Everlasting Kiss (Everlasting 1)

She looked up when Erik opened the car door and offered her his hand. "Here we are."

She nodded as she placed her hand in his and let him help her out of the car.

Erik tossed his keys to Alex. "Why don't you get the bags?"

Daisy tugged on Erik's hand. "You're staying here, with us, aren't you?"

"I don't think so."

What was she thinking? Of course he wouldn't want to stay with her, not when her father and brothers were hunters. "Will I see you tomorrow night?"

"I'll be here."

"Where are you going to stay?"

"I'll find a place. Don't worry about me. And don't let that brother of yours do anything stupid. If you're smart, you'll both stay indoors as soon as the sun starts to set. I doubt if Rhys knows where you are, but it's not worth taking the chance. If he finds Alex, he'll kill him. And you, too. Don't doubt it for a minute."

Daisy swallowed hard. If he was trying to scare her, he'd done a first-rate job.

"Do you know if Alex ingested any of Rhys's blood?"

"Drank it, you mean?"

"Yeah."

"I don't think so. Why?"

"Let's just say things will be less complicated if he didn't."

"Less complicated?" Daisy frowned at him. "In what way?"

"Rhys has your brother's scent, but I'm pretty sure he can't track that this far. If your brother and Rhys exchanged blood, Rhys will be able to find him no matter where he goes. If they didn't, then Alex is probably safe here." Erik ran his knuckles down her cheek. "And so are you."

"I never thought to ask him about that."

"Well, if Rhys doesn't show up in the next day or so, there's probably nothing to worry about."

"Should I talk to Alex about it?"

"Probably wouldn't hurt."

"All right."

Needing to touch her, he ran his hands up and down her arms. "Until we know for sure, remember what I said about staying inside."

"I will."

"Hey, Daisy," Alex called from the porch. "You comin'?"

"I'll be right there." She looked up at Erik. "Till tomorrow, then."

"Sweet dreams, Daisy darlin'."

She looked up at him through the veil of her lashes. "Aren't you going to kiss me good night?"

"You bet." Cupping her face in his hands, Erik kissed her long and hard, partly to annoy Alex, who was watching them from the porch, but all thought of aggravating Alex quickly faded from Erik's mind when Daisy's tongue slid across his lips. With a moan that was almost a growl, he crushed her body against his as he deepened the kiss. Maybe he couldn't be a part of her future, but she was here now, and he was determined to make the most of whatever time they had together.

Erik grinned when, a moment later, he heard the sound of the front door slamming shut. "You'd better go," he murmured, dropping a kiss on the tip of her nose. "Before your brother has a heart attack."

"I'll miss you," Daisy said, her gaze searching his. "Come as early as you can."

"Count on it."

"Erik..." She stroked his cheek, reluctant to let him go, afraid she might never see him again.

"I won't leave you, Daisy, not as long as he's out there."

"And when the danger's past?" she asked, her voice so low only a vampire could hear it.

"Let's not worry about that now, okay?"

"I don't want to lose you."

"Dammit, Daisy, what do you want from me?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe you'll tell me when you find out." He kissed her again because she was looking up at him, her eyes filled with confusion, because she was so close and smelled so good. Because, oh, hell, when did a man need a reason to kiss a beautiful woman? One last kiss, and then he headed for his car before he took her there, in the damp grass with her brother watching from the window.

Daisy touched her fingertips to her lips as she watched Erik drive away. She could feel Alex's accusing gaze boring into her back, knew that, sooner or later, she would have to go into the house and face him.

Putting it off wouldn't make it any easier. With a sigh of resignation, she went in to face the music.

Chapter 22

Alex was waiting for her when she walked in the door. "I guess you're gonna tell me that was just a good-night kiss between friends?"

Daisy tossed her handbag on the sofa table. "Oh, for crying out loud. He just kissed me like that because he knew you were watching."

"Yeah, right. Dammit, Daisy, Erik Delacourt is after something. Why can't you see that?"

"None of this is any of your business," Daisy retorted. "I'm over twenty-one. You're not my father..."

"No, but I am," a deep voice said.

Daisy spun around to see her father coming down the stairs, belting his favorite ratty bathrobe around him.

Noah O'Donnell was tall and lean, with shaggy brown hair and intelligent brown eyes. A narrow scar, souvenir from a fight with a vampire, bisected his left cheek. He glanced from Daisy to Alex and back again. "What's going on?"

Daisy hurried toward her father and threw her arms around him. "Nothing. Alex is just being Alex. I don't know how you stand him."

Noah O'Donnell grinned at his daughter. "Who's Erik Delacourt and what does Alex think he's after?"

"He's after Daisy," Alex said, his tone sour. "If you'd seen the way they were kissing a minute ago..."

"Well, you can't blame the man," Noah said. "After all, Daisy is a lovely young woman, and there's nothing wrong with kissing."

"There's something wrong with Delacourt," Alex said sourly. "Something..."

"You just don't like him," Daisy said. "I don't know why, and I don't care. I like him."

"Here, now, daughter, how serious are things between you and this man?"

"They're not serious. I hardly know him."

"I see." Noah ran a hand through his hair, his expression suddenly serious. "What brings the two of you home at this hour of the night?"

"Well, uh..." Alex cleared his throat. "We had some trouble in LA."

"What kind of trouble?" Noah asked.

"I went looking for Costain," Alex said, "and I..." He glanced at Daisy. "We found him."

Noah glanced between Daisy and Alex. "Go on."

"It was a close call," Daisy said. "Alex was badly hurt, at least I thought so at the time." She couldn't tell her brother or her father how close Alex had been to death, couldn't explain how Erik had saved his life. "I took him to Erik's--"