The next morning, I woke to a key jiggling in the door. Steven! My eyes flew abruptly open as the events of the night before with Lance rushed into my mind. Shit! I jumped quickly from the bed and ran to the shower before Steven came into the bedroom.Shit! I hadn't seen him in days and should have known he'd pick now to come home. I swiftly flipped on the shower, hearing his footfalls coming down the hallway, getting louder with each step. The water wasn't warm enough yet, but I quickly jumped in, letting the cool water glide gently over my body. A moment later, it was hot and steam filled the room."Honey?" Steven called out from the bedroom.Quickly, I grabbed the shampoo and scrubbed my neck to wash away the dried blood, but my skin felt as if it had already healed. I grabbed more shampoo and ran it quickly over the vital parts of my body. Shit! What happened if he found out? But, at that moment, I didn't care. Fucking Lance was worth any price that I had to pay."There you are
"Call in sick. Take a day off," Steven coaxed, crossing the room to wrap his arms around my waist. He kissed my neck, trailing up to my ear. "Stay here and make love to me all day.""Steven, where were you last weekend?""Working," he said, reaching for me, but I shrugged out of his grasp and crossed the room to my clothes lying on the bed."Steven, it's just that I'm running late for work," I stammered, slipping into my white lace panties, and then fastening my matching white bra into place between my breasts."Seeing you like that reminds me of our honeymoon ""Steven," I said, exasperated, as I slid into my scrub pants. "What's with you this morning? We haven't made love in weeks and suddenly this morning you can't keep your hands off me.""Just forget it, Leila," he said, slipping on a pair of shorts. "I work nights, or have you forgotten? Since we're on different shifts, I thought but, never mind ""No, there's no 'never mind' now," I said, repeating Lance's words and slip
Then, he looked into my eyes and, for a moment, I held my breath, wondering if he would believe me. Shit! How could I have been so stupid?But a moment later, a sly smile spread across his lips. "Am I your Lancelot?" he asked seductively, bending down to bite my earlobe. "Am I your knight in shining armor?""Yeah, Steven," I replied, as he thrust his hard dick deep into my vagina again. "Make love to me, Steven " I rose my hips to meet his thrusts, arching my back. He pushed back and forth, harder and faster until, suddenly, his come rushed inside me, bringing me to climax.Then, he leaned down and whispered softly into my ear, "Who did you fuck last night, Leila? Was it this Lance?"Abruptly, I sat up, not knowing what to think. "What the hell?""Yeah, I know someone was here last night and that you fucked him," Steven said, thrusting into me again. "I'm your husband, Leila. Never forget it," he said, as his thrusts became harder and faster until he came again, claiming his terri
The rest of the day was uneventful with not much excitement. Throughout my shift, I wondered if Steven had headed to the airport yet, but, at the same time, my mind kept wandering back to this morning. How could he have treated me like that? Although I had never done anything like this before, all in the course of one night, I had completely destroyed my marriage but it was also the most erotic night of my life.My mind also drifted to Lance, wondering where he was, and how many years he had been on Earth. He was a vampire, after all. I suddenly wondered who he had been before he was turned. I quickly pushed the thought aside. My mind also wandered to Steven. Was it true that Steven had a lover, as well? Is that why he confronted me instead of leaving me or killing me? He went out of town often on "business" and worked nights. Hell, he didn't even come home most nights. Who was to say that he wasn't having an affair? I was glad that Steven would be gone for a few days to give me ti
"I had a wonderful time last night," he said in a low voice, running his fingertips slowly from my shoulder to my waist, gently bushing the side of my breast, then wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me to his chest. "I want to see you again.""I'm afraid that's not possible." I pulled back, and he released me. Then, I turned to leave."Look, just one date," he said, stopping me. "Please."I took a deep breath. "Lance, you're a vampire.""Yes, so?""So, I need time," I said, shaking my head. "Not only did we have an affair last night, but you're a vampire." I said, accenting each word. "I need time to wrap my head around it." I looked into his eyes and continued, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Then, I laughed without mirth. "Besides, if I did, they'd lock me up in the Looney Bin for sure and throw away the key."Lance looked into my eyes, not even smiling at my joke, and stepped close to look into my eyes. "Leila, I may be a vampire, but I am still a man," he said i
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, taking me by surprise; I didn't know why. I guess a part of me expected him to come in through the window. I chuckled to myself at the thought, grabbed a black, silk wrap and flung it over my arm, then headed down the stairs. I flung the door open wide and Lance was standing in the doorway, in all his perfection. His dark hair waved just to his collar, pushed back away from his gorgeous green eyes. He wore a tight black leather jacket, unzipped with a white collared shirt beneath and matching black leather pants. He looked good enough to eat. "Well, don't you look stunning," he said with a low whistle, leaning against the doorframe. "Thank you. So do you," I replied with a smile. "Won't you come in?" "Thank you, but no," he said in his smooth, sexy voice. He slid his fingers around my waist and slowly pulled me to him, then looked down at me, directly into my eyes. "If I come inside now, I might not want to leave."My heart beat erratically, standing
I looked out the window and Caprice Casino was on the right, toward the end of the strip. It was huge, extending three city blocks, which included the hotel and casino, and it was a castle. It wasn't a cheap knock off, but a real, genuine brick-and-mortar castle. Lights illuminated it, changing between purple, orange, green, gold, red, and blue-just about every color imaginable-and it was just as spectacular in every color. The other buildings of the hotel matched the castle perfectly, appearing to be a magnificent eleventh century village."It's amazing," I said in a low voice, awed. I looked over and a smile lit his lips as he took in my expression. "Who designed it?" I asked, still amazed as Lance turned the Maserati into the long drive, leading to the front of the hotel where young valets waited. "King Arthur," he replied, waiting for my reaction.I paused for a moment then laughed out loud. "The real King Arthur? No way!"Lance smiled. "Actually, it's an exact replica of
The upstairs level was circular and rooms jettisoned off in every direction. Lance and I passed by one door and a man walked out as moans of pleasure came from inside the room. The door quickly closed as a bouncer stepped in front of it, blocking everyone's way. Another room we passed contained diners seated within, talking casually, enjoying each other's company. Ballroom music emanated from yet another room, where patrons swayed, looking like professional dancers.Lance led me to another room where two bouncers stood guard. "Good evening, Mr. Steel," both of them said in unison, each opening a door. We walked into the darkened room and Lance led me to a private table. I looked around and we were the only ones in this room. The room was impeccably decorated with a few small tables, designed for private parties. Soft music played from hidden speakers, a large sectional couch stretched around the full perimeter of the room, and large pillows were placed carefully about. "Where is eve
Leila reached over and took her from me. "Well, Amy and Angela went through a lot of trouble to organize a surprise anniversary party for us, so you'd better not disappoint them and look surprised."In the last several months since The Outsiders attacked and Leila was turned into a vampire, the cure had been perfected and several vampires were turned successfully back into humans. We had to set up a secret relocation program for them, as well, as they would no longer be able to protect themselves from supernatural creatures. Many of the innocent Outsiders were also turned into humans again, successfully. Once they had the cure, their bodies reverted back to their human form, to our relief. Also, Drake had built a private facility just for vampires going through The Change, headed by Amy and Elias. They both would be busy for a long time.I raised my eyebrows and opened my mouth, over exaggerating mock shock. "How's this?""Silly Daddy!" Sirena said as she laid her head on her mothe
"Something tells me that you won't need to bite your wrist for me anymore," she joked, suddenly sounding more like herself."Leila!" I said, crying openly as I pulled her to my chest. I pulled back and crushed my lips to hers, and she responded with all of the pent up passion that we both felt. "Leila, love. I'm so sorry ""Shush," she cooed, looking into my eyes. "It wasn't your fault.""Yes, it was!" I said, as tears ran down my cheeks. "I should have protected you. I should have been there for you!""Shush," she said, then smiled. "You were." I looked at her, puzzled. "You were with me in my heart. Before I died, you were the last thing I thought of; your face was the last thing I saw in my mind. I love you, Lance.""I love you, too," I cooed, "always and forever."Suddenly, the noise behind us began to die down. I helped Leila to her feet. Drake and Amy were behind us, still protecting us, having never left our sides. Amy was holding her scythe, and Drake held my sword. "Than
"Leila?!" I yelled at the top of my lungs as the screams of dying vampires resonated within the cave behind me. I closed my eyes for a moment and then silently prayed. "Please, help me to find them."I opened my eyes. As I looked at the caves, the one in the center of the humongous cavern stood out. I ran down the narrow path, throwing vampires over my head behind me as I ran, letting my coven tear them apart, and killed several at once, taking their heads off easily with my sword. I threw several against the wall with a wave of my hand, who were ripped apart by shifters. Then, I shoved my hand into the chest of another vampire with milky white eyes when he got too close and listened to his screams as he burst into flames. I jumped over his flaming body when I saw a faint light at the end of the tunnel, running my sword through another vampire that was coming at me. As he lay on the ground, I stomped on his throat and ripped his head from his body. As I rushed down the tunnel toward t
We ran over the rough terrain as the wind blew past us. The sun was high overhead, but the heat didn't affect vampires the way it affected humans. None of the elements did. We ran over mountains and even jumped over a gorge, not losing one vampire. Within minutes, the sound of running water rushing by filled my ears and I knew we were getting close. Soon, the black and red mountain peaks rose up before us. Within minutes, we were on the edge of Promontory Point, on the west side of the Hoover Dam.I looked down at the blue lake and at all of the surrounding igneous rock formations that created mountains, just as Xander came up on my right side. "She could be anywhere."Xander clasped a hand on my shoulder. "We'll find her." Then, he turned to his wolf pack, who had joined us. "Split up! Look for any sign of Leila and the baby!" Xander then began ordering his pack to go in every direction. Immediately, they leapt and turned into werewolves in midair, digging into the sand and pushing
I pulled the phone out of my pocket and dialed Javier's number."Mr. Steel," he answered on the first ring. "Who was standing guard?""Gregory and Cal," he said in clipped tones, knowing that I meant the penthouse"The Outsiders took Leila," I said, headed down the stairwell. "Round up some men. We're going after her. Meet me in the lobby in five.""Yes, sir," he said as I hung up the phone and dialed Ferdinand's number. "Mr. Steel?""How the hell did The Outsiders get into the castle?!" I demanded."The fire alarm sounded and there was smoke," he said, his heels clicking against the hard, tiled floor of the lobby. He was in the casino. "We were busy evacuating the guests ""While they came after my family?!""They must have come in the back way," Ferdinand said. "There was chaos ""Tell me about it later. We're going after Leila." I hung up the phone just as I reached the bottom of the stairwell, flung open the door, and looked around, spotting him walking toward me. The
I pulled out my cell phone and quickly dialed Adeline's number, but there was no answer. I shook my head, realizing how close I had come to becoming human. Just a few minutes later and I wouldn't have been able to save my family. I just hoped that I wasn't too late. I quickly dialed Javier's number as I headed out the front door of Kalyssa's cottage."Lance?" he said, answering on the first ring. Chaos erupted in the background as my heart sank."What happened?""Oh, thank God it's you," he said. "Leila has been ""I know. Xander just told me," I replied. "Where is she?" I was already starting to run, not waiting for Amy, Xander, and Elias."I don't know, but someone had to have taken her." Sirens sounded loudly in the distance.Anger filled my body. "Tell me about it when I get there. I'm on my way."I clicked off my phone and ran at super speed across the desert, faster than a car could travel. My vampire seethed for vengeance, pushing me harder, faster, as memories of the y
I woke in a cold sweat. Moonlight was streaming in through the window, piercing the darkness. Hunger rose within me; a hunger like I'd never known before. I needed blood and I needed it now. I rose from the bed and stalked toward the door.I could smell blood and it smelled luscious.My fangs extended immediately as I skulked down the hallway, closer to the delicious scent, closer to what I wanted, closer to what I craved. The scent grew stronger, more delicious, more tempting as I drew near and it was clearly, fully human. I placed my hands on the wall, beyond all reason, beyond sanity, as I inched closer to my target. I turned the corner, ready, as saliva rushed into my mouth in anticipation of the meal in which I was about to indulge. My heart pounded against my ribcage, as if it wanted this kill just as much as I. My vampire seethed within my chest, inching me closer, but when I turned the next corner it was Leila."My God, Lance! You scared me!" she said as she reached for t
"Have you thought of becoming human for her?" I asked in a low voice.Kellen let out a deep breath and sat back down on the couch. "Yes, I have.""And?" I knew that I was prying, but he had been a vampire for a very long time, and becoming human again was a big step.Kellen bit his lower lip, thinking, and then looked directly into my eyes. "Yes. I would do it. If I could grow old with her, I would do it in a heartbeat," he said without hesitation. "That's why I get it, Lance, between you and Leila. I get why you're doing this. I would do the same thing, if I were in your shoes."I reached out and clasped his hand, giving him a man shake. "What does Crissy say about it?"He shrugged. "She wants to become a vampire for me."I nodded. "And how do you feel about that?"He shook his head. "Man, I love her with all of my heart, but I don't want that for her." He pushed up from the couch, walked across the room, and then turned around abruptly. "I want her to go to college. To have
She smiled. "Well, after tomorrow, it won't be a problem.""Well, after tomorrow, you won't be able to find me.""Not until after the baby's born," Amy corrected. "After Leila's fully recovered, then you can go anywhere you wish.""Sounds good to me." For a moment, I wondered if we had another child and we were both human, would the child be human, too? But I brushed the thought aside. After this baby was born, we would have two children, which was more than I had ever hoped for."Well, I'm off," Elias said as he headed toward the door. "Amy, I hate to leave you alone with him in this state."She smiled. "I'll be fine. Go! Your patients await. I, on the other hand, am off from work for the next few weeks."Elias laughed. "Yeah, yeah! Don't rub it in.""You really need to take some time off, too, though."Elias laughed. "Well, with my staff taking time off ""Okay, don't you have to go?""Why? Trying to get rid of me already?""Yes! How'd you guess?"We all laughed when ther