Dead Sexy

Forcing a smile, she said, “If I don’t see you before the next full moon…”

  “I will see you before then,” he said, rising. “I doubt I could stay away that long. Good night, Regan,” he said quietly, and vanished from her sight.

  She stared at the place where he had stood, feeling suddenly bereft. Since the night she had met him in the park, he had become a constant in her life, so much so that she could scarcely imagine her life without him.

  At loose ends, she flipped on the Satellite Screen, surfing through the online guide. A thousand channels to choose from and she couldn’t find a single thing she wanted to watch. Switching to one of the music channels, she turned the volume down low, then picked up the book she had been reading before Joaquin arrived. It had been written by one of her favorite authors, but tonight she couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t think of anything but Joaquin Santiago with his long black hair, deep sexy voice, and eyes that were both mysterious and mesmerizing.

  Santiago, the vampire. The master of the city. He was the most fascinating, interesting creature she had ever known.

  Chapter 23

  Vasile stood in the moonlight, surrounded by all the members of the pack as he waited for his bride to join him. He wore a white shirt, open at the throat, and white slacks. His feet were bare.

  There was a ripple in the night air as Zina appeared. She wore a long black dress and carried a bouquet of blood-red roses. Her feet, too, were bare.

  She stopped at his side, her head high and proud. After this night, she would be the pack’s alpha female.

  Vasile turned in a slow circle, his gaze resting on the face of each one present. “I have called you here this night to witness my joining with Zina. From this night forward, she will be my mate. I will protect her and defend her with my life. Any one who dares to harm her, harms me, and will be dealt with accordingly. I now demand your allegiance and fealty to my mate. How say you all?”

  Each member of the pack nodded in agreement.

  Vasile took Zina’s hand in his. “I now take you as my mate, and pledge to you my loyalty and my protection. How say you?”

  “I now take you as my mate,” she repeated. “I pledge to you my loyalty and my devotion.”

  With a curt nod, Vasile said, “It is done.” Blowing out a deep breath, he kissed his bride while the pack howled their approval.

  Swinging Zina into his arms, Vasile carried her into the woods. She wasn’t Marishka and would never be Marishka, but she would serve him well.

  Chapter 24

  Regan leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. She had spent the entire morning surfing the Net in search of a job. To her dismay, opportunities for former vampire hunters were few and far between. The skills that she possessed were not in great demand in the business world. For a time, she had thought she might go back to her old job with the department, but the killings in the park had ceased. At any rate, the killer in the park hadn’t been a vampire, but a werewolf. And Santiago had destroyed the vampire responsible for killing the Undead.

  Two weeks had passed since she and Santiago had returned from the Black Hills. During that time, the city had been quiet. No murders had been reported. The mayor had opened the park to human traffic again, and life in the city had returned to normal.

  She wondered if her life would ever be normal again. She was still trying to figure out how to find Vasile. She hadn’t heard from Michael since their last disastrous meeting, but it was just as well. She had been thinking of ending their relationship, such as it was. He deserved a woman who would love him wholly and completely, and Regan couldn’t do that. She hadn’t heard from Santiago lately, either. In spite of his words to the contrary, she hadn’t seen him since the night Michael came to call. She wondered if it was his guilt in taking her blood that was keeping him away, or if he had decided he had more of a future with the red-haired vampire.

  Regan shook her head. She had spent far too much time and lost far too much sleep wondering about the female vampire and her relationship to Santiago. Was the woman a relative? A friend? A lover? What was she doing here in the city? Why wasn’t she confined to the park? And why, Regan wondered irritably, hadn’t she asked Santiago these questions when she had the chance?

  With a sigh, Regan turned off her computer. She knew why she hadn’t asked about the redhead. She had been too caught up in Santiago’s kisses to think of anything else or to care about anything else. Where was he? Why hadn’t he come to see her?

  On more occasions that she liked to admit, she had started to go to him, only to turn around at the last minute and return home. As much as she wanted to see him again, what was the point? She wanted a home and a family and as normal a life as possible, though where she would find anyone who would marry her now was a mystery. No man in his right mind, including Michael, was going to want a werewolf for a wife or for the mother of his children. But she had to cling to the hope that she was wrong, that somewhere out there, there was a man she could love, one who would love her unconditionally in return. A little voice in the back of her mind told her that Santiago was that man, that even though he couldn’t give her children, he would love her and cherish her all the days of her life. And you could always adopt a child, that same little voice whispered. She could hear her child now, introducing herself to the teacher on the first day of school.

  “Hi. My name is Annica. My mom is an out-of-work vampire hunter and a werewolf and my dad is the master of the city.”

  With a wordless sound of despair, Regan went into the kitchen for a glass of water. Two weeks until the next full moon and she could already feel the tension growing within her.

  Putting the glass in the sink, Regan picked up her handbag, checked to make sure her gun was inside, and left the house. For a time, she drove aimlessly through the city, her mind blessedly blank until she pulled up in front of You Bet Your Life Park.

  Sitting there, she stared up at Santiago’s apartment. Was he in there? Or was he at his lair in the Byways? And what was she doing here?

  Exiting the car, she made her way to the office of the Vampire Arms, then shook her head. Idiot, she thought. There was no one on duty during daylight hours.

  Leaving the office, she went into the lobby. An unnatural silence hung over the building. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the elevator and said, “fifth floor.”

  “Fifth floor,” the computer repeated.

  The door closed with a swoosh and opened moments later in front of Santiago’s apartment.

  Squaring her shoulders, Regan knocked on the door. She waited a minute, then knocked again. No answer.

  With a sigh, she left the building. It was probably just as well that he wasn’t at home, she thought as she pulled away from the curb. In her current state of mind, there was no telling what she might have done, or what she might have let him do.

  She turned on the radio and then drove to the mall where she spent the next three hours wandering aimlessly from store to store. She treated herself to a manicure and a pedicure and a full body massage, bought some new underwear and a pair of new sweats, and indulged her passion for chocolate by ordering a double-thick chocolate malt. She downloaded some new tunes for her Mbox, picked up some takeout Chinese food for dinner, and headed for home.

  It was nearing sunset when she pulled up in front of her apartment. She gathered her purchases, her handbag, and her dinner and took the elevator up to her condo. Stepping out of the elevator, she wondered what Santiago was doing that night.

  She found the answer waiting for her at her door.

  Excitement fluttered in the pit of her stomach when she saw him standing there, tall, dark, and delicious. Looking at him, she lost her appetite for Chinese food. If only he was on the menu, instead!

  “Hi,” she said, unlocking the door. “What are you doing here?”

  “You were at my place earlier, were you not?”

  “Yes. Why didn’t you answer the door?”

  “I wasn’t there.”

&nb
sp; “Then how’d you know I was there?”

  He shrugged. “I caught your scent when I arrived.”

  “Oh, well, come on in,” she said as she stepped inside and switched on the light.

  He followed her inside and closed the door.

  Regan tossed her shopping bags and her purse on a chair, then carried the takeout bag into the kitchen and put it in the refrigerator for later. When she turned around, Santiago was standing in the doorway, watching her.

  “So,” he said, “what did you want?”

  You, she thought, I want you. Aloud, she stammered, “I…nothing really…I just…I mean…” She took a deep breath and started over. “I just wanted to see you.”

  He took a step toward her on silent feet, his gaze focused on her face. He moved like a panther, she thought, his body supple and dangerous and beautiful.

  “Have you, by chance, been missing me?”

  She nodded. Going to his place had been a really bad idea, she thought, her heartbeat speeding up. He was trouble, but he came wrapped in an irresistible package.

  He took another step toward her.

  Regan glanced over her shoulder but there was no place to run, no place to hide.

  He canted his head to one side. “Do you want me to go?”

  “Go?” Lordy, that was the last thing she wanted. It was just that he made her want things, feel things, that she wasn’t prepared to handle, things that, once done, could not be undone. If she surrendered to him now, there would be no going back.

  “Regan, what do you want from me?”

  “Nothing,” she said, not meeting his eyes. “Everything.” She shivered when his arms went around her. “Joaquin…”

  “Do not be afraid, my lovely one. I will not hurt you.” He rubbed his cheek against hers. “Do you know how much I have missed you these past weeks?”

  “Then why have you stayed away?”

  “I wanted to give you time to sort out your feelings, and I needed time away from you.” He smiled when she looked up at him. “You have no idea how you tempt me, love. I long to possess you, to make you mine for all time. To be near you and not touch you, not taste you, is like being invited to a banquet and being forbidden to eat. Do you understand?”

  “I guess so.” She rested her head against his shoulder. “I want you, too; you must know that. But I’m so confused…and so afraid.”

  “Of me?” he asked, silently cursing himself for his lack of control the last time they were together.

  “No. Mostly I’m afraid of the changes in me. Sometimes I don’t recognize myself. I…” She looked up at him. “I’ve never liked rare meat, but lately that’s all I eat. I know it’s the curse, but it frightens me. It’s not a horrible thing, but it’s not like me. Even Mike…” Her voice trailed off.

  “Go on.”

  “When I went out with Mike, he said I looked different. Do I?”

  “You look the same to me.” Taking her by the hand, he led her into the living room and settled her beside him on the sofa. “Perhaps he sensed your inner struggle, though most mortals are unaware of such things.”

  With a sigh, she rested her head against his shoulder. “Nothing in my life seems the same as it was. I feel like I’m sitting on a time bomb, just waiting for it to blow up. I hate it!”

  “It will get easier with time,” he said reassuringly. “Try not to worry so much. It will change nothing and only make things worse.”

  “I know.”

  “Regan.”

  She tilted her head back so she could see his face and felt a shiver of awareness sizzle through her when their eyes met. He was going to kiss her and she was going to let him.

  She closed her eyes as he lowered his head. He was right. What good had worrying ever done? She was a werewolf. In less than two weeks, the moon would be full. She would go to Santiago’s lair and he would take care of her. She would find Vasile. Maybe not this month or the next, but she would find him and destroy him and get her life back. But that was in the future and Santiago was here now, his mouth warm on hers, his tongue sweetly dueling with hers, his hands gentle as they caressed her.

  Somehow, they were lying side by side on the sofa, arms and legs entangled, hands slowly exploring, learning, arousing.

  She loved touching him. She reveled in the latent strength in his arms, broad shoulders, and hard, flat belly. She loved the feel of his hair against her cheek, the weight of his leg lying over hers.

  Wanting to be closer, she pressed herself against him, her hands slipping under his shirt to stroke his back. His skin was cool and firm beneath her curious fingertips.

  “Regan.” Her name was a groan on his lips. An unspoken plea.

  How could she refuse him when she wanted him as badly as he wanted her?

  She was about to suggest they continue their lovemaking in the bedroom when there was a knock at the door.

  “Leave it,” Santiago said, his voice a low growl.

  Whoever it was knocked again, harder this time. There was no sense pretending she wasn’t home. The lights were on. Her car was parked out front.

  “I’ll just be a minute.” She kissed Santiago quick and hard. “Don’t go away.” Gaining her feet, she adjusted her clothing, then went to open the door. It was the last person she expected to see. “Mike!”

  “Hi, Reggie.” He handed her an enormous bouquet of wildflowers. “I’m sorry for the way I acted the other night.”

  “It’s all right.”

  “No, it’s not. I didn’t have any right to…dammit!” Mike said, glancing past her. “Doesn’t he ever go home?”

  “Mike…”

  He shook his head, his face mottled with barely suffused rage. “It’s obvious you’ve made your choice. I won’t bother you again.”

  “Mike, listen…”

  “Good-bye, Regan.”

  Murmuring, “good-bye,” she closed the door.

  “Are you sorry to see him go?” Santiago asked.

  “Yes,” she said, going into the kitchen for a vase. “We were friends.” She filled the container and placed the flowers inside. It had been a long time since anyone had given her flowers.

  Turning, she found that Santiago had followed her. “Do you wish to have him here in my place? If so, call him back and I will take my leave.”

  “No, of course not. But we were friends,” she said again. “Do you even know what it’s like to have friends anymore?”

  “Are we not friends?” he asked, closing the distance between them.

  “I don’t know. Are we?”

  With a muttered oath, he swept her into his arms. “We are friends and more than friends, and were it not for that fool’s intrusion, we would have been lovers by now.”

  “Would we?” she asked impishly.

  “You know it as well as I.” He brushed a kiss across her cheek. “There is still time.” He studied her face, one brow raised inquisitively. “I see you have changed your mind. Shall I change it back again?”

  “I don’t know. Joaquin, I’m so confused about everything. My life has turned upside down since…”

  “Since you met me?”

  She smiled up at him. “You’re part of it, of course. My associations with vampires have never been social, you know.”

  He grunted softly. “No ‘hello, how are you?’ before you lop off their heads?”

  She grimaced. “It isn’t just you. It’s everything. I’m out of a job, I’m almost out of credits, I was bitten by a werewolf, and I’m…”

  “Go on.”

  “I’m afraid I’ve fallen in love with you.”

  “And that makes you unhappy?”

  “No, but…” She shook her head. “It’s a complication, you must admit.”

  “I should not have come here tonight,” he said, “but I could not stay away.”

  “I’m glad you’re here. My life seems incredibly dull when you’re not around.”

  His palms slid up and down her sides, his thumbs lightly skimming over h
er breasts. “I could change that.”

  “I’m sure you could but I’m just not ready.”

  “I can wait.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “You need not be sorry, Regan. I will wait until you are ready, no matter how long it takes,” he said with a wry grin. “I have nothing but time.” He drew her close, his arms tightening around her as his lips brushed the crown of her head. “I must go now, but I will see you at the Byways when the moon is full.”

  “All right.”

  He kissed her then, a lingering kiss that spoke of his love for her and his yearning, and then he was gone.

  With a sigh, she sank down on the sofa, wondering if she should have asked him to stay.

  Chapter 25

  Vasile was waiting at the door when Nadia’s father arrived.

  “The moon will rise shortly,” Stefan announced.

  Vasile nodded. He would have preferred to avenge Nadia’s death himself, but he couldn’t deny Stefan the right to avenge his daughter’s death.

  Vasile understood the need for vengeance all too well. His yearning to destroy Santiago burned as bright and hot within him as it had the day he destroyed Marishka. A day he would never forget. A day that had changed his life forever.

  He had loved her from the moment he first saw her dancing in front of a Gypsy wagon. In the fire’s light, she had been enchanting, her body moving fluidly to the strains of a Gypsy violin.

  He had loved her, and had thought she loved him. While he had been blindly pursuing her, she had been meeting Santiago on the sly.

  Santiago. He spat into the dirt. He would not rest until he had destroyed the bastard.

  But first he and Stefan would pay a visit to the villager who had killed Nadia.

  With a feral cry, Vasile shifted and ran into the night. He did not look back to see if Stefan followed.

  It took only minutes to reach the house of the man responsible for Nadia’s death. Light shone from the windows. Smoke curled from the chimney.

  Vasile could see a woman inside, preparing the evening meal. For all the conveniences of the modern world, few had reached this small village, whether by choice or fate. A corral held a flock of sheep. Two large dogs slept near the gate. One of them woke as Stefan approached and immediately began to bark a warning.