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S aintcrow had just mesmerized his prey when his cell phone rang. He stared at the screen. Did he want to talk to the witch? She could only be calling about one thing. Taking a deep breath, he answered it.

“I have news,” Izabela said briskly. “Do you want to hear it?”

“I answered the phone, didn’t I?”

“You didn’t want to.”

“So, what’s the news?”

“I have found an incantation that may work. Are you interested?”

“No,” he said, with a sigh. “But Kadie will be.”

Izabela snorted. “If you wish me to pursue it, you must abstain from blood for a week before we begin.”

“Why?”

“It doesn’t say why. When do you wish to start your, ah, fast?”

Saintcrow glanced down at the woman in his arms. “The day after tomorrow.”

“Want to have a few more drinks for the road, do you?” she asked, laughter in her voice.

Saintcrow muttered an oath and ended the call. Just what he needed, a dark witch with a sense of humor.

Kadie was thrilled when he told her the news the following day. “I can’t believe it’s really going to happen! Did she say how long we’d have to wait for the spell to take effect? I mean, will it happen instantly or over time? Oh, Rylan, I’m so excited. Just think, a baby of our own!”

Taking her in his arms, he forced a smile while she continued to ramble on about how wonderful parenthood was going to be, how she couldn’t wait to tell her sister, Kathy, that she was going to be an aunt.

But it wasn’t a baby Saintcrow was thinking about. He was wondering how much Kadie would hate him if he turned her without her consent. Would she would ever forgive him? Hell, why should he care? He was an ancient vampire, with the power to do whatever the hell he wanted. And he wanted her, now.

“Did you hear what I said?” Kadie asked, her voice still tinged with excitement.

“What? No. My mind was … elsewhere.”

“Oh?”

He shook his head. “It’s nothing to worry about,” he lied, brushing a kiss across her lips.

“Are you sure?”

He nodded, his gaze moving to the pulse throbbing in her throat. Her blood sang to him, the warmth of her body against his fired his longing to take her to bed.

“Rylan?”

“I want you.”

She frowned at him, troubled by the faint red glow in his eyes, the growl in his voice. “Are you all right?”

He ran his knuckles along the side of her neck. “I need you, Kadie. Let me.”

There was something wrong, she thought, as he swept her into his arms and carried her down to his lair. She wondered, briefly, why she always thought of it that way. His lair. Even when she’d been a vampire, she had thought of it that way.

He placed her gently on the bed, his eyes hot as he undressed her. He shed his own clothing quickly, then slid in beside her and drew her into his arms.

“Rylan, what’s wrong?”

“Can’t a man want his wife?”

‘Yes, but—”

He covered her mouth with his, silencing her.

She was suddenly afraid of him. His tongue plundered her mouth, his hands played over her body, his touch forceful but not painful.

He whispered to her, words in a language she didn’t understand as he aroused her to fever pitch.

There was no gentleness in him, though he never hurt her.

And when he took her, she had the feeling he was angry with her, though she didn’t know why.

She sighed when she felt the sting of his fangs at her throat, let out a startled cry when he drank. And drank. Merciful heavens, was he going to take it all?

“Rylan! Rylan, stop!” She pounded her fists on his back, raked her nails down his cheeks.

With a low growl, he withdrew from her and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his back toward her, his whole body vibrating with the desperate need to make her what he was, to keep her beside him until the end of time.

Panting, her heart pounding wildly, Kadie stared at him. Did she dare touch him? Ask him again what was wrong?

“I’m sorry.” His voice was rough.

“What’s wrong?”

He shook his head. “I didn’t mean to scare you, Kadie. I just got carried away.” He plowed his fingers through his hair. “I haven’t taken a life in a long time. Sometimes … I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” When he was in control of his emotions, he turned to face her. “Forgive me?”

She nodded, though she still looked apprehensive. Well, who the hell could blame her?

“Is it all right if I hold you?”

Kadie nodded again. She didn’t know what had just happened, but whatever demon had been driving him was gone, and the man she knew and loved more than anything in the world was back.

Saintcrow sighed with relief when he took her in his arms and she didn’t flinch.

With luck, she would never know how close he had come to forcing the change on her.

“Rylan, are you sure you’re all right?” Three days had passed since he’d acted so strangely.

To Kadie’s knowledge, he hadn’t gone hunting since then.

Was something physically wrong with him?

Was that why he had acted so … strange wasn’t really the right word.

He’d scared her badly and she had no idea what had caused his odd behavior.

“I’m fine. Why?”

“You haven’t gone hunting in days, have you?”

“No.”

“Why not?” She knew ancient vampires didn’t need to feed as often as the others, but he had hunted most nights simply because he enjoyed it.

“I heard from Izabela a few days ago.”

“You did? When? Why didn’t you tell me?”

He shrugged.

“Well, what did she say?”

“She found an enchantment she thinks will work. She told me not to feed for a week. That was four days ago.”

Kadie stared at him, her brow furrowed.

He knew she was counting the days since he’d carried her down to his lair. It didn’t take her long to put two and two together.

“Is that why you were acting so weird the other night?”

It wasn’t, but he nodded, anyway. He couldn’t tell her the truth, that he’d almost turned her against her will.

She smiled at him, thinking it was his need for a last drink that had made him act the way he had. “Only a few more days,” she said.

“Yeah.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, went up on her tiptoes, and kissed him. “I love you.”

“I know. I love you, too, sweetheart.” With a sigh, he drew her slim body up against his, thinking she would never know just how much.

Izabela called him the night before the hoped-for transformation was to take place. “Have you been abstaining from blood?” she asked.

“Yeah.” It hadn’t been easy. Even though he could go weeks without feeding, if necessary, he rarely went more than a day or two. He liked being a vampire, liked the power it gave him, loved the taste of hot, fresh blood on his tongue.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow night at midnight.”

“The witching house,” he said, with a wry grin. “Of course.”

She laughed softly and ended the call.

Kincaid came to see him that night after Kadie had gone to bed. Sitting in Saintcrow’s living room, sharing a bottle of wine in front of the fireplace, they reminisced about old times. Battles they’d fought, women they had loved.

“I miss the 1800s,” Kincaid remarked, gazing into at the flames.

“I miss the cowboys, the freedom. My horse. I had a beauty, you know? Big paint stallion, half-wild. He was a pistol to ride. We’d be ridin’ along when all of a sudden he’d take to buckin’ like some wild bronc.

Dropped me on my ass a few times, but I wouldn’t have traded him for anything. ”

Saintcrow chuckled. “I had a horse like that in the Crusades. But he was a hell of a warhorse.” He slid a sideways glance at Jake. “He never threw me, though.”

They were silent for a moment, walking down ancient paths.

“Are you really gonna let Izabela change you?”

“Looks like it.”

“I can’t believe you’ll really go through with it.” Jake shook his head. “Do you really think you’ll be happy as a mortal?”

“I doubt it.”

“You love Kadie that much?”

“So it seems.”

“Have you told her how you really feel?”

“No. I promised I’d back her up, no matter what she wanted to do. She deserves it, Jake.”

“Yeah, yeah. She was a vampire for you for what? A measly thirty years or so.”

“Thirty years or two hundred, she still gave up her humanity to stay with me.”

Kincaid huffed an exasperated sigh. “I can see there’s no changing your mind.” Setting his goblet aside, he stood. “I guess next time I see you, you’ll be human. I hope you don’t mind if I pray it doesn’t work.”

“I don’t mind at all.” Of course, if it didn’t work, Kadie was still going to want a baby, one way or the other.

“Well, if being human is more than you can stand, I can always solve the problem for you.”

“Yeah,” Saintcrow said, with a wry grin. “I’m counting on it.”

With a nod, Jake vanished from the room.

Rising, Saintcrow padded toward the front window and stared out into the darkness. A full yellow moon hung low in the night sky. For the first time, he wondered what would happen if the spell didn’t work.

Would he remain a vampire? Or would his life be forfeit?