She might be in this man's power, but that didn't mean she had to be a willing victim.

Did she have no pride at all?

Sucking in a deep breath she attempted to gather her lost senses.

"No," she at last rasped.

It was a mere thread of sound, but it was enough to make Viper stiffen above her.

"What did you say?" he demanded against her lips.

Her body shuddered in disappointment as she forced herself to press her hands against his chest in silent denial.

"I said no."

She was prepared for him to laugh at her weak protest. Or at the very least ignore it.

She was his slave and he was in a position to do whatever he wanted with her body.

Besides which, she had never met a man yet who didn't think that a no was just a yes waiting to happen.

Astonishingly, however, the elegant form was lifting off her with fluid ease. Shay blinked as she watched him settle back in his own seat with cool composure. There wasn't even the faintest tremor of his slender fingers as he picked up his wineglass and lifted it to his lips to reveal he had been at all affected by the last few moments.

"You..." Straightening Shay impatiently brushed away the handful of curls that had strayed from her braid. "Why did you stop?"

He regarded her over the rim of his glass. "You said no. I assumed that meant no, did it not?"

"It did, but..."

"I'm a vampire, not a monster."

"You say potato, I say potato..." she muttered.

"What?"

"Does it matter what I want? I'm your slave."

He abruptly set aside his glass. "But not my whore. Not ever."

Her eyes narrowed. He sounded sincere. But then, he was a vampire. Deception was perhaps their greatest skill.

If they couldn't enthrall you with their eyes, they would enthrall you with their gilded tongues.

"So all I have to do is say no?"

"That's all you have to do."

"I don't believe you."

The dark eyes flashed at her blunt accusation, but the ivory features remained unruffled.

"That is your choice, of course."

Her hand reached for her braid as she regarded him with wary distrust.

It was a trap. It had to be.

"If you don't intend to force yourself on me then why did you buy me?"

His lips twisted with sardonic humor. "Ah... the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question." Shay frowned but before she could probe him further, the car came to a silent halt. Viper held out his hand as the door to the limo was pulled open. "We have arrived. Shall we?"

Viper hid his amusement as Shay warily inspected the kitchen with its gleaming appliances and plain wood floor. Her gaze lingered on the gingham curtains and handwoven rugs before shifting to the copper pots that hung above the heavy butcher table.

The two-story cottage was beautiful, with what the real estate agent had claimed was a cozy warmth, but it could hardly compare to most of his residences.

When he had purchased the place his only interest had been in finding an estate that was secluded and easily defensible. After a handful of centuries every vampire needed a home where he could get away from it all and let down his hair.

Or more importantly his fangs.

Slowly turning to face him Shay frowned with obvious disbelief. "This is your home?"

Viper tossed aside the heavy cloak and followed it with the tailored jacket. He was left standing in a sheer linen shirt and leather pants.

He smothered another smile as Shay grudgingly allowed her gaze to stray over his body. Their time in the limo had revealed that she was not indifferent to his touch. And that she was as warm and passionate as any man could desire.

Soon he intended to have her warm and passionate beneath him.

And on top of him, to the side of him...

"One of them."

"How many do you have?"

He shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"I suppose not."

With slow measured steps he began to walk toward her, not at all surprised when she began backing away. She might be attracted to him but she would never allow an easy seduction.

It would be a tantalizing dance perfectly suited to entertain a jaded vampire.

"You were hoping for something a bit more grand?"

She grimaced at the thought. "God, no."

He continued to back her down until she came up against the refrigerator. "I have any number of mansions that I use to entertain, but this is my private retreat I prefer to be alone upon occasion."

"We're alone?"

His gaze deliberately swept over her tense features before lowering to the barely there outfit. When he had first seen Shay attired like a harem slave he had wanted to rip out Evor's heart.

In the privacy of his own home, however, he could not deny it held a certain appeal.

"There are guards upon the grounds and I have a human housekeeper that comes during the day, but for the most part we shall have the house to ourselves." His attention turned to the full curve of her mouth. "A delicious thought, is it not?"

"Delicious is not the word I would use."

He shifted until his body was fully pressed to hers. "You would rather be surrounded by hungry vampires? That could be arranged."

Her breath caught and the pulse in her neck thundered. "Stop."

He touched her cheek. "You'll have to move, pet."

"What?"

"You're leaning against the fridge. I can't get to my blood."

"Oh."

With flustered haste she dodged around him, a faint flush touching her cheeks.

Viper pulled out a container of blood and swiftly emptied it. Then he reached for the numerous bags that had been left by his housekeeper. He set them on the counter and began to open them.

"I didn't know what you preferred so I had my housekeeper order out. There's a bit of everything. Chinese, Italian, Mexican, and the more mundane fried chicken. Take what you want."

"You already had this ordered?" Her eyes widened as she glanced over the bounty spread across the counter. "How could you possibly know you would be able to outbid everyone at the auction?"

Viper glanced down her slender body, a tantalizing heat pooling in his lower body. "I always get what I want. Sooner or later."

The golden eyes flashed with fire. "Spoken like a true vampire."

His bloodlust sated, if not his physical lust, Viper leaned against the cabinets.

"That's quite a chip you have on your shoulder, pet." He folded his arms over his chest. "Why do you hate vampires?"

She reached to pluck an egg roll from a nearby carton. "Beyond the fact they have tried to drain me since the day I was born?"

"Vampires aren't the only demons who crave your blood. Your dislike seems a bit more personal."

Silence descended as she ate the egg roll and then a wonton. Viper remained silent, simply waiting for her to confess the truth.

Another egg roll disappeared before she at last heaved a sigh and regarded him with a hostile frown.

"Vampires killed my father."

Bones of the saints. That certainly explained her aggressive dislike. And placed another hurdle directly in his path to seduction.

"I am sorry."

She gave a restless shrug. "It was a long time ago."

"You were raised by your mother?"

"Yes."

"A human?"

"Yes."

She was deliberately keeping her emotions hidden, but Viper had been reading the body language of his prey for centuries. It was what predators did best.

"She kept you hidden from the demon world?"

"As much as she was able."

"Did you pass as a human?"

It didn't take skill to read the anger that rippled over her beautiful features.

"You asked me why I hated vampires and I told you. Now, can we change the subject?"

Viper smiled as he straightened from the counter. He had an eternity to explore Shay's secrets.

It was just one of many explorations he intended to conduct.

"Eat your dinner. I have a few phone calls to make before dawn."

Pausing only long enough to trail a finger over her soft cheek Viper moved toward the back of the house and the small study. He had not forgotten that there was something out there intent on stealing his Shalott.

That was unacceptable.

He intended to do whatever was necessary to track down the mysterious enemy and put a swift, end to the danger.

Chapter Four

The house built on the bluffs of die mighty Mississippi was pleasant enough.

Like most farmhouses in the Midwest it was a plain, two-story structure, with a wraparound porch and sharply angled roof, to, places the white paint was peeling and the gutters drooping, but; some might claim it only added to the rustic charm.

Surrounding the house, the gently rolling yard held a handful of outbuildings. And, of course, the land was well populated with a number of ancient ash and oak and dogwood trees.

At a glance it offered the simple warmth of most houses in the area. The sense that a stranger passing by would be welcomed with a smile and a warm meal.