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  “You have no idea,” Marc agreed. “Now that we’re all secure here, might I suggest we finish and head for the vineyard? We’ve had an eventful start to our evening and I think we could all use more peaceful and secure surroundings to talk things through.”

  Marc and Atticus helped them set the apartment back to rights and carried Lissa’s bags out to her car. When Lissa looked around, trying to figure out how the men had gotten to her place, Atticus intercepted her thoughts.

  “We flew,” he said in a whisper in her mind.

  “What?”

  “Marc and I are very old. Over the centuries, we’ve developed many skills. One of the more useful is the ability to shapeshift. When needed, we can become whatever we need to be to get where we’re going or accomplish our goals.”

  “That’s amazing.”

  His wry chuckle sounded through her mind. “Glad I could impress you, love.”

  They headed back to the vineyard in two cars. Marc rode with Kelly in her compact while Atticus took the wheel of Lissa’s sedan. An hour later, they pulled through the gate and onto the winding drive that set the main house far back from the road.

  They gathered in the living room to talk through the events of the past hours. Lissa knew from Atticus’s mind that this debrief was for Kelly’s benefit as much as anyone’s. The men would take her measure while they talked and they’d also help calm her and show her that they weren’t monsters. Lissa was glad they were taking time with Kelly. Her friendship had always meant a lot to Lissa and she hated to think that Kelly’s life would be adversely affected simply by being her friend.

  Atticus was pouring wine for them all when the doorbell chimed. That was odd enough, given the fact that nobody could enter the estate except by being admitted to the gated driveway. Nobody normal, that is. If someone could fly, for example, all bets were off.

  “Good reasoning, love,” Atticus said in her mind as he went to answer the door. “It’s Ian. And yes, he can shapeshift into some amazing forms, including a rather fearsome dragon.”

  “Now that, I have to see.” Lissa resisted chuckling aloud, though she had to bite her lip to do it.

  Atticus returned to the living room with Ian in tow.

  “What happened?” Marc wanted to know.

  Ian’s lips thinned into a hard line. “The bastard put up one hell of a fight. He resisted questioning and when I gave him just a little leeway, he turned around and attacked me.” Ian’s clothes were scorched in places, Lissa noted. “He tried to send a magical message to his brethren. I can’t be certain I stopped him in time.”

  “He’s gone then?” Marc’s expression turned grim.

  “No way to avoid it, unfortunately. I’m sorry, Marc. He was stronger than I expected and more than a little unhinged. He killed himself, in the end. His power turned in on himself and fried him to ash before my eyes.”

  “Damn.” Marc twirled his wineglass idly in one hand.

  “Did you learn anything before he died?” Atticus asked.

  “Only that he was as mad as a hatter.” Ian helped himself to a glass of wine at the sideboard. “And that he wasn’t operating alone. He had at least one, possibly more cohorts. He also said he’d come upon your lady by chance. He was going to a conference at the hotel and noted her power as he waited to board the shuttle bus. Apparently psychic power is anathema to his particular sect of loons.”

  “That’s a bit of a relief. It means he didn’t know about you in advance. You were just a target of opportunity, not someone he’d been stalking.” Atticus stroked Lissa’s hair as he sat on the arm of her chair. “If he’d had more time to plan, you might not be sitting here tonight.”

  “I can’t help but feel terrible that all those people died because one nutball had it in for me.” Lissa felt the heavy weight of guilt settle on her shoulders.

  “No, lass,” Ian spoke from across the room. “Evil the likes of which you encountered tonight needs little excuse to kill. I have no doubt that madman had the blood of many innocents on his hands. The crash was in no way your fault. I’ve learned over the years, that some things are simply a matter of fate.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Kelly was given a guest room for the night when Lissa and Atticus finally retired sometime in the wee hours of the morning. Marc had stayed late, doing his best to charm Kelly, though she seemed somewhat immune to the handsome Master’s charms. Ian left before Marc, but not by much, and he promised to return the next night to go over Atticus’s security arrangements. Things would need to be updated now that Lissa was going to live in the big house as well.

  Over the next weeks, Kelly went to work at the vineyard, performing organizational tasks for both Atticus and Lissa. Lissa moved in and Kelly was hired ostensibly as her assistant. Kelly took to her new role as liaison between Atticus’s existing staff and the couple very well. Of those who worked for Atticus, only Kelly knew his darkest secret, and that one little fact, they discovered, made her invaluable to him in a short amount of time.

  Kelly took over keeping the social calendar for both Lissa and Atticus. They attended a few evening events together and Atticus’s business associates began to recognize her as his fiancée. Lissa kept odd hours. She’d sleep late after staying up all night with Atticus, but she did still go shopping and even sunbathing a time or two with Kelly and her friends. She wanted to enjoy her last weeks of sunlight before joining Atticus in his dark world.

  It was easier, having Kelly to talk to about the changes she’d agreed to make in her life. They worked together in the house during the day. Kelly would work in the outer room of Atticus’s home office, settling into the personal secretary’s role, while Lissa moved her belongings over to the mansion and redecorated here and there. The women would meet for meals in the spacious kitchen or go out to enjoy the local bistros

  All in all, it was one of the most enjoyable times of Lissa’s life. She was planning the wedding with Kelly’s help and enjoying time with her friends and the love of her life. It was tiring, to be sure, but she wouldn’t have traded a moment of it.

  By the time the wedding finally rolled around a few weeks later, Lissa would be a well-established part of the limited social scene Atticus enjoyed. The couple had established themselves as somewhat eccentric people who valued their privacy, but were still upstanding members—albeit on the fringe—of the local business community. They attended a few charity functions together where Atticus introduced her around and she furthered his façade of normalcy by appearing at a few daytime events, carefully chosen to enhance both of their reputations. It was a master plan, carefully crafted with Kelly’s help and able assistance. Kelly, too, was established as not only a trusted member of Atticus’s staff, but a close personal friend of Lissa’s. When Lissa became immortal, they all agreed that Kelly would carry on her good works in the daylight hours.

  It fell into place even better than anyone could have anticipated. But by the week before the big wedding, Marc had become a bit of a thorny issue. He’d started visiting the vineyard more often than he had in the past. He’d arrive just after sunset to bedevil Kelly with barely veiled innuendos and flirtatious banter.

  “Argh!” Kelly walked into the living room from the front hall, Marc following close behind, grinning like a fool. “Atticus, will you please tell your friend to leave me alone?”

  Lissa stifled a laugh at Kelly’s exasperated tone.

  “Marc, leave Kelly alone.” The smile on his face belied the serious tone of his words.

  “What did he do?” Lissa wanted to know as Kelly flopped onto an overstuffed armchair that dwarfed her petite frame.

  “He bought me a car. A Lamborghini no less. It’s out in the driveway.”

  “What?” Lissa was shocked. She knew these men were rich, but she’d had no idea the Master vampire had enough money to give away expensive world-class sports cars to women he barely knew.

  Marc grinned as he sauntered into the room. “Kelly and I were talking about cars the oth
er night and she said she liked Italian sports cars. I thought she should have one, so I called Karl at the motor shop.” He shrugged, seating himself on the arm of Kelly’s chair.

  She jumped up and put space between them. “While I like a gift as much as the next girl, I can’t accept a car for God’s sake. I couldn’t even park that thing in my neighborhood. You’ll have to take it back.”

  Marc gave a long-suffering sigh as he slid sideways into the chair she’d vacated. “How about I keep it for you? I think I have one empty bay in my garage. You could come visit your car every few days and share a glass of wine and some cordial conversation with me while you’re there.”

  “In your dreams, LaTour.” Kelly’s gaze could have killed a lesser man, but Marc was made of sterner stuff.

  “But you are, ma petite. My dreams are the only place where you’re civil to me.”

  Kelly threw up her hands, and fled the room in a huff.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kelly at such a loss for words before,” Lissa said, smiling as her friend disappeared out of the room.

  “No?” Marc asked with a speculative gleam in his eye as he watched the empty doorway through which Kelly had left. “That gives me more hope than it rightly should.” He shook his head. “I have never met a more confusing, annoying and tantalizing woman.”

  Lissa nudged Atticus and he tightened his arm around her shoulders. He had to know from her worried thoughts how deeply the Master’s words troubled her.

  “See here, Marc,” Atticus said. “I hope you’re not thinking of messing with one of my betrothed’s best friends.”

  “Messing with her?” Marc focused his attention on Atticus, his brows drawn and lips curved in an expression of puzzled amusement. “To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what I’m thinking of when it comes to the lovely and intriguing Kelly. She fascinates me and that is a rare enough occurrence that I’m driven to try to understand why. It could bethat she is the first mortal woman in centuries to know what I am. That is a novel experience.”

  “Marc.” Lissa sought his attention. “I think you should redirect your fascination.” She took a deep breath for courage, but this needed to be said. “Kelly is one of my closest friends. I don’t want anything bad to happen to her.”

  “I don’t wish that either, ma petite.” Marc’s gaze measured her determination but she refused to back down.

  “She’s showing all the signs of being attracted to you, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to tease her. You could hurt her badly with very little effort on your part. Kelly seems tough on the outside, but trust me, she’s got a gentle heart that bruises easily. I don’t expect you to understand, but I’m asking you to leave her alone. She’s had enough heartache for one lifetime already.”

  Marc’s eyes narrowed as he studied her, remaining silent until she was about ready to fidget. Only Atticus’s strong presence at her side kept her still and her gaze unwavering as it met Marc’s. At length, he stood from the chair, nodding once in an old-world gesture of formality before he turned to leave.

  “I’ll keep your words in mind, cherie, but I can promise nothing except that I will try to comply with your wishes.”

  Atticus stood, gesturing for Lissa to stay where she was while he saw Marc out. Opening her mind a little, she saw through Atticus’s gaze the sleek yellow car that sat in the darkened drive. It was a beauty, but much too extravagant for a simple school-teacher-turned-executive-assistant like Kelly.

  Marc drove off in the fantasy machine and Atticus returned to the living room. Lissa met him at the doorway and slipped under his arm to stand at his side. He hugged her close as she wrapped her arm around his waist.

  “Do you think he’ll leave her be?” Lissa worried a little as Atticus and she headed for the more private wing of the big house for a little alone time.

  “I think he’ll try, but I’m not certain he’ll succeed. To be honest, I’ve never seen him like this before and I’ve known him for centuries. Never has a woman gotten under his skin the way your friend Kelly appears to.”

  Lissa didn’t like the sound of that, but relegated it to think about later as Atticus guided her toward the more private parts of the house.

  He led her to the master bedroom, which was in fact, only a façade. Inside, a hidden panel guarded the entrance to the underground complex and the protected chamber in which he slept. He would go there for the day, but for tonight, he planned to take advantage of the plush master suite and the giant bed he rarely used.

  “Do you know how much I truly love you?” he asked, each of them undressing as they stood before the extravagant bed.

  “I can see it in your eyes and read it in your thoughts, Atticus. I’m more certain of that than of anything else in this world. And I know you can be just as certain of me. It’s probably the most amazing thing about this relationship we have. No uncertainty. No ability to hide our true feelings. I love knowing that the man I love, loves me in return just as much.”

  “If not more,” he agreed, sliding out of his own clothing while she removed the last of hers.

  When they were both naked, they came together in a blistering kiss that rocked their combined world off its axis and in a totally new direction. There was no play this time, no teasing, just desperate need on both their parts.

  Atticus had never known such pleasure. She nurtured something in his soul, shone her light on the seed of hope that had never taken root before he’d met her. Now it blossomed into a healthy, living, growing thing and his dark world was brighter for her influence.

  He drew her down onto the plush bed, settling her beneath him in the way he knew she liked. He could read in her thoughts how she liked feeling small beneath his body, how she liked his heat and his gentle touches. He gave her all she could take and more. He worshiped her with his mouth, his teeth elongating and scraping over her sensitive skin, making her shiver. He loved the way she responded to him. He’d spend eternity exploring new ways to make her moan and quiver beneath him.

  The thought made him smile. He looked upward to find an answering grin on her beautiful face.

  “This will only get better the longer we are together,” he promised, licking her navel as her abdomen rippled in reaction to his touch.

  “I can hardly believe it could be any better.” Her words were a breathy sigh.

  “Believe it, my love.” He nipped her belly before rising to seat himself between her thighs. She was more than ready. As was he.

  Atticus spread her legs wide, holding her knees propped up on his arms. He eased downward, holding her gaze as he took possession of her hot channel, joining them both in body and in mind. After the first few pulses, he wasn’t quite sure where he left off and she began. He felt her pleasure and his own, the mingling of their minds combining and multiplying the rapture he felt whenever he was with her.

  As they drew near the peak, he bent closer to her, folding her legs back to give him even greater access to her body. The angle changed when he bent even lower to sink his teeth into her neck, bringing them both to orgasm at the same moment as they shared minds, blood and ecstasy.

  They lay together on the large bed, wallowing in the aftermath. Lissa stroked his powerful chest as she rested against him. She could still feel his mind joined with hers as it had been in those moments of shared pleasure—as it would be once she’d become like him and learned how to manage their mental link.

  Her thoughts turned to her friends and how they would handle her marriage. Kelly was already getting into the groove of the vineyard and they’d talked about having her move into the big house so she didn’t have such a long commute every day from the city. She would understand Lissa’s new life better than any of the others.

  Carly was going to Wyoming, so at least for the first few months, she would be out of the picture and wouldn’t notice the changes in Lissa. Christy was habitually quiet and had to be dragged out of her house most of the time. Chances were she wouldn’t notice any changes in L
issa because she wouldn’t see much of anything.

  Jena was another story. Sharp eyed and inquisitive by nature, Jena would notice things that others might not. Kelly would come in handy, standing with Lissa against any questions Jena might pose. But in the end, they were all her friends and they wouldn’t hassle her if she was happy. And she was happy.

  “And glad I am to hear it,” Atticus said, giving her a lazy grin as she pulled back to look at his face. “Now still your racing thoughts, my love, and let me bask in this bliss for a few more minutes.”

  She wanted to be grumpy, but she felt the wonder in his mind of what they shared and she couldn’t be mean. She settled her head on his shoulder again and closed her eyes, trying to relax her mind and release her thoughts.

  A vision came to her out of the blue, shocking her breathless.

  Pain. Terrible pain and weakness. Danger and sorrow. Ripped, rended flesh and blood. Lots of blood. The smell of it was in her nostrils. The smell of death. Death and…wine?

  Lissa shook out of the vision with an abrupt jolt as she sat up straight in the bed. Atticus rose beside her, his face clouded with concern.

  “Oh no!”

  “Was that a vision? Is that what you see with your psychic gift?” Atticus wanted to know.

  Their minds were still joined, she realized, so he’d seen what she had. Looking up at him, she nodded, biting her lip to keep from crying. He gathered her close and rocked her in his strong arms.

  “It’s never been so strong before,” she whispered. “Never like that. Atticus, did you see?” She trembled, remembering the face she’d seen through the haze of blood and pain. If only she knew what it all meant. The vision was nothing more than a warning of pain and blood to come, but it didn’t give her anything solid to go on…except the smell of wine and the lone face in her vision.