Everlasting Kiss (24 page)

“Well, hell!” Alex exclaimed. “Let’s do it!”

It took only minutes for Alex to sign on to Daisy’s computer. Rhys, Daisy, and Erik stood in a semicircle behind his chair as he opened his e-mail program.

His message was short and to the point.

Have destroyed Costain.

Proof is in my hands.

Where and when can we meet?

A.

Alex hit Send, then sat back in the chair, his elbows resting on the arms, his gaze focused on the screen. “All we have to do now is wait for a reply.”

Erik looked at Rhys. “You’ll have to lay low until we hear something.”

“Yeah, I hadn’t thought about that.”

“You can stay here.” Daisy glared at Alex, silencing the argument she saw in his eyes. “No one will think to look for you here.”

“Thanks.” Rhys grinned at Erik. “I guess I owe you an apology. Remind me to say I’m sorry in a hundred years or so.”

“Right. And now. if you two don’t mind, I’d like to spend a little time alone with Daisy.”

“I don’t mind,” Rhys said with a leer.

Alex pushed away from the desk and stood up, his hands clenched at his sides. “Well, I do.”

“It’s not up to you,” Erik retorted. Taking Daisy’s hand in his, he gave it a squeeze. “What do you say, darlin’?”

“I say, let’s go.”

“Dammit, Daisy,” Alex muttered, “I don’t like you going off with him.”

“I know.”

Alex glared at Erik, then stomped out of the room.

Daisy smiled tentatively at Rhys. “Make yourself at home.”

“Thanks.”

“Remember,” Erik warned, “you can’t let anyone know where you are. And you can’t leave here until this is over.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Costain muttered irritably. “But if we don’t hear something soon…” He looked at Daisy, his gaze lingering on the pulse throbbing in the hollow of her throat. “I’ll need something to nibble on.”

Daisy blew out a sigh. “How long do you think it will be before Alex gets an answer to his e-mail?”

Erik shook his head. “I don’t know, and right now, I don’t care.” Lowering his head, he brushed a kiss across Daisy’s lips. “Where would you like to go?”

“I don’t care. Anyplace where we can be alone.”

Grinning, Erik wrapped Daisy in his embrace and then, with an effort of will, he transported the two of them to the balcony of Costain’s primary lair. A wave of his hand unlocked the French doors and he ushered her inside.

“Where are we?” Daisy wandered around the room, thinking she had never seen anything so luxurious. The carpet beneath her feet must have been two inches deep. The furniture was butter-soft black leather. The fireplace was white marble veined with gold.

“This is Costain’s place.”

“You’re not serious?” She glanced at the statue of a golden-haired Madonna standing in one corner, thinking such a thing was an odd decorating choice for a vampire’s lair.

Erik shrugged. “He won’t be using it tonight.”

“But…” Her protest died in her throat when she spied the painting hanging over the fireplace. “Is that a genuine Matisse?”

Erik nodded. Rhys was quite the collector. The floors below were filled with antiques and original masters from the last four centuries, along with Persian carpets and dozens of artifacts that were presumed lost or destroyed.

“I take it your friend is pretty well off financially.”

“You could say that.”

“I guess it’s not surprising. He’s had a long time to save his money.”

Erik chuckled as he drew her into his arms. “Do you want to talk about Rhys all night?”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Giving you a tour of the place,” he said with a wicked grin. “Starting here, and ending in the bedroom.”

“That’s a short tour,” Daisy teased.

“That’s all there is to see, except for his office and the view from the balcony.”

Daisy slid her hands up and down Erik’s chest, then rose on her tiptoes and kissed him. “Let’s save those for later.”

“Much later,” Erik agreed as he drew her sweater over her head, revealing a lacy white bra.

Daisy kicked off her sandals and shimmied out of her jeans.

“Beautiful,” Erik murmured as he removed her bra and caressed her out of her bikini briefs. “More than beautiful.”

He undressed quickly, grinning under Daisy’s avid gaze.

Swinging her into his arms, he carried her down a short hallway. A flicker of energy brought a dozen candles to life, revealing the largest, most garish bedroom Daisy had ever seen. She glanced around, somewhat awed by what she saw. The walls were papered in a dark red print. The carpets were the same shade, as were the heavy velvet drapes drawn over the single window. An enormous bed covered with a black spread took up a good portion of the room. A black stone fireplace took up one entire wall; a TV screen took up another wall from floor to ceiling. There were more paintings in this room, all originals, Daisy assumed, and all beautiful. Figurines of varying sizes—all depicting demons, dragons, or vampires stalking their prey—occupied an antique curio cabinet.

“It’s like being in hell’s waiting room,” Daisy murmured.

Erik laughed as he placed her in the center of the bed. “You make it heaven.”

“Flatterer.”

“Have I told you that I love you?”

“Not lately.”

“I love you, Daisy O’Donnell, Blood Thief extraordinaire, with everything that I am, my whole being.”

His words warmed her heart, her soul. “I love you, too, but you know that, don’t you?”

He nodded.

“Is it enough, Erik? Can love be enough for two people who are as different as we are?”

He ran his knuckles up and down her cheek, then cupped her face in his hands. “I don’t know, Daisy darlin’. I hope so.”

She didn’t want to have to think about it now, didn’t want to worry about the past or the future. She wanted only to live for this moment, with his body covering hers, his hands lightly caressing her while he rained kisses over her face, her neck, her breasts.

A soft moan rose in her throat when she felt his fangs lightly scrape the skin along the side of her neck. Threading her fingers through his hair, she drew him closer, her body arching up to meet his as his tongue laved the tender skin beneath her ear. His body melded with hers, stroking lightly, as his fangs pierced her skin.

She folded her hands over his shoulders, her nails digging into his flesh as sensation after sensation washed over her. She had heard of two becoming one, but she had never experienced anything like this. It was beyond pleasure, beyond ecstasy. Belatedly, she realized she was also feeling what Erik was feeling, what he was thinking.

She sobbed his name as wave after sensual wave exploded deep within her. A moment later, he shuddered and then, with a sigh, buried his face in her shoulder.

He held her for several minutes while their breathing returned to normal and the perspiration cooled on their flesh. When he would have rolled away, she wrapped her arms around him and held him close.

“I’m too heavy for you,” he murmured.

“No.” It was a welcome weight. She smiled inwardly, thinking about what she had learned while they made love. He adored her. He thought she was beautiful, that her skin was baby soft, that her hair was like russet-colored silk, that her blood was sweeter than the finest wine.

“You heard all that, huh?”

“Oh, yes,” she replied. “And more.”

Erik grunted softly. “I’ll have to be careful about what I’m thinking in the future.”

“Did you feel what I was feeling, too?”

“Sure. It goes both ways, you know.”

He eased up onto his elbows and gazed down at her. “I never thought of myself as a hottie.”

“I wasn’t thinking that!”

“No?”

“Well, maybe for a minute.”

He lifted one brow.

“Okay, two minutes, three at the most.”

His laughter washed over her. “Ah, Daisy, my little flower, do you know how much I love you?”

She ran her hands over his shoulders, down his chest to where their bodies were still joined. “How much?”

Leaning down, he kissed the tip of her nose. “More than words can say.”

“Really?” She raked her nails over his chest. “Then I guess you’ll just have to show me.”

“Like this?” Rolling onto his side, he dropped butterfly kisses on her brow, her cheeks, the curve of her throat.

She shivered with delight as he continued his slow assault on her senses, his tongue like a flame as he licked her breasts and belly, then kissed his way down the sensitive skin along the inside of her thigh.

Only when she was writhing in delicious torment did he cover her body with his.

Daisy was hovering on the brink of sleep when her cell phone rang. Rolling onto her side, she reached over the edge of the bed, searching for her handbag. “Hello?”

“Where are you?”

“Alex!” She sat up, suddenly wide awake. “What time is it? Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know what time it is. Four thirty, five. Just get home. And bring the vampire with you.”

“The vampire?” Erik’s deep voice rumbled from the other side of the bed.

Daisy’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice. “Alex wants us to come home,” she told him, and then wondered why she bothered. No doubt Erik had heard every word Alex had said.

“Daisy, you still there?”

“Yes, Alex. What’s going on?”

“I got an answer to that e-mail.”

“Oh! We’ll be there as soon as we can.” Daisy looked at Erik and whispered, “It’ll be light out soon. Will that be a problem for you?”

“Not if you don’t mind my spending the day at your house.”

“I don’t mind,” she said with a mischievous grin. “You can sleep in my bed, like Sleeping Beauty. And I’ll wake you later with a kiss.”

“Very funny.”

“Daisy?”

“Alex, I said we’ll be there as soon as we can.” After disconnecting the call, she looked at the time. “Five fifteen.” The sun would be rising in another hour or so. “What’s he doing up at this time of the morning, anyway?”

“Probably waiting for you to come home,” Erik replied with a wry grin.

Tossing the phone onto the floor, Daisy slid under the covers again. “I hate to leave.”

“Me, too.” Erik stroked her back, loving the warmth of her skin beneath his hand, the little purr of pleasure that rose in her throat at his touch.

Daisy sighed. “I guess we should go.”

“How about a quickie first?”

“But Alex said to hurry.”

“So, we’ll hurry.”

“But not
too
fast,” Daisy said with a smile.

“No,” Erik agreed, drawing her body against his. “Not too fast.”

Alex was waiting for them at the front door. “What the hell took you so long to get here?” he asked irritably, and then grimaced as he took in his sister’s tousled hair and swollen lips. “Never mind. I don’t wanna know.”

Shaking his head in disgust, he turned on his heel and stalked into the living room.

“Where’s Rhys?” Erik asked, his gaze sweeping the room.

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know? Dammit, he didn’t go out, did he?”

“No, I think he’s sacked out in Daisy’s closet.”

“My closet!” Daisy exclaimed. “What’s he doing in there?”

Alex shrugged. “He wanted a room without a window.”

“So, he doesn’t know about the e-mail you received?” Erik asked.

“Hell, no! I wasn’t about to wake him up!”

“Probably a wise decision,” Erik said, chuckling. “Let’s go have a look at that e-mail.”

Muttering under his breath, Alex headed for Daisy’s office and sat down at the desk. It took only moments for him to boot up and find the anticipated message.

Daisy stood behind him, reading over his shoulder.

Meet me tonight at the back door
of La Morte Rouge at midnight.

Bring the proof with you.

Come alone.

RD

“Alone?” Daisy said. “No way!”

“He won’t be alone,” Erik said. “I’ll be there with Rhys.”

“And I’ll be there,” Daisy said.

Erik and Alex both said, “No,” at the same time.

“Why not?” Daisy asked. “I’ve got just as big a stake in this—you should pardon the pun—as you do.”

Alex scowled at her.

Erik laughed. “You’re staying home because I said so, and because I have a pretty good idea who’s behind this, and I don’t want you anywhere around when we meet. Got it?”

Daisy glared at him, her hands fisted on her hips. “And if I refuse, what are you going to do, tie me to a chair?”

“Or to the bed,” Erik retorted with a wicked grin.

“Do you think you could keep it down in here? Some of us were trying to sleep.”

Erik glanced over his shoulder as Costain entered the room. “I’ve never known you to turn in before sunrise.”

Rhys snorted softly. “There’s nothing else to do here.” He jerked his chin toward the computer. “So, what’s going on?”

“We got an answer to Alex’s e-mail.”

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.