Demon's Kiss by MAGGIE SHAYNE

heading in the right direction; he sensed that. But his patience was wearing thin. He hadn’t dreamed about the redhead or felt that connection with her in far too long now, and it worried him.
    â€œTry it, Seth,” Reaper encouraged. “You’ve got the blocking down. I haven’t been able to read your thoughts for at least ten miles now, and that’s important. Now try sending a message to Topaz, but not to me.”
    Seth licked his lips, kept his eyes closed, brought Topaz’s face into his mind’s eye and thought about how hot she was, and tried to come up with a message to send to her.
    â€œGot it,” Topaz said.
    Seth’s eyes popped open. “But I didn’t think anything yet.”
    â€œUh, yeah, you did. And can I just say, in your dreams, Sol.”
    He frowned. “It’s Seth. And I didn’t—”
    Reaper glanced at him and nodded once. “I got it, too, kid.”
    â€œDamn. I swear to God, I didn’t think anything. Not on purpose, anyway.”
    â€œRight,” Topaz said. “Roxy, we need to get off at the next exit.”
    Roxy followed the instructions, just as she’d been doing all along. She took the exit, made it to the stop sign at the end of the ramp, and sat there waiting.
    â€œWell, this is it,” Topaz said.
    Roxy was still waiting. She turned in her seat, looked sideways at Topaz with a look of ever-thinning patience, and said, “What do you mean, this is it? This is an off ramp.”
    â€œ This is all I know.”
    Roxy made a circular motion with one hand. “More, please.”
    Sighing, Topaz looked behind her, to Seth and then Reaper. “All I know is that Jack has been seen around Savannah several times lately.”
    â€œThat’s it?” Seth asked. “Savannah’s a big place, hon.”
    â€œDon’t call me hon. And I know it’s a big place. I’m not stupid.”
    â€œWell, jeez, Tope, what do you suggest we do, start a door-to-door search?”
    â€œDid you just call me Tope? ”
    â€œDon’t take it personally,” Reaper said from the far back. “He has, on occasion, referred to me as Reap. ”
    â€œExcuse the hell out of me while I make a list of the things I’m not allowed to call you two!” Seth folded his arms and slammed back against the seat.
    They all fell silent and turned to stare back at Reaper, who shrugged, his face just as stoic as ever. “Roxy, take a right here, and start looking for a safe haven for the daylight hours. Shelter is the foremost concern at the moment. There’s not much darkness left to us.”
    Roxy flipped on the signal.
    â€œNo, left,” Topaz said. And when all eyes were on her again, she went on. “Well, you don’t think I was on my way down here without having made arrangements for my comfort, do you? I rented a little place. A friend’s winter home.”
    Roxy flipped the other signal light on, glanced both ways and pulled out just as the driver behind them grew impatient enough to blow the horn at her. Seth grinned as he wondered whether they would have been so quick to honk if they knew they were behind a van full of blood drinkers.
    â€œHow long did you arrange to use this little place of yours, Topaz?” Reaper asked.
    â€œIndefinitely,” she said. “I mean, they don’t come down here until after Christmas, and it’s only September, so…”
    She said no more, and Roxy drove. Topaz pulled a slip of paper from a pocket and began reading from it, a frown between her brows, as Roxy followed her directions. About twenty minutes later they were pulling into a paved circular driveway that led to a ranch worthy of the world’s biggest country star. The house was a huge Georgian, white and flat-roofed, with tall pillars holding up the front, and wide steps and giant windows. There was a garage with at least a half-dozen bays, and beyond it, white