She'd slept with a corpse. Granted, the few men she'd shared a bed with in the past hadn't exactly set the world on fire. And after a while, they generally walked away, never to return. Aya had never considered their mobility a plus before.Even after her earth-shattering screech, Malcolm was still lying there, peaceful as ever. He had to be dead. No, dammit!She screamed again.The door slammed open. She jumped and turned all at once."What's wrong?" The man she had seen earlier in the hallway was now standing outside the door, a pistol in his hand.Aya pointed at the bed. "Malcolm Baal is… dead.""What?" The man slid his gun back into its holster."He's dead!" Aya pointed once more at the bed. "I woke up and found him in my bed. Dead."With a worried look, the man approached the bed. "Oh." His frown vanished. "No problem, miss.He's not dead."

Malcolm Baal woke up with no memory of how he had returned to his bed. He was lying on top of the suede comforter with his clothes and shoes still on. He ran his tongue along the inside of his mouth. The wire splint was still there. He felt the fang with his fingers. Solid. Of course, he wasn't sure if the fang could still extend and retract, and it would be impossible to put it to test as long as the tooth was wired in place. He'd have to convince Aya to remove the splint.After a quick shower, he threw on a bathrobe and padded into his office to check for messages.Elizabeth's spidery handwriting caught his eye. She'd completed the shopping for Aya. Good. She was going to Baal corp early to make sure everything was ready for the Vampire Ball. Since she was now working night and day, she felt she deserved another raise. Another one? Fine.Van Nilsen and Henri Guisan, northern and southern europe coven masters, were due to arrive a

On the way down the stairs, Aya's thoughts centered on Malcolm. Thank God he was alive! The question now was should she stay under his protection or make other arrangements with Bob Mendoza? It was very tempting to stay with Malcolm. She'd never felt so attracted to a man. Or so intrigued.She sauntered into the kitchen and found Erling at the sink, rinsing out bottles and setting them in the dishwasher."Are you all right, ?""Sure." She noticed a box of Band-Aids that was sitting on the counter. "Did you cut yourself?""Nay. I thought ye might be needing one." He peered closely at her neck. "Och, a silver chain.That'll protect you.""Malcolm gave it to me." Aya admired the antique crucifix."Yeah, he's a good man." Erling swept the box of Band-Aids into a drawer. "I should not  have doubted him."Aya opened a cabinet. "Where do you keep your glasses?"

Malcolm wandered across the Feastroom, accompanied by Elizabeth. A small army of janitors was at work. Three men crossed the floor, swinging their buffing machines from side to side, as they polished the black and white checkered linoleum to a glossy finish. Others were cleaning the plate glass windows that looked out onto the garden.Elizabeth had her clipboard in hand and was checking off each item on her list. "I called to make sure the ice sculptures would be delivered on time tomorrow. Eight-thirty sharp.""No gargoyles or bats, please," Malcolm muttered."And what would you have? Swans and unicorns?" Elizabeth eyed him impatiently. "Need I remind you this is a vampire Feast?""I know." Malcolm groaned. Ten years ago, he had insisted on eliminating the ghoulish decorations.It was a spring conference, after all, not a Halloween party. But everyone had thrown such a fit, he was now stuck with the sam

By seven-forty-five that evening, she was ready for her trip to the safe house. The clothes Elizabeth had purchased were not designed for blending into the woodwork. With her hot-pink pants and camisole, and a big cotton shirt of neon orange and pink plaid, she could be spotted a mile away.Oh well. She would just think of it as a disguise. No one would expect her to look like a hot-pink version of Marilyn Monroe.She packed up her belongings and took the elevator down to the lobby. She waited a few minutes in the taxi line in front of the hotel. The sun had set, but the city was still bright with lights—bright enough that Aya spotted a black SUV parked across the street. She caught her breath. A coincidence, that was all. There were hundreds of black SUVs in New York City.The next cab was hers. She climbed in and was instantly assaulted by the smell of hot pastrami. She leaned forward to give the driver the address and noticed hi