“Derek!” My voice breaks, a desperate cry. I’m too weak, too blind now to chase him into the dark swamp. It wouldn’t matter anyway. He’s gone.

  Everything in me collapses. I’m on my knees when Elaine appears at my side. Wordless, as we don’t need words, she lifts me by the shoulders.

  “Come inside now.” She’s holding me, keeping me close. “I’ve got you.”

  Otherwise, she knows I’d run after him into the night, to my death.

  * * *

  Derek

  The depth of my desire for Melissa is overwhelming. Her blood hums in her veins, making my heart race at the sight of her. I want to change her. I want her to be mine for immortality. I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want her.

  Walking away from her tonight was excruciating. It was like ripping my insides out and leaving them on the ground at her feet. Nothing in my human life compared to the pain of leaving her there.

  I wanted more—one last night, but I knew as I held her, smelled her, allowed her gorgeous essence to flood my senses, I’d never make it through a night with her. I’ve tasted her blood. I’ve risen to the heights of ecstasy with her. She would be a vampire before dawn.

  Worse, she wouldn’t fight me. She wanted the thunder of our lovemaking as much as I did. Oh, god. How can I live without my soul?

  Running is the only thing that saves us both. I won’t rob her of her life. I can’t hold myself back from the thing I crave above all. There’s always another way. Her words echo in my head. If only they can be true. I have to find a way to make them true.

  Back in my suite in the Royal Sonesta, I can barely tolerate the scent of shifter blood in my tub. No amount of bleach can cover it. I don’t know how I’m going to stand working with my brothers. Yet they’re still sworn to help me find a way through this madness.

  Melissa’s scent in my pillows tempers it. Her hybrid scent intoxicates me. I hold the sheets to my nose and inhale deeply, wishing with everything in me I didn’t have to leave her. Just as I’m heading out, I remember one decadent pleasure and step back to my nightstand. A scrap of black lace is quickly slipped in my coat pocket.

  I’m in Princeton by morning. The red-eye doesn’t bother me now—it’s actually preferable. I make my way through baggage claim and into my Acura as the sun cracks the tips of the horizon. I’ll sleep the day away and see what I can get accomplished tonight.

  Sloan mentioned Lilith, a woman who met him at the fountains and seduced him. A woman with red hair, for whom glamour wouldn’t have been necessary. It sets me wondering who she could be. None of our records mention her, which leads me to believe she’s might somehow be a key.

  Night falls around me. Hunger burns in my throat. Sitting behind my desk, my collar is unbuttoned, and my hair falls around my eyes in damp waves. The pain is so strong, I have to find some way to feed or something bad will happen. Our office manager Nikki cut her hand on a broken light bulb before leaving just now, and I had to close the door so I wouldn’t attack her. I’m glad she and I have never had a close relationship. Still, she can tell something is off with me now.

  Standing, I pace to my wall of windows and look out on the courtyard. I don’t know what to do. I don’t have time to research criminals in the area. A hunger pain hits me with twisting force. I lean my head against the glass and release a low groan as I wait for it to pass.

  Blinking up, the night is plain as day. Just at the highway, where the thin forest begins, a large doe stands frozen. A light flickers in my mind, and I see a possible way to fend off my hunger. My jaw drops open as I look at her dumb cow-eyes. I don’t even register slipping the coat off my shoulders. I turn, heading for the door without thought.

  The stairs are behind me at vampire speed, and I’m pushing through the door. The beast runs, but I’m faster than she can move. Her large body is in my arms, my fangs sunk deep into her neck before she even slows her sprint. We continue for several paces, her blood pulsing fast and strong into me. I’m sated before I’ve had a chance to process what exactly I’m doing.

  Unlatching, I fall to the ground on my feet. The doe goes on a bit further before she drops, as if muscle memory drove her on. I know what it feels like to pierce Melissa. What happened just then is not the same, but my hunger is gone. I’m strong. The meaning of this swirls in my brain as I make my way through the woods.

  Stuart is waiting when I get back to my office. It’s only then I notice my bare feet.

  “Finding alternatives so soon?” He grins at me. He’s on the other side of my desk holding an open manila folder. “You have more control over this than you give yourself credit for.”

  “Nothing in my studies suggested vampires could live successfully on livestock.”

  “It makes sense if you consider your chiropteran relatives.”

  “Bats.” Shaking my head, I drop into a black leather chair. “Yes, the vampire bat lives off the blood of cows and livestock.”

  “Fish gotta swim.” He’s a bit too merry about this development. It solves nothing as far as I’m concerned. “It also helps with the smell. Not that I’m sure you care.”

  That statement does catch my attention. “You’re right.” Lifting my head, taking a deep breath, I nod. “Tolerable.”

  “Another piece in the puzzle.”

  “What were you able to learn about this woman?”

  “Not a damn thing. Whoever she is, she’s deep undercover.”

  Sitting back in the chair, I focus on my last conversation with Sloan. “She had a reason to come out. When she seduced him at the reflecting pool, it was for a purpose.”

  “But what?”

  No vampire fitting her description appears in any of my journals or notes. No allusions to her, no references. Why would she come out specifically for Sloan?

  “She wanted something. Seducing Sloan makes her significant.”

  “Then we’ll keep digging.”

  18

  Moving On

  Melissa

  The beaches of home are as warm and soothing as they’ve always been. I lucked up finding a beachfront condo in Wilmington I could afford. It’s part of an abandoned development consisting of little beach cottages scattered across the hills leading down to the surf. A community-style development that folded after the housing market collapsed.

  My realtor was so excited, you’d think we’d found hidden treasure. In a way, I suppose we have. Only it isn’t the lost treasure I long to possess.

  Elaine’s older brother Marcus helped me move in, teasing the entire time how I’d achieved the dream. He’s especially dear to me. He was my date to every high school dance. He gave me my first kiss. For a long time everyone assumed we’d marry, but those days are so long ago. He lives far from here in Chicago now, and my heart is miles away in Princeton.

  Tonight, as I sit on my screened-in side porch, my fingers go to the delicate gold heart floating at the base of my throat. The beautiful necklace Derek gave me.

  Our feelings were so new then. We were both stealing little pieces from each other. I guess in my case, the pieces were slightly more significant. Either way, this little treasure never leaves my neck. It’s the only thing I have holding him to me, my one everlasting shred of hope we’ll be together again. His heart.

  The breakers crash just a little ways from here, over the hill of sea oats. My laptop is balanced on my knees, and I’m reviewing a rollout for one of my favorite clients, a little baker who lives in Baltimore. She was my first client in that city. An established downtown business, her shop started losing money when the newer office buildings came in.

  A few well-placed ads, a few well-timed cupcake samplings, and we managed to detour the foot traffic a few blocks south to her door. As a result, her business is booming. Aunt Bea, as everyone affectionately calls her, is happy as a clam, and I’m rewarded with free cupcake samples any time she tries out new recipes.

  Actually, her special “care packages” now that I’m back in Wilmington have given me the idea for taking her business online. I’ve spent the day updating her website, drawing up a business model, and preparing a very basic, user-friendly outline that won’t overwhelm her.

  Now, as the sun has set, and the noise of the ocean promises to lull me to sleep, I can’t resist what has become my regular nightly indulgence. Three clicks, and I’m at the cached Alexander-Knight LLC website.

  Scooting down further on the small sofa, I pull the blanket tighter around my shoulders as I click on the “About us” tab. The page changes, and a thumbnail image of him appears on the screen. Warmth radiates through my chest, flushing my cheeks with heat.

  It’s a professional photo from when he was a private investigator who only secretly delved into the paranormal. His dark, wavy hair is combed back from his face, and his blue eyes glow from beneath his dark brow. That delicious scruff lightly covers his cheeks, and of course he’s in a suit and tie—charcoal grey suit, scarlet tie. So gorgeous.

  In spite of myself, I exhale a little sigh. Everything about him radiates raw sexuality. I can’t imagine how he’s feeling now. If only he would let me be there for him. His final words drift back to me like a dream… I want you so badly, I can’t promise what I won’t do.

  Closing my eyes, I allow my thoughts to replay our first night, the first time I saw him. I’d been captivated by him, which doesn’t take much for a young vampire hybrid. The only thing different was how he responded to me. As soon as our eyes met, he was on his feet, heading in my direction.

  He took me in the alley. I barely even remember following him the short blocks, around the corner, through the tiny passageways. My back pressed against the damp bricks, his firm, hard body rocking between my thighs. My lip catches between my teeth as my fingers slip beneath my skirt, sliding my panties aside.

  The memory of his mouth, pulling and sucking, his hands grasping and moving me up and down his enormous cock. “Oh!” I breathe a little moan as my orgasm builds. So much desire, so much need.

  Even now I remember how my gums burned with hunger for him. Skipping ahead, I remember the night I stole a taste, pulling his essence into me. I remember the explosion of pleasure as he filled me.

  “Ahh!” my orgasm breaks through my thighs, leaving me shuddering in its wake. I slide down to my side on the couch, lowering my laptop to the floor. My knees are bent, and I’m curled in a little ball savoring the afterglow of my memories.

  It’s bittersweet, and a little tear runs down my nose. “Please come back to me, my love.” It’s a broken cry in the night. “I’ll take whatever you can give me.”

  I don’t move as I lie curled in my blanket dreaming of him, wishing with everything in me I had his strong arms to hold me. Praying one day I’ll have him again.

  * * *

  The school parking lot is empty when I arrive for my meeting with the principal. Elaine is an eighth grade teacher at one of the top private schools in the state, and she insisted I make an appointment to meet her administrative staff. No amount of arguing they don’t need my help mattered.

  “I can’t be best friends with a genius marketing expert and not have her consult with my business!”

  I’d only laughed at her exaggeration and agreed to make an appointment. I’ve never worked in school promotions, but I figure how different can it be?

  Making my way through the parking lot, digging in my bag like Mary Poppins, I don’t see the solid wall of man before I walk right into it.

  “Whoa!” Patrick laughs, catching my arms to prevent my fall. “You should really keep your eyes on the road, there.”

  “Patrick!” I gasp. For whatever reason, he’s avoided me since Derek left me in New Orleans. Of course, I knew he and Elaine were still together.

  “What are you doing here?” I say.

  He’s dressed in loose khakis and a polo (untucked, of course), and his sun-kissed light-brown hair moves with the breeze. He looks like he just stepped off a surfboard—or he’s on his way to step on one.

  He squints. “Visiting Elaine?”

  “Are you asking or telling me?”

  That makes him laugh, and his green-hazel eyes sparkle. “I’m telling you. I just… didn’t want to rub it in your face.”

  “You are not rubbing it in my face. I couldn’t be more happy you and Elaine are together.”

  “Right.” The hand moves to his front pocket, and he seems uncomfortable.

  I can’t help it, I have to know. “H-how is he?” Shaking my head, I look down. “I mean, I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me. I’m not trying to make you spy or be disloyal—”

  “He’s doing okay, I guess.” His voice is thoughtful, serious. “He’s not seeing anyone, naturally.”

  I can’t even begin to express how happy that little revelation makes me.

  “Still…”

  And with one word, he sends it all crashing down. “Still?” My voice is barely a whisper.

  “He’s so lonely for you.”

  The case I’m carrying drops to the pavement. Instinctively, my arms wrap around my midsection as the ache of longing pulls me so hard. I lean against the car behind me.

  “Oh, Patrick.” It’s all I can say. Every heartbeat sends pain through my insides. “I miss him so much.”

  I’m instantly pulled into a hug. The sunny warmth of Patrick is actually very comforting, and for a moment, we simply stand there. When the wave of emotion has passed, his arms loosen, and he steps back.

  “This is going to work out, you know?” He touches my chin and gives me a little smile. “It has to.”

  “Does it?” I’m wiping the tears out of my eyes with my fingertips and realizing I’ll have to reschedule my appointment with the principal. “Sometimes it’s harder to believe.”

  “Don’t you give up. If we were able to save you, we’ll be able to save him.”

  Blinking back a fresh onslaught of tears, I nod. “Thank you, Patrick.”

  Lifting my case, I make my way back to my car.

  19

  Revenge

  Melissa

  My mother calls as I’m driving back to my beach cottage. The emotion from my encounter with Patrick is fresh in my voice, and she insists on joining me for dinner at my place. I’ve always found it impossible to tell her no, especially after my dad died.

  Hours later, we’re holding large crystal goblets, finishing up glasses of red wine and chatting about the pending holiday season. It’s difficult keeping her ignorant of all that happened in New Orleans. Still, I can’t possibly share those events with her.

  “Speaking of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners…” Her dark eyes search my face. “You’re saying there’s absolutely no chance you’ll bring a plus one?”

  “Mom,” I laugh, fake disapproval in my tone. “Are you implying I’m not good enough for you on my own?”

  “Never in a million years would I imply such a thing.” She winks, taking a sip of Burgundy. “I only fear I’ll never have a grandchild. There’s not a single interesting male in all these cities you visit?”

  Biting my lip, I look down, trying to decide how to frame this.

  “I did meet someone I… care about.” Her excited face almost makes me roll my eyes. “He’s dealing with some personal problems at the moment, though.”

  “Oh, no.” She frowns dramatically. “He’s married?”

  I almost choke on my sip of wine. “Lord, no—Mom! I’m not that stupid.”

  “Then what in the world do you mean by personal problems?”

  Good question. “He’s got some… health issues.” This is not getting better.

  “He has cancer?”

  “No.”

  “HIV? Oh, Melissa.”

  “MOM. It’s nothing like that.” I take a deep inhale to clear my head. “I don’t know why I framed it that way. It’s not health issues. He just has some work-related business that has him… detained elsewhere.”

  Mom leans back on the couch arms crossed. “I don’t know why you’re being so cagey with me. You could just tell me what’s going on. I’m not that hard to talk to, am I?”

  Oh, good grief, now she’s pissed. “Of course not!” I backtrack. “It’s more that I’m not sure how much he wants to keep private. And truthfully, I only know a little about his work.”

  Her mouth twitches as she turns over this information in her mind. “Well, I hope you know what you’re doing. It all sounds suspicious to me. I’d hate for him to turn up with a whole separate identity somewhere.”

  She has no idea. “I’m sure he won’t. And once you meet him, I’m pretty sure you’ll like him as much as I do.”

  I can only dream of the day when Derek meets my mother. That seems to satisfy her, and we return to holiday planning, gossiping about which family member will cause the biggest scandal this year, and remembering when Dad was with us.

  Eventually, she decides it’s time to head home, and as much as I try to persuade her to stay with me, she insists. “I have to work tomorrow. It’s easier if I’m in my own house.”

  I walk her through the kitchen, out my back door, watching as she makes her way to her car and waving as she heads off into the night.

  For a little while, I lean against the doorjamb allowing the salty night air to wash over me. It’s a cool night, moving into November. If it weren’t so dark, I’d grab my flashlight and walk down to the water’s edge. As it is, I’ll lock up and get some rest. Funny how not so long ago, I’d stopped sleeping through the night.

  My brief tenure as an undead creature is on my mind as I switch off the kitchen light, pass through the living room, and make my way to my master suite.

  I’m just taking off my jewelry when I hear a strange banging sound from the kitchen, like either a picture has fallen off the wall or a bird flew into a window. Hurrying back to investigate, I mentally note that birds don’t fly at night.