me?” he asked, a wicked gleam in his dark eyes.
“Hardly.” Vampire. Vampire! The word screamed inside her mind. He was a vampire. Now that she knew, she couldn’t believe she hadn’t realized it sooner. Lordy, not only was he a vampire, but she had let him kiss her. Not once, but several times. She had even considered going to bed with him. The memory should have disgusted her, but it didn’t. Why didn’t it? She would have to examine her feelings about that later. Right now, she had to get out of there before he…no! She wouldn’t think about that. And yet she couldn’t stop herself from imagining him bending over her neck, his fangs at her throat as he drained her dry. Or worse, made her what he was.
“So, you didn’t come to go exploring the dark side with me.” Erik folded his arms across his chest. “Why are you here?” He glanced at the syringe clutched in her hand. “Don’t tell me, you’re working for the Red Cross. I didn’t know they were going door to door collecting blood these days.”
She forced a smile. “Very funny.” She took a step backward, wondering what the odds were that she could outrun him.
She jumped when the door at the top of the stairs slammed shut. She was well and truly caught, she thought. Like a rabbit in a trap.
He grinned at her, and his eyes glowed as red as the needle on her compass. “Welcome to my parlor, said the spider to the fly.”
“What do you think you’re doing?” she exclaimed.
“Isn’t it obvious? You were about to leave. And I want you to stay.”
“Why?” She slid her hand into her pocket, her fingers curling around the wooden stake inside. Yet even as she contemplated driving it into his heart, she knew she couldn’t do it. It was one thing to destroy a vampire you had never met; quite another when you had kissed him.
“Come now, my little flower,” he chided softly. “You must know why.”
She took another step backward and tripped on the bottom step.
His hand shot out, catching her before she fell. “Careful.”
Daisy shook off his hand, and even as she did so, she knew it was only because he let her. He had a grip like iron. “Let me go! You have no right to keep me here.”
“And you have no right to take our blood.”
“I can do whatever I like,” she retorted. “It’s you and your kind who have no rights.”
He regarded her curiously for a moment. “You’re the one they call the Blood Thief, aren’t you?”
“Of course not!” Even as she denied it, fear coiled like a snake in the pit of her stomach as her newfound courage deserted her. It was one thing to face a vampire when he was lying helpless in his coffin, quite another when he was wide-awake and towering over you.
He gestured at the syringe in her hand. “Then why are you here, with that?”
Thinking quickly, she said, “I indulge, from time to time.”
“Is that so?”
“What if it is?” she asked with a nonchalant shrug. “It’s perfectly legal.”
“Is that how you get your kicks? Stealing our blood?”
“I don’t have to steal it. You can buy it online.”
“Let me get this straight. You can buy it online, but you decided to cut out the middle man by breaking into my house. What were you going to do? Siphon some of my blood and drink it on the premises?”
“Yes. No. I mean…”
“Why drink from a bottle when you can enjoy it fresh and warm from the source? I’m told you get a better high that way.”
At the thought, Daisy felt all the color drain from her face. She couldn’t think of anything more repulsive than drinking vampire blood. She had never understood how her clients could drink it, or why they wanted to.
Lifting his left arm to his mouth, he bit into his wrist, then offered it to her. “Please, help yourself.”
She stared at the dark red blood welling from the shallow wound and thought she might be sick to her stomach. She had taken some first aid classes, worked at a hospital as an aide one summer. What
“Hardly.” Vampire. Vampire! The word screamed inside her mind. He was a vampire. Now that she knew, she couldn’t believe she hadn’t realized it sooner. Lordy, not only was he a vampire, but she had let him kiss her. Not once, but several times. She had even considered going to bed with him. The memory should have disgusted her, but it didn’t. Why didn’t it? She would have to examine her feelings about that later. Right now, she had to get out of there before he…no! She wouldn’t think about that. And yet she couldn’t stop herself from imagining him bending over her neck, his fangs at her throat as he drained her dry. Or worse, made her what he was.
“So, you didn’t come to go exploring the dark side with me.” Erik folded his arms across his chest. “Why are you here?” He glanced at the syringe clutched in her hand. “Don’t tell me, you’re working for the Red Cross. I didn’t know they were going door to door collecting blood these days.”
She forced a smile. “Very funny.” She took a step backward, wondering what the odds were that she could outrun him.
She jumped when the door at the top of the stairs slammed shut. She was well and truly caught, she thought. Like a rabbit in a trap.
He grinned at her, and his eyes glowed as red as the needle on her compass. “Welcome to my parlor, said the spider to the fly.”
“What do you think you’re doing?” she exclaimed.
“Isn’t it obvious? You were about to leave. And I want you to stay.”
“Why?” She slid her hand into her pocket, her fingers curling around the wooden stake inside. Yet even as she contemplated driving it into his heart, she knew she couldn’t do it. It was one thing to destroy a vampire you had never met; quite another when you had kissed him.
“Come now, my little flower,” he chided softly. “You must know why.”
She took another step backward and tripped on the bottom step.
His hand shot out, catching her before she fell. “Careful.”
Daisy shook off his hand, and even as she did so, she knew it was only because he let her. He had a grip like iron. “Let me go! You have no right to keep me here.”
“And you have no right to take our blood.”
“I can do whatever I like,” she retorted. “It’s you and your kind who have no rights.”
He regarded her curiously for a moment. “You’re the one they call the Blood Thief, aren’t you?”
“Of course not!” Even as she denied it, fear coiled like a snake in the pit of her stomach as her newfound courage deserted her. It was one thing to face a vampire when he was lying helpless in his coffin, quite another when he was wide-awake and towering over you.
He gestured at the syringe in her hand. “Then why are you here, with that?”
Thinking quickly, she said, “I indulge, from time to time.”
“Is that so?”
“What if it is?” she asked with a nonchalant shrug. “It’s perfectly legal.”
“Is that how you get your kicks? Stealing our blood?”
“I don’t have to steal it. You can buy it online.”
“Let me get this straight. You can buy it online, but you decided to cut out the middle man by breaking into my house. What were you going to do? Siphon some of my blood and drink it on the premises?”
“Yes. No. I mean…”
“Why drink from a bottle when you can enjoy it fresh and warm from the source? I’m told you get a better high that way.”
At the thought, Daisy felt all the color drain from her face. She couldn’t think of anything more repulsive than drinking vampire blood. She had never understood how her clients could drink it, or why they wanted to.
Lifting his left arm to his mouth, he bit into his wrist, then offered it to her. “Please, help yourself.”
She stared at the dark red blood welling from the shallow wound and thought she might be sick to her stomach. She had taken some first aid classes, worked at a hospital as an aide one summer. What
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