But I knew Ray wasn’t the cold-blooded killer he thought he could be and regret would haunt him later. I held on to him, feeling the thrum of his tension in the set of his shoulders. How could I help him?

“She’s all yours, Ray. Make your choice.” I raked her with my eyes and pinned her where she stood.

“You froze her.” Ray turned and faced me. “I can stake her now and she can’t get away from me.”

“Right. So make a decision. Do it and ruin everything. Or let her go. Lucky’s promised to leave town. I don’t think she’ll be interested in coming back.” I sucked in a breath. It took everything in me not to fall to my knees and beg him to do the right thing.

I’d left Lucky’s eyes mobile and she blinked frantically as if to say she was more than ready to get out of Austin. Ray glanced at her then back to me again.

“She doesn’t deserve to live, Glory.” His voice was low as he leaned his forehead against mine. “I’ve dreamed of doing this ever since…”

“I know, Ray. I do.” I slid my hands up to his face, running my thumbs over the stubble of his evening beard. “Look at me. Please.” He leaned back and it took me a moment to collect my thoughts. “I love you, Ray. Enough to step back and let you take her out if that’s what you need to do. But please let Lucky go.” I felt his jaw tighten under my fingertips.

“Glory…”

“Don’t do it for me, Ray, do it for yourself. You’re vampire. Done deal. We can’t turn back the clock.”

“That’s the problem, babe.” He looked down at the stake, the sharp point too close to his own lean stomach in its dark T-shirt. “What she did… I can’t be mortal again. God knows I’ve done everything in my power to try to figure out a way…” He met my gaze again. “Sorry, but you know how I feel about losing daylight. If I’d had a choice, like you did… Shit. But I didn’t.” He gritted his teeth. “She took the choice out of my hands and that’s what I just can’t accept.”

“Well, accept this, Israel Caine.” I gripped his hand that held that stake. “You’re stuck. Get over it.” I sighed and kissed his cheek. “I’d hoped you’d become used to this life enough by now to realize how much it’s brought you—immortality, strength, enhanced senses. Damn it, love the night, Ray, and quit fighting against it. Find the beauty and stop mourning what you can’t freakin’ have.”

“Shit.” One arm went around me and he took a breath as he held me for a long moment. Finally he looked at me again. “Guess I have turned into a whiny SOB, haven’t I?” Ray’s mouth worked until he managed a slight smile. “But I want to kill her so damned bad.”

“I know. She’s done horrible, unforgivable things. But I’ve got to believe that somewhere down the line she’ll get what she deserves. Divine justice. What goes around, comes around. Karma. Whatever you want to call it I’m pretty sure Lucky will get hers in the end. Can’t we leave it at that?” I took the stake from his fingers, surprised when he let me. “You’re a good man, Ray. That’s just one reason I love you, whines and all. What say we let her go now and then get the hell out of here?”

“Yeah. I want to hold you, be with you, before you leave. And, no, I’m not going with you. There’s nothing for me in Scotland. But I’ll send Will with you. How’s that?” He kissed me sweetly, then hungrily. “Damn, Glory. I can’t believe I let you talk me out of this.”

“Neither can I.” Ian walked into the room with a small package. “Daylight drug. Now go stand by the terrace doors, then release Ms. Carver, Gloriana. I’ll deal with the fallout.” Ian nodded toward Lucky. “I’ve got a note here for Campbell. An answer to the message passed by Kilpatrick. Will you take it for me?” He held out a small sealed envelope.

“It’s not going to aggravate the feud, is it? I don’t trust you.” I stared down at it. I was too anxious about Ray right now to get into Ian’s thoughts. I was pretty sure they were still in that indecipherable Gaelic anyway, the note too. I awkwardly held that stake, not about to hand it to Ian, though I was desperate to be rid of it.

“It shouldn’t if Campbell is reasonable.” Ian smiled like he doubted that. “Good luck.” He nodded at Ray. “I’ll see you another night. Enjoy your daylight.”

“I always do. Now if you get the urge to poison that bitch”—Ray glanced at Lucky—“go with it. No great loss.”

“I’m beginning to see that some people think so. Please just take off. Gloriana?” Ian raised an eyebrow.

“She’s thawed.” I stuck the note in my bra then ran out the door behind Ray. We shifted, only stopping long enough to get Will from the front lawn where I handed him the stake. Then we headed toward Ray’s house.

When we got there it was quiet and Ray pulled me into the dark living room.

“I have a question for you,” I said before he could drag me down the hall to either the playroom or the bedroom.

“Shoot.” Ray faced me, not even trying to evade the showdown.

“What in the hell were you doing carrying a stake?” I paced the length of the room.

“I started the night you told me Lucky was in town.” He sat at the piano and stared down at the keys. “What did you expect? I hate her. The fact that she was here and I could run into her was eating me alive, Glory. I figured she was still gloating about what she did to me. I had to do something about it.”

“She told you she regretted it, Ray. She isn’t gloating and I believe her.” I sat next to him. “You have any idea how dangerous it is to have a stake on you? You’re still a relatively new vampire. What if someone had overpowered you? Or frozen you, like I can do? They could take that stake and use it against you, Ray.” I bumped against his shoulder. “Please promise me you won’t do that again.”

“No worries.” He played a bar or two of scary music. “I’ll let Will handle it from now on. That’s what I pay him for.” He smiled.

“Thank God.” I laid my hands on top of his.

He turned his hands over and gripped mine then stared into my eyes. “You sure you need to go to Scotland? I think we’ve got a good thing going right here. You really came through for me back there. I could feel the love.” He pulled me to him, holding me almost too tight. “Damn, girl, I seriously felt all that emotion from you just lift me right out of my anger.”

“I was hoping…” I held on to him and rubbed my face against his shoulder. “I couldn’t bear it if you self-destructed, Ray. But, like I said, don’t do anything for me, do it for yourself. You’re worth it. Believe that if you believe nothing else.”

“Shit. This sounds like a good-bye speech.” He leaned back and smiled sadly. “You leaving now? Tonight? Without…”

I put my fingers over his lips. “I can’t take your plane. It’s not fair. And I’m not taking Will either. I’ll get to Scotland on my own somehow. Don’t worry about it.”

“No plane. Then how…?” Ray brushed my hair back. “No, I don’t want to know. Just promise me you won’t shape-shift and try to fly yourself over the Atlantic as a bird or bat or something. That’s too much for anyone but one of those macho types like Blade. And I bet even he has pit stops.”

“No, I won’t try to do that. A girl’s got to have luggage, you know.” I leaned against him again. I knew I had made the right decision.

“Okay. You’re smart. You’ll figure it out. You need cash—” He didn’t get to finish that offer with my hand over his mouth.

“I’m through with what I’ve figured out is Siren behavior, Ray.” I stopped and shook my head. “No, that’s an excuse. I’m through being a user. Especially men. Jerry, Rafe, now you. No money, bodyguards, plane rides.” This was like stepping off a cliff, no safety net, no bottom in sight. But I pasted on a confident smile, glad Ray couldn’t blast through my mental blocks.

“For God’s sake, be careful.” He pulled me close. “And to hell with this independence shit. If you get in real trouble, call me. Promise.” He looked deadly serious and waited until I nodded.

“Okay, I promise. But it’ll have to be a dire emergency.” I smiled at his palpable relief.

“Quit beating yourself up about this so-called Siren behavior, Glory.” Ray frowned. “Men like me, the Scot, and, yeah, even your faithful hound, want to do things for you. Because we love you. You’re not like Aggie, not by any stretch. She’s obviously out for whatever she can get.” He rubbed my arms as he kept his eyes on mine. “You have a generous heart, a spirit that makes you a great friend.” He finally smiled. “And a helluva lover.”

“Ray.” My voice cracked. “I wish…”

“Don’t say it. I know you have to go do your thing with Blade. I’d like to blame it on the sire/fledgling connection but I sure don’t have that with Lucky.” Ray smiled sadly. “So kiss me good-bye and make it a good one.” Ray leaned down and took my mouth.

Ray made sure he left his mark on me, his mouth a master class in seduction that tempted me to pull him down the hall for a last romp on his satin sheets. Instead, I slipped from his arms and walked out to his terrace.

“Ray, you won’t—”

“Go back to the booze?” He smiled and shook his head. “Don’t think so. I’ve got the itch to write a song. Pretty gloomy stuff but, hey, that’s my mood, you know?” He rubbed my shoulder then frowned. “You’ve got a bruise on your neck, what’s that about?”

“Nothing. A little accident earlier. It’s healing.” I was afraid if I told Ray about Lucky’s new bodyguard he’d feel compelled to go after him and even the score. I didn’t want them to go to war over me, especially if Miguel was going to stay in town and take over Lucky’s “territory.” “I’ll expect your new song to be finished when I get back. Just don’t go all The Phantom of the Opera on me.”