Daisy stared at her father and brother in disbelief. No one in their family had ever been killed by a vampire. They’d had some close calls, sure, but nothing like this. Even now, with the proof in front of her, she couldn’t believe Brandon was gone.
It was a somber group that gathered around the kitchen table later that evening. Alex had fixed a dinner that no one ate, and now they sat there, too numb with loss and grief to speak. They had done what needed to be done before leaving the lair near the harbor.
Noah had wrapped his son’s body in a quilt pulled from a closet and carried him out to the car.
Alex had decapitated the vampires to make sure they wouldn’t rise again, then collected the necessary proof that the kills had been made.
Daisy had stowed the vials of blood in the cooler. She had been tempted to leave them behind, but she couldn’t. The liquid in those vials had cost her brother his life.
Daisy and Alex had been about to leave the house when Alex paused. “Do you smell that?”
Daisy had sniffed the air. “It smells like death.”
Alex grunted softly.
Daisy followed Alex down a narrow flight of stairs to the basement where they made a grisly discovery—the bodies of a middle-aged man and woman shoved inside an old coal chute.
“They’ve been dead a while,” Alex said. “We need to notify the police.”
Daisy had turned away, sickened by the sight and the smell of the house’s former owners.
Alex called the police. The rest of the afternoon had passed in a blur of police reports and endless questions. There was no law against destroying vampires. Once the police had ascertained that the deceased were indeed vampires, Daisy and her family had been free to go. They had taken Brandon’s body to the local mortuary and made the necessary arrangements for the funeral, and then driven home.
“Your mother and Aunt Judy will be home day after tomorrow,” Noah said, breaking the stillness.
“How’s Mom taking it?” Alex asked.
“Hard.”
“Someone needs to call Paula,” Daisy remarked.
“I’ll do it.” Alex blew out a sigh. “I guess now’s as good a time as any.” Rising, he left the kitchen.
Daisy stared blankly out the window. Instead of a wedding, there would be a funeral. She still couldn’t believe her brother was dead. Brandon had been such a gentle, fun-loving young man. Once, he had confided in her that he didn’t like being a Blood Thief. When she had asked why he didn’t quit, he had admitted, somewhat sheepishly, that he knew Alex would tease him unmercifully. Daisy blinked back her tears. If only he had quit before it was too late. Funny, she had never really believed anyone in her family would be hurt. They were the good guys, after all.
She looked up, startled, when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it, Dad,” she said, thinking it was probably the police with more questions. Her father had been through enough for one day.
It wasn’t the police. Opening the door, she found herself staring up at Erik. The word vampire screamed in the back of her mind. In that moment, if she’d had a stake at hand, she would have destroyed him without a qualm.
“What’s wrong?” There was no mistaking the hatred in her eyes, though he could think of nothing he had done to put it there.
“My brother…Brandon…he’s…he’s dead.”
“I’m sorry. How did it happen?”
She clasped her hands together to still their trembling. “He was….” She took a deep breath and said it all at once. “He was killed this afternoon. By a vampire.”
“Ah.” That explained everything. “Do you know who did it?”
“Yes. She’ll never hurt anyone again.”
“I can see I’m not welcome here,” Erik said quietly. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Rage and impotent anger boiled within her. She wanted to strike out, to hurt as she had been hurt. Conversely, she had an almost overwhelming urge to invite him in, to rest her head on his shoulder and let him comfort her, but she couldn’t. He was Nosferatu. For all she knew, he might have been friends with the vampire who had killed Brandon.
Distraught, she could only stand there, drowning in grief that was too painful, too fresh, for words.
“Good-bye, Daisy.”
He was gone before she had time to respond.
Chapter 27
After leaving Daisy’s house, Erik told himself that their parting was for the best and would have come sooner or later. Still, even knowing there could be no future for the two of them, he had hoped they could find a way to make it work. Of course, that was impossible now. A vampire had killed her brother, something Daisy would never forget or forgive. Still, he had promised not to leave her until she was safe.
He stood in the shadows for a moment, and then, feeling a need to be with his own kind, at least for an hour or so, he closed his eyes and willed himself to his lair in Los Angeles. He took a quick shower, then slipped into a pair of black slacks and a T-shirt. Since he had left his car parked in front of Daisy’s house, he spent a moment deciding how to get to La Morte Rouge.
Not sure what his welcome would be, he opted to walk.
It was a beautiful clear night.
He found Rhys sitting at the bar in the nightclub, a willowy blond on one arm and a buxom redhead on the other.
“Well, well, well,” Costain drawled, shooing the two females away, “look who finally showed up. Where in hell have you been?”
Erik took the seat at Costain’s right. “I decided to get out of town for a while. You got a problem with that?” He knew he had made a mistake as soon as the words were spoken. He was supposed to be keeping an eye on the West Coast. Hadn’t he insisted on staying here? Of course, his only motive at the time had been to be near Daisy. He hadn’t given a thought to Costain, or to trying to find out who had offered a reward for his head.
“I’ve got a problem, all right,” Rhys said. “A mighty damn big one. It might have slipped your mind, but someone’s out to get me, and they’re not fooling around.”
“Have you been attacked again?”
“No, but the word’s spreading. LA is crawling with hunters.” Rhys glanced around the club. “Next thing you know, they’ll be coming in here.”
“I doubt that,” Erik said dryly. La Morte Rouge had more security than Fort Knox and the White House put together.
“So, where were you?” Costain asked. His voice was deceptively mild, at odds with the predatory gleam in his eyes.
Erik made a vague gesture with his hand. “I went East for a few days.”
“East?”
Erik hesitated. How much did Costain know? Had Villagrande called him? “Boston.”
“Four vampires were killed there this afternoon,” Rhys remarked, his voice still mild. “Did you have anything to do with that?”
“Why would I?”
“You tell me.”
“I don’t know anything about it.”
“What do you know about the two hunters who tried to destroy Villagrande?”
Erik swore softly. Damn. He had been counting on Villagrande to keep his mouth shut. How much had he told Costain?
“I’m waiting,” Rhys said, and now his voice was like ice.
“I know one of the hunters. He’s the friend of a friend.” No way would be mention Daisy, her brother or her father by name. “I knew he was in trouble and I asked Villagrande to spare his life, and he did. There’s no more to it than that.”
“Is that so?”
Erik nodded, every muscle tense. Those who underestimated Rhys Costain rarely lived long enough to regret it.
“And where is he now, this hunter?”
Erik shrugged. He couldn’t reveal Alex’s whereabouts without disclosing Daisy’s, too.
“Mariah thinks you’re the one who betrayed me,” Rhys said thoughtfully. “Villagrande thinks I sent you East with an eye to challenging him for his territory. Perhaps you went East to challenge Villagrande yourself, or perhaps the two of yo
u are conspiring against me. Is it mere coincidence that your name keeps coming up?”
“I’ve got no reason to want you dead,” Erik replied. “I don’t have two hundred grand to pay for your head. I don’t want to take over your territory, or Villagrande’s, for that matter. Perhaps you should look closer to home.”
Costain’s eyes narrowed. “Do you know something I should know?”
Erik shook his head. Why hadn’t he stayed in Boston?
“You’re keeping something from me,” Rhys said, his voice sharp. “What is it?”
“Nothing you need to know.”
“We’ve been friends a long time. I’d hate to see anything change that.”
Erik took a deep breath. “Do you want me to leave the city and find a new lair?”
Rhys leaned forward, his eyes glowing red. “I want the truth.”
“I’ve given it to you.”
Rhys shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
Before Erik realized what Rhys had in mind, two mortals, obviously under some kind of thrall, came up behind Erik. One dropped a thick silver chain around his neck and jerked it tight while the second dropped a chain around Erik’s chest, pinning his arms to his sides.
Erik hissed as the silver burned through his clothing and singed the skin beneath. Rendered powerless, he glared at Costain. “You’re making a big mistake.”
“We’ll see. Take him downstairs.”
“Dammit, Rhys…”
“Enough! Get him out of here!”
Erik cursed as the two mortals dragged him down a flight of stairs to Costain’s personal dungeon. In years past, Rhys had kept mortals here that he intended to prey on at a later date.
The building that housed La Morte Rouge had once been a warehouse with a large basement. Before turning the upper floor into a nightclub for the Undead, Rhys had used the warehouse as a lair. He had turned the basement into a dungeon for his own amusement, complete with cells and chains and other ancient implements of torture.
Erik swore softly as he was dragged into the dark interior. The dungeon was cold and musty and smelled of death and old blood.
One of Costain’s thralls opened the door to the nearest cell. The second thrall shoved Erik inside. They fastened silver shackles around his wrists and ankles, then attached the shackles to iron rings set in the wall. When that was done, they removed the chains from his neck and chest, and then the two mindless creatures shuffled out of the cell. After closing and locking the door, they left the dungeon.
Erik tugged on the heavy shackles, but the silver drained his vampiric strength. Weak and helpless, he sank down on the cold stone floor and wondered, morbidly, if Rhys intended to destroy him.
Chapter 28
The next four days were the worst of Daisy’s life. She felt as if she were living a nightmare from which there was no escape. No matter how she tried to shake it off, she couldn’t. Her brother was dead, and Erik was gone. She knew, in her heart, that his last good-bye had been final. She would never see him again. She didn’t know which loss had left a bigger hole in her heart.
Life seemed suddenly unreal, as if she were standing in the background watching a movie that had nothing to do with her.
Her mother and Aunt Judy came home from New Zealand.
Friends and extended family were notified of Brandon’s death.
They went to the mortuary to arrange for the funeral. They selected a casket. Arranged for flowers.
Worst of all was the evening when the O’Reilly family came by to express their condolences.
Daisy’s mother and Mrs. O’Reilly clung to each other, both weeping softly.
Noah and Mr. O’Reilly eased their sorrow in a bottle of Irish whiskey.
Paula said very little, but Daisy could hardly blame her. Surprisingly, Alex planted himself by Paula’s side and stayed there the whole night.
Later that evening, Daisy found herself alone with Paula’s brother. Kevin O’Reilly was a tall, handsome young man, with dark red hair and deep brown eyes. Daisy liked him immediately. He had a winning smile and a quiet sense of humor that she found charming. If she hadn’t already given her heart to Erik, she would have been happy to get to know Kevin better.
As the O’Reilly family took their leave, Kevin took Daisy aside.
“I know I shouldn’t be asking this now, but I’m afraid if I wait, you might go back to LA before I, well, I’d really like to see you again, you know, in a couple of weeks, or whenever you’re ready. I’m sorry, I…”
“It’s all right, Kevin.”
“I can call you, then?”
“Yes.”
“If there’s anything we can do, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Same here.”
Kevin nodded, shook hands with Alex and Noah, and left the house.
They held the funeral the following afternoon. At the graveside, Daisy stood between Aunt Judy and Alex as the minister said a few final words of assurance and the promise that they would see Brandon again. Her mother and father clung to each other, their cheeks damp with tears. Aunt Judy sobbed into a handkerchief. Dry-eyed, Alex looked like he had been carved from stone.
Daisy held up pretty well until they lowered the casket into the ground and the mourners dropped handfuls of dirt onto it. It hit her then, really hit her. Brandon was dead and she would never see him again. Almost, she wished that he was a vampire, that he would rise again when the sun went down. Her tears came then, tears of sorrow for the loss of her brother, tears of regret because Erik wasn’t there to comfort her. Where had he gone? And why did she care? He was a vampire, the same kind of godless, soulless creature that had killed Brandon.
She should hate him.
She wanted to hate him.
If only she could.
Kevin waited two weeks before calling on Daisy. She went out with him in hopes that it would ease her sorrow, that it would help her to forget Erik. It did neither. She tried to tell herself the reason she couldn’t warm up to Kevin was because it was too soon, but that wasn’t the reason. There just wasn’t any spark between them, and there never would be.
“It’s not working, is it?” Kevin remarked at the end of their third date.
“I’m sorry,” Daisy said. “It’s not you, it’s me.”
“Is there someone else?”
“There was. I guess I’m not over him yet.” It wasn’t Kevin’s fault that she was forever comparing him to Erik, nor was it Kevin’s fault that he fell short in every way.
“I understand. If you’d like to try again, give me a call.”
Daisy nodded, uncertain whether she felt relief or regret as she watched him walk away.
Thanksgiving came and went with little fanfare. The family shared a quiet dinner and went to bed early.
Alex and Daisy had rarely left the house since returning home. Alex started complaining that he was going stir-crazy. Daisy could relate. Not only that, she missed her own place in LA. They were both heartily sick of being housebound.
Hardest to bear was the emptiness Daisy felt inside. She missed Brandon. She hated seeing the sorrow on the faces of her parents. The world around them was dressing up for the holidays, but there was little joy in the O’Donnell house. Daisy wondered if her mother would ever smile again.
Most of all, Daisy missed Erik. She thought of him constantly during the day and dreamed of him at night—strange imaginings that were always the same. Sometimes they seemed more like visions than dreams. You weren’t supposed to feel pain in a dream, yet her body felt like it was burning, and her stomach felt like it was on fire. When she woke in the morning, she was always thirsty, as if it had been weeks since she’d had anything to drink. She told herself time and again that she hated him even though she knew it was a lie. She might hate what he was, but she couldn’t hate him.
By the end of November, she couldn’t stand it anymore. Her dreams were nightmares now, becoming more vivid, more realistic, each night. She had never been psychic, never had visions o
f any kind, but she was continually plagued by the very real fear that Erik’s life was in danger. Her worries increased when she called his cell phone and no one answered.
Where was he?
Finally needing to talk to someone, she shared her worries with Alex one night after their parents had gone to bed.
Alex listened patiently, then said, “Forget him, Daisy Mae. I never liked him anyway. Now, Kevin…”
“I am not interested in Kevin O’Reilly! I’m interested in Erik, and I don’t give a flying fig whether you like him or not.”
“You hardly know the guy. I don’t understand what you see in him.”
“I love him,” Daisy said, and felt the truth of it sink deep into her heart and soul. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t like him. It doesn’t matter that he’s a vampire—” She clapped her hand over her mouth, horrified by what she had let slip.
Alex stared at her, his eyes wide with disbelief. “I knew it. Dammit, in my gut I knew it all the time.” He shook his head. “A dirty, bloodsucking vampire.”
“And a good thing, too,” Daisy retorted, “or you’d be dead now.”
“What are you talking about?”
“When I took you to his house that night after Rhys almost killed you, Erik saved your life.”
Alex gained his feet and stared down at her, his brow furrowed. “Oh, come on, Daisy, I wasn’t hurt all that bad. Hell, I was up and around the next day. I didn’t have a scratch on me.”
“That’s right, because Erik gave you his blood!” She hadn’t intended to tell him that, wished she could recall the words the minute they were spoken.
“A vampire.” Alex speared a hand through his hair.
“Yes, and you should be damn glad he is, or Brandon wouldn’t be the only one of my brothers who’s dead now.”
Muttering under his breath, Alex dropped down on the sofa again.
“I have to find him,” Daisy said. “I just know he’s in some kind of trouble. I can feel it.”
“You can…?” Alex looked at her sharply, his eyes narrowed. “You didn’t…tell me you didn’t drink his blood.”
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