Nathan lay staring up at the stained glass skylight, bright even at night in the illumination of the house’s exterior spotlights. Otherwise he’d never be able to enjoy it, thanks to the magical Day Sleep that would knock him cold the minute the sun rose. The colored glass served a practical purpose; without it, the sun’s light would inflict serious burns he wouldn’t even feel until he woke at sunset.

Being a vampire might give you fantastic strength and speed, but it came at a price. A liquid diet and never seeing the sun were major line items on that bill.

The fact that he found Latents like Rachel incredibly tempting was yet another price to be paid.

He looked down at her, feeling her warm breath puff across his bare skin. Her lashes looked ridiculously long as they lay on her cheeks. She was asleep.

What the hell am I doing? He’d fully intended to keep his distance tonight. And yet here he was.

Nathan frowned, intensely conscious of the feel of her, her body soft against his in so many tempting places, strong in so many others. She looked so innocent in sleep, as untouched as a maiden from a medieval ballad.

Which made a startling contrast to the cold determination on her face when they’d fenced. She was a warrior, no matter how sweet she looked in sleep. She also made love like a courtesan, as wild with arousal as he’d been himself.

His self-control was usually better than this. If he weren’t damn careful, he’d end up Gifting her before he knew what hit him.

And then he might have to kill her.

The thought of Rachel going mad made him feel sick at what he’d have to do then. Killing Christine had been bad enough.

Dr. Christine Phillips had been a pediatric oncologist who’d devoted her life to saving children from childhood cancer. She’d told him once how the patients she lost ate at her.

Christine had believed becoming a Maja would give her the opportunity to heal those she couldn’t save through merely human medicine. He’d warned her it wouldn’t be that simple -- she’d have to give up practicing medicine among the mortals. She’d almost turned the Gift down then, but the thought of being able to do something about the terrorism and injustice of the world seduced her into going for it anyway.

She should have been fine. The witches of the Majae’s Council had predicted she’d survive her transformation with her sanity intact.

They’d been wrong.

He’d come within her that third time, felt the blast of raw power that was the Gift activating within her cells. In those first moments, he’d thought she would be okay. She’d looked around the room with such wonder, entranced by the magical forces all Majae could see when they transformed the first time. Springing from the bed laughing like a child, she’d conjured one ball of sparking magic, then another. Then another.

He realized something was wrong when the first of those spheres changed from sunlight gold to bloody red.

Christine turned her head and looked at him. As he watched in helpless horror, madness flooded her gaze like the red staining her magic. She whirled and flung all three balls at him like a Major League pitcher, one right after another. He dove off the bed barely a heartbeat before the first blast blew a hole in the stained glass window.

As Nathan rolled aside, he’d snatched his sword from under the bed, where he always left it when he Gifted a witch. Christine dove at him, shrieking in rage and madness…

And he’d run her through.

For a heartbeat, she stared at him in bewildered accusation. Then she’d fallen, the life draining from her beautiful blue eyes.

Nathan hadn’t loved her. That was by design -- he never spent enough time with the Latents he Gifted to fall in love.

But none of those girls was Rachel, whispered a soft voice in his mind.

Oh, shit. Oh no, I am not doing that. No way in hell.

A little spurt of unaccustomed fear drove him to lift Rachel off his chest and settle her on the bed’s furry coverlet. He needed some distance. Badly.

Nathan eased off the other side and padded naked down the hall to descend the stairs. Moving in long strides, he headed for the living room and its well-stocked bar. He stepped behind the gleaming length of dark walnut, reached up into the shelves that held his liquor collection, and pulled down a shot glass and a bottle of Glenlivet. He poured himself three fingers and downed the fiery liquor in one swallow.

Galahad would be outraged at his sacrilegious treatment of the Scotch.

He poured another glass and did it again.

As the liquor seared the lining of his throat, Nathan tried to reason with his instincts. He was not, damn it, falling for Rachel Kent. The very idea was ridiculous, especially considering how little time he’d known her. Yeah, she was pretty enough, but so were the other women he’d slept with in his career as a court seducer. Yes, she was bright and courageous, but both characteristics were pretty much a prerequisite for any Gift candidate.

I’m feeling guilty and vulnerable because of Christine. It doesn’t mean anything.

Nathan threw himself down on the long black leather couch, scooped up the remote, and turned on the wall-length screen that hung across the room. By all rights, the thing shouldn’t work in the Mageverse, but witches had a way of sidestepping the laws of physics. Pretty much every cable and online service known to man was available in Avalon.

Brooding, he started surfing the program menu, trying to find something he actually wanted to watch. He’d settled on one of the 24-hour news channels when his vampire hearing picked up a soft moan of pain coming from upstairs.

Nathan tossed the remote aside and hurried out of the room to take the stairs two at a time. Striding to the master bedroom door, he swung it open and headed for the bed. “Rachel?”

Gloriously naked in the colorful light shining through the stained glass windows, she twisted restlessly against the fur, moaning in distress. The moans grew into a ragged, pleading sound, strangled with pain and terror.

Nathan’s first instinct was to shake her awake, but he knew that was the worst thing you could do to someone in the grip of a nightmare. Instead he called sharply, “Rachel? Rachel, you’re dreaming. Wake up.”

Her entire body seemed to spasm, and her eyes flew wide. She looked around, her expression panicky, as if she had no idea where she was or what was going on.

“Rachel, you’re at my house. Everything’s fine.”

Her head snapped around and she stared up at him as he stood by the bed, wild-eyed and confused. “Nathan?” Her voice shook.

Then the confusion faded, replaced by embarrassment. She groaned, rubbing both hands over her face. “Damn it.”

Nathan squashed the impulse to take her in his arms. He was on the verge of losing all pretense of objectivity as it was. Neither one of them could afford that. She needed him to make her think -- really think -- about whether she wanted to risk the Gift. This wasn’t something she should do simply because Oriana had brainwashed her to believe it was her duty. He was all for duty, but the thought of looking into those beautiful eyes and seeing madness…

No. He had to get a handle on the situation. Had to maintain some emotional distance so they both could stay on an even keel.

If she chose to risk the Gift, fine. It was her life. She needed to make that decision without being swamped by emotion that might lead her into self-destruction. He had a responsibility to provide that distance, not tempt her into suicide by treating her like a lover.

And if some part of him hated the idea, that was too fucking bad.

* * *

“Bad dream?”

“Yeah.” Rachel rubbed her hands across her face again, trying to rid herself of the last sticky psychic cobwebs of the nightmare. Daddy, daddy, daddy…

In tonight’s variation, she’d been unable to move when the killer turned his gun on his wife and children. She wanted to step between them, shield them as she had in real life, but her body hadn’t obeyed. She’d stood frozen and helpless while Don killed them one by one -- and then turned the gun on Rachel.

“I dreamed about the shooting. Again.”

“You’ll find you do that a lot in the aftermath of combat,” Nathan told her. His voice was cool, sounding nothing like the man who’d made such passionate love to her. When she shot him a startled glance, his eyes were as distant as his voice.

The hell?

He made a show of looking down at the old-fashioned wristwatch he wore. “Sun’ll be coming up in about half an hour. I don’t have long until the Day Sleep. You may want to head to Oriana’s, have her open a dimensional gate for you if you need to go back home. Be back here tonight at sunset and we’ll continue the testing.”

A spark of anger shot through Rachel as she remembered an old southern saying about rude hosts trying to get rid of inconvenient guests. “‘Here’s your hat,’” she muttered. “‘What’s your hurry?’”

“I’m not your boyfriend, Rachel. You’re my assignment.”

Her jaw dropped. She wanted to tell him exactly what he could do with his assignment, but she had the humiliating suspicion she’d be unable to hide the hurt under her rage. “Yeah, you made that more than clear.”

Furious, Rachel stalked toward the door, only to break step when she realized she was stark naked.

“Your clothes are still in the dojo.”

Without acknowledging what he’d said, she headed naked down the steps, blinking her stinging eyes. Damned if she was going to cry for the son of a bitch.

Her leggings, tank, and shoes lay on the floor of the practice room. He’d reduced her bra and panties to scraps. Looks like I’m going commando, she thought, and got dressed anyway.

Still seething, Rachel let herself out, resisting the urge to slam the door. It was only when she hit the cobblestone street outside that she realized she didn’t remember how to get back to Oriana’s.

Fuck it. She turned right and stalked off.

Which was, of course, the wrong way. She realized her mistake more than a mile later, turned around, and went in the other direction.

Asshole.

* * *

Rachel poured out her outrage while Oriana cooked breakfast for the pair of them. They were eating before she ran out of steam. “I can’t help but notice…” She stabbed her fork into her eggs. “That you haven’t said anything.”

Gee took a bite of her bacon, chewed and swallowed. At last she said, “I don’t blame you for being pissed, but I think he was trying to do you a favor.”

“Are you saying you don’t think I should get the Gift either?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’ll make an excellent Maja. I’m simply concerned you may be getting a little too involved with him. Nathan’s right. He’s not your boyfriend, and he’s never going to be.”

“I know that. I’m not an idiot.”

Oriana gave her a long, cool look. “Do you?” When Rachel opened her mouth to retort, Gee held up a hand, silencing her. “Look, it’s natural for Latents and Magekind to feel an intense mutual attraction. Merlin’s spell reacts to the magic in any member of the Magekind, especially someone of the opposite sex who could trigger the Gift. And Court Seducers are naturally seductive people to begin with. That’s why they’re chosen for the job.”

“Yeah, Nathan just oozes charm.”

“Actually he does, at least when it suits him. He’s always loved women -- has a positive talent for making whomever he’s with feel like the center of the universe.”

“He must really hate my guts then, because he doesn’t make me feel that way.”

“Oh, really?”

Rachel started to answer, then remembered the moment when she’d lain in his arms. “Okay, maybe once.”

Gee sighed. “Look, being a Court Seducer can be difficult. Ninety-nine percent of the time you’re sleeping with someone you don’t know, so you’re supposed to make it easier for the Latents by romancing them. Seducers aren’t supposed to lie, but they are told to make their partners feel this isn’t just soulless sex. The best Court Seducers make their Latents fall a little bit in love without actually breaking their hearts.”

Rachel toyed with her fork. “Tricky balance to strike.”

“Exactly.” Oriana leaned closer and caught her in an intense gaze. “Now imagine that out of every thousand Latents you seduce, one of them goes insane and tries to kill you. And if you don’t stop her, God knows how many people she’s going to kill.”

“Yeah. He’s told me all about that. More than once.”

“But think about how it must really feel. Here’s a woman you were making love to not five minutes before, and now you’ve got to kill her -- if you can. Vampires may be much stronger than we are, but our magic gives us a tremendous advantage. In any fight between a mad Maja and a Magus, the vampire could easily lose. And if he dies, she’ll be turned loose on an unsuspecting Avalon. Yes, eventually somebody’s going to kill her, but others could get ambushed and murdered. All because the seducer screwed up.”

Rachel winced. As a cop, she was all too familiar with the public cost of lethal mistakes. Hell, even when you did the right thing, there was a price to be paid. And you might not be the only one to pay it. Daddy, daddy, daddy…

“My point is, no matter how he makes you feel, he doesn’t share your emotions. He can’t afford to. And you can’t afford to let three fucks mean more to you than they should. You’re going to get hurt.”

Pride stinging, Rachel glowered. “Look, I’m not some dippy little Victorian virgin. I’ve had lovers.”

Oriana snorted. “None of whom were anything like Nathan Allard. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying your time with him, but you need to keep in mind it doesn’t mean anything. It can’t. Have fun making love to him, by all means, but don’t let him get to you. Don’t let him piss you off when he tests you. And for God sake, guard your heart even when he makes you come so hard you see stars. Otherwise you’re going to regret it.”

“Yeah,” Rachel said. “I see your point.”

I don’t like it, but I see it.

* * *

Oriana opened a gate back to Rachel’s apartment, promising to return her to the Mageverse at sunset.

Rachel took a shower and fell into bed, hoping to catch up on the sleep she’d missed since the shooting. She tossed and turned before finally drifting off.

Her alarm went off at two, and she staggered out of bed to get ready for her appointment with the therapist. She supposed she could go ahead and quit her job, but she didn’t want to trigger rumors that there was anything unjustified in the Gordon shooting. Besides, it was possible she might decide not to become a Maja after all. She doubted it, but the possibility existed.

So she spent fifty minutes at the therapist’s office rehashing the shooting -- again -- and explaining she felt fully justified and would do it again if she had to.

She wasn’t sure the therapist believed her.

Next Rachel swung by her parents’ house to tell her mother what was going on. She’d briefly considered waiting until it was all over so her folks wouldn’t worry, but what if she didn’t survive her transformation? She didn’t want them blindsided like that.

Barbara Kent worked the second shift at Tayunita County Regional Hospital, but it was her day off, making this a good opportunity for a visit.

Though she’d become a nurse when her Magekind ambitions failed to materialize, Barbara was still tall and athletic even in her fifties. She was so thrilled when Rachel told her the news, it was obvious it never even occurred to her that her daughter might not survive the Gift. Rachel decided not to bring that possibility to her attention.

When she left the family’s brick colonial, her mother was already making plans for the party they’d throw to celebrate Rachel’s becoming Magekind.

Buoyed by Barbara’s confidence, she called her Highway Patrol trooper father to give him the news. Richard might not be a Latent, or even a Kent by blood, but he knew the family secret and had embraced its traditions. He’d even taken his wife’s name, a move that had raised some eyebrows in his very conservative family. He’d been willing to do it anyway to make his wife happy.

He’d even submitted to the secrecy spell Oriana cast on family members to ensure none of them talked about the Magekind. The measure was de rigueur for any mortal who knew the secret; Avalon was more paranoid about security than the NSA.

Richard also knew what it took to become a Maja, and he wasn’t sure he liked the idea. Nor did he approve of Court Seducers, particularly when it came to his daughter.

“So how’s this vampire treating you?” Dad demanded, sounding every inch the big, intimidating cop he was.

“Oh, Nathan’s a perfect gentleman,” she told him without missing a beat. She didn’t lie to her father often, but there were some things he didn’t need to know.

“He’d better be, or I’ll kick his ass.” Dad would give it his best shot, too, never mind that a vampire was several times stronger than any human.

By the time Rachel hung up, she was smiling.

A call to her firefighter sister was the next order of business. Teresa wanted to know if the vampire was cute. She admitted he was, and resisted the temptation to add that he was also an asshat. Anything Teresa knew, her parents would find out. Her little sister couldn’t have kept a secret in a bank vault. She loved to talk, and she was compulsively honest. If not for Gee’s Top-Secret spell, she probably would’ve outed them all on Facebook by now.

Duty done, she headed home and fell into bed for another desperately needed nap. She dreamed about the shooting only once, but it was still bad enough to make her claw her way to wakefulness.

By the time Oriana finally arrived at sunset, Rachel was glad for the distraction.

Gee treated her to dinner before she set off for her appointment with Nathan and another glorious night of banging her head against the wall.

Though she was tempted to do it with the vampire’s stubborn skull instead…

* * *

Rachel strolled in wearing a black tank top and another pair of skintight leggings that made Nathan’s vampire appetites rumble approval. She’d tied her hair back in a curly ponytail that swung between her shoulder blades, and her brown eyes were narrow and wary.

Good, he told himself. If she wanted to keep her distance, all the better. His disappointed libido would have to get over it.

Once again they headed into the dojo, but this time he gave her one of Oriana’s simulation circlets. She studied the engraved silver circlet dubiously, but she put it on anyway.

He did the same, feeling the familiar buzz of magic along his skin as the spell activated.

Suddenly they stood in an alley between two brick buildings. The ground trembled beneath their feet.

It had good reason.

A creature fifteen feet tall raced down the alley toward them on two powerful legs, thick tail lashing behind it as it ran. It was covered in emerald green feathers, its gaping muzzle revealing teeth like daggers. A blue gemstone shown above its bright orange eyes.

Rachel recoiled, staring at the dinosaur in shock as it thundered closer. “What the hell is that -- a Tyrannosaurus Rex?”

“The team that fought it called it Super Chicken.” He didn’t blame her for looking horrified. He was glad he hadn’t had to fight the thing himself. Facing it in the simulation was bad enough. “But technically I think it was a raptor.”

“Real raptors were the size of German shepherds!”

“Super Chicken wasn’t a real raptor. A werewolf wizard created it from another werewolf.”

“Oh, come on! Werewolves don’t use magic any more than vampires do.” Apparently Oriana had briefed her descendants about Merlin’s assorted creations.

“Warlock did.” And they’d had a hell of a time killing him, too.

The monster thudded to a stop, tail whipping, and roared, breathing the stench of blood and meat over them.

“Back off, KFC!” Rachel snapped up at it, before turning to glare at Nathan. “No. Forget it. I was willing to play along with the sword fight yesterday, but this is ridiculous.”

The raptor started to dive at them, jaws open wide as if to eat them both. With a huff of disgust, she snatched the circlet off of her head. And promptly vanished from the simulation.

Nathan did the same before the creature had a chance to take a bite out of him. Both the dojo and Rachel reappeared. He glowered at her. “I told you I was going to test you. Are you giving up on becoming a Maja?”

“No, I’m refusing to go along with this bullshit.”

“Majae don’t get to turn their backs on a mission because it’s dangerous.”

“And exactly how many times have Majae had to fight magical raptors in the past fifteen hundred years?”

“Once,” he snapped back. “But they did have to fight it.”

“And how many of them were brand new Majae who’d never fought anything at all with magic -- ever? I have had zero training in the use of my power because I don’t have power to use. You can’t tell me Morgana Le Fay would send a rookie Maja against a monster like that with no backup.”

“Look, all you have to do is picture what you want to do -- create a fireball or whatever -- and the spell will create an illusion of that attack to let you experience what it would be like. The point is to see how you would use magic if you had it.”

“The point is to scare me off. Look, I get that you don’t want to have to kill another insane Maja. I don’t blame you. I’m not real thrilled about the possibility I might have to shoot somebody again. But giving me Merlin’s Gift is your job. The Majae’s counsel cleared me to get the Gift. Do your job or quit.”

“This is my job,” he ground back. “I make the final decision about whether you can survive the transition. So take the test or go home. Those are your options.”

“May I remind you, you’re not the only male court seducer in Avalon? I can also go to Dominic Bonnhome.”

At the thought of Bonnhome taking Rachel to bed, a stab of vicious jealousy knifed through him. “He’s on a mission.”

“Fine. Half the people in this town have dicks. I’m sure Gee can talk one of them into doing it.”

And they’d probably be more than happy to oblige, too. “Not if I appeal to it to Arthur. As I told Oriana last night, he’s the only one who can rescind this assignment. If I judge you’re not safe to receive the Gift, he’ll back me up.”

Her delicate jaw jutted. “Are you honestly saying you think I’m too weak to survive?” When he hesitated, she demanded, “Is that what you think?”

He couldn’t quite bring himself to lie. “I don’t know. I do know your life hangs on this decision. Yes, Dominic would happily bang you into the Gift, but if you lost it, he’d also cut your throat without a second thought.”

“Would you have a second thought?”

“Yes, damn it, I would. I’d never fucking get over it. Is that what you want to hear?”

Rachel looked startled for a moment before she frowned. “Even if I pass your tests, is there any guarantee I’ll survive the transition?”

“No,” he said reluctantly.

“Then what’s the point? And what gives you the right to take this chance from me if you don’t know?”

Nathan started to retort, then closed his mouth. Yes, if he gave her the Gift and she failed, he’d be cheating her out of her normal lifespan. But if he refused to Gift her when she could have passed, he’d be depriving her of centuries.

He didn’t have that right.

And yet the thought of looking into those big chocolate eyes and killing her was unbearable. He’d survived Christine’s death. He really wasn’t sure he’d survive Rachel’s.

It’s time for me to quit this job and go back to being a straight field agent. Nobody would be surprised. Court Seducers had a notoriously high burn out rate.

The question was, what was he going to do about Rachel? He’d accepted this assignment. Nathan didn’t back out on missions. Never had. Never would.

“Well?” she demanded.

“I’ll make you a deal. Take these two simulations and I’ll give you the Gift -- as long as I don’t find reason to believe you won’t make it.”

She studied him in suspicion. “Again, why bother?”

“It’ll give us both a chance to think. Make sure we’re making the right decision.”

The suspicion intensified. “So after I fight Super Chicken, you’ll make love to me? And then the third time after I do the next simulation?” When he nodded, she thought of a loophole. “What if it takes more than three?” It usually didn’t, but it wasn’t impossible.

“Then we’ll make love until you get the Gift.”

She stared at him, eyes narrowed in thought. Finally she nodded slowly. “You’ve got a deal.” She gave him a tight smile. “And I will hold you to it.”

Then she put the circlet on. With an irritated grunt, Nathan did the same.