"Rachel!" Etienne slammed the car door and hurried up the sidewalk to his front door.

"Don't even talk to me," she snarled.

Yep. She was pretty mad. Etienne caught up to her on his front porch and grabbed her arm to turn her toward him. "You didn't let me finish."

"Finish?" she echoed with disbelief. "What is there to finish? I got it. I gave you a boner. But you men get erections at the drop of a hat. I've heard some of my male co-workers talking. 'Close your eyes and they're all Marilyn Monroe, right?' " She slammed a fist into his front door. "Open this damned thing."

Deciding it might be better to finish the conversation inside, Etienne pulled out his keys and quickly unlocked the door. She immediately shoved it open.

"Rachel," he tried again as they went inside. "It isn't like that with me. It might have been at one time, but that was long ago. I--Where are you going?"

She started upstairs, not even bothering to answer him but breaking into a jog that had her on the upper landing in a heartbeat. Frustration welling up within him, Etienne hurried after her, chasing her along the hall to his bedroom.

"Look, there was a time when I would have slept with anything that moved," he admitted as he followed her. "But I'd been celibate for at least thirty years before you came into my life. Sex just wasn't exciting anymore. You changed all that for me."

"Glad I could be of service."

Etienne winced. The woman had a razor for a tongue when she was angry. He liked it. "Look, I... What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she asked with feigned sweetness. She began shoving her clothes back into the bag his mother had used to transport them.

"It looks like you're packing."

"Got it in one. You're so clever. Care to throw out a couple of big words to impress me?"

Had he just thought he liked her sharp tongue? Etienne glared at her. "You aren't going anywhere. We have to resolve this. We also have to discuss Pudge."

"Ah ha!" She turned on him with cold satisfaction. "I just knew that was what it was all about. Pudge! You want me to lie and claim he kidnapped me."

"It's the best way to deal with the matter," he said solemnly.

Rachel snorted in derision. "You mean, it's the most expedient for you people. But he didn't kidnap me. He didn't even really try to kill me. I just got in the way."

"He's dangerous, Rachel."

"Oh, please. Your uncle just finished threatening me with extinction. He would terminate Pudge in a heartbeat."

"Yes, he would," Etienne agreed. "But my family prefers to use death as a last resort. And in this case it isn't necessary, for a simple lie would see Pudge alive and well but locked up and no longer a threat. Or would you prefer to see him dead?"

He felt a modicum of satisfaction at the guilt that crossed her face. He'd scored a point. Bravo for him.

"I can't lie, Etienne. I mean that literally. I'm a rotten liar. I kind of grimace and get this nervous giggle."

"You could at least try. You hold the man's life in your hands. You can lie and see him alive, or you can refuse and force his termination."

Rachel gaped. "Now I'm responsible for his life? Like it's my fault? Next you'll be blaming me for starting Armageddon."

"Well, if you live long enough you just might be the cause of it," he snapped.

"Oh!" She turned back to slam some more clothes into her bag. "You're so charming. It's a wonder you weren't able to woo me into doing what you wanted."

"I never asked you to 'do what I wanted.' " Etienne ran a hand through his hair with frustration. "And this is exactly why. I didn't want to ruin what was happening between us."

That caught her attention, and Rachel stopped packing. She even turned to stare at him. "What?"

"I like you, Rachel. And I want you. Constantly," he added dryly. "I wasn't sleeping with you to get you to do what I wanted about Pudge. In fact, our... relationship is the reason I didn't push the Pudge issue. My family kept urging me to. Bastien even did it in front of you the day we were locked out in the garden, but I couldn't do it. I didn't want to. I kept putting it off. Unfortunately, I put it off long enough that Uncle Lucian caught wind of it, and now it is a serious issue."

Rachel shifted on her feet, her mind in an uproar. She distinctly recalled Bastien's asking Etienne if he'd talked to her about... He'd never finished the statement; Etienne had interrupted, assuring the man that he would. But he hadn't. Not that day or the ones that followed. Perhaps he was telling the truth. She wanted with all her heart to believe he cared about her, but her mind was in such turmoil she didn't know what to think. She needed time away from him. His nearness had the unfortunate side effect of confusing her.

Etienne added to her confusion by pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. "I don't think I'll ever be able to resist you, Rachel. You stir my blood like no other woman has managed to do in three hundred years. You make me hunger. You're beautiful."

He drew her into his arms, and Rachel was helpless to resist. She would think in the morning, she promised herself as she kissed him back. Everything would be clearer in the morning.

Etienne was a beautiful man. Rachel had known that from the beginning, but lying there watching him sleep by the light spilling out of the bathroom, she took the time to look him over minutely.

Etienne had made love to her through most of the rest of the night. Rachel had fainted as usual, but with her thoughts troubled as they were, she hadn't slept long. She had never been able to sleep at such times. It was now ten in the morning and she was wide awake, her thoughts awhirl as she stared at her lover.

He claimed to like her and to be truly attracted to her. Rachel had no problem believing the former--she thought of herself as a likable sort. But attracted to her? Did he really find her beautiful and desirable? She sighed and rolled onto her back to stare at the shadows spilling across the ceiling. Rachel could look in the mirror and see that she looked better than ever thanks to the turning, but she didn't really feel attractive inside.

She'd been the tall girl during her school years, the gawky carrot top more prone to being teased than flattered and asked out on dates. Her fianc¨¦ Steven had been her first real boyfriend, and that hadn't been until University. With him, she'd finally felt pretty and wanted... until she'd caught him in bed with her roommate.

She hadn't had much success with dating since. Some of that could no doubt be blamed on the hours she worked, but not all of it. No, Rachel wasn't confident in her attractiveness. The last few weeks had been like some sort of dream come true, having a handsome, sexy man like Etienne paying attention to her. But dreams were hard to believe in, and it was far too easy to believe he had been wooing her to get what he wanted.

Etienne sighed and shifted in his sleep, drawing her attention. Her gaze drifted over his naked body, pausing at the sheet twisted around his waist. The man was a distraction even now. She needed time away. Heck, maybe she needed therapy.

Grimacing at the thought of how that would go, Rachel eased out of bed and began to gather her clothes. She'd go walk through his garden or something. It would mean consuming more blood later, but she could do that easily enough now that she could use straws.

She would rather go home. It was her safe haven from the world, where she had always done her thinking. She also would have liked to at least call her family, so that they wouldn't be left worrying--but she was reluctant to risk either just yet. Not until she'd resolved all this.

Rachel managed to collect her clothes and make it to the bathroom without waking Etienne. Once the door was closed, she relaxed a little and quickly dressed. She ran a brush through her hair, washed her face, and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"Pudge kidnapped me," she said experimentally. Her lips immediately twitched into something between a grimace and a grin. A nervous giggle slipped from her throat.

Rachel's shoulders slumped. She'd always been a rotten liar. It was inconvenient at times, but mostly made life simpler. If you didn't lie, you never got caught. Honesty was the best policy. Those were phrases she'd had drummed into her head repeatedly as a child. Rachel had always believed them. But now, faced with the problem of Pudge, she couldn't help thinking that in this instance a lie would serve everyone much better. And that included Pudge.

Turning away from the mirror, Rachel moved to the door and eased it open. Her gaze shifted immediately to the bed. Etienne was still lying in the same position as when she'd left. Smiling at how adorable he looked lying there with his hair all ruffled, his chest bare, and the sheets tangled around his waist, she turned off the light and eased into the room, then tiptoed to the door to the hall.

She felt like a thief sneaking out of the room and creeping to the landing, but she continued to tiptoe all the way down the stairs. She had just reached the door to the kitchen when she heard the soft screech of protesting wood. Pausing in the kitchen doorway, she peered around the room. It was a moment before she noticed movement at the window, then she froze like a deer in headlights. The window had been pushed up, and someone was even now climbing in. They had one leg in and were maneuvering the rest of their body behind.

Heat prickled up the back of her neck, adrenaline pumped through her, and Rachel did what came instinctively--she ducked out of sight into the first available hiding spot, the hall closet. She was easing the door closed before she realized what she was even doing. It wasn't until she felt relatively safe in her hiding place that her brain seemed to engage, and she realized that she, Rachel Garrett, now a vampiress extraordinaire, was hiding from a common thief.

Rachel felt the fear run out of her like water from a glass. What on earth was she doing? She was a vampire. She could handle this cretin. Heck, she'd give him a scare he'd never forget. Teach him a lesson he'd never forget, either, she thought with amusement. Starting to ease the door back open, she only had it a few inches when the burglar straightened and she saw his face. Rachel paused again as recognition struck her. Here was the man from the morgue, the khaki-clad maniac who had tried to hack off Etienne's head. Pudge.

That was enough to make her ease the door closed again. This was no regular burglar; this was a man who knew Etienne and his family. He knew about vampires, and how to kill them. And that was no doubt what he was here to do, she realized. Panic immediately set in on her again, and Rachel spent a moment trying to think what to do. Her plans to slip out for a solitary walk were definitely out. She had to get upstairs and warn Etienne. And she had to do so before Pudge got to him.

Too late for that, she realized as Pudge moved past. She'd have to follow him and take him by surprise.

Rachel heard the creak as he started up the stairs, and she knew it was safe to come out of her hiding place. The stairs curved up to the right, so it was safe to leave the closet. When she stepped out into the hall, it somehow seemed darker than it had moments ago. The sun was still shining brightly, however, its rays coming through the windows made dust motes dance in the air. She would have to avoid it.

Pushing all thoughts away as inconsequential, she started to follow Pudge, then paused and peered back into the closet for a weapon. The best she could come up with was a mop and a broom. Rachel considered ransacking the kitchen, where she would at least be able to find a sharp knife, but she feared she didn't have time. Besides, she had seen enough of Pudge to know that he was armed to the teeth. The man had been carrying a rifle, a holstered gun, a knife long enough to almost be a sword, and various other articles. She figured nothing short of a bazooka would even things out at this point.

Snatching the mop because it at least had a sturdy wooden handle, compared to the flimsier thin aluminum handle of the broom, Rachel hurried through the hall. She raced as quickly and quietly as she could up the stairs.

The upstairs hall was empty when she reached it, which was hardly reassuring. She wasn't sure if it meant the man knew exactly which room was Etienne's and had already entered, or if he was searching each room individually and was presently out of sight. He might come out behind her and take her by surprise.

Praying that he was in one of the other rooms and would stay there long enough for her to get to Etienne, Rachel screwed her courage to the sticking place and scampered up the hall on tiptoes. At the door to Etienne's room, she paused to glance back at the empty hall, then quickly opened the door. She was just in time to see Pudge raising a stake high over his head. Rachel did the only thing she could think to do at that point: she let loose the loudest, longest shriek she had ever managed in her life and charged forward.

Pudge paused, shocked eyes jerking around to her and her mop, then just as quickly back to Etienne, who started awake crying, "What? What is it?"

Much to her horror, Pudge then plunged the stake down.

The sound Rachel released was full of fury, and came from a place she didn't even know existed within her. It sounded to her ears like a primal growl, almost a roar, as she swung her mop at the back of the man's head. Unfortunately, he saw and managed to duck.

Rachel had used enough force that she overbalanced. By the time she regained herself and swung back, Pudge was launching himself at her in a football tackle. His head hit her in the abdomen and knocked the breath out of her, and she stumbled backward onto the carpet, where the wind was knocked out of her again. They both slammed into the floor.

Pudge was quicker to recover, and he had his long, wickedly sharp knife at Rachel's throat before she could even attempt to struggle free. "Freeze, lady, or I'll cut your head off," he gasped.

Rachel froze. She could survive a lot of injuries, but having her head cut off wasn't one of them.

They stared at each other, both panting a bit, when movement on the bed drew their attention. Etienne was down but not out for the count. In all the excitement, Pudge's aim had been off. Etienne was even now sitting up, the stake protruding from his chest a bare inch to the side of where his heart would be.

Rachel nearly sobbed with relief when he tugged the stake free.

Pudge was less impressed. He cursed, then barked, "You freeze too, Argeneau!"

Etienne hesitated, then sank back onto the bed, his eyes narrowed. It was a standoff.

"Well, hell," Rachel said as she realized Pudge had the upper hand. She really didn't feel she had made a very good showing. She supposed she needed training.

"What are you going to do now, Pudge?" Etienne asked. He was starting to look a little better, and Rachel supposed the nanos must be working like mad to make repairs. He'd need more blood to fuel them, though. Still, he looked pretty nonchalant for someone who'd been staked and whose girlfriend was presently under threat of having her head cut off. If she could call herself his girlfriend. Did sleeping with a man make you his girlfriend? Or was he just thinking of her as--Don't even go there, girlfriend, she warned herself. Now was not the time for that kind of analysis.

"If you cut her head off, you lose your shield," Etienne continued.

Pudge was silent, but his knife pressed tighter against Rachel's throat. Confusion and uncertainty struggled on his face.

"I've been very patient with you, Pudge--mostly because I've found your antics entertaining to date. But I find you're becoming tiresome. I suggest you leave and never return, or you shall force me to put an end to our little games. Permanently."

It was amazing to Rachel that her lover could sit there with a gaping chest wound, yet still sound so threatening. She glanced at Pudge to see if he were equally impressed, and was a tad relieved to note the sweat popping out on his forehead. She just wasn't sure if it would result in a good thing or a bad one.

"Up."

Rachel scrambled to her feet, very aware of the long knife at her throat. She considered trying some fancy footwork in an attempt to break free, but her attempt and failure to save Etienne had rather sapped her confidence. She was afraid she'd make a mess of it as she had earlier.

Once they were both upright, Pudge shifted behind her, using her as the shield Etienne had mentioned.

"Stay back," Pudge ordered. His voice started out firm but ended on a quavering note that bespoke his fear. Not that Rachel needed that. She could actually smell the fear pouring off him. She didn't know how she recognized the scent but supposed it was a new ability. Most predators had it--dogs could sense fear, as well as cats. She supposed the nanos increased the abilities most useful to their carriers, and this was pretty useful for a predator to have.

"Let her go," Etienne ordered.

"Stay back." Pudge began to sidle away, taking Rachel with him.

"You aren't taking her with you."

"Stay back, or I'll cut off her head," Pudge warned.

"Don't hurt her. It's your fault I had to turn her in the first place. She would have died from that ax wound you gave her if I hadn't turned her."

That made Pudge pause. Rachel held her breath as he looked down at her.

"You're the doctor from the hospital." He sounded surprised. She supposed she'd looked a little less healthy at the time, having just recovered from the flu. She'd been pale and limp-looking, she was sure. She noted the guilt cross his face and felt a moment's hope. He said, "I'm really sorry about axing you, but you shouldn't have jumped between us. I tried to tell you what he was."

"Let her go," Etienne repeated.

Rachel felt the hope die in her as Pudge stiffened. His expression turned grim as he pressed the knife tighter to her throat. Apparently his guilt only went so far. "I won't hurt her if you stay right where you are." He sounded a little more in control now. Rachel couldn't decide if that meant his confidence had increased or if Etienne's repeated warnings were making him comfortably sure of the fact that he had the upper hand.

"If you hurt her, I'll hunt you down and kill you with my bare hands."

Rachel's eyes shot to Etienne. He looked capable of doing it. Gone was the easy facade, the charming computer geek. Etienne looked every inch a dangerous predator.

They were all three silent for several minutes as they waited for Pudge to decide what to do next. Rachel didn't have a clue what he could do. He couldn't let her go, which rather restricted him. Her gaze slid to Etienne. The bleeding had stopped, but he was looking a little gray around the lips. A lot of the blood left in him was no doubt being used up to repair his wound, she supposed. From what they had told her about his state, she supposed he was in dire need of an infusion. His body would be cramping with his need, and he would be terribly weak and vulnerable.

The only plus was that Pudge wouldn't be aware of that, she decided.

"You'd better decide what you're going to do quickly. His body is nearly done repairing itself, and who knows how much strength he'll have then." Very little was Rachel's guess, but if Pudge was going by the movies, television or the big screen, he'd probably think otherwise. At least she hoped he would. Judging by the way Pudge's hands tightened on her, she guessed she was right.

Rachel couldn't see his face, but she sensed the bewilderment Pudge was feeling. He asked suspiciously, "Am I supposed to believe you're trying to be helpful?"

Rachel forced herself to relax and managed an unconcerned shrug without beheading herself. "Believe what you want. I was sneaking out when you broke in," she said truthfully. She had been sneaking out for a walk, but she didn't bother to mention that. When Etienne's sharp gaze filled with betrayal, she was almost sorry she couldn't. Rachel hated to upset him, but she made herself continue. "I've been forced to stay here since that night in the morgue. I wanted to let my family and friends know I was all right, but calling them was out of the question." Which was all true, she assured herself as she felt a nervous giggle rise in her throat. She had been forced to stay--at least until she learned how to control her teeth and such, and calling anyone had been out of the question. She didn't have to specify that it was herself forcing these decisions.

"So I played nice and waited until Etienne was asleep, then was about to leave through the kitchen when I heard you coming in," she continued. "You blew my plan."

Etienne was looking upset, but Rachel ignored him. She waited while Pudge digested her words.

"It that's true, why didn't you just leave?" Pudge asked with disbelief. "Why stay and save him?"

Rachel shrugged. "My conscience wouldn't allow it. I couldn't just let you slaughter him in his sleep after he saved my life from the mortal wound you inflicted." She emphasized his part, hoping to bring about a return of the guilt she had seen on his face earlier. When she saw it flicker in his eyes, Rachel decided to drive the screw a little deeper. "Thanks a lot for that, by the way. Being a bloodsucking demon was never high on my list of dreams and wishes, and I can't tell you how pleased I am that I'll be stuck on the night shift for eternity."

Pudge actually winced. "I'm sorry," he said regretfully, then paused and glanced to Etienne. "What do you suggest we do with him to get out of here?"

Rachel considered. She didn't believe for a minute that he now considered them on the same side. She supposed he was testing her. If she gave an answer he didn't like, she'd be in trouble. But then, she was probably in trouble anyway. He seemed to see himself as a modern day Van Helsing, dedicated to eradicating the world of the vampire blight, and she was very aware that put her on his list. Her only hope was to convince him that she was too stupid to realize, and that she believed they were now on the same side. To that end, she was extremely careful with her answer. "Well, I don't want to see him dead after he saved me. If you really want to kill him, you'll either have to try another day when I'm not here, or stake me now and take your chances with him--but I wouldn't if I were you. At normal strength he's fast, agile and stronger than ten men. Right now he's not as strong, but I am. With the two of us, the odds aren't in your favor," she added.

Pudge was listening, and her honesty in refusing to see Etienne dead seemed to convince him. Rachel barely let that sink in before adding, "Then too, he has a security system. There are probably several of his kind on their way here right now. So you don't have a lot of time."

Pudge obviously believed her. Panic flashed across his face.

"If you tie him up," she went on, "he'll just break his bonds and probably be on us before we're out of the house." Or at least he would be after consuming some blood, she thought.

"I suppose the best thing you can do is lock him in his office. He's made it proof against competitors of all races," she explained. Then to sweeten the pot, she added, "It would give you a chance to destroy his latest work too."

"I should have let you die." Etienne's cold words drew her eyes back to him. She would have mentally congratulated him on his acting abilities, but she wasn't sure it was an act. She had just admitted to having been sneaking out while he slept, and though she hoped it wasn't true, he might believe everything. No. He knew the truth about vampires, and that she knew better than to think that he was getting stronger right now. Surely he realized she was stretching the truth to save him.

On the other hand, Rachel thought suddenly, his anger might be based on another reason. What if he hadn't saved any of his work, hadn't backed it up against the possibility of losing it? He might lose it thanks to the suggestion she had just made. But her main concern had been to leave him alive somewhere where there was blood for him to ingest.

Jeez, if he hadn't been sensible enough to save his latest game, Etienne might really wish her dead. But better alive and angry than dead with an intact game.

Pudge shifted, switching the knife at her throat from one hand to the other. She wasn't sure why he'd done it until he swung the rifle from his shoulder to point it at Etienne.

"I know this can't stop you, but I bet it still hurts," he said. "And I know it will slow you down. So, do what you're told and I won't have to shoot you. We're going to your office."

Etienne felt mingled relief and horror course through him. There was blood in his fridge in his office. He could replenish and repair quickly with it once locked in. He could then get out and hunt Pudge down. His horror was because while this plan saved him, it left Rachel in jeopardy. He had no idea what the man would do with her once he had options, but he assumed it would be villainous. Rachel was ten times stronger than she used to be, but she wasn't invulnerable. Etienne feared she would try something risky after he was safely tucked away.

"Move!" Pudge added an exclamation mark by shooting him.

Etienne grunted and jerked backward where he sat on the bed. The bullet had torn through muscle and bone. He saw Rachel begin to struggle, only to stop almost as abruptly in the next moment. He understood why when he noted the line of blood at her throat. The bastard had cut her--not deep enough to do serious injury, but he had cut her just the same.

Etienne felt rage course through him, enough to help him gain his feet. He wanted to fly across the room at the man, but he might be useless once he got there. Besides, there was a possibility Pudge might panic and cut her head off, removing her as a threat. Etienne couldn't allow that.

Rachel gritted her teeth but ground out, "I told you I wouldn't allow you to kill him. If you shoot him again, I'll risk losing my head to kill you."

"Shut up," Pudge hissed, but some of his confidence left him. Gesturing at Etienne with his rifle, he backed out of the door, dragging Rachel with him. "Out."

Etienne moved dutifully toward the door, trying not to look as weak as he felt. He was in serious need of blood now, thanks to the newest wound. His thinking processes were becoming muzzy as his body drew blood from the rest of his system. It took all his concentration to keep putting one foot in front of the other to lead the way through the house and down to the basement. Etienne kept trying to think of a way out of this situation as he moved, but nothing came to mind--nothing that wouldn't jeopardize Rachel further, at any rate.

"Wow!" Pudge was obviously impressed with Etienne's work station. Etienne paused in the middle of the room and turned to watch the man's eyes light up as they roamed over his equipment.

"Man, if I had a setup like this, I'd be the king of games, too," he said resentfully. Then his gaze landed on the coffin to the side of the door and something else entered his expression. It took Etienne several minutes to realize it was envy.

"Get in it," he ordered.

Etienne hesitated, then did as he was told as the man jerked his rifle upward. Rachel shifted with a warning growl. Pudge immediately lowered the gun and controlled her by causing another red line of beaded blood where the first had just finished healing.

"I'm going," Etienne snapped, promising himself he'd repay the man for those wounds soon.

"Close the lid," Pudge instructed once he was seated inside.

Etienne did as he was told, reclining in the coffin and reluctantly pulling the lid closed. Then he jerked inside the coffin at the sudden explosion of gunfire. At first he thought the idiot was shooting him through the coffin, but when there was no exploding wood and no tearing pain, he decided the fellow was shooting up the room. The boom of either a monitor or a computer exploding verified this, and Etienne grimaced at the scent of burning circuits and melting plastic.