By the time she reached the third page, her mind was swimming with so much conflicting information that she didn't know what to believe.

After shutting down her computer, she went into the kitchen, surprised to see that the sun was setting. Amazing, how quickly one lost track of time while cruising the Web.

Standing in front of the refrigerator, trying to decide what to have for dinner, she happened to glance out the window. There was nothing there, but she went over and drew the curtains anyway, and men she went through the rest of the house, locking the doors, making sure all the windows were closed and locked, drawing all the curtains and drapes.

Feeling much better, she went back into the kitchen to fix dinner.

Feeling weary and utterly discouraged, Tom Duncan entered Ozzie's Diner. He took a seat at a table in the far corner, one hand idly exploring the bandage on the back of his head. In spite of his injury, he had spent the afternoon scouring the town for Dimitri Falco's resting place. Unfortunately, he hadn't found what he was looking for.

Tomorrow, he planned to widen his search, perhaps take in Woods Hollow andCottonwood. Of course, as swiftly as vampires could travel, Falco's hideout could be hundreds of miles away from Pear Blossom Creek.

With a sigh, Duncan picked up the menu.

He was still trying to decide what to have for dinner when the waitress approached his table.

"Hey there," she said brightly. "Have you decided yet, or do you need another few minutes?"

Tom looked up into a pair of sparkling brown eyes and wondered why he hadn't noticed her before. "How's the trout?"

The waitress, Bobbie Sue, according to her name tag, shook her head. "Not tonight."

"What do you recommend?"

"The fried chicken is looking really good."

"All right, I'll have that."

"Soup or salad?"

"Whichever one looks best."

"Soup," she said, and jotted it down on her pad. "Can I bring you a cup of coffee?"

He nodded. "Thanks."

He watched her walk away, admiring the sway of her hips, surprised by the rush of desire that infused him.

She returned a few minutes later with his coffee. "Here you go."

"Thanks. Say, I don't suppose you'd like to go to dinner and a movie some night?"

"I thought you were going out with Vicki?"

He shrugged. "It wasn't anything serious. Just dinner. What do you say?"

"Sure, I'd like that, as long as we don't have dinner here."

He laughed. "We'll go anywhere you like."

"Really?"

"Sure, why not?"

"My favorite restaurant's the Wayside Grill over in Woods Hollow. They have a new movie theater there, too."

"Sounds good to me. Just say when."

"I'm off tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night it is."

Too nervous to relax, Vicki wandered through the house. She fed the fish, straightened a picture here, a figurine there. She glanced at the windows again and again, wondering if the vampire was out there, waiting, watching.

Finally, unable to resist, she went to the front window and peered outside.

And he was there, a stark figure standing on the sidewalk, his yellow eyes glinting in the darkness.

Vicki, come out to me. His voice echoed deep within her mind. You know you want to.

Even now, you're wondering what it would be like to succumb to me.

"No!"

You can lie to yourself, but you can't lie to me.

"Go away!" She screamed the words.

You will be mine, Vicki Cavendish. Sooner or later, you will be mine. That weak mortal hunter, Duncan, cannot save you.

She was trembling now. His voice mesmerized her, tempting her to go to him, even as her own morbid curiosity urged her toward the door. No! She willed herself to stay where she was. Antonio would come. He would save her.

The sound of Falco's laughter rang out in her mind.

Battista can't save you. He's no match for me.

"He beat you the other night!"

The vampire's anger rolled over her in thick black waves until she felt like she was drowning in pitch. And then, to her horror, she saw him bending over Sharlene's lifeless body, his mouth stained with her blood, a lock of Sharlene's hair clutched in his hand.

Gradually, the image altered, the scene shifted, and suddenly the body at his feet was no longer Sharlene's but her own, and she knew she was looking into the future as he saw it.

"No." The word emerged from Vicki's throat in a choked whisper. "No."

The eerie sound of his inhuman laughter engulfed her, beating against her ears, penetrating her whole being until she was shaking from the pain of it.

I would have made you my queen. His voice was filled with fury. Now, you will beg me for death before it comes.

She stood rooted to the spot, too terrified to move, unable to think. She was going to die at his hands, and there was nothing she could do about it. Why not go out and get it over with now?

She stared out the front window while the vampire's threat echoed like thunder in her mind. If she went to him now, maybe he would forgive her for her earlier insolence.

" Victoria !" A fist pounded on the door. " Victoria, let me in!"

The door, she thought. She should answer the door, but her feet refused to move.

" Victoria, I know you are in there." His voice was quieter now, moving over her like cool water on a hot day, washing away her fears. "Open the door, my sweet one."

Freed from her earlier enchantment, she moved toward the door and turned the lock.

Battista stood on the porch, his dark eyes filled with concern. "Are you all right?"

She shook her head, searching for the words to describe the awful terror that had engulfed her, and then she burst into tears.

Muttering an oath, Battista crossed the threshold. Lifting her into his arms, he carried her to the sofa.

Vicki heard the door close. A distant part of her mind wondered how he had closed the door, but it was too painful to think and then it didn't matter. He was sitting down, cradling her trembling body against his broad chest, whispering to her in a language she didn't understand but found comforting just the same.

Gradually, her tears slowed and stopped but she didn't move, didn't ever want to move.

His large hand lightly stroked her back. His breath fanned her cheek. She felt cherished, protected.

"How?" she murmured after a time. "How is it that you always show up when he's here?"

"Does it matter?"

With a sigh, she shook her head. "No." All that mattered was that he was there now.

Lately, it was only in his arms that she felt safe.

It was only later, after Antonio had tucked her into bed, that she wondered if Duncan was right after all. Maybe the reason Antonio always turned up on the same nights as Falco was because they were one and the same.

But somehow she was just too tired to care.

Chapter 15

Dimitri Falco stalked the dark streets, his fury growing as he thought of the woman who had dared to defy him. She was a stubborn one, a fact she would soon regret. He had chosen her as his next victim, and he would not be denied. Try as she might, she would not be able to resist him indefinitely. Her defenses would weaken. In time, she would come to him when he called.

He spat an oath into the night. He could take her by force if need be, but the mere idea rankled. In a thousand years, he had never had to force any female to surrender to his will. He would not start now.

Returning to his lair, he ran his hands along his trophy wall, his fingers delving into the thick red strands of human hair. He remembered each kill, the delicious terror imprinted on each face, the sweet nectar of each throat, no two exactly the same, each unique in its ability to satisfy his insatiable thirst.

He licked his lips as the hunger rose up within him, at first no more than a thought, then a desire, then a need that would not be denied.

Soon, he thought. Soon she would be his. When that time came, she would regret the pain she had caused him by making him wait.

Chapter 16

Vicki wasn't surprised to awaken the next morning and find herself alone in the house.

Rolling onto her back, she stared up at the ceiling. Antonio had held her all through the night. He had been there when she woke in the dark, terrified by dreams of Falco hunting her down, his fangs savaging her throat even as his hand ripped out a handful of her hair. Antonio's voice had soothed her fears. His intoxicating kisses had chased all thought of the nightmare from her mind. Secure in his embrace, she had reveled in the touch of his hands and his lips, every nerve and cell in her body tingling with desire. She wished that he had stayed the night, that they had made love, that he was lying there beside her.

With a sigh, she pulled on her robe and padded into the kitchen. She opened the curtains on a morning that was gray and dreary. A rumble of thunder promised showers before the day was out.

She poured herself a cup of coffee, annoyed that another night had passed and she hadn't gotten around to asking Antonio anything about his past or his present. Tonight for sure, she promised herself, and wondered again what he did during the day. She knew it wasn't work that kept him occupied, so what was it?

The sound of rain drew her gaze to the window again. So much for working in the yard.

Ordinarily, she loved the rain, but not today. She needed to be busy, needed something that would keep her from thinking about yellow eyes and vampires and bodies drained of blood.

Now, in the light of day, even a rainy day, it was hard to believe that beings like vampires existed. They were supposed to be creatures of myth and legend, the focus of scary stories told around campfires late at night.

With nothing better to do, she decided to clean out the fridge. But even that mundane task backfired on her when she dropped a bottle of ketchup on the floor. She stared at the red stain spreading over the tile and thought of Sharlene and the other women who had been killed. She hoped their deaths had come quickly, before they had time to be afraid.