Malcolm****Malcolm Baal knew someone had quietly entered his home office. Either a foe or close friend.A friend, he decided. A foe could never make it past the guards at each entrance of his Upper East Side Manhattan townhouse. Or past the guards stationed on each of the five floors.With his excellent night vision, Malcolm suspected he could see much better than his uninvited guest.His suspicions were confirmed when the dark silhouette stumbled into a Louis XVI bombe chest and cursed softly.Jacob Bethram. A friend, but an annoying one. The vice president of marketing for Baaltech Industries tackled every problem with tireless enthusiasm. It was enough to make Malcolm feel old.Really old. "What do you want, Jacob?"His guest whipped around and squinted in Malcolm's direction. "Why are you sitting here, all alone in the dark?""Hmm. Tough question. I suppose
Jacob lifted one of the doll's feet for a closer look. "This little babe is tempting, though."Malcolm sighed. This mortal sex toy was supposed to solve the Ancient Bloodsucker problem? They were wasting his time, not to mention making him feel horny and damned lonely at the same time. "All the Vamps I know prefer brain sex. I assume it's the same with the Ancient Bloodsuckers.""Not possible with this one, I'm afraid." Gustavo tapped the doll's head, producing a ripe-melon echo.Malcolm noted the doll was still smiling, though her blue glass eyes gazed straight ahead with a vacant look. "So she has the same IQ as Linda.""Hey." Jacob scowled as he cradled the doll's foot to his chest. "That's not nice.""Neither is wasting my time." Malcolm glared at him. "How can this toy possibly solve the problem with the Ancient Bloodsuckers?""But she's much more than a toy, sir." Gustavo fiddled with
Aya****"Aya rode the night bus this time, after what had happened to her the other night, she had decided to play it safe, it was hard working two jobs and living undercover as a journalist.Her mind wandered back to that scary night, when she and her best friend Natalie had been on a case, that would have been the case that would have changed their lives but instead It had taken Natalie's life and forced Aya to live in hiding.She knew she was wanted, the head quarters had granted her asylum, they had sent her here to hide in the rush of new york, and work two jobs.The bus pulled up in her bus stop and she quickly hurried down.*It was another endlessly boring night at the dental clinic. Aya leaned back in the squeaky office chair and gazed at the white ceiling tiles. The water stain was still there. What a surprise. It had taken her three nights to conclude that the stain was the exact shape of a dac
Aya gasped. Her hands lowered. Her stomach lurched. "You… you're bleeding.""Put the gun down before you shoot yourself in the foot.""No." She raised the Beretta again, and tried not to think about blood. After all, if she shot him, there'd be plenty more."I need your help. I lost a tooth.""You—you're a customer?""Yes. Can you help me?""Oh, Sheesh." She dropped her gun into her purse. "Sorry about this.""You don't normally greet your customers at gunpoint?" His eyes twinkled with more amusement.Oh, God, he was gorgeous. Just her luck that the perfect man would waltz into her life two minutes before her death. "Look, they'll be here any second. You'd better get out of here. Fast."His eyes narrowed. "You're in trouble?""Yes. And if they catch you here, they'll kill you, too. Come on." She grabbed her purse. "Let's go out the back."
Malcolm had heard that Stephan's preferred employer was the German mafia. That would explain the six German-speaking, gun-toting mortals in his company. good lord. The German mafia wanted Aya dead.Did the Germans know Stephan was a vampire? Or did they merely think he was a hired assassin from the Old Country who preferred to work at night? Either way, they clearly feared him.They had reason to. No mortal would stand a chance against him. Not even a gutsy young woman with a Beretta hidden in her sequined Marilyn Monroe handbag.A moan drew his attention to the gutsy young woman. She was wakening. good lord, if the Germans had hired Stephan to kill Aya, she wouldn't live through another night.Unless… unless she was under the protection of another vampire. A vampire with enough power and resources to take on the entire coven of German vampires. A vampire with a security force already in place. A vampire who had fough
"By God, woman, you are hard to control.""You better believe it." She pulled against his grip, but couldn't free her wrists.He leaned closer. His breath stirred her hair and feathered her brow. "Aya," he whispered her name like a cool breeze.She shivered. His hypnotic voice tugged at her, lulling her into a sensation of comfort and security.False security. "I won't let you kill me.""I don't want to kill you.""Good. Then let me go."He lowered his head, his breath tickling her throat. "I want you alive. Warm and alive."Another shiver zigzagged through her body. Oh God, he was going to touch her. Maybe even kiss her. She waited, her heart hammering in her chest.His voice whispered in her ear, "I need you."She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut when she realized how close she'd come to saying yes.He moved back,
So much for keeping his raging lust a secret. As far as Malcolm could tell, the lovely mortal in his lap had finally realized the futility of escaping his erection. Each time she succeeded in putting a little space between her head and his crotch, he rose to the challenge and filled the gap.He was a bit amazed himself. He hadn't experienced this much desire in more than a hundred years.Now, instead of bumping against him, Aya was lying very still against his zipper. Her smoky blue eyes were focused on the car's ceiling as if nothing was going on. But the blush on her cheeks and the occasional shudder that rippled down her warm body told him otherwise. She was extremely aware of him. And she knew he wanted her.Malcolm didn't have to read her mind to know this. He could read her body instead. The distinction was new to him, and the result was powerful, fueling his lust to a higher degree."Malcolm?" She glanced at hi
"Tell me you found Aya Mayhem." Stephan glared at four of the best thugs the German mafia had to offer.They avoided looking him in the eye. Cowards, all of them. Stephan had insisted on staying close to the dental clinic in case Aya Mayhem was hiding nearby. These four men had completed their search of nearby alleys and come up empty-handed.Three blocks away, police cars screeched to a halt in front of the ransacked clinic. Their flashing lights bounced off nearby buildings, waking the inhabitants. Mortals ventured onto the street, hoping to see something exciting. Like a dead body.It was a thrill Stephan was usually happy to supply, but tonight, Amor's thugs had screwed up.Incompetent cowards.Stephan strode toward the two black sedans they had moved away from the crime scene before the police could arrive. "She couldn't have just disappeared. She's only a mortal."The four thugs foll