Kate tipped the bags over and watched everything she'd purchased tumble out onto the bed; then, she began to sort through the pile. Snatching the black sweater and black wool hat, she hurried to the closet and grabbed her black dress pants. She pulled them on quickly, donning the sweater, too, but stuffing the hat into a pocket. Then she hurried back to the bed to start tossing the things into her new black backpack. Once she was done, she checked her watch.

Kate had spent the better part of the afternoon sitting in a chair next to Lucern in the Roundhouse hospitality suite, eating all the food he kept shoving at her and dutifully drinking the orange juice he'd made Chris go out and find. It had been interminable. Kate had started to feel better rather quickly after drinking the orange juice and eating, at least physically better, but Lucern had hovered anxiously over her. The man had acted like a mother bird.

Lucern had also reeked of guilt, for which Kate could have kicked him. He had nothing to feel guilty forshe had practically forced him to take her blood. And, yes, it had briefly weakened her, but it hadn't harmed her in the end. Still, she did not have aspirations to be on a dinner menu. Even if being there had been mostly pleasurable, she would avoid offering herself up as another meal. So she'd fretted with the problem of how to feed him all afternoon.

Kate had been to several conferences and had never seen the Roundhouse hospitality suite so busy. The fans had arrived en masse, filling the room to bursting, the overflow spilling out into the hall. Chuck had been clearly pleased. Allison, Tom and Deeana had had their hands full answering questions, and giving out little key chains with miniature book covers on them to the readers. Chris had been forced to leave Lucern and Kate several times to confer with some of his own writers, but that had been all right, they'd done fine. With Lucern, the fans had been blessedly gentle. Perhaps that was because of Lady Barrow's announcement that he wasn't feeling well, or perhaps it was because, while he no longer looked like a walking corpse, Lucern was still pale and apparently fragile. Whatever the case, the fans Kate had feared might overwhelm him had all been gracious and sweet. They had also done most of the talking, telling Lucern how much they enjoyed his work and not seeming to notice that he said little in response.

It was at the hospitality suite that Kate had come up with her plan. It was risky and dangerous and utter madness, but it was the only thing she could think of. Knowing that Lucern would balk at it, she'd kept the plan to herself, asked Chris to accompany him to the cover model reunion dinner, and had slipped out to collect what they would need. Now she checked to be sure that she had everything and peered at her wristwatch again.

She had instructed Chris to bring Lucern back to the room directly after the dinner and skip the rest of the evening. That should be soon. Her gaze went to the hotel window. The sun had set while she'd been about her task; it was dark night outside. That was good. They would need darkness.

Laughter coming from the other room told Kate the men had returned. Curious as to their levity, she slipped into the living area. Her eyebrows rose as she took in Lucern's chagrined expression and Chris's amusement.

"Had a good time?" she asked lightly. Her curiosity grew as Chris laughed again.

"You wouldn't believe it, Kate," her friend exclaimed. "I've never seen anything like it. I mean, you know how the women can be, gathering around the few men in attendance like bees around a flower, but this was madness. I swear, one woman actually plopped herself in Luc's lap and propositioned him for everyone to hear. I thought he was going to bolt." He laughed again. "Luc looked terrified."

Lucern grimaced as Chris went on to describing several other advances he'd had to parry. It had been madness down there. Lucern detested modern women with their aggressive behaviorexcept for Kate, of course, who was only aggressive in the nicest possible way. But the women he and Chris had just escaped dear God! Lucern hadn't been so worried since that time when he was a boy and the villagers had attacked the castle, torches and pitchforks in hand.

He gave a shudder as Chris recounted the tale of the woman who had leapt into the elevator after them. She'd actually begged Lucern to father her child, claiming she desperately wanted a son as talented as he. Despite the woman's plump flesh and prodigious breasts, Lucern hadn't had trouble refusing the generous offer. He had, however, had trouble resisting the urge for a little taste of her blood. If Chris hadn't been there, he very well might have tried despite the risk. The relief Kate's donation had given him earlier had not lasted long. His body was in too much need. He was again quite literally desperate to feed. It was so bad that he had decided to retire to his room, slip through the door leading directly out into the hall, and go find himself a snack. Several snacks. Although he had to remember not to drink too deeply, as he had done with Kate. His mother and father had taught him long ago that one did not slaughter the cows that produced one's milk.

"I'm heading back now."

Lucern turned his attention to what was going on around him. Chris moved toward the door.

"Willing to brave those women again?" Kate teased.

Her friend grinned. "I have to talk to a couple of my authors. Besides, they weren't bothering me. Not with Lucern there. Maybe they will without him," he added with a wink. But as he opened the door, he was nearly run down.

Lucern gaped in horror as he suddenly found himself surrounded by a pack of excited, yammering women.

Every one of them was pushing and grabbing at him. Lucern backed away until he found himself up against a wall, but still they crowded forward, pressing against him, the sweet smell of their blood the only thing he could really concentrate on. He caught words and bits of phrases here and there, but none of it made sense.

" just love your books"

" couldn't afford to attend the conference, but live here"

" waited around the lobby"

" recognized you from your picture at the back of the book"

" followed you to your room"

" just love you!"

" please bite me. Turn me into a vampire"

" autograph my breasts?"

"Out!"

Lucern definitely heard and even understood Kate's shout. He also heard her next strident words: "A little of your special help wouldn't hurt here, Luc!"

Lucern smiled. He loved it when she called him Luc. Then understanding struck him. She wanted him to use his mind control to convince the women to leave. He only hoped he could focus enough to do so. Doing his best to ignore his hunger, Lucern tried to focus. He sent the message out to the women that they wanted to leave.

Kate and Chris both helped, each grabbing two women by an arm and urging them toward the door. Lucern dealt with the others by mind control, releasing their minds the moment the door was closed behind them.

"Geez," Chris muttered as he turned the lock. " 'Bite me?' 'Turn me into a vampire?' These women have to learn the difference between reality and fiction."

Lucern and Kate exchanged glances, but they said nothing as Chris moved to the door of his bedroom.

"I guess I'll slip out the door from my room. Hopefully, the women aren't watching that one. I'll stop at the front desk and have security men sent up to remove the women from the hall."

"Okay. Thanks." Kate waved him off. Both Lucern and she were silent as they waited for the sound of his door opening and closing.

Kate sighed when it came. She turned to Lucern with a determination that, even in his depleted state, he knew couldn't be good. Her first words didn't reassure him.

"I have a plan."

"What do you have in the bag?" Lucern asked with bewilderment as they left the hotel.

"Stuff," Kate answered a tad shortly. She wasn't pleased with him at the moment, because he hadn't immediately fallen in with her plan. He'd heard her out, a disbelieving expression on his face, then had tried to talk her out of it. He had done his best to convince her to let him simply go bite a couple of conference guests, thinking it a much more sensible plan, but she seemed offended he'd even consider it.

He'd briefly wondered whether her upset might be because she didn't like the idea of his indulging with another woman the delights he did with her, but then he'd tossed that thought aside. She already knew, thanks to walking in while he was trying to feed on Chris, that he needn't bother with such methods. He supposed she was just generally offended on behalf of mankind itself. Humans didn't mind slaughtering baby cows for veal, but seemed testy at the idea of being food themselves.

"If it's too heavy, I'd be happy to carry itas I told you upstairs," Kate added through gritted teeth.

Lucern felt a smile threatening at her irritation. He forced it back at once. He rarely smiled. Chalking up his desire to do so now as just a symptom of his bloodless state, he shifted her bag to his other hand. The woman hadn't given it up easily. After more than an hour of arguing, Lucern had finally given in to her plan. Mostly because he was starved, she was stubborn, and it was the only way to get out of their room. He knew darn well she would hound him until he agreed.

Having relented and agreed to try her plan to garner him a one-stop meal, however, didn't mean Lucern had given up courtesy. When she'd produced her "bag of tricks," as she referred to it, he'd immediately insisted on carrying it. Kate seemed to see the move as some slight to her strength. She could carry her own bags, thank you very much. But he wouldn't let her.

Sheesh, Lucern thought. Modern women sure were a pain.

"Here we are," Kate announced, leading him to a taxi. She gave the driver an address as Lucern followed her in. Apparently, she had done her research. She obviously believed in being preparedjust like Bastien.

Despite the pain he was suffering, Lucern felt his lips twitch with amusement. He couldn't help it; Kate was just so delightfully cute.

It wasn't a long ride. When the taxi stopped and Lucern got out, it was to find they had been dropped in front of a restaurant, of all places. Luc stood staring at the building in bemusement as Kate followed him out.

"Kate, I think we're in the wrong place," he said as the taxi pulled away. "I don't see-"

"This way." She took his arm and steered him up the street. "I didn't want the cab to drop us off in front, in case our little adventure made the papers tomorrow. The cabbie might have remembered picking us up and dropping us off there, and they would be able to trace us back to the hotel. Now, that isn't a worry." Her voice was brittle. Despite this being her idea, she seemed extremely tense.

"Ah. Good thinking," Lucern murmured. He didn't want to point out that the way they were dressednot to mention the metallic clinking of the backpack he carriedwould make them memorable anywhere. And being dropped off a couple of buildings down would be of little help. Still, it wouldn't be a concern. Lucern would see to that. He had no intention of endangering Kate.

He spotted the building they sought, but Kate grabbed his arm and led him past it. He was about to ask why, when suddenly she turned down an alley that ran along the opposite side of the building.

"I cased the place before I went shopping," she whispered as she skulked down the alley, dragging him behind her with one clawlike hand entrapping his wrist. She was walking in the most peculiar fashion; crouched over as if she thought that would reduce the chance of being seen.

Lucern eyed her behavior with some bewilderment, and wondered if her usually sensible mind had snapped. Surely she understood that walking in such a manner made her no less visible, and also made her look as if she was up to no good. Apparently not.

He sighed as the toe of his shoe hit a stone and sent it skittering, which in turn sent Kate skittering, too. She burst into a run, dragging him along with her until they reached a dumpster a little more than halfway down the alley. She pulled him behind it, then crouched there and peered out fearfully.

"Did you hear that?" she asked in an anxious whisper. "I thought I heard something. I don't see anyone, though. Maybe it was just a cat or something."

"Or a rat," Lucern bent to whisper in her ear. He knew it was a mean thing to do, especially when he knew what she'd heard. But he simply couldn't help himself. She was so easy to tease. He hadn't had this much fun in well, centuries, he realized with surprise.

"A rat!" Kate straightened abruptly, her head slamming into the bottom of his chin.

Lucern jerked back. Wincing, he rubbed the spot even as Kate grabbed her head and issued a howl of pain. She cut the noise off almost at once, of course, but still, Lucern couldn't help but think that perhaps stealth was no longer possible in this endeavor. Kate wasn't very good at this crime business.

"Shh," she said sternly, as if Luc had been the one who'd just let out the caterwaul. Lucern let her get away with it, instead watching with interest as she pulled two woollen hats from her pocket. She donned one, tugging it onto her head and pulling it down over her face. It was a ski mask. When she had the holes adjusted so that only her eyes and lips showed, Kate handed him the other.

"Put it on," she ordered. Taking the backpack he held, she set it on the ground with a clank.

"I am not putting this on," he said with disdain.

Kate heaved an impatient sigh. "Put it on, Lucern. I don't want to open the papers tomorrow and find your wan face glaring back at me."

"How could"

"Security cameras," she interrupted grimly.

Lucern snorted. "They would hardly have security cameras in a"

"They have security cameras everywhere nowadays," she interrupted again. "It lowers the insurance or something."

Muttering under his breath, Lucern gave in. Donning the stupid thing, he felt like an idiot, and was grateful none of his family members were there to witness it. Etienne in particular would have enjoyed taunting him for decades. Knowing Kate could not see his scowl did not prevent his aiming a particularly ferocious one at her. Not that she noticed; she was quite busy sifting through whatever was in her bag. There was an awful lot of banging and clanking going on.

What the hell had she brought? he wondered irritably.

"In your years of living," she began in a strained tone, "I don't suppose you learned anything about burglary, did you?"

"A thing or two," Lucern admitted.

"Good." She sounded relieved. "Because all I know about it is what I've seen on TV."

Lucern raised an eyebrow, but since again he knew she couldn't see it, he said in a solemn tone, "One would never credit it."

"It's true," she told him earnestly. "I like cop shows, and I just went by those. I hope I got what we need. I wasn't sureI just went through the hardware store and grabbed anything that looked useful."

Ah. This explained why she hadn't attended the cover model reunion. Lucern knelt at her side and peered curiously into her bag. The first thing he saw were several long, pointed tools. They looked like screwdrivers but with sharpened ends. There were several of them, in a variety of sizes. "Scratch awls? What are those for?"

"They always use sharp, pointy things to break into places on TV," Kate explained. "To pick locks." She paused, her expression thoughtful. "Or credit cards." She frowned briefly, then cursed. "I knew I should have brought my purse."

Lucern wasn't really paying attention; he was sorting through the bag. "A pipe wrench?" he asked, lifting the large, heavy plumber's tool.

Kate bit her lip and shifted uncomfortably. "I thought maybe if you couldn't pick the locks, you could break a window."

Lucern arched an eyebrow, then pulled out a coil of "Rope? Rope, Kate? What the heck did you bring rope for?"

"In case you had to climb into or out of a second-story window," she explained defensively.

"It's a one-story building," he pointed out.

"Oh, yes." She peered at the building with displeasure, as if suspecting it may have shrunk a floor while she wasn't looking.

"I thought you cased the place."

"I did. I just" She waved her hands wildly. "Okay, so you won't need to climb out a window. You might have to tie someone up, though."

"Hmm." Lucern reached for the next item. "Duct tape?" He drew out a roll of the silver tape. Even through the darkness, he could see her blush.

"Dad always said there wasn't a job where duct tape didn't come in handy," she said lamely. Then she straightened her shoulders and added, "You can tape the glass before you break it, if you have to break it. That would reduce the noise and mess. Or if we have to tie someone up, duct tape is impossible to tear."

"I thought the rope was for tying them up."

"Fine," she said irritably. "Use the rope to tie them up. You can duct tape their mouths shut to gag them."

Lucern nearly laughed aloud but managed to hold it back. She had obviously considered every eventuality. Except one. He didn't need any of this nonsense. Packing all the tools back into her bag, Lucern closed it, and stood up.

"Wait here," he ordered. Then he walked up the alley to the side door.

As usual, the woman didn't listen, but chased after him. Her voice was panicky as she asked, "What are you going to do?"

"What we came here to do," he answered. "Rob the blood bank."

He knocked at the door. Kate could hardly believe it. She didn't believe it. Lucern's idea of breaking into the blood bank was knocking at the bloody door? He really needed to get a TV so that he could get a grip on reality. One didn't pull a break and enter by knocking.

Maybe he'd lost his mind, she thought unhappily. That thought took hold, and Kate considered it seriously. It was definitely possible. The hunger and pain caused by his lack of blood could have pushed him over the edge. He might now be a raving lunatic, she thought. So she told him so.

"You're insane," she muttered in the silence that followed his knock. "The bloodlust has driven you over the edge. You"

She snapped her mouth closed as the side door opened. Kate was so surprised she merely stood and gaped as a man appeared. Sandy-haired and about her age, he wore a lab coat and a questioning expression as if it were only slightly out of the ordinary for people to be knocking at the side door after hours.

Kate hadn't really expected anyone to answer but, if she had, the last person she would've expected was one of the blood-bank workers. They should all be at home, shouldn't they? She'd expected a security guard, or maybe a member of a cleaning crew.

Her thoughts were distracted when the fellow seemed to notice their ski masks. She was pretty sure that was the cause of the sudden panic on the man's face. When he started to close the door, Kate glanced at Lucern and gave him a nudge. Apparently, she needn't have bothered. In the next moment, the man halted. Lucern was already working to control his mind.

There was silence as Lucern merely stared at the man, whose face slowly became blank. Lucern asked pleasantly, "Are you alone?"

"Yes." The blood-bank worker's voice was dull, almost sounded drugged.

"Are their security cameras here?" Lucern asked.

Kate felt justified in having insisted on the ski masks when the man said yes. Lucern, though, looked less than pleased. She supposed he'd hoped to take his mask off.

"Would you be so good as to show us to your supply of blood?" Lucern asked next. Kate rolled her eyes at his Old-World courtesy. It seemed the man did everything that way. Even break-and-enter.

When the blood-bank worker turned and started up the hall, Lucern glanced at Kate. "Wait here. I'll return directly."

"Yeah, right," was her answer. She hefted her bag over her shoulder and followed him inside. This had been her idea; she'd be damned if she was going to wait out in an alley, wringing her hands like some wimpy heroine in a novel.

Lucern glared at her. She glared back. Moving to follow the man in the lab coat, she left Luc to fall into step behind her.

She glanced around nervously as they walked up the hall. The blood bank was as silent as a tomb. Not a happy thought, she decided, but it brought to mind coffins and she wondered about them. Obviously, Lucern didn't need to sleep in one. While he had reinforced the darkness in his hotel room by hanging a blanket over the curtains, he wasn't sleeping in a coffin. She supposed that was something else Stoker had got wrong. But, then, according to Lucern, he didn't need a coffin because he wasn't dead. He was just old.

Kate was scowling as she, Luc and their guide entered a room with metal and glass refrigerators around it. Luc was very old. She usually preferred to date men her own age. Lucern did not fit in that category. She could safely say he was the oldest man she'd ever dated. Maybe he was the oldest man anyone had ever dated.

She paused just inside the door and merely watched as Lucern walked past her to one of the refrigerators. He opened its door, revealing neat rows of the red liquid he so needed.

Kate peered curiously at the man in the lab coat. He looked completely out of it, a zombie at Lucern's mercy, and she felt a moment's gratitude that she had a strong mind. If not, Luc could have put the whammy on her and gotten her to do anything he wanted. Which was a scary thought.

She turned her attention back to Lucern, then watched with interest as he selected a bag and poked his teeth into it. The procedure was pretty clean. He was apparently able to suck the blood directly up through his teeth like through straws, because he just stood there, teeth inserted as the blood drained away. It was relatively quick. Still, Kate found herself glancing nervously up the hall as she waited for him to finish.

Lucern went through eight bags that way, one right after the other. When he had finished with the last, he started to close the refrigerator door. Kate rushed forward and stopped him.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she opened her backpack. She began shoving bags in.

"Getting some to go. You'll need more tomorrow," she pointed out. "And I don't want to go through this again."

Lucern nodded. "Take the empty bags, too," he instructed. Then he moved to the blood-bank worker, murmuring something she couldn't hear.

"What did you say?" Kate asked as they hurried back up the hall through which they'd entered.

"I instructed him to change the records to reflect the difference, so that the blood isn't missed."

"Oh." Kate fell silent as she stepped outside. The cool air on her face as she removed the mask was a relief, and she felt some of her tension drain away. But she didn't relax completely, not even once they were in a cab and headed back to the hotel. She was as wound up as a clock, and had been all day. She could hardly believe it had been so easy. Knock on the door? Sheesh.

Lucern's hand closed over hers, and Kate glanced at him in surprise. The man was actually smiling. Sort of. At least, his usual scowl was missing. That was the equivalent of a smile with this man, she thought, noting his cheeks were now flushed with color and the lines of pain were gone from his face. She couldn't believe how much blood he'd drunk, but it appeared to have done him good. He looked healthier than she'd ever seen him.

Her gaze dropped to his hand covering hers, and she turned hers over to clasp it. She knew he had sensed the tension still gripping her, and he was trying to tell her without words that it was all right. But she felt like a teenager holding hands with her boyfriend for the first time. She was sorry when they arrived at the hotel and he released her to pay the driver.

They were both silent as they walked inside and took the elevator to their floor, Kate wondering if he would kiss her and thank her for her help once they got there. She hoped he would. She hoped he'd do more than that. But she knew it wasn't likely when they entered the room and heard the television playing. Chris was back, relaxing on the couch.

"Oh, hey! I was wondering where you two had got to. A delivery came while you were gone." He gestured to a large box on the table by the window. "It's addressed to Lucern Argeneau c/o Kate C. Leever. I guess your brother must have re-sent it. He must have figured everything out on his own." He frowned at his words, then shook his head. "Though, I guess the first box couldn't have got back to him yetit's only been a day." He shrugged. "He must just have sent you something else."

Kate wasn't listening. She was gaping at the box on the table with disbelief. It had "A.B.B." stamped on its side. Argeneau Blood Bank? Dear God. All that stress and anxiety had been for nothing.