Everlasting Kiss (Everlasting 1)

Daisy stared at him, caught up in the magic of his voice, the wonder of what he was saying. What would it be like, to view the world through vampire eyes? To be able to think yourself across the street or across the country? To hear sounds that others never heard? She recalled watching him carry her father and brother into the house as if they weighed nothing at all. What would it be like to have the strength of twenty men? To drink blood...

The thought brought her swiftly back to cold reality. True, Erik had powers far beyond hers, but there was a price to pay for those incredible powers. There was always a price to pay. And the price was far too dear.

"Daisy?"

She closed her eyes, afraid to look at him. He was too beautiful, too tempting. For a moment, she let herself imagine what it would be like to be his equal, a vampire who could share his whole life. Sometimes, when they kissed, she had a taste of what it would be like. With his mouth on hers, she felt strong, invincible, as if she could climb rainbows and touch the stars. But it wasn't real. In a way, he wasn't real.

"Daisy, look at me."

"No."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid of you, afraid I'm not strong enough to resist. You make it sound so tempting, but I don't want to be a vampire." She blinked against the burn of tears in the backs of her eyes. "I don't want to give up my family or my life. I like being me."

"It's all right, love." He kissed the tears from her cheeks. "Don't ever let me change your mind."

"But you could, couldn't you?"

He hesitated a moment, pondering the truth versus a lie.

"I know you could," she said. "If that vampire could erase a whole day from Alex's mind, then he could just as easily plant thoughts in his head that weren't his, couldn't he? Couldn't you?"

"I would never do that to you," Erik said quietly.

"But you could?"

"If I wished."

"Promise me. Promise me you'll never do it."

"Very well. I swear it by the love I held for my wife and my children. And by my love for you."

Emotion clogged her throat, making words impossible.

"Sleep now," he said, wrapping her in his arms. "Nothing will hurt you while I'm here."

Yawning, she closed her eyes and snuggled against him. Moments later, she was asleep. Her trust in him was a rare gift, one he wasn't sure he deserved. Like all vampires, he tended to think only of himself, partly out of necessity to ensure his safety in a world that saw him only as evil, partly because it was so easy to forget that he had once been a frail human himself.

Erik brushed a kiss across Daisy's brow. Which of them was the more foolish, he mused.

The woman, for believing he would keep his word?

Or the vampire, for giving it?

Tomas Villagrande sat atop the city's highest hill. It afforded him a panoramic view of Boston Harbor and Dorchester Bay. He had always loved the ocean. Not surprising, he thought, since he had been a pirate in his youth. In life or undeath, he had lived near the water and owned a ship whenever possible. Boats made unique lairs. He could be ready to move at a moment's notice. No packing involved. Just weigh anchor and be gone.

He had lived in Boston off and on since the early 1850s, back when Fort Warren was being built out on Georges Island. So many years ago, he mused, and yet it seemed like yesterday. But then, time moved differently for his kind.

He had seen much in the course of his long existence. The rise and fall of kings and countries, the decline of nations, devastating plagues and wars without end. Fashions changed. Language changed. Customs changed. But his view of the world remained colored by the era in which he had been born. He had grown up in a time of war and conquest, when men ruled the world and women were little more than pawns, good for providing heirs or cementing alliances with foreign powers. Ah, how times had changed.

He gazed at the moonlight playing over the water and thought about the events of the day. He had been surprised when the hunters showed up. The fact that they had found him made him think it was time to move on, maybe go down to Florida for a while, though the idea held little appeal. There were far too many retired people in the area. Too much old blood. Perhaps New York City, then. The streets were always crowded with tourists, wealthy young men and women eagerly looking for adventure and excitement. Tomas grinned inwardly. He could give them that and more.

He nodded. Yes, tomorrow night he would weigh anchor and head north. It had been a while since he had looked in on those who owed him their allegiance.

And what of Erik Delacourt? What was he doing in Boston? And why hadn't he made his presence known when he arrived, as was proper? It was considered bad form for a vampire to enter a city without obtaining the permission of the Master of the City. But that wasn't the most unusual thing. The big question was, what was a vampire doing associating with vampire hunters? The answer was the woman, of course.

Tomas grinned inwardly. In spite of what he had said about love being an overrated emotion, he had always had a soft spot for young lovers.

His thoughts shifted to the Master of the West Coast vampires. Did Rhys Costain know one of his vampires was protecting hunters? Tomas frowned as a troubling thought occurred to him. What if it was Costain who had sent the hunters? What if Delacourt had shown up to make certain the hunters had done their job?

Vampire, trust no one.

Tomas rubbed a hand over his jaw. Those had been the last words his sire had spoken to him before they parted ways centuries ago, and Tomas had taken them to heart. Was Costain planning some kind of coup? He wouldn't be the first of their breed to want to expand his territory. For eons, vampires had fought for territory. Currently, there were five vampires who claimed sections of the United States as their own. Costain ruled the Western states, Tomas ruled the East. A vampire known as Volger ruled the Midwest; Tristan claimed the North; the South belonged to Morag, one of the oldest female vampires in existence. Other vampires laid claim to the rest of the world. Tomas knew most of them; none were older than he.

His thoughts turned to Costain again. Ruling both the West Coast and the East would be a formidable task. Delacourt was known to be good friends with Costain. Perhaps Costain planned to install his second in command as the new Master of the East Coast.

Tomas frowned into the darkness. Would he be wiser to get in touch with Costain now, or wait until he had more to go on than mere supposition?

Tomas grunted softly. He had sensed Delacourt's power. In another century or two, Delacourt would be a vampire to be reckoned with, even for one as ancient as Tomas himself. He wondered briefly who had sired Costain's friend. Someone extremely powerful, of that there was no doubt.