Everlasting Desire

by Amanda Ashley

Daisy was indeed a good hostess. She had obviously gone to the store late last night so Megan would have the fixings for breakfast this morning and lunch later in the day.

  Concentrating on the task at hand, Megan fried bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast. She ate in the living room. In an effort to keep her grief at bay, she focused her thoughts on Daisy Delacourt, wondering how long she had been a vampire and whether she missed being mortal. If it wasn’t for the blood thing and not being able to be outside during the day, being one of the Undead might not be so bad. Not so bad? What was she thinking? Vampires killed people. Being Undead made formerly normal, fun-loving young women like Shirl into monsters….

  Megan set her plate on the coffee table as fresh tears scalded her eyes. She cried for what she had done, for what Shirl had become, and for Shirl’s parents, who would never know what had happened to their daughter. She cried because she loved Rhys with all her heart, because she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life, and because she was sorely afraid she was going to lose him.

  Gradually, her tears subsided. Depressed and lethargic, she curled up on the sofa and fell asleep.

  When she woke, the sun was going down. Feeling stiff, she sat up and stretched her arms over her head. She heard the faint sound of hushed voices from the next room. Her ears perked up when someone—Daisy?—mentioned her name. Megan frowned. Why were they talking about her?

  Rising, she tiptoed toward the door. She didn’t approve of eavesdropping, as a rule, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

  “What makes you think she’ll be safe without you?” Daisy’s voice, her tone slightly impatient.

  “He could have killed her,” Rhys said. “He damn near got me.”

  “Listen,” Erik spoke up. “Between us, we can look after her. We’ll get Alex to come and stay here during the day. Daisy’s dad, too, if necessary. With all five of us guarding her, she should be okay.”

  “And what if she isn’t? How am I supposed to live with myself if she gets killed because of me?”

  “It’s that serious, huh?” Erik asked, a note of wry amusement in his voice.

  “I asked her to marry me.”

  “Really?” Daisy exclaimed. “Did she say yes?”

  Megan had had enough. Before Rhys could reply, she stepped into the room. “Why don’t you ask the prospective bride?”

  They all turned to look at her.

  “Eavesdropping, were you?” Rhys asked.

  “How else am I going to find out what’s going on around here?” She marched toward him. “Just going to walk out on me, were you?” She stabbed a finger at his chest. “Don’t I have anything to say about it?”

  “Megan…”

  “I know you’re worried about me. I’m worried, too. And scared to death. But I don’t think your leaving will make me any safer. Villagrande has a score to settle with me, too, remember? His last words were ‘this isn’t over.’ Sure sounds like a threat to me.”

  “I agree with Megan,” Erik said.

  Rhys swore softly. “I was going to give him the city,” he muttered. “None of this was necessary.”

  “Well, it doesn’t matter now,” Daisy said. “Sounds like Villagrande’s after both of you.”

  “So, it’s settled then.” Erik took Daisy by the hand. “If you’ll excuse us, we need to go out for a while.”

  “We won’t be long,” Daisy called over her shoulder.

  After Delacourt and Daisy left the house, Rhys pulled Megan into his arms. “I’m sorry I got you involved in all this.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “Isn’t it?”

  “Rhys, stop blaming yourself. I’m with you because I want to be. Every relationship has its problems.”

  He snorted softly. “Is that what you call Villagrande? A problem?”

  “Well, a mighty big one, and…oh! I need to call Mr. Parker and tell him I won’t be in tonight.”

  “Or any night, as long as you’re in danger,” Rhys said, reaching into his pocket. “Here, use my phone.”

  Megan stared at the BlackBerry in her hand, noting, absently, that it was top of the line. But that was immaterial at the moment. Once again, her life had been turned upside down because of Rhys Costain. This time, it could cost her her job. Being a glorified saleswoman wasn’t the greatest job in the world, but she enjoyed working at Shore’s, and she got along well with Mr. Parker. Still, business was business. How much time could she take off before he decided to let her go?

  “Megan?”

  She looked up at Rhys, nodded, and punched in Mr. Parker’s private number.

  Chapter 42

  Shoulders hunched, Tomás Villagrande sat atop the Hollywood sign, letting the cool air soothe the burns scattered over his face, hands, chest, and shoulders. His clothing had been no protection against the hellish embers that had burned through cloth and skin alike. He hadn’t hurt so badly in centuries, and it was all that red-haired tart’s fault. Once his initial pain and anger had subsided, Tomás realized his power had been kept at bay by some supernatural spell. The woman wasn’t a witch, which begged the question: Who had worked the enchantment? And the only logical answer was Erik Delacourt.

  Tomás swore softly. Not long ago, he had done Delacourt a favor by sparing his life. And then, in an uncommon burst of charity, he had spared the lives of Daisy’s father and brother, as well.

  “Just goes to show you,” Tomás muttered. “Sooner or later, every good deed comes back to bite you in the ass.”

  He lifted a hand to his face, grimacing as his fingers encountered puckered flesh. What foul curse had Delacourt conjured, Tomás wondered, that prevented his injuries from healing overnight?

  Yes, Delacourt had much to answer for.

  And then there was the matter of Shirl’s destruction. It surprised him to realize that he missed her. He had been drawn to her from the first moment he saw her, captivated by her ethereal beauty. She had enjoyed being a vampire, reveled in her preternatural power. He had been charmed by her exuberance when she was on the hunt, puzzled by her reluctance to take a life.

  And now the lovely Shirl was gone, her existence snuffed out before he had fully savored her. Before he had tired of her. The tart would pay for that, too, he mused, though he wasn’t sure what form his vengeance would take. A life for a life? Perhaps.

  Or perhaps he would destroy Costain and make the whore his slave, subject to his every whim. He would humble her, degrade her, until she had no will of her own, and then, when she no longer amused him, he would drain her dry and toss her aside, an empty husk.

  But first, he had to find her.

  Chapter 43

  Mr. Parker assured Megan that her job would be waiting for her when she returned to LA. She had told him a crisis had arisen in her family and that she hadn’t had time to call him before she left town. She had been grateful when he didn’t ask for details.

  She’d no sooner ended the call than a booming male voice yelled, “Hey, Daisy Mae, we’re back!” and a tall, athletic young man with dark brown hair and brown eyes strolled into the living room, his arms filled with gaily wrapped packages. “Wait until you see what I brought you from Spain….”

  His voice trailed off, and he came to an abrupt halt when he saw Megan and Rhys. Exclaiming, “What the hell?” he glanced around the room; then, eyes narrowed, he glared at Rhys. “Where’s my sister, vampire?”

  Rhys grinned at the other man. “How’s it hanging, hunter?”

  Megan studied the man. It could only be Daisy’s brother, Alex.

  He dropped the packages on the sofa. “Ex-hunter. I’m a married man now. Just got home from my honeymoon, as a matter of fact.” He glanced at Megan, then looked back at Rhys. “So, are you going to introduce me to this pretty woman?”

  “Megan, this is Daisy’s brother. Alex, this is Megan DeLacey.”

  Stepping forward, Alex shook Megan’s hand. “Pleased to meet you. Why don’t we sit down? So,” Alex said when they were al
l seated, “what brings the two of you to Boston?”

  As succinctly as possible, Rhys told Alex about Villagrande.

  “Damn!” Alex leaned back in his chair. “Did you have to antagonize the baddest badass vamp of them all?”

  “It wasn’t my idea.” Rhys lifted his head, his nostrils flaring. “Your sister’s home.”

  Rhys had no sooner spoken the words than Daisy and Erik materialized in the living room.

  “Alex!” Daisy cried, and threw herself into her brother’s arms. “Welcome home. Where’s Paula?”

  “I dropped her off at her parents’ house. She couldn’t wait to tell them the good news. She’s pregnant!”

  Megan had expected Daisy to look happy; instead, a sudden sadness flitted through her eyes.

  “That’s wonderful,” Daisy murmured. “It’ll be nice to have a baby in the family.”

  Megan frowned, puzzled by Daisy’s reaction. And then she understood. Daisy was a vampire. She would never have a child of her own.

  When the awkward moment passed, Rhys, Erik, Daisy, and Alex tossed around ideas on how best to protect Megan and destroy Villagrande.

  “Does he know you’re here?” Alex asked.

  Rhys shook his head. “I don’t know. But he’s tasted my blood. He shouldn’t have any troubling finding us.”

  Alex grunted softly. “I’d like to have seen that spell you mentioned in action.” He looked at Erik. “Where’d you find it?”

  “In an ancient grimoire.”

  “How’d you know it would work?”

  “I didn’t. I layered it into another spell, just in case. I think it was the combination of the two that caused the damage Megan told us about.”

  Alex chuckled. “I’m all in favor of anything that’ll repel vampires. Present company excepted, of course,” he added with a wry grin.

  “Of course,” Rhys muttered.

  “So, Erik,” Alex said, “maybe if you ramped up that hellfire spell, it would destroy Villagrande.”

  “Maybe,” Erik replied. “And maybe it would destroy Rhys, as well.”

  “I’d like to avoid that, if possible,” Rhys said.

  Alex yawned behind his hand. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. I’m gonna go get my wife, take her home, and make love to her all night long. My wife,” he repeated with a grin. “I like the sound of that.” Rising, he kissed Daisy on the cheek, cuffed Erik on the shoulder. “I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow night. If I come up with anything before that, I’ll give Megan a call.”

  Rhys sat on the foot of the bed, watching Megan sleep. She seemed to grow more beautiful with every passing day, or maybe it was just that he loved her more every time he saw her. And she loved him. That was the most remarkable part. In spite of the fact that he had not only complicated her life but put her in danger, she still wanted to be with him.

  “Rhys?”

  “I thought you were asleep.”

  “I was. Come to bed. It’s lonesome without you.” She turned the light on when he started to undress.

  He paused in the act of removing his shirt, one brow arched as he looked at her. “What are you doing?”

  “Watching you.”

  “You’ve seen me undress before.”

  “So, sue me. I like to watch.”

  With a shake of his head, he shrugged out of his shirt and tossed it on a chair and then, ever so slowly, he unbuckled his belt and let it fall to the floor. With his gaze locked on hers, he toed off his boots and kicked them aside.

  Megan sat up, grinning, as he pulled off his socks and threw them at her, one by one.

  “Are you watching?” he asked, his voice dripping with sexual innuendo.

  She nodded, her grin fading as he unfastened his jeans, then made a production of slowly lowering the zipper, sliding the jeans down over his hips, kicking them out of the way.

  Clad in nothing but a pair of black silk briefs, he moved toward the bed. His feet made no sound on the hardwood floor as he stalked toward her, lithe and dangerous as a jungle cat.

  She laughed when he growled low in his throat.

  “Jungle cat, eh?” he mused.

  “Stop reading my mind. It isn’t fair!”

  He slid under the covers beside her and drew her into his arms. “Are you sure you want me to stop? If I did, I wouldn’t know how much you like it when I touch you here…” His hand caressed the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. “Or kiss you there…” Bending his head, he brushed his lips across her breast.

  Megan sighed as the heat of his mouth warmed her skin.

  “You’re overdressed,” he murmured, and in a blur of movement, he removed her nightgown and tossed it on the floor. “That’s better.”

  She looked up at him, marveling anew at how remarkable he was. He was a man like no other she had ever known, a creature of myth and legend, and she loved him more than life itself. Wanted him beyond words. Locking her arms around his neck, she whispered, “What am I thinking now?”

  “Shall I tell you?” He nuzzled her breast. “Or show you?”

  “Haven’t you heard?” She slid her hand down his hard, flat belly, her fingertips tracing the narrow line of hair that disappeared beneath his briefs. “Actions speak louder than words.”

  Chuckling softly, he wrapped his arms around her. “Ah, fair lady, my only purpose in life is to fulfill your every wish, your every desire.”

  “I wish you’d stop talking and kiss me.”

  The words had scarcely left her lips when his mouth covered hers. He kissed her slow and deep and then, with a low growl, he rained kisses along her neck and the valley between her breasts before returning to her mouth. His tongue sought hers, an intimate caress that spread through her like lightning.

  He kissed her until she could hardly catch her breath and then he drew back, a wicked grin curving his lips. “You’re not going to faint on me, are you?”

  “Don’t be silly,” she retorted, and then she frowned. “Don’t tell me you’ve actually made women swoon?”

  “Shall I show you?”

  “No, thank you,” she said primly.

  “We’re not going to stop now, are we?”

  “I hope not.” She tugged at the waistband of his briefs. “Who’s overdressed now?”

  He was out of them in an instant, boldly displaying the evidence of his desire. “What now, my lady?”

  “Do I have to tell you everything?” With an exaggerated sigh, she flung her arms out to her sides, a smile playing over her lips. “Just do what you do best.”

  His gaze moved quickly to the pulse throbbing in the hollow of her throat.

  “I give you leave to taste,” she said, her voice a whisper. “But only a taste.”

  “Aye, my lady. I will do my best to obey.” Gathering her into his arms, he kissed her again, his mouth hot against her skin as he caressed her, his hands and lips arousing her until her whole body thrummed with need.

  Megan murmured his name, her pleasure increasing when she felt the prick of his fangs at her throat, and then she was lost, floating in a world without time, without boundaries, where nothing existed except the two of them. It was a sensation like no other, and, for that one moment, when her desire melded with his, she didn’t care if he took one sip or if he took it all, as long as they were bound together, body and soul. As long as she was a part of him.

  Rhys made love to her all night long, every kiss, every caress branded in his mind, memories he would carry with him for the rest of his existence when, at last, he told her good-bye.

  Chapter 44

  As so often happened after a marathon night of lovemaking, Megan woke with a smile on her face. She was getting good at judging the time, she mused as she sat up, stretching. Without checking her watch, she knew it was late afternoon. A rush of tenderness engulfed her when she looked at Rhys, lying peacefully beside her. Was there ever such a lover as he? Tireless, inventive, always careful to see to her pleasure before his own.

  Leaning down, she kissed h
is cheek ever so lightly, then slid out of bed. He didn’t stir, but she wasn’t surprised. Surely even a vampire needed his rest after a night such as they had shared.

  She was wishing for a change of clothes when she glanced toward the closet. The door was open, and when she looked inside, she found some of her own clothes hanging there. Bless the man. Sometime in the wee small hours of the morning he had gone to her house and raided her closet.

  Humming softly, she pulled a sweater and a pair of jeans from the hangers. Wondering if he had thought to bring her clean underwear, she opened one of the dresser drawers and found a week’s worth of bras and panties. Carrying her clothing into the bathroom, she closed the door and turned on the shower.

  Sometime later, her hair freshly washed and her teeth brushed, she dressed and went downstairs. All that loving had left her famished, and she raided the refrigerator, munching on a handful of blueberries while she debated what to have for breakfast. In the end, she cooked a waffle and two strips of bacon, and washed it all down with a glass of orange juice. After cleaning up the kitchen, she poured herself a cup of coffee and carried it into the living room.

  Curling up on the sofa, she sipped the coffee, wondering how long it would be until she could go home again. She refused to think that Rhys might lose the battle with Villagrande. Instead, she skipped ahead to the time when the fight was over and Rhys was the victor. He had asked her to marry him, and she had said yes. Sitting there, a cup of coffee in her hand and the sun shining brightly, she let herself think about the kind of wedding she wanted. Something simple yet elegant. Of course, it would have to be in the evening. Refreshments would be light, since the groom and his guests wouldn’t be eating.

  Better to just elope. They could go to Vegas and get married there. Erik and Daisy could stand up with them, and when it was done, Megan could call her parents and tell them the good news. Her mother would be hurt, perhaps angry, that her only daughter had eloped, but in the long run, it would be easier than trying to explain why she wasn’t having a big wedding with six bridesmaids, an orchestra, and a sit-down dinner.