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She smiled. "I was just wondering if the Love Doctor had his own lady love."
"He does," Carlos said quickly, then reconsidered. "Well, he hopes he does. He's been pursuing a mortal woman named LaToya, but I believe she told him to take a hike."
"Oh, how sad." Caitlyn picked a photo frame off Phineas's bedside table. "Is this his family?"
"Yes, his aunt, and his younger brother and sister. Phineas supports them all."
"He's their hero." She set the photo down. "If they're still alive, then he must be a fairly young vampire?"
"Yes, just a few years." Carlos shifted his weight. "Why are you so interested?"
She shrugged. "I've been plunged into a whole new world that I need to learn about. It's all fascinating, really."
"You find vampires fascinating?"
"Yes." Her mouth curled up as she gave him a flirtatious look. "Shifters, too."
His chest tightened. And then his groin. "You're not turned off by claws and teeth - "
"And fur balls?" She grinned. "As far as I'm concerned, the more exotic, the more I like it."
A low growl rumbled in his throat, and her smile faded. Her eyes widened with a big turquoise take-me look.
Merda. He hadn't meant to growl. He was losing control. With a mental shake, he strode toward the door. "I need to check on Angus and Emma."
She followed him up the back stairs to the foyer. "I think I'll take a break and grab something to drink in the kitchen."
"You should come with me."
She gave him a dubious look. "To the fourth floor?"
"It'll be good cardio for you." Carlos jogged up the stairs. "Come on."
She groaned, then ran up the stairs after him. On the third floor landing she stopped to catch her breath.
"Come on." He continued to climb.
"What's the hurry?" She trudged up the stairs. "It's not like they're going anywhere."
"Keep moving. It'll help you get in shape." He sprinted up the last few steps to the fourth floor. "This is the room Angus and Emma use." He opened the door and flipped on the lights.
Caitlyn winced as she joined him. "I would be so angry if somebody turned on the lights while I was sleeping."
"They're not sleeping." He spotted them in bed, then crossed the room to make sure the aluminum blinds on the windows were shut tight.
"Oh my gosh, look." Caitlyn slowly approached the bed.
Carlos glanced over and noted the Vamp couple appeared to be naked. A bedsheet covered the bottom half of their bodies, and Angus's broad back and arm hid Emma's br**sts.
Caitlyn quickly dragged the comforter up to their shoulders. "I think they were making love," she whispered.
"None of our business." Carlos headed back to the door.
"They were gazing into each other's eyes." Caitlyn clasped her hands together and her eyes gleamed with moisture. "They died in each others' arms. It's so beautiful."
Carlos paused at the door with his hand on the light switch. "Death is never beautiful, menina."
She turned to look at him with her misty blue eyes. "You saw most of your kind die, didn't you?"
He glanced away so she wouldn't see his face twist with pain.
"Did you lose your family?" she asked softly.
He pushed away the images of his dead parents and brother. He couldn't afford to confide in Caitlyn. She was such a compassionate soul, she would try to comfort him, and that would be a disaster. He'd suffered for so long, he would be powerless to resist her.
He switched off the light. "Let's get back to work."
He headed down the stairs, reminding himself not to touch her. He was too close to the breaking point.
Would this day of torture never end?
Would this day never end? Caitlyn asked herself after an hour of lifting weights and jumping rope. The man was trying to kill her. She felt sweaty and grimy, and he still looked gorgeous, like it was all a walk in the park.
They moved on to the punching bag. The first time she jabbed the damned thing, it rebounded and smacked her in the face. After thirty minutes of learning how to execute jabs, hooks, and upper-cuts, her arms were sore and aching.
She stumbled when Carlos had her perform a combination.
"Don't lose your balance," he warned her. "Keep your knees bent. Stay light on your feet. Shift your weight."
She shot him an annoyed look. He'd been barking out orders like a drill sergeant. "My arms are falling off."
He scowled at her. "Fine." He strode toward an exercise mat. "We'll do some tae kwan do. I'll show you some of the basic kicks."
Caitlyn hated to admit it, since he was torturing her, but she loved watching him move. He was so strong and graceful at the same time.
He moved off the mat. "Now you try."
She bowed to him, repeated every kick he'd performed, then bowed again.
His eyes widened. "You've studied martial arts."
She shrugged with a smug smile. "A little. I wanted to be able to shop without getting mugged. I take my shopping very seriously."
He snorted. "Let's see how well you can defend yourself." He stepped onto the mat and bowed to her.
She bowed back, then took a defensive pose. When he advanced with a slow and basic set of punches, she blocked them all. "You're babying me."
"Just trying to see what you're capable of." He grinned. "This is great news. I'll be able to train you much faster than I had originally thought."
So he could leave sooner to find his perfect mate. A twinge of anger needled her. She wasn't good enough for him. She wasn't furry.
He stepped back. "Let's see what you can do. Attack me."
Oh, she felt like attacking him now. She moved toward him with a quick succession of jabs and kicks.
He smiled as he easily blocked her. "Not bad."
She jumped back, glaring at him. "Don't patronize me."
"Menina, I'm truly glad you've had some training. We need to work on your kicks, though. You need to aim for your opponent's chest to make him lose his balance. Now came at me and kick as high as you can."
"You got it." She swung her right leg up.
He grabbed her foot one inch away from his groin. "Not funny, Caitlyn. I'm not the straw dummy."
"I didn't aim - "
"Do you have something against a man's balls?"
"No! I'm just not very limber." She hopped around on one foot. "Can you let me go? I'm about to fall."
He dropped her foot. "Try it again. And aim for my chest this time."
She winced. She'd aimed for his chest the first time. She leaned back to kick as high as she could but put so much power into the swing of her leg that both feet flew up and she fell, landing with a smack on her back.
"Ow." She lay there dazed.
"Sorry about that." He leaned over, offering her a hand to help her up. "Are you okay?"
The amused look on his face made her snap. He'd tortured her for the last few hours. And he was eager to leave her so he could find a mangy were-panther.
She grabbed his hand, rolled halfway up, then jerked hard, making him fall on top of her. His weight knocked her breathless for a second, but the victory was worth it.
"Sorry about that," she said sweetly. "Are you okay?"
He lifted himself onto his elbows and frowned at her. "Not a good strategy, menina. You don't want your opponent on top of you."
"Really?" She rubbed a bare foot against his leg and wrapped her hands around his neck. "I kinda like it."
The golden flecks in his eyes glittered like amber. His jaw shifted as if he was grinding his teeth.
She slipped her fingers under the neckline of his white T-shirt and tugged it down. "I've been wanting to see your tattoo for days." It looked like a black panther leaping through flames.
He grabbed her wrist. "Stop it. We can't - "
She shoved him. Since he'd been supporting himself on only one arm, he lost his balance and landed on his back. She straddled him, sitting up on her knees. "Don't tell me what I can't do."
He attempted to sit up, but she pushed him back down, pinning him down at the shoulders.
His eyes gleamed. "I could get up if I wanted to."
"Then I guess you don't want to." She lowered her hips until she was sitting on his groin.
