Matty was in a daze, panting, her body going lax as she fought the urge to drift to sleep. Her eyes opened when he raised up slightly, his handsome face all she could see, and his incredibly gaze held hers. Pa.s.sion and satisfaction were two emotions she could read easily as he peered at her, because she probably had the same ones on display.

"Ah la.s.s," he murmured. "I didn't mean to bite but I couldn't help it. That was remarkable."

She licked her lips, tried to think, but the room began to spin as she suffered a moment of lightheadedness. The gaze holding hers seemed to darken in color and flash regret.

"I'll take care of you. You're such a wee one and I took too much. It was the pa.s.sion. You'll be fine. Sleep. I will protect you with my life."

For some insane reason, she trusted him. He'd just taken her blood, had s.e.x with her, and yet she closed her eyes. A sense of peace filled her before she blacked out.

Blaron shifted his gaze to her neck. He bent, licking at the drops of blood that remained on her healing skin. He hadn't meant to bite into her but he couldn't have stopped for anything. The pa.s.sion that had flared between them had been a force not even a vampire as old as he could resist.

His spine stiffened when he realized there were two added scents inside the room now, and two sets of lungs that hadn't been sucking in air before. He jerked his head around to glare at the two men who stood just inside the bedroom. Both wore leather from neck to foot, had arrived far too quickly in his opinion, and neither met his angry glare.

"Sorry," one of them muttered. "We didn't realize you were having a private moment. We just rushed in, worried about you."

"Drag the hunter out and give me a minute."

"Yes, sir," they said in unison, moving to grab the human from the floor and hauling him off by his tethered limbs.

Blaron cursed as he straightened the la.s.s's robe. He bent, grabbed his sword, and slid it into the scabbard he'd had sewn onto the side of all his kilts. He d.a.m.ned the males for their quick response and himself for losing his mind over a sweet-smelling female who fascinated him.

His hands sliding under the la.s.s, he cradled her gently in his arms and walked out of the room with her snug against his bare chest. He glanced around his house for the last time. He couldn't come back. It would be too dangerous. Regret flashed. He'd lost many homes in his long lifetime in order to survive. At least this one he hadn't grown too attached to yet.

Both brothers waited near the front door. One of them stepped forward, his arms lifting. "I'll take her from you, sir."

The other one offered a hooded cape. "This should shield you from the worst of it. We parked the van in the driveway. We have a team on motorcycles scouting the area. It will be the last thing the hunters ever do if they try to follow."

"I have her. No one touches her but me."

"But the sun wi-"

"Just toss the d.a.m.n thing over my head and wrap it around me." Anger stirred. "She's mine, and not to be touched by another."

Both males backed up instantly, alarmed. The one with the cloak hesitated and approached.

"Apologies. I didn't know you'd taken a companion."

Blaron stared down at the scarred yet beautiful face of the woman sleeping peacefully in his arms. The idea of keeping her wasn't a bad one. He'd heard stories of vampires finding their other halves. Supposedly, there would be an instant strong attraction and an acceptance of each other. Matty had come to his rescue, admitted to believing he was a vampire. She should have wanted the hunter to take out the predator in her neighborhood. Instead she'd defended him. It made her unique-and he definitely desired her. The concept of keeping her actually made him smile. Life would be exciting with her at his side.

He made a decision.

"Nor had I, until I met her. She's the one."

Shock still reverberated through him as he stated those words aloud. Every vampire wanted to find the perfect companion but he'd never expected to find his. It had seemed more of a romantic myth, but nothing else could explain the way they'd both lost their minds the moment their lips had touched. Instant chemistry was rare when it hit that strong. He wasn't a fool. He wasn't about to let her go. She might fight him a bit at first, but that would be fun for them both. He wasn't above using seduction on the s.e.xy little la.s.s.

One of the brothers cleared his throat, staring at him with caution. "Did I say something amusing, sir?"

"No. I was just lost in my thoughts. Send in a cleanup crew to remove all trace I was ever here and inhale her scent to track where she came from. She lives across the street but I'm not certain which house belongs to her. Pack her up, and make it look good when you do what needs done. She won't be returning either. Let's go."

One brother moved behind him, using the cape to cover his head and shoulders. Blaron bent forward, tucking Matty tighter against his chest. The other brother pulled the material over his arms to protect him from burning when he stepped outside.

"Is she turning? Should I cover her as well?"

"No. She's still human," he informed them.

"Are you ready, sir?"

"Let's go."

He rushed out the door the moment it was opened for him and the brothers stayed at his side, prepared to protect him and Matty. The cargo van's side door had been left open, another brother waiting outside to guard it. He climbed inside, careful not to b.u.mp Matty's still form in his arms. He settled in the back as the door slid closed, sealing them in darkness.

The club wasn't far away. He smiled, adjusting her into a more comfortable position on his lap, resting her head against his shoulder.

Chapter Four.

Matty was slow to wake, a haze of sleep and erotic dreams tempting her to keep her eyes closed. She might have drifted back off but a big, warm hand on her bare hip slid upward to her lower stomach.

"Wake for me, la.s.s," a husky masculine voice with a s.e.xy accent rasped near her ear. "You need to eat. I've been worried about you."

Alarm jolted her to full wakefulness as her eyes flew open to stare into the handsome face of her neighbor. Kilt was in bed with her, it was dark inside whatever room they were in, and only a few small lamps gave off enough light for her to see by.

"Easy, la.s.s. You're safe. We're underground inside a club a friend and I own. My home has been compromised and we'll stay here until we find somewhere else to go."

She was pinned by his hand on her stomach, one of his bare, muscular thighs lay over the top of her naked ones, and a sheet was tangled between them. "What am I doing here? Where are my clothes?" She yanked the sheet up higher on her chest. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s had barely been covered.

"It wasn't safe for you to go home. Remember the hunter?"

"Of course I do. You bit me." She remembered that too.

"Aye. I did. I'm sorry about that but I was lost to the pa.s.sion. You're fine. I'd never harm you but I admit I took a little much. It made you weak and sleepy. Are you ready to eat? I have a fine meal awaiting you."

More of her senses were waking, now that she was getting past the alarm of being naked in an unfamiliar place with a near stranger. The room was chilly, she smelled food, and it was unusually quiet.

And before that, a vampire had amazing s.e.x with her and had bitten her neck.

She blushed and tried to wiggle away from him. He hesitated then moved his leg to release hers while his hand unpinned her. She lunged away, rolling, but kept the sheet fisted in her hands.

The bed was a large four-poster and she gasped when she nearly rolled off the edge. It was higher from the floor than any bed she'd ever been on. She stared down at the concrete floor, knowing it would have hurt if she'd taken a dive, and he hooked his arm around her waist to drag her b.u.t.t a few inches back from the edge.

"Careful, la.s.s."

"Where did you say we are?"

The bed moved as he sat up and she turned to glance down his body. The sheet had been pulled nearly off him when she'd tried to flee. Only part of it covered his hip but there was no missing the condition of his body, since the material tented over his lap. Her gaze flew to his face.

"Underground. There's a club above us but we're safe. No one knows where we are or that this bas.e.m.e.nt even exists. Would you enjoy a bath before your meal? The club serves both my kind and yours. I've been a.s.sured the food is top notch."

"You don't know?"

"I don't eat food, but we serve it for humans in the club. Blood is also served to our vampire clientele. We mostly cater to them."

She gaped at him a little. "It's a vampire club? Seriously? Isn't that a bit obvious if you're trying to hide your existence?"

"Aye, but we fit better in the setting of a Gothic club. It's too cliche to be believable."

"You mean you encourage people who dress up like Vampires to come here, along with real ones?"

He nodded. "Aye. They love to dance, dress up, and we are able to mingle with them without raising suspicion. Most of the actual vampires are the normal-looking people who visit the club."

"What's it called?"

"Mooning."

She'd never heard of it before but she hadn't been social since her attack. "Do you drink from the guests?"

He hesitated. "Not often. Don't feel fear. No one will touch you." He smiled. "What's your name?"

Her cheeks burned. She'd had s.e.x with him, shared a bed afterward even if she hadn't been aware of it, and they hadn't even exchanged names. "Matty. And yours?"

"Blaron."

She stared at Kilt. He was so handsome and his loose, long hair against his tan skin drew her attention. The desire to touch him made her hands clutch the sheet tighter. "I should go home."

"Why don't you eat first? I'll draw you a bath."

"You have a bathtub in a bas.e.m.e.nt?"

"It's outfitted down here with a few apartments. This one is mine."

"But you lived in a house."

"I got tired of living under the club. It's quiet during the day but at night, that isn't the case. I didn't want to feel as if I were working every night by hearing the thumping music from above. See why I'd choose to live somewhere else in a quiet neighborhood?"

"I guess." It sounded reasonable to her.

He rolled the other way, leaving the cover of the sheet, and she couldn't help but stare at his perfect, beefy a.s.s. It was paler than the rest of him-he had obvious tan lines-and that confused her as he slid off the bed. He bent, reached for something on the floor, and when he straightened, he pulled up a red kilt. He secured it at his waist and turned to face her.

"I'll retrieve you a robe from the bath." He walked into the darkness, out of the reach of the nearest dim lamp, until bright light came on across the room from the open bathroom door. She glimpsed a large tub before he returned holding a blood-red robe.

"It's a bit gaudy. I apologize. A nice pale blue would be more fitting for your creamy complexion but beggars can't be choosers. We're at the mercy of my friend's sense of humor for a few days. I moved my things out and he stocked my place for guests."

"Vampire ones?"

"Of course. Some of them get a bit drunk at the club and he was shoving them down here during the day from time to time."

"Um..."

He stopped at the edge of the bed just feet from her, dropped the robe, and arched a blond eyebrow. "Is there something you wish to ask me?"

"You have tan lines."

"It was from before. You stay the way you were when you were changed. I was a farmer once, and spent a lot of time in the sun."

"You mean before you became a vampire?" It still felt odd even saying that word aloud.

"I went to war with my friend who now owns this club with me. One night, a saucy wench came to comfort some of the injured lads in camp. She chose me, and I believed I'd gone to heaven when she lured me out into the darkness." He paused. "I was flattered she seemed to want me out of all the others she could've picked. I was a lad, she was fetching, and I thought she wanted to share her charms. It turns out she was looking for some st.u.r.dy warriors to travel with and protect her. She turned me and my friend."

Matty let that information settle. "Where is she now?"

He hesitated. "She died a long time ago. She had a preference for feeding from large humans, such as me. One night, she didn't distract one enough before she sank her fangs into him."

"I'm sorry." She wasn't sure what else to say. "Did you love her?"

He shook his head. "I detested her. It wasn't my choice to be turned. She wasn't likeable, but she taught us how to survive. I was grateful for that, especially after learning my battle mates were all killed weeks after we left them. My friend and I owed her, and we did our best to keep her safe. She never allowed us to go hunting with her though. She chose to feed off a male who fought back. She was skilled with a sword."

She wasn't sure what to say. They stared at each other. He took a step back.

"Dress in the robe, eat, and take a bath. Don't leave the room. I need to make some arrangements and will return soon." He stared at her. "No one will harm you here but I can't promise that if you were to reach the club above us. There are unfamiliar vampires up there who don't know you are with me. It wouldn't be safe."

"Okay." She wanted to go home but eating and take a bath first sounded good. He couldn't exactly take her to her house until the sun went down, and she couldn't have slept all day. She wished there was a clock but a quick sweep of the room with her gaze didn't show one. "You'll be right back?"

"Twenty minutes at most. Just stay inside the room and no one will bother you. I will lock the door, and I'm the only one with a key."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything, Matty."

He said it in a husky, s.e.xy way with that accent of his that she loved to hear. "Why do you always come home in a limo right before dawn? What do you do every night after I a.s.sume you work here? Doesn't this club close around two?"

He hesitated.

She had a sinking feeling from the little information she'd learned that she knew what he did at night. "You hunt for food?"

"I hunt, but not for food. I'm a bagger now. My search for blood from hosts was over as soon as we were able to bribe blood banks into selling to us. Not all vampires share that approach, but we don't like harming humans. My friends and I actually go after vampires who kill humans once the club closes."

His answer confused her. He seemed to understand.

"Clubs and bars do close around two in the morning. That means victims aplenty for vampires looking for drunk humans who are easy to prey on. They risk exposing us when they murder humans to take their blood. It's too dangerous these days to leave behind bloodless bodies, and it's no longer a necessity to survive. I don't drive, and that's why I have someone chauffeur me around."

"Will you be working tonight? Can you drop me off at my house?"