“Rafe.”

“You almost died because of me.” Right beside me in an instant, he gazed down like he wanted to take me in his arms but was afraid he’d hurt me.

“No, I almost died because of me.”

“How can you say that? I brought Alesa here.”

“I’m the one who had to open the shop.” I held out my arms. “Would you hold me? Please?”

He sat on the edge of the bed and gently gathered me close. He smoothed my hair like I’d once run my hands over him when he’d been in dog body. The thought made me smile.

“Well, she’s gone now. For good. That ought to make you and your grandfather happy.” I leaned back and looked at him. “You’re petting me. You realize that?”

“What?” He looked puzzled.

“I used to do this to you when I was hurt or upset. You’d lie next to me on the couch, and I’d run my hands over your furry coat. It made me feel calm and protected, you know.”

“And I had to lie there and take it. Because I was a friggin’ dog.” He grinned and studied that sinfully beautiful nightgown I wore. “Of course you never pranced around in stuff like this. You favored granny gowns and robes you found in thrift stores.”

“Vintage chenille. Valuable stuff and comfortable.” I was very aware that I hid nothing under the gown.

“Is this comfortable?” He ran his finger under the tiny satin strap.

“Almost like being naked.” I smiled and fell back on the pillow. “Is Nadia here?”

“Nope. She got a house and decided to spend the night there. She took a change of clothes in her tote when she left earlier.” Rafe was looking his fill, but he frowned when he got to what was surely an ugly red scar on my neck.

“Richard, Flo and Aggie?” I adjusted the sheet, which reached my waist. At least he couldn’t see what was probably a nasty looking heel mark on my back. It still ached.

“Gone. The vamps had to beat the sun home, and Aggie wanted to get back to her watery digs.” Rafe yawned. “Guess I’ll hit the hay. Been a long day.”

“Would you mind lying here next to me and just holding me?” I knew nothing could happen. In about a minute I’d be dead. Then he could go to his own bed.

“Sure. Squeeze over.” He stepped out of his jeans, surprising me with a pair of white jockeys, then pulled off his black T-shirt. He eased into bed, treating me as carefully as a piece of the finest porcelain. “I’m sorry you went through that. A brush with hell isn’t something you soon forget.” He gently touched his lips to the scar on my neck. “When I think of what she did to you ...”

“It’s over, Rafe. I survived, thanks to Richard. I don’t know why she didn’t just knock me out again, but she didn’t.” I snuggled into him. “This feels good. Safe.”

“You are safe. I swear it. And I’m sure she didn’t knock you out because she was toying with you. Figuring she’d have fun tearing you apart before she finally took the kill. She didn’t count on a former priest showing up to do his thing.”

“The real holy water do it?” I could barely speak. The combination of blood loss and shock were getting to me along with the coming dawn.

“It helped. Richard’s had dealings with demons before. He had some special prayers too, I guess. Anyway, he managed it in fine form, and I’m telling Grandfather about him. The Mayori needs to know there’s someone they can call on for situations like this.” Rafe kept talking, his hand warm on my back. But my lights winked out, and I didn’t hear any more.

I woke up with my nightgown twisted around my legs, and Rafe hard against me. I did a quick inventory and realized I’d healed, all aches and pains gone. He stirred next to me, as usual hyperaware of me and my movements.

“How you feelin’?” He stretched, his arms hitting the headboard, his feet a good six inches beyond the end of the mattress.

“Perfect except for a desperate need to brush my teeth. Be right back.” I bolted for the bathroom and took care of business, even washing my face and brushing my hair. What was I up to? A major right turn in my life. I knew in my heart that Rafe was there with me. I posed in the bedroom doorway.

“Flo was right about that nightgown.” Rafe brushed by me, his hand grazing my breast. “It does bring out the color of your eyes.” He stepped into the bathroom and shut the door.

My eyes? What the hell was he doing looking at my eyes? I stomped over to the bed and sat. Then jumped up again. Took a trip to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of synthetic. Chugged it. Marched back to the bedroom and slammed into Rafe, who stood just inside the doorway.

“Something bothering you, sweetheart?” He grinned, his dimples deep and sexy as hell.

I looked him up and down. Hmm. Guess maybe he had noticed something besides my eyes if that bulge stretching his shorts was anything to go by.

“No. Something bothering you?” I ran a finger down the center of his chest, then popped the elastic on his briefs.

“Oh, yeah.” He jerked me to him and covered my mouth with his. The kiss was wet heat and a slow melting of my senses. I knew this taste. Knew this firm body. Could find this scent in the dark. I had his hair in one hand and his taut ass in the other. God, how I wanted him. What had taken me so long to do something about it?

I jumped, wrapping my legs around his waist and felt his hands on my butt, holding me hard against him. My aching breasts jammed against his chest, and I couldn’t get enough of his mouth, his tongue, the edge of his teeth. I scraped a fang over his lip and sipped at his blood, moaning with pleasure at the salty tang.

He walked us over to the bed and eased me back on it, dragging one of my legs off so he could stroke his hand up my thigh. I clenched around his roving fingers, so on fire I wanted to scream at him to hurry and take me then and there. He broke the kiss and leaned back, his face flushed, his hair wild.

“God, Glory, what’s come over you, girl?” He smiled and eased my straps down. “Slow this down. A lot. I’ve waited five long years to see you go wild for me. I’m taking my time.”

I helped him get the gown down to my waist, unable to speak. Not that we needed words. We were experts at mind reading. I sent Rafe a graphic message that made his eyebrows go up. But he had his own ideas about where to go as he stroked his tongue around one nipple, then sucked it into the heat of his mouth.

I held on to his shoulders, desperately trying to slow down too. But my bloodlust was on fire, urging me to scratch him and make him bleed, needing that scent to bind us. No, he wouldn’t like it, wouldn’t want to feed me. Before we were done, I was so going there. I writhed beneath him as he moved to the other breast, his mouth clever while his hand dove between us to search out that aching place between my thighs that wept for him.

I opened my legs and stroked his chest, exploring his nipples, while I traced his contours with my tongue and teeth. Control. I couldn’t lose it. Didn’t want to scare him off. Oh, who was I kidding? It would take hell’s legions to scare away this bad boy. He traveled down my body with his hot mouth. I gasped and lost it, clawing at him. Rafe just growled and used his own teeth until I bowed off the bed.

His eyes gleamed as he rose above me and carefully stripped away my gown—he knew how much I prized such beautiful things—and tossed it toward the dresser before he pounced, saying my name in a way that made me hot and cold and hungrier than ever. He murmured words in that language I didn’t understand, kissing and licking his way up my body again. I still couldn’t speak more than his name. But every time I said it, his eyes darkened.

Finally he took my mouth again in a deep, ravenous kiss that left me breathless. We were coming to the point of no return, and we both knew it. A point that would change things between us forever. He pulled back and stared down at me. I met his gaze, so hot, so hungry, yet still so very kind.

Forget kindness. I wanted passion, to be taken completely. And I knew we’d already crossed that line a dozen kisses ago. Rafe, Valdez, my bodyguard, a man Jerry had trusted . . . No, wouldn’t think about him now. Only Rafe. He wanted me. I wanted him and was way beyond pulling together a single reason why I couldn’t have what I wanted. I shook with pleasure when he moved over me, his hand caressing my breast, his mouth gently touching mine before he asked a question I wished he hadn’t.

“Are you sure?”

I dragged his mouth down to mine, then pulled him to me, crying out at the exquisite rightness as he pressed hard and deep inside me. Sure? Was I ever certain of anything? But I couldn’t keep wondering if I’d been wasting time waiting for another man to change. This man was here now, and he knew me, really knew me, and accepted me, Glory St. Clair, as I was. He wasn’t taking me. I was taking him.

I rose to meet him and felt something else shift besides my body. What was I doing? Oh, yeah. Setting myself free. And it felt damned good. As Rafe moved, I opened my eyes and looked directly into his. I smiled and felt the pure pleasure of moving with him. He grinned and put his hand behind my neck to pull my mouth toward the vein I wanted like a wanderer lost in the desert. Every heartbeat, every pulse that throbbed through him, called to me in the most primitive way.

“Drink, Glory. I know you want it. Take it, baby.” He drove into me, his eyes on my face.

I couldn’t say a word, but of course he’d seen and felt my fangs down since the first kiss. My body already trembling on the edge of satisfaction, I sank into his vein, the shifter’s blood hot and sweet like I knew it would be. I shuddered with the exquisite pleasure, then let go for a kiss long and deep. I felt Rafe’s release inside me before he stilled and sighed my name. His head landed next to mine on the pillow.

We lay there for a few moments, just breathing, until I reached over and touched the fang marks I could see on his neck. I propped myself up so I could lick them closed.

“Thanks, Rafe. Maybe I shouldn’t have—”

“No, I told you to. And I kind of got off to it.” Rafe grinned at me, then pulled me on top of him. His shorts had long ago disappeared, and he was so beautiful naked. “I’ve always known you were a vampire, Glory. And you’re not my first. I know feeding ramps up a vamp’s pleasure.” He drew a circle on my hip that made me shiver. “And I’m all about pleasure.”