Living in the coven in Portland, money was never an issue. We had the best of everything—cars, homes, clothes… you name it, we had it. Life on my own had taken some getting used to.

  Lorcan wheeled onto Main Street, but instead of stopping at the Half-Moon Bar and Grill like I expected, he screeched onto the highway. In a minute, we left Haven Hollow far behind.

  “Where are we going?” I called over the road noise.

  Lorcan shot me another wild grin. “It’s a surprise. Just sit tight and enjoy the drive.”

  I was enjoying it, all right. He increased speed with every treacherous swerve of the road and I found myself shrieking in glee. I couldn’t stop myself. This was the most fun I’d had in…. well, since I’d become a Blood Witch.

  Lorcan laughed and planted his foot even harder. The car growled to a fevered pitch and seemed to lie even lower to the ground. It gripped the road like some powerful cat prowling the miles.

  The highway fell away until Lorcan turned onto a side road. The Porsche climbed a winding mountain with breathtaking views of the valley below until he braked at the top. There, a tall house perched on the very pinnacle with golden light pouring from every window.

  The house was three stories tall and Victorian, looking like an ornate dollhouse with the elaborate gingerbread trim and the numerous colors—midnight blue siding, royal blue trim, and emerald green balustrades and veranda.

  I had no idea where we were. “What is this place?”

  “The Restaurant.”

  “Thanks,” I grumbled. “I mean… what’s the name of it?”

  Lorcan nodded. “The Restaurant.”

  “That’s what it’s called?” He nodded again. It just figured he’d take me somewhere that was so impressed with itself, it didn’t even need the benefit of a true name.

  Lorcan killed the engine, then opened his door, hurrying around to open mine for me. He gave me his elbow again, and this time, I didn’t make a fuss and just took it, allowing him to lead me up the steps.

  A man in an immaculate tuxedo met us at the entrance to the house and I realized, with a thrill, that this was no ordinary restaurant. As we walked inside, I noticed couples sitting at candlelit tables that were sprinkled around the room. The room, itself, appeared to be a ballroom and I could only imagine the parties that were had here over the years. I imagined those years were plentiful because the house appeared to be from the 1800s, as far as I could tell. The ceilings in the ballroom were at least thirteen feet high, and chandeliers hung over nearly every table. The inside expanse was painted cream, and the windows reflected the prismatic reflections of the chandeliers, making the place look like the inside of a diamond.

  The doorman escorted us to a table in the very back of the ballroom where the shadows hid us from the other patrons. He placed what appeared to be a bottle of wine in front of me, but there was no label on the dark glass. Even more surprising, he only brought one glass.

  I eyed the bottle and then stole a peek at Lorcan. “Let me guess. These people know you.”

  “These people know us,” he corrected.

  “How’s that possible?”

  He shrugged. “We have friends in all kinds of unexpected places.”

  “We don’t have friends, Lorcan.”

  “Sure, we do,” he insisted with a big smile. “What do you consider Poppy, Marty, RJ, and that technological chap? The one who’s quite good with toasters?”

  “Henner?”

  “Yes, him.”

  Toasters?

  “Well?” Lorcan prodded.

  I frowned, figuring they were more my friends than Lorcan’s, but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so I didn’t say anything. And it also wasn’t lost on me that he’d failed to mention Roy. It was a known fact that the sasquatch and the vampire penis didn’t like one another.

  “So…” I searched the restaurant. “Am I going to be eating alone tonight?”

  “No, I’m sitting right across from you.” He uncorked the bottle and poured the deep red liquid into my glass.

  “What I meant is...” I chose my words with care. “Are you going to be drinking anything?”

  He laughed out loud. “Of course not. I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

  “And sitting across from someone who isn’t eating or drinking anything is supposed to make me comfortable?”

  “Would you prefer not to eat or drink anything, either?” he asked. “Would that make you feel better?”

  My cheeks burned. “No.” I inhaled a deep breath and then let it out on a sigh. “What is that, anyway?” I asked, motioning to the bottle.

  “2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, my dear.”

  “Oh,” I answered, and holding the glass by the stem, I swirled the dark libation and then brought it to my nose, sniffing the bouquet before I took an actual sip. “Mmm, that’s very good.”

  “Only the very best for you, Wanda, my dear,” Lorcan said as he reached across the table and lifted my fingers, steepling them with his. Then he smiled at me and I was suddenly struck by how handsome he was.

  He’s even more handsome than Dev.

  The thought occurred from nowhere and surprised me, because the more I pondered Lorcan’s face and expression, the more true the thought became. All of a sudden, I wondered if I’d ever seen such a handsome man before. At first I’d thought Roy, Poppy’s ex-boyfriend, was gorgeous, but now even his looks failed to compare to Lorcan’s.

  Speaking of Dev, I’d planned to mention the mysterious stranger to Lorcan, on the hopes he might be able to shed some light on what had been happening lately. Maybe Lorcan could offer some ideas that might explain Dev’s sudden appearance and my inability to control my sexual desires around him. But, at the thought of mentioning Dev to Lorcan, something in me rebelled. I just… wasn’t sure Lorcan would react well at the mention of another man who made my blood run hot. And this was his birthday dinner, so…

  The more I thought about it, the more I realized it was definitely a bad idea. Yes, this Dev mystery needed to be one I figured out on my own. For all I knew, mentioning it to Lorcan could spark a fiery rage of jealousy and maybe he’d do something we’d both regret.

  “It is beyond delightful to share your company this evening,” he said, his eyes penetrating mine until my heart started to pound.

  “Happy… happy birthday.”

  He smiled in thanks. “I’ve waited a long time to take you on a proper date.”

  The satin sensation of his fingers stroking mine made me squirm. He really was charming and his eyes sparkled with such obvious appreciation that I couldn’t help but be flattered.

  Feeling suddenly nervous, which made absolutely no sense, considering who my dining partner was, I tore my gaze away to glance around the establishment again. Every tinkle of cutlery, every move the staff made—everything was perfect.

  “I expected you to take me to the Half-Moon,” I said as I faced Lorcan again and found him still staring at me.

  “Why?”

  I shrugged. “It’s an institution in Haven Hollow. Everyone goes there.”

  “That’s exactly why I didn’t take you there,” Lorcan replied. “I wanted to enjoy a date without becoming fodder for town gossip.”

  I had to laugh. “Good point.”

  No one in Haven Hollow would walk in on us here. This had to have been the most exclusive restaurant on the West Coast.

  The waiter returned with a basket of pretzel bread rolls and butter that he mentioned were imported from Germany. He handed me a menu. “Would the lady like to order appetizers before the meal?”

  I tucked my chin into my chest. “Yes, thank you.”

  The waiter stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He and Lorcan waited in attentive silence while I quickly scanned the menu.

  Calamari. Gnocchi parmesan. Asiago tempura.

  I handed the menu back to the man, who faced me patiently. He had one of those nondescript faces you’d never be able to point out in a crowd. I turned from him to Lorcan, unable to escape Lorcan’s unwavering stare. “I’d love to start with the calamari and a Caesar salad, thanks.”

  “And your main?” the man asked.

  “Oh, the seafood puttanesca.”

  He bowed from the waist. “Very good.”

  He walked away, and Lorcan beamed. “An excellent selection.”

  I laughed again. “How would you know?”

  “Believe it or not,” he replied, leaning back into his chair and crossing his long legs at the ankles. As strange as it sounded, his pose struck me as… incredibly sexy. He just appeared so relaxed, so candid.

  Jeez, what was up with me lately? I couldn’t seem to get men and… and sex off my mind. Usually, I had the healthy libido of a woman in her forties but this… this was off the charts. It was as though I could think of little else than getting Lorcan or Dev naked.

  “I remember what it was like to eat real food,” Lorcan said, sounding nostalgic as his gaze appeared wistful. “It’s one of my greatest regrets in becoming a vampire.”

  “You miss food?”

  He nodded. “Very much.”

  He covered my hand with his and squeezed it between both of his—he felt strangely warm. Then he looked around the place, before his eyes landed on me again.

  “You belong in places like this,” he said.

  I nodded. “This is what I was used to… before I moved to Haven Hollow.”

  “And so you shall grow accustomed to such places again,” he responded with a smile before he seemed to remember something and released my hand, reaching into his pocket. “I almost forgot,” he started.

  “Forgot what?”

  Then he retrieved whatever he was after and reaching across the table again, took my hand, pushing something into it. When I pulled my hand back and opened my palm, I found a set of keys. I looked up at him and frowned.

  “The keys to your Escalade?”

  He nodded. “You can hardly continue to drive around in that ramshackle and quite odious thing you term a ‘car’.”

  I frowned at him. “You’re giving me your SUV?”

  “I’m giving you my Escalade,” he corrected.

  “I can’t accept that, Lorcan,” I said, handing the keys back to him.

  But, he wouldn’t take them and even pulled back into his seat, crossing his arms against his chest. “You have to.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Yes, you do. Because otherwise the Escalade will sit there, unused, as I have become quite partial to the Porsche.”

  We both were quiet for a few seconds as I tried to fight my excitement. I really shouldn’t accept such a gift, much though I did love his Escalade. It was newish, and the exterior was black and the interior was pristine white. It was the absolute antithesis to the rusted-out, hideously yellow 1985 Chevrolet Vega I was currently driving. Yet…

  “If you were to get into another automobile accident in that heinous contraption, you would not survive. I daresay it was created prior to the advent of the airbag?”

  He had a point. “True.”

  “And now you have Astrid’s safety to consider.”

  “That’s also true.”

  “Not to mention the zombie and the ghost.”

  “Darla and Libby,” I corrected.

  “You would hardly want them to die again?”

  I cocked my head to the side. “That’s open for discussion.”

  “Accept the Escalade, Wanda.”

  I looked at him and took a deep breath. “I’ll think about it.”

  But, my mind was already made up. To quote Yoda: Accept it, I would.

  Chapter Seven

  “It would be nice to spend more nights like this,” I said, surprising myself. But, it was true, all the same. I missed the good life, the wealthy life, the life without any financial concerns.

  Lorcan leaned over the table and the candlelight shone on his cheeks. “I would like nothing better and I can think of no other person with whom I would have rather spent my birthday.”

  I cleared my throat and gave him a little smile. “Well, I’m glad to have spent it with you,” I said, even though I didn’t want him to get any ideas about us. Because, as far as I was concerned, there was no us. As soon as we reversed this Vampire’s Kiss business, I imagined we both would continue on our separate ways and the only thing linking us would be the fact that he was my landlord and I was his tenant. But, even that wasn’t going to be a forever thing. As soon as I could, I planned on making enough money to buy my own place in Haven Hollow so I could claim sanctum.

  “I would like nothing better than to whisk you away to a world where none of our problems ever disturb your peace of mind.”

  I snorted. “That’s not likely to happen.”

  “Why do you doubt?”

  “Even if, by some miracle, we find a way to break the blood bond, I’ll still be running a business, acting as the surrogate guardian of a sixteen-year-old girl and dealing with two should-be corpses.”

  “And don’t forget babysitting a grumpy familiar with an outdated vocabulary?” he finished. “Perhaps that abhorrent, spiteful little creature is the biggest thorn in your side.”

  I burst out laughing again. “No, that category is reserved for you, my would-be vampire sire.”

  “I like the sound of that title,” he admitted as he stared down at me and lust danced within his eyes. I swallowed hard and had to look away.

  “I don’t like the sound of that,” I said, pretending interest in the linen napkin on my lap.

  Lorcan laughed, and the sound warmed me. When he wasn’t turning me into a Blood Witch, he wasn’t terrible to be around. “It’s too bad we can’t find a female familiar to keep Hellcat out of your hair.” Then he further smiled. “I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do to keep me out of your hair.”

  I groaned and rolled my eyes. “While you’re another subject altogether, keeping Hellcat out of my hair isn’t possible. He’s bound to me for…” I trailed off as I thought about the fact that I’d only ever get Hellcat off my back if I lost my power… say, like if I became a vampire. Still, it wasn’t a thought that left me feeling good.

  Fortunately, the waiter interrupted my suddenly morose thoughts by bringing my calamari and Caesar salad. Activity swirled around the table and ended that line of conversation, which was just as well. Then came ten or fifteen minutes of me eating and Lorcan watching me eat.

  I finished my salad and shot him a glance. “I feel bad eating in front of you.”

  “Don’t. I’m not even hungry as I fed a few days ago.”

  “A few days ago?”

  He nodded. “I can go weeks without feeding.”

  “I had no idea.”

  “The older, more powerful vampires can go even longer,” he answered on a shrug. “Rupert can go years. The oldest of my kind are so impervious to hunger, they’re almost invincible.”

  “So… how do you do it?”

  “How do I do what, my dear?”

  I swallowed hard. It was just the way he said the words, how he leaned in when he said them, and the expression he gave me. “How do you feed? And from whom?”

  “Oh, various donors.”

  “Various donors where?”

  “Around.”

  “Why so vague?” I asked, eyeing him narrowly. “What are you trying to hide from me?”

  “I don’t intend to be vague, my dear, but by your expression and the fact that I could detect your pulse increasing, I imagined you were becoming quite jealous regarding the subject.”

  “Jealous?” I scoffed. “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Is it?”

  “Yes, it is!” I shook my head. “I’m not jealous.”

  He leaned in and smiled more broadly at me. “Then you wouldn’t be jealous to know that my feeding from a woman can be a quite… sensual arrangement?”

  “Sensual how?”

  “Well, usually the experience is quite… pleasurable for both parties involved.”

  “Are you trying to tell me that you sleep with all the women you feed from?” I asked, the taste in my mouth souring.

  “Describe ‘sleep with’,” he answered, giving me that damnable smile again.

  “Sleep with! Have sex with!” Jeez, I did sound like I was getting jealous. He smirked at me and I shook my head. “I’m not jealous.”

  “You raised your voice.”

  “Yeah, because you’re impossible to have a conversation with.”

  “Regardless,” he answered and took a breath as he leaned in even more and I leaned back. “No, I don’t always have sex with my donors.”

  “Don’t always? But sometimes you do?”

  He cocked his head to the side as he considered the question. “Sometimes I do.”

  I felt my stomach drop down to my toes, though I wasn’t sure why. It was a well-known fact that most vampires had sex with their donors. So, why had that information never bothered or even crossed my mind before?

  “When was the last time you had sex with one of them?”

  He leaned back and gave me a sly expression that only further irritated me. “Why does that matter?”

  “It doesn’t matter!” I nearly yelled at him. “Just answer the damned question.”

  “You answer one for me first.”

  “Fine.”

  “When was the last time you had sex?”

  “Before I moved to Haven Hollow,” I answered without pause. “Before I ever became a Blood Witch.”

  “Before you ever met me?”

  “Right.”

  He grinned again. “I am pleased to hear that.”

  “Well, stop being pleased to hear it and answer my question!”

  He chuckled this time. “Your jealousy is quite becoming, my dear.”

  “I’m not jealous.”

  “You are flushed and the color in your cheeks is quite handsome.”

  “I’m not jealous!”

  “Yet, you sound like a suspicious wife after uncovering questionable texts upon her husband’s phone.”

  “I’m. Not. Jealous.”

  He leaned forward and just smiled at me as one of his eyebrows arched and he gave me an expression of victory. I wanted to slap the look right off his face.