He smiled. "They would have thought our lovemaking too tame. No swinging upside down from a chandelier or dangling over the parapet of a castle tower."

Lara laughed. "You've got to be kidding." When Jack shook his head, she gasped. "They really did that stuff?"

"Yes. They attacked a circus after I left, and they were much happier with a trapeze artist."

Lara snorted.

"I nearly died again, trying to make my way across Europe to Paris. I found Jean-Luc there, and he taught me how to be a vampire. Then finally, I went back to Venezia, hoping that Beatrice could still love me."

"What happened?"

Jack sighed. "She had died a month earlier during an outbreak of typhoid fever. I have always feared that she died believing I abandoned her."

"Oh Jack." Lara touched his cheek. "I'm sure she still loved you. How could she not love you?"

He took her hand and kissed the palm. "I have always been unlucky in amore till now. Over the years, I fell in love twice more, but the women rejected me when I told them what I was. I was afraid you would reject me, too."

"I love you too much to lose you. And it's about time you found happiness." She frowned at his blond hair. "But I have to tell you I'm not crazy about the new hairstyle."

"I had to change my appearance." He pulled her close, so he could whisper. "Too many Malcontents know about Giacomo di Venezia."

"Malcontents?"

"That's what we call the bad vampires who enjoy killing. They call themselves the True Ones, since they believe they're following the true nature of the vampire-hunting and killing. They were cruel, violent mortals, and becoming vampires has only magnified their brutality."

"So you and your friends are fighting them?"

"Yes. I've investigated so many of them over the years that I know how to act like one. I came here with my new look, speaking Czech, and calling myself Henrik Sokolov."

"Which is your real name," she whispered.

"Yes. I pretended to be an old friend of Jedrek Janow, who died last December, so he can't confirm it. I dropped some other names, and I knew so much, like the location of this place, that Apollo bought it."

"Thank goodness." She raked her hand through his short blond hair. "You took a big risk."

"The others are close by. They would have charged in if I'd put out a psychic message for help. Robby wanted to attack tonight, but I wanted to make sure you were all right first. And I wanted whatever information you could tell me."

"Of course." Lara explained the routines and how many maidens there were, how many guards, and how many vampires. "There was a guest vampire last night called Zeus. We never saw him. A maiden was chosen for him, and this morning she had no memory of him. But she was covered with bruises."

Jack shook his head, frowning.

"When I first arrived, the Chosen One was Brittney Beckford. The next morning, she was gone, and I'm afraid-"

"She's dead," Jack said quietly. "Her body was found."

"Oh no. That poor girl."

"The wolves found her body in the woods."

Lara winced. "I saw the wolves. They scared the hell out of me."

"They won't harm you. And they told me where to find you. They've agreed to help us tomorrow night."

"Whoa." Lara lifted a hand. "They... talk?"

"They're werewolves. Shape shifters."

She gasped. "No way."

"The delivery man who left the Cracker Jack is a werewolf. Works for Mackay S & I, just like me."

She shook her head. "This is getting too weird."

"We're worried that the minute we attack, the guards may be under orders to attack the women."

"What?"

"If the compound comes under attack, Apollo may have the guards programmed to kill all the witnesses."

Lara shivered. "God, I hope not."

"We hope not, too. We need you to help keep the other girls safe. Can you do that?"

"Yes." She would find some reason to get them all into the kitchen. They would have a supply of knives there.

"One more thing." Jack took her hand. "It will look very suspicious if you're here in the morning without my mark on you."

"Your... mark?"

He nodded. "On your neck. I'm sorry, but it will have to be done."

She swallowed hard. "You want to bite me."

CHAPTER 25

"Is it going to hurt?" Lara asked.

"It could." Jack stroked her hair. "Some vampires, like the Malcontents, enjoy causing their victims pain and terror. But if a vampire takes the time and effort, he can make it very pleasurable."

"I vote for the second option."

His mouth curled up. "Are you sure? I was still undecided, myself."

She swatted his arm.

With a grin, he pushed her down and leaned over her.

She gave him a wry look. "You want to be on top again?"

"It's easier for biting." He frowned, considering. "I guess I could bite you from behind."

"Or you could hang upside down from the canopy."

He chuckled. "I knew I shouldn't have told you that story."

Lara gave him a weak smile. She was joking around in a sad attempt to delay the inevitable. Surely it wouldn't hurt too badly. Jack had said he could make it pleasurable. "Are you going to... feed from me?"

"Just a little. I don't want to leave you weak."

"Okay." She turned her head to expose her neck and squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm ready."

She waited. Any minute now. Sharp fangs jabbing into her neck. She curled her hands into fists. And she waited.

She opened her eyes and glanced his way.

He was propped up on an elbow, smiling as he leisurely inspected her body.

"What are you doing?"

"Admiring the view." He touched a spot close to her left hip bone. "You have a little mole here." He leaned over and kissed it.

"I thought you were going to bite me."

"I am." He skimmed his fingers across her belly, then circled her navel. "I'll have to use Vamp power to make you conceive pain as pleasure and heighten your senses."

"Oh."

He dragged his fingers up to her breasts and circled them. "You'll need to open your mind to me."

"Okay."

He looked at her, and she suddenly felt herself caught in the intensity of his gaze. A wave of cold air swept around her. Her skin chilled. The gold flecks in his eyes expanded, turning the entire iris gold and glittering.

She was mesmerized, unable to move or think.

I am with you. His words whispered in her head.

Heat surged through her, and her skin turned pink, flushed with rushing blood. Her heart pounded. It felt like her blood was racing, racing toward him, on fire with the need for him to take it. It was bizarre. She actually wanted him to bite her.

"Jack." She reached for him. "This is so strange."

He brushed a thumb over her nipple, and she cried out as a jolt sizzled through her. All her nerve endings were extra sensitive and burning for his touch.

She wrapped a leg around him. "Jack, I need you."

"It's the Vamp power." He stroked her cheek. "It's just an illusion. It will pass."

"I don't want it to pass." She gritted her teeth. "I want you. Now."

"I'm only going to leave my mark. It will be over soon. I promised I would never use my powers to trick you into sex."

"You're released from that promise." She held his face in her hands. "And this isn't sex. It's love. I love you. I love everything about you, even this-this strange thing you're doing to me."

His eyes turned red. "Then hang on, cara mia." He grabbed her hips and thrust deep inside her.

She shattered with a powerful orgasm. He arched back, and his fangs jutted out. He fell on her, and she shivered with pleasure as his fangs gently scraped her neck.

Her blood was throbbing in her veins, desperate to be released. He licked her neck, and she felt the same sensation magnified between her legs. He eased in and out of her vagina. She was swirling, drowning in pleasure and barely felt the pop on her neck as his fangs slid into her. He continued to rock in and out as he sucked on her neck.

I love you, his voice echoed in her mind.

"I love you, too."

He pulled away from her neck. She had a glimpse of blood on his lips before he licked it off.

"You're still bleeding a little. I can stop it." He leaned over to nuzzle her neck.

Every lick of his tongue caused a shudder of pleasure. Tension coiled inside her, begging for release. He scooped her up into his arms and sat back, settling her on his thighs.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed herself against him. He seized her hips, supporting her and pulling her to him with each powerful thrust.

The room spun around Lara, and she held on tight. He slid a hand between them and tweaked her clitoris. A strangled moan escaped as another orgasm ripped through her. He pumped into her, his eyes flaming red hot. Then, with a long groan, he tumbled onto the bed with her. They held each other, still breathing heavily.

"Oh Jack." She stretched, still lingering in a lovely, sensual daze. "You're so good. You're going to kill me someday."

He flinched, then rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

She winced. What a stupid thing to say. She hadn't meant it literally. She hadn't even been thinking properly.

A chill stole over her. If she wanted to stay with Jack forever, and she did, then he would have to turn her into a vampire. He would have to kill her someday.

She sat up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

The look he gave her was so full of pain, it wrenched her heart. "You know I never want to hurt you. If there was any other way..." He grimaced. "If you want to change your mind about me, I won't stop you. I would never force you."

"Shh." She placed her fingers over his beautiful mouth. "I'm not going to leave you." She lay down beside him and nestled her face in the crook of his neck.

He held her tight. She relaxed against him and grew drowsy. She drifted off to sleep.

"Lara," he said softly, "it's getting close to sunrise. I need you to wake up."

She blinked awake. She was still in bed with him, and at some point during the night, he'd pulled the covers up over her. And he'd dimmed the light. "I didn't mean to sleep."

He smiled. "It's all right. I enjoyed holding you."

"I guess you don't sleep?"

He shook his head. "I need to go and finalize the plans for tonight."

"I understand."

"Try to keep the girls safe. See if you can get them to leave the compound. The werewolves will be waiting, in human form, about half a mile down the road with a few SUVs. They'll take the girls to town. We'll come later to alter their memories."

Lara sat up, frowning. She had serious doubts she could convince the girls to cross the gate.

He touched her shoulder. "I hate to leave you here."

"I'll be fine. The girls will be amazed that I'm still here and not getting punished in Hades. They'll think I served you really well."

"Oh, you did." He chuckled when she made a face. "I'll see you tonight."

Fear gripped her as she envisioned him fighting armed guards and Apollo. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. "Please be careful."

"I will." He kissed her brow. "You be careful, too."

They shared one last kiss, then he vanished.

That evening, in the dark cellar of Chief's hunting cabin, Jack jolted awake. He heard the quick intake of air as Robby and Phineas also woke from their death-sleep. The sun had just set. This was it. The night Apollo would pay for his crimes against humanity.

As usual, within seconds of waking from his death-sleep, Jack's thoughts turned to Lara. Was she all right? How had she fared during the day?

The basement door creaked open and light spilled down the staircase.

"Are you guys up yet?" Phil asked.

"Yes, we're coming." With vampire speed, Jack inserted his knife into the sheath strapped to his calf. He'd put on some jeans and a T-shirt when he'd teleported back to the cabin before dawn. He'd been so worried about leaving Lara behind, that he hadn't realized he was teleporting naked. He'd taken some ribbing for that.

He slid a longer dagger into the sheath underneath his left arm, then put on his leather jacket. Phineas was similarly armed, but Robby had opted for his Scottish weapons-a knife beneath one knee sock and a claymore in the long sheath on his back.

The three Vamps rushed up the stairs. Phil handed them bottles of blood from the ice cooler. With no electricity at the hunting cabin, the Vamps were drinking their meals cold. Connor had teleported to the cabin the night before, delivering bottles of blood, swords, and handcuffs.

Jack gulped down his bottle of blood, then stuffed some handcuffs into a jacket pocket. These were for the mortal guards. If at all possible, they hoped to keep the guards alive.

"You know Connor came here twice last night," Phineas said as he jammed handcuffs into his pockets. "He kept wondering why you weren't here. He thought you might have gotten lost in the woods."

"I told him ye were at the compound gathering information," Robby said, his green eyes twinkling. "All night long."