Unpredictable? Try crazy. But I just nodded. "Will she freeze? Outside, I mean? Is her physiology like Sebastian's? She's going to be okay out on her own, right?"

"Are you honestly worried about her?"

I shrugged. I couldn't exactly tell Matyas that I was probably more concerned that Parrish would run into Tereza again and get completely torched, so I said, "Sebastian cares for her," I said. "He loved . . . loves her. You and I both know that."

Matyas squinted at me. "You're so understanding."

"Weird, isn't it?" I laughed. Then I sighed. "Seriously, it's not like I don't realize Sebastian and Tereza have history," I said.

"There's not much I can do about that, is there?"

"No," he agreed, turning away to fluff up his pillow. I wasn't sure, but I thought he sounded a bit hostile again. With a sniff, he added, "The role of supportive wife suits you."

He didn't mean it as a compliment, I could tell. I had no idea what I'd said to p.i.s.s him off. "Yeah," I said, "f.u.c.k you too," with as much sarcasm as I could, and stomped back upstairs to bed.

When I got back upstairs, Sebastian was awake. He sat propped up against the headboard. His long hair spilled loosely around his face. "Matyas is back?"

I nodded. "And in fine form. He seems to think the only thing wrong with Tereza is that she 's in desperate need of vampire education from you."

He raked his fingers through his hair, "That would be great if I could find her. She seems much more interested in you."

I sat at the foot of bed. A thin layer of ice crusted the inside edges of the windows. Frost laced the rest of the gla.s.s. "Yeah." I nodded, frowning. "Although she clearly wants to hurt you too."

"True enough." He smiled grimly.

"I think I want to ask the coven to help do a protection spell," I said.

"What, like for a bachelorette party?"

I laughed. "That's a good idea, actually-a spell and a party. Works for me."

Somehow I felt like all the tension I'd been carrying around with me since dinner with my folks melted away with our laughter.

My shoulders relaxed. "h.e.l.l of a day, huh?" I asked.

"Come here," he said patting the spot in front of him. I scootched forward. He made the "turn around" motion with his finger. I obeyed.

Sebastian began to ma.s.sage my neck. His touch was firm and confident. I could feel the stress melting under his fingertips. I made appreciative grunts and ahhhs.

"You should take your shirt off," he said. "Then I could do your whole back."

Like I could resist that offer? "Let me get the oil from the bathroom," I said.

I quickly dashed to the cabinet and pulled out some ma.s.sage oil I'd bought at Soap Opera, my favorite bath and body shop on State Street. They let you design your own scents, and I 'd had them concoct the perfect mixture for me that reminded me of Sebastian. It had a bit of cinnamon and musk. I grabbed the bottle and hurried back to the bedroom.

I tossed the bottle to Sebastian. He caught it deftly. I stripped off my shirt. Normally, I would tease Sebastian a little with the sight of my naked body, but this was Wisconsin in the winter. I plopped myself facedown on the bed and pulled the comforter around my sides. Sebastian laughed at my lack of ceremony and straddled my b.u.t.t.

I felt myself getting aroused simply from the pressure of his body pressing against my backside. I heard him uncork the bottle of oil and shivered in antic.i.p.ation. After rubbing the oil between his hands to warm it, his palms glided across my naked back. I sighed deeply. Encouraged, he began rubbing my shoulder blades in slow, steady circles. I groaned as I heard my muscles pop beneath his ministrations. The smell of the scented oil relaxed me even deeper. A warm tingle spread along my body to settle deep between my thighs.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" I murmured into the pillow.

"It's funny how you always say that when I 'm giving you a ma.s.sage," he teased, leaning down to playfully kiss my ear. His breath tickled, and my eyelids quivered in response.

I heard him chuckle low, predator-like.

"What's funny is how your ma.s.sages always lead to s.e.x," I reminded him.

"Yeah," he said, running his fingers up my rib cage in a way that made me shudder uncontrollably. "Funny thing."

He kissed the spot between my shoulder blades. Sitting up once again, his hands continued to smooth and work my body. I could feel him getting aroused as well, which only made me want him more.

I swiveled my hips, and he lifted himself so I could turn to face him. Pouring another drop of oil into his hands, he cupped my b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

Arching my back, I allowed him full access. His palms were slick with oil and slid easily across my b.r.e.a.s.t.s to my nipples.

Sebastian leaned down and kissed my lips. His mouth covered mine, firm and hungry. My tongue darted into his mouth.

Sebastian was a good kisser. I liked the way he never hurried through a kiss. He lingered over every contour of my mouth and tongue. Somehow he made every kiss feel like a first.

As Sebastian gently squeezed my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, I suddenly wanted much more than kissing. My nipples hardened, sending a spike of pleasure all the way to my core. I felt myself growing moist.

I ran my palms over the flat planes of his chest. I loved the feel of his taut stomach. He didn't have the six-pack abs of someone who lifted weights to intentionally sculpt his body, but he was hard from a life lived on the sword's edge. It was d.a.m.n s.e.xy.

And suddenly kind of awkward, because it reminded me how long Sebastian had been alive.

That made me think of Tereza.

Had he smiled possessively like that when they'd had s.e.x? Had she wriggled out of her sweatpants like I was doing? Of course they didn't have sweatpants back then, but I wondered if his fingers had stroked her inner thigh the same . . . Oh!

I let out a moan. The sheets twisted in my fingers. Sebastian kissed my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, licking at the oil. I forgot about everything except his tongue and hands.

Frantically, I grasped for the drawstrings of his pajama bottoms. He was ready, and so was I. He glided into me easily. Even after all the times we've found ourselves in this position, I reveled in how perfectly we fit together. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer, deeper. We moved together, faster and faster, until we came together in a rush. Sweaty and satisfied, I kissed Sebastian on the mouth. "I can't wait to be married to you."

He smiled, and I noticed his fangs.

"Oh," I said. "We forgot to . . ."

"It's okay," he said.

I touched his cheek, and he leaned into my hand. "No," I said. "I want to."

Leaning back on the bed, I offered my throat. The sweat on my body began to dry, and the room felt chilly. I shivered from cold and antic.i.p.ation.

Sebastian laughed low. "You're cold," he said, pulling the comforter up over me. "And, uh, if I bit your neck, I'd probably kill you."

I blushed all the way to my ears. It's not that I was paying that much attention when Sebastian bit me during s.e.x; my mind was usually on other things. "I knew that," I said, with a little shrug.

He smiled and ran a finger along my shoulder. Leaning in, he nipped my exposed flesh. Then, moving downward an inch, he took another light bite. Despite everything we'd just finished, I felt my body responding instantly. "I thought I'd just go on a little exploratory mission," he said.

"Uh, um, yeah," I said as encouragingly as I could. "Nice. Yes."

Sebastian slowly pulled the comforter down, as he moved on to my stomach. I twitched and moaned with every nibble. It didn't take long before I started begging Sebastian to bite and bite hard.

When he finally sank his teeth into a tender spot on my inner thigh, I came again.

I woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. My hand groped the bedside tabletop, trying to find the receiver. I mumbled a "h.e.l.lo," while squinting at the numbers on the alarm clock. I was disappointed to discover it wasn 't nearly as early as it felt.

Someone was talking, so I had to say, "What?"

It was the bakery. Their cake maker quit. No one else at the store had training. They were very sorry. I could try the other place across town.

"But," I said, "you're the only place in town that does organic, vegan, locally produced . . . " Words failed me. I couldn't believe this was happening again. They were sorry; a lot of people were inconvenienced.

I thanked them for letting me know. With trembling fingers, I returned the receiver to its cradle. "Well, that sucks," I said to Sebastian's sleeping form. "Now we have no cake to go with the polka band and the pink taffeta."

He murmured in his sleep. I gave him a kiss on the head, but it didn't rouse him. I considered poking him until he got up, but he looked so peaceful lying there, and besides, I had other things to do, not the least of which was go to work. Getting up made the springs creak, and Sebastian grunted an "I love you."

"I love you too," I whispered. Grabbing some clothes, I headed off to the bathroom to dress and get ready.

In the kitchen, Matyas nursed a cup of coffee and stared, bleary-eyed, at the New York Times' front page. He hadn't shaved, and his hair hung over his eyes. The way he continued to focus on the paper, I thought for a second something spectacular must have happened overnight. But a peep over his shoulder on the way to the coffeemaker revealed nothing more than the typical unrest in the Middle East.

"You look rougher than usual," I said, reaching for my favorite mug. It was hand thrown and had a nearly rude depiction of a peach on it. That's not what I liked about it, though. I appreciated its size. The cup was fat and deep. I could put almost two regular cups inside. "Didn't sleep well?"

"You two could learn to be quieter."

I blushed but tried to hide it behind my cup. I leaned against the counter near the sink. Once I thought I could look him steadily in the eye, I said, "You could move out."

He snorted. I waited for some kind of retort, but instead he flipped to the next page.

Barney twined her girth around my leg. A plaintive meow reminded me that she had not yet been served her breakfast. I shook some kibbles into her bowl and refreshed her water. As I was setting the bowl down, I saw it. On the Welcome Kitty mat lay the dead and decapitated form of a brown mouse. "Oh gross," I moaned in disgust.

Barney chirped and purred happily as she munched her food.

"Kind of late in the season for that," Matyas said, as I wrapped the carca.s.s in huge wad of paper towels. I didn't reply. I was too busy cursing my cat under my breath and stomping into the pair of boots I left by the back door. I had to take the mouse corpse out to the bins in the back. I didn't want it stinking up the kitchen garbage.

I didn't bother with a coat. The shock of the cold nipped my nose. Where water had splashed my hair while I washed my face, ice crystals began to form. The sky had turned a dusty gray, antic.i.p.ating the sunrise. The bare trees were stark silhouettes.

Everything was shrouded in a predawn hush.

I hurried down the icy steps and across the yard to the barn. The big plastic bins were lined up against the far wall. My hands were freezing as I tossed the paper coffin into the first one. As I slipped and slid back toward the warmth of the house, movement caught my eye. A crack between the barn doors revealed the pa.s.sing of a shadow. There was something-or someone-in the barn. Despite the acreage, Sebastian didn't keep any animals. The barn was mostly filled with his cla.s.sic cars and the rusty farm implements left behind by previous tenants.

I didn't know why it never occurred to me before. The barn made a perfect hiding place for someone impervious to the weather but who needed protection from the sun. I paused with that thought. Was Tereza more of a vampire now that she was awake? Could this be why Matyas was nervous about the idea of Sebastian finding his mother? Was she right under our noses this whole time?

Was Matyas keeping his mother in the barn?

I thought I'd better take a closer look in the barn just to be certain, but then I saw the parted curtain in the kitchen. Matyas was watching me. I waved, and the lace fell quickly back into place. He knew I knew.

The aluminum door handle was frigid on my exposed skin, and the sudden warmth from the kitchen brought tears to my eyes.

Matyas stood by the stove with his arms crossed defensively in front of his chest. His set expression told me he was ready for my arguments.

Just then Sebastian came strolling into the kitchen with a cheery, "Morning all." He crossed right between us, making a beeline for the coffee. Matyas and I stayed locked in a stare.

After filling his cup, Sebastian turned to regard both of us. He gave me a quick smile and offered me my cup, which I 'd left on the counter. The porcelain seared my skin. "Business as usual, I see," he said drily. "Although it seems early in the game to be at stony silence. Don't we usually save that for Sat.u.r.day afternoons?"

I felt like I should say something about Tereza. As I opened my mouth, Matyas's eyes betrayed a tiny hint of fear. I frowned.

Didn't he just tell me last night he wanted Sebastian to talk to her? What was with the look? Was he still afraid Sebastian would actually kill Tereza?

"Seriously, the fight can't be that bad. I only took a fifteen-minute shower."

I shrugged. "Can you give me a ride?"

Matyas looked away, still clearly nervous. He opened the cupboard and rummaged through the cereal boxes.

Sebastian frowned at him and then at me. "Yeah, okay."

Sebastian started up the car. We sat for a moment as our breaths fogged up the inside. "All right, what's going on?" he asked, as he took the sc.r.a.per out from under his seat.

After taking the other one from the glove box, I met him outside. He started removing the frost from his side of the windshield. I worked on mine. "I'm pretty sure Tereza is living in the barn," I said in a hushed voice with a glance over my shoulder.

I expected swearing, maybe some banging of fists on the hood of the car, or some other eruption of emotion. Instead, Sebastian just nodded. He continued sliding the sc.r.a.per over the gla.s.s. Peels of frost curled up under the plastic blade. "Yeah, makes sense. I should have thought of that."

"Are you okay with that? I mean what do you plan to do about it?"

"I'm not sure." He chewed his lip. We'd worked our way around the car to the rear window. Sebastian 's side was meticulously clean; mine had uneven stripes on the window.

Once the windows were clear, we got back in the car. The interior had warmed some. I shook off the cold with an exaggerated shiver and rubbed my gloved hands together, trying to warm up my fingertips, which had gotten chilled. The sunlight glared brilliantly, glinting off fields of ice.

"She tried to kill us both," Sebastian said. "Do you really think talking will help?"

"Don't you have to try? She's his mom." I buckled myself in as he pulled the car out of the driveway.

He nodded. He sounded a little defeated as he said, "I know."