It felt so good to be in his arms.

So right.

So deliciously wonderful.

His arms lashed about her, nearly hauling her off her feet. Shay moaned. Pressed so close to him it was impossible to miss the hard thrust of his mounting desire. And even more impossible not to recall the memory of wrapping her legs about his waist as he thrust into her.

That's what she wanted. Right here. Right now.

And the force of that want was what at last shook her back to her senses. They were in the middle of a solarium where anyone could walk in on them. She hadn't lost all sense of decency.

Not yet.

Pulling back she struggled to find her voice. "Viper."

Denied her lips Viper contented himself with scattering kisses over her upturned face.

"What?"

"Why is there a witch in the library?"

"She's here to make sure there are no nasty spells on the box."

Shay pressed her hands to his chest, refusing to be distracted as he nuzzled just below her ear.

"Then shouldn't we be in there?"

He gave her ear a sharp nip. "We have plenty of time. You know how witches love to create a sense of melodrama when they are about to cast a spell. It will take her an hour to set her circle and place her candles, and all the other mumbo jumbo they insist upon."

She shivered. "I still think we should be there. I don't want to miss anything."

Just for a moment his arms tightened about her as if he intended to wipe away any thought of witches and boxes and curses. Then, with a sigh, he reluctantly loosened his grip and regarded her with an expression of sorrow.

"Oh, pet, you are brutal upon my pride. Do you have no romance in your soul at all?"

Shay stepped back and smoothed her sweatshirt back in place. She wished it were so easy to smooth the embarrassing hormones raging through her body.

"Very little," she conceded.

"It seems that I shall have to teach you the pleasures of seduction."

"You can teach me later." Unable to resist she reached to place a swift kiss on his cheek before moving toward the door. "Right now I want to find out what's in that box."

"Sacrebleu." With his stunning lack of anything resembling tact, Levet stomped into the library. "What is that stench?"

The gray-haired witch pointed a gnarled finger in the demon's direction, never lifting her head from her task of lighting the circle of candles.

"Hold your tongue, gargoyle, or I shall stick it to the roof of your mouth," she warned.

With a hiss, Levet glared at the elderly woman. "Eeek. A hag. Who invited her?"

For a moment Viper leaned against the wall and waited in pleasure for the witch to turn the annoying gargoyle into a newt, or a tomato, or anything that couldn't speak. As much as he disliked witches they occasionally had their uses. But one glance at Shay's worried expression and he was grudgingly moving forward to grasp the creature by his ridiculous tail and tugging him out of the fray. Shay had enough on her mind without concern that her pet gargoyle was about to become a toad.

"I would suggest you either close your mouth or take it somewhere else, Levet," Viper drawled, once again leaning against the wall, his gaze returning to Shay's delicate profile. "The witch does not seem to have much patience."

"What is she doing?"

"Attempting to open the box on the table."

"Open a box?" Levet threw his hands up and started forward. "Mon dieu. I can do that."

"Hold." Viper grabbed the twitching tail and hauled the gargoyle back. "We are not yet certain if it is warded."

"Oh." There was a moment of blessed silence before Levet was shifting impatiently. "What's in the box?"

"Obviously, we don't know yet."

"Is it going to take long?"

"It will take as long as it takes."

"Are we having snacks?"

Viper's hands clenched at his sides. It was that or throttling the demon.

"Levet, shut up."

"Well, if we have to wait around for the entire night they could at least serve snacks."

"If you're hungry, why don't you go to the kitchen and find something for yourself?"

The gargoyle shuddered. "There's nothing there but blood and some green gunk."

"Then order out."

"Pizza? Greek?" The gray eyes lit with excitement. "Oh, oh, I know, how about—"

Bending down Viper grasped Level by the horns and pulled him until they were nose to nose.

"Get a phone, order the food, gargoyle, and be assured that if you step foot back in this room I will personally rip off those wings."

Wisely backing toward the door the gargoyle gave a lift of his hands.

"Jeez, there's no need for the attitude. Vampires are always so testy."

The gargoyle had no idea, Viper acknowledged as he firmly turned back to Shay.

Testy didn't begin to cover his mood.

Watching Shay hovering so anxiously beside the witch made his unbeating heart clench with pain.

However brave and defiant she might pretend to be beneath all the bluster, she was heartbreakingly fragile. The mere thought that she might be further hurt made him long to smash everything in sight.

Dammit. He should have locked them both in the solarium. They could even now be soaring to the heights of pleasure, rather than standing in this damnably hot room watching a witch do her endless hocus-pocus.

Shifting irritably Viper ignored Dante's concerned glance and crossed his arms over his chest.

Oh, yes, they should definitely be in the solarium ...

"I am done." With a dramatic motion the witch waved her hand and the candles were snuffed out. "The box is now safe to open."

Viper straightened as Shay reached for the delicately carved wooden box. He didn't miss the fine tremor of her hand, or the tightening of her features.

Instinctively he stepped forward, longing to pull her into his arms and add his strength to her own. Only the knowledge that, she would detest him revealing that she was anything but utterly confident kept him rooted to his spot.

The very air seemed to still as Shay slowly lifted the lid and pulled out a crumpled envelope.

"It's addressed to me," she whispered in the thick silence. Lifting her head she glanced around the room, sucking in a deep breath. "If you'll excuse me, I think I should read this in private."

She turned and headed for the door. Without thought Viper was on her heels. He didn't want her alone. Not when they didn't yet know what was in the letter. It was Dante's hand on his arm that brought him to an abrupt halt.

"Viper, I think you should respect her wishes," his friend murmured in tones only Viper could hear. "She won't thank you for intruding when she wants to be alone."

"It's too dangerous for—"

"She is safe enough here. The house is well warded against demons, and there are alarms for the more human intruders."

Viper gave a low hiss. "I don't like feeling helpless."

Dante gave a wry chuckle. "Get used to it, old friend. Women have a tendency to do that to a man."

Viper narrowed his gaze. "You're not helping."

"Just give her a few moments. Nothing will happen to her while she's in this house."

"Fine, but only a few."

Pulling from the vampire's grasp he paced across the vast library. Damn Dante and his annoying logic. He didn't want to be sensible. He didn't want to give Shay the privacy she desired.

Hell, he might as well be honest. He didn't want her out of his sight for even a moment. He gave an unconscious shake of his head. Devil's balls. He was a fool. A stark, raving fool.

Unable to hold still, he continued his pacing as time slowly crawled past. He was distantly aware that Dante had left to take the witch back to her coven, and that Abby had brought a tray of warmed blood and silently placed it on the desk, but they had no ability to intrude into his dark brooding.

Where the devil was Shay?

Why hadn't she returned?

There had to be something wrong. He felt it in the very depths of his soul.

After an hour he had had enough. Bursting from the library in a flurry of power, he swept through the mansion in search of his missing Shalott. In truth he hadn't expected it to be much of a search. The two obvious places were her rooms or the solarium. Where else could she be assured of relative privacy?

It took only moments to discover she was in neither.

Bloody hell.

And another handful of moments to discover that she was nowhere else in the house.

Thoroughly alarmed Viper returned to his own rooms and withdrew the tiny amulet from his pocket. He didn't doubt for a moment Shay would be furious to be called to him like a dog on a leash. He would be furious in her place. But for now Viper was content to deal with her anger. As long as she was near, and he was convinced she was safe, she could rant and rave all she liked.

Closing his fingers about the amulet he felt it grow warm against his skin. Ten minutes later Shay stormed through the door, her expression defiant but her eyes swollen and red from crying.