Actually, it looked likeLeandra was enjoying herself. Malachi looked like he'd like to wring her neck.

"No. I came all de way from Arizona to talk toTori . I talked to her. She left. I decided I wanted some rest and I took her room. Then I decided to give myself a pedicure before I went to sleep."Leandra rolled her eyes and said in a mock whisper, "He makeseveryting so dramatic."

"She's an evil little b.i.t.c.h." Malachi shook his head. He headed for the sink and bent over it. Eli had a feeling he was silently counting to ten. But the silence stretched on and Eli figured maybe Mal was aiming for a hundred. Or higher. "Why in the h.e.l.l do I put up with her?"

Leandralaughed. "He also has a persecution complex."

Malachi turned around. His lips twitched. For a second, Eli wasn't quite sure he believed it but Malachi looked like he was trying not to laugh. The second pa.s.sed and Malachi muttered, "This is ridiculous.

d.a.m.n it,Leandra , how did you get involved in this?"

"I didn'ttink I was involved inanyting , Malachi. I woke up yesterday and started totink aboutTori . I don't know why. I don't even know her. But her face was in my thoughts. There wa.s.someting she needed to be doing, only she wasn't doing it."Leandra stuck her leg out in front of her and rotated her ankle from one side to the other, studying the color. "So I looked for her, found her and told her she had to be someplace else."

"You should have minded your own business,"Sarel muttered. She dropped onto the other bed and flung an arm over her eyes. "d.a.m.n it, we've been trying to track her down for the past couple of weeks.

We were this close. Then you show up."

Leandramade a face atSarel . "I was minding me own business. Her face was stuck in me head and now it's not. I did what I was supposed to do. Why you looking for her anyway?"

Sarellooked at Eli. Eli looked at Mal. Mal looked atLeandra . n.o.body said anything. Eli didn't really know what to say.Sarel looked like she had plenty to say but she kept her mouth shut. Finally, Mal broke the silence. "Toriis no longer who she used to be."

Leandra'sface softened. A sad smile curved her lips. "No. She is not. But who is? We change every day, all of us. The smallest ting will change you. What she has been through is no small ting. How can you expect her to not change?"

Malachi scrubbed his hands over his face. "Leandra, you do not understand. She is losing herself. It might already be too late. She has become more and more violent. There was a boy-"

Leandra'slip curled in disgust. "Datdrug dealer. Yes, I know 'bout him. When I sawTori , I could see de guilt hanging over her. But she did not have one ting to feel guilty for, Malachi.Datboy was no boy. He hadn't been for a long time. He was a drug dealer. Sold drugs to kids. AndTori ran into him when he followed her, tried to rape her." She shrugged her shoulders. "She lost control. But he was no boy."

Sarel'sbrows arched. Surprised, she asked, "Toritold you that? She's not real big on confiding in anyone."

Smirking,Leandra said, "She confided nothing. You would have seen exactly what I saw if you had beenhere."

She pushed up off the bed and walked over to Malachi. She rose to her toes and pressed her lips to his cheek. A gentle, comforting touch. Then she moved over to Eli and did the same. "Toriwill be fine. Just give her time."

Then she looked atSarel . A mysterious smile curved her lips but before any of them had a chance to ask her what was going on,Leandra disappeared.

"We don't have time," Eli murmured. He looked at Malachi.

The big guy looked exhausted. He pa.s.sed a hand over his eyes and sighed wearily. "No. We don't.

Every day we wait increases the risk. Each of her kills, she has become more violent. Almost indiscriminate. So she did not cross the line with this last one, even if she did come close. Too d.a.m.n close. If she crosses it, then she is lost to us."

Malachi didn't say anything else but his unsaid words were clear enough. He was afraid it was already too late.

Unfortunately, Eli had the same fear.

Come to me...

The crowd at the Roadhouse was loud, rowdy and in full party mode. It was a dive. The ideal place to find trouble, but there was no trouble to be found. At least not here. If she left this bar and trolled the streets for a while, she'd find trouble. She sensed it in the air, but she had no desire to Hunt.

Get into a fight if one happened her way, maybe. But go Hunt for one? Nope. Not tonight.

Torihad hoped the noise, the life and the music pulsing through the bar would drown out anything and everything else.

No luck.

Come to me...

Toriwanted to clap her hands over her ears. She wanted to start singing at the top of her lungs. Anything to drown out the sound of that hypnotic, erotic whisper. Instead of doing either, she turned around and leaned over the bar, flagging down the bartender.

"What can I get you?" He gave her a friendly smile. The sight of it made her heart hurt. He looked nothing like Declan-too old and mortal.

But the sight of that friendly, open smile, for some odd reason, made her think of Declan.Tori closed her eyes for a second and swallowed against the knot in her throat. Then she forced herself to look at him.

"Something strong. I don't care what."

He quirked a brow at her but didn't say anything. He just mixed up a drink and set it down in front of her. Then he pushed it across the gleaming bar top toward her. "Liquid courage is all well and good. But.i.t won't make it go away, whatever it is."

He sauntered away beforeTori had a chance to respond. She lifted the gla.s.s and stared into it. It smelled sort of fruity under the powerful fumes of alcohol. Normally, the smell would have put her off before she could even try it. But nothing was normal forTori anymore. She lifted the gla.s.s and took a small swallow.

Not too bad.

At least not until she took a second drink, a bigger one. That one made her cough a little. The third made her eyes water. But the fourth, and the fifth and the sixth went down easier and easier. By the time she'd drained the gla.s.s, the burn of pain deep inside had eased just a bit.

Vampire metabolism was a b.i.t.c.h though. By the time she got her second drink, the faint buzz was gone and she was starting all over again. Halfway through the third drink, the buzz returned but with it...the voice.

Come to me. I'm waiting.

Torislammed the gla.s.s down on the counter and turned around, staring out into the crowded bar with wide, bleary eyes. People were dancing, men and women wrapped around each other like ivy vines, bodies entwined so that their shadows merged into one. She could hear their heartbeats. Their emotions colored the air. Love. l.u.s.t. Excitement. Anxiety. Loneliness.

Toricouldn't distinguish between them. It was like being in a loud room full of screaming kids and trying to figure out which shrill scream belonged to one particular child.

The only emotions that were clear were her own. Anger. Emptiness. Loneliness. Every laugh was like a dagger to her heart. Everywhere she turned, she saw couples together. Laughing. Dancing. Kissing.

Come to me...

Desperate,Tori fought her way through the maze of people, struggling to get away. The front door was too far away. Too far. She headed for the exit sign she saw in the back of the bar, elbowing her way through the crush of people.Come to me...

"Shut up."Tori forced the word out through a tight throat and ducked around a server carrying a loaded tray. She knocked him off balance and she heard him crash into the wall, gla.s.ses tumbling to the ground, shattering and splattering alcohol all over the place. She felt like she was running through quicksand, trying to get out of there. Finally, though, she broke free of the ma.s.s of people. There was a door.Tori ignored theemployees only sign and pushed through it.

"Hey!"

Somebody came out of a small office as she pushed through. "Ma'am, this area is for employees."

"Kiss a.s.s,"Tori mumbled. There was a door just ahead. She could see moonlight, smell the night. She shoved past the man in front of her. When she reached to open the door, her hand was shaking. The whispering in her head had gotten louder-it wasn't a whisper anymore. It was a roaring.

Her skin felt hot and tight. She felt hands on her body. She could feel Declan. Smell him. Air wheezed in and out of her lungs as she stumbled down the alley. Hands pa.s.sed over her body. Her nipples peaked, stiffened as a phantom mouth closed over one then the other. She could feel the wet heat of a mouth andthe sharp edge of teeth. A touch between her thighs, fingers pushing inside her, stroking in and out.

She sobbed. The muscles in her thighs felt like putty. Unable to take another step, she fell against the wall at her back. Her palms pressed flat against it. The caress centered on her c.l.i.t. Her lashes fluttered down as a mouth covered hers.Declan ...she could feel him. Taste him. It washis kiss.

It felt so good. After months of emptiness, after months of loneliness, he was there with her. Or at least it felt like it. It felt more real than any dream. She could feel hands stripping away her clothes but she was still clothed. She could feel him pushing inside her, even though sheknew she was alone in the alley, leaning against a wall, fully dressed. That was reality but that didn't feel real. His hands on her, gripping her thighs as he moved inside her-that felt real. His c.o.c.k stretching her as he pushed deep inside-that felt real. His mouth on hers... Declan felt real.

Nothing else mattered in that very brief moment. Nothing else existed. Just his hands on her, their bodies joined. She climaxed with a wail and then it ended. Reality came crashing down and she knew she was alone again. Dear G.o.d, it wasn't possible to live through this kind of pain.

Tears burned their way down her face and sobs ripped out of her tight throat. None of it helped. The pain was too big, too intense.Tori threw her head back and screamed-a wordless cry of denial. It echoed through the night, lost in the sounds of music and laughter.

Desolate,Tori sank to the ground and pulled her knees to her chest. As the tears continued to fall, she pressed her face against her knees and gave in to the grief.

Across town, in his small, cramped apartment, Brian jackknifed into a sitting position on the narrow couch, his breath coming in harsh, ragged gusts. Lee was sound asleep, wearing a new pair of pajamas and clutching a blanket to his chest. From the corner of his eye, he could see the boy.

He had to get out-couldn't be in here right now. His c.o.c.k was stiff and aching, so d.a.m.n hard he hurt with it. Every breath he took, every move he made was a physical pain. He finally made it into the bathroom, shut the door behind him and fell against it. Clumsy hands tore at his jeans. He finally got them undone and his c.o.c.k sprang free. The cool kiss of air on his flesh wasn't felt.

All he could feel washer . His hands were empty but he could feel her flesh against his palms. Felt her slight weight as he lifted her and steadied her body. Felt the slick, snug silk of her p.u.s.s.y as he pushed inside. Heard her whispering to him, calling to him. It wasn't his name though.

He drove himself inside her, their mouths fused, tongues tangling. He exploded inside her, his c.o.c.k jerking, s.e.m.e.n jetting deep inside her. It lasted forever. It ended too quickly. Feeling drugged, Brian opened his eyes and stared down his body. He had his hand wrapped around his d.i.c.k and s.e.m.e.n shone wet on his fingers, splattering the floor in front of him. He felt her fingers, cool and soft, stroke down his cheek.

She whispered a name. Then she was gone.

Declan...

* * * * * Her voice haunted him that night and every night after for the next week. "I'm going crazy," he muttered.

His voice echoed through the small, empty apartment.

Lee was spending the night next door. With hisbestest friend. Crissy Jansen had a four-year-old boy and she had finally convinced Brian to let Lee spend the night. The sitter hadn't been able to come and Brian couldn't miss work. He didn't want to risk it-having a full-time,permanent job was too precious.

Crissy was a decent, honest woman who worked hard to take care of her child. Just like Brian. He'd only known her a few days but he trusted the young woman.

Still, it was hard letting his boy go.

Now, though, it was a d.a.m.n good thing.

Brian didn't feel right. Edgy. Frustrated-and not just s.e.xually, though there was definitely that. He wanted s.e.x. Sweet d.a.m.nation, at this point heneeded it. But he didn't want it with just anybody. His body might but inside he went cold at the thought of it.

He figured it was displaced loyalty. Lee's mama had been dead for a year but maybe he just couldn't get around the idea that he would be breaking his vows.

A more likely possibility was that he was going crazy. The woman he wanted didn't exist. Just a dream.

Brought on by s.e.xual frustration and loneliness.

All of it seemed magnified tonight though. Brian felt like he was about to come out of his skin. He itched.

He burned. His muscles were tight and coiled. He had an irrational urge to rip his clothes off and run. Not through the street. Up into the mountains. Through the trees. Feel the cold air on his skin and the earth under his feet.

Well, he wasn't about to get arrested for indecent exposure and he wasn't going to go for a run, naked or otherwise. But he could take care of one problem. He stripped out of his clothes. Cloth ripped but he barely noticed. When the cool air kissed his flesh, he tipped his head back and breathed a sigh of relief.

It didn't last long though. The edginess returned.

His blood seemed to burn like battery acid inside his veins. His c.o.c.k was hard, jutting upward and pulsating. Brian wrapped his hand around it. He was so d.a.m.n sensitive even that light touch hurt. He stroked upward. His breath hissed out between his teeth. His palm slid back down.

Lashes drifted closed and he focused on the memory of her face. Big blue eyes. Inky, dark curls. He stopped feeling his hand and felt her instead. Falling into some kind of waking dream, he was touching her. Again.

It had been too d.a.m.n long. So long. Had to get close. Just getting inside her wasn't enough, not this time. He'd make love to her and then she'd be gone. He didn't want it to end again. Didn't want to lose her again.

But it was going to end. Already, it seemed as if it was almost over. He wasn't even inside her. He had barely touched her and it was as if she was already slipping away. "Stay with me," he muttered against her lips. Pulling her against him, he lifted her by the waist. She twined her legs around him and he stared into her eyes as he pressed against her. "Stay with me...don't leave again." A sad smile curved her lips. She said nothing. But her voice echoed all around them as he rocked her against him.

You left me...

"Never," he muttered. He wrapped his arms tight around her and held her close. His hips slammed against hers, driving his c.o.c.k into her with deep, rapid strokes. She tightened around him. Her flesh rippled, one more sensation added to the overload he was already dealing with.

Her breathing. Her heartbeat. He could feel them. Could almost taste them. Just like the climax he could feel building inside her. It was like he could sense everything that she felt. Every pleasure. Every pain. Her pleasure fed his and as much as he wanted it to last, Brian knew he couldn't last anymore. Her climax gripped her-controlled her. And him.

They came together, her p.u.s.s.y milking his c.o.c.k. She screamed into his mouth. He felt the dampness of tears but he didn't know if they were her tears. Or his.

"Do you feel it?"

From the corner of his eye, he could seeSarel squirm around again. She usually wasn't a restless type.

She didn't fidget. She didn't fiddle with her hair or her nails or her clothes. But for the past couple hours, she had been fidgeting like she had ants in her pants.

He grinned. Considering how tight the black leather was, there wasn't room for anything in her pants.

They didn't cling to her like a second skin-they were tighter. They outlined her tight, high little a.s.s, her slim hips and her long legs in the most wonderful way. Eli couldn't decide whether he wanted to rip them off her and f.u.c.k her blind or just continue to watch her in them. It was torture but it was torture of the most erotic kind.

Behind the st.u.r.dy denim, his c.o.c.k jerked once. Perhaps it wasn't such a hard decision after all. As delightful as she looked in the black leather, his wife looked even better when she was naked beneath him, her legs wrapped around his hips and her hair wrapped around his fists.

"Eli?"

"Hmm?" He looked up and found she was staring at him, a knowing little smirk on her lips. He bent down and kissed it off, pushing his tongue inside her mouth, feasting on the wild, sweet taste of her. Her heartbeat kicked up and her breathing got ragged. She reached for him but he caught her hands in his and eased them back down. He lifted his head and looked down at her. "What were you saying?"

"Uh..." her gaze was blank. She licked her lips and leaned back toward him but then she jerked. "d.a.m.n it! Don't you feel it? I feel so d.a.m.n edgy, like my skin is going to crawl off."

"Darling, you have spent too much time at the enclave. I need to take you out more." Eli combed his fingers through her dark red hair, smoothing it back from her face. "It's a shifter you are feeling. Nothing we need to be concerned about. He's not a trouble maker. You're aware of him-you're used to your instincts leading you to a feral. You're used to dealing with a predator and eliminating him. You recognize that call. But you can also just sense the presence of another paranormal creature. You're not as familiar with that particular sense." He paused for a minute, his eyes looking off into the distance as he tuned in alittle more. "He's fighting himself, fighting the need to change, so it's stronger than normal. That's probably what you're picking up on. It's making you twitchy."

Sarelarched her brows. "Excuse me? Twitchy?"

He grinned. "What would you call it, love? You are squirming around like your pants are on fire."

His heartbeat kicked up when she slid a hand up his thigh. "Maybe I'm just h.o.r.n.y."

Somebody b.u.mped into them and Eli grimaced, easing them a little more out of the way of the crowd.

Wasn't too much room to maneuver. The place was packed.