“I’m also an animal,” he continued, “because of my need for blood. I can’t deny that. But it doesn’t make me a beast, and it doesn’t make me evil. Because I can control that need. I did earlier.”

Her breath hitched, and he slowly turned, looking at her.

“When you were in my arms, I didn’t only want to make love to you, though, by God, that was my greatest desire. But I also wanted to taste your blood. I wanted to sink my fangs into your skin and drink from you.”

His eyes suddenly began to shimmer golden, and she now realized that it was the same shimmer she’d seen earlier when he’d taken her against the wall.

“Oh, God,” she whimpered.

His gaze dropped to her chest. “Yes, I wanted to sink my fangs into your breast and drink from you there, while I brought us both to an earth-shattering climax. But I didn’t do it, because you didn’t give me permission. And I’d never violate anybody like that.”

Her heart pounded up into her throat. “As if anybody would give a vampire permission to bite them! Why would anybody allow that?” she cried out. Only a crazy person would do that.

“Once we find Hannah, you can ask her why.”

“Hannah would never…”

A slow shake of his head silenced her.

“She’s been dating Ronny for several months. I can guarantee you that she allowed him to bite her. Maybe not right away, but eventually.” He paused for a moment. “A vampire’s bite is virtually painless. The host feels no more than a pinprick. But once a vampire draws on the human’s vein, the human will feel a sense of euphoria, of pleasure so intense it eclipses any orgasm. And if a vampire chooses to bite his lover during sex…”

He didn’t finish the sentence, and he didn’t have to. The look on his face told her everything she needed to know.

“That’s why a human will give her vampire lover permission to bite her,” he murmured. “So they can experience that ultimate ecstasy together. A special connection.”

Lilo pressed her hand to her chest. This was all too much. She couldn’t process all the information he’d given her. How could she know what was true and what wasn’t? She had no proof of anything. Only his words.

“I want to see.” The words were out before she realized she’d made the decision.

“See what?”

“You. I want to see the real you.” Then at least one question would be answered once and for all, and she could panic in earnest.

“I guess you have a right to it after all that’s happened.” He stood up and put several feet of distance between them. “I don’t want you to be scared of what you’re about to see. I’ll be in control of myself the entire time. I could never hurt you.”

Had Ronny said those words to Hannah, too? Had he, too, professed that he’d never hurt her, and then done it anyway?

She swallowed, bracing herself for what was about to happen. Her palms felt sweaty, and she rubbed them on her pants. Her heart was beating out of control, but there was nothing she could do to calm it down.

“I’m ready.”

Her eyes were trained on Blake’s face. At first nothing happened, then his eyes started to shimmer golden. It took several seconds before the golden hue turned orange, and then red, until his irises were finally glowing scarlet, like two alarm beacons.

She held her breath, as her gaze was drawn to his mouth. His lips parted slowly, revealing his pearly white teeth. He opened wider and exhaled visibly, while at the same time one canine to each side of his jaw lengthened into a razor-sharp fang.

“Oh my God,” she murmured to herself, her hands holding onto her thighs as if her life depended on it.

But evidently Blake wasn’t done, because he now lifted his arms and made her look at his hands, while his fingers turned into sharp claws, claws that could rip an elephant to shreds.

She gasped. He’d touched her with those hands, when he could have easily ripped her throat out with one single swipe. There was no denying it any longer. Blake was a vampire.

And she was caught in the middle of a battle in which the various sides hadn’t even been identified yet. She didn’t know who was good and who was bad. And she didn’t know whose side she would find herself on. If she lived long enough to take sides.

“Lilo, it’s still me,” Blake said softly. “I’m still the man who made love to you. The man whose touch you enjoyed, whose kisses you responded to. I’m still that man.”

She lifted her eyes to his face, and watched him turn back into a man. His eyes were of a vibrant blue again, and his teeth were a beautiful row of white perfection. Nothing gave away what lay hidden beneath that beautiful facade. Which made him even more dangerous.

She scraped together all her courage and lifted her chin. “What are you planning to do with me, now that I know?”

He tilted his head to the side. “Do with you?”

“Yes, now that I know your secret. Yours and Scanguards. How are you going to make sure I won’t talk?”

To her surprise, he let out a soft chuckle. “Oh, Lilo. You really think I’d have it in me to kill you?” He shook his head. “I could wipe your memory, of course.”

She jolted. “What?”

“It’s a skill every vampire possesses: to wipe a human’s memory of an event so the vampire’s secret remains hidden. I could do that. But I’m not going to. I want you to know the truth about what’s going on. I don’t want you to be in the dark any longer. You’re much more use in helping me in my search for Hannah if you know everything.”

“You’re truly looking for her?”

“From the moment I found out she disappeared, I’ve done everything in my power to find her. And I won’t rest until we’ve got her back, safe and sound,” he vowed.

“Why? She’s just a human. She can’t mean anything to you.”

“I don’t distinguish between human and vampire when I choose my friends. And Hannah is my friend.”

The sincerity in his voice was undeniable, as was the honest look in his eyes.

Slowly she nodded. “And once we find her. What then?”

“That’s up to you, Lilo. It’ll be your decision. To go home and pretend nothing has happened, or to accept this new world and make it yours. I already know what I would choose, if I had a say in it.” He ran a searing look over her that made her shiver involuntarily. “But whatever you decide in the end, you’ll be safe. Nobody will hurt you as long as my heart beats.”