Kaitlyn huffed a sigh of annoyance. “Do you think you’d like to have twenty wives and hundreds of children?”

“Well, I don’t know about raising all those kids,” he said, waggling his eyebrows, “but the begetting part doesn’t sound so bad.”

She punched him on the shoulder. “Men! All you ever think about is sex.”

“Ow!”

“Serves you right.”

Laughing, Zack pulled her into his arms. “Katy, I don’t want anyone but you.”

She stared up at him. Did he mean it? “Zack . . .”

“I know, I’m moving too fast. So, what do you want me to do? Back off? Go away?”

“Just kiss me, you idiot.”

“You sweet talker,” he murmured.

She sighed as his lips claimed hers. Falling for Zack was bound to cause nothing but trouble, but somehow, that didn’t seem to matter, not when he was kissing her as if he would never let her go.

She wrapped her arms around him as his kiss grew deeper, more passionate. Maybe she was worrying over nothing. Maybe her father wouldn’t object to having Zack for a son-in-law. And maybe she was taking too much for granted. After all, no promises had been made, no words of commitment had been spoken between them.

Just because she loved him didn’t mean he loved her.

Chapter 16

Eyes narrowed, hands resting on his knees, Lucien, Master of the Italian Fortress, regarded the woman standing before him. Nadiya Korzha was tall for a female, her bearing austere. Long straight brown hair fell over her rigid shoulders. Her eyes were the color of the sky on a cloudy day. He had been surprised by her request for an audience—doubly so because he had never met her. He knew who she was, of course. Rodin Sherrad’s fourth wife. He had heard rumors that Sherrad’s son, Drake, was interested in her whereabouts, though Lucien had no idea why.

Lucien gestured at the chair across from his. “Please, sit.”

“Thank you.”

“We can spend several useless minutes in small talk,” Lucien said. “Or we can skip the niceties and you can come straight to the point and tell me why you’re here.”

“It is well-known that you have long coveted the Carpathian Fortress.”

“Indeed?” Lucien lifted one brow, concerned that anyone should have such knowledge. The Carpathian Fortress was the largest of its kind. In days past, there had been those who had challenged Rodin for its possession. All had been defeated. But Rodin was no longer a threat. “Well-known by whom?”

“By myself.”

“You did not come here to tell me that.”

“No, I have come seeking your help in avenging my kin.”

Lucien frowned. “Explain.”

“Drake Sherrad killed my sons. . . .”

“That was over twenty years ago,” Lucien interjected. “Wait a minute. Did you say ‘sons’?”

“Yes.” She had no proof that Daryn was dead, but she had not heard from him in more than a week. Only death would prevent him from contacting her. She didn’t know who had killed him, but of one thing she was certain—Drake Sherrad was involved.

“What is it you want from me?”

“There are those within the Carpathian Fortress who are not happy with the changes Drake has made since his father’s demise, but there are not enough of them to overpower Drake and assume control of the Fortress. They have pledged their allegiance to me.”

Lucien leaned forward. “Go on.”

“Together, we can overthrow Sherrad and claim the Carpathian Fortress.” Lucien wasn’t alone in his desire to rule Sherrad’s territory. She took a deep breath. “When it is ours, we can rule it together.”

He reared back, eyes wide with astonishment. “Are you proposing an alliance? Or marriage?”

“Whichever suits you best.”

“If you are thinking of going to battle, you will need a strong army. Or are you suggesting that I challenge Sherrad one-on-one?” He shook his head. “I know of no one who can defeat him with the sword.”

“Soon, I will have something to bargain with,” Nadiya said, her mind racing as a new strategy fell into place. “It will give us the edge we need.”

“What sort of edge?”

“When I have obtained it, I will let you know.”

“This is not something to be decided without a great deal of thought,” Lucien remarked. “Many lives hang in the balance. I will need time to think it over.”

“Take as long as you deem necessary,” she said.

He nodded. She must have the patience of a saint, he mused, seeing as how she had already waited over twenty years to avenge Florin’s death. He grinned inwardly. Of course, if Nadiya Korzha had a saintly bone in her body, she would not be seeking revenge.

“Where can I reach you?” he asked.

She smiled coolly. “You cannot. I will get in touch with you.” Rising, she inclined her head, then vanished from his sight.

Lucien grunted softly. He would as soon put his trust in a vampire hunter as the lovely Nadiya, and yet the thought of being Master of the Carpathian Fortress, the largest vampire refuge in all the world, might be worth the risk.

Chapter 17

For Kaitlyn, the next few days were among the happiest of her life. Zack arrived at her house with the setting of the sun and stayed until dawn’s first light brightened the horizon.

They took long walks in the moonlight. They swam in the lake. They went dancing until dawn at the Skylight Room. He taught her how to play poker and craps and roulette.

One evening, he took her to dinner at the restaurant in the casino, insisting she describe the taste of the lobster, the rice pilaf, the seven-layer chocolate cake she had for dessert. As far as Kaitlyn was concerned, it was impossible. How could you describe the taste of food to someone who had existed on a liquid diet for six hundred years?

Every night, when the urge to be alone together grew irresistible, they went back to her place, curled up on the sofa, and made out like randy teenagers. Though Zack had agreed they should take it slow, each night it became more and more difficult for Kaitlyn to send him home, especially on those nights when they shared blood.

Until she’d met Zack, Kaitlyn had consumed blood because it was necessary for her survival. Given a choice, she would have shunned it. Now, having tasted Zack, she quickly found herself craving the taste of him more and more often.

Tonight was such a night. Needing to distract herself from her hunger for his blood and her desire for his body, she put her hand on his chest and gave him a little push.

He let her go without argument or comment. He might not be able to read her mind, but he recognized the hunger in her eyes.

“Sorry,” she murmured.

He spread his arms out along the back of the sofa, then stretched his legs out in front of him. “No problem.” Every night about this time, he remembered why he didn’t date virgins, and why he left Kaitlyn’s house feeling exhilarated and frustrated at the same time.

Rising, Kaitlyn went into the kitchen. She filled a glass with ice water, then returned to her place on the sofa. She sipped the water, then put the glass aside. “How did you become a vampire?”

“I took the wrong woman to bed.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’d been hanging out at a local pub. One night I met a woman there. She was pretty, exotic, years older than I was.” He laughed softly. “Hundreds of years older, as it turned out, but I didn’t know that at the time. All I saw was a fascinating creature who was as different from the women I was used to as a queen from a scullery maid. I know now that what I saw, what I felt, wasn’t real. Anyway, one night some stranger started flirting with her. When she turned him down, he got abusive.”

He paused a moment, seeing it all in his mind. “At the time, I didn’t realize she was more than capable of taking care of herself. Anyway, I tossed the guy out of the pub and the lady repaid my chivalry by taking me to bed. After we made love, she said she was thirsty.” He shook his head ruefully. “I had no idea I was her drink of choice.”

“Was it terrifying?”

“Oh, yeah. I went to bed an ignorant farmer and woke up a ravening monster.”

“That’s horrible.”

“I thought so. It took me a while to figure out what she’d done to me. I quickly learned that the sun burned my flesh, that mortal food sickened me, that the only thing I could safely consume was blood, and that it didn’t matter if it was animal or human, or if the host was dead or alive.”

“Dead?” Kaitlyn grimaced.

“Yeah, well . . .” He shrugged.

“Did you ever see her again? The vampire who turned you?”

“No. I spent a year or two looking for her. I’m not sure why, or what I would have done if I’d found her. Anyway, time passed, and I learned how to be a vampire, how to hunt more efficiently, how to ease my hunger without killing my prey.” He slid a glance in her direction and grinned. “How to take advantage of all the preternatural perks that were now mine.”

Leaning forward, she kissed him on the cheek. “You’re quite remarkable, you know?”

“Yeah, why? Because I learned to survive?”

She nodded. “I’m not sure I would have done as well in your shoes. I grew up knowing what I was. My father was there every step of the way to teach me what to do, and I had a whole flock of aunts and uncles to guide me. Not to mention my mother.” Kaitlyn smiled. “She’s incredible. You’d like her.”

“I like you,” Zack said, his voice suddenly soft and sexy. “I like the color of your eyes, and the way they light up when you see me. I like your cute little nose,” he said, kissing the tip, “and the way it twitches when you smell blood. I like your mouth, the way you taste . . .” He paused, his tongue tracing the outline of her lips.

“More,” she murmured.

“I like your ears and your lovely neck. . . .” More kisses followed this declaration.