Fractured

by

Cheri Schmidt

SMASHWORDS EDITION

* * * * *

PUBLISHED BY:

Cheri Schmidt on Smashwords

Copyright © 2011 by Cheri Schmidt

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are products of the author’s

imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons living or dead is

entirely coincidental.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-

sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another

person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this

book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please

return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting

the hard work of this author.

* * * * *

Chapter 1

Sushi

Danielle’s trench coat fell into the hamper with a heavy plopping sound. That was followed by her not

quite so damp socks, her rather wet leggings, her thick tunic sweater, which was also damp, and finally her
bra and panties. A shiver danced through her body as she reached for the pink bathrobe draped over the
end of her bed and shoved her arms into its fluffy warmth. Yanking the sash tight around her waist, she
made her way to the bathroom.

Returning from her morning classes left her soaked despite having brought an umbrella, and wearing

knee-high boots. But she knew Ethan would be calling, and she knew he would take her out tonight. While
that thought appealed to her, going back out into the English drizzle, without warming up first, didn’t.

But she

would

venture back out into it, as this was the only night they were allowed to go out on

dates. Friday. Beon had said it was because they could better be hidden in the crowds on that night. She
understood the reasons for the limitation, or what Beon said the reasons were—something about civil war
and her being in the middle of it. Of course she thought perhaps he was being a little melodramatic. She’d
seen no signs of

war

for weeks.

Danielle poured bubble bath into the hot water falling from the spout. The scent of honey and oatmeal

heated and rose to her nose. After removing her robe, she sank into the steaming, foam-covered water,
hissing as she lowered her body. The bathwater was almost, but not quite too hot. Her nerves disagreed
until they got used to it. The goal was to warm herself to the core, and this had been a successful way of
dealing with the uncomfortable climate in this damp city. These near-scorching baths had become a habit
for this American living in London.

Despite the weather, Danielle loved it here. She loved living with her aunt, uncle, and cousin,

Brianna. She loved the new experiences, the British slang and the English style food. She had suffered a
certain degree of culture shock in the beginning, then mythical creatures fell into the mix, and her whole
world changed. She’d learned about so much more than just art. She’d learned about frightening things that
go bump in the night and enchanting things, such as fairies. Things she never dreamed existed. Ethan, her
boyfriend who happened to be an ex-vampire had introduced her to a whole new world. A world that was
sometimes disturbing, and many times dangerous to her health, but certainly a tad more exciting than just
being an art student at Central St. Martins.

Danielle sighed, and once she felt warm enough, or rather hot enough, she rose from the suds,

stepped onto the bathmat, dried off, drew the robe back on, and made her way back to her bedroom. She
tugged on a pair of dry socks, then sat down at her desk and checked over her homework schedule.

However, she wasn’t truly into it. Dragging her sketchpad closer, Danielle began doodling in

charcoal, not really seeing what she was drawing. She was looking forward to Ethan’s call and couldn’t
focus on much else besides making certain her phone was within easy reach while waiting for it to ring ...
and she answered the second it did.

“Evening, darling. How was your bath?” Ethan replied in that British lilt of his. Danielle grinned

because she really quite loved how he drew out his a’s saying daaarling and baaath.

“How do you know I had a bath?” she asked.
“That’s what you did when I brought you home after Lucas tried to take you.”
Danielle shivered at the memory. “Yeah, and you’d given me the coldest ride of my life through the

foggy streets of London.”

Ethan laughed. “Sorry about that. Did the soak warm you sufficiently?”
“Yes,” she said, but didn’t say,

to the point of sweating

. “So, are we going out tonight?”

“I’d love to. What would you like to do?”
“How about a movie?”
He chuckled, and said, “We’ve been to a lot of pictures lately and we never watch them.”
“I know. I love that!”
“You just like the fact that it’s dark and no one bothers us.”
“And you like the popcorn.” He’d eaten the entire tub of it before the movie started and then got a

refill every time.

Ethan made a sound of agreement, then said, “I happen to like the activities

after

the popcorn more

so.” Danielle could hear the grin in his confession.

“What about the movie? Do you like that too?” Danielle asked, completely knowing the answer.
“What movie?” Ethan replied, laughing again.
“Okay, so it’s decided, we’re doing a movie tonight.”
“Dinner first?” he offered.
“Sure.”
“Where would you like to go?”
“Anywhere.”
“All right, I’ll be there at five.”
“Great, see ya then!”
Danielle knew she needed to inform her guard about their plans so he could follow. She went to the

window, brushed aside the lace curtain, and pulled it open. Leaning out on her elbows, she peered into the
lush, wet garden that appeared to be empty of any life besides the greenery and insects. Danielle knew
otherwise.

“Hello,” she called softly. “Just so you know, Ethan and I are going to a movie tonight. He’ll be here at

five.”

It wasn’t long before Cedric appeared as though he’d materialized. She wondered where it was he

stayed hidden, but the question of what he did to pass the time was answered when he slipped an iPod into
his pocket and tipped his face up toward hers. “Does this mean we have to watch you and Ethan neck for
two hours? Again? Whatever happened to Ethan’s gentleman ways?”

“I don’t see what the big deal is.”
“Right,” he grumbled, kicking at something in the grass.
“It’s not eighteen sixty, Cedric. I’d like to be able to kiss my boyfriend and that’s the only chance we

get because no one will leave us alone. We’re always being guarded ... and watched,” she complained,
then added, “Unless we get into major PDA—”

“Pardon?”
“Public displays of—”
“I know what that is. Again, I say Ethan’s values have slipped. He doesn’t have a problem with that

either.”

Danielle felt her cheeks heat as she flushed, knowing how true that was. “Fine. It’s me. I’m the one

who wants privacy.”

“Can’t you hang out here in your bedroom?”
Danielle wanted to groan,

been there, tried that

, but said, “My aunt and uncle don’t like it when I do

that.”

“What about Ethan’s place?”
“Sophia.”
Apparently he knew Sophia well enough to simply nod at that.
“At the theater it’s dark,” she muttered while running her finger over a rough part of the paint on the

window sill.

“We can see you in the dark, Danielle.”
“But you do sit several rows back, and—”
“I get it,” he said, frowning. His hand was back in his pocket and she wondered if he hoped to get

back to whatever it was he was watching on his iPod.

Wishing to remove the frown from his face, Danielle offered with a smirk, “Do you have any movie

requests?”

The vampire just rolled his eyes and moaned.
“If you don’t like it, Cedric, bring a date.”
“Perhaps I will,” he replied as if it were a threat.
“You have a girlfriend, don’t you?”
“Yes, her name is Anna.”
“Great! I’d love to meet her. Later then.” She pulled her head back inside, slid the window shut,

tugged her curtain back into place and then moved to her closet to get dressed.

She removed the robe, slipped into her bra and panties and decided on jeans for the evening. She

topped those with a frilly white blouse. Danielle wore the color often, not just because it happened to be her
favorite, but because she knew Ethan liked it on her. It reminded him of the past, he’d said.

Next she pulled her hair up into a loose bun, and put on the pearl earrings and necklace from Ethan.

They were fancy, but she liked how they looked with jeans. She added long socks and boots to fight off the
soggy conditions.

After dressing, she freshened up her makeup, and then waited in the living room for Ethan to arrive.
“Date with Ethan tonight?” asked Brianna as she walked in and sat down next to Danielle.
“Yes.” Leaning back into the cushions, she smiled at her cousin.
“Another picture?”
“Of course. I love movies,” she said thinking about

other

things, like Ethan’s lips.

“What picture are you going to see?”
“I haven’t a clue.”
“I heard that vampire picture was really good,” Brianna suggested.
Danielle burst into a bout of giggles with a snort. The image of her and Ethan in a movie theater, with

real vampires seated behind them, watching a movie about vampires flashed through her head. And the
thought seemed ridiculous and kind of funny.

Brianna leaned away with a befuddled look on her pretty face. “What is so funny?”
“Nothing.” She tried to tame the giggles. “I just ... I don’t think a vampire movie is a good idea.”
“Why not?” Brianna raked fingers through her dark chocolate locks. But even after brushing it back,

the slick strands slid forward to hang around her oval-shaped face. The fringy new cut helped keep it out of
her face, but it was as straight as ever. Danielle envied that straightness.

“You know me, I don’t like scary movies,” she said, attempting to control a curl that had slipped loose

from her up-do.

“Ah, true.”
Her eyes shifted to the clock, and when she noted that it was one minute

past

five, she sprang to her

feet, snatching her coat and scarf. Ethan was never late, and she knew he was there if it was past five. Why
hadn’t he knocked yet?

“Where are you going now?”
“He’s here. See ya later, Bri.”
She heard Brianna’s muttered farewell as she dashed for the door and swung it open to reveal Ethan

standing there with his hand raised, ready to knock. He began shaking his head as his features rearranged
into a becoming smile. “Impatient again, are we?” he asked raising one golden eyebrow.

“You’re late!”
He checked his watch in horror, then his expression changed again. “Danielle, are you kidding me? I

don’t think one minute counts.”

“Every minute counts ... for me,” she whispered, wondering if perhaps she shouldn’t be saying such a

corny thing.

With lips shifting into another smile, Ethan said, “Well, I shan’t have my darling disappointed. I’ll just

have to make it up to you then.”

Smiling at his romantic words, Danielle watched as the sunset glistened through his golden hair,

while a cold breeze playfully tossed it around, making the strands wink and shimmer. His penetrating
sapphire eyes revealed his soul to her as she met his gaze. Her soul mate, the man she knew before this
life began, the man she seemed to know better than she knew herself. He was her personal Frog Prince, yet
he was no longer a frog. The prince stood before her now. Letting the smile slip, Danielle mentally chastised
herself for having more corny thoughts. What did this guy do to her? Was she a little bit obsessed? That
can’t be healthy....

“I thought you were eager to get going, Danielle.”
She blinked. “R-right, let’s go then. Why are you just standing there?” She grasped a handful of his

shirt and towed him from the porch. She relished in the fact that she could feel his solid pecks brushing
against her knuckles. No, she decided, she wasn’t too obsessed. It was that whole I-knew-you-before-thing

that sucked her in. And that couldn’t be changed.

“By the way, you look absolutely lovely tonight,” he said as she dragged him along by his shirt.
“You too ... I mean you look very handsome, but I always think you do,” she replied, noticing his outfit

now. He wore jeans, topped with an un-tucked white shirt and a brown sport jacket over that.

Ethan chuckled when they got to the car and she started smoothing out the wrinkles she’d created in

the fabric of his button-down.

He held the door of his freshly washed and polished Jaguar open for her. England had been

experiencing a lot of rain lately, which was actually normal. And because of that, it had been difficult for
Ethan to keep his car so reflective. “When did you wash this?”

“Today.”
“But it rained for most of the day.”
“And now it’s clear.”
“For what, like two hours?”
He shrugged his shoulders.
Danielle couldn’t help but appreciate the fact that it was so shiny it looked as though it might actually

start dripping black paint at any moment. “Well, I hope it doesn’t chuck it down again soon.”

Ethan laughed. “Where did you learn ‘chuck it down’?”
“Bri. Who else?”
“Of course.”
Settling into the leather seat, Danielle watched Ethan as he shut her door, still grinning and shaking

his head as he then moved around to the driver’s side.

As soon as he was seated, he leaned toward her, took her chin into his fingers and fanned his breath

across her face. Danielle closed her eyes and drew it gratefully into her lungs, thinking,

okay, maybe I am a

tad obsessed

.

“That’s for being late. It will never happen again, my lady,” he said softly.
She opened her eyes. “Mmmm ... still yummy. It’s been a while since your transformation. I can’t

believe you haven’t lost that amazing vampire breath yet.”

“Beon and I have a theory about that,” Ethan said while he shifted gears and directed his Jag down

the street.

“Let’s hear it.”
“Well, vampire venom changes the physiology much more drastically, making the transformation a

longer, more—uncomfortable process,” he began.

“Okay. So….”
“So basically, when I told you to bite me—that sacrifice is what satisfied the demands of the

prophecy, and getting your mortal saliva into my bloodstream is what reversed the curse, but not much else.
It doesn’t change the physiology as much, so it’s a shorter and a less complicated change.”

Apparently Ethan could tell by the blank look on her face that she hadn’t grasped his meaning, so he

took a breath and explained further. “The things that a vampire needs to hunt their prey are removed: the
hypnotic eyes, the heightened hearing, eyesight and sense of smell, the craving for blood, the superhuman
powers, and the magic in the breath.” He frowned. “You know you’d be a puddle in my lap right now if I’d
done what I just did before.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, remembering her shock the first time she’d smelled him, how even that had

snatched away her ability to walk in a straight line.

“I miss that,” he said solemnly.
“What?” Watching his expression more closely now, Danielle wondered how much of being a

vampire he missed.

“Watching you be so mesmerized, so enchanted. By me.”
Drawing a deep breath to take in his scent which still permeated everything around him, Danielle

smirked back at him. “I’m still entranced. The smell of you gets me even now, even after your change. Why is
that still the same?”

“The magic of it is gone.”
“There’s still magic for me.”

“Only because you’re in love with me.” When that earned him a surprised scowl for making it sound

so one-sided, he added, “

We’re

in love silly. We knew each other before. It’s so much deeper than cursed

magic now.”

Soul deep. “Nice save.”
A smile of victory dimpled his cheeks as he went on, “As I was saying, I still smell the same because

it would be too much of a change for the saliva to fix. It doesn’t work as aggressively as the venom and it
doesn’t need to to reverse the spell. It only reverses the things necessary to remove the curse and nothing
more.”

“But you’re still really strong.” She remembered how far he’d carried her dead weight without

showing any signs of weakening.

“But I can’t jump three stories in a single bound, and I can’t smack away a flying lamppost as if it

were nothing more than a small branch. I can bleed now. I could die.”

She wondered if that was something he worried about now, his death, but asked, “So since it wasn’t

such an extreme transformation, many things remain the same?”

“That’s right.”
“Interesting,” she said, but thought that it was kind of gross to think about saliva in his bloodstream ...

her

saliva. Oh well, she supposed they swapped

that

every time they kissed anyway.

Danielle leaned closer to Ethan, slid her fingers into his hair and then nuzzled against his shoulder,

inhaling. “So, you get to stay this way? Hmm. That’s nice.” But several questions whirled through her head.
Would he still live longer than her? Could he regret letting her bite him taking away all of the physical
benefits he had before? How did he know he could bleed? Has he cut himself? All questions she didn’t dare
ask right now, fearing the answers. Danielle remained silent and watched the city lights streak past the
windows of the car.

He kissed her on the top of the head and reached to turn on the sound system, which filled the inside

of the Jag with the complex rise and fall of an instrumental melody. Ethan liked the rock music Danielle
normally listened to as well, but he truly loved the classics. She enjoyed anything he played as he broadened
her taste in music with his hundred and seventy-three-year-old experience.

“How does sushi sound?” Ethan asked, now parking in front of a building. The neon sign glowed red

with the words Hakuba, sushi and sashimi bar

“Raw fish? Are you sure about that?”
“Certainly. Why not?”
“Do you really think that’ll sit well in your newly mortal system?” She gave his flat belly a gentle pat.
“Most likely not, but I want to try it anyway,” he replied.
And because his tone was so thick with enthusiasm, she said, “All right then, sushi it is.”
Ethan had remained very excited to explore the foods he’d never bothered to try while being a

vampire, and he really seemed to be enjoying it. Even when he chose things that didn’t cooperate with his
digestive system. He seemed to think the flavors were worth the price in indigestion. But as Danielle thought
about it, she kind of figured most men were like that when it came to food.

As they walked toward the front door, she noticed their bodyguards for the evening following. She’d

actually forgotten about them during the car ride. Danielle guessed that Cedric had taken her “bring a date”
suggestion to heart when she saw four couples approaching instead of four men.

Most of them she recognized right away. She knew the husky and knightly Max, and his new bride

Nadia. She knew Beon and his wife Sophia. And she knew Cedric and Seth, but she didn’t recall seeing
their significant others. Of course she could have seen them briefly at Beon’s ball, but she certainly hadn’t
been directly introduced to either of them. Wanting an official introduction, she paused.

Ethan eyed her curiously when she tugged on his hand.
“I want to meet Anna and Seth’s wife.”
“Ah.” He turned to wait with her.
The immortals walked up to them without meeting their gazes since the sun had set and their

vampire powers were now full force. It would only take one direct look from any of them to render both she
and Ethan helpless and dazed, though it was sort of strange conversing with them with their eyes downcast.

“I see you took my advice,” Danielle said to Cedric who was looking at his hand intertwined with his

date’s.

“Yes, we brought dates. I hope you’re pleased.”
“I am.”
“Danielle, this is Anna. Anna, Danielle Darcey,” Cedric said.
Anna smiled. Her gaze was also focused on hers and Cedric’s hands.
“Hello, nice to meet you,” she said to Anna’s forehead.
“It’s my pleasure, really,” Anna replied sweetly. Her soprano British voice was lovely, and her features

were pretty with her heart-shaped face and full lips. The petite vampire smoothed a lock of her medium-
length blond hair through her fingers as she now studied the pointed toes of her black stilettos. She
reminded Danielle of the fairies she’d met with Ethan, and could picture her glowing pink with sparkly
translucent wings.

“And this is Eva, Seth’s wife,” Cedric said.
Of course, she never looked at Danielle either. Eva had smooth black hair styled gracefully on top of

her head, an exotic olive complexion and a thick fringe of lashes. Her gaze was fixed on Danielle’s boots,
so Danielle was uncertain of her eye color. For anyone who didn’t know better, they would think Eva was
behaving rather snobbishly.

Eva reached a hand out. “Hello, Danielle darling. It is an honor to meet the one who discovered the

cure. I may need to take you up on it someday.” She sounded French to Danielle.

“Oh, thanks. Uh, just let me know if or when you’re ready.”
“Thank you, dear.”
“You’re welcome.” Danielle restrained a shiver. The discussion of biting Eva right before she went to

eat sushi made her feel a tad queasy.

Ethan gathered her fingers and settled her hand in the crook of his elbow as he looped his other arm

around her waist. She was forced to take a step backward as he said, “Come on, Danielle, we need to get
started or we’ll be late for the picture.”

As she and Ethan were seated, she noticed that the others split up, rather than request a table for

eight. Four of them remained outside, while the other four got tables.

Nadia, Max, Beon and Sophia had come inside and were being seated at separate tables on either

side of the dining room. Probably so that she and Ethan were in the center.

Her gaze met with Max’s as she watched them, and he winked at her, probably trying to get a rise out

of Ethan, but he got slapped playfully in the arm by Nadia instead. The black-haired beauty likely knew what
he was doing. Because of the brotherly type of relationship Ethan and Max had, they were always
roughhousing and trying to annoy each other. Plus, Ethan had been jealous of the knight in the past.

“Danielle, how many times have I asked you to not flirt with him?” And apparently he might still be

jealous.

“I’m not.” She giggled. “Nadia just smacked him for winking at me. It’s funny.”
“It’s not funny. She should punch him. The cad knows he has the good looks of a knight and how that

affects the girls.”

“He’s just trying to rub you the wrong way, and you let it work. He might still look like a knight,” and he

certainly did, if she was honest, “but you have that British hottie thing going for you.”

“So does that mean that rogue over there has a British knight hottie thing going for him?” Ethan

growled, though she could hear the teasing in his tone, and was relieved.

“Oh, stop being jealous, it’s completely unfounded and you know it.”
Ethan rolled his eyes at that, but smirked.
“Just order sushi, Ethan, and during the movie I’ll remind you why you shouldn’t be so jealous.”
He tried to stop the foolish grin that overtook his mouth, but failed as the smile reached his eyes.
Danielle laughed again.
“So what would you like?” Ethan asked, his gaze traveling over the open menu he held.
She scanned the dishes, looking for things she used to choose in Colorado. Sushi was something

she liked, a little, but she was picky about it. In truth, she probably preferred Chinese and noticed that this
restaurant served a mix of both. “I want the egg-flower soup and a Vegas roll.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s more than enough.”
“All right.” Ethan’s words were tainted with a ring of disappointment. Apparently he still thought she

needed large portions to survive. Danielle rolled her eyes this time.

When the waiter arrived, Ethan ordered for both of them, ordering way too much for himself, however.

After the waiter left, she said, “You’ll never be able to eat all of that, and if you do, you’ll be

so

sick. You’d be

smart to save room for popcorn.”

Ethan’s mouth tightened, like he planned to say something but changed his mind for some reason.

Danielle suspected he knew his eyes were bigger than his stomach, but she also knew he wouldn’t ever
admit it.

When the sushi arrived it took up more than half the table. Danielle sipped quietly at her soup while

she watched Ethan experience raw fish rolled into rice and seaweed for the first time ever. And somehow
he already knew how to use the chopsticks.

Annoying. Danielle was never able to figure out those dumb wooden sticks, so instead she reached

for a slice of Vegas roll with her fingers. But Ethan set his hand on hers, stopping her. “Use the chopsticks,
Danielle.”

“I’d rather not,” she muttered.
“You don’t know how to use them, do you?”
“I’ve never been able to get them to work for me. Sorry.”
“Well now, we can’t have that….” He slid her chopsticks from the paper wrapper and snapped them

apart. “Here, let me teach you. Hold your hand like this.”

She did as he instructed—reluctantly. He placed the sticks on her hand in, what he said were the

proper locations.

“Good, now do this.” He lifted a piece of sushi and plopped it into his mouth. After swallowing, he

said, “Mmmm, I rather think I like that one.”

Danielle tried to follow his example, her brows pressing together as she made the effort, but still, she

couldn’t get it. The slice kept slipping loose instead of being pinched between the sticks like it was
supposed to. She looked up to see Ethan’s brows had mirrored hers while watching her struggle with
something that should have been so simple.

Angrily, she set the chopsticks down and reached for the sushi again. “How do you know how to use

those stupid things anyway?” she asked.

“I was bored and I knew I wanted to try sushi, so I figured it out a couple of nights ago while I was

detained in my room.” He watched Danielle eat without the use of proper sushi lifting implements, a look of
disapproval on his face. “Come on, Danielle, it isn’t that hard. Give it another go.”

She groaned and then did as he requested, but only succeeded in squashing the sushi and dropping

it onto her lap. Luckily for her, it landed on the napkin placed across her legs. “Well, apparently I’m chopstick
challenged. Please, Ethan, just let it go.” She dropped the smashed piece onto the edge of her plate and
then reached for another with her fingers. He watched and continued to sample his own wide variety of rolls.
Fretfully—she could tell—he did decide to drop the matter. It was a good thing too, because if he’d asked
her to try it again, she planned on spearing the sushi with a violent stab of her chopstick.

Ethan hadn’t eaten half of what he’d ordered, but Danielle could see that sushi was something he

liked.

Her eyes wandered to Beon and Sophia, who were seated on their left, only a couple of tables away.

Sophia was twisting one of her auburn curls around a finger while she eyed a slice of sushi held in her other
hand. Probably trying to decide from the look of it how it should taste. Danielle knew food was something
Sophia missed from her mortal life, she could dream about it, but it had lost its richness for her, and that
displeased her. “The all-blood diet of a vampire gets rather tiresome,” she’d once told Danielle.

It was apparent that Beon wasn’t interested in the food. He was diligently manning his post while he

scanned the doors and customers for any possible threat to Ethan and her. A twinge of guilt stabbed her in
the gut as she watched him. So much effort was put in by him personally just so they could go on dating and
trying to be an ordinary couple. It wasn’t fair for him to be trapped into such a burden, even if he was head of
The Order. The Order of the Curse-Bound Knights—Vampires rebelling against what the curse made them
in to. Because of this, Beon seemed to think she and Ethan were his responsibility now. He’d even retired

early from teaching so he could protect them full-time. Not that he needed the job, but Danielle still felt guilty
about it. It was all because of this civil war he kept talking about. Were she and Ethan really in that much
danger?

Her eyes slid to Nadia and Max, seated at a table to their right. The teasing flirt who’d winked at her

earlier was all warrior now. Even his muscles seemed alert and coiled; ready to spring if the circumstance
called for it. His keen brown eyes were busy scrutinizing everyone in the establishment. She couldn’t help
but wonder what he’d actually do if anyone did ever try anything. Would he whip out a sword or something?

Nadia pulled a face while she chewed on the food in her mouth. Her sable brows were pinched

together over her emerald green eyes. Danielle knew how much she wanted to be mortal, and sadness
stabbed her in the heart as she watched the ethereal beauty. But they hadn’t completely figured out how to
administer the cure without her or Ethan winding up dead in the process. She knew Beon was working on a
plan, but she hadn’t heard how that was going.

“Ethan?”
“Mmm,” he said while chewing.
“Has Beon drawn up plans for ‘the room,’ so we can give Nadia what she wants?”
“Hmm.” Swallowing, Ethan nodded and then said, “Actually, he’s already begun construction.”
On a happy gasp she asked, “Really?”
“You should see the mess in the garden. The bunny had to go, I’m afraid.”
This next gasp wasn’t a happy one, and a little cry slipped out as she lowered her spoonful of soup

back to the bowl. She loved the bunny sculpted shrub, and knew how much Beon loved his garden. He’d
spent so much time trimming and fussing over every detail, even hours shaping that shrub. Danielle knew it
had to be a sacrifice for him to destroy it. “How sad.”

“Beon was more than willing to depart with it for Nadia.”
“Yes, of course…”
“Don’t worry, Danielle, he purchased a new shrub to replace it. It will be a

little

bunny at first, but it’ll

grow into a big one after a while. He knows how … attached you were.”

“I got the impression he was just as attached.”
“He was, but it can be replaced. You know how badly Nadia wants this. He couldn’t deny her. Beon

did try to save the shrub, but he couldn’t get the room to fit anywhere else.”

She agreed that Nadia was much more important than that wonderful plant. “When will it be

finished?” she asked as her eyes traced their way back to Nadia. She wanted her to have her wish, and she
was willing to give it to her; even though it was rather disturbing behaving like a vampire to cure one.

“Very soon, I believe.” He dropped his napkin onto the table “Are you ready to go to the cinema?”
“Yes.” Her gaze returned to Nadia once more, with new hope healing the stab wound of sympathy for

her.

* * * * *

With his mouth against her ear Ethan asked, “What would you like to watch tonight?” She snickered

when she saw the vampire movie Bri had mentioned listed on the marquee.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“Well, Bri suggested that one.” She motioned to the horror flick.
Ethan chuckled and tugged her forward to the window. “Surely you jest.”
“She heard it was good,” Danielle said, also giggling.
Ethan shook his head, while he purchased tickets for a romantic movie. “I don’t want to think about

what they’d do to us if we even tried to go to that with them.” He tucked his wallet back in his pocket and
gathered her hand once again.

“Still it’s funny, you must admit.”
“I will concede, it would be rather humorous, though I think we might go missing afterwards. And if we

don’t go missing, you’ll have nightmares. I know you can’t handle frightening movies like that.”

“But I can handle the real thing.”
“You can handle the

good

ones, Danielle, but the bad ones still trouble your dreams.”

A blush warmed her face. “I know.” However, she was relieved that Ethan seemed to have a good

understanding of the girly side of her, and apparently, didn’t mind her weaknesses. She wished she wasn’t
afraid. But, unfortunately for her, she’d learned more than once that black belt skills were no help when it
came to vampires. So not fair….

Next Ethan led her to the concessions counter to purchase his usual large tub of popcorn—with extra

butter—of course.

Unable to resist, Danielle glanced over her shoulder to see where the mob of vampire guards were

going to sit as they made their way down the aisle. In the back as they’d done before. Relieved, Danielle
urged Ethan closer to the front, attempting to place as much space as possible between them.

They enjoyed the movie as they’d enjoyed many others in the past, by spending more time kissing

than actually watching the film. Smiling with her forehead pressed to his for a breath, Danielle couldn’t help
but savor the butter-flavored kisses. For two whole hours it was only her and him. No one interrupted, no one
complained, or criticized, though they probably would later. That was later, this was now. Danielle
shuddered with chills as Ethan’s fingers brushed the back of her neck.

“Cold?” he asked.
“No.” But he did it again, that soft touch along her spine. His fingers moved down this time and

stopped between her shoulder blades, the pressure shifting to a kneading massage. “That tickles,” she
said.

“This?” His fingers glided up again and moved along her nape to behind her ear.
Shuddering, “Yes, that. Cut it out.” Her words were breathless.
“If you wish.” His mouth took over, right there, on her neck.
That always brought the giggles and she pulled away. She didn’t really want to, but couldn’t help

herself.

Danielle was only faintly aware of the fact that the movie had ended and so had their time. She

smashed her mouth against his one more time, muttering, “Nice movie.”

“Yeah. I enjoyed that one too,” he whispered, a naughty smirk playing with his poetic mouth.
They lingered as the credits rolled by, holding hands, but knew it was time to exit when Max cleared

his throat loudly behind them. Hanging out afterward wasn’t allowed either. The guards maintained this strict
schedule even though nothing threatening had happened in a while. It also appeared that Celeste and
Lucas still considered Danielle amongst the deceased. Neither one of them had been heard from after
Ethan faked her death so they could escape the pair’s cement-lined dungeon. But the vampires maintained
that it just wasn’t safe, especially after sunset, and therefore, never allowed them to be together too late.

Chapter 2

Swords and Bodyguards

Danielle watched as their guards rotated between Max, Cedric, Seth, Beon and four others who

generally kept to Ethan rather than her. Max, the medieval knight, was of course her favorite. To her, he was
much like a big brother, and could be a bit of a goofball. Ethan told her when Max was watching her
bedroom at night, and when it was him she couldn’t resist opening her window to call out and say hello. He
would emerge from his hiding place to chat quietly with her. But startled her one night when he suddenly
leapt the two stories to her window, and handed her a pink rose.

“Whoa!”
He chuckled at her surprised reaction, and keeping his gaze on the floor, said, “Haven’t you ever

seen Ethan do that?”

“No, I was usually sleeping.” She took the flower from Max’s fingers, noting that he’d removed all of

the thorns and wondered where he’d gotten it. “Thank you for the rose, Sir Knight Maximilian.”

“You’re very welcome, fair maiden.” He bowed sweeping his arm aside, just like a knight might, and

then said with a smirk, “I stole it from your uncle’s garden.”

Danielle laughed. “Wouldn’t you like to come in for a quick karate lesson?” It was something he’d

requested of her quite frequently, but they hadn’t done it yet, and she figured since he was here now....

“The martial arts are something I’d love to add to my combat skills. However, I suggest we do that at

the bed and breakfast. I’m under strict orders from Ethan to never enter your bedchamber.”

“Why?” Was Ethan still jealous of Max and his jovial flirting?
“We’re still dangerous to you, Danielle, especially at night. And Ethan is feeling a little over-protective

these days, mainly because he can’t be here to protect you himself.”

She missed that too. He’d been her only protector most of the time when he was a vampire, but he

couldn’t do that any longer. She lifted the rose to her nose, drawing a breath of the beautiful fragrance.
“Thanks for everything, Max,” she said, again tasting guilt for all of the time he had to spend lingering below
her window. Danielle couldn’t see why it was really necessary. It must be so boring for him, for all of them.

“Have the sweetest dreams. You’re safe and so is Ethan.” He gave her hand a gentle pat and then

dropped to the ground like a great big cat.

She placed the rose in water, and went to bed.

* * * * *

It was obvious to Danielle that Ethan was trying to hide his wince of pain as he pushed up off the floor

and murmured, “Well, I think that’s quite enough karate, and I’ve decided that now is a fine time to move on
to fencing.” He couldn’t disguise the fact that his words came out a bit squeakier than his normal speech,
again testifying to the fact that he was in pain after Danielle swept his feet out from under him during their
first martial arts lesson.

She’d done it to Max too, and was struggling to hide the smirk attempting to show itself on her face,

but feared they could see the pride she was feeling in having dumped two men flat onto their backs, though
she suspected Max had allowed it, and agreed, “I’m ready to do that.”

For her fencing lessons, Ethan insisted she wear all of the proper fencing gear: the mask, the gloves,

the white jacket and pants. A karate uniform was much more flattering, in her opinion. Ethan was also quite
adamant that she only used the practice foil with a button on the end, because it was “safe,” while they also
used the “safe” foils against her. She was a little irritated with his intense need to keep her from harm. She
wanted to use the

real

sword, the one he wore slung low around his hips. She’d been trained to fight with

nunchakus and scais, and felt she could handle a sword. “I think you should let me try using your sword,”
Danielle petitioned one more time.

“It’s too heavy for you, you might hurt yourself. And it’s extremely sharp!”
Glowering at that, she said, “I’ve used other weapons before—”
“Danielle.” He gave her that stubborn look of his. That annoying,

I’m going to put you over my knee

,

look. That had to be something from his Victorian past. How did men treat their women in the eighteen
hundreds? She didn’t really know.

“Don’t go there, Ethan!” she warned. However, as she noted the smirk playing about his mouth and

the twinkle of mirth in his eyes, she doubted he’d ever actually do it. He was simply teasing her and using a
tactic that had worked for him in the past, just like the time when he’d fooled her into opening her eyes so he
could check for signs of a concussion.

Poor Max had to be present during this tiff, and apparently decided to intercede, “Ethan, let her try

the sword. She did great with the foils, and didn’t you see that double nunchaku thing she did earlier? She’ll
be fine.”

“Thank you, Max!” Danielle gave him a grateful punch on the shoulder.
“Stay out of it!” Ethan growled as all humor fell from his expression.
Danielle smirked as she leaned into Ethan, pressing against his chest with hers. She took his face

into her hand and turned his blue glare from Max, then brushed her nose against his. “Please?” she
whispered as flirtatiously as she could, slipping her other hand over the hilt of the sword he wore.

His breath hitched and he set his hand gently over hers. Danielle tightened her grasp on the handle.

“Danielle, behave yourself.”

“Pretty please, with sugar on top?” She pulled on the sword to release it from the sheath. Ethan’s

hand tightened on hers.

She pressed her lips to his, then watched the muscles in his throat work as he swallowed and then

groaned. “Fine, but be extremely careful or I will take you to the hospital—even if you get the tiniest nick,” he
threatened, clearly knowing her intense hatred toward hospitals and doctors.

Danielle did feel a twinge of fear tweak her insides at just the thought. She knew he’d follow through

with this warning. “I’ll be careful.”

Once the blade was free, she realized Ethan was right. The sword was quite heavy. She knew she

needed to be extra careful as she handled it. But she wasn’t going to let Ethan know that, and hoped he
couldn’t read it on her face. The rascal grin to his lips told her he could.

Dang it!

She dropped her chin trying

to recompose.

Max rumbled with a chuckle. “Wow, Danielle, did they teach you that at the dojo you go to? You’re

more dangerous than I realized.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replied innocently while brandishing her prize.
“I suggest you watch your back with Nadia, Max. I’m afraid that particular weapon of hers has more to

do with gender than martial arts,” Ethan advised.

“Too true. I’m ashamed to admit I’ve already fallen victim to that one,” Max replied.
“Clearly, I as well, am a sucker to their beguiling talents,” Ethan said, eyeing his sword in her hands.
“Cunning little creatures, females are, aren’t they?” Max went on.
“Seriously, guys, that’s enough.” Danielle swung the sword toward Max, but stopped in front of him.

“Shall we duel?”

Max met his sword with hers, a huge cheeky smile stretching his lips. The blades set off one high

metallic ping as they made contact.

“No!” Ethan bellowed. “If she fights anyone, she fights me!”
For her own safety, she was sure of that. And wow, he’s moody today.
Ethan angrily reached for Max’s sword. Max surrendered it while laughing and stepped back. It

seemed he enjoyed seeing Ethan so riled and manipulated, and rewarded Danielle with one of his
notorious winks. Ethan didn’t see it. Danielle stifled a snicker.

“Now, darling, let’s see what you’ve learned,” Ethan said, his tone slightly threatening.
She swung the sword as she’d done with the lightweight,

safe

sword, and nearly lost her balance.

Ethan exploded into a peel of chuckles. “I told you it was heavy.”
She scowled and swung again, handling the blade better this time. Ethan raised an eyebrow and

blocked it. “Better,” he said.

As they parried and maneuvered, Ethan remained extremely careful, never using much force against

her. They fenced with the blades until Danielle couldn’t swing the heavy thing any longer. The practice foil
had been much lighter, and while she was in good shape, she wasn’t accustomed to swinging heavy steel.

As usual, Ethan was acutely aware of how she was feeling. “All right, that’s quite enough. I hope

you’re satisfied now.”

“I am. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now I suggest you move aside while I fight Max.” He motioned to a chair several

feet away, took his sword back from her and returned Max’s sword to him.

“Ethan, I don’t think you’ll do as well against a vampire now that you’re mortal,” she reminded, but

knew from the frown tugging down the corners of his mouth and because he completely ignored her
comment that he didn’t want to hear it. Without even a glance in her direction, Ethan engaged Max in an
aggressive fencing bout that appeared just as dangerous as when they’d both been vampires.

Danielle groaned audibly,

he’s going to get himself injured

, she mused. And feared they would be

taking a trip to the hospital anyway, just not for her. Her only comfort was that she could tell Max restrained
himself, trying not to hurt the now weaker Ethan. To Ethan’s annoyance, however, he still walked away from
the exchange with a sprained wrist and a bruised ego.

“I need more karate training, Danielle, I feel like a weakling now,” Ethan whispered when they were

out of earshot from Max.

“You’re no weakling.” She ran her fingers along the contours of his muscle-packed arms, and a smirk

crept into her lips. “Very few mortal men have anything like this.” Even if

this

wouldn’t likely help him against

a vampire ... but she wasn’t going to remind him of that part.

“Do you think I’ll lose my tone?” He sounded anxious, and was clearly ignoring her obvious infatuation

with his buff body.

“You might if you don’t pump iron. But I do think it’s harder to build it up than it is to maintain. Or

maybe it’s another thing you get to keep from being a vampire,” she offered encouragingly.

“Perhaps,” he said, but he didn’t seem satisfied.

The next time Danielle visited, he showed her the weight room he’d set up in a spare bedroom.

Ethan also requested private karate lessons, hoping to gain an advantage over Max in that area. Danielle
obliged because, obviously, she couldn’t deny Ethan anything. They went to the secret garden in the back of
Beon’s garden to practice, so Max wouldn’t see.

Once they emerged from the hedges and strode onto the stony path beyond, Ethan said, “So,

Danielle,” while holding her waist and forcing her to step back as he stalked forward, “what would you do if
someone did this to you?” He suddenly took hold of her wrists and pinned them behind her back, his arms
wrapped around her. Their eyes locked for a moment before Ethan closed his and gave her one kiss—that
lingered.

Uncertain if Ethan meant to come off as threatening or tempting, she decided tempting worked fine

for her, and also decided she was a willing captive. Defense was the furthest thing from her mind at the
moment. “I suppose I’d have to kiss him back.”

“What if it wasn’t me? You’d better not kiss him back.”
“Oh, well in that case. I’d have to bring my knee up into someplace rather sensitive, just to get my

message across accurately.”

“Good girl, and … what if he did this?” Ethan lifted her wrists above her head and pushed her back

into the smooth stone wall with his body.

A soft giggle escaped her. “Can I kiss him back now?” she asked, her gaze glued to his mouth.
“Danielle,” Ethan said disapprovingly, “would you really kiss someone who had you in this position?”
“Sure,” she whispered as she tipped her face towards his, trying to close the gap.
Ethan gathered both of her wrists in one hand and took her chin in his other, preventing the kiss. All

humor had left his expression. “You’re supposed to be teaching me your defensive skills. We’re in the
middle of a war. I need to learn what you know. Spar with me, Danielle.” The last was an order.

“Is it

really

war? I mean nothing’s happened—”

“Yes.”
“But—”
“This is serious, Danielle. This isn’t just about my pride. I’m seriously handicapped!”
“Fine. But if you’re so serious then why all the flirting?”

Ethan rolled his jaw, an abashed smirk lingering at the edge of his lips. “I ... well, when I got that close

to you I couldn’t resist a kiss or two before we began.”

Laughing softly at him, Danielle said, “Very well, but could I have one more before we begin?”
Grinning like a fool in love, Ethan angled his head to possess her mouth. Again he lingered, but no

way was she complaining about it.

As his lips left hers, she sobered and got back to seriousness. “I should hold back this time. I could

hurt you.”

“I’m no flower. Go for it, with all you’ve got.”
“You do realize these skills won’t help you against Max, or any other vampire.”
“I realize that,” Ethan ground out. Obviously what taunted her self confidence also troubled his.
“You wish you were still cursed, don’t you?” He’d said he was handicapped. Did he regret being

turned back into a mortal? Was he one of the ones who didn’t really want this cure?

Apparently, he’d chosen not to answer as he pinned her harder against the wall. “What’s the defense

against this?”

“I don’t think anyone would do this to you, Ethan.”
“Just show me, Danielle.”
“And you’re sure you want to be the dummy?”
His brows drew together. “What’s that?”
“The attacker. The one I use my skills against.”
“Sure, I’ll be the dummy.”
Just as the words left Ethan’s mouth, Danielle pulled the move on him, swiftly reversing their position

with Ethan facing the wall and his wrists pinned behind his back.

Ethan grunted and then chuckled. “Wow, I didn’t see that coming.”
“You’re lucky actually,” she whispered against the shell of his ear, “I left the strike to the groin out of

the move. I’m guessing you’re not wearing a cup.” Smirking, Danielle noticed that she’d actually made him
blush with that.

“No, ma’am.”
Danielle wanted to burst out laughing, but held back for his sake. “You’d better get one if we’re really

going to do this.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ethan replied almost sheepishly.
She released him and stepped away.
“Did you expect me to get the cup now? Because ... I don’t actually own one.”
“You don’t?”
“No. Never a need.”
“I’ll be careful with you today.”
“Thanks. “
“You’re welcome.”
“Now show me how you just did that because it was absolutely brilliant!”
They switched positions so Ethan was the one pinned against the wall, and Danielle taught him the

technique.

Near the end of their lesson, Ethan decided to pin her again. Again, she allowed it. She sort of liked

it and laughed as Ethan attempted to look menacing. She knew he could pull it off if he really wanted to.
She’d seen him look quite fierce before, and it was truly a look she’d never like to have directed her way,
but this one was just adorable.

“Aren’t you going to defend yourself?” Ethan whispered against the space just beneath her jaw, right

before he pressed a kiss to the spot.

Relieved to see that he’d gone back to teasing rather than the serious topic of war, Danielle smiled.

“Hmm … uh … sure.” She shuddered and her fingers laced their way into his soft hair.

“I’m afraid the attacker might like that,” Ethan crooned. His hand slid from shoulder to hip, snaked

around to the small of her back and nudged her closer.

“I suppose this position calls for a technique called, um, snogging. I think—yes, yes, that’s it. I need to

snog you this time.”

“My, my, Danielle, where did you learn such language?” he muttered, feigning disapproval, as he

continued to move his lips against her ticklish flesh.

“It seems Brianna is corrupting me with her funny British lingo.”
“I’m afraid you’re corrupting me, Danielle.”
“I know you’ve corrupted me.”
“A bit of snogging, you say?” Ethan’s nose brushed against the tip of hers as his lips lingered

dangerously close to hers, yet painfully too far away.

“That’s right.”
“Anything you wish, my darling.” And his lips smashed into hers for quite an amazing kiss, or snog, or

whatever else one would want to call it.

Chapter 3

Pillow Talk

Danielle was awakened when she felt a pressure on her mouth. Like a hand covering it. Ethan had

done that to her before, but he wasn’t allowed to come to her room any longer. So she knew it

couldn’t

be

him.

Her eyes flew open and she blinked. Her vision hadn’t quite focused, but she could clearly see a man

leaning over her. His face was only half-lit by the moonlight filtering though her windows. Although blurred
and in shadow, it was enough for her to recognize him … Alex. The vampire who’d tried his magic on her at
the ball. Danielle snapped her eyes shut before they focused. With his magic at full-strength, he was
dangerous to her now, especially his eyes.

And for the short moment that she did see them, she realized, with horror, that he was thirsty. What

should have been a lighter shade of hazel was now a glowing shade of silver. Danielle pinched her eyes
more tightly closed. How could he get in here when there was suppose to be a guard protecting her?

“Hello, Danielle, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” Although his tone was light, friendly even, a sense

of foreboding accompanied the voice which drifted over her.

“I’m going to remove my hand now, but I recommend that you do not scream. I could easily stop you.

Hence, it would be completely futile to attempt it.” There was no hesitation as he lifted his hand, proving his
egotistical confidence in the threat.

Danielle could feel his movement as he leaned closer and rested his hand on the other side of her

body.

After swallowing, Danielle said in the calmest tone she could muster, “Why are you here, and what do

you want?”

“I’m your guard tonight. I’m filling in for Cedric,” he informed her, sounding bored now.
“The others don’t bother me while I’m sleeping ... and you still didn’t tell me what it is you want!”

Gentle fingers landed on her lips for speaking too loudly.

“Softly please,” he warned.
She jerked her head away from his touch in answer. Inside Danielle was beginning to panic. If he

was guarding her, then she was trapped alone with a thirsty vampire. She

really

wanted to scream. Facing

an opponent blind was so unnerving.

A curled finger caught the edge of her chin and forced her face back to his. “I’m afraid this cure of

yours is a problem. For many of us. I’ve been sent to end it.”

What did he mean by that? Was he going to kill her? Turn her? “I don’t understand.”
“You’re the one responsible.”
“That’s stupid!” she shouted too loudly and wasn’t able to say,

I’m nothing special. Any mortal could

do it

, because his hand prevented it.

Alex kept her mouth covered this time, his fingers biting into her cheek as he continued in a lazy tone

of speech, “I am fond of you, however, and I do think you’re pretty, so let me make this pleasant, shall we?”
The cruel touch softened, turned into something like a caress before lifting and then trailing along the side of
her face. Danielle shuddered reflexively, and her insides twisted with revulsion.

“Make what pleasant?” she managed, squeezing her eyes shut tighter. It was so tempting to look, to

try and read his expression.

“You must die, of course,” he said, like he was talking about taking her to lunch. “Don’t worry, I’ll make

certain you won’t feel ... much. Now how should we begin? Would you like a kiss or two, first?”

That creepy invitation made her stomach twist uncomfortably. “I feel like I need to vomit now. Would

you please just get out?” she whispered frostily as a shudder traveled the length of her body.

Danielle was trying to remain brave, and resist any feelings of fear because she knew that would only

aggravate his thirst. He’d be able to sense fear. But her words had clearly offended him, and his inviting
tone changed to an ominous one. “Well, if you’re not going to be any fun, then maybe you’ll just have to sate
my thirst for me.”

Beon’s warnings of war took on a whole new meaning at that point. She knew she hadn’t been taking

it seriously before, before she truly believed it could actually mean her death. Desperate, she snapped,

“You’ll never get away with it! Get out you repulsive, sick—” His hand returned.

“I would advise you to watch your tongue, Miss Darcey. You are in no position to insult me and get

away with it.” With that he suddenly jumped onto her bed landing his knees on either side of her. She heard
a popping sound as he apparently ripped the first button undone on her pajama top and slid the silky fabric
from her shoulder, getting the collar out of the way. The better to bite her, she was sure. Danielle attempted
to scream, but his palm easily hushed the noise.

She had to fight harder; she’d be dead in seconds if she didn’t. Danielle kicked her legs and

screamed under his palm. She lifted her hips trying to shove him off that way. She beat at him with her fists,
and clawed at him. She knew karate techniques to get out of this situation, but nothing worked. She couldn’t
budge him. And there was nothing more frustrating than being a black belt and still feeling helpless.

Danielle opened her eyes to gauge his position over her, but she was careful to avoid his

spellbinding gaze. Sharp fangs were exposed as he scoffed at her struggles, and the wicked grin on his
handsome face grew because he obviously enjoyed the fact that she was trying to fight him.

Alex soon made a sound of irritation, however, and grasped one of her attacking hands, holding it

firmly to the bed, while he kept her silent with the other.

“I could have made this pleasurable for you, Danielle, but you’ve made your choice.” Because she

was looking, she was aware of what he was about to do only a millisecond before he did. His stifling breath
fanned across her nose and mouth. Luckily, she’d cut the air off to her lungs before that. She’d been able to
resist Ethan’s magic. Their spiritual connection gave her an advantage when it came to him alone, but she
knew she’d fail against Alex’s magic. She’d already learned at the ball that the supernatural power of other
vampires was too strong to fight off. It would make her weak and easily defeated. She couldn’t allow that
potion into her lungs. She had to keep fighting. She had to remain alert.

“I can wait until you need to breathe again, my dear. You can’t hold your breath indefinitely.” Clearly,

he wanted her to be still while he drained the life from her.

Alex then waited for her to gasp for air, knowing she would be forced to do it at some point. He was

right, of course. After a couple of minutes Danielle couldn’t fight the natural need for oxygen any longer. Alex
was ready for that and he added his powerful breath to her needed air.

Danielle fell limp as the magic flew into her lungs and crept through her veins. Her breathing became

labored and she was paralyzed. Her already moist eyes now overflowed with forlorn tears. The droplets
slipping down along her temples and into her hair were the only sign that she didn’t want this. Inside, the
mental battle had begun. The logical part of her did not want this, while the other part, because of the magic
in the curse, made her wish to feel his fangs sink into her flesh, made her welcome death.

Alex took her chin and tipped her head to the side, then slid his long fingers along the veins in her

neck probably to select the best location to bite her. He took his time with it, savoring his meal it seemed.
Danielle felt his tongue glide over the chosen vein with one long stroke.

Gross!

she thought, and shuddered

involuntarily, yet, knowing it was illogical, she also wished he’d just get to it.

Is this it?

Her soul screamed for Ethan, for anyone to help her. She prayed to God desperately, but

any hope she had left was slipping away. Helpless and alone with beloved relatives only a few steps away
she let her longing for life slide through her fingers as easily as a handful of sand.

As Danielle surrendered to her fate, sudden movement caught her eye near the other window. A

large figure was blocking the moonlight that had been the only illumination to her room. Another vampire?
Alex saw him too because he lifted his head from her neck to look.

Danielle recognized him then. Max! And his presence was a miracle.

Thank you, God, for sending a

knight!

But, because of the spell, she also thought,

Although,

I’d be just as pleased if Alex would finish what

he started

. Internally, she continued to wrangle with herself, and the only physical reaction she could give

was to sigh weakly.

Max threw one solid fist into Alex’s face. With the force, Alex was hurled to the floor, but he wasn’t

injured. He leapt to his feet like a ninja and readied himself to take on Max. But Max was much stronger than
him. He wrapped his steely arms around Alex and dove with him through one of the open windows. They
hurtled head first to the ground below. Danielle could hear the fight continue in the garden as they threw fists
at each other—but then—she was startled to hear another noise directly outside the window. She watched
with an odd mixture of dread and hope, anticipating another monster to crawl through it.

A shadow stumbled clumsily over the windowsill and then tumbled to the floor.
“Danielle,” he whispered, rising to his feet as he brushed leaves from his clothes.
Ethan! She wondered how he’d climbed to her window without much to hold onto. No matter how

much she wanted to die, she was relieved to see him moving toward her and attempted a smile.

After jerking the blankets off, Ethan scooped her up from the bed. He cradled her limp form in his

arms just as he’d done when they faked her death, and sat down on the edge of the mattress.

“Are you all right? Did he bite you?” he asked, his tone thick with worry as he examined her neck for

any visible wounds.

She couldn’t speak.
“Blink once if you’re all right.”
Danielle blinked and attempted another smile. She was okay; she was more than okay now.
He refastened the button she’d thought had broken and wound his arms around her, tugging her into

a tighter embrace. Ethan rocked her as he began whispering words of comfort, and patted her back gently.
She thought maybe he did it to soothe himself as much as her.

The effect of the spell was slowly wearing off, and Danielle was able to lift her hands to his back and

turn her nose into his shoulder. Inhaling, she drew his sweet, familiar essence into her recovering lungs.

“I’m so sorry. The others trust Alex. He’s even a member of the Order, and I’m sure Cedric had no

idea he was capable of this. But when I heard Alex had stepped in for Cedric, I insisted Max bring me here
immediately,” Ethan explained in a hushed voice.

“Thank you,” she said barely audibly.
Danielle felt secure now, but it seemed Ethan was still distressed. He pulled away enough to look

into her face. “Danielle?” His eyes glistened with emotion and reflected panic. “Did he … touch you? Did he
try to do more than just bite you?”

A shudder ran up the length of her spine. The thought of Alex … was horribly disturbing to her, and

she couldn’t stop the trembling and tears from returning. Plus, she’d almost died, and even more distressing
was how much she’d actually wanted that.

But knowing what Ethan was thinking, Danielle wanted to help him understand that it was okay, she

was fine. Shaken, but fine. However, she was still under the influence of the magic, which didn’t help as she
began trying to explain what happened. “He … he said … he’d make it pleasant, but I—”

“I’ll kill him,” he bit out as a murderous flame blazed to life in his gaze.
“Ethan … no…” She fought to push the magical mist from her mind. “No … he didn’t touch me. I

insulted him. He became angry and then Max—”

“I’m still going to kill him.” Somehow, he’d managed to push the threat out between pinched teeth.
“But you’re mortal!” She shook her head, trying to shake off the spell completely. “You’ll just get hurt!

Ethan, we’re both helpless.”

He closed his eyes and fisted one hand into his hair. “I can’t take this anymore. You should always be

with me. I can no longer trust others to care for you.”

Danielle jumped when Max suddenly bounded back through the open window.
“Come on, Ethan, we need to go.”
“No!” Danielle said, but with too much volume. She may have woken Brianna with that outburst, but

she was growing frantic, she didn’t want Ethan to leave and go looking for Alex. Not to mention his presence
was comforting for her as the reality of what nearly happened sank in.

Max frowned as he glanced toward the closed door. “The others are stirring. There’s been too much

commotion in here. We need to get out of sight.”

Neither Danielle nor Ethan moved.
After exhaling a groan, Max then moved at vampire speed to clear the room before the others came

in. He shut the windows. He pried Danielle’s grip from Ethan, set her in the bed, and pulled the sheets over
her. Grabbed Ethan by the arms and shoved him in the closet. Snatched up her school books and set them
in a disheveled pattern on the floor next to the corner of her bed, pointed at them, and said, “You kicked
these off in your sleep by mistake.” He then disappeared into the closet with Ethan. He’d actually moved
around the room so fast that he created a draft that tossed Danielle’s hair across her face when he
disappeared.

Only seconds later her bedroom door opened.
“Danielle, are you all right? I’ve heard some thumping noises, and I thought I heard voices.” It was

Brianna.

Danielle sighed while pushing her hair out of the way. She kept disturbing her family in the middle of

the night, and she realized, they just might send her home early for causing lack of sleep. “I’m sorry. I
shouldn’t have left my books on the end of my bed. I kicked them off while I was sleeping … and I think I was
talking in my sleep again. All is well.” At least the part about her being sorry was true. She still hated lying.
The guilt twisted her insides every time.

“Okay, ’night then,” Brianna said.
“’Night, Bri.”
Her cousin shut the door and Danielle watched as Ethan and Max stepped out of her closet. Ethan

tried to go back to her, but Max caught his arm. “We really need to leave,” the knight said sternly.

“Max, I’m not leaving her.”
“You can’t stay here. You won’t be able to hear if they’re coming to check on her. You’ll get caught,

and then they won’t let you continue to see her.”

“She’s not a child—”
“Not according to her uncle, or me, or you, for that matter.”
Danielle winced at that. Did Ethan really see her has a child? She knew her uncle did, and of course

so did Max. It was no wonder really, especially with him being over six hundred years old, but Ethan....

“Stay with us. Please,” Ethan petitioned, obviously ignoring the comments about her age, or perhaps

trying to distract her from it.

“Ethan, you’re asking—” The knight shook his head, his thick brows furrowed.
“Max, please. Please,” Danielle begged.
Apparently he held a soft spot for her as she thought she recognized regret in his expression. “Fine,”

he snapped. “But only for tonight.”

“Thank you,” she and Ethan chorused.
After a moment of silence, Danielle asked, “Max?” She leaned up onto one elbow to look at him.
“Yes, Danielle.” He was seated in the soft chair situated near the fireplace in her room with his arms

folded across his chest. He kept his chin down, avoiding eye contact.

“Thank you—for saving me.”
Danielle felt Ethan slipping into the bed with her, and the weight of one arm moved around her waist.
“You’re very welcome, my lady, it was my pleasure.” Then he mumbled something under his breath,

and again, he sounded angry.

“What did you say?” she asked.
Max sighed and then repeated himself loud enough for her to hear this time. “‘Hon Y Soit Quit Mal Y

Pense.’” He paused, smiled at her with half-closed eyes and translated, “‘Shame to him who evil thinks.’ It’s
the motto for the Order of the Garter.”

“Oh, I like that.”
Max lifted his feet to the ottoman.
“Thanks again. I really am very grateful.”
He nodded at her words and she sensed that he was still angry. Probably with Alex. She realized that

knights held to very high moral standards, and Max had remained true to that just as he held true to Beon’s
Order. It was impossible to miss the fact that it encompassed every aspect of his nature. Yet Alex had
betrayed it—had betrayed them.

“What happened with Alex anyway?” Ethan asked this time.
It appeared Max wasn’t quite as patient with Ethan as he’d been with Danielle. “I can’t do this if

you’re going to talk all night. Now be quiet, both of you. We can discuss all of this later. Go to sleep, little
mortals,” Max scolded, but then softened his wrath with a smirk.

Danielle’s attention shifted to Ethan, she could feel his breath radiating into her hair as he pressed

his lips to it. Shuddering as his warmth tickled her skin, she closed her eyes. This man, her man, was also a
member of the Order, and he displayed the same knightly loyalty as Max.

Cedric’s complaints about Ethan’s faltering propriety came to mind as he snuggled closer to her

body, his bent knees fitting into the bend of the back of hers. Danielle rolled to face him. “How is this even
remotely appropriate for a gentleman?” she whispered, hoping Max wouldn’t yell at her for talking right after
he’d told them to be quiet.

“It’s not, but I don’t bloody care right now. I could have lost you tonight. The horrible thought continues

to disturb me. I need to be next to you.” His fingers slid along her cheek as he spoke.

“This stupid war,” she muttered against his chest, knowing her lack of understanding in the matter

was part of why Max thought of her as a youth. War just wasn’t part of her world, her peaceful, spoiled world.

“You’re finally taking this seriously?” Ethan asked.
“I guess so.” She quietly searched for Ethan’s lips with hers, hoping to distract herself from the truth.

And knew Ethan was all for it when he responded so readily.

But it seemed Max had no patience for that either, because he then revised his demands. “I’m not

listening to you two mess around all night. I said sleep…. If you can’t behave I’ll just leave, and I will drag
Ethan with me,” he warned curtly but quietly.

They settled for cuddling instead, and slept the rest of the night like that.

Max woke them just as the sun was about to peek above the horizon. “Now it

is

time to go, Ethan.

They can’t find you here.” Forcefully, the knight lifted Ethan from the bed by the front of his shirt. Ethan
rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stumbled, as he wasn’t steady on his feet yet. Danielle had never seen
him groggy like that before. There was a boyish innocence about him with his hair a mess and his clothes
rumpled.

He smiled sleepily at her as Max instructed him to hang onto his neck preparing to jump from the

window.

“I’ll come get you later,” Ethan said.
Danielle nodded as she followed them to the window.
She watched as Max climbed over the windowsill and dropped into the morning darkness with Ethan.

She then noticed Beon standing outside, ready to take the morning shift of watching over her. He nodded at
her while she slid the window shut.

“Beon wants to have another ... Order council. He’s changing the security arrangements,” Ethan said

as she settled into his car later that day after her classes.

“Those are kind of intense,” she complained.
“I know, but you just barely survived your fourth vampire attack. It’s a miracle you’re still alive,

Danielle.”

Four attacks? Could it really be that many? She thought back: there was Celeste, no before that was

Lucas, then, oh, well she didn’t count Ethan, but she figured he would count himself. She supposed adding
Alex did make it four. Without commenting on that, however, she said, “Sometimes I wish … oh, never mind,
it’s reckless.”

“Tell me.”
“I’ve never thought like this before, and I never thought I would. But sometimes I think it would be nice

if we could just run away, just you and me, and leave all of the dangers, the war and threats behind.”

“That is reckless. And it would never work.”
“I know,” she agonized.
“Though it is beginning to look more and more appealing as time goes on,” he said, surprising her.

He felt the same?

“Unfortunately, Uncle Nick would just call the police again. And you’re sure there isn’t anything we can

do to defend ourselves?” Secretly Danielle hoped there was some defense, like a stake through the heart,
or a spell of some sort, or a plant that was poisonous to them.

Ethan groaned and then glanced at her while he drove, she didn’t like the hopeless look in his eyes.

“Sorry, Danielle, there is no defense we can use against a vampire, unless we were lucky, or rather unlucky
enough to come across one who happened to be weak with thirst. He’d need to be extremely frail with it.
That is the only vampire who could be killed by a mortal, by the usual means—a gun, or knife, or anything
like that—but he would also be much more dangerous. He’d fight ferociously to get his fangs into you.

“That’s why you were able to break the skin when you bit me. I was so weak my body wouldn’t heal

on its own. And ... I

allowed

you to bite me. Most vampires would never allow that. Ever.”

“Figures,” she grumbled, then wanting to change the subject, she asked, “What do you have in here

right now?” Without letting him answer, Danielle turned the stereo on.

A rocking blend of electric guitar and drums filled the air. The measure wove through the car with a

low beat that rumbled lower and harder, banging through a varying range of notes. Then the singer touched
on a wide vibrato with his voice, which caused throbbing notes to linger in the air. The vocalist had an
almost pretty voice that blended so well with the violent sounds coming from the instruments that it gave her
chills, and she leaned back into the headrest to enjoy the ride without conversation.

* * * * *

The others were waiting for them in the drawing room. Cedric and Seth were also there.
“We need to double up on your security. We can’t risk that ever happening again,” Beon said,

unsmiling.

“Danielle, I’m so sorry!” Cedric suddenly wailed. “He offered to trade shifts. I had no idea he was—”
“Cedric, it’s okay. I’m fine,” she said, but hoped he didn’t see her shudder at the memory of a fanged

Alex going for her neck.

Beon continued, “Danielle, may I have your cell phone?” She fished it from her bag and passed it

over. He flipped it open and began pressing buttons, saying, “I’m setting you up with an autodial to me
directly. Just in case you need help again.”

“Thank you,” she replied in a docile tone dropping her gaze to the material covering the sofa. She ran

her hand across the textured fabric as guilt nudged at her senses. She was certain Beon and the others had
better things to do than baby-sit her and Ethan. Plus, as she recalled the incident with Alex, she was fairly
certain she wouldn’t have been able to call anyway.

“I don’t believe this is going to get any better, only worse. I had heard that Celeste and Lucas fled the

country fearing retaliation for Danielle’s death, so it seems they don’t yet pose a threat, but word is getting
out about Ethan being cured. The other vampires are becoming even more of a problem. As I’d said before,
some desperately want the cure and may try to force Danielle into giving it to them. But worse than that,
however, are others who are deeply upset about this discovery and could pose a threat to either of you
simply for bringing it about. This incident with Alex has brought this concern to light. And from what you said,
it’s clear he wasn’t working alone,” Beon announced solemnly.

Troubled by his words, Danielle realized that the number of vampires who wanted to harm either of

them was growing at an alarming rate. The enormity of what she’d actually gotten herself into was sinking in,
and walking away from it would never be an option. It’s true nothing had happened for a while, but now.... It
wouldn’t matter if she broke it off with Ethan—which she could never do anyway—as the dangers would
continue to creep along behind them because of what they’d done. The thought of running away with Ethan
slid back into her mind, but she pushed it aside again. There was no guarantee that would solve their
problems either.

“The good news is that there are many

good

vampires who want to help us, and have volunteered to

take guard shifts. We will have more help when it comes to keeping you two safe. There are many who want
to protect the two who discovered the cure.”

“What happened with Alex?” Ethan asked.
“I gave Alexander a well deserved beating,” Max said. One side of his full mouth lifted into a crooked

grin as he chortled. “He won’t bother Danielle again if he would like to continue breathing air.”

* * * * *

Curling up onto the settee in Ethan’s room, Danielle reached for the throw draped over the back of it,

pulled it forward and around her legs. She got comfortable even knowing they didn’t have much time to
spend together before she’d be sent home. “We opened up a can of worms when we cured you, didn’t we?”

Ethan sat down and slipped under the throw with her. “Yes, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Danielle couldn’t help but wonder if he really meant that. Yes, he loved food but now he was in as

much danger as she was in, with no way of defending himself except to rely on Order members for
protection. Beon and Max said they could be trusted, but could a bunch of vampires who’d supposedly
turned over a new leaf really be trusted? Deep down she knew she would trust Max, Beon, Cedric and even
Seth with her life, but what of the others? What about the ones who had killed, who had tasted mortal blood?
What if they turned sides like Celeste had or like Alex had? And forget privacy after this.... “It doesn’t look
like the bodyguard situation is going to improve.”

“It might change,” Ethan said, leaning back into the cushion.
“For the worse you mean?”
He leaned forward, his elbows braced on his knees. “No. For the better.”
She studied his calm expression. “I don’t understand.”
Gently, he dragged the backs of his fingers along her cheek. She looked at him, wondering if he was

going to answer her question. His eyes darkened with soberness before he asked, “Do you want to be with
me forever, even with the problems surrounding our relationship? Do you love me?”

Unsettled by the fact that he even had to ask that question, she twisted further to face him more

straight on. Of course she realized she hadn’t expressed her love for him as much as he’d said those words
to her, but she didn’t want him to doubt how she felt about him. “Of course I love you! You’re everything to
me.” She slung her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone, and
because of that, I’ll face this with you.”

Just as Danielle finished her ramblings she realized, with panic, that she didn’t know why he was

bringing up this line of questioning. What if he’d changed his mind about them and hoped she had the same
doubts? What if he thought it was too dangerous for them to be together? Feeling color leave her face as
fear washed over her, her shoulders slumped.

A finger came up to her chin and Ethan inspected her expression, the depths of her eyes. She

realized that he’d sensed the shift in her mood, as usual. And his response made it clear he understood
enough of what was going on in her head. “Danielle, I feel the same. I love you, I adore you ... you’re more
valuable to me than anything in this world.” The finger holding her face dropped to the pearl necklace around
her neck as he spoke. “I don’t want you to worry about the guards or anyone else, because,” one corner of
his mouth lifted, “I have a plan.”

A gasp from her stirred his hair. “Tell me!”
“Nope, it’s a surprise.” Looking away, Ethan hesitated before adding, “I do need to go away for a

couple days to prepare for it, though.”

Danielle’s lips twitched into a pout. “You’re not going to Benjamin again, are you? Please tell me it’s

not that.” Because

that

hadn’t worked out so well.

He chuckled. “Relax. I’m not going to visit any vampires this time, and I’ll have two bodyguards with

me. I have no worries that I’ll be safe. I just need you to be patient and trust me.”

“You do remember that patience

isn’t

one of my stronger points, don’t you?”

“I’m fully aware of that,” he said while laughing. “Come here.” With fingers curling around her nape, he

pulled her closer, and left a trail of kisses all over her face and lips. “You said you love me, but do you trust
me?”

“I trust you. But ... I still worry about your safety, even more so, now that you’re mortal like me.”
Frowning at that comment, he moved the kisses to her neck, and she laughed uncontrollably as he

found that ticklish spot. “That’s payback for calling me weak.” When his mouth moved away from the place
that drew giggles from her, he said, “Have faith in me.”

“But— When are you leaving? How long will you be? Will you actually answer your phone this time?

And will you call me?”

Again he matched his eyes with hers, “I leave tomorrow. I’ll only be gone for two days. And yes, I’ll

answer my phone, and yes, I’ll call several times a day.”

“But you said that last time,” she complained, shifting so her legs crossed over his.
His fingers curled around her knee. “This time will be different, and it’s just two days.”
“Is that two days and three nights, or two days and one night or—” Ethan gently placed a hand over

her mouth to shut her up.

She tried to scowl at him with just her eyes, but all that earned her was a bit of soft chuckling which

she could feel vibrating through his whole torso.

Mumbling under his hand she tried a narrow-eyed look.
Smirking, Ethan sighed and lifted his hand.
“Take me with you,” she said.
“Absolutely not! That would spoil the surprise!”
She groaned. “But I’m not ready for you to leave

tomorrow

.”

He raised an eyebrow and let his love for her smolder in his blue gaze, showing her the Ethan from

her forgotten spirit-life. His thumb landed on her lower lip as he encouraged her lips to part with gentle
pressure. Aligning his mouth with hers, he blew into her face like a vampire, like Alex had. Closing her eyes,
she drew it in. Obviously he knew exactly what he was doing, the scoundrel. Would he ever play fair?

“Feeling better?” he asked.
The spellbound smile on her face was replaced with her returning pout as she remembered that he

still meant to leave. “Not really. You’re still leaving.”

“Yes, but it

will

be worth it.”

That determination of his was written in every line of his face, and she knew she couldn’t talk him out

of it. “All right.” She gathered his face between her hands, noting the stubble scraping at her fingers. “You’d
better kiss me. I need something to hold me over.”

Triumphant mirth sparkled in his eyes and he angled his mouth over hers. Those blond whiskers

shadowing his face rasped against her cheeks and chin.

They would have kept feasting on the delectable caress if someone hadn’t knocked on the door—

again interrupting them whenever they moved this from quiet chatting to kissing. These vampires had
uncanny timing and she wondered if it was planned or coincidence.

Ethan lifted his wrist and looked at his watch. “It’s time to get you home.”
“No…” She grabbed his arm to see for herself. It was eight-thirty. They’d allowed them to stay after

dark. “How did we not notice the sun had set?”

“My curtains are shut, and I guess we were too involved in our conversation.”
“Right, I guess so.”

Chapter 4

Two Days

Danielle spent more time with Brianna than she had recently, and her cousin complained about their

emotional distance as she’d grown closer to Ethan. Brianna and William were close of course, but their
relationship wasn’t as intense as hers seemed with Ethan. Ethan had a stronger pull on her, and their
feelings clearly ran deeper, or maybe it was longer. She considered the connection their souls had—that
feeling of knowing each other before they ever actually met. Somehow Danielle doubted Brianna had that
with Will.

Still, she really needed to stop obsessing over Ethan and just deal normally with this time apart. At

least she didn’t feel like she had last time with that fearful premonition plaguing her. It seemed like he would
be safe this time, and that helped.

After chasing an almond on her plate, Danielle scooped up a bite of her salad and mentally

committed to keeping her mind off Ethan. She could be independent of him for just a couple of days.... This
is why she was eating lunch with Brianna at Little Betty’s, one of her cousin’s favorite restaurants.

“You’re really smitten with Ethan, aren’t you?” Brianna asked.
Ah, so eagerly her thoughts wandered right back to him, she thought as the forkful of lettuce paused

halfway to her mouth. The change in momentum caused the almond to fall back to her plate. She lowered it
down the rest of the way because it just wasn’t the same unless she had a nice mix of lettuce, Asian
dressing, mandarin orange and almond. She fished for the nut again as she replied to the unexpected
change in topic, “Very.” She may as well admit defeat now, only a day after he left on his mysterious little trip
and she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

“Do you think you’ll get married?”
Her eyes widened and shot to her cousin’s. “Oh, Um…” Of course she secretly wanted that, but they

hadn’t actually discussed it. “I don’t know. He hasn’t asked, and my parents wouldn’t like that at all.” And the
realization of that truth felt like a rock settling in her stomach.

Brianna’s gaze shifted. It appeared as though she was distracted from their conversation. “Who are

those men over there? They’ve been watching you,” she abruptly asked.

Danielle turned, knowing exactly what she was going to see—her bodyguards. It was Seth and

Cedric, incognito as two business men. They were seated at a table eating a lunch they didn’t really need,
while they remained vigilant in manning their post for Danielle’s safety.

Cedric winked when she looked at them, but Seth elbowed him for it.
“Did he just wink at you?” Brianna exclaimed with an appalled tone to her youthful British accent.
Danielle turned back to face her cousin, and a moment of brilliance hit her. “I think he’s looking at

you, not me,” she replied, knowing it was a slightly devious thing to do. But how else was she supposed to
cover for the bodyguards who were apparently not being elusive enough?

“Really?” Brianna blushed. “He’s hot … but, uh … I have Will, I’d better just ignore him,” she said,

displaying integrity.

Danielle coughed to hide her snicker.
They were almost finished with their meal when an unfamiliar man walked up to them. Facing her, he

said, “Miss Darcey, I beg your pardon, could I please speak with you in private for just a moment?” From the
look of him and from the eloquence that oozed from his old-world cadence—Danielle knew at once—he
was a vampire.

She paused, and her lips parted with shock, but Brianna cut in, “Danielle, who—?”
“Um.” She had to think quickly. “Uh, this is one of my professors,” she said, uncertain of how she

should really handle this.

“Oh,” her expression brightened, “Do you know my dad?”
The man rudely ignored Brianna and maintained his focus on Danielle. “Miss Darcey, simply a short

moment, I assure you.” After repeating his request, the man grasped her hand in a way that appeared to be
gentle outwardly, but felt painfully forceful to her. She attempted to resist but didn’t want to distress Brianna
with another kidnapping attempt, so she refrained from causing the drama needed to embarrass this man
enough to escape him and stood. He didn’t loosen his crushing grip on her fingers, and she was forced to

clench her teeth, fighting the need to grimace with the pain.

Fortunately for her, she knew she had two vampires right behind her with the sole task of keeping her

safe from vampires like this one. Covertly she turned to lift her purse from the back of her chair, knowing that
as she took the strap she’d be able to make eye contact with her guards.

They were watching the man, not her, probably making certain he didn’t notice them. Seth quickly

flashed his eyes to her and nodded. They then behaved as if they didn’t know her or what was happening.
But Danielle had confidence they would take care of her.

Attempting to sound calm she said, “I’ll be back in a minute, Bri.” She went with the man as he led

her to a more secluded location outside of the restaurant, and away from Brianna’s line of vision. He
lessened the pressure of his hold, but kept her hand firmly in his when they got to a spot that was apparently
satisfactory to him.

“Thank you. My dear, I will not waste time with pleasantries and get right to the point. I have been a

vampire for

many

years. I’ve lived a happy, but

terribly

long life. And I am weary. I am requesting that you

give me the cure to this curse.”

Danielle stared at him. She didn’t really want to bite this man. He was a little frightening, and she

sensed that he had to be much older than Beon or even Seth. Biting Ethan had been an intimate
experience, and she couldn’t imagine doing it to just any stranger. Not to mention, she understood how
dangerous it was for her. Her eyes widened with panic when she realized that he was slowly towing her
toward a black car parked next to the sidewalk. He meant to kidnap her, and force her to cure him, though
she knew he’d probably kill her in the process.

“No, sir. It’s not that simple. Please let go. I can’t go with you.”
“I’m afraid I can’t take no for an answer.”
She began to struggle more, but this man simply took hold of her arm as well as her hand, then

halted abruptly.

Confusion swamped her until she understood that he’d hesitated in his abduction because her

security detail had arrived. Seth stood behind the man, his fists and stiff shoulders hinted at the threat he
most likely meant to convey. She noticed from her peripheral that Cedric had moved in behind her, and she
felt his hands settle onto her shoulders. Danielle sighed in relief.

“Release Danielle now,” Seth warned in a harsh, commanding voice.
“Gentlemen, I only wish for Miss Darcey to share the miracle of this cure with me. I mean her no

harm.”

“Release her,” Seth demanded, and the man finally let go. Danielle rubbed her reddened fingers.
“You do not want me for an enemy,” the man countered. His once articulate voice was now seething

with menace.

“We are not saying that you cannot have the cure, but we need you to go through Beon and not

Danielle.” Seth’s unfaltering voice was equally threatening.

“But he isn’t mortal; he cannot offer the cure to me.”
“Danielle is in his personal care, you will need to go through Beon. Please give us your name and we

will have him contact you at a later time.”

The man appeared to take measure of his situation, realizing it seemed that he had no choice but to

back down.

“May name is Laszlo Martine, I will await his call. I’m sorry to have disturbed you, Miss Darcey,

please accept my apologies.”

She smiled what felt like an awkward twist of her mouth, attempting politeness, though she was sure

he saw through it.

He left and Cedric rubbed her shoulders likely trying to console her. “Are you all right, Danielle?” That

kind tone in his voice helped as well.

“Yes, thank you, I’m extremely grateful you were both here.”
“You’re very welcome, we’re happy to be of service.”
“Cedric,” Seth said abruptly, “call Ethan and Beon. They need to know.”
The younger vampire frowned. “I don’t think so. Ethan isn’t going to take this well. Neither one of them

will. You make the calls.”

Seth glowered. “I’ve asked you to do it.” She suspected that he came close to saying,

Do it because

I said so, young man

, but somehow resisted the urge.

“You’re the adult.”
Danielle couldn’t help but laugh at that, and clapped a hand over her mouth, trying to hide it. Okay—

so maybe Seth was over eight or nine hundred years old, while Cedric was

only

eighty-nine. That still made

him the same age as her grandfather. His words repeated through her thoughts….

You’re the adult

... and

she snorted with laughter again. The immortal bodyguards looked at her, but said nothing.

“Fine, I’ll do it.” Seth turned and stalked off, whipped a cell phone from his pocket, pressed a button,

and then jerked it to his ear.

Cedric’s gaze lifted past her shoulder. “You should get back to your cousin now; it appears she’s

getting restless.”

Danielle nodded in agreement and returned to Brianna. However, later that day, she asked Beon if

he would also assign guards to her cousin when she noticed that Mr. Martine and her security detail weren’t
the only vampires trailing her. She was gaining a following and it made her concerned for Brianna’s safety
as well as her own. Beon agreed and quickly set two men to watch her cousin, who remained oblivious.

Ethan called her soon after he was told about the attempted kidnapping, but he was pleased with

how it’d been handled, and told Danielle that he would be home soon, though he didn’t say exactly when.

Chapter 5

Fairytale

Danielle went to bed early that night. But just as she’d tucked herself in, she heard a noise at her

window, right before it began to open slowly.

Her heart stopped.

What now?

she thought, and then breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was only Max. Her

smile became a gape of confusion when she noticed he was carrying a huge bouquet of roses. He’d only
given her one the other night, and that one flower had been an innocent shade of pink. These were red—
usually meaning love, or at least that’s what she thought.

“Er.... Hi, Max. What’s going on?”
He ignored her question and went directly to the iPod on her dresser. “Do you happen to have any

instrumental or romantic selections for this?” he asked while looking through the play lists listed in the
interface.

“What?” Now she was really perplexed.
“Oh, how about ‘Danielle’s bedtime mix’?” His face brightened while he checked with her for

confirmation.

She stared blankly back at him.
Max shrugged and had clearly decided his selection was acceptable without a single word from her.

He connected the device into the iPod dock, but didn’t push play, and then turned to face her again,
smirking broadly. “That’s just in case we make too much noise and need a cover.”

What noises are

we

going to be making?

she wondered. “Um, Max, seriously, are you trying to

anger Ethan? Because this should do it…”

He chortled softly, his huge shoulders shaking with it. Teasing her was apparently fun for him. “Oh, I

know

Ethan will not be angry with me.” A dauntless grin pulled at his lips.

“How?”
“Well, my love, while you certainly are worthy of such affection from me, these flowers are not from

me. These are from the lowly chap standing outside.” He waved an open hand in the direction of the
window, as though he was a game show host noting the fine prizes available

.

Danielle’s eyes enlarged as she slipped from her bed, strode eagerly to the window, and leaned out

to see who was in the garden.

He stood below her window, his guitar slung casually over his shoulder by the strap as he smiled up

at her.

“Ethan, you’re back!” She screamed and started bouncing cheerfully. The sound didn’t travel very far,

because she’d screamed into Max’s oversized palm. It seemed Ethan had warned him that she had a
tendency to do that when she got surprised, and they apparently didn’t want to draw the household to her
bedroom.

Max chuckled.
Danielle mumbled under his hand, and he laughed harder, but kept the volume low. His hand

remained over her lips, muffling her.

“You can remove the gag now, Max,” Ethan informed him, looking slightly annoyed.
“Oh, right.” The hand released her.
Danielle leaned further out the window. “Hi. So you got back tonight then?”
He nodded. “I came here directly from the airport, just to see you.” And then he bowed.
There’s that Jane Austen hero she was in love with, and smiled. “Thank you. But why didn’t you come

to the front door? I can’t hug you from here,” she complained, the smile slipping.

Ethan ignored her protest, lifted his guitar and began playing. He brought to life an intricate melody

as he plucked and strummed his fingers over the strings. The serenade he played was filled with
complicated finger work and the tune was romantic and sweet, like something from

The Princess Bride

.

She couldn’t help but be moved by it. Danielle rested her chin in her hand until he finished with the charming
number and then began another.

But while she loved listening to his talented and touching performance, she really wanted to hug and

kiss him. She was frustrated that he’d returned from his trip, only to remain just out of reach— She turned to
face Max, who looked slightly startled just before he dropped his eyes to the floor. “Take me down to him.
Please?”

His lips twisted into a rascally grin. “Yes, my lady.”
Max swept her into his arms and bounded from the high window. Her stomach upturned because it

felt like the quick descent of a rollercoaster. She hadn’t been prepared for that. He released her as soon as
he landed lithely on the ground, but then had to catch her, before she stumbled to the grass. “Oh, sorry, was
that a bit much for you?” She could hear the laughter in his husky tone.

“I’m okay…” It seemed he didn’t believe her since he kept one hand on her elbow as she regained

her balance. Ethan, who’d stopped playing, swung his guitar behind his back and tugged her into the circle
of his arms. She snuggled into his embrace and whispered, “Thank you for the roses and the beautiful
music, but it’s

you

I want, silly.”

Ethan smiled in reply and took possession of her mouth with his. When she opened her eyes, and

pulled away from his kiss, she realized they were surrounded by his entourage and hers, while she stood
there in her pajamas—kind of embarrassing. “Oh, uh,” she muttered as she felt her face heat up.

“Don’t mind them, Danielle, it’s not like you’re standing here in your knickers.”
At least they weren’t meeting her gaze, knowing their magic was at full intensity, and she focused on

Ethan again. He took her face into his hands and brushed the tip of his nose across hers. “Danielle,” he
whispered affectionately, “I’ve planned our next day trip for tomorrow. I need you to be ready at eleven.”

“Okay.”
“And wear your white dress. I desire to see you in that again.”
“All right,” she said, breathless.
She drew her fingers through his hair, noting how the moonlight bounced and danced from the lighter

strands. She was about to go for his lips again, when Max interrupted. “Whoops!” he snapped, and then
yanked her from Ethan, rolled her into his chest, and sprang back up to her bedroom. The sensation drained
the blood from her head. She couldn’t recall any amusement park rides that went up so quickly, or at least
she’d never been brave enough to try one.

The knight stuffed Danielle in bed, hit play for the music, and then instantly disappeared from sight.

She collapsed into her pillows, waiting for her stomach to return to its proper place from her toes.

Then her door opened. “Hey, Dannie—er, I’m sorry, did I wake you?”
“No, I was awake,” she replied, trying to not look guilty and dazed.
“Oh good, may I borrow a rubber? I can’t find mine,” Brianna said.
“A-a what?” Danielle could feel the horrified look on her face as she choked out the words.
Her cousin’s eyes rounded and then she erupted into fervent giggles, doubling over with the intensity

of it. “Oh!” She laughed some more. “I totally forgot!” She then started coughing she was laughing so hard
and sat down on the edge of Danielle’s bed before she collapsed from mirth. “I mean

an eraser

.” She

pronounced each syllable slowly.

“Oh,” was all Danielle could muster in reply.
“I’m sorry, Cousin, we call them rubbers because that’s what they’re made of. I haven’t a clue why you

Yanks call them erasers.” She paused to consider that for a moment. “Okay, well I suppose that does make
sense too. Anyway, could I borrow one?”

“Eh, sure. There should be one in my desk.”
Her cousin walked to the desk, shuffled around for the eraser, took it, then went back to the door.

Danielle watched her cousin, wondering where the vampire was hiding, and what he was thinking of this
insane verbal exchange.

“’Night, Danielle.”
“Goodnight, Bri.”
She waited for Max to reveal his secret place and nearly shrieked when he slid out from under her

bed. He was jerking with silent guffaws. He gave her a pat on the head and then jumped out the window.
She followed and watched as he landed easily, and then disappeared around the front of the house.

Ethan was still there. “Danielle, I must go home now. But I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks for coming by.” She sighed as his guards took their places on either side of him.

“Goodnight.”
“’Night,” she replied.
He also vanished into the night with the two-man security entourage he’d arrived with.

* * * * *

“Where are we going this time?” Danielle asked as they got settled into his car the next day, but

realized that she’d failed at masking her impatience when he chuckled.

“We’re going back to the ruins, and it should take about an hour to get there, and yes, I plan to carry

you again,” Ethan replied, anticipating her next set of questions.

Laughing, she said, “You’re getting to know me a little too well.”
“We’ve been through a lot, Danielle.”
“That much is true.” She reached for the blue silk tie he wore. “This is nice, it matches your eyes.”

Then her gaze traveled over his charcoal pinstriped suit. He’d dressed up special this time, and she
wondered why, though she did have some suspicions.

“Thanks, and, as always, you’re lovely in this Edwardian-style dress. And I see you remembered the

pearls I gave you. I’m glad.” His hand traced the inset lace on the skirt, and then swept upward to brush her
hair aside, giving himself a better view of the jewelry.

The drive went by quickly, lucky for Ethan, since Danielle didn’t feel the need to keep asking him how

much longer. He parked the Jag on the shoulder of the road. Once out of the car, he lifted her into his arms
to begin the long walk through the forest to the ruins.

As Ethan made his way through the underbrush in a suit and polished black shoes, Danielle noticed

that many more vampires than their usual guard were in the woods as she and Ethan passed through. It
seemed they’d come out in droves.

“Why are there so many?” she asked softly.
“They just want to make sure we’re safe. We’re in a forest,” Ethan said.
His explanation didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but Danielle was distracted by the sound of music

drifting through the trees as they neared the ruins. It sounded like a strange mix of the fairy’s music and the
vampire musicians from the ball. As her previous suspicions resurfaced, she asked, “What do you have
planned?”

“You’ll see soon enough.” Ethan grinned as he cleared the last of the trees and Danielle could finally

see what he’d done.

She gasped. The stone structures of his childhood home were decorated with white rose garlands,

and situated in the center of everything was a table for two, covered with a white tablecloth and sprinkled
with white rose petals, then in the center of that stood an empty white vase. The table was flanked by a pair
of wingback chairs. She’d never seen living room seating used in an outdoor setting like that, but it was
beautiful and ultra romantic.

She tried to find the source of the music, but could see no one else in the area.
“When did you do all of this?” Danielle marveled.
“I didn’t, the others helped me.” Her gaze moved back to the surrounding trees and she noticed

shadows of people moving within the shade of the trees.

“What’s this all for?” she asked, although she had a hunch.
“It’s all for you, princess.” He tickled her with a kiss on her neck as he advanced toward the table.
She squirmed and giggled just as she always did when his lips touched that sensitive flesh. “Well,

you’ve topped the ball this time.”

Ethan bent down to set Danielle in one of the chairs, she was then startled to see Beon standing

there holding the chair out for her. He hadn’t been there before and had seemingly materialized from out of
nowhere.

Beon was dressed in a black suit with a black necktie, and a white tuxedo shirt, his dark hair was

slicked back, and he stood by the table like a stodgy butler. He even had a white towel draped over his arm.
And the sight of Beon like this made Danielle want to laugh, but she pressed her lips together in an attempt
to keep it in.

“For you, Danielle.” The words came from behind her, and she knew Nadia’s voice instantly. She

turned to see the folkloric immortal holding a single white rose out to her.

Danielle took it. “Thank you,” she said as Nadia left, and then looked at Ethan curiously.
The smile he returned bewildered her. His lips were twisted with a grin, but something she didn’t

recognize danced in his eyes.

“I’ll take that, dear.” Beon snatched the rose from her and stuck it into the empty vase.
“For you, my lady.” Danielle shifted her gaze again to find Cedric holding another white rose out to

her.

“Thanks.” She took the rose, only to have it taken by Beon again.
Cedric chortled and ruffled Ethan’s perfectly placed hair as he left.
Ethan scowled and combed through his dark-blond locks with his fingers to fix it.
“Hello, my darling.” Sophia addressed her next, with yet another rose, and her famous hors d’oeuvres

arranged on a tiered cake platter, which she set on the left side of the table.

“Hello. Thank you, Sophia,” Danielle said as she took the rose and just handed it to Beon this time.

She was catching on to the pattern here.

Danielle looked over her shoulder to see Seth approaching next. Sometimes he still made her a little

nervous. Perhaps it was because even as he strode toward her with a single rose in his hand, he did it with
such an air of purpose and importance that he appeared almost regal. “For you, my dear,” he said holding
the rose out to her.

Danielle took it. “Thank you, sir.”
Seth was followed by Max, who said, “Lovely roses for a lovely lady.”
She laughed. “Thanks, Max.”
Max handed four roses to her rather than just one. He then slid his hand flirtatiously along hers as he

released the flowers. She knew Max only did it to taunt Ethan, mainly because it always worked so well.

And she checked Ethan’s expression to see if he’d fallen for it. He did. “I saw that, Max. Watch it,”

Ethan growled, his eyes narrowed.

Never daunted by Ethan’s warnings, even when he’d been a vampire, Max gave Ethan a swift slug in

the arm as he passed him.

“Ow!” Ethan grimaced as he fought to keep his chair from tipping over from the force of the punch. “I’ll

get you for that,” Ethan grumbled while rubbing his now dead arm.

Danielle laughed, but stopped short and blinked when something soft bounced off the end of her

nose. She looked into her lap and saw that it was a white rose petal.

Ethan snorted, the sound was followed by a stream of chuckling.
Suddenly after that, she was showered with many more petals as well as roses now.
Bewildered, she looked up to see where this attack was coming from. “Oh!” she gasped. A swarm of

little fairies hovered over her head, showering her with fragrant flowers and petals.

Danielle recognized Alora as she swooped down and stopped so close in front of her face she

almost had to go cross-eyed to see her.

“Hello, Danielle,” the sprite greeted and then snuck a look in Ethan’s direction. It seemed the tiny fairy

planned to say more and wondered if Ethan would approve.

Which he didn’t. “Alora! Don’t you dare!” Ethan admonished sternly.
Alora pouted, gave Danielle a kiss on her nose and darted away like an insect.
“I’ll take those,” Beon said, reaching his hand out for the remaining roses to add to his arrangement.
“Oh … yes, sir.” Danielle quickly gathered them from her lap and passed them over.
He then began arranging the flowers in the vase as precisely as a florist would. But his brows

furrowed when he apparently didn’t like how it was going. He left with the bouquet, looking a little
exasperated—then returned to place the finished design in the center of the table. He’d added some tiny
white flowers that dripped beautifully from the lip of the vase, complementing the roses nicely. Pressing his
fists on his hips, he admired his work. The corner of his lips twitched into a smile and he turned on his heal
to leave again.

Danielle snickered; Beon was funny when he behaved like this.
Emotions swelled within her. Ethan had planned all of this for her? Lifting her gaze to his, she said,

“Thank you, I can honestly say I’ve never received flowers like that before.”

“Did you enjoy that?”
“Yes, though it was almost tiring.” Danielle slid her hand across the table to reach his. He followed

her lead, matched his fingertips with hers and then interlocked their fingers. She sighed, she was here with
Ethan, yet she hadn’t really had a chance to enjoy

just

his company. And realized that this was the best they

were going to get as she again noticed the many guards lurking within the woods.

Ethan frowned. “You can’t be sad. Not at a time like this.”
“I’m not sad. It’s just ... well, we’re never really alone.”
“Salad is ready.” Beon’s voice cut into their “moment” abruptly, proving her point.
They both sat upright, forced to release their hands in the process. Ethan eyed her, looking

concerned and lipped the words “I’m sorry” to her.

She nodded as Beon left them to their salads. “Will they leave us alone longer when we’re done

eating?” she asked.

“That’s the plan,” Ethan said.
“Really?” He nodded, and she continued, “Please tell me this isn’t a six course meal.”
“No. It’s a light lunch.”
“Oh, good. Eat your salad quickly,” Danielle advised spearing some lettuce and a cherry tomato onto

her fork. “The sooner we’re done, the sooner these interruptions end, right?” Again he nodded with a
mouthful of salad on his fork, and her eyes drifted to the trees again. “Though the forest will still be full of
watching eyes, won’t it?”

“I’m afraid so.” Ethan sighed. “I know this is massively awkward, but we can’t change it. Especially

now that it seems you are being followed nonstop by immortals wishing to do you harm.”

Even knowing he was right, Danielle rolled her eyes. They couldn’t change it—she just had to learn to

live with it.

When they finished their meal, Ethan’s expression rearranged again and he appeared to be quite

distracted by his thoughts.

“Are you all right? Did you eat too fast?” she asked.
“No, love, I’m fine. Please come with me.” He stood, stepped around the table, lifted her hand into

his, and then led her to an upholstered chaise lounge; another piece of furniture not usually seen in an
outdoor setting.

Once Danielle was seated, Ethan dropped to his knee in front of her. She gasped, completely

knowing what he meant to do.

He reached into his pocked, removed a small velvet box, and opened it to reveal a beautiful diamond

ring set in white gold. The design was intricate and vintage inspired. The band was thick with rectangle
diamonds leading up to the main setting. Fancy scrolls ran along the edges of the gold. The main setting
was surrounded with a square of white gold, and tiny diamonds marched around the design. In the center
sparkled a large, round diamond.

“Danielle my love, will you marry me? Will you be my wife?”
Her heart was pounding. Many girls fantasize about a moment like this, and here it was, a magical

reality. She couldn’t have dreamed up a better man to marry in her wildest fantasies. Her emotions rushed
to the surface and spilled over in the form of tears. “Yes, Ethan! Of course yes!” She flung her arms around
his neck and hugged him tightly.

With her arms still slung around his neck, Ethan managed to rise from his kneeling position to seat

himself next to her on the chaise.

Pulling away, Ethan gifted her with an emotion drenched expression of love and devotion. “Thank

you. I promise to keep you safe and make you happy beyond the end, Danielle, forever, for an eternity.” He
reached back to disengage her left arm from around his neck, removed the ring from the box and slipped it
onto her finger. “I designed it myself,” he whispered, his lips smiling as he ran his finger over the ring. “Are
you pleased?”

“It’s beautiful. I love it.”
His eyes left the ring and met with hers. They gazed at each other, soul to soul. It was far more

intense than just staring into the eyes of any another person, and it was something only they had with each
other.

“It’s not too late to say no to the weak mortal and marry me instead!” was shouted from within the

woods to their left. It was Max, the tease.

“Hey! Why did you hit me?” again bellowed the knight. Nadia had probably smacked him for the

comment.

Danielle couldn’t decide if she wanted to cry or laugh at that.
“Ignore him,” Ethan said in a low tone as he gently took her face in his hands, and then enticed her

with sweet kisses placed everywhere on her face—except for her lips. He kissed her on the eyelids, on the
cheeks, along her jawbone, and just under her chin. Danielle shuddered thinking Ethan was a master at
distraction, because he was driving her crazy by never touching her lips!

Her fingers interlocked behind his neck. “Kiss me. Now,” she demanded.
Ethan chuckled. When he finally did press his mouth to hers the kiss was sweeter, even more divine,

and more delicious, and she realized that’s how he’d planned it.

She tugged him closer with his name on her tongue and smiled against his lips when he did the

same. At that moment, Danielle didn’t care they weren’t really alone, and that they most likely had an
audience.

The kissing continued until they were forced to gasp for air.
Ethan then leaned back into the chaise, spread his legs and tugged her to his chest. She fanned her

fingers across his shirt to admire the exquisite ring, then dropped her head onto his chest.

They snuggled as the music continued to sweeten the air, and Danielle watched the edge of the

trees as the fairies danced like colorful fireflies amongst them. Their glow was bright enough to see during
the day, although they did keep to the darkness of the shadows.

“I love you,” she whispered softly.
“I love you too. More than anything,” Ethan replied.
They lingered until the sky transformed into sunset hues, and she knew it would soon be time to go.

Danielle realized the time had come when she could see vampires emerging from the dense wood. They
didn’t converge on them immediately, still giving them some time alone together, it seemed.

“Will they ever leave us to ourselves?” Danielle asked.
“Once we’re married they’ll have to give us more privacy.”
She sat upright, alarmed. “Please tell me that’s not the only reason you proposed to me.”
“No! Of course not! I want to spend this life and the next with you. I would have proposed to you even

if we didn’t have bodyguards tailing us constantly. I’ve been thinking about doing this for a long time now.
Since before I was even cured.”

Sighing in relief, Danielle could feel the soft smile on her face as she returned her head to her toned

pillow.

Her mind was just now beginning to comprehend the clues ... he’d said he felt their situation could

improve, he’d said he was working on a better plan than running away together, and he’d left on that trip….
But— “Ethan?”

“Yes.”
“Where did you go for two days?” she asked as she rubbed his tie between her fingers, experiencing

the petal softness of the silk.

“Glenwood Springs. That’s a very nice little town, by the way.”
“Oh...” Her parents might not be too thrilled about this arrangement, mainly because it would keep

her from returning to Colorado.

“Why do you think I went to Glenwood, Danielle?”
“What?”
He sighed, and she wondered if he we was ever frustrated with how slow she could be. “Danielle, I

went to ask your parents for your hand in marriage.”

“Really?”
“Of course.”
“I didn’t think people did that anymore.”
“Well, I do.”
Of course he did. He was old-fashioned like that. She should have known.

“And they approved?” she asked in disbelief.
“Yes. I can be very convincing when I need to be.”
“Wow, I’m amazed. You’re amazing! They really did not want me to marry a Londoner.”
“They’ve accepted it, you have nothing to worry about,” he whispered with his lips against the top of

her head, and his fingers tangled in her brown curls.

Danielle noticed the sun was sinking lower in the sky, and could see the vampires moving closer.

However, she was still startled when she heard one speak into her ear. “Danielle! I’m so happy for you!”
Nadia sang, as she gave her a hug.

“Thank you, Nadia.”
The others chimed in, embracing and congratulating them as well.
Max threatened to punch Ethan’s arm again, but it wasn’t really fair for Max to roughhouse with Ethan

now that he was mortal, and Danielle covered his arms with hers so Max couldn’t do it.

The knight boomed with thick laughter. “Okay, I could never hurt Danielle, so I guess you have her to

protect you.”

Ethan laughed and kissed her on the top of the forehead to thank her for rescuing him from his

dangerous friend.

“How’s your arm from the last time?” she asked Ethan.
“There’s a nice bruise there, I can feel it. I realize now how much you were suffering when Celeste

attacked you.” His golden brows turned up and he moaned.

She giggled.
Interrupting, Beon said, “I’m sorry, Ethan, Danielle, but it

is

time to go.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, Beon,” Ethan said.
“Thank you for everything,” Danielle added.
Beon nodded, smiling kindly.

Danielle closed her eyes as they neared her uncle’s home. She was very happy even though their

circumstances remained unsafe. Ethan was right, it could improve.

“Danielle, do you still trust me?” Ethan asked.
“Of course. Why do you ask?”
“You’ll see.”
His comment made her slightly nervous. It seemed there was more to his plans that she didn’t know

about.

Ethan then pulled up to her uncle’s house, parked, and jogged around the car to open the door for

her.

Beon and Sophia joined them as they approached the front steps. Danielle looked at them curiously,

but they said nothing, though Sophia was smiling. She knew they didn’t need to be cautious with their eyes
yet, as it would be a few more minutes before the sun set completely. However, the look on Sophia’s face
made her suspicious again.

When they stepped inside, she knew what the secret was when they were greeted by more than just

her aunt, uncle and Brianna. Her parents were there, and her mouth dropped open as she gaped at Ethan.

He chuckled and pressed her lips together with two gentle fingers placed under her chin. “Surprise,”

he said.

“Danielle! You were right! Ethan is a very nice young man!” her mother said, drawing her into a hug.
She realized then how much she’d missed them, as she sank willingly into her mom’s comforting

embrace. “Oh, Mom, it’s so nice to see you. Thank you for coming all this way.”

The moment her mother released her, her father beamed happily as he too gathered her into his

arms.

“Daddy, I can’t believe you’re here! It’s so wonderful!” Danielle said, fighting back the tears that came

to her so easily.

“My darling little princess has found her prince,” her father whispered when he leaned away from her

to see her face. “I can’t tell you how pleased I am.” He cradled her face with his hand and pressed a kiss to
her cheek.

“Thank you.” It was such a huge relief to see them happy about her engagement. She’d made almost

all of their fears come true by getting injured, going missing more than once, and falling for a Londoner when
they’d allowed her to leave home and attend art school in England. But for reasons she didn’t understand,
they were still content. She couldn’t help but wonder what miracle Ethan had performed to make this
possible.

Brianna snatched up her left hand, requesting to see the ring. She was surrounded by the rest of her

family as they also converged for a better look.

Uncle Nick invited everyone to sit down in the drawing room for—of course—tea. He then made the

proper introductions, while her parents studied Beon and Sophia, appearing perplexed with their unnaturally
youthful good looks. They did look older than Ethan, certainly, but not by much. She of course realized this is
why they’d come, to present themselves as fake relatives for Ethan.

Ethan whispered into her ear as they seated themselves. “Danielle, your parents did have one

condition for accepting my proposal.”

Her eyes widened, and she knew she couldn’t hide the worry in her expression. Of course there’d

been a condition. Why else would her parents accept this so easily?

She knew her father had heard Ethan, when he said, “Yes, Danielle. We want you to finish with

school before you get married.”

“Oh,” she said.
The room was silent as they all stared at her; it seemed they were expecting more than a one syllable

word in reply. So she continued, “I can do that.” But she was feeling a little daunted by the requirement.
She’d only been going part-time and didn’t expect to graduate quite so soon.

Of course she was nineteen and could tell them to forget it if she really wanted to, but the biggest

problem was the fact that they were the ones who paid for her to go to school in the first place. Because of
that, she felt they

did

have a say, and apparently they saw it the same way.

Feeling her muscles tensing as she tried to imagine a long engagement with bodyguards hindering

her time alone with Ethan. Danielle knew Ethan sensed her stress when he moved his hand to her back and
began working his fingers into the knotting muscles, clearly meaning to soothe her.

The silence in the room lengthened to an uncomfortable amount of time, until her mother spoke,

“Ethan came out to visit us, to request our permission to marry you. We were very impressed with him. Oh,
and he purchased a home in Glenwood!” she announced excitedly.

“Really,” Danielle said, turning to face him. So that’s how he’d managed to sway them, that and this

... condition.

“Yes, it’s a lovely little six bedroom with a very nice garden that reminded me of England. I think you’ll

like it.”

“Little?” she muttered. How are six bedrooms

little

? “You never cease to amaze me, Ethan.”

He kissed her then, right in front of everyone. The response from the others was almost

embarrassing, as they ooo’d and ahhh’d. Her mother and Sophia squealed with delight simultaneously.

Beon, who had downed his tea in one big gulp, set his empty teacup down and then spoke, “Well, it

was lovely meeting you folks, but we must be leaving now. Ethan, shall we?” Danielle then realized that the
sun had set, as both he and Sophia were behaving rather sheepishly about meeting anyone else’s gaze.
Beon had suddenly developed an intent interest in his shoes while he stood, and fished around in his pocket
for his keys. Sophia took another dainty sip of her tea, set the cup down, stood as well, and then averted her
eyes to the door. They couldn’t linger any longer.

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry, Danielle,” said Ethan.
“I know.” She frowned, or maybe it was more like a pout. “I’ll walk them out.”
Danielle stepped outside with Ethan, allowing Beon and Sophia to pass. It was their only chance to

speak alone before he was taken from her again.

“Ethan, I don’t know if I have the patience for this ... not ‘til I’m graduated?”
“Monday we’re going to sign you up for accelerated classes. That along with full summer semesters

and the AP credits you’d already earned in high school should make it possible.”

“But, I’ll be going to school nonstop!”
“No, just full-time rather than part-time. I’ll help you. It was the only way they’d accept it.” Surrounding

her with his arms, he rested his chin on her head. “I’m sorry.”

“I’d rather run away,” she complained, feeling the sting of tears return. She could have handled a long

engagement if it could have been a normal one, but a lengthy one while dates and alone time were
restricted was a distressing thought.

“And you wouldn’t have been happy, Danielle, because they wouldn’t be happy.” Ethan tipped away

from her, held her face with both hands, and pushed away the tears with his thumbs. “Don’t be sad. This is
the best way. I know what happens when a child disappears. That’s what happened to my parents, and I
know how much it devastated them. For the rest of their lives they mourned my disappearance. We can’t do
that to yours.”

She exhaled slowly. “I know you’re right. It’s just—”
As she inhaled, Ethan suddenly blew his breath into her face, and then forced her to meet his

sapphire gaze, allowing her to see his soul. “Does that help?” he asked patiently.

“Mmm.” She smiled as his sweet breathe caressed her insides. “That did help. You’ll need to be

doing that a lot from now on.”

“I’ll give you a daily dose to keep you reminded.”
“So…” Danielle ran a finger down the length of his silky tie, “a house in Glenwood, huh?”
“Yes, and I plan to build one here too. In front of the ruins. I own that land.”
“That would be wonderful! You plan to preserve them?”
“Yes, they will become part of the garden behind the home.”
“It was really nice seeing my parents, thank you for that.”
“You’re very welcome, my love. Was it worth it? Do you still want to marry me?”
“Yes.”
Sliding her arms around his ribs under his jacket, she tightened them, feeling the power in his frame.

Tears still made their way down her cheeks, but they were happy tears this time. He was so wonderful, and
she didn’t want him to go home. But she knew her family wouldn’t allow him to stay, nor would they allow her
to leave with him. She’d have to find the patience somewhere within herself to endure this.

She kissed him goodnight and let him leave with his security detail, knowing returning home was

actually a little worse for him than it was for her since he was basically detained in his bedroom all night
while the curse was strongest.

Danielle’s parents couldn’t stay long. This trip had been a spur of the moment thing and they both

had responsibilities they needed to get back to. She had some wonderful conversations with her mother
and father, but after a couple of days, they left for their home in the States.

Chapter 6

Un-dead

Over the next couple of weeks Danielle began the insanely daunting job of trying to gain what should

have been a four year diploma in two. She never thought she’d end up even trying such a thing, and
agonized over the task and secretly fantasized about eloping with Ethan rather than working so hard. Not
because she was lazy … it was just that the once doable load of homework had turned into an intimidating
mountain.

She couldn’t resist asking Ethan to help her finish reports. He was much faster at typing, and there

was an advantage to using his hundred and seventy-three-year-old knowledge. He was actually a better
source than the internet, especially since he happened to be a fan of art, and seemed to know a lot in that
area. And it only took a few extra kisses to persuade him into helping her.

Between stints of working on homework, Ethan took Danielle back out to the ruins to watch the

progress on the construction of their home. He’d drawn the plans up himself; apparently architecture was
another thing he’d studied over his many long years. He was building a two story country chateau, which
was turning out to be much bigger than she thought they needed, but she knew better than to argue, and
decided to let him do what he wanted.

A narrow road was cut through the trees so they could drive directly up to the ruins rather than hike in.

Ethan would spread out a blanket and a picnic, and they would eat while construction workers cut wood and
hammered nails. Unless it happened to be raining, if that were the case, they would watch from the
comfortable inside of his Jaguar. They spent a lot of time at the site of their future home when Danielle
wasn’t working on her studies. It was peaceful there, and their security guards would keep a nice distance
from them.

This wasn’t one of those peaceful days…. Danielle fiddled nervously with the cell phone Beon had

given her while she scowled at her now towering pile of homework. Beon wanted her to have this phone for
emergencies, and she was pondering her current one—three reports due Monday, and it was Friday!

Her eyes fell on the heavy load once again. She groaned audibly and flipped open the cell phone.

She wasn’t calling Beon, however, she was calling Ethan. Beon wasn’t needed for this type of an
emergency.

“Hello, Danielle.” Ethan said cheerily.
“Hi, Ethan, do you miss me?”
“Always. How’s the homework coming along?”
“That’s actually why I’m calling. I need help.”
“Again?”
“Yes, again. Will you write a report for me?”
“Isn’t that cheating?”
“Sort of…” Oh darn it, integrity was kicking in and she said, “You’re right, I’m sorry. But I have three

big reports due in three days! I know the goal is for me to graduate in less than a year but I’m beginning to
wonder if I can actually do it.”

“How about I type for you again and I’ll help with the research part? What are the topics?”
“Trompe L’oeil, English artist and Jack Vettriano.”
“Ah, Vettriano, do you like his work?”
“He’s one of my favorites.” This is why she’d chosen him for one of her topics.
“Which paintings of his do you fancy? No, wait, let me guess.”
“Okay,” she said smiling.
“You like

The Singing Butler

and

Dance Me to the End of Love

.”

“Everyone likes those.”
“But are they

your

favorites?”

“Yes,” she had to admit.
Ethan began chuckling softly.
Deciding to change the topic, Danielle offered, “How about another movie tonight?”
“Another picture!” Ethan snorted. “Aren’t you tired of going to see films we never actually watch?”

“No. Are you?”
“Well, no, I must confess that I’m not tired of it. I doubt I ever will be, to be honest.”
“Good!”
Ethan laughed again. “All right, darling, I’ll pick you up at six o’clock.”
“Perfect.”
They spent the entire time kissing, as usual, and Danielle didn’t want the movie to end. Unfortunately,

they’d somehow chosen a very busy night to go to the theater. There were huge crowds waiting for the next
showings to start, making it difficult for them to navigate their way out of the theater with eight vampires
following. They’d brought dates again.

“What is playing that’s brought this on?” she asked.
“It’s probably that werewolf picture,” Ethan joked.
Danielle giggled. “We should have gone to see it then, we must be missing out…. Wait! Are those

things real?”

“Danielle—” He began to answer, but silenced himself as they moved through the throng of people

situated outside. With him pulling her closer, she watched his expression tighten as his muscles coiled with
tension. Ethan didn’t like the crowd tonight, and Danielle didn’t understand why.

Seth, Beon, Cedric and Max had closed the distance between them as they searched the crowd in

earnest. The behavior of the five of them made Danielle apprehensive. She then noticed that Eva, Sophia,
Anna and Nadia were stealthily making their way through the mass of pedestrians, checking for any threats.
Then Nadia snapped her head back to Max, a look of horror on her face.

Danielle gasped. Right in front of them, with only a few people between, stood Lucas and Celeste.

The expressions of the two started as a mixture of shock and confusion, then twisted into menace as
recognition settled in. The two villains now knew for certain that she was still alive and that Ethan had tricked
them quite thoroughly.

Her eyes quickly found the ground, as did Ethan’s, before they could be entranced. Danielle clutched

onto Ethan’s jacket, knowing the privileges that governed their relationship were going to change yet again.

“This can’t be good,” she whispered.
“We knew it was inevitable,” Ethan reminded.
Suddenly ripped from Ethan, Danielle grunted in surprise when she was slung over Max’s shoulder

as he then raced for Beon’s black car. She could hear that Beon had already started the engine as they
neared. She watched from her precarious position, perched on top of Max, as Seth lugged Ethan like an
oversized football going in the opposite direction, disappearing into the crowd.

Danielle was shoved, almost roughly, into the backseat of Beon’s Aston Martin, and slammed into

the cushion by Max’s hands and body. Beon took off with a jerk of the car, and a squeal of tires.

She struggled to sit up properly. “Max! Let me up!”
“Stay down, Danielle, we don’t know if you’re safe yet.” He kept a firm hand on her head pressing her

cheek into the leather, the other hand on her shoulder, and the rest of him served as a heavy blanket over
the top of her.

“Dang it, Max! You’re squishing me,” she grumbled, trying futilely to budge the heavy vampire.
He said nothing more, nor did he move.
It was several long minutes before he finally rolled off and let her sit upright. She exhaled loudly as

she straightened her clothes. “Was that really necessary?”

“What if they’d had a gun?”
“Do you really think they’d pull a weapon amongst so many civilians?”
“Without a doubt. This is war, Danielle. Never forget that.”
“I don’t get—Is Ethan all right?” she asked.
“I’m certain he is. You could call him,” Max offered.
“I just—never mind.”
“I’m terribly sorry, Danielle, but I’m afraid the dates at night are going to have to stop. Perhaps all

together,” Beon said.

“But … I mean, we’re engaged, we need—”
“You can’t get married if one or both of you are dead. I’ll consider what we’re going to do during the

day, but as of now there will be no more dates at night.”

Beon continued to mutter to himself angrily and then said with a curt tone, “I never should have

allowed these movie outings. I think we should also cease any dates in public: no restaurants, no movies, no
clubs, et cetera.” She was aware of the fact that Ethan had talked Beon into the freedoms they’d had … for
her … and knew this was the risk he’d taken in trying to maintain some sort of a normal courtship.

Danielle sighed, knowing it wasn’t open for discussion. “Yes, sir.”
Worries and thoughts whirled through her mind as she kept her gaze out the window. Danielle always

knew in the back of her brain that this scenario was a possibility, but now that it was actually here, she found
it harder to deal with. The vampires following her for the cure had generally been harmless, and easy for her
guards to deal with. Celeste and Lucas had still been out of the picture ... until now. This changed
everything.

The car ride back to her uncle’s home was long and silent while she wrestled with the distressing

thoughts that threatened to make her cry. She missed Ethan already, and wanted so badly to be done with
the drama and just be a regular couple: no more guards, no more threats, and no more school. But there
was no escaping any of it. This evil curse continued to plague her fairytale, and she felt if they never found a
solution, it just might become fractured forever.

She realized she’d started to cry when Max slung an arm around her shoulders and presented her

with a handkerchief. Too embarrassed to take it, she tucked her hands under her legs, ignoring the offer.
Max sighed, blotted at the tears anyway and whispered into her ear, “Have faith, Danielle, do not falter.
Ethan needs you to stick it out.”

“How can I? This isn’t going to end.”
He sighed again as Beon pulled into the driveway, and she lunged for the door, muttering, “Thank

you, Max, Beon. I appreciate everything. Goodnight,” She was unable to hide the new tears streaking down
her cheeks as she sprang from the car and slammed the door.

Max followed and caught her arm as she turned away. “Danielle, everything will be all right, trust me.”
“Really, Max, how do

you

know?”

“There is hope. You have many on your side and we can handle a little bit of mayhem.”
“Don’t you remember Alex? It only takes one to betray us, and then it’s over.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“You can’t know that!” She wrested free from his hold and stormed toward the front door.
Still, Max wouldn’t have it. He snagged her around the waist, turned her into his chest, and hugged

her while she sobbed and struggled to get away. “Shhh, little one, just let it out,” he said softly while she
soaked his shirt. “That’s it. Have a good cry, then lift up your chin, and carry on.”

He waited until she’d calmed, then loosened his embrace. “There now, do you feel better?” He’d

taken the hanky from his pocket again to dry her face.

“I guess I’m okay. I’m just … tired.”

Tired of being followed by vampires and guards. Tired of being

told when and how I can date my fiancé. Tired of ... and why can’t I stop crying?

She shoved more tears

from her cheeks.

“I still think you should call Ethan.”
“Thanks, Max. You’re right, I will.”
“Now that’s a good girl. I think talking to him will help,” he said, chucking her chin with one gentle

finger.

“All right, ’night, Max.”
“Sleep well.” Max then performed a chivalric bow with a great deal of flourish. She couldn’t help but

giggle, and realized his intention was to make her laugh.

* * * * *

She wished her relatives goodnight, went straight to her bedroom, shut the door and pulled the cell

phone from her purse. She pressed the button to call Ethan, and listened to it ring as she settled onto her
bed and kicked off her shoes.

Ethan only let it ring once before he picked up. “Hi, how are you?”
“I’m just peachy, and you?”

Peachy

wasn’t really a good thing in her book, and from his reply, she

knew he’d gathered her meaning.

“You don’t sound very convincing.”
“Neither do you.”
“Truthfully, I’ve been better. They took me to Seth’s place, so I’m held up in a guest bedroom for the

night. I’d much rather be in my own room, where I can at least look at your picture and the painting you gave
me. There’s not much to look at in here.”

Danielle lifted his picture while he spoke, the one of him from the ball. “That would be frustrating, why

didn’t they take you back to your place?” Wouldn’t Order headquarters have been a safe place for him?

“I guess because Celeste and Lucas know that’s where I live. There’s also a good chance they know

that I’m mortal now, which puts me in more danger.”

Knowing he wouldn’t admit it if she asked, Danielle wondered how helpless he felt now being a

mortal.

“They’re only going to become stricter with our time together. Though, I do think it would be easier for

them if we were under the same roof.”

“Yeah, Beon already told me we can’t go out at night any more, and threatened to take away our

daytime dates, as well.” She sighed. “I wish we could just get married now because I wouldn’t be surprised if
they took away all of our dates.”

“Me too…. No more fine dining? That would really bite.”
Danielle heard her aunt and uncle’s phone ring, and then a few moments later, footsteps came

toward her bedroom. Someone knocked and then her door opened. It was Aunt Charlotte. “The bell’s for
you, dear.”

“Hold on a sec, Ethan, I have a phone call.”
“I’ll be here. I’m certainly not going anywhere.”
“Thanks, Aunt Charlotte,” she said, taking the phone from her hand. Charlotte then left.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Danielle. How have you been?”
The strangely familiar voice sent chills down her spine. When recognition dawned, she thought, no it

can’t be

her

. “I’m fine, who’s this?” she asked, fearing she already knew, but hoping she was wrong.

“I knew you were rather slow, but seriously, Danielle, how could you not know who I am?”
And that was all she needed. Celeste! She gasped.
“That’s right.” The menace in the vampire’s voice couldn’t be missed. “I must say, you and Ethan did

manage to fool us, but now we know the truth. I’m afraid this situation just isn’t acceptable. Lucas and I will
need to give you a friendly reminder, and you should expect this time to be much more painful. Thanks for
leaving your cell phone with us. It’s nice to have all of these new contacts.”

Fear clawed its way up her throat as Celeste then recited Danielle’s home address in Colorado. Her

family.... “Don’t you dare—!”

“Oh, and we’re hearing some strange rumors about Ethan being mortal.” Celeste laughed at that.

“What an utter fool he is to make himself so vulnerable!”

Danielle took a breath to speak again, but Celeste hung up. Gulping, a trembling hand reached for

her cell phone and brought it to her ear. The other phone slipped from her fingers onto the blankets.

“Celeste just called me!”
“What?”
“They have all of the numbers off my old cell phone. What am I going to do?”
“I’d worried about this. I should have gone back to get it after we’d escaped.”
“You know you couldn’t have done that.”
“The Order needs to know.”
“And, Ethan, they know you’re mortal.” Knowing it was a reminder of what he’d given up by escaping

the curse, she feared telling him that, and secretly worried he’d want to go back.

He was silent for a moment. “Danielle, will you be okay if I hang up, call Beon, and then call you

back?”

“I’ll be all right,” she whispered in a tight voice.

* * * * *

Beon placed guards on her parents, and anyone else listed in her phone. She was followed by a

complete entourage of vampires when she went to school. Her protectors were becoming less discrete as
they watched over her, and she knew that people were probably starting to think she was some sort of
foreign dignitary’s daughter, or a celebrity. They did make an effort to keep it from her relatives as they
stayed hidden when she was with Brianna, or was exercising in her uncle’s garden. Which she could only do
when it was warm or not raining, and those days were becoming less and less available as the seasons
changed in England.

One Saturday afternoon she and Ethan spent the entire day self-confined in his room at the bed and

breakfast. The Order wouldn’t let them spend much time at her uncle’s place, saying it wasn’t secure
enough, probably because they didn’t have full run of Uncle Nick’s house and had to remain hidden. So this
was all she and Ethan had. The only problem here was that Sophia felt the need to keep them well fed. It
seemed she feared they might actually starve to death if she didn’t…. There were many things Danielle
loved about Sophia, but the constant interruptions into their desperately needed quiet time were getting
annoying.

Ethan no longer cared about the mess Sophia made of

his

kitchen. What else could be done? If they

wanted to be together, they were at the mercy of the vampires who protected them. Danielle understood it,
but her emotions were becoming raw and she knew she could easily crack.

Today—Sophia had been particularly obsessive about keeping their stomachs full. The coffee table

in front of Ethan’s settee was buried with trays and plates holding everything from breakfast sausages,
scrambled eggs, and waffles, to sandwiches, pastries, fancy hors d’oeuvres, berries and bananas, two
teapots now holding cold tea, along with teacups, honey and cream. Not to mention, English scones with
jam and clotted cream. All of that brought to them by noon!

They’d eaten as much as they could, but Ethan said he was beginning to understand why Danielle

complained about the over-the-top portion sizes he used to try feeding her when he was a vampire. It just
wasn’t physically possible for either one of them to eat the enormous amounts of food Sophia felt the need
to make.

“Does she know when to stop?” Ethan asked.
“You’ve known her longer than I have.”
“It’s a few hours before dinner, perhaps she’ll settle down until then.”
Danielle burst out laughing. “Really? You think she’ll forget about the traditional four o’clock tea

service with little sandwiches, cakes and whatever other finger foods she dreams up?”

Ethan groaned, obviously knowing it was inevitable.
A sexy song by

Black Lab

, entitled Weightless was playing softly in the background. The breathy

voice of the male singer created a romantic mood which was perfect for snuggling. Lying curled around
each other on the leather settee, Danielle snuggled closer, dragging her bent leg over his and settling the
bottom of her foot against his denim-clad calf. Even knowing this was definitely not nineteenth-century
appropriate behavior, she decided she didn’t really care at this point and was glad Ethan was letting her get
away with it. They were engaged to be married! Most

ordinary

twenty-first century couples would have slept

together by now.

But

they had agreed to save those intimacies for the wedding night. Secretly she wanted

that regency-romance-novel honeymoon of innocent exploration the ideal promised. The thought fulfilled
many of her girlish fantasies, and Danielle knew she’d found her very own Mr. Darcy willing to give it to her.

Yeah, he didn’t seem to have an issue with showing his affection for her publicly, but he also strictly

felt anything more would disrespect her. Ethan had said he didn’t want to spoil the innocence of his own
bride. Respecting him for that, she shifted closer, because despite those feelings, Danielle was beginning
to wonder how long she could last in the face of temptation. She wanted to wait, yet….

In this position and with his lips so close to hers, she couldn’t resist that particular enticement and

pressed her mouth against his as she wove her fingers into his hair. Ethan went along, and then slid his
hand up the length of her spine. By mistake, her blouse came up with his fingertips, allowing them to graze
along her bare skin.

They both froze, pulling in a sharp intake of air. Danielle disengaged her lips and stared into his

eyes. Ethan closed his and let his fingers glide along the flesh of her lower back a moment longer, then

exhaled abruptly and yanked her blouse back to its proper position.

“I’m sorry, Danielle. I didn’t mean—”
“I know. Truthfully, I liked that much more than I should have,” she confessed.
This

long

engagement was becoming physically painful as their desire for one another grew—as it

naturally should. It would’ve been best in this situation to get married sooner than later, and therefore avoid
the allure of what they’d forbidden themselves by choice.

“You shouldn’t tell me you liked that. That really doesn’t help,” Ethan groaned.
Smiling a guilty smile, she said, “Sorry.”
“This is getting massively frustrating, isn’t it?”
“Yes, and you know how impatient I can be.”
“How could I forget? Waiting till you graduate must be

killing

you.”

She laughed, and mumbled, “That’s an understatement.”
“Honestly, I’m getting to the point—I’m tempted—or rather, I’m tired of—Yet…” Apparently he was

unable to even finish one sentence, and she realized then that his patience was waning as well. This
Edwardian boy was reaching his limit. With his gaze suddenly smoldering, he twisted so she was beneath
him, and came down on her with one hot kiss that stole her breath. Eyes going wide, Danielle wondered if
maybe he’d changed his mind about waiting and then closed them in bliss as his mouth moved over hers.
How far...?

Two soft knocks interrupted the party. Never mind, she thought irritably. Could only be Sophia, and

what timing!

Ethan kissed her nose, and pushed himself from her. “Sophia to the rescue, yet again.”
Danielle moaned.
Opening the door to reveal Sophia standing there with tea service for two, Ethan directed the pretty

vampire inside. Sliding her gaze to the clock on Ethan’s fireplace mantle, Danielle noticed it wasn’t even
four o’clock—yet. Her eyes narrowed, Sophia was early!

Ethan thanked her and took the tray, then brought it to the settee because there was no room for it on

the table. Sophia left.

“In the mood for tea?” he asked.
“Actually, yes. What about you?”
“Now’s as good a time as any,” Ethan said, seating himself next to her.
As Ethan poured the hot liquid into her cup, she watched as something new began swimming in the

depths of his deep blue eyes. He muttered quietly, almost to himself. Then his gaze turned scheming as he
poured honey and cream into her tea and held the cup toward her.

She took the cup and saucer, and asked, “What are you thinking?”
“Hm?”
When he wouldn’t make eye contact, she accused, “You’re plotting. What is it?”
“Pardon?” Ethan asked, feigning innocence, stirring his tea.
“Nice try. Tell me what you’re planning.”
“I’ll tell you later. I need to do some other things first.”
“Like what?”
“Drink your tea, Danielle, I’m not telling you now.”
“Humph.”
They drank in silence for a few moments, and she considered seducing it out of him as she’d done

with his sword. But just as they were finishing with their cups and before she could even attempt it, Ethan
attacked.

He plopped the china-littered tray onto the floor a bit too roughly. Before the delicate porcelain even

stopped clattering, he’d pinned her to the Chesterfield settee, and she squealed when he assaulted her
neck with as storm of kisses.

“What’s gotten into you?” She laughed as he tortured that ticklish spot.
Another three raps at the door came before Ethan’s answer, and the look on his face told her

everything.

“Was that your plan? Did you know she’d do that? Is she standing right outside the door? Because

that

can’t be coincidental.”

“No, my plan is entirely different. However, I was testing her…. It seems you may be correct,” Ethan

whispered and shook his head. “This needs to end.”

“What are you going to say to her?”
“Nothing. It would hurt her feelings. I have some other strategies up my sleeve this time.” Ethan

kissed her one more time and made his way back to the door.

Sure enough, Sophia stood behind it. “Darlings, I noticed how many dishes you have cluttering the

table. I came to clear some of it away.”

Gaping, Danielle thought, smooth!
“Thanks, Sophia.” Ethan then helped her stack and gather things up.
“Ethan, dear, I’ll do the dishes today; you needn’t worry yourself about it.”
“I appreciate that, Sophia. Thanks for taking such good care of us,” Ethan said.
Impressed that he always remained sweet and respectful toward Sophia, regardless of how many

times she interrupted them, or demolished his kitchen, Danielle fell a bit more in love with him for that. He
had the patience of a saint.

Sophia paused, considering them suspiciously. “Now please, Ethan, consider her rep—well … oh,

never mind. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon,” she said as she bustled from the room, her arms filled to the
brim with trays and dishes.

Danielle stared after the lovely immortal, shocked. Was Sophia going to say what she thought she

was going to say? Her gaze shifted to Ethan, and he responded to the question apparently written on her
face. “Yes, Danielle, she was thinking that.”

“So that’s why she’s been lingering by your door?”
“She just wants to help. She wouldn’t want you ruined in the eyes of the

ton

.”

“The what?”
“The

ton

is the fashionable scene in London. It’s a Victorian term.”

“Oh. Same as the notion of being ruined—old-fashioned.”
“Indeed,” was Ethan’s antique response.
Exhaling a frustrated groan, Danielle shook her head. While she too wanted to wait, she also knew

long engagements were not a smart way of holding onto virtue. Danielle pushed upright. “I don’t know how
much longer I can do this. I’m going to school nonstop. I have homework I

should

be doing right now, but I’d

rather not. It’s become a tedious task trying to rush through it. I’m tired of feeling threatened. We all know
Lucas and Celeste have started plotting against us again, and I’m tired of being followed or interrupted
constantly.” She looked at the engagement ring on her finger, and twisted it once around her finger. “I …
I….” But she didn’t really know what else to say.

Ethan sat back down, lifted her left hand, placed a kiss on the ring, then spoke, “Danielle, I have a

plan.”

“Tell me, please. Right now.”
Ethan didn’t answer right away. He just peered into her green eyes with his sapphire ones. Then after

a moment or two, he closed them and rested his forehead on hers. His other hand twisted through her hair.
“I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

“Seems I’ve heard that before.”
“And did I keep my word?”
“Yes.”
“I need to see if it’ll work first. I don’t want to get your hopes up if it won’t.”
“Fine, tomorrow then.”
“Shall we test Sophia again?” Ethan whispered appealing as he dropped his mouth against hers.
Danielle laughed, and succumbed easily. His lips parted as he exhaled his delectable breath into her

mouth. Even though it wasn’t new, she was surprised at how much she liked that, and with anyone else that
may have been kind of gross, but not with him. Her hands traveled their way around his waist, pulling him
closer, knowing Sophia would begin rapping on the door any second.

This time the door flew open. Startled, she jerked reflexively away from Ethan. However, it was Nadia

this time. The black-haired beauty noted their intimate position with one look, then ignored it altogether.

“Guess what!” she said with untamed excitement radiating off her.
“What?” Ethan grumbled. He didn’t release his hold on Danielle, but rested his cheek against hers

with a sigh.

“The room is almost finished! Soon you’ll be able to bite me and turn me into a mortal!”
“That’s nice, Nadia. Does that mean you’re going to lock yourself away right now?” Ethan asked,

apparently hoping she would soon leave.

“Beon said it’ll be ready in a month or so, and then he’ll lock me in for two weeks.”
“Two weeks, locked up with no food. That sounds horrible,” Danielle mused aloud.
“It won’t be as bad for me as it was for Ethan. Beon is stocking the room with books and other things

like that for me to do.”

“Great. Things for you to throw at us when you’re at your grouchiest,” Ethan complained.
“Was it that bad? Danielle, was Ethan mean?”
“Um, not at first … but then, yes, he became sort of scary.”
Ethan cringed at her words. Okay, she admitted in her head, he was completely terrifying, but

Danielle kept that to herself.

Nadia frowned. “Did he hurt you?”
“No.”
“I came damn close to it.” Danielle could almost feel the wave of guilt that seemed to crash over

Ethan. It was true though, he had been rough in his handling of her while they’d been trapped together and
the curse began to poison his mind. She figured his tortured expression was due to the memory, and he
pulled her onto his lap into the cradle of his arms, then tucked her under his chin as if he felt the need to
protect her again.

Nadia’s eyes grew substantially with worry, and her sable brows twisted upwards. She sat down next

to them, and placed one hand on Ethan’s. “Ethan, will I be able to do this? Or will I just end up trying to kill
Danielle?”

“We won’t let you kill her. But I won’t lie to you, it was extremely difficult. You have to

really

want the

cure.”

“Danielle, are you sure you want to do this for me?”
Danielle understood that for the curse to be broken, Nadia had to willingly submit to a bite from a

mortal while extremely thirsty, with the power of the curse at its strongest. And she knew that vampires were
most dangerous and most likely to lose control in that condition. But for Nadia she was willing to try it,
knowing Max and the others would be there to prevent Nadia from harming her. “Yes, I’m certain. I want to
do this for you. It’ll be fine. Ethan and I were alone, but you’ll have support from friends.”

Nadia kissed Danielle on the cheek and hugged her hard. “All right, I’ll leave you two alone for now.”

And then she left.

“Would you like to take a tour of

the

dungeon?” Ethan offered.

“Sure. You know, it’s kind of funny, you said you didn’t have dungeons before, yet now you do.”
“And I’ll bet money Beon has it connected to a secret passageway.”
“You still never showed those to me.”
“Well, it seems now is the time.”
“Oh!” Halting Ethan with a hand on his chest, she dropped her voice to a whisper and said, “Would

those be a good way of escaping Sophia?”

Ethan laughed. “Don’t you think I’d have already taken you there if that would have worked?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” she replied, deflated.
One of the well-lit passageways led to the new dungeon, which looked depressing at the moment. It

was lined with thick, reinforced cement, and the walls were plain, but the furnishings Nadia had described
would make it nicer than the one she and Ethan had been trapped in. Though, to Danielle, it still looked like
an extremely bleak place to spend two weeks.

Chapter 7

White Roses

It was another day of digging through mountains of homework. Brianna, who was seated on

Danielle’s bed reading, snickered when she groaned a third time.

Danielle was working on painting a still-life…. She didn’t like still-lifes. In truth, she preferred painting

landscapes, people or any other living creature. Painting inanimate objects on a table bored her. And her
heart wasn’t in it, which was showing in her work.

Just get the grade

, she kept telling herself. She’d thought

choosing a subject she liked would help as she’d gathered up some of Aunt Charlotte’s things for tea and
arranged them artistically for a model. Still she struggled with getting the shape of the teapot and teacup
correct. It took much longer than usual. Rubbing her temples she considered the flaws and how to fix them
another time.

Unfortunately for her, there were other reasons she couldn’t seem to concentrate. Celeste and Lucas

were constantly lurking in the back of her mind. Would they do something to her family to get at her? Her
gaze wandered to Brianna, and a stab of guilt severed her nerves. They can’t hurt her, she pondered with
panic slicing through her gut. She couldn’t live with herself if they did. And now she had a bellyache, she
thought as she rubbed at her midsection.

Danielle jumped when the doorbell rang. Brianna noticed. “Are you okay, Dannie? You seem

skittish.”

“I’m all right.”
Brianna’s brows knitted together, and Danielle knew her cousin hadn’t bought it.
Aunt Charlotte called up from the bottom of the stairs, “Danielle, it’s Ethan. He wants to study with

you.”

“Send him up,” she called back, relieved. He’d said he would tell her his plan today. She really

needed to know what it was, and hoped it would help settle her nerves and rioting stomach.

Ethan entered, strolled to the desk and dropped a huge stack of books on top of it.
“What’s all that for?” she asked, experiencing another spike of pain.
“It’s your homework,” he said, standing next to her now as he considered her crappy artwork.
Fighting an urge to cover it, and wanting to say,

don’t look at that mess

, she instead said, “I’m sorry

... what?”

He leaned down placing his lips to her ear. “You’re testing out.”
“Excuse me?”
He took her arm, tugged her to the desk, forced her to sit, then dropped to one knee in front of her.

Again, he spoke softly into her ear, “We need to get married sooner. It’s the easiest way to protect you … us
… and they’ll have to leave us alone. No more interruptions.”

“But—but— How do you expect me to get through all of this? I already have way too much homework

as it is!” Her eyes narrowed on the stack of textbooks and then shifted to the previously existing pile next to
it. The pains inside twisted and she wondered if she might actually vomit.

“Forget that. If you test out, you won’t have to do it.”
“But—what about my artwork?” Danielle tossed a despairing look at the mess of a painting called a

still-life. “That’s part of it.”

“They can judge by your past works, and I have the tests from Beon. I know what you need to know.

So…” Ethan stood, grabbed the chair next to her fireplace, slid it up next to her, and settled into it. “Let’s get
started.” He then snatched the first book and flipped it open.

Danielle stared at him. “So this is your plan.”
“Yes, it’s the best I could come up with.” Ethan leaned closer so Brianna couldn’t hear him. “Unless

you’d rather elope, which I don’t think would go over very well, though it certainly is an option.”

“Elopement sounds much more appealing.”
“I was jesting before, that’s not really an option. You can do this. I’ll help.”
“I’m not convinced I can do it, Ethan. What if I fail?”
“Will you please just try?”
Brianna was watching this from the bed, and apparently her curiosity got the better of her because

she asked, “What in the world is going on?”

“Uh … well, Ethan’s too impatient. Wanting to get married sooner, he thinks if I can test out, then we

can tie the knot now rather than later.”

Danielle didn’t even want to look at Ethan to see the look on his face after that comment. So she kept

her gaze fixed on her cousin, which turned out to almost be worse.

Because Brianna pulled a face and said, “What?”
“It can be done,” Ethan said between clenched teeth. “Danielle, listen to me,” he ordered in a soft but

stern tone.

Biting her lip, she let her eyes trail back to him, and found that he did look a bit angry and frustrated

with her. “But, I don’t see how I can do this?” Her gaze returned to the pile of books he’d dumped on her
desk. “Ethan, how do you expect me to get through eight thick volumes?”

“Oh, ye of little faith,” Ethan grumbled.
“But,” Danielle began.
Ethan ignored her to look at Brianna. “I’m guessing you’re going to be Danielle’s maid of honor?”
“Yes,” Brianna replied slowly.
“Good, I suggest you start with the wedding plans. I’ll have the wedding planner call you. Her name is

Veronica.”

Brianna’s eyes popped, then she and Danielle’s jaws dropped simultaneously.
“You hired a wedding planner?” Danielle asked.
“Of course. You and Brianna can’t do everything. Especially you, my dear, you have a lot of studying

to do.” His fingers gave her knee a squeeze.

“What? Do you even have a date picked out already too?”
“No, I knew I needed to discuss that with you. But I was thinking sometime soon after your tests would

be best.”

“What if I flunk?”
“You’ll do fine.” Ethan patted her knee as he spoke. “You don’t have any plans the end of the month

do you? You’re going to Paris to be fitted for your dress.”

“Paris?”
Brianna gasped.
“Yes, the same designer who made your ball gown.”
“Doesn’t he already know my size?” she asked, remembering how the dress fit perfectly without ever

having been fitted for it.

“Yes, but this is your wedding gown, Danielle. It needs to be perfect, and I thought you’d like to have a

say in the design. Your mother will be here too. I’ve arranged for you to have a wonderful day with the ladies
in Paris while you all select gowns for the ceremony.”

“You’re unbelievable…”
“Are you complaining?”
“No, of course not. I just … you’re just … unbelievable.” She fell silent then, because she honestly

didn’t know what else to say.

“All right then, artists of the Renaissance,” Ethan turned pages until he got to the beginning of the first

chapter. “Take notes, Danielle, there will be a test later.”

Why did he have to say

that

? Danielle groaned as she reached for a pen and paper—what else

could she do?

Ethan was diligent in his quest to help her cram for the tests that were scheduled to take place after a

couple short weeks. Danielle was overwhelmed with the task and seemed to have an almost constant
headache.

“Danielle, are you all right?” Brianna asked after she’d studied for several grueling hours straight one

day.

No doubt the inquiry came because her brows were pinched together, her lips formed a thin line and

she had two fingers pressed on each temple. “Hmm?” she mumbled in reply. This pose just wasn’t helping
to soothe the pain throbbing in her skull.

“I was wondering if you had a minute. I’ve been talking to Veronica, that wedding planner…”
Her cousin inched her way into Danielle’s bedroom, almost cautiously. It appeared that she thought

Danielle was liable to implode at any second. “Um.” She took another step, holding up a binder. “She’s
come up with some really nice color combinations. She wants you to go over them.”

Danielle held her hand out to take the binder, sighing. “It’s okay, Bri, I’m fine. I just have a headache.

Too much studying…you know…”

“Well, while you look at these, I’ll go get you some pain medication and water.” She left in a rush, as if

Danielle might not survive if she didn’t hurry.

“Thanks,” Danielle muttered after her.
Almost mindlessly, she began flipping through pages in the binder, thinking any distraction was

extremely welcome at this point. Professional layouts of fabric swatches, floor plans, and detailed menu
descriptions filled the book. There were even pictures of wedding cakes, flower arrangements and
backdrops. Every detail had been considered. This Vivian or Vanessa, or whatever it was, was quite
thorough about her work.

Gratitude filled her over-studied brain. As well as that romance-novel honeymoon, she would have

the dream wedding most girls only fantasize about, but could never afford. Her parents did pretty well for
themselves, but this was clearly beyond their budget. She knew they were helping with the finances, but also
knew Ethan was covering the majority of wedding expenses.

Ethan, who said he’d never considered getting married for over one hundred and fifty years, wanted

to go all out with everything. And Danielle wasn’t going to stop him.

All of the designs the wedding planner had come up with were wonderful, and perfect in every way,

but one conception caught her eye—the theme of white: varying shades of white swatches, white roses with
only a hint of the palest pink, even the cake was white with white fondant roses, rosebuds, and Lilly of the
valley blooms. It was exquisite, it was her, and she knew Ethan would love it too.

Her already tender emotions were seized with the reality of it all, and tears streaked down her

cheeks. She could hardly believe it. Ethan was a dream come true. The custom designer dress was a
dream come true. And this … this fantasy wedding in white, was yet another dream brought to reality. She
didn’t care to pick the menu. She’d let Brianna choose that, or maybe Ethan, since his newfound interest in
food was obviously important to him.

This gave Danielle new motivation to work harder studying for these tests. Now she wanted it more

than eloping, she wanted the dream wedding and the sooner the better. Before, this had seemed somewhat
distant, something just out of reach, something she was striving for, but wasn’t able to reach just yet. Now it
felt more tangible, more real.

Brianna returned with drugs and water to wash them down. She looked upset when she realized

Danielle was crying. “Is it that horrible? I thought some of her ideas were pretty nice.”

Danielle began tapping her finger on the page with the white designs. “This one—this is the one.”

She hiccupped.

Brianna laughed. “Oh, those are happy tears. Sheesh, Cousin, stop scaring me like that.”
Turning back to the books, she swallowed and thought,

Great, now I can’t concentrate. Or see….

Chapter 8

Party in Paris

It was a sunny day in Paris….
“Ooo, I like that one, Danielle,” cooed Nadia, pointing to one of Jean Claude’s sketches of dresses

for Danielle. The designer who’d made Danielle’s ball gown had drawn up several wedding gowns for them
to choose from.

Moving one design back to the top of the pile, Brianna disagreed, “I don’t think so. This one says

‘Dannie’ to me. It’s practically calling out her name.”

“I still favor the first one,” said Sophia, sifting for the one that was now on the bottom.
“I’m just not sure,” mumbled Danielle’s mother, who’d flown in just for this. Her words made Jean

Claude’s face turn a deep shade of pink.

“Ladies, I know what would look best on our darling Miss Darcey. Please be reasonable,” said Jean

Claude, and then turned to her. “Danielle, what do

you

like?”

Finally someone was asking for

her

opinion.

Rubbing the tension from her neck, Danielle tried not to let it show on her face. Having her mother,

Sophia, Nadia and Brianna all trying to help her choose a wedding dress from the many sketches was
getting frustrating, and a bit daunting. “Jean, would it be too much trouble for you to do something with this
bodice and”—she lifted a second design up—“a skirt like this one?”

“Lovely idea, mon chér! Yes, I can do that.” He then snatched Danielle by the shoulders and stuffed

her into a dressing room. “I have a few dresses with a similar cut that you may try on to make certain you like
it on you.” He left and returned with three gowns for her to change into.

As she donned the sample dresses and modeled them for her quartet, both Sophia and her mom

started crying. Danielle messed up her face right along with them. Even though these dresses weren’t
exactly like hers, they were close enough to get the idea. She felt beautiful, like a real princess getting to
marry her prince. It made it all feel that much more real.

“Merci, ladies!” Jean Claude called as they left.
In a chorus they returned the sentiment, and then as they cleared the front door Brianna said, “Guess

what.”

Danielle’s lips curled up at the corners from the sight of her cousin bouncing happily along next to

her, completely oblivious to the many vampire guards following. They attempted to blend in, of course, but
while Brianna hadn’t noticed, Danielle had.

She observed the ones dressed like locals, the ones dressed as tourist, and the ones disguised as

business men. The only things common amongst all of them were their warrior stealth and the little wires in
their ears for their undercover listening and communication.

Cedric winked when her gaze slid in his direction and she quickly snatched it away, then caught the

inside of her cheek between her teeth to prevent the smirk attempting to show itself.

“What?” she replied to Brianna.
“We’re having your bridal shower right now. And guess what else.”
“What, Bri?”
“Your friends from Colorado are here.”
This caught her attention. “Mandy and Lindsey?”
“Yup.”
“But they both said they couldn’t afford the ticket, and they wouldn’t let my parents pay for it. So, then

who—?”

“Who else?”
“Ethan.” Of course. “Oh, the man needs to be kissed, a lot.”
Nadia and Brianna giggled at that, Sophia smirked, her mom smiled, and Danielle fantasized about

it. He’d graciously made certain that any of her friends or family could be there, just as he’d done with her
parents when they got engaged.

“Where’s this shower?” Danielle asked, thinking about seeing her friends again. The last time had

been in March, before she’d left for London. Just over a year ago.

“Restaurant Le Meurice,” Nadia replied. “Mandy and Lindsey should already be there waiting for us,

and then we’re staying in the hotel for the bachelorette party. We all get spa treatments at the spa.”

“Manicures?”
“And pedicures.”
“And facials, if you want.”
“Did Ethan plan this too?” Danielle wondered aloud.
“No way! Nadia and I did,” huffed Brianna.
Falling silent with a smile, Danielle took in the pretty surroundings as they walked. Shimmering

sunshine blanketed the Paris cityscape. It was warm, but a nice breeze cooled her as they went. Scents
from bistros and bakeries drifted to her nose as they passed by each one. The lilt of French conversation,
mingled with English, littered the sounds around them as well.

This place is beautiful

, she thought upon walking through the front doors of the hotel and was

greeted with rich décor and French elegance. The walls were embellished with white and gold moldings, the
polished floor made her think she might slip and slide across it out of control, and the artwork, and
furnishings, and fresh flowers finished the look of this five star hotel. It felt as though she’d entered a real
Persian palace.

Danielle sighed at the sight of a dining room lavishly decorated in white and silver with detailed

French accents. Her girlfriends noticed them enter and jumped from their seats, wove their way around the
tables and sandwiched Danielle in a hug between them.

“Dannie!”
Danielle beamed at Lindsey and Mandy as they released her. It felt like forever since she’d seen

them. So much had happened, so much had changed…. She’d changed. “I’m so glad you guys could make
it.”

“Are you kidding, D’? This is incredible. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Well, and your husband-to-be

was rather compelling. I hope you thank him for this.” Lindsey reached a hand into her black hair and
adjusted her earring while she spoke.

“Oh, I plan to.”
“Dannie, you are so spoiled. Do you know how expensive this hotel is? I need a foreign fiancé with a

load of cash too. Could you please point me in the right direction?” Mandy said, shoving her wild brown
curls over her shoulder.

Danielle laughed.
“Let’s begin, ladies.” Nadia led them to a table for six at the back of the dining room.
The afternoon was filled with giggles, delicious French cuisine, and girlish chitchat.
Stirring honey into her tea, Danielle could see that Mandy was fretting over something. It was hard to

miss with the way her friend was picking at her food. “What’s the matter, Mandy?”

“Are you sure about this? I mean you’re still so young…”
“You just said you wished you had a foreign fiancé too.”
“Yes, but the truth is, neither one of us is old enough to settle down. Look at Ryan and Ambry, they’re

already divorced…”

“They got married much earlier. You know that. I turned twenty a few months ago. It won’t be long after

we’re married and I’ll officially be legal.”

“Still, shouldn’t you finish school first?”
Mandy had always been the voice of reason amongst them. However, her girlfriend was starting to

sound too much like a parent and her eyes landed on Mom seated to her right. Apparently Mom was
listening to this conversation quite intently.

“I have finished school,” said Danielle.
“I thought you were here for a four year degree.”
“She was. Ethan had her test out and she passed,” Brianna said, joining the discussion.
Yeah, she’d passed. Well, she thought so—but couldn’t help but wonder if Beon and the Order had

fixed it so she would. She’d never know the truth though. Danielle had already asked that question and only
got vague answers in reply. It seemed Ethan didn’t really know if Beon had meddled or not either. She
figured maybe that was a good thing. It was their integrity in question and not hers or Ethan’s.

“Why so early? You only attended Central St. Martins for what, like a year or something?”

A little less than that

, Danielle thought as all of the real reasons marched through her head: She was

trapped in the middle of what could turn out to be a bloody vampire civil war. She was constantly being
stalked by either cursed bodyguards or cursed souls wanting to be un-cursed with a bite from her, or cursed
ones who wanted to remain that way, and were plotting to do her harm. She and Ethan were

never

forgotten. They had no freedom … no privacy.

She’d already made a mental note of all of the men with ear wires right here in the restaurant. The

truth of her situation never left her. Never. And the easiest way for them to protect her and Ethan was for
them to be together. Danielle did agree that she was getting married a bit sooner than she’d originally
planned. The only other option she suspected her friend might be suggesting was living together. But that
arrangement had never been an option she’d considered, would never consider actually. With her love of all
things Jane Austen, Danielle wanted the vintage-style commitment as much as Ethan wanted to give it to
her.

“It’s a good time of year to get married,” Danielle supplied lamely, knowing she could never explain

such un-cool notions as wanting to legally tie the knot.

Mandy’s brown eyes rolled; apparently her friend also felt the response was lame.
“We said she could marry after she graduated. She met the requirement, so we have supported her

decision. And we were deeply impressed with Ethan,” Her mom said, unexpectedly coming to the rescue,
and Danielle thanked her with a smile.

“Okay,” Mandy conceded. “When he called to talk me into accepting the plane ticket, I was

impressed with him too.”

“And that engagement picture ... wow,” added Lindsey.
Attempting to change the topic all together, Danielle said, “Bri, do you have the bridesmaid’s gifts

with you?”

“Of course.” Her cousin began digging around in the bottom of her tote.
She breathed a sigh of relief as Brianna handed over three satin pouches that had been tied up with

pink ribbons. Danielle passed one each to Nadia, Mandy and Lindsey. Brianna was still holding hers and
tugging on the ribbon to release the bow. They all gasped as they each lifted a strand of gold pearls from
the wrapping. Well, except for Brianna, who’d helped Danielle pick them out, so it wasn’t new to her.

“They match your dresses,” Danielle said.
“Really?” Lindsey said as she fastened the necklace around her neck and stroked the pearls with her

fingertips. “What a relief. I was hoping we wouldn’t have to spend the evening smothered in hot pink.”

Danielle laughed.
“Be glad we’re not sticking to English tradition in that, because if we had, you’d be wearing wedding

dresses,” Mom said.

“What?” Lindsey and Mandy asked together.
“English bridesmaids used to wear white gowns very much like the bride’s. Your father had

mentioned it when we married. I was young and beautiful then, and British men can be so traditional, and—”

“You’re still beautiful, Mom.”
Danielle’s mom smiled, blushed prettily and gave her knee a loving pat.
“Why in the world would they do that? Wouldn’t that be like trying to outshine the bride?” Lindsey

asked, again twisting an earring.

“No, darlings, it was not for such a petty reason. It was done to protect her. It was so the bride could

not be singled out by any jealous or evil wishers who might attempt to take her happiness, or even abduct
her,” Sophia said.

Nearly choking on her tea, Danielle set the cup down a little too sharply. The china clinked together

and the liquid sloshed, but luckily didn’t spill. Sophia held her gaze and she knew that this tradition, even as
medieval as it sounded, had been seriously considered. She wondered why they hadn’t insisted on doing it
for security reasons alone.

“I talked the men out of it,” Sophia said solemnly, appearing to have gathered Danielle’s thoughts

from her expression.

“Are they worried about people who mean Danielle harm?” Mandy asked. The tension in her voice

had risen to a squeaky pitch.

Danielle swallowed the mouthful of tea that she hadn’t realized she was holding along with her

breath. Of course they were worried about that. But she couldn’t say a word about it, and she’d recognized
the looks of terror brewing on Brianna and her mom’s faces as they apparently recalled her past
disappearances. “No, silly, they’re not worried about that or you would be wearing white,” Danielle said,
struggling to play it down.

“Then why did they even consider it?” Brianna asked with accusation weighting her words.
“Because they’re men,” Sophia muttered, “and they’re an overprotective bunch of chaps.”
Danielle noticed the “overprotective bunch of chaps” stop Celeste from entering the dining room with

what looked like a gift, and it felt like the air had completely left the room because she couldn’t find any to fill
her lungs.

How did she know where the shower was? And what was in the bag? A bomb? Scorpions? Or

worse, spiders?

Dessert arrived then, distracting her from the quickly defused commotion, and halting the previous

conversation. Danielle could have kissed the waiter, because if he had not shown up then, the other girls
might have noticed before the men hindered Celeste’s attack. French confection was enough to shut them
all up, though she struggled to get the treat down her constrained throat.

And later, as Danielle opened her gifts, Mandy brought the topic back to life. “Are there any other

British traditions we need to be worried about?”

Danielle slid the ivory lace negligee Nadia had given her back into the gift sack after thanking her for

it. “Well” –Mandy stiffened at the single word— “I let Ethan select the menu, and he went with conventional
English fare.”

And when Ethan hears about Celeste showing up today, he may insist you all wear white.

“That can’t be so bad, can it?” Lindsey asked.
“No, but I’m sure you won’t like my wedding cake.”
“Why not?”
“It’s fruitcake covered in fondant.”
Lindsey and Mandy made gagging sounds. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Oh, it’s scrummy. I fancy it,” Brianna said.
Lindsey and Mandy shared a look which she figured was concerning her cousin’s use of British

words. And it seemed Brianna noticed as well, as she then decided to start spewing some of the English
jargon that she wouldn’t normally use. “Come now, ladies, don’t get your knickers in a bunch. Once you’ve
tried it I know you’ll be utterly gobsmacked. Blimy! Don’t bodge the party. Anyone need the loo? Now don’t
look at me like you’re confudled. Oh, maybe I should stop waffling and belt up now.”

They all started laughing.
Brianna went on, “Word of advice, girls, don’t try any of those words on your own. To be honest, you’ll

just sound silly with your American accents.”

Danielle took a breath to calm her giggles and then drove the conversation back to what they’d been

talking about in the first place. “You’ll like Ethan’s cake. It’s chocolate and definitely ‘scrummy.’”

“See what I mean?” Brianna said. “Danielle, you’re not allowed to use the word scrummy.”
“Actually,” said Lindsey, “I disagree. Dannie seems to have picked up your English accent a little.”
“Yeah, I can hear it too.” Mandy smirked at Danielle. “That’s kind of funny. Say something else

British.”

“Um, knickers?” she said, pulling her brows together as she listened to herself.
“Yeah, totally!” Lindsey laughed.
“Hmm,” said Brianna. “Now that you mention it, I see what you mean.”
“Weird, how come I never picked it up from Dad?” Danielle asked her mom.
“Probably because you were surrounded with people without it.”
“Mm. And I’ll probably lose it whenever I go back.”
“Most likely.”
“Anyway, back to the cakes—Why does he get chocolate and you get some holiday travesty?” asked

Lindsey.

Danielle laughed. “I have no idea. But I’m certain Ethan will love them both.”

“Any

good

traditions?” Mandy asked.

Nadia jumped in this time. “There’s the ribbon pull. That’s done before the bride and groom share

their first slice of cake. The bridesmaids each pull a ribbon with a sterling silver charm attached to it from
the cake. Each charm represents a different future promise. A heart charm means that you’ll find true love, a
horseshoe means you’ll have good luck, and a ring means you’ll be next to marry, and so on and so forth.”

“I thought that’s what tossing the bouquet was for,” said Mandy.
“There’s that too, but the charms are only for the bridesmaids.”
“Oh.”
After the gifts had been opened and stored in their suite, they went to the spa, which helped Danielle

to relax after having seen Celeste. That, and the fact that the wicked vampire never showed her face again
that day.

After their spa treatments they had the bachelorette party back in the suite. It wasn’t too exciting,

Danielle and her friends would have preferred going to a dance club. Unfortunately, Danielle had to find
excuses to avoid that because she’d been told that her guards wouldn’t allow it. Instead, they played a few
games, ordered room service, and watched

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

. What a funny old film that

was! They’d watched it out of nostalgia because it had been one of their favorites when they were younger.

Chapter 9

Solidified

It was a cloudy day in London…. Not that Danielle noticed or even cared as her hands traveled over

the satin fabric of her wedding gown. In the upper bride’s room of the cathedral, she peered at herself in the
cheval mirror, admiring how the dress had turned out.

Because it was irresistibly inviting, Danielle couldn’t seem to stop sliding her fingers over the white

material. With a sweetheart neckline, the bodice was covered with ornate beadwork consisting of tiny
sequins and pearls in a design that was much more intricate than her ball gown had been.

Ruching at the sides of the skirt made it swoop in the front, adding a vintage touch to the mostly

modern design. The sides were then embellished with a continuing spray of the same delicate beading as
on the bodice. The fabric rustled as she turned to eye the chapel-length train which was gathered up at
different points. Each gather was accented with more pearls and sequins.

The sheer veil fell down her back like a waterfall of lace and was almost as long as her train. Crystals

glittered and flashed from the tiara Jean Claude had insisted on. Feeling like a princess, she was glad he
had. Maybe what she had was even better than anything she’d read in Austen’s books. But fear of being
attacked on such a special day did dilute the joy struggling to burst inside her chest.

“Danielle, you look absolutely breathtaking,” her mother said as she fastened the pearl necklace that

she and Grandmother had worn at their weddings around her neck. The family heirloom completed her
pearl-themed ensemble. Danielle smiled and touched the cameo hanging from the pearl strand, and slid her
fingertips down to the pearl-drop hanging from the base of the setting. She also wore the pearl earrings that
Ethan had given her.

“Are you ready, Danielle?” Nadia asked while inspecting Danielle’s hairpins to make sure they all

securely held her curls in place.

“I’ve never been more ready,” she replied, hiding the fact that she was worried about Celeste or

Lucas crashing the ceremony.

Brianna set a pair of beaded shoes down in front of her and Danielle slid them on. After a few more

adjustments to her train, the ladies escorted her from the room.

Her father beamed down at her as she took his arm. “I’m so proud of you, princess,” he whispered,

and then kissed her on the cheek.

“Thank you, Daddy.”
Danielle’s vision blurred with the tears she’d managed to fight off earlier as she approached Ethan

who was standing at the front next to the bishop smiling. Struggling to blink them away, she clutched her
bouquet and her father’s arm tighter.

Please don’t make a mess of yourself before the ceremony even

starts!

Focused on Ethan, she barely noticed the music playing as her feet moved across the petal-covered

aisle. Ignoring the many guests she sensed seated in the pews on either side of her, Danielle returned his
smile.

Stop being so emotional!

she thought irritably as she shoved an escaped tear from her cheek.

Her eyes widened when she realized—as she got closer to her groom—that she was setting his

emotions off as well. He said nothing, though his love-drenched gaze said everything.

Their eyes locked as Ethan took her hand and that same familiarity washed over her. This was

meant to be,

they

were meant to be. They’d been together before this life began, and would continue long

after that, whether they were living on Earth or in Heaven. It was something she knew deep down, something
she couldn’t question because it could always be seen when she looked into his blue gaze.

Danielle swallowed as the clergyman began. The whole experience felt like a dream. She said “I do”

when she was asked, and so did he, but it all went by in an unbelievable, and wonderful blur. Until the bishop
said, “You may kiss the bride.” Her focus then landed on Ethan’s handsome mouth, anticipating the kiss that
sealed the deal.

The crowd of friends and relatives sighed, cheered and wept, as they generally do at weddings when

the groom kisses his bride, and then she was whisked away with Ethan to begin the reception which was to
be held at their new home amongst the ruins.

After they arrived, her mother bustled up the train of her dress so that she and Ethan could begin their

first dance together. The music rose into the air as Ethan took her left hand into his right, and placed his
other at the small of her back. After soaking in the look of pride and happiness surrounding his expression,
a line formed between her eyebrows when she noticed that the melody was that same strange mix of
historical music touched with that earthy fairy twist she’d heard when they got engaged. “Same band?” she
asked.

“I thought it fitting.”
“Yes, it fits.” She traveled his face with her gaze again, then said, “I love you, by the way.”
“I certainly hope so, because if you don’t, it’s too late now. There’s simply no escape because I’ll

never

let you go.”

With her mouth lifting into a soft smile, she looked up at him and shoved any worries lurking in the

back of her mind aside.

He dropped his mouth to her ear. “When I saw you walking down that aisle on your father’s arm, I

swear, my heart stopped beating again.”

Danielle moved her hand to his chest. “I still feel it thumping away—okay, so it would still be thumping

away because it’s daylight, but you get my meaning...”

“I don’t think you’d like being married to a cursed man.”
“True. I remember how cranky you were right after you’d, er … eaten. Now, after a meal, you’re such

a happy guy.”

Ethan chuckled closing the distance between their bodies while he pressed on her back, and then

kissed her.

As he left her lips and went for her neck, she giggled and tipped her chin to the side, then blinked

when a moving light caught her attention. Her gaze landed on the shifting lights amongst the roses that
adorned the ruins surrounding them. She wondered how they were showing up so well in the daylight. Yes,
they were in the shade, but….

“Is that—?” She captured his gaze with hers.
He smiled wider and she could see the lights twinkling in his eyes, they were so bright.
Ethan steered her closer so she could get a better look. The lights flickered like real fireflies as they

appeared to move on their own … no, not fireflies, fairies! Danielle sucked in a breath when she recognized
little Alora amongst them with her tiny mouth on a golden flute and her fingers tapping along the top edge of
it. The fairy stopped playing, and lifted a finger to her lips.

Looking over her shoulder to make sure her mortal relatives hadn’t seen this, Ethan spoke softly in

her ear, “They’ll never see them. Don’t worry.”

“But the music—”
“Is coming from the band over there.” He winked.
She recognized the vampires from the ball as Ethan tantalized her neck with soft words and more

kisses as he took her about the waist and moved her back to the dance floor.

They fed each other bites of wedding cake after her bridesmaids had pulled their ribbons. She knew

from the look on Ethan’s face that he couldn’t bring himself to smash the messy confection into her face, and
she couldn’t do it to him either.

Danielle was surprised to find it wasn’t as bad as she’d thought it would be. This fruitcake was lighter

than how she remembered that horrible stuff her grandmother liked. And realized Ethan had made certain of
that when she saw the knowing twist of his lips. She couldn’t help but smirk, however, at the look of ecstasy
on his face as he tasted it. Apparently wedding cake wasn’t something he’d tried yet. After licking his
fingers clean, he eyed her sugar smeared thumb and finger with a hungry gaze. He captured her wrist gently
and raised them to his lips. She laughed as he removed the mess from her skin as well.

Danielle tossed the bouquet not caring who caught it, but was pleased to see that it was her friend,

Mandy, who did. The smile on Mandy’s face told Danielle that her friend was ironically pleased with the
idea.

Ethan looked just as hungry to remove the garter with his teeth as when he’d eyed her cake-covered

fingers. Danielle was too embarrassed by that to even notice which man caught it.

When her girlfriends from Colorado smothered her with hugs, she lipped a “thank you” to Ethan just

as he was wrangled into a conversation with her mother that, it seemed, he wasn’t fully interested in, but he

was being polite and listening regardless.

“Oh, D’, we’re so happy for you,” Lindsey said.
“Yeah, but does this mean you’re not coming back to Colorado?” asked Mandy.
“No, I’ll be back. Ethan bought a home there too. It isn’t far from my parent’s.”
“Really? You really did manage to snag a guy with money.” Mandy bumped her hip into Danielle’s.
Danielle blushed. “He does all right for himself,” she said, trying to sound modest, and added, “I plan

to sell paintings to make my own money.”

“But you don’t need to.”
“Actually I think I do

need

to.” She lifted her hands to her chest. “For me. I’d like to have funds that are

mine and not all his.”

“Good for you. Because I think I’d just take advantage of what he has. Does he have any brothers?”

Lindsey asked, not hiding the fact that she was eyeing Ethan’s backside right in front of her.

“I’m afraid not,” Danielle replied. “And quit ogling my man, would you? I’m standing right here.”
Lindsey winked, and of course Danielle knew her good friend was only teasing, as she frequently

did. “Congratulation’s, D’, I’m really happy for you.”

“Thanks, Lind,” she replied, and hugged her friend.
“How about a hug for your one and only?” a male voice said from behind her, and she knew that

voice as well as any.

She threw herself into his arms. He lifted her feet from the ground, gave her a spin, and a big kiss on

the cheek.

“This had better be your one and only brother, Danielle, or I’m afraid I’m going to have to deck this

bloke with his hands on my bride,” Ethan said, going for a menacing tone.

She and her brother, James, laughed and then James set her feet on the ground, but didn’t release

his hold. “You’d better take care of my sister, or I’ll have to smash your British face in.”

A shadow passed over Ethan’s jovial expression, and Danielle knew it was because he was still

troubled by the fact that he couldn’t protect her by himself any longer. She watched his face darken further
as three guards, posing as his family, passed by, inadvertently reminding him of his weakness. Her friends
and family had no idea that pretty much

all

of the guests on Ethan’s side of the family were really just their

security detail. They’d pumped up their guard just for the wedding. Clearly worried that Celeste and Lucas
could have heard about it and then attempt something, just as Celeste had at the shower.

Ethan laughed, and then clapped his new brother-in-law on the back, rather roughly. She understood

he was really just attempting to cover up what she knew was secretly irritating him.

“Mind if I dance with the bride?” Danielle’s father asked having no idea that he’d just unwittingly

broken up the rising tension.

“Be my guest,” Ethan said. His tone sounded much more gracious than the tight line of his lips told

her he was feeling. Twisting to face her, he said, “I’m going to get something to eat. So if you need me,
that’s where I’ll be, darling wife.”

With the way he breathed the new endearment, Danielle’s heart melted, and she wanted to follow

him instead of waltzing with her dad, but succumbed to her father’s wishes when he took her hand and
began leading her to the dance floor.

Still lost in what felt like a fantasy dream world, she danced with Dad, but kept her eyes on her new

husband, hoping he was okay. He seemed all right, if she was correctly interpreting the grin on his face as
he piled his plate with a little of everything he’d chosen to be served at the reception. It seemed Ethan was a
comfort eater….

After her father and then her brother had finished guiding her through two songs, she made her way

back to Ethan, and then had to smile because he was emitting his usual happy hum while he ate.

“How are you? Are you doing all right?” she asked, sitting down next to him at the table he was

seated at.

“I’m brilliant. Elated. Why do you ask?”
“I thought my brother’s comment upset you.”
Ethan’s eyes shifted to the guards standing within a few feet of them, pretending to not be guards. “It

didn’t.” He paused, considering his fork as if the flatware was suddenly highly fascinating, then said, “Oh,

very well, it did trouble me … a bit. However, it is what it is. We can’t change it, and I don’t want to. I like
what we have here, Danielle. I’d make the same choice if I had to do it over. If I hadn’t, I would have—”

Ended my life.

“I remember.”

“It’s better this way. I’m sticking by my decision.” He bit into an hors d’oeuvre, putting a momentary

end to the conversation.

“How’s the food?” she asked, deciding to change the subject all together.
“Excellent,” he answered while loading a mouthful of his chocolate wedding cake onto his fork. “And

that’s another reason why I wouldn’t change things.” He slid the cake into his mouth and moaned with
pleasure.

The sudden movement of many shadows moving quickly through the woods drew her attention and

then her eyes widened. Her hand landed on Ethan’s. He followed her riveted gaze and she felt him tense as
well. “What’s happening?”

The guards nearest to them moved together to block their view, or

hide

them. She didn’t know which

it was, or perhaps it was both. She watched as the tallest man lifted his hand to his ear while he listened,
then nodded. He looked at them and said softly, “Don’t worry, they’ve handled it.”

“Handled what?” Danielle asked.
After a sharp shake of his head, Danielle realized the guard wouldn’t tell them any more than that.

Panic rolled through her veins, chilling her. All of her friends and family were here. How could they protect
them all? “Was this a mistake?”

Ethan didn’t look completely convinced as he offered words of comfort. “It should be fine. I made sure

that all of your friends and family were in a hotel owned by one of Beon’s closest friends. And the security
there is tight. Plus some of them go home tonight, while the rest leave tomorrow morning.”

Attempting to distract her, she suspected, Ethan added, “Dance with me.” Actually it was more like a

command. He stood and tugged her to her feet as well, then enveloped her in his arms and nudged her
toward the dance floor again.

“But—”
“Shhh…” he muttered, tightening his hold and lifting her feet from the ground. “Even if immortals try to

harm us or your family, other immortals are protecting all of us just as fiercely. Please, darling, this is our
day; I want you to enjoy it. In fact, I insist that you enjoy it.”

Submitting to his request, Danielle dropped her head onto Ethan’s shoulder as he lowered her feet

and spun her onto the dance floor.

They swayed to the music and then visited with their guests until the clouds became pink and gilded

with the glow of sunset.

And with so many vampires present, it was time for the party to end. Ethan promptly said his

goodbyes, swept Danielle into his arms, and made for the front door of their new home.

“Ethan, I was mid-sentence into a conversation with my aunt.”
“I’m sure she understands…” he said, a little too seductively
Danielle’s cheeks grew hot at that.
“Are we starting the honeymoon now?” she asked as he glided over the threshold, and kicked the

door shut.

While he then bounded up the stairs to their master suite, she watched over his shoulder as a large

vampire set the security system to arm after he then turned the lock and left.

“Did you plan on waiting, Danielle? Because I honestly think I’ve waited long enough.”
“But, everyone is still here.”
“They’ll be gone soon enough. You know my ‘relatives’ need to leave now, though I’m certain many

will remain within the forest. Just in case.”

“Are we safe?” She kind of didn’t feel safe.
“With a security system on the house, and numerous knights and Highlanders surrounding us, I think

we’re quite safe.”

Oh

, she mused, that big one must have been one of the Scots.

As he ascended the last few steps, Ethan’s eyes smoldered like the glowing remains of a blue fire,

and she couldn’t find breath to say another word as he silently set her down in their bedroom. Keeping his

gaze locked with hers, he led her, while he walked backward to the vanity. He moved behind her and turned
her so she was facing the mirror. Then, almost reverently, he began removing her tiara, and veil, and then
the scores of hairpins holding her style in place. Which took a while…. “My word, they put a lot of pins in your
hair,” he complained as he slid another one free and dropped it into the growing pile on her vanity.

As he worked, and her hair dropped curl by curl around her shoulders, she observed herself with him

in the mirror hung above her vanity. She liked what she saw there: the joy on his face, the peace on her own.
It was right. It looked as right as it felt.

When he finally finished, she turned to him, shoved his jacket off his shoulders, and began working

his tie loose. “Just wait till you start undoing the buttons on this dress,” she teased, knowing there were
many little pearl buttons running the length of her bodice. It had taken a long time getting into it, so she
wondered how long it was going to take him to get her out of it.

Ethan grinned like a fallen angel. “I’m not easily intimidated by sixteen tiny buttons.” However, when

he began the task, his golden brows drew together and he cursed Jean Claude.

With his eyes fixed over her shoulder into the glass, he fought with the fastenings of her gown as she

released the buttons on his shirt and then pushed the fabric over his thick shoulders, then biceps, then over
his roped forearms and finally off his hands when he paused in his task. Danielle remembered seeing his
naked chest the night of the ball, but to actually be able to touch the contours of his sculpted torso was pure
heaven, and even better than she’d imagined.

“You’re beautiful, Danielle.”
“I was thinking the same thing about you,” she murmured in reply as her fingers traveled the ridges of

his form.

Catching her chin with one finger, Ethan whispered, “I’ve fantasized about seeing you like this for far

too long.” Ethan purred the words as her clothing slid down the length of her body and pooled at her feet.
The remainder of his attire joined hers on the floor. And when the last scrap of lace she’d been wearing
landed on the pile, Ethan smiled and trailed a finger along her necklace, but left it on.

Danielle swallowed, trying not to show how bashful she was feeling at the moment. She certainly

didn’t have the guts to turn around again and see them naked together. So she ignored the fact that there
was a mirror behind her, however, Ethan didn’t. She blushed profusely when she notice his gaze glide
hungrily past her shoulder.

“You have?” she asked, nearly breathless.
“Haven’t you?” he asked, meeting her gaze again. His hand slid across the exposed flesh that he’d

just spied in the mirror, and then he began to pepper her face and neck with soft kisses.

“Well, yes,” she confessed with a shaky voice as his palms moved along her arms. “Many times.”
“Let’s make this dream a reality, my darling wife. Let’s make a memory to add to our forgotten past.”
Her stomach twisted deliciously when he called her his wife again, and she fixed her gaze on his.

That Ethan she knew before this life was there, as always.... But he didn’t let her reply because he then
attacked her mouth with a blazing kiss that was all tongue and moving lips. As his mouth moved over hers,
his hands landed on her hips as he lifted her from the pile of fabric of her dress, and then began backing her
toward the bed.

As her head swam with the passion of it, she remembered her relatives and worried that they were

still within hearing range. Isolation wasn’t something they’d been allowed for so long, she was almost afraid
to relax. “Are you sure we’re alone?” she managed to sneak in when they paused to take a breath.

“I’m certain many of the guards are still here, but they will give us privacy, and Beon told me that he

planned to send the family back to their hotel.” He reached down to tug the sheets aside, and then lowered
her onto the bed, following to cover her with his warmth.

Ethan pushed up onto his elbows so she could breathe and then proceeded to kiss her, touch her,

and love her as she’d wanted him to for many long months.

She returned his heated ministrations with matching ardor as she clung to him, and got to know him

in a way that she never had before. He took his time about it, ever the patient man. And it was hard to see
how he could be so patient in this, when her heart was racing, and her head was nearly spinning. Danielle
became much more than smitten with Ethan. She was lost in him.

With careful hands he caressed and with velvet lips he kissed her to the point he’d stoked her

passion so fiercely she didn’t comprehend the purpose behind it until much later. Until after…. Only then did
she understand that he’d conjured up so much need and want within her that any fear of discomfort was
forgotten. And she realized that if they hadn’t waited she couldn’t have had the regency-romance-type of
lovemaking she’d always wanted. It might not have been as magical and as soul-touching either.

She also grew to understand that, for him, this had never been simply about consummation, but

showing her how much he truly cherished her. He’d loved her with more than his body, more than his heart,
more than even his soul. With every well placed stroke of his fingers and every gentle brush of his mouth
over her flesh he’d proven it. He’d managed to caress undeniable proof of his love and devotion into her
heart.

Ethan Deveroux fulfilled her secret fantasies in ways she’d never imagined possible and deep

gratitude swept over her soul. To say she was overwhelmed was an understatement. The tenderness of it,
the deep, unquenchable emotion of it seized around her heart and wrenched tears from her eyes.

Why am I crying now?

Danielle asked herself as she lay curled in the cradle of Ethan’s arms with her

head resting on his chest, her fingers still tracing the ridges of his muscles. She watched them react to her
touch, listened as his breathing returned to a normal ebb and flow, as his racing heart settled, and then
answered her own question….

Because it was so beautiful, and he was so gentle, and thoughtful, and

loving.

She took a breath, noting how it trembled.

He tugged her up higher on his chest, gently cradled her jaw, and aligned his gaze with hers. Her

necklace draped down from her neck to his chest. Danielle knew he was trying to read her and probably
wondered where the tears were coming from. Visibly he tracked a droplet as is tumbled over the edge of
her cheek before catching it with his thumb. “How do you feel?” he asked, with a flicker of worry in his eyes.

“I’m fine.”
“Just

fine

?” Ethan blinked like maybe he was slightly offended.

Understanding that might have been due to some male pride, she said, “I mean I’m perfect. Thanks

for...”

An eyebrow arched. “For?” he prompted.
“Um, that thing you did—

those

things you did.”

A slow proud grin stretched his lips as he tangled his fingers into her hair, and took her captive with

another scorching kiss. When he released her, they snuggled for a long while and then Ethan spoke again,
“We need to get ready to leave now. Our guards should be ready to escort us to our honeymoon suite.”

“Where are we going?”
“Back to Paris.”
“I liked Paris.”
“I knew you would.”

* * * * *

In Paris they stayed at the Le Meurice Hotel again. But this time was immensely different from her

bridal shower and bachelorette party. Ethan led the way into their suite pulling their luggage behind him.
“Wow, this is nice,” she said, wondering how much it cost.

Danielle left her carry-on next to her suitcase and explored the rest of it. It was three rooms divided

by ornate archways and beams that had been draped with rich, pastel fabrics. Each room was lit with a
crystal chandelier in the center. The first had a sofa, a table, a desk and a large entertainment center. Her
fingers explored the textured white fabric of the comforter on the bed as she made her way to the elegant
bathroom at the end of it all. And the smell of fresh flowers surrounded her as Ethan came up behind her.
Turning she saw he held a vase filled with roses and peonies. “For you,” he said.

Smiling, she took them, but before she could thank him, he pressed a candy against her lips from the

box of chocolates he held in his other hand. She caught the morsel between her teeth and chewed. A
mixture of rich chocolate and creamy caramel melted against her tongue. Of course he’d know what she
liked best. “Thank you,” she said, moving to set the flowers on the table in front of the sofa.

He gathered two more candies, dropped the box next to the flowers and curled one arm around her

waist. “Shall we explore the city?”

“Yes,” she said, eating the next chocolate he offered and went with him, secretly wondering if they

shouldn’t just stay ... where guards couldn’t follow them.

Ethan showed her how romantic that city can be, the side of Paris that she hadn’t seen with the

ladies, and she was glad he’d dragged her out. She’d heard about the reputation the French city held, and
after spending two weeks with her new husband there, she would have to agree. Even while being followed
constantly by a troop of men.

“Can we go dancing? Please?” Danielle asked after a day of shopping at a Paris flea market.
He eyed the guard standing closest, tugged her to the left to make sure they remained out of hearing

range, which was easy to do because the sun hadn’t set yet, and whispered, “If we ask, I’m certain they’ll
halt us.”

“But it’s our honeymoon…”
“Exactly. It’s easier to gain forgiveness than it is permission.”
“Are you suggesting we sneak away?”
“No. I’m saying we just go, let them follow, and if they stop us, well, then they stop us.”
They stuffed their purchases into the trunk of their rental car and then acted like they were just going

on a walk of the city just before the sunset. Danielle’s fingers tightened around Ethan’s as she hoped they’d
get away with this before the sun finally sank below the horizon and the guards forced them to return to the
hotel. When they got to the club and dashed inside, the guards didn’t have time to stop them and because
of that it seemed like they decided to allow it for now.

With modern music pounding, and colored lights sweeping, Ethan drew her into his hold with a hand

settling at her waist. He grinned mischievously, using his body to sweep her into a waltz.

Danielle pinched her brows together. A waltz? Then as she listened to the melody, she realized that it

was, indeed, a waltz, and laughed. “Aren’t we supposed to be undulating like everyone else in this club?”
She passed her eyes around the dance floor, watching as other couples twisted suggestively at each other,
and remembered how he’d danced that first time, way back when, at The Ministry of Sound. “I know you can
do it.”

Ethan tugged her closer and buried his face into her neck, brushed his mouth up to her ear, and then

he whispered, “Does this help?”

It helped to raise goose bumps on her flesh. “I liked watching you dance. Come on, let me see that

again.”

His smile heated as he released her, and did just that.
Her gaze shifted from the piercing quality of his blue eyes, from the handsome line of his straight

nose, from the poetic twist of his full lips, until it settled onto his solid shoulders, which shifted under his tight
t-shirt as he moved. When they’d first danced, he’d been wearing a sweater which hid what he displayed
tonight. Muscles rippled and bunched, then relaxed under the thin cotton. The overall effect was more
alluring than even his provocative moves.

Continuing through several more songs, she realized she didn’t want the evening to ever end. Then

she felt someone curve strong fingers around her upper arm, and tug her away from Ethan.

“Hey!” But it wasn’t one of the guards who’d interrupted them; it was most definitely—two vampires,

two strangers.

“Miss Darcey, might we trouble you with a curing bite?”

“Mrs. Deveroux

,” Ethan corrected fiercely, “will not be biting you.” Ethan wrenched a business card

from his wallet and shoved it toward the man who held her arm in his hand. “Sir, you may call Beon, and he
will arrange something for you.”

Ethan’s elegant, though dangerous, reply was not accepted well. One of them launched toward

Ethan, while the other jerked her arm, and she winced. It felt like he might actually rip it from the socket. But
it only took a second or two for their protectors to respond. She and Ethan were bodily removed from the
club by their guards—ruffled, and disappointed, but unharmed. This incident forced the security detail to
move in closer, and again, their freedoms were restricted.

Danielle tried to ignore the guards as she and Ethan dined in a French restaurant called L’Amroisie,

though it was getting difficult to do that, especially because they didn’t hide what they were doing. She’d
noted the looks she and Ethan got, and knew the other patrons were probably wondering who they were,
and why they needed a pack of hulking men hovering over them. The maitre d’ was appalled at first, and

had to be paid off to even permit it.

She’d allowed Ethan to order, since the menu was in French. But, as usual, wasn’t disappointed with

what he’d selected for her. She’d luxuriated in a nine course, culinary adventure of many things she didn’t
know how to pronounce. She recognized the salmon, and the lobster, and the artichokes, but had never
eaten, or even seen, something Ethan called, truffles. Which he explained was an expensive type of
mushroom.

“Ready for dessert?” Ethan asked, clearly eager for the final act in this dance of fine cuisine. She

could see that he was in pure heaven.

“I’m not sure anything else will fit.”
“Make if fit, darling.”
“This is almost painful.”
“Oh, but it’s so worth it.”
“We’ll need to go back to our room after this. I won’t be able to move.” She glanced toward the wall of

guards lingering nearby. “And maybe

they’ll

back off enough for us to actually feel like we’re alone,” she

whispered, and then winced when she realized the guard on the right heard that, and smirked.

The man responded to her comment. “I’m afraid you are correct, Mrs. Deveroux. I’m getting reports

that more” –he coughed into his fist— “are looking to have a word with you. Avoiding the nightlife and going
to your suite would be advisable for tonight.”

She was speechless, but Ethan didn’t hesitate in following the suggestion—well,

after

he’d finished

off his dessert, he raised one arm and said, “The bill please.”

* * * * *

It was a little bit of an improvement to be in their hotel room, even though she knew the men still

manned the doors.

Focusing on each other rather than the vampires standing guard, they spent the evening watching

black and white movies, munching on Ethan’s favorite movie snack, popcorn, and talking.

She leaned against his chest and listened to his pumping heart and gentle breathing as the credits

rolled by. They may not have freedom, but at least the privacy remained.

Ethan coaxed a lock of her hair around his finger, exploring the texture. The look in his eyes told her

what he wanted without him uttering a single word.

But movement caught her attention as a tall shadow shifted outside the balcony door and she

worried that perhaps they didn’t have as much privacy as she’d thought. “Can they hear us?”

He exhaled. “It’s after dark…. I’m afraid they can hear every breath we take.”
Her shoulders slumped. “I was wrong. We’re not alone. We’re

never

alone.”

Ethan didn’t respond to that, and she figured it was because he didn’t know exactly what to say.
Danielle couldn’t take it. She lunged from the bed, stomped toward the glass door and slung it open.

“Go! I want you out of hearing ra—” She choked on the last word when she recognized Cedric and Seth
standing there.

The men stared at each other, never sparing a glance in her direction, and she realized that she’d

just confronted two vampires with the curse fully surrounding them.

Nervous now, she glanced toward Ethan and then eased because he still appeared quite relaxed.

He was lounging casually on the bed with his hands linked behind his head and his long legs stretched out
over the blankets. He was watching her curiously, most likely wondering how this would work out.

Cedric said to Seth, “You’re—”
“Right, I’m the adult,” Seth responded, clearly irritated, except with Cedric and not her. He turned to

address Danielle, but kept his eyes averted. “We’ll go, but we’ll be back.”

“And what about the men at the other door?”
“I’ll talk to them. We can maintain a certain distance, Danielle, but not for long. Use your time wisely.”

Oh yeah, that really helped to set the mood

, she mused, and pouted.

“Well, that got rid of them,” Ethan said as she rejoined him.
“Yeah, but now I’m distracted.”
Ethan chuckled, leaned upright, directed her to rest her head on his lap, and proceeded to tickle her

face with soft touches.

“Are you trying to make me fall asleep?” Because this could usually do the trick.
“Definitely not! There will be no sleeping on our honeymoon.” With that he gifted her with a wicked

grin. His finger trailed along the bridge of her nose, over the tip, down to her top lip, then over the bottom,
then to her chin and neck and….

“But when you do this—”
“I’m merely attempting to help you unwind.” He bent closer and then blew into her face.
She reacted as she knew he expected and drew it into her lungs with a long and languid pull. Her

eyes rolled and slid shut. She felt herself unraveling just as she always did when he touched her like this,
and then tantalized her with his seductive breath. She was besotted by him, and by his scent, all over again.
And the spell he cast was more potent than any vampire magic before it. “Ah, yes, that relaxes me.” Could
he even understand what she’d just slurred?

“Too much?”

“Never

too much.”

He fanned another breath across her face. “Mmm,” she murmured. Inside and out she hummed,

every nerve ending buzzed. And then his clever hands continued his gentle caress which was more thorough
than it had been before they’d married. Had she thought it was this staggering before?

Tenderness burned in his gaze as he rubbed his thumb over her cheek and his breath surrounded

her. He wasn’t intentionally puffing his scent into her face the entire time they made love, but their closeness
made it inevitable.

Curling up under the covers with him as they settled and drifted toward sleep, she noticed

them

through her fringe of lashes … the shadows had returned.

And again, privacy was whisked away.

Chapter 10

Hobbits, Pixies and Werewolves?

“Today, the shire.”
“Where hobbits live?”

“Lived

, Danielle. They’re extinct, but the ruins are still intact and really fascinating.”

“Can we see fairies again too?”
He shook his head. “Pixies dwell there, but they’re a mischievous lot. We need to avoid them.”
“Why, what could they do to us?”
“They’d definitely kidnap you.”
She gasped when he tapped her nose playfully. “Why?”
Ethan chuckled.
“Now what are you laughing about? And you didn’t answer my question, just like you didn’t tell me if

werewolves are real or not.”

“Werewolves are real. It’s another curse, like vampirism, but much worse.”
“Do they come out when the moon is full?”
“Yes.”
“Can they turn you with a bite or scratch?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Eat flesh?”
“Horrible, isn’t it?”
Danielle swallowed hard and nodded. “They’re really for real? All the crazy myths about them are

true?”

“That’s what I just said, isn’t it?” His words didn’t have an impatient tone about them, but she

wondered if he ever got tired of her constant questions.

“And what about the pixies? Would they really abduct me? And what about you?”
He laughed again.
“What is so funny?” she demanded.
Still laughing, he said, “Darling, it’s adorable when you ask me all these questions. The innocence is

charming. So curious and eager, you are.”

“You still didn’t answer my question.”
“Pixies would love nothing more than to take a pretty thing like you captive. They wouldn’t be

interested in me, just females. I don’t know why that is. But don’t worry, I know what they don’t like, and I
came armed with it.”

“What’s that?”
“Salt.”
“No way!” She tilted her head to study him. “Where do you have that hiding?”
“I put some in my pocket.”
She laughed with a snort, then turned to look out the window when Ethan pulled the Land Rover onto

a dirt road that twisted like a brown ribbon through green rolling hills.

They’d been back from their honeymoon for a couple of weeks now, and the guards had not let up.

They’d managed to gain more privacy in their home, and today they’d managed to coax the men into
allowing this outing only because the location was so secluded and pixies were the only danger. As Ethan
parked, and the security detail parked, Danielle lifted her sketchpad and pencil from the backseat then she
stepped out of the vehicle. “Can I draw pixies?” she asked.

“Mrs. Deveroux,” the guard with the French accent said, “you mustn’t get too close to them.”
“I won’t.” She rolled her eyes wondering if she’d ever be able to keep track of all the men protecting

them. They changed daily. This French guy had only been around today so far.

Ethan gathered her hand. “Darling,” he whispered in a gentle but warning tone, “you must remain

close to me. They don’t like men, so if you’re near me, they shouldn’t bother you.”

“Okay.” She leaned toward his ear. “Are they really that dangerous?”
“Trust me, you need to stay close to me,” he gave his pocket a pat, “and the salt.”

Danielle really wanted to laugh again, but thought better of it, and took in this fantastic English

landscape. It was another scene that was perfect for a painting. With rolling hills, long grasses waving in the
wind, and thick trees dotting the scene like oversized green mushrooms. The names of paint colors flitted
through her thoughts. Grinning, she believed these paintings would be marketable in London and she
wouldn’t have to rely on Ethan for everything.

Ethan led her down the hill on the right to another smaller hill jutting from the bigger one, and as they

neared it, she realized she was seeing a real life hobbit hole. The stained glass windows were clouded with
dirt and many of them were broken. The rounded door was mottled with peeling blue paint, and hung at an
odd angle by one remaining and rusty hinge. She dropped Ethan’s hand and flipped to a blank page to start
drawing.

Ethan smiled, stood behind her, slid his hands around her waist and dropped his chin on her

shoulder.

“Um, Ethan, you know I can’t draw with you so close.”
He said nothing as he pushed her hair from her neck and brushed his mouth along the exposed flesh

he’d revealed.

She shuddered. “Still not helping.” Her gaze fell on the men standing nearby, staring. “And we’re not

exactly alone.”

“Think of it like those people on reality television,” He mumbled while nibbling her ear. “They forget

the camera is there all of the time, right? So forget about the audience.”

“I can’t do that, and I want to draw. Please, Ethan, behave.”
“Very well.” He released her and took one step back, then lunged forward fanning a handful of salt in

front of her.

She was so startled she stepped back, located a rock with her foot, lost her balance, and fell

backwards into the long grass, dropping her pencil and sketchbook. She then found herself staring up into
the tiny, but violent faces of several … pixies? If they were pixies, they truly were frightening creatures with
their long skinny bodies, claw-tipped fingers and sharp-looking bared teeth. Like sadistic fairies. And they
smelled of … rotten apples. The pungent scent overpowered the more pleasant fragrance of the grass and
flowers.

Ethan cursed and ordered, “Shut your eyes!”
She did and then felt a spray of salt pelting her. Danielle was too surprised to look, and waited for

Ethan to tell her when it was okay to open her eyes. But he never did, she felt him tug her from the ground
and snatch her into a protective hug. “I have

never

seen them be so aggressive before. I can hardly believe

it! You were surrounded by men. They never should have even come so close.”

She cracked her eyes open, and could only see his shirt. “Really? What exactly just happened?”
He leaned back just enough to make eye contact. “It was an organized attack. Virtually a swarm. And

they knew what they were after.”

“They must know,” the blond-haired guard said.
“Know what?” Danielle asked.
“They must know who you are.”
“What do you mean? That I cured a vampire?”
“I think he’s right,” Ethan said. “I never considered that other creatures would be interested in you

too.”

“I don’t understand what they could possibly want from me.”
Ethan and the other men looked just as dumbfounded.
“Maybe we should leave.”
“But—the hobbit house. I didn’t get to even start a drawing.” She cast a longing look toward the round

structure, or tried to, as she bent down to collect her art supplies. Every single one of the guards had
gathered to form a tight circle around her and Ethan. She couldn’t see much else.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“Please. I want to see inside of it so badly, and we came all the way out here…”
“I could check it out first,” offered the Frenchman.
“Good idea,” said Ethan.

The man ambled off, and Danielle still couldn’t see much of anything. She just heard the one hinge

groan as the door was opened and then the heavy footfalls of the guard as he entered the miniature
dwelling.

After a few moments of listening to his boots clomp around on what sounded like wooden floors, he

then came out and said, “There’s no sign of pixies inside. It’s all clear.”

Ethan considered her for a beat or two or three, before he said, “All right, but only for a moment. And

you can’t sketch while you’re here. I want you to just take mental notes and start doing that in the Land
Rover.”

“Okay,” she agreed quickly, hoping he wouldn’t soon change his mind.
It was almost comical the way they kept close to her and worked themselves into the small doorway

as one, only thinning enough to squeeze their way in. Ethan wouldn’t even allow air to pass between his
chest and her back as they stepped inside, and hunched their backs so they could fit.

But once she got a good look of the interior she smiled and gasped, “Wow!”
The furnishings were still there, rugs and curtains and books. It was as if the inhabitants had not

simply become extinct but vanished suddenly. “Why? Why are their belongings still here?”

“I don’t know. No one knows.”
“But don’t the books tell their story? Shouldn’t the information inside them be recorded? Reprinted?”
“The information has been recorded and then returned here. And the fey have actually reprinted the

works that are here.”

“So then they know the history?”
“I’m afraid not. The books are simply filled with recipes, gardening tips, and hobbit fairytales. There

was no history to be found.”

“Weird.”
“Yes,” Ethan whispered into her ear. “Are you taking mental notes of this? Would you like to see the

kitchen and the bedroom?”

Danielle sucked in a breath. “Please.”
They moved from room to room in this funny tight huddle and then traveled back outside.
When they had more headroom, she spun around and hugged Ethan. “Thank you for not freaking out

and letting me see that. I can’t wait to start painting.”

Ethan smiled, and kissed her. “You’re welcome, darling.” He surveyed their surroundings cautiously,

then said, “I’m terribly sorry, but while I would like to show you more here, I think it would be best if we left.”

Danielle took a moment to devour the rest of the landscape and then nodded. She could have spent

hours exploring that place, but not with creepy little pixies with a hunger to snatch her lurking about.

“What was with those things, those pixies? Why did they want me? Are they cursed like vampires

are?”

“No. They’re beings of nature, just as fairies are. I don’t understand their interest in you.”
She shuddered.
“It does make me wonder, however…” Ethan said as he hooked one arm behind her knees and one

behind her back to lift her into his arms.

“Wonder what?” she asked, locking her arms around his shoulders.
“What other beasts have become fascinated in you?”
“Oh, now that’s just wrong! Having vampires after me is quite enough.” And of course, her thoughts

were on werewolves and if they too would want to take her. Chills shimmied up her spine and she shivered
again. Then her blood froze at what she could see flying directly behind them as they traversed back to the
cars. That horde of evil sprites was crowding them, snapping their teeth and making snarling buzzing
sounds. The guards behind her and Ethan were swatting at them like they were an obnoxious mass of
mosquitoes. “Why are they following?”

Ethan didn’t look; he just scowled and kept walking, accelerating his pace. When they got to the

Land Rover he shoved her into the driver’s side door, pushed her to the passenger’s side, then jumped in
next to her and slammed the door. The mini-monsters paid no attention to the men who casually filed into
the other vehicle because they had their hideous little faces squished against the windows. She’d certainly
have nightmares after this. “Will they come into the city too?”

He tugged her to his side as he revved the engine and cranked the music to drown out the spooky

noises they were making against the glass. “No, darling, they’d die there. They’re extremely susceptible to
pollution.”

She slanted another look at the flying beasts. “But won’t the exhaust kill them then?”
Danielle followed his gaze as he considered the pixies in the rear view mirror, and gasped when one

of them stiffened and then dropped dead. “Well, I guess that answers my question.”

Silence hung between them, as more pixies dropped off, which encouraged the rest to finally fall

away.

“I can’t believe it…”
“Hm,” he agreed.
“And I thought getting married would solve some of our problems.”
Danielle clung to her husband until they neared London and she knew the pixies were no longer a

threat. “Ethan?”

“Yes, love.”
“Are there any creatures like that that I need to worry about at home? Trolls? Zombies? Demons?

The boogie man?”

She gulped when his reply took a long time in coming. “Not that I know of.”

And that was his

answer...?

* * * * *

After a couple of weeks at home without any monster attacks Danielle felt like she could relax. She

created paintings of the shire and the hobbit hovels. She knew they weren’t as accurate as she would have
liked. She simply hadn’t had enough time to study them. But the happy-looking landscapes did help her
forget the frightening pixies. And that was enough for now, plus she could sell these paintings and pull some
of her own income. She went to the office, where Ethan was doing the budget, to show him her latest piece.

Danielle opened the door and stared as Ethan fumbled with something in his hands before stuffing it

into a drawer, as if he were hiding it.

He sat upright and grinned, attempting to look innocent and completely flunking at it.
“What was that?”
“Nothing important.”
“You nearly dropped it.”
“You startled me, darling.”
“It looks to me like you’re hiding something.”
He visually swallowed.
“Ethan, it looked like a pair of glasses. Do you need reading glasses?”
His lips thinned as he guiltily pulled the drawer open and removed the item in question. Yes, they

were glasses, and she bubbled into laughter.

Ethan confessed, “I required spectacles before I was turned. It seems that particular ailment has

returned. I was mortified when I realized I needed a prescription.”

She swallowed, attempting to drown out the next set of snickers. “I still love you, even if you wear

glasses.”

He stared at them as if they made him less of a man.
Maybe changing the subject would help. “Um, anyway … look what I painted.” She held the art in front

of him, with one edge resting on the desk.

He squinted at it and then propped the glasses on his nose. Dang, he was cute with those on.
“It’s lovely. You’ve really captured the shire quite well.”
“Thank you. Do you think someone will buy it?” she said, though she was still thinking about the

glasses and how good he looked wearing them. Setting the painting down onto the desk, she moved
around it and dropped into his lap.

“Of course they would, but I think you should display it here.” His arms curved around her waist.
“I need something to do as a job, and I figure I won’t be allowed to get any work outside of the home,

will I?” She ran one finger along the frame and then trailed her fingers through his hair.

“Unfortunately that wouldn’t be safe, though I would allow it, if things were … less perilous.” The pads

of his fingers were traveling the length of her spine from her tailbone to her hair and back.

“Really? You’re not trapped in the Victorian era so much that you expect me to sit home and

embroider pillows?”

Ethan laughed. “I’m modern enough.”
She caressed the rim of his glasses again. “And look how hip you look in spectacles.”
Smiling, Ethan said, “You’re quite fond of these, aren’t you?”
“Yes, they look really good on you. You shouldn’t have been ashamed of this need.” She could feel

the smile on her face as she fanned her fingers over his chest and then palmed his pectoral muscle. That
smile stretched further when she heard him hiss at the touch.

Ethan wasn’t smiling when he curled his hand around her nape and tugged her forward for a kiss. His

lips were parted, his gaze was hungry. She could feel the cold rims touching her cheek when their mouths
molded.

As they ended the kiss and simply snuggled, he said, “I suppose it doesn’t hurt

too much

to be

mortal, even if I need the assistance of prescription eyewear.”

“Good, I’m glad you’re willing to stick it out.”
“All the way, baby. Till we’re old and gray!”
“With arthritis and carpal tunnel?”
“Yes, of course.”
“And hemorrhoids? And bunions?”
He chuckled. “Maybe you should stop before I’m scared half out of my wits.”
The phone rang then and Ethan answered it, listened intently for several beats and then hung up with

an abrupt goodbye.

“Who was that?”
“Beon.”
“About?”
“The room is ready. We have two weeks…”

Chapter 11

The Cure

“Danielle…”
Not really listening, she stared blankly at the cement door with super thick steel hinges along the

edge, and memories of the last time she’d faced a door like this flooded her mind. She knew there was
another thirsty vampire inside. And she was supposed to go in there knowing that?

“Danielle, look at me, honey.”
Exhaling, she turned to face Ethan.
“Are you all right?”
“We’ll make certain you’re safe,” Max promised, not letting her answer. As he spoke, her gaze

traveled over the men there to protect her: Ethan, Max, Beon, Seth, Cedric, and two of Ethan’s guards,
Lance and Merrick, she thought.

Danielle nodded mutely. It didn’t help that she was remembering what Ethan was like consumed with

lust for her blood: the sharp fangs exposed, the empty silver gaze, and the terrifying snarls that ripped from
his chest. Certainly Nadia was going to be just the same ... just as dangerous.

“It’s time, Danielle, the sun set a couple of hours ago,” Beon said, his tone gentle.
She blew out another slow breath. “Okay.” Still she hesitated another moment before saying, “Let’s

do this.”

“Are you certain, Danielle? Because I’m not,” Ethan said, clearly having second thoughts about this

plan.

“She wants me to do it. You know that.”
“But, it’s just—”
A shake of her head silenced him. She understood what he was trying to say. While Nadia cared

about Danielle as a friend, she didn’t love her like Ethan had and she might not be able to stop herself
because of it. Brutally shoving those concerns aside Danielle squared her shoulders and said, “Please, let’s
just get it over with.”

Beon reached around her, unlocked the door and then swung it open. Just like the dungeon in Lucas’

home, there was a second door before the final chamber, except it was better lit. She followed Ethan and
the others inside. The sound of them there did give her some comfort, but she remained aware of the cold
fact that she was the one who had to get the closest to this evil version of Nadia. She was expected to bite
her and feared how Nadia might react to that. Ethan’s obvious hesitations didn’t help.

The clicking noises sounded loud and menacing when the second door unlocked and began to slide

open. As a crack widened, an arm shot though the space, accompanied with a terrifying guttural growl.
Beon slapped his hand over a button that halted the door. Ethan grabbed Danielle around the waist, shoved
his way behind the other men, and sandwiched her between his body and the first door for safety. She was
certain it hadn’t helped Ethan’s state of mind when she’d shrieked reflexively as the thirsty vampire’s arm
appeared.

“No! No! I’ve changed my mind. I can’t allow this. I’ll do it,” Ethan said.
After what she’d just witnessed, she didn’t really want to do it either but said, “Ethan, she begged for

me to be the one.”

“No!” Ethan bellowed again. “Beon, I’m doing this. Not Danielle!”
When Beon didn’t answer, Ethan continued. “You wouldn’t let Sophia do this,” he ground out.
Nadia hissed menacingly again, as if to prove his point.
Sighing, Beon replied, “You’re right. I’d never allow my wife near that.” After exhaling a measured

breath, Beon added, “Very well, Ethan. You can do it.”

“I’m afraid I have to object,” Max said. “I’m sorry, Ethan, but I think it has to be her. If we send you in

there she’ll kill you for going against her wishes. She cares for you, and would regret her actions, but she
adores Danielle. She’s the only one Nadia will succumb to in this state. I believe she would submit to me as
you did for Danielle, but I’m not mortal. It has to be Danielle. I swear to you as a knight, we will not let Nadia
harm her.”

Ethan cursed, clearly knowing Max was right, and punched the wall then hissed in pain as he cradled

his bruising knuckles.

“You shouldn’t be here either. You’re just as susceptible—”
“I’ll be fine,” he shot back, almost angrily, and then his tone changed as though he regretted his firm

response. “I-I need to be here. This isn’t safe for you…. It’s eating at me.”

“But we can trust them to protect us, right?”
With a frown and a groan, Ethan gathered her hand and turned to face the others. “All right, let’s go.”
“Nadia!” Beon shouted. “Move away from the door. Now!”
“Watch closely for her fangs, I don’t want them even touching you. And remember not to swallow. And

don’t look into her eyes or let her breathe on you,” Ethan whispered, his fingers tightening round hers.

“I remember.” How could she forget?
As the door began to slide open again, Nadia did not move back but kept pushing further in toward

them, snarling and bearing her fangs. The five vampires had to muscle her back while Danielle and Ethan
followed them inside.

Suddenly Max turned and shoved them to the floor just as two books flew over their heads and

slammed into the cement wall. Max then released them and darted for Nadia.

Once there, he held Nadia in an embrace while she struggled and growled, and he spoke softly to

her trying to soothe her. It seemed to work, and he was able to release a slightly more calm, though panting
Nadia. Crazed eyes locked onto Danielle. She avoided them. She’d seen enough to observe the hunger
brewing in the depths of Nadia’s freaky and glowing stare. Bracing against one knee, she rose to her feet
with Ethan at her side.

Looking at the books, Ethan shook his head and noted, “I knew that was a bad idea.”
“Nadia.” Danielle frowned at her barely audible voice. She cleared her throat and tried again, “You

asked me to be here. Do you still want this? Do you still want to be mortal and released from this curse?”

“Yes,” she hissed in reply through clenched teeth.
Danielle blew one slow breath out and then disengaged herself from Ethan’s clutch. Slowly she

moved in Nadia’s direction. The guards fanned out and surround them. They appeared ready to spring if
Nadia made any violent moves toward Danielle. Nadia began to advance, and her movement forced
Danielle to instinctively retreat around the bed in the center of the room. Nadia followed. They circled the
bed, attention locked, muscles tensed.

“Will you let me bite you? It’s the only way to escape this curse. You must be willing.”
“I’m considering it … though you do smell ... delectable.”
“Stop thinking about that, Nadia. Lie down and let her bite you,” Ethan said from behind the guards

who wouldn’t let him pass.

Nadia turned to him and took a few threatening steps. “The aroma coming off of you is just as

appealing.”

“Nadia! Stop this—please let me bite you. Remember how badly you want to eat and enjoy food?

You’ll get to have chocolate and tea. You won’t lust for blood any longer. Don’t you still want that?” Struggling
for bravery she didn’t truly feel, Danielle moved toward Nadia again.

Nadia took advantage of this and streaked to Danielle, took her about the waist and threw her six

feet in the air. She landed on the bed, and bounced, but soon Nadia was on top of her, pinning Danielle to
the mattress, straddling her.

“No!” The men were there in a flash. Nadia’s arms and waist were captured and she was hauled

from Danielle who scrambled off the other side of the bed, gasping.

With the guards distracted, Ethan ran to her and tugged her to his chest. “Did she hurt you?”
Danielle shook her head.
“I can’t let this happen. If she bites you...”
However, before she could reply Beon was removing Ethan’s hold on her and forcing him back.
“We have this under control, Ethan. Stop interfering or I’ll have you removed from the chamber.”
Ethan began to argue, but she couldn’t hear his words any longer, and her attention returned to Max

and Nadia. Max had the thirsty vampire enveloped in a hug and he was talking down her rage again.

She laughed; it was a cold humorless sound. “I’m not going to hurt her.”
“Please, let her bite you, and I’ll follow. I swear to you, you won’t regret this. I’m begging you, Nadia.”

Max’s words remained kind and gentle, despite the intensity of the situation.

Danielle lifted her chin and forced herself to near them.
Nadia noticed this immediately and shoved away from Max. “I’ll do it, Max. I’ll let her bite me, but you

need to back off.”

Frowning, he did as she asked, but remained close enough to intervene again if necessary.
Suddenly Nadia snatched her by the throat, shoved her to the wall, and pinned her there with her lithe

body.

“Damn it! You said you wouldn’t hurt her!” Max shouted and moved toward them again.
Holding out her hand Nadia said, “She’s not hurt. I didn’t hurt you, did I, Danielle?”
Danielle shook her head, always averting her gaze to the side. She wasn’t hurt, though she was

terrified.

“Do it now, Danielle, or die…” Nadia hissed, and tipped her exposed throat toward Danielle.
She swallowed, then parted her lips and tried to lean toward Nadia’s neck. But she couldn’t reach.

She couldn’t move with Nadia’s cold hand wrapped so snuggly around her neck.

Growling again, Nadia tightened the fingers holding her. And Danielle coughed as she struggled to

get air into her pinched airway.

“Stop! You’re killing her!” Ethan screamed, and one glance in his direction told her they had to

restrain him again.

But the rest of the men were moving closer, hands outstretched, ready to free Danielle again. Nadia

shot out one open palm again, and then dropped the strangling hand from Danielle’s throat to her arm, still
keeping her in place. “Stay back. Let her bite me. I-I’m not going to harm her.”

Nadia froze then, and Danielle knew it was like when Ethan had stopped himself. She knew Nadia

would allow it this time. She didn’t hesitate in taking Nadia’s skin between her teeth. She ground them as
she’d done when she bit Ethan and was able to break through and then taste Nadia’s sweet blood. She
sucked, while clutching at Nadia as Nadia clutched at her.

Then she shoved Nadia away and fell to her knees. She dropped forward onto her hands and spat

the blood onto the floor.

Danielle found it difficult to breathe, as she rubbed her neck. Ethan was there then, his hand on her

shoulder. He shoved a water bottle under her nose. “Rinse. I’m not taking any chances.”

She took the bottle, tipped it to her lips, swished and then spat, then again, until she couldn’t taste

blood any longer.

“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” rasped out and she winced at how her voice didn’t sound fine.
The other men had moved Nadia to the bed to finish her transformation from cursed to un-cursed.

* * * * *

About a week later, Nadia bit Max. But he didn’t fight like she had, and he was even calmer than

Ethan had been. They figured it had to do with his knight training. He was simply in more control. Plus it was
Nadia who did the deed, so that certainly could have been part of it.

Nadia apologized profusely for her violent behavior and seemed to be tortured with the memory of it

every time she looked at Danielle. But she was clearly enjoying the gifts of being mortal as much as Ethan,
and as much as Max.

There were many who wanted to be turned, but Ethan wouldn’t ever let Danielle bite anyone else

after that. He and Max did it from that point on. Since Danielle didn’t really like the process, she didn’t mind.
She still would have chosen to kiss a bumpy slimy toad rather than bite anyone.

Danielle sighed with relief when he returned to his old room at Beon’s bed and breakfast after

another turning. She didn’t like waiting for him, always worrying he’d get bitten.

“This one was easy,” he told her, clearly responding to the distressed look on her face. “He only

fought for a minute or two.”

“Good.”
“There shouldn’t be too many more after this, and we’ve decided that if they don’t submit after ten

minutes then we’re kicking them out without being turned.”

Danielle sighed out a shaky breath.
He leaned toward her for a kiss, but she leaned away when she noticed his chin, “Um, you have a bit

of—” She motioned over her face to show him where.

Ethan swiped angrily at the blood on his face. “Again! Why doesn’t anyone ever tell me?” He glanced

down at himself and groaned. “Ah, man! I got my shirt. Every time I wear white!”

He launched from the settee and stomped toward the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face.
When he returned, he shoved off the soiled shirt and gathered a clean one from his bag. “I brought a

change of clothes this time. Biting with fangs was much tidier than these blunt mortal teeth.”

She had no idea what to say to that, but accepted his kiss this time.

Chapter 12

Fractured Bliss

Unfortunately, Ethan caught his first illness a month later. She could hear his groaning and

complaining as she carried the bowl of soup up to their bedroom.

“I have hot soup for you. I promise it’ll make you feel better,” she said, stepping through the doorway.
“I can’t eat that,” he grumbled, tugging the sheets up under his chin as he shivered.
“I also brought medication to help bring your fever down, and it’ll soothe the achy muscles.” She tried

to make her tone cheerful, though she knew how crappy he must feel suffering with his first bout of the flu
after being an illness-free vampire for over a century.

“The dreaded lurgy is the absolute worst!”
“The lurgy what?”
“The dreaded flu!” Ethan wailed. “Honestly, how can one survive this torment?”
“I said it hurt being mortal. Suffering the effects of viruses is part of being human. I told you this

before. Surely you’d been sick before you were turned.”

“’Tis likely so, yet I do not recall it.” He then clutched at, what she figured was, his aching stomach

and cut loose a string of curses in French as she set the tray on the nightstand. She had to laugh. Ethan was
proving to be such a baby when sick.

“It’s not funny!” he ranted angrily in a scratchy voice.
And she laughed again. Her giggles earned her the funniest, grumpiest scowl she’d ever seen him

produce. “Poor, baby, have some soup.” She helped him sit upright and tucked a pillow behind his head.

Leaning back into the softness, he managed a tiny smile. “You’re so good to me.” He sounded

congested.

“You’d do the same for me.”
“Yes, I would. And it would be the most amazing soup you’ve ever—” He sneezed, hard, then

groaned again. “Do you happen to” –another sneeze— “have something for the sniffles too?”

“Of course I do.” She had a dose of strong flu medicine. That should dope him up nicely. “Would you

like the drugs first?”

He blew his nose into the tissue she’d given him. “Yes, please.”
She handed the little cup to him and watched as he threw it back and then coughed and sputtered.

“That’s disgusting! Bloody hell!”

Bursting into more giggles, Danielle patted his cheek and tipped a glass of water to his lips.

“Medicine usually isn’t pleasant, but you should enjoy the soup.”

Ethan tasted the broth from the spoon she held out for him and smiled. She wasn’t going to tell him it

was canned. Sophia had given her a really great recipe, but she hadn’t had time to actually make it. It was
one of those that needed to simmer all day, and she wanted to feed him now.

After a few spoonfuls, he said, “I’m dying for a cup of hot tea. Would you get it for me, darling wife?”
“Of course. I already have the water heating.” She handed him the bowl of soup. “Don’t eat that too

fast. You need to sip it slowly.”

“Yes, ma’am.”
Danielle frowned when she noted the empty bowl as she returned to his bedside. He’d already

finished off the soup by the time she got back, and it hadn’t taken her long to prepare the tea. “You wolfed it
down even after I’d cautioned against it?”

“That really hit the spot, honey. Thank—” Then his face screwed up with pain, his arms seized around

his middle and he raced for the bathroom. Danielle set his tea on the nightstand and followed.

“That’s why I said to sip it slowly,” she told him from the doorway, her arms crossed.
Ethan heaved until he’d completely emptied his stomach. Cursing, he staggered to the sink and

began to brush his teeth, then muttered as he stumbled back to bed, “That soup tasted much better the first
go around.” He then collapsed back into bed with a groan, his forehead beaded with sweat.

Dabbing at his face with a warm cloth, Danielle said, “You’re almost done with this. I think you’ll feel

much better tomorrow.” She pushed from his forehead a lock of hair that was stuck to the moisture dotting
his brow.

Ethan only moaned in reply, and weakly bobbed his head.
When she held the tea out for him, he pinched his lips together like a two-year-old.
Laughing. “You need fluids or you won’t get better. I can’t let you get dehydrated.”
“I really don’t want to taste it twice.”
“If you sip slowly you won’t. Now be a good boy and drink, please.”
After a moment’s hesitation, he began drinking the tea at such a tortoise pace she wanted to say he

could go a little faster, but decided to just let it be.

* * * * *

“How are you feeling?” Ethan asked as they snuggled in bed late into the morning, a couple of days

later.

“I feel great. Don’t worry about me.”
“You’re certain? I was worried you’d catch that wretched bug.” Ethan curled tighter around her back in

a protective manner and tickled her neck with kisses and his hot breath.

“There’s a reason why I said ‘no’ when you were begging me to kiss you better. Truthfully, for

someone who worked as a doctor, you’re kind of clueless.”

“I wasn’t in my right mind then, and those drugs you gave me made me loopy.”
“Yes, the wonderful advancements in science and medicine…. This is a much better time to be

mortal.”

“I must agree, and I think this is a fine time to be married and with my lovely wife,” Ethan said in a

seductive tone, then pushed her back to the mattress so he could blanket her with his body and tickle her
collar bone with his lips and tongue.

Danielle giggled and rocked her head to the side to give him better access, but frowned when the

room seemed darker than usual, as if someone was standing in front of the window. Her eyes moved in that
direction and she screamed when she saw that a large figure

was

standing there.

Ethan, reacting quickly, shoved her behind his back and scanned the room for whatever threat had

made her scream.

“We’re sorry, Ethan, Danielle, but Beon has requested an emergency Order meeting. The threats

against you have developed into something much worse.”

“Get out! Can’t this wait? How dare you invade our bedroom!”
The guard frowned and stepped forward. Danielle peered over Ethan’s shoulder and her eyes grew

when she noticed that this guard wasn’t alone. They were surrounded by six men.

“Leave so we may dress. You can’t see my wife like this,” Ethan growled.
She then remembered that all she had on was a thin silky nightdress, which barely covered much of

anything, and was relieved when the security detail filed out.

“We’ll be just outside the door. Be quick about it.”
Ethan shoved the blankets aside, then helped Danielle from the bed.
“What could this be about?”
“My guess is that things have worsened to an unnerving degree, or I don’t think Beon would do this to

us.” Ethan was pulling on his pants while he spoke, and had handed Danielle her dress. “It seems the
honeymoon is over.”

“We don’t have time for a shower, do we?” she asked, hesitating to put the dress on.
“I don’t think so. I wouldn’t put it past them to walk back in here if we took too long.”
Sighing, Danielle reluctantly donned the dress, and then ran for her vanity to drag a brush through her

hair. She was in the process of applying lipstick when the door opened.

“Let’s go. We have a car waiting in the garage.”
“Nonsense, we can drive,” Ethan said, passing Danielle’s boots to her.
“Beon said he wanted you escorted to him in something you’re not normally seen driving.”
“It’s really bad then.”
“I’m afraid it is,” the tall dark vampire said as he took Danielle by the arm.
Ethan didn’t like that, and to her, it looked like he barely resisted a completely violent reaction to it.

Forcing a measure of calmness, it seemed, he did tug the guards hand loose and gather Danielle to his

side.

They were silently led through their home and to the garage where a large black SUV was waiting,

already running. Danielle could see from the look on the guard’s face that if they didn’t get into the backseat
quickly, they would be assisted physically with that too. This troubled her. What happened? And how was
Beon going to change things this time? They’d enjoyed a few months of blissful marriage with some of the
privacy they’d been craving, and fighting for. It seemed that was all going to end. She couldn’t help but worry
about this, and shoved her face into Ethan’s shoulder before the emotion overtook her and she wound up
crying in front of all of them just as she had in front of Max. Ethan tugged her closer with one hand on her
back and the other around her nape.

“It’ll be fine. We’ll be fine, Danielle, I’ll make certain of it.”
She could only laugh sarcastically at that, unfortunately, the laugh came out sounding like a

desperate, wet sob.

* * * * *

Once they arrived at the mansion, they were led to the drawing room for another one of the Order’s

tense meetings. She hated those, and had hoped they’d seen the last of them. But Danielle knew it was
foolish to expect that. They’d really gotten themselves into something when they cured Ethan, and then
spread that blessing by giving the cure to others. It was only a matter of time, and she knew she had to
accept it.

Beon was seated on the sofa with his fingers clenched tightly in his dark brown hair. His body

posture said a lot to her, and so did Sophia’s. The young-looking, though grandmotherly vampire was
seated next to her husband, and her arms were folded around her middle as though she were suffering from
the same flu that had tortured Ethan. Clearly, this was much worse than she’d thought.

The room was filled with many men, some she knew and some she didn’t. Max and Nadia were also

there, along with Cedric and Seth. Danielle tried to decipher what it was she saw in their expressions. One
guard caught onto her gaze and then danced away with what looked like regret.

With a long agonized exhale, Beon lifted his head and faced them as they sat down across from him

in the loveseat.

“They’re building an army against us,” he announced in a flat, tired tone. “We’re out numbered. We’ve

got almost every trustworthy vampire I know working with us, and still their numbers exceed ours.”

“Who’s standing against us?” asked Ethan.
“Celeste and Lucas, but they’re backed by many. There are hundreds, maybe even thousands of

vampires who oppose what we’ve done. They’ve been plotting to murder both of you. You can’t stay at your
home any longer, not even with every man we have available to guard you. It’s just not enough. You could be
killed so easily. A sniper, a package with a bomb in it, poisoned food…”

Ethan straightened his back. “What would you like us to do?” He was squeezing her fingers so tightly

that the normally comforting gesture was growing painful.

Beon hesitated, and alarm seized her chest. Her fingers began squeezing Ethan’s back now, and

she was sure that was causing pain for him too, though he too didn’t show it.

With a signaling glance to two of the biggest guards, Beon cleared his throat, and then waited for

them to flank Danielle and Ethan. Their movements appeared almost threatening, as if they expected her
and Ethan to suddenly make a run for it. Then Beon continued, “I’m afraid we need to turn both of you.”

“What?” Ethan bellowed, surging to his full height taking on his own threatening stance. The two

hulking men glanced at Beon as their hands rose to subdue Ethan.

Beon shook his head, stalling them. “Hear me out, Ethan. We know how to reverse it. This will be

safer. If you’re both more difficult to kill then we can take our time in solving this problem—”

“There’s no bloody way in hell I’m going to let you turn Danielle!” He seized Danielle by the arm,

jerked her upright and made for the door. “We’re leaving! We’ll move, and no one will know where we’re at!”

Six men stepped into his path. Two of them were Cedric and Seth.
Betrayal snagged at her heart when she looked at Cedric. Ethan shoved Danielle behind him, but it

didn’t exactly help when four more guards stood behind her.

“I can’t give you a choice this time. We’ve exhausted our resources. If you go out on your own, you’ll

be in even more danger. You know that as well as I do, Ethan,” Beon said in a low voice, as if his tone might
tame Ethan’s outrage.

“Max! Help me out here!”
“Ethan.” Max shook his head. “I— We’ve all been discussing this for hours now. This is the best

option we’ve come up with.”

“Fine! Turn me, but you can’t turn Danielle!”
“That’s not enough, Ethan,” Beon stood and stepped toward her.
This sent Ethan over the edge. He cursed profusely in French and German as he wrapped himself

around her trying to protect her. With one arm thrust forward in a show of defense, he shouted, “You can’t do
this! You’ll kill the baby!”

Aside from a shriek from Sophia, the room became dead silent.
With a hand dropping onto her chest, Sophia beamed with joy and said in a shrill voice, “A baby? An

infant? It’s a miracle!” Then her eyes widened. “Beon! You can’t!”

Beon looked completely dumbfounded. Obviously his plans had been shattered because he certainly

wasn’t

a baby killer, and turning her into a vampire would definitely do it.

“Beon,” Ethan said, as the quiet dragged on.
“I’ll go back too. You need my knight training to help strategize and carry out an alternate plan,” Max

said and Nadia frowned. She said nothing, however, and then began chewing her lip.

Scrubbing his face with one hand, Beon looked at her. “This really changes things…” Danielle

believed Beon wanted to say more, but didn’t know what to say now that he was forced to rethink this
situation from scratch.

“I’ve got it,” Max said. “Let’s take a page from Ethan’s book and fool them into believing we turned

both of them. We’ll, send” —he slid a glance over the only females in the room— “Gillian out hunting with
Ethan dressed as Danielle.” He sized them up, and continued, “They’re almost exactly the same build. The
others could be fooled. And we’ll spread the word that they’ve both been changed to protect them.”

Danielle swallowed as her gaze passed over Gillian, whom she’d never met. She was curvy and

beautiful, making her wonder if she really wanted Ethan going out with her? Even if it wasn’t for real.

“Do you really think they’ll fall for that twice?” Cedric asked, drawing her mind back to the discussion.
Max continued, “I think this is different. Plus they wouldn’t think that we’d be fool enough to try the

same con twice. And because of that, it should work. I think it would be the first thing they’d expect, and
therefore the last.”

Seth nodded. “This could work.” Scratching his chin, he added. “And we’ll send them to live in

Colorado with guards. That may give us some extra time.”

“Won’t seeing guards around make them wonder if she’s still mortal?” Ethan interjected.
“Good point, we’ll need to make sure they’re well hidden, or better yet, we’ll send Nadia with them

and make it look like the guards are for her,” Seth said.

“And we need Richard. If anyone can do this with small numbers, it’s him,” Max said.
“The Black Prince?” Ethan asked.
“The one and only,” Max said with a bit more excitement in his voice than she would have expected

to hear.

Danielle remembered who Richard was from her history lessons. The first son of King Richard the III

who’d died early from an illness he supposedly contracted in Spain. “But I thought…”

“He died in 1376?”
She almost laughed at that. “I had no idea what the

actual

year was, but yes, I thought he was dead,

or he would have been king after his father.”

“Well, he did die a kind of mortal death. He was dying from a disease and no one knew what it was,

but it was eating away at his strength at an alarming degree. Luckily for him, one of the knights of the Order
of the Garter was a vampire and offered to turn him. He accepted and then had to go into hiding until his
face was forgotten. Though I’m not sure that ever really happened here in England, they remember him. He
lives in Spain.”

Max then recounted the history as though it were his favorite bedtime tale, as though he had been

there to witness the event first hand.

Hadn’t he been too young for that?

she wondered, not really knowing

for certain. “With only ten thousand men he defeated an army that was led by the French king himself, whose
men of fifty-thousand were splendidly armored. Richard did it then, and I think he could do it now. We need
him.”

“Can he be trusted? He hasn’t exactly volunteered.”
“Of course. He’s one of the founding fathers of the Order of the Garter. The man hasn’t loosened his

code of honor for as long as he’s lived. He hasn’t offered his help because he still wants to remain in
seclusion, but people shouldn’t recognize him in the States. I think I can talk him into it,” Max announced as
enthusiastically as a small boy with his first set of plastic army men. And that’s when she realized he reveled
in this, in the prospect of battle.

“How will we hide the pregnancy?” Ethan asked, returning the topic to her, and slightly releasing his

tense pose.

“Hopefully they buy the ruse, and back off long enough for us to come up with another plan.”
Beon didn’t appear to be completely satisfied with this plot, but accepted it anyway. “That’s good for

now. I don’t see any other plausible options at the moment. Max and Ethan, we’ll turn you both tonight.”

Both men nodded in reply.
Danielle was already crying. She couldn’t help it. She was losing her mortal husband, and the

hormones didn’t help at all. She was finding herself more emotional than before and things like this were just
too much.

* * * * *

After this distressing meeting, she followed Ethan to one of the empty rooms in the west wing,

because Beon wouldn’t even let them go to Ethan’s old room. There they were allowed to spend their last
day together as mortal husband and wife.

Sophia had ordered out and cooked up what she could on short notice. Danielle perceived she was

eager to give Ethan the chance to enjoy as many of his favorite foods before he couldn’t eat like that
anymore.

She watched as Ethan, almost reverently devoured the lunch of sushi, tea, chocolate cake and pizza.
Danielle could only stomach the tea and cake.
“I know you can’t have the sushi right now, but you need to eat better than that if our baby is going to

grow.”

“I’ve lost my appetite.” She looked around the nicely furnished room, and her eyes landed on the door

to the private bathroom. Rising from the chair she was seated in, she made for it.

Ethan, who was becoming a bit too overprotective, asked, “Are you sick? Please tell me you’re not.”
“I’m not,” she said over her shoulder, “I just want to take the shower I couldn’t take this morning.”
Snatching up another slice of pizza Ethan followed. “I’ll join you,” he said, his tone suddenly excited

as he nipped off the pointed end of the pizza slice first.

“While you eat?” she asked, stepping into the bathroom and tugging off her boots.
“I’ll be done with this before you’re naked.” He then chomped off three more bites and kicked off his

shoes.

Ethan had finished before she’d gotten her panties off, and then joined her under the spray of hot

water. Snuggling against his slick chest, she frowned. “How will your being turned affect this part of our
married life?”

“We can still be close like this.” He looked down at her with his gaze shifting to his hand while he

touched her hair as it became saturated with water. “Still make love … just not at night when the curse
surrounds me.” Worried blue eyes returned to hers.

She groaned. “I hate mornings.”
“Dusk?”
“I don’t want to feel rushed…” The sting of tears returned.

These darn hormones!

Ethan pushed the tears away with wet thumbs. “I have to do this. How else can I keep my wife and

baby safe?” Ethan stroked one hand over her still flat stomach. When he spoke this tenderly about their
child, it lulled her worries about being pregnant so soon in their marriage.

Ethan kissed her cheek and continued, “Beon was right about that. I’m too weak as a mortal.”

“Do you regret it?” She still wondered about this, even though he continued to deny it. Giving up such

amazing strength had to have been difficult for any man.

“We’ve been over this. We couldn’t have ever conceived this baby if I were still a vampire. And food

… I can still taste that pizza. Pure heaven. I don’t miss what I gave up.”

“Nothing?”
His cheeks flushed. “Well, mostly. The superhero thing was nice...”
“You do miss it! Is that why you volunteered to go back so quickly?”
“Danielle,” a slight reprimand was now tainting his gentle tone. “Beon gave us no choice. Protecting

you and our child is more important to me than anything else. If I could have kept you safe without going
back I would have done it. But, as with the others, I see no other way around it. This is dangerous. The other
vampires have threatened a war. If you weren’t pregnant, I would have let Beon turn you, or done it myself.”

“What?”
He forced her closer when she tried to pull away. “Think about it, Max was right. With your defensive

skills, you would be highly dangerous as a vampire.”

Danielle frowned, dropped her gaze to his slick chest and then imagined herself performing some

Lara Croft moves and realized he was right. “I see your point,” she mumbled while trailing one finger over
the rivulets of moisture running down his torso.

“Good girl, now kiss me,” he said with the edge of his hand coming up under her chin to tip her face

toward his.

When he pressed her back against the shower wall, she gasped at the sensation of having the cold

tile touching her back and his warm flesh touching her front.

She moaned into his mouth when he pressed his parted lips to hers. He swallowed the sound and

then made his own, which she felt vibrating in his chest and against her lips. She could feel his heart
thumping against hers, and his hands, those strong hands, were everywhere.

Danielle knew what he wanted, and she wanted and needed the same. But…. “What if Sophia walks

in? You know how she is.”

“Let her. It would serve her right.”
His lips roved as much as his hands. Her eyes slid shut and she rocked her head back against the

wall. Ethan let a breath slip inside her mouth. It was still so delectable to her, even with the garlic and tomato
flavors from the pizza. What will this be like when he’s a vampire again? His breath had been so much more
powerful and magical then. Would she be able to withstand it without fainting every time especially now that
she was pregnant?

Chapter 13

No Longer a Prince

It seemed that Sophia knew better than to disturb them today. She and Ethan had spent hours

together, uninterrupted. While it wasn’t

their

home, the accommodations were nice. But it was nearing

dinnertime now, and they both knew Sophia would need to bring food soon.

Right on cue, as usual, there was a soft knock at the door. It was Sophia and Nadia, both carrying

trays filled with more of Ethan’s favorite foods: steamed salmon, mashed potatoes, filet mignon, shrimp,
and of course, curry. Not to mention pumpkin pie, and sticky toffee pudding, and some more chocolate
cake.

“You’re going to be so sick.”
“It’s absolutely worth it. Tomorrow I’ll be wishing I

could

feel painfully full.”

“And you’re sure there isn’t any other way around this?”
“I think they would have come to us if they’d figured out something new. And

I, for one,

have not been

thinking about

that

…”

Danielle couldn’t help but blush with that comment made right in front of Nadia and Sophia. Who

appeared to not notice as they took a seat on either side of Danielle on the slip-covered sofa in this large
bedroom suite. “How do you feel? Have you had morning sickness?” Nadia asked.

“Yes, a few days of that, but I’ve been okay for the most part.”
“May I?” Sophia asked, as she leaned over Danielle’s stomach to listen.
“But the baby is only about so big…” She held her thumb and forefinger a little under an inch apart.

“You won’t be able to hear anything yet.”

Sophia’s ear was already against Danielle’s belly, and she had her eyes closed. “Shh, darling, I can

hear just fine.”

“You can?” she asked and then glanced at Ethan, who’d just shoveled a spoonful of curry into his

mouth.

When he gave her a knowing look, it clicked. Of course the vampire could hear already, even during

the day when the curse was at its weakest. “Oh.”

Sophia listened for a while, after which, she sat upright, tugged Danielle into a hug and then kissed

her on the cheek. “I’m so happy for you both.”

“Thank you.”
“Are you frightened?” Nadia asked.

Yes, terrified.

“A little bit.” She slanted a glance toward Ethan catching the look in his eye that said

he knew that wasn’t true.

While the idea of a baby did appeal to her, it was the pregnancy itself that conjured up fears in her

heart, mainly because it also meant a guaranteed hospital stay and multiple doctors’ visits. Though she
could concede, even despite herself, there were many worse things to worry about.

“You’d better eat before Ethan manages to scarf it all down,” Sophia said, eyeing him with a bit of

shock at his lack of manners.

Ethan tried to look innocent while holding a half eaten slice of cheesecake.
“And…” Sophia continued, as she motioned to a covered dish. “We brought something special, just

for you.”

“Really?” Her eyes widened as Nadia lifted the dish from the table, set it on her lap, and removed the

lid. “Oh! How did you know?”

“Ethan mentioned you’d been craving them.”
“Yes. Thank you,” she said to her husband, then addressed Sophia. “And this is the worst time of

year to be craving chocolate dipped strawberries. Where did you get them?” Danielle asked as she lifted
one by the leafy stem and bit into the chocolate-smothered end.

“We special ordered them this morning, right after that … meeting.” Frowning deeply, Sophia and

Nadia didn’t appear pleased with the turn of events.

“Nadia, I’m sorry. This must be so upsetting for you—”
“Stop it. Did you not see how excited Max is to go back?”

“I noticed,” she said looking at Ethan. “But now you’re mortal and he’s not, or rather, won’t be in a

couple hours.”

“We’re together in this, you and I,” said Nadia.
“I feel so bad. Aren’t you in danger now too?”
“Just by association, yes. But it’s easier for them if we stick together. Both Max and I will be going

with you two to Glenwood Springs. We can plan for this baby together. Decorate the nursery and shop…. It
should be so much fun!”

“Wouldn’t you prefer getting your own place?”
“We did purchase something in Colorado. And we had a flat in the city too. But, not only is it easier if

we’re kept together, it’s safer too.”

“I see.” Danielle bit again into the berry and savored the way the chocolate and fruit mixed inside her

mouth.

“May I have one?” Nadia asked, her fingers hovering over one of the strawberries.
“Of course.”
Nadia snatched the covered berry and took several minutes savoring it. Watching her enjoy food was

almost as much fun as watching Ethan eat. The former vampire’s emerald eyes rolled back with pure
content as she moved the flavor and textures around in her mouth. When she’d finished everything but the
stem, though it looked like she’d considered eating that too, Danielle couldn’t help but offer her another
while she took one for herself.

Despair settled around her, however, when she then noticed the sun was setting as they’d finished

with dinner and Ethan was groaning happily while he held his full stomach.

The door opened soon after that, and Max, Beon, Cedric and Seth entered, all of them wearing grim

faces. It felt to her like jailers had come to take Ethan away permanently. The sentence decided and about
to be carried out. There was no way to protest this, and her saddened gaze slid to him. She knew he’d
given up many things to become mortal, now he had to give up the things of mortality that he’d embraced so
fully, and so happily.

Ethan rose from his seat, brushed the crumbs from his lap and tugged Danielle into his arms. “I’m

sorry about this. But it’s the only way. Please, forgive me?” he whispered against the flesh just below her
earlobe. “I love you so much, you must know that. And I’ll do anything it takes to keep both of you from harm.”

The tender words weakened the fear threatening to strangle her at that moment. And the comforting

warmth of it rendered her speechless, though there was so much she wanted to say. “I love you too,” she
barely managed on a trembling breath.

He kissed her then, and it was the kind of searing kiss that would have embarrassed her in front of

this crowd, but not this time. “Can’t I come?” she asked when he pulled away, and wondered where the
words came from because she wasn’t certain she had the nerve to witness that.

“I’ll come back in the morning. Don’t wait up for me.” He turned to Sophia. “Would you please bring

her some bedtime tea?”

Sophia glanced once at Danielle and then nodded curtly.
She then felt Nadia wrap her arms around her in a hug that felt strangely like a restraint. “Let’s play

cards. I’m in the mood for a game.” She then wondered if Nadia was really attempting to restrain

herself

from desperately grasping onto Max.

The men left, and she was almost surprised they hadn’t bothered to force Ethan, or even needed to.

He went willingly and she didn’t like how that made her feel.

* * * * *

Danielle stared at her hand of cards without being able to really see them. She felt numb and worried

about how things were going to be from this point on. How would this affect their relationship? Would they
be able to defeat so many vampires rising against them? Would moving to Colorado help? Or would that
just drag out the inevitable? Would Ethan be willing to go back after this? Or would she be stuck raising a
child with a vampire for a father? What sort of fairytale was she living where the prince turned back into a
frog?

Nadia’s sweet voice cutting into her thoughts made her jump reflexively. “It’s your turn, Danielle.”
“Hm? Oh…” Her gazed dropped to the cards, the cards she still couldn’t see, and she lowered them

to the table. “Sorry, my heart just isn’t in this game.” And she felt really tired. So sleepy, in fact, that she
wondered if Sophia had spiked her tea, or was it just being pregnant that was sapping her strength so
quickly? Regardless of the reason, she was grateful for it, wanting to sleep and forget her worries, or at
least be unconscious, so they couldn’t keep plaguing her mind.

Danielle watched through her heavy lashes as Nadia yawned, and then said, “I’m completely wasted,

let’s go to sleep.”

She agreed mutely with a lethargic nod.
They both climbed into the large bed because it was the closest one available.
Seconds later, she felt her body melt into the mattress as nothingness surrounded her in its

comforting blanket of zero thought.

* * * * *

Her brain was still drunk with drowsiness when she stirred, and she couldn’t remember where she

was.

But she knew she wasn’t alone. She pushed her heavy eyelids up. “Ethan?” she slurred, and then

when her vision focused, she blinked at the sight of two big green eyes staring back at her.

Not Ethan.

“Morning,” Nadia said, sounding as out of it as Danielle felt.
“Morning,” she replied, and realized she sounded just as bad.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah.” She frowned. “Like I was drugged.”
Nadia laughed. “Yes, I would say they definitely spiked our tea.”
“With what, do you think?”
“Probably some herbal concoction. Sophia remembers some of the herbs used back when that’s all

they used.”

Danielle remembered that look Ethan gave Sophia before he left, and realized that he’d

communicated a lot with that one sly look. “Why would they do that? How could they do that?”

“I’m certain they noticed how much we were both stressing over this change. And you and the baby

clearly needed some sleep. I’m sure it wasn’t anything that would hurt the child.” Nadia considered her frown
for a moment. “Are you upset they put us out?”

Danielle pondered that, and then replied, “It was a relief, to be honest. I didn’t want to think anymore.”
“I know what you mean.” Nadia rolled to look toward the window. “The sun is coming up. Do you think

they’re done?”

“How long does that change take?”
“I don’t know. It tends to be different for every person, and since they’ve both been vampires before it

could have taken less time.”

Danielle swallowed, but couldn’t say anything. This was real, they really did it. She wasn’t married to

a prince any longer, but a frog instead. Knowing she had to stop thinking like that, she recalled that she

had

thought of Ethan as her very own Mr. Darcy when he’d been a vampire. This can’t be as bad as she was
making it, she tried to reason thinking this too could be partly due to hormones messing with her emotions.

Noise drew her attention to the door as it opened and Ethan and Max entered. Sophia followed with

a tray of breakfast in her hands.

She thought she’d be able to see the change in him, but when she couldn’t, she got this crazy hope

that maybe they hadn’t gone through with it.

As Sophia set the tray between her and Nadia, Ethan reached over her, snagged a piece of

sausage and took a bite out of it. Hope wrapped around her until he pulled a face and dropped the
remainder of the meat back onto her plate. “That’s just wrong,” he complained, picking the rest of it out of
his teeth with a finger as a look of disgust puckered his lips.

And she knew … he

was

a vampire.

Nadia had already begun to devour her food as Danielle’s gaze dropped to hers. The smell of the

eggs attacked her nose, and she felt sick. She didn’t know if it was the stress of the situation, or just being
pregnant or maybe even a combination of the two. But the stench of those eggs sent her over the edge and
she scuttled off the bed and sprang for the bathroom.

After dry heaving over the toilet until her stomach ached, she felt Ethan lifting the hair from her face. “I

thought you were past this. Are you okay?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe being drugged did this to me.” She said the words, but deep down, she

didn’t believe this had anything to do with the spiked tea.

He settled down onto one knee next to her, and looped one arm around her. “I’m sorry about that. You

needed to rest, and I knew you’d be up all night stressing. What Sophia gave you was completely harmless.”

“I don’t need ... I don’t…”

I don’t know what to say.

“Are you angry?”
Danielle leaned back against his chest and groaned. It was still comforting to be near him. Again she

reminded herself that he’d been a vampire when she met him. It couldn’t be that different now…. “No. I was
glad to be out of it.”

“Are you upset about this change?”
He caught her chin with three fingers and tipped her face so he could look into her eyes. She

shuddered because that magical, trance-like effect had returned to his gaze.

“Dizzy?”
She closed her eyes, and nodded. She feared that sensation would make her feel queasy again.
“Look at me,” he whispered gently.
She did, and she was right, as soon as his blue gaze filled her view, she was forced to shove away

from him and lunge for the toilet again. She still couldn’t get anything out of her already empty stomach, and
Ethan’s distressed reaction to it was practically tangible.

“Please tell me it’s not the magic that’s making you nauseated.”
“It is ... a little bit.”
“You don’t like that anymore?”
“Not right now, I don’t,” she snapped right before another heave of her gut caused her to groan.
That was enough for him to leave the room, muttering a soft apology.

It wasn’t long after her stomach had finally settled that Danielle decided she could rejoin the others

and possibly eat some of her breakfast. But before she got too close to it, she asked Sophia to remove the
eggs.

“I’ll have them,” Nadia said, digging her fork into the fluffy yellow pile of stink on her plate.
The newly restored mortal had them polished off in no time and then left the room with Max and

Sophia. Danielle settled back onto the bed and reached for her fork. She was in the mood for the waffle, but
she wasn’t sure about the sausage. She avoided it, worried that it may not sit well either, and she really
didn’t want to taste it twice.

Though she tried, Danielle couldn’t ignore her husband who was seated on the sofa with his face in

his hands. When she’d finished off what she could stomach of her food, she called to him. “Ethan.”

He came to the bed with a hesitant look on his face, sat down next to her, and enveloped her into a

tight hug. “I love you so much; I can’t bear to see you upset with me like this.”

As he buried his face into her hair and clutched at her like he’d be lost without her, she finally said, “I

love you too. No matter what you are.”

She didn’t want to prevent the eye contact he was again searching for when his head lifted. This time

it didn’t make her feel sick, just dizzy enough to nearly knock her out again.

“Please tell me you’re feeling better.”
“I am. The waffle helped,” she mumbled as she closed her eyes, trying to get the room to stop tipping

like that.

He didn’t buy it. “You don’t look okay.”
She fell limply back to the bed. “I’m all right.” She wondered if he noticed how those words squeaked

out of her.

Feeling the mattress depress on either side of her, Danielle chanced a peek. Ethan was looking

down at her. “You’re fibbing.”

She held onto his gaze even though it was causing the bed to start rocking. “It’s hitting me harder. I’m

sorry.”

His hopeful expression fell as though the idea crushed his world.
“I’ll get used to it. I did before,” she said, trying to soothe the look of total heartbreak on his face.
Ethan’s gaze landed on her plate and he frowned. “You didn’t eat enough. That might have helped.”
Shuddering at the idea, she complained, “I can’t eat eggs right now, and that sausage...” Another

shudder moved over her as she trailed off.

He reached for the glass of orange juice she’d neglected to finish, tugged her upright as he

supported her with one arm, and held it to her lips. “Drink your juice and I’ll be satisfied.”

Silently, she accepted the glass and downed it slowly while he watched her. She wondered what he

was thinking until he noted, “You’re color is better than earlier.”

Danielle set the empty glass on the tray. “What’s next? Are we going home to pack?”
“Yes, and no.”
“Huh?”
Ethan took her by the hand and led her to the sofa with him. She noticed he watched her closely,

probably to see how steady she was. Danielle knew he noticed that wobble when his eyebrow lifted. But
what disturbed her more was the sense that he had more bad news to confess.

“You’re going straight to the airport with Cedric, Merrick, and Richard.”
Her eyes rounded as her eyebrows lifted. “The Black Prince?” she asked slowly.
“Yes.”
“Without you?” Hearing the panic rising in her tone, she swallowed thickly.
“I’ll be going home with Gillian, who will be dressed as you, to let them see us hunting together. Max

and Nadia will be going out to eat driving a car exactly like the one you and I will be in. Beon will be driving
another, and so will Seth. We plan to lose them with four cars that look the same, all going in different
directions. And we need to put you in a disguise.”

Another twinge of nausea roiled inside her gut when he mentioned Gillian. That pretty vampire was

going to be in

her

home, with

her

husband? “When will you come to Colorado with me?”

“I’ll follow as soon as I can.” He combed his fingers through her hair, and then tugged her close for

another kiss and hug.

Even feeling his arms encircle her, she couldn’t smile, this pout that she felt on her face was the only

expression available.

With a chuckle, he pulled back to meet her gaze and said, “I know, you need to know the exact

amount of hours until we’re back together.” Those blue eyes of his danced with mirth.

“If you knew that, then why didn’t you just tell me in the first place?”
“Because I don’t know the answer. I need to stay until we think they’ve bought into Gillian being you.”
“If you stay too long, they could figure out that she isn’t me.”

And I would continue to stress about you

being with her.

“I’m trying for a week.” He held her close again, his cheek resting against her hair, like he sensed her

internal distress. “Will that work for you?”

She thought a week sounded like a really long time at the moment as her chin settled onto his

shoulder. Instead of expressing that to him she asked, “And I’m going to be safe with three vampires, two of
whom, I don’t really know?”

“I know them. You’ll be fine ... or I’ll kill them,” Ethan threatened and she knew from the menace in his

tone that he meant it.

They separated and she leaned against the back of the sofa. “I don’t have anything to take with me

on the plane.”

“Beon took care of that. He went to our place and packed a bag for you, along with your purse, and

your passport.”

“Beon packed? Why didn’t he send Sophia, I think I’d trust her more…”

with things like underwear.

“Beon didn’t feel like it was safe for her.”
“But—” The door opening again silenced her, and Beon walked in carrying a purse, not the one she

normally used, but a different one. Danielle figured he’d probably left the luggage in the car. She realized it
was time for her to go, and she slung her arms around Ethan’s middle. It didn’t take much more than that for
the tears to come.

Ethan cupped the back of her head and rubbed her back with his other hand. “Shhh, everything will

be fine. I need you to trust me, and the others.”

“I’ll try.”
“Good, now let’s get you into your disguise.” Ethan lifted a sack from the floor, led her to the

bathroom, and started pulling out items for her to put on. It was the type of outfit she would never wear, and
she realized why they’d chosen it. She would have been hard to recognize in it. There was a curly, blond
wig, a crocheted Bohemian skull hat, a pair of holy jeans, a baggy sweatshirt, and a pair of brown hiking
boots. It all came together for a sort of nature-girl meets hippy-chic.

She slipped out of her dress, and tugged on the clothes. Ethan helped her with the wig, and hat,

trying to make it look as natural as possible, and then advised her to put on makeup that also made her look
different.

“How is my passport going to match this new look?”
“They have a camera ready. Cedric can fake it for us, and then we’ll go, or rather, you’ll go.”
“He’s that fast?”
“He’s the Order’s computer nerd.”
“Hm. I see.”
When they were done, he towed her back to the room and she was greeted with her three escorts.

She recognized Merrick and Cedric who were both dressed as business men. But she had never seen the
man she assumed to be the prince, and noticed that he was dressed to match her grungy look with faded
jeans, a gray t-shirt and a black leather jacket. Apparently they meant to make it look like they were a
couple.

“Shall we?” Cedric said, offering his arm.
Which she didn’t take, spinning back toward Ethan, she clutched him close and kissed him goodbye.

He chuckled and returned the sentiment, then shoved her gently toward Cedric, who gathered her to him
and tugged her from the room with Merrick and Richard following. Cedric took her picture, worked his
fraudulent passport magic, and then they left for the airport.

Chapter 14

The Black Moods of Noble Toads

They took the long way to the airport, and even switched cars three times. Seemed they were really

serious about getting her out of the country unseen. At the airport they made it appear as though they were
in pairs, rather than one girl with three men.

Richard took her about the waist and nuzzled her ear. “Pretend with me, Danielle. We’ve already

seen vampires watching for you here.” She tensed but tried to lean into him like she liked it, and couldn’t
help but worry if this is what Ethan was doing with Gillian. She felt another heavy twinge of jealousy about it.

The plane ride was way too long, and the prince kept lifting the back of her hand to his lips to give her

kisses. This intimate treatment came from the same man whom she’d only just met, and had barely shared
more than a handful of words with. He then muttered into her ear that they still weren’t alone, and she
secretly wondered if he was just taking advantage of this situation.

That is until she saw one of the passengers strolling down the walkway as if he were headed toward

the bathroom. His look reeked of vampire mercenary, and she barely resisted a shudder as his searching
gaze slid toward her. Panicked, she tugged Richard to her by his leather jacket and tried to hide behind his
bulky frame, feigning a hug. However, Richard turned her innocent attempt at concealment into a kiss on the
mouth. Her fingers shot to his hair, and she tried to pull his head away, but ended up only making it look like
she was really into it. She didn’t even want to know what Ethan would think of this, and the guilt that twisted
her insides was excruciating.

After the man passed by, Richard smirked and said, “You saw him, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“I told you we weren’t alone.”
She rolled her eyes. This prince was a pompous jerk…. And she wished she hadn’t noticed how

handsome he was. His long, honey-colored hair waved nicely past his ears. The features of his face were
angled harshly, but in a pleasing manner, and his hazel eyes nearly smoldered every time he looked at her.
Could that have been anymore unnerving? All of this made the guilt over the accidental kiss that much
worse. “Eth—”

Suddenly his lips were on hers again and she tried to shove him away, but couldn’t budge him. After

smothering her for far too long, he finally let go again. “Damn you. Eth—”

He silenced her with one finger and a deadly look. “Do not speak his name out loud. I’m tired of your

dwelling on your ex.” He winked at her, then lowered the volume of his speech so low, she barely heard his
next words. “Apparently you didn’t see him coming back through.”

“No,” she mumbled and then said what she wanted to say, but edited. “He is so going to kill you.”
Richard snorted at the threat. “He’ll thank me.”
His arrogance was just too much, and wanting to get away from him she stood, but he jerked her

back into her seat. “Where the bloody hell do you think you’re going?” he growled in a deep angry voice.

“I’d rather sit by Cedric…” She grunted when his arm landed against her chest shoving her back into

the seat when she tried to stand a second time.

“That wouldn’t leave the right impression,” he ground out.
“Then I need the restroom,” she shot back, though quietly.
“I don’t believe you.”
She

was

bluffing. They stared at each other for a minute before she mutely backed down and turned

to face the window. For three more hours.

Incredibly relieved when they landed, Danielle ignored her guards as they drove to Glenwood

Springs. Again, they’d taken the long way, and again switched cars three times before they actually arrived.
Only after they entered her home did the guards back off, and she felt like she could finally breathe.

Setting her purse onto the table along with the hat and wig, she then dropped onto the sofa and

began to peruse her new home. Ethan had selected this place, and apparently had it decorated.

The colors of the living room were soft shades of tan and cream with touches of dark brown and

deep red. The style was understated, but a little bit shabby chic. She loved it, and wondered if he’d chosen
these colors himself, or just hired someone. Figuring it was probably the latter, her eyes landed on a

painting over the loveseat and she shot upright. “A Jack Vettriano?”

Hearing the men chuckling from the other room, she wondered if they were laughing at her outburst

as she stood from the sofa and went to the piece of artwork. It looked like an original of

The Singing Butler

.

“But it can’t be.”

“Ethan told me it was,” Cedric said from right behind her, and she jumped. “Relax.”
“Then don’t sneak up on me.” She turned back to the painting when Cedric simply shrugged his

shoulders. “It can’t be an original.”

“Ethan said it was.”
“I’ll ask him myself.”
“Fine, do that.”
“Fine, I will.”
“Stop it. You sound like a couple of children,” said Richard.
“We are children compared to you, old man.”
He grinned like a genuine rakehell. “You don’t kiss like a child.”
“That wasn’t by choice!”
“As I recall it, you’re the one who grabbed me first. And I didn’t feel you resisting.”
“You weren’t paying attention then. I would have thought you’d be more observant.”
Richard laughed and reached for the phonebook. “What are you hungry for, Danielle? Ethan said to

make sure you’re fed.”

“Fed? You really just said ‘fed’? Vampires feed, I’m mortal, I eat.”
“What would you like to

eat

then?” Irritation flashed in his eyes.

She folded her arms feeling irritated too. “I don’t care. Whatever!” She turned on her heel and

headed for her bedroom, only then wondering where it was. Must be down this hall, she thought turning into
it.

Richard sighed before she’d left earshot of him. “Order something for her, Merrick,” he commanded,

like some military general.

Merrick’s happy tone followed her down the hallway. “Something healthy like salad with chicken and

nuts on top,” he said, before adding, “Chick’s love that kind of stuff…. And strawberries, I was told that’s her
craving.”

“Indeed. Command and concur, Merrick,” Richard rumbled.
Danielle rolled her eyes as she reached for a door handle to check if this room was her bedroom. It

was going to be like living with some sort of medieval-alpha-male-warrior, she decided. Danielle couldn’t
believe Ethan had left her alone with these three, especially him. For at least a week! She just might
consider running away if it goes longer than that.

* * * * *

Danielle gasped in wonder when she entered her and Ethan’s bedroom. It was decorated almost

exactly like the suite in Le Meurice where they’d spent their honeymoon, except it was a little more
understated. The thought occurred to her—he wanted this room to be a constant reminder of that romantic
time together, and she smiled as she explored it. The room had peaked ceilings, fabric draped archways,
and carved wooden beams that divided a sitting area from the bed and the bath. The fabrics were in soft
shades of blue and cream. They were simple, without much pattern, creating a clean yet romantic feel. Just
above the sofa was another Jack Vettriano painting,

Dance Me to the End of Love

, and then across from

the bed hung a collection of framed, sepia wedding portraits. Suspecting the big empty space on one wall
was for the painting of the ruins she’d painted for Ethan, she smiled and decided she needed to talk to him,
to thank him.

Slipping off her shoes, Danielle pulled her phone from her pocket, flipped it open, then strode toward

the bed.

She dialed Ethan’s number, and then settled down onto the white bedcovering as it rang. Suddenly

the phone was snatched from her hand and closed. Danielle screamed in surprise.

The narrowed gaze of an angry prince stared down at her as he said, “No calls.”
Danielle swallowed, unable to speak, thinking it looked like he was fighting really hard to keep his

anger bottled and leashed.

After a long pause where their gazes held uncomfortably, his expression softened, but he said

nothing and left her alone, taking her phone with him.

Irritated with that, she curled up on the bed.

Maybe I will leave before the week is over

, she mused.

I’m sure this isn’t what Ethan had in mind

... and now she couldn’t call him, or Beon, or her parents, or

anyone…. At least she had Cedric, and Merrick seemed all right, but this Richard….

Soon after that, she fell asleep, glad to be exhausted from the flight so she could sleep, even with all

the thoughts in her head.

* * * * *

“Danielle,” a deep voice said. The rumbling sound ripped a shudder from her.
She furrowed her brows. “What?” The word was thick with sleep.
“Your food is here. Wake-up so you can eat it.”
Danielle rubbed her eyes and then pried them open. She blinked. All three of her guards stood next

to the bed, each holding a paper bag or plastic box. This confirmed her suspicion that she was going to
have very little privacy with these guys. They’d probably barge in while she was in the bathroom if they felt
she was in danger, or trying to make a phone call, or needed to

feed

.

“Your salad, my lady,” Cedric said, opening the takeout box and setting it onto the bed next to her.
“Strawberries, dipped in chocolate, lass.” Merrick opened another box and set that next to the salad.
“Bread and soda,” Richard grunted, holding a paper sack and a thirty-two ounce cup.
“But, I-I don’t drink soda.”
“I told you she’s one of those healthy eaters, but you wouldn’t listen.”
Richard scowled and told Merrick to shut up, then asked her, “What do you drink then?” in a kind

gentle tone. She suspected that maybe he was attempting to make up for his rude behavior earlier.

“Water…. Please?”
His mouth twitched and she thought he almost smiled as he set the bag down onto her lap. He left to

retrieve water, she thought. The other two filed out after him.

Danielle was surprised to find that the bread was warm, and for some reason that touched her.

Maybe because they’d gone to the trouble of gathering a meal she would enjoy. She knew those
strawberries couldn’t have been easy to get this time of year. Even Richard had made the effort to get her a
drink and bread that was so fresh it hadn’t yet cooled. In light of this, she thought perhaps these men weren’t
so bad after all. She broke off a piece of bread, and the wonderful smelling steam rose to her nose.
Chewing, Danielle felt her mood shifting from fear and irritation to acceptance, and hoped that the
remainder of her time with these men would continue like this.

She was working on the salad when Richard returned with a goblet filled with water.
“Thanks. This is all very nice.”
“You’re welcome.” He was in the process of wringing a napkin in his tense grip. A napkin that she

figured was probably meant for her. “I’ve been told that I need to apologize for my ... er ... abruptness
earlier.”

“It’s all right. I know you couldn’t help it,” she said, unable to resist the tease.
He blinked. “What do you mean by that?”
“You must be called the

Black

Prince for a reason.”

“They never called me that until long after my death. But I think it was because of my black armor,

nothing to do with my character.”

Sure

, she thought.

He then noticed what he was doing to the napkin, ironed it with his fingers, and then handed it to her.
She took the wrinkled linen. “Thanks.”
“Is there anything else I can get you?”
Danielle dragged the container of strawberries to her lap. “Nope. But thanks again.”
“Just call if you need anything.” He swept into a bow and then left.
Perhaps they should have called him the Indecisive Prince, because it seemed he didn’t know if he

wanted to be a grouchy brute, or a chivalric gentleman.

* * * * *

When she emerged from her bedroom she found the three of them lounging on the sofa watching

football.

“This American football is prissy compared to our British sport,” Richard commented dryly.
Before the others could reply, they noticed her, and all of them scrambled to their feet. She almost

laughed because she didn’t expect that kind of respect from them, but suspected it was one of those things
engrained so deep in their mannerisms they couldn’t break the habit.

Then she noticed Richard’s muddy, booted feet as he stood on the new cream-colored rug. “Hey,

you’re making a mess!”

The prince frowned at her, then dropped his gaze to his big feet. After heaving a big sigh, he

removed the offending footwear and tossed them to the entryway, which made a mess of dried dirt clods as
they bounced. “Better?” he asked.

“Um,” she managed, then noticed his socked feet, and smirked at the big toe sticking out of the hole

in his left sock. He noted her gaze, tore off the socks, and chucked them toward his boots with a curse.

This earned him a round of chuckles from Merrick and Cedric, whom he punched soundly in the arms

for it.

Danielle scooped her purse from the table and slung it over her shoulder.
“Whoa!” Richard bellowed as he lunged for her. “You’re not going anywhere!”
“I just want to go see my parents and my brother.”
“You can’t leave this house until Ethan is here.”
“But he doesn’t know when he’s going to be here.”
“Did you honestly think you could leave on your own?” he bit out as he confiscated her purse, lifted

her from the floor, hauled her to the sofa and set her down onto it.

“No, I knew one or more of you would be following me. But—”
“I heard about your

freedoms

before now! So you thought it would be like that again, where you could

go anywhere you pleased and we’d just tail behind?”

Yes

…

but apparently not

…. She had thought she could be stealthy about it, and figured that no one

was looking for her here, especially if she was believed to be there.

“There will be no more of that!” he bellowed, leaning over her in a threatening stance. “I’m

commanding this guard and you will not be leaving this house, not even to go to the garden!”

Anger simmered through her veins. “And where do you get off taking my phone! I was just going to

call Ethan!”

“No. Phone. Calls. What if his phone has been tapped? Danielle, you’re supposed to be in London

with Ethan! If you call, or you’re seen here they’ll know Gillian is not you! Do you not understand how much
danger you’re in?”

Oh, she knew. She didn’t want to admit to it sometimes, but she knew. Even though she’d

desperately wanted to see her parents, she could also see his point. And this harsh lecture combined with
his angry tone cracked her easily fractured emotions. Tears she couldn’t stop rolled down her cheeks.
Embarrassed, she buried her face in her hands. Of course she hated how much she was crying lately, but
she couldn’t seem to help it. She didn’t really feel pregnant yet, and she wasn’t showing yet. She just felt all
messed up inside.

“Now look what you’ve done!” Merrick shouted, addressing Richard.
“You’ve upset her!” Cedric said. “Again!”
Richard drew in a measured breath and slowly released it, then shoved Merrick aside and sat down

next to her. He slung one arm over her shoulders and tugged her to his side. “I must apologize…. My main
task is to keep you safe, and I tend to get a bit—overzealous.”

“A bit?” Danielle asked on a wet sounding little sob.
He laughed. “Okay, I suppose it is a tad more than a bit.”
Danielle fanned herself trying to stop the waterworks. Cedric produced a handkerchief and dabbed

at her wet face. “There now, would you like some tea?”

She nodded like a child. She felt like one at the moment: in trouble for her actions, being disciplined

for it. All of these men were older than her grandfather. While they didn’t look it, they could display the
stubbornness that is occasionally witnessed in the elderly, especially the prince. Hopelessly set in their
ways….

Cedric strode to the kitchen to prepare the tea for her.
“Don’t mind Richard, lass,” Merrick said. “Underneath that crusty, ogre exterior is a generous and

heroic softy. Else he wouldn’t bother to say he was sorry.”

She had seen hints of that here and there, and his comment did remind her of her history lessons

about The Black Prince. It was said that he’d been extremely giving with his money before he died. She
would guess that he had remained that way.

“Silence, Merrick, before you ruin my reputation.” The prince turned the volume up on the television.

“Let’s watch some football. Now tell me, who are these Dallas Cowboys?”

Danielle realized he was trying to reduce the tension and soothe her bruised emotions. But it

confused her, one minute he was shouting in her face, and the next he was almost jovial, almost flirting.
“They’re the team from Texas,” she answered quietly.

“Ah, I’ve heard of Texas. What does it mean when they do that little dance in front of the pole there?”
“He just scored…. Richard, shouldn’t you know about this? I mean, I think you’re plenty old enough.”
“I never ventured from Europe; spent most of my time in Spain, and I haven’t watched much

television.” He turned his face back toward the television and scowled. “Why do they line up like that?”

“I don’t really speak football.”
“But you’re a Yank.”
“And a girl. I’m not into it. Sorry.” She reached for the remote to change the channel.
He resisted by extending his arm out to its fullest length. Dang, his arms were long. “I’ll change it for

you. What would you like to watch?”

“I don’t know.” Danielle stretched for it again.
Again he resisted her efforts easily, and changed the station. “How about this?” he asked. It was

some cooking show.

“No,” she said, and wanted to reach for the control again, but knew she’d never get it away from this

medieval knight without doing something major like throwing a tantrum, so she let it slide. “I’d like to watch a
movie.”

After flipping through half the channels he finally found one she deemed satisfactory and she smirked

evilly. It was a chic-flick, a musical in fact. She relished in the thought that she was going to make these
three guys suffer through it with her. Well,

she

wouldn’t be suffering; she liked this kind of stuff.

By the time it was over the men were all snoring loudly.

Hmmm

, she thought,

vampires really do

sleep.

Richard popped one eye open when she slid from the sofa. “Hmm?”
Her eyes rounded. This guy was even alert when he was seemingly unconscious. “I’m going to bed.

Goodnight, cranky prince.”

“Sleep well, spoiled princess.” There was that almost gentle, teasing side of him again.
She smiled and went to bed.

* * * * *

Again she was awakened by a deep rumbling voice. “Danielle, get up for breakfast.” It was Merrick.
She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “You seriously just woke me up for that?”
“Ethan insists you eat. Regularly.”
She tugged the blankets up to her chin and looked at the clock. “I never eat breakfast this early.” It

was five am. Was Ethan trying to be Mr. Overprotective from across the ocean? She did tend to skip
breakfast. Had he noticed the habit? Of course he had, she realized with a frown.

Merrick sighed and worried his chin with two fingers. “You must for that wee bairn.”
While deciding “wee barin” meant small child, her attention was drawn to Richard when he said,

“Don’t make us force you,” as he entered, eating up the space between the doorway and her bed in long
strides.

“You’d force me to eat breakfast?” she asked, incredulous.

“Um, Richard,” Cedric interjected, “you can’t

force

her.”

Richards’ fists landed on his hips and his eyes narrowed. “Sure I can.” That narrowed gaze shifted

from Cedric and landed on her. “You must be fed a well balanced meal three times a day, plus snacks, plus
regular tea,” growled the prince.

“I’ll eat when I’m hungry thanks.”

I’m not a toddler

, she thought with irritation.

“Ethan was very specific. Breakfast at—”
“Give me my phone back. I need to talk to him,” she demanded feeling stubborn.
Richard cursed and ignored her. “Ethan asked me to get groceries for her.” He turned abruptly and

stalked toward the door.

“You’re shopping?” Cedric asked, his eyes rounding with surprise.
“One of you two will make food for her while I’m gone. And, when she’s up and dressed, she

will

eat

it.” The prince then left, leaving tangible tension in his wake.

“I hope he knows what he’s supposed to be getting,” Cedric said.
Danielle shifted in the bed, then asked, “Has he ever been inside a grocery store?”
“I highly doubt it,” the Highlander said, still showing white teeth from his amused grin. “What would

you like for breakfast, my lady?”

And since they had woken her up, she decided she was hungry after all. “Pancakes?”
Merrick turned to Cedric. “Do you know how to make those?”
“I can do eggs and bacon.”
She gagged. “I’ll make it.” Danielle shoved the covers aside, dropped her legs over the edge of the

bed and then stilled. She was trying to decide if she needed to race for the bathroom, or if she could make it
to the kitchen when her stomach roiled at the thought of greasy breakfast meats.

“She just lost all color in her face.” Concern tainted Merrick’s tone.
Cedric forced her to lie back down. “We’ll make you something.”
“Toast. Can you handle toast?” Danielle groaned staring blankly up at the ceiling, thinking that bread

might settle her insides.

“Yes. With fruit preserves.” Merrick stepped away from her bed.
“And juice.” Cedric followed.
They left, discussing how to make toast as their footsteps trailed away.

* * * * *

Later that day a quick smile curled Danielle’s lips as she looked at her cards. “Uno!” she shouted.
“All ready? I never win at these things,” Cedric complained.
Merrick scowled as he was forced to add a seventh card to his hand because he couldn’t play the

one Danielle had discarded. “This game is more luck than brain or brawn,” he grumbled.

“Oh, there’s definitely some strategy involved. You need brains for that, not one of those Highlander

swords. What do you call those things?” said Cedric.

“A Claymore. It is a double-edged blade that is as long as I am tall, and had to be strapped to my

back.”

“So cool. Do you still have it?” Danielle asked.
“Of course. It is displayed above the fireplace in my castle.”
After gasping, she asked, “You live in a castle? Do you still wear one of those skirt things?”
Irritation lined his pursed lips. “A kilt, lass, it is called a kilt, not some feminine, flowery—”
Cedric chuckled, and then snorted. “A skirt.”
Merrick growled and rewarded Cedric with an angry kick to the shins. Cedric simply laughed harder,

then looked down at his hand of Uno cards. “Ha!” Cedric blasted. “Draw four, Danielle!” Grinning hugely he
wagged his eyebrows at her.

She had nothing to counter that, apparently she wasn’t winning after all. Danielle rolled her eyes and

could feel her bottom lip twisting into a pout as she took the cards. “What about you, Cedric? What was life
like in eighteen…?”

“Nineteen

forty.”

“Oh, right.” She watched as Merrick took his turn, and was able to play one card.

Cedric played his hand after that, his number of cards dropping to three as he answered, “That was

when color television was invented, but most people didn’t even own a black and white set because life was
largely influenced by World War II, and the depression. But we did have scarlet-lipped, pin-up girls, and
Slinkies.”

A smile lifted the corners of her mouth. She’d had a Slinky too. Danielle took her turn, and then The

Black Prince returned from shopping in a blacker mood than usual, interrupting their game and
conversation. He entered from the garage, his huge hands burdened with six bags each, as he barked out
an order, “Merrick, Cedric, come help me put this away.”

They obeyed swiftly, both wearing mirth on their faces. “Hold the game, Danielle. We’ll be back in a

moment.”

Danielle set her hand of cards down onto the table. With how much the prince was carrying, she

figured it would take them longer than a moment, and decided she needed to witness this.

Their gruff voices drifted from the kitchen and grew louder as she neared it.
“No, Richard, that’s perishable, it needs to go in the ice box,” Cedric lectured.
“I remember not having refrigeration, and the cheese was left out on the table. Though it wasn’t an

orange brick wrapped in plastic like this,” Richard said with his lip curling in disgust as he considered the
package of aged cheddar.

“Yes, I remember cheese being left out too. That and bread, and fruit, and salted meats,” commented

the Highlander.

“You guys are going to make me sick with your medieval thinking,” she said, stepping from the wood

flooring in the hallway to the tiled kitchen. She took the cheese from Richard and stuck it in the refrigerator.

“I told you it needs to go in the ice box,” said Cedric.
“Ethan will murder us all if we poison his child-laden bride.”
Richard and Cedric seemed to agree with Merrick as they stared at her.
Then Richard spoke while he rubbed his whisker-covered chin, causing a sound somewhat like

sandpaper grating against wood. “Danielle, would you please direct us?”

She snickered. “Sure.”
Danielle was slightly shocked with how much food Ethan had ordered them to purchase. Was he

going back to his old pattern of overfeeding her? It was possible with his concern for the baby. But she was
pleased to see so much fresh fruits and vegetables, which went into the “ice box.” Richard and Merrick
appeared to be confused by that, but said nothing against it.

Chapter 15

Return of the Frog

The week continued just like that. Well, Richard only made her cry two more times; otherwise they

took very good care of her. They did the shopping or purchased takeout, never delivery.

She did notice that when the sun shifted its position in the sky, the vampires also shifted a bit further

away from her. Of course they were around constantly, but if they were in the family room with her at night,
they never sat on the same sofa as she did.

To keep herself occupied, in the mornings she did her usual workouts in the living room, blasting her

hard music through the house. During the day she painted in the art studio that had been set up for her right
next to the office, and in the afternoon she watched TV with her vampire bodyguards. She snickered to
herself at how many girly movies she’d managed to make them watch:

Princess Diaries

,

Ever After

, and

The Princess Bride

. She gave in a little by letting them watch

Tomb Raider

, but that was still all about girl

power. She reveled in her secret torture of these three tough guys.

While Danielle remained frustrated with the many restrictions put upon her, she was also grateful for

all of the time and effort they’d put into guarding her, and she made certain she shared those words of
gratitude often. She felt well protected, and it seemed that nothing had ever happened. And she hoped that
the plan had worked and that the others thought she’d been turned along with Ethan.

Today Ethan was expected to arrive on a late flight. The sun hadn’t set yet and she was on the couch

with Merrick and Cedric, while Richard had stretched out on the loveseat. They were watching

Arsenic and

Old Lace

. She loved the black and white classic, but the men complained that they couldn’t figure out how a

story about two old ladies who murder lonely men to put them out of their misery was supposed to be funny.

“Why are you laughing? There’s a dead body in the window seat,” Cedric asked, appalled.
Danielle couldn’t answer because she was laughing so hard. But she wasn’t laughing at the movie; it

was their reaction to it that was killing her.

She stood to go to the bathroom, and was completely surprised when all of the men shot from their

seats just as she did. Oh, yes, she’d forgotten about that. She felt a spark of mischief ignite within her when
she realized she could play with this, and dropped back into her seat.

The vampires stared at her, and when she didn’t stand again, they reseated themselves.
She stood up another time, and watched in amazement as they followed just as before.
With a look of confusion on his face, Cedric asked, “Is there anything you need, Danielle? I’d be

happy to get it for you.”

“Thanks, but I just need the bathroom. I’ll be back in a minute.” She figured she’d better go, so they

didn’t get too suspicious—yet.

When she returned, they all rose to their feet, then sat down as she did. “Oh, I forgot…” she said and

launched from the sofa.

The men followed, and she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. “Oh, never mind. I don’t need it,”

she muttered and dropped back to the cushion.

Up again, then the men.
Down again, and they looked at her with realization dawning on their expressions. She leaned to

stand again, but was then held down by both Cedric and Merrick.

“You’re toying with our good manners,” Merrick accused with a broad grin.
Danielle laughed out loud.
“We’ll have no more of that, Mrs. Deveroux. If you keep it up, we just may have to sit on you,” Richard

threatened, though it lost its sting with his giant smile.

“Sorry. I’ll be good. I just couldn’t resist. Too funny.”
Unexpectedly, they heard the backdoor squeak as someone entered the home.
Richard lunged to his feet, groping for something at his hip. But frowned when he found nothing, and

Danielle realized that he’d been looking for a sword. Apparently the man had carried one long enough that it
was natural instinct for him to reach for it when threatened.

“We don’t carry those anymore, Richard,” teased Merrick.
“I know that! Was that Ethan?” Richard whispered.

“I don’t think the plane could have landed five hours early. It has to be someone else.”
Footsteps echoed from the wooden floors as this person approached.
“Who’s there?” Cedric called.
“It’s just me,” a man replied.
It sounded like Ethan to her and she moved toward the hallway to see.
Merrick caught her arm. “It can’t be Ethan. It’s too early. This must be an imposter,” Merrick

murmured.

The sound of heals against the floor drew closer.
Her guards, it seemed, panicked as they shoved her into the cushions and then pretty much piled on

top of her.

The footfalls entered the living room and someone asked, “Where’s Danielle?”
It

was

Ethan.

“I’m here,” she called from underneath someone’s chest, she didn’t know who, but he was heavy. The

sound came out muffled.

“Get off my wife!”
She felt the weight leave her as the prince complained, “You’re five hours early! Why didn’t you call?

There’s certain protocol in place for bloody reason!”

“I was able to catch an earlier flight, and my phone died. Plus, I wanted to surprise her.” Ethan

responded simply as he made for her. “Are you all right? Did they crush you?’

“I’m fine.” She threw herself into his arms. “I missed you.”
She felt his lips move into a smile against her cheek as his arms held her to him and her feet left the

floor. “I missed you too.”

Leaning back to catch his gaze she wondered if it would still make her ill. A flurry of vertigo blew over

her senses but she wasn’t slammed with nausea and smiled, figuring it was because she’d just drunk a cup
of chamomile tea. While his eyes still made her dizzy, the early pregnancy nausea was fading, and it was
slightly more tolerable. Ethan said nothing else as he kissed her and turned to carry her to their bedroom.

Danielle opened her eyes and peered over Ethan’s shoulder as the guards watched him leave with

her. They looked kind of lost, and she began to feel slightly guilty for it, like she was abandoning them.

“Thanks for everything, men. I’m retiring early tonight.”
“Will you be finishing the film with us?” Merrick asked.
“You guys can, I’ve seen it before,” she replied as Ethan began to nuzzle her neck and tickled a laugh

out of her.

“What were you watching?” Ethan asked as he entered the hallway, and the guards left her view.
She shuddered. “

Arsenic and Old Lace

.”

Ethan laughed. “And how were they liking that?”
“They found it disturbing.”
“But it seems they were enjoying it anyway.”
“I think they were. You wouldn’t believe what I’ve been making them watch.” She then told him about

all of the films they’d seen, and he laughed again.

“Sounds like you’ve had a good time.”
“It’s been a little rough with Richard, he’s really bossy.”
He’d entered their room and was lowering her onto the bed. “You butted heads, I take it?”
“Yes.” She flushed, knowing she had to tell him about the plane ride. “And lips, but only twice.”
“He kissed you? Twice?” She wasn’t surprised at the angry tone in his voice at this news, the

possessive side of him made her wonder if she should have told him. But this wasn’t the kind of thing she
could keep from him.

“Just to hide me from the vampire on the plane. It was brief, well, no it wasn’t brief, but…”
“What else? Did he hurt you? Did he make you cry?” There was that muscle tick in his cheek again.
She hadn’t meant to tell him about the crying part, but since he’d asked, she couldn’t lie about that

either. “He tends to bellow.”

“A common trait of your average medieval prince, I suppose.”
Danielle studied his expression and sensed that there was some of the jealousy he feels around Max

resurfacing in regards to Richard. “You seem more like a prince to me, he’s a barbarian,” she said hoping
to soothe him.

“I was never a prince, and never would have been. I may have become an earl, but never a prince.

And right now, I’m a toad.”

He is jealous of the prince.

“You’re all frogs to me, but you’re

my

Frog Prince, and always will be.”

Ethan exhaled. It was a long exasperated one. “And you’re certain that you’re all right? Do I need to

check for bruises?”

Her eyes widened at that. There was just that one bruise, but it wasn’t really Richard’s fault. He hadn’t

meant to take her arm so firmly when she tripped over Cedric’s feet and he caught her.

Frowning, Ethan tugged off her cardigan and cursed under his breath at the black and blue mark on

her upper arm.

“Now don’t freak out. I fell.”
Narrowed blue eyes caught onto hers. “This is not consistent with a fall, Danielle. Someone grabbed

your arm.”

“To stop me from falling, yes. It was an accident.” She may have been frustrated with the prince, but

she didn’t want him in trouble for this.

“How did this happen?”
“I stepped backwards and stumbled over Cedric’s feet, Richard caught me by the arm.”
“This is what I get for leaving my fragile wife with three medieval stooges.”
“I wouldn’t call them stooges ... and, Cedric isn’t even old enough to be considered medieval…”
He studied her face for a moment longer, and again she felt the enchanting influence of his vampire

gaze. Danielle made a mental note: Drink Chamomile tea before making eye contact with Vampire Ethan
because it really helped.

His head tilted. “Somehow you’ve bonded with them.”
“I guess I have,” she said slowly, and found that even she was surprised by this.
“I don’t like how this makes me feel.”
“You’re jealous.”
She could see that he hated it when she pointed that out. Then his expression rearranged. “We don’t

have time for this. I need you. I’ve missed you so much,” he said as he began kissing her face, and neck,
and shoulders.

“Oh, no!” She then realized how little time they had together before night fell. “The sun!”
“Yes, it will be setting in about an hour, and I’ll have to leave you for the night.”
“No. I-I don’t want to sleep alone again!”
Ethan ignored that and began tugging off his clothes.
“Let’s try sleeping together. I watched late movies with them, well after dark.”
That got his attention. “They weren’t supposed to do that.”
“Nothing happened…. They were good about avoiding eye contact and they never sat next to me on

the loveseat.”

“I’m cursed at night and so are they; you shouldn’t have taken that risk.”
She didn’t really know what to say to that.
“We can’t be separated like this again. Never again! For heaven’s sake, you were kissed by another

man!”

“What about you? Did you kiss Gillian?”
“We kept the hunting brief to prevent her from being recognized, and fearing they still posed a threat

even if you had been turned, we remained inside most of the time. In that case there was no need to put on
an act.”

“Is that your answer?” she asked because from that bit of lame info she couldn’t tell if he’d kissed her.

“So did you kiss her or not?”

“No.”
Great, now she really felt guilty.
That storm brewed in his blue eyes again, but he curled his body around hers as if he meant to prove

that she belonged to him alone.

“We didn’t make out, Ethan. I was trying to shove him away the whole time,” she said, hoping to calm

the upset lining his face.

“Does he kiss better than me?”
She looked into his eyes, and smiled as that familiar, slightly uncomfortable, and mesmerizing

sensation swept over her. “You’re forgetting about this eye thing we have going. No one can top that.” She
closed her eyes and slid her nose over his cheek, drawing in his scent. “Mmmm, and that. I can’t get enough
of that. No one can match what you do to me. No one kisses me like you do, and no one is better at it than
you. Not that I’ve tested it…. Am I forgiven?”

“Of course.”
The anger softened from his mouth and his sapphire gaze dropped to her lips. “Show me, darling.

Show me what I’ve been missing out on for far too long.”

Chapter 16

Who’s Staring?

Danielle had talked Ethan into staying in their bed until long after the sun had set and his heart had

stopped beating for the night. But the next morning she awoke to an empty bed. It seemed he stayed until
she’d fallen asleep and then slipped away. She didn’t like that. She didn’t want to be separated from her
husband at bedtime, sleeping in different bedrooms. It just wasn’t right.

Waking up alone hadn’t put her in the best mood, and she decided she needed to hit something.

Again, frustration was fueling her need for studied violence. She dressed in her workout clothing, brushed
her hair back into a ponytail, gathered her heavy metal music, and made for the garden. It was getting cold
out as fall began to set in, but she planned on moving enough to not notice.

The three guards still lingered, but they wouldn’t be as close as they had been before. Danielle

secretly missed the silly banter that went on amongst them, and thought maybe they

were

a little like the

three stooges. As well as making her cry, they’d made her laugh quite a bit. However, she was extremely
happy to be able to get out of the house. With Ethan home, she’d be able to enjoy a few more freedoms. If
she was believed to be here now then she could go outside, right?

As she approached the door, Merrick captured her arm.
“Ow! That’s where the bruise is. Do you mind?”
“Oops, sorry about that.” He released her promptly.
She reached for the handle again, and Merrick stepped in front of it.
“Um, I’m just going out to exercise.”
“Did you ask Ethan if you could do that outside?”
“Ethan’s not around to ask,” she replied angrily. “I’m not a child; I don’t need his permission for

everything.”

“Let her go, Merrick. She’s supposed to be pretending that she’s immortal, remember? I think she’d

still be doing her training if she were,” Richard said.

“Hmm, I see your point. Sorry, Danielle, old habits are hard to break.” He chucked her chin like she

was his little sister.

Danielle smiled. “I understand,” she said as she went out into the chilled morning.
She’d only been allowed to look at their yard from inside, until now. Moving across the grass she

decided she could see why it reminded Ethan of England. It was formal with shrub topiaries surrounding it.
These weren’t the amazing animals Beon liked to sculpt, these were simple balls and twists, but they still
provided an English-style effect.

The northern side was teaming with rosebushes but they’d lost their pretty blooms for the season.

Irish moss carpeted the ground below, which still had little white flowers sprinkled over it because it was a
hardier plant. An herb garden lay at the south side of the yard, but most of it had gone to seed and she knew
frost would soon destroy what was left. A neglected and dying vegetable garden stood next to a fountain.
She frowned realizing that Ethan had probably planned on enjoying the fresh produce himself. However,
now he couldn’t do that.

Danielle chose the space in the middle of the lawn to begin her workout. She set the iPod dock down

and pressed play on her iPod. The banging song electrified the air and she loved that.

“I’m afraid you may have it too loud. The neighbors could complain.”
She turned to face Richard, who’d obviously followed her out. “If it’s too loud, then you’re too old.”

Danielle started her routine.

“You really like

Aerosmith

?”

Left block, forward punch, uppercut. “I’m surprised you even know who they are.”
“They’ve been around long enough to be noticed, even by me.”
“Yes, they’re great for this.” She punched and kicked in his direction.
“I’m impressed. I can see you’ve been studying this for a long time. Your technique is nicely

polished.”

“Too bad it’s useless against the likes of you. Regardless, I keep doing it because I like it, and I need

the exercise.” She moved through two roundhouse kicks, and several blocks and jabs.

“I’ll spar with you.” He reached out and caught her fist in the palm of his hand.
She jerked free. “I don’t think so. Ethan might be angry that you’re even out here with me.”
“She’s right about that,” Ethan said.
Richard dipped into a quick bow and left after he said, “Good day.”
“Where were you this morning? And when did you leave me?”
“You tempt me when you’re sleeping, I couldn’t stay.”
She stopped what she was doing, and one look into those mystical eyes of his made her dizzy, so

she dropped her gaze to his shirt. “My blood? Is that what tempts you?” she asked, fingering one of his
buttons.

He slid the backs of his fingers over her cheek, and she swallowed. His hands were cooler than her

morning chilled cheeks. She was more aware of his temperature changes after being so close to him when
he was mortal, and while the sun had risen, he hadn’t warmed up much yet. It must be a gradual thing, she
mused.

“No,” he said, “I wanted to make love to the angel sleeping next to me, and if I woke you for that, then I

would

be tempted ... to use the curse. It was less painful to sleep in another room.”

“What does it feel like? That temptation.”
“It feels wicked in a bad way. Evil.”
“And the taste?”
“The taste is only a small part of it. In truth, it’s more about drawing energy and power.” He shuddered

like he was disturbed by his own words. “Just feeding feels so immoral to me. I rather preferred the pangs of
hunger, and the uncomfortable tightness of being too full. Food is heavy. I liked that.”

“And because of this, you can’t sleep next to me?”
“I—just—I couldn’t do it last night.”
“This sucks.” She dropped her hand from him, twisted away, and went back to her techniques,

getting more violent with the movements.

“Richard watches you. Did you know that?”
She stopped again, but kept her back to him. “Um, don’t all of my guards watch me? Practically

nonstop?” She could see one even now, guarding the back gate.

“Well, yes, but not like Richard does.”
“What is it about the way he watches me that bothers you?” She felt a chill slice up her spine at the

idea.

“There’s just a look in his eye that troubles me. And he stares; the others don’t stare at you.”
“If you don’t trust him then why is he in charge?”
“Because Max chose him, and I agree that he is the best man for this, and I don’t think he means you

harm. He just seems a little too

interested

.” Ethan had his lips to her ear now, and Danielle shivered as his

cool mouth moved against her lobe.

“Isn’t he married? I forgot to ask that…. I know that Merrick is, and Cedric just married Anna—”
“He’s single.”
“That can’t be.” Her voice dropped down to a whisper. “Isn’t he nearly seven hundred years old?”
“He’s been married a few times.” Ethan’s breath fanned her cheek. It wasn’t as cold as his flesh,

possibly because it came from inside him and with the sun up he was warming up.

“What happened?” Danielle turned to face her husband, but she avoided his eyes. She buried her

nose into his cold shoulder instead. So much for getting some exercise….

Ethan responded by rubbing her back. She felt herself sag against him as his fragrance surrounded

her. “He’s been divorced a few times,” he said.

“Why? I mean he’s rather grouchy, but he’s got a soft side hidden underneath it all.”
“The point is that he’s looking.”
“And you think he wants me? Now you’re paranoid

and

jealous. Ethan, I’m married to you, and

everyone knows I’m expecting

your

baby. That’s generally a major turn off for most men.”

“You’re the one who discovered the cure…”
“Oh, please! I only did what you told me to do, and

any

mortal could do it. I think you’re wrong. He’s

just anal about this military stuff, and keeping me alive is the main objective.”

“I hope you’re right, Danielle, but I want you to keep your distance from him.”
“All right, I’ll be careful.” However, she still needed the violence she’d come out to the garden for in

the first place. So far, she’d done more talking than karate. “Fight with me, Ethan. I need to punch
something!” She shoved away from his chest and struck out at him, hoping he didn’t notice how she swayed
from his influence.

Ethan chuckled. “Go for it, darling. Just don’t overdo it this time.”
They sparred, but it was plain to see the he was being extremely careful with her. He blocked a few

of her strikes but let the majority fall. And he never struck out at her, not even in jest. She continued until
she’d cooled her anger, but hadn’t exhausted herself. “Thanks, honey, it’s nice to have a dummy I can’t hurt.”

“Anytime, darling.” His gaze met hers then. She’d been careful about avoiding that until just then, and

she swooned.

Ethan scooped her up into his arms before everything went completely black. “Did you eat before

you came out here?”

Danielle flushed with guilt. Nope, in her anger she’d skipped that again.
“That’s what I thought. Next time you exercise I want you to eat first.”
“Yes, sir.” She knew he was right. She had to stop being so distracted and focus on taking care of

herself, and this baby.

* * * * *

“Ooo! Pancakes! May I have some?” Nadia asked as she walked into the kitchen. She and Max had

just arrived.

“Sure, have a seat. There’s still some batter left over.” Ethan turned the burner back on, and dropped

more butter into the pan as the heat returned.

Max popped his head in to say, “I’m taking our stuff to our room, or rather rooms. Which way do I

go?”

“Last two doors on the left, at the top of the stairs.”
“Thanks.” Then he added, “Oh, and Nadia already had breakfast.”
“But not pancakes…” she muttered as Ethan gave her a fork and a glass of milk while the cakes

were cooking.

“You get to sleep alone too, huh?” Danielle asked.
Nadia nodded.
Ethan flipped the pancakes. “I’ve already explained that…”
“We know. It still sucks.”
He dropped the pancakes onto a plate and placed it in front of Nadia with a bottle of syrup.
Danielle was finished with her pancakes and she’d stood from the table to help herself to an apple.

She got out a plate and knife to cut it, but Ethan snatched the blade from her like she was the toddler who’d
just gotten into the knife drawer.

“I can cut the apple,” she argued.
“You’re in a house full of vampires and you’re pregnant. You won’t be cutting anything.”
“The sun is up, and I’m fairly certain that pregnancy doesn’t make me incapable of slicing fruit.”
“Humor me.” He kissed her soundly on the forehead as he presented her with the cored and

sectioned apple. And she noticed right away that his lips were warmer than they were earlier.

“Fine,” she said as she lifted a slice to her lips and then rolled her eyes at Nadia.
Nadia smiled while drowning her pancakes in syrup.
After Ethan had cleaned up, and left the kitchen, Danielle sat next to Nadia again. “It’s nice to have a

fellow mortal in the house,” she mumbled around another bite of apple.

“I know what you mean.”
“How have things been?”
“Crazy. Max is constantly on edge. I think he misses the food.” Nadia stuffed a syrup-dripping,

double-layer square of pancake between her lips.

“I know Ethan does.” Danielle stared at her last piece of apple, trying to decide if she had room for it

or not.

“Let’s go shopping today.” Nadia made the decision about the fruit for her by stealing the wedge and

then gave it a lick before she chomped off half of it.

Danielle smiled as she stood, gathered their dishes and turned to put them in the dishwasher. “I’d

like that. Do you think we’ll be allowed?”

“It can’t hurt to ask.”

Chapter 17

Married to a Vampire

Silence and tension filled the room when they asked if they could go to the mall.
Cedric was staring at his feet. Merrick was rubbing his hands on his pant legs as if his palms were

sweating. The prince looked like he had a lot to say, but had obviously chosen to hold his tongue. His
expression of anger whipped across the room to her. Would he dare start bellowing again in front of Ethan?
And that other guard, the one who’d been outside most of the time, the one Danielle didn’t yet know stared
at her too, expressionless.

She swallowed and met Ethan’s gaze. “Please?”
“What do you think, Max?”
“Nothing has happened for days now. We could be safe.”
“Richard?” Ethan turned to The Black Prince.
Richard passed his gaze over Danielle, and then surprised her with his reply. “Let them go. We’ll

make sure they have at least fifteen men watching them, myself included. And we’ll make sure they pretend
to be watching Nadia since Danielle is supposedly immortal.”

After another heavy pause, Ethan released a slow breath and then nodded. “All right. You may go.”

He dug his wallet out of his pocket and extracted a gold credit card. “Here take my card.”

“I don’t need that. I—”
Ethan moved closer, and dropped his volume to a mere whisper. “Take it. Please? What’s mine is

yours…”

She did believe that, but her gaze automatically shifted to her studio and landed on the two paintings

she’d done that week. The two she’d designed to sell so she could have her own money. Knowing she
would never be allowed to have a job outside of the home for safety reasons, she’d sold a few pieces in
London. She planned to continue that little side business.

“Where are you two going today?” Nadia asked the men, interrupting with a change of topic.
“Car shopping.”
“Oh!” Danielle said suddenly. “I have a Mini at my parent’s house. Can Nadia and I go get it?”
Ethan choked on something, it seemed to be words. “A Mini Cooper?”
“Yes, it’s so cute. Nadia, you have to see it. It’s blue with white stripes—”
Her eyes rounded when Ethan took her gently by the arm and moved her to the other side of the

room. She realized that he was trying to avoid embarrassing her in front of the others as he defused, what
he apparently perceived to be, a bomb. “I—you can’t—I mean it just isn’t safe,” he cooed gently into her ear,
and it seemed it took a great deal of effort for him to coo gently.

To further exasperate the tension mounting between her and her husband, she could almost

physically sense the eyes of the others on her back, and knew they could probably still hear his whispers.
Though he certainly meant to spare her—the feelings of abashment slithered through her veins anyway, and
she attempted to defend herself. “I’m a good driver.”

“I’m certain you are.”
“Then I don’t understand.”
His expression brightened, as if he’d just gotten a brilliant idea. “I want to buy you something.

Something special.”

“Really? A new car? Are you sure?”
“I’m more than sure. I’ll pick something out for you today.” He wagged his eyebrows at her, apparently

trying to sell the idea.

“Okay,” she said, still feeling a little hesitant. “If you want to. I do like my Mini, though, so it isn’t

expected…”

She felt the cold plastic of the credit card touch her hand and looked down at it as her fingers curled

around it.

“Have fun shopping.” Ethan kissed her forehead and gave her a hug. Danielle tried really hard to

ignore the audience.

* * * * *

Six of the guards remained close to them, while the other nine melted into the shadows at the mall.

Which had to have been difficult considering how well lit it was. Danielle wondered how they felt about
entering shops that mainly catered to just women. Though they were pretending to only be guarding the
mortal Nadia, they kept Danielle close to her, and didn’t let her stray more than a couple of feet from her
friend.

She recognized most of them: Cedric, Lance, Jack, Richard, Merrick, and the one from outside her

home whose name she didn’t yet know. Danielle tried to get to know him. “Would you mind holding these for
me?” she asked him.

Mutely he held out his arms and accepted the pile of clothing that she meant to try on.
“Thanks. What’s your name?” she asked softly as she draped a pretty skirt over the stack.
“Dorin,” he said gruffly.
“It’s nice to meet you, Dorin.”
“You shouldn’t be talking to me,” he muttered from behind two feet of fashion.
“I don’t think anyone is watching…” One glance in Richard’s direction and she knew that wasn’t true.
“You can’t know that. I don’t think they’ll ever stop pursuing you, even if they think you’re one of us.”

His tone had turned dangerous, and she wondered if he took his job just a little too seriously.

Attempting to soften the sharp edges of his attitude, she said, “Thanks for what you’re doing. We

both appreciate your service.”

“Yes, we do,” Nadia agreed as she draped three tops and a pair of jeans onto the many layers of

material.

She and Nadia added four more items to the others, and then began weaving their way to the

dressing rooms at the back of the shop. Dorin followed silently. Danielle winked as she lifted half the pile
and reached for the handle of the dressing stall.

His lips twitched and she wondered if he’d almost smiled, almost.
Nadia was close on her heels after she snagged the remainder of the clothes and took the stall next

to hers. They sifted through the mess, passing things back and forth underneath the wall divider between
them, and then began trying things on.

When they emerged with their purchases, after about forty-five minutes of stripping and redressing,

Dorin addressed her again. “Why do you purchase clothing that you won’t be able to wear when you’re
swollen with that child?”

Danielle halted in her steps and he nearly ran her over. She tipped her chin up to look into his

unreadable gaze and realized that her nose only reached to his chest. The man was massive, and she was
relieved that he was on the good side. However, she wondered if he even knew how rude that comment
was, and didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or cry about it. It was true, she was going to get fat, but she liked
clothes, and they were on sale, and she wouldn’t always be

swollen

, as he so gently put it. And it was

comforting to shop when, deep down, she was troubled by all of the little things that go along with
pregnancy. Gaining weight. Doctor’s visits.

“Look, Danielle, let’s go try on some shoes,” Nadia interrupted, and Danielle was deeply grateful for

it. Without answering Dorin’s question, she followed Nadia to the store.

The men, of course, tailed along behind and she could hear their continuing conversation. “Did I say

something wrong?” Dorin asked Merrick.

Merrick chuckled, a low rumbling sound. “Oh, nay, of course not.”
“You only just said the worst thing you could have possibly said to her, that’s all,” Cedric said, shaking

his head.

“Should I apologize?”
Danielle twisted to face him, clutching a pair of shoes in her hands. Did he really mean to say he was

sorry?

He looked down at her. “Miss Darcey ... er ... Mrs. Deveroux, pardon my thoughtless exchange.”
His expression still held nothing recognizable as any sort of remorse, but she accepted anyway. “It’s

all right.”

The men remained quiet during the rest of their shopping, but graciously carried their bags for them

when they got to be too much.

They returned home after going out to dinner, and stuffed the booty into their bedrooms before

Danielle met with Nadia in the kitchen for a treat before bed.

“I want ice cream. What about you, Danielle?”
“That works for me. What flavor do you want? Ethan’s got this freezer loaded,” Danielle said, tugging

the freezer door open.

“Let me see.” Nadia peeped over her shoulder to look inside. She gasped and pointed. “What’s

Death by Chocolate? Is that good? It sounds sinfully divine.”

Danielle snickered, and pulled the carton out. “I think you’ve made a good choice for yourself, here.”

She handed over the ice cream, then selected her own. “I think I want vanilla with bananas and nuts and hot
fudge topping.”

Nadia already had a mouthful of Death by Chocolate when she said, “That sounds good too.”
Smiling, Danielle got out her fruit and toppings and began making her banana split. However, Nadia

squeaked when Danielle pulled out a knife to slice the banana. “Oh, no, not you too. I’m not going to hurt
myself.”

Nadia’s eyes widened and Danielle wondered what her deal was until she heard that all too familiar

male voice behind her. “Darling, I thought I said you weren’t to use anything sharp”

She turned, wide-eyed to face her husband. “Bananas are easier to cut than apples.”
“I don’t mind cooking for you. You know that. All you need to do is ask.”
“But you’re not always around to ask.”
Silently he took the blade from her hand and quickly prepared it for her. He even put two of those

maraschino cherries on top.

“Wow, Ethan, would you make one of those for me too?” Nadia asked when she saw the fancy-

looking treat he’d made for Danielle.

“Of course.” He quickly prepared another banana split and set the bowl down in front of Nadia, who

dug in happily.

After watching them spoon this cold treat into their mouths with a blatant, envious expression, he

said, “It’s time for me to go hunting. After the other men return, Max and I plan on going.” He really didn’t look
happy about the prospect of hunting.

* * * * *

When he and Max returned, Danielle and Nadia were watching a movie while munching on popcorn.

Ethan strode to the sofa with his eyes on that item that had been one of his favorite foods. It seemed he
couldn’t help himself when he shoved one hand into the bowl and removed a handful of popped corn. He
sniffed at it then stuffed it into his mouth, and cursed as he chewed. “That’s just wrong!” He then plopped
into the chair next to the sofa dusting his hands of salt and butter.

Danielle laughed because he looked like he needed to go brush his teeth to remove that disgusted

and puckered twist of his lips. She sprang from her seat and jumped into her husband’s lap for a kiss,
hoping to cheer him.

“Danielle!” He stood and dumped her off his thighs. “Don’t! You can’t forget I’m cursed!”
His blue eyes swirled with anger, and the magic of them stole her knees right out of their sockets.

She managed to hold onto consciousness as she dropped to the rug, then drew her knees to her chest and
covered her face which was quickly streaked with mortified tears.

They’d all witnessed that: Nadia, Max and several other men.
Humiliating.
So this is what it’s like to be married to a vampire. The Ethan she fell in love with was there most of

the time, but this dark, cursed side of him could strike at any moment after sunset. Had she really foolishly
thought she’d married Mr. Darcy? Perhaps Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were more accurate descriptions. She
remembered how he’d kept his distance from her physically even at the ball, even when he’d visited her
bedroom, even when he’d rescued her from Lucas. And now she remembered how he was never in the best
mood after having killed for his dinner. And here she’d just thrown herself into his arms. Danielle knew his

anger was her fault, and she couldn’t stop the sobs that began to rack her.

“I’m sorry.” She heard him mumble as strong arms lifted her from the floor.
But it wasn’t Ethan holding her. “Let’s get you to bed, all right?” It was Max. And that hurt too. Why

wasn’t it Ethan? Yes, she had acted too abruptly, but hadn’t he been able to tolerate her presence when
he’d tested his magic on her and she pretty much threw herself at him? Or was this somehow different?

She couldn’t respond as Max carried her to her bedroom and set her gently on the bed. She listened

as his footsteps receded from the room. Danielle wanted to be alone. After shoving the moisture from her
cheeks, she rushed to the door, slammed it, and locked it.

Seconds later, however, she heard a knock at it, followed by Ethan’s calm voice. “Danielle, can we

talk?”

“Go away,” she muttered, knowing he could hear her anyway.
He jiggled the locked knob. “Honey, I’m really sorry I snapped like that. Please let me in.”
She replied with silence.
Ethan responded by breaking the lock and entering.
Danielle scrambled under the covers to hide her returning tears. She could feel the bed tip as he

settled onto it next to her and placed a gentle hand on her hip. “Would you like to see the vehicles we
bought?” he asked, an obvious tactic for distraction.

Again, she answered with nothing.
His hand began to work out the tension in her back and neck through the blankets.
“Come-on, I got something in red. You need to see it.”
“You know where the guest bedroom is.”
Ethan tugged the sheets from her, pulled her to her back, and forced her to look at him, though he

kept his eyes closed, not even narrowed as he’d done in the past. A line had formed between his golden
brows. “Danielle, I’m truly sorry. It’s just that your lovely scent is more intense now that you’re pregnant, and
the knowledge that I’m a cursed man never releases my conscience. What if I hurt you? What if I jeopardized
this precious new life?” He took a breath. “Even so, I overreacted, and I deeply regret that. I can fight it like I
did in Lucas’ dungeon, but it will always be a challenge because it’s an evil spell that holds me captive at
night. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?”

“Will you ever be able to return to mortality?” She wanted that part of their relationship back so badly.

The way he snuggled with her and kept her warm all night long. The way he woke her with hugs and kisses.
The way he hummed when he enjoyed food.

There was a heavy pause, where the only sound was their breathing, and then he said, “As soon as

things are safe, I’ll go back to that. I swear it.”

“Can you stay with me tonight?”
Ethan placed one kiss on her cheek and looked down at her through a lash-filtered gaze, and instead

of answering her question he suggested, “Let’s go see our new transportation.” His hand slid around hers
and he helped her from the bed.

She was towed gently from their room, down the hall and then he turned toward the garage, silently

bypassing the others. All the while she wondered how far in the future it would be before she got her mortal
Ethan back. He’d been right on their wedding day when he’d said she wouldn’t like being married to a
vampire. She’d always sort of liked his possessive side, but right now she wasn’t so sure. Before this they’d
been enjoying wedded bliss. Then he’d been turned and it wasn’t until he’d joined her in Colorado that she’d
been able to spend this much time with him ... as a cursed man. Of course they’d dated like this, but now
they were in the same home and that was becoming a problem.

Ethan flipped the switch and flooded the garage with light.
Her mouth slackened and hung open as he led her further into the room and stopped next to a red

monster of a…. “What is that? It looks like something from the military.”

“Well, these things are only made for the US armed forces now.”
“Do missiles come out of the top of it?” she scoffed.
His deep laughter echoed from the cement and metal. “This is a custom H1 Humvee. I suppose we

could soup it up that way, and maybe we should with how many vamps you have gunning for you. And
maybe we should deck it out in camo, although I’m quite fond of the red. Anyway, as of now, it’s just an

awesome thing to cart you and your detail around in. Would you like to test drive it?”

“This is what you expect me to drive? I’d need two parking spaces for that! What’s wrong with my

Mini?”

She watched the overprotective worry return as the muscles in his jaw flexed. It was obvious that he

pretty much had to force himself to calm down before he spoke. “This is safer. And if they give chase, we
could escape through just about any route.”

“The Mini has a really high safety rate—”
“It doesn’t have 4-wheel drive.”
“It’s—” Another ripple of muscle in his cheek made it clear he couldn’t be budged in the matter. So

she dropped it. “You said ‘vehicles’ earlier, what else did you buy?”

His entire expression sparked with excitement as he pulled her around the Hummer and revealed the

fancy blue car hidden behind its massive frame. Ethan rushed to the passenger side door and swung it
open for her. Danielle settled into the seat, and was surrounded by the smell of new leather. Ethan moved
hastily around, and then dropped into the driver side seat.

He ran his hands over the control panel like a boy in love, then slid the key into the ignition and turned

it. A low rumble and the car came to life. He pressed a button and opened the garage door to let the
exhaust out. “Don’t you love it? I’ve secretly wanted one of these for a while now.”

Danielle twisted to look into the back seat, but there was no such thing. “How do we go anywhere in

this with a baby? There’s no room for a baby, Ethan.”

His shoulders lifted with a shrug. “We’ll take the Hummer then.”
“What is this?”
He smiled. “A Phantom Coupé.”
“Who makes it?”
She got the impression he wanted to say

You’re such a girl for not knowing that

, but responded

patiently with, “Rolls.”

“As in Rolls-Royce?”
“Of course.”
“I take it you were feeling frugal?” she mentioned sarcastically.
He laughed, a fun, boisterous sound.
“Can I drive it?”
And he choked on that laughter.
She knew that meant no. “Why not?” she asked feeling her bottom lip jut out.
“It’s simply not safe enough. You couldn’t escape in this.”
“I’ll bet it goes plenty fast for that.”
He pursed his lips. “Yes, of course, but you couldn’t take to the woods.”
“Figures,” she grumbled, folding her arms over her chest, then jumped when someone rapped on the

glass of her door. She turned to see Max there. Danielle tried not to feel embarrassed about what he’d
witnessed earlier.

Ethan set his finger on a button to unroll the window.
“Like what we picked out?” Max asked, his gaze averted.

“If

I could actually drive them, sure…”

Max grinned. “You should have seen Ethan driving the Humvee home—just like a Brit—on the

left

side of the road. And the fool that I am, I followed him!”

She turned to Ethan. “You didn’t! Really?”
His guarded expression became defensive. “I’ve been driving longer than you’ve been alive. It was

an easy mistake to make.”

“But dangerous.”
“Oh, trust me, people were more than eager to get out of the way of that thing.”
She laughed. “I’m sure they were.”
Danielle considered the Humvee again, then asked, “Is this really what you selected for me to drive?”
When he didn’t respond she realized the truth. “You didn’t really get anything for me, did you?”
“Well,” he looked so guilty, “technically this is for your safety…”

“But not really for

me

to drive.”

“I’m certain you can drive it.”

With your guards with you

, she figured he added in his head.

“I have my own car, Ethan.” She set her jaw when he didn’t respond again. “Max, help me out.”
He’d been snickering to himself through this whole debate. “Just seduce it out of him, Danielle. I’ve

seen you do it quite successfully before.”

She measured her husband for a moment and knew it would never work this time. “Please?” She

tried desperately. “Can I go get my Mini?”

“Oh, you have a Cooper?” Max said, his expression brightening with the topic of cars. “What color is

it?”

“It’s blue and it has—”
“I cannot allow that,” Ethan ground out.
Max was forced to lunge backward when she threw the car door open and left. The sound of Ethan

following caused her to scowl and pick up her pace, even when knowing she could never outrun him,
especially at night.

She made her way back to her—their—bedroom and shut the door again. But she couldn’t lock it

since Ethan broke that.

She tried to ignore him when he rejoined her in bed.
“Leave me alone,” she muttered when he curled next to her and looped one arm around her waist.
“I’ll stay with you...” when he trailed off she realized he really meant:

I’ll stay until you fall asleep

.

“I changed my mind.”
“I’m not that easy to get rid of.” He kissed her hair, and she could feel his breath drift through to her

skin. “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you about the Cooper. I just want what’s best for you and
this little one…” he said softly as he stroked her stomach.

* * * * *

The next morning she awoke in her husband’s arms just as she’d wanted. She could hear his heart

beating inside his chest underneath her ear, and she knew the sun had risen, so it was more than possible
that he’d left her after she’d fallen asleep and returned before she’d awakened as he’d done in the past.

She twisted her face up toward his and asked about it, knowing she shouldn’t. “Where did you

sleep?” Her voice came out on a sleep-rich whisper.

“Does it matter?” he responded while shifting like the bed had suddenly filled with rocks and was

incredibly uncomfortable.

It was the most comfortable bed she’d ever slept on, so she knew the source of his discomfort. It was

the distance growing between them because he was immortal and she was not. At least he was

mostly

mortal right now. She believed that deep down he was still probably trying to smooth things over from last
night.

Danielle moved up his chest so they were face-to-face. Their eyes locked and she felt herself fainting

again. She really needed to eat before she tried that because while he was mostly mortal she was still extra
sensitive to the curse within him. Day or night. Barely holding onto consciousness, she dropped her head to
the cradle of his neck.

“Are you still with me, Danielle?”
“Uh-huh,” she managed weakly.
When the silence stretched out between them, Ethan rolled their bodies, placing her on the bottom

and matched his gaze with hers again. It helped to be flat on her back when he did that, but the bed started
to move and her eyes slid shut.

“Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Just a little dizzy.”
“Nauseated?”
“No.” Still feeling like things between them were unresolved, she was prompted to say, “About last

night—”

“Shhh, I’m sorry about that, about everything.”
When she opened her mouth again, he asked, “What can I do to make it better?”

“Let me drive my Mini,” she tried.
“You can drive the Phantom,” he offered after a long pause.
“I’m not sure I’m satisfied with that.”
“Please. Go easy on my protective nature, would you?”
“Your

overprotective

nature, you mean.”

“I just worry. About you, about our child.” He sighed. “This has been really hard for me.”
“All right, fine. I’ll drive the Phantom.”
“And the Humvee?” He flashed a toothy grin at her when she opened her eyes again.
“Fine,

and

the Humvee.”

“So we’re settled then?” he asked a little too hopefully.
“Sure, I guess so—”
“Thanks,” he cooed as his mouth forced hers to silence. Lips, tongue, breath. Oh, that breath…. He

began touching his lips to her skin with soft butterfly kisses, covering every inch of her face and throat. Each
kiss set her flesh on fire, then it cooled just as his mouth left one place to ignite another. He ministered to
her in this way until she was overwhelmed with sensation and forgot what they’d been talking about in the
first place. He was just too good at manipulating her but she couldn’t find it in herself to be mad at him for it.

As his scent engulfed her, those hormonal tears stung her eyes again. “I love you so much,” she

sobbed. She loved him even though he worried too much, and even though he used his magic on her. In her
heart she knew it wasn’t really to control her but to help her cope with things that were likely stressing him
out as much as her.

Ethan said nothing as he brushed the tears from her face, and then turned that passion into need with

intimate caresses. She felt his hands sliding up the sides of her hips and ribs as he removed her
nightshirt....

* * * * *

“Are you sure I’m forgiven?” Ethan asked, tightening his arm around her waist. And that’s when she

realized how much he didn’t like having her mad at him. Clearly he wanted to be forgiven very badly yet....

“For what, exactly? Because I can’t remember much of anything at the moment.”
“For yelling at you. For hurting your feelings. For embarrassing you in front of the others. For not

allowing you to drive the car you want.”

“Oh. You shouldn’t have reminded me.”
He blew that magical potion that she couldn’t resist into her face and she drew it inside as greedily

as ever.

“Does that help?” he asked, again sounding very hopeful.
She didn’t want to admit it, but after releasing a soft groan, she said, “Yes, that always helps.”
Danielle looked up into his remorseful pools of blue, with more than a hint of vertigo hitting her and

she came to understand he wasn’t using his magic on her to control her but to comfort her.

“I just want you happy. More than anything. And safe,” he said confirming the thoughts in her head.

She watched as his gaze shifted to the clock and back. “You have an appointment with the doctor in two
hours.”

Danielle groaned at that bit of news, but laughed. “Way to ruin it.”

Chapter 18

Dumb Muggers

When Ethan returned with a hot breakfast, she ate and then showered. Afterwards, she wrapped

herself in a towel, stepped back into the bedroom, then halted. She didn’t know what to think about the
gothic outfit laid out on the bed for her.

“What’s this?”
“Your disguise,” Ethan said from the closet.
She considered the black wig, the black shirt and ruffled skirt, as she lifted the silver-studded black

belt and black combat boots. Then her eyes moved over the…. “Is that…?”

“Yes, fake piercings, black eyeliner and lipstick.”
She gawked when she saw the goth version of Ethan exit the closet.
“Interesting look for you,” she said, examining his all-black attire. He wore a tight-fitting t-shirt, a pair

of ripped jeans, boots, and— “You dyed your hair black?”

“It’s temporary dye.”
“You’re fast. Was I in the shower that long?”
“You always take long showers, darling. Should I time you next time to prove it?”
She didn’t answer that. “Now you look like a real vampire,” she teased.
“Is this how vampires dress?”
“Maybe.”
“Since when have I ever dressed like this?”
“My proper British man would never dress like this, at least not that I know of. So I guess you’re not a

real vampire, then.”

“This, my dear, will keep us unseen as we go to the doctor’s office.”
“Why such extremes?”
“Well, while you should be here in Glenwood Springs, you shouldn’t be going to the doctor. I’d be

surprised if we were ever recognized in this.”

Me too

, she thought. “I really have to go to the doctor like this?”

I wonder what she’ll think of me.

“Yes.”
“In what car?”
“We’ll switch cars a few times, and go to a few other places first.”
“Are we going to this much trouble every time I go in for a visit?”
“We will if we have to, but hopefully we won’t.” He lifted the shirt from the bed. “Hurry up now, let’s get

you dressed.”

Danielle let out a long exhale as she lowered onto the sofa when they returned. The trip had been

exhausting. Not only did she still dislike doctors, they’d switched cars three times on the way back, and had
changed out of their costumes at the second switch.

Of course she knew these visits were necessary and she had liked Ethan’s doctor choice for her, but

somehow that never completely soothed the distress of it all. She turned to Ethan as he sat down next to her
and said, “Hit me again.”

He chuckled, leaned closer and exhaled his breath over her face. “Better?”
“A little,” she said, savoring the vampire magic she could sense within him no matter where the sun

was in the sky. But that hadn’t really been enough to comfort her distress either and she pushed to her feet,
“I need to paint, and listen to heavy metal,” she said making her way to her studio, but not without staggering
a little.

With

Nickleback

blasting in the background, she sketched out a self-portrait of a gothic, pregnant

girl, who was scowling intently with her eyes, but smiling gently with her lips. And felt much better.

“Hmmm,” Ethan said from the doorway. “Not your usual style, but I like it. How did you manage to

express sadness and joy at the same time?”

“I don’t know really. I guess it’s just how I’m feeling right now.”
His arms went around her. “I hope the baby is the joy part.”

“It’s both,” she admitted.
He turned her gently to face him and cradled her face with his hands. “It’s the doctor business that

makes you sad, but you feel joy about our child.”

She could see that he knew his observation was accurate, and nodded to confirm it for him. He

understood her so well, and accepted her regardless. She felt she needed to do the same for him, even
when he wouldn’t let her have her Mini, and was grumpy after hunting.

While Ethan was gone hunting that night, she went to take pictures of her artwork to sell. But found

that they were missing.

“Where did my paintings go?” she called out to anyone who might answer.
After a moment of silence, Richard strode into her studio and said, “I took them to be framed for you.”
“You did?”
He nodded, averting his gaze since the sun had set.
“Oh. But they didn’t need to be framed.”
“I don’t see why not. Nice work, by the way.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Which ones did you like?”
“The gothic girl was fascinating, but I favored the fairies.”
“Really? I never thought you’d be fond of fairies.”
“I’ve met the little buggers. What’s not to like?”
Danielle opened her mouth and then closed it, then opened it again. “I plan to sell those paintings on

eBay. Will they be back soon?”

She was surprised when he started to sputter. “You

can’t

sell them. That wouldn’t be right. You’ve

captured their little spirits too well. Those paintings must hang here.”

“But I can’t always use Ethan’s money. I want my own funds, and that’s what I do.” She stabbed a

finger toward the unfinished painting on the easel. “That’s what I can sell.”

“Ethan’s fine with you spending his money, simply due to the fact that you’re his wife.”
Danielle frowned and folded her arms. “The paintings are for sell, and they’ll get more money framed,

so thanks for that. Plus I need to go get more cadmium green paint. I’m out, and I think I should go alone. If I
was immortal, that’s what I would do.” She said the last bit just to get under his skin for always telling her
what to do.

His lips puckered, she knew he wanted to protest but somehow resisted. She left the room before he

changed his mind and said anything else.

She suspected Richard had told Ethan about her plans, but apparently he decided to wait until

morning to confront her about it. She was relieved he chose not to bring it up right after hunting, when he
wasn’t in the best mood. “We can’t let you go alone,” Ethan said the next morning.

“It makes sense that I would. If I don’t act like I’m invincible, they’ll figure out I’m not.”
“Which you are not.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s just one tube of paint. It won’t take me that long and I’ll take the red beast if it

makes you feel better.”

“What would make me feel better would be for you to go with several men to watch over you.”
“Fine, send them in separate cars. They’ll be close enough to help if there’s a problem, but I’ll be

surprised if anyone attacks me at the art supply store.”

* * * * *

Danielle tossed her purchase onto the passenger side seat and then paused when she heard a shoe

scuffle along the rocks in the parking lot. That sound was too close. She turned, and was confronted with a
psychotic-looking male holding a knife. He looked too haggard and unhealthy to be a vampire.

Feeble ... and easy for her to defeat ... even while she was a mortal, and even while she was

pregnant.

With his free hand, he shoved his matted blond hair from his face, as his other hand, clutching the

knife, trembled. His gray-blue eyes appeared lost, violent, and unpredictable as he shifted his gaze from her
face to her bag. His posture was slouched and menacing. The man had to be drunk or on drugs, and

probably needed her money to purchase more. She knew his intentions. Still, she couldn’t help but be
surprised by the fact that he meant to accost her in broad daylight!

The man lunged toward her, and grabbed for her purse. She responded just as she’d been trained to

do. She blocked his knife wielding arm, grasped his wrist and twisted. She cringed when it cracked. She’d
broken his wrist, and he wailed in pain as the blade dropped from his grip.

Next, Danielle stepped out, and swung him into the side of the Humvee, wrenching his fractured wrist

to his back. His head bounced off the frame, and he grunted. With one kick to the back of his knees the man
crumpled. As he fell, she shoved him so that he would land face down. And as soon as he met the
pavement, she jammed one knee between his shoulder blades to make sure he stayed that way.

Less than a second later she noticed her guards taking hold of the assailant’s arms, just in case.
“Call the police,” she heard Merrick say.
“Already done,” answered Cedric.
“I’m gobsmacked,” said Richard. “That was brilliant!”
“Wow, mon chér! You took out an armed man while laden with a babe. Incredible!” the guard with the

French accent said. She still didn’t know his name.

“Not really,” she argued, “I don’t think he’s all there. And he appears to be wasted.”
“Which would make him more dangerous, in my book,” said Merrick.
After a few moments of the men babbling on about how impressed they were, she could hear the

sirens as the police neared, and considered the many large men standing around her. “I think some of you
should faze back into the bushes. This may look really strange to the police.”

They looked around at each other. “She has a point. We look like a bunch of fools standing around

while this slip of a young lady holds the villain in place.”

More than half of them disappeared and the others pretended to be witnesses when the authorities

arrived.

* * * * *

“Apparently that made the news,” Ethan said. His tone was thick with concern and fury as he ground

the words out through a set jaw, muscles pulsing.

“That just means that they’ll be more fooled into thinking I’m a vampire, right?” Danielle said, hoping

to calm him.

“Why didn’t you guys get to her faster? She shouldn’t have had to deal with this on her own,” he

demanded. His overprotective nature was really showing again.

“We were on our way, she just simply dealt with the cur so fast and efficiently we weren’t actually

needed.”

“Ethan, don’t be upset. I’m fine. I had no idea there was a serial, daytime mugger on the loose. Plus,

he wasn’t really that hard to defeat—” She feared that if she didn’t get him to calm down about this she just
might be stranded inside this house for the remainder of her pregnancy, if not longer.

“Yes, he was quite unhinged,” Cedric said.
Ethan winced at that.
“Cedric, not helping. Ethan, he was just a little drunk—”
Merrick jumped in. “He seemed completely foxed to me. And not just with liquor, drugs as well.”
Danielle sank further into the sofa and moaned when Ethan’s knuckles turned white.
“I sure wish I’d witnessed this,” Max muttered, as he entered with Nadia. “I’ve always wanted to see

how she fares against a real threat.”

“He wasn’t a real threat!” Danielle argued. “He looked like he was about to keel over anyway.”
“Danielle, you’ve done a huge favor for so many women around here. On the news, they said this

man had attacked several ladies while they merely shopped. You’re a hero.”

“You’re not helping either,” she muttered to Nadia, then swept a look over Ethan’s face, trying to

interpret the emotions raking across his features.

“Truth be told, it was quite impressive,” The Black Prince added, his eyes twinkling with admiration.
“I know what she’s capable of!” Ethan shouted. “She just shouldn’t have to! My wife shouldn’t have to

apprehend mad thieves without aid!”

For some reason, this screamed comment struck her as funny, and she started laughing. The others

joined in, and then so did Ethan after a long hesitation.

Chapter 19

Or Worse

Danielle walked in on Ethan doing the budget or bills again. And this time he wasn’t wearing

glasses….

“We need to go out, socialize, see my parents, anything,” she said, tired of being cooped up inside.
A line formed between his brows.
“Wouldn’t we do that if we were both immortal?” She tried again.
He appeared to chew on that for a moment or two, and then lifted his gaze. She clutched onto the

edge of the desk to keep from crumbling to the floor. A combination of pregnancy and vampire magic ... so
not fair….

Ethan chuckled softly, and motioned for her to sit with him. “I suppose we could invite them over for

dinner. I could cook,” he offered.

She settled onto his lap, and then said, “What about going out to eat? You went out with me before,

to put on a show, can’t we do that for my parents?”

“I think the show that’s more important at the moment, is the show of immortality, and what if

someone notices that you’re enjoying the food more than a vampire should?”

“Mmm, right.” Of course she saw his point and it was a valid one. But after the mugger incident Ethan

had been even more paranoid with her safety. It was kind of starting to drive her a little batty.

“And you have been seen hunting with me in a group.”
Her eyes rounded when the comment pulled her mind from her thoughts of freedom, of being normal.
“Merrick’s wife is about your size, we’ve had her dress up as you when we’ve been out, and we’ve

gone in groups to add to the confusion.”

“Where is she staying?”
“She and many of the other’s wives are staying at a home a few blocks away. They didn’t want to

spend this much time away from their men.”

“All because of me.” She felt the sting as the guilt smacked her in the face.
“No, because of

us

.”

“Why do they care? Why do they bother? They’re still doing all of this for free, aren’t they?”
“Yes, But this is war…”
War still wasn’t something she fully understood, and because of that Danielle chose to accept his

reasoning and let the matter drop. “Is it hard for that many vampires to hunt around here? And remain
hidden?”

“It’s a plus that we’re basically surrounded by mountains here. It makes it easy ... but there are also

problems with having wildlife so close.”

“Such as?”
“Well, you remember the pixies, don’t you?”
Danielle shivered as goose bumps sprang up along her arms and neck. “How could I forget? Are

they here?”

“We haven’t seen them, but that doesn’t mean they’re not out there.”
“So that’s why you don’t want to take me out on the town?” War and Pixies....
“Precisely.”
She exhaled and twisted around on his lap to face the laptop. Danielle grabbed the sides of it and

slid it closer. “Mind if I check eBay to see if my paintings have sold?”

Ethan shifted and tipped forward, setting his chin on her shoulder. “Go ahead.”
The web browser popped up on the monitor when she clicked on the little icon, and then she went to

her seller’s page. She gasped and squeaked. “They sold! All of them! And with several bids!”

Her husband laughed against the back of her neck, which tickled. “Good for you, darling.”
“Let’s see where I need to mail these…” She leaned forward, unable to believe what she was seeing.

“Colorado? What?”

“Hmm,” Ethan said. “Didn’t you tell me earlier that the guards didn’t want you to sell your work?”
“Yes, the prince—”

“Looks like he’s your buyer.”
“Why would he do that?”
Ethan didn’t answer that and she twisted to face him. A couple of conflicting emotions appeared to

be dwelling in his expression. Irritation being one of them, and she wasn’t sure about the other.

“Are you bothered by that?” she asked him.
“Should I be?”
“I don’t know.”
“Should

you

be bothered by it, Danielle? You told him you wanted to sell the art.”

She thought about that. “Well,” she hesitated. “I did get the money I wanted. So I suppose we both

should be happy, right?”

Ethan didn’t look happy about it at all, and the old jealousy and suspicion had filtered back into his

tone when he asked, “Do you think he really wanted the art, or did he purchase them for another reason?”

“I hope he didn’t do it for that other reason…” Was Richard interested in more than just her safety? “I

need to ask him about it. Will you come with me?”

Helping her from his lap, Ethan stood. “I need to hear his reasons as much as you do.”

They made their way down the hallway to where the men could be heard talking.
“I can’t believe how hard it was to get them. There was a user called fairyfanatic247 who really gave

me a fight.” That was Richard, and he had to be talking about the auctions.

“Plus you had us bidding against you to bump up the price.”
“That too,” Richard paused. “I was beginning to think you wanted to steal the blue fairy from me,

Merrick.” His tone deepened and the sound had taken on a dangerous quality.

This sent Danielle into a fit of giggles. Merrick was mid-sentence with, “My wife would have liked it,”

when their guilt-ridden gazes traveled in her direction at the sound.

“Very well, then, you may have it,” Richard muttered to Merrick from the corner of his mouth.
“Why?” Danielle asked, and she wasn’t talking about why Richard was giving one of them to Merrick.
“Are you distressed about it?” Merrick asked.
“Well, no, not really. I guess if you got what you wanted, and I got what I wanted, then it’s all good?

That is

if

you really wanted the art? Do you really want it?”

Both Richard and Merrick started nodding. “It will cheer the home the wives are staying in,” the

Highlander said.

“And I wasn’t fooling when I said I liked your work,” said the prince.
“You paid for shipping, would you like that refunded since obviously they won’t actually be shipped

anywhere?”

“No, keep it.”
“But—” She halted her argument, because she could see that the prince was stubborn enough to not

listen, so she shrugged her shoulders and said, “All right then, but what are you going to do when I want to
sell more?”

“We’ll decide that after we’ve seen the work.”

* * * * *

That night Ethan decided to go hunting after she’d fallen asleep, but she woke up with that feeling

that she wanted something to eat but she didn’t know what.

Danielle slipped out from under the covers and shrugged into her robe. Then on the way to the

kitchen she felt as though someone was watching her and tossed a look over her shoulder.

She shrieked when she found Richard right there only inches away and automatically stepped back.

Her hand rose to her heart, and her eyes dropped to the floor. “What are you doing?” she asked, barely
having enough breath to get the words out.

“Just keeping you safe, sweeting.” When he used words like “sweeting,” it really

showed

his age.

“From what? I’m inside—”
“That’s no guarantee.” He stepped closer and she took a couple more steps back as Ethan’s

warnings flowed through her thoughts. Was Ethan right? An impression that she needed to be protected

from Richard more than anything else swirled up from her imagination along with the natural instinct to
defend herself. But she couldn’t defend herself against him, and that reality stung. Yes, she had some skills
... skills that did her no good when it really mattered. Fighting off the medieval prince wouldn’t be anything
like fighting a feeble, mortal, loser.

“What’s got you up at this hour?” he asked gently. Kindly.
If this man was a threat to her, he sure was good at disguising it. But Ethan never said he felt the

prince was a danger to her in that way. So would kidnapping her be a more likely scenario? More his style?

His expression remained benevolent as he waited for her answer. Was he a threat or not? He didn’t

look like one. Before her stood the charming Black Prince, not the moody, quick-to-anger one that she’d
seen before. And so she wasn’t sure. Danielle felt really confused.

Absentmindedly her hand touched her stomach. “A craving,” she managed.
He smiled. “I see. Off you go now.” Again his words were amiable. And when he talked like that, she

definitely

felt

the age difference.

She turned and continued on her way to the kitchen. The sound of his heavy heals clapping against

the floor completely covered any sound her bare feet might have been making.

The house was dark except for the glow of moonlight that filtered in through the windows. The curtain-

covered panes of glass looked much like back-lit rectangles surrounding the front room as she passed. She
turned right toward the kitchen and that too glowed as moonbeams painted a square of gold on the tile
flooring.

As she entered, she noted the stream of illumination that flowed through the French doors leading to

the back porch from the kitchen, and Danielle almost didn’t feel the need to turn on the light, but she did.

She paused to consider what she was in the mood for ... definitely something sweet, and then she

frowned. She knew they were out of strawberries at the moment; she’d eaten the last of them earlier that
evening. Her eyes landed on the double-layer cake under the glass dome in the center of the counter.

Danielle turned to retrieve a plate, a fork, and a knife and then shrieked because Richard was in her

space again. “Uh, excuse me,” she said stepping around him.

“Can I be of service?” he asked, his voice uncomfortably close.
“I’ve got it, thanks.” She sidestepped him again.
As she opened the cupboard and drawer she could feel him staring at her, and shuddered.
“Are you cold? Should I fetch you a blanket?”
“I’m fine, really.” She lifted a dull knife from the drawer.
He snatched it away. “Please, princess, let me do the honors.”
Figures.
She carried the plate and fork to where he stood with the butter knife and the open cake dome. He

didn’t ask her how much she wanted he just sliced off a large piece and dropped it onto her plate. “There
you are.”

Danielle settled at the table to eat, then dwelled on the fact that he sure did stare a lot, just as Ethan

had said. It made her feel uneasy. After taking two bites with an intent audience, she decided that maybe
she could finish this in the privacy of her room. Lifting the plate, she tucked the fork under her thumb and
stood. “I’m going back to bed.”

“But you’ve only taken a couple of bites.”
“I’m taking this with me.”
He shoved away from the counter to escort her back. But her eyes locked onto the French doors

when movement caught her attention, and then they both stilled when a man yelled from the yard. It was an
alarm, a warning. And then another shout rang out. It sounded just as intent as the first.

Richard’s expression twisted with concern and became quite fierce. He snatched her by the

shoulders and tugged her to his chest. His action knocked the plate to the floor and it shattered on impact.
The frosted cake on it plastered pieces of stoneware to the floor.

Danielle screamed when the glass door behind Richard exploded and he was forced to use his body

to shield her from the shower of shards slicing around them. Then a second later, he shoved her to the floor
as two large beast-like arms burst through the opening and latched onto Richard’s throat and chest.

A grunt was forced from him. “Run,” he whispered as he was dragged through the doorway like a

victim in a horror film, except he didn’t look appropriately terrified.

She knew she needed to run, karate would be useless against these things as well, but she couldn’t

run, she couldn’t stand, and there were no bones in her legs, and no air in the room.

Horrified by what she was seeing, Danielle scooted backward, trying to brush the glass away, but did

feel it biting into her hands as she slid. She kept going until her back bumped into the lower cabinets as she
witnessed the scene play out.

She watched in trembling horror as groping, growling werewolves fought to gain entrance but were

wrestled back by vampires. The vampires appeared just as terrifying with their faces twisted with fury and
their fangs exposed and snapping as much as the cursed beasts of the full moon.

Werewolves were easily as disturbing as she’d imagined they would be. They were enormous

creatures with long snouts, glowing gray eyes, were covered in thick fur and had nightmarish claws. No, wait
… it was an image of a beast that flickered over the giant man. Like a hologram projected over a living
being. Freaky. That was well beyond anything her imagination could have ever dreamed up.

The guards from inside as well as outside struggled to keep the wolves from touching her. The battle

was so fierce that none of them could pull her away from the cacophony as they were all engaged.

Guilt for suspecting Richard skated along her conscience as she remembered watching him be

dragged away. Was he all right? Could werewolves kill vampires? She really didn’t know. And what about
Ethan? And Max? And Merrick? And Cedric, and all of the others who had sacrificed so much to protect
her? Never had she felt so worthless and undeserving of what they were doing for her.

Finally Ethan shoved past the wrestling match between a dark wolf and tall vampire. “Danielle!”
Her eyes swam with tears as they locked with his. She hadn’t realized she was crying until she tried

to focus on the blurry image of his face. More than anything she wanted to reach for him, but couldn’t. It
seemed that the communication between her brain and limbs had seized up.

Ethan’s shoes made a crunching noise as he traveled over the broken glass to her and tugged her

upright. He then stripped her glass-covered robe from her, scooped her up into his arms and raced to
Nadia’s room upstairs.

Which, of course, was where Nadia was, but she’d awoken and appeared just as freaked out as

Danielle was feeling.

“Shhh, Danielle, it’s okay. We’ve nearly defeated them,” Ethan cooed as he lowered her onto the

bed.

Deep down she wanted to stop sobbing like this but she’d never been this scared, or felt this

defenseless before. There was a sense of security being a black belt, even knowing the skill didn’t work
against vampires, but that security was slashed to pieces with what she’d just seen. There truly were things
worse than vampires out there.

When Nadia got a closer look at Danielle she slapped a hand over her mouth and shrieked into it.
Right, Danielle realized, she was bleeding.
“Did they scratch her?” Nadia asked, clearly horrified by what that would mean.
“No, it was the glass, which I need to get out of her hands. I need you both to stay here while I get the

first aid kit.” His tone was tainted with intense worry. That concern was clearly more about this development
than her injuries, which were not life threatening.

When Ethan returned and began plucking bits of glass from her palms with a pair of tweezers, she

asked, “R-Richard—?”

“He’s fine, Danielle. They can’t kill us, or us them.”
And she recalled the prince’s lack of fear as he was pulled into the melee. A weak sigh trembled

past her lips as she winced at the discomfort she was suffering from his treatment. “He tried to help,” she
said, remembering how Richard shielded her from the glass, “You’re wrong about him—”

“If he does want you, Danielle, then of course he’d keep you safe.”
She groaned at that and at the stab of pain that ripped through her flesh as he slid a large piece of

glass out and then dropped it into a cup. Ethan was right; she couldn’t know where the prince really stood.
He could still be a problem in some way. But she was too tired to care, and still hungry, and now worried
about how Ethan was dealing with this gore while the influence of the curse hovered over him.

“Are you okay with this? I can do it—” she reached for the tweezers.

“I’m fine! Just hold still.” He certainly didn’t look fine but continued with the tedious task and then his

frown deepened. “Sorry. Lean toward me.”

She did, and he exhaled his breath into her face. A moan that Danielle couldn’t prevent tumbled out

as she dropped onto the mattress. Well, that certainly helped to numb the pain.

Ethan ignored her drugged grin and continued tending to her hands until all of the glass had been

removed, he’d applied an ointment and then bandaged them up.

When he was done, he fished a candy bar from his pocket. “Sorry, it got a little smashed, but it

should still taste all right.”

“How? How did—?” she stammered as she accepted the chocolate bar.
“I noticed the cake on the floor and figured that was why you were in the kitchen so late.”
“Oh, right.” She was recovering from the dose of magic he’d given her as she tore at the wrapper,

then lifted the treat to her lips with trembling hands.

They sat in silence while listening to the eerie call of wolves whooping in the night. It was more

frightening than the lightning storms that used to scare her when she was little. But it did sound like they
were getting further away just as the sounds of a rumbling storm did as it passed by in the night.

Nadia muttered, “Will they come back?”
“You’re feeling really mortal right now, aren’t you?” Ethan asked.
The black-haired girl bobbed her head up and down in agreement.
“Do we need to worry about them every night?” Danielle asked around a mouthful of chocolate,

caramel and nuts.

“Well, since they are werewolves, they can only be a real threat when it’s a full moon.”
“Are there really that many of them hiding right here in Glenwood springs?”
“No, I’d say they’d gathered just for—”
“—for me,” Danielle uttered weakly as she nearly choked on her last bite. “Nadia, you should move

out. Go to the place you and Max had purchased, or better yet, go back to England. Get as far away from
me as you can.”

“No.” Danielle could honestly admit that she’d never seen Nadia’s eyes that dark with intensity. “None

of us will be left alone. We’ve all been participants in this cure. Even Beon and Sophia have continued to
deal with problems, even

after

we left.”

She sucked in a breath. “I didn’t know that! Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked shooting an accusing

stare at her husband.

“There’s nothing we can do about it except fight. None of us can hide from this.”
Right, this was war, and clearly he accepted the situation even though it must have been torture for

his protective nature toward her and his unborn child.

Could she deal with this? Could she cope with the threat of werewolves every full moon added to the

other perils surrounding her? Thanks to these thoughts, those hormones struck with a torrent of tears down
her cheeks.

It seemed watching her cry always touched something deep within Ethan, because he dropped onto

the bed next to her and enveloped her in his arms. “Don’t lose faith, darling,” he whispered while stroking
her hair. “We were able to stop the beasts, and they are such a rare concern. We’ll be better prepared next
month.”

“What else is out there?” she barely managed to get out before a sob shook her.
There was a long and distressing pause before Ethan answered. “I’m certain the pixies are still

watching for us to enter the woods.”

“What else?” she repeated.
He hesitated again. “I honestly don’t know. But don’t get distracted by the other creatures that

might

try to capture you. It’s the vampires we need to be concerned with the most. That hasn’t changed.”

With thick sarcasm, she said, “What a relief.”
Ethan held her for a while until her eyelids became too heavy to hold up any longer.
She was only slightly aware of Max entering, promising to guard Nadia, and Ethan lifting her from the

bed to take her to another bedroom, on the top floor. Which, she figured dreamily, might be a little harder to
get to ... she hoped.

Chapter 20

Loss

“What do you think of this one?” Danielle asked as she lifted up the decorative clock she was

admiring.

They’d talked the men into letting them shop again after being cooped up in the house for a couple of

weeks. Nothing more had happened which was probably the only reason the guys had allowed it. Plus they
traveled with a troop of thirty-four guards to watch over them, including Ethan and Max. The other men
remained hidden, but lurked with listening devices in their ears, while Ethan and Max attempted to make it
look like a simple double date.

“I like it,” replied Nadia. “It would look nice in your sitting room, with the soft colors in there.”
“I like it too,” Ethan said. “Go ahead and get it.”
He began fishing his wallet out of his pocket, but she stopped him. “I have enough. I want to pay for

it.”

“Very well,” he said, even though he did look rather unwilling.
As they left the shop, Ethan asked, “What would you like for dessert this evening?” She smiled up at

him, and he laughed as he added, “Why do I even ask? I’ll need to get some fresh strawberries, and I’m low
on chocolate.”

She sensed that Ethan wanted to caress the tiny bump on her stomach but didn’t dare draw attention

to that in a public place, so he held back.

“Thank you, you’re the best ever.”
They were distracted by a small family that passed by and their baby bubbled with a bunch of

adorable cooing sounds. Ethan practically sighed when he smiled at them.

“You want that, don’t you?”
“More than anything,” he whispered back.
With that smile still fixed on his features he swept a look over her belly and then exhaled. “I’ll go now,

and meet you back at home.” He kissed her forehead and then left.

She and Nadia rushed through another store, mainly because they suspected Max was getting

restless. Actually it was all too obvious with the way he shifted his weight back and forth between his feet
while they browsed. Just as Danielle was going to suggest checking yet another store, Max cut in, “The sun
will be setting soon. I think it’s time for the shopping spree to end.”

Before she or Nadia responded to him the knight froze, lifting a hand to the listening device in his

ear. It seemed whatever he heard wasn’t good because he began searching out eye contact with his men.

“What is it?” Nadia asked, twisting to look around.
Danielle turned as well and felt her stomach sink, because she knew the look on Richard’s face as

he approached meant there was a serious problem.

After a brief conversation between the knight and the prince, Max touched his ear-piece again and

began dividing the men into two groups and then sent Nadia off with eleven of them. They were splitting
them up just as they’d split Ethan and her up at the theater.

Danielle felt slightly claustrophobic as the remaining guards joined Max and closed in around her.

“Max, tell me,” she asked starting to feel slightly nauseated as well as concerned.

“Celeste was here. Dorin saw her. We need to leave as soon as possible.”
Celeste?
The tension surrounding them became almost tangible as they traversed to the exit. Once outside,

Danielle thought the anxiety would dissipate but it remained as they moved on to where they’d parked.

Shouts that sounded like battle cries came from all directions as they moved across the parking lot.

What looked like an army of a hundred men advanced toward them. Max and Richard took her arms and
turned back toward the mall but they were surrounded.

They’d been ambushed.
One by one the guards were plucked from around her, as from every direction, they were engaged in

battle in which they were outnumbered three to one. It wasn’t long before Max and Richard were forced to
distance themselves from her because they were being attacked by at least fourteen each. She knew this

was bad because they’d singled out the two guards who were obviously in charge of her protection.

Danielle yelped when Dorin snatched her roughly by the arm and dragged her to the Hummer.
She dropped back against the side of the vehicle unable to take her eyes from the scene. This tangle

was more destructive than any she could have imagined during daylight when they should have been
weaker. And she supposed they were, but they were still creating a lot of damage. Men were thrown into
cars that dented under their weight. Windshields crushed, setting off car alarms. Her insides twisted when
she noted Lucas wrestling with Max, but watched with pride as he used what she’d taught him to reduce the
number of men attacking him by half in a matter of seconds.

Her gaze shifted to Richard and he appeared to be doing just as well, but then his eyes locked onto

hers as he wrangled with several at once. He looked murderous and ... worried? She frowned when
something metal bounced light from the sunset into her eyes. Her gaze dropped to what Dorin was holding
in his hand. It wasn’t keys, it was a knife. A long blade trained on her.

“No!” Richard screamed, as he leapt onto the roof of a car, ignoring the men attempting to tackle

him, and began loping toward her across the vehicles.

“Danielle!” Max bellowed, struggling to do the same.
Dorin’s lips twisted into a victorious and sadistic leer as he moved the weapon closer, twisting his

wrist so the flat side caught the light again.

Her reaction was instinctive and swift as she moved into the best karate defense for this exact

situation. Unfortunately, it would never work against this fearsome giant, this powerful vampire, but she had
to try. And fail….

A pained gasp wrenched past her lips as the blade sank into her abdomen, slicing through what she

suspected were vital organs. The noises around her, the shouts of the others trying to get to her to save her
sounded like they’d been drenched in syrup.

Dorin actually laughed as he slid the knife from her and stabbed her two more times. “I told you they

were watching,” he sneered with another evil chuckle, and then he left.

“Max,” she whispered, doubting anyone could have heard that because the word came out so

weakly. She felt herself slip along the side of the Hummer as her knees gave out and she dropped to the
pavement.

Her eyes rolled back and her lids drifted down halfway as she struggled to keep a grasp on

consciousness. She strained her ears to listen to the others fighting to get to her, shouting, and cursing
more and more violently, and then shivered at the sensation of warm blood leaking from her wounds,
drenching her clothes.

“Call Ethan,” someone shouted. She thought it was Richard or Merrick?
“Danielle,” she heard Max say as he lifted her from the street to his lap. “The sun is almost set, you’ll

be just fine.”

She couldn’t seem to process exactly what he meant by that. What did the sunset have to do with

anything?

His fingers stroked her hair and face as the sound of a car racing through the parking lot reached her

ears. The tires squealed against the blacktop and the engine revved as it neared.

“Just hang in there, love. Ethan is on his way, and the sun is almost below the horizon.”
Why was Max again mentioning the position of the sun?
And how this all looked to pedestrians and owners of the smashed vehicles never crossed her mind

until she heard the growing buzz of commotion, and sirens in the distance.

“We need to get out of here. We need to get

her

out of here,” another man said, Cedric this time?

“We can’t let the paramedics get involved.”

Then the car that she could hear approaching screeched to a stop near them and a door opened,

followed by Ethan’s frantic voice, “Oh, God,” he prayed. “Please don’t let her die!”

“She won’t if you turn her, Ethan.”
Oh, she thought hazily ... the sun….
“What the hell happened?” Ethan shouted.
“There were too many. Just too many,” Richard rumbled over and over again, as he cursed

creatively. “I feared we had a spy amongst us. I couldn’t take my eyes off her, but they knew who to single

out and stall with most of their men. We couldn’t get to her. Damn Dorin! I’ll kill him myself!”

That’s why the prince had stared at her so much…. He wasn’t obsessed with her, just her safety as

he feared this kind of treachery.

A groan was forced from her as she was passed from Max to Ethan and lifted from the ground.
“Drive, Max!”
“Hey!” someone shouted, most likely a mortal eyewitness. “You can’t take her like that! The

ambulance is almost here!”

The shouts were ignored as the engine revved again and two doors slammed shut. The inertia as

they jerked forward created another painful experience, and she whimpered.

“Do it as soon as you can!”
“Danielle, honey, can you hear me?” Ethan asked, his tone gentle.
She opened her eyes, as much as she could, which was still only about half way. Her breathing was

erratic and shallow. It hurt to move air in and out.

“You can’t survive this.” He paused, then another tear dropped onto her cheek, and she realized that

it wasn’t hers. An anguished sob escaped him before he collected himself and continued, “The baby
couldn’t have survived this. I’m so sorry.”

Yes, she knew. Painful, wrenching cries ripped from her throat. The discomfort sliced through her like

being stabbed all over again. She may have wanted to be free of the medical demands of having a baby,
but not like this. Because deep down, she knew she loved and wanted this child and would have gone
through any number of frustrating doctor’s visits to have it.

“Shhh. Shhh, try to be calm, darling.” His eyes locked onto the view out the front windshield as his

hands stroked her face and hair in what she perceived as an attempt to soothe her.

Ethan was watching the sun dip lower, and she could see the golden glow of it slide slowly down his

features until it was finally gone. His gaze dropped to hers then and she could see the fangs there behind
his parted lips.

“I love you. I can’t let you go,” he whispered right before he fanned his breath into her face.
She pulled it in, let it take over. And like a drug it calmed her and sent her into that familiar daze

where she remained alert but couldn’t move. Secretly she wished Ethan’s affect on her was stronger than it
was, and figured the pain would have been more dulled if Max had done it.

Ethan had one hand cradling the back of her head as he pressed upward on her back with the other,

lifting her closer to his mouth. Danielle cried out. But Ethan said nothing about the pain he’d caused her as
he kissed the side of her neck and then parted his lips.

His fangs slid into her flesh with a momentary pinch and then … pleasure took over.

What a way to go!

Danielle fully understood how the victim would beg for this, would plead for the

vampire to continue and take their life. Right then she wouldn’t have cared if Ethan finished her off. She
wanted desperately to clutch at his shoulders to keep him close, but couldn’t lift her hands.

When Ethan pulled away, he fed another dose of his breath to her, kissed her mouth, and then

lowered his face to her ear. “One bite should turn you—”

“Again,” she managed to whisper, barely shoving past the magic of his breath.
His head lifted. His eyes rounded slightly. After a moment of silence he said, “I suppose more than

one bite could make it go faster.”

Ethan then kept his eyes locked with hers as he lifted the inside of her wrist to his lips, kissed the

skin there and then sank his fangs in.

An involuntary shudder moved through her as she watched his eyes slide shut, as though he were

enjoying it as much as she was. So this is what happens when the frog bites the princess….

“We’re home,” Max said as the vehicle rocked from going over the gutter to enter the driveway.
Ethan slid his fangs from her wrist and lifted her into his arms. There was still pain in her abdomen,

but it was slightly dampened by the vampire magic now coursing through her veins.

Max opened the door, and Ethan stepped out. They entered the house. The rocking movement of his

stride forced another moan from her.

Nadia shrieked. “What happened!”
“We were ambushed,” Max replied.

“Who bit her! Oh, no! No! This will kill the baby!”
“I did,” Ethan muttered, without slowing his pace. “The baby was already dead.”
The sound of Nadia’s cries faded away as Ethan continued on.
“Max, get a towel,” Ethan ordered. “And lay it on the bed.”
After a short pause, Danielle felt herself being lowered onto the mattress. Mentally she figured the

towel was to protect the bedding from her blood-soaked clothes. She must look terrible, she imagined.

She heard the door softly click as she supposed Max had left, and then without a word, Ethan began

stripping her shoes and clothes off.

When he finished he left momentarily, and the sound of water running traveled from the bathroom.

Danielle realized that he’d also removed his clothes as she was lifted to his nude chest. “Let’s get you
cleaned up,” he said as he entered the shower with her in his arms and the hot spray began to pelt her flesh.

Ethan shifted her weight so that she was facing him and was held up by his left arm while he gently

rubbed the blood from her skin with the other; all the while he kissed her face and neck, murmuring words of
comfort and apology to her. Then he turned her around to clean her stomach too. Danielle remained unable
to move or speak, and it seemed that the venom in her system was magnifying the power of his breath. Her
chin dropped to her chest and she noticed that the stab wounds were healing as if by magic.

He turned off the water, lifted her from the shower, toweled her off, then took her back to the bed. He

reached down to toss the sheets back and she felt herself sink into the bed again. Her limbs felt like limp
noodles.

It sounded as though Ethan had tugged on a pair of pants before he came back into view and

climbed over the top of her. “How do you feel now?” he asked with his arms braced on either side of her
head.

“Please, bite me,” she slurred out unable to stop thinking about how much she wanted to be bitten

with his magic in her veins and in her lungs.

A frown drew the corners of his mouth down. “I don’t want to risk draining you. I don’t think that would

help.”

“Just two more?” she pled, staring at his mouth and the fangs she could still see half hidden behind

his parted lips.

A knowing smirk tilted his mouth. “I’m afraid you like that too much.”
“Please.”
When his head rocked to the side she knew he was considering it. “I suppose two more won’t hurt.”

And that’s when she realized he liked biting her as much as she liked being bitten. His hand cradled the
back of her head and neck as he exhaled into her mouth, then kissed her. Next he moved to the other side
of her neck, planted another kiss and pierced her with his fangs again.

Again, she wanted to arch up into him, and just let him keep doing that, but he left her and lifted her

arm. This time he bit the inside of her other wrist. With each bite he’d kissed her skin before he sank into
her skin with his needle-sharp canines. After the first bite, none of the others had hurt and the level of magic
thrumming through her made her want more. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew this was how the
victim begged for death, but as before, she couldn’t find it in herself to care much. “More?” she heard herself
say, knowing she shouldn’t ask.

“Don’t tempt me,” he said not smiling. A moment of sad anger flamed within his gaze. “How do you

feel now?”

Danielle matched her eyes to his thinking, loopy and lusty, but she couldn’t seem to get any more

words out. The curse magic had a strong grip on her now.

“Sweetheart, I need to warn you. Death at this point would be easy. Wanted,” he added taking in the

dazed, probably wishful look on her face. “But the poison of the curse is like a living evil as it transforms you
and because of that, it’s not the most pleasant of experiences. Plus I fear losing the baby is going to add to
your suffering.” He dropped his weight to his hip next to her, and drew her close to his side tugging the
sheets over the both of them. “But I’m here for you. I’ll fight to make you as comfortable as I can.”

The next stretch of time drifted by in a potion-filled haze, but she was aware of her husband’s efforts

to comfort her through all of it. It seemed his lips almost never left her ear as he whispered gentle and loving
words to her. And when his mouth was not sending his breath into her lungs it was traveling her flesh with

tender kisses. She also remembered him bathing her with a warm, wet washcloth.

Danielle remained paralyzed as her body was reworked, as the curse changed her with a strange

magical kind of gnawing. She wouldn’t have called it horribly painful, just disturbingly uncomfortable.
Besides that and Ethan’s doting presence, she wasn’t conscious of much else….

Chapter 21

Is This Life?

“Mmm,” she groaned. It seemed as though every cell in her body was waking up. The sensation was

oddly like the prickly feeling one gets when a sleeping appendage arouses, except not as painful or itchy.
And there was a weight on her chest. She lifted one hand and lost her fingers in a tangle of hair. “Ethan?”

“How are you feeling?” His voice cracked with emotion.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, feeling like she was waking up from having strange, disturbing dreams

she couldn’t remember.

“It’s nothing.” She felt his hands on her ribs tighten as if he was reacting to ... to what he was hearing?

“It’s just ... can’t you feel it?” he added with his ear still pressed against her over her….

Ethan tensed again, his breath caught, and then he said nothing more, but she felt him give one more

squeeze before he released his hold and then moved up her body to rub his cheek against hers. He ran his
right hand up her arm to then bury his fingers into her hair just before ravishing her lips and face with a volley
of heavy kisses. This is what he did when he was trying to wake her and she couldn’t stop the smile that
tugged up the corners of her mouth.

“Morning,” he said, then paused, “or rather, good evening.”
“Mmm,” she moaned again and lifted her eyelids to study him through her lashes.
He smiled, but only halfheartedly.
Danielle frowned because she’d only just realized what it was that he was listening to. The sound of

her heart—stopping. She’d been turned, but the reasons why remained out of reach.

She widened her gaze and took in the setting. They were in their bedroom—right, she knew that. And

she was tucked under the sheets, naked … still naked, she recalled. He was on top of the covers, on top of
her, dressed to go … hunting?

As Ethan shifted and then tugged her upright, he said, “Let’s get you dressed. We’re going out.”
Danielle clutched the sheets up under her chin. “Not that kind of out?” She hoped, nervously, that her

imagination was getting away from her. She didn’t want to

feed

. She didn’t feel any different so she couldn’t

really

be cursed, could she?

“Aren’t you thirsty?”
Frowning, Danielle considered that. Her hand landed on her stomach. “I’m not hungry.”
With an exhale, Ethan grumbled, “Of course you’re not hungry, only thirst, if you recall?”
So she had been turned. Her frown deepened as her palm settled over her heart. There was no beat

thumping back. “I’m really—” She pressed harder, still, nothing.

“You really are.”
“Can’t I starve myself and get bitten to go back?”
The muscles in Ethan’s jaw flexed and then he shoved a hand into his hair and stood from the bed,

paced a circled around the room and then settled back down next to her on the mattress. “I—I don’t want you
to go back, just yet.”

Panic swelled up in her throat.

Why not?

Did she look better? Did he prefer her this way? Danielle

shoved the blankets aside and ran to the big mirror in the bathroom where she skidded to a halt and stared,
gaping at herself.

She didn’t look different at all.
Lifting her hand she examined the place where that scar had been. The one that she’d always had,

that she didn’t remember how she’d gained. But it was gone. So that was different.

“I—I ... do I look different to you?” she asked as Ethan entered the bathroom and stood behind her,

then enveloped her with the fabric of her robe and his arms.

“Oh,” he said, apparently understanding. “You thought…. No, you look the same to me. But you can

defend yourself now. And it would be better for you to stay this way—since—”

Danielle gasped. That’s what she’d forgotten. Her vision blurred with tears and her abruptly trembling

fingers pushed into the robe and found the flesh just below her bellybutton, the now flat part of her that hadn’t
been before. Tears coursed down her cheeks. “No.”

His arms cinched more firmly around her, and his brows knitted together. “When this blows over, we’ll

go back and try again.”

After shoving her fists into the arms of the bathrobe, she turned her wet face into his chest and

locked her arms around his waist. Sobbing.

Such deep loss…. The death of an innocent new life, a tender fragile being that she’d only just begun

to feel tickle around inside her. This was horrible. Why did he have to stab her there? She

might

have

survived a stabbing; hadn’t she heard of that happening before? And what if the next time they were
expecting a child they were simply attacked again? And the second baby was also murdered? “What if this
never blows over?” she asked against his now tear-stained shirt.

“I’ll make sure it does.” His tone rang with that fierce determination that she’d admired before. His

hands rubbed her back.

They stood like that for several moments, crying together, mourning together.
Then Ethan pulled away, curled his fingers under her chin and tipped her face toward his. “I’m so very

sorry, but I must take you hunting. It isn’t something that can wait.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want ... I can’t see myself—” biting and killing. “Can’t we purchase blood

from a bank? I mean you’re a doc—”

He shook his head sharply. “I’m sorry, no. It must be fresh. Otherwise it lacks what is necessary to

sustain you. It is how the sorceress intended, and it’s one aspect to her curse that she did not mistake. It’s
not so much about the blood itself but the life-force within it. That is lost in bagged and chilled blood.” As he
spoke, he towed her to the closet and began selecting “hunting” clothes for her too. Ethan stuffed jeans, a
black thermal t-shirt and a pair of boots into her hands. “Please get dressed.” While his choices of words
were gentle the tone conveyed a promise that if she didn’t do it, he’d just do it for her. And she knew better
than to argue when he spoke like that. This was another “This is what’s best for you” scenario in which Ethan
could not be swayed.

Silently she dressed and then raked her hair back into a ponytail. “All right, I’m ready,” she lied.
With one firm hug, Ethan showed his approval and then took her by the hand. “I think there is some of

this you’ll enjoy.”

Danielle was having a hard time believing that.
“Is Nadia sleeping?” she asked as they moved through the tomb-quite house.
“Max took her to their home.”
“Why?”
The look he tossed toward her answered that question.

Oh, right

, she thought,

because Nadia was

now the only mortal, and

…. “Could I harm her?”

“I don’t think you would—”
“But, it’s safer for her this way.”
“Correct.”

* * * * *

Ethan led her into the woods, but his vigilant searching of their surroundings spooked her. What was

he still worried about? And then she saw movement in the shadows. “What was that?”

“You saw that?”
“Well, it was just over—”
“Danielle, you just noticed Richard and some of the other guards checking the perimeter, far enough

away that if you were mortal, you would not have seen it.”

Only then did she realize that she was much more aware of everything going on around them. She

must have been distracted by the loss of their baby to really notice. But with that thought, another burst of
sadness slammed into her. She drew a breath and attempted to force it to the back of her mind.

Danielle opened her eyes, ruthlessly shoved the tear from her cheek and let the new sights and

sounds wash over her in a wave of awareness. The melee of insects not only touched the night, but
dominated it, and she was forced to fight back a shudder. Apparently her fear of creepy crawlies remained.
Danielle’s gaze dropped to the forest floor where she saw only dead leaves, moss and a worm. Instinctively
she took a step closer to Ethan, and then noticed a large black beetle, striped with iridescent blue and
green. She took another step, then became aware of how loud Ethan’s breathing was and looked at him.

Only to see that he was drawing breath calmly and quietly, it just wasn’t silent to her any longer.

She lifted her eyes from his chest to his face. He was watching her. “You’re not much of a nature girl,

are you?”

“You knew that.”
“Of course I did. And I know this is going to be difficult for you to do, but you must. First, however, I will

demonstrate how easy it is when you use your now hypnotic gaze.”

“On an animal?”
“The deer are there.” He pointed to the north. “Can you sense them?”
She nodded.
“Very good,” he praised. “Let’s go have dinner.”
She drew in a shaky breath, and her gaze shot upward when she caught the scents and sounds of

creatures scurrying through and along the tree branches. Birds, more insects, and squirrels seemed
distressed by their presence.

Ethan ignored her distraction. “Follow me.”
She tugged her attention from the numerous critters causing a racket and locked it on her husband

as he moved silently through the undergrowth. But flinched when she snapped a twig and the sound it made
echoed like a gunshot through the softer sounds of the nightlife.

“Mind your feet, darling. We don’t want to frighten away our meal.”
Swallowing, Danielle remembered how he’d said that dinner served up on a plate was much more

preferable to scrounging up your own in the dark woods. While she imagined how disgusting this was going
to be, she focused on the placement of her feet and was able to trail behind Ethan just as silently as he was
advancing.

It wasn’t long before they encountered one of the deer. Slowly the brown female lifted her head from

the grass she was munching on and turned toward Ethan. He tipped his head so that its gaze met with his.
Instantly the doe was entranced, just as Danielle had been when meeting his magical stare. Ethan exhaled
into its face and then dropped to one knee in front of the creature before it collapsed, his hand went out to
its neck to support it, and he stroked its fur in a gentle manner with the other.

Was he soothing it, before he took its life?
This wasn’t as violent as she’d thought it would be, but almost touching, just as it was when he’d

bitten her.

“Select the largest vein, you’ll be able to feel it,” he whispered to her as he lowered his head to the

deer’s throat. “I’m sorry,” he said to the animal, before he sank his fangs through the fur to the flesh beneath.

The deer made no sounds of distress, and no struggle as its big brown eyes slid shut. Forever.
After several moments of silence, Ethan stood, turned to face her and brushed the fur from his mouth.

Besides the bracken on his knee, he was very clean.

Ethan returned to her side, and she realized with an attack of terror that it was her turn next. “How—

how do you get past the hair?”

“That was nauseating at first, but you get used to it, and it’s important to focus on the energy that

flows into you. That will help.”

“I don’t think I’m ready for this,” she hedged.
Slipping his hand around hers he said, “Come. I’ll awaken the curse in you. It will make you want it.”
Danielle resisted as Ethan pulled her toward the dead creature.
He dropped to his knee again and drew a small blade from his boot.
“What are you doing?” she asked, horrified at the thought of seeing gore.
“You need only the scent. Trust me, and close your eyes.”
“I—I—”
“Do it,” he commanded.
Her eyes pinched shut and she felt her other hand tighten into a fist at her side. She listened as he

sliced open the fur and flesh to expose the still warm, wet and fragrant insides. Yes, it did smell appetizing.

How disturbing!

The craving was an evil feeling, he was right about that. And Danielle gasped when something

shifted inside her mouth and she realized her fangs had sprung from their sockets as they stabbed at the

inside of her bottom lip.

“Find the other one, darling, then go to it.”
Without direction from her, her head twisted toward the left, but she was mentally unwilling to move.

Ethan forced her to and she wanted to cry when she knew she stood in front of the second deer without
opening her eyes.

“I’ve stilled it for you, but you must look at it, Danielle and give it your breath.”
He was behind her now, his chin resting on her shoulder, his hands on her hips keeping her from

running the other direction. This man of hers knew her way too well.

Opening her eyes, she peered into the deer’s hypnotized orbs as they shifted from Ethan’s to hers

and she knew it would not fight as she killed it. This helpless, innocent, creature would easily give her its life.
So she could live.

No, she couldn’t do it, and looked away. Probably because she wouldn’t, Ethan bent around her and

she listened as he exhaled into the animal’s face for her. Ethan’s hands pressed on her hips to make her
follow as the deer’s knees gave under its weight. He caught its neck and held it for her. He’d remained at
her back as she knelt between his knees. “Touch it, feel the pulse.”

She stretched four fingers to its throat, not only could she feel it, she could hear it pounding in her

eardrums. Looking into its eye again, Danielle lowered her mouth to the neck. This close, however, she
could now see fear within its glassy gaze. It knew it was going to die. So that’s why he’d apologized and she
couldn’t prevent herself from doing the same. Then she brought her lips lower and parted them, but when the
course coat prickled at her flesh she jerked backward, slamming into Ethan’s chest.

“I can’t! I can’t do that! The fur! I just can’t get past that!” She stood and ran.
Hearing Ethan moving along behind her as he took pursuit, Danielle kept going. She wasn’t willing to

stop, even knowing she would never be able to escape him. Getting away from Ethan wasn’t her goal. In
truth, she didn’t know what she was trying to get away from.

He let her go for several minutes as she flew past trees, and boulders and creatures of the night as

fast as he had run with her in the fog. She should have been unnerved by it, but she wasn’t. She knew she
was doing things she couldn’t do before, but she didn’t

feel

different, she still felt mortal. So to expect her to

think differently, to act differently ... it just wasn’t going to happen.

What she was more distressed about was the fact that the guards were obviously still there, still

attempting to protect her. She could hear them crashing through the underbrush just as Ethan was.
Apparently stealth was not a concern for them at the moment.

What did she need to be protected from?

she

wondered, but then she remembered the pixies. Could they still kidnap her while she was cursed? She
stopped. The abrupt action sent leaves and dirt and other debris dancing into the air. As it settled in front of
her, she examined the life around her again searching for anything magical besides the vampires and
herself.

Danielle realized she was able to identify the other men besides Ethan. Richard was to the left.

Merrick was also left but ahead of her location, and Cedric was to the right, pacing like a caged panther.
The French guard, whose name she really needed to know, was behind Ethan, and then besides those,
seven others littered the forest.

“Do I need to worry about pixies?” she asked.
Ethan surrounded her with his arms and kissed her temple. “We haven’t seen any—yet.”
“Do I need to worry about them?” she repeated because his answer wasn’t satisfactory.
“Probably.”
Another unsatisfactory answer. The silence lengthened, until she broke it. “Ethan, I’m sorry. Are you

disappointed in me? I’m turning out to be a horrible excuse for a vampire.” Here she’d been cursed for
merely hours and she was still frightened of insects, terrified of touching fur with her teeth, getting it on her
lips, gagging on it. She shuddered at the thought. What was she going to do? “Please, let me starve. I want
to go back.”

“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
Instead of answering, he turned in Richard’s direction. “Stand-down. I’ll call if we need you.”
Danielle listened as the guards retreated.

“Come this way.” Ethan led her to the base of a cliff and directed her to start climbing. She’d never

been rock climbing before but figured with this curse she probably could and reached to slip her fingers into
a hold, then hesitated as she imagined what could be lurking inside that crack. “Danielle, you can sense the
insects. Use that, and you will be able to avoid them.”

This must be so frustrating for him. While she was most definitely stronger, she was still fearful. “Why

do you even love me?”

“Because you’re mine, and I knew what I was getting into. In fact, that girly side of you is part of why I

fell for you, and it is one of my favorite traits about you. Forget that we knew each other before, I adore who
you are now, and I suspect you were like this even then. Now let’s get up there and enjoy the night sky.”

She lifted her face upward and realized he was expecting her to make a fifty-foot climb ascending a

sheer rock face. Without another complaint, she clutched at his faith in her and began climbing. Once they
reached the top, Ethan settled onto the grass growing there, and directed her to lower her head into his lap.
“See how much brighter the stars are?”

How could she not notice that? The sky glimmered like a velvet blanket that had been adorned with

millions of bright diamonds. Only a handful of thin clouds muted some of it. A breeze tickled across her flesh
and she picked up the scent of flowers, and pine, and rotting leaves and moss and bark as Ethan’s
fragrance also surrounded her. The musky, citrus scent of him was intensified and even more appetizing
and tempting. She tried really hard to ignore the bats and the owls and the mice sharing this setting.

Ethan’s fingers began to travel her flesh and she smiled up at him. “I’m sorry if I rushed you. I know

you were frightened…” he said.

“About having a baby?”
“Yes. We might have been able to avoid this whole scenario if we’d waited.”
“Do you really think they would have left me alone if I hadn’t been pregnant?”
“No, certainly not. We would have turned you when Beon suggested it, when things got worse, more

dangerous.”

Her insides twisted when he said that. She was one of them now, and wasn’t enjoying it. She would

have taken the fears of pregnancy over being cursed any day. “I’d rather face doctors and hospitals.”

“You hate them.”
“But I was willing to do it to have the baby.” Her voice caught on a little sob. “I desperately wanted that

child … I still do.” The last three words came out on a whisper, punctuated with a tear and a fit of
uncontrolled sobs.

Ethan wrapped himself around her and rocked her gently. “I’m sorry. I’m equally heartbroken by this.

My first child.

Our

first child, lost so tragically, so violently.” She could hear his voice tremble with the

emotion of this loss. “I so wished for a son or daughter. It wouldn’t have mattered to me which one. Our child
was loved and wanted, yet now taken from us.”

Quietly they cried again and held each other until dawn began to lighten the horizon to the east. They

probably had another thirty minutes before the spell was broken for the day.

“Let me go back. Please, Ethan.”
“I can’t. I couldn’t bear this loss again. We must wait until this war has ended.”
“It could go on for years.”
“I’ll make certain that it doesn’t”
“How can you do that?”
“I’ll go to Benjamin. I believe I can convince him to help our cause.”
That idea still terrified her. “But we don’t know which side he would take. He could be against us.”
“That’s a risk we must take.”
“Too much of a risk!”
Ethan ignored that. He shifted, forcing her to sit upright. “Let’s go.”
“To feed?” she asked with naked fear.
“No. I’ll bring you takeout or nurse you myself.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.” He tugged her to her feet.
“But—you weren’t happy about doing takeout for Nadia and Sophia because you had to kill more. I

remember. And how was that fresh enough?”

He didn’t answer, and then she realized that maybe she didn’t really want to know.
“I hate this,” she muttered softly.
“Shh, everything will be all right. And I understand your reluctance. But we need to keep you alive until

we can turn you back.” He moved to the edge of the cliff, towing her behind. “We’re jumping down.”

“What?” she shrieked, peering over the edge.
“We could have jumped up, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you.” He stepped closer, she tugged

backward. “Now behave, and trust me.” He gripped her waist. “Or, I’ll toss you.”

“You wouldn’t.”
“No, of course not, silly. You can close your eyes if you like, but I don’t think you should.” Then he lifted

her feet from the ground and sprang over the edge. She screamed and he slapped a hand over her mouth.

They landed without so much as a jolt. “I hope you didn’t call the undead with that.”
The guards stepped from the greenish-gray shadows. “All appears to be clear. But I suggest you get

home swiftly,” the prince said.

Ethan snatched up Danielle’s hand and took off with her through the trees.
As they entered through the recently repaired back door, she asked, “How can you get takeout when

the sun is coming up?”

“We need to get you fed before that happens. I don’t have time to go out again.”
She was dragged to their bedroom and shoved back onto the bed where Ethan straddled her and

offered his neck.

“Do you mean for me to bite you?”
“Precisely, now get on with it.”
She moaned. “I’d rather go hungry.”
“Thirsty,” he corrected and dropped closer so she could see the stagnant blood-filled vein just below

the surface.

“Right, I’ll pass.” Though she didn’t want to admit it, it was becoming tempting to do as he asked.

Fragrant, tasty, inviting….

“I can’t allow that, you’ll become dangerous. Damn it, Danielle, do it! Now!” And he gripped her

shoulders, giving her a little shake.

That tone, added to the lure of his blood, was motivation enough and she did what he asked. She

settled her fangs over his flesh and pressed down. The moment they broke the surface the blood flowed into
her as if her canines could suck it up on their own. And there was again that sense of pleasure, except it
came as she took from him instead of him taking from her and she realized that he was experiencing the
same desirable feelings. She couldn’t stop herself from clutching at his shirt and drawing from him greedily.

This was the only way to do it, forget animals and their fuzzy coverings. Oh, yes, Ethan was right. It

wasn’t so much about flavor but this delicious consumption of energy, of a life-force. Moaning, she ran her
hands along his arms and just lavished in the way he gave vitality to her, the way he poured it into her. But
then he pried her off and collapsed next to her on the bed.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I should have fed more before I let you do that,” he said weakly.
She looked at him then. “You’re pale! Why didn’t you tell me? I’m sorry. Go, Ethan, go feed! Or take

some back from me!”

“I can’t, the sun is up. Do you not feel your heart?”
Her tongue darted forward to find that her fangs were gone, and then she lifted her palm to her chest.

There it was, her heart thumping away, though weaker than it had been.

“Are you going to be all right?”
“I’ll be fine.”
She curled up next to his side with her head propped on his shoulder. “Thank you for taking care of

me.”

“I’m here for you, Danielle, no matter what.”
With one glance down their bodies, she noticed that they’d messed up the bed linens with their forest

debris-covered clothing. “We’ve made a mess.”

After sitting up and moving from the bed, Ethan swayed when he tried to stand.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
With a nod, Ethan said, “Let’s get changed and bathed.” He moved to go toward the bathroom and

then bent over with his hands on his knees.

Her hands shot to his shoulders as she tried to steady him. “Tell me what I can do to help.” She felt

sick with guilt. He did this to himself for her.

Ethan dropped backwards onto the mattress and bounced as he lifted one booted foot. “Mind taking

them off?”

Dropping to her knees, Danielle worked on the laces and then tugged at the leather. It slid off, and

his sock came with it. She removed the other one as well. Then stood and lifted the hem of his t-shirt and
pulled that over his head. Danielle didn’t like how ashen he was looking; even his lips were nearly colorless.

She turned on the water and then began undressing herself as soon as she’d helped Ethan out of his

grubby hunting attire, then assisted him to the bath. She didn’t think he could stand any longer, and while
she thought she could support him now that she was also cursed, she didn’t want to risk dropping him.
Together they slid into the bathwater with her chin against his back and her arms snug around his waist.

“Now what are we going to do?” she asked as she slid the washcloth over his chalky skin.
He rocked his head back onto her shoulder. “Today, I think would be a fine day to spend in bed,” he

mumbled weakly.

“And then what?” She wondered if he could hear the guilt tainting her tone.
“Then tonight, I’ll make sure we’re both well-fed and then the next day, we’ll go back to London.”
“But my parents—?”
“Oh, yes. They’re expected for dinner tomorrow.”
“We can’t miss that.”
“I agree.”
“Will they notice?”
“No, but we’ll need them to come earlier so we can get them out of the house before the sun sets.

Then we’ll go to London.”

She knew, he meant they’d go back to London so he could plan a visit to Benjamin.
And, apparently he knew what she was thinking without needing to read her features. “This has to

end, Danielle. We can’t let it go on. Do you really think they’ll stop hunting you now that you’re one of them?”

Well, she was hoping….
He went on, “It won’t stop them, and even if they can’t kill you as easily now, they’ll just wait until you

go back to being mortal. Then where will we be?”

“In the same spot we’re in now.”
A distressing thought occurred to her. “Could we have prevented this had we not gone shopping?”
Ethan exhaled and shook his head. “I doubt it. They probably would have just advanced on the house,

and with Dorin working with them, I’m surprised they waited as long as they did.”

Chapter 22

The First Vampire

“Danielle! You look wonderful! Being married agrees with you,” sang her mother as Danielle was

tugged into a warm hug.

“Welcome. I hope you both like fish,” Ethan said.
“A boy after my own heart,” replied her father with a slap on his son-in-law’s back.
James entered next, took Danielle by the hand and turned her in a circle, his gaze looking for…. “I

see no bruises. Either he’s good at hiding them or he’s taking good care of her.”

“James!”
“Are you happy, big sister? Now be honest.”
She laughed. “Of course I am! Ethan’s like a dream—”
“Whoa, there, Danielle. Too much information.”
Everyone laughed, as James pulled a funny face and strode past them into the living room.
Internally, Danielle was freaking out. She felt naked, as though they may be able to see the fact that

she was immortal instead of mortal. Because of this, she hung to the back, trying to avoid their natural
perusing.

* * * * *

“Brilliant fish, Ethan,” said Nadia, who’d also joined them for dinner.
“The pudding is quite lovely as well,” added Danielle’s father.
Poor Max was moving a mouthful of pudding around his mouth with an expression that said he didn’t

think it was so lovely.

Ethan was eating, putting on a great mortal act, while Danielle was struggling to do the same. She

knew he’d made something she would have liked had she not also been cursed. But while it all smelled
divine, it tasted bland, like eating flavorless texture.

“Ethan, I didn’t know you were such a good cook. And what a nice English style meal. I know Tom

has been missing the food from back home,”

Tom, Danielle’s dad, nodded as he forked up another mouthful of pudding.
Her mom continued, “Danielle said you went to culinary school?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What do you do for a living, Ethan? Do you work as a chef?”
“No, ma’am.”
Danielle eyed her husband wondering how he might answer this. She knew whatever it was would

either be a boldfaced lie or a creative twist on the truth.

He swallowed, and said, “I’m a writer.”
“Really? What do you write?”
His mouth quirked into a smirk. “Vampire romance,” he said.
Danielle choked on a green bean.
Ethan patted her back gently. “Max is also a writer,” he went on. “He’s published several history

books on the Order of the Garter.”

Eyeing Max, she suspected it was true. It was Ethan she wondered about. Was her husband truly a

romance writer, or was that just another one of his skilled fibs? Many times she honestly didn’t know
because he was so good at it.

“I was obsessed with knights as a boy,” Max said, cutting his fish into such small pieces that she

figured he meant to hide it under his pudding rather than actually eat it. “Hence, I did enough research to
write about it.”

Danielle remained withdrawn for the rest of the evening as the others sipped tea, ate teacakes and

conversed, telling jokes and teasing Ethan about writing romance. He took it all in stride, said he enjoyed it,
and she began to wonder if perhaps he really had worked as a writer for a while. She certainly knew he’d
had time for it.

“Relax, honey, you look exactly the same,” Ethan whispered into her ear.
But James and her mother were watching every move she made like a pair of owls. It was true they

hadn’t seen her since she’d married, and she didn’t know exactly what they were checking for, but she was
about to crawl out of her skin worrying she may give something away.

And she wanted to burst into tears when her mother pulled her aside and asked quietly if she was

expecting. Mom’s pretty blue eyes danced with grandmotherly longing and hope, which Danielle had to
extinguish. “Sorry, Mom, you’re not a grandmother yet.”

Patting her on the shoulder, Mom sighed and then moved to collect another one of the little cakes

Ethan had made.

Danielle made for the bathroom, hoping they wouldn’t notice her hasty escape. She felt sick to her

stomach. Sadly the queasiness wasn’t from pregnancy, and wasn’t from food, but from sheer nervousness,
and from the deep upset over the reminder of her loss. She’d wanted so badly to spend time with her family
when she’d moved back to Colorado, and now, she just wanted them all to leave. They had no idea their
daughter and sister had been pregnant, had been forced into hiding because she was the center of a civil
war, and then been stabbed, only to be resurrected as a cursed being.

She realized as she sank to the floor and buried her hands in her face that her departure had been

noticed when a soft knock sounded at the door. “I’ll be out in a moment,” she called out not wanting whoever
it was to see her tears.

“What’s wrong?” came Ethan’s voice.
For him, she rose from the floor and opened the door. “Only

everything

…” she said, letting him take

her into his arms.

* * * * *

Danielle pressed her hand to the cool airplane window as they returned to London. This was the

second time she’d looked upon this city from this view but now it seemed so different. Perhaps it was
because she had a different perspective and, in truth, was a very different person from the terrified young
woman who’d set out to simply attend art school.

A sense of terror still sat heavily in her stomach, but obviously for different reasons. She couldn’t help

but wonder,

What next?

They’d had their baby ripped from them, and now even their mortality had been

stolen from not just him, but both of them. Images of a mortal Ethan haunted her thoughts. She’d liked him
that way. He’d been more insecure in a way that had been sort of adorable. And those glasses ... the poor
guy had bad eyesight and she found it so human and so sexy when he pushed them up the bridge of his
nose when they slid.

He held her hand now, his thumb gliding over the back of her knuckles and fingers, back and forth.

Lifting her lashes, Danielle looked at him and was lost in those blue eyes of his as he sensed her gaze and
turned to face her. She always got lost in that gaze. Mortal or immortal that part hadn’t changed, though it
was different somehow now that they were both cursed. Not in a bad way really, just ... she had no idea how
to explain it.

The plane landed. She dropped her free hand to her lap, the cooled flesh heating against the warmer

fabric of her skirt. Ethan stood as soon as the plane came to a stop, his hand leaving hers.

Moments later, while still staring out through the glass, Danielle heard, “It’s time to leave, Mrs.

Deveroux.” The prince spoke.

She ignored him with her gaze instead going to Ethan who’d been gathering their bags from the

overhead compartment. Grabbing onto the back of the seat in front of her, she pulled to standing and moved
toward her husband. Richard silently moved out of her way but she could sense him following close behind,
just as the rest of their guards did.

* * * * *

They weren’t allowed to go home but were whisked along swiftly to Order headquarters, or rather,

Beon’s bed and breakfast. The guards had remained on high alert and she wondered how much trouble
could she still be in if she was cursed just like the rest of them now.

After buttoning a shirt and then tugging it down over her tank top, Danielle muttered, “Why are they

still so concerned? I thought I was safe now. Or safer,” she added when Ethan raised an eyebrow at her first
comment.

“I’ve been told they haven’t stopped hunting us and their numbers have grown to insane proportions.

We’re incredibly outnumbered.”

She reached for the hiking boots after pulling on her socks. Wondering why the guards had informed

Ethan of this and not her, she asked, “Why are we dressing for a hike? Are we going camping?”

Ethan met her gaze and then looked away as he laced up his own boots. He was apparently deep in

thought, Danielle realized as she watched emotion etch lines of stress in his expression. Uncertainty and
even worry were the ones she recognized first. When his eyes returned to hers, she saw something else
before he said, “We’re going to see Benjamin and then Lilith if we can find her.” She recognized it now—
determination.

Still she doubted. “How can this help?” she paused with laces held tightly in fisted fingers. “What if

the first vampire is on their side?” He certainly could be, she thought but didn’t say. What if he liked what he
was? Liked the benefits. And Lilith, it was her curse they’d broken. Could she be angry about this too? The
witch could likely curse them into something even worse than vampires....

Ethan had finished off tying and was now leaning forward, his forehead resting against one palm.

“We can only hope ... and try.”

“That’s all you’ve got? Hope? Ethan—”
With one swift move, Ethan had her in his lap, snatching her next set of questions with the sudden

change. Warm fingers moved along the side of her face from temple to jaw. His spicy, tangy scent
surrounded her, enchanting her, even if it no longer had the power to entrance her being cursed just as he
was. “Yes, hope.” His palm captured her face, forcing eye contact to remain. “Where is your faith, Danielle? I
have a good feeling about this. I need you to trust me.”

His thumb moved along her cheek and then over her lips. Still, the loving gesture couldn’t comfort her

heart completely. “I trust

you

, silly. It’s them I don’t trust. Some ancient vampire and a bitter witch—”

“Sorceress. There’s a difference. Never trust a witch.”
Danielle laughed at that and kissed Ethan on the nose, snuggling closer. “How would I know if I’ve

even met a witch?”

Leaning further back into the settee, Ethan pushed his legs out a bit further from the edge, giving her

more lap to sit on. “They always wear black.”

She threw her head back and laughed.
Ethan’s mouth was curved with a knowing smirk and she suspected he was only teasing her now.

Jerk, she wanted some serious answers. “What was that for?” he asked right after she slugged him in the
shoulder.

“For mocking me!”
The smirk left his face. “I may be flirting with you, sweet, but I’m completely serious about what they

wear.”

“You can’t be—”
“Oh, but I am.”
She thought about this longer while toying with the shaggy bits of hair just brushing over his collar,

then asked, “So, does that mean that one girl in high school who always wore black and lined her eyes with
a thick line of black eyeliner was a witch?”

“I rather doubt it.”
“But you just said—”
With his mouth landing firmly on hers, Danielle couldn’t argue any longer. Suspicions that this was

just another one of his very skilled distractions rolled through her mind. But as his mouth moved over hers,
as his tongue searched for hers in a dance that tasted like Ethan and not food, she caved in and went with
it. The rotten scoundrel....

Hooking his thumb into a loop on her jeans as Ethan captured her waist, he then led her to the

drawing room, where the others were waiting.

Three of the men sat on the sofa, all leaning forward. Beon sat in the middle with Max to his right and

Richard to his left. His fingers were busy tapping at the keyboard of a laptop on the coffee table. The one

standing, though also bent forward so he could see, was Seth. He blocked most of her view of the computer
screen. Moving closer and peering past shoulders she could see it was a satellite image of a mountainous
area.

Pointing at a part of the mountain range, Seth said, “He lives here. We think.”
“We’ll search the entire area if we have to.” That was Richard.
“The odds are dismal now. Richard, you’ve been in this position, how did you win that battle—?”
Danielle knew which battle Beon was talking about, the one where he’d managed to win against fifty-

thousand with only ten-thousand men. It’s why everyone had thought Richard would make such a great king,
if only he hadn’t died before he had the chance. And now it was part of why they’d asked him to join their
order. Or perhaps it was the main reason.

After being silent, as he likely made battle plans in his head, he finally admitted, “Truth is, part of that

success was pure luck.” He straightened his spine, sitting more upright now.

“Bloody hell,” Max growled.
“We may not need to be completely dismayed,” Richard continued. “The nature of this situation is

completely different. I fought with mortal men before ... there were hills ... they were fooled into thinking they
fought more men than they actually did. Life isn’t fragile for us now as it was then. We have different
strengths, different skills, even different ways of fighting.” His gaze returned to the computer. “We didn’t have
satellite either. I can plot a course this way.” He drew his finger from the bottom left corner to the spot
mentioned as being where Benjamin presumably dwelled. “If we can get Benjamin to help us, we’ll have an
advantage then.”

“I thought he lived in Moldova.” At least that’s what Ethan had said when he was planning to visit

Benjamin last time. The map Richard was tapping at said it was Russia.

“He did, but we believe he’s moved to Russia where there’s more unpopulated land.”

How could a vampire live in such a secluded location?

Danielle wondered, only realizing when they

turned to look at her that she’d actually said that aloud.

Returning his fingers to the keyboard, Beon pressed a button or two and zoomed out from where

they were looking previously. Pointing at the screen, he said, “These are cities,” Beon touched the monitor
at four different locations on the map, “Very old cities. Stories of vampire legend have been told here for
centuries, probably even originating from these Slavic countries. That’s why we think this is where he lives.”

“Could he hunt animals like all of you?” She was hoping....
“It’s doubtful. Those woods are known to be quite full of thriving wildlife. There have been no signs of

it ever diminishing over the years.”

“But—”
Seeming to know her next question, Seth said, “He does have to travel rather far for a meal. It’s quite

possibly a few hundred miles from any of those cities to his possible location, but for him, for any vampire
really, it would be an easy task to stay hidden for as long as he liked. He’d need only space out his time
between feedings and shift from one city to the next. And with fear of vampires being so high, the people
would never venture into those woods to find out for certain, hence, he could maintain his lifestyle forever if
he so wished.”

Danielle stared at the map a moment longer, imagining. Imagining Benjamin running through those

woods to any village he chose, at night, seeking anyone fool enough to be out after dark. She could picture
it not really taking him very long, despite the distance, already knowing how fast he could travel. What did he
do with the bodies? Did he drag that back with him? Did he bury the poor souls who lost their lives to
become a vampire’s meal? All questions she would likely never get an answer to, so she shifted her
attention away from that.

As the men continued to discuss battle plans, Ethan joined them and Danielle’s gaze wandered to

everyone else in the room. Several other vampires, guards, warriors, or whatever they were, milled around
behind Beon and the others. They were listening, but not adding comment. She figured they felt they didn’t
need to as a few of them nodded when they heard something they apparently agreed with. They seemed
very eager to fight, like well trained soldiers secretly wishing to put to use the skills they’d learned even
though they may not truly like the idea of war. Her attention returned to Ethan and the others, they’d stopped
talking.

She was slightly startled to see them all looking at her. “It’s time to leave,” Seth announced.
“Now? I mean we just landed.”

I’m sorry

, Ethan lipped.

“We haven’t got time to waste. We have a long way to go and the opposition could show up here if

we don’t get moving now,” Beon said.

Of course his words made sense even though she didn’t like it, and Danielle nodded but asked,

“Could I see Sophia? Say hello, say goodbye?” She might have been stalling, slightly. This was war they
were planning for and the thought of it was sort of freaking her out. She didn’t know what to expect. Certainly
she was trained to defend herself, but that’s what it was—defense. This was much more offensive. This is
what these men were prepared for, not her.

“Sophia and Nadia have been hidden away for their safety.”
Her chin came up, her gaze shot to Beon’s. Why? Sophia was still a vampire, so if she was in

danger was Danielle also?

“We need you there for this one, darling.” Ethan was at her side now, offering comfort as his hand

touched the small of her back. The heat of his touch radiated through her clothes to the skin beneath. It was
comforting and she couldn’t help but be grateful to him for how well he knew and understood her.

“What can I do?”
A gentle finger caught under her chin, tipping her face up a bit more. “We believe you’re the only one

who can sway her, persuade her to help us.”

He was talking about Lilith. “But I thought we were going to see Benjamin?”
Ethan smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling up as his cheeks lifted, he kissed her and said, “We

are, but only so we can find Lilith.”

Panic and fear of the unknown swelled up inside her like nausea. Swallowing, Danielle forced herself

to ignore it. If Ethan was still the overprotective man he had been in the past then he wouldn’t let anything
happen to her now. Locking their gazes, Ethan pled with his eyes. She understood the words, though
unspoken verbally.

Trust me. Have faith in me.

* * * * *

After a seven hour plane ride, they landed in Moscow, Russia. It was daytime. They’d planned it that

way so they could make eye contact with immigration officers without causing a scene.

Having only seen Moscow on television, she’d thought perhaps most of the buildings would have

towers topped with what looked like huge upside down tops. Pointy and colorful. But it wasn’t all like Red
Square. There were more ornately styled buildings and sculptures than usual, but most of it looked just like
any other big city with many tall buildings. The truth was she didn’t really get to see much before they were
moving again.

They rented cars until nightfall, abandoned the vehicles at the outskirts of the city and then went on

foot, leaving civilization behind.

At the edge of the forest the others filtered off to feed on a herd of poor deer that happened to be in

the area. Ethan had gone to speak with Beon just before they also left her line of vision. Danielle expelled a
shuddering breath, worried she might now be asked to kill an animal when she’d never bitten anything or
anyone other than Ethan so far. While playing nervously with her pocket zipper, Danielle began searching
for him when he was suddenly there, carefully taking her arm and drawing her behind a large tree. “What
—?”

“Why the troubled face?”
Relief swamped her emotions and she smiled up at him as he gently cupped her face. “I—well,

everyone was—”

“And you thought I’d abandon you? Leave you to fend for yourself?” A hint of irritation and hurt flashed

amongst shards of sapphire in his gaze. Frowning, he said, “What from our time together makes you doubt
—?”

“I’m sorry,” she said before he could say any more because the fingers she’d placed against his

mouth wouldn’t stop his words if he meant to keep going. It’s true, she thought looking away, she shouldn’t
have doubted him. She just felt so out of her element, in a country she’d never been to, trying to complete a

potentially dangerous task she never thought ... never even imagined.... On top of all of that, she was still
new to this, new to being a vampire. Deep down she knew she hadn’t fully adjusted yet and doubted she
ever really would.

Ethan kissed those fingers, drawing her eyes back to his just before his hand closed around her wrist

and drew it to his shoulder. His lashes lowered and his head tipped down and closer as his lips lifted at the
corners. He kissed her as the fingers of his other hand tunneled into her hair, curving around the back of her
skull. Releasing her wrist, that hand landed on the small of her back, holding her in place. With his mouth
moving over hers, she was lost in the moment. The muscle-packed length of his body pressed her more
firmly against the bumpy bark behind her. Instinctively her fingers curled into the fabric of his coat and her
free hand slid underneath everything to his skin, to his ribs, sliding around to his muscular back. Danielle felt
the shudder that moved through his body.

Against her mouth he chuckled, unintentionally giving her a dose of his magical breath though it didn’t

knock her out any longer. “Seems I’m a bit ticklish there,” he said.

Pulling away, Ethan dropped his forehead against hers and matched their gazes. For another

moment she was lost in a sea of blue—the current there pulling her to his very soul. This was home, she
mused, as she felt a smile of contentment overtake her mouth, completely forgetting her previous worries.

Turning his face away, Ethan said, “There now, take what you need.”
With her vision now filled with his throat, Danielle’s fingers left his shoulder and rose to his exposed

flesh. The tips moved along the pulse-less vein just visible beneath. The sight alone caused her fangs to
slide out, bumping against the inside of her bottom lip. She moved her fingers out of the way. Her lips
parted and her tongue reached for him.

Again, Ethan shuddered beneath her hands as her fangs sank into him finding the blood they sought.

Just as his soul had filled her sight a moment ago, his energy, his essence rushed into her. Unwilling to truly
admit it, Danielle shoved back the idea that she might actually miss this if or when they were able to turn
back into mortals.

Snuggling closer to Ethan, her spine lifted from the tree as she consumed Ethan in a way she’d never

thought possible ... until his fingers tightened in her hair and he forced her loose. “Ravenous little thing,
aren’t you?” he muttered while stroking his fingers down her back, returning upward to next run his palm over
her hair.

“I’m sorry,” she said, shuddering at the feeling of her fangs retracting after leaving his flesh. Her

tongue went out to catch a drop of blood that dripped onto her lip and she frowned at how good it tasted.
Heavy guilt shattered any comfort she’d just received and settled into her stomach and heart like a lump of
poisonous fruit. She shouldn’t be enjoying this, savoring this ... it was so wrong to make Ethan, her love,
suffer—

His gaze was on her mouth as she gathered another spot of blood she’d missed. The smile fell from

his expression when his eyes lifted. “Don’t you dare regret that,” Ethan said, his tone stern while he pushed
away a telling tear on her cheek. “I like it too much.”

“You do?” No way! She’d felt his body quake. Hadn’t that been in repulsion?
“I’ll not deny it’s sort of sexy in a way.”
“You’re lying.”
“I swear I’m not, Danielle.” Again his mouth touched hers. “You’ll never feed from another. Promise

me...”

“How could I ever—but what about you?” She presented her neck. “Feed from me, it’s only fair.”
“No, you need your strength.”
“But!”
He stepped back, releasing her almost as though she’d stung him. With her words? “We cannot

afford to have you weakened like that.” His British accent had thickened along with his old-fashioned
cadence.

Dropping back against the tree for support she likely needed more emotionally than physically, she

asked, “Why? What are you expecting? Will Benjamin fight us?”

Ethan’s gaze shifted and she knew he was watching as the others fed on animals. With his eyes

meeting hers again, he said, “No. I don’t think Benjamin will give us much trouble.”

“But he might not like this cure either.”
“As the first vampire, he would have a better understanding of this curse than most, and therefore

know that it would have to be his choice to break it. I doubt he’ll care if it’s something we want.”

“How can you know that?”
“Beon met a vampire who knew him, or rather, the man he accidentally turned. This man didn’t

exactly regret how things turned out. He said Benjamin was hurt by Lilith’s actions, but has actually enjoyed
what he is now too, taking comfort in knowing that his happiness gives him an unexpected victory over
Lilith.”

“But I thought he was considered dangerous.”
“I’m certain he is,” Ethan said, returning to stand just inches in front of her.
Silenced by kisses that first landed on her mouth before moving to her forehead, she frowned,

knowing it probably looked more like a pout. Ethan again stepped back with a low laugh.

“It’s my turn to feed, darling, and it will not be on that lovely neck of yours.” Without another word, he

turned and dashed off to the right, the darkness swallowing up his shape as he moved further away, but she
still heard his whispered, “Wait for me...”

* * * * *

Thicker woods closed in around them as her boots landed on the soft cushion of earth strewn with

pine needles and leaves. Running through this forest as they were, she still noticed there were no signs of
civilization here, and Danielle doubted even campers would venture out this far. Partly because they never
passed any abandoned campsites as they had before. But also ... partly because she sensed something ...
different, though she couldn’t explain what that was.

Of course this forest was beautiful and the refreshing smells of pine and wood filled her nose. The

night sky was a clear blackish-blue dotted with some of the brightest stars she’d ever seen. But even with
the lush greenery shifting past her vision, that thing she sensed before poisoned it, and she felt more
secluded than ever. A chill sank inside her heart and touched her soul. Tightening the sash on her suede
coat, Danielle wondered about Benjamin aloud, “Why would he want to live out here like this? Without
power? Without heat? Without anything?”

“Yeah, I’m fond of my electronics,” Ethan said, leaping with ease over a ten-foot high boulder. He

bent his knees and tucked his legs closer as he cleared the stone.

Danielle followed. It was weird to do that, to leap over something so solid and big. But her body did

it. She cringed however, when her foot landed near a snake. Of course it never had time to strike out if she’d
startled it, but it still caused shivers to ride up the length of her spine. While this place was lovely and
untouched by man, the creatures living here still gave her the creeps.

“He could have a generator,” said Max, moving like a wraith to her left.
“We’ll soon find out,” said Seth. Danielle sensed eagerness in his tone, like he was curious.
Not admitting it vocally, she knew she was a bit curious too. What did Benjamin look like? How did

he dress? What did he do with his time?

“There,” Beon whispered. He was pointing to the northeast. There did appear to be a structure on the

edge of a cliff halfway up the side of a mountain. It was well hidden by trees and a rocky overhang. The
satellites would never be able to pick it up, but with her heightened sight she could see a faint reflection from
what appeared to be glass.

“It’s dark. What if he’s not home?” Danielle asked. He certainly could be out hunting ... killing.
“I may not be inside, but I am close by,” came a voice she didn’t recognize. The words, though

spoken in English, were thick with a Russian or Romanian accent. Or perhaps it was more a mix of the two.

She and the others came to a sudden stop, kicking up a folly of forest debris. A breeze caught at her

hair and clothes as she searched for this man they’d come so far to meet. But all she could see was
everyone belonging to the Order.

“Benjamin, we need your help,” began Beon, also scanning the surrounding area.
“Who are these people, darling?” came a woman’s voice. She had a similar accent to the man.
“Guests, I suppose,” replied the man.
Chuckling, the sound was dark, almost evil, the woman said, “Shall I make tea?”

Danielle heard their footfalls ahead. Of course she wondered if they could be just returning from

feeding. Strolling and holding hands, a man and a woman entered the clearing from the woods on the west
side. “How did you find me?” Benjamin asked of Beon who stood with Seth close by his side.

“We tracked rumors and stories told in the area.”
Seth added, “It was a lucky guess, really.”
“Clever, and very lucky,” agreed Benjamin.
The black-haired woman at his side had a youthful face, while Benjamin appeared much older. She

wouldn’t say he looked elderly, just like he’d been living for a very long time. His dark hair was not streaked
with gray and his face was without wrinkles, but something old was reflected back in wisdom-filled eyes of
gray that seemed to see everything.

Danielle remembered hearing about the woman now. The woman Benjamin had chosen and turned

so he’d have companionship. The action having been clear rebellion against Lilith who’d meant for him to
be alone. Did this relationship force him to hide from Lilith in this way? Is that why he chooses to live in such
total seclusion?

Suddenly the woman was in her face, her eyes roving over Danielle’s features and clothes with bald

curiosity. “You’re the only woman amongst these men. Why?” The female vampire’s eyes were a blackish-
brown. Dressed in black trousers and a ruffled black cardigan, the woman circled Danielle, touching her
hair, breathing in her scent even.

Apparently Ethan didn’t like it because the next thing she knew she was being jerked around behind

his back as he took on a threatening stance.

The woman’s head flew back as she laughed. “How charming. Benjamin, she belongs to this one.”
By now they’d all gathered around, and tension settled around them like a thick net of heavy fog.

Instinctively, Danielle clung to Ethan and his fingers encircling her wrist tightened. A silent warning to be
quiet she figured. That was completely fine with her.

“This is Heleways, my wife, and who might the rest of you be?” asked Benjamin. It was sort of

strange how he seemed less threatening than his bride. The leather of his black jacket made a rustling
sound as he moved to place an arm around Heleways. Strangely, his touch seemed to make her
haughtiness deflate a little.

“I’m Beon. This is Seth, Maximilian, Cedric and the rest of our Order. These two are Ethan and

Danielle.”

“What Order is this?”
Beon stood taller as his spine stiffened. “We call it the Order of the Curse-Bound Nights.”
“What is your purpose?”
“We rebel against what the curse makes us.”
One of Benjamin’s eyebrows lifted before his mouth curved with a grin. “So it’s true then, the rumors

I’ve been hearing? Someone has solved Lil’s riddle?”

“I did,” said Ethan.
Rubbing the thick beard on his chin with long fingers making a rasping sound, Benjamin said, “Tell

me,” as his eyebrows rose with his gaze, while he appeared to study Ethan more closely.

“‘The one who gives himself to humanity will find the cure to the curse,’” began Ethan by reiterating

the prophecy. “I was extremely weak with thirst and instead of biting ... a mortal, I allowed them to bite me
instead.” Ethan tugged Danielle closer to his back, her hands landed on his waist because the movement
had been so sudden. She didn’t want it to look like she was trying to hide behind him, so she moved slightly
to the left, making herself more visible even though she liked Ethan’s protectiveness.

“You’re not mortal,” argued Heleways.
“I was.” Ethan then explained the theories they had as to why this had worked.
“Danielle was

the

mortal,” Benjamin said, his gray eyes sparkling with understanding, but he frowned

and asked, “Why is she too a vampire now?”

“She was stabbed,” Ethan said. “I turned her to save her.”
“We lost our baby,” Danielle whispered.
Danielle was surprised to see it, but compassion filled both of their expressions. “Who did this and

why?” demanded Benjamin, folding his arms over his broad chest. Heleways looked like she might actually

cry, her gaze turning glossy.

“Our enemies,” responded Beon. “Enemies of our Order. Many are not pleased about this cure.”
“Ah,” said Benjamin, “And that is why you’re here. You want my aid.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry to

say there isn’t anything I can do for you. I’d like to maintain my ... seclusion, if you don’t mind.”

“We only need your help in finding Lilith,” said Seth, moving forward, his heavy boots crunching dried

leaves and twigs as he stepped.

Narrowed gray eyes shot to Seth, “That witch won’t help you.”
“We need to ask her. We need to try.”
Benjamin bellowed with a loud guffaw at that. “Do all of you really wish to be mortal? Weak?”
“Some of us do, but not all of us. We want immortals to have a choice.”
“Hmm, I see.” The First Vampire dropped a hand to his hip. He appeared to be thinking as a cunning

twinkle sparkled in his gaze. “I suppose it’s worth a try. She lives in Romania, or did when I left her. Granted,
that was centuries ago.” Turning his gaze to Beon, he asked, “Do you have one of these GPS gadgets I’ve
heard about?”

“Yes.” Beon pulled it from his satchel and held it out to Benjamin.
The old vampire emitted a low chuckle and held up his hand, palm forward. “I don’t know how to use

that thing, just enter these coordinates.” He then rattled off a few numbers which Danielle figured were
longitude and latitude. Beon typed them into the device.

“Well then,” Benjamin bowed sweeping his arm to the side. As he swung upright, he said, “I’ll be

returning home now. But don’t share my location with anyone else or I will have to hunt you all down. I do
know how to kill immortals, you won’t escape me.”

“Thank you,” Seth, Ethan and Beon said in unison.

Chapter 23

Queen of the Damned

“She is not Queen of the Damned. Queen of Sorcery is probably more like it,” said Max with laughter

rumbling under his breath. He was responding to Cedric’s joke about their current destination.

Beon led the way, his gaze fixed on the GPS in his hand. Blue light glowed from the small screen

casting an almost eerie set of shadows to dance on his downturned face.

More than one of them chuckled at Max’s words as they moved along a darkened road in Romania,

following Beon. Danielle tugged her hood closer around her face because it had slipped back a little. The
fur trim around the edge tickled her cheeks. This street was dark but not unpopulated and she wondered
what their group of hooded strangers looked like as they walked.

“I do hope she is not the queen, else we may all end up hopping our way back to England,” said

Merrick.

This was followed by more laughter.
But as the sounds of laughing died out, Danielle felt the sounds and smells of night close in around

her senses. This was something she hadn’t experienced yet and she swiftly understood why Beon kept
Sophia from it. Of course she’d spent one night in the woods, but heightened awareness was near torture
with mortals in close proximity.

Off in the distance a dog growled, the sound of it caused a trickle of other dogs to respond in a

similar manner. Some of them barked out almost viciously while others howled long and low like wolves. Or
perhaps they were wolves.... Her gaze swung to the moon shining above them as drifting clouds obscured
part of it from view. A relieved breath left her lungs when she saw that it wasn’t full yet. At least they wouldn’t
have that problem again tonight.

A baby cried next, reminding her of the one she lost. She shoved the sadness aside as it pinched

her heart. After adjusting her hood another time, Danielle unzipped her pockets and shoved her hands
inside. Hearing animals and insects in the woods had been one thing ... but this ... her right hand left the
pocket and curled around her middle as she mentally fought off the urge to murder the man who’d just
passed them. Clearly he’d just cut himself, she thought, as the scent of blood slapped her in the face,
triggering her fangs to respond. Danielle clenched her teeth together so hard she feared she might actually
crack them. Was it possible for her to break off the tip of a fang?

An elderly couple talked quietly over dessert, she noted, as they passed an old house with white

plaster walls, weathered wooden shingles and blue shutters. She even knew what they were eating for
dessert. Cake. Or rather cheesecake, but it didn’t smell like American cheesecake. She wondered what it
looked like. Moving along, the smells of trash, car exhaust, and plant life overpowered the scents of food.
Then sweat, cloying perfume, cigarette smoke, alcohol, shampoo and blood assailed her. There was
always blood. That metallic, salty-sweet tang that tormented her state of mind because it chased along
behind every other aroma filling her nose. She realized she would have been able to smell that man’s blood
even if he hadn’t just cut himself.

A person stumbled in front of her path, forcing her to stop. His drunken face wobbled upward and he

made eye contact with her. Staggering and off balance, he landed against her chest and fainted. Stunned
and kind of freaking out Danielle stared down at a head of greasy brown hair that slid down her body as the
man’s knees gave out. Of course there was a move for this, but for reasons she couldn’t quite comprehend
she paused as her hands lifted.

Then he was gone. Ethan, stepping in as usual, dragged the intoxicated fool to the brick wall of a

closed market, propping him against it. Ethan straightened as the surrounding breeze ran invisible fingers
through the blond hair peeking out from under the edges of his knitted cap, his arms dropped to his sides
and he turned to face her. “Are you all right?” he asked.

She didn’t respond because she’d covered her mouth with one hand, self-consciously hiding the

fangs that had reengaged and seemed to be staying there this time.

Danielle let Ethan’s arms envelope her. But the smells surrounding the man lingered on her clothes.

With fingers tightening into the fabric of Ethan’s t-shirt, she shook her head. “No, I’m not okay. How did you
do it, Ethan ... these smells, they’re too much.”

After gently pushing the hood back from her face, Ethan nudged her chin up with a couple of fingers

placed beneath her chin. “You’re new. It does get easier. You’ll become desensitized.”

“How long does that take?”
“A while.” His mouth thinned, probably because he knew she hated such vague answers.
“Why didn’t I react? I’m trained—”
Ethan kissed her forehead, his palms rubbed over her arms, warming her. “It’s good you didn’t. You

could have killed him with your usual karate defense if you had.”

Only then did she notice that all of the men had gathered while she suffered this embarrassing crisis

in front of them. They stood, almost circling her and Ethan, watching with half hidden faces.

When her gaze crossed Beon’s he smiled gently, lifted the GPS, and said, “We should keep moving.

I fear the opposition could find us more quickly in such a populated area.”

She knew he was right, of course. Beon was always right. Worry swamped her. She twisted and

scanned the area behind them, listening, watching ... but saw nothing.

“They haven’t found us yet,” said Seth. “I would know if they had.”
“How do you know?” she asked, forcing her feet to move as Ethan gathered her hand into his and

walked also. She tugged her hood back into place.

Seth looked to his left, nodded and moved ahead, again following Beon. That’s when she saw him.

Well, she suspected it was a

him

when she saw a shadow detach itself from an alleyway and run down

another dark path. “Who—?”

“We’re not the only ones on this trek, my sweet,” said Beon.
“We have sentries scoping the surrounding area for any possible threats,” said Seth.
“They missed one,” she complained, thinking about the drunken man.
“Sorry about that, but as a mortal, we ignored him.”
Of course they did, she mused with irritation.

* * * * *

The coordinates appeared to be taking them deeper into the old city rather than the surrounding

forest. That’s strange, thought Danielle. She’d sort of thought the old sorceress would hide in seclusion just
as the vampire had, but that didn’t appear to be the case. Halting her thoughts, Ethan tightened his grip on
her fingers. She stopped and looked at him, then heard Beon say, “It’s leading us to this cottage.”

Hearing the wonder in his tone, she had to agree. The small rustic building looked rather dilapidated.

Holes visible in the thatched roof would no longer keep rain or snow out. Paint on the outside of the walls
had mostly peeled off and a mass of vines practically overtook everything else. A stone path, just barely
visible beneath a growth of thick weeds, marked the way to the front step.

Beon started toward it, his shoulders set at a determined angle. Max and Seth followed, as did she

with Ethan. They crashed through dead grass and leaves as they drew closer to the front door. Made of
weathered wood, the door appeared as though it had been painted green at one time, but most of the paint
was gone.

The rotting wooden steps and porch squeaked under their feet. Fearing one board would surely

break Danielle avoided stepping on it at all.

Beon reached for the doorknob, gave it a turn and pushed. A blanket of blackness widened as the

door swung open. The hinges groaned as did the floorboards when they moved inside. Staleness
enveloped her senses as their group entered a dark and dusty room. Furnished with a rotting sofa, tattered
lace curtains, a table and a pair of wingback chairs, the place certainly seemed deserted. Lilith must not be
here any longer, she worried.

Seth drew in one deep breath and then exhaled. “It’s a glamour.”
A what? But while she had never heard the word Beon and Ethan nodded in understanding. “Ethan?”

she asked.

Turning a smile on her, he said, “She still lives here, but to keep nosy people like us from bothering

her, she’s hidden everything behind a glamour.” He took in the room again. With a chuckle of approval, he
lifted a teacup from the table, ran his fingers over the porcelain surface. “A brilliantly done glamour.”

“And a glamour is...?” she prompted because his first answer sucked.

He returned the teacup and dusted off his hands. “It’s an enchantment. She could even change how

she looks to us. We might never know what she really looks like—”

“If we can get her to reveal herself, that is.” Her gaze shifted to Beon, he went on, “Lilith!” he called.

When nothing happened, he added, “Lilith? We wish to speak with you. We’re in desperate need of your
aid.”

Silence saturated the room as they waited. Light from a nearby streetlamp filtered in through the

frayed curtains. Danielle watched dust motes dance in the shaft of dim light, then dropped her gaze. The
pattern of a threadbare rug became revealed as she dragged the heel of her boot through the blanket of
dust covering it. Gasping and clutching at Ethan’s jacket, Danielle started when light suddenly glowed from
the bottom edge of a door as though someone had just flipped a switch. Danielle knew it was likely just
magic too. Her eyes locked on first the turning doorknob and then the door as it opened. A yellow glow
spilled into the room, sped across the floor and then rose up until they stood illuminated to whomever it was
answering their call.

A woman. Frail-looking and crooked with age she hobbled forward. “Lilith is not here,” came an

accent-drenched voice that sounded as weathered as the woman appeared.

“Please, we must speak with her. She’s the only one who can help us,” said Seth.
Danielle narrowed her eyes. Partly because of the bright light, but also partly because she suspected

this woman was Lilith in disguise.

“I’m not Lilith if some of you are wondering that.”
Startled, Danielle blinked. Could a sorceress read minds? She glanced at Ethan. He hadn’t

mentioned anything like that. As though he could read her thoughts, Ethan shrugged as his eyes shifted
back to the old woman.

Shuffling closer, her thin, knobby fingers tightened on a walking stick. “I am her friend and I will not

have her disturbed by your kind.” Her eyes creased further as they narrowed on them. “She will not release
you from the curse. You cannot escape it.”

“We’ve discovered the cure,” said Ethan simply.
This got her attention. Her momentum halted as her head lifted. Gray tendrils of wispy hair danced

around her round but wrinkled face. A faint gleam flashed in clear, youthful eyes. Were they blue or gray? It
was hard to tell, even with her heightened sight. Not that it mattered really, because now Danielle suspected
this woman also hid behind a glamour, and perhaps that was why she couldn’t distinguish the actual color. A
moment of silence passed and then the woman’s gaze narrowed again. “Explain.”

Ethan stepped forward and told this woman of their tale just as he’d told it to Benjamin. As he spoke

her mouth twitched into what appeared to be a shocked grimace, though it could have been a knowing
smirk. This woman was hard to read, again likely due to the glamour....

Has she just gotten taller? Danielle wondered, just before the cloaking enchantment fell away

revealing a much younger looking lady. Another gasp left her lips when the woman spoke to her directly.
“You, my dear, are a very special creature.” The words came out on a smooth rich voice. A graceful hand
reached for Danielle’s shoulder, turning her for a closer look. Ethan tensed. He may have thought she was
safer due to the turn, but he clearly didn’t trust these magical types.

Just as Danielle opened her mouth to argue that anyone could do what she’d done, the woman or

sorceress spoke again. “Have you been hunted?” The woman’s hand fell away and landed on her hip. She
tapped a shoe-covered foot. Ethan exhaled, the sound a quiet one, but she heard it.

“I—wait, what?” Danielle managed in confusion. “Not all vampires—”
Shaking her head, the woman said, “I mean other

cursed

beings such as pixies...”

“Oh, and werewolves?” asked Danielle.
Blue eyes—yes they were definitely blue—sparkled with understanding as again she nodded. Blond

but still curly hair swayed with the movement now. Her unlined round face expressed curiosity as she
measured Danielle, shifting her weight to the other foot and folding her arms at her waist.

“But any—” Danielle began, again trying to explain she wasn’t anything special.
Cutting her off, the sorceress said, “Yes, yes, of course any mortal could have cured a vampire. But

you are the one who did. The others will naturally notice that, and be drawn to it.” The woman waved a hand
as though dismissing any further arguments and continued, “Can’t you see it in her aura?” she asked the

others.

Danielle watched in surprise as Ethan and the other men all nodded in agreement. “Ethan?”
“It’s true, darling. Your glow is brighter now, even brighter than it was before you turned.”
“What?” Of course when she’d been turned she’d realized she could now see the glow of others, but

she had no idea hers had actually changed.

She noticed that Ethan’s tension had slipped away. Did he trust this woman now? Danielle swung

her eyes back to the lady. “Who are you?” she asked, wondering if this could possibly be the bitter Lilith
everyone had talked about.

Smoothing a wrinkle in her simple green dress, she said, “My name is Corina. Lilith is truly not here.”

Pinning Danielle with a seeming regret-filled look, she said, “She will not help you. She despises Benjamin
and all of your kind. ’Tis true she will likely be impressed with your discovery.” Corina emitted a light chuckle
as she reached for the teacup Ethan had touched earlier and sipped at a steaming liquid inside it. Only then
did Danielle notice that the room appeared restored as the glamour had dropped from it too. “I promise to
make her aware of your plight, but don’t expect any aid from her.”

“Can’t you help us?” Desperation made her ask the question. They’d come all this way only to be

turned away again? Surely this woman was the one controlling the magic here, and just as surely she could
help them, she thought.

“I’m sorry, but I only dabble in tricks really.” She proved this by waving hands over the teacup, turning

it into a plate of triangle shaped sandwiches. “Lilith is immensely more powerful than I.” Corina then settled
onto the now pristine sofa, conjured a remote control in her hand and pressed a button. At the same time a
large flat-screen television appeared on the wall above a stone embellished fireplace. A cooking show was
on.

Marveling at the fact that this sorceress liked to cook, or just liked to watch people cook, she gaped

in bewildered awe.

“It was lovely meeting you all, but I’d very much like to get on with my lunch.” Corina gathered up one

of the little sandwiches and bit into it. Salmon, cream cheese and tomato, she noted as the smell of it filled
her nose.

But just as they began toward the door, Corina cleared her throat before saying, “Please don’t exit

through the front. I’d rather the neighbors didn’t see you.” She waved her fingers toward a bookshelf on the
left side of the room. Still utterly bemused, Danielle watched as the entire thing swiveled, revealing a hidden
passage. “That will lead you to the woods.” Corina winked and then said, “Take care, children, your
enemies are in the city.”

When Danielle turned back, wanting to ask about the warning, Ethan captured her arm and steered

her into the black tunnel beyond.

Chapter 24

Rending Life

“They found us?” Danielle asked as they ran down an unlit stone corridor, knowing full well she

wouldn’t be able to see this well as a mortal.

“I’m not surprised,” came Seth’s response from up ahead.
Apparently even though she too was a vampire, Ethan’s stride remained longer than hers. As he

rushed her along the uneven pathway, she still stumbled along behind and was forced to put a hand out to
balance against the wall. Danielle cringed when her fingers came away covered in something that felt soft
and sticky. Had to be a spider web. Shuddering with disgust, she gave her hand a shake and brushed it off
against her pant leg. This place was infested with the creepy little things. Did Corina and Lilith even use it?
Somehow she doubted that.

“Seems we have to face this alone,” said Ethan. Danielle could almost taste the concern in his voice.
“Face what? What are they going to do to us?”
She didn’t get an answer to her question before they stepped out into a moonlit forest. Max held a

tangle of vines up so the rest of them could exit more easily. Breathing in the fresh air outside of the musty
tunnel, Danielle searched the surrounding area for any signs of the vampires hunting them. A cool breeze
swept against her face and brushed her hair over her shoulder. Either they were incredibly stealthy or they
weren’t there yet because she saw and heard nothing.

“Let’s head north,” said Beon, his face bent over the GPS again. “If they’re still in the city we may be

able to avoid them.”

Breaking into a run, Danielle let go of Ethan’s hand. She didn’t need to be dragged through the

woods at his pace, even though their vampire speed was incredibly swift. Again they flew past trees,
animals and stones. Moonbeams filtered through the canopy of tall trees casting them all in shadows of blue
and gray and black. A startled deer bounced out of their path. Birds fled their perches as though they
sensed the danger of the beings nearing their nests.

“We’re too late,” muttered Max.
“They’re coming.”
Beon didn’t need to explain who. Tossing a look over her shoulder, Danielle asked, “Which way?” as

they flew through and over the thick undergrowth. Before anyone responded she knew the answer to that.
Danielle dug her heels in and stopped, or tried to as she slid for a moment before her momentum halted
completely. Ethan gathered her hand into his again as the other men formed a protective circle around
them.

Closing her eyes she drew in a measured breath. Just as she could sense the deer earlier, she could

feel the presence of many vampires moving toward them from the same direction they’d been headed.
Should they have been going toward the city instead? No, she realized when she not only sensed them but
could hear and now see them.

A mass of vampires swept toward her group like a solid mist of cursed muscle.
“We fight then,” Max said, dropping into the guarding stance she’d taught him. It was a little unnerving

how he appeared pleased with the prospect of a fight. His full mouth curved into a dangerous grin. It didn’t
seem to matter that they had more men fighting on their side than they’d had at the mall. They’d been
outnumbered then and it was a hundred times worse now. So very outnumbered.... How could he relish this?

With that thought she looked to Prince Richard. Muscles flexed along his whisker-shadowed jaw as

he took in the sight. Jerking his arms free of his jacket, he then tossed the leather garment on the ground to
give himself better mobility, she guessed. His expression didn’t give her much hope. The Black Prince,
who’d seen his share of war, didn’t look anywhere near as delighted as Max.

Moments later the conflict closed in on them as the sounds of fists pounding against flesh filled the

air. A man grunted and flew backward as Cedric landed a brutal uppercut against his jaw. Another man
bared his teeth as he attacked Seth. Male and female vampires actually went sailing over head as Max and
Richard used techniques for throwing a person.

It began to rain. Big droplets of water fell through the canopy of trees above them.
Back to back with Ethan now, the fact that she couldn’t bask in his comforting gaze made Danielle

feel hopeless somehow. “We’ll never defeat them all. Ethan—?”

“Just keep your back to mine and use all of the skills I know you have.”
Because Ethan was still holding her hand, she felt his fingers tighten on hers as he lifted their hands

to his lips to press a kiss to the back of hers. “I’m sorry, Danielle, I never wanted it to come to this.”

“Why wouldn’t any of them help us?”
With his sigh, Danielle felt the shift of his muscles. “I wish I knew.”
She leaned into him. There was something soothing at least about just having him there even as

violence filled her view. Where had Cedric gone? Danielle couldn’t see him any longer and the rain started
to come down harder. Watching in horror, she noticed as others were drawn into the fray, completely
overpowered by so many. The protective circle around them shrank until a wide gap formed between
Richard and Beon.

Vampires moved in, engaging Ethan and then her. She could still feel him behind her as they fought

off the attack, his arms and body shifting, sometimes even bumping into her with his efforts.

Punching one man in the chest, Danielle was almost startled when he flew back with such force he

plowed over a few others in his wake. She caught another under the chin. His head snapped back sending
raindrops flying from his skin and then, even more shocked, she watched as he flipped up and back almost
like a fish. Finally she was on even ground with her skills.

She marveled at that too long, however, because someone managed to clip her in the cheek. Sharp

pain exploded in her face. Grunting in agony, Danielle’s head whipped to the side, as her now wet hair
swung around, slapping her skin. Her shoulder smashed into Ethan’s.

“Are you all right?” she heard him ask through the ringing in her ears. The entire right side of her face

was throbbing now.

Swinging out, she made sure she blocked the next fist aimed at her head. Droplets of water

splattered her face with the impact. “I thought you said it doesn’t hurt being immortal?”

“Ah, that...”
They turned as they battled with their backs practically glued together. “What do you mean by ‘ah,

that?’”

“I neglected to mention—”
His words were cut off as the crowd attacking them intensified and came from what seemed like all

directions. She swung and kicked with everything she had until she took another hit in the stomach. Air
whooshed out of her lungs and she doubled over. Forcing herself to shake it off, Danielle tossed the
saturated strands of hair out of her face, straightened and kept fighting. Her now soaked leather jacket
began resisting her movement and she wished she’d removed it beforehand as Richard had done. Along
with taking inventory of her wet clothing, Danielle did note the fact that she’d lost contact with Ethan.

Still fending off blows from opponents in front of her and to either side, she tossed a quick look over

her shoulder. Unable to see him, Danielle whirled around to take on the new onslaught coming from behind.
Again she searched for Ethan’s blue cap and blond hair. Where had he gone?

And they were everywhere! What seemed like hundreds of vampires were all focused on her alone,

all more than twice her size in bulk. It wasn’t long before they crowded in closer and closer. Just as soon as
she hurled one overhead, his body making a sick wet thud as he crashed against a tree, another took his
place. Danielle soon noticed not all of them were men.... Celeste was there. Registering a moment of
shock, Danielle collected her thoughts and punched Celeste in the face. Reacting to what she suspected
was the same sort of pain she’d experienced earlier; Celeste held a hand to her nose and backed away.

While that had been rather liberating, she knew she’d soon lose this fight. Scanning the heads further

out, Danielle looked for any sign of Ethan or the others. To her left, but quite far away, she did notice a spot
where bodies were tossed in the air just before dropping back into the mass, each one streaming with a
trail of raindrops. But she had no way of knowing who it was. “Ethan!” she called, jamming an elbow into
someone who attacked from behind.

Nothing.
Jab, hook, front kick. “Max! Richard!”
Again, no response.
Brutal hands grabbed at her clothes and hair as her feet left the ground. She could only imagine this

is what it felt like to be strapped to some medieval rack with the way they had her stretched out between
them. Each vampire, no several vampires at a time, took hold of her limbs, pulling. She strained against
them but she didn’t have the strength to fight off so many.

Fingers dug into her wet throat, chin, and jaw as their angry faces leered down at her. Blinking

against the rain now pelting her face, she recognized that Celeste was back, her expression smug. And
Lucas. A fiendish and fanged grin lifted the corners of his mouth. His fringy black hair hung in dripping
strands over his forehead as his gaze traveled her. Making eye contact, he said to the others, “Drain her.”
With that he lifted her arm to his lips, tore at the sleeve and sank his teeth into her flesh. Besides when
Ethan had turned her, which she didn’t fully remember because of the potion-like breath he’d dosed her
with, she’d never been bitten. Crying out, Danielle wondered how Ethan let her do this to him. Of course
struggling didn’t matter as she felt fangs cutting into her flesh on much of her exposed skin.

Just as energy flowed into her when she fed, that energy left as the vampires fed on her. Growing

weak, she thought she might actually die from this, until Lucas said, “That’s enough.”

Her boots came off and the socks went right along with them. The sound of rending fabric reached

her ears as the pockets on her cargo pants ripped free, leaving a long gaping slit in one pant leg and a big
hole in the other. Rain and cool forest air brushed her skin for a short moment before cruel hands replaced
it. She felt her shirt and coat ripping free. It seemed if they couldn’t claw at her skin, they tugged at her
clothes instead.

The stress on her joints intensified as they continued to pull, and the pain became unbearable. A

scream ripped from her throat. They were obviously trying to rip her limbs off, and her head. Would that kill
her? Perhaps that’s why they drained her of blood first.

Just as the pressure increased and she thought surely something was going to break loose a shout

rang out. The voice was followed by a shockwave seeming to have come from a silent explosion. It hit the
crowd, bowling them over in a domino effect. The hands binding her fell away.

Surprised at being released so suddenly, Danielle slowly realized she now lay upon a lumpy surface.

Bodies. Unconscious or perhaps dead vampires.

Lifting her head she touched her chin to her chest to better see what was going on. About fifty feet

away she saw Ethan untangling himself from a pile of bodies as well. Further away, Max, Richard and the
others on her side did the same. What the heck just happened?

She pushed up on her elbows and felt them sink into ... she glanced down, ah, a man’s chest. She

was lying on top of a dark-haired man. His soaked hair clung to his forehead, his face was dotted with
droplets of rain. Although he was completely out, she noted he wasn’t dead as his chest rose and fell with
breath. Still, this was a disturbing position to be in.

Wanting to get away from these vampires before they regained consciousness, she rolled up, but

dropped back onto one elbow when a wave of dizziness washed over her. The world rocked for a moment
or two. Still half upright she pressed a hand to her forehead. Wow, she had lost a lot of blood. Her gaze
focused on her wrist and then further up her arm as her hand moved away from her face. She was dotted
with slowly-healing puncture wounds. Even knowing she needed to replenish what had been taken, she
loathed the thought of biting Ethan for it. He had to be lying when he said he liked it.

“You’re welcome.” The feminine voice came from her left, and it too dripped with a thick Romanian

accent.

Danielle turned her face to the sound and pushed up to one knee, feeling the joint dig into what was

likely the man’s thigh.

“The curse has been removed from them. I figured that a better punishment than death,” the woman

said.

It stopped raining.
Rising to her feet unsteadily, Danielle studied the woman. How had she avoided getting wet? While

brushing long strands of flowing white hair from her face, the woman offered a smirk. Yards of black fabric
fluttered and billowed out behind her from the gown and cloak she wore. The woman was dressed like a
medieval witch, Danielle thought. She had the leather corset and everything.

The witch also wore a huge pendant that looked like it sat heavily upon her chest. Set in the center of

an almost gothic, scrolling design was a large moonstone. It caught the moonlight coming down through a

gap in the trees and bounced back metallic-looking flashes of green, white and blue. Somehow she knew
this witch or sorceress didn’t pose a threat to them and felt the tension coiled inside her spine slip free. She
couldn’t possibly be Lilith, could she?

“Lilith?”
Danielle’s gaze shifted from Seth and back to the woman who offered a regal nod of her head in

response. Her eyes rounded. Wow, this

was

Lilith? “Have we met?” said Lilith.

Shaking his head, Seth said, “No.”
Feeling like she might be able to walk without collapsing, Danielle looked around, hoping to collect

her boots. Unable to see them anywhere, she gave up on the idea and began stepping on and over bodies
making her way toward Ethan. She didn’t get far before Ethan was there, lifting her into his arms and
holding her against his chest.

“I can walk.” Sort of....
A narrowed gaze noted her wounds as he said, “Little liar.” He stopped when he found a spot of bare

earth and lowered her feet to the cool, damp grass there. Shuddering with a sudden chill, Danielle looked
down and noticed that her jacket and shirt were gone, leaving only the white tank top beneath. Ethan’s wrist
swung up under her nose. “Feed,” he commanded.

Shoving it away, she buried her face against his neck, and shook her head. “No way! Who’s the liar

now, Ethan? That hurts!” As her arms curled around his waist, she realized his clothes were ripped too as
her fingers touched his rain-kissed skin.

His hand came up behind her head and held her gently there, even though she could feel the tension

thrumming through his body at her defiance. “It smarts in a good way because it’s you.”

She didn’t buy that. “Why did it feel good when you turned me but hurt so badly now?”
“If you recall, I’d dosed you with my breath. Several times. It can’t be done that way if both parties are

vampires.”

“So then it does hurt you.” Her heart frosted with regret.
“It’s pleasurable in a ... dark sort of way. You needn’t worry about me.” Again when she refused,

Ethan pulled away just far enough to make eye contact. “They’ve weakened you, Danielle. I insist—”

“She’ll be fine.”
Jumping at the sound of Lilith’s voice so close, Danielle shot a surprised look past Ethan’s shoulder.

Ethan turned them both so they faced the sorceress who now stood inches away from them.

His arm at her waist tightened slightly. “She won’t heal—”
Interrupting him, Lilith raised a hand and snapped with a sharp exhale of breath, “Prostii!” Then in

English she added, “I give you my word. She’ll be fine.”

With brows dropping in confusion, Ethan opened his mouth to say something, but again Lilith held up

her hand and with that he closed it.

Muttering in what was likely Romanian, Lilith paced a circle around them, inspecting them for what,

Danielle had no idea. Watching the gown trail behind the sorceress, Danielle hoped she would say
something soon. Gathering a fistful of her cloak, Lilith tilted her head to the side and finally said, “Corina told
me about you and, I must say, I am rather impressed.” Throwing her head back, she laughed. “It’s been
centuries. Centuries! And none have solved the riddle ... or even tried, for they liked the

curse

so much.”

Seeming irritated with that, Lilith lifted her gaze to Danielle’s again. “You’re the brave little thing who bit
him?” Eyes of golden brown shifted from Ethan and back to her.

“Yes.”
“How did you allow it?” she asked Ethan.
Who shifted and straightened his spine before saying, “Her love for me reminded me of my

humanity.”

Again, she chuckled, a low sultry sound. “Come back to my cottage with me and we’ll settle this once

and for all.”

With a wave of her arm Lilith chanted something else she couldn’t translate. Just as the strange

words left Lilith’s lips a wave of magic swept over her body. Danielle blinked and found them all standing in
the small house they’d left earlier. Whoa!

Realizing she was warmer now, she looked down at her tattered clothes that were now dry. Then she

looked at Ethan and took in the degree of damage done to him too. His coat was completely gone, and his
shirt was half gone in the front leaving his stomach exposed, but then her gaze zeroed in on his neck and
arms at the bite wounds he’d also received. “Ethan, you’re hurt too. How could you even suggest I take from
you?”

“I’m fine.”
“Were they trying to pull you apart too?”
Suspecting it was due to anger, his teeth ground together, and then he said, “Lilith, thank you for

stopping the others from killing us.”

Lounging in a medieval-styled chair with red-patterned cushions and intricately carved wood, Lilith

tilted her head causing a waterfall of white hair to spill over the armrest. “Do all of you wish to be mortal?”

Silence fell.
Lilith crossed her legs and began tapping her fingers against the wood armrest of her chair. Looking

very much like the queen of sorcery, Danielle feared what her answer might be if Beon and the others who
felt as he did confessed to that.

“I wish to remain a vampire to protect the ones who discovered the cure,” said Beon. “However,

some of us do wish for that.”

A pale blond eyebrow rose at his honesty. Shifting and running a hand over her black dress, Lilith

said, “I can promise the others will no longer hunt you as mortals.”

“Can’t they simply—?”
“No. They cannot turn back. Immortality by way of this

coveted

vampirism will evade them. If any of

them are now bitten, they will die from the poison.” Running a finger over the pendant hung at her neck, Lilith
eyed them with a frown. “You’re just like the others,” she muttered with disgust. “It was supposed to be a

curse

, you fools! Not a blessing!”

“It’s not the other vampires we fear, madam,” began Seth. Moving forward he dropped to one knee

before her. A show of respect? “Other creatures have taken an interest in Danielle. Werewolves for one. We
wish to protect her from that threat as well.”

Lilith’s proud shoulders dropped a small degree, as though this was something she already knew.

With a sigh of resignation, Lilith said, “Very well, then.” Changing her focus to Danielle she motioned to the
seat next to hers. “Please sit, iubita mea.”

Figuring the words were likely terms of endearment in Romanian, Danielle did as requested.
Cupping one hand, Lilith covered it with her other, said a few words Danielle didn’t recognize or

understand, and then blew into her cupped palms as though warming them. The sorceress then moved
closer to Danielle and revealed four little dark-red candies in the palm of her hand. This was slightly
unnerving and more than a little surreal because the plastic wrapped treats—well, she figured they had to be
candy—looked more like packaged drops of sugared blood. “Take these, return to your homeland and
when you are ready to escape this curse, simply eat one.”

A pause.
“The flavor is cherry, if you were wondering,” added Lilith.
She wasn’t exactly wondering that, but more accurately

worried

what they would taste like and

decided cherry was way better than what she was imagining. “Why the extras?” Danielle asked, taking the
hard candies to put them ... peering down at her tatted outfit, she realized she didn’t exactly have any
pockets left and looked up. “Um...” Danielle’s gaze slid to Ethan who’d settled onto the armrest of the chair
she was sitting in and then to his shredded clothes. It did look like he had one pant pocket intact. She began
passing the candies to him when Lilith interrupted with a chuckle and presented a small embroidered bag to
put it all in, saying, “Shall I conjure you some new apparel too?”

Taking the pretty bag, Danielle opened a flap on the top and dropped the candies inside. Offering a

grateful smile to Lilith, she said, “Could you please?”

“Of course,” she said, motioning to the empty seat next to Danielle, where a pile of folded clothes

now stood. “And, to answer your earlier question, the extras are for any besides you and Ethan who’d like
freedom from the curse without subjecting themselves to a bite.”

In that case, this wasn’t very many, Danielle thought as she ran fingers over the rose design stitched

onto the front of the mini black satchel.

“However,” added Lilith, “if you happen to be fool enough to again wish to be cursed, the bite of a

vampire will return you to that state. Then if sensibility returns, you could save the extra two for that, I
suppose. But you will never get more than those four. Future turns will have to be done the hard way once
they are gone.”

Chapter 25

Fated Forever

“Who goes first, you or me?” Ethan asked.
“Why can’t we go together?” Danielle responded, staring into his eyes, enjoying the wash of

familiarity that always rolled over her when she looked into that blue gaze of his. They’d never fed since
returning to England and weak from lack of blood as she was, she could still see the flecks of green, blue
and gray in his clear eyes. But as always, she was more absorbed by what she saw beyond the color. Ethan
Deveroux, the man she was fated to be with, forever she hoped. Had they chosen each other before this life,
she wondered, or were they fated even then? But what if this return to mortality put them at too much risk
and they lost everything?

Fear still lurked in the back of her mind from thoughts just like that. Certainly the vampires were no

longer a threat to them, but what about the werewolves and the witches and the pixies and who knew what
else? Her gaze dropped from Ethan’s face to the blood-red candies in her hand. Her thumb rolled them
around in her palm, the wrappers crinkling with the movement. What if they turned back into mortals only to
have their lives and even worse ... a second child taken?

“Danielle?”
“Hmm?” Her chin lifted with the two fingers he’d placed beneath.
His brows drawn low, he studied her expression, probably trying to read her. “What’s wrong?”
“I—mortality, weakness—I don’t really know.”
“You hate the

drawbacks

of immortally.” Dragging downward, his gentle knuckles traced a path from

the high edge of her cheekbone to her jaw. Rolling to just one finger, he continued the path to her chin. “Your
pallor is troubling to me.” His thumb rose to her lips and trailed along it from one corner and over the pillow
of her bottom lip before stopping. “This kissable mouth of yours is dry and bruised. Darling, I can hardly bare
to see you this way. You won’t feed, won’t take what you need.”

“It hurts you. I can’t hurt you like that. Plus you haven’t fed either...”
“My tenderhearted Danielle, what am I to do with you?”
Her shoulders lifted in a shrug that ached. In truth her body was one big ache at the moment, right

along with her indecisive heart. She knew not only were her lips bruised, the rest of her flesh bore marks
from the attack in Romania.

“We need this. We have vampires to protect us. I truly believe we needn’t worry.”
The liar. She could see it in his eyes, he had the same concerns as her, but as with other things in the

past, he also had more faith.

Proving that point to her, he took one of the drops and unwrapped it. “I’ll go first,” he said, lifting the

candy to his mouth.

She stopped him with a hand on his wrist. “Wait!” On a frustrated growl, she mumbled, “Fine.”

Danielle slid the morsel free of the plastic, lifted it so far it rested against the edge of her lip, then pulled it
away. “But.”

“Cease the doubts, Danielle, we cannot live our lives on what ifs. Here...” And he touched his candy

against the seal of her lips as he captured her wrist and brought hers to his mouth touching it with his
tongue.

The pressure of the candy against her lips increased and she opened, letting the ruby piece of sugar

fall inside as he snatched the other from her fingers with his teeth and bit into it.

Crunch, crunch. “Hmm, there’s a liquid center. Intriguing.”
Afraid to do the same, Danielle sucked on it and it melted slowly like a bit of rock candy. Detecting

cherry, she wondered about the center, and asked, “What flavor is the liquid part?”

Rolling it around for a moment, Ethan said, “Kiwi, I think.”
“Na-uh!”
“No really! Bite it and see.”
Figuring it was too late anyway, she caught it between her molars and pressed. Sure enough, a

flavor that seemed quite a bit like kiwi exploded in her mouth. “Weird,” she said around the bits of candy,
and what a relief it was it didn’t taste like blood!

After the candy was gone, she took inventory of her injuries noting that they were actually healing.

“How do you feel, Ethan? Any different?”

“I definitely feel mortal now.”
“You do?” How come she didn’t feel that way?
Bursting into a rumble of chuckles, Ethan said, “I’m only teasing. I feel the same, however, since it is

night...” With that he shoved her back into the bed they were sitting on, crawled over her, and pressed his
ear to her heart. “Hmm, nothing yet.”

“Really?”
“Maybe it takes a moment,” he said, remaining where he was, his entire weight pressing her into the

mattress. Dragging fingers through his hair she decided she liked that. She always had. “There!”

“Now?”
Listening a moment longer, he lifted his head and said, “Do you feel it?”
Frowning. “Mmm, not really.”
Dragging her hand from his hair, he pressed her palm against her chest. “Now do you feel it?”

Instead she reached for her other wrist and pushed her thumb into her wrist. She’d always been able to feel
it better that way. Then she felt it. Excited now, she twisted and shoved his back to the mattress. Laughing,
Ethan allowed it as she straddled his hips and dropped her head against his chest to listen. Like music to
her ears, his mortal heart pumped out a perfect beat.

Rising up, Danielle smiled at him forgetting her fears for the moment. They could eat food again,

and.... Distracting her from those thoughts, Ethan curled strong fingers around her nape and drew her mouth
to his. Before kissing her, he blew, filling her lungs with the same delicious breath he’d been able to treat
her with before. Then as his mouth began to move over hers, he mumbled against her lips, “Ready for baby
number two?”

###

Other Titles by Cheri Schmidt

Fateful, book #1 in the Fateful Series

Fair Maiden, book #1 in the Fair Maiden Series

Please visit me at:

http://cherischmidt.blogspot.com

http://www.cherischmidt.net

https://twitter.com/#!/cheriaschmidt

I would love to hear from you!

Table of Contents

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25

Table of Contents

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25