"Listen, I'm not interested in whatever trouble you're in. I've got my own." He released her arms, and she would have fallen, had she not quickly gripped the lapels of his coat.

He glared at her. "I saida""

Desperation made her say words she thought she'd never utter. "I'll sleep with you if you help me."

He stopped dead in his movements, his eyes suddenly traveling over her, his nostrils flaring once more. Afraid that he would find something he didn't like, she slung her arms around his neck and pulled his head to her. Her lips found his an instant later.

4.

Oliver felt the warm lips of the strange Asian girl on his mouth, kissing him, while the scent of blood wrapped around him. Was he delirious? He had to be. Nothing else made sense. Why else would a beautiful young woman just throw herself at him and offer him s.e.x in exchange for a ride out of this seedy area? And why would she smell so enticingly of blood when he knew he was sated after feeding only minutes earlier?

Without another thought, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. Her lips tasted sweet and clean. It told him that she didn't live on the streets. Her body smelled fresh, despite the scent of blood that clung to her. Had she been in a physical fight or were his senses so sharp tonight that he could smell her blood as if it were oozing from her body?

When he swept his tongue against her lips, they parted instantly, allowing him inside to explore her. Despite the fact that he was a stranger to her, she invited him to play with her, to tangle with her tongue, to lick her teeth, to kiss her more pa.s.sionately that he'd kissed a woman in a long time. Was this a preview of how she would be in bed? Pa.s.sionate, sensual, wild? Had she really offered him s.e.x?

At the thought, his c.o.c.k began to swell.

Fired on by the way she pressed herself against him and kissed him with abandon, he intensified his kiss, telling her that he was accepting her offer, that he would give her a ride out of this area, and then, he'd give her the ride of her life. Once they'd left the Bayview area behind, he would park the van and take her on the back bench.

Getting hotter by the second, he slid his hand down her back, palming her jeans-encased backside. A moan released from her lips, and he drew her closer, but his thick coat prevented him from rubbing his hardening c.o.c.k against her.

Before he had a chance to open his coat, so he could feel her body more closely, the girl went slack in his arms. Her movements ceased.

Shocked, Oliver let go of her lips and stared at her. She was unconscious.

f.u.c.k, what had he done now?

Her head fell back, causing her long black hair to expose her neck. That's when he saw them: the two small puncture wounds that could only have been caused by one kind of weapon. A vampire's fangs.

Blood still trickled from them. Instinctively he pressed his fingers over them and put pressure on them to stop the flow of blood. No wonder he'd smelled blood. Two things became instantly clear: there was a vampire in the area, and he hadn't erased the girl's memory after feeding from her, nor had he finished, because he hadn't licked her wounds. No wonder she had told him somebody was hunting her.

s.h.i.t!

Oliver's eyes quickly roamed the area. In the distance, he heard hasty footsteps, somebody running, but he couldn't yet see anybody. No matter who it was, he couldn't just stand here with the girl in his arms. Be it human or vampire approaching, neither was allowed to find him here. A human in this neighborhood was most likely a criminal and Oliver wasn't in the mood for a fight right now, and if the vampire who'd been feeding off her was approaching, he'd be utterly p.i.s.sed off that she had escaped him. And he fancied a fight with a p.i.s.sed off vampire even less.

Without further ado, he lifted the girl into his arms and unlocked the car, placing her on the back bench before he slid into the driver's seat. A moment later, he gunned the engine and raced out of the neighborhood as if a pack of wolves were chasing him.

The girl's blood smelled more intense now, and he was glad that he'd just only fed, otherwise he would not be able to resist the temptation she represented and continue where the other vampire had left off.

At the thought of his earlier feeding, he shivered in disgust. He'd been so greedy and already so far gone that he'd attacked the juvenile delinquent without finesse, without care whether the kid saw what he was. Only afterwards had he had the presence of mind to wipe the kid's memory of the horrific event. He'd felt so bad about what he'd done, about how much blood he'd taken, that he'd shoved a hand full of twenty-dollar-bills into his victim's jacket pocket. But still it hadn't erased his guilt.

He still felt disgusted with himself that he'd succ.u.mbed to his hunger again, that he hadn't been strong enough to resist and fight the demon inside him. Would he one day end up like one of those junkies living in the streets when Quinn and Scanguards had given up on him? When they'd decided that he was too much of a liability for them? He couldn't allow it. He had to prove to them and to himself that he was stronger, that he could be trusted, that he could be responsible.

Gripping the steering wheel tighter, he veered around another corner, finally leaving the Bayview behind him and entering the South of Market area. Normally, this was where he fed, but for some inexplicable reason, he'd been drawn to the seediest of neighborhoods tonight. Was somebody trying to tell him something? Was his subconscious mind trying to show him how he would end up if he didn't get a grip on himself?

Oliver pushed the thought aside to make way for a more pressing issue: the girl on his back seat. First, he had to make sure that she was all right, then he needed to find out what had happened, and eventually he would have to erase her memory, particularly if she was aware who'd been hunting her: a vampire. It didn't matter who the guy was, whether Oliver knew him or not, because it was an unwritten rule to guard a vampire's ident.i.ty at all times. Humans weren't allowed to find out about the immortal creatures living in their midst.

Oliver threw a look over his shoulder, but the girl didn't stir. He recalled the way she'd looked at him with her beautiful almond shaped eyes that were as dark as the night itself, how she had pleaded with him to help her. He had already decided not to get involved in whatever her problem was, but then she'd surprised him with her offer.

Had she really meant it? She must have been scared out of her wits to offer a stranger s.e.x, just so he'd save her. And by G.o.d, he would have taken it, but now? He shook his head. He couldn't take the offer now. It would be unethical.

Unethical? the little devil sitting on his shoulder asked. What's unethical about having s.e.x with a hot chick?

And she was hot. Long, black hair, a slender, delicate figure, small, but well-formed b.o.o.bs, and then those eyes: tilted upwards, yet large, their irises dark as night, yet brilliant in their reflection. She was Chinese, he guessed, but he'd barely heard an accent when she'd spoken, so she was probably a second generation immigrant and belonged to the large Chinese community of San Francisco. And she was more beautiful than any other woman he'd ever encountered. When she'd made her offer of s.e.x, his heart had stopped for a moment, because he couldn't believe his luck. This beautiful girl was willing to have s.e.x with him?

Oliver gritted his teeth. Everything was wrong about taking advantage of a frightened woman, even though his c.o.c.k didn't seem to care about that fact. No, that particular appendage was more than willing to hold her to her promise as soon as she awoke.

"Ah, c.r.a.p," he hissed under his breath.

For once, he should have listened to Blake and stayed at home and drunk the bottled blood in the pantry instead. Then there would be two fewer things he had to worry about right now: one, he wouldn't feel so d.a.m.n guilty about having fed from an innocent, and two, he wouldn't have an unconscious young woman in the back of his van, whose brains he wanted to f.u.c.k out as soon as she came to.

Oliver turned onto his street and glanced at the mansion he called home. Only the lights over the entrance were illuminated, otherwise the house was dark. It appeared that Blake had gone out, since it was too early for him to be in bed already. Ever since Blake had joined them after finding out that Quinn and Rose were his fourth great-grandparents, he kept more or less the same hours the vampires kept. He slept until early afternoon and stayed up into the early hours of the morning. Soon, he'd most likely have adjusted completely and remain awake all night.

Oliver operated the garage door opener and drove inside, parking the car in its usual spot next to the stairs that led up into the house. When he switched off the engine, quiet suddenly descended around him. He opened the car door and stepped out. No sound came from upstairs. Just as well. He didn't want to have to explain to Blake what had happened, when he didn't even know himself what he'd gotten into. With some luck, everything would be back to normal by the time Blake returned, and his nosy half-brother wouldn't be the wiser.

Walking to the van's sliding door, he opened it and looked at his pa.s.senger. She still lay there without moving. He bent down to her, verifying that she was breathinga"she wasa"then he scooped her up in his arms and carried her upstairs.

With his elbow he switched on the lights in the hallway, then headed for the living room, where he did the same. Gently he laid her onto the large sectional, s.n.a.t.c.hing the woolen blanket that lay over the armrest, and covered her with it.

Then he stood there, looking down at her. When he'd been human, he'd taken care of injured colleagues often enough, but his help had mostly const.i.tuted of feeding them his blood so their vampire bodies could heal. While he knew that vampire blood too had healing properties, he was unsure what to do right now. Not knowing what the woman suffered from, he didn't want to take such drastic steps as feeding her his blood. What if she woke while he did so? It would only make things worse.

As he shoved a shaking hand through his hair, he noticed the girl move. Instantly he bent down to her and realized that she was shaking. It was clear that she had the chills.

"f.u.c.k!" he cursed.

He could only imagine that the other vampire had taken too much blood and weakened her. When another chill went through her body, Oliver lowered himself onto the couch, took her into his arms and held her close to him, but her shivers didn't cease.

He needed help. Professional help.

Quickly he pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

When the call connected, he made his request. "Maya, you need to come to the house. I need a doctor."

"Oliver?" she asked in surprise. "Are you hurt?"

"Not I. A human. Come quickly."

5.

Cain glanced back at Blake who stood next to Cain's car. He'd been just about to leave for his patrol when the human had shown up, asking for help. "I have no idea where he is," Cain said to his human colleague.

Blake frowned. "d.a.m.n it, d.a.m.n it, d.a.m.n it!" Then he shoved a shaky hand through his thick dark hair. "What now?"

Cain had been witness to more than one argument between Blake and Oliver, and this wasn't the first time in the last couple of weeks that Blake had asked him for help tracking down his out-of-control half-brother.

"You worry about him. I didn't think you guys got on."

"I care about what he does to those humans. Next time he'll kill somebody. You should have seen him tonight. He was like a junkie about to lose it." He let out an angry huff. "Quinn and Rose should have never left for England. How do they expect me to keep him in check? I'm only human!"

"Way I see it, it's not for you to keep Oliver in check, nor for Quinn or Rose. Oliver has to conquer this all by himself."

"Then why did they ask me to take care of him in the first place?"

Cain shrugged. "Beats me."

"How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Get that l.u.s.t for blood under control?"

Cain closed his eyes for a moment, searching the darkness for an answer, but found none. "I don't know. When I woke one night, I just was. There was no overwhelming urge for blood, which makes me think that I'd been a vampire for a long time already before I lost my memory. So, I can't give you any insight there."

He kept his tone light, belying the fact that every time he thought of his past and came up against a wall of nothing, of impenetrable emptiness, his gut clenched. Something was just beyond that darkness, too far to reach for it, yet close enough to sense its existence.

"Sorry, didn't mean to pry," Blake said then let his eyes survey the area.

Cain waved him off. "So what do you want me to do?" Cain asked, leaving it up to Blake to make a decision. This was not his fight.

"Can you help me find him? You know better where a vampire would go."

Involuntarily, Cain chuckled. "If I knew that, I'd be able to find all the crazies that roam this city."

"What do you mean?"

He contemplated his response but considering that Blake was a family member of one of Scanguards' directors, Cain didn't think he was speaking out of turn by letting him in on some news. "We have some problems right now. There have been incidents of vampires going berserk. As if they were on drugs or something. Total whack jobs."

Blake squared his shoulders. "I haven't heard anything about that. Drugged how? I thought drugs don't have any effect on vampires."

Cain nodded. "They don't. That's why this is so odd. Scanguards got the first reports about seven or eight weeks ago. The mayor hired us to keep an eye on it."

Shocked, Blake stared at him. "The mayor? You mean the humans know about vampires? f.u.c.k!"

"No, of course not! The mayor is a hybrid. I'm surprised you don't know that. He's like Portia, Zane's wife, half-vampire, half-human. Guess that's why he's even able to be a mayor, otherwise he wouldn't be able to perform his duties during the day."

"I had no idea. What does he want us to do?"

"Us?" Cain grinned, secretly pleased at the human's eagerness to get some action. "Only vampires are a.s.signed to this job. Humans are barred for obvious reasons. So don't get your hopes up. Dealing with those stoned-out-of-their-skull vampires isn't an easy job. So far, we've always gotten there too late, and could only clean up after them."

"s.h.i.t. What else do you know?"

"Not much. We haven't been able to catch one and question him, but from what other vampires tell us . . . "

"What other vampires?"

"Civilians, informants; vampires who alert us to what's going on. They say that those crazies babble on about some blood that's like a drug. Total bulls.h.i.t if you ask me."

Blake hooked his thumbs into his belt. "What do you think it is then? What's driving them crazy?"

Cain looked past him into the dark. "Good old bloodl.u.s.t. Nothing else. If they tell you anything else, it's just an excuse to cover up their own weaknesses."

"But how do you spot it? Can't you prevent it from happening?" Blake wanted to know.

"It's not easy to detect, unless it's already in an advanced stage. The affected vampire will get very erratic; his reasoning becomes illogical, his lies more daring. And his aggression toward others increases."

Blake swallowed hard. "You mean like Oliver? He's gotten very irrational. And aggressive."

"I don't know, Blake, maybe you're just projecting things on him. But I don't see it with Oliver. He's just trying to find his way. Give him a chance. Don't suffocate him. Nothing good will come of it."

"You didn't see him tonight. He wasn't himself. He was like a wild animal, ready to rip my throat out."

Cain lifted an eyebrow. Blake was probably exaggerating a bit. The human certainly had that tendency. "I've gotta go and do my job. I'll be late for my patrol."

"You don't believe me? Listen, Cain, what if Oliver flips and does something stupid? And what if you and I had the power to prevent it, but we didn't? How would you feel then?"

Cain sighed. He hated it when somebody tried to appeal to his conscience. He knew he had one, but for some reason it felt like an old unused muscle that had difficulty reacting. As if he had put that particular part of himself on ice for way too long. Almost as if he hadn't been allowed to have a conscience in his former life. But now, it reared its ugly head.

"Fine, we'll go look for him."

But he didn't have much hope of finding Oliver. A vampire who didn't want to be found was as good as invisible.

6.

Oliver yanked the entrance door open before Maya had even reached the top of the stairs that lead up to it. Wearing a white doctor's coat over her jeans and T-shirt and carrying a small black bag, she rushed inside, barely glancing at him. Surprised at her outfit, he let his eyes wander over her. Maybe this was exactly what Maya wore when she performed her medical duties. Not that he would know. He'd never visited the little medical office she ran from the bas.e.m.e.nt of her home.