“Do not leave the hospital until I am once again with you. I am on my way.”“What if that’s just what he wants? What if he is using me to lure you out where he can harm you?” There was real fear in her voice. “He has never defeated me in battle, sweetheart. You should have more faith in your lifemate. Luther is a very unusual demon, just as he was an unusual supernatural. There is no other like him. It does no good to try to second-guess him. He always does the unexpected. He could just as easily have attacked you or Shaina. He is intelligent far beyond your imagining, just as he is more powerful than the legends have told. To guess what he is up to is impossible, but he has found you and he has found Shaina. I do not want you to set one foot into the night without me by your side.” For some reason, Miah was annoyed. “I am not about to allow this demon to change my life, Alexander. This is my city. There is much I do here, much I love. Over the centuries there have been many demons

Miah could hardly bear to look at the news. There were strings of murders, mutilations, terrible things that seemed to be breaking out all over the city. Was it Luther? Was he responsible for the crimes sweeping her beloved Paris? If she and Alexander left, would he follow them? It was more than the brutal murders, it was the feel of the city, as if something evil resided there. Something dark and malevolent, crouching, awaiting its moment to rise. Somehow it seemed to permeate the city until the residents were affected. Fights broke out, wrecks occurred on the streets, and conflict erupted everywhere. It was important to her to spend as much time as possible with Alexander. She wanted to be with him each rising, when the night was so beautiful it took her breath away.She wanted the early morning hours. She wanted to make love to him, watch his gaze become so intent that she felt a rush of heat through her body. They had spent every moment they could together, their only responsibili

She rested her forehead on his chest, struggling not to cry. “I am very afraid, Alexander. You attribute all kinds of wonderful traits to me, but I am a woman who had chosen to end her lonely existence before you came. Now you think I will not only choose to stay without you, but I will do so for at least two more centuries. Alone.” “Or longer if you must. The child is most likely a male. He will need you to give him memories that will last until his lifemate is found.” “You can defeat Luther. I know you can do it. There must be a way, Alexander. We have to find a way.” She raised her head to look directly into his eyes. “I have examined your memories of him. I know that you bested him once. You caught him by surprise and locked him into the ground with you. He did not expect such an attack by you and it worked. We have only to think of something similar, something he would never expect. I will work with you. He will not think a woman would do such a thing. Do not smile, Alexander, I

“What stranger entered your room, Shaina?” “A man. He asked me lots of questions about you, but I didn’t answer or look at him. I retreated like I do. Into my own mind.” Shaina continued to look at the wall as if she were slightly ashamed of herself. Her hands were clutching the little stuffed animal until her knuckles turned white. “I don’t know if I can keep from doing it when I’m really afraid.” Miah gently pushed her hair from her forehead. She couldn’t wait to get the child home, where she would be surrounded by love, by feminine things. She couldn’t wait to do something with the wealth of hair that had been neglected for so long. “He’s a reporter, honey, nothing more. Someone told him a story about me and he wants to write about it. It has nothing to do with you, but I’ll make certain there’s a guard posted outside your door at all times. No one else will get in.” She should have posted a guard long before this. A small sound escaped Shaina’s throat, something between a laugh

He heard the soft shuffle of boots in the dirt, the heavy breathing of the ghoul a demon had created. Dangerous creatures, ghouls lived to serve their masters, feasting on tainted blood and the flesh of humans. They were vicious and without mercy. He waited, his power building and building, gathering until it flowed through him and poured out into the air around him. The ghoul approached from behind, shuffling closer, an evil being, clumsy but very cunning and impossibly strong. A human being would be in grave danger should he meet with a minion of the demon. Alexander was one of the ancients, powerful and far too experienced to give the ghoul much thought. As the grotesque creature closed the distance between them, Alexander whirled around, caught the misshapen head between his hands and jerked hard enough to break the neck. The crack was loud in the silence of the night. The monster wailed loudly, flailing its arms, but Alexander had melted away, his speed far too great for the m