"yeah. is alex home?"

"yes, why?"

"rhys is here with me. we're coming over."

daisy glanced over her shoulder at alex, who was still engrossed in the news. lowering her voice, she said, "rhys is coming here?"

"is that going to be a problem?"

"not for me, but..."

"we'll be there in about twenty minutes," erik said, and hung up. they could have been there in moments, but erik wanted to give daisy time to prepare alex for their visit.

"who was that?" alex asked as she disconnected the call.

"erik." she debated whether to tell him rhys was also coming and decided against it. "he'll be here in a little while."

daisy fought down a rising sense of panic as the minutes ticked past. she told herself there was nothing to be afraid of. erik wouldn't bring rhys to her house if there was any danger.

"are they coming here?" rhys asked.

erik slipped his phone into his pocket. "no, we're going there."

rhys lifted one brow in obvious consternation.

"what's the matter? don't tell me you're afraid of meeting with alex and his sister?"

"don't be an idiot. but if either of them tries anything, the deal's off and they're dead." rhys drummed his fingers on the arm of the sofa. "so, who do you think it is? some stupid mortal, or one of us?"

sitting back in his chair, erik stretched his legs out in front of him. "i don't know, but my money's on one of us."

"why?"

"why would a mortal offer a reward to have you destroyed? most mortals don't even know you exist. a hunter would do it on his own."

"yeah, but the government isn't offering hunters two hundred grand."

erik grunted softly. fifty years ago, the government had offered a thousand-dollar reward for every vampire destroyed. those had been dangerous times. more than one goth had been killed by mistake. as more and more innocents were killed, the government's reward had dropped to five hundred dollars, and then two hundred and fifty. when people decided two-fifty wasn't worth dying for, the frenzy to hunt vampires had dwindled until only dedicated hunters remained. now there was more money to be made by selling vampire blood than by destroying them.

"come on," he said, rising. "it's time to go."

rhys stood beside erik on the o'donnells' front porch. thrusting his hands into his pants pockets, he took a deep breath as two familiar scents reached his nostrils. scents he remembered all too well.

"behave yourself," erik admonished, and knocked on the door. from inside, he heard daisy telling alex that rhys was also coming, and alex's stunned silence in reply.

moments later, daisy opened the door, a tentative smile on her face. clad in a pale yellow sweater and a pair of faded jeans, she looked as lovely and fresh as the flower she had been named after.

for a moment, he forgot everything else as the memory of the hours they had spent together at the hotel flashed through his mind. erik had never been one for wishful thinking, but at the moment, he wished he could sweep daisy into his arms and carry her back to that suite in the hotel. the flush that rose in daisy's cheeks told him she was remembering it, too.

"come in," daisy said, and then she saw rhys, who was standing slightly behind erik, his long legs slightly spread, his arms crossed over his chest. attired all in black, he looked both forbidding and formidable. "come in," she said again, and hoped she wasn't making a horrible mistake.

erik and rhys followed her into the living room.

alex had gained his feet and now stood in front of the sofa, a wooden stake tightly clasped in one hand. he glared at erik. "what's he doing here?"

"relax, both of you," erik said, glancing from erik to daisy. "he's just here to talk."

"yeah, right." alex moved up beside daisy, then took another step forward, putting himself between daisy and rhys.

erik's gaze met daisy's. "do you trust me?"

"of course." stepping around alex, she put her hand in erik's.

erik glanced at daisy's brother, who stood there glowering at him. "what about you?"

"not as far as i can throw you," alex retorted.

costain's amused laughter washed over them.

alex glared at him. "what's so funny, bloodsucker?"

"take it easy, hunter," rhys said. "the fact that you're still breathing should prove you're in no danger."

"he's right, you know," daisy said. "come on, alex, let's all sit down and see what he has to say."

the tension in the room was palpable as alex resumed his seat on the sofa. his gaze never strayed from costain.

daisy sat beside her brother, her hands folded tightly in her lap. despite her outward calm, she was trembling inside. the combined power of erik and rhys danced over her skin like static electricity.

erik sat on the arm of the sofa.

in an effort to put daisy and alex at ease, rhys moved to the far side of the room, where he stood with his arms crossed over his chest.

alex and rhys eyed each other warily as erik outlined his plan. "it's pretty simple, really. alex, you'll e-mail your contact and tell them you've destroyed rhys and you want to set up a time to collect the reward..."

"he's not gonna take my word for it," alex said, crossing his arms over his chest. "what are you planning to use for bait?"

"fireplace ashes," erik replied.

"it might work," alex said. "but not for long."

erik shrugged. "by the time he realizes it's a trap, we'll have him."

rhys glanced from erik to alex. "just remember, he's mine."

daisy would have objected, but the hard edge in costain's voice and the predatory gleam in his hooded gaze brooked no argument, and neither erik nor alex offered any.

"so, what do you say, alex?" erik asked.

alex blew out a sigh. "i'm in, but i'm sure gonna miss that two hundred grand," he said glumly.

rhys grinned at him. "if this works, i'll make good on the reward."

"well, hell!" alex exclaimed. "let's do it!"

it took only minutes for alex to sign on to daisy's computer. rhys, daisy, and erik stood in a semicircle behind his chair as he opened his e-mail program.

his message was short and to the point.

have destroyed costain.

proof is in my hands.

where and when can we meet?

a.

alex hit send, then sat back in the chair, his elbows resting on the arms, his gaze focused on the screen. "all we have to do now is wait for a reply."

erik looked at rhys. "you'll have to lay low until we hear something."

"yeah, i hadn't thought about that."

"you can stay here." daisy glared at alex, silencing the argument she saw in his eyes. "no one will think to look for you here."

"thanks." rhys grinned at erik. "i guess i owe you an apology. remind me to say i'm sorry in a hundred years or so."

"right. and now. if you two don't mind, i'd like to spend a little time alone with daisy."

"i don't mind," rhys said with a leer.

alex pushed away from the desk and stood up, his hands clenched at his sides. "well, i do."

"it's not up to you," erik retorted. taking daisy's hand in his, he gave it a squeeze. "what do you say, darlin'?"

"i say, let's go."

"dammit, daisy," alex muttered, "i don't like you going off with him."

"i know."

alex glared at erik, then stomped out of the room.

daisy smiled tentatively at rhys. "make yourself at home."

"thanks."

"remember," erik warned, "you can't let anyone know where you are. and you can't leave here until this is over."

"yeah, yeah," costain muttered irritably. "but if we don't hear something soon..." he looked at daisy, his gaze lingering on the pulse throbbing in the hollow of her throat. "i'll need something to nibble on."

daisy blew out a sigh. "how long do you think it will be before alex gets an answer to his e-mail?"

erik shook his head. "i don't know, and right now, i don't care." lowering his head, he brushed a kiss across daisy's lips. "where would you like to go?"

"i don't care. anyplace where we can be alone."

grinning, erik wrapped daisy in his embrace and then, with an effort of will, he transported the two of them to the balcony of costain's primary lair. a wave of his hand unlocked the french doors and he ushered her inside.

"where are we?" daisy wandered around the room, thinking she had never seen anything so luxurious. the carpet beneath her feet must have been two inches deep. the furniture was butter-soft black leather. the fireplace was white marble veined with gold.

"this is costain's place."

"you're not serious?" she glanced at the statue of a golden-haired madonna standing in one corner, thinking such a thing was an odd decorating choice for a vampire's lair.

erik shrugged. "he won't be using it tonight."

"but..." her protest died in her throat when she spied the painting hanging over the fireplace. "is that a genuine matisse?"

erik nodded. rhys was quite the collector. the floors below were filled with antiques and original masters from the last four centuries, along with persian carpets and dozens of artifacts that were presumed lost or destroyed.

"i take it your friend is pretty well off financially."

"you could say that."

"i guess it's not surprising. he's had a long time to save his money."

erik chuckled as he drew her into his arms. "do you want to talk about rhys all night?"

"what did you have in mind?"

"giving you a tour of the place," he said with a wicked grin. "starting here, and ending in the bedroom."