Sexiest Vampire Alive

Rajiv grinned. “Howard is big bear. He eat eight.”

The were-bear lumbered out of the lake, then pulled a knife from his belt and hacked the heads off the fish.

“Fish heads!” Rajiv grabbed two heads and rinsed them out in the lake. “Good for hot pot.” He dropped them into the pot with the chicken feet.

Howard beheaded all the fish while Rajiv insisted he was throwing away the best part.

“I have noodles.” Rajiv ran into the cave and came back with a bag of noodles he dumped into the pot. Howard retrieved a frying pan and some oil from the cave.

Late that afternoon, they feasted on Rajiv’s noodle soup and Howard’s fried fish.

Abigail sat on the beach, propped up against a boulder, gazing at the karsts on the south side of the lake. “I’d like to see those close up.”

“We have a boat,” Rajiv said.

“We do? I didn’t see it.”

Rajiv smiled. “We hide it good. You want to go across the lake?”

“No,” Howard said sharply. “She can’t leave the island.”

She winced. It was happening again. She was being told what she wasn’t allowed to do. The Vamps had wanted her to stay in Japan. She’d had a hard time convincing Gregori to bring her back here, and now she was just sitting here spinning her wheels.

She motioned to the sun, which was lowering in the west. “Don’t we need to go to the village over there?”

Howard nodded. “It’s three miles across the hills. The Vamps haven’t been there before, so we’ll have to hike.”

“In the dark?” That might not bother the Vamps, but she preferred hiking in sunlight. “Why don’t we hike over there now, then when the sun sets, we can call the Vamps and they’ll teleport over?”

Howard frowned. “I’m sorry, but you’re not leaving this island until the Vamps wake up.”

She clenched her fists and released them. Was this what life would be like with Gregori? Always waiting for him to wake up?

She stood. “I’m taking a walk.”

She paced around the island, feeling more and more trapped, more and more upset. Why did Gregori lie about his death-sleep? Was there anything else he was hiding from her?

She made a complete circle and sat on a boulder by the cave entrance. Rajiv washed his pot in the lake, then doused the fire. Howard retrieved his box of donuts from the cave and gave her one as a peace offering.

She ate and watched the sun lower on the horizon. The lake sparkled. The sunset painted the sky with shades of pink, orange, and gold. It was absolutely beautiful. It was something she could never share with Gregori.

Tears came to her eyes. That was what really had her upset. She was completely, totally in love with Gregori. She’d realized that when she thought she’d lost him.

But what kind of life could she have with someone who was literally dead all day long? Would she end up wishing away her days, putting her life on hold, while she waited for him to wake up?

Her parents would never approve. She sighed. More people telling her what she couldn’t do.

The last rays of sunlight disappeared over the horizon, and the temperature dropped a few degrees. She zipped up her jacket.

“I’ll go see if they’re up.” Howard went inside the cave.

She turned toward the entrance. She could barely see it in the moonlight, but she heard some mumbling voices inside. A loud voice shouted, Gregori’s voice.

“What? Shit!”

She winced. Howard must have told him.

Gregori ran outside, a bottle of blood in his hand. He paused on the beach, facing her.

Rajiv stalked toward him. “You make Miss Abby cry,” he growled, then strode inside the cave, leaving her alone with Gregori.

Chapter Twenty-four

Abigail remained sitting on the boulder. She didn’t know whether to yell at Gregori for being dead or cry with joy that he was now alive.

He took a sip of blood and approached her. “I heard you were upset.”

She scoffed. “That’s putting it mildly. You didn’t tell me you would be dead.”

“I said I slept like I was dead.”

“It wasn’t like death. It was death. You should have warned me.”

He took another sip. “I tried to tell you twice. Once here and again in the tub.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” She stood. “I asked you about it at the nightclub, and you said it was just a sleep. You lied to me!”

He winced. “Abby, we’re totally vulnerable in our death-sleep. And I have thousands of Vamps depending on me to keep them safe. There was no way I could let the government know how easy we are to kill during the day.”

“I’m not the government.”

“You work for them.”

She flinched. “You don’t trust me.”

He paused.

Anger flared inside her. “You don’t trust me!”

Someone cleared his throat, and she glanced to the side. J.L. was standing on the beach with the other three guys.

“Sorry to interrupt, but we’re moving out.” J.L. motioned to the west. “When we spot the village, we’ll give you a call, so you can teleport over.”

Gregori nodded. “All right.”

J.L. and Russell each grabbed hold of a shifter, then they teleported away.

She sat back down on the boulder. “How can you claim to love me if you don’t trust me?”

Gregori stiffened. “It’s not a claim, dammit. It’s the truth. And maybe I didn’t trust you very much at the nightclub. That was a few days ago before we . . . got closer. I do trust you now.”

He stepped toward her. “I was lying there completely helpless. I would have never fallen into my death-sleep with you next to me if I didn’t know I could trust you.”

Tears misted her eyes. “I hate to think of you dying every day at sunrise.”

“I don’t enjoy it much, either.” He drank more blood. “I’m sorry it upset you.”

She blinked away the tears. “I was terrified. I thought I’d lost you.”

He moved close to her. “Sweetheart, you can’t lose me.”

She swatted at his arm. “I even tried to revive you with CPR.”

“You did mouth-to-mouth on me?” His white teeth flashed in the dark. “I’m sorry I missed it.”

“It’s not funny.”

“I’m not laughing. I’m just deliriously happy that you care so much about me.”

She sighed. “I don’t see how it can work.”

His smile vanished. “What do you mean? We’re doing just fine.”

“I couldn’t do anything this afternoon. I had to wait for you to wake up.” She motioned toward the karsts that she could no longer see in the dark. “I couldn’t even go look at the rocks.”

“I’ll take you there.”

“That’s not the point. I wanted to go, but I wasn’t allowed to. It’s like I traded one set of prison guards for another.”

“Only while we’re here in China. Abby, it’ll be different once we’re home. I would never imprison you. I know