"Today?"

"That is, unless you'd feel slighted?" Cyrus asked me with a rueful grin. His voice invaded my head. If you refuse me, I'll take her to my bed in the morning and she won't live to the next sunset.

The girl looked at me with something akin to jealousy and despair. I had no doubt Cyrus would make good on his threat. I leaned close to his side. I managed, "It's my first night here. Wouldn't you rather spend it with me?" Concentrating as hard as I could, I silently added, You dick.

A low laugh rumbled from his throat, and he spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "I'm sorry, Cami, the doctor has spoken. Perhaps you'll find company with one of my guests?"

She paled further, her eyes filling with tears. "Will they hurt me?"

"Of course not. I wouldn't allow it." He patted her on the head. "Run along now, I have to show Dr. Ames the rest of the mansion."

We exited the hallway and entered a small sitting room. I glanced at the railing to one side and realized we were directly above the foyer. I heard the good-natured shouting of the Fangs below.

"You pervert," I said as soon as the door closed behind us. "She's only a little girl."

"She's fifteen. Just a year younger than my first wife."

"This isn't the Dark Ages anymore," I seethed. "There are rules."

"I find there is something beautiful in the forbidden."

"Beautiful?" I thought of the memory Cyrus had shown me, the way her knuckles had turned white as she'd gripped the bedsheets. "What about her parents? Her family? They're out there somewhere, looking for her, and you're planning to kill her?"

"She's a runaway, Carrie. Nearly all of my pets are. Now, if they don't suit you, I wouldn't miss a few of my guards as long as you're discreet about it."

"I'm not going to kill for blood. I want a willing donor."

"The cattle are willing," he said, pointing in the direction we'd just come from.

"Willing to die?"

He nodded. "Willing to endure a little bit of discomfort for what I give them. I kill them eventually, but for a few days, maybe even weeks, they feel like they belong. Like someone wants them. Surely you know how precious that can be."

I did. As a child, I'd worked hard to be the best, the smartest, the most accomplished in the hopes my parents would take notice.

I'd savored every word of their praise like ambrosia. I knew what poor Cami had been looking for. She'd prostituted herself for love, or at least, a shadow of it. She would never know the difference.

I was infinitely thankful that no one like Cyrus had come along when I was fifteen. I would have been easy prey. I still was. I felt a gentle probing at the edges of my thoughts and pushed away the taloned hand that rested on my arm. "Stop it."

We began to walk again, toward a heavily guarded wing I assumed contained his room, and mine. I stopped and waited until he realized I didn't follow.

"I'm not going to sleep with you. I only agreed to spend the day with you so you wouldn't kill her."

"I know. And I won't. Today. Let me show you to your room."

The hallway was considerably wider than those in the servants' wing, though only two rooms appeared to open onto it. At the end, another set of bodyguards were stationed at double doors, but we stood at the only other entrance.

"Here we are," Cyrus said, leaning closer to me than was necessary to turn the knob. Ducking past him with a minimum of contact, I entered the room.

The suite was larger than the whole of Nathan's apartment. The first room was a parlor full of Edwardian furniture. A fire burned cheerfully in the oversize fireplace."If you don't like the decor, it can be changed." Cyrus walked slowly around the room. "Dahlia's tastes mirror my own somewhat, though I've never been able to stomach so much light blue."

I had a ridiculous urge to thank him, but I pushed it aside. "This was Dahlia's room?"

He lifted what looked like a Faberge music box from a plant stand by the window, frowning. "Yes. For a while, anyway."

I dropped my bag and removed my coat, draping it over the back of the settee. "Why'd you kick her out?"

"Truthfully? I didn't like having her so close. The jealous witch monitored all my activities. It was a bit like being married again."

He wound the mechanism of the box and an unrecognizable tune began to play. "Let me show you something."

He walked to the small corner hutch and slightly pulled on one of the shelves. The whole thing swung forward with ease. "This leads to my chambers."

I stared at the door as if it were ignited dynamite. "Any way we can wall that up?"

"I prefer to have unhindered access to you." He closed the secret passage. "But I'm sure you understand why I'd want to keep Dahlia elsewhere. Under heavy guard."

If I were him, I'd want to keep her in a different country. "She thinks you're going to turn her."

"Her power is beyond any I've ever seen." He paused thoughtfully. "But I fear how she'd wield that power with a vampire's strength behind it."

I sniffed derisively. "Because you're so moral."

"Because I'm a realist."

"Couldn't you just control her with the blood tie?" I folded my arms across my chest. "I mean, since you're so good at it."

"You're perfect." A wry smile formed on his lips. "Alas, she has more power than I. And I won't chance her ruling me."

"Well, I'm glad to know you're not a completely remorseless psychopath."

Cyrus sighed with theatrical weariness. "What you perceive as evil is only an acceptance of our true nature. I only do what I am built to do. That doesn't mean I'd want some complete nutcase steering the world toward doom."

"Could she do that?"

"Probably. That's the thought that keeps me awake during the day." With a look of feral hunger, he crossed to me. "But now it seems I have a better reason for my sleepless days."

He raised his hand and I trembled, alternately wishing he would touch me and cursing myself for wanting him to do so. When he dropped his hand, I turned away from him in embarrassment.

"I have some gifts for you. In your bedroom."

The last place I wanted to be with him was anywhere with a convenient horizontal surface, but I went, anyway. As I passed the open door, I noticed the key had been removed from the lock, the keyhole soldered closed. I had no way to keep Cyrus out should he decide to come courting in the middle of the day. Would you want to keep him out? As disgusting as I found his predilection for pubescent girls, my revulsion didn't dampen the power of the blood tie. I assured myself it was only the new vampire side of my nature, and that I'd simply learn to ignore it. I had no intention of acting out his perverse fantasies. The bed was huge, larger than any I'd ever slept in, and was covered in a thick blue duvet with lace-trimmed edges. A mountain of pillows was at the head, and a half canopy with curtains brushed the high ceiling.

"This is like a fairy tale," I said, trailing my fingers over the soft bedspread. It was hard to imagine Dahlia, in her fishnets and heavy eyeliner, curling up to sleep here.

Cyrus closed the door and leaned against it casually. "I'm glad you like it. Of course, I hope you don't spend much time here.

Look in the armoire."

The large mahogany wardrobe was already stocked with clothes. Rich fabrics in colors I'd never imagined myself wearing crowded the space, and when I opened the drawers I found a selection of jewelry that would put Tiffany's to shame. I nearly choked on my surprise. I was so hypnotized by the sparkling jewels that I didn't notice he'd stepped behind me until his arms clung around my waist. I jumped, startled, when he reached for a large, pear-shaped emerald pendant.

"I've never had so many...liquid assets," I rasped as he lifted the necklace to my throat.

Laughing, he brushed my hair aside. "Everything in this house is yours." He fastened the clasp, then smoothed the chain against my shirtfront.

I stepped away, immediately reaching to remove the bauble. "As long as I'm obedient, right?"

"To a point." He regarded me with a calculating stare. "I don't believe I need to press my will with you."

A chill crawled up my spine. "And why is that? Because you gave me expensive things?"

"Because I don't want to create distance between us. You're an intelligent woman. You'll realize soon enough that fighting your true nature is futile. When you do, I will be there." He turned to the door. "I'm sure you're tired, so I'll leave you to settle in."

So he wouldn't require my company after sunup. "What about Cami?"

Confusion sparked across his face. He'd already forgotten her name. Only after I angrily began to tap my foot did he understand who I was referring to. "Oh, yes, the girl. No, I think I'll get my rest, as well. However, if you wished to join me after all-"

"I don't foresee that happening." I dropped the necklace into the drawer and slammed it shut.

"No, of course you don't. But you know where to find me."

I stood in the doorway and watched him exit through the hidden passage. When it closed, a deliberate and ruthless wave of lust washed over the blood tie. I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes.

God, help me, I pleaded to a deity I'd never bothered to speak to before. If you don't, my sins are on your head.

Eleven

A Sleepless Day, An Uncomfortable Night

A lthough there were still hours before sunrise, fatigue forced me into the huge bed. I left the lamp on at the bedside table, as I found it slightly unsettling to be alone in the enormous room.

You don't have to be alone. The thought couldn't have been mine. I sat up, peering into the dark corners of the room to see if Cyrus had returned. But I was the only one present, and as much as I hated to admit it, curling up next to Cyrus was an appealing prospect compared to spending the night by myself in this museum of a bedroom.

It had to be the blood tie. Cyrus was a monster who preyed upon the weak and helpless. The attraction between us wouldn't have been so strong if he were anyone but my sire.

But even I couldn't believe that. I'd felt the excitement of sinking my fangs into a warm, human neck. I'd known the hot, heady feeling of blood rushing into my mouth from a tapped vein. That kind of gluttonous pleasure could be addictive. I'd done it once, I wanted to do it again, and Cyrus offered the very thing I craved.

I was attracted to Cyrus because my darker nature wanted me to give in and become like him. A predator, with no remorse or humanity to interfere with my base desires.

A horrendous scream tore through the still night. I ran to my window in time to see a half-naked girl racing across the lawn toward the dark shape of the hedge maze. Four of the Fangs followed her.

Her pale body cut a glowing streak through the darkness and I recognized her at once. Cami.

"Don't look back," I whispered, willing with all my might that she make it to the maze. She could hide there, maybe even until the safety of daylight.

But I knew my worry was in vain. I'd seen her kind many times in the E.R., souls so abused they were afraid to find help for their situation. Having escaped death, Cami would just slink back to the house, and death would find her again.

The vampires gained more ground. She looked over her shoulder, screaming again at the sight of her pursuers. The glass of my window muffled the sound and I was glad for it. I wouldn't have wanted to hear the full might of her mortal terror.

Looking back proved to be a fatal mistake. Her feet tangled beneath her and she sank to the ground. All four vampires fell on her.

She didn't scream this time.

It took them only a moment to finish her. As they dispersed, I caught a glimpse of the body, or what was left of it. They'd ripped her apart and fed until not even her organs remained inside her mangled corpse. She looked like a rag doll whose stuffing had been ripped out.

I turned away from the window, my body shaking. My heart raced and my lungs burned with the exertion of my heavy breathing.

But my reaction came not from horror. Not from disgust at what I'd seen. I'd liked it.

I'd wanted to be with those vampires. I'd wanted to feel her flesh tear beneath my claws, to rip skin and sinews with my teeth.

Now I, Dr. Carrie Ames, who took the Hippocratic oath before a crowded auditorium, vowing to never cause harm, never aid death, wanted to kill.

Sick to my stomach, I forced myself not to look at the grisly scene as I reached to pull the curtains closed.

I went back to bed, but sleep eluded me. Primal and raw, my hunger tormented me. The knowledge I could simply walk down the hall and pick out a tender, willing human to feed from made it ten times worse. Shuddering and sweating, I resolved to stay where I was. I could ask for blood-in a cup-after sunset.

But that seemed so very far away.

Through the day, as I lay awake, I heard the secret door to the sitting room open several times. I'd jolt upright and listen to footsteps cross the floor. They always retreated before they reached my door.

Exhausted, I fell asleep just before sunset. I'd only slept an hour when the footsteps returned.

Thinking to catch Cyrus creeping around my parlor, I pulled on my robe and headed for the bedroom door. The house was spooky enough without him lurking around. I was surprised to find that it wasn't Cyrus who was making all that noise, but the butler. He went about his business, opening the drapes and building up the fire. I didn't think he'd seen me enter until he spoke. "Don't get any bright ideas or I'll push your demon ass into this fireplace so fast you'll be in hell before you know what happened."

I approached him slowly, not doubting he meant what he said. "I'm not that kind of vampire."

If you say it enough, maybe you'll believe it.

"Sure. I suppose you're a good guy, right? We get a lot of those around here, so you'll have to excuse me for not trusting you."

He pulled back the collar of his tuxedo jacket and revealed a series of bumpy, keloid scars on his throat. "Bite me once, shame on you. Bite me twice, shame on me."

I sat in one of the stiff wing chairs and rubbed my eyes. "That's a good personal motto. Another good one would be 'don't work for vampires.'"

He straightened and turned to face me. His dark eyes glittered in the firelight, and I thought it might be humor I saw in them. "For future reference, most 'people' don't talk to the help. Just imagine that I'm invisible."