Everlasting Kiss (Everlasting 1)

Taking a deep breath, she went downstairs to the guest room. She paused a moment, then opened the door and stepped inside.

Alex was sitting up, his back against the headboard. He glanced around the room. "Daisy, what the hell's going on? Where am I?"

Pasting a reassuring smile on her face, she sat on the edge of the bed. "Don't you remember what happened?"

"Happened?" Alex blinked at her, and then he frowned. "Oh, yeah, we went looking for Rhys."

Daisy nodded.

"Yeah, I remember now. We found a lair." Alex looked at her, his face as pale as the pillowcase behind his head. "I found his resting place...I was going to stake him when he sprang at me..." His eyes narrowed. "I don't remember much of anything after that."

"I went in looking for you," Daisy said, forcing a smile. "Just in the nick of time."

"Was it him? Was it Costain?"

Daisy nodded.

"And you killed him?" Astonishment swept over her brother's face. "Hot damn, the reward's ours!"

Daisy shook her head. "I don't think I destroyed him. I staked him, but I think I might have missed his heart."

"You didn't make sure? You didn't take his head?"

"At the time, I was more interested in getting you out of there." For the moment, she decided not to tell her brother that he had been half dead, or that Erik had given him his blood and saved his life, both facts she was certain Alex wouldn't appreciate, at least not at the moment.

Alex's gaze moved around the unfamiliar room. "So where are we?"

"A friend's house," she said with a shrug. "It didn't seem smart to go home."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Alex agreed somewhat dubiously. And then suspicion flared behind his eyes. "What friend?"

Daisy worried her lower lip with her teeth. There was no point in lying. Sooner or later, Erik would appear and Alex would know where they were.

She was about to answer when Alex said, "This is his house, isn't it? The artist's?"

"Yes, it was closer than ours and I...I didn't know where else to go."

Alex snorted. "You think an artist can protect us from the likes of Rhys Costain?"

"I don't know," Daisy said quietly. "I hope so."

Erik propelled himself across the city to Rhys's main lair; when he found it empty, he went to check on the house where the Vampire Council met.

A harsh command silenced Lucifer as Erik vaulted over the fence and landed on the front porch. A glance at the lock showed it had been picked. Dreading what he might find, Erik pushed the door open and stepped inside. The scent of fresh blood was unmistakable.

Expecting the worst, he was relieved to see Rhys sitting on the sofa, his fangs buried in the neck of a leggy blond Erik recognized as one of the girls from La Morte Rouge.

Rhys lifted his gaze when Erik entered the room.

"Sorry," Erik muttered. "I didn't mean to interrupt your dinner."

Snarling softly, Rhys pushed the girl aside and licked the blood from his lips. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Damn! Why hadn't he anticipated that question? He rarely showed up on Rhys's doorstep without an invitation or a darn good reason. Unfortunately, he didn't have an invitation, and he couldn't very well tell Rhys that he had just stopped by to see if he had survived Daisy's attack.

"Well?" Rhys muttered impatiently.

Stalling for time, Erik cleared his throat. What possible excuse could he give? "I was in the neighborhood," he said, keeping his voice carefully casual. "Thought I'd stop by and see if you were in the mood to go hunting down by the docks." He gestured at the blonde sprawled on the sofa. Her eyes were closed; a drop of bright red blood glistened like a ruby on her slender throat. "I didn't know you were ordering in."

Rhys glanced at the girl, as if he had forgotten she was there. "You want to go hunting? What's the occasion?"

"Nothing special," Erik said with a shrug. "Just thought I'd like some company for a change."

Rhys grunted softly. "I'm glad you're here." Giving the girl a nudge, he gestured for her to leave the room.

Rising, her legs none too steady, the blonde left the house.

With a wave of his hand, Rhys closed the front door. "I was attacked today."

"Attacked?" Erik repeated. "By who?"

"I don't know. He didn't leave his smell behind, but I've tasted his blood. I'll know him when I find him."

Erik swore under his breath. If Rhys found Alex, he would find Daisy. And if he found the O'Donnells at Erik's house...damn! Erik didn't want to think about what that would mean. "Are you all right?"

"What do you think?" Rhys draped his arm over the back of the sofa. "It was a near thing, though."

With a casualness he was far from feeling, Erik dropped into the chair across from Rhys. It took every ounce of his self-control to keep his face impassive, his manner relaxed.

"He wasn't alone."

Erik went still as he waited for Rhys to go on.

"He had a girl with him. A tasty-looking little morsel with auburn hair and green eyes. When I find her..." He licked his lips. "For all that she was a fragile-looking thing, she had spunk." Lifting one hand, he rubbed his chest. "Drove a stake through me, she did. An inch or two to the left and it would have been all over."

He'd seen her, Erik thought, his hands clenching into tight fists. Rhys had seen Daisy.

"You okay, buddy?" Rhys asked.

"Yeah, sure. Sounds like a close call."

"Too damn close!"

"I always said you needed better security around here. A baby could break into this place."

"How did they know where to find me?" Rhys asked, his voice sharp. "That's what I want to know."

"You think I sent them?" Erik asked, his tone equally sharp.

"I don't know." Rhys stared at him, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "You're the only one who knows I rest here from time to time."

"It wouldn't take a genius to figure it out. Anyway, I'm probably the only one on the West Coast who doesn't want you dead. The rest of them would be fighting to take your place before your ashes were cold."

Rhys grunted softly, and then chuckled. "Come on," he said, his good nature restored. "Let's go find you some dinner, and then we'll have dessert."

Chapter 20

"Daisy! Dammit, Daisy, where are you?"

"I'm up here. What's wrong?" She peered over the banister, startled to see Erik moving swiftly toward the foot of the stairs, so swiftly he was little more than a blur.