“Yeah.” Hesighed again. “Look, I know I’m being an ass right now and I’msorry. It’s just…the moon.” He gestured at the full silver orbclimbing higher in the sky above them and his voice dropped to aneven deeper register, sounding almost like an animal’s growl.“She’s calling me. I’m strong but I can’t hold off my changeforever.”
“Oh, right.” Inodded nervously. I had no wish to be caught in the cab of thetruck with a huge, ravenous wolf who hated vampires. “Well…can youget us home? I mean, yourhome of course,” I addedquickly.
“Yeah, if we goright now.” Victor started the truck’s engine and looked pointedlyat my door, which was still swinging open, letting in the warm,humid Florida night air. “Could you close that? I don’t care ifyou’re undead or not, you don’t look like you’re in any kind ofshape to survive being thrown from a truck doing sixty.”
“I’m strongerthan I look,” I protested, but I closed the door as he had asked.“I heal fast.”
He snorted and put the truck ingear. “Yeah. Right.”
“It’s true,” Isaid, stung. “I’ve had every bone in my body broken multiple timesand I healed every time.”
The look he cast from the otherside of the truck was both incredulous and pitying. “You what? Howthe hell did you break all your bones? You into skydiving orsomething?”
I crossed myarms over my breasts and looked down. “I wasn’t the one whobroke them. But that’s not the point—the point is that I can take alot of abuse and still live.” I looked up at him. “But I won’t. Notanymore. Not from you or anyone else.”
He nodded thoughtfully and Ithought I saw just a touch of respect creeping into his goldeneyes.
“I got it.You’re tougher than you look. But you don’t mind me saying so—youdon’t look too good.”
“Thanks a lot,”I snapped. “That makes me feel just great. Are you always thissmooth?”
“No, damn it…”He slapped the steering wheel in frustration. “Look, it gets harderto talk when the moon is full. My wolf comes forward and that partof me…it doesn’t have words.” He took a deep breath. “I didn’t meanyou’re not pretty—you are. Fucking gorgeous. I’m just sayingyou look, I don’t know, sick or something. Kind of weak andfrail.”
“You’d be weakand frail too if you hadn’t had any nourishment in almost twoweeks,” I said tightly. “I’m just thirsty that’sall.”
“Oh, right. I,uh, guess that’s my fault.” He gave me a sidelong look as he turnedthe truck onto a smaller dirt road.
I said nothing.He could assign himself the blame if he wanted to but I wasn’tgoing to say anything else. I’mnot going to beg, I told myself,even though his warm scent was making my thirst for blood worse andworse.
Victor cleared his throat andkilled the truck’s motor.
“Well, here weare.”
I looked out of the window and sawa large clearing inside a dense thicket of woods. This beingFlorida, there were plenty of vines and creepers too, all of themdark greenish-black in the deepening night.
The house itself looked like anupscale log cabin—one of the two-story kind with high ceilings,hardwood floors and a fireplace in every room. The arched evesmanaged to look graceful and rustic at the same time and thewindows sparkled silver in the moonlight.
“It’s lovely,” Isaid grudgingly. “I’ve always liked log cabins.”
“Designed andbuilt it myself.” There was an unmistakable note of pride in thebig were’s voice. “Wait ‘til you see it in the sunlight. It’sreally, uh…” He trailed off, obviously realizing what he wassaying. “I mean, never mind. Come on.”
I started to open my door but hewas around the side of the truck in a flash. He offered me a handto get down from the high cab. After a moment’s consideration, Itook it and stepped down onto the sparse grass of the driveway. Hisskin was as hot as I had imagined and I took my hand out of his assoon as I could.
“Can I get yourstuff?” Victor asked gruffly.
I felt some ofmy resentment melt a little. Clearly he was at least makingan effort to be less of an ass.
“I don’t haveany,” I reminded him gently. “You didn’t really give me time topack anything.” In fact, he had dragged me away fromUnder the Fang with nothing but the clothes on my back—a simple blackskirt and a white button-down silk blouse with black flats. It wasone of the plainest outfits I owned, which was why I liked it.Celeste always liked to dress me up and show me off like a doll inexpensive dresses with the most elaborate hair and makeup possible.I was glad to put that part of my life behind me.
“Oh, sorry.”Victor rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, let’s go in. I’ll showyou around and then I really have to go.”
“Right. You haveto, uh, change.” I nodded stiffly and followed him to the woodendoorframe. Victor produced a set of keys and unlocked the frontdoor with a muted jingle. Then he stepped inside, clearly expectingme to follow.
“Okay, so thisis the kitchen,” he remarked, flicking on the light switches sothat the long room was flooded with light. “I don’t guess you’lluse it much but—hey…” He turned with a frown to see me stillstanding in the doorway. “Why are you still over there?”
“You didn’tinvite me in.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m a vampire—Ican’t enter the dwelling of a living person without aninvitation.”
“Oh, right.” Hecleared his throat. “Damn it, I’m making a fucking mess of thiswhole thing. Uh, Taylor, would you like to come in?”
Notreally, I thought but was toopolite to say out loud.
“Yes, thankyou,” I said, stepping over the threshold and into the house thatwas going to be my home for the next three months. “I appreciateyour invitation.”
“Sure.” Victorshrugged uneasily, his broad shoulders rolling under his plainwhite t-shirt. I had yet to see him in anything but t-shirts,jeans, and work boots. Except for the ill-fitting jacket he’dborrowed from Corbin for our “wedding,” that was.
“So, like I wassaying, this is the kitchen,” he continued, once I had come forwardto join him. “You can, um, make yourself at home and there’s plentyof stuff in the fridge—”
“I don’t eat,” Ireminded him. I was hoping against
