She stared at the cup in her hands. Lost in thought, she had forgotten all about the tea and now it was cold. Pouring it into the sink, she left the kitchen. Without conscious thought, she found herself standing outside Zack’s room.

She placed her hand on the door. Was it locked? Was he asleep? It was not yet sunup. She pressed her ear to the door, but heard nothing.

She tried the knob, surprised to find the door unlocked. She slipped inside, her gaze moving immediately to the bed. He slept on his back, one arm flung over his head, the covers pooled around his hips. His chest was bare. She swallowed, her fingertips pressed to her lips lest some sound betray her. Was he naked beneath the sheet?

Mesmerized by the sight of him, she stood there, avidly admiring the spread of his shoulders, his long muscular arms, his broad chest and flat belly.

Moving closer, she brushed a lock of hair from his forehead, gasped as his hand closed around her wrist, his fingers like iron.

“Zack, it’s me!”

“Katy?” He stared up at her. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“So you decided to wake me up?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d be asleep already.”

“There was nothing else to do.” His gaze moved over her face. “Do you think it’s wise, your being in here?”

“Do you want me to leave?”

“Katy, you silly girl, I think you know better than that.” He lifted the covers in invitation. “Come, join me.”

Kicking off her slippers, Kaitlyn slid under the blankets, sighing as Zack’s arm slipped around her shoulders, drawing her close to his side. She was relieved—and disappointed—to discover he was wearing briefs.

“I could get used to this,” he murmured, his breath warm against her cheek.

“Me, too.” She ran her fingertips over his chest. “It’ll be dawn soon. The sun’s coming up.”

“I know. I can feel it.”

“Can you? What does it feel like?”

“I don’t know how to describe it. It’s sort of like liquid fire running through my veins.”

She grimaced. “Sounds awful.”

He shrugged. “It comes in handy.” Sleeping when it was his choice was entirely different from the Dark Sleep that claimed him with every sunrise.

He stroked her cheek, then kissed her lightly. He could feel the lethargy stealing over him as the sun slowly climbed over the horizon, felt it dragging him down into a dark abyss that ended in a deep black void.

“Zack?”

“I love you,” he murmured, and slid into oblivion.

Chapter 26

Nadiya Korzha’s blood ran cold as she folded back the bloodstained blanket and stared at the grisly remains of her son. Grief quickly turned to rage, hardening her desire for vengeance a hundredfold. Marius had been her oldest son. And her favorite child.

Raising her head, she gazed at the people clustered around her. “Who did this?”

There was a lengthy silence before her youngest daughter, Marthe, answered, “No one knows. We found his . . . his body outside the front door of the home place and brought it here.”

Nadiya lowered her head, nostrils flaring. “Sherrad,” she hissed. “I should have known.” Hands clenched, she stood, her body trembling with outrage. First Florin. Then Daryn. And now her favorite son. “All of you, leave me.”

One by one, her sons and daughters filed out of the room.

Nadiya stood there a moment, breathing heavily as she surrendered to her grief and then, as if swaddling a newborn babe, she wrapped the blanket around his remains and carried it into her bedroom. Placing her burden on the bed, she removed his bloody clothing, and after filling a basin with warm water, she gently bathed his body, then dressed it in a clean suit of clothes. Lifting his head, she washed his face and brushed his hair.

When that was done, she carefully bundled his remains in a blanket pulled from her bed and carried it outside.

Cradling his body to her breast, she let her tears flow unchecked.

The blanket was wet with her tears when she lowered him gently to the ground beneath the branches of a towering oak. Using her own two hands, she quickly dug his grave.

“I will avenge you,” she whispered, lifting him into her arms once more. “I swear it by everything I hold dear.”

She held him close, reluctant to let him go as she recalled the wintry night he had been born. Her labor had been long, but the pain had faded when she saw the pride and happiness on Rodin’s face.

The sun was rising when she floated, as light as a feather, down into the grave. “Rest well, my son,” she murmured as she lowered him onto the ground. “Rest well.”

Chapter 27

For the first time in his existence, Zack woke to find a woman in bed beside him. Had she slept beside him all day? He found the thought endearing.

He had made love to women in the past—many women—but he had never invited any of them to stay the night, nor had he ever spent the night in their beds. Caution was second nature to his kind, and only a vampire with a death wish let a mortal share his lair, or know its location. There had been times, when, for one reason or another, he had been unable to reach his lair. At such times, night had been his pillow and darkness his blanket.

Turning onto his side, he studied Kaitlyn’s face. Her brows were black and slightly arched, her nose small and finely sculpted, her cheeks smooth and unblemished. Her mouth—ever so lightly, he traced the outline of her lips. They were pink and warm, as soft as velvet, and endlessly tempting.

When he drew his hand away, she murmured, “Don’t stop.”

“I thought you were asleep.”

“No, I’ve been awake for hours.”

“Why didn’t you get up?”

“I did. I had lunch with my mom and then, when no one was looking, I came back here.”

Zack shook his head. “Must have made for a long, boring day.”

“Not really.” She rolled onto her side, facing him. “I like it here. I like watching you sleep.”

“Really? I can’t imagine why.”

“Me, either,” she said, smiling. “But there it is.” She brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. “Do you dream?”

“No, but I guess you do.”

She nodded, remembering her earlier nightmare. He gazed into her eyes, those beautiful, clear blue eyes, marveling that she was in his bed, that she loved him. “What do you dream about, Katy?”

A blush crept into her cheeks. “Making love to you.” “Just say where and when.”

“Here. And now.”

It was tempting, he thought, but then, everything about Kaitlyn was tempting. But it didn’t seem very smart, taking her virginity here, under her father’s roof, especially when her father had no love for him. The chances of getting caught were too great. And as much as he desired Kaitlyn, fighting her father was the last thing Zack wanted to do. Not that he was afraid of being defeated. On the contrary, he was afraid of being victorious, certain that, if he won, Katy would hate him forever. And vampires, whether made or born, were capable of holding a grudge for a good long time. Nadiya Korzha was proof of that.

“As nice as this is,” Zack said, kissing her cheek, “and as much as I would love to keep you in my bed, I think you’d better go before your father comes looking for you.”

“But I don’t want to go,” she said, pouting.

“I know, but it’s for the best.” He caressed her cheek. “I love you, darlin’, but I really don’t want to fight your father, or spend any more time in that tower.”

When he put it like that, what could she say?

She started to rise, but he pulled her into his arms, his mouth covering hers in a long, searing kiss that made her toes curl with pleasure. Heat flooded through her, as if a thousand fireflies had taken flight in the core of her being. She pressed herself against Zack, felt the evidence of his desire against her belly.

Now, she thought. He would make love to her now.

And he might have, if someone hadn’t come knocking on the door.

Kaitlyn bolted upright, then looked at Zack, her eyes wide.

“Zack? Are you awake?”

Kaitlyn’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of her mother’s voice. She stared at Zack, panic-stricken. What was her mother doing here?

“Zack? It’s me, Elena.”

He cleared his throat. “Yeah?”

“Have you seen Kaitlyn? She’s not in her room, and no one’s seen her since this afternoon.”

“If you give me a minute to get dressed, I’ll help you look.”

“Thanks. I’ll wait for you in the library.”

“Right.”

Kaitlyn collapsed on the bed. How could she have been so foolish as to spend the day here? How could she have forgotten that whenever she was home, her mother expected them to dine together.

“Relax, darlin’,” Zack said. He pulled on his pants, then peered out the door. “The coast is clear. You’d better go while the going is good.”

With a nod, she hurried out the door and ran to her room, wondering all the while what she could possibly say to her mother. She had never lied to her parents before, but she needed a good fib now.

In her room, she quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater, ran a brush through her hair, then hurried to the library. Pausing outside the door, she took several deep breaths, pasted a smile on her face, and stepped into the room.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Kaitlyn! Where have you been?”

“I . . . was upstairs. In the ballroom.”

“Whatever were you doing up there?”

Kaitlyn tucked her hands into the pockets of her jeans to keep from fidgeting. “Doing? I . . .” She cleared her throat. “Nothing. I was just . . . you know, just looking at the view. It’s really pretty this time of year.” She bit down on her lower lip to stop the flow of words.