"Keeps me safe? Oh, please. You've got your own agenda, here. What the h.e.l.l do you care about keeping me safe?" She swung her legs off the bed, stormed to the closet and tore through the hangers, s.n.a.t.c.hing down a pair of jeans and a soft sweater off the shelf.

"Come here, Carin."

"Kiss my a.s.s, Bix." She yanked on her clothes, sans underwear, and grabbed a pair of sneakers from the closet floor.

"Carin, I said. Come. Here." His voice was louder and definitely harsher. She couldn't have cared less.

"I don't give a d.a.m.n what you said." h.e.l.l, two could play this game. She was the queen of stubborn p.i.s.s-off-ivity.

She stilled, dropped her tennis shoes to the closet floor with a loud thump and stood there stiff with anger, cheeks blooming with embarra.s.sment. What in the world was she doing? There was a vampire lounging in her bed. Her bed, in her house. If anyone should be getting dressed and getting the h.e.l.l out, it was him. She flung herself around to face him, hands on hips. d.a.m.n it, he did it again. Suddenly, he was right there, his nose not three inches from hers. Well, this part of the vampire myth was definitely true. He hadn't made a sound, yet he moved so fast it was dizzying.

"I am not used to being disobeyed, Carin."

The quiet menace in his voice was more disconcerting than if he'd just yelled at her. But she was no punk. "Get over it." She refused to show the intimidation she felt to this oversized, muscle- bound clod of a vampire. Who she happened to be falling in love with. Aw, h.e.l.l.

"Carin, I'm sorry. I was only kidding when I suggested I'd rat out your research. Really, baby, I didn't mean it. But I did mean it when I said I need your help."

"What are you, crazy? Why the h.e.l.l should I trust you?"

"If you don't trust me, then trust your heart. Carin, you know I won't ever hurt you." He went down on one knee and she felt her resolve melting like snow during a San Diego summer while her knees started to do the Jell-O thing again.

"B-But what if I lose my job? Or Sidheon gets wind of all this?"

"I've got your back, sweetheart. With Sidheon, as well as anything and everything else you face in life from now on."

Now that sounded a bit permanent to her. Did he really see this thing between them going further?

"I meant what I said, Carin. You're mine, and I take care of my own."

"How do I know I can count on you to be there for me, Bix?" she asked, never taking her eyes off of his.

"Sweetheart, if there's anything you don't have to worry about, it's me being there. I have a whole lot of years in front of me. I can't imagine not spending them with you."

"Right. Say that to the girl you were just trying to blackmail," she said mutinously as he stripped her naked with blurring speed. Only he wasn't silent about it this time. Every inch of skin he bared elicited a groan or an intake of breath. The way he looked at her made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.

He shook his head. A clear look of regret marched across his handsome face. "I said I was sorry, sweetheart," he crooned, sliding up her body, brushing his hair along her bare skin as he moved. He stood, looked down at her and waited patiently.

Carin had wondered all her life if she would ever find someone who touched her deeply like this mate business Bix talked about. Well, it hadn't happened so far. Probably never would. Too bad she and Bix couldn't... She cut the thought off, not wanting to dwell on what would probably never be. She adored Bix, but that didn't mean he wanted to do the bond thing with her. Painting on a calm facade, she forced herself to appear indifferent. A moment pa.s.sed. Then two. Sigh...this wasn't really working. Not with all the honey-sweet emotion pouring out of him to ooze down through the strange link they shared.

Then again, he'd made it clear that vamps knew when they met their mate. Surely he'd have said something by now, right?

Sighing with a mix of regret and pleasure as Bix sank down to his knees, her anger melted.

"I'll think about it, Bix. Really, I promise."

"That's all I ask, sweetheart."

Bix's talented tongue traced lazy circles around her navel. It tickled, making her squirm under his touch. He smiled against her soft skin. Lifting her high in his arms, he carried her back to bed.

A loud smack filled the room where his lips planted a playfully sloppy kiss against her forehead.

"I have to go meet a friend. Let's have lunch tomorrow, all right?" he murmured, tracing imaginary lines across her cheek. His words were low, deep, sending the bottom of her tummy into a flutter like the tail of a kite whipped along by a stiff breeze. And she didn't want him to leave.

"It's Friday night. Can't you just spend the night and let's make it breakfast-in-bed instead?"

After trailing tender kisses from cheek to cheek, he rubbed noses with her and sighed.

"I'd love to stay, but I can't. Why don't you come over to my house right around noon tomorrow?

Brunch? I make a mean French toast. Always covered with cinnamon." He waggled his eyebrows.

She giggled.

"Mmm-hmm," she mumbled, nuzzling the side of his neck. He smelled so good. "I'm a sucker for a milk toast, uh, I mean French toast man."

"Milk toast? I'll show you milk toast, d.a.m.n it." Bix commenced to tickle her silly. She'd never been tickled by a man before. She decided she liked it.

"I give up, I swear. Go away already," she cackled, holding her aching stomach.

Pressing a flat palm against her chest when she started to rise, he gave her one last kiss and whispered against her mouth, "I'll leave directions on the coffee table for you. Don't get up, sweetie, I'll see myself out. Can't wait to see you tomorrow. And be prepared for some deep conversation concerning you and me."

Whoa, now that sounded serious. And his gaze, hot and smoldering, slid all through her until holding his stare was impossible. She looked away for a moment, then felt his fingers under her chin. Lifting her face for a final peck, Carin watched in amazement as he dressed in a flash and was gone without a sound. Wow, this vampire stuff was pretty cool.

Chapter Ten

Bix and Alaan sat outside of the small warehouse Dan-The-Mouse had slunk to several times this week. He was sure to show up any moment now. Sid had been scarcely seen around the biotech facility and they'd lucked out when an anonymous tip came in. Whatever Sidheon was doing, this was the place to get the goods. There was no one around. While Bix would rather have someone to interrogate, a quick scout of the building would do for now.

"What about Carin's family? Are they going to care you're a white guy?" Alaan asked around sips of blood-laced cranberry juice.

"Carin doesn't have any family. And actually, now that I think about it, the subject hasn't come up between us at all," Bix said thoughtfully, closely surveying the shadows around them. "She doesn't seem to care one way or the other," he mouthed around a handful of watermelon Jolly Rancher candies.

"She's a beautiful woman, Bix. Smart, bold. You're a lucky man. When are you going to tell her she's your mate?"

"I'll tell her when the time is right. I can feel the bond between us, but we haven't shared blood.

I want her to have a choice, Alaan." Knowing he couldn't bear to ever let her go, he'd said all he was going to say on the subject. Besides, the woman hadn't agreed to even date him, let alone mate with him. The completion of the bond required a true commitment and the exchange of blood. He wouldn't take a drop of hers without her permission or her promise. As a vampire, he knew hot s.e.x was the a.s.surance of neither.

Alaan nodded and Bix knew he understood the drive to bond, as well as the anxiety of keeping his potential mate safe by not bonding. A rogue vamp with a grudge against the Serati Clan, couldn't get to Alaan, so he'd stolen Sher instead. The beautiful, dark-haired beauty hadn't survived. Bix wondered if his friend would ever find another female like her who could satisfy him on all levels. And if he did, would he be willing to take the risk?

Bix shook the thoughts away, suddenly restless. The possibility of anything happening to Carin made his blood run hot and his muscles ache for action. He needed to do something. Anything.

"We've been watching this place for an hour, Alaan. Let's go check it out."

They drove a couple of blocks down the street, circled back and pulled into the alley behind the building they'd been casing.

Bix broke the lock on the back door and eased it open. The next instant, the hair on the back of his neck rose to full attention. A creeping feeling of dread pushed at him the second he stepped over the threshold. He looked over to Alaan. "Did you feel that?"

Alaan's blond brow pulled down into a fierce frown as he nodded.

Thankful for keen sight and hearing, the two vamp Seekers took a quick look around, moving silently through the huge building. What the h.e.l.l was going on? The entire first floor of the warehouse was deserted. No boxes, no crates, nothing. Just a new-smelling, dusty cavern of darkness. Why would Dan keep making trips to an empty warehouse? It didn't fit Sidheon's clean- cut image at all. In fact, the whole situation felt off.

"Something's wrong. Let's get the h.e.l.l out of here," Bix whispered. Filled with a sudden sense of urgency, Bix moved out into the alley, keeping his back flat against the wall until he was clear of the door. Their contact had claimed Sidheon was on to them, or at least on to him. This whole thing could be a set-up.

Alaan headed for the SUV, but stilled at his friend's hissed call. Bix motioned for Alaan to take the left side of the alley while he took off on silent feet to the right. They met up in front of the building.

"Look there," Alaan said, motioning his head towards someone darting across the street.

Sidheon's a.s.sistant, Dan, was running towards a dark, late-model vehicle as fast as his short little legs could carry him. Alaan was on him in a flash, reaching the vehicle before Dan could get his whole body inside. He wrapped his large arms around Dan's torso, smashed the man back against his chest, and held him tight enough to partially inhibit his breathing. It had the intended effect as Dan's panic escalated, making him instinctively try to take deep, thick breaths between whimpers.

Bix joined them in the shadow of a doorway. "Was this a set-up?" he demanded.

"I can't tell you. H-He'll kill me."

Alaan let his fangs slip free and lengthen menacingly. He lowered his head to Dan's ear and whispered, "Don't worry about Sidheon. I'll kill you. I'll just enjoy it more because of who you've sold yourself to." Alaan rubbed his incisors against the back of Dan's neck with a satisfied growl.

The little man shook like a loose shutter in a storm, and would've been a crumpled heap on the sidewalk if Alaan hadn't been holding him up.

Alaan let go of the panicking human and Bix grabbed him by the collar and lifted him clean off the ground. "Tell us." His voice resonated with menace. He wasn't in the mood to be f.u.c.ked with, and if he had to skin the simpering toad to get what he needed, then let the skinning commence.

Dan sobbed now, blubbering with wonder about how he could have gotten himself into so much trouble. "Oh please, please don't kill me."

"Then tell me what I want to know. You have ten seconds, then the skin starts coming off an inch at a time. Clear?"

"Yes, yes. Crystal clear. It's all Sidheon's fault," Dan wailed. "The ungrateful idiot. None of the research is his. It's all mine."

Bix and Alaan looked at each other, the pieces beginning to fall into place.

"The experiments, the studies, everything is all mine. Sidheon walked in one day and just took over. All he did was not kill me while taking all the credit. And because of my weakness, that nice Dr. Carinian is going to die."

"What?" Bix bellowed, shaking Dan like a rag doll until the smaller man put his hands up and begged for mercy.

"But she was always nice to me. I-I can't let her blood be on my hands. Please, please, G.o.d, give me the courage to do what's right," Dan prayed on a whimper. Tears streamed unchecked down his face and fogged up his gla.s.ses. "I arranged for you to receive the tip about this place. It was the only way to get you out here."

"Why?" Bix growled low in his throat.

"Because Sidheon wanted you out of the way for a few hours tonight," Dan whispered, then took in a gasping breath. "Because he...oh, I can't even say it."

"You'd better." Bix's voice was as hard and cold as dry ice. "This is your only chance to make this right, a.s.shole."

Dan nodded, feet still dangling in the air, and plowed on. The words came out garbled and anxious, gagging him as he forced them out of his mouth. "Because he plans to take Dr. Carinian tonight. He's obsessed with her. The fact that she's probably uncovered his research by accident is the only excuse he needs to...to..."

"To what?" Now it was Alaan's turn to growl. His partner happened to like Carin. "To rape her. Then he's going to kill her," Dan sobbed. "But she's such a nice lady. I can't let that happen to her."

The weasel tried to wipe the tears and snot from his face, but found his arm wrenched behind his back. Exactly where Bix wanted it.

"When?" the two Seekers shouted in unison.

"Tonight. Just after one o'clock."

Bix didn't need to look at his watch to know they had less than fifteen minutes to get all the way across town. He dropped Dan to the ground, not bothering to turn around when the man crumpled in a trembling heap.

Bix called back over his shoulder. "If you're lying and my woman dies, that's your a.s.s."

Dan pa.s.sed out cold as the sound of screeching tires echoed in his ears.

She tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Bix. The man was on her mind in a really bad way. At this rate she'd never get to sleep without him. It didn't make sense to keep rolling all over the bed, so she rose and headed for the shower. Dressed in her favorite jeans and an "All Natural Girl" T- shirt, Carin packed a large duffel bag with enough clothes and other things to last a couple of days.

She hoped Bix wouldn't mind if she stayed the weekend. But after what he'd laid on her tonight, she didn't think so.

After making love, the man made it clear he wanted her. Not just for the Sidheon case, but he wanted her, period. He hadn't used the vamp B-word-bond-but it was a start. If she didn't know better, she'd swear the big buzzard had developed a soft spot for her that went well beyond s.e.x. He obviously trusted her and she had to admit she trusted him in return. If Bix weren't on the up-and- up, he wouldn't have exposed himself or his kind. If she'd been on the other side of things, there was no way between here and h.e.l.l she would endanger her family by giving them up to someone who didn't mean a hill of beans to her.

And he'd gone a step further than telling her he was a vampire. He'd explained he was a Seeker. She'd never heard of such a thing, but he explained his job and who he worked for. In short, he was a bad-a.s.sed vamp that anyone with common sense would stay on the good side of. It also explained his honed body, quick reflexes and his need to be so d.a.m.ned bossy. Her man was a vamp warrior. In and out of bed. Oh goodness, she was making herself blush.

A black duffel sat at the front door, packed and ready. The full moon caught her eye and she studied it before closing the blinds in the living room. The bright silvery orb hung large and low in the sky, illuminating the clouds around it. A shiver moved through her body. The night felt eerie, odd. She c.o.c.ked her head and tried to put her finger on the weird feeling, but it eluded her. She'd be glad when Bix started teaching her how to use her psychic talents. Maybe then she'd be able to sense this kind of stuff instead of being paranoid about what she didn't understand.

Carin's eyes filled with tears and a strange melancholy stole over her like she'd never be back here again. She missed her house already and she hadn't even gone anywhere yet. Oh for goodness sake, she grumbled to herself. Emotionally attached to a building? Yep, she definitely needed to get out more.

Shaking off the strange weight settling on her shoulders, Carin pulled on her sneakers and slipped her house key into her pants pocket. She grabbed the duffel, stuffed her purse inside it and s.n.a.t.c.hed up the directions Bix had left for her on the coffee table. With one final look around, she stepped into the balmy night and shivered. It wasn't particularly cold out but the army of goose b.u.mps marching over her arms wriggled under her skin and left a marked chill behind. Carin stepped back inside to grab a light down jacket anyway. It was time to go. Arms tucked into the sleeves of her coat, she slid the deadbolt home and didn't look back.

Clouds had drifted over the moon. A chill wind rose and sent a small torrent of dried leaves across the lawn. It felt like a storm was coming.

Her sneakers made no sound as she trotted down the steps and made a beeline for her car parked in the driveway. She clicked the unlock b.u.t.ton on her car key fob, then looked warily up at the streetlamps illuminating her driveway and half of her block. Only...they weren't illuminating.

Every single one of them was out and it was pitch black in front of her house. The hairs on the back of her neck danced wildly. Someone was out here. Her fingers had just tightened on the handle of the unlocked car door when a big hand shot out and struck her on the side of the head.

She went down in a heap and landed with a harsh thud flat on her stomach. It knocked the wind from her lungs but she wasn't out. Not by a long shot. n.o.body got away with cold c.o.c.king her in the side of the head. She felt something both icy and hot rush across her back, but she ignored it and rolled over to face her a.s.sailant.

A strange face with a malevolent grin loomed over hers. A fanged grin? What the h.e.l.l?

The stranger lowered his mouth to her neck. A gag caught in her throat from just a whiff of his rancid breath. Yuck! It reminded her of old rotting pork. She tried to use her arms to push him back and stretch away from him, but he was too strong. Fine, she might not be a vampire, but she was no weakling. She bent her knees and pulled her legs close to her chest, creating an effective barrier between her and fang boy. Kicking with all her might, her legs sent the man flying backward. He landed in the rose bushes lining the side of the driveway. Thankful she lifted heavy weights frequently, she rolled to her knees and was on her feet in a boxing stance, ready to get it on.

Three men approached out of the darkness. One of them she recognized.

"Aleth? What the h.e.l.l is going on?"

"h.e.l.lo, Dr. Carinian," Aleth Sidheon droned, sounding bored with the whole business. "These are some friends of mine. It appears you've been snooping into other people's research. We can't have that, now can we?"