Everlasting Kiss

"I wish," Alex said with a grin, and then he turned sober again. "A private citizen put a hefty price on Costain's head."



"You're kidding." She had never heard of anyone doing such a thing. "Who is it?"



"I don't have a clue. I don't care. They're offering two hundred grand for his head, he's supposed to be here, in the city, and that's all I need to know."



"Wow, someone must want him out of the way really bad to offer a reward like that. And you don't have any idea who it is?"



"Nope, but I'm the someone who's gonna take his head and collect the reward."



"Every hunter in the country is probably out looking for him," Daisy remarked. "What makes you think you'll find him?"



Sitting back, Alex puffed out his chest. "'Cause I'm the best of the best."



"And the most conceited," Daisy muttered, suddenly uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation. She came from a family of hunters. By all rights, she should tell Alex where to find Erik, because Erik could lead Alex to the Master of the City.



Instead, she changed the subject. "So, how's Brandon doing?"



"Same as always. He sends his love." Alex grinned. "I take it you haven't talked to him lately."



"No. I've been meaning to call, but..." But I was being held prisoner by a vampire, she thought, choking back a wave of hysterical laughter. "Why, has something happened to him?"



"You could say that. He's in love, but it's a secret."



"Brandon?" It was hard to think of her little brother taking an interest in girls. Brandon had always preferred pets to people and computers to conversation. When he wasn't hunting, he was usually online, lost in a world of his own.



"Yeah. Funny, isn't it? The geek found a gal."



"Where did he meet her? What's her name? Is it serious?"



"Pretty serious. He's been seeing Paula for over a month. Kevin introduced them..."



"My Kevin?" Daisy exclaimed. "I mean, the Kevin that Mom's been trying to set me up with?"



"The very same. Paula's his younger sister."



Oh, Lordy, Daisy thought. Her mother would be trying harder than ever to get her and Kevin together. She could just hear her mom now--Wouldn't it be nice if you and Kevin got married? Think how nice it would be if you moved back home. We could have Thanksgiving and Christmas with the O'Reillys....



Daisy shook her head. Sorry, Mom, she thought, but it's never going to happen.



"Well," Alex said, slapping his palms on the table, "I've got work to do." Rising, he gave her shoulder a gentle shake. "Since I fixed breakfast, dinner's on you."



"Where are you going?"



"Where do you think?" he asked with a wink.



"Be careful."



"Always. You don't have any idea where I should start looking, do you?"



"No, I'm afraid not." She felt like a traitor for not telling her brother about Erik. Alex was family, after all, but how could she betray Erik?



"Okay," Alex said cheerfully. "I'll see you tonight. Steak sounds good for chow. Don't forget to call Mom and Dad."



"Right."



"Oh, hey, do you have an extra can of Scent-B-Gone? I didn't bring any with me."



Daisy shook her head. "Always careful," she muttered. "There's a can in the closet by the front door. Top shelf."



"Thanks. I won't be late."



Daisy stared after her brother. Brandon was dating Kevin's sister. Alex was hunting Rhys. She had late Internet orders to fill, a ton of dirty dishes to wash, a house to clean, clothes to launder, and groceries to buy, but all she could do was sit there and think about Erik and her brother, and what would happen if Alex discovered Erik's true nature. She offered a fervent prayer, hoping that would never happen, certain if it did, only one of them would survive.



Daisy found herself watching the clock all day long, her concern growing with each passing hour. Alex was always uppermost in her thoughts. Had he found Rhys? Was Erik safe? Would she ever see him again?



She made a quick call to her folks to assure them that she was fine and that Alex was taking good care of her.



After telling her mom good-bye, Daisy went in search of a hammer and a nail, then dragged a chair over to the fireplace and hung the painting Erik had given her. She shook her head as she imagined him painting it, and wondered how long it had taken him, and wondered again if it was a real castle. A place in his past, maybe. Try as she might, she just couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that her vampire was an artist.



Her vampire. The thought made her sigh with regret. Why was it, the first man she had ever truly fallen head over heels in love with wasn't a man at all?



Climbing down from the chair, she admired the painting for several minutes before returning the chair to the kitchen and the hammer to the drawer where it belonged.



She found herself going into the living room from time to time to stare at the painting. What had he been thinking when he painted it? Was it a place he had visited? A house he had owned in days gone by? Or was it just something he had drawn from his own imagination?



For the rest of the day, whether she was answering her e-mail, taking new orders, or mopping the kitchen floor, Erik was never far from her thoughts. And that was just wrong. Erik was no longer human. No matter that he was the handsomest, sexiest man she had ever seen, her brother was right. Erik wasn't really a man, but a monster, one who preyed on humankind to survive. One who had tasted her blood...



She lifted a hand to her neck, wondering why the thought of Erik drinking from her wasn't more repugnant. She should be horrified, shocked, disgusted. So why wasn't she?



It was the fact that she wasn't horrified, shocked, or disgusted that worried her. Had he worked some kind of vampire voodoo on her, or was she some kind of abnormal freak? She knew there were men and women who got their kicks from letting vampires drink from them. She had never understood the attraction. Of course, she didn't know why any normal person would want to get high on vampire blood, either, but somehow, drinking a tiny bit mixed with the beverage of your choice didn't seem as revolting as offering yourself to one of the Undead for an evening snack.



Which reminded her that she needed to call Nonnie. Going into the living room, she sat on the sofa, one leg curled beneath her, and called her grandmother.



"Daisy, how good of you to call, dear. Is everything all right?"



"Of course. Why do you ask?"



"I saw something unusual, something...I'm not quite sure what it was."



"I need your help."



"Anything, dear, you know that."



"You can't tell anyone one about this," Daisy said. "Do you understand? This has to be just between the two of us."



"All right, if that's how it must be."



"Is there any spell or charm or...or potion, that will shield my thoughts from a vampire?"



"I believe so, as long as there's been no exchange of blood. Daisy? Daisy, are you there?"



"Yes."



"Oh, my dear, tell me how it happened."



"It doesn't matter how it happened. I think everything will be all right. I was just curious."



"Is there anything else I can do? Anything else you need?"



"No." Daisy sighed. Nonnie had been her only hope.



"Daisy, you didn't...you haven't...tell me you haven't been turned."



"Of course not!"



"You're not thinking about it?"



"No way. It wasn't a big exchange. It was just a taste. I'm fine, honest."



"Except that there's a bond between you and this vampire now, one that can never be broken."



A bond. Good heavens, she hadn't even thought about that!



"Daisy? Are you still there?"



"Yes."



"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."



"It's all right," Daisy murmured. "I love you, Nonnie."



"I love you, too, dear. Please, be careful. And come and see me when you can."



"I will. Bye, Grams."



Daisy sat there a minute, her thoughts in turmoil. Her life just kept getting weirder and weirder, Daisy thought as she went into the kitchen to start dinner, although, with her mind filled with thoughts of vampires, she wasn't sure she was going to have any appetite.



Alex arrived shortly after dusk, a disgruntled expression on his face.



"I take it you didn't have any luck in finding Rhys," Daisy remarked as she pulled two steaks from the refrigerator. Removing them from the package, she seasoned them and placed them on the broiler pan.



"You take it right. I looked everywhere I could think of. Guess I should have asked Nonnie to make me one of those magic compasses."



"I guess so," Daisy agreed. She would have suggested Alex take hers, only it wouldn't work for anyone else. "I'm sorry your day was so unproductive."



"I didn't say that. I dispatched two fledglings."



Daisy's heart skipped a beat. She told herself there was nothing to worry about. Erik wasn't a fledgling. "Where did you find them?"



"They were holed up in an abandoned movie theater just outside of San Diego. Young and stupid," Alex said disdainfully. "They never knew what hit 'em. Just like that other couple."



"What other couple?"



"I don't know who they were. The ones I took out the night I got here."



Ah, Daisy thought. Tina and her mortal lover. Knowing what her father and brother did had never bothered her before, so why did the thought of what Alex had done bother her now? What if the vampires Alex had destroyed had been turned against their will, like Erik? What right did her family have to decide who lived and who died?



"Hey, Daisy Mae, you look a little green around the gills. You okay?"



"What? Oh, nothing. I'm fine."