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Beside her, Rhys laughed softly.
“Did you do that?” Megan asked. It was a silly question. Who else could have done it?
“You wanted one, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but…You could have warned me,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder. “What other tricks can you do?”
“Dogs do tricks,” he said, sounding offended.
“Well, what do you call it, then?”
“It’s power, my sweet. Vampire power.”
“And now Shirl has it, too.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact. “I don’t think I want her as a roommate anymore.”
“She’s been expecting that.”
“Oh?”
“She doesn’t think it’s a good idea, either. She’s not sure she can control herself.”
“So she’s going to stay with you?” Megan didn’t like that arrangement in the least.
“No. She’s going to find her own place.”
“Oh? How’s she going to pay for it?” Shirl had made good money as a model, but she had never saved any.
“She’s got a job.”
“How can she model now? She can’t work during the day.”
“She called her agent and told him she’s come down with some rare disease and that her doctor advised her to stay out of the sun.”
Megan frowned. “I thought vampires couldn’t be photographed.”
“That was true in the old days, but everything changed with the advent of digital cameras.”
“I guess a lot of things have changed.”
“Except the way I feel about you.”
“Rhys…what are we doing? This can’t work.”
“I know, but I can’t seem to stay away from you.”
“Then don’t.”
“Ah, Megan, you tempt me in so many ways.”
“Show me,” she whispered. “Show me, show me, show me….”
Falling back on the sofa, he drew her down on top of him, his mouth claiming hers in a kiss that was gentle and desperate at the same time. She kissed him back with the same intensity, refusing to worry about what the future might hold. They were together now, and that was all that mattered.
She moaned softly when he rolled onto his side, then sat up, drawing her with him. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s late. You need to get some sleep, and I need to feed.”
“Oh.” His words brought reality crashing down on her. Had he been an ordinary man, she could have fixed him a sandwich, but, in this case, she was the soup de jour.
He stood, then lifted her to her feet. “See me out?”
With a nod, she linked her arm with his and walked him to the door, then stood on tiptoe to kiss him good night. She was tempted to ask him to stay, to make love to her until dawn, but it didn’t seem wise to take a hungry vampire to bed.
He grinned at her. “Smart girl.”
“Will I see you tomorrow night?”
“Count on it.” He kissed her again; then, whistling softly, he walked down the porch steps and vanished into the darkness.
“I guess that’s just another one of his vampire tricks,” she muttered, “like starting fires out of thin air and reading my mind.”
In the distance, she heard the sound of his laughter.
Chapter 28
Tomás Villagrande prowled the street below Rhys Costain’s lair. The vampire wasn’t home, but Tomás wasn’t interested in Costain at the moment. It was the woman, Shirl, who held his attention. Her scent tickled his nostrils and teased his desire. He had not made love to one of his own kind in years, and the idea of making love to a vampire as young and as beautiful as Costain’s fledgling aroused him as nothing had in centuries.
Standing under the balcony, he called her name ever so softly, knowing that, with her preternatural power, she would hear him.
A moment later, she appeared at the railing.
Tomás smiled up at her. “Come, take a walk with me.”
She shook her head. Moonlight danced in the soft waves of her long silver-blond hair. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not? It’s what you want.”
“I don’t trust you.”
His laughter filled the night. “I mean you no harm, child.” In the blink of an eye, he was on the balcony, his fingers wrapped around her wrist. “And if I did, you couldn’t stop me.”
Shirl stared at him in astonishment. She hadn’t even seen him move. “What do you want with me?”
He ran his fingers through her hair. “You’re incredibly lovely. I’m rich and bored. To quote an old saying, I think we could make beautiful music together.”
“Thank you, but no thanks. I’m happy where I am.”
He jerked his chin toward the penthouse. “With Rhys?”
“With myself. I always work solo.”
“Where’s the fun in that? You’re a new vampire. I’m an old vampire and rather jaded. I want to see the world fresh through your eyes.”
“I’m sure there are other new vampires who would love to go out with you.”
“I want you.” His grip tightened on her wrist. “I can show you the world. Give you anything you want. Teach you how to use your new powers. Teach you things Rhys doesn’t know. Things he may never know. Why learn from one of the Indians when you can learn from the chief?” He smiled as he released her wrist. Lifting her hand to his lips, he ran his tongue over her palm. “I can make all your dreams come true.”
Shirl stared at him, a momentary tingle of fear spreading through every nerve and fiber of her being, but it quickly faded under the weight of his preternatural power, ancient power that wrapped itself around her and made her hungry for more.
A slow smile spread across Villagrande’s face. “So,” he said, placing her hand on his arm in gentlemanly fashion. “Shall we go?”
Chapter 29
Megan had just finished dinner and was thinking about getting ready for work when the doorbell rang. She frowned on her way to answer it, wondering who it could be. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Least of all, “Greg!”
“Is Shirl here?”
“No. Would you like to come in?”
“No.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Do you know where I can find her? I called the hospital but they said she’d checked out.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know where she is,” Megan said.
