"Have you found anything?"

Mick shook his head. "I've got someone working on the health department's computer system. He should be calling soon with a list of incoming calls on the twenty-fifth."

Sebastian nodded. "And the police?"

"Nothing there. But I haven't given up."

"Good," Sebastian said. "Let me know as soon as you hear anything."

Mick nodded, and turned back to the computer monitors, his features looking starker, more brutal in the bluish light.

Sebastian left the office and headed through the back entrance into the club. The place wasn't crowded yet, but he knew in a few hours the dance floor would be packed. He wondered if the anonymous caller would be there. If he or she was already there.

Even though the past couple of nights had been quiet, he still had the gut feeling that the person targeting his club wasn't finished. Maybe he was being overly cautious, but he'd learned in two hundred years that it was good to follow his instincts. And his instincts were on high alert.

He slipped into one of the booths on the upper level, scanning the main room below. His hunger was strong tonight. Very strong. A side effect of his instincts being on overdrive, that and things kept distracting him from his usual feedings. But given that he could do nothing except wait for Mick's report, he might as well rectify that last problem now.

Who would be his companion for the night? He cast a look around the upper level where he sat. As if by some colossal joke, Mina appeared at the small bar that lined the back wall.

He'd decided that his bizarre attraction to her had been a direct result of lack of feeding and lack of sex. That always made him a little off. Still he'd avoided her for the past two nights. And he got the impression she'd avoided him too.

Tonight, her hair was braided into two pigtails. The hairstyle should have made her look young and childish but combined with her snug black uniform, her pale skin, and her bowed, red lips, she looked more like a very naughty schoolgirl. His eyes roamed down her body. Her curves were gentle and lithe under the black brocade.

He gritted his teeth and forced his gaze to the dance floor. What was he thinking? Physically, she wasn't even close to his type. He liked flashy women with long hair, long legs, and abundant curves. Mina had an unremarkable figure, weird hair, and her legs were... .

Against his will, his gaze returned to her. From where she stood he couldn't see her legs. Although he knew from the sprinkler night, they had no flaws. Shapely and smooth and pale. His cock swelled against the denim of his jeans.

Bryce, the upstairs bartender, leaned forward, telling Mina something. From his angle, Sebastian could see only her profile, but he could tell one corner of her rosy lips turn up into a smile as Bryce talked. Sebastian realized he'd never seen Mina smile. A real smile anyway.

Bryce said something else, and Mina laughed. A brief, nearly nonexistent laugh, but Sebastian suddenly found himself leaning forward in an attempt to hear it. He pushed up from his table and strode to the bar, taking a stool next to where she stood.

"Good evening, Bryce," he said. "Mina."

Mina glanced at him, a quick flash of something that looked an awful lot like disdain flickered in her eyes, then she looked back to Bryce.

"Hey, Sebastian," Bryce greeted in his laid-back Southern drawl. The handsome werebear was every inch good ole Southern boy, and he always struck Sebastian as being out of place in the big city. Even though he'd been working here for nearly three years.

Sebastian glanced back to Mina. She looked out of place here too. But unlike Bryce, whose easygoing personality would allow him actually to fit in anywhere, Mina truly didn't belong here.

Again, his instincts niggled him. Again, he wondered why she was here. Could she somehow be involved in the calls to the club? He studied her as she waited for Bryce to make her drink orders. She had shifted down the bar away from him. Her sidling movements had been subtle, but he'd noticed the escape.

He tried to read her emotions, but as usual there were too many and she was too guarded for him to get a clear impression. He found it interesting that someone so reserved could be surrounded by such a whirl of emotions. He wondered what would happen if she loosened up and let them show. The idea excited him.

"Bryce, may I get a scotch?" he asked suddenly, needing a drink to calm his reaction to her. A little booze, a lot of blood, and he'd be thinking far more clearly. And not about Mina.

"Sure thing."

He chuckled at the bartender's words. "I need that too."

Bryce grinned. "Well, I reckon you won't have any problem finding one of those here tonight."

Sebastian sensed rather than saw Mina stiffen at their conversation. He glanced at her.

She looked down at her order pad, her brow furrowed, her lips twisted slightly. He couldn't tell what her expression meant, whether it was disdain or maybe even jealousy.

Disdain, he figured. But either way, she was reacting, and for some perverse reason, Sebastian liked that he was getting some sort of response from her. It amused him to see her bow-shaped lips pucker as if she'd just sunk her fangs into a lemon. For a split second, he'd thought about what those lips would look like puckered for a different reason.

"There was a tall blonde here last night. I'm hoping she'll be back tonight. Legs that could make a grown man grovel," he said, watching Mina's face.

She concentrated on her order pad, and he wasn't even sure she was listening.

"And her ass." He couldn't help adding.

Mina flipped a page of the pad, maybe with more force than necessary, but otherwise she didn't acknowledge him.

Bryce, however, chuckled as he set a scotch in front of him. "Sounds good."

Sebastian studied Mina for a moment longer, wanting to see something other than her usual remoteness. But she continued to fiddle with her order pad.

Sebastian looked back to Bryce, only to find the bartender watching her too. A definite look of interest in the werebear's brown eyes.

A flash of something possessive squeezed Sebastian's chest. He frowned. What difference did it make to him if Mina and Bryce became Carfax Abbey's newest cupid's couple? Maybe a good lay from a wild werebear would loosen Mina up.

But even as he told himself that, his fangs distended, scraping the inside of his lips, agitating him.

What the hell was wrong with him? He'd never, never been interested in a woman, alive or undead, who wasn't interested back. Eternity was too long to work that hard when there were thousands of women in the world, in this city alone, who wanted a good time.

He glanced at Mina as Bryce placed a drink on her tray. She smiled at the bartender. A small smile, definitely a reserved smile, but a smile nonetheless. A real smile. Something she'd never given Sebastian. Another wave of something that felt altogether too close to jealousy washed over him.

Without another word, Sebastian picked up his drink and left the bar, returning to his booth. He was obviously not getting enough female attention if he was feeling irritated by odd little Mina smiling at a coworker. After all, he might find her attractive in some weird way, but he didn't want her. And she didn't want him.

Wilhelmina watched Sebastian's abrupt departure with a mixture of confusion and relief. She'd spent the past two days keeping her distance from him. He unnerved her, and made it difficult to keep focused on her plan. Not that she had a plan. In fact, she'd come up with nothing that could stop his dissolute ways.

She'd considered starting rumors in the club. Things like he was in the mob or he was married, but she didn't think that would discourage women's interest in him. He was too charming, too sensual, and far too beautiful for rumors to stop him. She had her doubts that anything would deter mortal women from being with him.

As if to punctuate her point, a tall blonde, probablythe tall blonde, sashayed up to his booth smiling broadly at him. Mina's gaze dropped quickly to her bottom. Yes, she wasthe woman.

Sebastian grinned up at the blonde, that lopsided smile of his making him look so charismatic, so charming, so harmless.

He gestured for the woman to join him, which she readily did, sliding her long legs under the round table as she scooted closer to him.

"Dang, that man is good," Bryce said from beside Wilhelmina. She turned to see the long-haired, goateed bartender shaking his head with admiration.

Wilhelmina frowned, ready to disagree. He was despicable. But Greta cut her off, setting her tray on the bar. "Who's good?"

Bryce jerked his head in Sebastian's direction. "Our boss."

Greta turned to look at him, a fond smile curving her full lips. "Oh. Why, yes, he is."

Wilhelmina gaped at the tall, stunning vampiress as the meaning of her words sank in. "You... with him?" She looked back at the booth where Sebastian chatted with the mortal.

A rich, throaty laugh escaped Greta.

"Don't be so shocked. It wasn't a big deal. We just ended up getting together one night." She fanned herself. "And what a night."

Bryce shook his head as he left to take a drink order at the end of the bar.

Wilhelmina stared at Greta, stunned. She knew that mortals couldn't defend themselves against Sebastian's preternatural charms, but she hadn't considered that other preternaturals would fall prey to him, too. Especially Greta, who was as dazzling as any vampiress she'd encountered. "Why?" she finally managed to ask Greta. Greta laughed at Wilhelmina's disbelieving look. "Youhave looked at the man, haven't you?" "Of course," Wilhelmina said. "Then you can't deny that he's beautiful." "No," Wilhelmina said, begrudgingly. "If you like that type."

It was Greta's turn to give her an incredulous look. "Who doesn't like that type?"

Wilhelmina started to say she didn't, until she made the mistake of glancing in his direction. The blond mortal talked animatedly to Sebastian. Sebastian stared past her at Wilhelmina. His intense topaz eyes locked with hers, sizzling with an emotion she didn't understand.

Wilhelmina's breath caught in her throat. They stared at each other for a moment, then the blonde touched Sebastian's hand, and the connection broke. Sebastian returned his attention to the woman beside him.

Wilhelmina pulled in another breath, trying to ignore the tingling in her limbs. Irritation filled her, irritation

with herself, with Greta, with the stupid blonde who had no idea who or what she was flirting with.

"Doesn't it bother you that you were just one of the... " Even in her annoyance, Wilhelmina couldn't bring herself to finish her rude question.

But Greta laughed and finished it for her. "One of the many? No. Sebastian isn't the type to settle down, and I never expected it. We had fun, and we're friends. It's all good."

Greta picked up her drinks and glided away.

Wilhelmina watched her leave, an image of Greta and Sebastian flashing into her head, in full Technicolor. Their tall, lithe bodies intertwined. Golden skin to golden skin. Mouths and hands exploring...

The tingling, which had almost dissipated, sparked, searing over her skin. Even as nausea roiled in her

stomach.

She let out a low growl, more anger filling her. How could Greta be so stupid as to be used by the likes of him? Mortals didn't know what he was. But Greta? The idea disturbed her. Upset her.

Was no one immune to him? Not even...

She glanced back at him. He talked with the mortal, charming. Alluring. Deceiving her with his feigned interest. When in truth he was only interested in one thing. Biting her. Hurting her.

She didn't know how to stop him, but she couldn't let another vampire hurt her. She frowned at her thoughts. No, not her. Humans. He couldn't hurt more humans. He wouldn't hurt this one.

Before she thought better of it, she strode to the booth.

Chapter 7.

"How do you live with yourself?"

Sebastian looked up from the blonde, Lisa or Liza or something like that, to see Mina standing, hands on her hips, dark eyes flashing.

For a moment, he didn't respond. He was too stunned. Mina, who hadn't raised her voice much above a whisper since he'd met her. Mina, whose only perceivable emotion had been fear and agitation, stood next to his table, rage radiating from her like heat from a boiler.

"Excuse me?" he finally said.

"And why would you let him?" she asked the blonde beside him.

Lisa or Liza gave him a worried look. "Do you know this woman?"

Sebastian nodded, although at the moment he wasn't sure. He didn't know Mina well, but what he thought he knew was not this woman standing in front of him like a very small, pale and angry avenger.

"Mina? What's going on?"

An irritated laugh erupted from her. "See. He doesn't even know my name." She turned her flashing glare to the blonde. "I bet he doesn't know your name either."

Mina's eyes locked on him. "What's her name?"

Sebastian frowned. Okay, so he didn't know the blonde's name. Well, he sort of knew it. What he didn't know, didn't understand in the least, was why Mina was so upset about that fact.

"Go ahead, tell me her name."

The blonde now turned back to Sebastian, also waiting for him to give her name.

Sebastian's frown deepened. "This is crazy."

Mina arched a smug, dark brow. "See."

The blonde gave Sebastian an assessing look, then said, "Isn't she one of your employees? Can't you do something about her?"