“Do you want me to heal your butt?” Emme offered.

Taran interrupted before I could take Emme up on her generous offer. “Why? Because of

the colonic?”

My voice was less than Mindy-like. “Of course because of the colonic—it feels like things are hanging out!”

“You’re probably passing a seed,” Mindy’s minion answered. She buffed my nails and blew off the dust. “We use only organic herbs in our colonics.”

“See, Celia.” Taran patted my arm like she’d done me a big favor. “That shit’s all natural.”

I’d wished then that Taran had picked a better choice of words. I also wished I could squash the vision of vines sprouting out of my emergency exit.

—

Misha stroked my hair. “You seem in better spirits.”

I smiled. Despite the dim lighting inside his Hummer limo, his gray eyes sparkled with humor. “Why wouldn’t I be? You were willing to take me to dinner despite my fragile and slightly psychotic state. If that’s not true friendship, I don’t know what is.”

Misha placed his arm around me. I leaned against him, content to hear the rhythmic beating of his heart. “Why do you continue to believe that what exists between us is nothing more than companionship? Your vision has clearly shown us our future. We will be married and you will be the mother to my children.”

I pulled away, no longer content. “Misha, I don’t know exactly what we saw, but it wasn’t real.”

“How do you know?”

Well, for starters, I’m already pregnant with Aric’s baby. “There’s too much that doesn’t make sense.”

“Such as?”

He smiled when I stared at him wordlessly.

“Jeans?” I finally offered.

“I beg your pardon?”

“In my vision you wore denim. You never dress in jeans.”

His smile widened and that scary and familiar twinkle filled his eyes. “Would you prefer I wear no attire at all, just as we did the other night?”

I scrambled to the other side of the Hummer with Misha hot on my tail. His aroused scent proclaimed, Hey, is it me or is it hot in here? Let’s get naked and cool off.

Misha pounced and pinned me to the sprawling leather seat. “Misha, what are you doing?”

He tugged off his tie. “Preparing to make you scream.”

I flipped him over and held him, trying to steady my heart. Except the party in Misha’s pants announced it was New Year’s. His tongue flicked over my jugular. “If you want to be on top, you need only say so.”

I shoved my hands over his mouth before he could kiss me. “Misha, stop. I don’t want to do this.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement. He mumbled something I couldn’t understand, so like a moron I loosened my hands over his mouth. “What did you say?”

“I said your nipples tell a different tale.”

I didn’t have to look down to realize that once again, my areolas were saluting their leader. The night the Powers that Be created the vampire, some drunk asshole among them must’ve decided their super mojo wouldn’t be complete without the power to stiffen tips. Misha especially had received an extra helping.

My body temperature soared. “Will you stop looking at my breasts and—I said stop looking at my breasts!”

“It is my only alternative while you remain clothed. Now, once I remove your panties, however—”

I covered his mouth again and growled. It was time to get serious. “Misha, I don’t love you. And I won’t marry you. I’m sorry I led you on by having sex with you.”

I removed my hand. A slow, wicked smile spread across his face. He laughed, hard and strong. He glanced at my stupefied expression and laughed harder yet. “Why are you laughing? This isn’t a joke!”

He tried to control himself. “You can’t recall the evening we spent together, can you?”

“Well, no.” And hell, I’ve tried not to.

Misha tossed me over and was suddenly on top again. He ran a finger down my throat and played with the neckline of my blue dress. “My darling, we didn’t have sex. If we had, my expertise and superior manhood would have assured you’d never forget it.”

I jumped when I realized what he said. “We didn’t do it?”

He chuckled again. “No.”

“Then why were we in bed naked?”

“You went into shock in the garden and failed to respond despite your open eyes. My lovelies bathed you and brought you to my bed as they should have.”

“Of course, God forbid they put me in my own bed.”

Misha’s grin widened as he teased my skin with his chin. “Mine was warmer, I assure you.”

I cleared my throat. “Just tell me what happened.”

“When you failed to wake into a more conscious state, I pricked my finger and offered you my blood. As you drank, your delicate condition dissolved itself. Ultimately you relaxed and fell into a deep slumber.”

I gripped his collar. “Swear to me, Misha, that you’re telling me the truth. Please. It’s important.”

“My darling, taking an unconscious woman, even one as desirable as you, would be distasteful.” His smile faded. “I would never hurt anyone, especially you, in such a way.”

Despite his flaws, Misha was honorable, an attribute I deeply admired and one that cemented our friendship. My body perspired with relief while my heart screamed with joy. I’d remained faithful to Aric. “Thank you, Misha.” He smiled, but remained fixed against my body. I let out a sigh. “You know, fragile state or not, that still doesn’t explain why you allowed us to sleep together naked.”

“My darling, I am a vampire, not a saint. Now, at the moment, you are very alert, as are those lovely nipples. So let’s not waste another moment speaking.”

I twisted beneath him. “Misha, we’re not having sex!”

Something large and heavy landed on top of the limo and ripped the roof away so forcibly, Misha and I fell on the limo floor. I couldn’t believe my eyes when a giant pterodactyl peered down its long beak at me. “Celia Wird!” it screeched.

Chapter Fifteen

I rolled to the side just before I would have been impaled by his gargantuan beak. The impact jolted the car like a missile strike. I scrambled toward the warped door behind Misha. Misha kicked it open and we crawled out. We backed away slowly in disbelief that a prehistoric raptor hovered overhead, flapping his long, leathery wings and stinking of reptile and copper.