“Of course you want to spend as much time together as you can. I’ll see you later, then.”
“Thanks, Ma.”
To his surprise, she gave him a fierce hug before vanishing from their sight.
Upstairs in their room, Derek undressed, then sat on the bed. “You don’t have to stay here while I rest.”
“I know, but I want to.” Standing in front of him, she pulled her sweater over her head and tossed it aside. After stepping out of her sandals and jeans, she pushed him down on the mattress. “I just thought you’d like some company until you fall asleep.”
“Is that what you thought?”
“Was I wrong?”
His gaze moved over her hot pink bra and panties. “What do you think?”
Straddling his hips, she leaned forward and licked his chest. “I think you want me.”
“I think you’re right.” Wrapping his arms around her, Derek rolled over, pinning her beneath him, his weight pressing her into the mattress.
She’s prey, the werewolf said. Take her. It will make us stronger.
Lowering his head, Derek sniffed Sheree’s neck, then licked his lips. Young, tender flesh. Warm blood.
“Derek? Derek! You’re scaring me.”
Hands clenched, he rolled to his feet. “Get out of here.”
She didn’t argue. And she didn’t run. Grabbing her clothes, she backed slowly out of the room and closed the door. Dressing quickly, she went downstairs, where she collapsed on the sofa and let the tears flow. Face buried in her hands, she prayed that the untried serum would work and that this whole nightmare would soon be nothing but a bad memory.
“Sheree, child, what’s wrong?”
She looked up at the sound of Mara’s voice. “Everything.”
“He sent you away.”
“It’s not just that. It’s . . . it’s not knowing what’s going to happen. What if he stays a werewolf? Will he still be the same Derek he is now? Will he still love me? Will I still love him?” She dashed the tears from her eyes. “What if the serum doesn’t work? What if it . . . ?” She couldn’t say the words.
Compassion and tenderness didn’t come naturally to Mara. She had lived too long, seen too much, killed too many. You couldn’t live as long as she had lived and remain sane if you let the feelings of others affect you. She had learned to be strong, to put her needs above those of others. It was the only way to survive.
But she couldn’t ignore the pain in Sheree’s eyes, or the hurt in her voice. Sitting beside the girl, Mara slipped one arm around her shoulders. “Whatever happens, we are all in this hell together.”
Sheree glanced at her surroundings—the high ceilings, the leaded windows, the antique tapestries. “Sometimes it all seems like a dream, especially in this place. I never believed in magic, but I always believed in vampires. At least I thought I did, until I actually met one and he was nothing like I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
“I’m not sure. I know now that I was horribly naïve. I thought I could find one and that would be the end of it. But Derek . . . there was something between us from the moment we met. He’s so strong. So powerful. And yet he’s vulnerable.” She drew in a shuddering breath. “I need him in ways I don’t understand. And he needs me.”
“Vampires can be complicated creatures. Like humans, we all have our strengths and our weaknesses. Those who are made generally don’t change too much. If they were decent people as mortals, they usually retain that decency, at least as much as possible. Those who are wicked tend to become even more wicked. I guess it’s inevitable, given all the power that comes with being a vampire.”
“But Derek wasn’t made.”
“No. He carries his father’s goodness, and his mother’s evil.”
Sheree blinked at Mara. “Evil?”
“I’ve done terrible things in my time.” Mara stared into the distance. “I killed people who didn’t deserve it and took pleasure in it. I forced the Dark Gift on those who didn’t want it and went blissfully on my way. Some, like Logan, survived. Others destroyed themselves.”
“You made Logan a vampire?”
Mara nodded. “He should have hated me for it.”
“But he doesn’t.”
“No. But others did. And they’re not all dead.”
“Did you want to be a vampire?”
“No. I was turned against my will.” She slid a glance at Sheree. “I know what you’re thinking. If I was turned against my will, why did I do it to others? I have no answer except that I was angry. My sire turned me and abandoned me, and I often did the same. I have no excuse for my callous behavior except that, mortal or vampire, I was selfish and thoughtless.”
“Did you turn Pearl and Edna?”
“No. I would have killed them. Back then, they were trying to find a serum to cure the vampires and the werewolves and the shape-shifters. . . .”
“Shape-shifters?”
“Yes. People who are two-natured—animal and human. Not like werewolves, who are compelled to change. Anyway, Rafe and his wife were caught up in Pearl and Edna’s experiments. I was all for killing the old bats, but Rafe was too softhearted. He turned them instead. And now, if Pearl’s serum works, I will be forever in her debt. And Edna’s, too.”
“Who’s Rafe? I think Derek mentioned him once.”
“I turned Rafe’s father, Vince Cordova, on a whim. Such a handsome young man. He married a mortal girl, Cara, and fathered twins, Rane and Rafe. To my knowledge, his twins and Derek are the only vampires ever born to our kind.”
“Does Vince hate you?”
“No. We’re family now. Rane and Rafe are both married. Rane has a daughter, Abbey. She’s in New York, studying to be an actress. Perhaps you’ll meet her one day.”
Nodding, Sheree squeezed Mara’s hand. “Thank you for taking my mind off our troubles for a little while.”
“I’m glad I could help. You’ve been good for Derek. If there’s ever anything you want, anything you need, you have only to ask.”
“I just want him to be happy.”
“No more than I,” Mara murmured. “No more than I.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Derek stood out of sight in the hallway, hands tightly clenched at his sides as he eavesdropped on the conversation between his mother and his wife. He hated being the cause of their concern, but dammit, it wasn’t his fault that his mother was a vampire or that she had married a werewolf! He didn’t know why the hell he felt guilty, but he did.