Sitting on the sofa, he drew her onto his lap, one hand slowly stroking her back and her hair.

“Don’t cry, love, I won’t let you die.”

“I don’t…”

“My blood will keep you alive, Shannah, just the way it has been since you first came here. If you can’t accept it, I’ll wipe the memory from your mind each time, just as I have before.”

She sniffed. “But it doesn’t work.”

“What doesn’t work?”

“Erasing the memory from my mind. Last night, you told me I wouldn’t remember…” She shuddered. “You told me I wouldn’t remember drinking your blood, but I did.”

He swore softly. That changed things. “Shannah, look at me. Can you read my mind?”

“No, of course not,” she said, then frowned. “You’re thinking that things have changed. You’re wondering why your suggestions aren’t working anymore.” Her eyes widened. “Why can I read your mind?”

“The bond between us must be stronger than I thought.” He erected a mental barrier between them. “Try again.”

She concentrated for several moments, then shook her head. “What did you do?”

“I wanted to see if I could block you.”

“Why? Don’t you want me to know what you’re thinking?”

“It was just a test, love. This is new to me, too.”

“Is it?”

He nodded. “I’ve never bonded with anyone else.”

She didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know what to do except rest her head on his shoulder and trust that he would take care of her.

He held her in his arms until she fell asleep and then he carried her up the stairs and put her to bed. He sat beside her, watching her sleep until night gradually turned to day.

As the first faint streaks of light began to steal the darkness from the sky, he brushed a lock of hair away from her brow, acknowledging once again that he was hopelessly, helplessly in love with her.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“I have an idea,” Ronan remarked thoughtfully.

Shannah glanced at him. “What kind of an idea?”

They were sitting in the living room in front of the fireplace. Shannah had finished her dinner and Ronan had just returned from the hunt. Neither had mentioned where he had been or what they had discussed the night before.

“I want to introduce you to some others of my kind.”

“What? Why?” Her expression made it clear she wasn’t at all keen on the idea of meeting other vampires.

He took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “Because even I can’t keep you alive forever.”

“Ronan…”

“I want you to get a taste of what it’s like to live as a vampire, to see that, except for the obvious differences, they live like everyone else.”

“I can see that just by living here, with you.”

“No. In the last seventy years or so, I’ve lived like a hermit, staying in this house most of the time, content to concentrate on my books and my writing. It wasn’t until you came along that I realized how much I’ve been missing, how cut off I’ve been from the rest of the world and everything in it.”

“Where are these other vampires?” she asked suspiciously.

“Everywhere, love.”

“Are there more of them here, in North Canyon Creek?”

“No. This is a relatively small town. But in larger cities you’ll find many of them. There are thousands of us throughout the world.”

“And no one knows?” she asked incredulously. “How is that possible?”

“Some know but refuse to believe. Others, like Hewitt, hunt us.”

“He wants to kill you, doesn’t he?”

“He wants to destroy me. There’s a difference.”

“These other vampires you want me to meet, are they your friends?”

“Yes, in a manner of speaking.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means we’re acquainted, but that we’re always cautious around each other. Vampires are not very trusting, not even of their own kind.”

“So you don’t have any friends?”

“Only a very few. I think you’ll like them.”

“Will they be there? Will I get to meet them?”

“Yes. So, what do you say?”

“Will I be safe among them?”

“Yes, love.”

She glanced at their joined hands and then looked at him intently. “Am I, Ronan?”

“Are you what?”

“Your love.”

“Do you doubt it?”

“You’ve never said it.”

“No, I never have.” He drew her gently into his arms and brushed a kiss across her lips. “I’ve never said it to any woman, but I love you, Shannah, more than you can imagine.”

“And I love you,” she replied fervently. “So very much.”

“I can’t imagine why.”

“How can I help it, when you’ve been so kind to me, when I…”

“Go on.”

“When I melt every time you kiss me.”

“Do you?”

She nodded, and then she blushed.

Smiling, he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, loving the softness of her skin, the way her breath caught in her throat at his touch, the sudden quickening of her heartbeat.

“So,” he said, his voice husky. “What do you say?”

“I’d go anywhere with you,” she said, and then frowned. “We don’t have to fly, do we?”

“Not this time,” he said with a grin. “How soon can you be ready to leave?”

Since they weren’t flying, Shannah had assumed they would be traveling by car.

She packed a bag and her overnight case and was waiting for Ronan when he appeared shortly before dusk the following evening. As usual, he was clad all in black. As usual, she couldn’t help noticing how well the color suited him, and how handsome he was. He smiled when he saw her.

“Ready?” he asked.

She nodded, and he put his arm around her.

“Wait,” she said, “I need my luggage.”

“Forget it. I’ll buy you a new wardrobe when we get there.”

“Where is there?”

“Las Vegas.”

Her eyes widened. “Las Vegas?”

“My friend is a dealer in one of the casinos.” He flashed her a smile. “He works nights, of course.”

“Of course.”

“Hang on,” Ronan said. “We’ll be there in no time at all.”

She wanted to ask how they were going to get there if they weren’t flying and they weren’t driving, but there was a sudden rushing sound in her ears, the sense of movement though she couldn’t see anything, a feeling of weightlessness.

Some time later, hours or minutes, she couldn’t tell, she found herself standing on the sidewalk beside Ronan in the heart of Las Vegas. She stared at the lights that were so bright, it was almost like daylight even though night had fallen. People crowded the sidewalks, some dressed up for an evening out on the town, some in jeans and T-shirts. The street was an ocean of automobiles and taxis, and they were all in a hurry.

She looked up at Ronan. “How did we get here?” she asked, breathless.

“Vampire transportation. Faster than flying,” he said with a grin. “And safer, too.”

“But how…?”

“I’m not sure how to explain it. I just think of where I want to go, and I’m there.”

“I’m not sure I like it,” she muttered, “but you’re right, it’s better than flying.”

“Come on.” Taking her by the hand, he led her to the entrance of the Diamondback Casino.

It, too, was crowded with people. Ronan spoke to someone at the desk, who gave him a room key and asked how long they would be staying.

“I’m not sure,” Ronan replied with a shrug. “A day or two, perhaps a week or two.”

“Very well, sir,” the clerk said. “Enjoy your stay.”

With a nod, Ronan tucked the key into his pocket. “So,” he said, “what’s your pleasure?”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you ever been to Vegas before?”

“No.”

He grunted softly. “Well, there are all kinds of games of chance. Poker, blackjack, dice, Keno, the slots, video poker, the wheel of fortune, you name it, they’ve got it. Come on.”

Taking her by the hand, he led her down a short flight of stairs onto the casino floor. More lights. More people. More noise. Bells and whistles rang out, mingling with the sound of laughter and excited voices.

“It’s just like the movieOcean’s Eleven ,” she murmured.

Ronan laughed. “Come on, love, let’s try our hand at the slots to begin with.”

He exchanged a fifty dollar bill for fifty dollars’ worth of quarters and led her to a row of slot machines located along the back wall. They found two unoccupied machines that were side by side and sat down.

Shannah dropped four quarters into the slot and pulled the handle, squealed in delight when she hit a jackpot.

That fast, she was hooked.

Ronan fed quarters into his own machine, but it was Shannah who held his attention. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes glowed with the same excitement whether she won two dollars or twenty.

An hour later, she had won over three hundred dollars and she was ready to try her hand at something else.

Ronan glanced at his watch. “Let’s hit the blackjack table,” he suggested. “My friend deals at one of them.”

Shannah cashed her winnings in, then followed Ronan toward the blackjack table where Ronan’s friend worked. Three men and an elderly woman were seated at the table.

Ronan sat down and Shannah stood behind him, one hand on his shoulder.