“Maybe some chocolate ice cream,” Megan said. “And a box of brownie mix.”

“How could I have forgotten chocolate!” Daisy exclaimed with a grin. “It’s a staple in every woman’s diet.”

“Behave yourselves while we’re gone,” Erik said. Taking Daisy by the hand, they vanished from sight.

“I wish I could just disappear like that,” Megan exclaimed.

“I can arrange it. Just say the word.”

“Are you going to nag me about becoming a vampire?”

“Would it help?”

“No. I’m happy just as I am, thank you very much.” And so saying, she flounced into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of grapefruit juice.

Rhys followed, of course. Standing in the doorway, he couldn’t help admiring her softly rounded buttocks, the curve of her breasts, the way her hair framed her face. The flowery scent of her perfume mingled with her own unique scent, teasing his senses. How was he ever going to let her go?

Seeing him, Megan lifted the glass in a silent toast. “I like eating and drinking too much to give it up. And even though you won’t admit it, you must miss it. How could you not?”

He snorted softly. “After five centuries, I don’t remember what any of it tastes like.”

She leaned back against the counter. “Did you miss it after you were first turned?”

“No. The scent of cooked meat was nauseating. Fruits and vegetables held no appeal.”

“But you drink wine. Red, of course.”

He chuckled softly. “Yes, the redder the better. It’s the only thing I can drink.” Seeing her look of wry amusement, he added, “Other than the obvious, of course.”

“Of course.” Turning toward the sink, she rinsed out the glass and put it in the dishwasher. The machine must have come with the house, she mused, since she couldn’t think of any reason why vampires would need a dishwasher or any other appliances, for that matter. Facing Rhys again, she said, “I wonder why you can drink wine.”

He shrugged. “I have no idea.” He didn’t tell her that, among vampires, it was a common practice to add a little fresh blood to the fruit of the vine.

“Are you going out later?”

“No.” Closing the distance between them, he drew her into his arms. “I fed earlier.” Before Megan came into his life, he had only fed once a week or so, sometimes less. The hunger, insatiable and irresistible in new vampires, burned less hot with each passing year, though there were circumstances that sparked that primal need. Lovemaking was one of them. Unwilling to put Megan’s life at risk, afraid of losing control when they made love, he was careful to feed each night.

Megan locked her hands around his neck; then, rising on her tiptoes, she kissed him because he was so close, because she couldn’t be near him and not want him. Because she loved him.

She was startled when, with a low growl, he crushed her body against his. His tongue plundered her mouth, hot and wild, as he backed her up against the wall, sending waves of sensual heat to her very core. Suddenly desperate to have him, she wrapped her legs around his waist, a groan rising in her throat.

“Now, Rhys,” she said, gasping. “Now!”

Muttering an oath, he dragged his mouth from hers and set her on her feet just as Erik walked through the back door carrying a sack of groceries. Daisy and Alex were right behind him.

A rush of embarrassment heated Megan’s cheeks when Erik said, ever so dryly, “I knew we should have knocked.”

Megan kept her back to the others. How was she ever going to face these people again?

“Nothing to be embarrassed about, Megan,” Erik said cheerfully as he set the bag on the counter. “Sex is a fact of life, you know. We all do it.”

“Yes,” she replied, her voice muffled against Rhys’s chest, “but not in someone else’s kitchen.” Not in front of two vampires and a man she had only met once before.

Glancing over Megan’s shoulder, Rhys said, “You wanna give us a few minutes?”

“Of course,” Daisy said, and followed her husband out of the room.

“You might want to put that ice cream away before it melts,” Alex said as he sauntered toward the door. “There’s enough sexual heat in here to melt iron.”

“Well, that was humiliating,” Megan remarked as she put the ice cream in the freezer. Delving into the sack again, she saw that Daisy had thoughtfully included a can of whipped cream and a jar of hot fudge.

“It could have been worse,” Rhys said with a grin.

Tossing a bag of cookies into the cupboard, she muttered, “I suppose.” Five minutes later, and they would have been caught in the act.

Laughing softly, he took her by the hand. “Come on, darlin’, you can’t hide in the kitchen forever.”

“Wanna bet?” Reluctantly, she accompanied him into the living room.

Erik, Daisy, and Alex were sitting on the sofa. Avoiding their eyes, Megan sat on the love seat. Rhys sat beside her.

“So,” he said, “what’s going on?”

“We ran into Alex at the market. I think you should hear what he has to say.” The seriousness in Daisy’s tone told Megan it could only be bad news.

Rhys leaned forward. “Spit it out.”

“We haven’t had any vampire trouble since you left town,” Alex said. “Until last night. I met a friend of mine who’s a hunter. He said an entire family was found drained of blood out on Centre Street.” Alex took a deep breath. “The youngest victim was only six months old.”

“That’s awful!” Daisy exclaimed.

“Damn right,” Erik said.

Megan stared at Rhys. A muscle worked in his jaw, his hands were clenched. “Do you know who did it?” he asked, his voice grim.

Alex shook his head. “I don’t know. But it was clearly a vampire. He didn’t bother to make it look like anything else.”

Rhys stood. “I need the address.”

Megan sprang to her feet. “You’re not thinking of going there!”

“I have to know if it’s Villagrande.”

“How could it be?” she asked. “How could he know where we are?”

“I should have known leaving LA would be a waste of time,” Rhys said quietly, almost as if he was talking to himself. “Villagrande’s the oldest of our kind. We’ve been kidding ourselves, thinking we could hide from him. I have a feeling he’s there, waiting for me.”

Megan grasped his arm. “You can’t go. I won’t let you!”

“Maybe I can talk to him, tell him to keep LA.”

“And what if that’s not enough anymore?” Erik glanced at Megan.

She knew what he was thinking. It wasn’t just about territory now. Villagrande was angry because she had destroyed Shirl.

“If he wants a life for a life,” Rhys said, “I’ll give him mine.”

“No!” Fear for Rhys, fear for her own life, leeched the strength from Megan’s legs, and she dropped down on the love seat. “I’m the one who killed Shirl.”

“This isn’t open to discussion, Megan,” Rhys said, his voice gruff. “I told you before, this is between Villagrande and me. No one else.”

“You know you can’t face him alone,” Erik said. “Hell, I’m not sure the five of us together can beat him.”

“He’s so old,” Daisy remarked, a note of awe in her voice. “Who knows, maybe he is indestructible.” With a shake of her head, she murmured, “Maybe he really is immortal.”

“Only one way to find out,” Alex said with a cocky grin.

“The address,” Rhys said, his voice sharp. “I want it now.”

With an apologetic glance at Megan, Alex gave Rhys the street address.

Before she could beg him not to go, Rhys was gone. Springing to her feet, she cried, “Erik, you’ve got to go with him! Please! You said it yourself, he doesn’t stand a chance alone.”

“She’s right,” Alex said, pumping his arm in the air. “Erik, let’s you and me go kick some vampire ass.”

Megan sighed and glanced at her watch. It seemed like Rhys, Erik, and Alex had been gone for hours.

She was about to ask Daisy how she could appear so calm when her husband might be fighting Villagrande at that very moment, when Daisy suddenly rose to her feet.

“What’s wrong?” Megan asked, her mind filling with horrible possibilities.

“I thought I heard Erik calling me.”

“Why would he do that?”

“I don’t know. Maybe something’s gone wrong.” Daisy moved toward the front door. “Erik?”

Rising, Megan walked up behind Daisy. “I don’t hear anything.”

“He’s calling me,” Daisy said, her brow furrowing.

“Why doesn’t he come inside?”

“He’s badly hurt. He…oh, no!”

“What is it?” Megan asked anxiously. “What’s happened?”

“Megan, I’m so sorry. He said Alex is badly hurt and…and Rhys is dead.”

Megan pressed her hand to her chest as the room began to spin. Rhys was dead…dead…dead. “No.” She shook her head. “I don’t believe it….”

A high-pitched cry came from outside. Shouting Erik’s name, Daisy opened the door and dashed out into the night.

Megan started after her, only to come to an abrupt halt as a dark shape filled the doorway.

Before her mind could register what she was seeing, pain exploded through her head and everything went black.

Chapter 45

Rhys stood in the shadows on Centre Street, his senses reaching out toward the brown-and-beige, two-story Colonial house. The yard was well kept, the lawn green, with a few shrubs in front. Five steps climbed to the front porch. Rose bushes grew on either side of the stairs.