Gideon trailed at her heels, his senses on high alert. He paused outside the front door, repelled by the power of the threshold.
Kay glanced over her shoulder when he didn’t follow her inside.
Gideon arched one brow. “Vampire, remember?”
“You really can’t come in? I always thought that was just some sort of myth.”
“I wish it was.”
“What happens when you try?”
“It’s like butting my head against a brick wall.”
“What happens if someone invites you in and then changes their mind?”
“They can revoke the invitation.”
She considered that a moment, then smiled and said, “Gideon Marquet, come in, and welcome.”
With a wry grin, he followed her into the house, across a tiled entryway, through a living room decorated in earth tones, and down a wide hallway lined on both sides with family portraits. They passed several closed doors before coming to a den paneled in rich, dark mahogany.
Gideon dropped her suitcase beside the door, then stood there, his arms crossed over his chest as he perused the room.
An antique rolltop desk stood against one wall; a floor-to-ceiling bookcase took up most of another. Four comfortable-looking chairs and a pair of love seats, all covered in a deep red fabric, were clustered together in one corner.
Kay’s father sat on one of the love seats, his back erect, his expression shuttered. A pretty woman with light brown hair and vivid blue eyes sat beside him, her hands tightly folded in her lap. Kay’s mother, Gideon supposed. A younger woman with the same stocky build and coloring as Kay’s father occupied the second love seat; a dark-haired man sat beside her. A tall man with short white-blond hair and pale, close-set brown eyes slouched in one of the chairs, his long legs stretched negligently in front of him.
As soon as Kay entered the room, the brown-haired woman leaped to her feet and threw her arms around Kay. “Welcome home, Kiya.”
“Hello, Mother.”
“I’ve missed you.” Kay’s mother stood back, her gaze moving over her daughter in a long, assessing glance. “You look well.”
“More than well,” the young blond male said, rising. “You’re even prettier than when you left us.”
“Hello, Victor,” Kay said, her voice cool.
He stepped toward her, smiling.
When he bent to kiss her, she turned her head to the side so that his lips grazed her cheek.
“Who is this with you?” the stocky woman asked.
“His name is Gideon Marquet, but I’m sure my father has already told you that. What you may not know is that Gideon saved my life, and I saved his. Gideon, this is my aunt Greta, and my uncle Brett. My mother, Dorothy. And Victor Rinaldi.”
“Her betrothed.” The hostility in Victor’s eyes held a silent warning for Gideon to keep his distance.
Dorothy and Victor returned to their seats.
Kay sat on the chair farthest from Victor’s.
After a moment, Gideon took the chair beside her, putting himself between Kay and Rinaldi. He grinned inwardly when Rinaldi scowled at him.
“How long do you plan to stay with us, Mr. Marquet?” Kay’s mother asked politely.
“I’m not sure.”
“My daughter said you saved her life, and she saved yours,” Alissano remarked. “I should like to hear that story in more detail, Kiya, if you don’t mind.”
It wasn’t really a request. She took a deep breath and then, never taking her gaze from Gideon, she related the story of how she and Wanda had gone clubbing, how she had been drugged and how, when she came to, she was in Verah’s basement. She told her father everything that had happened from that night on, leaving out only the intimate details of the time she had spent with Gideon, the times he had tasted her blood, and she had tasted his.
The room was silent when she finished.
After several moments, the Alpha rose. “You have my thanks, Marquet, for saving my daughter’s life and for bringing her safely home, where she belongs. As leader of the Shadow Pack, I grant you leave to stay with us for as long as you wish, with the understanding that you will not try to feed on any of my people. And that, if you hunt in the town, you leave no visible evidence of it.”
Gideon inclined his head to show he understood what the Alpha was saying. Or not saying. It was okay to hunt, it was okay to kill, as long as he didn’t leave any bodies drained of blood in the gutter.
“Kiya will show you to your room. You have my word that no one here will intrude on you while you are at rest.”
“Thank you.” Gideon was sure the Alpha meant well, but he had no intention of spending the day inside the compound. He hadn’t survived this long by taking his rest among strangers, and he sure as hell didn’t intend to start in a den of werewolves.
The Alpha’s gaze rested on each one present. “Please let everyone know we have a guest and that he is here with my consent.”
Greta, Brett, and Dorothy each bid Gideon good night and left the room. Victor Rinaldi nodded curtly in Gideon’s direction, his expression virulent, before following Dorothy out the door.
When the others were gone, Kay’s father embraced her. “Rest well, daughter.”
“Thank you, Father. Good night.”
With a last cautionary glance at Gideon, Alissano quit the room.
Gideon stared after Kay’s father. Though no words had been said, the Alpha’s message had been clear—leave my daughter alone. Which was pretty much the same message that pompous ass, Rinaldi, had sent him.
Gideon shoved his hands in his pockets. Too bad, fellas, he thought as he followed Kay up the winding staircase, because he had no intention of leaving Kay alone, now or ever.
Kay didn’t say anything as she climbed the stairs to the third floor. While she wouldn’t call her father’s invitation either warm or cordial, at least Gideon had been invited to stay as long as he liked. How long would that be? A day? A week?
She stopped in front of the last door on the left at the end of the corridor. “Here we are.”
He gestured at the closed doors up and down the length of the hall. “Are these all bedrooms?”
“Originally, yes, but now my father uses one at the other end of the hall for his workout room. The one across from that is my mother’s sewing room. The one next to yours is filled with old furniture and other odds and ends, and the one across the way is another guest room.”
“Where do you sleep?”
“Why? Are you going to come visit me in the middle of the night?”
“Probably not a good idea. I don’t think your dad misses much.”
“Well, if you change your mind, my room’s on the second floor, below yours.”
“I guess your parents sleep on the second floor, too, don’t they?”
“Yes, but at the other end of the hallway. My brother’s old room is between theirs and mine.”
“Good to know.” He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “I don’t think your father likes me.”
“That’s okay,” she said, opening the bedroom door. “I like you.”
Smiling, Gideon wrapped his arm around her waist, drew her into the room, and closed the door. “I’m glad to hear it, because I’m rather fond of you, too.”
“Are you?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he lowered his head to hers and kissed her.
Rising on her tiptoes, Kay slid her arms around his neck and kissed him back, her tongue mating with his as he drew her body closer.
Time stopped and nothing seemed to matter but his mouth on hers, his hands moving restlessly over her back. She moaned when he lifted his head, sighed as he rained soft kisses along the length of her neck. Pleasure coursed through her when she felt the brush of his fangs against her skin.
“Gideon …”
There was no need to ask what she wanted. Swinging her into his arms he carried her swiftly to the queen-sized bed and lowered her onto the mattress. He was about to stretch out beside her when he heard footsteps in the hallway.
Grabbing Kay by the hand, he pulled her to her feet and straightened her clothes.
A knock at the door was followed by her mother’s voice. “Kiya? Are you in there?”
“Yes, Mother. Was there something you wanted?”
“A few minutes of your time, if you don’t mind.”
Kay glanced at Gideon. “Sorry.” She mouthed the word.
“No problem.” Bringing her into his room, with her parents in the house, wasn’t the smartest thing he had ever done. He had no excuse, except that it was getting harder and harder to keep his hands off of her, to remember that she was “engaged to be engaged” to another man.
He was standing well away from the bed when Kay opened the door. “Thanks for showing me to my room, Kiya. Good night, Mrs. Alissano.”
Kay’s mother forced a smile. “Good night, Mr. Marquet.”
Gideon nodded. First the boyfriend. Then the father. And now the mother, all with the same, unspoken warning in their eyes.
Leave Kiya alone
.
He chuckled softly as he closed the door. Ain’t gonna happen, he thought, not in this lifetime, so they’d better get used to it.
Gideon paced the floor while waiting for the people in the house to turn in. It was a nice room. Off-white walls. Good quality beige carpet. A small maple desk and matching chair. Flowered drapes at the single window. A private bathroom with an enclosed tub and shower, a walk-in closet.
Opening his preternatural senses, he listened to the sounds of the house—Kay and her mother getting ready for bed in their rooms downstairs. Kay’s father pacing the floor in the den, his footsteps quick and angry.
It was a big house for only three people. Of course, it was more than just a house, it was a symbol of the Alpha’s rank.
Moving to the window, Gideon stared into the darkness, his eyes narrowing when he spied a man walking the perimeter of the backyard. Gideon frowned. Was it normal for someone to keep watch at night, or was it because there was an unwanted guest in the house? A closer look told Gideon it was Victor Rinaldi.
Curious, Gideon left the house and made his way into the backyard.
Rinaldi detected his presence almost immediately. “What are you doing out here?” he demanded.
“Just getting some air,” Gideon replied mildly. “What are you doing out here?”
“Keeping watch, what else?”
Gideon thought it odd that it was Victor, and not a member of the pack, doing sentry duty. “I’d think that electrified fence would be deterrent enough.”
Rinaldi shrugged. “It doesn’t pay to let your guard down. I’d think a vampire would know that.”
Gideon clenched his hands, annoyed by the man’s derogatory tone.
“I don’t like the way you look at Kiya,” Rinaldi said flatly. “I know the Alpha said you were welcome here, but I think it would be better for everyone if you took off.”
“Maybe, but I’m not ready to leave.”
“Stay or go, it makes no difference. Just remember that Kiya is mine.” There was no mistaking Rinaldi’s defensive posture, or the unspoken challenge in his eyes.
“Is that right?” Gideon cocked his head to the side. He had never been able to resist a challenge, and he saw no reason to start now. “What if she changes her mind?”
“That’s not going to happen,” Rinaldi retorted, bristling.
“Yeah?” Gideon grinned, just to further piss off Rinaldi. “Well, I wouldn’t bet on it if I were you.”
Chapter 20
Kay woke late after a restless night. Sometime around two in the morning a bad dream had awakened her. Though the details of the nightmare had eluded her on waking, she hadn’t wanted to go back to sleep. What she wanted was Gideon, lying beside her, assuring her that everything would be all right.
Slipping out of bed, she had tiptoed up the stairs to his room, only to find his bed empty. Wondering where he had gone had kept her awake until sunrise. She had told herself he had gone hunting, or for a walk, but a nagging voice in the back of her mind kept whispering that he had decided to leave and hadn’t wanted to tell her good-bye.
Yawning, she sat up. In the clear light of day, she knew her fears of the night before were groundless. He wouldn’t leave without saying good-bye. So, where had he been last night?
Pulling on her bathrobe, she hurried up the stairs and peeked into his room again, unable to stave off a wave of fresh doubts when he wasn’t there.
After a long, hot shower, she dressed and went downstairs. To her surprise, she found her mother and father in the kitchen, still at breakfast. Apparently they had also had a late night. She took a moment to study her parents. As usual, her mother was dressed for the day. She wore a neatly pressed blue print shirt, white skirt, and low-heeled shoes. A lacy white apron was tied around her waist. Her father wore a crisp white shirt and gray trousers with a razor-sharp crease. She could never remember her parents taking their breakfast in robes and slippers, not even when she was a little girl on Christmas mornings.
“Good morning,” her mother said, smiling. “I was about to make your father another stack of pancakes. Would you like some?”
“Thanks, Mom. Anything I can do to help?”
“No, everything’s ready.”
“Where’s Greta?” Her aunt and uncle often dined with them.
“She’s gone into town. Brett went with her.”
Nodding, Kay sat down across from her father and reached for the coffeepot. As usual, he had his nose buried in the newspaper, which suited her just fine. She really wasn’t in the mood for idle chitchat, not when she was worrying about Gideon’s whereabouts.
She sipped at her coffee, which was hot and strong and black, just what she needed to kick-start the day and clear her head.
Her father turned the page. “You were prowling around early this morning,” he remarked, glancing at her over the top of the paper. “Is everything all right?”
“Of course. I’ve been keeping company with a vampire, you know. It’ll probably take me a while to adjust my sleeping schedule back to normal.”
He regarded her a moment; then, grunting softly, went back to the news.
“Here you go,” Dorothy said, placing a plate in front of Kay. “Light brown, covered with butter and powdered sugar, just the way you like them.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Kay helped herself to several sausage links and two strips of bacon from the platter in the center of the table.