She didn't burst into flames which was a relief, and while the sun felt lovely warm on her skin, it wasn't burning hot or anything. It felt quite lovely. Elvi let loose a little sigh of mingled relief and pleasure, then walked to the edge of the deck, and paused again, her gaze moving over her garden, taking in everything.

Before the turn, Elvi had spent hours everyday in her garden; weeding, planting, pruning, watering. She used to keep feeders with seed for birds and used to leave out peanuts for the squirrels, chipmunks, and blue jays, and bread for the finches. Every day she spent some time just relaxing and watching the animals come for their fare. That all ended when she was turned.

The bird feeders now sat empty and neglected, most of them in poor repair. The birdbath had water in it, but only because it had rained last night. It was in desperate need of cleaning. As for the garden itself, it had grown wild over the last five years. One day wasn't going to be enough to repair the damage time had done. Two weeks of working from dawn to dusk wouldn't have been enough time, and Elvi felt her shoulders slump with disappointment.

By moonlight, the garden hadn't looked nearly this bad. It seemed obvious that she was going to need help with this project. She'd have to hire landscapers or something to do most of it, Elvi realized. She'd look into that next week, once the men were gone, but for now she could at least do some of it herself and see what was left of the garden she'd tended so lovingly before the turn.

"Elvi?"

It took a moment for her to realize where the voice came from. She actually glanced back toward the house before thinking to glance toward her neighbor's backyard. There was a privacy fence between her property and Mike and Karen Knight's, but the deck was raised a good two and a half feet, allowing her a view into their backyard. Elvi used to stop and talk to them over the fence before the turn, but between not thinking she could go out during the day and her evenings being taken up with the restaurant, she hadn't had a chat over the fence since the turn.

A smile curved her lips when she spotted Karen standing beside a basket of laundry on the other side of the fence. The woman was gaping at her.

"Surprise, huh?" Elvi asked wryly. Of course, as far as everyone knew, she couldn't go out in daylight. There would be a lot of surprised people in the near future. Karen wasn't a gossip, so the news of her being out in daylight wouldn't go far until someone else saw her.

Closing her mouth, Karen abandoned her laundry and approached the fence. "What are you doing out during the day? Should you be? And are you all right? You look awfully pale."

"I'm fine. The white is just suntan lotion," Elvi assured her with a laugh. "And, yes, I can be out here as long as I'm careful. Isn't it wonderful?"

"That's marvelous," Karen grinned, but there was still worry on her face and Elvi knew everyone would worry at first. They were used to her hiding from sunlight, it would take time for them to adjust.

"Is Owen working today?" Elvi asked to distract the woman from her concern. Summer would soon be over and school starting again. She knew Owen would be going back for one more year to pick up some extra credits, but in the meantime he had a couple of part-time jobs in the summer. However, rather than distract the woman from her worry, the question backfired, making the concern deepen.

"No." Karen glanced toward the house with a small frown. "He doesn't work until later in the day. He's still sleeping right now."

"Still?" Elvi asked with surprise. It was nearing noon.

"Yes, it's all he seems to do lately," Karen murmured with a troubled expression, then forced a little laugh and said, "Teenagers!"

"Yes." Elvi smiled faintly. Even Casey had gone through a period where she slept a lot.

"Well." Karen managed a more natural smile. "Does this mean we can expect you at the fair earlier in the day than you usually come?"

"The fair?" Elvi asked blankly.

"For the Abused Kid's Shelter," Karen reminded her and laughed teasingly. "All those men in the house didn't make you forget, did they? I hope not. Your booth makes loads of money."

Elvi's mind slowly recalled what she was talking about. The end-of-summer fair. It started Thursday and ran through to Sunday. Elvi usually had a biting booth and also baked- "And your pies, of course. They always sell like hot-cakes," Karen added. She made a face. "I wish I could make crust as flaky as yours.

You know Mike will insist I buy at least six and freeze four for later."

"Pies!" Elvi finished her thought aloud in a panicked voice, then catching Karen's surprised face, explained, "I forgot all about it. Oh, damn!

I have to go!"

Whirling on her heel, Elvi raced for the house.

It was late when Victor woke up. He'd spent the better part of the night and morning watching over Elvi while she slept. The men seemed just as convinced as Elvi that no one would try to harm her and he must be the target. Edward had even gone so far as to suggest that perhaps he shouldn't spend time around her since it seemed to be putting her in harm's way. The hell of it was, Edward was right. If he was the target, then her being too close to him had got her hurt last night.

Sighing, he rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling. He'd been leaning heavily toward Edward being behind the attacks directly after Elvi was hurt. The fact that the immortal had been missing from the parking lot in front of the furniture store when the first arrow had been launched, not to mention that the men had been home last night when the second arrow was shot had made him briefly suspect him, but after thinking about it last night, it just didn't make sense.

Any immortal would know an arrow wouldn't kill another immortal, even if lodged in the heart. So long as the arrow was removed, the nanos would heal the wound, set the heart pumping again and the immortal would be fine... unless their head was cut off or something while they were down.

No, the use of the arrow suggested a mortal to him. It was basically a wooden stake with flights and a metal tip and mortals might think it would work if shot through the heart. As far as Victor knew, he hadn't pissed off any mortals lately in Port Henry. He'd only been here a matter of days.

Besides, what if the archer had seen Elvi move onto his lap and saw their silhouettes merge into one? The arrow had hit soon enough after they'd started to kiss for that to be more than possible. Which meant they were back to his not knowing who the target was and fretting over Elvi, which was why he'd stood guard over her while she slept, watching over her until he heard stirring from Mabel's room and had realized he was dozing off in the chair he'd placed next to her bed.

Sure she was safe with Mabel and DJ up and about, Victor finally took himself off to feed and then to bed. He'd briefly considered sleeping in her room, but hadn't wanted to do so without getting her permission first and hadn't been willing to wake her to get it. But now he wished he had. It would have been nice to wake with her lying beside him, to be able to roll over and slip his arms around her, pull her close and press his nose to her neck and inhale the scent of her. Their coming together had been explosive and he'd had trouble keeping it out of his thoughts ever since... until he'd seen the arrow protruding from her back. That had been a bucket of ice water on such thoughts, leaving him sick with concern and fury, a fury he hadn't been able to vent, but had been forced to push down and ignore.

Now he felt it tugging at his emotions again and resolutely got out of bed. Anger wouldn't help them in this matter. It would simply cloud his judgment and possibly slow his reactions. He needed a clear head to handle the situation and keep Elvi safe. Unfortunately, he already knew that a clear head would be hard to maintain around Elvi. She was his lifemate. Whether the other men could read her or not, in his mind she had made her choice by making love with him. She was his. His mind had already accepted that and was running on overdrive, putting thoughts and ideas and plans for the future in his head. A future they wouldn't have if she got killed.

It seemed to him that the best way to deal with the matter was to try to keep his distance as Edward had suggested. Keeping an eye on her, but not staying close enough to put her in harm's way, and giving himself some distance in the hopes that his brain would be able to function seemed the best way to proceed. He wasn't happy with this bit of logic. His whole being was crying out to be close to her, but he was going to have to ignore that to keep her safe.

It was going to be a struggle.

After showering and dressing, Victor made his way to Elvi's room, fully expecting her to be lying peacefully in bed, getting the sleep he felt sure her body needed. Instead, he found himself staring at an empty, unmade bed and a floor with clothes lying strewn about. Pulling the door closed with a snap, Victor turned and hurried downstairs, rushing into the kitchen only to jerk to a halt in amazement.

Elvi was alive and well and presently covered with a fine dusting of flour as she worked frantically at something on the dining room table. So were Edward, Alessandro, and Harper.

"Is this better, Elvi?" Alessandro held up what appeared to be a pie of some sort.

"Much, Alessandro." Elvi beamed at the man. "Definitely a seller. Put it over with the others to be filled."

"My crust keeps breaking," Edward growled impatiently, dipping his fingers in a bowl of some liquid and then rubbing them over a crack that had appeared in the crust he was working with.

"You're doing fine," Elvi assured him. "They always crack."

Edward muttered something under his breath, but repaired the crack and carefully lifted the shell into a foil pie plate, releasing a small breath of relief when he managed to do so without the shell falling apart in his hands.

"Well done," Elvi encouraged, patting his arm briefly before her gaze slipped to Harper's efforts. The German didn't appear to be having any trouble at all with his own pie. If anything, he was wielding the rolling pin and handling the crust with the finesse of a professional. And Victor wasn't the only one to notice.

"'You're very good at this, Harper," Elvi said curiously. "I take it you've done this before?"

"Hmm. I was the personal chef for emperor-elect Maximilian I when I was younger," Harper informed her.

"Emperor-elect Maximilian I?" Elvi asked uncertainly.

"The easiest way to explain it is to say he was like a king to the eastern Franks," the man explained with a shrug.

Victor didn't think Elvi was too sure she understood, but rather than ask for a history lesson, she nodded and turned her attention back to her own pie, deftly lifting the crust into an aluminum pie plate.

"Does someone want to tell me why the four of you are playing Betty Crocker?" Victor asked finally. His gaze then slid to the counter where some twenty pie crusts sat waiting to be filled and he added, "And who the hell are all these pies for?"

Elvi raised her head and offered a surprised smile. "Oh, good morning, Victor."

Spotting the smudge of flour on her cheek and nose, Victor found himself smiling back. She was so adorable.

"The pies are for the end of summer fair," she explained, answering the last question first. "The proceeds will go to help the Abused Kid's Shelter. I'm afraid I'd quite forgotten all about it what with your arrival and everything. Fortunately, the men were kind enough to offer their help."

"Harper volunteered us," Edward corrected with a grimace.

"It's only fair. We are here for free, eating the food and consuming the blood. Is little enough to make some pies," Alessandro said with a shrug.

Edward muttered something under his breath, but the fact that he was there helping suggested he agreed. He wasn't someone who did things he didn't want to, so it seemed obvious he was willing to help. Victor supposed the grumbling was purely to ensure his machismo wasn't affected by participating in this womanly chore.

He watched them work for another moment, then heaved a sigh and moved toward the table. "So, what can I do to help?"

Chapter Sixteen.

"There." Elvi sealed the lid on the last pie and stepped back with a relieved sigh. It had been a hectic two days, but they'd done it. One hundred pies. They'd finished more than half of them yesterday before staggering off to their various beds, then Elvi had woken before the others again today and set right back to work, grateful when the men had joined her again as they woke.

Elvi peered over the results with weary satisfaction. At least the visible results, most of the pies were already baked and sitting on shelves in the cupboard room between the garage and kitchen. There were also a dozen down in the cold room, waiting for their turn in the oven, and these last six here in the kitchen that she and the men had just finished with.

All she had to do was bake the eighteen left and box them and they were all set for tomorrow. And she couldn't have done it without the men. Alessandro had tried to rush, messing up more than he'd made at first, and Edward was a very slow, meticulous worker, but Harper had been a dream and Victor had proven to be a skilled pie maker once shown how to do it. So, shortly after Victor had joined their efforts, Elvi had set Alessandro and Edward to peeling apples and cooking the cherries for the fillings, and that had worked well.

"These look done," Victor announced from where he stood bent over, peering into the oven. "Should I take them out and switch them for three more?"

"Yes, please." Elvi picked up two of the pies from the table, smiling when Harper hurried over and picked up a third with his free hand. His other was holding a bag of blood to his mouth. As each man had finished their last pie, they'd moved to the fridge in search of sustenance.

All except Victor, who had moved to the oven to inspect the pies presently baking.

Come to think of it, Elvi realized, she'd never seen Victor feed. It made her wonder if he had to feed less because of his age, or if he was just shy about feeding in front of others. She pondered the matter as she waited for Victor to lift out the last of the three pies in the oven.

Once he'd removed the last one, Elvi slid in both of the pies she carried, and then turned to take the last one from Harper. When she straightened from placing it on the oven shelf, she closed the door and turned away to find Victor at her side, holding out a bag of blood.

"Thank you." Elvi took it, and then asked, "Aren't you going to have one?"

The sudden silence in the room was startling. All eyes had turned to Victor with an odd, expectant silence, but he merely shrugged and turned away, muttering, "Not right now."

Elvi frowned, noting that the men were all now evading her eyes and concentrating on feeding or throwing out the bag they'd just finished, depending on where they were in the process. Elvi glanced from one man to the other, then to Victor again and commented, "I don't remember you having any when you got up."

Each man had headed to the refrigerator for a bag of blood or two on entering the kitchen, fed, and then disposed of the bags before joining her at the table. All of them except Victor. He'd walked straight to the table without detouring to feed.

"We have refrigerators in our room," he reminded her, and then said, "I'll take these pies down to the cold room."

He collected two of the pies they'd just finished making and headed for the door to the basement. Harper grabbed the last pie, stepped forward to open the door, then followed him down and pulled it closed behind them.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Edward asked ending the silence in the room once the two men were gone. "Bake brownies or some other entertaining pastime?"

Elvi smiled faintly at his sarcasm. The man really needed some social skills. It was no wonder the other men disliked him, but they'd been wrong about his playing nice with her. She was the brunt of his sarcastic comments as often as the others. He really didn't seem to like others much. If he ever wished to get himself a lifemate, he really needed to work on that.

"Actually, I was thinking that I would take you gentlemen out for supper and drinks as a thank-you for all your help with this," Elvi informed him.

"Where?" Edward asked doubtfully.

Elvi shrugged, "Well, we could go to Bella Black's for dinner, or-"

"No, thank you," he said at once.

Elvi bit her lip, wondering if he'd just insulted her restaurant. "Well, as I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted, or there are a couple other restaurants in town that-"

"Elvi, my dear," Edward interrupted. "I wasn't slagging your restaurant when I said no. I'm sure the food there is wonderful, it certainly smelled delicious while we were there. However, while you may be content to be the local pet, I'd rather not be stared and whispered over all night," the man said dryly, then added, "Eating or drinking anywhere in this town is hardly relaxing."

"'Pet'?" Elvi echoed.

"I'm afraid the Edward he is right," Alessandro said gently. "Is not so comfortable here with everyone doing the staring and whispering. At the play with the Knights, we watch the show, but everyone else, they watch us. Is better we go elsewhere I think."

Elvi let her breath out on a little sigh, dropping her contention with Edward's use of the term pet... for now. She did understand what the men were saying. It had been the same when she'd first returned, but had eased with time. Now that the men were here, it had started all over again.

"Well, we could go into the city," she suggested.

"The city?" Alessandro asked with interest, but Edward said, "Carousing with a bunch of drunken mortals isn't exactly an alternative we'd be interested in."

"Well, I'm afraid there isn't much choice," Elvi said with exasperation. "As far as I know, most people are mortals. You're the first vampires I've met in five years around here."

"That you know of," Edward pointed out. "Unfortunately, lacking in training as you are, I don't think you'd recognize an Immortal unless they bit you... which of course they wouldn't do because they'd know you were an immortal and so your blood would be useless to them."

Elvi scowled with irritation, wondering why he was still here. If he hadn't just spent the last two days helping her make pies, she'd have asked him outright to leave. He really had no chance with her as a lifemate. Even if she weren't already involved with Victor, Edward was just too annoying to suit her.

"Toronto is only two or three hours away," Alessandro piped up. "We could go to the Night Club."

Elvi opened her mouth to ask what the night club was when the door to the garage opened and Mabel led DJ into the house. Forgetting about the night club for the moment, she eyed the pair with surprise. "You're home early."

Mabel shrugged. "I left Pedro in charge. DJ and I wanted some time alone."

"Oh." Elvi was surprised, but supposed she shouldn't have been. While Mabel had intended on taking over all responsibility for the restaurant while Elvi got to know her "dates," she hadn't counted on falling in love with DJ, and that's what she'd done. By her guess, it wouldn't be long before the issue of turning came up and Elvi was hoping she'd agree.

"What are you guys doing? Going out anywhere?"

DJ looked hopeful. It seemed obvious he was hoping for some time alone with Mabel.

"We are thinking to go to the Night Club," Alessandro announced.

"What's the Night Club?" Mabel asked the question their entrance had stopped Elvi from asking, and then shifted out of the way as the door to the basement opened and Victor and Harper rejoined them.

"It is the Night Club," Alessandro said with a shrug. "Is bar, where immortals go at night."

"Of course, it keeps longer hours than mortal bars and clubs, and the beverages are more to our liking," Edward added.

"Hmm." Elvi was curious. The idea of a bar filled with immortals was tantalizing. She might meet other female immortals who could help her with things that a male immortal wouldn't even think of addressing. But her eyes slid to the clock on the stove and she felt disappointment claim her.

"Three hours there, three hours back, and I'd have to shower and change," she shook her head unhappily. "I don't think-"