When he released her lips, he felt his fangs itch. “Bond with me.”

A sparkle in her eyes told him she had waited for his demand. When her fangs pushed past her lips, he could barely contain his excitement.

“You’re beautiful,” he mumbled before he sank his fangs into her neck. Then he felt hers pierce the skin on his shoulder. Her blood was everything he’d dreamed of and more. Thick and rich, it coated his tongue. It nourished his heart and his soul. Maya was his, and he was hers.

Before he lost himself in the euphoric feelings her blood and her wet and warm channel gave him, he reached out with his mind and connected with her.

Mine for eternity.

Mine always, her mind answered back and warmed his heart.

Epilogue

Maya arranged the calendar on her new desk and looked around the room. Her own little practice. Sure, her office hours were unorthodox, but so were her patients. She was now officially the first vampire physician in San Francisco.

Gabriel had bought a beautiful Victorian house close to Samson’s, and the basement now housed her medical practice. He’d encouraged her to continue with her medical career even though it meant she had to start all over again and learn everything she could about a vampire’s physical form. Not that she minded. Gabriel was always willing to let her experiment on him. She felt herself smile at the thought.

“You look happy,” a voice came from the door.

Maya looked up.

“I knocked,” Yvette said and entered. “But you didn’t hear me.”

“Daydreaming, I guess.”

Yvette let appreciative glances travel around the room. “I wish you lots of success with your practice.”

“Thank you. I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you wanted to return to New York.”

She could see Yvette hesitate. “That’s why I want to talk to you. With Ricky dead and Gabriel having taken over the running of the San Francisco office, there’ve been some changes.”

Maya raised an eyebrow. Gabriel had not said much about the future of the company and what he and Samson planned on doing after Ricky’s death other than the fact that Gabriel would take Ricky’s place and relinquish his position in New York.

“Gabriel has asked if I wanted to stay in San Francisco. I think he feels he has to offer me something in exchange for saving you from Ricky, when clearly it was a team effort.”

Maya took two steps toward Yvette and put her hand on the woman’s arm. “You were there first. You took him down. I’m grateful for that. I never thought you’d risk your own life for me; I didn’t think you liked me much.”

Yvette smiled. “I liked Ricky even less.”

“Thank you.”

“To get back to Gabriel’s offer—I didn’t want to accept it unless you were okay with it.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“It can’t have escaped you that I wanted Gabriel for myself.”

“I can’t blame you for that. He is an amazing man. But you’ve accepted that he’s mine. I have no quarrels with you. If Gabriel wants you to work with him in San Francisco, you shouldn’t let him wait for an answer much longer.”

Yvette put her hand over Maya’s and squeezed it. “I’m glad you feel that way. It makes it easier for me to ask you for something else.”

What else could there be? She and Yvette weren’t exactly friends, even though she hoped that over the years that would change. “Yes?”

“Drake told me you’re a good researcher.”

“I was,” Maya admitted, a twinge of regret charging through her body.

“You could be again. There’s something—” Yvette broke off.

“What is it?” Concern rose in Maya.

“I want a child. But as you know yourself, vampire females are infertile.” Maya heard the desperation in Yvette’s voice. If Yvette knew of Maya’s hopes for her own ability to conceive, Yvette would only feel more devastated. She couldn’t tell her, but she felt for her. She understood her desperation, her longing.

“Yvette.”

Yvette looked up.

“I’ll do all I can—it’ll give me a purpose. I can’t promise I’ll find a cure, but I’ll do my best.”

“Baby, are you coming up so we can —” Gabriel said from the door. “Oh, hi, Yvette.”

Maya looked at her man. He seemed more handsome as each day passed. “Gabriel, Yvette’s come to give you her answer.”

“Excellent; let’s talk.”