"I'm begging you, darling Jack," she whimpered. "Only you can take away a measure of this pain. I'm sure of it. I'll be forever in your debt. Think of all we've been through together..."

What she was really saying was All you put me through. She was laying a major league guilt trip on me. And it was working.

We'd done the nasty back in October and through an undead trick of fate and the effects of the voodoo blood, she wound up half dead. Well, deader. That's not how it's supposed to go down.

She sobbed and said, "Oh, why did you have to be different? If our mating had gone as it should have, you'd be bound to help me and I wouldn't have to beg on bended knee."

The visual of Olivia on her knees sent a gratified tingle through my johnson. I rolled my eyes. Could I help it if I was special? "So what exactly is in it for me again?"

"Anything..."

"That doesn't mean much, darlin', now that we're a whole ocean apart."

She sniffed but remained silent.

Feeling half like the con and the other half like the conee, I gave in. "How about you never mention our little encounter to anyone. Especially any of your female posse."

"Done. Thank you." After a couple more sniffs, she continued, "Okay, it's about Diana."

That name slammed the brakes on my goodwill. Uh-oh. Yup, this was going to be bad. "What about her?"

"I found her."

"What do you mean you found her?"

"I have it on good authority that she lives as a blood drinker in Eastern Europe with a powerful vampire whom Reedrek gave her to right after he made William."

I clutched my head, which had begun to pound out a snappy little tune. "But you told William the entry in your book was a mistake. You told him she'd never been made into a vampire. What happened?" "I...lied."

I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't having another bad dream. "Are you crazy? Why the h.e.l.l would you lie to William about his mortal wife? It could be the most important thing that's happened to him in five hundred years. What were you thinking?"

"He can't know!"

"What? Why?"

"The man bound to Diana is one of the most bloodthirsty vampires in Europe. If I had told William the truth, he would have moved heaven and earth to get to her as soon as he could."

Heaven and earth and anything else standing in his way.

I thought back to what William had said when he told me about Deylaud seeing what he thought was Diana 's name in Olivia's book. If I truly believed my wife was alive, I'd already be on my way to find her.

Olivia said, "When they were alive, their love was legendary, according to Alger, who was around back then as well. William was the dashing, handsome lord and Diana was his beautiful lady. Alger said William would have done anything for her, and she was as devoted as a wife could be."

"Until," I reminded her, "Reedrek murdered them and their son. And until he made William into a blood drinker."

"That's right. William saw her buried, thinking she would rest for eternity. That was the end of the story as far as Alger knew.

The rest I have only recently learned through my network of contacts. William asked me to find the Diana in my book if I could but now I don't dare tell him the truth."

"So what did happen next?" I asked, caught up in the story now myself.

"As far as I can tell, William was unconscious when Reedrek made the blood exchange with Diana. An offspring of Reedrek's, Hugo, was nearby, wreaking havoc on William's va.s.sals. Reedrek summoned him immediately and gave Diana to Hugo, who, after the mating ritual, spirited her away to the east."

The thought of any wife of mine being ravished by Reedrek and his friends turned my stomach. It would probably make William insane.

"How far east?"

"We're still working on pinning them down. Our best guess at this point is Russia."

I shivered. Savannah in January was as frosty as this cold-blooded boy ever wanted to get. I couldn't imagine vamping it up in points north, much less Siberia. "So William never knew?"

"No. William was never made aware of Diana's existence. That's the way Reedrek wanted it. He wanted to have William's full attention."

"d.a.m.n. If William ever gets his hands on this Hugo, he'll rip his head off and stuff it down his neck hole."

"If those two ever met, it would be a disaster. All-out war. That's why I lied to William."

"What do you mean? We can't just leave her there with that creep," I said. "William's got some serious mojo working for him with the voodoo blood. There's n.o.body whose a.s.s he can't whip." I felt silly saying this, like a kid on the playground saying, My dad can beat up your dad. It didn't make it any less true, though.

Olivia sounded like she was nearing the end of her rope. "It's more complicated than that. Besides, Diana has been with Hugo for a very long time. Another century or so won't hurt her. The clan that Hugo leads has affiliations with dark lords all throughout Europe. Especially parts of Europe whose blood drinkers we don't know much about. We don't know what their numbers are, how ancient, how powerful. We Bonaventures can't afford to bring their wrath down on us before we've gotten a chance to organize ourselves and plan our defenses. And even if it didn 't trigger an all-out war, William would have no idea what he was walking into. I just lost my beloved Alger, and William has become like a sire to me. I can't lose him. I won't."

Her voice broke a little as she said this last bit. I didn't doubt for a minute that she loved William, and I sure as h.e.l.l didn't want to see him get killed, especially when yours truly would probably be going down right along with him. "I hope you know getting this off your chest just kicked the s.h.i.t out of my day."

"I'm sorry, darling. But I think I do feel better already. Now don't forget to mask your thoughts carefully until we reach the day where we can tell William about Diana-if we ever can. Is that going to be difficult for you?"

Now she asks me. "Nah. It'll be a breeze." I didn't care if she heard the sarcasm in my voice. A vampire can normally read the thoughts of his offspring. It's a psychic vampire thing. With practice you can learn to protect your thoughts, but you really have to concentrate to make it work well. It's kind of like thinking about baseball when you're-well, let's say trying to delay things, if you get my meaning.

"Enough about me and my problems," she said.

Which were now my problems. Lawsy.

"My sweet Jackie," she cooed. "How are you doing these days?"

"I've been better."

"Oh my. Trouble with the lady constable?"

"You could say that."

"I'll light a candle for you."

"Thanks," I said. I had to figure Olivia was the most powerful female vampire in our circle. I was tempted to ask her to sacrifice a two-headed chicken or something while she was at it. "I can use all the help I can get in the love department."

"Something tells me you'll do just fine. What girl could resist that wavy black hair and those cornflower blue eyes?"

"Aw, go on." No, really, go on.

"And that big set of...fangs. "

"You have a pretty impressive set yourself, ya know." Olivia was a willowy platinum blonde with gray eyes and a brick-house figure. And when she wasn't riding you with that can-I-get-an-amen body like some crazy cowgirl, she liked to keep it swathed in leather and lace. That's what I'm talkin' 'bout.

Flashing back to my night of wild s.e.x with Olivia and her bodacious bod reminded me of another pro in the game of love- Eleanor.

"Oh, s.h.i.t!" I yelled. "Something awful just occurred to me."

"What is it?"

"Eleanor! She's a vampire now. William just made her and is bound to her forever or something. Oh, man, Olivia. You should've told him about Diana when you had the chance." The implications of William's turning of Eleanor hit me like one of those cartoon anvils. Dooiingggg. There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line, followed by a sigh. "It can't be helped. That's all the more reason not to tell him about his mortal wife."

Now my headache was ferocious. I needed time to think. "Did your spies say anything about what this Hugo looks like? Does he have a cross-shaped scar on his throat, by any chance?"

"Not that I know of. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. I have to go now, O."

"Very well. I suppose I've given you a lot to mull over. I'll see you at the meeting. Or rather, you'll see me-I'll be tapping in via satellite to tell the a.s.sembly some of what we've learned about the hostile European clans. Now that Eleanor is part of the equation, there may never be a good time to tell William about Diana. Perhaps Eleanor will help William forget about his wife."

And '66 Corvettes might learn to fly.

This was just getting worse and worse. I remembered William's implied bottom line about Eleanor: She wasn't Diana. Five hundred years had pa.s.sed and still he couldn't forget her.

"Until I see you at the meeting, then," I muttered. And thanks for sharing the love. I hung up and staggered out of the office and into the kitchen area next to the shop floor. The cement was cold on my already chilled bare feet and I shivered again. I grabbed a brew and brought the bottle top down on the counter's edge with a slap of my other hand, and the cap went flying into the corner.

Just when William and I were making a new start, things were already turning sour.

After all those decades of his keeping secrets, we'd made a deal and he'd agreed to share with me all things vampire. Now, ironically, I'd be forced to keep secrets from him. I knew William and his temper well enough to know that when-not if-he found out I was hiding the existence of the love of his mortal life, he would never forgive me. h.e.l.l, he might even kill me. Or at least try. One of my oldest fears-one of my worst recurring nightmares-was someday having to fight to the death with my sire. That fear had started to disappear lately. Now it was back with a vengeance.

I guzzled about half the beer and flopped onto the couch. One stupid mistake on my part and I was toast. I had to use the strength of the voodoo blood to block my thoughts from William-the only thing in my favor was that he didn't suspect anything, so he didn't have any cause to use his best mind-intruding tricks on me.

So in a very real way, I was already in that dreaded struggle with my sire, only it would be a mental one and might have to last the rest of our unnatural lives. My only hope now was that the battle stayed in our minds and never got to be the knock -down, drag-out vampire battle of the century.

If I'd had a soul, I would've been begging G.o.d to have mercy on it. As it was, I could only drain the rest of the beer, stare at the ceiling, and wonder why I didn't just hang up on Olivia when she'd started wheedling.

Olivia was pigheaded and impulsive and William, knowing what a loose cannon she could be, had sent her off to be head of the European Bonaventures. Now she was poised to ruin my life. In order to save her own skin, she'd put me and my relationship with my sire on life support because she broke her word to a master vampire.

To h.e.l.l with that.

I sat up and threw the beer bottle against the wall. It shattered into a million pieces, the force of it showering me with shards of brown gla.s.s from across the room. Olivia could twist in the wind for all I cared. I made up my mind in that instant.

I was going to tell William. I was going to tell him everything. I'd save myself.

And when he decided to charge over to Europe to confront this Hugo guy, I'd go with him. I'd rather die in a good, clean fight with the bad guys. I'd rather die at William's right hand than be done in by my best friend over a bunch of female stupidity. Besides, h.e.l.l, we might just kick their skinny Russian a.s.ses.

William could deal with Eleanor however he saw fit. It would be hard, especially for a person like her. As the old cliche goes, El was the hooker with a heart of gold, at least when she was human. As an immortal, who knew how she'd be? But that was none of my business. She and Diana could duke it out over William if that's what it came down to. In fact, that might be fun. I hadn't seen a good old-fashioned hair-pulling, eye-gouging catfight since two camp followers went at it over me back in the War of Northern Aggression.

And William could deal with Olivia as he liked, too. That did make me feel a little guilty, especially since I 'd just promised her I'd keep her secret. But too bad-I was going to look out for number one for once in my long, long life. They say it 's a woman's option to change her mind. Well, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. As soon as the sun went down, I'd head back to William's place and come clean.

Satisfied that my decision was the right one, I was finally able to relax, free my mind, and drift back off to sleep. The sleep of the dead.

William The rumble of the cabin cruiser vibrated below us as it cut through the waters at the mouth of the Savannah River, past Fort Pulaski and the Tybee Island Lighthouse and into the ocean.

"Oh, William, this is so beautiful," Eleanor said, leaning back against me. The breeze off the ocean lifted her long, loose hair and it wrapped around my neck and face like tendrils of silk. She smelled of sunset, salt.w.a.ter, and magnolia, and I felt nearly drunk in her presence. I had not foreseen how our connection would be magnified by her making. Anywhere our bodies touched sizzled with awareness, a doubling of the power I'd felt when she was mortal.

"It's your turn to find me a swan," she said, a smile in her voice.

"No swans tonight, sweet." We'd both fed on stored blood before leaving the house, but I knew the hunger of a fledgling. Only warm, living, beating blood would do. I lowered my mouth near her ear. "Tonight you must kill, take it all, drink the last drops of a life." I had not hunted humans since my efforts to distract Reedrek, but tonight had to be special, something more than the poorer parts of the city could offer. Filet mignon rather than fast food.

Eleanor was silent for a moment and I wondered if she was upset by the prospect of ending a life. But after a contented sigh, she relaxed against me, bowing to my will.

We were headed north, away from the city, and away from the state for that matter, since the Savannah River marked the boundary of South Carolina. We cruised out beyond the fringes of land toward several islands that separated the rivers and the sea.

Hilton Head is the most famous of them, followed by others with names like Daufuskie and Fripp. We were headed for a place called Hunting Island. Never let it be said that the undead don't have a sense of humor. The night air was cool-too cool for an abundance of human activity. Winter had settled over the south, and though the cold was mild to my immortal const.i.tution, most mortals would be huddled close to home rather than venturing outdoors near the ocean. Unless they, like us, had dark business to do. Scarcity made the hunt all the sweeter. We had darkness and a fast boat-we could hunt to our hunger's content.

"Are you happy?" Eleanor asked suddenly.

Since the question didn't sound like an inquisition, I told her the surprising, unaltered truth. "Yes, sweet. I am."

Eleanor turned in my arms, and her delighted smile lit something warm inside of my cold chest. "You'll never be sorry. I swear it."

As pleasant antic.i.p.ation spread through me, Melaphia's unfortunate sentiment settled in my thoughts like a shock of cold water.

Be careful what you wish for... In the human world, some spoke of bad luck or fate being their adversary. In actuality, it was usually their choices that put them in luck's sights...and in ours. As we slowly circled Hunter's Island, we spotted a small knot of men huddled near a broken-down dock. They had built a fire in an old fuel drum-not a good choice on this night. Especially when someone was about, like myself, who could smell their evil intent.

I allowed the boat to coast in until the bow sc.r.a.ped sand, then I leaped into the knee-deep water to help Eleanor down. Three of the men seemed frozen in place, probably wondering whether they should trust their eyes. The last one reacted, reaching for a st.u.r.dy limb from the firewood pile, but did so in slow motion.

"Good evening," I said in my most hospitable manner. Just because we were there to kill them didn 't mean we couldn't be cordial. I took Eleanor's hand and led her forward into the light. "We have a slight problem, and I wonder if you might help us?"

On closer inspection, the men were dressed better than I'd expected, and there were three ATVs parked behind them near the trees. These men were not homeless; they had other reasons to be out on the edge of nowhere on a cold January night. They were up to somethin', as Jack would say.

And so were we.

For a moment the sight of Eleanor lit by the firelight took the words out of them. She who must be obeyed smiled, then turned her Gypsy eyes in my direction. Sizzling hunger and a willingness to play showed in her expression, sending a delectable wave of longing through me. She was waiting for something as well-my permission.

Finally the large one with the wooden weapon spoke. "Why didn't you just call the Coast Guard? You must have a radio on that fancy rig."

"Ah yes, a radio..." I was beginning to enjoy myself. It wasn't often I allowed myself to dawdle over meals. "Unfortunately, we're not interested in the Coast Guard."

Take this one, I whispered to Eleanor's mind. He wants you more than the others.

"My lady here-" I brushed back Eleanor's mane of hair. "-likes you." I nearly lost my concentration at the sight of her graceful, bare neck.

His gaze left me for Eleanor. I could not see her expression, but I imagine it was enough to bring a mortal man to his knees, because he began to sink downward. She stepped forward in time to remove the tree limb from his hand, tossing it into the water with a splash.

I turned to concentrate on the other three. Leave this place. Run away. Run away now.

"Donny-" one managed to grit out.

"Leave him to us," I said aloud.