Dammit!
He removed Daisy’s shoes, then tucked her under the covers. He gazed down at her a moment, thinking how right it felt to have her under his roof again. Too right.
Muttering under his breath, he returned to her brother, who was still unconscious. Lifting the man with one hand, Erik stripped the ruined sheets from the bed, noting that the mattress was ruined, too. He dropped the bloody sheets on the bathroom floor, along with Alex’s navy blue briefs, and turned on the shower.
Fully clad, Erik stepped into the stall with Daisy’s brother cradled in his arms. Erik shook his head. If anyone in the vampire community discovered what he had done, he would have no defense. In the world of the Undead, it was vampire against mortal. There was no neutral ground.
Erik glanced at Alex. Even the cold water had failed to revive him. Perhaps his efforts to save the man had come too late.
Once the blood had been rinsed away, Erik turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. After wrapping Alex in a towel, he carried him down the stairs to the guest room. He hesitated a moment before opening the door, then chuckled softly as he imagined Alex’s reaction if he regained consciousness. Erik had wondered, on more than one occasion, what kind of people had owned the house previously, and if they had been color-blind. Three of the walls in this room were painted a virulent shade of orange; the fourth wall was decorated with pink, yellow, and magenta flowered wallpaper.
Pulling back the matching spread on the twin bed, Erik tucked Alex under the covers, then left the room. What the hell was he doing keeping a hunter and a Blood Thief under his roof? Dammit, there was no way he was going to get any rest with the two of them in his house. And no way he could explain their presence to the Master of the City.
And what about Rhys?
He cursed softly. Another two hours until sunset. There were times, like now, when he hated the weakness that kept him trapped inside until sundown.
After changing into a dry T-shirt and jeans, Erik found his cell phone and dialed the number of the vampire who had been his best friend for the last two hundred years.
He feared the worst when there was no answer.
Chapter 19
Daisy woke with a start, surprised to find herself in Erik’s house. What was she doing here? And then, all too vividly, she remembered going hunting with Alex, finding Rhys, although they hadn’t known it was Rhys at the time. She would never forget the sight of Rhys hovering over her brother, never forget how she had doused the vampire with holy water before driving a stake into his chest. And missing his heart, she thought bitterly.
Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, Daisy hurried out of the room. Alex. She had to find Alex.
Her heart seemed to stop beating when she opened the door to the room where he had been. Last night, she hadn’t paid any attention to the room’s décor. Now she wondered how she could have missed the garish green paint and jungle wallpaper.
She moved toward the bed, only then noticing that it was empty. The sheets had been stripped from the mattress; the mattress was stained with blood. She peeked into the bathroom, but it, too, was empty.
Where was Alex?
And where was Erik?
She stared at the door at the end of the hall. If she opened it, would she find Alex or Erik inside?
She stood in the hallway, listening to the house. It sounded as dead as its owner. As dead as her brother? No! She couldn’t think that. Alex had been alive when she saw him last, alive and drinking Erik’s blood.
“Your brother owes me a new mattress and a set of sheets.”
Daisy whirled around, her hand at her throat, at the sound of Erik’s voice. “Where is he? Where’s my brother? What have you done to him?”
“I haven’t done anything to him. He’s downstairs, still unconscious. I don’t imagine he’ll be waking up anytime soon.”
Daisy stared at Erik, hurt and confused, trembling now. She hated him because he was a vampire, because one of his kind had almost killed Alex and yet, if it wasn’t for Erik’s vampire blood, Alex would be dead now.
“I’m…I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I should be thanking you.”
“He’ll be all right. That was quick thinking on your part, bringing him here.”
“I was going to take him home. I’ve got some…some blood there, but it isn’t fresh, and he looked so pale…and you were closer.”
“I doubt that any of your old blood would have worked on that belly wound.”
“Thank you for saving him.”
“As I recall, you said you’d do anything I asked.”
Her gaze flew to his face. “Yes. I…I did.”
“Did you mean it?”
She nodded, unable to speak past the growing lump in her throat.
“Come here, then.”
She stared at him, her heart racing. She willed herself to move forward but her feet seemed rooted to the spot. Not like this, she thought. Please, not like this.
When she didn’t move, he closed the short distance between them. As though spellbound, Daisy stood motionless while he drew her body against his, then pushed her hair behind her ear.
His fingers traced the curve of her throat. “Sweet,” he murmured. “So sweet.”
His tongue skimmed over her skin, hotter than any flame. Why hadn’t she realized he would rather have her blood than her flesh? And why was that thought so disappointing?
Placing one finger beneath her chin, he tilted her head back, then claimed her lips with his.
As always when he kissed her, Daisy’s mind seemed to shut down. His lips were firm on hers, cool at first, then slowly warming. His tongue teased hers as his hands cupped her buttocks, drawing her against the unmistakable evidence of his desire. And in that moment, she would have given him anything he asked.
She felt bereft when he took his mouth from hers. She blinked up at him, her eyes filled with desire and confusion. “I thought…”
“Did you really think I’d take advantage of you?” he asked.
Still confused, she lifted her chin defiantly. “Don’t you want me? I said I’d do anything.”
“Oh, I want you all right, more than you can imagine. But when you come to my bed, it’ll be your idea, because you want it, not because you think you owe me a favor.” He raked a hand through his hair. “You’d better go check on your brother. He’s waking up.”
Before she could ask how he knew that, Erik vanished from her sight.
Daisy stared at the place where he had stood only moments before, thinking how incredible it was that he could just disappear into thin air like that. What was she going to do about Erik? She knew he wanted her in the most primal way, but he wanted more than that. He wanted her body and her blood, her heart and her soul. How could she surrender herself to him? How could she not, when she wanted him as much as he wanted her? Ever since the night she had met him, he had been in her mind, in her heart. It didn’t matter how often she told herself it was foolish to even think of having a relationship with him, the thought was always there, like an itch she couldn’t scratch.
“It’s impossible,” she muttered. “The whole thing is impossible. He’s a vampire, you’re a Blood Thief. Your father and Alex are hunters.”
Daisy scrubbed her hands up and down her arms. How could she and Erik ever find any common ground between them, besides the insatiable desire that flared between them whenever he was in the room? Her parents would never accept him. And what about her friends? Her best friend’s little sister had been killed by a vampire. Jennifer would never, ever understand how Daisy could be friends with one of the Undead, let alone be in love with one…
In love. For the first time, Daisy admitted she felt more for Erik than just affection, more than an undeniable attraction. She was deeply, hopelessly, in love with him. She didn’t know when it had happened, didn’t know if what she felt was real or if he had worked some sort of supernatural vampire mojo on her, but it felt right. It felt real.
In l
ove with a vampire, Daisy thought. How could that be? She had been taught since childhood that they were no longer human, that it wasn’t a crime to destroy them or to sell their blood. Hunting vampires, marketing their blood online, those were considered laudable occupations.
Oh, Lord, what was she going to do now? How could she explain her feelings to her family, to her best friend, to herself?
Try as she might, she couldn’t find an answer. Feeling the mother of all headaches coming on, she pushed the tumultuous thoughts from her mind. Alex was waking up. Dealing with her brother was something she could handle.
Taking a deep breath, she went downstairs to the guest room. She paused a moment, then opened the door and stepped inside.
Alex was sitting up, his back against the headboard. He glanced around the room. “Daisy, what the hell’s going on? Where am I?”
Pasting a reassuring smile on her face, she sat on the edge of the bed. “Don’t you remember what happened?”
“Happened?” Alex blinked at her, and then he frowned. “Oh, yeah, we went looking for Rhys.”
Daisy nodded.
“Yeah, I remember now. We found a lair.” Alex looked at her, his face as pale as the pillowcase behind his head. “I found his resting place…I was going to stake him when he sprang at me…” His eyes narrowed. “I don’t remember much of anything after that.”
“I went in looking for you,” Daisy said, forcing a smile. “Just in the nick of time.”
“Was it him? Was it Costain?”
Daisy nodded.
“And you killed him?” Astonishment swept over her brother’s face. “Hot damn, the reward’s ours!”
Daisy shook her head. “I don’t think I destroyed him. I staked him, but I think I might have missed his heart.”
“You didn’t make sure? You didn’t take his head?”
“At the time, I was more interested in getting you out of there.” For the moment, she decided not to tell her brother that he had been half dead, or that Erik had given him his blood and saved his life, both facts she was certain Alex wouldn’t appreciate, at least not at the moment.
Alex’s gaze moved around the unfamiliar room. “So where are we?”
“A friend’s house,” she said with a shrug. “It didn’t seem smart to go home.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Alex agreed somewhat dubiously. And then suspicion flared behind his eyes. “What friend?”
Daisy worried her lower lip with her teeth. There was no point in lying. Sooner or later, Erik would appear and Alex would know where they were.
She was about to answer when Alex said, “This is his house, isn’t it? The artist’s?”
“Yes, it was closer than ours and I…I didn’t know where else to go.”
Alex snorted. “You think an artist can protect us from the likes of Rhys Costain?”
“I don’t know,” Daisy said quietly. “I hope so.”
Erik propelled himself across the city to Rhys’s main lair; when he found it empty, he went to check on the house where the Vampire Council met.
A harsh command silenced Lucifer as Erik vaulted over the fence and landed on the front porch. A glance at the lock showed it had been picked. Dreading what he might find, Erik pushed the door open and stepped inside. The scent of fresh blood was unmistakable.
Expecting the worst, he was relieved to see Rhys sitting on the sofa, his fangs buried in the neck of a leggy blond Erik recognized as one of the girls from La Morte Rouge.
Rhys lifted his gaze when Erik entered the room.
“Sorry,” Erik muttered. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your dinner.”
Snarling softly, Rhys pushed the girl aside and licked the blood from his lips. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Damn! Why hadn’t he anticipated that question? He rarely showed up on Rhys’s doorstep without an invitation or a darn good reason. Unfortunately, he didn’t have an invitation, and he couldn’t very well tell Rhys that he had just stopped by to see if he had survived Daisy’s attack.
“Well?” Rhys muttered impatiently.
Stalling for time, Erik cleared his throat. What possible excuse could he give? “I was in the neighborhood,” he said, keeping his voice carefully casual. “Thought I’d stop by and see if you were in the mood to go hunting down by the docks.” He gestured at the blonde sprawled on the sofa. Her eyes were closed; a drop of bright red blood glistened like a ruby on her slender throat. “I didn’t know you were ordering in.”
Rhys glanced at the girl, as if he had forgotten she was there. “You want to go hunting? What’s the occasion?”
“Nothing special,” Erik said with a shrug. “Just thought I’d like some company for a change.”
Rhys grunted softly. “I’m glad you’re here.” Giving the girl a nudge, he gestured for her to leave the room.
Rising, her legs none too steady, the blonde left the house.
With a wave of his hand, Rhys closed the front door. “I was attacked today.”
“Attacked?” Erik repeated. “By who?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t leave his smell behind, but I’ve tasted his blood. I’ll know him when I find him.”
Erik swore under his breath. If Rhys found Alex, he would find Daisy. And if he found the O’Donnells at Erik’s house…damn! Erik didn’t want to think about what that would mean. “Are you all right?”
“What do you think?” Rhys draped his arm over the back of the sofa. “It was a near thing, though.”
With a casualness he was far from feeling, Erik dropped into the chair across from Rhys. It took every ounce of his self-control to keep his face impassive, his manner relaxed.
“He wasn’t alone.”
Erik went still as he waited for Rhys to go on.
“He had a girl with him. A tasty-looking little morsel with auburn hair and green eyes. When I find her…” He licked his lips. “For all that she was a fragile-looking thing, she had spunk.” Lifting one hand, he rubbed his chest. “Drove a stake through me, she did. An inch or two to the left and it would have been all over.”
He’d seen her, Erik thought, his hands clenching into tight fists. Rhys had seen Daisy.
“You okay, buddy?” Rhys asked.
“Yeah, sure. Sounds like a close call.”
“Too damn close!”
“I always said you needed better security around here. A baby could break into this place.”
“How did they know where to find me?” Rhys asked, his voice sharp. “That’s what I want to know.”
“You think I sent them?” Erik asked, his tone equally sharp.
“I don’t know.” Rhys stared at him, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. “You’re the only one who knows I rest here from time to time.”
“It wouldn’t take a genius to figure it out. Anyway, I’m probably the only one on the West Coast who doesn’t want you dead. The rest of them would be fighting to take your place before your ashes were cold.”
Rhys grunted softly, and then chuckled. “Come on,” he said, his good nature restored. “Let’s go find you some dinner, and then we’ll have dessert.”
Chapter 20
“Daisy! Dammit, Daisy, where are you?”
“I’m up here. What’s wrong?” She peered over the banister, startled to see Erik moving swiftly toward the foot of the stairs, so swiftly he was little more than a blur.
“Get your things together. We’re leaving.”
“Leaving? Why? Where are we going?”
“Rhys knows what you look like. He’s tasted your brother’s blood. How long do you think it will take him to track the two of you down?”
“So he’s still alive,” she murmured.
“Very much so.”
Daisy felt the blood drain from her face. All too clearly she recalled the fury blazing in the vampire’s hell-red eyes when he had whirled around to face her. She had seen death in those eyes. Her death.
“We need to go, Daisy. Now.”
�
��You’re right, of course. Alex…”
“What about him?”
“We can’t tell him that you’ve talked to Rhys.”
“Right.”
Daisy chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully. “I’ll just tell him that I think we need to get out of LA, that I’ve got a bad feeling about staying here any longer since I’m not sure that I destroyed Rhys.”
“Will he buy that?”
“I think so.”
“Tell him whatever you need to, but do it now.”
While Daisy went to talk to Alex, Erik went upstairs to his room. He threw a change of clothes and a long, black hooded cloak into a suitcase, packed his laptop, and shoved a pair of sunglasses into his pocket. As an afterthought, he grabbed a T-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants for Alex and headed downstairs to the guest room, wondering, as he did so, how he had gotten so tangled up in the affairs of the O’Donnell family. Of course, he knew the answer, and her name was Daisy.
Alex was sitting up in bed when Erik entered the room. Daisy glanced at him over her shoulder, her expression telling him that she had explained things to her brother.
Erik tossed the T-shirt and sweats on the bed. “Are you strong enough to get dressed on your own?”
“Damn right!”
“Then do it. We’re leaving in five minutes.” With another glance at Daisy, Erik left the room.
She followed him into the living room.
“Have you got everything?” Erik asked.
She nodded. She hadn’t had anything with her other than her handbag, her cell phone, and her kit when they arrived. “You don’t think we waited too long, do you? You don’t think he’s out there?”
“No, but we need to put some miles behind us before sunrise.”
Daisy glanced at her watch. It would be light in a few hours. “Does Rhys…can he be out during the day?”
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