“Yes. But not the others. This has to end. I cannot bring it to Ernesto at this point, but it has to end. Too many have already died, and I have done nothing to prevent it. I think my own brother may be involved, and I didn’t see it. This should not have gone on as long as it has.”

She had a vision of him, flying out of the cave toward Tulio and the girl, leaping in the air to slash at the monstrous creature that had come after them. The thing had scarcely looked human, and it had moved so fast, Natalie could barely see it. She hadn’t seen much of the fight, it was dark and they moved too fast, but she had seen Baojia end it, ruthlessly cutting off the head of the monster and tossing it aside as he used the dead vampire’s shirt to clean the blade that had killed him.

And yet, here he stood, thinking not about the girl he had rescued, but the ones he had not.

“I think you’re much harder on yourself than anyone else.” She lifted an arm to clean along his side.

“I don’t compare myself to others. That’s useless.”

“But you ex juhe.

“I expect,” he said, spinning around, “to protect those I am responsible for. To cause as little harm as is possible for one of my kind. And I expect you to take off that shirt because it smells like Tulio and, as much as I like the man, I do not want his scent on your body.”

She blinked and looked down at the shirt. “Are you serious?”

“Very.”

“I don’t have anything else to sleep in.”

“I don’t care.” Then a smile touched his lips. “And it’s hardly necessary, is it? I’ve seen every freckle.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not being modest. It’s cold down here.”

“The shirt, Natalie.”

“Fine.” She was already blushing when she pulled it over her head and tossed it in the corner. “Happy?” Her face was on fire.

“Yes.” He gave her a smug look before turning around again. “Could you get between my shoulders now?”

“You ass!” She laughed and slapped at him with the washcloth, happy that he seemed to be coming out of his mood. She pressed against his back and let one hand trail down his stomach as she dipped into the basin again. “Between your shoulders, huh?”

His breath hitched at the feel of her fingers. “Among other places.”

She smiled against his back. His skin was alive. The hair on her arm rose simply by touching him.

“You’re a good man,” she whispered. “I won’t believe otherwise.”

“Natalie—”

“Shhh.” She saw his head fall forward and heard him groan as her hand slid beneath his waistband. “Let me take care of you for once.”

Natalie was lying in his arms, drifting off to sleep after their very long night, when she heard him.

“Natalie?”

Her eyes were closed, but she answered, “Hmm?”

“Talk to me about your job.”

She pulled away from the hypnotic feel of his skin and rubbed her eyes. “Well, I’m going to run out of personal days soon. I was supposed to be following this story on my own time, with the backing of the paper, but still on my own time. I have court cases to report on. Regular crimes. Local politics. Stuff like that. I’m sure Kristy’s probably pissed at me, but she can’t do anything about it because I have so much personal time saved up.”

He trailed a finger up and down her arm. “And what about when it runs out?”

She had a feeling he wasn’t really all that interested in her job. “What do you really want to know, Baojia?”

He reached for her and pulled her to lie on his chest. “You are under my personal aegis,” he said quietly. “But I cannot stay in Southern California. Not while my sire rules here.”

She froze. Natalie knew he had quit his position in his father’s business, or organization, or whatever it was. But she hadn’t realized he would have to leave.

“So what does that mean? Explain it to me.”

“It means I am responsible for you. Both for your actions and your safety. But you live here. And I cannot stay here.”

“You’re saying if I did something any vampire considered a threat that you would be the one responsible?” She looked away. “That’s… medieval.”

“Yes.” He pressed gentle fingers to her face so that fa

Natalie forced back the tears. She didn’t want to cry while she was looking at him, but the crushing sense of loss was almost overwhelming. Once again, she felt like she was losing everything. “What are you asking me, Baojia?”

The insistent fingers on her cheek turned soft and soothing. “You have family in Northern California. Could you—”

“I don’t talk to my dad. Maybe once a year.”

“Why?”

She rolled away from him. He tried to grab her, but she pushed him away. “Don’t.”

His voice held an irritated edge. “What do you want to know about my life that I haven’t told you? Ask me, right now, and I’ll answer.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He was right. As many questions as she had asked, he had been forthcoming about his past. And he knew nothing about her.

“Your father is a police officer.”

Her eyes flew to his. “How did you—”

“Guesswork, mostly. At the bar, the way the retired officers talked to you… It made sense.”