"I'll be right there." She looked up at Erik. "Till tomorrow, then."

"Sweet dreams, Daisy darlin'."

She looked up at him through the veil of her lashes. "Aren't you going to kiss me good night?"

"You bet." Cupping her face in his hands, Erik kissed her long and hard, partly to annoy Alex, who was watching them from the porch, but all thought of aggravating Alex quickly faded from Erik's mind when Daisy's tongue slid across his lips. With a moan that was almost a growl, he crushed her body against his as he deepened the kiss. Maybe he couldn't be a part of her future, but she was here now, and he was determined to make the most of whatever time they had together.

Erik grinned when, a moment later, he heard the sound of the front door slamming shut. "You'd better go," he murmured, dropping a kiss on the tip of her nose. "Before your brother has a heart attack."

"I'll miss you," Daisy said, her gaze searching his. "Come as early as you can."

"Count on it."

"Erik..." She stroked his cheek, reluctant to let him go, afraid she might never see him again.

"I won't leave you, Daisy, not as long as he's out there."

"And when the danger's past?" she asked, her voice so low only a vampire could hear it.

"Let's not worry about that now, okay?"

"I don't want to lose you."

"Dammit, Daisy, what do you want from me?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe you'll tell me when you find out." He kissed her again because she was looking up at him, her eyes filled with confusion, because she was so close and smelled so good. Because, oh, hell, when did a man need a reason to kiss a beautiful woman? One last kiss, and then he headed for his car before he took her there, in the damp grass with her brother watching from the window.

Daisy touched her fingertips to her lips as she watched Erik drive away. She could feel Alex's accusing gaze boring into her back, knew that, sooner or later, she would have to go into the house and face him.

Putting it off wouldn't make it any easier. With a sigh of resignation, she went in to face the music.

Chapter 22

Alex was waiting for her when she walked in the door. "I guess you're gonna tell me that was just a good-night kiss between friends?"

Daisy tossed her handbag on the sofa table. "Oh, for crying out loud. He just kissed me like that because he knew you were watching."

"Yeah, right. Dammit, Daisy, Erik Delacourt is after something. Why can't you see that?"

"None of this is any of your business," Daisy retorted. "I'm over twenty-one. You're not my father..."

"No, but I am," a deep voice said.

Daisy spun around to see her father coming down the stairs, belting his favorite ratty bathrobe around him.

Noah O'Donnell was tall and lean, with shaggy brown hair and intelligent brown eyes. A narrow scar, souvenir from a fight with a vampire, bisected his left cheek. He glanced from Daisy to Alex and back again. "What's going on?"

Daisy hurried toward her father and threw her arms around him. "Nothing. Alex is just being Alex. I don't know how you stand him."

Noah O'Donnell grinned at his daughter. "Who's Erik Delacourt and what does Alex think he's after?"

"He's after Daisy," Alex said, his tone sour. "If you'd seen the way they were kissing a minute ago..."

"Well, you can't blame the man," Noah said. "After all, Daisy is a lovely young woman, and there's nothing wrong with kissing."

"There's something wrong with Delacourt," Alex said sourly. "Something..."

"You just don't like him," Daisy said. "I don't know why, and I don't care. I like him."

"Here, now, daughter, how serious are things between you and this man?"

"They're not serious. I hardly know him."

"I see." Noah ran a hand through his hair, his expression suddenly serious. "What brings the two of you home at this hour of the night?"

"Well, uh..." Alex cleared his throat. "We had some trouble in LA."

"What kind of trouble?" Noah asked.

"I went looking for Costain," Alex said, "and I..." He glanced at Daisy. "We found him."

Noah glanced between Daisy and Alex. "Go on."

"It was a close call," Daisy said. "Alex was badly hurt, at least I thought so at the time." She couldn't tell her brother or her father how close Alex had been to death, couldn't explain how Erik had saved his life. "I took him to Erik's--"

"Why didn't you take him to the nearest hospital?" her father asked.

"I don't know. I guess I panicked. Anyway, Erik gave him first aid and--"

"You didn't tell him Alex had been attacked by a vampire, did you?"

"No, of course not," Daisy said, thinking quickly. "I said he'd been beat up by a man who was stalking me. Anyway, I decided we should get out of town and Erik offered to bring us home."

"I see. And where is he now?"

"He went to find a hotel."

"Why didn't you invite him to stay here?" Noah asked. "After all, we owe him a favor."

Daisy shot a withering glance at her brother. "He didn't want to stay under the same roof as Alex."

"Well, you're both home, safe and sound, and that's what matters most. Why don't you both go get some sleep. We'll talk more about this in the morning."

Daisy nodded, glad for a chance to escape the room and any further interrogation by her brother or her father. "Good night, Dad."

"Good night, daughter."

With a last look at Alex, Daisy went upstairs. The house seemed empty without her mom bustling around, offering cookies and hot chocolate, acting as a buffer between Daisy and Alex. In spite of her affection for her brother, they had butted heads since they were kids.

Going home was like going back in time, Daisy thought as she stepped into her bedroom. It looked exactly the same as it had when she first moved out. Beneath assorted rock-star posters, the walls were pink with white woodwork. Pink polka-dot curtains hung at the windows; a bright pink quilt covered the bed. A dozen stuffed penguins of varying sizes fought for space on the shelf over her desk.

With a sigh, Daisy changed into her pajamas, washed her face, and brushed her teeth. After turning out the light, she climbed into bed and closed her eyes, asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Erik stood in the shadows outside Daisy's house, watching as the lights inside went out, one by one. He listened as she snuggled into her bed, waited until the soft, even sound of her breathing told him she was asleep before he got into his car and drove away.

With no destination in mind, he drove through the city until he found what he was looking for. The Vampire Vault was a private club similar to La Morte Rouge, a hangout for vampires and those who served them. One had to be a vampire, or be invited by a vampire, to gain entrance. Like La Morte Rouge, the Vault wasn't listed in the phone book or online.

Erik parked his car in the lot, then knocked on the back door. The vampire who opened it looked like he had just stepped off the set of an old Dracula movie. He wore a black suit, white tie, and a long black cloak.

The doorman murmured, "Good evening," in a remarkable impression of a young Bela Lugosi as he gestured for Erik to enter.

A narrow hallway opened onto the club's main floor. A quick glance revealed a long bar at the far end of the room. A trio of waiters served the fifteen or twenty people seated there. High-backed booths lined one wall. Small tables adorned with black cloths were located at intervals around the room. Each table was decorated with a black vase and a blood-red rose. The lighting was dim, the air filled with the scent of beating hearts and the smell of fresh blood.

A young female vampire sat at the grand piano located on a raised platform. Clad in a long white gown, her skin pale, she looked almost ghostlike. It seemed her fingers barely touched the keys as she played. Erik listened a moment, trying to place the song, then shrugged. Perhaps it was a composition of her own making.

He had barely stepped into the room when a leggy blonde clad in a low-cut, skintight emerald green gown and silver high heels slithered up to him. He couldn't help noticing that her figure went in and out in all the right places.

"I've never seen you in here before," she said, her voice a throaty purr.

"I haven't been here in quite some time."

"I hope you'll come back often."

"I might." He couldn't help staring at her. It was obvious that she wasn't wearing anything under the gown. Her skin was smooth and unblemished save for a half-healed bite mark on the inside of her left elbow.

She smiled up at him. "I'm Jade."

Erik nodded. "What are you offering?" Some mortals offered only blood. Some blood and sex.

"Anything you want." She scraped her nails lightly down his cheek. "Are you interested?"

He nodded again. What male in his right mind would be able to refuse such an offer?

Her smile widened as she took his hand and led him up a narrow, winding staircase, then down a long, carpeted hallway. Most of the doors had DO NOT DISTURB signs on them.

Jade bypassed the first empty room, then entered the last room on the right.

Erik followed her inside. It was a large room. The walls were white. Red curtains hung at the window. A round bed covered with a red quilt took up most of the room. A half-open door revealed a bathroom.

Jade sat on the bed. A hidden slit in her skirt parted to expose one long, creamy white thigh. "What's your pleasure?"

"Just a drink."

"Nothing more?"

He shook his head. There was a time when he would have taken everything Jade was offering, he thought with some regret. But that was before a certain sexy Blood Thief entered his life.