The day I’m supposed to finally confront Markus, Sebastian is nowhere to be found. I wake in the middle of the night to find his side of the bed empty. No message. Nothing. I assume he’ll be back soon, so I let myself fall back asleep for another few hours. The next time I wake, it’s nearly nine a.m., and I’m starting to worry.

I call his cell phone from the hotel phone but realize he’s left it in the room when I hear it ring and see it jumping on the table by the window.

Damn him. How could he leave without telling me why? Biting my nails, I stare out the window to the parking lot five floors below me. The rental car is here. Should I be worried? I mean, more worried? He’s a vampire. Of course, he’s fine. But what if Markus found out we were spying on him? What if we weren’t far enough away? Or what if Alexander betrayed us and turned on his brother? He wanted me dead before. Maybe he still wants that.

I stew for another hour before deciding I can’t sit here any longer waiting for him to come back. I have no idea where to go other than to drive aimlessly and maybe drive by Markus’s house. Maybe I should climb the tower again and see if anything looks amiss. As I’m dressing and fishing the gun out of Sebastian’s bag, the door opens. I flash my eyes in Sebastian’s direction as he saunters forward, wearing the same grin he often wears: cocky and amused and most certainly sexy. I want to slap it off his face.

“Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?”

His face falls, and he comes closer, his arms out to embrace me, but I slap them away. “No, you don’t. Where were you? I was about to go out looking for you.”

“Your concern is touching, but I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Where. Were. You?”

He sighs and runs a hand through his messy hair. Some falls forward over his eyes. He pushes it back. “I had to feed. I haven’t fed since I tasted you.”

I shift on my feet, uncomfortable at the thought of not only him feeding off some random person but also at the intimacy of it. No doubt it was a woman like the women his brother chose to wait on them. I can’t shake how sexual it felt to have him drink from me and imagine it felt similar for him, too.

“I’m a vampire. Did you think I’d stop drinking blood now that we’ve had sex?”

I glower at how casually he talks about us. Yes, I don’t want to care for him the way I do, but I can’t deny he means more to me than any man ever has. “No, of course not. It doesn’t matter.”

“Clearly, it does.”

“It doesn’t. I hope she was delicious.”

“You assume it was a woman?”

I level him with a glare. “Wasn’t it?”

He swallows and props his hands on his hips, refusing to deny it.

“Thought so.”

“I can’t feed from you when you’re going against Markus today, and I need to be strong enough to step in if you need me.”

What he says makes sense, and though it softens me a little, it doesn’t erase my worry. I’ve been enjoying getting close to him, and the sex is unreal, but it reminds me of who we are and how difficult it will be to continue what we have when this is over. I don’t want him feeding off people, perhaps not even me. Yes, I enjoy him drinking my blood when he’s doing it, but that’s what his bite does to humans. It makes them want it.

“It’s fine,” I say softly. “I’m sorry. Of course, you had to feed. But tell me, did you have to make her, or did she want it?” I don’t know why I ask because either answer will upset me.

Slowly, he approaches me until we’re a foot apart. He raises his hands to capture my cheeks. “Your blood is the only blood I crave. Drinking from someone else is like sucking milk from a cow’s udder. It quenches the thirst. That’s it.”

I frown at him and have trouble keeping a straight face. “A cow’s udder? Really?”

His lips curl into a wide smile that makes his pale face light up. I touch his hands and hold them as I pull them away. He leans in to capture my bottom lip between his. I open my mouth and search for his tongue as my body heats, and my arousal spikes. His fangs grow and cut the inside of my mouth. He lets go of a hungry growl from somewhere deep in his belly and pulls me closer with one hand until I feel his length pushing into my groin. He’s not the only one who’s hungry. If I die tonight, I want to spend this afternoon with his bare body covering mine. But first...

I undo the button of his jeans and slip my hand inside the opening, under his cotton briefs. I grip the length of him and find the tip wet. I smear it on my palm before sliding my hand up and down his shaft. He grips my head, and his face contorts as he pulls my head to the side. “Just one taste,” he moans. “Just a sip.” But just as quickly as the thought hits him, his fangs slide back into their nest, and his face returns to the beautiful, smooth lines I’ve come to adore.

“It’s okay,” I say, staring into the depths of his eyes.

“No. It’s selfish. I need you whole.”

I kiss his lips softly before sliding my body down his, kissing him over his clothes before kneeling before him. My hand works over him, first slowly and then fast, and then when my mouth is inches from his member, I look up at him and lick my lips. He grips the back of my head and runs his hand over my hair as I cover his length with my mouth.

---

Sebastian got me a second hotel room, one he refuses to enter. And I had to buy another outfit and rent another car that he paid for. He stands in the doorway of my room, staring me down.

“This is ridiculous,” I say.

“He’ll smell another vampire, and he’ll be suspicious. Shower twice. Put on the clothes. And get in your car. I’ll follow you to the exhibit and make sure to keep close enough to jump in if you need me.”

“You can’t do that. You won’t survive it, and then we both die.”

“Why would you think that?”

“I saw you fight your brother. He got the better of you, and Markus is stronger than him.”

“Is that what you think?” he says with a laugh. “That Alexander bested me?”

I hitch a shoulder as I replay what happened. I’m pretty sure I have it right, but I would love to hear otherwise.

“I always hold back with him.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because winning matters more to him than me.”

“Just when I think you I know you, you say something to completely surprise me. You’re not a very good vampire, Sebastian.” I laugh.

He scratches his head and smirks at me. “There’s something I haven’t heard before.”

“You better go back to your room before your scent on me is un-washable.”

He saunters down the hall, looking back at me just once before ducking inside the other room.

---

The event is on Main Street in this medium-sized town. It’s a one-story brick affair with a front wall of windows. I look inside at the art and the people mingling about with champagne flutes in hand. The space is dim, but special lights above the art shine down on them to highlight their features.

My heart races, and my palms are damp with sweat. I’ve never been more frightened and excited in all of my life. There is something wrong with me to feel any kind of enjoyment about this. I could die. But then, this is who I was born to be: a killer of vampires. I feel the thrill and draw of it in the coding of my DNA.

At the end of the street, I see the black SUV Sebastian rented when we first arrived. The engine is off, and the lights are out. Sebastian’s aura faintly glows through the windshield, so I know he’s inside, and it comforts me to know I’m not alone. Who knew he’d be such a hero? Only tonight, I won’t let him be mine. No matter what, I can’t. I’m not willing to watch someone else I care about die, especially when I can prevent it.

I take a slow, deep breath and collect myself as I approach the door. With my chin up, I pull open the door, and the noise inside grows louder. There are a few dozen people here, some walking around and staring at the paintings on the white walls while others engage in conversation and laugh in ways that don’t seem sincere.

A lady in black pants and a white blouse hands me a brochure. “Welcome to the Nickerson Exhibit. Please take a brochure. All pieces are sold by silent auction. If you’d like to bid, please enter your bid on paper you’ll find on the table near the back.” She points to a table against the far brick wall that is covered in white linen and lace. I spy the wooden ballet box. Then my gaze strays to the rows of champagne glasses that surround it and the finger-food appetizers. I could certainly use a drink right now. Or two.

“Thank you.” I take the brochure. The air in here is chilly, and I’m wearing fewer clothes than I normally would. My neckline is low, and my small breasts are peeking out for the world to see. When I think no one is looking, I hike up the front of my cocktail dress, but I catch the eye of a man smirking at me. He’s not Markus, thank God. I need to attract the elder, not chase him away with my less-than-ladylike behavior. Damn, this thong is riding up too. I have Sebastian to thank for that. He picked it out, after all. The salesclerk must have tossed them into the bag because I certainly didn’t purchase them.

Slowly, I move through the crowd, attempting to look absorbed by the beauty of the paintings. In truth, they look like a bunch of colorful strokes of paint I could probably imitate for nine ninety-nine—and that’s only to pay for the canvas—using paint from my garage and some old brushes.

A waiter in a white shirt and polka-dot bow tie walks by with a tray of champagne, and I pluck one up without him noticing. I’m not sure if I have to pay, but when he doesn’t stop, I assume it’s free. One won’t hurt, and it’ll likely calm my nerves. If Markus hears my heart beating out of my chest, he might suspect something is wrong. I highly doubt anyone else here has a heart rate fast enough to require medical attention.

That’s if he comes. Alexander assumed he’d be here, but did he know for sure? It didn’t seem that way to me. Tonight might not be the night, and I should probably be happy about that, but I’m not. I want this over with, and I want to know what I’m capable of when push comes to shove. I feel as if I’ll never really know unless I face an elder.

A very boring hour passes. I check my watch every few minutes. The crowd grows even louder the more they drink. I’m starting to lose hope and figure I should just go to Sebastian before the night is completely wasted. Then, as if the world senses my resolve, he appears, tall and lean with spectacular, wavy, blond hair. I almost gasp. His cloudy aura waves around not only his body but his nonexistent wings. I mean, I can’t see wings, and I’d never know they were there if it weren’t for the darkness hugging his borders. My bottom lip drops and I snap my mouth shut and turn my head toward the painting in front of me, one of an old man’s head painted on top of a loosely drawn black bear. I don’t understand it, and don’t think I’m supposed to.

What now? I have no idea. I’m not exactly a charmer. That’s Sebastian’s forte, not mine. I never dated much, definitely never asked guys out. We didn’t really think this through. But it doesn’t matter how I approach him because when I hear a silky, low voice, I know it’s him. There is a seductive quality to it that only a vampire can manage. Confident. Thigh clenching.

I glance at him sideways as he says, “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Breathe, Emily. Just breathe. “It’s awful,” I say because I can’t think of anything else to say.

He chuckles lightly and turns to me with his hand out, waiting for me to do the same. “I’m Mathew.”

I narrow my eyes slightly. No, he’s not. I remember his picture very clearly, and if that wasn’t enough, the outline of his wings easily gives him away.

I take his hand in mine, surprised to find him not as cool as Alex or Sebastian. In fact, his body temperature doesn’t seem very far from my own. As he waits for me to introduce myself, I scramble to come up with a name other than my own. It’s hard to think with my hand in his. “Rose.”

He bows his head. “A pleasure.”

I slip my hand free from his and return to the painting before moving on to the next one. I’ve already looked at it. This one, I don’t mind—blocks and circles and rectangles all stacked together in a way that looks like it’s about to fall.

“I think you might be right. All crap, the lot of them.”

The more he speaks. the more I recognize his English accent. It’s faint but still there, and once I notice it, all of his words sound different.

I force a smile and try to look like I mean it. “I’m not much of an art lover. I don’t know the artist at all, actually.”

“I’m familiar, but his newer pieces lack the same spirit of his first ones. He was an up and comer, and his artwork was praised in magazines around the country. Then I think he either lost his muse, or he got lazy.”

“Some of them aren’t so bad. This one’s okay. I like the color.” Red, blues and oranges on a stark white background. And the frame is pretty— although I’m certain that really shouldn’t be a highlight for artwork.

“If you don’t love art, why would you come here?” He pushes one side of his black jacket back to slide a hand into the pocket of his matching black dress pants.

Think fast, Emily, and make it sound like the truth. But I’m not great at lying so I try to stick as close to the truth as I can without revealing too much. “I don’t get out a lot, and my sister is always trying to get me to try new things and meet new people. But where are you supposed to do that nowadays? Online?”

“Single and positively radiant.”

“Is that a website?”

When he laughs, it’s like poetry, the most beautiful noise I think I’ve ever heard, and I wonder if it’s because he was an angel. But then again, this one was cast down.

“No, I was referring to you.”

“Oh.” I tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear and dip my head to hide the flush of my cheeks. Radiant. Can vampires see auras? If he can, is that why he approached me? Does he want to hurt me? But he doesn’t look at my edges when he talks to me. He stares directly into my eyes. His aren’t the same blue as Sebastian’s and Alexander’s. Not even close. They’re like ice. And like viewing an eclipse, I can only look straight at their pale depths for so long before it starts to hurt.

“You’re…radiant too.”

He laughs at me and lays a hand on my back, nodding to the next painting along the wall. I fight the urge to shrug it off. The light pressure feels more like a weight on my back. When we take the few steps to the next painting, his hand remains steady where it is.

“Are you enjoying this?”

I assume he means the exhibit and not the hand on my back.

“Not really,” I say truthfully.

Flames spark and die in his eyes as he moves closer and faces me, pulling me into his personal space. We’re too close for strangers and definitely too close for the likes of this place. He looks deep into my eyes. “I’d like to leave, and I want you to join me.” His nostrils flare, and the sharp points of his incisors peek out a hair, as if to let me know they’re there.

“I’m not sure if I…”

His eyes burn brighter, and he grimaces at me as I fail to meet his expectations. He can’t mind control me. I could pretend, but I’m not an actress, and he’d see through it. I go with my gut on this because I have to assume there are other humans on this Earth who are immune to his charm and mind fuckery.

“You know what…I’d love to.”

His face brightens, but there’s tension in his cheeks. “Wonderful.” He offers me his elbow and guides me through the crowd until we reach the door. Like a gentleman, he opens the door, and the cool air hits me. I pull my shawl around my neck and shiver.

His hand climbs up the back of my dress, under the wool shawl to touch the tips of his fingers against the exposed skin on my back. “My car is this way.”

I take a breath and slow down, making him slow with me.

“There’s a park across the street over there.” I point to the darkened park where only a single lamppost shines. “Maybe we could sit and talk. I...I barely know you.”

“Well, isn’t that why we left?” He lowers his hand, and it slides over my ass before it falls to his side. “To get to know each other? Let’s walk for now. Perhaps, you’ll discover I’m not so scary.”

“I never said…” My cheeks burn. He might interpret it as a blush, but it’s from my racing heart and the fear he inspires that swirls inside of my stomach like a riptide. “You seem…nice. A walk sounds great.” Without meaning to, I look over my shoulder for Sebastian and his rental car.

Markus follows my gaze. “Something wrong?”

“No. Not at all.”

I take his arm again and cozy up to him, even though he only makes me colder. Every nerve inside of me fires, screaming for me to run.

“Tell me all about yourself. I want to know everything.”

“Oh…I…own a bookstore—a small one. With eBooks, I’m afraid it doesn’t do as well as it did when my parents were alive.” I can’t think of any lies, and I worry he’ll see through them, so I selectively give him details that won’t come back to haunt me.

“An orphan. I’m so sorry. How did they die?”

“A car accident. A drunk driver fell asleep at the wheel and crossed the median. He hit them head on.”

He feigns sincerity. “That’s awful. Was it recent?”

“Yes. About a year ago. And you? Are your parents still alive?”

“Yes. But we’re estranged. I was raised by my…father. He disapproved of my choices, and after a rather epic argument, we...haven’t spoken since.”

His vague response would sound innocent to someone unaware of what and who he is, but I know exactly what he means. But I didn’t expect to hear him sound almost remorseful about it.

“You should reach out,” I say quickly, “before you lose the opportunity. You never know when the people you love could be taken from you.”

“No words have ever rung truer.”

He lays a hand over mine and pats me lightly. “This is me.” He points to the expensive black sedan sitting all alone next to a parking meter. “We can keep walking, or we can get inside and keep warm.” He smiles wickedly and makes the sign of a crucifix over his chest “I swear I’ll be a gentleman.”

Don’t go to his home. Whatever you do… “I… We could go get coffee. There’s a nice place up ahead.”

He glances to the left and right. Few pedestrians walk on the streets. He’s parked an expensive car under broken streetlights. Although I can see him as clearly as he sees me, no one around us can see us as he leads me into the darkness. And I foolishly let him until I realize my mistake.

He spins me around in a whirl until my back is slammed against the back of his sedan. Is Sebastian nearby? Did he follow us? I have to believe he is, but as Markus grips my cheeks in his massive, strong hand and stares into my eyes with flames in his own, I wonder if I’m mistaken.

“I know what you are,” he says.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His eyes dart, and there’s no doubt he’s telling the truth. Panic makes my throat run dry, and I swallow hard to fight it. I should scream for help, but no one would come. If someone did, they’d only be killed, and I’d have to live with that. And that includes Sebastian. No, I can’t scream.

“Get in the car before I make you.”

“No.”

“Oh, Penelope. Must we play this game?”

I open my mouth to speak but snap it shut. He called me Penelope. He knows exactly who I am, and it stuns me because of how familiar he seems to be with me. “How do you know me?”

He sighs. “I knew from the first moment I smelled you and saw your light. No one glows the way you do. It’s been a very long time.”

“I don’t know you at all.”

He narrows his eyes and slowly lets go of the iron-clad hold he has on my arms. He leans away and straightens his tie and jacket. “I killed you before, and I’ll do it again. Now. Get in the damn car.”

He takes two slow steps backward then walks around the car to get in the driver’s seat. The door behind me unlocks with a click, and the window rolls down. “I don’t have all day.”

I look down the road to find Sebastian’s car idling and release a heavy sigh. His light glows amber. He wouldn’t want me to get inside, and if I was smart I wouldn’t consider it, but Markus is an elder, and I have to kill him because of everything I could lose if I don’t.