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She wound her arms around her troubled vampire, holding him tight. There was nothing to forgive. For as long as she had known him, he had grieved for his human life. But not until tonight did she grasp the full lengths to which he was willing to go to reclaim any part of it.

She only wished she could veto the sunlight experiment as easily as the baby plan.

5

A Shot at Dawn

CassidyandDominiquesatat the kitchen counter and contemplated the black case when tentative footsteps approached from the foyer. They looked up to see Jackson, who had shoved his hands into his pockets and looked anything but at ease.

“Good dreams?” Dominique wondered with a knowing smile, which only compounded their guest’s obvious discomfort.

“Coffee is over there,” Cassidy said quickly, pointing at the coffeemaker, which sighed and burbled in the far corner. Jackson beelined for it.

God help us. He remembers his dreams,she lamented, wishing she didn’t remember them, too.

And he suspects we are aware of them,Dominique added with wry amusement.

Well, I’m glad one of us is having fun.Toying with Jackson’s uptight equilibrium had long been a favorite sport for the vampire.

“Ah!” Serge exclaimed as he trundled into the kitchen and spotted Jackson. “He survived the fire.”

Half the coffee Jackson was pouring splattered on the counter. He jammed the carafe back on the hotplate and pinched his mouth against a string of obscenities. Ripping a wad of paper towels off the dispenser, he mopped up the mess.

“Our night was…very enjoyable,” Dominique said suggestively before taking pity on Jackson and changing the subject. “But I intend to enjoy my day even more.”

“Ah, yes. That.” Serge sucked in his lips and touched his fingertips together.

“What does that mean?” Cassidy asked. “Is it safe? What do you see?”

Serge tilted his head to one side, then the other, his full face narrowing as he considered Dominique. He shrugged. “Turmoil, but nothing of consequence.”

It will not work, Dominique thought, shoulders slumping.

Cassidy gripped his forearm as she implored Serge. “It won’t kill him, though. Right?”

“Bah! Nothing will kill him,” Serge sniffed with a dismissive flick of a wrist.

“So, you…um…” Cassidy glanced at Jackson, now clutching a steaming cup of determination and maintaining his distance. Whether or not he realized it, he really had touched fire last night when he offered his vein to Dominique. The searing dreams that resulted were just the smoke. “You weren’t talking about the sun last night with, um, ‘beware the fire?’”

Serge gave her an exasperated look. “We mustalwaysbeware the sun, sweet one.”

I give up, she thought and dropped her head on Dominique’s shoulder.

He leaned in, his hair damp against her face.I did years ago.

Serge eyed Jackson, but no more vagaries were forthcoming. Instead, he turned to Dominique, pressed a hand to his sternum, and bowed at the waist. “My lord, I will find my sanctuary in the earth. I bid you a pleasant day. May it be all you hoped.”

With that, the barefoot vampire vanished. He would have no part of their experiment. Or risk being vulnerable.

This sent a chill creeping across Cassidy’s shoulders.He doesn’t trust Jackson. Should we?

We have more reason to trust him than Serge does, Dominique countered.Also, if there were true danger, Serge would never let me do this. Which means…this probably will not work. You will need to seal the door to the sanctuary from the outside.

Cassidy thought she’d consider herself lucky if that’s all she would need to do in the next few minutes.

Jackson cleared his throat. “So, I guess we should get started?”

“We should.” Dominique scooped up the case and headed for the wine cellar–lair. Cassidy followed.