Everlasting Kiss

by Amanda Ashley

  Rhys moved up behind Alex, his gaze moving quickly over the words on the screen. He grunted softly. “They want a meet, at midnight, at my place?”

  Erik nodded. “So it seems. Does that strike you as odd?”

  “For a mortal, yes,” Costain replied, his voice deceptively mild.

  “But not for one of us,” Erik mused.

  “Exactly.”

  A slow smile spread over Costain’s face. Looking at it sent chills down Daisy’s spine. She didn’t know who had put out a hit on the Master of the City, but she was glad it wasn’t her.

  Erik’s head snapped up as a sliver of light penetrated the window over the computer. As one, he and Rhys stepped away from the desk.

  Daisy reached over Alex’s head to draw the curtains. “Sorry about that.”

  Rhys shrugged. “Force of habit. It doesn’t really bother me much anymore.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Erik muttered.

  “Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m going to bed,” Daisy said, and then bit down on her lower lip as she recalled that Rhys had been sleeping in her closet.

  Erik slipped his arm around Daisy’s shoulders. “Rhys will find another closet, won’t you?”

  “Never let it be said I stood in the way of true love,” Rhys muttered.

  Alex frowned at Daisy, clearly not liking the fact that Rhys would be sleeping in his closet, since Daisy’s house only had two bedrooms.

  “Sorry,” Daisy said, smiling sweetly at Alex. “Only one vampire to a bedroom, and Erik is sharing mine.”

  And so saying, she took Erik by the hand and led him up the stairs to her room.

  Erik closed the door behind them. “Second thoughts?” he asked.

  “No, why?”

  He shrugged. They had made love, they had slept together, but he had never succumbed to the Dark Sleep in her presence. Or in anyone else’s, for that matter.

  Daisy looked at him, her brow furrowed, and then murmured, “Oh,” as comprehension dawned.

  “I can rest outside.”

  “Outside? Where?”

  “In the ground.”

  “Why would you want to do that?”

  “I didn’t say I wanted to. I was just thinking about you, about how you’d feel sharing your bed with…”

  “A sleeping vampire?”

  “Exactly.”

  “You don’t snore or talk in your sleep, do you?”

  “No, I’m pretty sure I don’t.”

  Daisy yawned behind her hand. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I can’t stay awake any longer.”

  Feeling a little shy, she turned her back to Erik. After toeing off her sandals, she pulled her sweater over her head and tossed it on a chair.

  “A little late for modesty, isn’t it?” Erik asked, a smile in his voice.

  Crossing her arms over her breasts, Daisy glanced at him over her shoulder, surprised to see that he was already undressed save for his briefs.

  “Here,” Erik said, “let me help you.”

  “This is getting to be a habit,” she murmured as he unfastened her bra and tossed it aside.

  “But a nice one,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.

  Her cheeks grew hot as Erik unzipped her jeans and slid them down over her hips. When she stepped out of them, he tossed them on top of her sweater. Her panties and his briefs followed.

  “I think you’ve bewitched me, woman,” he said as he slid into bed beside her.

  “I think you’ve got that backwards,” Daisy remarked, cuddling up against him. “You’re the witch.”

  “That’s one kind of magic,” Erik replied, “but it’s nothing like the magic you’ve worked on me.”

  “Really?” She smiled, pleased that he thought himself under her spell. And then she yawned.

  “Sleep, love.”

  “When I wake up, will you still be sleeping?”

  “Most likely.”

  She worried the corner of her lower lip. “Is it really like death?”

  “In a way, I suppose it is.” He stroked her cheek. “Vampires aren’t supposed to dream, you know, and I never did, until I met you. Thank you for that.”

  “You’re welcome.” She wanted to know more about the Dark Sleep, but her eyelids were heavy, so heavy. Resting her head on Erik’s shoulder, she closed her eyes. She would ask him more in a minute…

  Erik watched Daisy’s eyelids flutter down, heard the change in her breathing as sleep claimed her. She was beautiful, he thought, an angel come to earth.

  He kissed her cheek, the lethargy that came with the rising of the sun weighed him down. Wrapping his arm around Daisy’s shoulders, he closed his eyes and tumbled into the Dark Sleep of his kind.

  Alex prowled from one room to another, his hands clenched, his thoughts chaotic. He had tried going back to bed, but knowing one of the world’s oldest vampires was resting in his closet made sleep virtually impossible. He had stretched out on the sofa, but again, sleep eluded him. How was a hunter supposed to get any rest with two vampires in the house? He didn’t trust Erik Delacourt any more than he trusted Rhys Costain.

  At the sound of thunder, he moved to the living room window and drew back the curtains. He had been so preoccupied, he hadn’t even realized it was raining. Lightning sizzled across the skies. He stared at the rain. Why was he standing here, watching the storm, when he should be taking Costain’s head, and Delacourt’s, too?

  Alex slammed his fist down on the sill. Dammit, he was a vampire hunter, not a nursemaid. He had been trained from childhood to hunt the Undead, not babysit the Master of the City and his sidekick. And what about Daisy? How could she be in love with the same kind of scum that had killed Brandon?

  Alex muttered a vile oath. What kind of brother was he, to stand here and do nothing while a vampire bedded his sister? What would his parents think if they knew? And what about Brandon? His brother must be turning in his grave. Alex groaned as a wave of guilt swept over him. Brandon had always been the smarter of the two of them, the one who had known what he wanted out of life, the one who hadn’t been afraid to tell their dad that killing just wasn’t in his blood. Brandon should have lived. He would have made a good husband, a good father, done something important with his life.

  “It should have been me, bro,” Alex murmured. “It should have been me.”

  He glanced at his watch. It was a quarter after one. Most vampires were rendered helpless until sundown, but Delacourt and Costain seemed to be exceptions to that rule. Alex snorted softly. So, they could be awake during the day, but how deeply did they sleep when they were at rest? If he grabbed his blade and opened the closet door, would Costain awaken?

  Turning away from the window, he began to pace the floor. Instead of fireplace ashes, why not go to the meet with the genuine article and collect the reward? Of course, he’d have to take Delacourt out first. Alex raked his hands through his hair. Daisy would never forgive him. Oh, hell, she’d just have to get over it.

  Digging into his vampire hunting kit, Alex withdrew mallet and stake, then dropped a bottle of holy water into his pocket. Delving into the bag again, he withdrew a long-bladed knife and a whetstone. He held the blade up to the light, turning it one way and then another. Maybe with Delacourt out of the way, his sister would give Kevin O’Reilly a chance.

  “What do you think you’re going to do with those?”

  Alex pivoted on his heel at the sound of his sister’s voice. “Avenge my brother’s death and my sister’s honor.”

  “Alex…”

  “Don’t try to stop me. We’re hunters, Daisy, or have you forgotten that? I don’t know what kind of supernatural spell Delacourt’s worked on you, but you seem to have forgotten who you are.”

  “And you seem to have forgotten that Erik saved your life.”

  “What about Brandon?” Alex glanced toward the stairs. “It was creatures like those two that killed him.”

  “Erik didn’t do it, and neither did Costain.”


  Alex made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “Same smell.”

  “You’re not thinking clearly,” Daisy said, moving farther into the room. “All vampires aren’t the same, just as all humans aren’t the same.”

  “Oh, please,” Alex said, grimacing. “Get hold of yourself and think with your brain instead of your hormones!”

  “You’re not thinking at all! I won’t let you do this. This is my house and I want you out of it, now!”

  “You’re kicking me out?” he asked in astonishment. “Your own brother? You’re choosing that bloodsucker over your own flesh and blood?”

  “I told Erik and Costain they would be safe here,” Daisy said, and then frowned. “This is about the money, isn’t it? You’re still hoping to collect that reward!”

  “What if I do?” Alex asked sullenly. “It’s two hundred thousand dollars! One last kill and I could retire.”

  “Rhys said he’d make it good,” Daisy reminded him.

  “Yeah, right! Like I’d trust the word of a vampire.”

  Daisy stared at her brother as if she had never seen him before, unable to understand his sudden about-face. Was it just nerves? Had he been drinking? Or had the lust for the reward overridden every other consideration?

  “Alex, please tell me what’s going on. You’re scaring me.”

  “I just feel like we’re on the wrong side, helping vampires, when a vampire killed Brandon. Why,” he asked, his voice dropping to little more than a whisper, “why couldn’t it have been me?”

  “Is that what this is all about? You’re feeling guilty because you’re alive and Brandon is…is gone?”

  “He had everything to live for. Everything.”

  “Oh, Alex.” Closing the distance between them, Daisy took the knife from her brother’s hand and laid it on the table, then drew him into her arms. He resisted for a moment, then seemed to go limp in her embrace.

  All this time, she thought, and she had never known her brother felt this way. Alex had always been the joker in the family, never taking anything too seriously, never letting himself get involved with anyone other than his own family. Had he secretly been jealous of Brandon the whole time? In some warped line of thought, did he think that destroying Erik and Rhys would somehow make up for the fact that he was alive and Brandon was dead?

  Murmuring words of comfort, she patted Alex’s back, her heart breaking when she realized he was crying. They were the first tears he had shed since their brother’s death.

  “I loved him,” Alex said between sobs. “I don’t think I ever told him.”

  “You didn’t have to say it. Brandon knew.”

  “I need to talk to him, tell him I’m sorry that I let him down.”

  “We’ll go to the cemetery together, after this is over, all right?”

  “Yeah.” Somewhat embarrassed, Alex turned his back to her. Pulling a handkerchief out of his back pocket, he blew his nose. “I’m sorry, Daisy Mae, I didn’t mean to…to…you know.”

  “I know. Why don’t you get a few hours’ sleep? I’ll make up the sofa for you.”

  Daisy sat in the chair across from the sofa, watching her brother sleep. Every now and then, he mumbled something incoherent. Once, she caught Brandon’s name. Alex had been so strong since the funeral, comforting everyone in the family, helping her parents get through the first few weeks of grief when it seemed none of them would ever smile again, finding humor where none existed. She should have known he was hurting inside, tearing himself apart because of what had happened to Brandon. As the oldest, Alex had always seen himself as the defender of his younger siblings. He had believed that he was invincible, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, to protect them against anything and everything. No wonder he felt he had failed.

  With a sigh, Daisy glanced at her watch. It was almost five. She should wake Alex. Erik would be rising soon, and Rhys, too.

  The thought had no sooner crossed her mind than Erik appeared in the doorway.

  Daisy eyed him appreciatively. Clad in a black T-shirt, khaki slacks, and black cowboy boots, he was the epitome of tall, dark, and sexy.

  He lifted one brow, a wry smile curving his lips as he walked toward her. She had no doubt that he knew exactly what she was thinking.

  Bending down, he kissed her lightly. “Good evening, love.”

  Daisy grinned, thinking he sounded just like Dracula.

  Erik glanced at Alex, snoring softly on the sofa.

  “Did you hear what he said?” Daisy asked.

  Erik nodded, then sat down on the floor beside her chair. “Do you think we can count on him?”

  “I don’t know. I hope so.”

  “It might be best if Rhys and I do this alone.”

  “Or I could take Alex’s place.”

  “No!”

  “You need someone to make the initial contact,” Daisy said. “Someone he won’t suspect.”

  “We’ve already had this discussion. I won’t put your life in danger.”

  “My life’s been in danger since I was eighteen years old,” Daisy retorted.

  “Be that as it may, I want you to stay here. I don’t want to be worrying about you when this goes down.”

  “You know who it is, don’t you?”

  “I have a pretty good idea.”

  Daisy leaned forward. “Does Rhys know?”

  “I’ll tell you what Rhys knows,” Costain said, coming into the room. “He knows he’s sick and tired of being cooped up.”

  Erik shook his head. “Is that right? Try spending a few days in that dungeon of yours.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I said I was sorry,” Rhys muttered, pacing the floor in front of the fireplace. “I need a drink.”

  Daisy froze as Costain stopped pacing to stare at her.

  Rising smoothly to his feet, Erik moved to stand in front of Daisy. “Forget it.”

  “I have some wine, if that will help,” Daisy said, disliking the tremor in her voice.

  Rhys snorted with derision.

  Daisy shrugged. “Take it or leave it, but that’s all I’m offering.”

  “Fine, I’ll take it. Some hostess,” Rhys muttered after Daisy went into the kitchen. “Doesn’t keep anything on hand for her guests.”

  “I don’t think she was expecting you,” Erik remarked.

  “Yeah, well, I’m just edgy from being cooped up.” Rhys spun around when, with a low groan, Alex sat up, stretching.

  “What are you looking at?” Alex asked.

  “Dinner?” Rhys asked hopefully.

  Alex sprang to his feet. “No way!”

  “Whatever happened to hospitality?” Rhys complained.

  “It went the way of the cassette tape and the phonograph,” Erik said with a grin. “Hell’s bells, suck it up, Costain. You’re whining like a week-old fledgling who hasn’t fed yet.”

  “Maybe you’re right.” Rhys smiled at Daisy as she offered him a crystal glass of red liquid. “My thanks, dear lady.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Well,” Alex said, “it’s dinnertime and I’m hungry. Daisy?”

  “I could eat.”

  “Yeah.” Rhys looked at Daisy, his gaze lingering on the pulse throbbing in the hollow of her throat. “Me, too.”

  “Rhys.” The warning was clear in Erik’s tone.

  “Come on, Alex, I’ll help you fix dinner,” Daisy said, and made a hasty retreat into the kitchen.

  Rhys laughed softly as he watched Daisy hurry out of the room. “Is she as tasty as she looks?”

  “You’ll never know,” Erik replied. “Not as long as I draw breath.”

  Dinner was over, the dishes were done, and Daisy was a nervous wreck. She sat on the sofa in the living room, pretending to watch TV, while Erik, Alex, and Rhys sat in the kitchen formulating a plan for the midnight meet. From what little she could overhear, their plan was ridiculously simple. Alex would show up for the meet. Erik and Rhys would stay out of sight until the deal was made, and then Rhys would take
control of the situation. Apparently Erik’s only function was to act as backup for Rhys.

  In theory, it sounded simple enough, but doubts plagued Daisy. What if the one offering the reward didn’t come alone? What if something happened to Alex? How would she explain it to her parents? They would never forgive her if he was injured or, worse, killed. She would never forgive herself.

  She glanced at the clock, certain it must be near midnight. It was only a quarter after nine. She had never known time to pass so slowly!

  At nine thirty, the meeting in the kitchen broke up. Rising, Daisy grabbed Erik by the hand and gave it a tug.

  “Something wrong?” he asked.

  “Yes. No. I just need some time alone with you.”

  “Sounds good to me,” he said, smiling. “What did you have in mind?”

  She looked at him as if he wasn’t too bright. “What do you think?” she asked, her voice pitched low so that only he could hear.

  “Ah.” Erik glanced over his shoulder.

  Rhys stood in the kitchen doorway, his arms folded over his chest, a knowing look in his eyes. Alex glowered at him from in front of the fireplace.

  Chuckling softly, Erik looked back at Daisy. “I’m yours to command.”

  Alex swore long and loud as he watched Daisy lead Erik up the stairs to her bedroom. If he was going to be totally honest with himself, Delacourt wasn’t such a bad guy, all things considered. He treated Daisy with respect. If Daisy was to be believed, Delacourt had saved his life. But still…it just wasn’t right!

  “It bothers you,” Costain said, “the two of them?”

  “Damn right!” Unable to stand still, he began to pace the floor. He glanced upward. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why it was so quiet up there. It made him sick to his stomach to think about what Daisy was doing, and who she was doing it with.

  Rhys grinned as he took a place on the sofa, one arm resting along the back. “He’s a good man.”

  “He’s not a man at all. And neither are you.”

  “No?” Rhys shrugged. “I would wager I’m as much a man as you are. More, perhaps.”

  “All right, then. He’s not human,” Alex amended, his voice gruff. “And neither are you.”

  Rhys laughed out loud. “Mortals!”