Everlasting Kiss

by Amanda Ashley

“No, I came because Mom and Dad were worried about you. It’s just a coincidence that the vampire I’m hunting lives in the same city you do.”

  “Why are you hunting him? Don’t tell me you’ve run out of vampires in Boston?”

  “I wish,” Alex said with a grin, and then he turned sober again. “A private citizen put a hefty price on Costain’s head.”

  “You’re kidding.” She had never heard of anyone doing such a thing. “Who is it?”

  “I don’t have a clue. I don’t care. They’re offering two hundred grand for his head, he’s supposed to be here, in the city, and that’s all I need to know.”

  “Wow, someone must want him out of the way really bad to offer a reward like that. And you don’t have any idea who it is?”

  “Nope, but I’m the someone who’s gonna take his head and collect the reward.”

  “Every hunter in the country is probably out looking for him,” Daisy remarked. “What makes you think you’ll find him?”

  Sitting back, Alex puffed out his chest. “’Cause I’m the best of the best.”

  “And the most conceited,” Daisy muttered, suddenly uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation. She came from a family of hunters. By all rights, she should tell Alex where to find Erik, because Erik could lead Alex to the Master of the City.

  Instead, she changed the subject. “So, how’s Brandon doing?”

  “Same as always. He sends his love.” Alex grinned. “I take it you haven’t talked to him lately.”

  “No. I’ve been meaning to call, but…” But I was being held prisoner by a vampire, she thought, choking back a wave of hysterical laughter. “Why, has something happened to him?”

  “You could say that. He’s in love, but it’s a secret.”

  “Brandon?” It was hard to think of her little brother taking an interest in girls. Brandon had always preferred pets to people and computers to conversation. When he wasn’t hunting, he was usually online, lost in a world of his own.

  “Yeah. Funny, isn’t it? The geek found a gal.”

  “Where did he meet her? What’s her name? Is it serious?”

  “Pretty serious. He’s been seeing Paula for over a month. Kevin introduced them…”

  “My Kevin?” Daisy exclaimed. “I mean, the Kevin that Mom’s been trying to set me up with?”

  “The very same. Paula’s his younger sister.”

  Oh, Lordy, Daisy thought. Her mother would be trying harder than ever to get her and Kevin together. She could just hear her mom now—Wouldn’t it be nice if you and Kevin got married? Think how nice it would be if you moved back home. We could have Thanksgiving and Christmas with the O’Reillys….

  Daisy shook her head. Sorry, Mom, she thought, but it’s never going to happen.

  “Well,” Alex said, slapping his palms on the table, “I’ve got work to do.” Rising, he gave her shoulder a gentle shake. “Since I fixed breakfast, dinner’s on you.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Where do you think?” he asked with a wink.

  “Be careful.”

  “Always. You don’t have any idea where I should start looking, do you?”

  “No, I’m afraid not.” She felt like a traitor for not telling her brother about Erik. Alex was family, after all, but how could she betray Erik?

  “Okay,” Alex said cheerfully. “I’ll see you tonight. Steak sounds good for chow. Don’t forget to call Mom and Dad.”

  “Right.”

  “Oh, hey, do you have an extra can of Scent-B-Gone? I didn’t bring any with me.”

  Daisy shook her head. “Always careful,” she muttered. “There’s a can in the closet by the front door. Top shelf.”

  “Thanks. I won’t be late.”

  Daisy stared after her brother. Brandon was dating Kevin’s sister. Alex was hunting Rhys. She had late Internet orders to fill, a ton of dirty dishes to wash, a house to clean, clothes to launder, and groceries to buy, but all she could do was sit there and think about Erik and her brother, and what would happen if Alex discovered Erik’s true nature. She offered a fervent prayer, hoping that would never happen, certain if it did, only one of them would survive.

  Daisy found herself watching the clock all day long, her concern growing with each passing hour. Alex was always uppermost in her thoughts. Had he found Rhys? Was Erik safe? Would she ever see him again?

  She made a quick call to her folks to assure them that she was fine and that Alex was taking good care of her.

  After telling her mom good-bye, Daisy went in search of a hammer and a nail, then dragged a chair over to the fireplace and hung the painting Erik had given her. She shook her head as she imagined him painting it, and wondered how long it had taken him, and wondered again if it was a real castle. A place in his past, maybe. Try as she might, she just couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that her vampire was an artist.

  Her vampire. The thought made her sigh with regret. Why was it, the first man she had ever truly fallen head over heels in love with wasn’t a man at all?

  Climbing down from the chair, she admired the painting for several minutes before returning the chair to the kitchen and the hammer to the drawer where it belonged.

  She found herself going into the living room from time to time to stare at the painting. What had he been thinking when he painted it? Was it a place he had visited? A house he had owned in days gone by? Or was it just something he had drawn from his own imagination?

  For the rest of the day, whether she was answering her e-mail, taking new orders, or mopping the kitchen floor, Erik was never far from her thoughts. And that was just wrong. Erik was no longer human. No matter that he was the handsomest, sexiest man she had ever seen, her brother was right. Erik wasn’t really a man, but a monster, one who preyed on humankind to survive. One who had tasted her blood…

  She lifted a hand to her neck, wondering why the thought of Erik drinking from her wasn’t more repugnant. She should be horrified, shocked, disgusted. So why wasn’t she?

  It was the fact that she wasn’t horrified, shocked, or disgusted that worried her. Had he worked some kind of vampire voodoo on her, or was she some kind of abnormal freak? She knew there were men and women who got their kicks from letting vampires drink from them. She had never understood the attraction. Of course, she didn’t know why any normal person would want to get high on vampire blood, either, but somehow, drinking a tiny bit mixed with the beverage of your choice didn’t seem as revolting as offering yourself to one of the Undead for an evening snack.

  Which reminded her that she needed to call Nonnie. Going into the living room, she sat on the sofa, one leg curled beneath her, and called her grandmother.

  “Daisy, how good of you to call, dear. Is everything all right?”

  “Of course. Why do you ask?”

  “I saw something unusual, something…I’m not quite sure what it was.”

  “I need your help.”

  “Anything, dear, you know that.”

  “You can’t tell anyone one about this,” Daisy said. “Do you understand? This has to be just between the two of us.”

  “All right, if that’s how it must be.”

  “Is there any spell or charm or…or potion, that will shield my thoughts from a vampire?”

  “I believe so, as long as there’s been no exchange of blood. Daisy? Daisy, are you there?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, my dear, tell me how it happened.”

  “It doesn’t matter how it happened. I think everything will be all right. I was just curious.”

  “Is there anything else I can do? Anything else you need?”

  “No.” Daisy sighed. Nonnie had been her only hope.

  “Daisy, you didn’t…you haven’t…tell me you haven’t been turned.”

  “Of course not!”

  “You’re not thinking about it?”

  “No way. It wasn’t a big exchange. It was just a taste. I’m fine, honest.”

  “Except t
hat there’s a bond between you and this vampire now, one that can never be broken.”

  A bond. Good heavens, she hadn’t even thought about that!

  “Daisy? Are you still there?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

  “It’s all right,” Daisy murmured. “I love you, Nonnie.”

  “I love you, too, dear. Please, be careful. And come and see me when you can.”

  “I will. Bye, Grams.”

  Daisy sat there a minute, her thoughts in turmoil. Her life just kept getting weirder and weirder, Daisy thought as she went into the kitchen to start dinner, although, with her mind filled with thoughts of vampires, she wasn’t sure she was going to have any appetite.

  Alex arrived shortly after dusk, a disgruntled expression on his face.

  “I take it you didn’t have any luck in finding Rhys,” Daisy remarked as she pulled two steaks from the refrigerator. Removing them from the package, she seasoned them and placed them on the broiler pan.

  “You take it right. I looked everywhere I could think of. Guess I should have asked Nonnie to make me one of those magic compasses.”

  “I guess so,” Daisy agreed. She would have suggested Alex take hers, only it wouldn’t work for anyone else. “I’m sorry your day was so unproductive.”

  “I didn’t say that. I dispatched two fledglings.”

  Daisy’s heart skipped a beat. She told herself there was nothing to worry about. Erik wasn’t a fledgling. “Where did you find them?”

  “They were holed up in an abandoned movie theater just outside of San Diego. Young and stupid,” Alex said disdainfully. “They never knew what hit ’em. Just like that other couple.”

  “What other couple?”

  “I don’t know who they were. The ones I took out the night I got here.”

  Ah, Daisy thought. Tina and her mortal lover. Knowing what her father and brother did had never bothered her before, so why did the thought of what Alex had done bother her now? What if the vampires Alex had destroyed had been turned against their will, like Erik? What right did her family have to decide who lived and who died?

  “Hey, Daisy Mae, you look a little green around the gills. You okay?”

  “What? Oh, nothing. I’m fine.”

  “So, how about cookin’ up those steaks while I take a shower?”

  Daisy nodded.

  “Don’t forget, I like mine rare.”

  “Right.” She hoped Alex was hungry enough to eat both steaks, because there was no way she was going to be able to keep anything down while watching her brother devour a filet mignon that was still blood-red inside.

  Chapter 17

  Erik wasn’t in the best of moods when he arrived at Costain’s house at nine o’clock that night.

  “Another meeting?” he asked irritably, glancing at the other vampires gathered in the living room. “We haven’t met this often in the last fifty years.”

  “And we wouldn’t be meeting tonight if it wasn’t necessary,” Rhys said. “Sit down.”

  “I prefer to stand.”

  Rhys glared at him a moment, then shrugged. “Do whatever the hell you please. We’re still waiting for Julius.”

  Erik grunted softly. “He’s probably out preying on some helpless infant.”

  “Whether he is or isn’t is none of your business,” Rhys said. It was an unwritten law among vampires that you didn’t judge or interfere with another’s choice of prey.

  “The man gives vampires a bad name,” Erik said flatly. “Why don’t you get rid of him?”

  “What’s the matter, Erik?” Mariah asked, a sneer in her voice. “Are you going all goody-goody on us?”

  Erik glanced at Damon, who sat beside Mariah. “I’m not surprised you don’t see anything wrong with Julius’s choice of prey,” he said, “considering you like little boys.”

  Mariah sprang to her feet, her eyes blazing red, her fangs extended.

  “Enough!” Rhys’s voice cut through the tension between them. “We have more important matters to settle here.”

  “I say let ’em fight it out,” Julius said, materializing beside Rhys.

  “Don’t we have enough people out to get us without turning on each other?” Rhys asked.

  Julius shrugged.

  “Mariah, sit down!” Rhys said impatiently. “Erik, you, too.”

  Erik glared at Rhys and remained standing.

  “So, why are we here?” Julius asked.

  “I had a call from a friend of mine in San Diego. Two fledglings were destroyed earlier today. I was at the scene a little while ago.”

  “Any idea who the hunter is?” Damon asked.

  “No. If it was the same bastard who destroyed Tina and killed Craig, he didn’t leave any scent behind this time.”

  “We need to find out what he’s using to mask his scent,” Rupert said.

  “Yeah,” Julius agreed. “Then find the guy who’s making it and put him out of business.”

  Damon pumped his fist in the air. “Sounds good to me!”

  “You young ones,” Nicholas remarked with a wry grin. “Always ready for a fight.”

  “This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Rhys said. “I want each of you to take a part of the state and see if you can find this guy before he finds us.”

  “I’ll take the coast,” Mariah said.

  “I’ll head up north,” Rupert decided. “I always liked it up there.”

  Erik glanced around the room. “I’m staying here, if no one objects.”

  “I do,” Damon said. “I want to stay in LA.”

  Erik let his eyes go red. “You want to fight me for it?” he asked, displaying a hint of fang.

  Damon shook his head. “No, I guess not. I’ll go down south.”

  Rhys met Erik’s gaze and grinned. The kid didn’t have the guts for a fight and they both knew it. They had a bet going as to how much longer Damon would survive. Rhys gave the kid another five years; Erik had doubts he would last another two.

  While the other vampires picked their areas, Erik’s thoughts turned to Daisy. He needed to see her, to assure himself that she was all right. Last night, she had as much as said there was no chance for them. He could live with that if he had to. What he couldn’t live with was not seeing her again. Going to her house probably wasn’t the wisest thing to do for two reasons—one, she might slam the door in his face. Two, her brother, the hunter, was there, but what the hell? A man had to take a risk now and then.

  Daisy glanced at her watch when someone knocked at the door. It was a quarter to eleven. She frowned, wondering who would come calling at such an hour.

  Alex glanced at Daisy over the magazine he was reading. “A little late for visitors, isn’t it?”

  “A little.”

  “Want me to get it?”

  “I think I can handle it,” she said, rising. “I’ve been answering the door by myself for years now.”

  Muttering, “Smart-ass,” Alex turned the page.

  Daisy’s heart skipped a beat when she opened the door and saw Erik standing on the porch. What was he doing there? Hadn’t they decided not to see each other again?

  “Hi,” he said. “I know it’s late, well, for you, but…I just came by to say hello.”

  “Hello.” She took a step back. “Come on in.”

  “Why don’t you come out?”

  Daisy glanced over her shoulder to find Alex watching her intently. “I think that’s a good idea. Alex,” she called, raising her voice, “I’m going out.”

  “Now?”

  “Yes, now. Don’t wait up.” She closed the door before he could object. “So, where do you want to go?”

  “Anywhere you want. To the Crypt. For a walk. To my place.”

  “I think I’ve spent enough time at your place, thank you very much.”

  Erik laughed softly as he pulled her behind a tree and drew her into his arms. She could be charmingly prim, even naïve, at times. It fascinated h
im almost as much as her innate sexiness. She seemed totally unaware that she was a beautiful, desirable woman.

  “I’ve missed you,” he murmured huskily, and claimed her lips with his.

  Pleasure flowed through Daisy, warm and sweet, tantalizing her senses. She pressed her body against his, reveling in his touch, loving the way their bodies fit together, her softness to his strength.

  He kissed her again, and yet again, his tongue dueling with hers in a primal dance of mating and seduction. His hands skimmed up and down the length of her back, moved to tease the curve of her breast, then slid down over her buttocks to pull her closer.

  Daisy moaned softly. She savored his kiss for another moment, then pushed him away, afraid that if he kissed her again, she might drag him down on the grass and do it right there.

  “I think we should go for a walk and cool off,” she said, somewhat breathlessly. “What do you think?”

  “I don’t think you want to know what I’m thinking,” he muttered dryly.

  “Erik…”

  “Yeah, yeah,” he said, taking her by the hand. “Come on.” They walked in silence for a few moments before he said, “So, how’s your brother?”

  “He’s fine. He’s looking for Rhys.”

  “Is he?” Erik grunted softly. “You’d better hope he doesn’t find him.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Rhys will kill him,” Erik said flatly. “Your brother won’t be the first one to try to take Rhys out. And he’ll fail, just like all the rest.”

  Daisy’s heart went cold at his words. “Has he killed a lot of hunters?”

  “Oh, yeah. Right around twenty that I know of, and that’s just in the last three or four years. If you’re smart, you’ll tell your brother to pack up and go home.”

  “As if he’d listen.” She hesitated a moment and then, shoving her guilt way down deep, she said, “Did you know someone has put out a hit on Rhys?”

  “Yeah, we know about that.”

  “What am I going to do? Alex is determined to collect that reward. He’s like a pit bull when he sets his mind to something. He sinks his teeth in and doesn’t let go.”

  Erik squeezed her hand. “Sounds like your brother and Rhys have a lot in common.”