Kiss of the Night

Chapter 11

 

  Kat glared at her indignantly. "I think the answer to that is quite obvious. I'm here, aren't I?"

  "Are you?" Cassandra asked, her anger erupting. "Every time I turn around there seems to be a Daimon on my tail. Now every other day I'm learning a vital fact about you that you have conveniently neglected to tell me in the past. . . oh. . . five years. How do I know I can trust anyone at this point?"

  Kat looked hurt as she pulled away from Cassandra. "I can't believe you would doubt me. "

  "Cassie-"

  "Don't Cassie me, Phoebe," she said, snapping at her sister. "Why didn't you ever bother to tell me you were alive? You know a postcard wouldn't have killed you. No pun intended. "

  Phoebe raked an angry glare over her. "Don't you dare take that tone with me! Not after Urian and I have risked everything for you. For all I know, right now, they're back there killing him. "

  The tremor in her sister's voice brought Cassandra back to her senses and calmed her down. "I'm sorry, Phoebe. Kat. I'm just scared. "

  Kat helped her to her feet, but instead of going back to her seat, Cassandra headed to Wulf's chair. He slowed the boat only enough so that she could sit safely in his lap.

  At least there she felt sheltered. Secure. She trusted him implicitly.

  "You'll be okay, Cassandra," he said against her hair, over the roar of the boat.

  She snuggled closer to him and inhaled his warm, masculine scent. Cassandra held tight as he sped them into a future that terrified her.

  Dawn was coming. Cassandra could, feel it as she rode silently in the custom-built, heavily modified Land Rover next to Wulf. She was immune to the rays, but she knew Wulf and her sister weren't. Chris was asleep in the back seat, sitting between Kat and Phoebe with his head on Kat's shoulder, while Kat looked out the window nervously.

  They had left the boat behind well over an hour ago and were now in a multiterrain Land Rover racing for a destination Phoebe wouldn't name. She just gave them directions.

  "How much longer?" Cassandra asked.

  "Not much farther. " The uncertain apprehension in Phoebe's voice belied her words.

  Cassandra took Wulf's hand into hers. He squeezed her fingers reassuringly, but didn't speak.

  "Will we make it before sunrise?" she asked her sister.

  "It's going to be close. " Then under her breath, Phoebe mumbled the words, "Real close. "

  Cassandra watched Wulf as he drove. He had his sunglasses on to help with the glare from the snow, but the night was so dark, she wasn't sure how he saw at all. His whiskered jaw was set and rigid. Even though he didn't say anything, she noted the way he kept glancing at the clock on the dashboard.

  She offered a prayer that they made it to their destination before the sun killed him.

  Forcing her fear away before it overwhelmed her, she looked down at their joined hands. Her hand was covered by her black knit gloves. His bare fingers were long and manly. The hands of a protective warrior.

  Who would ever have thought that she would find a friend and lover born to a race that was the sworn enemy of her own?

  And yet here she sat, knowing he was the only thing that could save and protect her baby. Knowing he would willingly die to protect her child. Her heart ached with that knowledge and with the nervousness she felt as the sky lightened.

  He couldn't die. Surely the Fates wouldn't be so cruel.

  Cassandra let go of his hand long enough to pull her glove off, then took his hand again into hers. She needed that physical connection to him.

  He glanced at her and offered her an encouraging smile.

  "Turn right there," Phoebe said, leaning forward between them to point at a small trail where there was no road.

  Wulf didn't question it. There wasn't time. Instead, he turned as she indicated.

  He was an idiot for trusting her, he knew that. But there wasn't any choice. Besides, Phoebe hadn't betrayed them yet.

  Even if she did, he would make sure she paid for it. Along with anyone else who dared to come after Cassandra.

  They crashed through the woods, the armor plating of the SUV making it relatively easy to plow through smaller trees and travel over the snow, ice, and debris. Wulf cut the lights off so that he could see better as the Land Rover bounced over the uneven terrain.

  Chris came awake with a curse. "Is Stryker back?"

  "No," Kat told him. "We had to leave the road. "

  Wulf slowed a bit so as not to throw one of the tank tracks that had replaced the SUV's tires. They were a lot sturdier in this climate, but were still a far cry from being infallible, and the last thing he needed was to be stranded out in the open with daylight so close.

  Just as the sun was appearing over the mountain, he broke through the trees and came to a cave.

  There were three Apollites standing outside of it. Waiting.

  Cassandra hissed and released his hand.

  "It's okay," Phoebe said as she opened her door and sprang from the truck.

  Wulf hesitated as he watched Phoebe run to the men and point back at them.

  "Well," he breathed, watching the sun starting to creep over the peaks. "It's a moment of truth. We can't run from them now. "

  "I'm with you to the end," Kat breathed from the back seat.

  Chris nodded. "Me too. "

  "Stay here," Wulf said to Cassandra and Chris before he slid out, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

  Kat got out with him.

  Chris leaned forward so that his head was almost even with hers. "Are those what I think they are?"

  "Yes," Cassandra said, holding her breath. "Those are Apollites and they don't look happy to see us. "

  The Apollites eyed Kat and Wulf suspiciously. The hatred between them was even more fierce than when Urian had faced Wulf in Wulf's boathouse.

  It made Cassandra's blood run cold.

  Phoebe motioned to the cresting sun and said something to the men. Still they didn't move.

  Until Wulf looked over his shoulder at Cassandra. His gaze met hers and he gave her a subtle nod.

  His face unreadable, he handed over all his weapons.

  Cassandra's heart pounded. Would they kill him?

  She knew he would never have handed his weapons over to his enemies. He would have fought to the bitter end. But for her he had surrendered himself.

  The Apollites led him inside with Phoebe while Kat came back for them.

  "What's going on?" Cassandra asked.

  Kat let out a tired breath. "They're taking Wulf into custody to make sure he doesn't hurt any of them. Come on, they have a doctor inside waiting for you. "

  Cassandra hesitated as she looked in the direction where they had vanished. "Do you really trust them?"

  "I don't know. Do you?"

  She thought about that and wasn't exactly sure of the answer. "I trust Phoebe. I think. "

  Kat laughed at that.

  Cassandra scooted out of the truck and let Kat lead her and Chris into the cave where Wulf had been taken.

  Phoebe met them just inside. "Don't be afraid, Cassie. We all know how important you and your baby are. No one here will hurt either of you. I swear it. "

  Cassandra could only hope her sister meant that. "Who are we?"

  "This is an Apollite community," Phoebe said as she led them deep into the cave. "One of the older ones in North America. "

  "But why are you helping me now?" Cassandra asked. "It's not like you haven't known I've been hunted all these years. "

  Phoebe looked pained by the question. "I knew you lived and I was hoping you would carry on our line. I was afraid to tell you I was still existing for fear of how you would take it. I thought it would be easier this way. "

  "Then why change now?"

  "Because an Apollite named Spawn called a few days ago and explained what was going on. Once I talked to Urian and knew what his father
had planned, I realized I couldn't leave you alone anymore. We are sisters, Cassandra, and your baby has to live. "

  At the back of the cave, Phoebe placed her hand against one of the stones where a spring release opened an elevator door.

  Chris gave an overexaggerated gape. "Holy Hand Grenade, Batman, it's a bat cave. "

  Cassandra cast him a droll look.

  "Oh, come on," Chris said, "someone other than me has to see the humor in this?" He looked around at their three unamused faces. "Guess not. "

  Cassandra entered the elevator first. "What about the men I saw outside? Who are they?"

  Phoebe entered next. "They are our ruling council. Nothing can be done here without their direct approval. "

  Kat and Chris joined them. The door to the elevator closed.

  "Are there any Daimons here?" Chris asked as Phoebe pressed a button to start the elevator on its downward path.

  "The only Daimon in this community is me," Phoebe said sheepishly. "They allow me to live here because they owe Urian for his help. So long as I don't draw attention to myself or their existence, I'm allowed to stay. "

  As the elevator continued downward, Cassandra didn't know what to expect from the Apollite colony. Or her sister. Long ago, she would have trusted Phoebe without hesitation, but that was a Phoebe who wouldn't have been able to take someone else's life to sustain her own.

  This new Phoebe scared her.

  Cassandra's ears popped, letting her know they were traveling far beneath the mountain.

  When the doors opened, she felt like she had just stepped into some science fiction movie.

  Everything was fashioned like a futuristic city. Made of steel and concrete, the walls were painted with brilliant murals depicting sunshine and beauty.

  Her group stepped out into a central area that was probably the size of a football field. There were openings all around that showed more corridors leading to other areas.

  There were all kinds of shops in this main area, except for food vendors-a service the Apollites would have no need of since they lived off each other's blood.

  "The city is named Elysia," Phoebe explained as she led them past a handful of Apollites who had paused to stare at them. "Most of the Apollites here live their entire lives below ground. They've no desire to go topside and see the humans and their violence. Nor do they wish to see their kin hunted and slaughtered. "

  "I take exception to that," Chris said. "I'm not violent. At least I don't suck on other people. "

  "Keep your voice down," Phoebe warned. "Humans have never been kind to my people. They have hunted and persecuted us even more than the Dark-Hunters. Here you are a minority and if you threaten any of my people, they just might kill you without bothering to find out whether or not you're violent. "

  Chris clamped his mouth shut.

  Cassandra saw the sneers and glares they collected as Phoebe led them toward a hallway on the left.

  "What do they do with the Apollites who turn Daimon?" Chris asked as soon as they were away from the other Apollites.

  "No Daimons are tolerated here since they require a steady diet of human souls. If an Apollite decides to go Daimon, they are allowed to leave, but they can never return here. Ever. "

  "Yet you live here," Kat said. "Why?"

  "I told you, Urian protects them. He was the one who showed them how to build this place. "

  "Why?" Kat pressed.

  Phoebe stopped and turned to give Kat a measuring stare. "In spite of what you might think of him, Katra, my husband is a good man. He only wants what's best for his people. " Phoebe's gaze went to Cassandra. "Urian was the first child to ever be born a cursed Apollite. "

  Cassandra gasped at the news. "That would make him-"

  "Over eleven thousand years old," Phoebe said, finishing her sentence for her. "Yes. Most of the warriors who travel with him are that old. They go back to the very beginning of our history. "

  Chris whistled low. "How is that possible?"

  "The Destroyer protects them," Kat answered. "Just as the Dark-Hunters serve Artemis, the true Spathis serve her. " Kat sighed as if the conflict pained her. "Artemis and Apollymi have been at war since day one. The Destroyer is in captivity because Artemis tricked her into it and she spends all her time plotting Artemis's torture and death. If she ever gets out, Apollymi will destroy her. "

  Cassandra frowned. "Why does the Destroyer hate Artemis?"

  "Love. Why else?" Kat said simply. "Love, hatred, and revenge are the most powerful emotions on earth. Apollymi wants revenge on Artemis for killing the one thing she loved most in the universe. "

  "And that is?"

  "I would never betray either one by saying it. "

  "Would you write it down?" Chris asked.

  Kat rolled her eyes.

  Cassandra and Phoebe shook their heads.

  "Oh, yeah, like the two of you weren't thinking the same thing," Chris said.

  Phoebe motioned them to follow her again. She led them down a corridor that was lined with doors. "These are apartments. You will be given a large unit with four bedrooms. Mine is down a separate hallway. I would have liked to have had you closer, but this was the only one available that was big enough to accommodate all of you and I didn't think it wise to break up your number. "

  Cassandra wished she were closer to Phoebe too. She had a lot of catching up to do with her sister. "Is Wulf already there?"

  "No," Phoebe said, averting her gaze. "He was taken to a holding cell. "

  Cassandra was aghast, then angry. "Excuse me?"

  "He's our enemy, Cassie. What would you expect us to do?"

  "I expect you to release him. Now. "

  "I can't. "

  Cassandra stopped dead in her tracks. "Then show me the door out of here. "

  Phoebe's face mirrored her disbelief. "What?"

  "You heard me. I will not stay here unless he's welcome. He has risked his life for me. His home was destroyed because of me and I will not live comfortably while the father of my baby is treated like a convict. "

  Someone behind them started clapping.

  Cassandra turned to see a man who dwarfed her. Standing somewhere near seven feet in height, he was gorgeous. Blond and slender, he appeared to be around her age.

  "Nice speech, princess. It changes nothing. "

  Cassandra narrowed her gaze on him. "Then how about a good ass-kicking?"

  He actually laughed. "You're pregnant. "

  "Not that pregnant. " She shot one of the daggers from her wrist at the man. It embedded in the wall just past his head.

  His face lost all humor.

  "The next one goes into your heart. "

  "Cassie, stop!" Phoebe commanded, grabbing her arm.

  Cassandra shrugged off her hold. "No. I've spent the whole of my adulthood putting any Daimon or Apollite who made the mistake of coming after me out of his misery. If you think for one minute Kat and I can't tear down this place to free Wulf, then you need to think again. "

  "And if you die?" the man asked.

  "Then we all lose. "

  He gazed at her thoughtfully. "You're bluffing. "

  Cassandra exchanged a determined look with Kat.

  "You know I'm always itching for a good fight. " Kat pulled her fighting staff out of her coat pocket and extended it.

  The man's nostrils flared as he saw them preparing to engage him. "This is how you repay my kindness for sheltering you?"

  "No," Cassandra said with a calmness she didn't feel. "This is how I repay the man who protects me. I won't see Wulf kept like this after all he's done. "

  She expected the man to fight, instead he stepped back and bowed his head respectfully toward her.

  "She does have the courage of a Spathi. "

  "I told you so," Phoebe said, her face shining with pride.

  The man offered them a slight smile. "Go inside with Phoebe, princess, an
d I will have your Dark-Hunter brought to you. "

  Cassandra eyed him suspiciously, not sure if she should trust him or not. "Promise?"

  "Yes. "

  Still skeptical, Cassandra looked at her sister. "Can I put any faith in that?"

  "You can. Shanus is our Supreme Councilor. He never lies. "

  "Phoebe," Cassandra said sincerely, "look at me. "

  She did.

  "Tell me the truth. Are we safe here?"

  "Yes, I swear it by everything I hold dear-even Urian's life. You are here because Stryker will never think to look in an Apollite commune for you. Every one of us here knows that if your baby dies, so does the world. And our lives, such as they are, are still precious to us. Twenty-seven years to the people here is better than none at all. "

  Cassandra took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. "

  Phoebe opened the door behind her while Shanus excused himself and left them to explore their new home.

  Cassandra stepped into an extremely nice living room. Probably four to five hundred square feet, it had everything a regular human home might have. A stuffed sofa and love seat, entertainment center complete with television, stereo, and DVD player.

  "Does that stuff work?" Chris asked as he walked over to examine it.

  "Yes," Phoebe said. "We have relays and uplinks that can bring the human world down to us. "

  Kat opened the doors to the bedrooms and bathroom that were off the main living area. "Where's the kitchen?"

  "We don't have kitchens," Phoebe explained. "But the councilors are working on getting a microwave and refrigerator brought in for you. Along with groceries. There should be something here very soon for all of you to eat. "

  Phoebe showed them a small dark green box on an end table. "If you need anything, the intercom is here. Just press the button and one of the operators will help you. If you want to buzz me, just tell them you want Urian's wife and they'll know which Phoebe to put you through to. "

  A knock sounded on the door.

  Phoebe went to open it while Cassandra stood back with Kat and Chris. "What do you guys think?"

  "It seems okay," Chris said. "I'm not picking up any evil vibes, what about you two?"

  Kat shrugged. "I agree with Chris. But there's still a part of me that doesn't trust them. No offense, Cass, but Apollites aren't known for being honest. "

  "Tell me about it. "

  "Cassandra?"

  She turned to see a woman her age with Phoebe. The woman's blond hair was arranged in a bun and she wore a light pastel sweater with a pair of jeans.

  "I'm Dr. Lakis," she said, extending her hand to Cassandra. "If you don't mind, I would like to examine you and see how the baby is doing. "

  Wulf sat in the cell wondering how the hell he had gotten himself into this. They could be killing Cassandra for all he knew and he had docilely allowed them to take him.

  "I should have fought. "

  Cursing, he paced the small cell where they had incarcerated him. It was dim and dank, with only a bed and toilet inside. He'd never been inside a human jail, but from what he'd seen in movies and on TV, the Apollites had modeled this one after them.

  He heard footsteps outside.

  "I'm here for the Dark-Hunter. "

  "We were told he's to stay. "

  "The heiress wants him and she won't remain under our protection unless we release him. "

  Wulf smiled at those precious words. Leave it to Cassandra. Then again, she was extremely stubborn when it came to getting her way.

  It was one of the things he loved most about her.

  Wulf's heart stopped as that thought went through him. There were a lot of things about her that he liked.

  Things he was going to miss. . .

  "Are you mad?" the guard outside continued to argue. "He'll kill all of us. "

  "He's not allowed to kill Apollites, you know that. No Dark-Hunter can kill us until we go Daimon. "

  "Are you willing to bet your life on that?"

  "No," Wulf said loudly so that they could hear him outside. "He's willing to bet yours on it. Now let me out of here so that I can make sure Cassandra hasn't been hurt. "

  The door opened slowly to reveal a man who was surprisingly taller than him. It wasn't often Wulf met such a person.

  "So you do protect her," the man said quietly.

  "Yes. "

  The Apollite gave him a strange look. "You love her. " It was a statement, not a question.

  "I barely know her. "

  The man gave a half-smile at that. "Time has no meaning to the heart. " He held his hand out to Wulf who shook it reluctantly. "My name is Shanus and I'm glad to know you will do anything to keep her safe. Good. Now, come, she's waiting for you. "

  Cassandra was lying on the bed while a nurse prepared her blood transfusion. It was a good thing too. She'd been weak before tonight, but the added excitement of Stryker's attack had taken a lot out of her.

  The doctor handed her a T-shirt to put on instead of the sweater so that they could hook her up to the machine. At first, they had balked at her refusing to drink blood. Apparently, Apollites weren't squeamish, but Cassandra had enough human in her to not want to do that.

  So after a brief, heated debate, they had given in to her.

  Cassandra exchanged shirts while the doctor prepared her for a sonogram.

  "You will need more blood than normal to accommodate your baby," Dr. Lakis explained as Cassandra lay back down on the bed. The doctor lifted Cassandra's shirt, exposing her slightly rounded stomach. "It's a good thing you're here since Apollite blood is stronger and will have the nutrients in it your baby needs. You'll also need a lot more iron and calcium since you're part human. I'll make sure you have plenty of vitamin-enhanced food to eat. "

  Cassandra heard Kat say something outside the door. She lifted herself up on her elbows and cocked her head to listen but she couldn't make anything out.

  Weird. Chris and Phoebe had both gone on to their rooms to sleep.

  Cassandra was about to get out of the bed to go check outside when Wulf came through the door.

  Relief flooded her at the sight of all six feet six inches of that well-muscled male form. He looked tired, but unhurt. She drank in the gorgeousness of his body and face.

  The doctor, however, looked at him suspiciously. "Are you the baby's father?"

  "Yes," they said in unison.

  Cassandra held her hand out to Wulf who took it, then kissed her knuckles.

  "You're just in time," the doctor said as she rubbed an oily gel over Cassandra's belly. She placed the cool paddle against her.

  The machine on the cart bonged and hissed.

  Cassandra watched the screen anxiously until she saw the teeny-tiny infant that was kicking its feet.

  Wulf's hand tightened on hers.

  "There he is," the doctor said. "A fine healthy little boy all ready to take on the world. "

  "How can you tell it's a boy?" Cassandra asked breathlessly as she watched her son flex. He looked much like a tadpole to her.

  "Well, we actually can't really tell yet," Dr. Lakis said as she took measurements with the machine, "but I can feel him. He's strong. A fighter like both of his parents. "

  Cassandra felt a tear roll out from the corner of her right eye. Wulf kissed it away.

  She looked at him and saw the happiness on his face. He was proud of his son.

  "Everything looks fine so far," the doctor said as she printed out a small photograph of the baby. "You just need to rest a lot more and eat a better diet. "

  The doctor wiped the goo off her belly while Wulf and Cassandra looked at the tiny picture.

  "He looks like an angel," Cassandra whispered.

  "I don't know. I think he looks like a frog or something. "

  "Wulf!"

  "Well, he does. Kind of. "

  "Dr. Lakis?" She waited until the doctor paus
ed and looked at her. "Do you think the baby will. . . " She hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

  "Die like an Apollite?"

  Cassandra nodded, her throat tight with apprehension.

  Dr. Lakis's eyes were sympathetic. "I honestly don't know. We can run tests once he gets here and see, but genetics are a strange thing so there's really no way to predict. "

  Swallowing the lump in her throat, Cassandra forced herself to ask the other question she was desperate to have answered. "Is there a way you can tell if I'll live longer?"

  "You already know the answer to that, Cassandra. I'm sorry. You are one of the lucky ones who has some human traits, but your genetics are strongly Apollite. The mere fact you're in the middle of a blood transfusion says it all. "

  Cassandra's eyes welled with tears as she felt the last of her hope dwindle.

  "Isn't there something we can do?" Wulf asked.

  "Her only chance to live longer is to turn Daimon and I somehow doubt you would allow her that option. "

  Cassandra clutched the picture of her baby as she wondered how Apollite he would be. Would he, too, be damned?

  She didn't speak further while the doctor and nurse were in the room with them. It was only when she was alone with Wulf that she reached for him and held him close.

  She held on to him tightly, afraid of tomorrow. Afraid of everything.

  "It'll be okay, villkat," he whispered.

  How she wished that were true. Still, she was glad he at least went through the motions of pretending they were a normal couple with normal concerns.

  Someone knocked on the door.

  Cassandra pulled away before Wulf went to answer it.

  It was Phoebe. She ignored Wulf and moved to where Cassandra sat on the bed. "I thought you might want some fresh clothes. "

  Cassandra thanked her as Phoebe placed the bundle of clothes on the bed at her feet. "Have you heard anything from Urian?" she asked her sister.

  Phoebe shook her head sadly. "But sometimes it takes a few days before he can talk to me. Sometimes a few months. . . "

  Cassandra felt for her sister. She hadn't known Wulf very long and yet she couldn't imagine not being able to talk to him everyday. Not having him make her laugh at something he said. It must be much worse for her sister. "Why don't you live with him?"

  Phoebe gave her a "duh" stare. "His father tried to kill me, Cassie. He knows what we"-she indicated herself and Cassandra-"look like. He would kill Urian if he ever caught us together. "

  Wulf moved to stand near Phoebe. "Since you're still alive and married, Apollo's lineage is safe, right?"

  "No," Phoebe said wistfully. Her face was dark and sad. "Daimons can't have children. Like Dark-Hunters, we're walking dead. It's why I allowed my father and Cassie to think I was dead too. There was no need to make them even sadder about who and what I've become. "

  "Did it change you much?" Cassandra asked. "Is it like we always heard?"

  "Yes and no. The craving for the kill is hard to resist. You have to be careful of the soul you take because a part of it blends with you too. I think it's different for Daimons who kill than for those like me. "

  "What do you mean 'those like you'?" Wulf asked.

  "You're an Anaimikos Daimon," Cassandra said.

  Phoebe nodded.

  Wulf was completely confused now. He'd never heard that term. "What's that?"

  "A Daimon who feeds from another Daimon," Phoebe explained. "I take my nourishment from Urian. "

  Wulf was stunned. "You can do that?"

  "Yes. "

  Wulf moved back, away from the women, as he digested that. In his world there were only two kinds of Daimons. The regular ones who ran when they were chased and the Spathi who fought back. Since meeting Cassandra he'd learned of two more; the Agkelos, who only preyed on evil humans, and the Anaimikos, who preyed on other Daimons.

  He wondered if any of the other Dark-Hunters knew of this and why no one had ever bothered to tell him about the different classifications.

  "How did you meet Urian?" Cassandra asked as she put away some of the clothes Phoebe had brought for her in the large dresser by the door.

  "Back when we lived in Switzerland, Urian was the one watching us. He was supposed to be gathering information to kill us, but he says that as soon as he saw me, he was in love. " Her sister's face practically glowed. Cassandra was happy to see Phoebe so in love. "One night we met by accident when I was escaping the house after that big fight with Mom about college. I stepped right on top of him in his hiding place. "

  Cassandra remembered that night well. It wasn't often Phoebe and her mother fought, but that night had been a particularly nasty one. Phoebe had wanted to go off to take night classes in the semblance of being a normal teenager. Their mother had refused her request.

  Phoebe sighed. "He was so beautiful. I knew he was a Daimon, but I wasn't afraid. I stayed with him for hours that night. We started meeting every night after that. "

  "So that's where you would sneak off to," Cassandra said, remembering the times she had covered for Phoebe's midnight escapes.

  Phoebe nodded. "I'd only known Urian for about six months when his father grew impatient and bombed the car. I wasn't supposed to go that night. I was supposed to stay home with you, remember?"

  Cassandra remembered that night well. Every detail of it was emblazoned on her memory with crystal clarity. She'd stayed at home that night only because she was sick and her mother had refused to let her out of bed.

  "You wanted to go to the airport with Nia," Cassandra said, her throat tight. Their older sister had been going to take a charter flight to see their father in Paris. Nia had planned on staying a week there and then she and their father were supposed to fly back together to stay in Switzerland with the rest of them for a little holiday.

  Phoebe nodded. "Urian pulled me out of the car and used his own blood to restore me. "

  Cassandra flinched at her sister's words. "He made you a Daimon against your will?"

  "It was my choice. I could have died, but I didn't want to leave him. "

  Wulf cocked his head. "How did he make you a Daimon?"

  Both of the women looked at him in disbelief.

  "If an Apollite drinks the blood of a Daimon, it automatically converts them. Didn't you know that?" Cassandra asked.

  "No, I didn't. I thought the only way to become a Daimon was to take a human soul. "

  "No," Phoebe said. "I've never killed a human. I doubt that I could. "

  Cassandra was glad to know that, but it was hard for a Daimon to live that way. Dangerous too. "What do you do if he's gone too long?"

  "One of the Apollites gets word to him to come to me. He's so strong that I can go a long time between feedings and the infirmary keeps a pint of his blood in case of emergency. He always makes sure to replenish it with a new supply every time he visits. "

  "Does that work?" Cassandra asked. Unlike with Apollites, it wasn't blood that sustained Daimons, it was the life force or strength in the blood that kept them living.

  "It won't last long, but it will tide me for an hour or two until he can get to me. "

  "So he kills for both of you?" Wulf asked.

  She nodded, and took Cassandra's hands into hers. "Don't feel sorry for me, Cassandra. I have a man who loves me more than anything else on this earth. If he didn't, you would be dead now. I just wish you could know the love I have with him. "

  Phoebe kissed Cassandra on the cheek. "You need to rest now. It's been a long night. Would you like me to have someone bring you food?"

  "No, thanks. I just need to sleep for a bit. "

  "Good day to you both. " Phoebe left their bedroom.

  Wulf locked the door behind her, then stripped his clothes off while Cassandra pulled on a dark green silk nightgown that Phoebe had brought to her. To her surprise, it fit perfectly, even over her slightly bulging belly.

&nbs
p; Wulf climbed into bed and gathered her into his warm arms. "How are you doing for real, villkat?"

  "I don't know. It's been an exciting, strange night. " The events replayed through her mind. She'd learned a lot and had had one too many surprises. Now she was exhausted. "I'm very sorry about your house. "

  She felt him shrug. "Houses can be rebuilt. I'm just glad no one was hurt. "

  "Me too. "

  Wulf felt her relaxing as she closed her eyes and snuggled into him. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled the soft womanly scent of her. His mind whirled with everything that had happened tonight.

  Most of all, it whirled with thoughts of the baby he had seen on the monitor. He laid his hand on Cassandra's stomach and imagined the baby thriving in there. His baby.

  Their son.

  A part of both of them. The child of a Dark-Hunter and an Apollite. Two beings who should never have united and yet here they were. No longer enemies, he wasn't sure what to call her. She was his lover. His friend.

  He froze as realization dawned on him. She really was his friend. The first one he had made in centuries. He had laughed with her often these last three weeks. Listened to her stories, her fears. Her hopes for the baby's future.

  And he was going to lose her.

  Anger and pain swelled up inside him. Jealousy, too, as he thought of the other three Dark-Hunters who had been given a second chance.

  He was glad Kyrian and Talon had found their wives. They were good men.

  How he wished he could be granted such a blessing.

  The pain of losing Cassandra would be excruciating, and he had to admit that he was selfish. He wanted Cassandra and his baby both.

  Alive and healthy.

  If only he knew of some way to make her live past her birthday.

  There had to be something. The gods always made a loophole. This couldn't be the end of their relationship. No matter what it took, he was going to find that loophole.

  The alternative was unacceptable to him.