instantly filled with awareness and concern.
As if by magic, the candles overhead sprang to life, illuminating the room in a soft, golden glow.
“Daisy, is something wrong?”
She shook her head, too discomfited to speak. He sounded so…so normal.
He leaned up on one elbow, worry creasing his brow. “What are you doing down here?”
“I was…” She lifted one shoulder and let it fall. “Just curious, I guess.”
“Curious?”
“I…” She worried her lower lip, then decided, what the hell, why not tell him the truth? “I was curious to see how you looked when you were…” She gestured at the coffin.
“Ah,” he murmured. “You wanted to see me while I was at rest?”
She nodded.
And his frown deepened. “Why?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Feminine curiosity, perhaps, like Alice, wandering in Wonderland.”
“I guess so.”
“Being a Blood Thief, I’d think you would have seen a number of vampires at rest.”
She nodded absently. “How did you know I was here?”
“I smelled you.”
“Do I stink?” Daisy asked, embarrassed by the thought.
“Not at all,” he said with a wry grin. “You smell quite delectable.”
She didn’t think that was a good thing, not when he was a predator and she was prey.
“As entertaining as this is,” he said, smothering a yawn, “I need my rest.”
“Of course, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”
He made a vague gesture of dismissal with his hand. The candles flickered out as he sank into the depths of the casket, his eyes closing as he succumbed to the Dark Sleep.
“…disturbed you,” she murmured. She watched him for a few moments; then, with a sigh, she left the lair. She closed the heavy iron door as quietly as she could before making her way up the stairs.
Vampire or not, he was still the most intriguing man she had ever met.
Daisy passed several hours reading and watching TV. She fixed lunch, watched another movie, and when she grew bored with that, she found a crossword puzzle book. Vampires doing crossword puzzles. Who’d a thunk it? Opening the book, she noticed that several of the puzzles had been completed. In ink.
She fixed an early dinner, partly because she was hungry, and partly because cooking and cleaning up afterward gave her something to do. Time had never passed this slowly at home.
She had just started another crossword puzzle when Erik appeared. One minute she was alone in the living room, the next he was there.
The book fell to the floor as she pressed one hand to her heart. “How do you do that?”
He shrugged. “Mind over matter, I guess.”
Daisy retrieved the book and laid it on the table beside the sofa.
Erik sat beside her. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Well, I think you startled me out of a year’s growth,” she muttered irritably. “Can all vampires materialize out of thin air like that?”
“As far as I know.”
Daisy frowned. For a girl who came from a family of hunters, it occurred to her that she didn’t really know a whole heck of a lot about vampires, and that some of the things she thought she knew were false. She supposed she should have paid more attention when her father had explained things to her, but she had been young and a little cocky at the time. Looking back over the last few years, she realized she was lucky to be alive. How much longer would her luck hold out, she wondered, now that she was being hunted by a 512-year-old vampire?
Curious, she canted her head to the side. “How old are you?”
Coming out of nowhere, she supposed she couldn’t blame him for looking surprised. For a moment, she didn’t think he was going to answer.
“I’ve been a vampire for a little over three hundred and twenty-five years.”
Ah. That explained how he had been able to be awake when she arrived the other afternoon. Maybe it also explained why he didn’t look dead when he was at rest. No doubt his blood would bring a high price, just as he had said.
One thing she did
As if by magic, the candles overhead sprang to life, illuminating the room in a soft, golden glow.
“Daisy, is something wrong?”
She shook her head, too discomfited to speak. He sounded so…so normal.
He leaned up on one elbow, worry creasing his brow. “What are you doing down here?”
“I was…” She lifted one shoulder and let it fall. “Just curious, I guess.”
“Curious?”
“I…” She worried her lower lip, then decided, what the hell, why not tell him the truth? “I was curious to see how you looked when you were…” She gestured at the coffin.
“Ah,” he murmured. “You wanted to see me while I was at rest?”
She nodded.
And his frown deepened. “Why?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Feminine curiosity, perhaps, like Alice, wandering in Wonderland.”
“I guess so.”
“Being a Blood Thief, I’d think you would have seen a number of vampires at rest.”
She nodded absently. “How did you know I was here?”
“I smelled you.”
“Do I stink?” Daisy asked, embarrassed by the thought.
“Not at all,” he said with a wry grin. “You smell quite delectable.”
She didn’t think that was a good thing, not when he was a predator and she was prey.
“As entertaining as this is,” he said, smothering a yawn, “I need my rest.”
“Of course, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”
He made a vague gesture of dismissal with his hand. The candles flickered out as he sank into the depths of the casket, his eyes closing as he succumbed to the Dark Sleep.
“…disturbed you,” she murmured. She watched him for a few moments; then, with a sigh, she left the lair. She closed the heavy iron door as quietly as she could before making her way up the stairs.
Vampire or not, he was still the most intriguing man she had ever met.
Daisy passed several hours reading and watching TV. She fixed lunch, watched another movie, and when she grew bored with that, she found a crossword puzzle book. Vampires doing crossword puzzles. Who’d a thunk it? Opening the book, she noticed that several of the puzzles had been completed. In ink.
She fixed an early dinner, partly because she was hungry, and partly because cooking and cleaning up afterward gave her something to do. Time had never passed this slowly at home.
She had just started another crossword puzzle when Erik appeared. One minute she was alone in the living room, the next he was there.
The book fell to the floor as she pressed one hand to her heart. “How do you do that?”
He shrugged. “Mind over matter, I guess.”
Daisy retrieved the book and laid it on the table beside the sofa.
Erik sat beside her. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Well, I think you startled me out of a year’s growth,” she muttered irritably. “Can all vampires materialize out of thin air like that?”
“As far as I know.”
Daisy frowned. For a girl who came from a family of hunters, it occurred to her that she didn’t really know a whole heck of a lot about vampires, and that some of the things she thought she knew were false. She supposed she should have paid more attention when her father had explained things to her, but she had been young and a little cocky at the time. Looking back over the last few years, she realized she was lucky to be alive. How much longer would her luck hold out, she wondered, now that she was being hunted by a 512-year-old vampire?
Curious, she canted her head to the side. “How old are you?”
Coming out of nowhere, she supposed she couldn’t blame him for looking surprised. For a moment, she didn’t think he was going to answer.
“I’ve been a vampire for a little over three hundred and twenty-five years.”
Ah. That explained how he had been able to be awake when she arrived the other afternoon. Maybe it also explained why he didn’t look dead when he was at rest. No doubt his blood would bring a high price, just as he had said.
One thing she did
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