"you can try."

mariah's laughter sliced through the air. "you're a cheeky little broad," she said, and then frowned. "you're the blood thief, aren't you?" she laughed again, genuinely amused. "to think, rhys was concerned about a puny little female like you."

"we almost killed him," daisy said. "i don't think you'll be a problem."

alex glared at his sister. what did she hope to gain by antagonizing the vampire? he slid a glance at mariah's face. was it just wishful thinking, or did the vampire look worried?

alex held his breath. apparently distracted by what daisy had said, the vampire had loosened her grip on his shoulders.

"if you don't let him go, i'll come after you," daisy said. "and i'll find you. the same way i found rhys. the same way i found saul."

mariah's eyes narrowed when daisy mentioned the vampire she had destroyed.

it's now or never, alex thought. he jerked his arms straight up, breaking the vampire's hold, and then he drove his fist into her face just as hard as he could.

with a startled cry, mariah reeled backward as blood spurted from her broken nose.

alex raced toward daisy, delving into his backpack for a stake as he went. "let's get the hell out of here."

daisy didn't argue. side by side, they raced up the narrow stairway to the top of the hill.

"where's erik?" she asked, gasping for breath.

"damned if i know. let's get the hell out of here while the getting's good."

daisy risked a glance down the hill. she had expected to see the vampire coming after them, but nothing moved on the stone stairway behind them. that was odd, she thought. surely a broken nose wouldn't put mariah out of commission for long.

daisy breathed a sigh of relief when erik materialized in front of her.

"where the devil were you?" alex demanded. "some backup you turned out to be! you almost got us killed."

"mariah wasn't alone," erik replied. "she had a dozen zombies hidden around the building. it took us a few minutes to dispatch them all."

daisy shuddered as she imagined erik and rhys battling an army of zombies. she wasn't sure how you made a zombie, or how you went about killing one, but then, she didn't really want to know.

she glanced around, then asked, "where's rhys?"

a muscle twitched in erik's jaw. "he's taking care of business."

"taking care of--oh. what will he do to...?" the question died in daisy's throat as a horrible keening sound rose in the air. she shivered as the anguished cry went on and on, scraping along her nerves like fingernails on a blackboard. pressing her hands over her ears, she buried her face in erik's shoulder.

"damn!" alex exclaimed. "what's he doing to her?"

erik shook his head. "you don't want to know. come on, let's get out of here." wrapping his arm around daisy's shoulders, he led her across the damp parking lot toward the car.

he opened the passenger door for daisy, then opened the rear door and motioned for alex to get in the backseat. "i'll drive."

"i can drive my own damn car," alex said belligerently.

"i said i'll drive. the way your hands are shaking, you'd probably run us into a ditch."

alex glared at him but didn't push it. truth was, he was more rattled by what had happened than he wanted to admit.

erik shut the rear door, then slid behind the wheel. a thought started the engine.

as he pulled away from the curb, another high-pitched wail pierced the quiet of the night.

daisy's pulse had returned to normal by the time erik pulled up in front of her house.

as soon as they were inside, alex poured himself a good stiff drink. he downed it in one long swallow, and quickly poured another.

erik stood near the fireplace, his expression thoughtful. curious to know what he was thinking, daisy tried to read his thoughts, but his mind was closed to her.

after excusing herself, daisy went into the kitchen and called home to let her parents know that she and alex were okay.

after she bade her mother good night, her dad insisted on getting on the phone and hearing all the gory details. "what about rhys?" he asked. "did you take him out?"

"no, dad, he was helping us."

"a vampire helping hunters? i don't believe it."

"believe it. and you can cross mariah off the list."

"you destroyed her?"

"rhys did."

daisy could almost hear her father frowning as he tried to wrap his mind around the idea of one vampire destroying another.

"and erik?"

"he's here with us."

"i see."

"i love him, dad."

"are you sure?"

"of course i am."

"are you sure your feelings are your own, and that the natural allure of the vampire hasn't colored your emotions?"

"i'm sure," she replied. "listen, dad, i've got to go. i can hardly keep my eyes open."

"good night, daughter."

"night, dad. i love you."

daisy ended the call, then stared at the phone. what if her dad was right? what if what she felt for erik wasn't real at all? there was no denying that vampire glamour was real. they used it to attract their prey. but she wasn't prey.

and yet, even as she assured herself that what she felt for erik was the real thing, a tiny voice in the back of her mind echoed her father's question: are you sure your feelings are your own?

daisy took a deep breath before returning to the living room. judging from the way alex was slumped in his chair staring into space, she guessed he'd consumed another couple of drinks.

erik remained by the fireplace, one arm resting on the mantel. his gaze caught hers the moment she entered the room.

"is everything all right?" he asked quietly.

her defense mechanism immediately went on alert. "yes, of course. why wouldn't it be?"

"i don't know. you tell me."

"uh-oh, sounds like a serious talk comin' on," alex mumbled, lurching to his feet. "me and my good buddy, jack daniel's, are gonna go on up to bed and think about how to spend that two hundred grand."

daisy nodded at her brother as he staggered out of the room; then, taking a calming breath, she looked at erik.

"it's late," she said. "i think i'll turn in, too. you're welcome to spend the night here."

"am i?"

daisy's heart skipped a beat, and then seemed to sink into the pit of her stomach. had he overheard what her father said? of course he had. he had ears like a lynx.

erik pushed away from the mantel. "it's all right, daisy. i think we both knew this night was coming."

"i don't know what you mean."

"this isn't the time to start lying to each other."

she looked up at him, her mind running in a dozen directions all at once.

"i don't want you to mistake lust for love, or gratitude for affection."

"but..." she crossed her arms over her breasts, certain she didn't want to hear whatever was coming next.

"hear me out. we've been through a lot together in the last few weeks. i think you need to spend a little time by yourself to sort out your feelings."

"you were listening, weren't you?"

"i didn't mean to eavesdrop," he said with a shrug. "in any case, i would have suggested we spend some time apart anyway. i'm a vampire..."

"really?" she exclaimed with mock surprise. "i had no idea."

"daisy." he closed the distance between them, his hands folding lightly over her shoulders. "you need to think this through. are you ready to spend your life with me, with a vampire? in a good relationship, each party gives fifty percent. if you stay with me, you'll be giving up much more than i will. i can't conform my life to yours. you'll have to conform your life to mine. can you do that? do you want to do that?"

she blinked up at him, doubt and confusion evident in her expression.

"the fact is, affairs between vampires and mortals rarely last. i care for you more than i've ever cared for anyone, mortal or otherwise. and because of that, i don't want to hurt you. i don't want to steal your youth or your dreams. i don't want to look in your eyes years from now and see regret for the sacrifices you had to make to stay with me." he took a deep breath. "most of all, i'm afraid i won't be able to keep my promise, that the day will come when i'll turn you against your will."

she continued to stare up at him, mute, a single tear glistening on one cheek.

"good-bye, daisy." leaning down, he kissed the tear away, then brushed her lips with his. "god bless you."

odd words coming from a vampire, daisy thought. but before she could remark on it, before she could ask him to stay, he was gone.

chapter 36

rhys stood over what was left of mariah. he felt neither regret nor remorse for what he had done. she had brought it on herself, the ungrateful traitor.

thunder rolled across the skies and he lifted his face to the storm, wondering, as he did from time to time, what his ultimate fate would be. he had never professed to believe in either heaven or hell, but if there was an afterlife, he supposed he was bound for hell. at least he wouldn't be alone.

rhys grunted softly. he'd have a few friends there in the pit with him, and a lot of enemies, he thought, looking at mariah's remains. he wondered if his old buddy ever thought about where they would spend eternity. of course, erik had other things on his mind just now.

rhys smiled faintly. she was a pretty little thing, erik's daisy. and head over heels in love with a vampire. he wondered if she realized what living with a vampire would mean. delacourt was a decent guy, but he was still a vampire, with a vampire's needs. had daisy considered what would happen in thirty or forty years, given any thought to how she would feel when erik was still young and virile and she was an old woman? she didn't have to age, of course. she could surrender to the dark gift, give up her humanity, her family, any hope she had of bearing children.