Celebration for the Dead

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Celebration for the Dead ISBN 9781419915819 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Celebration for the Dead Copyright © 2008 Lauren Dane Edited by Ann Leveille. Cover art by Syneca. Electronic book Publication April 2008 With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/) This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

WITCHES KNOT:

CELEBRATION FOR THE DEAD

Lauren Dane

Dedication To Ray—none of this would be possible without your love and support. Ann Leveille—as always, thank you so much for the fabulous edits! Readers, friends, family—thank you for sticking by me!

Trademarks Acknowledgment The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: Café Du Monde: H. N. Fernandez, Inc. Happy Meal: McDonald’s Corporation Marc Jacobs: Marc Jacobs Trademarks LLC Superman: DC Comics Warner Communications Inc.

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Chapter One Melanie Rodriguez scented rain as she strolled through the darkened streets. It was coming, clouds overhead heavy with it. Her skin rose in gooseflesh but more due to the vampire who followed her than the change in the weather. Click. Click. Click. High heels sounded on the cracked sidewalk as she switched her hips seductively. Come on now, I’m just a pretty meal. Closer. Reeling him in. His hunger clawed at her insides as she steeled herself against it, readying herself for the cool hand landing on her upper arm. “Hello there.” She turned, looking up into that handsome face but skimming past his eyes. Enough to make him think she was looking but not stupid enough to do so and let him snare her. “You aren’t from around here, are you?” He stepped closer and she’d done this enough times to school herself against moving away from him. Her subconscious knew a predator when it saw one, her muscles screamed at her to get away from this monster. One of these days, she’d realize she should have listened to those muscles and her brain would know it just before it ceased working. On the surface he didn’t smell like death but it was there, just below the expensive cologne no local man could afford. “No. I’m from San Antonio. Traveling through to the Yucatán to see the pyramids. My friends are back in the bar.” She waved somewhat confusedly with her hand, taking care to slur a little bit. “I’m tired. Too much tequila and not enough sleep.” Laughing, she moved closer to him while sliding her palm down her thigh.

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“It’s dangerous for a woman to be out here alone. A pretty woman like you especially. This isn’t San Antonio. Let me walk you back to the hotel. The boarding house up the way, right?” He seemed so reasonable, just a gentleman wanting to help a woman in trouble. Certainly not a serial killer with a cold heart who thrived on death and misery. Right. “That would be very nice of you. Are you an American then?” She allowed him to guide her, moving them toward the shadows. That was fine with her, the shadows were where she wanted to be. “European actually but I’ve been in the States for years. I travel Mexico and Central America quite frequently when I’m not visiting family in the US. I’m David.” Just a few steps more. “Family? That’s nice. I’m Melanie but my friends call me Minx.” The shadows embraced them and violence began to uncoil in him. Too bad for him it had already unfurled in her and the gun was in her hand before his incisors had extended. “Minx? Oh, you’re not at all what you seemed now, are you?” He ducked to the side as she kicked off her shoes and waited. “Oh the world these days. It’s a pity but no one is, David. Like for instance, how you’re a vampire. And then there’s me being a Hunter. You know,” neatly avoiding his body, she popped him in the temple as he rushed her, “it’s not nice to lure young ladies into the dark to kill them.” She usually shot her prey by now but this time of year made her more vengeful than usual. Her ring sliced his skin open and his blood turned cool and sticky on her hand and wrist. “Bitch. I’m going to enjoy killing you. After I feed from you of course. Maybe I’ll turn you and set you on some children when the hunger hits.”

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The handsome veneer slid away, leaving the sick predator that’d lurked just below. Nausea roiled her gut but she clenched her teeth against it. “Well now the thing is, someone is going to enjoy killing but it won’t be you. You’ve killed your last human.” “Do you think so?” Another vampire walked out of the night and joined David. Anton Perdue, the Oathbreaker vampire she and her Hunter team had been after for the last two years. Her head ached at the power of his magic and the memory of what his men had done to her while he’d had her in his possession just a few weeks before. His power, dark and sticky, filled the small space. Two more vampires came to join Perdue and David. The motherload. Crap, she really shouldn’t have hared off alone. “Four against one little Vampire Hunter. Hello, pretty. I remember you. You looked very tasty chained up to the wall in my mansion in New Orleans. It was unfortunate I had to leave before I could taste more of your charms. But now we have so much time.” Perdue’s smile made her skin crawl. Melanie went to one knee, sighting down her arm and aiming for David, but he’d moved and was on her, his teeth and nails slashing into her skin. Her gun flew from her grip upon impact. Numb but not giving up, Minx grabbed her blade with the other hand. The stench of vampire blood filled the air as it slicked her skin when she hacked at the vampire trying to kill her. The last thing she saw of David was the look of surprise on his face as he faded into nonexistence. Rolling out of the way of another vamp who’d jumped at her, she grabbed the gun and dusted the other two Oathbreakers. But by the time she’d stood again, swaying on unsteady feet and losing blood, Perdue had gone. Fat drops of rain hit the dusty earth, the scent of it washing away the taint of the Oathbreaker vampires who’d died there. The rain fell, washing the sticky blood from her bare arms but not from her insides. Vampire blood coated her heart, black and 7

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poisonous, and Melanie wasn’t sure if she’d ever scrub it away. How many had she killed? How many would she before one of them killed her? She got into the RV and went to the back to pull out the first-aid kit but not before flipping on the protective UV lights around the doors and windows of the RV. That coupled with the warding should be enough protection should Perdue decide to try to finish what his other Oathbreakers started.

***** Connor Bell stood at Melanie’s front door, pounding, but there was no answer. He’d already gone to Kael and Simone’s to check but they were still on their honeymoon in Hawaii. He’d gone by the Oathkeeper headquarters, which was also his house, but there were no messages for him and Max had gone out. Bloody hell. He scrubbed a hand over his face and dialed his brother, who answered and told him to get his ass over there. Twenty minutes later he stalked through the gates around his brother’s house and to the front door. His petite but fearsome sister-in-law Lee opened up and sighed, moving to the side. “Come in. Jagger is in the living room with Aidan and Max.” He kissed her cheek quickly and she squeezed his hand. His brother Aidan looked up at him. “Ah, you’re here, good.” Max, his top lieutenant and human assistant, nodded in greeting. At least he had one supporter in the room filled with people who thought his girlfriend was the cat’s meow. “What the hell is going on? Where is Melanie? I’ve been all over New Orleans tonight and I can’t seem to find her and then you give me a mysterious summons?” Connor’s frustration exploded into the room. Jagger stood up. “You’re the one who left New Orleans and Minx without so much as a by-your-leave, buddy.” Jagger Constantine was one of Melanie’s friends and a 8

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fellow Hunter on the team Melanie worked on. More than a friend really, the Hunter team was like a family. Jagger was like an overprotective older brother and with all that had gone on he’d naturally be suspicious of Connor. “The Council called, I had to go. I’m bound by their orders. They call, I go. I don’t need to explain my whereabouts to you.” God, his voice sounded petulant even to his own ears. “Enough! Minx is gone. We got a tip on Perdue’s whereabouts and she jetted yesterday afternoon without telling anyone,” Max said from his place on the couch. “What? You let her go after that monster alone? Where the hell is Kael? How could you just let her go? She can’t handle him on her own.” Connor’s anger morphed into fear, a sick dread at the idea of the world without her in it, or worse, with his beautiful Melanie as an Oathbreaker he’d have to hunt and kill. “Clean your ears, Connor. She took the RV and left without telling anyone. None of this is actually helping track Minx. Everyone needs to calm down so we can work on the problem,” Max said quietly. “Why would she do this? She’s got a crew of people to help her.” Connor threw himself into a chair across from the couch. “Kael is gone with Simone on their honeymoon. You were in Ireland. Cap is away for the weekend with a woman for the first time since we’ve known him. Daniel is still recovering from what happened to him when Perdue had him. Minx is doing what she does, protecting people. And it’s nearing El Dia de los Muertos. She usually hares off this time of year. Goes to Mexico.” Jagger, still looking angry, sat, his arms crossed over his chest. “The Day of the Dead? Why?” Jagger snorted. “Boy, you may be over two hundred years old but you don’t know shit about our girl, do you?” “Give him a break, Jagger. Give him something. He loves her.” Connor was going to have to give Max a raise. 9

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“Do you now?” Jagger looked him over through narrowed eyes. “Jagger, why are you busting my balls, as the kids say? I’ve never done anything to you.” “Not to me, no. But you hurt Minx and she’s the closest thing I have to family. When Charity died…when I had to kill my wife because the Oathbreakers turned her it was Minx who held me and cleaned me up. Minx who sewed the gashes in my side, who listened to me cry, who wouldn’t let me take the pictures down because she knew I’d need to see Charity again once I could breathe. The life of a hunter is hard. No roots, endless travel. Endless violence and death. Nothing, nothing can be counted on but your crew. Everything else goes away. Gets murdered. Goes to Ireland without a backward glance after making a woman like Minx feel like a whore. So yes, I’m busting your balls because you’re a selfish asshole and I don’t like you. I don’t like that you made her cry. I don’t like that you made her feel worthless. I don’t like that you never thought about her past, like she just exists when you want to pet your ego and play with her. That’s not love, vampire.” Aidan looked at Connor and then over at Jagger. “That’s the most I think I’ve ever heard you say in one sitting. Minx deserves such a fine defense. I don’t normally make excuses for people, Connor can speak for himself, but can you tell us a bit to help us understand?” Connor winced at the assessment. It wasn’t true but he hated that anyone would think it, especially that Melanie might. Still he was angry at the implication even as it made him feel guilty. “I resent you describing what I feel for Melanie in those terms. I’ve never thought of her as a whore or something I’d play with. But you’re right, I don’t know much about her past. I figured she’d tell me when she was ready. Obviously people are driven to be hunters for a variety of reasons. I know they hurt her in some way. But I love her. I may not be the perfect man for her, she may not love me but I came back here the first moment I could to tell her that. Help me make it right, Jagger.”

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“Oathbreakers killed her grandparents and her brother, they took her and kept her a month to use for blood. An elderly man we work with sometimes got in touch with us, told us he’d rescued a girl from an Oathbreaker camp and she was in bad shape. We found her and took her home. She goes back to Las Brisas, the town her grandparents were from and where she has a house, every November second for The Day of the Dead, to celebrate their lives and the lives of the others she’s lost. I’ll leave the details for her to give to you. They’re hers to part with. It’s Halloween now, my guess is she’s on her way to Las Brisas.” The weight on Connor’s chest made it hard to breathe. He knew she’d become a vampire hunter because of some personal vendetta against them. He hadn’t known the exact details until then. He began to realize the way she’d cringed away from him the last time they’d been together hadn’t been revulsion when he’d lost control and his incisors elongated. It’d been fear. With a sigh, he nodded at Jagger, thanking him silently. “Okay then, let’s go to Las Brisas. Do you have the information about Perdue?” “I wasn’t there when it came in. Max was though.” Jagger indicated Connor’s second in command. Connor realized Jagger was pissed off because he hadn’t been there. He felt like he’d failed Melanie too. “It’s not your fault, Jagger.” “We’ll deal with blame when we track her down and kick her ass.” Max chuckled. “She took the sheet I got before I saw it. I’m having the Council refax the information. It should be here by now.” Lee left the room and came back just moments later with a sheet of paper. “Perdue was sighted just outside San Fernando.” “It’s on the way to Las Brisas.” Jagger stood. “Can we take the Oathkeepers’ rig?” “Of course, it’s right outside already. Gassed up and stocked. Have you fed, Connor?” Max stood and looked to Connor.

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“Here, come through to the sitting room. You can feed from me,” Lee said quietly. Aidan snorted and stood. “Her blood is very powerful. It’ll get you through for two days. But no one feeds from my wife without me in the room.” Connor rolled his eyes at his brother and they left together. After he’d fed—and Aidan had been right about Lee’s blood being supercharged, it coursed through him like a triple shot of espresso—Aidan took him aside. “I’ll come too. Alex is in Chicago right now but I can have him fly down.” Alex was Lee and Aidan’s other partner and a prominent, powerful wizard. Connor shook his head. “Thank you, Aidan, but stay here with Lee. If Kael calls he’s going to need a full telling of this story. Better you than Lee. And you’ll not want to leave her with Alex away. Max will be with us along with Jagger, that’s plenty of muscle. I’ll speak with the Council and with the other Oathkeepers to get them moving on Perdue as well.” “Why did you leave so quickly?” His brother looked at him carefully. “I didn’t know how to handle what I felt for her. I didn’t want to be in love, Aidan. Not the major, in way over my head, can’t stop thinking about her love. The last time she and I were together, well, it got very hot and heavy. I wanted her so much and my control slipped. My incisors came out and she jerked back. But now I understand why it hurt me then but I didn’t stop to think. When the call came from the Council I took it as an excuse to run. I can’t have lost her. Not now. I have to make this right.” “Then do it. I’ve seen you charm women for hundreds of years, I have faith in you. Be safe and call when you can.” Connor met the other two men in the hall and they headed out to the specially equipped van the Oathkeepers used and got started south.

*****

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Minx managed to make it to Las Brisas just after sunrise. Her neck and shoulder stung and she was dizzy from the loss of blood. Still, she was in a place she thought of as home at least part of the time. She managed to grab her overnight bag and the groceries she’d loaded into the RV before she’d crossed the border and headed into the house. The wards were all in place so no one had tried to get in. She breathed a sigh of relief. Pouring herself some orange juice to wash painkillers down with, she grabbed the first-aid kit and headed into the small bathroom to clean up. Like she’d done so many times before. She looked at herself in the mirror as she scrubbed off her heavy makeup and brushed her hair out. Letting the water run to get it hot, she limped into the bedroom and grabbed clean clothes and linens. By the time she got back the water was ready and she took a shower. Thank god the water drowned out the sound of her ragged sobs. At least she had her Hunter family. They knew her, knew what she’d gone through so she didn’t live such a crazy life all alone. Melanie wasn’t the only hunter who’d lost someone. Jagger first lost his parents and then had had to stake his own wife in Mexico City two years before when the Oathbreakers had turned her. Kael, likewise, had lost his entire family when he’d been only six. The story went on and on. Afterward she wrapped her hair in a towel and set about dealing with the nasty wounds on her neck and shoulder. The pain pills had set in and she only barely felt the horrible sting when she poured the antiseptic tinged with holy water and some other witchy stuff Simone’s mother mixed up over the angry bites and slashes. She didn’t have it in her to stitch anything up so she used butterfly bandages and then wrapped it all up the best she could between the pills and the blood loss making her dizzy and uncoordinated. She’d lost count of how many times a similar scene had played out in her life. It made her angry even as it comforted her, the way she lived. The last two months in New Orleans had been good in so many ways. She’d put down roots for the first time 13

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in her adult life. She’d just closed on a nice condo in the Central Business District. She now had her very own kitchen and bedroom. Privacy. Even the beginning of some wonderful friendships with people whose lives were more than just driving around the country and killing vampires. And for a time it had looked like she had a man too. But it’d ended before they’d even been able to start anything. He’d left the country and she’d had to deal with the empty spot in her life she hadn’t even known until Connor Bell filled it. She turned out the light and headed back to her bedroom. She made sure her weapons were all within reach and fell into bed with a sigh. If all went well she’d have tomorrow to celebrate her family and then she’d be free to hunt Perdue down and finally kill him. She might even consider calling Max and Jagger to get their help. But for then, she needed to rest and heal. When she closed her eyes she saw their faces. The people who brought her to Las Brisas for El Dia de los Muertos each year. She’d grown up in San Antonio with her parents and older brother. Her grandparents had remained in Mexico and every year of her childhood she and her brother spent the summer months in Las Brisas with them. Until the summer before she’d left for college. Her grandparents had taken Melanie and her brother to visit some cousins in a small village down the coast. The vampires had been on the side of the road, faking a broken-down vehicle. Her grandfather had stopped to help and they’d died for that kindness. All but Melanie, and not for lack of trying on the part of the vampires. They’d savaged her grandparents and brother. Attacked her and took her with them. Kept her with them a month, using her for her blood over and over. During daylight hours one day, when she’d given up hope and begun to pray for death, an old man had come out of the jungle next to the road. He’d dragged her to his ramshackle hut, where he’d nursed her back to health. On the first day she could stand Kael and Jagger came and took her back to her family in San Antonio. Kael told her to 14

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call him if she wanted to become a hunter like he was. At the time she’d shrugged it off, not able to imagine what such a life would be like. And so Melanie wanted to come to Mexico. Be in Las Brisas on El Dia de los Muertos like she tried to every year to celebrate the lives of her grandparents and brother. The Day of the Dead wasn’t morbid or grim at all, it was a wonderful celebration of life and part of Melanie’s heritage, and making time in a life filled with death and violence to celebrate life brought her something uplifting. It was necessary to do something life-affirming when she felt so damned empty inside.

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Chapter Two They pulled into Las Brisas just as the sun was going down. Connor breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the RV parked next to the house Jagger said she’d inherited from her grandparents. “There’s a light on inside. I think Max and I will take an hour or so to scout the area, see if there’s any sign of Perdue.” Jagger said it without looking at him but Connor was grateful nonetheless. He’d been given time alone with her. “Thank you both.” He got out and went up the walk toward the front door. He felt the wards around the place flare up as he passed through them. He’d made up his damned mind and this time he wasn’t going to be put off. The world could end and he’d have her before the last star flickered out. So much stupid crap had gotten between them and he wasn’t standing for it another moment. He was there and things would be made right once and for all. He knocked, listening to the muffled sounds on the other side of the door. She opened up, standing there all sleep-tousled and delicious, surprised to see him. A silky peach-colored robe was all that stood between them. One bare shoulder peeked out as she tightened the belt at her waist. Dumbfounded for long moments, Connor took her in. All dips and curves, she was the most beautiful and most dangerous thing he’d ever beheld. The contradictions set him aflame. Her mouth opened to speak and he took it as an invitation. In another step he bumped against her body. He kicked the door closed behind them as his arms encircled her, pulling her to him tight.

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Time slowed like honey as he lowered his head, his mouth seeking hers. And when his lips brushed against hers, lush and full, his entire body tightened with need and a sense of coming home. She sighed softly, the sweetness of her breath something he eagerly took into himself as she relaxed into his hold. He took that sigh as permission and his tongue danced into her mouth, tempting, teasing, tasting the heady sensuality she exuded simply by existing. Her fingers dug into the muscle and flesh of his biceps as she held on. Her tongue fluttered against his and he groaned, breaking the kiss with a longing nip of her bottom lip. “Hello, Melanie Rodriguez.” He tipped his forehead against hers, looking into the deep, dark-chocolate depths of her eyes. “Why it’s Connor Bell, vampire Oathkeeper. What brings you to Mexico?” She took a step back, out of his grasp. Despite the physical distance she just put between them, he liked the breathless quality of her voice, liked knowing he made her that way. “I think you know why I’m here.” Her mouth hardened into an angry, hurt line. “No, no I don’t. You seem to have a problem with communication other than running out the door. Have you come to get me all hot and wet and then leave? I’m not a plaything, Connor.” He winced at the memory of their last time together. “I’m sorry about that. I am. It was a mistake but I’m back, for good. Back to make things right. You are so much more to me than a plaything. You’ve always been more to me than that. Which is I guess part of what freaked me out. I do plan to get you hot and wet though. More than once.” She shivered but stood her ground, chin jutting out. “Why are you here? I get that you want to fuck and whatever.” Her beautiful café au lait shoulders lifted with a shrug. “You haven’t actually said anything. You said a bunch of stuff that sounds like it’s something but really, why are you here?” 17

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He took a deep breath. It wouldn’t do to get frustrated here. “In the first place, I don’t just want to fuck and whatever. I’m here for you. For you and me. We’ll get down to real talking in a moment. In the second place, Melanie Rodriguez, what in the bloody blazes did you think you were doing coming down here alone to hunt Perdue?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Not that it’s any business of yours, but I didn’t just come down here for that. I’m here for El Dia de los Muertos. I’m here for my family. Perdue just happened to have been sighted near San Fernando and since I was going to pass through anyway I thought I’d stop and see what I could see. And there is no us.” Her voice was hard but her body told a different story. “I only have an hour before Max and Jagger come back, probably a bit more if I know Max. We both know we’ll work this out. We can argue when I’m done with you.” One of her eyebrows slid up and he wanted to laugh. “Done with me? Like a Happy Meal or something?” “You’re being very difficult for a woman whose body is so hot the heat’s rising from her in waves. I can smell your pussy, sticky and sweet just for me. I know you want me as much as I want you.” Sliding his hands up her torso from her waist, he pushed the collar of the robe she wore down her arms. Inch by inch the beauty of her skin revealed itself, soft and supple. Unable to resist, he kissed her bare shoulder, breathing her in as he did. It was then he saw the bandages. “What happened?” “Vampires. I told you, I stopped just outside San Fernando last night to do a bit of hunting. One turned into four, and one of those four was Anton Perdue.” Rage washed through him, a relief since the fear was something new and put him off balance. “That bastard did this to you? My god, Melanie, this is severe. Did you go to the hospital?” “No, he didn’t touch me. Got away right after I shot the last two. The one who did this is dead too. I’m all right. It’s already healing. No hospitals! Good god, what would I tell them? Pour holy water on it, I was attacked by a cougar?” She shrugged. “On a scale 18

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of what I’ve had happen to me this is just moderately bad. I’m not dead, or even undead.” “Don’t joke! You’re damned lucky Perdue left instead of staying when you were already weakened. Don’t try to pretend, I can sense you lost a lot of blood.” He pushed away from her and began to pace. “I’m not pretending. I’m just not having kittens over it. I slept for most of the day and went into town, bought lots of food high in iron and after I ate, I slept more. I know it’s not a joke. It’s what I do. What we do, or are you retired?” She moved to the chair and sat. Disappointment tempered his anger when she put her robe back in place. She’d sort of looked forward to a few days alone to wallow a bit and to really figure out what she felt for him. Not like he cared. The man existed just to confound and tempt her. It was hard to think when he was there, taking up her every breath, her every thought. Which sort of answered the question of what she felt for him. Damn. The question, she supposed, was more of a what-to-do-with-him type thing. Melanie took a long, leisurely look from the tips of his Marc Jacobs shoes to the top of his head. Sexy as sin and she figured he’d be twice as fun in bed. Funny, intelligent, compassionate and a damned fine warrior. And yet he’d walked out. Hell, ran out. She wanted him, and from that kiss he wanted her too. But could she pay the tab when he left again? “I hate to think of you in danger. It drives me insane. I want to stop thinking of you but I can’t. You’re in my head twenty-four hours a day. I dream of you. Visions of you paint my eyelids every time I close my eyes. I smell you on my hands, hear your voice in my head. I’m done trying. I give in, Melanie, do you hear me?” He fell to his knees in front of her and she stared at him, blinking rapidly. His hands, warm and battle hard, slid from her ankles up her calves, thumbs softly pressing into the sensitive spot behind her knees while pushing her legs apart. The wisp of control she’d held on her need dissolved like smoke.

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“Let me, Melanie. Please, let me touch you. Let me make things better.” His voice was ragged, hoarse and the Irish of it, the velvet seduction of that accent, stroked her deep inside. “Lock the door or the team will just barge in. I can’t believe they’re here too,” she whispered, beyond making deals with herself. She wanted him so much any repercussions afterward had no meaning just then. The blue of his eyes deepened as he rose and went to the door to lock up. She stayed in the chair as he moved back toward her, watched as he unbuttoned the fine dress shirt he wore, unveiling the sculpted, pale skin beneath. She’d seen him naked once before, the last time he’d been in town, and they’d been interrupted right as he’d been ready to plunge into her body at long last. It’d been a hurried encounter but still he’d answered his phone. “Stop thinking of ways to resist me, Melanie,” he warned as he reached out, grabbing the tie of her robe, hauling her to her feet. “I was thinking if you answer your phone this time and leave before you fuck me, I’ll stake you.” He laughed, shoving the robe from her body. “Damn, so beautiful.” Greedy eyes and hands roved over her for long moments. “Don’t move.” He reached into his pocket, brought the phone out, turned it off and tossed it over his shoulder. “Now then. Where was I?” He circled her, still partially clothed while she stood totally naked. “The last time we were together I showed dreadful manners. I didn’t get much chance to look at you and what a shame because you are so sexy. I’ve missed looking at you, missed the scent and feel of your hair. I love it.” “If you’re lucky maybe I’ll drag it over your cock.” She loved the way he groaned at that. “I would be lucky indeed.” “You’d have to actually get naked first. That’d be a good start.”

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He stood behind her and a moan escaped him as he licked from her tailbone up her spine. “I have plans for you first. Patience.” His lips were warm and delicious as he skimmed over her uninjured shoulder. Fingertips traced, featherlight, over her stomach, under the slope of her breasts and ’round and ’round her nipples. Her head fell back against the wall of his chest as he began to pinch and roll her sensitive nipples, kissing her neck and ear. Her insides turned molten, her pussy bloomed, slick and wet for him. She swayed to the music he made with his hands and mouth, against the cock like a brand at her back. “I love the way you smell.” One of his hands slid down her belly, fingertips skimming over the slick lips of her pussy and dipping just inside. Enough to brush over her swollen clit, bringing her hips forward with a jerk. “When I rushed to the airport that last time I smelled you on my hands for hours. I mourned that I hadn’t lowered my mouth to you and drank of your honey,” he murmured against her ear as he slowly turned her in his arms. “I’m here to make amends. For leaving you so abruptly and for not showing you just how much I desire you.” It meant something for him to say it. She didn’t want it to but it did. She had to close her eyes against what she felt, against being so vulnerable to him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, dropping small kisses over her eyes and forehead as he held her close. “Not now. I don’t want to talk about it now.” He made a strangled sound in his throat but stopped speaking of it. Instead he took her hand and led her to the chair she’d just been sitting in. “Sit back down.” She obeyed, skin atingle at the idea of what would happen next.

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On his knees, he kissed her lips, gently at first until she opened to him and then aggressively, possessively. He owned her mouth, took it over and wrecked her with his lips, teeth and tongue. His taste slammed through her, his scent took over her senses. Her hands roamed his shoulders and back, the muscles jumping wherever she touched. When he broke away his lips found the line of her jaw, the hollow of her throat, the angle of her collarbone. He tasted, sipped, took from her in brief, tiny increments until she began to feel herself drain into him. The times they’d been together before had been hurried and always interrupted by something or someone. At that moment though, the certainty of time and satisfaction ran languid through her body, bringing warmth and a supple relaxation as his mouth moved down and found a nipple. Each tug of his lips made her pussy clutch, wanting him there. His wicked tongue flicked over the tip, the edge of his teeth abraded in a way that drove her hips forward, her toes curling into the carpet. When he moved down again her attention caught on the contrasts. The deep, dark black of his hair against the pale of his skin. The pale of his skin against the deeper brown of hers. Hard to soft. He was big, tall and lean, layer upon layer of muscle rode his body and she was small, curvy. He dwarfed her and yet she never felt unsafe or menaced in any way. His hands pushed her thighs wide and a shiver broke through her when he breathed against her pussy just before taking a long lick. The air whooshed out of her body as every nerve ending fired. How long had she wanted this? From the first moment she’d laid eyes on the man she’d wanted him—just over two months now, back in Lee’s house in New Orleans. The danger of the situation all fell away the first time she’d seen those eyes. So much desire over all that time and it was finally happening. It didn’t quite feel real.

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Real enough when he slowly sank two fingers deep into her gate. He coupled that with the quick, relentless flicking of her clit with the tip of his tongue. Ribbons of pleasure spiraled through her system, pushing her breath through her lips in hard gasps. So intense the sensation began to take over right away. Oh god, she was going to come before he even got to work! Her fingers dug into the arms of the chair as her thighs pressed against his shoulders. It was too much and yet she needed more. Her body strained, hips churning against his mouth. His tongue licked and explored every inch of her pussy as orgasm, sure and unstoppable, crept over her. He hummed his satisfaction with her reactions and the vibrations were the last straw. The back of her hand pressed over her mouth caught most of her cry as she came. White-hot pleasure sucked her under as she closed her eyes and gave in to the exquisite sensations he brought her. Some moments later he kissed the inside of her thighs and she dragged her eyes open to find him watching her, his eyes gleaming, lips shiny with her honey. She blushed. “I’m sorry, I don’t usually come so fast. I…it’s…” He laughed. “Melanie, sweet warrior, I like that I made you come so quickly. I love it that you’re so responsive. And don’t worry, there’re more where that one came from.” He stood and helped her up. “Bed?” She nodded, motioning toward the bedroom, and he led her toward it. “I want to see you too,” her tongue finally freed itself to say. She lay on the bed and watched as he kicked off his shoes and made quick work of the pants, underwear and socks. The moon peeked in through the window, making his skin glow like a pearl, and that’s when she realized she was in love with him.

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Begrudgingly, she accepted it. It was a gift, no matter how he felt about her in return. She knew that. They had a lot to clear up, if they ever could, but for those stolen minutes or hours she’d give that love free rein. “Come over here and lie down with me.” She patted the bed and he grinned, moving toward her quickly. She got to all fours over him and took her time getting her visual fill. His hair spread around his head, not as long as hers of course but enough to look seriously debauched and sexy. Long, dark lashes and eyes of the deepest blue. His nose, a classic sort of nose, strong on his face. High cheekbones, a cleft in his chin that called for her kisses. His lips, oh his lips! Well-defined bottom lip with the most perfect Cupid’s bow—every time she saw it she wanted her mouth on it. So she gave in, kissing him over and over, drinking him in and knowing she’d never get enough. He brushed his fingertips up and down her thighs, letting her set the pace, in no hurry. Somehow that only made her hungrier for him and her mouth sought the spot on his throat where his pulse beat steadily. He moaned as she dragged her teeth over it, her body thrilling at the way the beginnings of his beard tickled her cheek. His chest was hard and flat against her open mouth, nipples flat and tight as she drew her tongue over them. He arched into her and she dragged her nails down his torso as she continued, flicking her tongue over his navel and down the warm, sensitive skin just beneath. True to her promise, she whipped her head, dragging her hair over his cock, caressing him that way until his breath became impatient and his hips began to churn. Her tongue laved from his balls to the head of his cock. She loved the scent of him, the taste of his skin and the spice of the moisture at the tip. “God. Do you know how long I’ve imagined this?” he murmured as his hands sifted through her hair. “Can’t be as often as me,” she said around kisses and licks.

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He laughed. “I’d be willing to lay odds that isn’t true. You have no idea how much I think of you with my cock in your mouth.” He hissed as she swallowed him as deeply as she could before pulling back and starting anew. Melanie wanted to believe he craved her as much as she did him but that leap was frightening to make. So much power there in making him feel good! The hard muscles in his thighs shifted and bunched as she slid her palms over them, the wiry hair abrading her softer skin. He gasped when she left his cock but moaned softly when she tongued his sac before returning to gently nibble around the crown. “Stop. Oh Melanie, stop. I’m so close and I want to come deep inside your pussy when I do the first time.” Gentle but firm hands grabbed her shoulders and she finally obliged with one last kiss. Their gazes locked, hers from her position between his thighs and his from above as he watched her, eyes glassy with desire. “You’re so beautiful. Do you know that? Will you ride me, Melanie? Sit astride my cock so I can look up at you?” Her breath caught at his words, at the emotion threading them. Nodding slowly, she scrambled atop him. She sent silent thanks that he didn’t need a condom. She’d gone on the Pill a long time ago, not wanting to risk getting pregnant on the road the way she lived. Right then, having him naked inside her body was something she needed desperately. Unconsciously, she licked her lips, tasting him there. He was powerful beneath her but leashed. Just for her, she knew. Part of her wanted to see him totally out of control, another part of her wondered if she’d survive it. The fear wisped through her just a brief moment. She wondered if she’d be okay with his biting her and realized she would. It was different here with him than it had been those years before with the vampires who’d killed her family. He was not savaging her, this was consensual, born

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of something totally different than what those Oathbreakers had done to her. The fear dissolved. Arching and rising a bit, she reached around, finding his cock and grasping it to guide him true. With the head of him just at her gate she sank down, taking him deep into her cunt, loving the way he stretched her around him. Each inch of his cock into her body felt so good she wondered if she’d survive. The only thing that kept her anchored was his gaze locked on hers, his fingers laced with her own. She thought if she stayed on top and in control it wouldn’t be so intense. She was wrong. And that was more complicated than she knew what to do with. He was there at last, deep inside her, and she’d let him into more than her body. Connor Bell was a ladies’ man, she knew that. He’d come for her and it was more than just a casual conquest, she knew that too. But just exactly what it meant past that she couldn’t say. Connor looked up at her, utterly devastated by her beauty and yet her human fragility touched him and frightened him. He could break her with one hand but she showed no hesitation, no fear. That affected him, especially after the last time. He remembered the jerk of shock when he’d shown his incisors, like a fool. He hadn’t even led her into it, he’d just done it and scared her. And then he’d run out without even talking to her because he’d been scared too. Scared of how she’d made him feel. But despite her lack of fear right then, she held back her emotions. He saw it and felt it too. That would have to change. Because while he loved that she had no fear of his harming her physically, it wrecked him that he’d hurt her heart. He wanted her to know he’d cherish her the way she was meant to be but he knew it would be a long, hard struggle after the way he’d left. Knew it would be hard for her to love a vampire after what vampires had done to her family and friends. He slid his hands up the curve of her waist, marveling that she was really there after he’d dreamed of this moment for so long. Her back arched, taking him deeper, and he ground his teeth to keep from thrusting and coming. He wanted to take his time, spend every moment with her this way like it was worth an eternity.

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The tawny cocoa of her skin glowed with the low light from the moon, her breasts swayed gently, heavily. Her hair, straight and dark as the night sky, swept over her shoulder. She couldn’t have been more than five and a half feet but she was so much bigger than that. She took up every inch of any room she was in with her presence. Her scent, heady and lush, seduced him, called to him and broke his control. The way he felt about Melanie Rodriguez wasn’t a mystical mate bond connection. That was rare among his people anyway. But it was deep chemistry and an intense physical attraction as well as a true connection. She’d been a friend, someone he admired and respected. He’d fought it long and hard—to the point of running from it. Oh at first he’d been all too happy to act on their mutual physical attraction. Why not? He loved women, they loved him. But the first time he’d kissed her and she’d taken up every bit of his attention he’d freaked out a bit. No woman had ever done that. No woman had ever become his entire focus. Not once in the over two hundred years he’d been alive. He’d dallied, he’d enjoyed some long-term relationships, he’d laughed and admired the women he’d been with. But he’d never felt taken over by a single one of them. Each time they got in the same room the desire thickened and heated. He wasn’t sure he was ready for what she meant to him. That last time they’d been together he’d been so out of control he’d been ready to fuck her and bite her. In truth he’d been relieved as hell he’d gotten the emergency call from the Council and had to rush off. He hadn’t wanted to be in love with anyone, much less a human woman who hunted vampires and had reason to hate every last one of them. She hadn’t told him about her captivity and torture but what he’d heard from Jagger was enough to help him understand how amazing she was to trust him at all. Taking blood during sex, especially with someone you loved, was second nature and he had to keep a grasp on his need to taste her. He couldn’t hurt her that way, didn’t want to sully what they had with anything that happened to her before.

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And he did love Melanie. He’d realized that in the time he’d been in Europe. He’d tried to wash her out of his head by going to see Patrice but it didn’t happen and he’d finally given in. Back in Ireland, his mother had laughed when he told her about Melanie. She’d known all along about the woman back in New Orleans and had asked him why he’d been such a fool to risk losing her. She’d told him to get his butt back there and stake his claim before someone else did. And he was. She was his as surely as the moon hung overhead. The inside of her body was superheated as her delicious cunt clutched at his cock, embracing him. He never wanted to leave but he knew he was close to the end. He’d have her again. And again after that. He’d have her for as many years as he could. First he’d find Anton Perdue and kill that Oathbreaker bastard, end the threat to Melanie and everyone else he cared about in one fell swoop. And then he’d deal with forever. Or as long as he could get with his human woman. She looked down at him, a mysterious smile on her face, and swiveled her hips as she took him deep inside. “Minx,” he growled as his balls crawled up into his body. “That’s what they call me.” She laughed. They did, he’d learned, because they used her as the bait to lure Oathbreaker vampires to the hunter team to be slayed. His dangerous beauty. She swallowed and her eyes showed some hesitance for a brief moment until it cleared away. “Connor, do you want to bite me? I mean, the last time…well, I jumped and then your phone rang and well,” she took a deep breath, “you haven’t tried to tonight and I know it’s what vampires do during sex.” He saw the sadness on her face, saw that she felt rejected. They’d both been so silly. He took her hand, his fingers still twined around hers, and kissed it, shaking his head. “Melanie, I do desire you that way. But I promise you I won’t lose control like last time. I didn’t mean to frighten you. You don’t have to fear that again, I swear.”

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Tears sprang to her eyes and he sat up, staying inside her as he wrapped his arms around her. Her heart sped, he tasted it at the back of his throat like magic. He did want to bite her—more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life—but he wouldn’t do it. Would die before he betrayed her trust. “Sweetness, I’d never hurt you. I promise. You never have to be afraid of me. I’d die before I harmed you. Don’t cry. It breaks my heart that I’ve made you cry.” She put her hands on either side of his face and pulled at him to look into his eyes. “I’m crying because you’re a good man. I was surprised that last time. I just hadn’t thought and then I saw your teeth. You didn’t scare me. I thought you didn’t want to because I offended you.” He laughed. “If I’d just stayed we could have talked this through. I’m an idiot and again, I’m sorry. But I want every part of you, Melanie. I know about what happened. I wouldn’t be that to you.” “I’m not afraid of you. I…want you to bite me. I trust you. It’s not the same, I know that.” Brushing her hair back, she arched, baring her neck to him. His incisors lengthened, aching. His body sang at the sight, at the scent of her blood rushing just beneath her skin, calling to him. “Melanie, you lost a lot of blood last night. I can’t risk it.” “I’m not saying to take a few quarts. I—god, part of me just wants you to do it so I don’t have to fear it anymore. I know that sounds stupid but it’s this thing between us and I don’t want it there.” She sat straighter to look at him. “Melanie, love, we can be together without me taking your blood. I assure you, I’m really enjoying myself right now.” He grinned and flexed his hips to press deeper. “I’m afraid and I hate being afraid. Please? Be with me and let’s do this so it won’t be some unknown anymore. I hear it’s pretty hot. Lee says so.” Temptation yanked at his restraint. “Okay, let’s not talk about my sister-in-law but I’m glad she’s eased your mind a bit. We can go slow. I’ll just take a taste, enough for you to be familiar with the feeling. If you’re afraid I’ll stop. We have time to do this in 29

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the future. It doesn’t have to be now. I want you to be sure. Don’t do this for me. You’re enough for me. I want you to understand that.” She nodded, kissing him softly and then letting her head fall back again. His cock throbbed within her as she squirmed, the sight of her neck there waiting for him to strike the most powerful aphrodisiac he’d ever encountered. “I want it. I want to give that to you. To share it with you.” She looked up at him through her lashes, her head still tipped, and it brought a groan through his lips. “Tell me to stop if it gets to be too much,” he murmured. He drew a fingertip over the vein at her throat, felt the steady but not fearful beat of her heart. She didn’t smell of fear, just of arousal. Slowly he dragged the sharp edges of his incisors over her skin, opening it up, trying to keep a tight hold on himself in case she changed her mind. The warmth of her essence flowed into him and the sound of her pleasured moan pushed him over the edge. He pressed his cock deep into her, holding her hip with one hand, the other at her shoulder. “More,” she gasped and he wrapped his lips around her skin, drawing more deeply, enough to bring her orgasm around his own but not so deep he’d take away her ability to stop him if she freaked out or affect her health. Never before had he felt anything so intense when he’d fed. No blood had ever tasted so rich and satisfying, decadent even. He laved the wound with his tongue, closing it, and brought them both back to the bed, heaving for breath. He was changed, utterly and completely. She was part of him then, as her blood joined his. “Thank you,” he whispered, kissing her temple. She snuggled into his side briefly and then pulled back a bit. His possessive instincts went into overdrive then and he knew he’d marked her as his mentally and emotionally. Not just as a man but as a vampire. Her blood swam in his system, her

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taste, her scent, her essence. She was a part of him and his taking, that exchange of trust between them, had taken things to a whole new level. “That rocked,” she mumbled. Surprised, worried she’d be afraid or have a flashback, he hadn’t expected levity from her. He laughed and fell truly and madly in love, hugging her tight. “It did. Your trust in me, well, I’m honored.” He wanted to urge her to share the story with him about the attack but it didn’t seem the right time. Melanie rolled off his body and stretched. “I’d better get cooking if Jagger and Max will be here soon. I need to check the dough, I’m making bread for tomorrow too. I am so hungry now. I can’t believe you held out that hot, hot loving on me, Connor. If you hadn’t made me come so nicely, twice in fact, I might have to be in a snit over it.” He growled at her softly. “Stop it.” “Stop what?” “You’re trying to put some emotional distance between us and I’m warning you that’s not going to happen. I’m here because there’s something between us, Melanie. More than just a casual evening of sex and blood.” If he hadn’t said it while looking as good as he did she might have been pissed at his presumption. Deep inside though she thrilled that he’d said it, that he’d shown interest in more than just a few hours of fucking. And, undeniably, she was totally sated. Good lord, she’d let a vampire feed from her and she’d loved it. Loved his lips on her, loved knowing how much he craved her, loved knowing he controlled himself, worried about her reaction. He’d been so gentle, even as she’d felt how much he wanted it. It wasn’t like what those Oathbreakers had done to her at all. Not even in the same universe. What they’d done just a few minutes before was good, sexy. Born from a connection between them instead of a robbery of something. She was trying to distance herself emotionally. He’d left her, damn it! Whatever Connor was meant to be in her life, she’d go with it but she’d try to keep enough 31

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distance to get out of this depth of emotion toward him on her part without being destroyed. She hoped it was more than a few nights or weeks but if that’s all they were meant to have she’d take it. She took a deep breath and stopped trying to get away, relaxing into his arms. “So, clearly someone told you about what happened to me before. With the Oathbreakers down here.” “Yes. Don’t be angry, Jagger told me just a bit to protect you. I don’t want to hurt you. We’ll talk about the other stuff too.” He stroked a hand up and down her spine and she arched into him like a cat, loving the way he felt there next to her. “I’m not angry. Would you like to hear the whole story?” She hadn’t told it to anyone other than Kael. Bits and pieces had been related here and there but no one knew everything. He sighed, brushing his lips against hers with so much tenderness tears stung the backs of her eyes. “I would be honored. Let’s get you some food and then, yes, I want to hear it all. And then we’ll revisit the distance issue.” He watched her as she pulled clothes on and drew her hair back into a ponytail. When she went toward the kitchen he followed her after he got dressed. “This is a lovely house. Jagger said your grandparents owned it before?” She gave herself over to the preparation of food as she began to open up to him. She pulled all sorts of bags and packages from cabinets and the fridge, glad she’d bought more than enough for an army just out of habit. “I spent every summer here. My grandmother was a teacher at the school here in town. My grandfather owned the butcher shop. I love this house. My brother and I would swim and fish and play right outside those patio doors from sunup to way past sunset. The people here are still like my family, even all these years later.”

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He moved next to her and began to wash vegetables. Close enough to occasionally rub his shoulder against hers. It felt protective and sweet all at once. No man had made her feel like that before. It put her off balance. After a few Negro Modelos she told him the whole story, including how it’d felt to be so helpless when they’d killed her brother and grandparents. How she’d prayed to die every day when the Oathbreakers left for sunrise and how even for a few weeks after Kael came she’d thought of suicide several times every day. By the time she’d reached San Antonio again her father had had a stroke from the grief and stress. They’d thought the whole family had been killed. He’d never been the same, even though she’d been alive. Her mother had never been able to let go of Melanie, panicking when she left the house. College, a dream, had withered and died because her mother couldn’t stand the fear at Melanie going to a far-off city. Within two years her father was dead and her mother followed. The Oathbreakers had taken everything from her and she’d called Kael and joined the hunter team and had been with them ever since. She’d trained so that she’d never be helpless again. It felt good to say it all. To let it all go, and Melanie was sure her grandmother would have approved. She’d held onto the pain for ten years. It seemed appropriate with El Dia de los Muertos approaching to remember her family with love instead of pain for the first time since they all died. Connor watched her from the corner of his eye. So strong to have endured all of it and yet so soft and fragile too. A bundle of contradictions. He also noted how she’d avoided any talk about the two of them. He’d remedy that. “So this thing tomorrow, may I come?” Not like he’d let her go alone anyway. Not with how important this El Dia de los Muertos was to her and certainly not with Anton Perdue on the loose. She looked at him, assessing him. “You don’t have to come.” “I know I don’t have to. I want to. I want to be with you, to experience this with you. I want to know you better, Melanie.” 33

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“And you want to be around in case Perdue shows up.” His heart thudded in his chest. “Do you think he’s here for you?” “No. But he’s proactive.” She snorted. “I don’t know if he’s close or not. I don’t think he followed me but I was out of it on the drive out here so I wasn’t as alert as I usually am. But he’s going to want revenge for what happened.” She didn’t say the rest. Didn’t have to. Just months before the Oathbreaker vampire had attacked Simone Charvez, Kael’s new wife. A psychic bond had been formed between Simone and Perdue. Together the vampire Oathkeepers and the human hunters had nearly tracked and destroyed Perdue but he’d kidnapped and tortured several members of the hunter team, Melanie included. Unfortunately Perdue had escaped before they got him. It was personal for Connor. Simone was family, she was the cousin of his sister-inlaw and this bastard had harmed Melanie as well. He shuddered as he remembered how she’d looked when they’d found her at Perdue’s place, tied up, beaten, tortured. But she’d never given up. She was perfect, his woman. Oathbreaker vampires repudiated the rules that kept them from harming humans. Connor was an Oathkeeper, a cop of his kind, and he would stop at nothing to erase a murderer like Anton Perdue from the face of the planet. He wanted to protect Melanie. Yes, she was quite capable of doing it herself. She did it before he came into her life and she continued to do it now. But she was his. From the moment he saw her walk into the room in New Orleans when he’d arrived at Aidan’s call she’d wormed her way into his consciousness and stayed there. He accepted that. No one threatened what was his. Period. “That’s some look on your face.” Melanie raised a single eyebrow as she tipped the bottle and took several drinks of her beer. He watched the slow up and down of her throat as she drank, wanted to follow the movement with his tongue and teeth.

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“Just thinking. Of you and me, naked and sweaty. But back to the subject at hand. I’ve never been to a Day of the Dead celebration before, I’m interested to share it with you.” “Okay. If you’re sure. Don’t you have stuff to do?” Ah, there it was. “And now we can address the elephant in the room. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I hurt you. I was scared of what you meant to me. I lost myself every time I got near you and I didn’t know what to do with that.” He searched for the right words. “Just shut up about it already. I get it. You don’t want to dig me. So let it go at that.” He grabbed her hand and shook his head. “That’s not it. Let me finish, Melanie.” The sharp scent of cilantro and onion hung in the air as he watched her through narrowed eyes as she leaned back against the counter. “G’wan then, dig yourself in deeper but don’t ask me for a shovel.” “Ha. It’s not that I didn’t want to be attracted to you personally. It’s that I’ve never felt this way about anyone. It’s very intense. Confusing. I was a man who felt powerfully about his family but no one else. That sort of defined me for a few hundred years. I kept thinking about the differences between us. How you’d probably hate me because of what I was and what you were. And then the moment with my incisors happened and so when I got that call, I ran. I admit it. I used it, held on to my offense when it was fear I couldn’t face. It was cowardly of me, stupid, hurtful to the woman I care about so deeply. When I was in Europe I realized my life without you in it was empty. I need you, Melanie. I want you with me.” She looked him up and down and he saw the fire in her eyes. Knew that look, had been with enough women to recognize it. “I will tolerate a lot, being lied to isn’t on the list.” “What the hell are you going on about?” He’d just opened up to her and she was pissed?

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“I know you weren’t alone in Paris, Connor. I had no idea how small this paranormal world was until I stepped into it but news travels. Don’t you sit there and tell me how you pined over me when I know you had yourself a vampire girlfriend.” Damned vampires and their love of gossip. “I’d say it’s not what you think but that’s a cliché and it is partially what you think. But not really. Yes, I saw Patrice in Paris. But she’s not what you are to me. She’s an old friend. I actually told her all about you.” “In bed after you fucked her?” “I did not fuck her or anyone else. She’s an old friend. I…” He spread his hands as he tried to explain. Patrice was an old girlfriend, the reason he’d been called to Europe to begin with. She’d been in trouble and of course she’d sought his help and the help of the Council. She knew he’d do what he could, what he had done several times in the past. They’d been friends a long time, longer than the few years they’d been romantically linked at the beginning of the twentieth century. He’d gone to her, seeking comfort and the known and safe. And yes, he’d toyed with the idea of losing himself in some sex with his ex. But as Patrice had told him after he spent an hour and a half talking about Melanie, he couldn’t run from his feelings and certainly not ruin what they could have by having sex with her or anyone else. Even if he’d wanted to or had been able to get hard, neither of which happened outside Melanie’s presence anyway. But how did he explain it all to Melanie so she knew it was truly nothing? “I think you should just go back to New Orleans, or London, or Paris.” She pushed back but lightning quick he caught her to his body. He knew she allowed it and part of him cheered at that. But he knew he wasn’t in the clear. Saw the anguish in her eyes. “Nothing happened. I didn’t want her. I wanted you. She told me I was an idiot for trying to get past you when it was clear I was in love with you. And I am. I am, Melanie. I’m stupid. I fought it, not because you weren’t worthy but because I know I’m not. I’m a vampire and you’re a vampire hunter. I couldn’t face the idea of you hating 36

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me because of that. I was a fool and a coward but there is no one else. There hasn’t been since you walked into the room back at Aidan’s house in New Orleans and I caught sight of you the first time.” She watched him through hooded eyes as she remained stiff in his arms. “Please, Melanie, listen to me. Forgive my mistakes. I know I hurt you and I’m sorry. But I’m here and I want to be with you. I want to make this right between us. Give me a chance. Give us a chance.” He’d never begged for anything in his life but he’d throw himself at her feet if that’s what it took. He hadn’t meant to hurt her or make her feel toyed with, he knew he’d been a jerk to just run off. But there was no way he was letting her go now that he knew he loved her. Selfish yes, but he wasn’t letting her get away. “I’m,” she hesitated, licking her lips nervously, “afraid.” He closed his eyes a moment but didn’t interrupt. “I can’t be something you amuse yourself with. I love you, Connor. Over the last two months as I’ve gotten to know you better, I’ve fallen deeper and deeper. I’ve not had any roots for the last decade as I hunted with my team. I’m doing that now in New Orleans. Putting down roots, making myself a solid, stable life. I actually have an apartment. I have friends. They know my face when I go grocery shopping and at Café Du Monde. That means something to me. Maybe a few years ago I could have been satisfied with a little bit of nudge-nudge between the sheets but I can’t now. Not with you.” He fell to his knees, bringing her down with him. “I love you too. You’re not something to amuse myself with. I swear to you. Believe me, Lee wouldn’t have allowed Aidan to tell me where you were if that’d been the case. Those Charvez women don’t mess around.” He laughed as she tried not to smile. She loved him. “Give me a chance. Please, Melanie.” Unable to resist, he slid his lips against hers briefly, relaxing when her body molded to his.

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“Please don’t make me sorry.” Her big brown eyes looked into his and he saw deep within her. Saw her uncertainty and her fear and resolved to never give her reason to doubt him. “Let me spend the rest of time showing you how much I love you.” “I’d tell you to start now but a car just pulled up.”

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Chapter Three “Go on and let them in. I’ve got cooking to do. There are clean sheets in the dressers in the spare bedrooms. Jagger knows where to go,” she said, allowing him to help her up. “All right, love. But the nights are long in winter, even so far south. I’ll have you again before the sun rises.” She shivered briefly. “Promises, promises.” A few moments later Jagger kissed her cheek after coming into the kitchen. “I’m glad he’s here. I want this for you, Minx. You deserve it,” he murmured. Melanie’s breath caught. She wanted it for him too. The loss of his wife had left him bereft, a shell at times. She hoped there was a woman out there for him. There had to be, Jagger Constantine was a good man, the best. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m making pan dulce for the morning. Glad I decided to make enough to take back for you. Now you can have it fresh. Go on, get settled in. I imagine you drove straight through and you must be tired.” “Remind me to kick your pretty ass for taking off without backup,” he called out as he headed down the hall toward the spare bedrooms. “After he’s done it’s my turn.” Max hugged her and she grinned. “Hey, Max. Looking good. Thanks for keeping everyone in line.” “Why do you think that?” Those gray-blue eyes of his looked startled. “Because it’s what you do. Now, do you eat fish? Because I’m making pescado tacos.” “Pescado?”

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“Spanish for fish. With a fresh tomatillo sauce and some shredded carrot and cabbage. Trust me, it’s to die for.” “Smells damned good. I could eat shoe leather right about now so fish tacos sound perfect. I’m going to go settle in. I’m glad you’re okay.” He kissed her forehead and sauntered away as she laughed. Jagger came back into the kitchen, poured her a glass of wine and placed some extra vegetables on the counter next to Minx. “I guess this means you want me to make pico de gallo?” Melanie laughed as she saw he’d chosen tomatoes, jalapeños and onions. Jagger fluttered his lashes at her. “If you want to. I see you got masa so I’m guessing you’re going to make fresh tortillas too. God, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.” “It’s not very often I get to make this sort of meal. Tonight I’m going to make pescado tacos with tomatillo sauce and yes, pico de gallo. Oh and fresh tortillas. Tomorrow we’ll have shrimp, chicken, steak, sweets, all kinds of yummy stuff. You know the drill.” He’d come to Las Brisas with her a few times before but this was the first time she’d had a man with her, someone she loved. It felt wonderful on several levels. She pulled out her abuela’s old cast iron tortilla press and rolled out balls of dough just the right size for the press. Then she heated them on the grill and put them on a platter with a lid so they’d keep warm. The pico de gallo was a snap to make. She always had some in her fridge at home and ended up making industrial amounts because she’d addicted everyone she knew to the simple concoction. It was a nice way to share something her grandmother had taught her when she was young. A quick pulse in the blender and she’d made a batch of tomatillo sauce for the fish tacos and the kitchen filled with a comfortable warmth as Connor and Max joined them.

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“Will you set the table out on the patio please? It’s a nice night and I want to hear the ocean when we eat.” Minx didn’t look up as she spoke. “Do you think that’s wise? With Perdue out there?” Max asked. “This is my home. I’m here to celebrate the lives of my family and I will not let the possibility of Perdue being around somewhere stop me from enjoying this. Chances are he’s not even here. I don’t think he followed me and how would he know where I was? He’s got the link with Simone, not me.” Connor sighed and Jagger chuckled, handing him a stack of plates. Max followed them out with glasses and silverware. Melanie loved to cook for people she cared about. She wasn’t a gourmet but she had her specialties and sharing them with Connor made her ridiculously happy and satisfied. She watched as they all devoured the meal with relish, going back for seconds and thirds. “Oh my god, fish tacos. Who’d have thought they’d be so good I’d eat six of them?” Max sat back and patted his belly. Jagger patted his shoulder with a laugh. “I told you once we got down here Minx would start whipping out the tasty food. Wait for the pan dulce.” “Pan dulce?” Connor asked as he tucked a stray strand of her hair behind an ear. “Sweet bread. Nothing complicated but it’s good. I’ll make good, strong coffee tomorrow when you wake up and you can have some pan dulce with it. Nothing better.” “You know, I had no idea you were not only gorgeous and a hand with a crossbow and blade but that you cooked and baked too. A renaissance woman. It’s a good thing I’m in love with you or I’d have to steal you away from someone else.” The table got quiet and Jagger narrowed his eyes at Connor. Max put a staying hand on Melanie’s to silence her. It was apparently the interrogation portion of the evening.

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“About that, since you brought it up and all. We’ve watched you two dance around each other for months. But you suddenly walked out on her ten days ago and didn’t bother to contact her. She waited for you, you know. Even called you but you couldn’t be troubled to call her back. I’ve been of a mind to have staked you for that. After all, Minx is as good as my little sister and she’s saved my life more than once. I don’t like seeing her upset. But you’re here and you’ve given me some indication you’re worth not killing but I want to know why you think you deserve a second chance.” Jagger nodded once to let Connor know it was time to answer up. “I can see your point of view and I respect it. I’m glad Melanie had you and the rest of her Hunter family to rely on when I ran out. It was Council-related but I can’t say I wasn’t relieved to go. Because I was in way over my head with Melanie and scared as hell. I’m here because I love her. I mean to make a life with her and she’s told me she wants that too. Will I be an ass and make mistakes in the future? I’m sure I will. I fully admit I don’t deserve her. But I love her and I’m prepared to make every moment of every day about her happiness from now until I can no longer take a breath.” Connor picked up Melanie’s hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. “You’re staying in New Orleans for good then?” Jagger continued. “Yes. I already have a house there as you know. Since it serves as the Oathkeeper base of operations, I’d prefer if Melanie would move in with me there but if she’d rather I’ll move in with her.” “What? She’s not good enough to marry?” Minx sighed sharply. “Enough! I’m right here. Are you going to offer to show him my teeth now? Talk about how my wide hips make me perfect for breeding?” Jagger laughed, leaning over to kiss her cheek. “I’m just looking after you, Minx. I love you and I don’t want you hurt. If Kael, Cap or Daniel were here they’d ask the same thing.” “I love Melanie. I want to marry her, marry her in the way of my people as well and that means forever. But she’s wary for good reason and I have the feeling asking her to 42

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marry me right now would do more harm than good so I’d planned to wait until at least February or so.” Connor picked up her hand, kissing her fingers. He knew her pretty well. She would have been freaked if he’d jumped into asking her to marry him. Moving in she could handle, they both traveled a lot so they’d have time away, which would most likely serve both their independent natures. “The rest Connor and I will deal with in private. Thank you, Jagger, for looking after my best interests.” “Tell me about the Day of the Dead stuff, Minx. I thought November first was the day, not the second.” Max sipped his wine and leaned back in his chair. A casual observer would have thought he was totally relaxed but Melanie saw the way his eyes swept the area regularly. “Today is the first day of El Dia de los Muertos. It’s the day to remember the babies and children who’ve died. Tomorrow is the day for adults who’ve passed. I’ll make a big feast. I picked up fresh tamales the way my abuela made them with chicken and green chiles. I also grabbed pumpkin candies and the shrimp my brother loved. I’m already marinating the steak for grilling. This isn’t a day of sadness but a day of celebration. So after we eat we’ll take pan de muerto, bread I’ll shape like bones, candles, sweets and some other assorted stuff to the gravesite later in the evening.” “There are these cool little candies that look like coffins and skeletons, it’s really quite festive at the cemetery. There’ll be music and food, candles and flowers everywhere,” Jagger added. “Two years ago there was a parade of sorts from town up the hill to the cemetery.” “These are all people I’ve known since I was a child. They knew my father and my grandparents. My abuela taught their kids and my abuelo fed their families. This is sort of a big family event. It seems morbid from the outside but it’s really beautiful.” Minx felt the need to defend it. Sometimes Americans didn’t understand how wonderful it really was. It wasn’t Halloween or something evil, it was special.

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“I’m honored to take part in it with you,” Connor said. “The Irish believe death is a part of life too and, well, vampires tend to view death differently.” She relaxed. The scent of the sea hung in the air, the salt and sharp, crisp earth. A cell phone rang inside. It was hers. “I’m going to get that.” She stood and moved to the door. “We’ll clean up.” Max brought the dishes inside and Connor went to grab a shower. She momentarily cursed herself for turning her phone back on. The caller ID window made her cringe. Kael. Time to face the music. “Hello?” “Minx, you crazy woman! What the fuck are you doing in Mexico alone? I’m coming back there as soon as we can arrange a flight,” Kael bellowed into the phone. Kael Gardener was the leader of their Hunter crew and one of the people she loved most in the world. He was not used to being disobeyed either. “You will not! You are on your honeymoon and I am not alone, thank you very much. Max, Jagger and Connor are all here. Tomorrow is El Dia de los Muertos, we’ll celebrate and do a bit of hunting on our way back to New Orleans. If you step foot in the continental United States before the sixth I will twist your nipple rings off.” She heard Jagger’s hiss of pain in the background. “You’re one of my people, honey, I can’t let you do this.” Kael’s voice went from angry to worried. “I’m not here by myself. I told you that already. And you’re a great hunter, yes, but you’re not Superman. We’ve killed vampires without you before, you recall. There are four of us, everything will be fine. I lost him in a small town outside San Fernando anyway. I didn’t stay to get his scent.” She hesitated, not wanting to tell him why. But she should have known he’d figure it out. “You’re hurt! What’s wrong?” “I was hurt, yes. But I got back to the RV and on the road here. I’m all right now. Poured some of that stuff Simone’s mom made for us all over it. Hurt like a son of a

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bitch but no ill effects and it’s healing quite nicely. I just wasn’t in any shape to hunt him at the time. After tomorrow night though, I’ll be ready to do some slaying.” “I don’t like this, Minx. And wait, Connor is there? That fucker decided to show up again?” “How did you know about that? Em!” She supposed she should have exected her adopted family to tell him what was going on. “Damn it, I told them not to say anything. You’re on your honeymoon. Okay, don’t worry about it. It’s over, he and I are fine and we’ll talk about it when you get back. Including how you knew I was here in Mexico. For now though, go snog your wife and don’t bug me again. I love you both.” Minx blew him a kiss and hung up before he could argue. Jagger put his hands up defensively. “Not me. I didn’t tell him.” She growled at him and he laughed. “Go on and be with your man. We’ll see you in the morning. Max and I will do a rotating watch. Nothing major. It’s pretty quiet and the house is a fortress.” Jagger kissed her cheek and pushed her down the hall. She wished she could be nonchalant and wait for him to get out but who was she fooling? She wanted to see him, to touch him. She heard the water still running and slipped into the bathroom, removing her clothing quickly. What greeted her eyes shot straight to her pussy. He stood under the spray, head tipped back, soap-slicked hand sliding down his belly toward his cock. He knew she was there, his hearing was excellent and she made noise when she entered the bathroom. But he didn’t look to her, instead the water beaded on his lashes as he kept his eyes closed. Getting into the enclosure with him, she leaned against the cool tile and watched as he gripped his cock, giving it a quick pump through his fist. Her body jerked forward a bit when a soft gasp escaped him.

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She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. The muscles in his forearm corded as he stroked himself. Her breathing quickened at the slick sound of his hand against the soapy skin. “Hello, love. I was just thinking about you.” A corner of his mouth lifted in a smile as he slowly opened his eyes. All the while he continued to slowly pump a fist around the column of his cock. Her cunt clutched greedily, wanting it inside her. “I can see that. Would you like some assistance?” She stepped closer to him, moving his hand out of the way, replacing it with her own. “Are you hungry?” She knew that as a vampire over a hundred years old he didn’t need to feed every day but he didn’t have donors with him. A part of her needed to be assured he was okay. He’d left his comfort zone behind to come to her. She didn’t want him to suffer for that. “I fed…god that feels good…I fed yesterday before I left New Orleans. Lee was kind enough to let me take her blood. Max will be my donor when I wake up tomorrow and Jagger quite graciously offered to let me feed from him if need be. I told him I’d need to speak with you before I did.” He drew his thumb over her lip. The water was getting cold but his nearness kept her warm. “Rinse off.” She pushed him out of the way and he glowered at her as she pulled the bandages from her neck and shoulder and cleaned the wounds. “Damn it. This is awful. Not infected though, thank goodness. We can’t give infections with our bites. Still, no signs you’ve been poisoned or affected by the Oathbreaker who attacked you?” He gently cleaned up the wound and after she’d washed her hair he helped her dry off and re-bandage her neck and shoulder after more of the stuff from Simone’s mother was applied. Tiptoeing up, she kissed him quickly. “I killed him and nope, no signs of a link or anything. Now let’s go into the bedroom to continue this talk and I’ll help you with that.” She tipped her head toward his cock.

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Connor watched, a smile playing on his lips, as she got dressed. Her ass, oh he loved her ass, nice and round, curvy like the rest of her. It looked mighty fine in the faded jeans she wore. “Are you angry?” Surprise flitted over her features. “About what?” He followed her into the bedroom. He smelled her there. Smiled when he noted how she’d already prepared it for him to sleep here. The windows had been opened to let in the waning sunset but dark, heavy curtains were already tacked up, ready to close the light out and she’d draped fabric around the bed as well. “About Jagger…” “I’m not angry about that. In the first place, Jagger is the one who decided, not me. He didn’t ask me. If he offered his blood to you it means he trusts you and that makes me very happy. You’re a vampire, Connor. I know that. It means you need blood to survive. I can’t expect you to not be what you are.” She cocked her head and he thought again about how lucky he was in her. “But you know, you can feed from me too.” A thrill burst through him, his cock hardened to the point of pain after easing back a bit since the shower. The idea of taking blood from her played in his mind in an endless loop. He loved the thought. “Melanie, love, you honor me greatly and I will most definitely take you up on your offer when we get back home. Even then I can’t feed from you every day. A donor I could feed deeply from every other day. But I wouldn’t with you out here where Perdue is. You need to be at top shape. I’ll take tastes because, well, I love the way you taste.” He smiled. “But I won’t risk more than every three days from your lovely body and that’s after we get back to New Orleans and you’ve had a chance to regenerate from your injuries. Since I fed yesterday, I’ll feed tomorrow from Max just to be as sharp as I can be. If need be I’ll feed from Jagger on the off days I don’t feed from Max. Or I’ll use a donor until we get back. We’ve always got contacts with potential donors so don’t worry about that.” 47

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She sat down with a whoosh of breath. “It’s a lot. I know. But if we mean to make this work this is something we need to talk about.” “Of course. I mean, I want you to know how important it is to me that we get all this stuff out in the open. So you really plan to stay in New Orleans then? For good?” He nodded. “Of course. Melanie, I love you. I told you that. I want us to be together. I will have to travel from time to time on Council business but there’s no reason you can’t accompany me when you’re not otherwise engaged. I have donors in New Orleans among my staff so that’s not a problem.” “Female donors?” Her eyes narrowed and he wisely held back a smile at the jealousy in her tone. “Not now. Well, I do have this one, she’s sexy and curvy and,” he pushed her back on the bed, taking a lick of her neck, “tastes of sea air. But I get the feeling she doesn’t share.” “Hmpf. Not unless you share.” “Ha! I think not. Well, perhaps if you have a woman friend I might be willing to watch. A big sacrifice I tell you.” A snort of laughter bubbled from her as she whacked his shoulder. “Whatever shall we do with the time before dawn?” “Well for some reason you got all dressed again. This will take up time. Why don’t we both take our clothes off as fast as we can to conserve?” He couldn’t take his eyes from her as she made very quick work of her shirt, bra, jeans and panties and it was just a few moments until he pushed her naked body back to the bed. “I’m going to have to see you in the bathing suit that gave you these marks.” He traced along the tan lines she had on her chest. “Looks downright indecent. By the way, I’m a fan of indecent but the idea of you out there in the sun, frolicking all wet and sexy

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when I can’t be there to scowl at the men who are undoubtedly salivating over you is vexing.” Her hands slid up the wall of his chest until she clasped her arms around his neck and arched. “Simone’s family has a house on the coast. Believe it or not we had a heatwave last week and I escaped down there with Con and Em. I was trying to forget you and failed totally.” “Good. Let me give you a few more memories then, shall I?” His lips skated from shoulder to shoulder, the salt of her skin teasing his senses as he feasted on her collarbone and the hollow of her throat. He pushed the fear at the sight of the bandages far away. She rolled her hips, grinding her pussy against the thigh he’d wedged between her legs. The scalding-hot wet of her body brought his breath short for a moment. “So hot and ready for it, aren’t you?” he murmured as he paid homage to her generous breasts, one and then the other, moving down until she moaned in the back of her throat when he found the nipple, sucking it into his mouth. “Take it, Melanie. Rub your cunt on me until you come. And then I’ll make you come again with my mouth. Your honey on my face, your scent in my nose. Mmmm.” A desperate-sounding sob broke from her as her fingers dug into his shoulders, holding on as she rode his thigh. The hard, slick bundle of her clit stroked against the muscle of his leg. The head of his cock seeped pre-cum as his system throbbed with the need to hear her cry out, the need to scent her pussy flooding with cream. His gums ached as his incisors lengthened, wanting to taste her blood spiced with her orgasm. “Close? Mmm, did you know I could smell the changes in your body? I can scent the spike in your hormones.” Her movements became less smooth, more driven by raw need to come. Her nipple hardened against his tongue and she gasped and then moaned when he accidentally caught her with the edge of an incisor. “Sorry, love,” he murmured but she whipped her head from side to side. 49

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“No. God, can you feed like that?” Her words were desire-slurred but the question nearly made him come right on the spot. “Yes. But I wouldn’t without your permission first.” “Bite me there and then, oh please, put your mouth on my pussy.” Holy shit. His vision momentarily blanked as her words shot through him. She’d come from a bite on her nipple but he’d gladly lick that sweet pussy and bring her on again. He rolled his eyes upward to watch her face and struck the vein-rich skin around her nipple. She arched with a soft cry as her pussy pressed into his thigh harder and harder. The heat of her blood, her nipple hard against his tongue, the taste of her as climax shot through her body all brought him right to the very edge of coming but he held on, wanting to be inside her when he did. He was careful not to take more than a sip. He’d meant what he told her before, he would not risk her. While she was still breathing hard from climax he laved the bite closed and headed straight for her pussy, the heady scent of her honey driving him wild. He binged on her body, licking, tasting, laving and nibbling on every part of her cunt. She was open and wet—his—and he could not get enough. A handful of her sweet ass filled each hand as he held her wide and served himself of her pussy. Fine tremors broke through her in wave after wave. Avoiding her clit until she’d come down from her first orgasm, he fucked into her gate with his tongue. His fingertips tickled the star of her rear passage, slick with the cream running down from her delicious pussy. He’d take her there, press his cock deep into her ass while he had her play with her clit, maybe use a vibe to fill her pussy up too. He had plans for her body, had made them since the first moment he clapped eyes on her, at first only in a fantasy sense but now that she was his, he’d realize every one

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and more. Melanie loved sex, was uninhibited and free, they were a perfect match that way. He lost time as the household settled in to evening behind the closed door to the bedroom. All his focus was on her pussy, his mouth on her, his fingers. Every once in a while he nudged her clit with his nose to gauge her readiness and it wasn’t until she sighed and arched instead of jerking back that he knew it was time to make her come again. Surging up, he pressed the flat of his tongue over her clit, hard, sliding it from side to side until she began to whimper and her fingers gripped his hair hard enough to bring tears to his eyes. He chuckled at her need and drew her clit in between his lips, tickling it with his tongue as his fingers slid into her gate and began to fuck into her in time with his tongue on her clit. She whooshed out a breath of his name as she came but before her pussy stopped spasming around his fingers he moved upward on his knees and pulled her toward him, impaling her on his cock in one deft movement. “I’m liking the vampire strength thing,” she said hoarsely. Greedily, he watched her breasts bounce as he held on to her hips, pulling her on and off his cock. She wrapped her calves around his waist and he thought he’d pass out when she wetted her fingertips with her tongue and began to play with her nipples. “You’re the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” She smiled up at him, arching to take him deeper. “Right back atcha.” Her cunt was perfect. Hot, slick and tight and he didn’t have long. He’d been hard since about four minutes after he’d come inside her just hours ago. Had only gotten harder since he’d heard her walking down the hall toward the bathroom and begun to stroke his cock for her.

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Looking down, he watched the root of his cock, red and glistening with her creamy honey, retreat and then push back into her cunt over and over. He took in the sight of her pussy stretching and then taking him back in. He’d never seen a more delicious thing. “Come inside me, Connor. Please.” Her whispered request undid him as he pressed as deeply as he could and came so hard he saw stars behind his eyelids, tasted blood where he’d bitten his bottom lip to keep from shouting out her name.

She watched him as his muscles flexed and bunched as he came. He looked down at her, eyes burning with the intensity of his desire for her, and his skin bore a flush from the blood he’d taken from her. Melanie touched the spot on her nipple where he’d taken blood and it tingled against her hand, the nipple hardening at her touch and the memory of what he’d done. “Already?” he murmured as he settled in beside her to catch his breath. She laughed and moved her fingers. “I was just touching where you bit me. It tingles.” Surging up, he leaned on his elbow so he could see her face better. “Are you all right?” “More than all right. It was hot. I mean, really, really hot. You don’t feed from your donors that way, do you?” She knew it was stupid to be jealous but she was anyway. She hated the idea of him making anyone else feel that way. “I rarely take blood from the breast or the genital area. I try not to have any sexual relations with donors. I prefer to keep it a strictly business matter. It’s easier to keep donors happy in the long term if you don’t confuse roles. And now of course I have you so there’ll be sex and blood with one person only.” He kissed her and she melted into

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him, loving the way he felt with his arms around her, his mouth on hers, the taste of sex sliding between them. She broke off, rolling away and standing. “Before you get started on me all over again I need to check on the bread. Are you sure you want to come to the cemetery with me? You can just hang out here after we eat.” He moved to stand in front of her, cupping her cheek in his palm. “Of course I want to go with you. This is important, I want to be part of it. I’m honored to be included.” This was the man she knew existed beneath the exterior. He’d given her glimpses in the year she’d known him but he was totally open to her then and it touched her. That and he was a rock star in bed. They got dressed and he followed her out, heading to find Jagger and Max to talk about the watch schedule. She listened to Etta James and dealt with the dough. She’d make the pan de muerto that night and the pan dulce fresh in the morning so it would be nice and warm with the coffee.

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Chapter Four No one stirred before about eleven the next morning. The night before the tequila had come out with the cards and the four of them had sat up, playing cards, taking shots and telling war stories until the wee hours. And just before dawn Connor had made love to her again, slowly and tenderly, before he’d gone to sleep. Minx liked how well her friends had taken to Connor and he seemed very comfortable with her in his world too. She got up, kissing Connor’s naked shoulder, and headed for the kitchen, ignoring the aches of a body well and truly pleasured several times in the last twenty-four hours. At least her neck and shoulder had stopped hurting and she could move her arm without any soreness. It wouldn’t take long for Jagger and Max to come out, the scent of freshly brewed coffee and the baking pan dulce would wake them up. In the meantime she did a bit of yoga to loosen up and get focused on the day. Jagger came out while she was mid-routine and joined her on a makeshift mat in the living room. Max finally rolled into the room, hair wet from the shower, and the three of them bundled up against the cool of the day and shared café con leche and pan dulce as they watched the ocean from the patio. “So you want to talk about that call from Kael?” Jagger asked. Minx shrugged. “He’s more scared than anything else. The control freak in him is worried about not being here but he knows we can handle it. I’m hoping Simone calms him down about it. I don’t want him leaving his honeymoon to deal with death, you know? Anyway, I don’t want Simone here with Perdue around.”

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The link was dangerous for Simone. After Perdue had attacked her and bitten her, a psychic link had formed between the Oathbreaker and the empathic witch and Perdue had used it to torture Simone with mental images of the murders he’d committed. It hurt Simone, wracked her with guilt at her inability to stop it. There was no use in having her there when they finally tracked and killed Perdue. Max nodded. “I agree. She needs to be free of the link and it can only harm her to be around. And I suspect you’d like to exact a little of your own payback for what he did to you.” “Damn straight. Fucker gave me three new scars. Like I don’t have enough already? And now with what his buddy did to me I’ll have a bunch of new ones. I won’t look nearly as cute in sleeveless blouses and spaghetti straps now.” “I’m really trying to hold back my fury at you over that, Minx. You wouldn’t have been nearly as injured if you’d had backup. I haven’t pushed because I know you’ll have taken care of cleaning the wound and I imagine Connor pecked at you about it too. But I hope those scars teach you not to run off like that again.” Jagger sipped his coffee and she saw rare anger on his face. “I was sick and tired of you all having to interrupt your lives, okay! Cap is off with this new girlfriend of his. He’s never dated in the entire time we’ve known him. Daniel is in therapy over what they did to him. You had a day off and were painting your new house. I didn’t want to mar that. Can’t you see? I had nothing. Connor was gone, off with another woman for all I knew, Kael finally found love, Max, well, he belongs to Connor and I didn’t want to put him in the middle. I just thought I could come down here, do the Day of the Dead and on my way, hunt a bit. I underestimated their strength and yes, it was bad. But I won long enough to get out of there and I’m alive and it’s over now.” “Minx.” Jagger closed his eyes a moment. “Melanie, I love you. You know that, right? You’re my family. I have no one left but you guys. I don’t know if I could survive losing you. Especially over something stupid. Don’t. Please. Don’t do this again. I want

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to be your backup. I want you at my back. That’s what we do. Don’t suffer alone ever again, do you hear me?” She got up and hugged him as she fought back her tears. Max winked at her over Jagger’s shoulder and she realized he was her friend too even if he did work for Connor. “Now sit so I can eat more of this bread.” Jagger’s voice was gruff and she obeyed, hiding her smile. “This is so good. I’m going to gain ten pounds down here.” Max patted his totally flat belly and she snorted. “Who knew you were such an amazing cook? Suddenly, I’m even happier you’ll be moving into the house. I don’t have to share you with Connor during the day.” Minx laughed. “You’re okay then? With me moving in?” “I live in the back house so it’s not like you’re taking up my personal space. Plus you’re not a chore to look at, you’re handy with weapons, you make Connor happy and you cook. It’s all gravy.” She blushed. “Thanks.” Rising, she stretched and took a deep breath, pulling clean air into her body. “I’ve got work to do. I’ll make us lunch in a few hours but if you’re hungry just grab something. Oh, can one of you run to town and grab some eggs and queso blanco for me?” Jagger headed out, knowing the town better, and Max helped around the kitchen and went out to patrol every few hours.

***** Anton Perdue stood on the hillside looking down over the town his quarry had holed up in. The villagers headed up to the cemetery. Candles flickered, lanterns swayed, the sounds of laughing and singing broke over the white noise rush of the waves nearby.

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He’d hightailed it from the scene back in that little town outside San Fernando right after she’d killed three of his best men. He’d briefly considered killing her then, she’d been weakened but so had he after losing the link to three of his people at once. He also figured her little posse of Hunters would be nearby and didn’t want to take on a whole group of them on his own. But he’d sent his people back and they’d sniffed around and found out where his little Hunter had bolted off to. Las Brisas. It was then, on his way there, he’d realized just who the delicious Mexican woman was. He’d been part of the group who’d fed on her family but hadn’t stayed for the rest of the fun. A good thing too, since Kael Gardener and his crew had swarmed into the camp a month later and killed every last vampire there. Anton had forgotten all about that trip. It was just one experience in several hundred years’ worth of such events. After a while it all ran together. Still, it would be particularly wonderful to remind this Minx of who he was and of his personal memories of the day he’d slaughtered her grandmother. He wondered if Simone Charvez was with the group. Oh if she was he’d play with the Hunters as he made her watch, eliciting every bit of anguish and guilt he could. He’d feed on it like candy and then he’d change her and make her kill her friend. He hadn’t decided just yet if he’d strike that night as they celebrated their silly Day of the Dead or if he’d lull them into a sense of security and wait until they drove back to New Orleans. He could certainly be patient for the fun he’d have. There’d be enough rage, agony, fear and grief in that group to last him for months no matter when he attacked. As the kids these days said, good times.

***** Connor woke with a warm, naked woman snuggled into his body. He heard the flutter of her pulse—she knew he’d woken.

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“Evening, love.” He nuzzled her ear, kissing it. “Hi there. Dinner in about an hour and a half. And since you didn’t feed from me yesterday you’ll do so right now.” She drew the sheet down, exposing her breasts to him. “I think I prefer where you did it last night. If that’s okay.” He laughed, rolling on top of her. “Okay? You’re every man’s dream, you know that? Are you an addict now, my love? I like that idea. But I’m not feeding from you down here at all. I’ll talk to Max when you and I are finished here.” “But you may be battling a very old Oathbreaker tonight if he shows.” “Even better for me to feed from Max. He’s healthy and strong. But for now I have plans.” “Plans?” Her breath hitched and her blood warmed. He loved the change in her scent as her pussy softened and swelled for him. “Oh yes. First I need to lick those pretty nipples of yours. Then I’ll make you come by biting you. After that I’ll eat your cunt until you shake and tremble and gasp just the way I like. Then? Well, then I’m going to have that sweet, tight ass.” Her head fell back with a soft sigh. “The stuff you say is so hot.” “You’re onboard with a little backdoor play?” He winked and she blushed. “Not like I’ve done it a million times but when I have I’ve liked it a lot. It felt very, very bad.” She shivered. “Mmm. I love your ass, Melanie. Round and high. Makes me want to simultaneously give you a smack or two and nibble on it.” As she fought for words he dipped his head to kiss her softly and then deeper as he settled in between her thighs. The head of his cock pressed against her gate, the heat of her pussy bathing him. Her tongue slid into his mouth, slow and sinuous. Feeding on her mouth, letting her kisses drug him into a pile of warm bones, he took from her all she gave and returned it.

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Her nipples stabbed into his chest, tangling in the sparse hair there. He slid from side to side, delighting in the way she squirmed and whimpered at the sensation. Careful to avoid her injuries, he kissed and licked down her neck and settled in to feast on her nipples. Her skin was smooth and taut, the nipples puckered against his tongue and teeth. Her pussy was wet against his cock as she rolled her hips to gain friction, seeking to be filled up. He petted down her flanks and over her sides and struck, his incisors slicing into her nipple. She cried out, a shuddering, stuttered gasp, as she fell deep into climax. Ruthlessly, he only allowed for a swallow or two before he closed the marks. “Now, beauty, I believe I said I had plans to lick that succulent pussy. But my cock is so very hard so turn around, head down, and lie on your side for me.” Her eyes were dreamy, glassy with pleasure as she kissed him before turning, aligning her head at his cock. She licked around his sac, surprising him into a groan. “I can’t get at you how I need to this way.” She scrambled up over him and backed up, her cunt open, glistening and cocoa pink as he stared at it, right in front of his face. Reaching up, he cupped her ass, pulling her open further and pulling her back more to meet his mouth. Right as her mouth enveloped the head of his cock. He hissed and then blew softly over the wet folds of her cunt. Her hum of pleasure echoed up his cock. His mouth watered to taste her and he pulled back on her body, bringing her to his lips, taking a long lick through her delicious pussy. Her mouth suctioned around the crown of his cock as she caressed his sac with one hand and pressed the sensitive skin just behind with the fingers of her other hand. Little zings of sensation shot through him as he continued to eat at her.

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Gathering her slick honey with his fingers, he drew it up around the sweet star of her ass, tickling at first and then working his fingers in to stretch her. Her spine bowed, back arched in silent offering, urging him to give her more. So he did. “Relax, love. That’s right, so hot and tight back here. Your pussy is so wet now, you like it, don’t you?” Using the tip of his tongue, he manipulated her clit in slow circles until her movements on his cock became erratic. Her thighs trembled. “Melanie, stop now. I don’t want to come yet. You now and then me.” She let his cock go slowly and her head fell, pillowed by his belly. His fingers continued to work as he licked and suckled her clit. A flush so pretty, so laden with the scent of her desire and the blood close to her skin, worked over her, driving him higher even as he drove her. With a soft cry of his name, she came, her taste flooding his system as her honey rained on his lips. Panting, his need to be inside her like a terrible itch, he crawled out from beneath her body and urged her to keep on her hands and knees. Snatching a pillow from the head of the bed to put beneath her hips, he then rolled the condom he’d located the night before over his cock, lubed up with the almond oil he’d found in her medicine cabinet and guided the head of his cock to her tight rear passage. He shook with his need for her. With the way she swayed her back and widened her thighs to make herself ready for him. With the awing trust she showed by offering up herself to him this way. One hand at her tailbone, stroking that velvety skin there, the other around his cock to guide himself slowly, he pushed carefully, easing his breath out. “Touch your clit, love. Next time, back home, we’ll use a vibrator with a remote control so I can play with all of you at once.”

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Minx nearly swooned with sensation. She’d never been one for a lot of submission but there, her ass in the air, her man spewing forth all sorts of naughty talk, her fingers on her clit and his cock in her ass, she was sort of drunk on it. He dominated her totally and it made her giddy. Giddy that he wanted her in every way, that he got off on the taboo of the act as well as the way she gave herself to him, giddy at the totally unique sensation of being filled up in a way she rarely was. Her middle finger made a lazy circuit around her clit, not wanting to touch it just yet as she was still quite sensitive and satisfied from the second climax he’d delivered just minutes before. The juxtaposition of the more urbane, gentlemanly way he normally acted—except when he fought and then he was hotter than fire—and the naughty helping of raunch he’d shown with her when they were alone was alluring and if she hadn’t already been in love with him it would have surely pushed her over. She loved sex, loved the expression of something so intimate with someone you cared about. It’s not like she’d have trusted too many people to sixty-nine with and especially to have anal sex with! She’d only done it with one other person and it was before she’d even joined the Hunter crew. This was like a million times different— better because she loved him and knew he loved her and wanted her enough to work around their differences. So full! Nerve endings rarely alive sparked as the girth of his cock passed over them. Her body stretched to accommodate him and the discomfort and burn slid into a warm sort of pleasure. The sweet smell of the almond oil—she’d never use it for a massage again without thinking of this moment—hung in the air and the sound of his breath shortening into gasps strung her body tight. “God, you feel so good, Melanie. Your body is so tight around me, so hot and smooth. Your back is beautiful arched just for me. Your skin gleams, cocoa brown. You’re delicious and sexy and everything I’ve ever wanted and needed and more.”

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She had to close her eyes at his words. So cherished, she’d never felt treasured before, not the way he made her feel. He sped up, his strokes going deeper as her body relaxed and opened to him. His fingertips stroking her back just above her ass sent tingles through her. She didn’t actually even need to come, she was sated. Suddenly all she wanted was to be there for him, to let him take her and to offer herself. She had no words for him, the way he touched her left her speechless. Instead she clenched the sheets in her hands and thrilled at the way his breathing changed, at the sounds he made and finally, when he groaned and came. When he came back to bed and settled beside her she went into his arms automatically, seeking his body. “You didn’t come.” She laughed. “I didn’t need to. I’ve already come twice in the last forty-five minutes. I’m good. For now anyway. After we get back tonight I’ll want more. Once my legs work again I need to get in the kitchen. There are clean towels out in the bathroom for your shower. Shall I send Max in so you can feed?” He frowned. “I like it when you come. I don’t want you unsatisfied.” She rolled her eyes. “If I was unsatisfied you’d know.” She kissed him and rolled off the bed. “Come on now, you’re holding up dinner. We eat, we drink and then we head to the cemetery. Get your gorgeous booty moving. I’ll send Max in.” “Bossy American.” He snorted but he did get up and grab some clothing before heading to the bathroom. “Tell Max I need about ten minutes. I’ll be out in fifteen. That was a very nice wake-up call, by the way.” She made a quick stop in the bathroom to freshen up a bit and then headed into the kitchen as Connor shuffled into the shower.

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Chapter Five When Connor came out to join them he was satisfied and very happy. He’d shared some very hot sex with the woman he loved, had fed and showered and the first thing he saw when he came into the main part of the house was Melanie, wearing a beautiful red dress, her hair tied back. The air smelled of her and whatever deliciousness she’d prepared for them to eat. The table in the dining room was set and platters and bowls filled with all manner of beautiful food filled the space. “About time. We were just about to eat without you.” Jagger sat, pouring wine for everyone. Max laughed, grabbing a chair, and Connor moved to the spot next to Melanie. Over the feast Melanie told stories of her family and he realized how truly familyoriented she was. And liked it. Despite the rather nomadic nature of both their lives Connor appreciated her belief in and commitment to family. He felt the same and he couldn’t wait for his parents, youngest brother and his sister to meet her. Aidan already liked and respected her and he knew the rest of the Bells would feel the same way. While Jagger and Melanie cleaned up, Connor and Max triple-checked the weapons situation. “I don’t know if Perdue is here or not. If he is, it’s a toss-up as to when he’ll attack. But as we discussed, we’ll go to the cemetery and most likely he’ll attack here or close to here when we’re on the way back. This house is at the end of town, not much past us so it’s isolated enough he can strike. We’ll be prepared for him. We’ll kill him and go back to New Orleans like we’d planned. If he’s not here we’ll do some hunting on our way home.”

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Max nodded as he worked. “Sounds like a good plan. Jagger and I spent the afternoon loading up the weapons caches and sharpening blades. Crossbows are carrying silver-tipped arrows. We’ll be ready and Perdue goes down.” “He’ll be here. You know he will. He saw Minx, he’s got a huge information network of human servants. He’s a sadist so he’ll want to choose a time and place most hurtful.” Jagger tucked a long, wicked silver blade into a sheath at his ankle after he’d come into the room. They shared a look. Perdue had threatened Minx and she was their family. It couldn’t stand. The longer he was alive the more everyone had to fear and he simply wasn’t going to have Melanie worried about Perdue anymore. Minx watched the strange new relationship develop between Connor and Jagger. A sort of he-man thing, she supposed. Aside from Kael and the other guys in the crew no one had ever really worried after her the way Connor had before. Even though she could protect herself it felt nice that Connor wanted to protect her. She’d always admired Simone’s girly nature. Yes, she was strong and smart but she was so feminine and soft too. Connor made Minx feel that way and for just a bit she felt like she could be a cosseted female. Just a tiny bit. In Connor’s eyes she was Melanie most of the time. Not Minx the Hunter and killer but Melanie, his woman, and it thrilled her straight to her toes. “Everyone ready then?” Connor stood and looked her up and down. “You look beautiful, love. You sure pants wouldn’t suit you better in case you need to run?” Minx laughed. “You do what you do best and you leave killing Oathbreakers while wearing a skirt and stilettos to me, all right?” He blushed and she tiptoed up to kiss him. “I apologize. It’s hard to remember what a deadly beauty you are when you’re making fresh tortillas and singing songs in the kitchen. I mean that as a compliment.”

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“I know, which is why I kissed you instead of kicking you.” She winked and slid on flat boots instead of heels. “It’s a bit wet out there and cold. Plus the cemetery is uphill. I’ll wear these and they have lots of handy places to tuck weapons.” She put the candies, candles, a lighter and the pan de muerto in a basket and covered it with a sheet they’d all sit on at the cemetery and then tucked a handgun into the holster on her thigh, several blades into her boots and wrist sheath. “Garrote wire in my hair too.” Minx winked and tucked a large bouquet of flowers into the basket. “Let’s go. By the way, I think Connor should leave here all vampy-like and fog up to the cemetery. Perdue won’t expect him and he can be a secret weapon that way.” “Very good idea. Plus I’ll be in a place that gives us eyes on the scene.” He kissed her softly. “I’ll see you there. Be careful.” Connor looked to Max and Jagger. “Watch yourselves.” And Melanie, was unspoken and she appreciated his restraint as well as the sentiment. The night was alive with people as the three of them set out up the winding trail to the cemetery overlooking the bluffs and the ocean. It had been there for generations and every family in town and many from out of town who came back for El Dia de los Muertos had set up lively little groups around the grave markers. Many called out greetings in Spanish to Melanie, who called back cheerily. She returned hugs and answered questions about her general well-being until they reached the spot where her grandparents, brother and parents were all buried. “For the first time since they died I feel true peace about it.” Melanie took a deep breath and laid the flowers out along with the pan de muerto and the pumpkin candy before lighting the candles she’d placed on the stone markers bearing the names of the people who were still so important to her. Connor sat in the shadow of the largest gravestone, out of sight to anyone but someone standing very close, and everyone settled in on the sheet Minx brought.

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***** They stayed for several hours before packing up to take the walk down the hill and back to the house. Connor went ahead with the group in front of Melanie. He didn’t want to go home without them in case Perdue attacked. Connor had to admit he was disappointed when they arrived back at the house without incident. He slipped in the back way and waited for the others to get inside. “I really wanted to kill him tonight,” Max said, tossing himself into a chair. “Me too. But at least tonight hasn’t been ruined by him. Next year when I come back I won’t have to think about how I got into some bloody battle on the way home from the cemetery. But we’ll kill him soon. He’s here, I know it. I can feel it.” Connor looked at Melanie—no, she was Minx—and nodded. Her bloodthirsty side was quite bewitching and he had no complaints about how capable of killing she was, especially when it meant she’d be able to defend herself if necessary. Their world was a violent one and she was a human, he knew it made her fragile. “I think we should pack up and go after sunup though. We’ll stop in Las Norias. That’s where I found him to begin with. I don’t want him here. The people of Las Brisas don’t need that. Connor can sleep in my berth the way he did on the way down. If I’m mistaken and he’s not here we need to go back there anyway to get his trail. If I am right his human servants will tell him and he’ll get out of here and we’ll draw him away.” “That’s a good idea. I’ve got some Oathkeepers tracking in an area about twenty miles around San Fernando now. I’ll check in with them to see what they’ve found.” Connor found his cell phone and made the call. Melanie and Jagger cleaned out the fridge, putting the leftovers and perishables into the RV’s refrigerator, and Max washed down the kitchen while the bedding went into the washer and dryer. “There’s a fairly large nest in El Nopal. It’s about four miles outside of Las Norias. They just found it an hour ago. I told them to hold off and we’d hit it tomorrow night at 66

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sundown before they have a chance to feed. They’ll move Perdue during the day if they see you leave. You okay with that?” Connor had approached and now watched her as she made the bed in her bedroom. “It’s wonderful. I want to take out as many as I can. We’ve dealt with him in northern Mexico before, I’ll wager it’s his primary nest.” Connor agreed. Vampires tended to be territorial about hunting grounds so if Perdue ran there after they’d chased him from New Orleans it was most likely his main location. The Council and the Oathkeepers had been after Perdue a great many years and had looked for him all across Mexico and the southern United States but hadn’t found his home base. Destroying it would reduce a huge threat to humans because it would destroy him too. “I wish there was time for us to be naked together,” he murmured as he pulled her to his body. “We have a lifetime, Connor. After Perdue is dead, we have time.” He kissed her softly, enjoying the feel of the lushness of her mouth. “Would you ever consider converting?” He knew he should save the discussion for after they’d returned to New Orleans but what if she said yes? Then he’d be worrying for nothing and he’d know sooner rather than later. “I don’t know, Connor. It’s hard to think about, you know? I spent most of my life thinking vampires didn’t exist. And then another decade thinking they were all killing machines. It’s only been two months since I’ve learned only a small percentage of vampires are evil and the rest of you are good. It’s a big step. We’ve only known each other a few months, I wouldn’t be able to be outside during the day. What kind of Hunter could I be then?” “Sounds like you have thought about it.” Which was a good thing. “I have. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about our differences, most notably our lifespan issues.”

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He kissed her again, happy that she’d cared enough about being with him to consider it. “You could still be a Hunter. I am, if you recall. In fact, your skills would serve you well as a vampire. But I’m not trying to push the issue on you, just pointing out you do have a wealth of options. And my turning you would create a bond between us even stronger than what we have now, which may or may not be a point in favor of turning.” He winked and let her go, moving to help her make the bed. Had she thought about it? Was the man insane? Of course she had. They had a good twenty years, maybe thirty before she began to show major aging. He’d still be young and virile and she’d be getting older. If she lived thirty more years. They did have very dangerous lives after all. For now she was content not to make the choice. It wasn’t that she thought being a vampire would be that bad. She would miss the sunrise and lying out by the pool but she no longer feared being like the Oathbreakers. But they had time to continue getting to know each other. She’d reevaluate in a year or so. She wrote a note to Mrs. Nogales, the woman who came by and aired the house out, ran the water and did a general check once a month when Melanie wasn’t around. Melanie thanked her for her help, left her some cash and said she’d be back in a few months. She’d decided to spend New Year’s down there if not Christmas too. Now that they’d settled in it would be nice to spend more time in Las Brisas. Hopefully Connor would want to as well. Under cover of the gray light of the coming dawn, they hustled Connor into the RV, settling him into Minx’s berth and tacking the light-tight curtains around him so he could rest. Max would come with them in the RV and someone from Connor’s team would come to pick up the transport and take it back to New Orleans. Minx made some café con leche, put it in the thermal carafe and, after tossing together some quick breakfast burritos with the remaining food in the house, they headed out of town after stopping to drop the note off. 68

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As they pulled onto the two-lane highway heading north, Jagger spoke quietly. “I’m pretty sure we were spotted.” “What makes you think so?” Max moved closer, eating his breakfast as they drove. “There was a car sitting just at the end of the square. It wasn’t there when we got to town. Newer, very dark windows. Know anyone in Las Brisas with a new SUV with black windows?” Jagger briefly looked at Minx who shook her head. Las Brisas was very small, she was familiar with most of the cars around the area and a lot of people walked or rode bikes around town anyway. She’d have noticed an SUV and kicked herself for not even seeing it. “Stop. You were making sure Connor was settled in safely when we drove past it. It pulled away as we got to the edge of town. I have eyes too,” Jagger chided her, knowing she felt guilty. “Well, we wanted them away. Looks like that’ll be happening. Good.” Minx made sure the crossbow was secured under the seat and out of sight but still in reach if necessary. “Max, why don’t you grab some sleep? We’ll be in Las Norias in about four hours.” Minx tucked her legs beneath her in the passenger seat, making herself comfortable. “That’s a good idea. The Oathkeepers have set up a base of operations just outside of town. Wake me up when we’re a few miles out and I’ll call ahead to let them know to expect us in a few.” Max handed the sheet of paper with the directions to the Oathkeeper compound to Minx before heading to the back to an empty berth. Minx drank her coffee while munching on her breakfast. Jagger spoke quietly, talking about nothing, just filling up the quiet and making her laugh. They’d played this scenario out hundreds of times, it brought her comfort. “You want me to drive?” Jagger laughed. “Are you kidding? With Kael gone I get to drive. He’s such a control freak he rarely lets go of the wheel. Plus I get the feeling I’ve been getting more sleep than you have. Why don’t you go back and sleep too?” 69

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“I’ll just nap right here next to you in case you need me. Not that I won’t sleep before tonight’s assault once we arrive in Las Norias as well. We’ll need all the rest we can get. We have a tough night ahead of us.” Minx reclined the seat a bit, settling in. “We’ll call Kael when we get there too. Cap left a message on my voicemail. He is not pleased we left him behind.” Minx snorted as sleep began to take her.

***** “Minx honey, we’re nearly there.” Jagger’s voice pulled her from her dreams and she sat up, adjusting her seat. “I’ll go get Max.” A phone call was made and within the next ten minutes they pulled up to a large iron gate manned by twin guards carrying machine guns. When they saw Max they admitted them. Minx listened to Max give instructions about Connor. A guard would sit in the RV with him until he woke, making her feel a lot better. Inside the large house, Max introduced her and Jagger to a muscled redhead Oathkeeper she’d spoken to on the phone a few times since their Hunter team had joined with the vampire Council’s Oathkeepers as contract liaisons. “Ryan, it’s nice to finally meet you.” Minx shook his hand and he grinned. “And you as well. All the vampires are sleeping right now but the human ’Keepers have been out scouting and keeping an eye on the nest. I’d prefer to just go in during daylight and take the place out but Wes and Connor were dead set against it.” Wes Holden held the rank right below Connor’s within Oathkeeper hierarchy. He was apparently a British vampire who’d been turned during the Regency period. She’d always wanted to meet him, apparently he’d been a rake. A real one. She’d read enough Stephanie Laurens and Christina Dodd to have a literary crush on the idea. “We need to get Perdue here anyway.” Jagger shook Ryan’s hand.

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They were shown to some rooms to sleep. Minx figured they must have known about her connection to Connor because she was put into a bedroom with light-tight shades that was clearly vampire ready while Jagger and Max’s room wasn’t. Before she went to sleep she called Kael and filled him in on the situation. He was antsy but relieved to have her checking in, happy they’d hooked up with the Oathkeepers. She knew he wanted to make that kill himself but he had something bigger to deal with. He was in love, had found a woman who filled in the spots torn when the Oathbreakers had murdered his family. Simone Charvez was made for him, she was good for him and right then she should come first. Keeping her far away and letting their honeymoon go as planned was the most important thing. She had a chance at that now with Connor. With a vampire, as unlikely as it all was, and she planned to hold onto the wonderful love she’d found and cherish it.

***** Connor looked down at her as she lay curled on her side, the blankets pooled at her waist. So beautiful and all his. After the day was over they’d be able to move on. There’d be new threats, there always were in their world, but Perdue would be dust before the sun rose the following morning. The adrenaline, the worry over her well-being, had driven him from his daytime rest two hours earlier than his normal time. The sun still hung overhead but the human who’d been guarding the RV had escorted him into the house with the UV-proof coverings they always had on hand. He’d fed from one of the humans on staff, showered and shaved and headed in the direction of the room Ryan had told him Melanie was sleeping in. He should have left her alone. He knew she probably needed the rest but he had to reassure himself she was well.

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Her eyes opened slowly and she smiled when she caught sight of him there. “Hey, is it that late? Someone should have woken me!” She sat up but he moved next to her, banding an arm around her waist and bringing her back to the bed. “It’s about three and a half hours until sundown. I woke up very early today. Go back to sleep. You can rest for another hour at least. I’ll just lie here with you.” “No, I’m awake now. I slept three hours in the RV and another four when we arrived. I’m really fine. I do need a few things though.” He smiled at her, thinking about the wicked services he could provide. “First a shower. Then a meal. After that, sex. I haven’t eaten since about seven this morning.” “I suppose I can wait then. There’s a bathroom attached to the room. Come on, let me keep you company.” He kissed her quickly and didn’t let himself dally. He didn’t want her cold, feeling dirty or hungry. Well, okay, the dirty part was good but not in an I need a shower way. It wasn’t until he’d caught sight of soap bubbles sliding over her puckered nipples that he began to rethink his position on waiting. Minx wanted to scream. His presence just on the other side of the glass made her antsy. She wanted his hands on her and right then. She’d figured being naked would do the trick but he resisted. But right then he watched her tits pretty closely, giving her an idea. Slowly she rubbed the soap over her belly with the washcloth. She allowed a soft moan to escape when she dipped a hand down to her pussy and then up to her breasts. “You’re a temptress, that’s what you are,” he growled, tossing off his clothes and getting in behind her. His cock was hard at her back as he rubbed against her. “God, you’re so beautiful and sexy. I should just let you finish here so you can eat.”

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“Stop trying to talk yourself out of it. I’m here, wet and naked. Fuck me. Then I’ll eat. Just a slight change in plans.” She turned, rubbing against him like a cat. “You know you want to.” “You’re very short.” His voice was grumpy and it made her smile. Naked and wet was winning, even against his better judgment. “Well, you’re a vampire. I hear you’re all pretty strong. I’m sure you can hold me up while you fuck me.” A ragged moan came from him as all his resistance evaporated. Victory! He picked her up and unceremoniously brought her pussy down on his cock, impaling her in one slick stroke, leaving them both shuddering and arching to get more. She clasped her ankles at the small of his back and held on as he fucked into her body hard and fast. His balls slapped her ass each time he pulled her down on him. “Your cunt is like a fist, Melanie. So good around me. I can’t resist you,” he murmured into her ear. “I can’t go slow right now. I need you so much.” “I know. I need you too. Don’t go slow. Fuck me, show me how much you want me. You can go slow later.” “Damn it, you undo me, Melanie Rodriguez. Come too, you come too. Make yourself come, my hands are full of your ass.” Laughing, she wet her fingertips and slid them between their bodies. Her clit was ready, hard and swollen, and her inner muscles contracted when she touched it. She knew it wouldn’t be long. Connor’s physical presence had interrupted a very hot sex dream and she’d woken up wet and needy. His being there in person had only made things worse. Or better, as it were. Just a few brushes over her clit with her fingers and climax crawled up her spine. Leaning forward, she caught the muscle of his shoulder between her teeth. He made a sound from deep in his gut, slamming her down on his cock hard, and she felt him come inside her body as he raggedly whispered her name.

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***** When they stumbled downstairs sometime later he sat in the kitchen and watched as she prepared a meal. Wes sauntered in and halted when he caught sight of Melanie’s denim-clad ass and only Connor’s bark of Wes’ name caught the other man’s attention. “Ahhh! So this is Minx.” Wes ignored Connor and went to Melanie, bowing low. “It is a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you. All very true, I must say.” He winked and Connor pushed away from the table and stalked over, standing in between them. Melanie peeked around his body, sticking her hand out to shake. “Hi, Wes, it’s nice to meet you too. I suppose this thing Connor is doing is all male vampire stuff?” Wes laughed, his eyes catching Connor’s. Connor caught the admiration there. “Very astute. Yes, once a male vampire, or any vampire for that matter, begins to really bond with someone they become like this. It should ease off in a year or so, once the physical bond is solidified and you’re both comfortable with each other. If I were Connor I’d keep you locked up because you’re quite the catch.” He winked and Connor moved him back with his body until a safer distance had been achieved. Max wandered in and kissed her cheek and Connor didn’t feel threatened at all. Interesting. Connor had realized his physical dependence on her had increased since he’d had sex with her the first time. That was a sign. He knew she wasn’t his mate bond but she was becoming bonded to him as a wife, as a mate in that sense of the word. Vampires could love casually but this was more than that, they’d marked each other and he liked that very much. The humans ate while the team worked out a game plan. The photos and maps the Oathkeepers had created were excellent and Connor made sure they all knew how impressed he was. “We got word from our people a few hours ago that a group of SUVs pulled in to the compound out there. Three dark bundles were taken into the main house. We’re

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pretty sure it’s Perdue. The humans attending to one of the bundles were those we had cataloged as his personal guard.” Minx looked at Jagger and then Wes. “Good. Jagger and I have something to take up with them.” Connor held back a shudder of fear, remembering how she’d looked when they’d brought her back to Aidan’s house after rescuing her from Perdue’s people. “How is your shoulder? Do you think you should sit this one out?” Connor knew it was futile but he had to try. She rolled her eyes at him. “It’s not my trigger or knife hand. I’m fine. Don’t even try to keep me here, Connor. Those blue eyes will only get you so far with me.” Wes snickered and Jagger just shook his head at Connor. Connor groaned. “Fine. Let’s get moving then. It’s sundown and Perdue will be up by now.”

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Chapter Six Minx hadn’t bothered with her usual get-up for luring. No, tonight she wore cargo pants and a long-sleeved shirt, her hair caught back in a braid, tucked into the collar of her shirt. She wore a sidearm on each thigh, loaded with silver shot. A shotgun rested against her back. Deadly blades made of silver sat in sheaths at her ankle and wrists. Her glasses were the special night vision-enabled that all the human Oathkeepers wore to allow them to see as well as the vampires they tracked. They automatically adjusted to light levels so they didn’t pose a threat of blinding their wearer if the lights were turned on. Jagger had guns and the crossbow, Max carried a nasty submachine gun along with blades and the rest of the group were similarly outfitted. The vampire Oathkeepers had a simpler rig. Connor and Wes used guns but some of the others used blades instead. As they swarmed up the hillside where the nest lay, it was as if a cloud passed over the sun. Death was coming and Minx only hoped it could claim Anton Perdue. There were cameras around the area, some had been disabled, others avoided but they were pretty sure their presence wouldn’t go unnoticed and that theory was proven right when several Oathbreakers broke out of the main house and flew at them. Minx didn’t waste time trying to prove anything, she merely pulled her gun out of the holster and shot two of them right between the eyes. The other three were locked in battle with some of the Oathkeepers. The rest of Oathkeepers continued to move toward the main house. There were outbuildings, small cabin-like structures, but Minx knew a vampire like Perdue would never choose one of them when he could be in the large, opulent main house. He was in there, she knew it. 76

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Connor kicked the door open and they ducked as shots whizzed past their heads. Minx rolled in, crouching in a corner while Connor took another approach, sifting into fog. Several other Oathkeepers did the same type of thing and the shots died out as someone on their team found the sniper and took him out. She was walking down a long hallway when all hell broke loose. Shouts, screams, gunfire, the sound of breaking bones and muttered curses saturated the air around her. She knew Connor was nearby, she could feel him and Jagger as well. They moved as a unit, flanking each other, taking out threats as they continued forward. And then the ceiling fell on her. Not a ceiling but a vampire who’d been crawling on the ceiling like some character in one of those super-creepy Japanese horror films. From the corner of her eye she saw Connor grappling with two vampires and Jagger shouted from a few feet away. There was no way she could overpower a vampire but this one was male and he still had balls. She used that to her advantage, kneeing him in the sac and using his moment of extreme pain to send the silver blade up through his chest, between his ribs and into his heart. He blinked in surprise and then was no more. The hall seethed with struggling people. A female vamp had the nerve to grab Minx’s braid and haul her backward. Too bad for her Minx’s hand was free to grab her gun and shoot the bitch. “Very clever, pretty one.” Minx froze as Anton Perdue’s voice slid over her. “You know, I remembered you after our little meeting the other day. Not from my house in New Orleans, although from what I gather you all had a lovely time in my care. No, some ten years ago on a darkened road back from Veracruz. Your grandmother tasted so sweet. Did you know terror is like candy? I can almost

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remember it on the back of my tongue right now. Nothing like a woman afraid for the children in her charge.” Rage temporarily blinded Minx as she remembered the way her grandmother had fought. She’d thrust Melanie behind her body. She hadn’t had a chance but she’d defended Melanie and her brother to her very last breath. It was that moment that cost her. He was on her, his pale eyes glittering red, incisors gleaming as his hands, more like claws, grabbed at her. It was almost as if it happened to someone else. Connor screamed her name, she heard the sound of her back breaking, of her blood rushing in her ears, tasted it as it rushed from her mouth and nose. The white-hot pain of his nails tearing her flesh faded as she looked up to see him mouth, no!, before fading. And then she saw nothing as darkness took her far away.

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Chapter Seven Relief had rushed through Connor as he’d seen Minx kill the vampire who’d had her on the ground and then the female who’d grabbed her from behind. But he’d been helpless when Perdue caught her. Connor fought off three Oathbreakers in full bloodlust as she learned of Perdue’s part in her grandparents’ death. The fury and fear had nearly turned him into an Oathbreaker when Perdue struck. Connor threw the Oathbreakers off him, twisting heads and hacking through chests to get to her. Jagger and Wes came toward her from other directions, all calling her name. All watching in sick horror as Perdue snapped her spine and ripped her to shreds. Without a thought Connor grabbed a sword from the ground where one of the Oathkeepers had fallen and in one deft movement separated Perdue’s head from his body. But not soon enough to stop him from rendering the mortal strokes to Melanie. He knelt at her side as she passed out, her breath becoming more and more shallow. “Save her! Damn you, save her, Connor!” Jagger screamed, landing on his knees next to them. “I can’t! How can I save her? She’s torn to pieces. He broke her back. I can’t get her to a hospital in time and even if I could they can’t help her.” Madness threatened to take him as her life grew more and more fragile. “Turn her into a fucking vampire, you moron!” Wes screamed in his face, slapping him out of the fugue state that threatened. “Do it. It’s the only way. Do you want to live in a world without her? I don’t. Do it, Connor, or I’ll fucking kill you right here.” Jagger shook him hard.

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With a cry of anguish, Connor lowered his face to her neck. He ripped away the shirt and the bandages, finding her jugular quickly and latching on. Her life held on by a thread and he needed to act right then. He heard Wes ordering people to pull a car up to the front door and get it ready. He called the house, telling the people back there to prepare for a newly turned vampire. Other ’Keepers began to report that all the Oathbreakers on site had been killed. They’d set fire to the other buildings and the humans would come back to salt the ground under the sun. Connor heard all this in the background, knew it would happen as the last bit of her life filled him, sustained him. He’d need to feed from her, taking her just moments from death. She had to die first. Give up her human life as the virus took hold and began to transform her. At that precise moment he’d begin to feed her, the exchange of blood completing the process. He sat back, breath heaving, drunk on her blood and the anguish he felt. One last sigh and he ripped his wrist open, holding it to her lips. Jagger stroked her hair away from her forehead, speaking gently, reassuring her. She lay there, not drinking for so long Connor began to panic it wouldn’t work. Finally she coughed and began to swallow. Over and over as he fought climax. Even with the horror of nearly losing her the intimacy of what they’d just done, the pleasure of his woman taking blood from him to survive sang through his system. He felt her within in a way he’d never felt anything before. He stood, carrying her downstairs, hurrying to get her in the car. They’d need to get her settled quickly, the transformation was not pretty and extremely painful. Jagger slid into the front seat and Max got her feet to keep her steady when the driver fishtailed as he sped back toward the house. “We have to get her settled. I’m telling you now, she’s not going to have an easy time of it. You’ll need to contact Kael immediately. Also can you call my brother and let

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him know what’s happening?” Connor kicked the door open and sprinted into the house right as Melanie’s eyes flew open and she began to shake violently. Jagger’s eyes widened and he stumbled as Melanie doubled over with pain and began to gag. Connor heard Max explaining as Connor ran toward their bedroom. Thank god it had been readied. Stacks of clean towels, a bucket of warm water and the bed lay cleared of linens. She wept as she curled onto her side, heaving and holding her arms across her stomach. He undressed her and pressed wet washcloths to the back of her neck as they rode it out. He wasn’t even annoyed when Wes rushed in to help. Connor had been born a vampire, he’d seen a few transformations but he’d never experienced one. Wes had and Connor knew it must have been bad when his friend fell to his knees and looked up at Connor, anguish on his face. “I know, sweeting. Feels like knives in your veins. If you can hear me and you can focus try to let it wash through you. Just let go. We’ve got a bucket if you need to heave. Connor and I won’t let you fall. We’ve got you so don’t fear letting go, all right?” Wes’ voice was gentle and Connor hated putting her through all the pain but not as much as he’d hate her being dead and broken on that carpet. If she was angry at him, at least she’d be alive to be angry. At last she shuddered hard with a sob and passed into sleep. Connor held her against his body as Wes and Jagger changed the sheets and left them alone. He pulled a shirt over her head and tucked her into bed. “You need to feed, Connor. She’ll need you when she wakes up.” Max spoke softly from the doorway. Connor nodded. “Not from you, it’s too soon. You need the break.” “From me then. Do it for Minx. Let me thank you for saving her.” Jagger’s face was gaunt with fear. “Thank you.” Connor fed quickly and fully and shuffled to their bed and fell in just as the sun began to rise. 81

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***** When Connor opened his eyes he realized he was in his room at home in New Orleans. He sat up and for a brief moment relief rushed through him at the belief that he’d had a very bad dream. Until he saw Melanie lying there next to him, still and sleeping deeply. No dream, she was a vampire and she’d nearly died. And then relief, she was alive. She was alive and next to him and everything was going to be all right. It was an hour before the sun would go down and being a new vampire she wouldn’t wake until at least sundown. He tucked her in and got up, searching out answers. He got them when he bumped into Con macNessa, who’d set up camp just outside their room. The Faerie must have been sent by Aidan to bring them back home quickly. “Ah, suddenly getting here so fast makes sense. I assume I’ve got you to thank for shimmering us here?” Con nodded. “Are you all right? I know what it feels like to fear losing your woman. I don’t envy you that.” Connor had to swallow hard. “It’s not a place I ever want to go again, that’s for sure.” Jagger came up the stairs and saw Connor, giving him a big smile. “Oh good, you’re awake. Is Minx okay?” “Let’s go downstairs, I don’t want any noise to bug her. She’s fine. She’ll be very hungry when she wakes up though. I need to arrange for a donor.” “You’ll do no such thing.” He looked up at Simone’s voice and saw several Charvez witches, their assorted husbands, including Kael, Aidan, all his Oathkeeper team and the other members of the Hunter crew.

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“We’re here to help. She can feed from me, Lee and Em. It’ll be a very good meal for her. Make her strong. She’s one of our family and you’ll let us help. There’ll be time to set up donors tomorrow.” Simone’s voice, which had always struck him as very sexy, didn’t do nearly as much as the scratchy pitch of the woman upstairs. Kael looked at his wife and smiled as he kissed her temple. “You’re not angry I made her into a vampire?” he asked Kael, who snorted at him. “You think I’d rather have her dead than a vampire? Jagger tells me you did right by her, tells me she loves you. You must love her,” he shrugged, “so what’s to be mad about?” “You don’t exactly have warm and fuzzy feelings about vampires, Kael.” Connor shoved a hand through his hair as he paced near the door. “There are two empathic witches in this room you know, Connor. You feel guilty, you’re worried she’ll be angry but although I’ve not known Minx long, I do know one thing, she’s not a fool. She’ll be far more grateful to be alive than upset she’s a vampire. Yes, she’ll have to adjust, which will be hard for her at first but she’s not going to be mad at you,” Simone soothed. “And you probably need to feed as well. Aidan tells us it’s very physically and mentally exhausting to make another vampire.” “I’m fine. My network of donors here is in place and several of the human staff living on-site are available.” “Then why aren’t you sitting down?” Max asked. “He wants to hear her when she wakes up.” Aidan spoke from his place across the room and understanding passed between them. “Well, while we’re waiting for her to wake up, fill us in on the situation in Mexico.” Connor explained all that had happened to Kael and the rest of the group. Jagger had to break in when it got to the part where Melanie had been attacked. Connor couldn’t remember all of it. It was more like he remembered how he’d felt seeing her nearly dead, thinking he’d be alone after finally finding a woman as special as Melanie.

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Simone got up to hug him, kissing his cheek, and Connor didn’t miss Kael’s exhaled breath or the way he tensed up. “Thank you. When he died it was like everything felt so much cleaner. Better. I knew he was gone. I feel free.” “I’m just glad that part is over. There will be more. There always are. Wes will have burned the whole place to the ground though so they won’t be setting up a nest in El Nopal any time soon.” Many of them continued to stay, wanting to see Melanie when she woke. Connor sought out one of his staff and fed. He also called Wes, checking in, and dashed off a quick email to the Council and his father, letting them know to expect a longer report within the next eight hours. His responsibility would be to Melanie, especially after she first woke up, and he hoped like hell Simone was right about her not blaming Connor or being angry with him for changing her. As he sat at his desk, reading through the reports some of the other Oathkeepers had filed regarding the incident the night before, he felt her beginning to wake. Just a tickle in his gut. He’d been told a sire would have a connection to their fledgling but he’d never felt anything like it. He imagined it was all the more powerful because he loved her. “She’s waking up.” He stood and Max moved to let Simone know so she could bring Em and Lee up.

Minx felt like she’d fallen from a great height and splashed into an ice-cold body of water. Her eyes snapped open and the colors in the room were so intense she had to close them again for a moment. “Melanie?” She opened her eyes again and turned her head to see Connor standing next to the bed. She knew he was worried, could see it on his face so strongly it was as if she could feel it herself. 84

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Her teeth began to chatter and she pulled the comforter up to her neck. “I’m so cold. Can you turn the heat up?” He sat and gathered her in his arms, kissing the top of her head, and she remembered. Just like that every last bit of the night before slid into her memories and she gasped. “He killed me! Oh my god, Connor, he killed me.” Her fingers were numb she was so cold and a sudden pain sliced through her gut, driving her knees toward her chest. “Shhh. Love, just relax, it’s just hunger and we’ll fix it in just a moment. What all do you remember?” She paused, searching back, and the sense-memory of his mouth on her throat, draining her, of her body dying and then his blood filling her mouth. Pain. So much pain and then nothing. He’d saved her life by transforming her into a vampire. She’d been as good as dead as she’d lain there on the hallway carpet. “Oh shit, I’m a vampire. You…I remember you saved my life, Connor. Thank you so much. You stayed with me when I was so sick. You never left my side.” He rocked her gently, stroking a hand up and down her back, warming her as well as comforting her. “I love you so much, Melanie.” His voice caught a moment and she sat up as thousands of needles made their way up her spine. “I’m sorry I didn’t have the time to ask you.” “I love you. You saved my life. That’s what matters. The rest is something we’ll work through. I trust you to help me. I feel very bad right now. Cold. Crampy, achy.” “You’re hungry. For today, until we can get you some donors, Simone, Em and Lee have volunteered to let you feed. They all have very rich, magical blood. You’ll feel much better when you eat. Come on.”

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“I don’t know what to do. I’ve only seen you all do it and until very recently I’ve only seen violent and horrible things.” Fear swamped her. How would she do this? He tipped her chin and kissed her softly. “I will help you through, remember?” Her friends came in and delivered hugs and exclamations of gratitude she was alive. Simone held her hands and smiled. “I can feel you’re apprehensive. We all trust you. You’re going to be just fine. Lee’s an old hand at this, you know.” “Oh god, am I going to make you all come? I mean, you’re all lovely women and all but you’re married and I’m with Connor and holy crap, I never even thought of this!” Connor chuckled and settled in behind her. “It will feel good, a vampire bite works in two ways, the teeth excrete a sort of narcotic to numb and create a bit of euphoria as well as an anticoagulant. The saliva when you lick over the marks your teeth leave has antibiotic and healing qualities in it. The wounds, as you know, are gone within moments when that happens. Oathbreakers don’t use their saliva like that, they leave the wounds open and they rip and tear. And this is more than you need to know right now. But you won’t bring anyone to climax unless you slide your teeth in deep and feed, mixing the narcotic in large enough quantities into their blood. When you don’t want to do that just make a nick, enough to get the blood flowing. When you want the incisors to retract, they will. It’ll be pleasant and numbed but it won’t be orgasmic. You can save that for me.” “That is so cool! I’ve never heard the whole explanation of how it worked.” Em grinned at Connor and Simone laughed. Minx’s worries were unfounded, it just felt like she knew what to do and Connor tapped her shoulder to make sure she didn’t take too much from anyone. After she’d fed from Lee she mumbled a thanks and flopped back against the bed. In the background she heard Connor talking to them, thanking them, and then the door closed. His arms slid beneath her and lifted her, cradling her against him as he carried her into the bathroom. 86

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“A hot bath will warm you up. Give yourself a few weeks to regulate. You’ll always run cold, it’s part of what the virus does. But as this is my house, our house, you’ll never have to worry about the heat. I had the floors redone in all the bathrooms so we’ve got radiant heat, the bedroom too. How are you feeling now?” He spoke as he ran a bath while still holding her to his body. “Better. The stabbing pain is gone. I don’t feel nauseated or dizzy. I can hear a lot though, can I turn that off?” “In time you’ll learn to filter out stimuli, it’s a learned skill. I learned as a child so it’ll probably be harder as an adult but it sounds like something one of the Charvezes can teach you.” “I can hear the blood in your veins, your heartbeat. Your cock is hard.” Lust slammed into her then, so immense and overwhelming it took her breath away. “Is it always like this between vampires?” she whispered. His words stuttered as his eyes widened. “No. This is about me and you. Now that you’re a vampire and I sired you the bond we already shared has deepened. Wait, god, wait until we get you bathed and warmed up.” He pulled her clothes off quickly and put her in the steaming hot water, kissing her gently. “I’ll be right back, I’m going to send everyone away. And then we’re going to have sex. A lot of sex. But as you’re still recovering, I’ll do all the work.” She sighed, settling in the bath, letting the water warm her up as she thought about everything she’d experienced in the last few days. Hell, the last few months, from the first sight of New Orleans, the first time she saw Connor, until the moment his gentle hands had put her in the bath. All her life she’d had an idea of what she was, what she needed to do. Just as often something had happened to turn her life upside down. And yet each time that happened, as traumatic as it was, some new thing came into her world and made her into the person she was right then. A woman beloved by a man who gave her life, even as he believed she might hate him for it. That was love. That was selflessness and she 87

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was the luckiest woman alive. She may not have chosen to be a vampire right then but faced with the alternative she was willing to learn how to deal with it.

Connor chased everyone from the house after thanking them for their concern and their help. He asked Aidan to call their parents and give them a head’s-up, telling them he’d call them later on. His brother had just chuckled as he promised, pushing everyone else out the door. Max headed to the office set up in the back of the house and Connor felt the wards settle as everyone left and then took the stairs three at a time to go to his woman. He didn’t know why she’d taken the news he’d converted her so calmly but he was grateful for it. Now they’d have centuries together and she’d be a kick-ass addition to his Oathkeeper team. For the moment though, he had ways to occupy her first night as a vampire. One foot with dark-painted nails peeked from the water and her hands stirred gently just over her skin. She’d be experimenting with the increased sensations of being a vampire, he knew that. “Does that feel good? The warmth of the water stirring over your breasts that way?” He knelt next to the tub and she opened her eyes and smiled lazily at him. “My skin feels so alive and god am I ridiculously horny.” He laughed and eased into the water after stripping off, settling in behind her as she sat in the cradle of his thighs. “I imagine that much magically enhanced blood is making you a bit tipsy too.” “Whatever. Just have sex with me.” She turned and got to her knees, her breasts at eye level. “I do so love a woman who gets to the point.” He stood and brought her with him but they didn’t make it far when she breathed over his jugular and purred. “Connor, will we feed from each other now? What do you taste like?”

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He fell to his knees on the warm floor of the bathroom and laid her out as he crouched above her. “Why don’t you bite me and find out?” His cock actually jerked in agreement. He’d never, ever wanted to be bitten so badly before. The slide of the flat of her tongue up the side of his neck brought shivers over his body. “I want to be on top.” She rolled and sat astride him, rubbing her slick, hot cunt over his cock. “You keep that up and you can do whatever you want, however you want it.” He thought he’d lose his mind when she rose on her knees and positioned his cock, sliding down his length right as she struck at his neck. She’d listened earlier because she used her teeth, using a more intimate, sexual mode of feeding. He felt the effects immediately. Considering how close he’d already been, feeling the hot clasp of her pussy and the sharp edge of her teeth was more than enough. But the feeding on top of it drove him to a frenzy. “Fuck yes, keep it up. Ride me, Melanie, your pussy feels like heaven.” He took over, his hands at her hips pulling her up and down, guiding her speed, making her go faster and faster as delicious friction sent him hurtling just as he reared up and struck at her nipple. Her blood, delicious and dark, filled him as he came deep inside her body. Her pussy spasmed around his cock when orgasm struck her. He didn’t take much blood, but enough that she filled his senses. Because he’d already fed and then took more blood from her, he was hard again in moments and stood. Need for her filled his senses. Her legs wound around his waist as he backed her to the wall next to the mirrored sink area. “Watch me fuck you, Melanie,” he ordered. Their eyes locked a moment before he had to move his gaze to her hands on her beautiful breasts. He brought his lips to hers and kissed her deeply.

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Their tongues tangled, danced, dueled and tasted as he thrust into her body. Her nails raked down the muscle of his shoulders, just shy of breaking the skin. Pleasurepain sent sensation reeling through his body, making him gasp and groan. Minx eagerly swallowed his groan, taking that pleasure into herself. Taking his blood should have been creepy but it was the hottest thing she’d ever done. He swam within her as well as owning her heart. His kiss tasted of the spice of her blood and the salt of her skin, of adoration and desire, and it shot through her like a thousand volts. She was so wet as she ground herself over his cock when he pulled out and pushed back in, the full length of him sliding over her clit. The need for him was nearly desperate, heated, all-consuming and all she felt, heard, tasted and wanted was right there, holding her tight, filling her body, telling her he loved her and desired her above all others. And she felt the truth of his words, of his actions. Not just because their connection was deeper from him making her into a vampire but because every touch, every look, every word was filled with love. Being the focus of his attention made her thrill to her toes. She rolled her nipples and the inner muscles of her pussy clamped down on him, making him grunt. He licked up the line of her neck and nibbled the hollow of her throat. “You’re so fucking good at this. I’m melting, you’re making my pussy melt,” she gasped. “After I come again we’ll clean up, I’ll take you for a walk outside and then I’ll eat your pussy under the stars. I love melty things, especially that sweet cunt of yours.” She let her head fall back and watched their reflection as he held her, fucking into her body in short, feral digs. Laughter sprang up then, joy at finally finding something after being numb for so long. Her laughter became sobs of pleasure as orgasm claimed her and he followed close behind. 90

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***** “I love you,” she said as they walked through the front doors of his house—their house—and out into the evening. “Me too, love, me too.”

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About the Author Lauren Dane been writing stories since she was able to use a pencil, and before that she used to tell them to people. Of course, she still talks nonstop, but now she’s decided to try and make a go of being a writer. And so here she is. She still loves to write, and through wonderful fate and good fortune, she’s able to share what she writes with others now. It’s a wonderful life! The basics: Lauren is a mom, a partner, a best friend and a daughter. Living in the rainy but beautiful Pacific Northwest, she spends her late evenings writing like a fiend when she finally wrestles all of her kids to bed.

Lauren welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Tell Us What You Think We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at [email protected].

Also by Lauren Dane Ascension Cascadia Wolves 1: Enforcer Cascadia Wolves 2: Tri Mates Fire and Rain Reluctant Sudden Desire Sword and Crown Threat of Darkness Witches Knot 1: Triad Witches Knot 2: A Touch of Fae Witches Knot 3: Vengeance Due Witches Knot 4: Thrice United

Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

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