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“Careful,” Derek said. “You don’t have to bite hard. Your fangs are razor sharp.”
A gentle nip was all it took.
“Not too much,” Derek warned. “If you drink your fill, you’ll kill him.”
She fed from three different men.
“They all taste different,” she mused as they left the Den. “Why is that?”
Derek shrugged. “Different blood types, different diets.”
“What if they’re sick? How will I know?”
“You’d know, but you needn’t worry about catching anything. You’re immune to human disease.”
When they reached her house, she bid him a frosty good night and went to her room. It was like being a prisoner in her own home, she thought irritably, knowing he was downstairs. She was a big, bad vampire now. She didn’t need a keeper.
She was trying to read when Derek opened the door and poked his head into the room. “Tomorrow night,” he said.
“Tomorrow night, what?”
“I’m taking you to Mara’s to meet the rest of the family.”
Before she could say yes or no, he dissolved into mist and was gone.
She couldn’t help feeling a little nervous at the prospect of meeting Derek’s vampire family. What if they didn’t like her? What if she didn’t like them?
In an effort to put her fears out of her mind, she tried to dissolve into mist. Derek seemed to do it without any effort at all. Why couldn’t she? She had tried on several occasions when she was alone in her room, but, try as she might, nothing happened. Had her sire done something to prevent it?
The following evening, Sheree insisted on calling her parents before she did anything else. She was glad when her father answered the phone.
“I was about to send the police looking for you,” her father said. “Where have you been?”
“I guess you could say we were on a short honeymoon,” she replied.
“I tried calling several times, but wherever you were, there was no service.”
“We were in Romania, in the mountains.”
“Romania!”
“Derek’s mother has a . . . a summer home there. She let us use it for a few days. How are you, Dad?”
“Ready to walk you down the aisle. You know your mom. She says you’re not really married until you exchange your vows in a church.”
“What? Oh, of course. We haven’t decided on a date yet, but I’ll let you know as soon as we do. I’ve got to go now. I’m on my way to meet Derek’s extended family.”
“You sound a little nervous.”
“Well, I guess I am.”
“I’m sure they’ll love you,” Brian said. “I know your mom would love to say hello but she’s out.”
“That’s okay. Tell her hi for me. I love you.”
“I love you, too, pumpkin. Good night.”
“Are you ready now?” Derek asked.
“I’m hungry.”
“You can stall as long as you want, but we’re doing this tonight. Everyone is waiting for us.”
“Are you always going to be this bossy?”
“Probably. Let’s go. Mara hates to be kept waiting.”
Mara’s house in the Hollywood Hills was lit up like a Christmas tree. Sheree peered out the window as Derek parked the car in the driveway. It looked like every light in the place was on.
Sheree was a bundle of nerves by the time they arrived. She had taken her time choosing her prey, fed as slowly as possible, insisted she needed to feed again.
Derek had indulged her, a knowing gleam in his eye. And now he was opening the front door, escorting her inside. She had no idea what to expect as she stepped into the living room.
All conversation came to a stop, all eyes swung in her direction.
Sheree’s gaze swept over them in a glance. All the men were dark haired and handsome, the women lovely.
Mara smiled as she came forward to embrace the two of them. “Derek,” she said, “why don’t you make the introductions?”
“Sure, Ma. Sheree, this is Roshan DeLongpre and his wife, Brenna. Brenna is the family’s only practicing witch.”
Brenna was lovely, with waist-length red hair and eyes almost as green as Mara’s. A necklace of amber and jet circled her neck.
“This is Vince and Cara, their twin sons, Rafe and Rane, their wives Kathy and Savannah.”
Sheree smiled at each one in turn, although she doubted she would be able to tell the twins apart. She noted all the men and women seemed to be in their mid-twenties except for Savannah, who appeared to be in her early forties.
“And this,” Derek said, smiling at a lovely young woman with pale blond hair and blue eyes, “is Abbey Marie, Savannah’s daughter. She’s the only mortal left in the family.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Sheree said. The girl looked like a younger version of her mother. Was it strange for her to be the only human among so many vampires?
“How are things going in New York, Abs?” Derek asked.
She shrugged. “Not as well as I’d hoped. I think I’m going to give up my aspirations of being an actress.”
Rane put his arm around his daughter’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Never give up, sweetie.”
“Maybe you’d have better luck here in Hollywood,” Vince suggested. “I’ll bet Logan could put in a good word for you.”
“Maybe, but I’d rather make it on my own.”
“So,” Roshan said, glancing from Sheree to Derek, “I hear there’s a wedding in the wind.”
Derek nodded. “We decided to have another ceremony so the families could be there.”
“Couldn’t wait for the honeymoon, eh?” Vince said, giving Derek a nudge.
“The men in our family aren’t known for their patience.” Rafe slipped his arm around Kathy’s waist. “Are they, wife?”
“No.” Kathy winked at Sheree. “They’re known for other things, though.”
Her comment elicited nods from the other women, all except Abbey, who blushed.
“Speaking of sexy men,” Cara said, smiling at Abbey, “have you found your Mr. Right yet?”
“No, and I’m not looking.”
“She’s got plenty of time for all that,” her father said.
Abbey rolled her eyes. “Honestly, we have this conversation every time I come to town.” She held up her empty wineglass. “I’m going to get a refill.”
