The only question was what he would send after her next.

Lost in her brooding thoughts Shay gave a startled shriek as she felt a small hand abruptly tug on the hem of her robe. "Levet?"

"Ah, so you do remember the poor gargoyle forced to battle hellhounds, and demons, and to hold this magnificent spell of darkness even as he is enduring a terrible cramp in his side," Levet muttered in obvious disgust.

A portion of her tension eased at her friend's familiar grumbling. "It is a magnificent spell, Levet, but in case you haven't noticed, I've been rather busy."

"Oui, oui," he snapped with an obvious lack of awe. "Ding dong the demon's dead, now can we admire our delightful handiwork someplace where the ceiling is not about to cave in and your oh-so-handsome vampire is not about to become a dust bunny?"

Good point.

Attired in nothing more than a pair of black silk boxers, Viper shifted to a more comfortable position on the bed that consumed a large portion of his hidden lair. Beside him Shay was sprawled in a restless slumber, her beautiful curls spread across the black satin pillowcases.

Unable to resist temptation he allowed his fingers to lightly stroke the rich darkness.

He knew he should be resting. After the death of the Lu it had taken him several hours to gather his human servants and put them on watch around the house, and to contact his clan to warn them to be on alert. He didn't truly believe that the mysterious master could launch another attack so swiftly, but he was determined to be prepared.

It was only when he was confident he had done everything in his power to ensure Shay's safety that he had joined her on the bed and allowed himself the luxury of sleep. A sleep that had been disturbed far too early by the feel of a warm body entangled with his own and a heady female scent filling the air.

Well hell, sleep was overrated anyway, he acknowledged as he propped himself on his elbow to study Shay's delicate profile.

With a sense of wonderment, he realized it was the first time in all of his long years that he had actually awoken with a woman in his arms.

A vampire rarely equated sex with a relationship, and while they lived in clans they did not couple until they found their true mate.

Savoring the feel of her satin hair as it trailed over his fingers Viper hid a smile as her lashes fluttered upward.

God, but she was magnificent.

Annoying as hell, but magnificent.

The sleepy golden eyes roamed over his face as if memorizing his every feature before she realized what she was doing and abruptly stiffened.

"Viper. Is something wrong?"

"No." He slowly smiled. "I merely enjoy watching you."

She shifted uneasily on the satin sheets. He was discovering that this woman was oddly shy when it came to intimacy. As if she had little experience with desire.

"What time is it?"

"It is not yet four." Grasping the cover he pulled it down to reveal the slender form barely covered by her robe. "Do your wounds hurt?"

"No. I'm just stiff." Her breath caught as Viper ran his fingers over the faint pink marks that still marred her bronzed skin. "What are you doing?"

"I wish to assure myself that you are healed."

"You don't have to touch my leg to see that I'm healed."

Viper gave a soft chuckle, his fingers deliberately trailing up her calf to toy with the back of her knee.

"No, but it is a lot more fun than just looking."

Her features tightened with disapproval, but he didn't miss the faint shiver she couldn't completely hide.

"Where is Levet?"

Viper grimaced. "Still in statue form, thank God."

Shay propped herself onto her elbows and glared at him in genuine annoyance.

"You really are an ungrateful toad. Levet saved your life."

Viper shrugged, far more interested in the satin skin beneath his meandering fingers than the sleeping gargoyle.

"That does not mean he couldn't test the patience of a saint. I have met drunken pirates with more pleasant tongues."

A hint of grudging amusement entered her eyes. "He is, perhaps, an acquired taste."

"Like arsenic?"

"I should have let you become toast," she muttered.

"I don't know about becoming toast, but I do know you should never have returned." He held her gaze with the sheer force of his will. "Why?"

"Why what?"

His fingers tightened on her leg. "Don't pretend to be stupid, pet. I'm aware you possess an uncanny intelligence. At least when you choose to use it. Why did you return?"

Her gaze lowered, hiding her eyes behind the thick sweep of her lashes. "I couldn't leave Levet."

"The Lu wouldn't have harmed the gargoyle."

"You don't know that for certain."

He leaned closer. Close enough that her heat washed over his skin and the pulse of her heart was nearly tangible.

It was his turn to shiver.

He was a predator. A creature meant to hunt and capture his prey without mercy. He wanted. He wanted to be deep in this woman. To sate his lust as he drank of her blood.

Thankfully he had had centuries to gain control of his hungers. And to learn to appreciate the lesson that the more difficult the prey to capture the more satisfying the hunt.

"Try again, pet" he murmured, his voice edged with a faint rasp.

Her tongue peeked out to touch her lips. "I don't like the thought of some demon stalking me. It seemed wiser to confront it directly than to have it sneak up on me again."

He shifted his body to press firmly against her curves as his roaming fingers reached the edge of her robe.

"Very logical."

"I think you've more than assured yourself that my leg is healed " she said, her voice not at all steady.

"I prefer to be thorough."

Abruptly she dropped back onto the pillows. He could hear her heart pounding far too fast. "Viper."

He followed her down to hover a breath from her lips. "You came back to save me, didn't you?"

"No."

"Why is it so horrible to admit that you don't want me dead?"

She gave a choked sound as his hand shifted to tug at the belt of her robe, slowly parting it to reveal the stunning beauty beneath.

"Stop that."

His hand reverently brushed over the soft curve of her stomach. "I have never felt such skin. So smooth... so warm. I had forgotten the beauty of Shalotts."

Although she was strong enough to toss him across him room, and perhaps even through the heavy door, Shay remained lying beneath him, her face tight with something that was suspiciously close to pain.

"I'm a mongrel, remember?"

"I have forgotten nothing about you, and I can honestly swear that your human blood makes you no less lovely." He deliberately allowed his gaze to skim the delicious length of her body. "In fact it adds a charming hint of fragility."

"I'm not lovely."

Viper stilled as an unfamiliar tenderness swept through his heart. By the blood of the saints, how could this woman not know she could make angels weep in envy?

"Look at me," he commanded, waiting until her lashes reluctantly lifted to reveal her wary eyes. "Do you think it is the Shalotts's blood alone that intoxicates vampires? It has always been their astonishing beauty that captivated us first."

She gave a shake of her head, clearly not willing to believe his words. "What do you want from me?"

Well, that was easy enough.

He leaned his forehead against her own, drinking in her intoxicating scent.

"Touch me," he whispered, his voice thick with need. "Let me feel your hands upon me."

She shivered in response. "Viper, we should—"

He brushed her lips with his own, his hand tracing up to cup her breast. "Please, Shay, just let me feel your touch. That is allthat I ask."

For a long, tense moment he thought she meant to deny his plea. However much she might desire him, her defenses were formidable. She didn't want to want him. Perhaps she even feared to want him.

Then with a painful slowness her hand lifted and the tips off her fingers skimmed over his bare chest.

Viper groaned as his entire body clenched in reaction. Christ! She had done no more than brush him with her fingers and yet he was already hard and aching.

And aching, and aching, and aching...

His head dipped so he could press his lips to the sensitive skin of her temple.

"Don't stop now" he pleaded softly.

Him. Viper. Ancient vampire. Clan chief. Feared predator. Pleading for the touch of a woman.

Unbelievable.

But what was a desperate man to do?

Nibbling his way down to the curve of her ear, Viper shuddered as her hands pressed more firmly to his skin, smoothing over his chest until she came to his sensitive nipple.

He made a sound deep in his throat at the jolt of excitement. Easily sensing his pleasure, Shay teasingly circled the nipple until it hardened in reaction.

"I didn't know men liked such things," she murmured.

"I don't know about all men, but I like it very much," he rasped.