Eternal Flame

Eternal Flame

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Lynn Warren

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ETERNAL FLAME by Lynn Warren Triskelion Publishing www.triskelionpublishing.com

Published by Triskelion Publishing www.triskelionpublishing.com 8190 W. Deer Valley Road, Peoria, AZ 85382 U.S.A. First e-published by Triskelion Publishing First e-publishing September 2004 ISBN 1-932866-31-0 Copyright © Lynn Warren 2004 All rights reserved. Cover art by Triskelion Publishing PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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Dedications

To Gail, who dug out her whip and made me do this.

And to all the gals in the Lounge who’ve been waiting to sink their teeth in Christian.

Lynn Warren

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CHAPTER ONE

Blood. To many, the life force behind the human body. Hillary Tennyson spent most of her life studying blood, its agents, properties and the diseases associated with the fluid of life. Her degree in hematology opened doorways to research. Five years of her life she studied in seclusion, fearful no one would believe her findings. If she hadn’t carefully logged and precisely recorded her experiments, she knew she wouldn’t have believed it herself. An unknown strand in the chemical composition of blood; she tested thousands of samples and found it present in just one. Hers. Unfortunately, she didn’t know what the strand represented or what it might be doing in her bloodstream. It seemed to cause her no ill effects. At least, not according to the multitude of test panels Hillary conducted on herself. In her study, each sample had a number and no name. There were no records of which blood belonged to which person outside of the number. Simply a matter of protecting people’s privacy. Now Hillary, who had barely attained any grant money when the project started, wished at times that she’d never begun. Locking the door to the lab, Hillary juggled her keys and her briefcase as she left St. Anne’s Hospital of Mercy. Another night with little progress, she sighed, running over a hundred things in her head. A key link to the puzzle remained illusive. There was a clue. Somewhere. She didn’t consider everything, no one could. She’d tested a good section of the population including all of her living relatives and no one on the planet seemed to have the strand. At this late hour, one-forty a.m., the city of Las Vegas was far from sleep. Fall brought crisp night temperatures with a slight chill to the air. Hillary loved the weather. A warm fireplace with her snuggled beneath a billowy comforter with a hot bowl of soup sounded real good at the moment. She’d grown up in California but it wasn’t until she got her Ph.D. that she moved to Las Vegas. The excitement of the nightlife drew her, Hillary loved the party town atmosphere mingled with exquisite dining at any time of the night. Plus, her benefactor made it clear the funding for the project only came if she moved to Vegas. Hillary parked in the lot reserved for doctors on the north side of the hospital. The grounds had beautifully manicured, filled with lush bushes. Flowers cascaded along the brick walkway out to the

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parking area. Trees surrounded the hospital. Huge oak, evergreen, and a small patch of palm trees flanked the grounds surrounding the parking lot. The trees led down a ravine to a heavily wooded area that was so dense, even the gardeners gave up on it most of the time. Hillary gingerly laid her briefcase on the roof of her Lexus. Her one outwardly symbol of luxury. She couldn’t resist the car and treated it like an exotic pet. The beast always bathed and waxed once a week and its service checks meticulously scheduled on the calendar. Her key clicked into the lock when she realized something was wrong. A snap of a twig from beneath a tree, Hillary’s head jerked up. She froze in place for what felt like eons but was closer to seconds. Hurriedly, she opened the car door reaching around for her briefcase. Footsteps on the gravel sprinkled parking lot alerted her. She didn’t want to look. Everything inside her told her not to, that the person was just another doctor working late. Doctors didn’t come out of the bushes, though. And security made its rounds on the hour. Her hand missed the briefcase handle in her rush and she practically lunged for it again. The wind stopped. The fog seemed to smother her. Dear God, what was happening? Hard, ragged breathing filled her ears. Was she running? A hollow clink hit the pavement and she knew she dropped her keys. Whipping about, Hillary peered into the darkness hoping to see them. The briefcase weighed heavily at her side.

Rivers of iciness dripped down her spine.

Soft footfalls

approached her rapidly, someone with tennis shoes. The lights of the hospital emergency room weren’t more than a hundred feet away. Run, she screamed to her short legs. Run! A scream gurgled through her throat as a hand bore down upon her shoulder. Pain trickled down her arm and she swung the briefcase with all her might. The handle vibrated in her hand as she struck the man in the chest. In the dim light, she made out dark, long hair and a beard, before she turned and ran. A second later Hillary fell, tackled forward. Blistering pain rifled through her knees as the man’s weight crushed down upon her forcing her to the asphalt. A scream tore into the night before a dirty, grease-stained hand clamped across her mouth. He wrestled her to the ground as Hillary kicked against him. “Get off me, you sonofabitch!” Hillary kicked going for his balls but missed and hit the man in the knee. She rammed him again with her knee and this time connected. He howled in rage while Hillary scrambled to her feet. Ignoring the stinging bits of rock that bit into her flesh, Hillary scrambled to save her sanity and her life. He caught hold of shirt and pulled her up against him. The hot stench of alcohol on his breath nauseated her while she pummeled, fighting from being dragged halfway into the bushes where a tall thin man waited for a victim. Blood pounding, she heard roaring in her ears, breathing ceased being natural. “Get the fuck off me!”

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“Fuck is what we’re going to do, bitch!” He threw her hard to the ground. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Hillary knew this kind of strength didn’t belong in a normal man. Thorny vines twisted and cut into her skin, tearing at her cotton blouse and skirt. She lost a shoe as he pulled her into the wooded ravine. Night birds ceased cooing and crickets halted in mid-chirp while Hillary tried gaining a foothold through the thick leaves. Her arms twisted behind her back at a wicked angle, Hillary could hardly sit up. Suddenly released, she fell onto her back pulling her aching arms down to her sides. With terrible slowness, she rolled to her knees and tried to stand. Agony coursed through her head as he struck her with what felt like a baseball bat. Her vision shattered into a million stars as a trickle of blood oozed across her cheek. Hillary’s world gave a violent lurch sending her crumbling to her knees. He was going to rape and murder her and now she was helpless to stop it. Fragments of thoughts rushed through her brain, her research, her life, her boyfriend. She wasn’t even married yet. Only twenty-eight. The blood might be the key. Hillary collapsed into a flowery bed of moss. Such a sweet clean scent overpowered the dirty stench of her attacker. How could she assume something like this couldn’t happen to her? It happened to millions of people. She closed her eyes to the near blinding pain, tears blurring her vision. She reached out for the rock lying beside her. It might be her only chance. It wasn’t that far away. She watched her fingers crawl for the smooth stone. A vicious jerk on her blouse pulled her out of the dreamy space her body floated in and out of consciousness, heart beating so fast in her chest, Hillary knew she would die. “Get off me, you fucking bastard!” The man leaned closer, tearing at her blouse with nails that felt like vicious claws. He bared her breasts and bent down. A crazed grin plastered on his face and in the blue moonlight, Hillary saw something that couldn’t possibly exist. Fangs. Then, the man bit her. He actually fucking bit her above the breast. Hillary screamed as hot, vile venom entered her system burning through her veins. With what little strength remained, she slammed the rock into the side of the man’s forehead. He rolled off her screaming violently, clutching his head. Pushing herself on her side, Hillary dragged her body to a standing position. Kicking off the only shoe she wore, she began to run. Lights from the hospital parking lot swam back and forth in her muddled vision. Out of focus like pictures of UFO’s, she ran for them, her only sanctuary. She couldn’t hear herself running through the brush, the traffic on the nearby street, or the

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peaceful noises of the night. All that she heard were the footsteps of her attacker in lightning pursuit. Rose bushes tore at her skirt and nylons catching at her as if they too didn’t want her to escape. Finally, the row of palm trees right before the parking lot. If only she could force herself to run faster. Barefoot, she ignored the sharp rocks, mud and sticks, which hindered her, the trees, were right there. A low, feral growl pierced the fog. Hillary nearly slid to a halt, catching hold of a ficus tree branch to steady herself. Absently, she drew the tattered blouse up over the wound trying to staunch the flow of blood. A dog. A wolf. Not this close to the city surely. The noise seemed to be right in front of her. Hillary glanced back barely able to make out the shadowed figure that couldn’t be more than twelve feet behind her. Dragging air into her parched lungs, she pushed herself forward praying that the animal ahead could save her from the beast behind her. “Please,” her voice a strangled choke, “someone help me!” Dogs were always on her high list, she just prayed this one would understand how much she needed him to be nice and let her pass at the moment. Let him be a nice dog, she whispered to herself. The fog fell thick and damp around her feet and ankles, obscuring her vision nearly as much as the head injury. Fog? That didn’t make sense. Vegas did not get fog. She could see the outline of a large dog ahead, growling softly under its breath. “Nice dog,” she whispered raggedly, “Please, I won’t hurt you.” Her teeth rattled together despite her best efforts. Even through the haze of the fog, the dog’s eyes glowed with a fiery orange intensity. As she cleared the trees, she watched it straighten from a crouching position. He was huge. This wasn’t a dog, but a silver gray wolf. A shuddering breath escaped her as she studied the wolf. The animal was massive. Orange eyes and long fangs, he could tear her apart. The wolf watched her with a keen expression on its muzzle. Giving it a wide birth, Hillary began inching her way past him. “Good boy.” “Come back here, bitch! We’re just gettin’ started.” Hillary spun around at the sound, losing her balance and tripped against the short brick fence. She fell over the wall, landing in a patch of marigolds. A high-pitched scream curdled the night air. Watching with glassy eyes, Hillary witnessed the wolf attack. The lupine leaped shoulder high pushing the man back into the trees. His screams of anger instantly rang out with fear. The wolf growled and it took all of Hillary’s common sense not to think the worst. The man deserved whatever he got; she determinedly gripped the wall and pulled herself upright. She managed a few staggered steps before shock caused her to succumb into a dreary, painful blackness.

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Christian Blackthorne caught the woman as she fell. With minimum effort, he scooped her up into his arms. Gazing down at her, he ground his teeth together at the blood dripping down her cheek. A ribbon of blood and dirt were about her closed eyes, the burnished umber colored lashes glued together by drying tears. She whimpered softly in his arms. He soothed her brushing his lips against her cheek. A deeper fire lit inside him, blazing in the depths of his soul. What was this? She should not affect him so acutely. He shifted her in his arms intending to carry her to the hospital entrance until he saw the dark stain on her blouse. Easily, Christian crouched down and settled the young woman into the grass. He’d watched her for weeks now. Amused at her research, that’s what he kept reminding himself. He always stayed close by especially at night with news that Renegades prowled the city. His brother Garridon and he often ran the night together in wolf form. Draigon preferred the air, rather than running across land. This night they’d stumbled across Hillary and her Renegade attacker. There’d been more and more of them recently in Las Vegas. The trouble was they’d begun attracting attention. However, Christian knew his brother would dispose of the filth and that left him to tend to Hillary. He brushed the hair matted at the side of her cheek away and then stretched out beside her whispering softly an old Romanian spell his family taught them when they were boys. The soft flowers cradled them both as Christian waited for her to stir. The soft petals tickled his skin and the scent clung around them as Hillary opened her eyes. He watched them flicker in the moonlight from amber to a dark whiskey. Her pupils widened slightly as she raised her head and saw him clearly. “I won’t hurt you.” “I know.” She didn’t fight which was an excellent sign, accepting him as friend. “He won’t hurt you, ever again.” Christian shifted his weight and Hillary’s eyes went to his bare, thickly muscled chest. A smile curved his full lips. While he was quite comfortable nude, Hillary appeared surprised. “I can heal your wounds if, you’ll allow me.”

Oh my God! Was she hallucinating? In a coma? Dead? With her head pillowed in a bed of wild flowers, she stared at the most divine man she’d ever seen in her life. Black hair curled at his ears and around his collar, that is, if he’d had a shirt on. He put his muscled biceps on either side of her and dropped his head. Pecs that looked hard enough to bend steel made way to a set of six pack abs making her salivate even in her weakened condition. A thin ribbon of hair angled from a perfect belly lower to a

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cock so huge she thought she died and went to Chippendale heaven. If she was dead, oh hell, what a way to go! She could feel his breath against her skin. “You aren’t dead, Hillary. But that man injured you, and I can help. You just need to give me permission.” Hillary swallowed hard. She was a doctor. What could he do that couldn’t be done in a hospital? Some naked Chippendale angel planned on healing her, okie dokie, fine by her. Outside of superficial wounds and possibly a cracked rib, what could it hurt letting the angel give her a thrill? “Yes, why not?” His tongue swept out between his teeth and stroked at her temple. Slanting a glance at the perfect profile, straight jaw, sharp angled aquiline nose, and full lips, she blinked. His teeth seemed rather long. At least, his incisors were, but Hillary assured herself it was simply the bending of light creating an odd shadow. The pain in her temple vanished almost instantly, replaced by glorious warmth. The sensation rivaled the best message she’d ever had, but then his mouth touched hers. His tongue tangled slowly, decadently with hers as an explosion of flavor danced over her taste buds. He tasted of rare wine, cherries and something darker more complex that she couldn’t explain. His slow exploration of her mouth as if he had all the time in the world. Hillary moaned against his lips, reaching up to run her hands over his smoothly muscled arms and down his chest. If this was a dream, it was the best freakin’ dream she’d ever had in her entire life. He tore his mouth from hers, “No dream, Hillary. I am very, very real. And at the moment, very fucking hard for you.” She tilted her head to gaze down at his cock and suddenly wanted it and him inside her so bad that her pussy clenched in anticipation. She was ready to fuck this guy, this dreamy Chippendale angel and she didn’t even know his first name. “It’s Christian Blackthorne. And I’m not sure what a Chippendale is but, I’m far from and angel.” He smoothed back her tattered blouse examining the wound at her breast. “You read minds?” Hillary didn’t feel the least bit self-conscious around him. Another time, she might consider that further but when his lips gently closed over the swell of her breast the only thing she could do was cover her mouth to keep from moaning. Hot slippery honey slicked the walls of her pussy and Hillary shifted her body so that his cock rubbed against her thigh. Multi-colored lights danced across her vision as Christian licked across the wound; there was no more pain, only raw sensation and a dizzying sense of greed. His mouth went lower capturing her tit and drawing on it hard, one hand cupped her breast while the other toyed with the hem of her skirt. “Do you like this, Hillary?”

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“Oh God, yes!” “Then allow me to please you.” She felt the scrape of his teeth, but he seemed careful not to injure her. She’d never met a man so thrilled with pleasing a woman. That told her this just couldn’t be real. He slid the hem of her skirt up and removed the torn panty hose from her legs, gently massaging the weary muscles. “Touch me, Hillary. You’ll know I’m real.” Straddling her waist, Hillary let out a gasp at the sheer size of his cock. Rock hard and ready and Hillary knew she must have it in her or die. Cupping his balls, she rolled them gently pleased as Christian purred. It was like taming a wild animal and she was more than ready to get a whip out. What the hell was she thinking? It didn’t matter, he arched his back and then reached under the seam of her panties. Hillary caught her breath and pushed her body up so she could taste him. She could barely get her lips around him but when she did, she tasted a dark, musky male, hot with a very anxious cock. Wrapping her hand around his shaft, she eased him in and out of her mouth sucking hard on the engorged head. “Enough for now.” He slid down her body, raising her skirt and lowering his dark head. His tongue parted her lips and tasted the hot honey of her pussy. Hillary’s back arched as her mind shattered and everything else ceased while Christian licked and nibbled before driving his tongue deep inside. “I don’t care if this is some crazy dream, nightmare or whatever,” she gasped in between convulsions. Her pussy begged for more, for that cock that pressed against her ankle. “You have to fuck me, Christian. Now.” He raised his head, aquamarine blue eyes glittering in the moonlight. “Are you sure, Hillary? Because once I have you, it might not be so easy to let go.” “I don’t care. Fuck me now, I need that cock. It’s driving me crazy.” His hands slid down her thighs and opened them wide. Levering the weight of his sculpted muscles, he leaned close to her lips. “You shall have my cock,” he grinned at her taking her mouth as his head teased the entrance to her pussy. With more control than she’d ever experienced, Christian slowly, inch by inch buried his cock into her tight, wet pussy. Sheathed to the hilt, he moved his knees so his balls rubbed against the back of her pussy. Hillary’s back bowed at the contact while her legs came up and locked around her hips. “Am I hard enough for you?” His cock was like sweltering, silky steel. A blade of remarkable power and skill and Christian Blackthorne knew how to use it. Her body turned to molten lava. Sweat trickled between her breasts as the slow rhythm he created turned into a grinding frenzy.

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Hillary screamed as she came, not caring who might find her fucking a stranger in the flower garden. Her pussy clenched hard around his cock milking Christian’s release as a thousand stars danced through her body. The heat, the power of a thousand beings shook through her as his seed emptied into her like lightning. Visions of things she couldn’t begin to understand danced through her skull while another orgasm rocked her. Blinding energy surged through her entire body and she rode a white tidal wave taking her away to oblivion.

He carried her gently into the emergency room. Two emergency room doctors and three nurses rushed over, recognizing the woman. “Oh my God!” One nurse exclaimed as he laid the woman on an examination table. Christian straightened, although his gaze remained locked on the young woman. “I was on my way home. I heard her scream and glanced into the parking lot. The man who attacked her pulled her into the brush. I don’t know how she managed it, but she got away. One of the doctors inquired if the attacker was alive. Christian shrugged. The doctor sent two orderlies out to look for the man and asked a nurse to call the police. Christian turned his gaze briefly on the doctor, then back to the woman. The assailant was quite dead, Garridon would’ve seen to that and the body disposed of. The remaining nurse started an I.V. while the doctor checked Hillary’s vital signs. Hillary swam in and out of consciousness, hearing bits and pieces of the conversation about her. She recognized Dr. Cassidy and two of the nurses. But the other man, his voice drifted around her in a velvet cloud. Deep and sexy, with perfect enunciation of someone raised around London and she’d just had the strangest, sexiest dream Hillary was certain he starred in her dream as well. Hillary groaned while one of the nursed dabbed dirt from her cheek. She managed to crack her lids opened. Her vision blurred with tears as she looked up at the man with the accent. Very tall and distinguished in a black suit, he watched her as she tried to focus on him. Dark brown hair swept back from his forehead, worn just to the collar in one length. His wide forehead wrinkled as he raided a dark, slashing brow injury. “She seems to be coming around, doctor.” The voice again. Hillary could spend days just listening to a voice like that. Doctor Cassidy leaned over her, a pen light flicking in her eyes. “Hillary, can you hear me?” Hillary barely nodded. The merest tilt of her head caused tormenting vibrations in her skull. She blinked, clearing her vision of tears. The man’s eyes were the color of water off the coast of Bermuda.

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From where she laid, they looked so deep you could get lost in them. How unusual, she thought as her eyes drifted to his mouth. A perfectly chiseled upper lip with the most sensual bottom lip she’d every seen. Why did she know what it tasted like? How could she possibly know? “Is she going to be all right?” Christian asked. “Well, I want her to go up to X-ray. I’m positive she has a concussion. I don’t think anything is broken though.” Doctor Cassidy made a few scribbles on a chart and passed it to a nurse. Christian reached out and brushed back a long tendril of her chocolate hair. His knuckles brushed her cheek in the gesture. The soft touch gentled the agony in Hillary’s head. Her eyes widened in surprise. “Dr. Tennyson, I called Joe for you. He’s on his way.” Becky, one of the night supervisors told her. Joe? Hillary considered a moment. That guy cracked her on the head harder than she thought. How could she forget Joe, her boyfriend for the past two years? Hillary’s lip twisted into a grimace. What a good sign, most women would cry out for their husbands and boyfriends after such an assault. The orderlies returned with the man who attacked her on a cart. They wheeled him past her. Hillary cringed mentally and curled up into herself. “He’s dead,” one of the young men said. “Stabbed in the chest.” Hillary cried softly as the man’s body went down to the morgue. She didn’t remember the knife. Or stabbing him. “A wolf--” she whispered. Christian bent over her, in a quieting manner. “Hush now, little one. You’ve had quite a scare.” Hillary gazed up into his gleaming eyes. “Who are you?” She licked her parched, tear stained lips. Her voice cracked in her ears, even though the murmur barely formed sound. “My name is Christian Blackthorne. I live on the hill around the other side of the hospital past Summerlin.” Christian spoke softly, noticing how she cringed at loud noises around the emergency room. Blackthorne, Hillary recalled the name. Christian Blackthorne was a very well known artist. As famous for his paintings as he was for seeking solitude, he moved to Las Vegas several years ago from New York City. Hillary remembered a few of his painting of old England from a gallery she visited last month. The man held exceptional talent and his paintings sold like hotcakes. “Mr. Blackthorne, I’m sorry but Dr. Tennyson needs to go up to X-ray.” An orderly approached, taking the cart Hillary laid on and turning toward an elevator. “Thank you.” Hillary whispered to her savior as she rolled to the elevator. “Mr. Blackthorne,” Doctor Cassidy motioned him to where the armed police officers stood. “These officers need your statement for their report. They’ll take Dr. Tennyson’s when she comes back

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from X-ray.” Christian nodded. He willingly cooperated with the authorities at any time they asked. For Hillary Tennyson’s sake and those of his own kind, it would be best to answer all of their questions. Even the unspoken ones. Christian left St. Anne’s twenty minutes later and headed for home.

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CHAPTER TWO

The mansion on the hillside rose in the fog like a castle from a gothic novel. Christian bought it immediately on sight. It’d belonged to some magicians who performed on the Strip and decided they needed a larger property for their menagerie. Secluded and large enough for him not to get bored with confining walls. Surrounded by massive old trees, a large garden with many night blooms and a pond with lilies that bloomed only when the heat of the day vanished. Christian sat outside by the garden listening to the crickets and watching the fog shift and twirl through the roses. He sat there for several hours not wishing to waste the night. Not in the mood to paint, his thoughts remained with the woman, Hillary Tennyson. Instinctively, he told himself it was just because of the taste; sweet like apricot brandy, yet much more powerful and alluring. It drew him, calling him back to her. Christian got to his feet, walking around the edge of the pond. He could return to her easily. As it was, he sensed she dreamt of him even now. He left her beckoning him with gentle deception. “What you did tonight was not wise?” Christian looked up, half expecting to find her standing before him. What power did this woman possess? With a deep breath, he calmed himself allowing the images of Hillary to fade. Whatever it was she sought, she would not find it with him. Then he turned his gaze on his brother, Draigon. “Were you watching?” “How could I miss you? Driving yourself into the pretty girl in a bed of flowers where anyone might stumble across you.” Determined, he strode into the house suddenly in the mood for sleep. “You’re just sorry you didn’t find her first.”

When he woke, he would resume his painting and forget all about Hillary

Tennyson. Christian stopped with his hand on the front door. There were things in this life that couldn’t change. Christian learned that long, long ago. The Renegades refused to. Their damn stupidity might cause trouble for all of his kind. The last thing Vegas needed was a vampire hunter. This time though an alert about Hillary Tennyson attracted their attention. Depending on how persistent the woman was, it might be the death of him yet.

The nurse’s station, a buzz with talk of the infamous artist, nearly smothered Hillary with their

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good intentions. Until Joe rushed in, all she heard were ooohs and aaahs of Christian Blackthorne. Hillary lay partially elevated in her hospital bed with crisp linens drawn up under her breasts. Dr. Joe Henlee blanched when he looked at Hillary. “Babe, are you okay?” He rushed over to her, concern in his brown eyes. “A little better,” Hillary murmured. She absolutely hated it when he called her ‘babe’ because they hadn’t dated in eight months. She called it quits pretty fast, Joe just wasn’t her kind of guy. Joe pulled up a chair and sat next to her bed. He knew nothing prepared him for the sight of Hillary. Her eye would turn black and blue, no doubt. “Didn’t they put stitches in that?” he barely touched her cheek, drawing back with Hillary’s wince. “No, it’s only superficial.” Actually, it hadn’t hurt until he touched it. Joe nodded, not convinced though. “Damn Hillary, what did I tell you about working late? You should never come out of this place alone at night.” Hillary knew he was right. He was only worried about her well-being, but at the moment, she didn’t need I told you so’s. She wanted to go home, get in bed, and forget the entire thing. Her head still throbbed, her body felt achy and hot. Her skin tingled as if touched by a lightning rod. Oddly, her pussy tightened at the thought of a lightning rod. She nearly grinned, she was wet and it had nothing to do with Joe. More with the sexy guy the nurses claimed brought her into the hospital. Speaking of nurses, they promised to bring her something to eat forty minutes ago and she was famished. Joe watched her with an odd expression so she asked, “Did they find my briefcase?” “What? Oh, I didn’t think to ask, Babe. One of the cops said he wanted to talk to you again when you calmed down.” “I’ll talk to him now if he’s still here.” This is as calm as it gets right now, she thought. “Are you sure? He said you were kind of out of it and wanted to give you a chance to rest.” Hillary sighed, “Gee Joe, I don’t know why. Some maniac tried to kill me. Not much to get upset about.” Joe held his hand up. “Take it easy, Hillary. I’m not the bad guy.” He got to his feet. “Tell you what, I’ll go get him, okay?” “Please. And Joe, find out where my food is, will you?” “Sure, Honey.” He leaned over to kiss her and halted well above her cracked lips. He dropped a brief kiss on her forehead instead. “Be back soon.” Hillary watched him leave with weariness. What had she expected? It was part of the reason they weren’t together, Joe wasn’t the kind of man she needed. She understood that most men didn’t know how to handle a woman that’d been attacked very well, right? She got the distinct impression Joe didn’t like his possessions being mussed. And that’s was another

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reason, Hillary wasn’t anyone’s possession and damn she loved sex and a rough bounce occasionally. That offended Joe’s refined sensibilities. Her entire life flashed before her without a completed picture. There were so many things she wanted to accomplish before she died. Luckily, she received the chance. Inhaling deeply, she made an effort to calm her pounding heart and stop her palms from sweating. She wiped them on the sheets as two police officers came into the room. “Dr. Tennyson, we won’t be long.” The woman officer appeared to be in her mid-thirties with a splash of freckles across her cheeks. “I’m Mari Kent. This is Officer McGwinn.” The young man smiled cordially. “Did you find my briefcase?” Hillary asked before they could start their questioning. “Yes, we did. We put it with your keys at the front desk. I’m sure they’ll see you get it when you leave the hospital.” Officer Kent told her while withdrawing a notepad. “One of the officers who took your statement earlier noted that you said you saw a wolf attack your assailant.” “That’s correct.” “Wolves aren’t exactly indigenous to the coastline. You were under extreme circumstances, doctor. The man who attacked you was wanted for several rapes in the area. You were very lucky and very brave.” “Wh-what do you mean?” Hillary’s heart plummeted on hearing the man was indeed a rapist. She knew she luckily escaped, but bravery she didn’t feel; fear more like it. An overwhelming shadowing fear that she couldn’t lift. “Mr. Blackthorne said he saw you jerk the man’s knife away. When he tried to get it back, he fell on his own knife.” “You found a knife?” Both officers looked a bit taken aback. “Of course we did.” McGwinn answered. Hillary nodded, detached. “We’ll let you get some rest, Doctor. I’m going to leave this pamphlet on the nightstand. There are some phone numbers for victim assistance if you need them.” She watched the two police officers leave with a multitude of questions in her eyes. A knife. Hillary tried desperately to recall it. She couldn’t. There had been no knife. But, she would swear there had been a wolf, not indigenous to the area. Maybe a wolf that liked the nightlife. Hillary groaned. Hallucinations weren’t in her repertoire. Closing her eyes, she mechanically relived the entire incident. She felt her attacker’s sweaty hands close around her. The scene replayed itself over and over until Hillary felt herself cry out on the verge of hysteria. Then, she remembered the angel. Oh man, was that some sort of defense mechanism? She found

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that hard to believe. That cock was so hard and real and shit, if she had the chance, she’d fuck him again. Her eyes snapped open, focusing on the bland hospital walls. She was safe, she repeated again and again so that her heartbeat and respiration finally calmed. “Hey Babe, you’re awake.” Joe walked in carrying a tray with soup and a small salad on it in one hand and a bottle of iced tea in the other. “This is all I could scrounge up.” He sat the tray down in front of her and adjusted the bed and pillow so she could eat comfortably. Then, he opened the bottle of tea and passed it over to her. “I want to apologize for the way I acted before.” Hillary regarded him with the soupspoon just below her lips. “What do you mean?” Joe shrugged, obviously uncomfortable. “I just acted kind of weird when I saw you. I wasn’t expecting, well, you know.” “My face to be injured?” Hillary sipped at the vegetable soup, amazed at how good hospital food could taste when you were starving, though she had to make a deliberate effort to stop her hand from shaking. Joe’s lips twisted to an uncharacteristic frown. “I didn’t mean it like that.” When Hillary didn’t comment, Joe pursed his lips together in thought. “Look, Dr. Cassidy says you’ll be ready to go home tomorrow. They just want to keep you tonight for observation. I’ve got the early shift in the morning, so how about I pick you up around four-thirty?” “Thanks, Joe, but I’ve got my car here. I want to leave when they release me so I can go home and get some rest. I think I’ll take a couple of days off.” Hillary convinced him easily enough. “Okay, sounds good. You could use a few days off anyway. I’ll give you a call tomorrow night and see how you’re feeling.” He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and waved good-bye. “Joe, that isn’t necessary. Really. I’m fine just a bit banged up.” His expression clouded, then he nodded and left. “Take care.” Hillary finished her bowl of soup and sat the tray aside. She wished she remembered to ask him to bring her briefcase in. Thinking about work would keep her mind off the attacker. Then again, she could also let her mind drift about the dangerously sexy Blackthorne who she knew in her soul she’d had mindblowing sex with Hillary smiled. Just the mere thought of him managed to cause her pulse to race. Oh well, such were the things daydreams sprung from. Rubbing the side of her temple, Hillary began clicking through her research she committed to memory. The blood sample. The tests; she conducted them repeatedly, no errors. Out of her entire field of samples, the sixth antigen only existed in one. She must find the donor of that one. Hillary picked up the telephone and dialed a line out. True, the hour might be late, but Dexter would still be awake.

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“Hell-o,” came the cheery greeting. Amazing! Dexter must be the perkiest young man on the planet. Possibly one of the most brilliant. “Dexter, it’s Hillary.” “Hi, Doctor. Kind of late for you to be up, isn’t it?” “Well, I ran into some trouble this evening.” Immediate anxiety crackled across the line. “Are you okay? You don’t sound yourself.” “I was uh, attacked leaving the hospital this evening.” “Geez!” Dexter shouted into the telephone. “Are you okay? Do you want me to come down there?” Hillary lifted the receiver away from her ear. “Yes, and no. Yes, because I want you to pull the files of all the donors on the experiments we’ve been working on. I need everything we have on number eight, one, five, thirteen.” “Sure, Doctor. I’ll be right down and I’ve got some news.” “Okay, great. Dexter?” “Yeah?” “I’m fine,” Hillary whispered raggedly. “Not yet, Doctor. But you will be.” Dexter hung up.

“Forgive me for disturbing your rest.” Hilary twitched, startled from her light slumber. She glanced at the digital alarm clock beside her bed. She had just called Dexter twenty minutes ago. Her gaze focused on her visitor and she knew she could only be dreaming. Christian Blackthorne stood next to her bedside, still dressed in a resplendent black suit, crisply pressed, with a high-collared white silk shirt. Devastating and very Old World. Her eyes widened in surprise. “I didn’t expect to see you again,” she softly murmured. “Again, I ask your apology.” He tilted his dark head slightly as his words danced around her ears. “I wanted to make certain you were recovering fully from your ordeal.” Hillary didn’t know what to say. “That’s very nice of you.” Not even Joe exuded this much charm, even when he kicked it on to impress people. Hillary’s pale rose lips turned into a smile. Christian Blackthorne reminded her of the men she used to read about in high school. The kind that didn’t exist in the real world. Christian watched the smile and returned the favor she bestowed upon him.

He would be

mistaken to think her a delicate, frail beauty such as the irises blooming in his garden. Odd how she

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effected him this way. He shouldn’t explore this fascination but he sorely lacked willpower and as he suspected, he wanted to be inside her again as he lay in his bed at home, her beauty haunted him until his only alternative was to come. “You realize we have yet to have a proper introduction. I’m afraid you were still in shock when we met before.” Hillary pushed herself up in the hospital bed, drawing the starched linen up with her. Acutely aware of her tussled straw colored hair and the hospital gown, Hillary experienced a wave of selfconsciousness. “I look terrible,” she muttered apologetically. “You look like a woman who survived a horrendous ordeal.” His resonant tone reassured her with hypnotic tranquility. “I’m Hillary Tennyson.” Christian extended his hand, “A doctor I’m told.” Hillary lifted her hand to his. The clasp was firm and cool. “A pleasure.” Warmth and heat seeped into Christian’s hand as he held the woman’s. The searing pulse wrapped around his hand and into his arm. “I’m Christian Blackthorne.” The heat became too much and he abruptly released her. That aqua blue seemed more pronounced in his eyes standing in the dimly lit room. “An artist I’m told.” Again a smile, Hillary couldn’t help herself. The light flirtation did wonders for her bruises. “Actually, Mr. Blackthorne, I’m very familiar with your work.” A slashing brow lifted.

Christian moved closer to the bedside.

“I’m intrigued as well as

flattered.” Folding her hands on her lap, Hillary watched him move closer. Like a moth drawn to a flame, she felt herself pull closer to his magnetic presence. “Not flattery, I can assure you. You are an incredibly gifted artist.” “My dear lady, you do honor me with the tribute. However, in more ways than not, aren’t those of your profession truly artists?’ Christian picked up her hands and held them in his own. Deliberately, he allowed no heat this time to invade him. “You give life with these hands. You ponder mysteries as old as time at the level of creation. You seek to bring different interpretations to your discoveries. Isn’t that art?” Having never considered medicine an art, Hillary found the comparison a stretch. Yet, the more she thought about it, the more it became plausible. “I suppose, if you look at it that way, you could be right.” What sort of intensity inspired art that he created, Hillary wondered. There lurked something brilliantly imaginative beneath his charm and polish. “Hillary, I am never wrong.” Raising up her hands, he brushed them with his soft cool lips.

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Hillary bit back a gasp filled with surprise and secret delight. “I should let you sleep.” He released her hands and started toward the door, but not before giving her a backward glance. The power in the depths of his eyes enveloped her. Heat fused itself throughout her entire being. She had never experienced such a chemical reaction from any man. If this were some sort of delusion, she’d gladly pay for it in the morning with a tremendous headache. “It was nice meeting you, Mr. Blackthorne, but you were more fun the other night” She wondered if he’d heard her, she didn’t mean to say that aloud. But she wasn’t into the cultured charm affected by some men, she liked them a bit hard to handle. Christian paused before opening the door, “The pleasure was entirely mine.” He left slowly and quietly, and apparently more than a bit unwilling. Hillary leaned back against the pillow and sighed contently. Just the short visit lifted her fears, soothing her even though he never mentioned the attack. Thank God, he’d happened along when he did but after talking to him, she knew their flowerbed encounter was nothing but her over active imagination. The way he acted while he was talking to her made Hillary wonder if he wasn’t gay. “Hi, Doctor. How are you feeling?” Dexter poked his head in the room and slipped quickly inside. “You know, they’re guarding you like crazy. Visiting hours are over and they’re not taking any chances. I had to wait until everyone was busy before sneaking in here.” He closed the door quietly behind him and walked over to Hillary. “They let Christian Blackthorne in.” Hillary said looking eagerly at the files Dexter had in his arms “Who?” Dexter sat the files on the bedside table. “Christian Blackthorne, the artist. You had to have seen him in the hallway. He left right before you got here.” “I didn’t see anyone. Besides, the nurses wouldn’t have let anyone in anyway. I just told you, I had to sneak in here.” Dexter flipped open a couple of the files. “I’d better hurry. If they catch me, I’m dead. They sent samples down to the lab accidentally last night from your assault. I’m pretty sure they were supposed to go to the crime lab but in all the hubbub, they came to me and I ran them.” “You’re sure you didn’t see him? Tall, dark hair, very good-looking?” Dexter placed a couple of open files in her lap. He grinned with youthful good humor. “Oh, I’m sorry I missed such a specimen. But, I’ve got something better, another match for you. The guy that attacked you had the same strand in his blood.” Hillary growled under her breath. “Very funny.” Christian probably snuck in the same way Dexter had. What a nice gesture. A man she hardly knew found it necessary to sneak into her room to

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check on her. Perhaps charming, intelligent, romantic men did exist after all. “This is all I could find on your mystery attacker.” Dexter pointed to the profile sheet on the first file. Hillary read all of it. This was just too damned weird. She didn’t know that man. Yet they shared some commonalty in their blood. Weird and a little creepy. She wasn’t sure she needed to tell Dexter any of this. “This isn’t going to help.” She pushed the files aside. Sun crept across the sky and Hillary was suddenly exhausted. It’d been a busy night, after all. Dexter watched with a bemused expression. “Maybe you should tell me what we’re looking for with this?” “He just walked in and donated a sample?” Dexter shook his head. “No way. You know they did the screening for this across the entire country. I’m not even sure which lab did the sampling.” Dexter gathered up the files. “Besides, you know as well as I do, all the sampling they did was confidential. No one signed releases for their identity to be released after the testing.” A single tear burned down Hillary’s cheek. “Oh well, so much for my article in the New England Journal of Medicine, my Pulitzer Prize, and my brilliant research career.” Dexter saw the tear and swallowed hard. He never could handle seeing a girl cry, even when it was his boss. “Dr. Tennyson, relax will you? You’re all upset over what happened tonight. Things will look better in the morning.” “Dexter Hamble!” One of the on-duty nurses shouted as the door swung open. “I can’t believe you’re in here at this hour! Get your junk and get yourself out of here before I throw you out.” Dexter scooped up the remaining files giving Hillary a wink. “Yes, Nurse Amery. I’m terribly sorry. I know I shouldn’t have bothered Dr. Tennyson.” “Get going. Now!” The door closed quickly on the two. Hillary could hear the nurse berating Dexter all the way down the hall. She laughed. Dexter was such a terrible liar. He would be in the doghouse for weeks with Nurse Amery. Settling back against the pillow, Hillary closed her eyes. Thoughts darted through her brain like speeding trains through the city underground. The assault on her weighed heavily. She couldn’t, for the life of her, recall a knife. But why would Christian Blackthorne lie about something like that? He hadn’t seen the wolf, had he? At least, he didn’t mention seeing the lupine. And if he had seen the animal, surely he would have said something to the police. Hillary rubbed her temples gingerly. Too much to consider at such a late hour. Exhaustion swam beside her sucking her into its depths. She needed that file on the man who

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CHAPTER THREE

Goths lived solely for their connection to his kind. They emulated, sought him and the others out as if they were rock stars. This night, Christian didn’t care where food came from. He took hold of a boy with spiked hair and wrapped his fingers around his neck. The young man jerked only once from fear, and then settled comfortably against him. Christian drank briefly from the tantalizing elixir. Only enough to appease the hunger, and then he released the male. He gripped the other more tightly drinking from him none too gently. Before he left, he created in both their minds very pleasant evening for the young men he walked down to the edge of the lake and sat upon a large, smooth stone gazing at the moon. A cricket chirping in the distance and the tingle of a mild breeze drifting through the leaves were oddly comforting. “So! This is how I find the great Christian Blackthorne, Defender of the Innocent, Champion of the Night.” The words drifted through the trees with biting derision. Christian whirled around, coming eye to eye with Sinclair Drayloch. “How dare you?” Sinclair’s thin lips turned upward. “You, who speak nothing but praise for our species, do not even kill your victims. How would the Guardians feel if they knew you were out saving young women in the light of the moon instead of killing them by it?” Christian felt anger burn into his throat, but refused the provocation by this whelp who led the Renegades. “You know as well as I that we do not need to kill.” Sinclair turned his head slightly, glancing out across the water. “But it is our way, though. You fight for our traditions, Christian.” “Perhaps.” “Then why do you not hunt, Golden One, as tradition speaks we should?” Sinclair’s dark green eyes bore into Christian’s with unspoken animosity. “I find no need to kill just for the sake of doing so.” Christian’s cheeks tightened as Sinclair laughed coldly. “I am surprised you still live considering your abhorrence to your existence. Speaking of the Guardians, do they know of your latest little ploy?” “I can’t choose who will follow me.” Christian noticed Sinclair frowned as he sorted things through that maniacal brain of his. Sinclair’s laughter ceased. “What are you talking about?” “I’m referring to your scheme trying to get the attention of a medical doctor. Do you think

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perhaps she can cure you? Is that what this is all about?” Sinclair Drayloch experienced an odd, sour feeling in the pit of what used to be his stomach courtesy of Christian Sinclair’s lungs, which had not inhaled oxygen in ages, nearly collapsed from the swift intake of breath. “Who told you of this?” The younger man shifted his weight from side to side, combing his fingers through long auburn hair. “Who told you?” Christian stared, unable to believe the younger’s stupidity. “What did you do, Sinclair?” “You seem to already know what I have done. Why repeat the obvious?” Christian stepped back, away from Sinclair to avoid smacking him across the jaw. “Tell me one of your followers was killed last night, did you know?” The words contained an eternity of threats which Christian would enjoy carrying out. The younger man remained a constant source of aggravation. The youth seemed bent on self-destruction in recent years. Christian knew not the reason for the younger man’s turmoil, nor did he care to know. He did care, however, when some fledging decided to choose the fate for all of his species merely because he felt some displaced loyalty to humanity. “I gave a blood sample.” “You did what?” Certainly, he merely misunderstood the youngster. Christian stepped closer and repeated his question. The answer followed the same and Christian felt anger, frustration and utter confusion by it. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” “I am trying to get my life back. You may enjoy this existence, but I do not.” “You are a fool.” Sinclair shrugged, “Perhaps.” “What else have you done?” “That is all,” Sinclair said firmly. “I think there is more which you are not telling me.” Christian reached out and grasped a lock of Sinclair’s beautiful hair. He twisted it between his fingers. “What else have you done to endanger us, fledgling?” Sinclair swallowed. He understood now he never should have baited someone as powerful as Blackthorne. The man could crush the breath out of him with the tiniest movement. “I placed an antigen in the blood to call attention to it.” Christian jerked the man’s hair sharply and backed him up against a tree. “What are you talking about? There is no antigen in our blood that differentiates us from humans?” “I know. But I needed something that would make it stand out. I can’t be like this, Christian. I cannot live like this.” Sinclair sighed raggedly. “I had hoped they would seek me out, but they have not. It must have been overlooked. So there, you have nothing to be worried about.”

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Christian’s eyes glittered crystalline at the foolish lad. “I should kill you now.” “It would be better than this half-life I lead.” “Perhaps, Sinclair, you should have researched more carefully before asking to become one of us.” With that, Christian vanished leaving Sinclair.

“So that’s it, end of story?” Madison lifted her fork with shrimp Caesar salad on it to her perfectly red lips. Hillary nodded, sipping at the wine cooler. “That’s it. Christian Blackthorne brought me into the hospital The hospital staff took wonderful care of me and I was released this morning.” Madison stopped chewing. “Christian Blackthorne, the artist?” Tearing off a piece of home backed sourdough bread, Hillary popped it into her mouth. “Umhmm.” Considering this, Madison picked her way through the salad looking for some other bits of shrimp. She looked at her friend with a cat-like smile, “Since you don’t want to tell me about the assault, how was Blackthorne?” “I’m not sure I understand the question.” Madison gave a lilting laugh, a tinkling of delicate silver bells. “Of course you understand the question, Hillary, but let me spell it out for you. Was he as gorgeous as everyone who’s seen him says?” Finally, Madison made Hillary smile. “Incredible is a good word.” Stabbing a shrimp camouflaged by romaine, Madison eyed it with anticipation. “And does the word apply to him?” “You might say that.” Hillary bit back a breath of a sigh. Directing her attention to the wonderful fillet of red snapper, she savored the subtle flavor. “Madison, I swear I’ve never met anyone like him. I even dreamt about him last night in the hospital.” Madison didn’t say it, but “sure beats the hell out of that loser Joe” Hillary could see it tease the tip of her tongue. “What kind of dream?” She confined herself to the safer topic. A smile relaxed Hillary filling her with warmth and the delightfully raw-edged humor of Madison. “Not what you’re thinking.” “Oh, damn.” “You’re terrible, Madison.” Hillary’s laughter sounded normal, not strained in her own ears. “So if it wasn’t the good stuff, tell me what it was.” “Just that he came into my room to check on me, to make sure I was okay.” Hillary’s eyes sparkled with the memory. Hillary hesitated a moment, Madison was her best friend and they always told

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each other of their nights out. “I think I fucked him out in the garden.” Madison shrugged, obviously disappointed it hadn’t been something juicer then choked on a piece of salad, and hurriedly reached for her drink.

“I’m sorry, did you just say you fucked Christian

Blackthorne?” Hillary let the heat from the memory briefly entice her before answering. “I’m pretty sure it was a result of the concussion. But then, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t think it was until Dexter came in.” “Dexter was there?” This brought a note of distaste to the conversation. “How did he get in your dream?” “He wasn’t in my dream, Madison.” Hillary took another sip of the wine. “He came in right after Christian left. He said he didn’t see anyone in the hall and that visiting hours were over. He had to sneak into my room, so I just assumed I had dreamt about Christian instead of actually seeing him.” “Mmm-hmm.” “Now, what is that supposed to mean?” “Nothing.” Madison picked up her wine glass and twirled it in her fingers. “Madison!” The cat-like smile returned along with nasty stare. “Suppose I told you I have tickets for Mr. Blackthorne’s next show.” “You’re kidding?” Hillary couldn’t be sure if Madison yanked her chain or not. “Honey, I’ve been trying to get you away from no-show Joe for years. Now, I have the perfect opportunity. Besides, you might get another shot with his cock at the show.” Madison finished the remainder of her salad toying with the idea of dessert. “Do you want to go or not?” That was about as blunt as you got. Hillary swallowed her last bit of snapper critically analyzing the question. Yes! Practically screamed in her head. The man was everything Joe was not. At least, he appeared to be. “Hillary?” “I’m thinking about it!” Hillary’s head snapped up. She looked roughly from Madison to the young man beside their table. “He wants to know if you want the chocolate cheesecake, too.” Madison murmured in a polite stage whisper. “What? Oh, yes. That would be fine.” The young man nodded. “Oh, don’t forget the raspberry sauce,” Madison called after him. Hillary dipped her head, faintly embarrassed by her musings. The man would undoubtedly not even remember her. Was she willing to take the chance? Who knows? Maybe he could be the one. The

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one from all her childhood fantasies. Firmly, Hillary forced that out of her mind. The type of man she longed for did not exist. She knew it from previous experience. But, why not take the risk? Just this once… “I’ll go.” “I never had a doubt.”

Hillary wiped a bead of perspiration trickling down her cheek. What in the hell was going on? How could it not be human? She had drawn her own blood. “You’re not just kidding me, are you, Alyssa?” “I don’t kid about this sort of thing, Hillary.” Hillary inhaled sharply, what was this, some sort of prank? Alyssa was too professional to lie about anything like that. “Can you send everything back as soon as possible? I want to run some more tests.” “Sure, Hillary. I’ll give it to a messenger right away. Are you going to tell me how you did this?” Hillary sighed, “When I figure it out for myself.” Hours spun into days and weeks as she began to unravel the mystery in front of her. It came back to her and this sample that appeared out of nowhere. She would swear they were related, her, her attacker and this latest sample. Astonishment rifled her system glazing over her pale eyes and turning her stomach into a launch pad for her heart. What was going on? She got up and walked back into the lab. Who would perpetuate such an elaborate prank and why? Hillary rubbed her temples, riddling her brain with possibilities. Nothing made any sense. First, she had a mystery antigen. Then, she didn’t. In the beginning, it was only in her blood. Now, there were three. She supposed it should make her feel better. She wasn’t some sort of freak of nature. Now, she was the proud owner of a sample of DNA, which although drawn from a human, wasn’t a human. She felt as if she had just stepped into an episode of The X-Files. Only problem was, she didn’t have the luxury of two highly trained, unflappable FBI agents. It had to be a joke. That was the only reasonable alternative. Someone was getting a great laugh at her expense and spending a shit load of research money. Hillary shook her head slowly. But, it simply had to be a joke. It just had to, because the alternative frightened the daylights out of her. Dexter sauntered into the lab. “All done, Dr. Tennyson. What do you want me to do next?” Hillary whirled around pierced ears, tattoos and exotic clothing, Dexter just fell into the Goth existence practically overnight. And that friend of his that seemed to captivate him made her a bit

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nervous. “Dexter, is Sinclair still at the hotel you put him up in?” “No.” Why should that surprise her? If you expected the ordinary, you got the insane. “Where is he?” Dexter shrugged, “Staying at some friend’s house, I guess.” Sullen, nearly morose, wasn’t a typical Dexter response. “Call him and tell him to get his body down here. We can all go out for a beer or something.” Dexter jerked, arching both brows. “I can’t.” “Why not?” Hillary caught herself in a mixture of frustration and burgeoning anger. Dexter had become increasingly unsociable since his alliance with Sinclair a trait that Hillary did not care for. “I told you, Doctor, Sinclair stays up all night and he sleeps days. I don’t want to wake him.” Hillary looked at the clock. “Gee, Dexter. It’s a quarter to four, I think we can risk it.” “I’ll call him but no one will answer.” Dexter started out the door. “Then leave a message, Dexter.” Hillary could not believe it. Did Sinclair think he was some sort of mole? For Pete’s sake, he hadn’t been working since she brought him up from San Diego. If he had found it necessary to party all night, he could do it on someone else’s time. “Umm, Dr. Tennyson,” Dexter stuck his head back in the door. “Yes, Dexter?” Hillary tried reorganizing her work spread out in the lab. Starting with picking up all the files. Dexter walked back in, “This just came for you.” Hillary looked up and Dexter handed her a single large, blood red rose. Attached to the dethorned stem were a ribbon and a card. Hillary took the rose gently in her hand. Dexter beat a hasty withdrawal not wanting anymore of the boss on the warpath. The warm scent of the rose streamed into her nostrils with its delicate perfume. Hillary did not want to open the card. Damn it, she took Madison’s advice and had not thought about Christian Blackthorne all day. She didn’t need him. She didn’t need any man who fought commitment or even the opportunity for it. Hillary slipped the small white card from its envelope. The black ink delivered a bold script. Hillary’s resolve wobbled when she read: “Can I make you come again sometime?” Signed in a beautiful stroke, simply: Christian.

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CHAPTER FOUR

The messenger dropped the DNA test results off and Hillary found herself engrossed by the information. Her brain tumbled the data like a rock polisher. The news boggled her, tore at her sense of normality. If she wasn’t staring at the sequencing herself she would swear it were a hoax. Amidst this chaos, she thought of Christian’s rose. Sitting next to her on the desk, it gave her an ardent tickle from the bottom of her toes all the way to the center of her chest. She wanted to call him, thank him for the gesture, but she didn’t know his number and right now and her focus on Sinclair and her own bizarre DNA kept her from lingering on that delicious male She looked at her watch. Dexter hadn’t been kidding. She expected Sinclair to call her back by now or show up and he hadn’t. She clutched the test results. Dear God, what did these results mean? Hillary tugged at her hair. Not human! How could DNA not be human? Sinclair was human and so was she as Hillary got to her feet, a shudder rippled through her. She rubbed her arms trying to warm her suddenly freezing body. He was human, wasn’t he? Hillary took a deep breath. She let her imagination get carried away there, not a good idea. There was a simple explanation here. Mutated genes occurred in a variety of ways, over exposure to a chemical or even the prolonged exposure to X-rays. That might explain the fear Sinclair had to being X-rayed. It sounded good. It sounded scientific, logical. Yes, that was the kind of answer she wanted to this. Something scientific and precise. Something she could explain. Hillary picked up the test results and stuffed them back in the envelope. She waited around long enough for Sinclair. It was late, she was tired, and her mind clouded with weariness she grabbed her purse and shook off the lab coat. With her keys in hand, she locked the office and the lab up tight, taking the DNA tests with her. She could continue going over them at home. She stepped out into the corridor and headed for the elevator. Suddenly, an overwhelming rush of fear covered and nearly suffocated her. Hillary froze in the hallway, glancing around like a startled rabbit. Someone was watching her. She couldn’t see anyone else in the hallway, couldn’t hear anyone. Hillary moved quickly to the elevator and pressed the button. The feeling closed in on her. She whirled around and found herself staring at the wall. No one was there, she was just jumpy. The elevator opened and she walked inside. The door closed behind her giving her a measure of security.

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Hillary clutched the test results as the elevator started downward. Remember, an over active imagination. She heard pounded in her chest. Calm down, no one was around. There was nobody watching. The elevator door opened and she rushed out headlong into the chest of Sinclair Drayloch. Hillary jumped, jerking backward and losing her balance. Sinclair caught her and straightened her up. “Dr. Tennyson, I was just on my way up to see you.” Hillary stared at him, then down at her test results. She pulled her arms free and stepped away. “Sinclair, you startled me.” Sinclair’s eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing,” Hillary shook her head, taking a cleansing breath. It pulled her in, sucking her mind up in the fantastic. Settle down, logical explanation, remember? Hillary turned, moving away from Sinclair into the foyer of the hospital. “Something’s frightened you. It wasn’t me, was it? I’m sorry, but you came off that elevator like a bat out of hell.” Sinclair followed her. Fear practically rippled off her body, and it didn’t seem to be easing either. It appeared to be gaining a strong hold and she needed to get out of the hospital. She really wanted to see Christian again, she felt safe with him, and sexier than she’d ever felt in her entire life. Hillary looked at him with pale, shimmering eyes. “Do you know what these are, Sinclair?” She held up the envelope. Sinclair shook his head. “I don’t have a clue.” “I had a colleague of mine run DNA tests on the blood sample you gave. She’s an expert in genetics.” Hillary made the accusation known and a light dawned in Sinclair’s green eyes. “She did the whole nine yards, Sinclair, and guess what?” Hillary’s voice rose in defiant sarcasm. “What?” “You’re not human!” Hillary took a breath. There she said it, and without an ounce of hysterical laughter. Sinclair wasn’t laughing either. What was worse, he did not look in the least bit surprised by her revelation. He took several steps toward her, his index finger across his mouth trying to silence her. “Dr. Tennyson…” “Didn’t you hear me?” Hillary regarded him, feeling the skin along her face tighten making her expression rigidly composed. “I just said you weren’t human.” Sinclair took her arm. “I heard you. We need to talk about this in private.” He led her out the front door of the hospital and out onto the grounds. He didn’t release Hillary until they were well out of earshot on the front lawn of the hospital. “What kind of test was this? What did it do?” His voice

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became tense with anticipation. The night seemed warm against Hillary’s cool cheeks. Almost stuffy without the normal breeze from the sea. The faint scent of freshly mowed grass teased her nostrils making them itch. Crickets chirped from nearby brush. They were the only witnesses to the exchange out on the lawn. Except for the wolf watching them from across the parking lot. Wolf? She shook her head, blinked and settled her gaze on the amber reflection in the wolf’s eyes. He cocked his head and seemed to listen to there conversation. Wasn’t that interesting? She picked up a pet wolf. This one seemed to have darker fur though than the one from the other night. Hillary stared. That was it. Forcing her attention back to Sinclair, she understood why he wasn’t surprised. He didn’t have a clue as to what she was talking about. “A DNA test is sort of like a map code. It tells you exactly what the person or organism is made up of in a broad sense.” “And mine was different?” “My God, Sinclair! Haven’t you heard a word I said? The DNA, your DNA, is not human.” Hillary pulled out a sheet of paper. “See this, the strand is off. It’s close but not for a human.” She shoved the paper practically under his nose. “Now, would you like to tell me what sort of a game you’re playing and why?” Sinclair pushed the paper away. The lines of numbers meant nothing to him. “It’s no game.” “Oh, so the fact that you don’t carry human DNA and that the entire strand is full of mutant genes isn’t some sort of sick joke.” Hillary launched her words in a full frontal assault. Sinclair didn’t understand the medical aspect, but it sounded as if she had isolated the change. He shook his head, “I’m afraid you’ll have to spell it out for me.” Hillary stuck a finger in his chest, absolutely enraged. “No, Sinclair, you explain it to me. First, you donate blood that contains an antigen. The antigen never recurs because you’ve told me it won’t. You resubmit blood. Then I do everyday testing on you and come up with the most bizarre readings I’ve ever seen.” Hillary glared up at him, boiling over. “I have never in my entire life seen anything like this. I‘m thinking I’m losing my mind over stress or something, so I go for an expert opinion and send the blood over to my colleague who now thinks I’m Frankenstein creating some unknown life form.” Her voice dropped to a thin slivery threat. “I suggest you tell me what the hell’s going on before I call someone who will want to slit you open and find out why you are walking around.” The wolf emitted a low, menacing growl and rose off its haunches. Sinclair ignored the animal and turned agitated eyes to Hillary. “Can you cure me?”

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“Cure you?” Flabbergasted, Hillary’s eyebrows soared. “Sinclair, I don’t even know what the hell is wrong with you,” she shouted back at him. Was he deaf or just completely dense to what she tried to tell him? The blossoms from the fruit trees farther out on the grounds enveloped her with their heavy perfume. The silken around them echoed uncomfortably in the sticky night. The humidity must be off the scale. Hillary pushed up the sleeves of her blouse feeling much too warm. “You said it was some type of genetic mutation.” Sinclair looked around hoping the doctor’s voice didn’t carry far. “Yes. Every single one of the genes has been altered. Would you care to tell me how before I decide to do my own cutting?” “I can’t.” The wolf padded closer and Sinclair took several steps back. “What do you mean, you can’t?” Hillary flung at him, waving the envelope. “Don’t you know how it happened?” “Of course I know.” Sinclair mumbled under his breath. Hillary’s ears tuned to a razor’s edge. She looked over at the wolf and back at Sinclair. He moved farther away, ready to run at any second. She wiped a flyaway strand of hair from her eyes. She took a few steps back, giving herself some breathing room. She was going to kill him. For the first time in her life, a human being pushed her to the edge making her completely furious, and she was going to have to kill him. He wasted a great deal of her valuable time to create this trick, not to mention her benefactor’s money. The idea, just a vicious jibe, clenched itself around her throat and chest as if it was a vice being tightened down. She could never kill anyone but that wasn’t the point. She had thought, human being, except for the small actuality, Sinclair wasn’t human. At least, not according to all the information she compiled on him. Hillary shuddered, freezing in the humid air. She threatened something that wasn’t human. How did she know it wouldn’t just crush her with one well-timed blow? Her imagination had spiraled into another galaxy. “I won’t hurt you,” Sinclair told her, raising a hand to comfort her. “Dr. Tennyson, I need you to help me.” “Help you do what?” “I want to be normal again.” Simple words. Normal. Hillary glanced about. The crickets weren’t chirping any longer. The scent of blossoms faded away, replaced by the rich tang of fresh earth. “Sinclair, I don’t know what is wrong with you. Can’t you understand? None of this makes any sense. With the data I have here, it

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looks like you come from Mars, not from Earth. I can’t explain it.” Hillary sighed heavily. “I think you’re the only one who can.” Sinclair’s head tilted to the tiny noise. Human ears might have registered it but certainly wouldn’t have processed the sound. His head snapped up, looking past Hillary. Someone was approaching them quickly. He took Hillary by the shoulders. Sinclair’s green eyes bore lasers into hers. “Listen to me, Doctor. You are right, a lot of people would want to know about this.” “My colleague at the University is still waiting for an explanation.” “Don’t tell anyone anything.” Sinclair’s grip tightened. Hillary flinched, but he did not release her. “There are people looking for me Doctor, who have no problem disposing of inconveniences.” “I don’t understand.” “Just be careful, don’t trust anyone. Especially not new acquaintances. People are rarely what they seem, Doctor.” Sinclair let her go, gazing around the area behind Hillary. His eyes narrowed as he recognized the figure approaching them. “They’ve sent out the hunting party,” he murmured to himself. “I’ll be back tomorrow night, Dr. Tennyson.” “But, Sinclair…” Hillary stammered at his retreating figure. “Hillary?” Whirling around, Hillary’s heart catapulted itself into her throat. Clutching the envelope tightly to her chest, she gazed at Christian as if he were a ghost. Christian stepped closer, “Are you well?” Concern edged his voice causing a frown to his lips. “I’m fine,” the words blew out in a rush. Where did the wolf go? “I was just talking to Sinclair and you startled me.” “Sinclair?” Christian moved closer so that he was in arms reach. “Is everything all right? You don’t look well.” “I’m just a little rattled. That’s all.” Hillary began walking across the lawn to the parking lot and her car. She wanted to go home, clear her mind of this bizarre nonsense, and relax in the warm familiarity of her living room. “Let me take you home.” Christian offered, walking beside her with his arm around her waist. “That’s okay, Christian. I have my car and I really just want to go home and rest.” Christian smiled gently, “So you have not forgiven me?” Hillary stopped and looked up at him. His dark brown hair swept off his forehead, the gorgeous sapphire eyes. His tall, well-muscled form stood close to her, very close. “The rose was very pretty.” Christian curled his lip in self-derision. “I made a fool of myself. Hillary, you are a beautiful and intelligent woman. I am uncontrollably drawn to you and I have absolutely nothing to offer.” His mouth

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brushed over hers in a hot whisper. Tears of joy or frustration shimmered in her eyes and Hillary fought them back. She was so tiered she was going to cry. Her mind turned to mash potatoes filled with the overload of data. Now Christian poured hot gravy on it. “Why don’t you let me decide what I think you can offer?” “I am only trying to protect you.” Christian eyes burned with sincerity. Protect her from Sinclair and from the hideous discovery that threatened a great number of lives. “From what?” Isn’t that what a knight in shinning armor did for his lady? Maybe he simply felt obligated. After all, he’d rescued her once before, he could slip into a pattern. “I don’t think I need protection. I guess you have to decide if you can trust me.” Hilary flipped out her keys and unlocked her car door. A jolt fired into his chest and spread through his body as a brush fire through kindling. He was able to hurt her because she cared about him. The realization stunned him. His body went from burning heat to icy cold. She cared for him and he hurt her, deliberately. “Okay, look, let’s cut this civilized crap because you and I both know what we did in that flowerbed over there was anything but civilized.” Hillary climbed into her car and started to close the door. Christian backed up. “I’ll talk to you later, Christian. Right now, I just want some sleep.” Hillary closed the door and started the car. Christian’s hand drew together in a crushing fist. He stalked off into the surrounding woods, his body fading into the incoming fog with each step.

Hillary got home in rapid time. She opened her front door, stepped inside and dropped her purse and the envelope on the couch on the way to the kitchen. She debated calling Madison to tell her the plan already worked, but she didn’t feel much like gloating. She felt as if she went through the permanent press cycle on a washing machine too many times, faded and stretched out of shape. Hillary ignored the blinking light on her answering machine and went straight for the kitchen. She opened the freezer door and perused her remarkable collection of TV dinners. After a moment’s hesitation, she chose spaghetti and tore the box open. Punching the prescribed hold into the plastic with distinct relish, Hillary popped the dinner into the microwave. She set the timer and wandered in the direction of a nice warm shower. In her bedroom, Hillary stripped out of her clothes in the darkness then, padded barefooted to the shower. Her mood vastly improved as she pulled out a tube of purple bath gel and turned the spray on hot.

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Christian stood outside her bedroom window locked in turmoil. Even in the darkness, his intense night vision could make out Hillary through the filmy curtains. For an instant, he stared driving in the beauty and grace as she slipped out of her clothing. How the mighty had fallen. Once proud of his heritage, Christian felt the darkness enshroud him. He felt dirty and wicked, an abomination using its stronger abilities to intimidate. And right now, he honestly didn’t care because for the first time in his life, he needed a woman more than he needed anything in his life. As he stood outside her home, he knew the hunger had drawn him. The beast, which lived within now, surfaced demanding satisfaction. Christian closed his eyes. The fever raged scalding him as he tried to dampen the burning embers. The next thing he realized, he had rang her doorbell and was waiting for her to answer. Hillary appeared moments later. Her hair hung damply about her shoulders. She wore an oversized gray sweatshirt and sweatpants and red socks. She stared up at him, her mouth opened in surprise. Her cider colored eyes prominent beneath her damp bangs. “Christian, what are you doing here?” He ground his teeth together, forming coherence. He would not, above any circumstances, hurt her. He refused to. If there was any goodness left in the darkened cavity he called a soul, he would not touch her. “I need to be inside you, Hillary. You’re the only one who can soothe this fever.” Christian knew the old adage about crossing the invisible line. The legend was once Hillary gave him her authorization, she allowed him entrance at any time. He could come and go as he pleased and she lost control to keep him at bay. That was such a load of crap. He could come and go based on the bond already created within them. “Come in.” Hillary stepped back from the door and dropped her towel. “I’m not sure if I like the artistic façade or this bad boy thing you’ve got going on now better.”

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CHAPTER FIVE

Hillary’s home formed a direct contrast to his own, small and cozy, filled with warmth. Christian drew in the soft scent of her skin and his cock instantly went rock hard, the scent combined with a pleasant mix of vanilla. Christian followed her into the living room where she left him and went into the kitchen. She was completely nude and stirring a pot of sauce. “You don’t mind if I eat my dinner do you?” She returned with a massive pasta bowl and some silverware. The pungent tang of spaghetti sauce and a lot of garlic hit him and Christian felt his own hunger and his hard on dissolve sickeningly away. He sat on a chair across from the sofa. “Of course not.” “Good.” Hillary sat on the couch placing her food on the table in front of her. She didn’t like thinking along the terms that were flowing into her mind, but she needed a good defense. Otherwise, she might just throw herself into his arms and beg him to make love to her. “You followed me home.” “In a manner of speaking,” Christian relented the point. “Do you always eat in the nude? If so, I plan on making a habit dropping in.” He twirled his tongue over his lips and gave her his best smile. He watched in rapt fascination as she took a healthy bite into some garlic bread. Contrary to popular belief, the foul smelling weed didn’t disable his kind. In most cases, they were just nauseated to the point of weakness. “Do you actually like that?” He pointed a long finger at the bread. Hillary looked at the slice of bread and kept chewing. “Love it.” “I see.” Christian did his best to keep his stomach from flopping as a fish out of water. “Are you trying to torture me?” “What are you doing here, Christian? I find it hard to believe you would stop by to watch me eat.” “True. But I do have an ulterior motive. I will let you eat so that you have enough energy for what I have planned later.” Hillary kept eating, doing her best to appear undisturbed. “You think I’m going to fuck you again? I was delirious, I could’ve fucked Frankenstein and not even known it.” “You fucked me because it was me.” Christian leaned forward. The chair was too small to be comfortable for his tall form. “I can be any man you’ll ever want or need all you have to do is say the word.” The accent became more distinct, more pronounced. “I want you and there’s nothing to keep me from having you”

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Hillary nodded. “And why is that?” Because eventually you will die and I will have to go on shattered in a ragged existence. The words were dancing on the tip of his tongue. Instead, Christian got to his feet and slowly went to Hillary on the couch. He stood over her weighing his decision. The lesser of two evils and this one only gave brief satisfaction. He bent over and drew Hillary up beside him. “I want you to the point of madness, Hillary. I go to sleep hard and wake up even harder and it’s all from wanting to be inside the tight, wet pussy of yours. No one’s ever done that too me, not in this lifetime.” As he head bent over her, Hillary witnessed the flames licking in the golden flecks of Christian’s eyes. His chiseled lips closed over hers hotly. Easing her mouth open, he swept his tongue inside delving expertly to engage her. Hillary groaned, leaning into the kiss. So much for the icy façade. He pulled her hands around the back of his neck and locked them there. Then, Christian used his hands to wrap around her thighs and curl one leg up around his waist. His invading tongue plundered the soft, dark recesses of her mouth. Sucking on her tongue with blistering intensity, the reward was Hillary pressing those gorgeous breasts closer to him. Christian’s lips left hers seeking to tease and tantalize new areas. He moved across the smooth peach of her cheek whispering against her ear. “You don’t want to stop.” The harsh ragged sound fueled the furnace within her. He could be leading her down the path they already traveled. One that did not have a particularly nice ending as far as Hillary was concerned. There was no doubt in her mind she wanted Christian Blackthorne. What kind of sensibilities was she willing to forgo to get him? While his lips renewed their demands upon hers, his long artistic fingers edged over her collarbone. The briefest touch caused his fingers to flood with heat. Christian groaned, a low feral growl, against her mouth. Her skin was velvet, soft and hot to the touch. His nimble fingers contracted upon coming into contact with the bare curve of Hillary’s breast. The gentle stroke of Christian’s hand made Hillary press herself closer. He teased and lightly pinched her nipple while Hillary cried out, breaking the kiss. With his other hand, he hauled her hard against his blatantly hard cock. “Feel what you do to me, Hillary?” Christian’s teeth grazed her throat and the most exquisite hunger taunted him. He could taste her, just a small sample. His tongue laved the edge of her collarbone. “You are the most exquisite woman I have ever seen.” The warm air of her living room felt cool against the blazing heat of her skin. She watched the look in his eyes change from feverous desire to pure reverence. Hillary’s surprise reflected in her attempt to break the spell binding them together. No man had ever looked at her with the open honest and awe

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shining on his face. The power and beauty swept through and filled Hillary. No one could give this gift as Christian gave it to her. He lifted one breast tilting his head to cover it with his lips. Hillary gasped as sharp tingles of pleasure slid into her stomach before migrating lower to her slick pussy Christian suckled fervently creating tidal waves throughout her. Licking at the hard nipple, he pushed her down slowly to the couch and knelt between her legs. Hunger conducted an assault, threading through each vein in Christian’s body. A foggy haze clouded his mind and his judgment. Leading him perilously close to the cliff, Christian saw a vast, steep canyon yawning before him. His game of risk took him much too far. The temptation too great and much too tantalizing to refuse, his fangs nicked across his tongue Christian took solace in the fact he should be condemned to an eternity of hell. Of course, since he’d never believed in that particular landscape, he wasn’t worried. Smoothing back the champagne highlighted strands of Hillary’s drying hair, he cupped her face in his hands. He kissed her lightly engaging her lips in a delicious foray before breaking off and gliding down to her throat. As Hillary drug her fingers through the crisp hair on his head, Christian bit softly. Hillary moaned as his teeth scraped against her throat and he drew the creamy skin into his mouth. “Christian…” His name escaped on a sigh. Her hands went down the front of his chest and stopped at the waistband of his black jeans. Christian ran his tongue across his teeth already sharp enough to pierce skin. “I sense your hunger, you want something more. You crave something darker. I can give that to you.” He licked his dry lips. Once he sipped from her life’s blood, he knew he would not stop. His control shattered into thousands of crystal shards. He let his teeth rasp along the inside of her thigh and parted her legs. “How far would you like to go, Hillary?” Using his fingers, he parted the delicate folds and dipped his head. Warm honey danced over his tongue and he inhaled the excitement drumming through her veins. She thrashed about as he nibbled, sucked, and drove his tongue deep into her wet pussy. She rose on the first wave and Christian knew she was ready. He would show her just a glimpse of what it could be like.

Hillary’s body bowed backward. Every muscle clenched in hard, delicious anticipation. She crested hard and fast and then Christian bit her thigh and she screamed as the world collapsed in on itself. Stars streaked past her vision as Hillary dragged air into her lungs. She couldn’t tell if she still screamed, she didn’t really care either. She only wanted to feel like this longer. Her blood pounded through her veins as if it were lava. Hillary arched against him twisting her thighs around his head. God, this was

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incredible! She’d become magma, hot, thick and desperately hungry to devour everything in its path. “More,” she managed to choke out as her pussy clenched, waiting for Christian’s huge cock. “Give me more.” “All in good time.” Hillary barely took a breath before she found herself bent over the back of the couch. She didn’t realize either of them moved. Her skin tingled with some strange electrical current. Christian trailed his hand down her spine and she shivered. He squeezed her ass and Hillary only groaned in desperation while he unzipped his fly. She felt the hot tip of his cock press against the back of her pussy and Hillary squirmed to get him inside. Christian laughed and drove the hard length deep into her wet pussy until she moaned and bucked against him. Then he drew it out so slowly, she was sure she’d come before he had a chance to bury himself inside her again. “Do you like that?” “Oh God, yes!” “Do you want me back inside you?” Hillary tried reaching around to pull him back in but he caught her hands and bent over her slowly. He sank inside her so far, Hillary bit her lip this time to keep from screaming. Leaning over her, he began to grind against her. In and out. Slow and easy, going in so far, she could feel her pussy close around him tightly. She wanted his cock in her so badly, it was like some weird addiction. She’d had men. Some good, some thought they were, but Christian was phenomenal. The man bordered on god-like with this kind of skill. Most guys would be finished and clearing out by now, but Christian, well, this was fantastic. Hillary sucked in a breath as he slipped inside her again and then ran his nimble fingers across her tits. “How far do you want to take this, Hillary?” He nipped at her ear while grinding his balls into the back ridge of her pussy. His muscled legs pressed against hers and her skin tingled with the scrape of the hair-roughened texture. “Are we just playing here? How far do you want to go?” She straightened off the couch and clenched her legs around him. “How far can we go?” Muscles slicked with sweat, she released him and spun around. Sitting her ass on the back of the sofa, she wrapped her legs around his waist and slid onto his cock. “Show me what you’ve got, Christian Blackthorne.” Pressing his rock hard chest into her tits, he caught her lower lip between his teeth. A feral light appeared in his eyes. “You don’t know what you’re dealing with.” She tugged her lip away. “I don’t care what it is, you’re amazing and I plan to keep you.” She

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growled before licking his ear. “Do you?” “Yes.” “That’s a good thing, because I’m never letting you go, Hillary.” She kissed him with more fire in her soul than she’d ever experienced. He sucked at her tongue and she returned the favor. She felt the tendons in his arms bunch and tighten as he lifted her off the sofa. Those arms created a piston motion as she rode his cock until she could only scream as she came like a volcano. Her pussy pulsed around him as he groaned his release and she felt his fiery seed shoot deep inside her.

Christian inhaled. “I know.” He stood up slowly, reluctantly pulling his aching cock from her hot pussy “I want you to come to my show. You should meet my brothers.” He reached down and picked up the sweatshirt handing it back to Hillary. “You know I find it difficult to keep my hands off you. It’s only going to get worse until we complete it.” Hillary slipped the sweatshirt on. “I should say we need to slow down. Get to know each other.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “But that’s not the truth.” “What do you want out of life?” “That’s kind of a weird question.” “Not really, some people want money, fame, a family. Some people wish to solve the riddle of their existence.” Hillary picked up a wine bottle and stopped in mid pour. “What?” Christian’s hand went over hers to pour the wine. Then he took the bottle and poured himself a glass. He raised it to his lips and watched her carefully. “That’s what you’re after isn’t it? That’s why you’re a doctor, why you do research instead of working with patients. You want to unlock secrets.” “How did you know that?” He sipped the wine allowing the flavor to travel across his tongue. A subtle flavor of oak, cherries and a rich chocolate finish it was nothing compared to Hillary. He knew the hunger as it clawed and scratched at him. He would never tire of her, not in a thousand lifetimes. “I know many things. I can show you so much, be so much for you.” He tilted the glass and swallowed the remainder of the wine. Christian decided to introduce the idea gently to her. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear from an ancient tongue. Kissing her temple, he let his fingers drift over her eyelids as they slid closed. “Learn who I am, Hillary and accept what you could become.” With ease, he scooped her up into his arms and tucked her into her bed.

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Christian sat idly by his pond, staring off into the night sky. The sweet scent of roses did nothing to clear his head or ease his mind. Once again, he resorted to trickery with Hillary. As the night deepened, the air restored by the coolness of an autumn storm rolling into Las Vegas. He heard the flutter of wings and turned his head slightly to see a white owl settle on a stone in front of him. Misty vapor swirled around the owl as Draigon transformed. His triplet brother stood before him with a smirk on his handsome face. Where Christian was dark, Draigon was blonde. A mishap in their youth and his older brother found himself caught in the middle of a violent thunderstorm. Struck by lightning, Draigon’s dark hair instantly turned platinum blonde. The gypsies cursed the brothers from then on and maybe, the Blackthorne family should’ve paid attention. “Good evening, brother.” Christian leaned back against the pond bench, running his fingers through his hair in agitation. He knew from the beginning Hillary Tennyson was a problem. “Hello, Draigon. Out hunting?” “It’s a good night.” Draigon tilted his head slightly and the brilliant gold hair shook to one side. “We’ve a visitor approaching.” He didn’t really listen to his brother as Christian sorted through his decision to reveal himself to Hillary. He could just leave, never to return to Las Vegas, never to see Hillary Tennyson again. That might be the best choice for both of them. Draigon knelt on the ground next to him. “It was bound to happen eventually, little brother. We’re sensual beings, not meant to live this life alone.” “What if she doesn’t want this?” Draigon grinned. “She wants you.” A sudden shift in the wind alerted Christian. His head snapped up, eyes narrowing to scan the garden. The sound of very soft footsteps caused Christian to get to his feet and turn around. From the direction of the roses stood Sinclair, the younger man gave a mocking bow. “Greetings, Golden One.” “What are you doing here, Sinclair?” Draigon straightened from his prone stance. His smile flattened sharply into as he pressed his lips together. The younger approached slowly, hands raised. “I ask for a moment of your time. After all, we are both quite busy this night. Are we not?” “He allowed Hillary to draw his blood and test it.” Christian watched, contempt lacing his eyes. He motioned for Sinclair to advance and Christian smiled smoothly. “This is not an excellent choice for you to hide here.” “Oh, I’m not hiding, not yet.” Sinclair walked up beside him and came around to the front of the

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bench. “Relax, Christian. We have a few things to discuss.” “You try to threaten him, fledgling. After giving a medical doctor your blood. A very curious medical doctor.” Sinclair’s tone appeared mocking, secretive. Indeed, Sinclair was up to something. The younger enjoyed elaborate little games and it attracted attention of the Renegades. Very well, it would take his mind off Hillary for a while. Christian shifted and folded his arms in front of his chest. “Go ahead.” Sinclair made a mental note of crossing his fingers, it was so blatant anyone could hear his thoughts. Sinclair was entirely insane to try this with Christian or totally desperate. Christian might rip him to shreds, but it seemed the young man willingly took a chance. Sinclair inhaled, there went everything, or nothing. “Do the Renegades know that you are in love with a woman who is conducting research to find a cure for me?” An instant passed, seeming to be an eternity, as Christian stared into Sinclair’s eyes. Christian reconstructed the words several dozen times making certain he heard Sinclair correctly. His lips parted, but at first no sound came out. “What did you say?” A light of victory blazed in Sinclair’s green eyes. The first round was his. “You heard me, Christian.” Christian straightened, his body stiffening in rage. His eyes gleamed with fiery copper and gold. He branded Sinclair with a look that made the younger man back away. “Where did you come up with such a foolish notion?” Sinclair remained smiling, a nervous laugh bubbled up in his throat. “I have seen you with her, twice now.” Sinclair recovered some of his bravado. He lifted an auburn brow, inquisitively. “However, the episode at her home was very enlightening.” Draigon moved with the speed of lightning, catching hold of Sinclair and laughing.

“You

wouldn’t do that, Sinclair. Because if I didn’t kill you first, Garridon would.” Christian launched himself forward. He wrapped his hands around Sinclair’s throat so quickly Sinclair had not even blinked. “You were spying on me?” Sinclair swallowed, feeling the crushing pressure. If he had been human, Sinclair would’ve passed out from lack of oxygen. He put his hands on Christian’s arm forcing a little leeway. “Christian, let me speak, will you? You can kill me in a moment if you wish.” Christian inhaled sharply and released Sinclair who staggered back, rubbing his throat. “Thank you.” Christian turned his back briefly and returned to his seat. Anger burned, shooting off sparks throughout his entire body. His arms bent steely as he folded them tightly across his chest. “What was your purpose, fledgling?”

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“You do not deny you’re in love with the mortal woman?” “What I do isn’t any of your business, you little asshole” Christian snapped revealing perfectly sharp white teeth. “Then, you have no feelings for her at all?” Sinclair’s courage returned, he smoothed his hair and moved closer. Christian did not say a word. A flicker of a smile teased Sinclair’s lips. “It would not matter to you in the slightest if the hunting party killed her as well as me?” “They won’t have a chance to kill you. I’ll do it myself.” He chuckled. A bit forced but he was relaxing. “You have a great wit, Golden One. It will come in handy when Seraphina hears about your little mortal.” Christian’s eyes went cold. His lips slid into a malicious grin. “Who is going to tell her?” Sinclair returned the smile. “I will.” Sinclair took out the tidbit he had been saving. “You have always professed that our existence is the perfect one. I can see the conflict in you now, Christian. I recognize it because I have lived with it for seventy years. You finally experienced the flaws of our life in a most tragic way.” Draigon tightened his hold on Sinclair and Christian knew exactly why. Rumors were that Christian had a torrid affair with their Queen. But it wasn’t him, the affair was with Draigon. “You deny yourself your true nature every time you are with Hillary Tennyson. You can’t reveal yourself, you can’t be with her as the creature you are, and you have no desire to become human again.” Sinclair looked closely. “Or do you wish you could be human so that you could be with her?” “Never, Sinclair unlike you, I have more than accepted my heritage. I would not change myself for anyone, let alone a mortal.” The thought never crossed Christian’s mind. He was content with his existence. He enjoyed his heritage. “Nothing will be the same for you, Christian. Even if you left right now, even if you traveled to another time. You have already involved yourself with the mortal woman. No matter what you do, you will always think of her.” “You know, Sinclair, it might be fun to see what the Renegades did to you.” Draigon snapped sharp incisors at the younger man. “No?” Sinclair cocked his head. “If she meant nothing to you, why didn’t you take her this night. You could have had her body and soul and you didn’t. However, I simply don’t believe anyone is that chivalrous by nature or by deed.” Christian could spend the remainder of the night denying Sinclair’s words, but he grew weary of the game, weary of the self-denial. Did it take this brash youth to point out to him what seemed blatantly obvious? Apparently so. Christian sighed roughly in defeat. “What do you want, Sinclair?” Sinclair licked his lips. He waited what appeared a lifetime to have Christian Blackthorne at his

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mercy. He wanted to squeeze a bit more. “Admit it, you are in love with Hillary Tennyson.” Draigon spun Sinclair around his eyes glowed with a golden light. “Playtime is over, young one. Do not come back here ever again. And I highly advise you to stay away from Dr. Tennyson.” Draigon’s words cracked a barbed whip across Sinclair’s bare flesh. Christian watched as pain radiated through is chest and soul. Sinclair lamented on his error. “I apologize, Christian. I had no right to say that. I have no right meddling in your affairs.” “Leave, Sinclair. Before you regret it.” Sinclair felt tremendously guilty. He honestly had no idea Christian’s feelings ran so deeply. However, the older man wasn’t considering his apology, so Sinclair decided to give the reason for his appearance. “The doctor ran a DNA test on my blood.” “Wonderful,” Christian lashed forth with cynicism. “The DNA is not human.” “You are not human.” Christian stated only the obvious wondering where this led. “The genes, my genes, have been mutated. All of them.” Christian didn’t appear surprised. “The change alters your entire being. Why wouldn’t it do so on a cellular level?” “I think the doctor could change me back. If there’s a way to reconstruct the DNA back to human form, maybe she could inject me with a new DNA and it would take over.” Christian leaned forward and stood up. He had to admire the younger man’s tenacity. Sinclair did not let go of an idea very easily. “Did she tell you she could do this?” Sinclair shook his head. “She thinks I’m playing a joke on her. She doesn’t believe any of the tests are real.” Christian nodded. “I can understand that. Hillary is a very logical woman. You are presenting her with the extraordinary. Most people’s minds would rebel against that.” “How can I make her believe? She can find me a cure. I’m certain of that.” Sinclair pursed his lips in consideration. “Even if you told her what you were, she still wouldn’t believe you. Most humans consider us as myths or legends. Something out of a story book or film.” Draigon sniffed at the wind. “The girl can’t help you, Sinclair.” “You think I should simply give up? Resign myself to my fate?” “Sinclair, I thought your plan was foolhardy at best to begin with.” Christian developed an ounce of patience. “However, let’s suppose for a moment that Hillary did believe you, she accepted the DNA as

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fact and not a hoax. What do you expect her to do?” “Recreate the DNA which was human in me.” Christian sighed, shaking his head. “That isn’t possible. Even if Hillary agreed to make the effort to change you back, I do not think humans possess the capability to arbitrarily recreate human DNA“ Sinclair refused to let go. “She could try.” “Yes, she could. But consider this, what if she did make a pseudo DNA for you and injected you with it?” He watched the young man with clinical eyes. Sinclair smiled, imagining the possibilities. “Suppose some portion, however small, was wrong, faulty in some minute way. It could trigger a disaster turning you into a freak of nature.” Sinclair lowered his head. “I’m already a freak of nature.” Christian growled. At times, he just wanted to knock some sense into the youth. He was almost like an errant child in his behavior, even though in appearance their ages looked to be five years or less. “Sinclair, why do you persist on condemning a lifestyle you chose for yourself?” “I would not wish this night time existence for anyone.” “Have you ever tried it though? For as long as I have known you, you have lamented your fate. You have never explored your abilities or the possibilities it brings.” Christian did his best to appeal to Sinclair’s adventurous nature that was often misdirected. Sinclair frowned. “And how do all the possibilities stack up with Hillary? You have only two; go away or change her. You might leave but that would not rid her from your heart, and I don’t think you would change her.” “Heart? Now, that is a strange word coming from you.” Baffled, Sinclair gazed at him with his electric green eyes. “Why is that?” “You accuse us of not being human. Doesn’t a heart and its symbolism represent a human characteristic?” Christian proceeded. He didn’t want to use the example that came to mind, but it illustrated the point the best. “Love isn’t a human emotion?” Sinclair nodded. “Do you believe we can feel these emotions as keenly as any human?” “Yes.” Christian listened to his response and avoided the critical gaze of his brother. Christian thoughtfully stroked his chin with long fingers. “So, we can experience emotions, possibly with far more intensity than any human. What about the senses? Sight, sound, taste, touch? Do you feel those any less now than when you were human?” Colors became brighter, more distinct, and shapes clearly defined. Hearing became so acute it could be painful at times. Taste far more intense and powerfully satisfying than he could remember. When he touched things, it radiated through his entire being. He could almost feel the energy used to

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create the object. “I see your point.” “But, you still plan to pursue this nonsense?” “Give me a little more time. I want to see if it is possible, at least. If it becomes evident that I cannot be turned into a human once again, I swear to you, Christian, I shall accept my fate, and I will do it gladly.” Resignation filled Sinclair’s expression with firm unwavering strength. Christian admired the boy’s steadfastness. “I can’t promise anything, but I will do what I can to delay them.” Christian smiled with a faint touch of warmth. “I never thought I would say this, Sinclair. I appreciate your willingness to exhaust all avenues. I hope if you find what you seek and that you are be happy with it.” Sinclair didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t expected Christian to understand. He assumed he would have to threaten him to attain his goal. Now, with a brief bow of respect, Sinclair bid farewell. “I will leave you the rest of this night. Thank you, Golden One. You have no idea how much I appreciate your intervention.” Sinclair drifted into the night. “Has a hunting party been sent out for Sinclair?” Draigon turned his head at the sound of his brother’s soft steps. Hunting parties dispatched by the Council didn’t use conventional methods to track prey. They were a death squad designed to eliminate any threat to the vampiric way of life. Garridon nodded silently, then he quirked an eyebrow. He joined his brothers sitting in a chair beside the pond. Of all of them, Garridon remained the most old school in his mannerisms. Christian and Draigon floated back and forth to suit their needs but Garridon seemed to like the old ways. “Surely, you aren’t surprised by this?” “No.” Christian wasn’t the least bit surprised. The longer they sought Sinclair; the less time Sinclair would have. “How long have they been out?” Garridon calculated. “It’s been two nights, I believe.” He looked at Christian and noted his friend’s interest. “What’s this all about? I thought you would be the first to want Sinclair captured.” “Perhaps I’ve had a change of heart.” Garridon clucked his tongue. “That’s not good, Christian, not good at all. The Renegades want him.” “Is there any way to delay the party’s progress?” “Are you telling me you are on Sinclair’s side now?”

Garridon found the notion highly

improbable, yet Christian’s attitude seemed otherwise. “Perhaps I was too harsh. He should be allowed a little more time to try.” “Christian, I really wish you would have made your opinions known a bit earlier.” Garridon’s

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dark eyes shrouded in apprehension. “Why should it matter when I change my mind?” Garridon scratched the back of his neck. “They don’t just want just Sinclair.” Christian leaned forward. “What are you saying?” A threatening edge appeared in the whispered words. Garridon frowned, “They want the woman as well.” “What the fuck is this?” Christian practically shouted causing Garridon to lean back. Garridon shrugged an apology. “If the mortal means anything to you, Christian, you’d better beat the Renegade hunting party to her.” Draigon nodded, “We can’t risk intervening. Too much activity will get the attention of a vampire hunter.” Someone fired a cannon at his chest from point blank range. “How much time?” “Hard to say really.” Draigon frowned, “Two days. Before your gallery showing. This needs to be resolved.”

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CHAPTER SIX

The landscape unfolded in front of her in a series of grays and blues with long shadows. Gorgeous arches of gothic architecture rose in the distance as she stood along a cobblestone road. Hillary watched the storm clouds roll in over the mountain village. She’d never been to Europe, but she’d love to spend time in a quaint village like this. She heard a shout of laughter from behind and saw three young boys race up the street toward her. Their eyes sparked with mischief and she could tell just by a glance that these three were brothers. Nearly identical in appearance, Hillary stopped and stared as one of the boys turned to look at her. Christian. Oh wow! The village spun away from her to reveal a small tavern. Golden light from oil lamps illuminated the crowd as men drank heartily and the women inside did their best to ‘comfort’ them. Hillary moved through the crowd, searching for someone. She wasn’t certain whom she sought, just that she needed to find someone. She heard the laughter again and turned to face a table of three very handsome young men. Christian wore his long hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail. He drank from a pounded metal mug while his brothers ate from a mountainous plate of food. Hillary imagined they were in their early twenties by now. Maybe a bit older, she couldn’t be sure. A strange tickle went through her mind but she dismissed it. Dreams were simply paintings of the self-conscious. It didn’t matter how old he was no; this wasn’t real. He looked at her and smiled. “Come sit with us.” She blinked. Was she in this dream? She actually thought she traveled as an observer. Hillary shook her head. That tickle returned and this time, it scratched with a dull edge of dread. Something wasn’t right. The scene before her swirled again and nearly knocked Hillary off balance. Her head swam and her stomach pitched and rolled. Thunder crashed in the distance as she realized she stood next to Big Ben in the center of London on a dark night. Oil lamps lit the street as she walked slowly toward a crowd assembled around a pub. She wasn’t frightened in the normal sense of the word, but it didn’t take a genius to assume something bad lurked

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around the corner. She found herself standing in the middle of the street, staring at movement in the alley. The scene shimmered into focus and Hillary knew this was more than any normal dream. She felt the chill in the air and she definitely smelled the stench of body odor and human waste coming out of the alley. “Oh I wouldn’t go down there, love! Seraphina has herself some tasty young boys.” A woman dressed in a faded blue gown warned. What? Hillary moved slowly down the alley, squinting into the darkness. Fog rolled over her feet and Hillary shivered. Rubbing her bare arms, she nearly tripped over a drunk man passed out in the middle of the alley. The stench gagged her and Hillary brought a hand to her mouth to keep from vomiting. Not that anyone would notice amidst all the filth. Slowly she drew in a breath as beads of sweat formed on her face. The fog twisted away in curly fingers to reveal Christian and his brothers. All three men had their shirts torn open wide revealing heavily muscled chests and abs that you needed to lick just to appreciate. Trouble was, a tall brunette did just that. Oddly attracted to the scene, Hillary continued to observe. She didn’t consider herself a voyeur in any way shape or form, but this was Christian. Deciding to remain unobtrusive, she moved behind a stack of crates, careful where she put her feet, and stared as the Blackthorne brothers stripped the woman of a beautiful red gown. The woman was as gorgeous as the men were. Hillary let the sharp sting of jealously crawl across her spine as the naked woman revealed Christian’s cock and took it in her mouth. Christian’s hands tangled into the woman’s dark, wavy hair and drew her head closer as she bent over him. To her shock, the blonde brother came up behind the woman and wrapped a muscled arm around her waist. With his other hand, he opened his fly and pulled out his own cock that he greedily drove into the woman’s pussy. The woman moaned in delight continuing to draw hard on Christian while his brother pumped into her. Jealously danced and teased along her spine and Hillary shifted her weight. She was wet and horny and Christian Blackthorne belonged to her, not this greedy bitch. Hillary’s eyes narrowed. Some analytical part of her brain must still function normally. She wasn’t certain, but the men seemed dazed. Or dazzled as if this bitch had them all under some sort of spell. She was attractive for sure, but damn she didn’t deserve three men that looked like this! Hillary moved from behind the crates certain that the four were so caught up in their escapade,

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they’d never notice her. She wanted a better look at the men’s eyes and to do that, she needed to get closer. Determine to avoid watching the remaining brother took hold of the woman and got into the act, Hillary focused on Christian and then his blonde brother’s face If she didn’t know better, she’d say these guys were under some sort of magic spell or held in thrall by this chick. Christian’s eyes appeared dilated and so did his brothers. She knew the flush on their faces wasn’t normal either. Her head tilted as the woman gripped the dark haired brother and spun him around showing astonishing strength. Hillary caught the flash of red in her eyes and stumbled back. Teeth, no fangs glinted in the dim light right before they sank into the throat of the man she fucked. The man sagged against her and Hillary didn’t know what to do. She watched as the brunette cradled the man as she wiped the blood from her mouth. Then, she laid him in a pile of trash while the blonde lined up to fuck her again and get bit in turn. Hillary couldn’t believe her eyes. She rubbed the heels of her hands into them hoping to clear the image but no, when she looked back, big, blonde handsome fell to his knees and rolled over onto his brother from lack of blood. “Oh my God,” realization dawned as Christian fell into place with the bitch. She bit her lip, “Christian!”

Hillary sat straight up in bed. Blood pounded in her ears, sweat pooled at her tailbone. Air puffed out her lungs in giant gasps. She pushed her damp hair away from her face and neck and kicked off her bed covers. Shit, shit shit. She was fucking a vampire. Worse, she was probably in love with him.

That afternoon Hillary accepted a lunch invitation from Madison. She met Madison at a little Italian restaurant near the Strip. The restaurant was small and filled with the wonderfully pungent aroma of Italian herbs and spices. Madison sat in a booth near some old wine barrels, waiting patiently, Hillary laughed as she strolled in. Not. Hillary gave a smile as she approached, absently smoothing her pale sage slacks and oatmeal sweater. This wasn’t going to be easy. Madison needed to be told, only Hillary wasn’t sure exactly what or how she was going to tell her.

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“Hey there! How’s it going?” Hillary’s smile wavered. “I’ve been incredibly busy.” She glanced around for a menu. Madison reached out and gave her a quick hug. “I’ve already ordered for us. I know you like the eggplant.” “How was the party at the Lanes?” “Okay. They asked about you. I didn’t have much fun without you, though.” A waiter brought Hillary a wine glass. She shook him off. “I’d prefer iced tea, if you don’t mind.” “I already ordered us a bottle.” Hillary waved the waiter away and picked up the bottle. “I’m probably going to need it anyway.” “What’s up?” Sliding into the seat, Hillary took a swallow of wine. The velvety texture surrounded her tongue and exploded in a burst of cherry. Madison had excellent taste when it came to wine. “Well, let’s see, I think I’m in love with Christian Blackthorne.” Madison’s brows rose and she coughed slightly. She pressed her index finger into her ear and wiggled it. “Sorry, chunk of wax or something.” Hillary’s smile broke through. “No, you heard right.” “Okay. I heard right. What’s the rest? Cause I can see the rest.” Hillary shook her head, “Oh trust me, nothing will prepare you for this.” Madison picked up a piece of foccacia and smothered it with herbed olive oil. “I’m waiting.” “Well, I’m trying to figure out how to tell you this.” “Shit, Hillary, I know you’ve been fucking him so nothing you could say can shock me.” Madison grinned as the waiter slid a hot artichoke dip in front of them and withdrew as if he thought they’d pounce on him. “He’s a vampire.” Madison’s teeth snapped together around the cracker covered with hot dip. Her tongue nearly rolled out of her mouth as both hands went for the glass of ice water. She gulped down a few swallows then lifted watery eyes to Hillary. “Wh—what?” “Vampire.” Hillary made her fingers into claws and growled at Madison. Unfortunately, that was the time the waiter decided to return for their orders. He took one look at Hillary and nearly fell over the busboy behind him. “Oh hell.” At least Madison recovered long enough to order two lunch specials before swallowing three gulps of wine. “Okay, say that again.”

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“I think everyone heard me.” Hillary watched as Madison took a deep, cleansing breath. They’d both started yoga a few months ago and enjoyed it immensely. “Yeah, but you said you were doing a vampire.” “That’s right.” “Oh.” If it wasn’t her, Hillary might be tempted to laugh. “You okay?” “Oh sure,” Madison reached for the wine. “My best friend’s gone round the bend.” “He wants me to meet his brothers.” Madison spit part of her wine back into the glass. She settled sharp eyes onto Hillary. “The vampire wants you to meet his brothers? His regular brothers or his vampire brothers?” This time Hillary did laugh. The conversation was just too funny. She swallowed some wine and figured they would need another bottle before lunch ended. “I’m pretty sure they’re vampires too.” “And you came to this conclusion how?” Mmmm, explaining that would probably blow a hole in Madison’s brain. Hillary didn’t know if it was a good idea, but she needed to know. Hillary waited until the salad arrived and picked out a tomato. Madison appeared preoccupied by the salad dressing. Now was as good a time as any. “I had a dream last night. A very vivid, um explicit dream.” She raised a brow and grinned at Madison, “I think you ought to meet Christian’s oldest brother. He is endowed.” Madison choked on a piece of carrot. “Excuse me.” “I saw them all naked.” “Oh my God!” Madison’s eyes flashed, “You fucked all of them? Good God, you greedy bitch!” “Hang on a second, would you? I’ve only been with Christian. I saw them in a dream. And they got bit by this vampire queen bitch.” “Please tell me you’re really not insane.” Madison poured the remainder of the wine into both glasses. “I don’t think I could handle it if you went nuts, you know?” “The art show is tomorrow night. I want you to come with me.” “To a vampire party?” “It’s not a vampire party. It’s an art show, at a gallery, Madison.” “I don’t do Goth.” The waiter slid their lunches in front of them and moved away rapidly. “I didn’t say you had to do them. Just go with me to meet the family and all.” Madison arched a brow into her dark bangs. “Are you marrying a vampire? Because if you are, I’m calling Hannah and having her commit you. What about your work? You know until you met him,

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that was the center of your universe. He rescued you the night of my assault, brought you into the hospital. You’ve given him strange hero qualities.” Hillary listened but remained very calm. Madison’s reaction was expected. She took a bite of her lunch. The eggplant tasted like rubber for all she noticed. “Oh, I get it. He saved you. Now you feel some sort of misplaced hero worship for the guy. Maybe you should talk to Hannah about that. I’m sure she can help you work it out.” “Sometimes, Madison.” Hillary swallowed a large gulp of wine. “I do not feel hero worship for Christian. He is a kind, charming and exciting man that I care a great deal for.” There, she said it. She finally put her feelings in order. No matter what strange happenings occurred around Christian, she cared for him. No one could change that. “Geez, Hillary. Are you in love with this guy?” Love? Before Christian, love seemed to be such a strong word to her. The bond appeared too tightly restrictive and binding. The idea of it frightened Hillary to no end. She had never been in love. Since her relationships always ended so poorly, it appeared she never would be either. All of a sudden, the concept of love took on a new meaning. The beauty of a diamond that lit the night sky and shone brilliantly without ending. Fury, speed and flame crashed through her body at the idea of him touching her. All these things brought to mind Christian. Was that love? She wasn’t certain. The doubt from last night surfaced unexpectedly. She truly believed Christian cared for her, yet strange speculations nagged her conscience. “I care for him.” Madison groaned, rubbing her neck with her hands. “I feel like a complete idiot. Are you going to work tonight? Cause I’m thinking we ought to give this a girl’s night to think about things.” “I wasn’t looking for this to happen.” “But you let it happen so you must’ve wanted it or him.” Hillary wiped her lips with her napkin, so much for lunch. “Yeah, I need to go in for a while. There’s something I want to check on. Then I’ll meet you at the Palms.”

The drive to St. Anne’s was short and relatively pleasant. Hillary listened to country music on the radio. Singing aloud to the woes of the world, she rolled the windows down letting the sun and wind saturate and dispense her black mood.

Amazing what a bit of cooler weather and some hearty

vocalization would do. Hillary pulled into the parking lot of St. Anne’s and took one of the closer spaces reserved for doctors. She climbed out of her car, reaching in the back seat for her purse and briefcase when she

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noticed the police cars. Three of them parked along the curb of St. Anne’s. Hillary approached the entrance, wondering what the hell was going on. She entered the building and Nurse Amery spotted her. The nurse rushed up to her amidst the bedlam ensuing in the entryway. “Dr. Tennyson, thank goodness. We’ve been trying to call you.” Hillary glanced around.

Two police officers were questioning several hospital employees.

“What’s going on?” “Oh, it’s really terrible, Doctor. Last night, after you left, someone broke into your lab.” The nurse rushed through, trying to alleviate the blow by spitting out everything all at once. “What?” Hillary practically shouted. “I know. It’s terrible. There are some police officers up there now going over the lab for fingerprints.” Hillary started for the elevator, but the nurse caught her by the arm. “That’s not the worst of it, Dr. Tennyson.” Hillary couldn’t possibly imagine anything worse. She punched the button for the elevator. “What could be worse than that?” “The police arrested Dexter Hamble just a little while ago.” Hillary sagged against the wall. Arrested? Dexter? “What on earth for?” The nurse shrugged. “They said they found something belonging to him up in the lab.” “Well, of course they found something belonging to him.” Hillary shouted stepping into the elevator. “He is my lab assistant!” The elevator door closed, sending Hillary up to the lab. The elevator door opened and Hillary strode down the hall rapidly. There were several people gathered outside the door of her office and lab. Most of them stepped aside as they saw her approach. Hillary walked into her lab and skidded to an abrupt halt. Broken bits and pieces of glass littered the white tile floor. They crunched under her feet as she took a few small steps toward the desk. At least it used to be a desk. She leaned heavily against a broken, twisted collection of metal drawers. Antiseptic splashed across the walls and tile, mixed with the rubbing alcohol. The smell was so sharp it made Hillary cough and gasp. Someone ripped, shredded, and tossed her files as if they were confetti after a parade. The breath squeezed out of her lungs and she took a few steps over to her beloved equipment. They demolished her microscope. Her computer resembled items found in a junk pile. The refrigerator door stood wide open, the coolant from the compressor leaking out onto the floor. Her more expensive machinery laid in ruins. Twisted chunks of metal and plastic, more like modern art now, than medical equipment. Tears sprang into Hillary’s eyes. A warm hand squeezed her shoulder. “It’s all right, Hillary.”

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The words came from the hospital administrator. “We’ll get someone up here to clean this place up.” Hillary sniffled, nodding. “Now, don’t you worry. The equipment can all be replaced. You’ll be back in business in a matter of weeks.” “What about the files in my office? All my research?” The administrator gave a sympathetic smile. “We’ll go through it later to see what can be salvaged.” Salvaged? Hillary’s research, all of it was only salvageable. Hillary wiped at tears running down her cheeks. How the hell was she going to replicate all this research? She couldn’t even begin to explain most of it if someone asked. Oh gee, I decided to test my blood as a lark and several DNA markers appeared in it and my attacker, and some bizarre guy that my lab assistant is in love with. Oh yeah, maybe she should go talk to Hannah. The administrator patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry about that either. Obviously, you’re on to something, my dear. Otherwise, no one would have taken quite an offending interest.” Sniffing, Hillary shook her head as the administrator left the lab. What was she on to? She thought the entire episode with Sinclair was a hoax. She clutched her briefcase tighter in one hand. Suddenly, she didn’t find this very funny. One of the officers looked familiar and Hillary decided she needed a few answers. She walked up to the woman she remembered questioning her the night of her attack. “Officer Kent?” The woman straightened from the doorway to Hillary’s office. “Dr. Tennyson, how are you feeling?” “Great, until I came in here.” She looked around at the remains of her lab and felt a distinct twinge between her shoulder blades. “I can imagine.

We’re checking for fingerprints now.

Neither door appears to have been

tampered with.” “How is that possible? I lock both doors every night before I leave.” Hillary didn’t understand how anyone could enter without breaking down a door. “Anyone have a key?” Hillary thought a moment. “Dexter Hamble has access to one.” She couldn’t accept that Dexter destroyed her lab, even if Sinclair asked him to. The police officer nodded, drawing a notepad from her breast pocket and jotting down some things. “That’s what we thought.” Hillary stared at the officer, positively aghast. “You think Dexter did this? Is that why he was arrested?”

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The officer nodded affirmatively. “He had the opportunity. Now, did he have a motive?” “Of course not!” “How do you know he didn’t?” “Because I know Dexter. He would never do such a thing.” Hillary couldn’t believe she was hearing this. Granted, Dexter acted a bit strange recently, but all in all, he was the sweetest young man she knew. “Not even for drugs?” “Drugs?” Hillary stared, numb with shock. “You think Dexter is doing drugs?” The police officer shrugged, noncommittally. “He might’ve been looking for some for himself or to sell.” “That’s absurd. Dexter has worked for me for almost two years now. He doesn’t use drugs, I’m sure of it. And, if he were selling them, he would know from working here that I don’t keep any drugs in the lab.” Poor Dexter, how had he managed to get himself tangled up in this? It had to have something to do with Sinclair. Hillary felt a lump of stone lodge in her chest. Dexter’s infatuation with that man wasn’t healthy. “As of right now, he’s our best and only suspect. You say he doesn’t do drugs. When we picked him up this morning, he looked as if something had done a number on him.” The officer tucked the notepad away. “He consented to a drug test. We’re doing some lab work on him now to see if there were any chemicals in his bloodstream.” “Will you let me know the results?” “Certainly. And, we’ll be out of your hair in a few minutes, Doctor. We’ve about got everything we need.” After the police left, Hillary went into her office.

A tornado left less damage.

Several

maintenance workers walked into the lab armed with brooms and mops and trash bins. She heard a few of their comments; something along the lines of condemning the property. Hillary scooped up the remaining files sorting them as she went. There was nothing that pertained to Sinclair, nothing left at all. Maybe she should’ve taken the episode with Sinclair seriously. There were vampires involved now and who the hell knew what their agenda might be It might have saved thousands of dollars of equipment and years of work on her part, because someone obviously did take it seriously. Seriously indeed. Hillary glanced over at her briefcase lying on a chair. They might have stolen or destroyed all the tests on Sinclair, but they did not have the most significant one. Compared to everything else, the DNA tests were as valuable as gold.

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Hillary spent the remainder of the afternoon helping with the clean up. There was so much glass on the floor that one of the workers went and got a heavy-duty vacuum. The administrator got a hold of a refrigerator repairman who replaced the compressor. Unfortunately, most of the samples overnight with no cooling spoiled. Several people hauled the damaged equipment out of the laboratory and Hillary filled out the forms to replace them. Thank goodness for insurance. She didn’t even want to think what her mysterious benefactor would do when he heard about the break-in. The police seemed to think the break-in was drug related vandalism. Hillary knew better. The reason for the break-in was Sinclair, and the sooner he showed up the better. This time, Hillary planned to give him no alternative. He would explain everything or else she would call the police and accuse him of vandalism. The maintenance people managed to get the floor cleaned up. They scrubbed the walls with heavy duty cleaner. Now the lab smelled like pine alcohol. Hillary grimaced, it could be worse. Eventually, the smell would wear out. They moved the furniture out and told her they would find replacements. Hillary stared at the nearly emptied laboratory. All of her work destroyed. Her research, save for the DNA, and all her results were gone. It was hard to imagine, but she felt more violated now than she had right after her assault. This was her most prized possession, her deepest dream, and someone had stolen it from her.

Sinclair nearly gagged when he walked into the laboratory, crunching on a piece of missed glass. Hillary heard the choking and turned to look at him. An acid mixture of contempt and accusation burned in her throat. “Welcome to my nightmare,” she held out her hands in bitterness. Coughing, Sinclair glanced quickly around the lab. Hillary noticed his watery eyes and figured they burned with the chemicals used recently in the room. He stopped breathing and rubbed his eyes. “What in the hell happened?”

The janitorial staff stripped the room bare; the furniture gone, the

equipment gone, the doctor’s files gone. And suddenly, it began making sense. “I was hoping you might know.” Sinclair swallowed. From the expression on his face Hillary could tell he didn’t want to know. He hadn’t considered they might simply destroy her work. “What happened to all your equipment, your records?” “The equipment was destroyed, my samples are ruined, and my records were shredded.” Hillary moved closer to Sinclair motioning him to follow her into her office. “You should have seen it, Sinclair It looked like a ticker tape parade.” “Oh, no…”

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Hillary sat in her desk chair. They even tore her desk apart but the office chairs were still in tact. Sinclair sat across from her. “Oh, yes. And guess what, Sinclair? All of my records, files and samples on you are gone.” Sinclair bit the inside of his lip. He should have thought of this reality. He could have built some defense against it. “You’re kidding?” “Don’t you find that just the tiniest bit odd?” The edge of Hillary’s voice rippled in despair. “I don’t know what to say.” Sinclair appeared sincere. He did his best not to express the devastation that crushed his chest as if a boulder rolled on top of it. “Let me tell you the other bit of news. Would you like to know who they arrested for the breakin?” Hillary linked her fingers together to keep them still. Sinclair didn’t see where it would matter. He had a real good idea who was responsible. “I don’t really care.” “They arrested Dexter.” Sinclair’s eyebrows arched skyward. “They did what?” Hillary saw he was genuinely surprised. “They think he was looking for drugs.” Sinclair shook his head. “That’s crazy. Dexter’s a good kid.” “He was a decent, responsible young man before he started hanging around you.” Hillary planted the accusation firmly in Sinclair’s lap. One of many she planned to give him. “Are you saying I told Dexter to do this?” Sinclair gazed at her, positively incredulous. “No, I’m saying ever since you came into his life, Dexter has changed and not favorably.” Hillary sounded like someone’s older sister, but as far as she was concerned, Dexter had too much talent to let it slip away even on a man as beautiful as Sinclair. “You’re right, and I apologize. Dexter didn’t have anything to do with this.” Sinclair glanced over his shoulder back at the lab. “But you know who did?” Sinclair nodded. “I have a good idea.” Hillary knew she should’ve called the police, except the phone was ripped out of the wall during the break-in and her cell phone was out in her car. “You’re going to call the police.” Sinclair frowned, his handsome face turning dark. He frowned slowly. “I can’t.” “What do you mean, you can’t? You have to. Whoever is responsible needs to be caught.” Shock drove into her chest with the force of a hammer. “It wouldn’t matter if the police knew. They wouldn’t be able to do anything.” “They could arrest them, bring them to trial.”

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“Dr. Tennyson, it won’t happen because they will never find the ones who did this.” Hillary took a deep breath forcing herself not to scream at him like some raving lunatic. He spoke around her, constantly supplying riddles to her questions. He had done that all along. He gave her tiny clues, leading her down a path where no one should go. She had the DNA that belonged to Sinclair, but she had no answers to the myriad of questions fogging her brain. “Okay, Sinclair. You win. Whatever sick game this is, I’m tired of playing. You and your crazy friends can go find someone else to play with.” Hillary stood up and motioned him out the door. “I think things have gotten out of hand now. My research is ruined so if that’s your goal, then congratulations.” “Dr. Tennyson, you have to believe me,” Sinclair got up, imploring Hillary. He was ready to go down on his hands and knees. “I am the last person on the planet who wanted this to happen. Don’t you realize that you are my only hope of a cure? You are my salvation.” He gripped her by the shoulders, forcing her to look up at him. “I am sorry. I should have known, realized they would do anything to stop me, including destroying your work.” Hillary jerked free, “Spill it, Sinclair all of it or else the next person you are explaining things to will be a police officer.” Sinclair released her. Humans got so riled up. As if a member of the police force would ever find him. “Telling you anything could get us both killed.” Hillary glazed at him as if she’d never seen him before. The sharp-edged tail of fear twisted around her spine making her straighten. This all had to do with the DNA, she was certain of it. Whatever had altered his genetic code was the cause of this mess. Maybe Sinclair was involved in some secretive experiment, and now whomever it was that destroyed her lab wanted their little lab rat back. Then it smacked her square in the face like a bowl of wet, soggy noodles. Realization dawned and sometimes, Hillary thought it was just the dumbest thing. Her eyes narrowed and she turned a clinical gaze on the handsome Sinclair. Gone were Sinclair’s easy smile and his bright eyes. In its place was a man with features like stone. “Did they steal everything about me?” Hillary shook her head. “I still have all of the DNA results.” Sinclair shook visibly with repressed gratitude and excitement. “You’re brilliant,” he smiled broadly. “Absolutely, positively amazing. Hillary nodded, “Mmm-hmm. I’m just wonderful. Sinclair. You know why your DNA is different, don’t you?” Sinclair moved away, turning his back and returning to the chair. “Sinclair!” Hillary went over to him. She touched his shoulder and he glanced up at her with

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shuddered lids. “You told me you wanted me to help you. Before a doctor can do anything to help a patient, they have to know what caused the symptoms.” “I believe you, but if I tell you how it happened, you won’t believe me.” “Oh for God’s sake! You’re a fucking vampire, aren’t you?” His lip curled and he dipped his head almost like a forlorn pup. He nodded slowly. “To the best of my knowledge, the alteration came during my change.” “What is Las Vegas just full of you guys?” “The change seventy years ago from human to what I am now.” Damn, these guys looked good for dead. Hillary shook her head. She knew she had to ask. If only to hang on to the remnants of her sanity, she would play along in whatever alternative reality she found herself. “Sinclair, I really hate to break this to you, but I would stake my life on the fact that you aren’t any older than thirty-two or thirty-three.” “Then you would lose.” Sinclair’s eyes glittered with an unnatural light. He leaned closer to Hillary so that his face was merely inches from hers. “I stopped being human seventy years ago.” Hillary blinked, leaning back a bit uncomfortable by his stare. So much for alternative reality, maybe she suffered from suspended reality. She’d make a note to call Hannah soon. She wondered what the medical profession would think of a prominent researcher chatting with a vampire. “Okay, Sinclair. If you aren’t human, they what are you?” She licked her lips, would it really make it better once he admitted it aloud? “I’m a vampire.” Hillary’s head twitched at the words. She rocked so far back on her heels she nearly fell over. Nope, that didn’t make it better. Her stomach pitched and rolled as if she were a small craft caught in a storm at sea. She caught herself and rolled back onto her feet. Hillary shook her head in dismay. Then, a trickle of laughter escaped her lips. It flowed over, bursting forth in a loud rush. Maybe Hannah would discount her psychiatric services for a long time friend. “Oh, that’s hysterical, Sinclair!” She nearly doubled over. “I guess I walked right into that one.” She sniffed, wiping her tearing eyes. Sinclair mouth didn’t move, not even a chuckle. The skin across his cheekbones tightened perceptively. His lips drew together in a line. It was her last hope. Her mind darted from thought to thought like a hummingbird. Who else was a vampire in Las Vegas? In the past few days, she’d managed to stumble across four of them. Well technically, she’d only met two and Christian still hadn’t admitted he was one. So some hope remained, however weird it was. “Come on, Sinclair. You got me, joke’s over, you can laugh now.” Sinclair continued to watch her. Hillary sank into her chair. She gazed steadily at him for a long moment.

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“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Sinclair gave a small nod. Hillary licked her lips.

People who thought they were supernatural creatures; werewolves,

vampires and the like were right up Hannah’s alley. Hillary frowned. She just never thought she would ever run into one. Apparently, some of these people were quite fanatical in their beliefs, drinking blood, sleeping during the day, never going out in the sun. She glanced back at Sinclair. The poor, distraught young man needed help. “Sinclair, I have a friend who is wonderful with people. You could talk to her. Maybe she could help you.” “Dr. Tennyson, you are the only one who can help me.” “Sinclair, I’m not a psychologist. I don’t know anything about this sort of thing.” Hillary felt helpless and extremely sorry for the handsome young man. Oh hell who was she kidding? She started to feel extremely sorry for her self. Researcher gone wacko! She could see the headlines now. Sinclair sighed raggedly. “Christian said you would not believe me.” That got Hillary’s undivided attention. “Christian who?” “Christian Blackthorne is a friend of mine.” Sinclair’s lips went crooked at the word friend. Sinclair shifted slightly and that curtain of auburn hair fell in front of his face. “Christian warned me against trying to find a cure. He said no one would believe me. He tried to stop me.” Hillary wondered why Christian hadn’t gotten Sinclair some help if he were truly Sinclair’s friend. “But, you persisted. Why come to me?” She did not even want to think about Christian’s connection to Sinclair. Nope. Not at all. There were no such things as vampires. And they certainly didn’t have little vampire gangs. Maybe they were clutches? Oh hell, clutches of vampires? She really was insane. “You were doing research. I didn’t know what for, but I thought if I could somehow call attention to myself, you would help me.” Sinclair smirked. It did sound very far-fetched. “You started finding all these strange test results and I got hopeful.” Hillary listened carefully. Dear God, what if he really was a vampire? An impossible incredible notion, but it resolved a great many things. Starting with Sinclair only being available after sunset. The bizarre pH level of his blood, the strange white count, and the topper to this whole thing was the DNA tests. Hillary felt numbness spread up from the tips of her toes into her stomach, locking her in place.

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“When the DNA tests came back and you said I wasn’t human, I was elated. I never dreamed you would find such things. I couldn’t tell you what it meant to me when you said you found mutant genes in my body.” Sinclair grinned as an immense weight lifted from his shoulders. Hillary appeared a bit on the green side, she could practically feel slime crawl through her body. She really couldn’t imagine why anyone would be happy at such a revelation. Sinclair looked as if he had just received his Christmas present early. She understood now why he was so hopeful. He thought she had the capability to reconstruct the DNA strand. She hated to dash his hopes, but there was just no possibility of her doing that. “Sinclair, even if I wanted to, I don’t have the knowledge or the skills to reverse the DNA to what it was before.” “Christian has given me some more time. But the hunting party is out and I don’t know how much time we’ll have. Doctor, I understand that you might not be able to reverse the process, but can you try? Please?” She might be able to duplicate one segment, if she was lucky. But, the entire thing, that was impossible. Even if she agreed to try this, she realized she accepted what Sinclair told her. Sinclair was really and truly a vampire. That rebelled against every logical principle in her body. Unfortunately, nothing else made sense. What was a hunting party anyway? And what exactly did Christian have to do with this? She found it difficult to comprehend Christian being involved in such fantastic nonsense. My best friend is a vampire just didn’t fit right with Christian Blackthorne. Hillary looked at Sinclair. His sincerity touched her, he really believed. Hillary fought back a sigh. Why not? People believed in UFO’s, Bigfoot, and who knew what else. What not vampires? Hillary forced a smile she wasn’t certain she really felt. “All right, Sinclair once my lab is put back together, I can try to isolate part of the genetic code.” Sinclair leaped to his feet. Hillary held up a hand, stalling him. “I can’t promise anything, Sinclair. I don’t even think I’ll be able to do it.” Sinclair grinned, “But you’re willing to try.” Hillary nodded slightly, “I will try, but the odds of me being able to recreate anything are slim and mill.” “That’s okay,” Sinclair sat back, a satisfied crease to his lips. “I can wait.” “Oh, but you really can’t, Sinclair, darling. Your time just ran up.”

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CHAPTER SEVEN

Sinclair leaped to his feet, whipping his head around. He knew that frosty tone and the sensuality that dripped around it. “Seraphina?” Hillary watched the stunning, brunette step into the doorway. Her short curls framed a heartshaped face and feline eyes. Her entire mannerisms revealed beneath a tight, black pantsuit cat-like grace and motion. Behind the woman were five of the most attractive men she had ever seen. Models? Somehow, with everything going on, Hillary didn’t think so. This was the vampire bitch from her dream! Oh shit and she traveled with her own orgy. They glided into her lab, a silent, very deadly parade of the undead. Hillary back up ever so slowly until she was behind Sinclair it might go over better if she feigned extreme innocence in this matter. “Hello,” she greeted the one Sinclair called Seraphina with a bright smile. “I’m Dr. Tennyson, is there something I can do for you?” Seraphina’s full red lips transformed into a sneer. “So you’re the famous doctor. My, what a pleasure it is to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.” Hillary smiled inwardly. Wow, this chick really was a bitch. The glitter in the woman’s eyes felt positively unholy. It nearly made Hillary squirm, but she forced herself to remain calm and not reflect any other emotion. She spared a glance at Sinclair who appeared absolutely horrified. “Really? How nice.” “Yes, I was.” The words practically slithered forth as Seraphina roamed about the lab. Hillary could see that she searched for something. Her jaws tightened, gee, wonder what that might be? It didn’t take a genius to figure out who trashed her lab. Probably a ton of vampires in Vegas that didn’t want anyone knowing about their existence. Sinclair stared at the five men with a strange glitter in their eyes. That made her uncomfortable. Light reflected in their eyes creating a golden pupil. Eerie, very eerie and Hillary got the impression that whatever they wanted, Sinclair was a big part of it. “Are you doing some spring cleaning early, Dr. Tennyson?” Seraphina indicated the empty laboratory. Hillary saw the knowledge of the answer teasing beneath a small smirk of the bright red lips. Hillary moved slowly toward the door, watching Sinclair’s eyes and the small tilt of his head. He wanted her out of there, now. Hillary let her eyes travel over the lab while she mentally counted how

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many steps it would take to get out the door and down the hall. “Oh no, we had some trouble last night.” “Really? That’s awful.” Seraphina saw the look on Sinclair’s face and winked at him. She intercepted Hillary smoothly before she could get to the lab door. “Isn’t it a shame? You simply can’t trust people these days.” Hillary backed off. She might rush the young woman and knock her down, but she knew she wouldn’t stand a chance against the five men. She looked hopefully at Sinclair. “Christian gave me more time, Seraphina.”

Sinclair spoke quietly, hoping to appeal to

Seraphina’s sense of propriety. “Did he?” Seraphina tilted her head, placing a long red fingernail to her lips. “Good try, Sinclair” She gazed at him with glistening eyes, looking exceptionally wicked. She wagged her finger at him. “I don’t think so, though.” Whatever this little interchange was about, Hillary refused to let this bitch Seraphina intimidate her. “Would you like to tell me what you are doing here?” Seraphina sauntered over to Hillary. “I think you already know that, Dr. Tennyson.” Sinclair shook his head, lying he perfected long ago. “She doesn’t know anything, Seraphina, except that you and your friends have barged in here for no reason.” Hillary did her best to appear baffled. Seraphina regarded her carefully. “She knows why we’re here, Sinclair.” “Actually, I don’t. And, since you don’t seem to be telling me, I would suggest you and your friends leave before I call security.” Hillary hoped it sounded as firm as she intended. “My, my, isn’t she quite the spunky little thing?” Seraphina moved closer to Hillary but her gaze remained on Sinclair. She reached out and brushed a hand down’s Hillary’s shoulder length hair. “She’s very pretty. Isn’t she Sinclair?” Seraphina licked her lips and Hillary didn’t like the look in the women’s eye. “Now we know why Christian has taken such a shine to her.” Sinclair’s hand balled into a fist. Hillary sensed his agitation. Her eyes darted to the window and wondered if she jumped would anything catch her fall? Breaking an ankle was better than letting this bitch and her boy toys have her for dinner. The idea made her shudder. Hillary raised her hands, brushing Seraphina’s away. “That’s it, sweetheart! Take your cold ass hands off” She pushed passed Seraphina and headed out of the lab. Seraphina turned to go after her, but Sinclair gripped her by the arm. “Let her go, Seraphina. You’ve got me, and I’ll go willingly.” “I couldn’t care less about you, Sinclair. I want the mortal. Seraphina ripped herself free of the grasp and started for Hillary. She motioned her men to detain the doctor and they did so rapidly.

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Hillary made it to the doorway leading out into the corridor when two men grabbed her by the arms. She screamed only to find a huge hand wrapped around her mouth. They lifted her off the ground and carried her back into the laboratory where Seraphina waited. “You can’t do this, Seraphina.” Sinclair stared down at the young woman, his emerald eyes burning with disbelief and anger. He glanced briefly at Hillary as they returned her to the lab. She was unharmed; confusion littered her features. “Who says?” Her sharp white teeth revealed a vicious smile. She looked at her comrades. “Do any of you care what happens to the mortal?” All of the men shook their heads. “You see,” she turned to Sinclair. “No one cares.” “I care,” Sinclair growled. “Well, of course you do, Sinclair darling.” She patted his arm. “You want to be human again. I’m sorry to say that just isn’t going to happen.” Held high in the air over one of the boy toy’s shoulder, Hillary screamed as she fell forward suddenly. She landed in a prone position off to the side of three of the boys. It took only one breath to realize what’d happened when she heard Madison yell, “What the fuck is this?” “I’ll explain later!” Hillary scrambled to her feet. She’d forgot Madison planned on picking her up tonight to head over to the Palms. “Right now, just run damn it!” Mortal? The word lodged itself into Hillary’s brain as she practically shoved Madison out the door of the lab. She glanced back into the lab at each of the intruders. Now wouldn’t that just be an interesting police report? Yes, officer, vampires trashed my lab and destroyed my research. Her breath clogged in her lungs and she could hear her heart echoing in her chest. None of these people were human. Hillary took a shallow breath to keep from passing out. Her knees wanted to lock and she forced her muscles to bend slightly as the grip of weakness on her loosened. The hallway was thirty feet tops leading into the lobby where people milled about. If they made to the lobby, there was no way the bitch and her boys would come after them. What on earth had she gotten herself involved in? More importantly, how would she get herself out? Blood rushed in her ears. Evidently, Sinclair was the cause of some in-fighting going on. She could understand why these people wouldn’t want their secret out in the open. Imagine all the havoc raised by an announcement along those lines, vampires in Las Vegas. The click of heels on the tile pushed her attention to the present as she and Madison ran as fast as possible in their shoes. Talking about falling in with the wrong crowd. Sinclair, she had developed a certain fondness for, but the one called Seraphina was a bitch on wheels.

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Madison skidded to a stop and grabbed hold of the wall. “Why are we running?” She kicked off her shoes and rubbed her feet. “These are made for dancing.” “We need to get out of here.” Hillary wrapped an arm around Madison and pulled her into the lobby. “Where are you parked?” The hospital seemed deathly quiet. Where were all the people when you wanted them? She could practically feel the feral breath of Seraphina from around the corner. “When are you going to tell me what this is about?” Hillary grabbed Madison and yanked her through the lobby and to the main entrance. “When we’re a long way away from here.” The practically slammed into the glass doors as Hillary pushed them through. “Who the hell was the beefcake hoisting you like a bag of popcorn?” “Don’t know.” Hillary scanned the parking lot searching for Madison’s little Miata. A flutter of wind trailed across her face and Hillary’s eyes refocused. “Oh shit.” Seraphina didn’t appear the least bit amused. “My dear, Doctor, it is unfortunate you got involved with Sinclair here. I can understand, though. He is rather pretty and he can be a heartbreaker when he tries.” Before she could blink, they surrounded her and Madison. “I am not involved with Sinclair He is a patient of mine. Nothing else.” One of the men put his hands on her and Hillary pulled loose of her captors. What did this creature do anyway? Go around insulting and intimidating people for a living. Madison’s hand went to her purse. She was an undercover cop with Las Vegas PD and Madison rarely took shit off anyone. “What is this crap?” Seraphina raised a slash of a dark brow. “This crap doesn’t concern you, mortal. I advise you to remain silent and you might survive this little altercation.” “You really don’t want to get her riled.” Hillary reached the end of her rope. Her pale brown eyes blazed with rage. Her fists balled together with hopes of one clear punch at the snotty little Seraphina She might not inflict any damage, but she knew Madison would. At five foot ten, Madison had the body of professional athlete and she wasn’t afraid to mix it up a little. Sinclair sighed. Seraphina looked as if she were ready to engage in the obvious catfight Hillary itched to launch. “I don’t really think we should go into introductions. We’re already off to such a good start here.” “No need to be rude, Sinclair.” Seraphina smiled prettily. “I’m Seraphina.” The young woman announced grandly. Hillary looked for the applause at such a profound announcement. Seraphina walked up to Hillary, tilting her head slightly at the height difference. “Let me tell you all the mistakes you have made recently, Dr. Tennyson. Now, if you can come up with ways to correct these errors, I will be very

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pleased. If I am not pleased, well, let’s say, it will be your last mistake.” “Is that some kind of threat?” Hillary bit out beneath thin lips. Seraphina touched Hillary’s hair, thinking it would make a lovely decoration. She shook her head, “Not a threat, only an assurance.” Fear made you do exceptionally strange things. This wasn’t the trapped, caged animalistic fear she had when the man tried to assault her. This riveted Hillary to the floor daring her to back down. Try to run. Try to get free. Seraphina toyed with her as if she were a small bird. When she flapped her tiny wings, Seraphina’s paw would be there. The terror streamed across her in rivers of flowing spasms. Muscle began to flinch throughout out her body, tiny tremors which Hillary battled down. This was no ordinary woman she dealt with and when she saw Madison’s hand move inside her purse, Hillary put her own over the top of her friend’s. “Not now.” Hillary whispered, wishing fervently she had only a misunderstanding of the situation. The power radiating from Seraphina in an unnatural aura hit her in rippling currents. She could almost see the dark blue pattern running over them. Perhaps, if she gave in and did not challenge this creature, Seraphina would let her and Madison go. She looked at Sinclair. The young man shook his head. Clearly, he knew her thoughts. Seraphina would not be subdued. What could she do? “What kind of mistakes are you talking about?” “We’ll start with Sinclair here. How did you let yourself get mixed up in this? I did warn you, you know.” “I know.” Seraphina’s eyes widened. “So you are perceptive. One of your many talents, I’m sure. After all, it would take someone extraordinary to hold Christian’s interest.” “That might be why you’ve never excited him, Seraphina” Sinclair looked at her blandly, well aware of the violent anger in her eyes. A couple of her men chuckled; Sinclair smiled, appealing to some hope of an alliance. That was the only way Hillary and he would get out alive. He wondered if Hillary grasped the extreme danger they were in. If she did, was it wise to anger the one with the proverbial gun? Seraphina glared at Sinclair, fury stretching her pretty face into an angry mask. “Hmm, maybe.” “Why take it out on the woman? She has no idea what is going on.” Again, Sinclair appealed. A light came into Seraphina’s eyes. “Really?” Seraphina walked beside Hillary, very slow, very sure of herself. “Is that so? You have absolutely no idea why we might be upset with you?” Hillary wondered if “we” meant the group or if Seraphina adored herself way too much. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

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Seraphina smiled, a curling snarl. “This could be a lot of fun.” She ran a nail across her cheek, considering. “A lot of fun.” “Seraphina, don’t do this.” Sinclair’s head tilted and he sniffed the air. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with, is what you should be saying, my dear.” Seraphina laughed sending a chill up Hillary’s spine. “Let me get back to your mistakes. First, was Sinclair then, proceeding with Sinclair’s foolishness.” Sinclair shook his head in disgust. “Seraphina, stop. Take me and let’s get out of here. The hunting party is over unless you plan on calling the rest of the Renegades.” “I think we’re just getting started.” Seraphina walked around Hillary slowly tapping her nails lightly on her cheek. “These weren’t your worst mistakes though. The worst one was thinking you could have one of the Blackthornes.” She stopped directly in front of Hillary, eyeing her with eyes like a cobra. Sinclair strode up to Seraphina and whirled the woman around. “Seraphina, this is the last time I’m asking. Now, I’m telling you, stop this.” Seraphina raised one finger, glaring at him with restrained animosity. “This is not your concern. Your feelings for humans are touching, however, misplaced.” Hillary instantly understood. “Are you sure we’re talking about the same man?” The she sensed something near them. It was a predator, definitely. Hillary’s head turned as well as the cool breeze swept past them. Then she saw them. A large black wolf with a shiny coat moved forward. With a sable wolf as a companion, they padded across the parking lot toward them. A large white owl settled in a tree branch above them in a flutter of silent wings. Hillary leaned closer to Madison. “I think the cavalry arrived.” “Excuse me?” Hillary motioned in the direction of the wolves and the owl. “Remember at lunch when you thought I’d lost my mind?” Madison nodded. “Man? Now that is an interesting choice of words.” Seraphina flashed a pretty pout in the direction of Sinclair and the other men. “Wouldn’t you say that was interesting?” At Seraphina’s words, Madison’s eyes snapped onto Hillary. “You’re fucking kidding me? These people think their vampires?” Hillary tapped on Madison’s foot to keep her quiet and nudged her in the direction of the wolves. The air around the two wolves rippled and shimmered as if time and space folded in upon each other. Stars danced around, spinning away from the wolves, as if bees composed of light. Hillary held

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her breath as the wolves shifted and stood. The light became brilliant and she squinted as suddenly, Christian and two men who appeared nearly identical to him stood before them. “Oh shit!” Hillary spun around at the thud and found Madison passed out against a convertible. “Step away, Seraphina.” Never in her life were three words so compelling. The vampire bitch turned her head as did her five, hunky minions to face Christian and his brothers. “Oh come on, Christian, don’t look so despondent. You won’t miss these.” Seraphina clicked her tongue at him. Then she turned back to Hillary. So much for luck. Hillary felt the color bleed from her face, leaving a clammy texture. “Are you in love with him?” The words felt hollow and nearly painful as Seraphina whispered at her. Seraphina sneered, shaking out her dark curls. “Interesting?” Christian and his brothers stepped forward. The blonde bent over Madison. He propped her against him and lowered his chin to her bare shoulder. “They are marked, Seraphina. You can’t touch them.” Hillary blinked. Wow, blonde brother had one sexy, husky voice and eyes as blue as a lake. Icy laughter filled the air. “You wouldn’t dare” The glare she Seraphina sent the blonde man nearly froze Hillary in place

Seraphina glanced back at Hillary. “Dr. Tennyson, I have spent years

attempting to earn Draigon’s favor. Suddenly, you’ve seemed to have earned all the brother’s protective instincts with your obvious charms.” She turned and faced Draigon with her hands planted on her hips. “What you don’t understand is that Draigon belongs to me. I want him and I will have him. If that means I have to remove you and your friend permanently from the equation, then so be it.” Hillary blinked. Reality shattered like a plate glass falling in slow motion. Tiny crystals of thought fell about her feet leaving her without defense. She watched as an icy glare appeared in Draigon’s eyes and he lowered his sharp teeth to graze Madison’s shoulder. Seraphina hissed. “You bastard.” Christian moved closer his palm stretched outward. “They are marked Seraphina.” Shards of electricity tingled off Christian’s hand. “Take your Renegades and leave.” Seraphina ran this herd of outlaw vampires off the edge of propriety. The Blackthornes cleaned up several messes, bodies, in order to protect their culture. The more violent the Renegades became the more exposure they garnered. “Oh, you are clever.” Seraphina made a motion with one hand. “Time for all of us to go.” The man who resembled Christian the closest, but he had long hair where Christian’s was short, moved slowly. “Keep this in mind, Seraphina. The Guardians dissolved the Council earlier today. They

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have left the city.” Hillary swung into motion. Spinning on the other man, she smashed her foot into his kneecap. Instantly, she was free and scrambling forward toward Christian. “There is no use trying to escape.” Seraphina gestured for the men to bring Sinclair and Hillary back into the lab. Seraphina considered for a moment. “Kill her here. Without the Guardians, there’s no need for us to worry about anything.” “No one will believe that,” Hillary spat out. “Probably not, but they aren’t going to believe vampires did it either.” Seraphina snickered and Hillary noticed she appeared to enjoy her evening. “Kill her.” “Let her go.” Christian’s voice came as a low, vicious growl. Steady in intensity, it sent shivers racing up Hillary’s spine. She remembered a growl. Remembered it from a dream and remembered it as her savior the night she of her attack. “The actions of your Renegades have drawn the attention of a Hunter.

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CHAPTER EIGHT

Hillary’s head turned a degree at a time. Part of her praying she wasn’t hallucinating, the other half hoping another innocent person had not wandered into this arena of terror. Tears shimmered in her eyes betraying the only emotion she felt. The newcomer looked down on her with fiery gold and copper flecks dancing in his eyes. His sensuous mouth cut a violent line. Rigid animosity tightened his jaw. He walked up to them with a commanding presence and the other five nearly fell over themselves to get out of his way. “What is the meaning of this?” A harsh threat lined the inflection. He gazed at Christian and his brothers with a look of disappointment more than anger. Then the golden stare fell upon Seraphina. “I asked you a question.” Seraphina smiled brilliantly, “Elliot, darling. What a wonderful surprise! I wasn’t expecting to see you in Las Vegas.” Elliot advanced with a snarl. “Is that so? I can’t imagine why you would be surprised to find me here especially since that’s my doctor you have hostage.” “Oh, well, yes. I did forget about her.” Seraphina flicked a careless glance in Hillary’s direction. “Who gave you the right to hunt a mortal?” “Elliot, darling, we always hunt mortals. There isn’t a rule against that. You know as well as I do, they are open game.” Seraphina gave a seductive look, moving closer to brush Elliot’s arm. Hillary stared uncomprehendingly at the exchange. They always hunt mortals? Her eyes went to slits as she noticed the wide respectful berth they all gave the man known as Elliot. Hillary leaned closer to Draigon, “Who is he?” “A warlock. A very, very powerful one.” Draigon kept his eyes on Elliot. Seraphina appeared to be the last of their worries. “Take the one you came for and leave, Seraphina.” Seraphina’s eyes closed in on Hillary. “But I’m not finished yet, Elliot.” Her thick lips bent into a pout. “I’m doing you a favor. She’s very pretty, Elliot. I can’t fault your taste and I can understand why you would be attracted to her. After all, someone of your appetite needs a variety I suppose.” “Shut up, Seraphina.” A very soft, very dangerous warning. “But she is weak, Elliot. You can’t fancy yourself involved with someone to pitifully weak. You

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need someone as strong as you are.” Seraphina ran a hand down her curved hips. “Someone like me.” Elliot removed his gold wire frame glasses from the bridge of his nose and tucked them into his coat pocket. “You’re insane,” his lips turned upward briefly as if he only noticed that tidbit. Then he turned to look at Hillary. Warlocks? Vampires? Hillary’s stomach rolled as bile rose in her throat. Vegas must attract them all because of the nightlife. “No need to get nasty, Elliot.” Seraphina frowned with a great deal of practice. “You’ll thank me for this eventually. I know it.” “You have your rogue vampire. Leave.” Elliot flexed the fingers of his left hand and blue sparks snapped and popped all around. Seraphina clicked her tongue in disappointment. “Really, Elliot, look around. You are a bit outnumbered. Color seeped out of her cheeks and her eyes widened incredibly. Madison began to stir and Draigon steadied her while Christian and his other brother moved closer. He reached a hand out to her and she clutched it hard. “Why do I have the feeling I’m in an adult Harry Potter movie?” He cracked a smile. “An interesting way of putting it.” Hillary directed her gaze at Elliot. “Warlocks?” Christian nodded. “What’s he doing here?” “Oh he’s probably as interested in your discovery as the vampire contingent.” “Oh my God.” She noticed the concentration in Elliot’s eyes never wavered. Seraphina was far too dangerous an adversary not to pay attention too. “You’re challenging me, Seraphina?” Elliot cocked a brow and directed his index finger at one of Seraphina’s pretty boys The cover model vampire exploded into a blast of gold and green sparks. “Holy shit.” Madison blinked as Hillary practically scrambled into Christian’s lap. “That’s better.” Elliot smiled brightly. Hillary watched as Seraphina pondered for a moment. “That’s not a nice way to make a point, Elliot. I rather enjoyed him.” The brunette angled a bit closer. Hillary wasn’t sure if she tried making a play on the warlock or if she had more balls than brains. Elliot glanced over at Hillary. “Dr. Tennyson, do you actually want to get involved in this? You have the chance to leave in one piece.” Christian’s arm went around her waist. “That’s our cue.” He urged her toward Madison’s car. “Where were the two of you headed before we were so rudely interrupted?” “You’re just going to leave him?”

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Draigon laughed, “We don’t tangle with warlocks. Not on purpose anyway.” He winked at Madison. “And that one especially. What he did to Gerard, he could do to all of them without breaking a sweat.” Madison appeared a bit grin around the gills. “I need beer. Lots and lots of beer.”

“What didn’t you tell me?” The crowd in the Ghost Bar at the Palms exhibited a sultry sophistication that Hillary usually enjoyed. Tonight, her brain spun like some out of control merry-go-round as she watched Madison suck down a tall draft. Christian pushed a tall martini in front of her. She sipped it slowly. A man who wasn’t really a man. “Why didn’t you just tell me?” “I couldn’t.” Christian’s eyes turned to slits. He shook his head grimly. “I never intended to hurt you, Hillary, never. But, I couldn’t until I knew you were ready to accept the truth.” “Swell, the best sex I’ve ever had was with a dead guy.” Madison choked on her beer and Draigon solicitously took the mug out of her hand and pushed a plate of appetizers toward her. He grinned at her then at Hillary. “Not technically.” Madison didn’t let him slide the mug too far. “Not technically? What? Dead?” Garridon sat in the corner, preferring shadow. Hillary learned from Christian that he was eldest and took the job quite seriously. She could see the irritated reflection in his eyes as he watched Madison and Draigon. “We’re undead. Neither totally alive nor are we dead. We exist on a different level than mortals. Our senses are brighter, sharper.” He picked up a glass of red wine and drank it. Madison leaned forward, “I thought vampires only drank blood.” “You would be sadly mistaken.” Draigon grinned again. “We can drink and eat anything. The only problem is with such an advanced palate, we only eat things that appeal to our sophisticated tastes.” He slung an arm around the back of Madison’s chair. “However, I’ve recently developed a taste for buffalo wings.” He winked, squeezing her shoulder and earned a glare from Garridon. This was just too freakin’ weird. The tension off Garridon nearly lanced her while Draigon simply ignored his brother’s pointed stares. Christian seemed to be enjoying the date and she was pretty sure Madison would never speak to her again after tonight. “You know, as much as we enjoy the company of gorgeous guys, I think you all ought to hit the road tonight.” Leaning back, Draigon used his fist to mimic stabbing himself in the heart. “Oooh, ouch!”

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Madison gasped and lifted shaky hands for the beer mug. Draigon laughed and popped an appetizer in his sensuous mouth. “Just kidding. Actually doctor, there’s a bit of a problem with that.” “What kind of problem?” “Sinclair to start with.” “I don’t think so.” Hillary sipped at her drink. Christian refused to look at her, suddenly very preoccupied with his glass of wine. “If it’s my research, well, it’s done. The lab’s destroyed and I really have no desire to study vampires. And I can’t alter someone’s DNA.” “But the Renegades know you have the capability.” “You mean Seraphina? Or the warlock dude?” Madison’s eyes went to Hillary. “They’re going to eat us, aren’t they?” Panic made her voice rise several octaves and Hillary tried not to chuckle. The big, homicide detective turned into a simpering girl over three sexy vampires. Draigon howled with laughter as another round of drinks appeared on the table. “We’re not going eat you, at least not the way you’re thinking, Madison.” His eyes glittered with humor. “Now I’d love the opportunity to have a lick.” “Shut the fuck up, Draigon.” Garridon leaned forward and Hillary got a good look at him. Intensity practically shimmered off him. “Hillary, there’s a reason you found anomalies in your own blood. Christian marked you to protect you from the Renegades just as Draigon did with Madison.” Her brow rose, “You bit me?” At least he exhibited some decency by the hangdog expression and pleading eyes. “You bit me, when?” Then it dawned on her. “Oh for God’s sake, while we were fucking?” He nodded. Hillary shook her head, trying to comprehend. She knew the stories about creatures hunting the night. “I’m a vampire?” Draigon started laughing again. “Go ahead, Christian. Tell her.” “We couldn’t do this somewhere else?” Christian didn’t look at his brother. Instead, his gaze fell on Hillary. She appeared pale and fragile, much like the night he had discovered her. He knew the inner strength was there, though. Buried beneath the surface, she would find the courage to deal with this. “I did it to protect you. At least that was part of it. The other, well, I’m in love with you.” “So you turned me into a vampire? Without my consent?” Hillary started to get out of her chair. Christian caught hold of her and spun her around so hard he thought he heard something snap. Something did, her barstool. Garridon got to his feet and retrieved another for Hillary. His eyes glittered dangerously. “Listen to me.” She stared, oddly shaken and he could see it plainly in her clouded eyes. “You aren’t a vampire, for God’s sake.”

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“Anyone need another beer?” Madison slipped to her feet. “I gotta pee.” Draigon steadied the other woman and Christian waited till they headed in the direction of the bar. “If he hurts her—” “Don’t give me that shit of an attitude, Hillary. You’re smarter than that.” “I don’t feel real fucking smart at the moment. The guy I’m seeing is a vampire. His vampire brother is off with my best friend and his other brother gives new meaning to Count Fucking Dracula.” Hillary swallowed the rest of her drink. “I feel just fabulous.” She looked around sure that their strange party would draw attention. It didn’t. “Your blood is different because you could be one of us if you chose.” “I thought you sucked people dry and they were your slaves or something.” “Shit Hillary, would you cut that out?” Madison returned with Draigon. Hillary eyed her carefully and her friend appeared perfectly fine. Back to her old smart ass cop self. Hillary noticed she shoved at Draigon playfully while the two consumed a new plate of wings. “He’s still the same guy you were going on about. Get over it or let’s get the hell out of here.” “What did you do to her?” “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Madison laughed and bit into a puff of something Hillary couldn’t identify. “Oh for fuck’s sake, I’m kidding. He carried the drinks back.” Christian slid closer. “You wanted to know how far you could go. This is your answer.” “I need to think about this.” “Go for a walk down to the patio or something. Me and Dragonboy are going to see who can eat the most wings.”

Hillary and Christian walked out onto the patio and observed a wet and wild pool party at a distance. She didn’t touch him, preferring to appear intent on the young, wet couples in the water. “You can have it. Everything you’ve ever dreamed about.” He didn’t look at her, only let his words create the desired effect. “You’ve dreamed of something more your entire life, Hillary. I can see it in you. I can taste it.” “I don’t want to die.” “You don’t need to die.” From out of the shadows, one of Seraphina’s vampires flicked out a long dagger and waved it at Hillary. Fear clouded her thoughts. With lightening speed, he reached out and captured Christian’s arm, twisting it behind him. These evil creatures had destroyed her lab and her research. That bitch Seraphina cost her a lot of

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time and money. That was one wickedly curved dagger. “Look out!” There had to be something she could do to help Christian. Time dripped like a sticky syrup running in slow motion. Hillary saw Christian turn as the dagger arched over his head. Christian’s eyes glowed menacingly as the arch began a downward swing. Hillary’s brain slammed into overdrive. The dagger swung downward and immediately something caught Hillary’s eye. She picked up a tray used to deliver drinks and slammed it into the vampire. Son of a bitch. This didn’t look like one of Seraphina’s guys, it looked like a freakin’ Goth under some sort of spell. Hillary nearly dove forward at him in alarm as the blade plunged into Christian’s side. Christian howled and fell to his knees. The shrill wail of the alarm caught the Goth off guard. Hillary slammed a fist into the vampire’s kidney section. Christian slumped against the wall. Hillary watched as Christian struggled to his feet bracing himself against the counter top. She could practically sense the pain, hot and searing pain traveled his entire body in light speed. The Goth moved closer, the dagger still in his hand. “It really is a shame it has to end like this, Christian.” Christian’s left hand pressed ineffectively against the bloody wound. He didn’t answer. He was too intent in focusing his concentration in another direction. The Goth stroked his cheek. “I’ll end it quickly for you, Christian.” He raised the dagger. Draigon soared at him, spinning the evil around. “Like hell you will.” The Goth chuckled and smashed Draigon with a well placed right cross. Hillary blinked and scrambled to get out of the way as Garridon and Madison ran up. Hillary turned back toward Christian. His side stained crimson with an indescribable amount of blood. Instantly, she realized she had made a grave mistake. Suddenly, a wall of pure fire met her. Flame engulfed her licking terribly at her skin. The Goth screamed in rage and sheer terror. He spun away trying to escape the orange flames. Okay, wrong there. Goth boy was a vampire. Fire burned her eyes and throat. Anyone foolish enough to mistake the power of Christian and his brothers put themselves in a dangerous position. Never in her wildest dreams could she imagine such a force unleashed upon her. The Goth went over the railing, a fireball burning to ash before it hit the pool below. Hillary glanced about, shocked at the uncontrollable tirade. She stared out over the pool and saw no sign of Goth boy anywhere. She rushed over to Christian, letting him lean against her. “We need to

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get you to the hospital.” “They couldn’t help. You’re a doctor, Hillary. How would you treat me?” Christian tried smiling but ended up coughing in pain. “We’ve got to get him out of here before anyone shows up.” “How are we going to do that?” Hillary looked at the pool of blood, deep red against the tile floor. “We could get a gurney and wheel him out.” “Someone would notice me immediately.” Hillary stripped off her jacket and pressed it against the wound. She looked at Christian, “He’s lost a lot of blood.” Shifting Christian over to Draigon and Madison, she looked at Garridon. It took every ounce of will to hold onto the medical training and not panic. The sight of him as he bled to death in front of her drove an icy edge of panic into her heart. “He needs to be in the hospital” Madison bent down. “Let’s get him bandaged up.” “We’ve got to get out of here.” Draigon shifted his gaze around the party goers. “How?” Draigon looked over the railing and nodded with his head. “We jump.” “Are you crazy? He can’t jump in his condition. And even if the both of you made it without breaking your necks, we can’t jump.” Garridon hoisted Christian up and on the railing. “You won’t have to.” He jumped quickly heedless of Hillary’s cry. Garridon landed gently on the slope leading out onto the Strip. He leaned the unconscious Christian against the side of the building, as a long black limo pulled up. “Hurry, Doctor. We don’t have all night.” Madison watched as Hillary picked up some discarded pool towels and began mopping up the blood. Cringing at the amount of blood loss, she glanced up at Draigon. “He’s hurt bad, isn’t he? Even for one of you.” Hillary shoved the towels in the trash and Draigon grabbed her and Madison around the waist. He leaped off the railing and Hillary thought she was taking a fall on a roller coaster. Her heart lodged in her throat as they landed. “That’s amazing.” Draigon grinned quickly, “It is kind of fun.” Garridon picked Christian back up and then stopped and looked at Hillary. “By car, the trip to the house is ten minutes. By air, four.” “Take him. I’ll meet you there.” She bent over Christian. “Let me try to slow the bleeding first.” “Don’t bother. No infections, remember?” Draigon stilled her hand. “He needs to feed, Hillary.” Hillary nodded. “Well, if that’s the case. Here.” Madison stepped forward and pulled her sleeve away from her

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wrist. “Have a nibble. Whatever will help.” Draigon gazed at Garridon. The eldest nodded briefly. “A bit, will be enough to get him home.” Garridon eased Christian’s hand over Madison’s wrist. His lips curled back to reveal sharp white teeth. “Madison!” Hillary cringed as Christian suck his fangs into her friend’s wrist. Madison fell back against Draigon. It lasted only seconds but Christian’s pallor lifted. Draigon kissed Madison on the cheek, “I’ll take her home.” “Hurry.” Garridon lifted Christian into the air and they vanished into mist.

Half out of her mind with fear for Christian, Hillary made sure the driver blew all speed records getting to his home. She bolted up to the front door, caring the first aid kit, and knocked. The door opened slightly under the pressure. “Hello,” she called out, stepping slowly inside. If Christian’s garden was a masterpiece, his home was a vision of classic art. The huge marble entry framed lighted walls where priceless art hung. Hillary stared in astonishment as she closed the door slowly.

Pedestals held beautiful sculptures from past ages.

She wondered if they were originals.

Christian could be old enough to have seen the masters at work. She stepped further into the entry. “Draigon! Garridon!” The name echoed loudly through the high ceiling. “Up here!” The words traveled down from a circular staircase with an intricately beautifully carved cherry banister. She charged up the stairs at full speed. Several doors remained closed down the hall, she found Garridon in the doorway at the end of the large hallway. “How is he?” Garridon held the dagger used on Christian in on hand. “I don’t know. The bleeding slowed down, but he isn’t conscious.” He moved out of the doorway to let Hillary inside. “The dagger had poison on it. A magical blend.” Except for a small light burning by the nightstand, the room was pitch black. It took Hillary a moment to adjust to the darkness. She walked closer to the massive bed where Christian lay, unmoving. He was on top of a gorgeous, burgundy damask quilt. Hillary opened the sticky shirt. The wound already appeared infected. “Is there something we can use to clean the wound?” “I’m sorry, Doctor. There isn’t anything to do for him except hope the night’s sleep keeps him

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strong.” Garridon turned away, “I need to do something. Draigon is downstairs preparing a poultice to draw out the magic.” “Christian’s going to be all right.” Hillary prayed with an eerie breath that what she said wasn’t a lie. She managed to get the shirt off Christian and discard it. She touched his face finding it icy cold. That worried her. “That will heal by sunset tomorrow. Providing we can get the magic out of him. He’s weak still.” Draigon strode confidently into the room carrying an herbal pad. He laid it across Christian’s wound. “He hasn’t fed in a long while.” “You’re kidding? He will be all right by tomorrow night?” Relief flooded her tense bones sending tiny fissures of warmth through her body. Then it hit her, a smashing dose of reality. “What do you mean he hasn’t fed?” “I didn’t say he would be all right. I said the wound will heal.” Draigon kept an eye on the poultice for a moment then turned his glittering eyes on her. Too bad Christian couldn’t see the desperate concern in her eyes. “Dr. Tennyson, Hillary, Christian is a very strong vampire, and very powerful. However, he has lost too much blood. Without the blood, he cannot heal and he will not wake up.” “What can we do?” Draigon shrugged, “He is too weak to drink.” “What do you mean, too weak? We have to wake him long enough to get some blood in him.” Frantic, Hillary leaned over Christian calling his name. Christian did not stir or move. With another towel, she pressed it tightly against the wound and wrapped fresh gauze around it, securing it with tape. “You’re telling me he’s going to die?” “If Christian can sleep a while, he might gain enough strength to wake long enough to feed.” His jaw tightened and he shrugged. “I don’t know, Doctor. I really don’t know.” Hillary looked at Christian’s brother. The exceptionally handsome man appeared more haggard, and gaunt stood looking at her with eyes of glass. She touched his cheek. “You need some rest yourself.” Draigon nodded. She knew he also needed food. The late hour and Christian’s condition tangled in a pit near his stomach. Maybe he could get Christian to drink a bit before he left. “I want to try something. I don’t know if you want to watch it though.” “What’s that?” Draigon moved to Christian’s beside. “It might help him a little bit.” Using the pillows from the bed, Draigon propped Christian up. “You don’t have to watch.” He told Hillary once more. Then, Draigon took his wrist and cut it sharply with the fingernail on his right index finger. Blood oozed from the wound. Holding Christian’s head tightly, he pressed his wrist to Christian’s lips. Blood seeped across

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Christian’s lips. “Come on, Christian, open up.” He yanked the top of Christian’s hair and at the same time curled his other hand around and pried open his mouth by pushing down on his chin. “Stubborn fellow, aren’t you?” The blood from Draigon’s wrist began draining into Christian’s mouth. Hillary watched, a combination of apprehension and fascination filling her. At first, she was horrified. Then, the clinical nature took over. This young man was performing nothing more than a transfusion. He was giving Christian a chance at life. Hillary knew she would never be able to repay Sinclair’s generosity. Draigon tilted his head, instantly alerted. “He swallowed.” Hillary moved closer, glancing from Christian who remained unconscious, to Draigon.

He

appeared pasty and growing wobbly with each passing moment. “Are you okay, Draigon?” She saw it, he could feel the drain. Christian swallowed again. “I just want to get him a bit stronger.” A soft moan came from Christian’s lips and Hillary moved to sit next to him. “It’s okay, Christian. Keep drinking. You’re going to be fine.” Hillary saw Christian begin to draw on his wrist. Draigon’s eyes dilated dizzy with weakness. He needed to break the contact. He could come back later and give Christian some more, but if he didn’t disengage, Hillary would have possibly two dying vampires on her hands. Christian’s hands moved on reflex pressing Draigon’s wrist tighter to his lips. “Hillary! Pull him off.” Draigon pulled Christian’s head back. Feverish golden eyes gazed up at him with menace. Hillary tried to pry Christian’s hands away. “Christian, let go.” She spoke gently at first, then with loud authority. “Christian, you have to let go!” Draigon sagged back against the headboard as Christian endeavored to drain him completely. Hillary saw no alternative. “Son of a bitch!” She hauled off and smacked Christian hard across the cheek. Christian’s glazed eyes leveled on her and he growled low in his throat. Hillary took hold of Draigon’s wrist and yanked it away. “I said, let him the fuck go!” Draigon slipped to the floor breathing heavily. “Thank you.” He looked over at Christian who slept peacefully. He blotted the wound on his wrist with a shirttail and pulled himself up. “I have to leave.” “That’s okay. I’ll stay with him.” Hillary went to sit beside Christian and Draigon stopped her. “That may not be the best idea.” “Why not?” “Because he is still dangerously weak and extremely hungry. If he awakens during the night, he will be after food.” “He won’t hurt me.”

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“Hillary, there isn’t any sentiment in a starving vampire. Imagine if you were coming out of the desert ravished by thirst and the first thing you saw was a huge glass of ice water.” Draigon waited for her to get the picture. “He would be on you before he even realized what he was doing.” Hillary swallowed. “I’m staying.” “I am weak and very tired. I will try to be back before dawn, if I can. The room here is without any light so you don’t have to worry about that.” “Be careful.” Draigon smiled a patented grin. “I am always careful. How do you think I’ve managed to keep out of everyone’s clutches for so long?” With a chuckle, he left Hillary. A cloak of fear and aloneness washed over her. Hillary shook her head. She would not be afraid of Christian. She knew he couldn’t hurt her. She glanced about the room, then at Christian. He still slept still as the dead. She didn’t really like the comparison but it was close to the truth. Maybe she should just go wander about the house, find a television or something. She could check on Christian in a little while. She could just give Madison a call. She needed to check on her after Christian’s bite anyway. She went downstairs pondering the irony of it all. This was too fucking weird Hillary didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Hillary stepped into a cherry paneled room off the entryway. Rich, dark leather furnishings and the scent of the open woods filled the room. Bookcases line one wall. The other held traditional paintings of a hunt scene. There was a desk by the window with a telephone. Across from it a long leather sofa situated in front of an entertainment center. Hillary clicked on the television and picked up the telephone. She was more comfortable in the house with a bit of sound drowning out the overcoming silence. She dialed Madison’s number. “Hello” “Shit, Hillary. My head exploded a couple of minutes ago and I feel like I’ve been on an eight day bender. What are you doing calling so late?” A warm chuckle came over the line. “I just wanted to check on you. Make sure you’re okay.” “Yes, I’m fucking fabulous. Drank too much beer and got bit by a vampire.” “Twice.” “What?” “Madison, I’m really sorry for everything.” “Yeah, I’ll bet.” Madison took a gulp of air. “Oh shit, I know.” Hillary looked at her watch. “I didn’t realize it was so late.” Madison laughed. It sounded more like steel brakes grinding. “How about I give you a call after I

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process this whole thing?” “No problem. I’m really sorry.” “Hey, I’m a cop. I’ll deal.” Madison clicked off the line leaving Hillary alone. Well, maybe not alone exactly. She wandered back into Christian’s room, not wanting to snoop around his house. Besides what would that do except prove she was a snoop. After all the trouble Hillary went to find a man this sexy and exciting, it was her bad luck he was a vampire. Vampire. The more she said it, the easier it became. A wry smile curled her upper lip. Curiosity got the better of her in most respects. That’s what made her an excellent research doctor. Now, her nimble mind rolled over the issue of age. It didn’t normally create any trouble, only when the guy is couple of hundred years older, that’s all. Shouldn’t be any trouble at all. Except when she was fifty-five and he still looked thirty. Then people would think she picked up a prime piece of beef. Let them be envious, as long as Christen didn’t grow bored with her. Hillary considered it. She was in one hell of an unorthodox relationship. Of course, if she wanted to critically analyze her pathetic track record with men, all of her relationships were unorthodox. Hillary thought a long while Christian slept fitfully. Could she have a real relationship with a vampire? How did she feel about Christian regardless of his heritage? She truly cared a great deal for him. Who the hell was she kidding? She cared for him? Her heart nearly shriveled and died when that Goth thing stabbed him. Did it really mater what he was? Hillary shook her head. It didn’t matter. Because she just didn’t care what Christian was. She was in love with him. He must love her as well. He risked his life for her tonight. She, like Sinclair, owed her life, twice if she was correct, to the man sleeping upstairs. She touched his cheek each time feeling still the icy coldness. Finally around two in the morning, Hillary couldn’t stay awake anymore. It was obvious Draigon didn’t plan on coming back any time soon. Poor guy, he needed time to rest just as Christian did and she had no idea what happened to Garridon. Talk about the strong silent type. With an enormous yawn, Hillary shuffled to the side of Christian’s huge bed and sat down. She lay on the outside of the comforter, pulling it around her. She’d sleep awhile, then get up and check on Christian. If either of his brothers came in, they would wake her. She curled her exhausted body into a ball and Hillary slipped into a cloudy sleep.

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CHAPTER NINE

Christian woke in stages. A vast canyon separated reality from the phenomenal wanderings of sleep. Agony vaulted along his side and rifled into his head. Clearing through the shreds of pain felt like walking across jagged glass. He couldn’t move, his body seemed encased in sticky webbing. Every movement echoed the agony that traveled his body. He didn’t know how long he lay quietly, trying not to struggle against the magical bonds, praying for no motion to take place. After what seemed like an eternity, he moved one hand. It crawled to the wound at his side. The bleeding mercifully stopped. He could feel the wound closing, scabbing over. Healing tingled at his side. At least, he would not die from the wound the Goth inflicted on him. A muscle twinged at the corner of his lips. Obviously, since Seraphina didn’t do her own dirty work, she’d faired worse with her warlock encounter than he in their confrontation. She would not resurface for a long while. He thanked whatever divine power could keep Seraphina at bay as long as possible. He wanted to open his eyes. He cracked them to slits half expecting them to fall out. His muscles shimmied with pudding intensity. Drifting in and out of wakefulness, Christian moaned softly. Balmy, soft breezes stirred his subconscious. He saw himself in a tropical paradise with Hillary by his side. They sipped at exotic drinks and made love in the sand while the waves from a crystal lagoon licked at their heels. Rolling on his side, he drifted away once more into the realm of unconsciousness. Pain transposed into a healing sleep, long and deep and peaceful. He dreamed of Hillary, beautiful, kind and giving Hillary. Champagne brown hair; long silky tendrils. Pale whiskey eyes framed by the blonde lashes. Her smile haunted him. Her laugh made his heart ache. Her scent filled him with excessive need. Spicy, heat enticed and teased. Christian rolled back, stirring in his sleep. Blood. The scent. The intoxication of it lifting him on a current of voracious hunger. The aroma sent him spiraling within its reach. It was close. So very close. And he was so very, very hungry. The driving need lured him closer, caught somewhere between his joyous dream and the driving force. He licked his lips, sniffing the air. Heat and the sweet spice of floral and cloves teased together

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around the glorious soft scent of warm, hot flesh. He moved slowly, gently coming closer. Need thundered through his veins drenching him in the blood lust. Consumed by it, he closed in on his prey. So soft, so quiet, never to make a sound. He leaned close, nuzzling the creamy flesh. The smooth hair tickled his nose and he found himself inhaling deeply. The sweet fragrance permeated his brain and his eyes snapped open. Hillary woke, sleepily, to find Christian peering at her with an eerie glow in the depths of his eyes. The glow seemed a wicked trick of moonlight, but the golden stare made her tremble. “Christian?” Suddenly, Hillary remembered Sinclair’s warning. The eyes blazed, a feral growl came from Christian’s lips. “Hillary.” “Don’t hurt me, Christian. Please.” Her voice came without a quiver, but the whimper clutched tightly at her chest. She knew he could tear her apart if he chose to, she just prayed that Christian would realize before his hunger consumed him. Christian leaned heavily on top of her, burying his face in her neck. “So hungry, Hillary.” He took several deep breaths then ceased. “You must go.” “Christian, I’m not leaving you.” Gently, she stroke at his hair and ran her hand across his cheek. Still very cold. Licking his parched lips, Christian fought to stave off the burning hunger that warred with desire. The desire he had fought so long not to give into for this would be the outcome. Now, he lay desperate in need of food and Hillary was telling him she wouldn’t leave. “I don’t want to hurt you, Hillary.” “You won’t. Not if you’re careful.” Did the woman know what she was saying? How could she even think along those lines? He must be losing his sanity; his last shreds of life were leaving and with it all coherent thought. He made one small shake of his head, turning it to the side of Hillary’s face. “You don’t know what you’re saying.” “Do you need food?” Christian moved to the side of Hillary with great effort. His eyes closed and he did not move. “Christian, answer me.” “Yes.” “Then, take it.” Hillary held her breath and waited for what she did not know. “No,” The soft refusal nearly made him groan in despair. Hillary put her hand along the side of his face. “Damn it Christian, you’re going to die if you don’t get some food. Draigon told me that much. I won’t be able to live with myself if you die. Now, take it before I change my mind.” Christian’s eyes opened a crack. He thought he felt tears in them. Vampires didn’t cry. It was

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impossible. “I would rather die than cause you any regrets.” Shit, he wasn’t going to make this easy was he? Christian nearly laughed hearing her thoughts plain as if she spoke them aloud. Hillary conjured up images of old horror flicks where the villain pounced on the sleeping heroine. Rolling Christian over onto his back, she leaned across him. Tossing her hair out of the way, she pressed her throat against his lips. “Drink, Christian, please drink.” He knew Hillary didn’t know what to expect, pain for certain, dizziness probably. She received neither. Christian’s lips teased her throat, parting on the hot skin near the base of her neck. She braced herself on the bed as she felt the tender scrape of his teeth. She tried staring straight ahead, as if braving out the shock of a shot in the arm. Instead, there was the briefest prick and Hillary’s body launched into a whirling pool of wild sensations. Her eyes fluttered closed. Connected he flew along with her as visions swam past her, exotic beautiful colors and shapes as if a giant kaleidoscope surrounded her. She flew past the colors into a web of heat tangling about her. The rich, heady taste of her burned through him with kinetic energy. He felt her gasp as the heat crawled up her entire body, filling the tips of her toes all the way to the top of her head. She burned for him, immersed in an insatiable fever. Her hands moved from where they braced on the bed to Christian’s chest. They skimmed across the flat, hard muscled surface lightly dusted with hair and Christian inhaled sharply. The fever scorched her, drawing her closer like a moth. At this point, he knew she burned so hotly she didn’t care what he did to her. Groaning, she wrapped her fingers in Christian’s hair trying to pull him closer. His hand slid down and cupped her breast kneading gently. Her mind soared distances, experiencing sights and sounds she never thought possible. She could hear in the echoing around her the soft thud of a drum. Vaguely, he sensed her wondering if it were her heart, yet she didn’t feel alarmed. Christian knew that after the first sip he would lose himself to the hunger. Instead, his body seemed born anew. The vibrant life force filled him with hope and triumph as it carried him away. The darkness faded teeming with brilliant light beckoning him. Swept into a vortex of desire, he wrapped his arms around Hillary drawing more. The taste exhilarated him like soaring off a mountain to sail into the lush valley below. Delicious and divine and it was his new. His fingers tore at her clothing as she arched against him. He wanted flesh against him, her flesh. His cock grew heavy and thick with need. Finally, after what seemed a lifetime of yearning, he tasted the forbidden. Power and vitality surged into his blood stream restoring his health. Raging in an inferno of desire, he forced himself to stop. He drank enough. He would not put Hillary at any unnecessary risk.

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Shuddering as the flow of the marvelous elixir ceased, Christian eased himself from the feverish madness. Never had he experienced such an unmitigated thrill of power and desire flooding through his entire body at once. He inhaled gasps of air to calm the raging storm inside him. Standing in the eye of the oncoming storm, he gazed up at Hillary. “Are you all right?” He wasn’t sure he was even all right. He felt blissfully intoxicated, drunk on Hillary and now he needed to plunge his hard cock into her tight, wet pussy. Hillary raised her head gradually. She looked at him with sparks flaring in her eyes. He could see the excitement blazing through her veins. Her skin was deliciously hot to the touch. She wasn’t the least bit ill or dizzy. She flowed on a wave, riding the crests and coasting the valleys. It reminded her of the warm fuzziness you got around the edges after several glasses of really good wine. She smiled, “That was amazing.” “You’re good?” Christian rose up, a bit concerned. “More than that,” Hillary nearly purred. She bent over him pressing her lips softly against his mouth. “That was positively unreal.” She breathed on his mouth, kissing gently around it. Her eager fingers going for his fly.

Christian groaned. He was already aroused to the point of madness and now she would tease him. He twined his fingers through her hair and ground his lips down on hers. Pulling her across him, he trailed his hand down her shoulder blades to her hips. He pressed her closer, letting her discover the evidence of his arousal. Agitated he moved against her, kissing her deeply, falling with her into oblivion. Hillary released his cock and made a noise of approval low in her throat. He created a yearning within her so deep and hot it felt as if her entire body was turning into a volcano. His tongue cavorted about her mouth, delving deeply into soft recesses. She lingered on the warm and darkly male taste, she ran her hand over the muscles of his chest, outlining them. His skin, no longer cool, practically singed her fingers. He drew heat from the oncoming passion as if he were a well drawing from a spring. His kiss gentled, softened as he explored. His mind clouded over with fiery images, a fire he gladly dove into. With his tongue, he tasted the sweet flavor that reminded him of blossoms in the rain, distinctly Hillary. Every thought whispering in his head flooded with Hillary’s face, her body. Christian rolled Hillary over onto her back and leaned over her. His fingers went to the muscles of her stomach and glided upward. Such deliciously soft skin. A feather could never be as soft. He brushed the pad of his thumb over her nipples tickling her breasts. “Very pretty.”

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The response in her was a wild thrill of nerve endings jumping as if electrically charged. He lowered his head, placing his mouth over one breast and Hillary gasped. Lightly, he dragged his teeth her tits, sending shivers of need racing along her body. He licked around them and sucked in gently. Then, lifting his head barely an inch, he inhaled directly above her heated nipple. Hillary blew out a stream of air as the cross current of heat and sudden coolness fell over her hard nipple. She tried to pull his head away but he only chuckled in the back of his throat. He moved to the other breast and drew his teeth over that nipple, teasing her. Hillary cried out in a mix of laughter and agitation. Her pussy clenched, slick and wet just waiting for that amazing cock. Who the fuck cared he was a vampire? He had the best cock she’d ever seen. “I can’t stand that.” Christian laughed, ceasing his taunting. He pulled her up and reached around the back of her bra. He unclipped it easily, tossing the lacy garment aside. “Lace is meant to be toyed with.” He gazed down at her breasts, perfect globes. If he were a sculpturer, he would have carved her in marble. He moved over her, pressing them closer, rubbing against her. The exhilarating sensation of flesh against flesh only created a deeper chasm in the hunger raging in Hillary. She breathed heated caresses at his throat and shoulder enjoying the smooth tautness of his skin. Christian sought her mouth once more. His kiss grew hotter engaging Hillary in a battle, which she gladly met him in. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, the thrill of passion speeding in his veins. Hillary sucked air into her lungs fighting the vortex of longing. She couldn’t remember ever feeling this swept away by anyone. The idea frightened and excited her pushing her closer. Christian sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and ran the edge of his tongue across it. Such a delicate taste. He bit tenderly against as Hillary ran her fingers down the hair on his chest and teased his hard male nipples unrelentingly. He gasped releasing her captive lip and ran his tongue down the line of her jaw to her ear. He placed tiny kisses along the sensitive area around her ear and neck. Then moved slowly downward, trailing his tongue to the base of her throat. Christian’s fingers went to her pussy and slid inside, massaging gently while the other strayed to her hip. She clutched her fingers in his hair as he lathered the other breast with sudden kisses. “You are incredibly lovely, Hillary.” He breathed against the valley of her breasts. “I have thought so long of this moment and never dreamed it could be a reality.” “Christian, are you sure that’s a good idea?” She wasn’t sure the bouncing would open his wound. “I’m fine. And I want nothing in the way. I want to feel every inch of you against me.” Stunned, Hillary stared at what had been a terribly vicious wound. It looked like a twelve day old

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scratch. “That is absolutely unbelievable.” Christian got to his feet and kicked off his shoes and socks. He stripped off his jeans with a wicked leer. “Let me show you something unbelievable.” Hillary chuckled at his teasing. She watched as he lowered the jeans over leanly muscled thighs and calves. She’d always been a sucker for a man with good legs and a tight, well, you know. Christian had it all. He returned to her in black underwear and Hillary swore he could model. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her close. Hillary sighed inhaling the tangy scent of his skin. “You are about gorgeous.” He turned his head and grinned. “Thank you for the compliment.” His cock pressed between his thighs pressed against her stomach and Hillary wiggled enticingly against him. Reveling in Christian’s groan of despair, she teased her fingers over the soft line of hair trailing down from his belly. Christian let out a strangled gasp. “You are evil, woman.” But, he didn’t move her hand away. Hillary drifted across his thighs and around his stomach until Christian sat up quickly. “Fair is fair.” She was possibly the most exquisite creature he had ever seen in his life. The precious wonder of his feelings for her made him all the more aware that he would do his best to reveal pleasure. He could cherish her until the end of time, if it were only possible. Christian gave himself a mental shake. Nothing would spoil this for him or for Hillary. He waited what seemed like lifetimes for someone like her, and no dooming thoughts of the future would ruin this night. “I want to bring you more excitement than you’ve ever known, make this the richest of pleasures.” Hillary felt zapped by volts of energy wherever he touched her. He thrilled her to the point of erotic delusions. He smoothed his hands over her calves lifting them to kiss the inside of her ankle. With slow deliberate motion, he captured one of her toes. Hillary shrieked in delight as muscles melted to hot wax. He moved up between her legs almost like a slithering snake, tasting her with his ever-busy tongue. “Are you trying to drive me crazy?” Hillary shook with tiny tremors at each flick of his tongue. “Am I succeeding?” He curled a forefinger around the waistband of the lace panties she wore which matched the bra. He watched Hillary nod slowly, then returned to the area which captured his immediate interest. At the top of her thigh near the lacy edge of the panties, he placed a soft kiss. Nothing more than a whisper, the reaction from Hillary was delightful. She squirmed in something much more profound than glee. Christian raced his tongue along the soft skin there. Returning to the other side, he tasted more slowly, delicately tickling her until she clutched tightly at his hair trying to pull him away. “Christian, please. You’re driving me fucking nuts.” Hillary burst out somewhere between

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laughter at the tickling and burning provocation. No one ever stirred her to such wonderful heights, thrilling and tantalizing at one time. “Please, what, Hillary? I’ve barely started with you.” She didn’t know if she could stand any more of this without exploding. Or imploding. Her entire body seemed drawn into the untamed funnel cloud emanating from the heart of her very being. When Christian hooked his other finger in Hillary’s panties and started them down over her hips, Hillary locked her eyes shut preparing herself for some exquisite torture. Christian found it difficult to keep from tossing his underwear aside and plunging into pleasure hidden beneath the cloud of hair He ground his teeth together and clenched the inside of his jaw. Despite the nature of his species, he was not a savage and didn’t intend on acting like one. “I may have to paint you,” he whispered raggedly to himself. Hillary heard him. Flattery it might have been, but it sent a lovely little ripple through her heart and into her stomach. His head dipped to stroke the lips of her pussy with his tongue. Hillary shuddered as he explored. Christian whirled his tongue in the honeyed wetness, tasting. He held Hillary’s hips as she arched closer. His tongue became a spearhead driving harder and harder fucking her with his tongue. Her eyes rolled back into her head and disappeared, spasms of ecstasy immersed her in a pool of hot pleasure.

She gasped for breath, sucking air into her lungs and clutching at Christian’s hard

shoulders. A flashpoint cindered liquefying her bones away on contact. Trickles of sweat dripped down the sides of her face and her shoulder blades. Christian soothed her, gentling her heated body. Her mind dropped, plummeting out of the rush of stars. Hillary cracked her eyes, wondering if she would ever see anything after the burst of energy, which danced behind her closed lids. Christian loomed over her like a Greek god. Hard muscles tensed with undeniably powerful. He breathed another kiss near her ear. “You bring me to madness, Hillary.” He moved, settling his cock between her thighs. As he urged her legs apart, he lowered himself into her waiting arms. She felt the gentle probing of that velvet, thick head, and then she clutched his shoulders in anticipation. Hillary arched her back, delirious in the blinding. Her body accepted his easily and the joining split every concrete reality in her mind and rebuilding it with astonishing alternatives. She found herself speeding through a tunnel of vibrant colors and sound as the air she breathed blew out around her. Her body sailed ahead of her mind swirling through the whirling tempest of greed and heat. Christian drove into her while her pussy tightened around him. Her legs locked around his waist

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and she nearly tore him apart at the seams. He tried inanely to dampen the pull only to drown in an oncoming tidal wave. He could feel her. Not merely her body racing with his toward an ultimate goal. He could feel her heart and soul soaring with him in a vast cavern of crystalline colors and beautiful, tremulous sounds. Hillary surged beneath him and he felt the top of his very being become unplugged. Insanity splashed over him, pushing him further. Hillary’s eyes slid open to stare at Christian. He eyes glowed, feverishly intent as he wrapped one hand under her hips pulling her harder against him. He charged forward, his eyes glittering like that wolf. Hillary’s legs tightened harder around him as she slid her hands down his chest before clutching at his hips. Madness filled her. She gasped as the air left her lungs in a rush. She felt the roller coaster begin its rise hurling her over the edge of a wild drop. Her eyes squeezed shut as she fell headfirst. Thousands of impressions streaked past her and she cried out convulsing and bucking beneath him in a victorious explosion. Christian’s last shred of coherent thought was that he’d never let her go. His skin could peel off his body and he wouldn’t care. He arched deeply into her, shuddering as the first surge of unbridled pleasure burst from his body. His eyes snapped closed. Delirium came and overtook him. He journeyed mindlessly through slick heat draining his body. The energy shook out of his body leaving him a quivering mass. Christian didn’t dare think or move. He seemed to have misplaced a portion of his soul that he was certain Hillary possessed, along with his heart. Floating hazily, he didn’t dare open his eyes for fear Hillary would leave him, dooming him to darkness. Hillary managed to sail back to earth as if she rode a giant hang glider. Her breathing slowed. The thoughts that ricocheted around her brain eased. She reached up and stroke Christian’s hair and back. He sighed heavily against her. “You do realize I am in love with you?” Startled, Hillary twisted slightly to look at him. A vampire in love with her, her life drifted into the Twilight Zone she gazed hard at Christian. He’d never not told her the truth. Simple, plain honesty appeared on his face with the bewilderment at her lack of believe. “I hope you realize I feel the same?” Christian pulled the covers over both of them. He kissed her softly against the temple. “Will you stay?” Hillary nodded, snuggling closer to him. “Sleep well, Hillary.”

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CHAPTER TEN

Hillary woke, momentarily disoriented. The dark room felt cool as if it were the middle of winter. She couldn’t tell what time it was, there were no clocks in the room. She sat up stretching languorously, feeling like a well-fed kitty. Her hair was a tangled mane around her face and eyes and she pushed it out of the way with a yawn. Last night seemed more a dream than any reality. She glanced at the incredibly still form of Christian beside her. His inert body gave her the tiniest shiver. The wound in his side totally healed. The restorative powers of his kind amazed her. She imagined the possibilities of all diseases or injuries treated this way, the implications astounded Hillary. She rolled slowly out of bed, her bare feet sinking into the plush emerald green carpeting. She moved carefully so she wouldn’t wake Christian and then realized probably nothing could until sunset. Hillary went into the master bath discovering opulent luxury found in the finest hotels. A huge marble tub dominated the bath. The walls were richly paneled and tiled in green marble. Hillary sighed looking over the bath, Christian’s taste was magnificent. She wondered why he went to so much trouble, though. She doubted vampires needed to bathe. She went to the vanity and found a counter with large decorator bottles filled with perfumed oils and bath salts. Hillary picked up a jar with bath salts and ran herself a bath. As the bath filled with aquamarine water, a fresh scent filled the air. Hilary saw a large antique mirror on a corner wall. Hillary assumed vampires didn’t like mirrors from all the tales she had heard. Of course, those were all fictitious. She walked over to it and examined herself. She felt marvelous. Tilting her head, she deliberated the mark on her neck. Very slight red mark, nothing horrible. It actually looked kind of cute if you thought about it. Hillary pressed her fingers to the wound and smiled secretively to herself. She went back to the tub and turned off the water. Towels, thirsty and huge lay across decorator rods. Hillary signed again, stepping into the steaming water. She would sit in the tub awhile, relax, and then she would dress and go home. Easing her body into the huge tub, Hillary settled comfortably against one of the headrests. She closed her eyes and let herself absorb the scent from the salts and the steam. Hillary didn’t want to think about Christian or what happened the night before. Such a momentous occurrence was a matter of inevitability though. She refused to pounce on the gloom and

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doom tapping her upon the shoulder like some evil little devil telling her what to do. She would not look at this relationship in any manner except a good light. If she didn’t, the undeniable hopelessness of it all would overwhelm her. How did you have a normal relationship with a man who was a vampire? Hillary shook her head, what was normal anymore anyway? They could do this. She was absolutely certain of it. Desperately certain of it. Hillary dipped a washcloth into the swirling water and sluiced it over her shoulders. In her whole life, there had been only two people, besides her parents, she would do anything for, her grandmother and now, Christian. It didn’t matter how she had him, just as long as she could. “Isn’t this delightful?” Christian leaned against the doorway, beautifully naked, gazing at her with an admiring glow. “Christian, you’re awake.” Hillary sat up her eyes wide in dismay. Christian stepped into the bathroom and approached her with a sensuous turn to his full lips. “How could I rest with all that splashing going on?” “What?” Hillary was positive she didn’t splash. At least, not that loudly. Christian chuckled, “I could hear you, Hillary, smell you. And you were thinking very loudly.” Hillary swallowed, “I keep forgetting you can read people’s thoughts.” Christian gave a slight nod of affirmation. “Oh, that’s just peachy.” Christian raised a leg and stepped into the tub. He climbed in and sat across from Hillary putting his legs on either side of hers. “I don’t make a practice of it with people I care about. However, when I’m sleeping, I have no control over it.” Hillary accepted it readily enough.

“Why are you up?

Isn’t it kind of early?”

Christian gave her an indulgent grin. “Hillary, it is already a bit after six in the evening. And even though the sun is not down, have you noticed this part of the house is without windows?” Hillary noticed it was dark. Not that there wasn’t windows. Good idea though. “So you can get up before the sun goes down?” “Yes. But I don’t do it very often. Only when there is a beautiful lady bathing in my tub.” Christian moved closer, his hands on Hillary’s hips. He pushed her gently back against the headrest, leaning against her. Hillary felt the firm arousal teasing against her thigh as he wrapped his arms around her. Rippling eruptions charged across her entire body. He possessed her in one stroke launching her into a realm of tangible rapture.

“I won’t be able to see you this night, Hillary.” Christian told her later as she was dressing.

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Disappointment clouded her pretty eyes. “Oh.” Christian went to her. “It isn’t that I don’t want to. I have a prior commitment tonight. Sinclair’s fate will be decided.” Hillary slipped the sweater quickly over her head. “I want to go with you.” “That isn’t possible.” Christian watched as she dressed, his eyes glittering dangerously. Hillary slid on her shoes. “Why not? Obviously, you have some influence with the crowd. Oh shit, you’re going after Sinclair.” “He deserves punishment, not death.” Christian snapped, then instantly regretted it. “He not only endangered my entire species, but he nearly got you killed.” “I think what happened had more to do with you and me, than Sinclair” Guilt and self-hatred filled Christian’s entire body. He turned away from Hillary and went to sit on the edge of the bed. Sinclair almost got her killed. He pledged he would never drink from her and last night he had broken that vow. He lifted shaking hands to his face and rubbed it roughly before threading his fingers through his hair. “You are right. I never intended to endanger you. For that, I can never apologize fully.” His accent returned. She could tell instantly this upset him. Hillary knelt down beside him. “You couldn’t have known that Seraphina would want to kill me. She was crazy. People like that are unpredictable.” “It doesn’t matter. I should have realized what her intensions were.” Hillary put her hands on Christian’s knees. “Don’t do this to yourself. It isn’t fair.” Christian turned his eyes to hers. Her beauty inspired and weakened him simultaneously. The intense emotions whirling about her swam into him. He was so painfully in love with this mortal woman, he didn’t know what to do. “Hillary, do you understand what happened last night?” She seemed so nonchalant about it all. Perhaps, she blocked some of the more terrifying portions of it. “What do you mean?” Hillary didn’t know what he asked of her. Christian’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Do you remember what I did to you?” Hillary smiled. Now she understood. “You made love to me, with me.” Christian shook his head. “I took blood from you.” Hillary smiled, relieved. “Christian, you would have died without it.” Biting the inside of his jaw, Christian got to his feet. “Perhaps, that would have been best.” Hillary stood, rapidly taking hold of him. “What are you talking about? Do you know what it would have done to me if you would have died?” Uncompromising sadness filled him. The same thing it would do to him when Hillary eventually

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died. The slicing heat traveled across his chest. He would have preferred dying last night, than face the reality. Time would steal his beautiful Hillary from him. And, in it, his destruction came completely. With a gruffness he didn’t intend, Christian started out of the bedroom. “I have to leave.” Hillary caught up with him in a heartbeat. “Christian, take me or I will follow you.” Christian laughed harshly. “Suddenly, you have a perverse interest in vampires, Hillary. Haven’t you seen and experienced enough first hand or would you like to complete your research by becoming one?” Hillary took a step back. Her lip trembled and tears swam across her vision. Her heart tore into a hundred pieces. “Why would you say something like that? What have I done?” Christian started down the stairs. He wanted to drive a steak through his heart and set himself on fire when he saw the look in her eyes. She had done nothing except profess her love for him and show it in the most extreme ways. He heard Hillary’s steps behind him and he stopped on the landing. “It is nothing you have done, Hillary. Nothing you could have prevented.” “Then why are you saying these things to me?” Hurtful, almost hateful, accusations thrown in her face. “Because I am in love with you and there is no way I can ever bring you happiness.” Hillary stared, dumbfounded. She pushed her hair back and took a deep breath. He was in love with her so he was going to drive her away. That didn’t make any sense. “Christian, I love you too. You’ve only made me happy. You have never really hurt me. Until now.” “Hillary, please. This is for the best. Now, I must go.” He started for the door. “Christian, don’t think I won’t follow you.” “Hillary, the meeting site is on another continent.” She moved to his side. “Please take me. Sinclair needs someone to help him. And your kind needs to know that all humans aren’t creatures that need to be destroyed.” Christian considered a long moment. Her persistence bothered him. His eyes hardened over. Why not? Half of his kind found it distasteful he was interested in a mortal. What not antagonize everyone? His misery dropped him lower into a dark pit. “All right, Hillary. I will take you with me.” They left the house and Christian wrapped his arm about Hillary’s waist holding her tightly. He ignored the stirrings of his body, clamping down hard on them. “Close your eyes if you get dizzy. We’ll be there in less than an hour.” With tremendous force, Christian leaped into the night sky. Hillary felt her heart rocket to her feet. She exhaled on a rush as if someone pushed the air from her lungs. The night sky got cooler as they propelled into the blackness. Hillary felt the moisture in the air and smelled the sweet, clean scent of rain.

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She opened her eyes, enjoying the glittering lights far below. After the initial shock, this wasn’t too bad she decided. Christian held her firmly against him and she couldn’t forget the temptation. She placed a soft kiss on his neck. Christian turned and looked down at her, the twinkling of copper and gold. A moment later, they soared across the sea. Deep, black glass glittering blue from the light of the moon. “Where are we?” Salt tingled her nostrils. Skimming across the water, Christian brought them closer to the surface. Hillary almost yipped in surprise that their feet were all but four feet away from the cold waves. “Very far from home.” In other words, Hillary told herself, don’t ask. She contented herself with the thrill of flying. No human ever experienced such a thrill except in dreams, or with the help of artificial flying devices. This was like the highest, fastest roller coaster combined with a stale over the calmest, quietest water. She wished she could do this all the time. Grinning sheepishly to herself, she let the excitement and the soothing force drift across her. Minutes later, the pair headed downward into a dense, dark forest. Hillary cringed, squeezing her eyes tight. They were going to crash into the trees, she was sure of it. Pine and fertile earth filled her senses as they slowed the downward decent. They landed in a clearing and Hillary took several deep breaths. She looked at Christian, smoothing her tussled hair. “That was incredible.” Christian didn’t say anything, merely headed into the woods. Hillary stumbled after him, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. “Where are we going?” She nearly jumped into him when something skittered around her feet. “Quiet.” He stepped into a clearing lit by several torches. Hillary followed quickly. She gasped aloud at the spiral of stones that formed a circle about them. Either naturally occurring or not, it resembled some type of supernatural alter. It sent a chill up her spine. Christian took her arm, drawing her to his position near one of the stones. Hillary sensed eyes watching her. She blinked as several people came from behind the rocks to stare at her. Most regarded her with varying mixtures of distaste to pure hatred. She saw Sinclair in the center of the circle. The young man looked at her with pure shock. An older man with a beard and fatherly expression approached Christian. He spoke with a great deal of curiosity in his pleasant, low voice. “Christian, what is going on?” Christian spoke so the entire group could hear. “This is Dr. Hillary Tennyson. She has requested the opportunity to speak on Sinclair’s behalf.” Garridon took hold of Christian’s arm. “Where is Seraphina?” He looked around at his fellow guardians. Seraphina was distinctly not present.

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Christian stepped away from Hillary leaving her feeling vulnerable and alone. Perhaps, it hadn’t been such a brilliant idea. Moving to where Sinclair stood, he addressed the Guardians. “Seraphina didn’t fair well with her warlock encounter. There is no doubt now a hunter will follow soon. Warlocks generally travel with hunters.” Hillary saw a handsome man, with a sharply wicked appearance step forward. He inclined his head toward Hillary politely. “Did he destroy her?” “No,” Christian shook his dark head. “I don’t know.” Hillary got the drift that Derick wanted to question him longer but Christian’s dark anger left him no opening. He merely assumed Christian and his brothers liked the bitch Seraphina out of their hair for whatever amount of time. He walked over to Hillary and held out his hand. “My name is Derick.” Hillary didn’t know what to say. She gave her hand to shake his and he turned it placing a damp kiss to the inside of her wrist. Christian moved behind Derick instantly. “Take your hands off of her, Derick. Now.” Derick turned a wicked glare on Christian. “I thought that was how it was. Only confirming suspicions, Christian, nothing more.” He glided away, leaving Christian glaring at Hillary. A lovely woman came into the light, hatred flickered across her pretty features. “You dare to violate our sacred place by bringing a mortal here? I can’t believe this, Christian. What has happened to you?” “Rennata, I brought her because she has asked for the right to speak with all of you.” Christian snarled nastily. “Since when does a mortal have the right to speak with us?” Rennata growled back. Evidently, Seraphina had her own gang of bitches. She looked around for support seeing it in the eyes of several of the more quiet women. “Because you’re having an affair with her, Christian, doesn’t mean she has any say in this matter.” Christian knew the answer. He thought long and hard about revealing it. Some of the more power hungry would endeavor to discover it anyway. “For two reasons, she was treating Sinclair and because of Seraphina’s attack upon her.” Derick looked confused. “Seraphina attacked her? The hunting party was only for Sinclair” A man a bit older than Hillary with brown hair and very expressive eyes stepped forward. “Seraphina finally cracked? It isn’t much of a surprise to any of us.” He glanced about at the others and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Now, is it?” “Seraphina decided that Hillary was in the way of her goal to get to me. Seraphina assumed if Hillary were dead, everyone would go willingly into her arms.” The vulgar taste in Christian’s mouth

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made him want to rinse it out. Derick raised a brow. “I see. She was jealous.” “What reason would Seraphina have for being jealous of a mortal?” Rennata’s teeth snapped on the word mortal. “She wasn’t jealous of the mortal at all. Seraphina has no preferences. She abhors all mortals.” Christian eyed her steadily. “Perhaps the fact that I am in love with Hillary and not Seraphina do you think that would provoke her, Rennata?” Sinclair grinned broadly, “I knew it!” All eyes snapped to his position and Sinclair bowed his head. He was in enough trouble and he called attention to himself. “Were you trying to provoke her for a reason, Christian? Perhaps one woman is not enough for you? Obviously the mortal is lacking and you felt the need to string Seraphina along.” Rennata glared openly at Christian. Hillary assumed as soon as the meeting concluded, she would find Seraphina and discover what happened to her. A mumbling of disgruntled voices filled the meeting place. Garridon glanced sadly in Christian’s direction. Derick looked sharply at the Golden One. “That is hardly the case, Rennata, and you are quite well aware of my lack of feeling for your friend.” Christian held up his hands. “We are here to decide what will become of Sinclair Drayloch, death or a reprieve.” Hillary snapped to attention. The awesome power radiating from the group finally ceased to intimidate her. “You can’t kill him.” Sinclair gave her a smile. Christian turned. “When it is your turn to speak, Dr. Tennyson, you will be addressed. Kindly reserve your words until that time.” Thoroughly chastised, Hillary folded her arms about her chest. Her eyes found those of the man who spoke a while ago. He eyed her with pleasant good humor. “Sinclair is guilty of pursuing the unlikely prospect of becoming human again. He willingly deceived the doctor into trying to find him a cure to his illness. He revealed his true nature to her and endangered himself, as well as the doctor during the raid by the hunting party.” Christian stepped in front of Sinclair. “How do you plead, Sinclair Drayloch?” His emerald eyes lifted with fire. “Guilty.” Christian nodded. “Before sentencing you may choose two to speak for you. Or, if you wish, I will choose them.” Sinclair nearly laughed. Hillary could tell not one of the Guardians would speak favorably for him. He successfully alienated the governing population when he decided he wanted to be human once

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more. He looked at Hillary. She was the only one who saw him for what he truly might be. “Dr. Tennyson.” Christian assumed that one. “And who else?” Sinclair shook his head. “There is no one else who would speak for me?” “Very well. I will speak on your behalf.” Sinclair blinked, clearing his throat that suddenly dried to sand. “You will?” Christian spoke quietly. “I may not approve of your methods, but I understand your dilemma.” He looked at Hillary. “Tell us, Dr. Tennyson, why Sinclair Drayloch deserves life.” Hillary looked at the hostile audience through pale eyes. She never understood or experienced such antipathy from people who did not know her, nor were they willing to try and know her. This group called the Guardians probably wished Seraphina took care of the mortal problem. She wondered if the animosity came from the fact that she was human or that she was in love with Christian Blackthorne. Hillary took a deep breath and collected her thoughts. “It is true that Sinclair used trickery to get my attention. However, he did so because he was desperate. Sinclair wants to be human again. Why, I do not know, with all of humanities’ shortcomings, but that is beside the point. Sinclair possesses a great deal of intelligence and when it’s applied in a creative manner, I’m sure nothing can stand in his way.” “This isn’t a character analysis, Doctor.” Garridon spoke quietly. “We are all perfectly aware of Sinclair’s rather creative tactics. A few of the men chuckled softly. “I didn’t intend it to be.” Hillary moved to the center of the group. “However, if you understood Sinclair’s character, perhaps, it wouldn’t be such a difficult task for you.” Garridon raised his eyebrows and looked at Christian who merely shrugged. “None of you have bothered with Sinclair because he is different. He doesn’t think the way you do, apparently, so he’s an outcast just like I am to this group.” “You aren’t an outcast, Doctor. Merely a mortal female.” Derick smiled caustically. “Thank you so much,” Hillary glared at the man. It was a good thing that the Guardians didn’t know about her blood. “Are Christian and Sinclair the only admirable members of your species?” Several of the women snarled baring their teeth. Christian turned a sharp golden glace at them. Then, he gazed at Hillary with a glimmer of admiration. “Continue.” “Sinclair, did anyone bother to tell you what it was like to be a vampire before you became one?” Hillary hoped not. She had a sneaking suspicion that Sinclair needed a teacher in the art and had never received one. Sinclair shook his head slowly casting a weary glance at Christian. “It was my own fault. My behavior was impossible. No one could tolerate me.” “So you were supposed to have a tutor in this new lifestyle?”

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“All fledglings are provided with a mentor until they are able to care for themselves.” Rennata haughtily flicked her hair aside. “Where was Sinclair’s mentor?” Christian stepped in front of Hillary. “I was Sinclair’s mentor.” Hillary swallowed hard, grave, tactical error. Nothing like accusing the head vampire, the man you were in love with, of neglect. “What happened?” “Sinclair begged, annoyed, and harassed us until I gave in and changed him. However, once he was turned, he discovered it wasn’t as he hoped. He became belligerent and difficult to control. He was hardheaded and refused to learn. I left him.” Christian’s eyes went cold as stone. His body turned stiff. He could practically hear his own death sliding up to him. Now, he faced her with the coldness of his very soul. Hillary imagined a mother who abandoned a young child. A hideous scene replayed in the headlines. Obviously, vampires, for all their power and sophistication, still had problems. “Sinclair, I am sorry you were never taught properly.” She apologized for Christian and others. “My involvement came through my research. Through a series of tests, I discovered that Sinclair was not human. I couldn’t believe my results. I accused Sinclair of deliberately sabotaging my lab and setting up my lab assistant. Sinclair had no choice but to tell me what he was. At first, I didn’t believe him, couldn’t believe him. But, it was as the only thing that made sense.” “Sinclair, you didn’t tell the doctor at the beginning what your intentions were?” “No. Christian swore me to secrecy and I did my best not to reveal it.” Sinclair’s face revealed complete and utter sincerity. His mouth twisted into a bitter smile. “It was only when I realized how dangerous it was for Dr. Tennyson that I told her. If she would have told me to go, then I would have.” “Is that so?” Derick inquired, eyeing Hillary. “I didn’t want to hurt her. I wanted her to cure me.” Rennata stepped forward. This was what she was waiting for. “And can she?” Despondency cracked Sinclair’s smile. He gazed at Rennata with clear green eyes. “No. There is no known way to reverse the change.” Rennata eyed him carefully. “However?” Sinclair swallowed wishing he could drink water. “There’s a possibility through experimentation she might be able to duplicate a human DNA.” Hillary briefly explained her test results and what she could attempt to do. Derick snatched this opportunity instantly. “You would treat Sinclair as some sort of experimental creature? Who is to say you wouldn’t turn your information over to someone with less than admirable desires?” Several of the

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others nodded affirmatively. Fed up with Derick, Hillary wished Madison were along. She’d just kick his ass. It would appear that Seraphina had a lovely comrade in this group. “I would never betray a trust, nor would I reveal anything about my research to anyone.” “But aren’t you employed by a hospital to produce results?” The dagger came from Christian. Hillary whirled on him. “A doctor’s trust is paramount to his or her patients. You know me better than that, Christian. I would never tell anyone what I know.” Christian pressed his lips together. “I know.” “And do you vouch for her, Christian?” “I will. If she says she will never tell anyone, she won’t.” Hillary didn’t understand. He stabbed her with one hand and withdrew, and then bandaged the open wound the other. She shook her head, trying to clear it. “Sinclair is a nice man. I think he deserves a second chance.” Christian gave her a brief smile. “Thank you, Doctor.” Rennata moved away. “You would speak for Sinclair now, Christian?” “I shall.” Christian gave the younger man a glance of reassurance. “Sinclair has shown me a number of things for which I shall never be able to repay him. Until I met Dr. Tennyson, I have always been satisfied, more than satisfied, with my existence. He revealed to me thoughts in my own mind. Thoughts I didn’t want to hear, but he made me listen.” He looked hard at Sinclair the younger man seemed uncomfortable by the attention. “Sinclair is unorthodox, rash and foolish. However, he deserves the chance to grow and explore.” Garridon was utterly stunned. “Are you suggesting he should be allowed to live?” Christian’s tone was precise. “Yes.” Sinclair nearly toppled over in relief. No one would dare disagree with Christian. He felt his knees quiver and bent slightly to steady them. He could have sworn his palms were sweating. “Is there anyone who would challenge this?” Christian’s heavily accented voice fell imperiously over the ears of the Guardians. No one spoke or even moved. After a moment, Christian looked at Sinclair. “You are free, Sinclair with one exception, and one choice.” Sinclair bit his lip. “I gratefully accept any punishment, Golden One.” “For the next year, you are to abandon any thoughts of becoming human. You will choose a mentor to learn from and spend the next year learning and experiencing all that it is to be a vampire.” Sinclair’s chest rose slightly at Christian’s words. “At the end of the year, if you are not happy, you will come before this group and petition to be permitted to continue your research to become human.”

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Sinclair could deal with this. Anything was far better than death, he suddenly realized. He smiled brightly, shaking out his long, red hair. “I can do that.” Christian stepped closer, standing several inches taller than Sinclair, his eyes blazed. “If during that time, you fall back on your vow, a hunting party will be dispatched and no one will be able to save you. That is your punishment. You may choose to accept it or face the wrath of a hunting party which is personally selected by me.” Sinclair nodded, blowing out a gust of air. His lungs seemed dusty and fragile. It didn’t matter; he could do anything for a year. “I won’t disappoint you, Christian.” “You will spend three days in isolation. From then, you shall choose your mentor and what time you wish to spend your year.” “I am to travel through time?” Christian gave a thin smile, “If you wish.” Christian turned blazing eyes upon the Guardians. “Should anyone think of retaliation on Seraphina’s behalf, I highly advise you to think again. The Guardians were not created to be the toy of some power hungry individual. Nor for the torment and slaying of mortals.” He gazed directly at Rennata. “Challenge me and you will die regretting it.” Rennata stared calmly back at Christian, a tiny spark of fear permeated her eyes. “No one will bother your little mortal, Christian.” Spinning on her heel, she left the meeting place. The remaining members dispatched quietly, not wishing Christian’s foul mood directed on them. Christian motioned for the meeting to end. Two men escorted Sinclair away before he could thank Christian. “I hope you know what you’re doing, my friend.” Garridon gave Christian a pat on his shoulder as he left the meeting site. Christian pondered that for a moment. Did Garridon refer to his rather lenient punishment for Sinclair? Or was he speaking directly of Hillary? In either case, Christian thought his judgment was sound. He had done what was fair and right by Sinclair. Now, he must do the same for Hillary. The agony waiting before him burned in his heart and drove nails into his head. He must distance himself from this woman before all was truly lost. Eventually, she could forget him and live a happy normal life. Unfortunately for him, he would never, even in twelve lifetimes, forget her. He took Hillary by the arm leading her out of the meeting site. “We must go. I will take you home.” Hillary hadn’t understood one lick of Christian’s attitude swings the entire time they were at the meeting. She thought maybe it was something she said or did. “Did I do something wrong? Break some kind of protocol or something?”

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She glanced about the bleak wooded area. The crush of the trees far above and on both sides of her made it appear they were closing in on her. The fragrant earth smelled dark and musty. Gone was the deep pine scent, replaced by rotting wood. Hillary would have sworn they had gone the wrong way. She looked about rapidly, not a speck of light, except the glow of tiny eyes reflected by the dime light of the moon. “Christian, were are we going?” Christian stopped near a gathering of rocks and old tree stumps. In the distance came tiny lights from a village up ahead. He turned and looked back at Hillary who leaned against one of the large rocks. Old moss covered the stone; the dusty smell tickled his nostrils. His hands clenched and unclenched several times. He needed to do this promptly, make a slicing blow and try to recover. “We need to talk, Hillary.”

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EPILOGUE

A thousand diamonds twinkled over the night sky in Las Vegas. The air clear and cold shimmered with a translucent fog that settled high atop the Mandalay Bay overlooking the shimmering neon of the Strip. The fog shifted and reformed. Christian caught hold of Hillary before she could take a step off the roof. Hillary wiped remnants of mist from her hands and took several breaths. Sensations exploded across her body in a wild burst of light and color. She smelled things she never knew existed, delicious exotic scents. Christian released her suddenly and stepped away. She thought Christian appeared pretty pissed off. Now, she was sure of it. She brushed the loose hair back from her face and blew out a breath. “What is wrong?” She saw his hands clenched together, his eyes were strangely distant. “Christian, tell me, what did I do that was so terrible?” “You have done nothing wrong, Hillary, absolutely nothing.” His jaw tightened. “I’m the one who has been wrong.” Hillary didn’t like this disturbingly familiar trend. “What are you talking about?” Then a light dawned, she clicked her tongue at him.

Who would’ve thought he had a jealous streak?

The

entertainment level just went up a notch. “Is this about what I said about Draigon and Garridon?” His eyes narrowed. “Oh for God’s sake, I was just kidding.” “That didn’t sound like a joke.” “I don’t know if it’s even possible. Besides, it’s your fault. You showed me that wet dream of all three of you.” Hillary moved closer. She nibbled along his jaw, ignoring the stiff posture he held. “Besides, it might be fun.” “I don’t like to share.” “I guess you didn’t know what you’re letting yourself in for.” She laughed taking in the scenery. The colors, so vivid now they nearly burned her eyes. The sounds of traffic and people below so clear, she needed to shake her head to keep focused. “Oh, I think I’ve got an idea.” She touched his cheek, “You love me, right? I mean after all, I’m your fledgling now.”

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He grinned. “So why wouldn’t you want me?” He nodded slowly as she laced his mouth with a kiss. “Anyway you could get me?” She flirted with disaster by teasing him this way, but it took awhile to get over her first flight. The rush still tingled along her skin just as the night air. She forced her attentions back to her lover. Her fingers tangled in his hair. “I choose you.” She gazed at him, amazed at all the colors dancing in his eyes. “One Blackthorne is enough for me.” “So it shall be.” Christian enveloped her in a kiss that would last all time.