“Never,” he assured her. “I just like hearing you say it.”

“I do love you. I’m just not sure what to do about it.”

“That will work itself out in time. As long as you want to be with me, that is enough for now.”

“I do. Possibly forever. But forever is a long time…”

“You are too practical to believe in forever?”

“I suppose I am. Mmm, that feels nice,” she said as his mouth trailed up the side of her neck.

“Then I will make it my duty to convince you to put your practical side aside. I will make you believe in forever.”

She pulled back to meet his eyes.

“I would like that,” she said breathlessly.

“Then consider it done. I can be very persuasive.”

He kissed her lips with heat and fervor, dragging her into a haze of need almost instantly. She forgot what they were talking about as his hands began to roam her body. She gathered up the wherewithal to say, “I believe you. I have faith in you.”

“What more could I ask for?”

“For me to become an e-vamp?”

“In time. I am much more interested in your feelings. The rest will come in time.”

“You are very confident.”

“I am now that you’ve told me how you feel for me. Moments ago I was unsure…I was afraid I was in this alone.”

“You are not alone,” she said before melding her lips to his.

He believed her.

Epilogue

Draz petted the head resting on his thigh. He was sitting in a chair and one of his favorite sycophants was on her knees between his feet. He enjoyed her immensely. And he needed a little enjoyment in his life.

Losing Killean to the forces of self-righteous good had struck a critical blow to his empire. But it served the little upstart right. If anyone was going to unseat the queen it was going to be him, not some two-bit lowlife soldier. He was in charge of every sycophant on the northeast coast. And his territory was widening every day.

He wasn’t overly concerned about losing Killean. There was always someone eager enough and competent enough to take his place. Perhaps they would do even better than Killean. Perhaps they would be less ambitious.

The signing of the treaty meant nothing to Draz. It would take decades for the vampires to achieve a real peace. Signing a paper didn’t just magically make it happen. It was a start of course. And it could be dangerous for his kind in the long run. But he planned to usurp the throne long before it ever became a real problem. All he needed was to bide his time and wait for the right opportunity to present itself.

In the meantime, his brother could create as many treaties as he liked. Whatever made it easier for him to sleep at night. The easier he slept, the more vulnerable Rafe would become. As it was, he was hearing about some interesting developments between Rafe and a human woman. Now, there vulnerabilities abounded.

“My brother turned his back on me. They all did. One day I will make them all pay for it. We are no worse than they are. We are better, in fact. We are not limited in what we can do, whom we can feed from. We are not the self-righteous ones telling others how they should live. We are better than that. Better than they are.”

“They will work in concert now to destroy us,” the female at his feet said.

He had not really been talking to her as much as he’d been talking to himself, so her response irritated him. He clenched his fist around her hair and pulled her head back.

“They have tried to destroy us for centuries. They will not have any more luck now than they did before. Now be quiet. I don’t need your opinion.”

“Yes, of course,” she said meekly. “I’m sorry.”

Her meekness irritated him just as much as her boldness had. He wished she would pick one and stick with it. It would be interesting to have someone stand up to him for a change. He would destroy them of course, but it would still be interesting.

Just as he would destroy Rafe and the queen he served.

Given time.

All he needed was a little time.

For my sister, the strongest woman I know

BY JACQUELYN FRANK

The Energy Vampires

Thirst (ebook)

The Immortal Brothers

Cursed by Fire

Cursed by Ice

Bound by Sin

Bound in Darkness

The World of Nightwalkers

Forbidden

Forever

Forsaken

Forged

Nightwalker (ebook)

Three Worlds

Seduce Me in Dreams

Seduce Me in Flames

PHOTO: © SHERYL MANN/FLYING DOGS PHOTOGRAPHY

JACQUELYN FRANK is the New York Times bestselling author of the World of Nightwalkers series (Forbidden, Forever, Forsaken, Forged, and Nightwalker), the Immortal Brothers series (Cursed by Fire, Cursed by Ice, Bound by Sin, and Bound in Darkness), the Three Worlds series (Seduce Me in Dreams and Seduce Me in Flames), the Nightwalkers series (Adam, Jacob, Gideon, Elijah, Damien, and Noah), the Shadowdwellers novels (Ecstasy, Rapture, and Pleasure), and the Gatherers novels (Hunting Julian and Stealing Katherine). She lives in North Carolina and has been writing romantic fiction ever since she picked up her first teen romance at age thirteen.

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Read on for a sneak peek of Book Two in

Jacquelyn Frank’s Energy Vampires series

Hunger

Coming soon from Loveswept

Chapter 1

Halo rolled over and winced as the sun struck his eyes. He sat up, his head ringing and his body slow. He didn’t like it. He’d been drinking last night, more than usual. E-vamps were notoriously lightweight when it came to alcohol, but his tolerance had always been better than that of the average e-vamp. Better than that of the average human. He was just better.

He looked around at his alien surroundings and took in the details of the room. He couldn’t remember where he was.

He didn’t like that either.

Sure, he played fast and loose with a lot of the e-vamp edicts, skirting the edges of what made for a lawful energy vampire, but he was a hunter. He hunted for a living.