“I have my methods.”

“I’m aware of your methods. What could you possibly find out from two women you’re fucking?”

“More than you think. Women talk. They notice things.”

Gabriel gave a brief snort. “I want you to look into the alibis of all vampire males for the night of the attack. The editor of the SF Vampire Chronicle should have a complete list of all vampire households. I’ll make sure you get the list. Work your way through it. Only the males, only the straight ones. Exclude all blood-bonded males since they wouldn’t physically have been able to drink her blood. I’m suspecting he’s a jilted lover.”

He hated the thought. Had Maya slept with him? Had she allowed him to touch her the way Gabriel wanted to touch her?

Eleven

Maya tossed in her bed. She’d told Yvette upon their return to the house that she was tired, and given that it was about an hour before sunrise, Yvette had shown no surprise at her request to rest.

Yvette had told her she was staying at the house on Gabriel’s orders. According to Yvette there was a safe room in the basement of the house behind the garage where no light penetrated. That’s where Yvette would be sleeping. Since Gabriel would be using the master bedroom when he got back and Maya occupied the only guest room, there were no other bedrooms available in the house.

At this point, Maya didn’t care much about what anybody thought—the hunger pain was getting so bad, not even Yvette’s open hostility could faze her. She could guess Yvette was annoyed—Gabriel’s reprimand had probably stung.

But all Maya cared about was assuaging her hunger. She’d heard Gabriel come back shortly before sunrise, had heard him talk to Yvette before he’d come upstairs. She could have sworn he’d paused in front of her room, but then had walked to the master bedroom and gone inside.

Now everything was quiet.

Maya wrapped her arms around her stomach and curled into a ball. The cramps were getting worse. Not even her worst menstrual cramps could compare to the pain her empty stomach caused as it contracted in short waves. Having grown up in an affluent society, she’d never before experienced hunger. Was this what millions of people went through daily, or was it this painful because she was a vampire now, and all her sensations seemed to be magnified?

She couldn’t let this hunger defeat her. She was stronger, she had to be. As the next wave of pain rolled over her and stole her breath, she knew she had to act. Maybe her hunger was great enough for her to overcome her aversion to the ghastly bottled blood. She would give it one more try—there was no way she could make it through the day. And there was no chance of Drake showing up until it was dark again even if he had good news.

Maya glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was midmorning. No, she couldn’t last till eight o’clock when sunset would occur.

Ignoring the pain, she swung her legs out of bed. She wore her short red nightgown but shivered in it, so she reached for her terrycloth robe and put it on.

Barefoot, she slipped out of the room and snuck downstairs. She didn’t want to wake anybody, least of all Gabriel. He would make mincemeat out of her efforts to try human blood. Even now she could smell his blood. A shiver went through her, and she sped up and raced down the hall to the kitchen. The further away she got from Gabriel, the better.

The kitchen was empty.

Maya opened the fridge and peered inside. As expected, it was filled with bottled blood. She grabbed one of the bottles and let the fridge door fall closed.

Trying not to give herself an opportunity to back out of it, she unscrewed the top. She held her breath like she’d done before and set the bottle to her lips. A moment later, she tilted her head back and took a gulp. The red liquid spread in her mouth. For all she knew, it could have been battery acid, so vile was the taste. She aimed at the kitchen sink and spat.

The drops that had reached her throat made her gag, and she coughed. There was no way she could drink this, not even if her life depended on it, which unfortunately, it did.

She held her mouth under the faucet and let the cold water wash out the taste in it, before she straightened. An instant later, her body cramped again and she doubled over. Trying to hold onto the counter, she accidentally knocked the bottle over, tossing it into the sink where it made a loud clank.

Unable to stand any longer, Maya tumbled to the floor. Black blotches appeared in front of her eyes. Before she could pull herself up from the cold floor, the kitchen door swung open. She first saw the long robe, then looked up and stared at Gabriel’s face.

“Maya, oh God, what happened?” he asked, his voice frantic.