A Bite to Remember

Chapter Three

 

  Jackie stood to investigate the woman looking for Vincent, only to pause as a tall, curvaceous, brunette urged Allen Richmond out of the way and stepped into the kitchen. Jackie stared. The woman was beautiful. She also looked extremely familiar. However, Jackie didn't understand why until Vincent moved forward saying, "Aunt Marguerite!"

  This was Marguerite Argeneau, Bastien's mother and Vincent's aunt. There was a painting of her in the living room of the apartment in New York where Bastien stayed when in the city. Jackie had met him there a time or two over the years and always found the woman in the portrait fascinating with her medieval gown and faraway look. She was even more beautiful in real life and?despite knowing as much as she did about immortals?Jackie still found it difficult to accept that the woman was over seven hundred years old.

  While Marguerite Argeneau was older than Vincent, she was still very young as far as immortals went. Their history went back before the beginning of written history, to the existence of Atlantis and?according to her father's files?there were at least a handful of immortals who had actually fled the fall of Atlantis.

  It seemed the mythical land truly had existed, and it had been technologically advanced as some people suggested. So much advanced, in fact, they'd been able to combine nano technology with bio-engineering to create specialized nanos. These nanos, when introduced to a body, used the blood of the host to repair damaged tissue and fight disease as well as to reproduce and regenerate themselves.

  They had been programmed to shut down and disintegrate once finished with their work. However, the human body was constantly under attack from sunlight, the environment, or simple aging. There were always repairs to be done and so the nanos didn't shut down, but continued to regenerate and reproduce themselves to keep their host at peak condition. Those nanos were the equivalent of drinking from the fountain of youth.

  Unfortunately, there were some drawbacks. The nanos used more blood than the human body could produce, and so the nanos altered their hosts to allow them to get the blood they needed. They made their hosts the perfect predator, giving them increased strength, speed, and fangs to gain the needed blood. And because sunlight dehydrated the body and increased the need for immortals to feed, it had also given them amazing night vision so that they could live and hunt at night to avoid the damaging rays of the sun, in effect, making them vampires.

  "Thank you, Allen," Jackie murmured as Vincent greeted his aunt.

  Nodding, the man backed out of the kitchen, allowing the door to close behind him.

  "How was your flight?" Vincent asked as the two broke apart.

  "Fine, fine. We had a two-hour delay, though, which is why I'm late getting in. "

  "Oh, yes. Bastien said your plane was landing at six," he murmured.

  Jackie glanced at her wrist watch. It was now well past eight. Obviously, they'd both forgotten about his aunt. The fact that Bastien's mother was flying out to California had slipped her mind entirely. She wished it had slipped the woman's mind. Jackie hadn't considered her visit a problem until Bastien had suggested she not mention what was happening here unless she wanted Marguerite's interference.

  Jackie wasn't keen on interference from anyone, but would never be rude to Bastien's mother. Not telling her anything seemed the smartest move. She just hoped Vincent had the sense to keep his mouth shut on the matter too.

  "And who is this?"

  Jackie let go of her thoughts and forced a smile as Marguerite turned bright, curious eyes toward her and Tiny.

  "Oh. " Vincent's smile was stiff as he introduced them. "This is Jackie, my P. I. ?

  "P. A," Jackie corrected quickly, giving him a meaningful stare. She then smiled brightly and held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Argeneau. "

  "Thank you, dear. It's nice to meet you too," she said, taking her hand. "Call me Marguerite. "

  Jackie's smile froze as she felt a ruffling sensation in her mind. Her defenses immediately kicked in and she thought of a brick wall, then started to recite "Itsy Bitsy Spider" in her head for good measure in an effort to keep the woman out of her thoughts.

  Marguerite's eyes widened briefly, then narrowed, but Jackie just forced a wider smile. If the woman felt rebuffed, it was too bad. In her opinion, it was rather rude to intrude on people's thoughts. Not that most people would even have realized she was doing it.

  Marguerite fluttered at the edges of her mind for another moment, then released her hand and turned to Tiny.

  "And this is my. . . er. . . cook, Tiny," Vincent added with a pained expression.

  Jackie watched Tiny, relaxing when she saw his lips begin to move as he shook Marguerite's hand. He was reciting "Little Bo Beep. " At least that was what he'd once told her he did when he thought a vampire was trying to rifle through his thoughts.

  Their efforts might have kept Marguerite out of their heads; Jackie couldn't be sure. Unfortunately, the very fact that they'd tried had the added side effect of making Vincent's aunt suspicious. Jackie could see the emotion flicker in her expression as she glanced from one to the other. After a moment of tense silence, the vampire turned suddenly to Vincent.

  "Did Bastien send a package on ahead as promised?"

  "Yes, it arrived this afternoon," he assured her. Then he realized, "Oh, of course. You must be hungry after your flight. "

  Vincent moved across the room to the refrigerator and opened it, revealing bagged blood stacked up neatly in amongst the cheese and veggies. "One or two bags?"

  Marguerite stiffened at the sight of the blood in plain sight. Her gaze slid to Jackie and Tiny, taking in their inscrutable expressions before she answered.

  "Two, please. I'll have them in my room," she added, apparently uncomfortable with the idea of feeding in front of them.

  Vincent grabbed a couple bags, then ushered her out of the room.

  "She's pretty," Tiny commented as he sat back down at the table to pick up his spoon and dig into his ice cream again.

  "She's old," Jackie responded dryly. "Super old. About seven hundred years too old for you. "

  "Yeah. " He sighed. "She probably thinks of me as a punk kid. "

  "Probably," Jackie agreed, then blinked and suddenly wondered if that was how Vincent and other vampires saw her. . . as a punk kid. She didn't like the idea, but supposed it would explain the arrogance she sometimes sensed from them. Perhaps it was more condescension; the amused patience of the aged with exuberant youth. On the other hand, she thought, while they may think of her as a punk kid, they still called her when they had a problem.

  "So who are Jackie and Tiny?" Marguerite asked as she followed Vincent into one of the remaining guest rooms.

  "My P. A. and cook," he answered quickly, but had to turn away to hide his expression as he set her suitcase on the bed. Aunt Marguerite had always been able to tell when he told a lie.

  "Uh-huh. " She didn't sound convinced. "And when did you start eating?"

  Vincent didn't even try to claim that he'd always eaten. While Jackie and Tiny didn't know him and couldn't be sure he hadn't always done so, Marguerite did know him. He'd stayed at her apartment while in New York and hadn't eaten a thing the whole time he was there. That thought reminded him of a conversation he'd had with Marguerite's son, Lucern, at the man's wedding to his editor Kate a couple weeks ago and he brightened.

  "Lucern was telling me that he finds eating helps him build his own blood so that he has to feed less. I thought I'd give it a try. " It wasn't a lie. Lucern had told him that this was why he ate when the rest of them didn't. It helped him keep his body mass as well as build blood. Vincent had actually considered eating as well as feeding to see if it reduced the number of times he had to feed in a day, but with one thing and another, he hadn't actually set out to try it. Until now.

  "And how do your cook and P. A. know about us?" Marguerite asked, pausing by the bed and turning to spear him with her eyes.
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  "How do your housekeeper and her husband know?" He gave a shrug. "They were told. It saves me having to spend my time pretending when I'm at home. "

  Marguerite's mouth compressed. "And these men crawling all over the house?"

  "They're installing a security system. Crime is rife here. You can't be too careful. " Vincent waited for her next question. It was obvious his aunt didn't believe a thing he was saying and Vincent really wished he could just tell her what was what, but the last thing he needed was his aunt sticking her nose into this business.

  "Have you tried to read her yet?"

  Vincent's eyebrows rose with surprise. The question was not one he'd expected.

  "No," he admitted. Vincent didn't often read the humans around him. To him, it seemed like an intrusion and he didn't care to intrude on the thoughts of his friends. As for non-friends, ambition and drive could color everyone's choices and both of those were high in the world of theatre. After the hundredth time of finding out the pretty lady flirting with you so charmingly was really only interested in what you could do for her career. . . Well, it just seemed better not to bother reading them anymore. Not that this was a concern with Jackie. Still, he'd had no reason to read her, so hadn't bothered.

  Marguerite merely nodded. "I think I'll unpack and take a shower. Between waiting in the airport and the recycled air on the plane, I always feel gritty after travel. "

  "Okay. Come downstairs when you're ready and I'll give you a proper tour of the house," Vincent said, leaving her alone.

  Jackie and Tiny were still in the kitchen when he went in. Vincent sat down in his seat, picked up his spoon, then frowned at the melted puddle in his bowl.

  "I'll get you fresh. " Tiny took his bowl and stood to carry it to the sink.

  Vincent couldn't help noticing that Jackie frowned after the man and supposed she didn't like Tiny serving him. The title cook/housekeeper was just his cover after all. She didn't say anything to the large man, however, but turned to Vincent and asked, "So what did you do to piss off one of your own kind?"

  He blinked at the question. "What do you mean?"

  "Well, you must have done something. There's a reason they're sabotaging you like this. "

  "It doesn't have to be an immortal," Vincent said resentfully.

  Jackie arched one eyebrow. "No, of course it doesn't. Maybe it was a coincidence that the entire cast of your play suddenly went anemic. Although, as far as I know, there really is no such thing as contagious anemia. "

  Vincent's shoulders sagged. "Yes. That seems to suggest one of my kind is behind it," he acknowledged with a sigh. Then he admitted, "I was hoping though that it was a mortal who either hired, or got some help, from an immortal. "

  "Does it really matter?" she asked quietly. "Either way, an immortal is involved and surely they don't normally side with mortals against immortals?"

  "No," he agreed. "And I have tried to think of who might be behind it, or even involved, but I really can't think of anyone. "

  "Hmm. " Jackie sat back, a frown pulling at her mouth as Tiny returned to set a bowl of ice cream before Vincent. "Well, think about it some more. If you come up with anyone, let me know. "

  Vincent nodded, then asked, "So, what are we going to do first?"

  Jackie's eyes narrowed. "We aren't doing anything. You're going to go about your business. The saboteur is a problem for Tiny and me. " She pushed back her chair and stood. "I'll go check on how the men are doing with the security system. "

  Vincent watched her leave, his gaze fixed with interest on her pert little behind.

  "Jackie's right. You're better to leave the detecting to the detectives," Tiny said, drawing his attention. "And we'll leave the acting to you. "

  Vincent grunted and took a spoonful of ice cream, savoring the cold, sweet treat and wondering why he'd stopped eating all those centuries ago. Had he really just got bored with it? It didn't seem boring now.

  "So," Vincent said after a minute. "Tell me about Jackie. "

  Tiny raised his eyebrows, then shrugged. "She's smart, sharp, and somewhat cynical. She's also my boss. "

  The last was added as a warning that he'd be loyal and Vincent nodded to let him know he respected that. "Bastien said her father started the company?"

  "Ted," Tiny agreed. "He was a real hard-noser. He expected a lot out of everyone. . . including his daughter. And Jackie never disappointed him. "

  "Never?"

  "Never in the ten years I've known her," Tiny said solemnly.

  Vincent considered that briefly, then said, "Her father's dead?"

  "Yes. Cancer," Tiny said grimly. "Two years ago. "

  "So she's been running the company for two years?"

  "Three," he corrected. "Ted was pretty sick the last year. Jackie pretty much took over. He was just a figurehead. "

  Vincent nodded. "It must have been hard. I mean when it comes to detectives, one just always assumes it will be a man in charge. I suppose most men would want a male detective. "

  Tiny smiled faintly. "Not so much nowadays. Women are in every field and in charge more often now. Actually," he added with amusement, "more often than not, the only ones who give her a hard time are your kind. "

  Vincent raised his eyebrows in surprise and Tiny shrugged. "A lot of immortals are older; from a time when women weren't in power positions. They aren't always comfortable with her being in charge. Like you weren't when you slammed the door in her face. Jackie often works twice as hard to earn their respect. "

  Vincent frowned, ashamed now that he'd given her a hard time.

  "Not Bastien, though," Tiny went on. "He treats her with the same respect he gave Ted. And he will intercede if one of your kind gives her too hard a time. . . or he tries, anyway. Jackie often won't allow his help. "

  Vincent could believe that. Jackie seemed the stubborn, hard-headed sort, determined to do it on her own. He supposed she'd had to be. Despite what Tiny said, he knew there was still sexism in the business world today and not just among his kind.

  Vincent dipped his spoon into his bowl, and found it empty. He'd finished off the ice cream. "This was good, Tiny. Thank you. "

  Standing, he carried the bowl to the sink and rinsed it before setting it in the dishwasher as he'd seen Jackie and Tiny do. Vincent headed for the kitchen door. "I have to go out. "

  "Out? By yourself?" Tiny scowled, obviously not pleased.

  "Out," Vincent repeated firmly. "By myself. "

  "Do you think you should? If the saboteur has turned his attention to you. . . Maybe you should tell Jackie?

  "Jackie said I was to go about my business. Unfortunately, I need to feed two or three times a day. So, I'm going about my business," he said simply.

  Tiny hesitated, then nodded and asked, "What do I tell your aunt if she comes looking for you?"

  Vincent paused with his hand on the door, then seemed to come to a decision. "I suppose I'd best go see if she wants to go with me. It would be rude to just abandon her on her first night here. I'll take her to a couple of clubs, show her the night life. We shouldn't be too late. "

  "I'll tell Jackie. Have fun," Tiny murmured as Vincent pushed out of the kitchen.

  "It's four minutes after ten," Tiny announced. "Two minutes later than it was when you last checked the time. "

  Jackie forced her eyes away from the clock and scowled at her friend and co-worker. To look at him, one would have thought Tiny was completely absorbed in whatever he was doing on the portable computer on the kitchen table. Apparently, they would be wrong. At least, Tiny wasn't so absorbed he hadn't noticed the way her eyes kept wandering to the clock to check the time.

  "He's fine," Tiny assured her, then stood and walked over to begin opening and closing cupboard doors. He added, "The saboteur hasn't struck out at him personally in any of the previous attacks. "

  "The saboteur was targeting his business then. Vincent has taken those targets away by clo
sing his plays. He and his home are the only targets left to the saboteur," Jackie pointed out. "Besides, I'm not worried about him, I'm just. . . concerned. " She frowned at the admission, then asked with irritation, "What are you looking for?"

  "I'm checking to see what ingredients we have. There's a recipe I want to try. "

  Jackie rolled her eyes and began to tap her nails on the table, then realized what she was doing and folded her hand closed to end the telling action. After a moment, she stood abruptly. "I'm going to bed. "

  "It's just after ten," Tiny pointed out with surprise. Jackie never went to bed before eleven o'clock at night.

  "It's just after ten here," she agreed. "But in New York?where we got up this morning?it's just after one. "

  "Oh, right. " He nodded and turned back to close the cupboard door. "Well, I'm not tired yet, I'm going to bake some muffins for breakfast. It should only take an hour, then I'll probably go to bed too. "

  Jackie paused at the door and glanced back to find him donning the pink "I'm the cook!" apron Vincent had insisted on purchasing that day. The sight of him in the ridiculous thing made her irritation deepen.

  "You don't have to cook, Tiny. It's your cover, not your job. "

  "I know," he responded calmly. "I like to cook. It relaxes me. "

  "Right," Jackie murmured and knew it was true. Tiny had taken a gourmet cooking course years ago and she'd often caught him leafing through women's magazines over the years, looking at recipes. She suspected Tiny was a very small woman in a large man's body, which was probably why they got along so well. Her father had always claimed she was a big, tough guy in a little woman's body.

  "What a pair," Jackie muttered under her breath as she walked down the hall, then winced at how loud her voice sounded in the silent house. The security men had finished with the ground floor and left a little less than an hour ago. Allen Richmond had promised to have them back first thing in the morning to start work on the second floor. Jackie had been pleased with his assurance at the time, but now realized that might not be too convenient. Marguerite and Vincent were vampires. They slept during the day and wouldn't be up "first thing" for the men to work in their rooms.

  Frowning over the problem, she walked upstairs and glanced along the hall, silently counting rooms, the master bedroom, her room, Marguerite's room, Tiny's room, and two more guest rooms presently unused. With her and Tiny up, she supposed that would give the men four rooms to work on until Marguerite and Vincent got up. She'd have to warn them to work quietly so they didn't wake up Vincent and his aunt.

  It was the professional thing to do, but part of her resented the need for it. Jackie was never quite comfortable working with vampires. Bastien teased her that she had a bad attitude when it came to his kind, and he wasn't wrong. Fortunately, Bastien Argeneau knew the source of her attitude and was understanding enough to overlook it. Jackie wondered now if Vincent would be as understanding. She suspected he would. He seemed intelligent, nice, good-humored. . . he also seem to get along great with Tiny, whose judgment she'd always trusted. He was also drop-dead gorgeous with a nice smile and sexy silver-blue eyes.

  He's a vampire, Jackie reminded herself. It was something she couldn't forget. . . mustn't forget. She feared the moment that happened, she might be foolish enough to start to like the guy in more than a professional manner, and she so wasn't going there again. Jackie had learned her lesson young and learned it well with Cassius.

  Her teeth set at the very thought of the vampire she'd been involved with at nineteen. An image of him rose in her mind: six feet, four inches tall, with shoulder-length gold hair. The man had been as beautiful as a Greek god.

  Jackie instinctively started to push him from her mind, then stopped herself and let the memories play. Not so much as a punishment, but in the hopes reliving the memory would save her from doing something foolish now, eleven years later. Jackie suspected it would be a good thing to reflect on the lesson she'd learned, especially in lieu of the fact that she was living in the home of a vampire that she found very attractive.

  "There! You've admitted it," Jackie said on a small sigh as she entered her room and closed the door. "You find Vincent Argeneau attractive. "

  It was a scary admission for Jackie and immediately made her feel vulnerable. She hadn't felt anything but mild disdain and anger toward a vampire since Cassius.

  Jackie had been a good student and a dutiful daughter until the summer she met Cassius. She'd been a naive and foolish child. . . but had thought herself a woman. She'd met the vampire when he came to her home to see her father about a case he was working for him. He'd been a pale, blond god in her eyes, Adonis as he'd surely been meant to look.

  Awestruck by his beauty when he'd come calling, Jackie had worshipped him with her eyes as she'd stammered out that her father wasn't yet home. She could still recall the amused smile that had curved his lips at the time. Jackie hadn't understood it then, but did now. The man had been silently laughing at her shy adoration.

  Jackie had hardly been able to believe her luck when he'd asked if he might wait for her father. Blushing and smiling and chattering away, she'd seated him in the living room, then excused herself to make tea, too nervous and overset to recall that vampires didn't drink tea. Something she'd known since she was eighteen and had started to work in her father's company.

  Ted Morrissey had been excited and eager when he'd got the first call from Bastien Argeneau with a job he wanted looked after. His company had been small then and the referral from another client to the head of such a large multinational company had been like winning the lottery. However, it was soon after that her father had stopped talking about his cases, at least ones involving the Argeneaus or anyone connected to them. Jackie hadn't understood why until her first day of work for her father when he'd taken her into his office, sat her down, and said what he was about to tell her could never be revealed to anyone. . . Vampires did exist.

  Young and eager to believe in the unbelievable, she'd gotten over the shock quickly, and then had spent the first couple weeks of her apprenticeship going through every file her father had on each of the immortals. By the time she was nineteen and faced with the handsome Cassius, she'd considered herself something of an expert on the immortals.

  Oh, the arrogance of youth, Jackie thought sadly. She'd been fussing over the tea tray in the kitchen when Cassius had joined her there. He'd told her she shouldn't trouble herself, then had pressed a hand gently to her cheek and stared into her eyes. Jackie's breath had caught in the back of her throat at the action, her mouth suddenly dry. She could still recall the trembling that had started in her body, leaving her shaky and weak so she'd had to lean back against the kitchen counter to stay on her feet.

  When he'd kissed her, her mind had filled with passions she'd never dreamed of; a wave of want and need that had seemed to consume her. Jackie had been lost.

  Cassius had broken the kiss when they heard the front door open. By the time her father found them in the kitchen, Jackie was nervously finishing with the tea tray, and Cassius was seated at the table, but Ted Morrisey had eyed them both with a concern that told her he suspected something had been going on. He didn't say anything, however, not right then. He told Jackie to forget about the tea and ushered Cassius into his office.

  Jackie had sagged against the counter once alone, her hand pressed to her heart. It had felt like it would beat its way right out of her chest. She was sure she'd met the man of her dreams and had been horrified when he left and her father came to her and said she was to stay away from Cassius. It was for her own good.

  Jackie's obedience had ended there. When Cassius called to invite her out, she lied and snuck about to see him, resenting her father for not understanding young love. Somehow, the lies and sneaking just made it all that bit more exciting, if it were possible.

  Cassius had taken her to fine restaurants and plays. Jackie had felt terribly sophisticated on his arm,
and while she'd at first been nervous and anxious when he'd started to make love to her in the limo on the way home, that had soon given way to mindless passion. By the time she'd gotten out of that limo, Jackie was sure she was in love.

  Cassius had appeared equally enamored of her. Seeming unable to keep his hands off her, he'd started things in the most inappropriate places; kissing her and running his hands up under her skirt in restaurants with only the table to hide what he was doing, pulling her into alleys and making love to her against the wall of the building with only the cover night offered, and finally making love to her in his private box at the theatre where anyone might look over and see. Jackie was always reticent when he first initiated these encounters, but soon found herself overwhelmed by passion and eager to do whatever pleased him. He was like a drug and she a junkie who couldn't get enough.

  Her father soon learned she was seeing Cassius behind his back. How could he not? While she was lying and sneaking out, their dates were always in public and someone eventually mentioned it to him. Jackie came home from what would be their last date to be confronted by her father. They had a terrible row, ending with Jackie yelling that she hated him and would see Cassius if she wanted and there was nothing he could do about it. She'd then run out and taken a taxi straight to Cassius's apartment. She'd buzzed his apartment and the door was immediately released for her, but when she'd reached the apartment she'd found it full of strangers. Cassius was having a party, anyone could have buzzed her in, he probably didn't even know she was there.

  Forcing a smile, she'd greeted everyone as if she'd known about the party and been invited as she wound her way through the crowded rooms, looking for Cassius. His office was the last place Jackie looked, and it too had appeared empty at first. Confused and desperate to find him, she was backing out when a laugh made her pause and glance back. It was only then Jackie noticed that the door leading onto the balcony was cracked open. Realizing he must be there, she'd crossed the room to the door, then paused when she saw he wasn't alone. Jackie hadn't recognized the two men with him, but the shine of their eyes in the night told her they were immortals like Cassius.

  Jackie had reached for the door to slide it further open to let him know she was there, but one of the men had said something that made her pause.

  "You seem to be seeing a lot of that little Jackie. "

  "Hmm. I was," Cassius had allowed, then shrugged. "But I'm growing bored. She's too unsophisticated. Her adoration was amusing at first, but is becoming annoying. " He smiled faintly. "I do like making her do things she doesn't want to do though. Her mind is as malleable as clay and so easily controlled. I barely have to exert myself to get into her thoughts and convince her that yes, she really does want me to screw her in my theatre box where anyone might see. "

  "You surprise me, Cassius," one of the men had commented. "From what you were telling me you had grown tired of sex and?

  "This isn't about sex," he'd said impatiently. "Although it's a lot more interesting when you know you're making her do things that are against her morals. " He'd shrugged. "But I'm growing bored with the game and am thinking to end it soon. I just need to decide how I want to end it. Something magnificent. Perhaps bursting in on one of Ted Morrissey's business meetings and screwing her on the boardroom table in front of important clients. Imagine his humiliation as she squeals like a bitch in heat. "

  "Jesus, Cassius, I knew you didn't like Ted, but this is just?

  "He doesn't show me the proper respect," Cassius snapped, displaying an anger Jackie had never witnessed from him. "He acts as though he's as good as us and he isn't. None of them are. They're all simple-minded children that we feed from and can control as we wish and he needs to understand that. "

  Numb with shock, and suddenly terribly, terribly frightened of being discovered there, Jackie had eased away from the door and hurried out of the room. She'd glanced anxiously over her shoulder every half second as she'd made her escape, knowing that if Cassius saw her before she got out, there would be trouble. He'd read her mind and know she'd heard everything. . . He wouldn't have let Jackie leave, knowing what she knew. He would have taken control of her mind, as he'd apparently been doing, and kept her with him until he'd made her do something that would publicly humiliate herself and her father.

  Jackie's fear had eased once she was in a taxi on the way home, but it hadn't gone completely. Cassius had been controlling her and would do so again if given the chance. It had seemed to her to be in her best interests to be sure he couldn't. A much humbler Jackie had approached her father on returning home. She'd told him everything, and as she'd hoped, he'd known what to do. He'd called Bastien Argeneau at once and the vampire had come to their home to talk over the matter.

  Jackie had been terribly embarrassed at the time, but looking back, Bastien had been extremely kind. He'd assured her that all of his kind did not look down on mortals as Cassius did, and that she hadn't been foolish or stupid, that Cassius had used his abilities to control her behavior and she shouldn't now feel embarrassed at anything she may have done. Then he'd assured her she needn't fear Cassius getting the chance to control her again. They would send her away for a while to keep her safe while he dealt with the matter.

  Jackie had found herself on a plane to Europe the next morning. She'd gone to University at Oxford for a year before returning to take a job at her father's company again. She'd never asked what had been done about Cassius. From what Jackie had pieced together over the years, she knew he'd suddenly found it desirous to move out of New York. She also knew he'd been warned off of ever bothering her and her father again.

  Jackie dropped onto her bed with a sigh. The memory of those few short weeks in her life no longer caused the pain it once had. She'd been crushed at the time, heart sore and humiliated as she tried to sort out what?if any?of her feelings and passions had been her own and which had been planted by Cassius. She was pretty sure her initial attraction to him had been real. Even now she could acknowledge that Cassius was a handsome man. But his words had made her doubt everything else she'd experienced. Had any of the overwhelming passion been hers? Or had he placed it in her mind, controlling her with it?

  To this day, Jackie didn't know the answer to that question. All she knew was that vampires were a dangerous lot, able to subvert a mortal's will. And she'd spent years struggling to strengthen her mind against their abilities to read her thoughts, knowing the entire time that in the end, if they really wanted to, they would easily break down her defenses and not only read but control her mind. That knowledge made her instinctively fear them. Which, in turn, made her angry.

  Bastien Argeneau was the only vampire Jackie had even come close to trusting since then. But then, he'd always treated her with gentle respect, and he was even now engaged to a mortal. Jackie really believed that he didn't look down on her people. She was less sure about the rest of his kind, however, so stayed on the defensive with them all. It just seemed the safest way to deal with things.

  And, Jackie decided, she would continue to handle it thusly. She had to keep her defenses up, especially now that she was living in the same home as Vincent. She was not going to risk another humiliation like the one Cassius had visited on her. Jackie had to harden her heart against Vincent. It was a simple matter of self-preservation.