erik remained silent as he watched daisy wage a silent war with herself, trying to decide who presented more danger to her survival, himself or rhys. in the long run, it didn't matter what she decided, because she was staying whether she liked it or not.

"will it ever be safe for me to go home?" she asked with a sigh of resignation.

"i don't know."

"i could go stay with nonnie." she voiced the suggestion aloud, curious to see erik's reaction.

"who's that?"

"my grandmother. she's the one who made my compass. since she magicked a way for me to locate vampires, i'm sure she could conjure something to protect me from rhys."

"and from me?"

her gaze slid away from his.

it was all the answer he needed. "where does she live?"

"in boca raton. she has a gift shop there."

"is she a hunter, too?"

"no. she sells handmade jewelry and seashells. and an occasional charm or two."

"and you think she can protect you from rhys?"

daisy nodded, although she wasn't sure at all.

"i'll think about it," erik said. "right now, i've got to meet rhys."

"you won't tell him i'm here?"

"what do you think?"

"i'm sorry, it was a silly question."

"i'll be back soon," he said, caressing her cheek with his knuckles. "behave yourself while i'm gone."

stifling the urge to stick her tongue out at him, she watched him leave the house, although leave wasn't exactly the right word. he didn't go out the door, he merely dissolved into a mist of sparkling dove gray motes and vanished from her sight.

daisy stared at the place where he had stood only moments before, then shook her head.

"if i could do that," she muttered, "i wouldn't have to worry about rhys or anyone else."

when erik arrived at la morte rouge, rhys was waiting for him at the bar.

"so, you're here. are you ready for dessert?" rhys asked with a good-natured grin.

erik shrugged. "sure, i could use a bite or two." or three or four, he thought, his hunger rising as his nostrils filled with the mingled scents of warm blood and desire that filled the air.

he glanced around the club, noting the usual sunday night crowd was in full swing. the human females wore provocative clothing, mostly black, that bared their throats and a good deal of cleavage. of course, none of them used their real names. instead, they wore delicate brooches inscribed with the french names they were known by in the club--monique, babette, fifi. the males wore vests and slacks, again, mostly black, and had names like henri, etienne, and jacques.

"i've reserved two rooms," rhys remarked, slapping erik on the shoulder. "monique is already waiting for you in number three. i'll meet you back here later."

erik nodded. he watched rhys stride across the floor toward room six where his choice of the night awaited. rhys didn't have a favorite at the club. his usual requirement was that his companion for the evening be young, female, and blonde.

wondering why he felt a sudden twinge of guilt, erik went into room three. the rooms at the club were all decorated with louis xv furniture and artwork. the bed linen was changed after each visit. a small bathroom provided a place to wash up after each encounter, if necessary.

monique was waiting for him on the bed, a smile of welcome on her face. she was a beautiful woman in her mid-forties, with a toned body and tanned skin. long red hair framed an oval face. he had been visiting her regularly ever since he moved to california. some nights he wanted only to feed, some nights he satisfied his other hungers.

"good evening," she purred. "what are you in the mood for tonight, mon chevalier fonce?"

erik snorted softly. her dark knight, indeed. sitting on the edge of the bed, he brushed the hair away from her neck, then bent to drop kisses along the smooth curve of her throat.

with a sigh, she surrendered to him, willing to give whatever he asked.

erik fed quickly, wishing all the while that it was daisy in his arms. after closing the wounds in monique's neck, he kissed her cheek, then gained his feet. "till next time, cherie."

"i was hoping you'd stay till morning," monique said, pouting prettily. "it's been a long time since we shared a night together."

he forced a smile. "another time. rhys is waiting for me."

the smile faded from her lips. monique and rhys had a long-standing dislike for one another. erik wondered from time to time what had caused the rift, but neither of them would discuss it.

"until next time," he said and left the room, relieved, for the first time since he had met monique, that he had an excuse to leave.

rhys joined him at the bar a short time later.

"so," erik asked, "what's going on?"

"that's what i wanted to ask you."

"what do you mean?"

"you've been a little distant the last few days."

erik shrugged. "so i wanted a little alone time. anything wrong with that?"

rhys rested his elbow on the bar. "it's mariah. she thinks you're up to something."

"yeah? like what?"

"beats the hell out of me. you know mariah," rhys said with a grin. "she's always out for blood of one kind or another. she doesn't think you're taking the whole blood thief thing seriously enough, that maybe you're hiding something."

"she's right," erik said. "i'm hiding the thief in my back pocket."

"look, i know mariah's not your favorite person, but cut her a little slack. she's worried."

"aren't we all?" erik muttered.

rhys punched erik in the arm. "so i told her i'd have a talk with you, and now we've had it."

"maybe i should be asking you what's going on," erik said. "since when do you worry about what anyone else--especially a woman--thinks?"

"mellowing in my old age, i guess. hell, i'm just trying to keep the peace. oh, one more thing and then i'll be on my way," rhys remarked, all humor gone from his eyes. "the blood thief has struck again."

in an effort to buy a little time, erik sipped his drink. he didn't know which blood thief had struck again, but it couldn't be the one living under his roof. could it? he shook the thought from his mind. such a thing was impossible. daisy hadn't been out of his house in days. still..."how do you know?"

"i just got a phone call from mariah. she was supposed to meet tina at craig's place tonight. when she got there, they were both dead."

"i'm sorry to hear that." though erik had harbored no real affection for either tina or her mortal lover, senseless death was always unfortunate. "what makes you think...?"

erik swore softly. he had almost asked rhys what made him think there was another thief in town.

"what makes me think what?" rhys asked.

"what makes you think it's the work of the blood thief and not some other hunter?"

rhys looked at erik, his eyes narrowed. "what makes you think it isn't?"

erik shrugged. "maybe tina and craig had a fight and killed each other." it was a slim possibility, but in his world, stranger things had happened.

"i guess craig and tina could have committed suicide, too," rhys remarked, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "but craig had a ten-inch knife in his back and tina had been drained dry and staked. doesn't sound like a double suicide to me."

"okay, okay," erik muttered. "have it your way."

rhys nodded. "i always do."

erik grunted softly. if there was one thing about the master of the city that annoyed erik more than anything else, it was that, right or wrong, rhys always managed to get things done the way he wanted.

"the blood thief's never killed a mortal before." erik drummed his fingertips on the bar top. "besides, if he wanted to destroy tina, why didn't he do it the first time he attacked her? why take her blood and not her head?" erik didn't know who had killed tina and craig, but he knew it hadn't been daisy.

"beats the hell out of me."

"doesn't make much sense."

"a lot of things in this old world don't make sense," rhys muttered dryly.

erik nodded. he couldn't argue with that.

"maybe somebody scared him off the first time," rhys said, thinking aloud. "but that's neither here nor there. he's as good as got."

"yeah?"

"yeah." rhys smiled, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "i forgot to tell you the best part."

"oh? what's that?"

"the blood thief left his scent behind this time."

chapter 14

erik went suddenly still, and then relaxed. it couldn't be daisy, but another hunter in the city was bad news for all of them. "was it anyone you recognize?"

"no," rhys said, "but now we have something to go on."

"you didn't follow his scent?"

"i lost it on the freeway. if the murder had taken place at tina's, we'd have it on video."

erik grunted softly.

"i want a camera in your place by tomorrow."

"no."

"why the hell not?"

"i don't like the idea."

"it was your idea!"

erik shrugged. he couldn't install a camera as long as daisy was in the house.

"i don't give a damn whether you like it or not. we all agreed it was the thing to do."

erik cocked his head to the side. "is there a camera in your lair?" he asked, deciding to take the offensive.

rhys cleared his throat before muttering, "no, not yet."

"well, there you go. when you get one, i will."

muttering an oath, rhys pushed away from the bar and stalked across the room.

"damn." erik finished his drink, then stared into his empty glass. if there really was another hunter in town, it would take the heat off daisy. none of the vampires were aware of her or knew she was the one who had taken tina's blood, or that she had destroyed saul. she hadn't left her scent at either place. that being the case, she was probably safe from rhys and the others. he could probably let her go home. he should have been relieved at the thought of having his house to himself again. he should have been, but he wasn't.