Vampire? Dagan ground his teeth at the word. He wasn’t one, at least not in the way books and legends depicted. He could walk in sunlight, into churches. Stakes wouldn’t kill him. His life was eternal.

But he was a killer, had taken so many lives. Consumed by darkness, the madness taking over, seeking, always searching…

Bodies writhing in blood, he drank deeper and harder until every last drop was drained. And, still, the thirst gripped him…

Jolting free from those crippling memories, his emotions locked down, he made his call. He hadn’t bothered about the surveillance cameras on this floor since he’d already hazed them all the moment he entered the building.

Hedori answered on the second ring. “Sire? How may I help?”

He pulled his gaze away from the empty staircase Shae had gone up. “I need the Ford here. Park behind The Tower.” He reeled off the address. “And come up to the penthouse floor.”

“Be there in a flash.”

Dagan slipped his cell back into his pocket. Yeah, the Empyrean would be here in a flash. Literally. He, fortunately, could transport anything with his abilities.

Unlike Dagan. He couldn’t dematerialize large, non-organic things. It was why he needed the truck to cart Shae’s luggage. Besides, he liked driving, and it cleared his head, something he needed right now.

He studied the flickering mystical wards keeping him from entering the apartment. Shae, it appeared, had no idea about the protection spell. He could break through, painful and doable, but that would only alert whoever had put them up in the first place. Since creating wards wasn’t something he did, he left it to the Empyrean who was ace in building the defense layers.

A few minutes later, the elevator opened. Hedori stepped out and strode toward him, his gaze already shifting to the doorway, clearly sensing the ward. “Shall I undo it?”

“Yes. But once we’re done, put it up again.”

Hedori nodded.

“One other thing, can you get me more smokes?”

“Yes, of course,” he said, his focus on the doorway. As Hedori set to work using intricate hand movements and murmuring soft words he didn’t catch—mostly because he wasn’t interested—Dagan waited impatiently, his gaze back on the stairs Shae’d gone up. He didn’t like the idea of her alone up there while he was stuck out in the corridor.

Whoever had put the wards up seemed determined to keep immortals away because only humans could cross the threshold. “How much longer?”

Hedori didn’t respond. A minute passed, then several more, before he lowered his hands. “It’s done.”

Dagan entered the penthouse. The place screamed opulence. He hadn’t pegged the hellcat as one to like this kind of overdone abundance when she dressed in battered boots and simple clothing. But what did he know?

He jogged upstairs and followed her light, tantalizing scent down the hallway until he found her in the last bedroom, pulling out a froth of silky things from a drawer.

“The door’s there for a reason.”

He ignored her tart comment and strolled around the huge, lavish bedroom, stopping at the window overlooking the park. He leaned against the windowsill and watched her pack. She pulled out a…he peered at the name—Dextrose pack—from the bedside drawer and tossed them into her suitcase on the bed.

“What’s that?”

“For my low blood sugar.”

He frowned. He hadn’t smelled any illness on her. “You’re sick?”

Those stormy grays snapped back to him. A feminine eyebrow rose in a taunt. “Why? You gonna use your superpowers and cure me now?”

He merely stared at her. She rolled her eyes and dropped a pile of clothes in a case. “I’m fine.”

He wasn’t sure what exactly went on with that since immortals didn’t get sick. “Is it a risk factor?”

A long, drawn-out sigh followed, like he’d asked her the fate of the universe. He waited.

“Depends on how you look at it. As long as I have my meals regularly and this close”—she pulled out the pack of Dextrose she’d thrown in her suitcase and waved it at him—“I’m good. So, no worries that I’ll be dropping in a dead faint at your feet.”

“Good to know,” he drawled. “Who else lives here?”

A shrug. “Uncle Lem. He’s at work, late-night conference call. Then there’s the chef and maids, but they don’t live here.”

“Your parents?”

“My dad died several years ago.” A flash of pain crossed her face and disappeared just as fast. “Mom took off earlier this year. Wanted her own life.”

Bitterness laced her tone as she zipped her luggage. She shouldered her knapsack, grabbed her jacket from the bed, and headed for the door, dragging the single suitcase behind her.

He frowned, following her. “Is this all you’re taking?”

“I’m leaving for a few days, not a vacation. I have everything I need until this mess is sorted out.”

Guess she’d learn differently soon enough. Dagan took the bag and knapsack from her. Her mouth opened then closed. The hellcat, speechless? That was a first.

Yeah, he may be a bastard, but he did have some chivalrous qualities…when he remembered.

She put on her jacket, slid her hands into the pockets and frowned. “My cell, did you see it?”

He retrieved it from his back pocket and handed it over. “You dropped it outside the club.”

“Thanks.”

In the living room, she got a pen and a sheet of paper from a drawer in the small table there and jotted a note. He could easily read it despite standing a few feet away.

Uncle Lem, I’m taking off for a few days. Work. Forgot to tell you earlier.

Will call you soon.

Shae.

Nothing to worry about there, he let it go.

She put the folded paper against the small vase on the table just as the Empyrean entered.

“Hedori?” Confusion crossed her expressive face. “I didn’t know you were here, too.”

“I was in town, thought I’d give you a hand with the luggage,” he covered smoothly.

“Thanks, but I’m all set, just one teeny-tiny case,” she said smiling.

Dagan followed her outside, and needing her distracted while Hedori put the wards back up, he said, “Here are the rules while living at the castle. You cannot just up and run back to the penthouse or anywhere you like. You cannot—”

“Whoa, hold it!” A flash of temper brightened her eyes. “Who died and made you my keeper?”

He lifted an eyebrow, didn’t bother to point out that he’d just saved her ungrateful hide. But she seemed to get the message when her seductive mouth became a thin, unhappy line. He continued, “Do anything I don’t approve of, I will lock you back in the basement.”

Her delicate jaw tightened. “God, you’re such an arrogant butthead!”

He rested a shoulder against a marble pillar, and found himself holding back a smile. “None would dare call me that to my face.”

“You’d probably beat the crap out of them.”

“No. I’d just kill them.”

Her lips wavered, almost in a smile, then pressed back into an annoyed line. Hedori nodded from behind her. Dagan drawled, “Glad we got that cleared up. Let’s go.”

She wheeled around and stomped back to lock up, but his heightened hearing caught her soft mutter. “You’re a damn pain in my ass.”

Naturally, his gaze slid lower to said behind. He had to stifle the urge to slide his palms over those tempting mounds. His hand tightened on her luggage instead.

Penthouse secured, she stalked past him, and as they entered the elevator, he said, “Pain in the ass or not, I’m all you have right now, little girl.”

“Little girl?” The scowl returned. She stabbed a finger at the button for the ground floor. “I’m nearly twenty-five.”

“So?” He leaned against the metal wall as the doors slid shut.

“So? What do you mean so?” Those feline-tipped eyes glowered fiercely. His entire nonchalant attitude appeared to rub her the wrong way. Something he couldn’t help but savor when around her.

His gaze drifted over her striking features, spotting twin splashes of red on her cheekbones. Hell, if he was honest, her compressed lips made him want to slowly suck them back to a quivering softness. Instead, he lifted a shoulder in a careless shrug. “I call it as I see it. The scratching, the biting, need I go on?”

“God!” She spun away and glared at the receding floor numbers on the side panel, one booted foot tapping impatiently. “Can’t you go any damn faster?” she growled at the elevator. The door glided open, and she stormed out.

Mission accomplished, he thought wryly, following her. At least she hadn’t panicked from claustrophobia and let loose her abilities while trapped in a confined space. He frowned. Powers it appeared she had no idea she possessed. He grabbed her arm when she headed for the front of the building. “Not that way. Back entrance.”

Pulling free, she marched in the opposite direction. Moments later, he stepped out into the cool alley, scanned the street, and found the double-cab, elevated truck parked a short distance from The Tower.

Dagan dropped her bag and knapsack onto the back seat. An icy sensation crawled over his skin, followed by a bile-inducing sulfuric stink. He wheeled around, pushing Shae behind him.

“Hey—” A sharp gasp followed, then she whispered, “What is that?”

Yeah, she’d sensed it, too. “Trouble.”

* * *

Shae cautiously examined the shadowy backstreet. The dim lamp affixed to the looming building cast a small circle of light over the back entrance. The prickles on her nape grew. Familiar with this eerie sensation, she knew what it meant. Demons.

“Maybe they’re the Earth ones?” God, she hoped so. This night was turning out to be the third worst of her life.

“No.”

One single word, and her shaky hope crumbled. A smoky shimmer in the night air caught her attention, and a sword took form in Dagan’s left hand. Strange symbols glowed briefly on the black blade. If she hadn’t believed he was immortal before, she sure did now. Heck, in a dark street, none would know he palmed a deadly weapon. But his eyes, they blazed like a predator’s in the night.

Two figures stepped out of the gloom, their irises sparking red. “Give us the girl,” one of them lisped, stopping several feet away.

At the guttural demand, fear swamped her. Crap, she didn’t have her blade with her—wait, she had the other one, but she kept that in her knapsack. Then everything happened as if in fast-forward. Dagan leaped at the demons, sword swinging. He decapitated one. The head fell with a sickening thud to the asphalt and rolled toward her. Her heart in her mouth, she jumped back as the body and head shriveled and vanished.

The remaining demon’s hand glowed red. “Did you think we’d come in pairs?” He flung a deadly hellfire bolt at Dagan.

“I’m surprised you can think at all.” Dagan ducked the fiery red missile that blasted a dumpster to smithereens. A cacophony erupted. Several more scourges took form, swarming the backstreet like insects, grunts filling the air.

“You. Come.” A demon darted for her, eyes gleaming like neon red moons.

“No, you fucking don’t!” Dagan flew in front of her like a deadly force of nature, his hair flying around him like whips. He beheaded the demon with a single swipe of his blade.

“Get in the truck,” he snapped, pulling her out of her frozen state. He spun back to the remaining demons fanning out.

Her breath hitching, she smacked a hand on his back. “Give me a switchblade or something. I can’t stand here defenseless.”

“Don’t have one. Just get in the damn truck!”

Rely on someone else to keep her ass safe? Not happening. She wasn’t totally helpless. Harvey had been a good teacher.

Keeping one eye on the fight, she eased backward and opened the truck door. As she reached for her knapsack, a slant of moonlight gleamed off a length of black metal lying on the floorboard. She grabbed it instead—a dagger. Thank God!

Shae wheeled around, weapon braced. Oh, shit! Her heart thundered in her ears. So many of them surrounded Dagan. He fought hard and bled from several cuts on his biceps. Damn monsters!

Furious, she darted forward.

“Shae, get the hell back,” he snarled.

“No, I can help!”

A demon flashed in front of her and grabbed her upper arm, grinning like a jackass. “Got you.”

Teeth gritted at the painful grip, she plunged the blade hard into his ribs. A raucous screech erupted from him, and he punched her in the face.

Her head snapped back, agony exploding in her skull. Goddamn bastard! Something inside her shifted and crashed, letting loose a storm. Heat exploded like a volcano. A red haze stealing her mind, she dove for the demon.

In the distance, a terrifying roar filled the alley, like some violent animal set free. “You dare hurt her?”

Shae barely heard any of it. Feeling as if she’d stepped away from the fight—like she was viewing a fast-moving movie clip—she watched the girl in the darkened backstreet fight. Her features too pale, her red hair streaming out like flames, she whirled and struck, her furious cry erupting in the alley like a death knell. The girl shimmered and disappeared…then reappeared behind another demon, her blade flashing before she faded again…

Shae. A familiar voice slipped into her mind, tugging at her. Follow my voice. You have to come back—c’mon, you can do this.

She latched on to the compelling tone and slammed back into cognizance. And swayed. Strong arms grabbed her.

“Are you okay?”

Inhaling harsh gasps of air, she became aware of her surroundings, of how dark and silent the place was. Not even a stray cat skulked. She twisted in Dagan’s arms, her gaze darting around and settling on the pile of disintegrating bodies, then lowered to the dripping, bloodied dagger she still clutched.

Oh, dear God! What had she done? Trembling like a blade of grass, she flung the weapon away. Her terrified gaze rushed to him. “I killed them—I killed them all.”

“If you hadn’t, I would have. They were scourges from Hell, death’s always in the cards for them. C’mon, let’s get out of here.” He hurried her to the truck.

Something warm dripped down her mouth and chin. She dashed it away with a trembling hand and stared blankly at the blood coating her fingers.

When she couldn’t seem to move, Dagan picked her up and put her on the seat. She bit back a whimper, her entire face aching. Hell, the scar stung viciously like glass slicing her open again.

Gingerly, she touched the bridge of her throbbing nose. “Oww.”

He gently removed her hand and held his open palm an inch from her face. A glowing, blue light seeped out. She grasped his thick wrist. “What—”

“I’m healing you.”

Oh, right. Warmth tingled through her skin. His eyes glowed brightly, a hint of red seeping into them. She blinked. His gaze lowered, dark lashes shielding his irises.

Moments later, the ache in her nose and jaw receded. He pulled off his t-shirt and carefully wiped her mouth and chin. Ugh, she must have imagined the red eyes.

“Keep your head back and hold this under your nose.”

Inhaling deeply, she did as he instructed. He buckled her in then smoothed a stray strand of hair away from her cheek, startling her. “It’ll be okay.”

He shut the door and rounded the hood to the driver’s side.

How could it be okay? Even though Harvey had been teaching her to fight demons, she hadn’t killed any, not until today. And now she’d taken out several of them. Bile rushed up her throat. She swallowed hard, unable to stop the shivers spreading through her body.

An hour later, as they headed toward Manhasset Bay, though it was close to early morning, the night seemed to grow even darker. Shae stared through the windshield, the headlights illuminating the shadowy road.

“What exactly are your abilities?” Dagan asked, pulling her out of her troubled thoughts, his gaze on the road.

“I don’t know. I could always sense demons and Others, but a few months ago, something changed.”

He cut her a sharp look. “Explain.”

Shae lowered the shirt from her nose. “I was working on my laptop…I’m a photographic journalist. This buzzing heat started inside me and grew. Then, I don’t know what happened, but the laptop exploded and the vase and wall mirror in the room shattered. The blast flung everything across the room.” My mother included. “Soon after, I realized that when I’m scared or angry, an energy rises inside me. But never like this.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment. She glanced at him. The light from the dashboard highlighted his stern features and bare, ripped chest. The sight distracted her. No matter how upset she felt, she was woman enough to appreciate his masculine perfection. Hell, she wanted to explore each muscle with her fingers, her—

“What about teleporting?” his voice pulled her back from dangerous thoughts.

“What?”

“Teleporting. You appear to have that ability, too. You vanished and reappeared behind the demons you eliminated.”

“I don’t know anything about that.”

Christ. She rubbed her burning eyes, trying to wipe away images of those bloody bodies lying on the asphalt before they disappeared, not wanting to remember how easily she’d taken lives. Deep down, she understood that they would have killed her and Dagan with no remorse and she’d had no choice, but still...

Fog engulfed them as they drove along a bridge for several minutes before they hit solid ground again. Then huge, wrought-iron gates glided open, and Dagan drove through. Tall evergreens lined the road, the tops disappearing into the starless night. The truck’s bright headlights were the only things breaking the thick gloom.

Moments later, they left the dense trees behind, moonlight casting a silvery glow over the rolling, landscaped gardens. Shae simply stared.

Yes, she lived in luxury, but this ivy-covered, gray stone castle with its sweeping towers, turrets, and crenelated battlement set against the backdrop of the dark sky took her breath away. Lights backlit the windows, adding to the magical aura. “This is so beautiful.”

Dagan’s gaze flickered briefly over the building but he remained silent as he brought the truck to a halt in front of the portico. Shae glanced at him. For some strange reason, she wanted to ease the grimness from his expression.

“You live in a fairytale, so what are you? Prince or beast?” she teased.

A nerve pulsed on his jaw. He jumped out and opened the back door, retrieving another t-shirt from a duffle bag there. He pulled it on, hiding his sexy body once more.

Shae climbed out and wiped her face again with his shirt. Hopefully, she’d gotten rid of all the blood.

“Your face is clean. You’re beautiful,” he said quietly, shocking her. “C’mon.” He headed up the stairs and held open the enormous front door.

Shae stepped into the marbled foyer and gaped at the sweeping grand staircase. A crystal chandelier illuminated the gorgeous stained-glass windows on one side depicting angels, knights, and their women. It was as if she’d stepped into another world.

But Dagan didn’t give her a chance to admire them or the lush plants and armored statues there. He ushered her down a winding corridor, and the smells of something savory drifted to her.

She stopped at the entrance to a huge kitchen with a sea of oak cupboards and gray granite tops. A small flatscreen was mounted in the corner near a window. The French doors were still open, and the familiar aromatic smell of thyme and other herbs wafted inside, adding to whatever was cooking.

A slender, attractive woman with honey-toned skin and a cap of choppily cut ebony hair leaned against the island counter talking to Hedori, a half-eaten carrot stick in her hand.

She glanced at them. Curious mismatched eyes met Shae’s. Wow, but her eyes—one a fiery amber and the other cool like an ice-covered lake—held an otherworldly glow, yet she appeared human. Not that Shae had met any immortal woman. But there was something ethereal about her.

“Shae, this is Echo,” Dagan introduced her. “Aethan’s mate. Echo, Shae Ion.”

Echo seemed startled that he’d spoken to her but she gave Shae a friendly smile. “Hiya, nice to meet you.”

“Thanks.” Not sure what else to say, Shae settled for the truth. “It seems I’m going to be staying here for a while. Someone took a shot at me with a spelled bullet.”

Echo’s face lost all color. Then, just as fast, she appeared to pull herself together. “You can’t be too careful. Those things are really dangerous. You’ll be safe here.”

Dagan spoke to Hedori and said something about showing her to a room—probably in the basement.

“I’ll do that,” Echo offered.

Dagan hesitated, then nodded before cutting Shae a sharp look as if to say behave.

If she hadn’t just been through such a harrowing experience, she might have smirked and said something to irritate him. But she recalled the care he’d taken with her afterwards, so she remained silent.

Still, she relished the way his eyes narrowed suspiciously and couldn’t resist shooting him an innocent glance as she followed Echo. Oh, yes, he’d wonder what she was up to, and that made her smile.