Vasile strode through the empty club, heading for the back entrance. He didn't have time for listen to drunk patrons and their complaints about the closing time and overpriced liquor. He had a promise to keep and a woman to love.

"Master." Mele, his head waitress, joined him, her shorter legs moving double time to keep up.

"What now?" he barked, his patience stretched. Tonight he'd dealt with a battle-hungry, dragon-shifting business partner, bespelled employees, and a missing phone filled with secrets. All he wanted to do was go home to his beloved's open arms.

The waitress swallowed hard, and guilt swept over him. "What is it, Mele?" Vasile forced softness to his voice. His bad day wasn't her fault.

"Kerrick's men are waiting outside the front door," she explained, her words subdued. "They've been drinking hard and --"

"They're looking for a fight," Vasile finished for her. In the past, he'd jump on any legitimate opportunity to bust their thick skulls. Tonight, he had different priorities. "Let North and his team handle them." His werewolf bouncers hated the vampires almost as much as he did.

Mele's green eyes widened. "Yes, Master." She hurried away, her high heels clicking on the metallic floor.

Vasile slid through the back door and coasted along the alley, breathing in the smells of a city that was never at rest. He kept to the shadows, drawing no notice from the club kids looking for the next high, the cops huddled around steaming cups of coffee, or the man in the long, beige trench coat walking his dachshund. This was New York. No one noticed anyone or anything in the big city.

He stopped, hearing an unusual clamor amidst the night sounds. f.u.c.k. Not even a multi-vampire attack in a quiet neighborhood spurred residents to take action.

They dared to attack his quiet neighborhood.

Carly. Vasile ran at full speed, the trees and streetlights and signs blurring around him. His beloved. He must protect her.

Vampires surrounded his house. Kerrick's man -- the same vampire who had bitten Vasile's mate in the club the night before -- rammed his shoulder against the front door, the reinforced doorframe splintering under his supernatural strength.

A red mist of rage colored Vasile's view. His fangs dropped. His claws extended. He moved so quickly and silently, the vampire didn't see him coming.

Vasile leaped into the air and, with a downward arc of his claws, he sliced the fledgling's head completely off. The detached skull bounced on his front steps, the spraying blood painting the white door and scenting the night air, before the skull and torso burst into flames.

Vasile twisted in the air to land soundlessly on both feet, facing the street, his boots planted securely on the concrete and his legs braced apart. He studied the pile of ash dispa.s.sionately. There was one less threat to Carly.

Vasile pivoted on his heels and surveyed the damage. The shutters were lowered, and the door was intact. He pressed his ear to the charmed wood, dreading what he might find inside.

Carly's heart beat strongly. Her breath rasped rapidly. His beloved was frightened but alive. Some of the tension in his shoulders eased.

Cheap leather creaked behind him. Vasile turned, his long, black coat swinging around his body, and he extended his arms, decapitating the vampire flying at him from the left.

Kerrick's men rushed toward him in an imposing wave of darkness. Kerrick, that chicken s.h.i.t, was nowhere to be seen.

Vasile kicked and sliced and clawed, striking each blow with one purpose -- to kill. There was no mercy and no holding back of his superior powers. Tonight, he would send a grisly message. No one attacked his home, and no one harmed his beloved. They would all die for daring to do so.

Vasile was stronger, more powerful, and older, with years of fighting experience. Kerrick's men had sheer numbers. They kept coming, and he continued to kill them, spinning and slicing, maintaining the perimeter around him. Any vampire who breached that perimeter died.

The body count increased, the temperature rising with their burning flesh. Blood flowed between Vasile's fingers. His muscles ached. His body tired. He fought with grim determination.

The ugliest vampire he'd ever seen flew toward him. As Vasile turned to face his attacker, he slipped on a puddle of ash, and claws connected with his left forearm. He roared, the pain breathtakingly fierce.

"Vasile!" Carly yelled from the other side of the door.

"Stay inside," he ordered, her voice boosting his flagging energy. He had to fight. He had to protect her. He sliced his deadly claws across the goon's neck, his scarred face slackening with surprise.

Vasile gritted his teeth. The newly turned always thought they were invincible. He scanned the faces of the five attackers surrounding him. f.u.c.k. All the males were newly turned. Not one of Kerrick's senior vampires was present.

A blond, pretty boy entered his circle. Vasile swung his arms, easily carving through the vampire's delicate neck.

It didn't make sense. Why would Kerrick send his weakest men to fight him? Why didn't he call for a retreat?

The front door creaked open, and he smelled Carly's sweet scent. What -- Claws raked over his right shoulder, leaving a trail of burning pain. He bellowed, releasing some of his torment into the air.

"Oh, G.o.d. Vasile, your shoulder." She hovered on the threshold, holding what looked like... h.e.l.l, were those his custom-crafted, antique pool cues, broken in two? What was she -- He dodged the fledgling's swing at his exposed neck. Irked at his sloppiness, he retaliated by removing the vampire's head.

"Get back inside!" Vasile hollered, standing protectively in front of Carly.

"I came out to help you." She poked her head under his spread arms, brandishing the broken cue sticks. "Hey. Where'd they all go?"

A vampire lunged toward her. Vasile pushed forward, swiping his claws under the youngster's rounded chin. His fleshy head splattered on the concrete, and his torso pitched downward and burst into flames, burning to a fine gray ash.

"Oh." Carly kicked the mound, scattering the vampire's remains. "So all of this is --"

"Yes." He eyed the two remaining vampires. The tall, thin male swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. The shorter, beefy one looked behind him, as though awaiting further instructions.

"Can I kill one?" his bloodthirsty beloved asked, waving a broken cue stick.

"No." Vasile nudged her back behind him. She wasn't getting within striking range of any vampires.

Carly sighed. "I guess the sun will kill them soon anyway."

Both of the vampires turned their heads and stared at the light on the horizon. Their faces paled, and Vasile twisted his mouth. The fledglings didn't know to fear him, but they did fear the coming dawn.

"Run while you still can," he advised, extending them leniency.

They took his advice, rushing toward the street. A dark form entwined with the tall, thin vampire taking the lead, and his body fell. Flames lit up the shadows. The beefy vampire pivoted and sprinted back to the house. Vasile raised his claws to defend Carly. The darkness overtook the fledgling, the vampire squealing as he lurched forward.

Kerrick emerged from the fire, a sinister smile on his thin lips. "Good help is so hard to find."

Vasile spread his arms, concealing Carly's smaller form. "Perhaps if you trained your men instead of killing them..." He curled his top lip with distaste. What type of warped animal killed his own men?

"Oh, I didn't kill them." Kerrick's oily smile spread. "You did. I was simply following Oro's orders, detaining you so you wouldn't interfere with my boss's courting, and you went crazy, killing my poor, defenseless fledglings. I, of course, had to kill you and turn your dear, human beloved." He clucked his tongue. "It was all very tragic."

"Vasile, the sun..." Carly tugged on his coat.

"Yes, the sun. How inconvenient." Kerrick flexed his claws. "Let's continue this discussion inside, shall we?"

Vasile growled a warning. "Like h.e.l.l I'd allow you --"

A hard force barreled into his gut, flinging him and Carly backward. Vasile dragged his claws into the hardwood, slowing his momentum. His beloved, having no such ability, landed with an oomph against the wall, the impact cracking the drywall, and she slumped to the floor.

Kerrick straightened and casually stepped over the threshold. "Now, this is much more civilized, isn't it?" He kicked the door shut behind him, sealing them inside the darkened house. "Dying in public is so uncouth."

"You'll be the one dying." Vasile fanned his fingers. This battle had been building for centuries, Kerrick's fixation on him and the beings he cared for growing increasingly unnerving.

Kerrick laughed. "I doubt that." He slowly unb.u.t.toned his suit jacket, removed it, and placed the garment on a wooden hanger in the closet. "You're bleeding, Vasile." He unfastened his cuffs and neatly, painstakingly rolled his sleeves up. "And while you were wrestling with my men, I was draining your dear sweet neighbors dry."

His neighbors were two kind, elderly sisters. Vasile breathed deeply in and out, in and out, forcing his anger back. He had to think clearly in order to defeat Kerrick, because his enemy was right. He was bone weary from fighting, and the blood streaming down his arms further sapped his strength.

They circled, their bodies lowered, ready to spring, watching each other, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Kerrick's eyes shimmered with the dancing light of madness, and he moved with the smoothness of a killer.

Vasile killed when he had to. Kerrick killed for fun, torturing his victims mercilessly. Vasile pressed his lips together. Kerrick wouldn't torture Carly. He wouldn't touch her.

"Are we to dance around each other all day, Vasile?" Kerrick sighed dramatically. "This is growing tedious."

"You are welcome to change the song," Vasile offered.

"Thank you." Kerrick bowed slightly. "I believe I will." He bent his knees and sprang, charging forward.

Vasile spun, sweeping his right foot along the floor, and Kerrick leaped, avoiding the attack. Air rushed between them as they pa.s.sed, mere inches from each other.

Kerrick ran up the wall and across the ceiling, flipped over and attacked again. Vasile raised his arms to defend himself, grunting at the blow. Claws sc.r.a.ped against claws. Loose plaster fell upon them. Vasile tossed the vampire back, his boots skidding on the wood.

"You always were an uncivilized brute, Vasile." Kerrick sneered. "All strength and no finesse."

"Finesse is overrated." Vasile threw himself into the air. As he tumbled forward, he sliced into hard shoulder muscle. Kerrick shrieked and pivoted on his heels, cutting his claws through Vasile's jacket, the razor-sharp tips grazing his lower back.

Vasile landed with a grunt, straining to steady his stance. His head spun from the blood loss. Need rest. Need to feed.

His nostrils flared. Blood. Smell blood. Human blood. Carly crawled along the wall, heading toward the front door. A trickle of red dripped from the corner of her mouth down her chin.

Food.

No. Not food. Vasile shook his head. Beloved. Must protect.

Kerrick pitched toward him, screaming like a demon, and Vasile raced to meet him, lifting his arms to catch the downward swoop of his claws. He misjudged the angle, sucking in his breath as the skin was stripped from his fingers, the joints severed, the agony intense.

He threw his body backward, breaking the hold, and kicked the vampire across the room. Kerrick landed on his a.s.s, sliding along the hardwood.

Vasile tried to move his claws. He couldn't. The tendons were severed. It would take time and blood for them to heal, and he didn't have either.

Kerrick sat on the floor and grinned up at him, in no hurry to rise because both of them knew Vasile had minutes of life left.

The fight was over. He would die.

Vasile positioned himself beside Carly, needing to be near her, selfishly wishing he could hold her one last time but knowing the moment was better spent apart.

"Carly, run as fast as you can," he growled. "Keep to the sunlight. Find Frey. He'll protect you."

"No." His stubborn beloved dragged her frail human body up the doorframe, leaving red handprints on the white paint. "I'll protect you."

She slid her hand along the wall toward the b.u.t.ton automating the shutters.

Saints alive. His beloved was both crazy and brilliant. As the room lit with deadly sunbeams, Vasile leaped into the closet and slammed the door shut, shrouding his aching body in protective darkness.

"Nooooo!" His enemy's haunting howl flowed into a high-pitched scream. Vasile grimaced, flexing his healing palm, as silence followed, announcing Kerrick's demise, his death as dramatic and as gory as his existence.

Chapter Five.

Carly crossed her arms defensively as a fully healed Vasile stared across the man cave at the empty pool cue rack. The stakes had seemed like a good idea at the time.

"You split every single cue?" He turned his head and raised one dark eyebrow.

Her face heated. "There were a lot of vampires." She studied the toes of her red heels, her friend Perla having brought her a much-needed tote filled with fashion essentials.

Vasile sighed, his chest heaving. "You didn't believe I'd return."

"I knew you'd return." Carly didn't trust anyone else, but she did trust Vasile. "I thought you'd need help fighting the vampires." She lifted her chin. "I did help you."

"You saved my life." His mouth curved upward. "I'll have new cues made." He rounded the table, brushing his long, slender fingers over the felt. "Do you play?"

"A bit." She leaned over and mimicked shooting, the hem of her short skirt rising, cool air wafting against her bare thigh. "I'm a little rusty." Carly gave him a come-hither smile.

His brown eyes glittered. "Let me help you with your technique." He pressed his hips to hers, his pants-covered c.o.c.k hard against her a.s.s, and she inhaled sharply, her nipples tightening with excitement.

"As this is my table --" He tugged her skirt up, removing that barrier between them. "-- I know its needs, how it likes to be handled, touched, played upon." He curved his hands over her a.s.s cheeks, rubbing and stroking, his palms warm and firm.

"The surface is faster than those found in pool halls." He slid his fingers under the straps of her G-string. "Less friction." The soft silk slipped down her thighs. Carly wiggled, and her panties fell to her feet.

"Your stance depends on where you're aiming." He cupped her mons, spreading his fingers possessively over her skin. Her body throbbed with awareness as he slowly dragged his fingers along her juicy p.u.s.s.y and up her a.s.s crack, spreading her wetness over her puckered hole. "On what you want." She trembled as he circled her rim, teasing her flesh. "Hmmm..." His lips hummed against her earlobe. "I've found the pocket I want to sink a ball into."

He'd f.u.c.k her a.s.s. "Only one ball?" She widened her stance, giving him more access to her body. Her neat and tidy looking lover truly wanted this, her.

"Both b.a.l.l.s, and I've wanted to f.u.c.k this perfect a.s.s since I first met you." Vasile squeezed her a.s.s cheeks, the pressure exactly right. "You're made for me, Carly." He returned to her rim, prodding her hole with his thick, wet index finger, as though testing her fit.

"Stop reading my mind." Carly looked over her shoulder, and he grinned back at her, his eyes dancing with mischief. "And f.u.c.k me, already."

"Not yet." Vasile withdrew his hand, and Carly huffed with frustration, needing, wanting his fingers inside her. He chuckled. "Patience, beloved."

He fished around in his pants pocket and removed a tube of lube. "We need to chalk the cue first." He filled his left palm with lube, set the tube on the rails, and rubbed his hands together. "Thoroughly."

Carly stared forward, focusing on his touch. His slick fingers covered her a.s.shole, tracing the opening round and round, and she leaned farther over the felt, extending her arms, offering herself up to his care.