney? As in blarney stone?” “That I did.” He reached out his hand and carefully lifted her face to his. “Chey. Is Anna Grace there?” “The Irish wench and her clicker both.” The light Irish lilt dripped light and frothy from her tongue. His hands tightened so much they whitened. “Her clicker?” He let out a subhuman growl. Anna Grace was with Nick, which meant Nick had lied. He didn’t want to see Titius at all except to betray him. The lake they lived on would soon see red. The Irish bitch and all the rest of them would be giving their blood to it soon. She nodded. “Her clicker.”

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Titius passed a hand over his face. What the hell was she talking about? “A remote of some sort? A noisemaker? Something you push buttons on? Phone? Camera? A Blackberry… A camera.” “I see the wheels spinning. Bridges burning.” “The photographer.” He shook his head. “That can’t be, sweetheart. I killed him. He can’t be with her.” “You killed me, too.” She waved her hands out to the side in a semi-shrug, which moved her whole body. “Yet, here I am.” “Fuck.” The man who’d tried to play Simon Says on him had survived. “She made him a vampire.” He should have ripped the man’s head off. The last thing the bitch needed was an ally. She’d already become too much of an annoyance. He’d soon swat them like gnats. He’d keep them away from Chey to boot. She tapped his nose. “You’re getting much better at this game.” “It’s not a game, sweetheart. It’s life.” He leaned forward in his seat. “Are the weapons at the ready?” Bert didn’t take his eyes from the road. “You bet they are.” “Tell the other group to hang back at the road and come to the house on foot. From the back.” Nick had baited him. He’d thrown in with the thorn in his side and set a trap. For that, he would pay. He’d bow down to Titius and beg to be his second before it ended. They expected Titius and his men to walk in completely unaware that they were walking into a trap. Wouldn’t it be fun to watch them when Titius and his men came in on the offensive? “Five minutes from that address, be ready.” Nick would be taught the lesson. Titius was no one to fuck with.

***** “Get that ready.” Anna Grace twisted a coiled piece of wire. Theo snapped down a trap they’d found in the boathouse as he set up the cinch pin to activate it. “Get what ready?” Nick came out into the living room. “Sarah’s drifted off to sleep.” He stopped, staring at them setting up a horror movie in his living room. “What are you two doing in here?” “Traps for Titius. Getting weapons ready. All of that.” Anna Grace picked up a gun and mounted it on a window. Give her a direct shot, and she’d blow his head off. It would take him a while to heal that. Give her a chance to pounce on him, she would be leaping on top of him and sucking him dry.


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“Wait a minute.” Nick frowned. “I thought we were setting a trap for Titius? By telling him I’d join him.” “We did, in a way. Most of this is just in case. Like this one. If I get a clear shot first, I’ll take it. But Sarah knows Theo and I are here. ” “Yeah. So?” Theo snapped the trap into place. “Anything Sarah knows, Chey knows, therefore Titius might know. We have to be prepared for anything. Just in case.” Nick clenched hands at his side. “You think Chey has told him about my visitors?” “Definitely.” The mutilated living room at Kent and Agrippa’s flashed in front of her eyes. So much blood. There’d been so much pain for them, which they didn’t deserve. Their only crime was in being her friend. She was ready for this confrontation. More than ready. “When did he say he’d be here? Though he probably lied. He’s going to be here a lot sooner.” “He said four hours away. But, his voice did sound funny. I think he was suspicious of me.” Of course, he’d been suspicious sounding of Nick, but Titius had to have been too pleased about it. Nick had contacted him. Titius would dwell on that. If Chey didn’t tell him about the Nick’s visitors, the arrogant fool might march in here unaware of the trap. Damn the fates if Chey did tell him. “What can I do to help?” “Your job is to stay by Sarah’s side. Keep her out of this because she’ll be so divided. I have a feeling Chey and Sarah being near each other will increase the effect of the connection between them.” Anna Grace hadn’t encountered anything like them before, which meant anything could happen. She had a theory on how to break the link between the two. Though what would happen after the disconnect? She wouldn’t mention the idea to Nick. He probably wouldn’t agree with the method. Nick nodded. “Henri staying put for now?” “Yeah. If Titius is walking into our trap, his presence might tip off Titius as he has a stronger psyche than Theo. Might be more easily detectable.” “I’m going to go check on Sarah.” A determined set to his jaw showed he would protect her at all costs. As she couldn’t do for Kent. Shit. If only she’d get to torture Titius as he had them. Titius would get off to easy because she couldn’t do it. God, Theo better come through this unscathed. He’d been too determined for her to order him out of it directly. She’d have to keep him safe somehow. What a switch. She’d always gone into battle determined to get the enemy, not thinking about those who sided with her. When they were wounded, she’d left them, going to pursue her adversaries. Theo touched her arm. An electric crinkle pulsed up it. His fingers stroked a minute on her skin. “You O.K.?”

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“Yeah.” She shook off her stupor and finished with the gun. Her head needed to be into this. Or she’d wind up making mistakes. “I’m fine.” He waited and then, pulled her into his arms. Holding her close, he placed his chin on top of her head without saying a word. No words of love, no entreaties, no words of warning or wisdom. All he did was hold her firmly against his body. And that was enough. She inhaled his scent, leaning into his warmth. When he released her, the chill started immediately. She missed the contact of their bodies. Get through this with him alive. Then, you can determine the mate shit. “Theo?” “Yep?” “I haven’t talked to Nick about this but…I have an idea on breaking that connection between Chey and Sarah.” “What is it?” “This is the tricky part. I think we have to hurt Chey. Pain will get her to take down the link.” Hurting an innocent bothered Anna Grace. Yes, Chey was an innocent victim in all this. She’d been taken in by Titius, trusted the wrong man. But the pain might make Chey drop the link between her and Sarah. They could hurt Sarah instead, but two things pointed to using Chey to test Anna Grace’s theory. One, Nick would attack them in a blind rage if they tried her scheme with Sarah. He’d lose all focus on who the enemy was. Anna Grace would hate to have to kill him before they’d even discussed the Council, not to mention she found herself liking Nick in the short time they’d known each other. And two, Titius would become enraged if they used Chey, which would make him more likely to be careless. Both those reasons made Chey the best candidate. “I can do that.” “Can you?” She eyed him. He’d not lived in a violent world before now, not to mention, Theo was somewhat of a gentleman. He’d have to hurt a woman to help their cause. “If you can’t, Theo, tell me now. We could use Sarah on our side. With Chey’s invasion of her mind, Sarah won’t be on our side.” “I can do it.” He nodded, looking her in the eyes. “I’ll go after Chey once they come here.” “Good.” It would be his first fight. Looking at Chey and doing what needed to be done was different than saying he could do it, but she’d trust his word for now. “Can I use my power? On the vampires? On Titius?” Anna Grace’s eyes widened. “Of course you can.” He would be a semisecret weapon. Titius probably knew by now that Theo hadn’t died courtesy of Chey, but he couldn’t know Theo’s power had increased. Knowing Titius, he’d dismissed what had happened at Theo’s place because Theo had only been human. Titius thought little of the race who supplied


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vampires with food and new numbers. Few made new vampires any more and even less survived beyond a couple of years once they were made. “Even better.” Theo grinned. “It’s going to be a bloody battle.” He leaned in to press a soft kiss on her lips. “I know. You’ll get your chance. To avenge your friends.” A car motor rumbled in the distance. It traveled up the driveway. “Looks as if the chance comes sooner rather than later.” Theo rubbed a hand over his face, then watched as Titius, two familiar looking men, and Chey got out of the vehicle. They stalked up toward the house. Maybe they’d underestimated the power of the connection. It didn’t look as if Titius had a clue that he and Anna Grace were inside. The prickles started at his mind. Little needle pinpricks, trying to get in. Titius never changed expression or looked around. “Damn. He does know we’re here.” Anna Grace snorted. “I didn’t doubt it for a second.” “He’s picking at my mind.” Theo shook his head, shaking off the little feelers seeking any minute entry. “Nick. He’s here. And he knows we’re here.” Anna Grace hunkered down. Nick took a deep breath. Theo peeked back through the shade. “What’s he going to do? Surely he’s not going to waltz right in here.” “Sure he will.” Anna Grace leaned back on her haunches. “He doesn’t believe we can touch him. Arrogant son of a bitch. Besides, what else can he do?” “A hail of gunfire comes to mind. This all seems too easy.” “That only happens in the movies. Besides, he doesn’t want to bring down the humans on him yet. He wants to have his fun with us. As he did with Kent. And Agrippa.” Her jaw set in an extra firm line. “I intend to have my fun with him first.” Sure enough, Titius walked up to the front door and kicked it open. “Hello, Nicolai.” He tsked, stepping across the threshold. “You’ve been a bad boy. Taking up with all the wrong sorts of people.” Anna Grace moved forward for confrontation. “Let’s settle it here and now. You and me. One on one.” “What are you, some kind of gangster hood?” His lip curled. “Anna Grace. That’s way beneath even you.”

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“Scared?” An eyebrow arched. “Hardly.” Moaning sounded to the right. All eyes drew to where Sarah stood. Chey fell to the floor. “Sarah. Stop. It hurts. It’s as if a pick chipped away at me.” She writhed, rolling back and forth. Sarah’s whole body shook as she fell to her knees. “Get out of my head. I need you out of my mind.” “Noooooo.” Chey gripped the sides of her head with both hands. She slammed them down on her skull a couple of times. And, that’s when the weapons came out. And, more people came crashing through the back. Pretty much, from that moment on, things went to hell. Theo knocked a human down. Don’t get up. The man stayed down. Yes, the talent had come in handy. But he couldn’t compel everyone at the same time, though he’d tried it. It worked on one person at a time. And, the closer he was to them, the faster the suggestion took hold. There were a couple he couldn’t compel at all. They must be vampires, and nothing happened with any of the thoughts directed to them. A man stepped in the trap and screamed as it clamped down on his foot. It was the goateed vampire from Theo’s apartment. Someone tapped his shoulder. Theo whirled to face Chey. Oh, good, his target. Now, how bad did he have to hurt her? He looked to Anna Grace, who was busy fighting. She was on a rampage after Titius but he’d stayed out of her way so far. Titius was more concerned with taking shots at Nick. Theo hadn’t asked that part of his assignment. His hand tightened around his knife. Maybe a stab wound would do the trick. “Hello, picture man.” Theo slashed, but Chey turned her body at the last second, evading him. Her movements were so fluid and graceful. She must have been a dancer in her human life. Where was Sarah? He’d lost sight of her in melee. How would he know when the connection had been successfully broken? “No, Chey. Get away from him!” Titius fought against Nick across the room from them. He took a step toward them, but Nick swiped at him, pulling his attention back to the fight. Bert stepped forward, planting his body between Theo and Chey. “Chey, move away. I’ll take care of him.”

On your knees. He repeated the directive. Neither Chey nor Bert moved from his directions. Well, damn. So his little parlor trick wasn’t good with either one of them. He’d have to fight the old fashioned way and hurt Chey while doing it. Bert stabbed out, only Theo wasn’t as good as Chey at evading it. It sliced his arm.


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“The blood flows and goes where it will.” Chey tilted her head back and forth so she looked as if she were a bobble head. The hand coming around his neck surprised the hell out of him. So focused on what was in front of him, he hadn’t been using his senses to the fullest. The arm snagged his windpipe on the first try and held him in place. Bert grinned unpleasantly. “Now the blood will flow even better.” He stabbed Theo in the gut. Again and again, he stabbed out with the knife. Little superficial and small wounds. Bert would take his time. Anna Grace let out a frustrated sound. “Theo.” He couldn’t look to where she was. All his energy focused on getting a coherent thought sent out of his head. Drop m…e, att…att…attack…Bert. The beefy man behind him dropped his arms, letting Theo slide to the floor. The man launched himself at Bert, taking them to the floor in a frenzy of attacking legs and arms. The man seemed to be trying to get a good bite hold on Bert, who kept telling him to “cut it the fuck out.” A touch to his side brought his focus away from the fighting vampires. Chey’s hands touched the wounds. “Yum.” She slipped her hand along the biggest one on his side. He couldn’t make his body move away from her, needing to heal a little. Theo’s body arched as he made a sound unlike any he’d ever made. Chey’s hand touching the wound hurt like hell. She moved her fingers around, causing him to writhe in even more agony. “It’s so squishy.” His head went back as his breath burst free from his lungs. He might be a vampire but damn, things still hurt. A lot. A human stood not two feet away from them, watching. Theo moaned. Making his brain concentrate, he aimed for the blond accomplice. Hit

Chey over the head. Blond guy did what he was told, using a lamp as a weapon. With both hands, he brought it squarely down on Chey’s head.

“Agog.” She gurgled, taking her hands from Theo. She fell in a heap, not quite unconscious, but not quite fully there. It wouldn’t take her long to heal the head injury, but it would buy him some time.

Have to move. Hurt Chey. “Theo, are you all right? Shit, I couldn’t get to you.” Anna Grace shook him roughly. He hadn’t registered her approach. “Please be all right.” He stilled her hands with his. “I’ll be fine in a minute.” His breath rasped. “Gotta heal.” He’d need a big meal when this was done. The sleepiness had slightly settled in. But he couldn’t do that. Not right now. He shook it off, willing himself to heal quickly. Would his own cell processes listen to him, too?

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Anna Grace moved away. “I’ve got to do this.” She brought a knife down into Chey’s side. Titius screamed. “No!!” He tore through the fray of Nick fighting him. “No! You bitch, I’ll kill you.” Chey’s eyes opened with a stunning clarity. Her eyes had been mixed with green before, not anything Theo had realized until they changed to a full brown. Did the eyes mean anything? “General?” Her hands went to the wound. She would heal it in time. Had the pain broken the connection? Theo looked for any sign the link was broken. “Give it up, Titius. Even outnumbered, we’re beating you.” Vampires lay wounded along with several ash piles around the floor. Humans lay dead or unconscious. It had been a massacre. Titius’s eyes widened. He looked at Chey and moved a step closer to her. Anna Grace stepped up. Her eyes glittered with anticipation. “I think it’s time we had that one-on-one talk. With weapons instead of words.”

Put down your weapon. Theo directed the order. Titius’s hand shook as it descended to lay his weapon down. “Fuck.” His eyes sought out Chey’s. He wanted to run, to take her with him. But too many stood between himself and Chey. Theo would make sure he didn’t do that. Anna Grace would have her go at him.

You won’t defend yourself against Anna Grace. Taking a step toward Chey, Titius was suddenly tossed hard against a wall. By no one. No hands had picked him up. He’d simply flown into the air. All heads turned to the redhead, who now stood at the far wall. She panted, head down low as she glared at Titius. A growl passed from her lips. “Baby, is that you?” Nick turned to face her. He’d been heading for Titius when Sarah had acted. “Is that really you?” Sarah ran a hand through her hair, which was tangled and tousled. “It’s me, Nick.” She pointed. “He needs to answer for what’s he’s done. For not helping her.” She approached Titius with a purposeful stride. Titius rose up, slashed with his knife, cutting Sarah brutally across the chest. Then he plunged the knife into her gut. She fell to the floor. He slammed against the wall again, but righted himself and launched his body through a window. Rolling to his feet, he leaped up and started running. Chey screamed. “Sarah!” Tears streaming down her face, she shimmied to her feet. A moan escaped her before she screamed again. “No.” Her upset was for Sarah, but Titius had abandoned Chey to them. The asshole. Theo would never leave Anna Grace that way.


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Nick made it to Sarah, and he pulled her into his arms. “Thank God. I thought I’d lost you forever.”

Stop. “Get him.” It was too late. Neither Nick, Anna Grace, nor Theo would catch up to Titius quickly, not even with their vampire powers. And, he’d run out of the reach of Theo’s mind powers. “Dammit.” His eyes focused on Nick crooning over Sarah. At least that part had a happy ending.

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Chapter Sixteen Theo turned his head to find Chey had gotten up and slipped silently out while everyone was watching Nick and Sarah. “They’re both gone.” “Theo, how are you?” Anna Grace helped him to his feet with a worried frown on her face. “Anna Grace, I’m fine.” He was. His wounds had already mostly knitted back together. Some blood right now would be filling, though it wasn’t critical. But, then he’d been well fed before this with a full blood bag right before the fight. A vampire nearby moaned. “Good. We need to finish these off. You know how. Take care of them” She tucked her knife back in and headed for the window Titius had jumped out of. “I’m going after Titius. He’s got a head start. Nick, take care of Sarah.” Theo shakily tested out his legs. Yep, everything worked. He followed behind Anna Grace. She turned as the porch creaked under his weight. Her face reflected her surprise. “Where are you going?” She headed down the porch steps. “With you.” He kept pace with her as she studied dirt and headed for the woods. Her face blanched. “I’m going after Titius. I’m going to catch him this time. He’s not getting away.” “I know. I’m going to back you up.” “I don’t have time for this. I’m already behind.” Theo shook his head. “Stubborn bastard.” “You have no idea.”


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“I’ll need to move fast. He’s on foot, but who knows for how long.” “I’ll keep up. And the longer you spend arguing with me here, the further Titius gets away.” Stopping, her mouth quirked, seeming unsure of whether to go up or down. “Fine. I’m used to working alone, though, Theo.” He moved forward, quickly grasping her shoulders to plant a quick kiss smack dab on her lips. “And, I’m the person to change that.” That she hadn’t told him off or left his ass yet told him he might be winning this fight. She shook her head as they started off again. “Fine. Let’s get going. And Theo?” “Yeah?” “You did good in there.” The simple words warmed him even as they jogged deeper into woods. “It was nothing. Just doing my job.” He followed her as her eyes scanned the dirt. Her ass drew his attention instead of tracks. Such fine curves. How incredible to be horny right now. Must be the adrenaline. “Titius is running deep into the woods. He’s not disguising his trail, so it should be easy to follow. Come on.” “How come he didn’t take a vehicle? They had to have at least two.” “He probably didn’t have keys. He’s always made his minions drive him around as if they were his servants.” “Guess that cost him.” A stick snapped in the distance. He looked warily around. “Chey’s out here, too.” “I’m not worried about her.” “Yeah, well, wasn’t your wound she had her hand in.” “Ah. True enough.” Anna Grace pulled back a branch. She let it go and it smacked Theo across the chest. “Whoops. Told you I’m used to working alone.” “And I told you…get unused to it. I’m going to be in your life, Anna Grace.” He lowered his voice. She was his and no amount of her telling him how bad she was at relationships would convince him otherwise. “That means all parts of it. Get used to me being here.”

***** Anna Grace kept her eyes on the ground, searching for tracks, for drips of blood, for broken branches. Anything that would tell her what direction Titius had traveled. She shouldn’t have taken the time to check on everyone when Titius had bolted. Especially Theo. It had given Titius a lead, but somehow she hadn’t been able to get started without seeing Theo was all right. It had cost her. She might not catch up to Titius now. And checking on

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everyone had led to Theo coming with her. Not a bad thing, but not anything she was used to. The blood drips had ceased not too far from Nick’s house. Titius hadn’t been seriously wounded. He’d probably healed already, the bastard. If only they’d drained more of his blood, hurt him more, weakening him. It would make him easier to catch and take down. Grim determination had set in about what she was going to do. She’d caught Theo checking his own wounds a couple of times and a little wobbly on his feet, but the injuries seemed to be knitting back together fine. Soon, no one would be able to tell where the wounds had been. He should have stayed behind and fed a little to energize. But, somehow his desire to protect her back did make her insides jumble into a warm gooey mess. God, let her catch him. It had to end now. Not to mention, her ache for revenge wouldn’t go away until her knife sank into Titius’s throat. Tearing flesh would make it feel better. No, she wouldn’t kid herself. Nothing was going to ease this pain but time. The sun would set soon but it wouldn’t affect her ability to track. Thank God for vampire eyes. How far would Titius go? He had to know she’d come after him, though he was doing little to disguise his tracks. Did he think she’d give up that easily? There was little but woods and lakes out here. Her eyes centered on an unusual track running along the ground near Titius’s. What was that? Her head tilted to the side as she stared down, trying to identify it. Though it looked human, it wasn’t Titius’s shoe print. “What is it?” They’d gone through the woods in silence once they’d gotten away from the house. Theo’s whisper took her by surprise. “A second set of footsteps. Someone’s following him besides us.” Theo peered around her at the print. He lowered his head in to get a better look. “A small foot made that.” She nodded. “Tiny. Chey’s.” “Yep. How far you reckon she’ll follow him?” Titius had betrayed Chey. Had left her there back at Nick’s to fend for herself. And he’d hurt Sarah, which had made Chey scream her anger. What did Chey think of Titius now? “I don’t know.” Why was she following him? To regroup with him and help him? Or something else? Titius came running out from behind a grove of trees, swinging a long blade in front of him. He’d been concealed there, watching them from upwind. They’d only heard him once he’d started moving. “You have been a pain in my ass for the last time, Irish bitch. You and your little photographer, too.”


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“Such empty threats, Titius. I wanted to end it back at the house. You wouldn’t go for it.” She glanced around to make sure Theo wasn’t close by. He was. Too close. “Theo, back off.” The last thing she needed was him getting into the fray and Titius using him against her. And the asshole would do it, too. He’d seen her weakness for Theo back in Richmond. “Anna Grace…” “Back off. I’m taking care of this.” He frowned, but took steps backward. She didn’t have time for this sort of argument. He’d better knock off the macho bullshit when he needed to. Or their attempts at a relationship would be short-lived. Titius laughed. His expression turned jovial. “Having trouble controlling the boy? A lover’s spat, perhaps?” “We’re here to fight. Not here to discuss Theo.” Titius needed to attack her, so she could bury her blade into him. So she could finish him once and for all. Kent’s face flashed before her eyes. Titius took an aggressive stance, coming in to parry against her blade. “Do you think you can best…” His eyes bugged as he growled. “No.” His weapon fell to the forest floor despite his attempts to clench his hand around it, almost as if someone had forbidden him from picking it up. Anna Grace glanced back at Theo. He shrugged, flashing her a quick smile. “Couldn’t help myself.” She’d almost forgotten about his power. That could make the disposal of Titius much easier. A part of her didn’t like the ethics of Theo being able to compel Titius, but if Titius had the power available to him, he’d sure as shit use it on them. So why not take advantage of it on him? “Don’t make this too easy, Theo.” Titius glowered at Anna Grace as he tried to pick up the weapon with sharking hands, but it was useless. With a howl, he launched himself, not at her, but at Theo. She spun around, coming between them and taking Titius to the ground with a tackle. He beat at her with both of his fists before stopping. His hands beat again but together without making contact with her body. “Fuck it.” He rolled a little away, grabbed a huge rock, bashing it down on his own hand. “Snap out of it.” Blood oozed from the wound. He was trying to use pain to bring himself out from under Theo’s control, much as they had back at the house with Chey and Sarah. Maybe Theo had told him not to hurt Anna Grace again. You go, Theo. Once this was over, they’d work on his powers to develop them and strengthen them. But he was doing fine on his own. “I hope that hurt.” She came close to slam her knife into his side before yanking it back out. “And so did that.”

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“Not as much as this will, bitch.” He panted heavily before bringing down the rock on her head. Her world spun around. Hands grabbed her, pulling her away. Theo pulled her off, stepping in front of her to face down Titius. Maybe Theo had been too specific about what Titius couldn’t hurt her with. She shook her head, trying to clear it as Theo’s back moved in a circular motion. She’d never seen a person wobble back and forth that way. Only it wasn’t Theo doing it. It was her vision. Titius jumped up before crouching low to the ground. “Get out of my head, boy. Run before I kill you.” “No.” Titius moved fast, slashing at Theo with his blade. “Left yourself open for attack again as you did last time, you dumb fuck. You should learn and stop protecting the bitch. She’s not worth it.” Theo dodged his weapon as Anna Grace lurched to her feet. It took a moment to clear her head and heal the damage from the hit she’d sustained. A human would have had a concussion. Theo lunged at Titius, slashing with his own blade. “You’re going to die. Doesn’t matter what you do.” He moved backward as Titius advanced. A log lay behind Theo. He didn’t see it behind him, and he fell over it before Anna Grace could muster a voice to tell him about it. “Shit.” She jumped over to them before Titius’s blade took advantage of the situation, taking up position in front of Theo as he scrambled to his feet. “Don’t think so, asshole.” She took a defensive stance. “What the fuck is this? Tag team fighting?” Titius sneered. “I didn’t know we were on WWF. And, he’s no better at it than that pompous Englishman. You sure can pick them.” She shuddered, her whole body tightening in rage. “How dare you?” She kept herself from springing on him only by a millisecond. That was what he wanted. To get her so worked up, she did something stupid. Keep your cool. “You’re not fit to speak either of their names. They were leagues above you.” “They begged for their lives, you know? Sniveling and crying like babies. Kent begged me not to hurt Agrippa. So naturally, I started with Agrippa first. Cut him. Bled him.” Titius’s eyes glittered in the dusky light. “All the while Kent watched me, begging me with every breath to stop. Like a coward.” “We aren’t here to talk about them. But, at least Kent stayed with Agrippa to the end. He didn’t run away and leave her to the enemy. Not like you.” Her voice sounded so rough, almost as if it had been coated in sandpaper. But, she’d kept herself from doing stupid things like rushing full into an attack. She had to plan this. Catch Titius unaware and strike when the moment was right. “Shut up, bitch.” Titius breathed heavily, nostrils flaring. “Shut your fucking mouth.”


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“What? You don’t enjoy being reminded of the way you left Chey behind?” She enjoyed the tightening of his features. The clenching of his jaw. “So you could save your own miserable life.” “Shut up.” “You’re the one who ran away. You didn’t know if Chey would get away or not. You left her to the mercy of your enemies. She was wounded. And, you took off without even a look back to make sure she could fight us.” “You don’t know. You don’t know military strategy.” He pounded on his chest. “I’m the General. Not you, you useless whore.” “At least Kent stayed with Agrippa whether he could free her or not. He didn’t run away with his ass between his legs.” “Stop it.” Titius moved forward. “Don’t you want to know how she died? If she cursed your name? Or called for you over and over to save her, hardly believing her man was a coward, too interested in his own skin to come back for her?” Anna Grace paced in front of him. “I could have told her how yellow you were.” “No. I had to get away. It was military strategy. Sometimes, you have to run to fight another day. You wouldn’t kill her. You couldn’t.” His eyes swung up with shock reflected in them. He knew her too well, but her bluff was getting to him. “You’re lying. She has to be alive.” His head shook frantically back and forth in denial. “She can’t be dead at your hand. You wouldn’t do that to her. Not an innocent like her.” “Why not? She was your woman. She allied herself with you. That made her guilty. She hurt Theo. She hurt Sarah.” Anna Grace’s mouth shut in a tight line. “And you killed my friends.” “You’re not…like that.” He hesitated. “You’re moral. You wouldn’t take out your revenge on someone else like that.” “You’d be surprised what I’m like.” “You couldn’t save your people from me.” Titius waved his hand to Theo. “As you won’t save him. He’s already dead.” He twirled the sword around in his hands. “In fact, I’m going to kill him in front of you like the dog he is. I’ll make you beg for his life. Then, I’ll take you down to the ground and cut you piece by piece. For anything you might have done to Chey.” “Are you now, General?” A familiar voice sounded from across the grove. “For me? How sweet.”

***** Theo watched as Chey sauntered up. She’d healed from the wound that Anna Grace had inflicted. Maybe she should have done more damage. Her appearance was a problem.

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Anna Grace wouldn’t use Chey against Titius, but Titius would use either of them against each other. Things could get a little weird, especially if Chey jumped in to defend Titius. Hadn’t she noticed what he’d done to her? He’d left her. Titius developed a smug look. “Hello, sweetheart.” He flashed a grin to Anna Grace that said “I knew you couldn’t have.” “Miss me, General?” Her steps minced along until she reached Titius’s side. His smile grew huge at her compliance to him. “I did. I’m glad you found me. I was worried.” He planted a kiss on her head. She beamed up at him. “This changes nothing, Titius.” Anna Grace bared her fangs. “You’re still going to pay for everything.” She slashed her weapon in the air. “Chey, you get in my way…I won’t have a choice. Don’t make me hurt you.” Chey’s dreamy smile made Theo shiver. No one could interpret that smile as sane. If only she’d direct that craziness to Titius. Too bad Theo couldn’t affect her mind to make it happen. “You know I’ll have to get in your way.” Damn. That meant they’d have to fight her as well as Titius. I’ll leave Titius to you. I’ll

get Chey. Good. “Then I’ll have to kill you.” Wait a minute. Theo paused. Had they talked into each other’s minds? That had never happened before. “You will not touch Chey.” Titius growled, pulling her closer against him. “I’m going to gut you both.” “Well, then, let’s get on with it, shall we?” Anna Grace yawned as if she were bored. “I’m tired of this stalemate. Tired of talking to you.” “Are you?” Chey’s voice came softly. “I can end it for you.” She stepped around Titius, who unsuccessfully pushed her back. “End it here and now.” “Chey, get back behind me. What are you doing?” Titius pushed on her shoulders to move her, but couldn’t. “Get out of my way.” Anna Grace stepped forward, taking an opposing stance. “It’s time to fight this out.” Chey’s hand went up in front of her as if she were a crossing guard telling Anna Grace to stop. “Stay back.” Anna Grace froze. Her arm twitched. I can’t move. Theo wasn’t too far behind her. He dashed in front of her before taking up his own fighting position. “What did you do to her?” Chey shrugged. “I can alter people’s movements. Make them stop or start. It’s as if I’m a key. Or a remote. Sarah called me that. A remote.”


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Titius looked shocked at her revelation. He recovered quickly. “Good job, Chey. Keep her still.” Chey hadn’t revealed all of her powers to Titius. Interesting, though not useful. Only an Uzi would be useful right about now.

Stay back from Anna Grace. Theo pushed hard into Titius’s mind. He couldn’t have Titius attack her while she couldn’t move to defend herself. He stayed several steps in front of her. “Photo boy, you need to stay out of my mind. And, again, you left yourself open for that Irish bitch.” Titius quickly advanced on him. “Chey, stick a knife in Anna Grace,” he said as he handed her one in passing. She moved around Titius on the opposite side to head for Anna Grace. “No.” Theo tried to put himself in position to protect Anna Grace from Chey, but Titius was between them and to move put him within stabbing range of Titius. Armed and ready, Titius planned to sink a knife in him while his lover took out Anna Grace. You can’t stick the

knife in me. But, Chey had moved in position. She raised the knife. Theo wasn’t close enough to take the hit. Titius was closer to them than he was. Chey plunged the knife down as Theo yelled “No!” Only Titius’s body went slack. Anna Grace reacted with a gasp but no sound of pain. Titius gurgled. Chey had sunk the knife into his back. “Chey?” He coughed as she twisted it in. “You left me. You hurt Sarah. After I told you not to.” She plunged the knife in to the hilt. “You’re not the man of my dreams.” She sidled up behind him, sinking fangs in deep to his shoulder. “Military strategy… It was…that’s why. I had to exercise…” She removed her mouth, sliding around to his front. “My ass. Or rather, your ass. You wanted to save it.” Again, she bit, this time, the front of his throat. He didn’t struggle. She must have hit him with her paralyzing powers. Anna Grace struggled and got an arm to move. Shit. Get her to let me out of this. Chey had taken Titius to the ground. After his first babbling, his excuses had stopped, probably because of her power. “Chey?” Theo spoke quietly. She looked up at him. “Can you release Anna Grace?” “It has to wear off. It will in a minute or two.” She went back to feeding, paying no more attention to Theo.

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“She says…”

I can hear her. Anna Grace glared. “My eyebrows are moving now.” “So are your lips.” She’d mind talked to him several times now. Now that could come in handy in a fight. “She’s going to kill him.” “Good. Good riddance.” Anna Grace moved her other arm. “Are you O.K. with that? Not doing it yourself?” Revenge had been important to her. “I’ll stop her if need be.” She grunted. “My head won’t shake. Don’t stop her. He’ll be dead. That’s all that matters.” Anna Grace had recovered her ability to move by the time Titius had turned to ash. Chey rested in the middle of it. Tears ran down her face. She’d not acknowledged them or made much noise since she’d started with Titius. “What do we do with her, Anna Grace?” What did you do with a crazy vampire with such strong powers? “I’m not sure.” She frowned. “With her abilities and her sanity in question… She’s dangerous. I’m not sure she…not sure we can leave her alive.” Chey twisted her head up to look at them. Her eyes were plaintive and wet with her tears. “Kill me.” “What?” Anna Grace moved toward the young woman lying in ashes. “What did you say?” “Kill me.” She presented her neck. “I’m ready.” “Why should I kill you?” It would solve the problem. She was crazy and powerful all in one package. Even Theo knew there were a lot of risks to letting her live. But she wasn’t truly evil either. She’d been sucked in by Titius, though she wasn’t malevolent herself. If only Anna Grace would ship him a thought at what they would do. “I was his. And, he did bad things. To those people. And to Mama.” She bit her lip. “I thought he was the man in my dreams. But he couldn’t be. That man…is my hero.” She shifted further up on her knees, thrusting her throat out. Theo and Anna Grace looked at each other without speaking for a moment. Anna Grace cleared her throat. “Don’t worry Chey. I’ll take care of you.” She approached the woman to kneel beside her. “I promise I will.”


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Chapter Seventeen Theo looked across the couch at Anna Grace. She stared out of the window, legs pulled up under her. He put his hand on her thigh. She turned to look at him before putting her warm fingers over his hand and squeezing. “Anna Grace?” A melodic, quiet voice sounded from the threshold between the living room and kitchen. Her head swiveled to stare at Sarah, who’d gotten cleaned up and fed. She looked so much better than they’d ever seen her. No longer did her hair lay matted or tangled; instead every strand lay in place. The living room looked better, too, even with plywood covering some holes. The ash and blood had been scrubbed up. Any bodies had been disposed of. Luckily, Titius had only brought a couple of humans with him. The rest had been vampires, who had melted down to ash when they’d died. The battle could have been a lot worse. “Yes?” Anna Grace answered. “Chey’s resting. I wanted to thank you for…not killing her.” She rested an arm on the back of a chair. “A lot of vampires would have. She’s special.” Anna Grace didn’t change expression. “Yeah, we’ll see what Nick and Henri have to say about all this when they have to deal with her.” “Say about what?” Nick lumbered in from outside. “Henri called a few minutes ago to check on everything. They’ll probably be here soon. They were mad they’d missed the whole entire fight.” He went to Sarah and put an arm around her. “I think Anna Grace is wondering if she did the right thing with Chey.” Sarah’s pronouncement was right on the mark. Anna Grace hadn’t said much since they’d brought Chey back with them to the house. She’d been quiet and withdrawn the whole time they’d cleaned up the premises.

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Nick shrugged. “Only time will tell.” Sarah leaned into Nick. “I can’t thank you enough. You helped separate us so I could think straight again. Chey has strong powers. I was drowning in her insanity, trying to keep my shield up around Nick and free myself at the same time. Nick told me what you did for me.” Chey was also nutty as a fruitcake. But Theo didn’t say that out loud. Sarah seemed to think a lot of the young woman. He hadn’t needed to be in her mind to see Anna Grace’s indecision over Chey. They’d give her a chance, which Titius never would have. He’d have left her insane. Anna Grace had told him that much before she’d clammed up. “I hope it works out.” Anna Grace smiled sincerely. “Henri is going to take her on. He had a good deal of success with another troubled young woman who was made a vampire a couple of years ago.” Nick shifted his weight. “Sarah’s hopeful he can do the same with Chey.” Sarah’s grin was easy and full. “I’m not only hopeful. I know he can.” And, she did. Sarah had an honest soul. Chey would be a powerful ally for whoever’s side she was on. If she could stabilize. If she didn’t, she could probably be as dangerous as an untrained pit bull. Theo squeezed Anna Grace’s leg. Regardless, the decision had now been pulled from Anna Grace. If things went downhill with Chey, she would have to learn to live with her decision and not blame herself. Anna Grace straightened herself, growing even more serious. “Nick, I did want to talk to you…” Nick held up a hand, stopping her. “About the Council?” “Yeah.” Her hands tightened on his. This Council moving forward was important to her. It would wind up being important to Theo, too, because of that. He’d better find out all he could about it. “Henri and I already discussed an alliance. As long as there aren’t restrictions on his…activities, we’ll both join.” “Really?” “Really.” Anna Grace’s face smoothed out. “Thank you. With Henri involved, it will go much more efficiently, I think.” “He won’t be a yes man. To you or anyone else. Henri has his own ideas about what’s good for our people.” “That’s a good thing. As long as we work together for the good of all vampires.” Sarah pushed back a stray curl. “So, are you two hungry?” Theo shifted on the hard cushion, looking at Anna Grace. They hadn’t talked about what came next or anything else. What would they do today? Stay there? Leave? Would


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Anna Grace want to go back to Ireland? Or would she be staying in the States to help bring in Nick, Henri, and more into this Council? And most importantly, would she be sticking with him to see where things went? “Uhhh.” “We should be going.” Anna Grace’s eyes met Theo’s. “Get out of your way for tonight…today.” “You’re welcome to stay here if you want. Or in the house next door.” Sarah slipped closer to Nick. “Theo, let’s let them get settled. They have enough going on here with Chey.” Anna Grace pushed to her feet. “It’s been nice meeting you. I’ll come talk about the Council when things are calmer here.” “What house next door?” Theo stood with her. “Nick, since you still have to discuss the Council with Henri and Anna Grace, the cottage would be closer and easier on everyone. Give them the keys. They can go get some rest and come back over when they’re ready. I’ll pack up some food.” She ducked back into the kitchen. Nick pulled keys from his pocket, disentangled a set and tossed them to Theo. “Here you go, man.” “Thanks.” Anna Grace frowned. “We can stay at a hotel. I don’t want to put you out.” “Nonsense.” Sarah smiled as she came back with a small cooler. “The neighbors next door said we can use their cottage when we had company. They’ve gone down to summer in Ohio. It will be more comfortable and closer than a hotel.” Theo jangled the keys. Tired and hungry, he didn’t want to drive back to civilization to stay in some cheap hotel.

Neither do I. “If you’re sure, that would be great.” They’d mind talked again. Theo had no idea what was going on with that either. It seemed to come naturally. Was that a good sign for them? With a start, Theo realized something. Even with all the chaos and fighting, he’d been happy the whole time he’d been with Anna Grace. The life he’d left behind, had started to bore him. It hadn’t given him much joy. Things would never be boring with Anna Grace. Ever. Nick nodded. “Come over when you’re ready to talk, and we’ll set up something. And guys? Thank you.” His arm tightened around Sarah. The man possessed serious love for the woman beside him. Theo cut his eyes at Anna Grace. Would they ever be so comfortable in a relationship like that? “No problem. We’ll call after some rest.” “Sounds good.”

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Anna Grace snagged the keys from him going out of the door. It slammed behind them. She grasped his arm in hers, and together, they walked over to the cottage next door.

***** Anna Grace woke up, comfortable, warm, and sleep sated. They’d gone to the little house, eaten and cleaned up. Theo had been showering when she’d lain down in the bed to wait for him. She must have fallen asleep. Because part of the reason she was so toasty was his body had wrapped around hers. She snuggled in, enjoying his closeness and scent. He murmured, “The ducks are escaping,” ending on a sigh. He shifted against her, keeping her close. His morning erection poked against her thigh. She bit back a laugh. What ducks? He must be dreaming. What kind of man dreamed about ducks?

Her man. There was no doubt in her mind They were mates. When he’d followed her to get Titius, and they’d found him, a constant fear had jumped to the surface. She could lose Theo. And suddenly, getting Titius hadn’t seemed so all-fired important. In fact, it had dwindled immensely when she’d thought about keeping Theo safe. Theo had shifted around her priorities. Theo had worked as hard to protect her from Titius as she had him. He wasn’t used to fighting. And, it didn’t fit him easily. Before, his weapon had been his camera. Now, it was a blade and fangs. But, to protect her, he would do it. When Chey had gotten to Titius to work on killing him, Theo had asked her was it all right for Chey to be the one taking Titius out. And, it had been. Titius would be dead, whoever did it. Killing him herself hadn’t seemed so vital. But, the important thing was that Theo had asked. He’d listened to what she wanted. He hadn’t tried to play all macho and work her out of the end. Or tried to pull Chey off to give in to her misguided sense of justice. He’d let her decide what happened next about something important to her. Somehow in the chaotic events of the last few days, Theo had come to know her better than anyone else had. He didn’t only know her, he accepted her for what she was. And, she’d come to love him.

Her. The indisputable Queen of fucked up relationships was in love with someone. The world had to be turning on its axis. And, since that was the case, there was only one thing left to do. Make him hers.


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She reached down to pull his stiff length into her hands. Sometimes, the way men started the morning was a nice bonus for her. And sex was better than coffee to jumpstart the day. “Ummmm.” She stroked up and down it gently with skimming fingers. Up to his tip she went before scooting her hands back down again. She wiggled herself around, pulling the covers up over her head. Then, she began a slow descent of her mouth down his body. His tasty skin became her morning snack as she nibbled a path. He tasted of salt and musk, a heady sensation for her tongue. Reaching his flat nipples, she poked them with her tongue, gliding quickly across them. They hardened into wrinkly little nubs under her ministrations. She took one peak into her mouth and bit down on it with her front teeth. Not enough to cause a lot of pain, but enough to pinch. Long ago, she’d learned to conceal and work around her canines without catching her lovers with them. Had his finished growing?

“Agog.” He swallowed, the motion lifting her up and down as if he were boat rising over a wave. She planned for this boat to give her quite a ride later. She went further down his body, sliding her tongue across abs and ribs. His abdomen felt so tight under her. It didn’t have give to it. Poking her tongue in his belly button, she heard his low chuckle. He wiggled around, probably from her tickling the indentation. She poked her tongue in more. “Trying to wake me up?” “Uh-huh.” Approaching the end of her journey, she kissed his lower stomach, feeling it suck in under her tongue. Did he anticipate where she would go next? He was right, of course. She couldn’t wait to get his cock in her mouth to deep-throat him. Her tongue came out to tap on the end of his length. She tasted the bitter saltiness of his pre-come from the drops, which had leaked from his tip. “You can wake me up like this anytime.” His breath sucked in as she enveloped him in her mouth. She wrapped it around him, taking him as deep as she could before coming back up. Alternately she used suction and swirled her tongue around him before she took him deep within her mouth. His hips bucked slightly with each pass. So responsive to her touch. Her clit tingled with all that she did to him, loving each and every nonsensical sound of pleasure he made. She’d done a half turn when she’d reached his cock, so that her legs had gone up the way she’d come down the bed. That way, she didn’t have to dangle her legs off the side. It startled her when Theo’s fingers touched her leg. Even with the softness of the tap, she jumped slightly. But, she didn’t pull her mouth from around him. Not even when he

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yanked her legs closer to him or kicked off the covers. He helped to rearrange them so that her pussy lay over his face. She never removed her mouth, continuing to pleasure him. Her body hitched up in the anticipation of what was coming. Would he? Do her while she did him? He didn’t disappoint. His mouth opened, tongue coming out to slurp in her wetness. It ran across her, making her body arch from the sensations. His hands gripped her hips, holding them in place so he could reach where he wanted to with his mouth. Her heart pounded faster. He scraped teeth against her before sucking her clit into his mouth. He then wiggled his tongue back and forth over and over her sensitive engorged flesh. She suctioned harder around his cock. Little gag reflex made this easier. But with his tongue working her, it was hard to remember what she needed to be doing to his cock. Sensations rolled through her in valleys and peaks. Her body tensed and relaxed as pleasure built and crested. Then, it would relax but spiral her higher and higher. The large wave of the orgasm hit her, pulling her into its wake with a strong ebbing. Her whole body rode it out, completely entrenched in it. The intense pleasure left her breathless. Her whole body chilled with sweat. She breathed frantically through her nose, trying to bring in enough air. Her heart beat a rocking rhythm to match her pants. Her mouth stilled around his cock, but as the orgasm passed, she licked and teased in earnest again. It didn’t take long to send him over the edge. His hips bucked wildly as he thrust against her once, twice, and on the third lift, his come burst forth into her mouth in a shower. She slurped it all, milking him for every last drop. Releasing him, she stayed on top of him, sighing, trying to bring her body back to earth. Sliding from him, she turned back so she could lay against him again. He wiped his mouth off on the pillow case. Then, he pulled her against him and the blanket up on top of him. “Guess we’ll be doing laundry.” She made a sound of agreement. “So what’s next for us?” “Sleep.” She blew out a breath, cuddling in. “I meant beyond that, Anna Grace.” His voice sounded tired, but serious. “Are you…where are we going when we leave Michigan?” He’d said “We.” But she had to check, had to know. “Are you staying with me, Theo? You’re a strong vampire. You don’t need me as a mentor.”


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“I know I don’t have to. The question is…do you want me to?” She started to speak and he put a finger to her lips. “Do you want me to?” “Yes.” A better woman than she might have said no. Might have freed Theo to be with someone better for him. But, she wasn’t that better woman. She cared for him too much now to let him go. “I’m a bitch, Theo. You’d better get used to it. I can’t change. But, I want you with me.” She felt his mouth turn in up in a smile by her shoulder. I want to be there.

Good. “You realize we mind talk?” She pulled away from him. Shit. They had. It had come so naturally, she hadn’t even picked up on them not saying the words out loud. “No.” “Yes. We did it against Titius.” “I can’t. I’ve never even been able to mind talk, even with my…creator.” If there was ever a big neon sign proclaiming them mates, this was it. Her dampening abilities had always blocked her psychic ones. Theo must have gotten strong enough to work his mental powers, too. “That’s got to be important, Anna Grace.” “It could be. What’s more important, though, is how you feel about me. Fate only determines what it will. We don’t have to be slaves to it.” “I…I mean…I’ve never…been…but I think…” He took a deep breath. “I don’t know what I feel for you. But I know, I don’t want this…” He waved a hand. “To ever end. I want to be with you. Not only like this, but hunting. Being Councilwoman. Council recruiter. I want to share in it all.” She reached out to touch a hand to his cheek. Such warm skin. “I feel the same way. I want to be yours. I want to see you have art shows. To use your photography talents like you’ve always dreamed of.” “I want to bond with you.” Theo put his hand up with hers, taking it in his hand. “The way Nick said we could. I want to be connected.” “It would mean…” She frowned. All the stupid risks she took. How would she do her job now? She couldn’t risk Theo. “You won’t be risking me. I’ll be at your side. The same way I was taking down Titius. It doesn’t matter whether we bond or not. They kill you, they will me. Because I’m going to be right there.” He had a point. What was the use in protecting him from their double demise if he intended to always accompany her on hunts? “Are you sure about this? It’s not something we can undo once it’s done.”

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“I’m sure.” He reached over and picked up a cell phone from the nightstand. “You want to call or shall I?” “One problem.” “What is it?” His face scrunched up in worry. “We’ll never get reception.” The lines didn’t smooth out. “Then one of us will walk over there.” This was serious. “I’ll do it.” “I’ll be waiting. Come right back.” It was an out. He was letting her have one. If she didn’t come back from going alone, he’d accept it. Only she planned on coming back.

***** She found Theo in the exact same place she’d left him. In the bed. Still naked. He wasn’t even dozing. He looked at her with expectant eyes. “And?” “They told me how to do it. But, I want you to understand. This is not reversible. It conjoins our life threads. We will be connected forever. No matter where we end up going.” She had to make him understand that. No matter how much he might come to dislike her, he’d be stuck. God, please don’t let him hate me. Though she said God a lot, rarely did she pray. This was too important not to. Losing Theo couldn’t happen. He seemed sincere about this. “I understand. And, I want this.” He sat up, letting the sheet fall away. Her eyes took in his muscular body. Her pussy leaked its arousal. Hard to believe they’d had a sixty-nine sexual encounter a little earlier. She still wanted him. As his cock poked up, still covered by blanket, he wanted her, too. “All right.” She pulled out a plastic cup and a knife. “We each have to bleed. Mix the blood together. And say some words. Drink it. Then, we’ll be bonded.” “That’s it?” “They said it was a simple bonding ceremony.” “O.K.” Anna Grace cut first, dripping her blood into the cup. Theo took the knife from her before slicing and pooling his blood on top of hers. “With my blood, I bind you.” “With my blood, I bind you.” Theo looked at her, quirking up an eyebrow. “Now, we drink?” “So they said.” She took about half the liquid before handing the cup to Theo.


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He drank quickly. They both sat on the bed, staring at each other. “Shouldn’t we feel different? Or lightning should strike? Or we should pass out? That always happens in the movies.” “Yeah, well, the movies also depict us as coffin-dwelling, no-reflecting freaks.” She shrugged. Desire slammed her with the force of a train. Her pussy moistened. She couldn’t breathe as it squeezed her in a vise-grip. “Theo?” Her voice came so raspy with need. He had to go inside her. Right now. She couldn’t think of anything else but getting that cock inside her. Her eyes lifted to his face to see the same aroused state there. “Inside you, now.” He reached for her, grappling her with shaking hands. He pulled her against him, slamming her into a wall. Lifting her legs, he helped her to wrap them around his hips. “Yessssss.” His cock poked at her entrance mere seconds before sliding inside. They both hissed with the penetration, so slickly did he slide into her depths. So fully did he fill her up. Passion haze glazed her mind as her orgasm screamed across her. The house seemed to shake so forcefully did he thrust into her, pushing her into the wall behind her. Or, maybe it was her body quaking. Nothing had ever hit her so hard. Until a minute later. A second orgasm burst in fire and flames. Her pussy had never ignited as it did with him inside her. Molten heat burned her, fanned by the touch of his body against hers. “Can’t hold back.” He gritted the words through his teeth as he stilled. “Can’t…hold back.” “Don’t.” His whole body wrenched forward against her so tightly, they seemed as one. His hips rocked against her as the orgasm hit. He poured his release into her as he called her name between pants. It was seconds before either of them could move. He backed away so she could slide down his body. “You O.K.?” He pushed his hair back. “Yeah.” Her whole body teamed with an energy that had never been matched before. “You?” “Yep.” He blew out a breath as if to calm himself. “Was that supposed to happen?” “I don’t know. But, it was great.” “Well, duh.” He sat back on the bed. Her body, coated in sweat, chilled from goose bumps erupting. Other fluids dripped down her thigh. She pulled the blanket up over herself, sitting beside Theo.

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“Are we bonded?” She shrugged. “I would think we are. I did the ceremony as they said. And Nick and Sarah have done it before.” His raggedy grin made her heart pound. “Together forever.” “Yeah, remember that when I get hard to live with.” She’d warned him. Now, he’d have to deal with what they’d done. But the thought didn’t make her feel heavy or sad. Instead, she bounced up and down. The Council was moving forward. Titius was dead. Best of all, she had a mate, who’d bonded to her. Someone who thought he could love her for eternity. Nothing could compete with that show of faith he’d given her. He laughed. “I don’t think I will. You’ll keep me on my toes, though.” “And other things.” She reached out to stroke a limp cock, which quickly reared back to life in search of some action. “Damn.” He chuckled softly. “I like this recovery time.” “What, you not up for it?” She arched a brow at him. “You sure feel as if you are.” He snorted. “I’m always up for it, apparently.” He was on her before she could move, pinning her to the bed with his strong body. He leaned in to kiss her soundly, lips teasing and tasting. “Hey, I’m on top this time.” She glared up at him as he held down her arms to keep her under him. “No fair.” “All’s fair in love and war, darling. And, this is definitely love.” She sighed in contentment as he got busy with her lips so she couldn’t answer him. At the end of their night’s journey, they had each found love to come home to.

Mechele Armstrong Have you ever wondered, "What if crayons have a kingdom?” Mechele Armstrong did at age five. Now, turning the imagination of a wide-eyed child into intense spellbinding stories for adults, she is winning over new fans every day. Writing stories and poetry as a hobby, she graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Religious Studies and Social Welfare. Although there were challenges with work and family, the need to write and be published, to share her passion for books was always there. During a rainy weekend at the beach reading several romance novels she fell in love, not with the hero, but with the genre again. So began a two-year adventure of doing what she loved most, creating worlds with strong heroines and enchanting heroes that will keep you turning pages until the end. Using the Internet and the local Romance Writer’s Association, she learned and refined her craft. Living in Virginia with a husband, kids, dog, and fish, she finds time to share her vivid imagination and ability to tell stories of adventure, love, lust, and everything in between. Visit Mechele on the Web at http://www.mechelearmstrong.com, or email her at [email protected].

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Night's Journey

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Journey

Journey

Journey

Journey

Journey

Journey

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Crystal Nights

Scarlet Nights

Mayan Nights

Sleepless Nights

Kansas Nights

Wilde Nights

Arizona Nights

Moscow Nights

Limehouse Nights

Nantucket Nights

Scarlet Nights

Summer nights

Vampiric Nights

Deceptive Nights

Sleepless Nights

Kalooki Nights

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