Nikki gripped the edge of the car door and closed her eyes. She couldn't go back to Jasper ... Yet she couldn't let Jake die in her place.

"Nikki, listen to me.” Michael's voice seemed to come from a great distance. “He won't kill Jake just yet. He'll make sure we have enough time to attempt a rescue. Jasper likes his little games. Break the contact Nikki. Break it, now."

She bit her lip and concentrated on pushing Jasper from her mind. He evaded her grasp, as slippery as an eel, his laughter mocking. She gritted her teeth and pushed, hard. Jasper's poison slid away, but the effort left her trembling.

Michael turned her around and pulled her towards him. She leaned her cheek against the warmth of his chest, and wished she could stay in the safe circle of his arms forever. Why couldn't the rest of the world just go to hell and leave her alone? Better yet, why wasn't there a way to simply turn back the clock to the time before Monica and Jasper had walked into her life? Though that would mean not meeting Michael. Perhaps some good had come out of this whole mess, no matter how brief it was meant to be.

After a moment, she sighed and pulled away. “If Jasper's moved in the daylight, he's stronger than you thought."

Michael shrugged, finally removing his dark glasses as he glanced at the sun. “It's nearly five, and the winter sun is weak. Besides, it was probably the zombies who grabbed him."

"Just how much do you know about Jasper?"

He shrugged a second time. “As I've said before, he and I are old foes. I make it my business to know my enemy."

"Do you make it your business to keep your allies in the dark?"

A wisp of annoyance ran through her, though his face was impassive. “I only tell what needs to be known."

She clenched her fists and tried to ignore the desire to yell in frustration. “Well, right now I need to know everything I can about Jasper."

He nodded, though his dark gaze was suddenly distant. “As I said earlier, he's a twin. He and his brother survived the San Francisco fires of 1906, but the rest of their family did not. We're not sure when they both changed, but we do know it occurred shortly after the fires, when they were fifteen.” He hesitated, his face grim. “Even so, Jasper was responsible for the murder of at least five people before his rebirth."

She shifted from one foot to the other and tried to ignore the need to move. Finding Jake would take all the caution and cunning she could muster—and every scrap of information about Jasper and his need for revenge. “You mentioned the royal ‘we’ again."

Michael sighed, though it was a sound filled with annoyance. “I am a member of an organization known as the Damask Circle."

"Are you all vampires?"

"No. But neither are we all what you'd term human."

Human. The bitter emphasis he placed on that word spoke volumes. He'd heard her thoughts, all right. She bit her lip and glanced away from the accusation of his gaze. “And this circle of yours goes around killing people like Jasper?"

"Yes. So people like you can rest easier at night."

People who fear what cannot easily be explained. People who cannot trust what their hearts know to be true. She closed her heart to his thoughts. This wasn't the time to argue about her refusal to trust. “Is that why you killed Jasper's brother?"

Again Michael hesitated. Pain rose briefly through his soul. She wanted to reach out and tell him she understood. Instead, she clenched her fingers and waited for him to continue.

"No. I killed Jasper's brother because he murdered my brother, Patrick."

Revenge. Everything was based on revenge, and it could end up killing them all. “How often have you and Jasper met in the past?"

Then she frowned. “If you're three-hundred-years-old and Jasper is only one hundred, wouldn't your brother have been well and truly dead before Jasper and his brother were even born?"

The pain in Michael's soul became sharper. “Patrick was a vampire."

And Michael had turned him. Nikki wondered why. “How often have you and Jasper met in the past?"

"Three times."

And each time Jasper had somehow slipped from Michael's noose. But it wouldn't happen again, she thought, staring at him. Deep in the dark depths of his eyes she could see the promise of death. One way or another, Michael was determined to finish it here in Lyndhurst.

Foreboding pounded through her. Shivering, she turned away and locked the car door. Dark laughter ran through her mind, taunting her. She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. Jasper wouldn't win this battle, either.

"Let's go inside,” she said, avoiding Michael's gaze and walking around to the front of the car. “I should be able to find something to trace Jake with."

She climbed the steps and unlocked the door. The office was as cold as the ice forming in the pit of her stomach. Dark laughter again scurried past the edges of her mind.

"Nikki.” Michael touched her arm and swung her around to face him. “Jasper's only teasing you, trying to make you fear every step."

"He's doing a damn good job of it,” she muttered, wishing Michael would wrap his arms around her and hold her until the scent of evil left her skin. But it was no use wishing for things that could not be. He couldn't stay. She didn't want him to stay.

So why did the thought of him leaving cut pain through her heart?

He placed a finger under her chin, raising it until her gaze met his. “He can't control you, Nikki, only undermine your confidence."

It was a lie. He knew, as she did, that Jasper only had to call, and she'd probably go running. “Why is he bothering? I'm no threat to him."

Michael's smile was edged with anger, his eyes layered with a darkness that chilled her soul.

"He fears you, Nikki.” He raised a hand, pushing a wisp of hair away from her eyes. His touch trailed heat against the ice of her skin. “Fears the strength of your abilities."

His touch felt so good ... She shivered, fighting the need to fall into his arms. Fighting the desire to jerk away from it. “Why? My psychic talents can't hurt him."

"Can't they?” His voice was distant, distracted, as he ran a finger lightly down her cheek and neck.

She licked her lips. It was hard to concentrate with him touching her so gently. Lord, all she wanted to do was fall into bed with this man—but she couldn't. The time and the place were all wrong. Damn it, they were wrong. A man who couldn't love and a woman afraid to love—what hope would there ever be for them?

Michael's hand stilled near her breast. She glanced up quickly, but he avoided her gaze and stepped away. It didn't matter. She knew his thoughts. Knew he wouldn't touch her like that again.

"I'm sorry,” he said softly.

She nodded. It was as much her fault as his. She should have pulled away the minute he'd touched her.

She walked across to Jake's desk and raised a hand. There had to be something here that held enough of Jake's vibes to enable her to track him.

She found it within a few minutes—an old fob watch lost among the junk in his bottom draw.

"It has his imprint?” Michael asked, sitting on the edge of the desk.

She nodded and tried to ignore the sensations running through her fingers. “How do you want to go about this?"

"That would depend on how much you really trust me."

She gave him a sharp look. He was sitting on the edge of the desk, swinging one leg slightly. So very casual in appearance, but she could feel his tension. See it around the edges of his dark eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Jasper knows you will attempt to find Jake, so he will have set some sort of trap again."

She nodded. That much she'd guessed. But she had to find Jake, and this was her best option. Probably the only option, if they wanted to find him alive.

"You have a plan to stop him?"

"Yes. But it would involve my mind joining yours,” he hesitated and shrugged lightly. “Completely."

She stared at him. Merge minds? To know each other's thoughts and desires?

"We already know each others thoughts, Nikki."

"But I can't—"

"You can.” He studied her, face grim. “And all too often you have. It's something neither of us can really control, something that gets stronger every time we...” He hesitated, then shrugged again. “The point is, do you trust me enough to allow our minds to merge?"

"How deep a merging would it be?” The prospect made her stomach turn. Did she really want Michael to know all her wants, all her secrets and fears?

"It would have to be complete enough to allow me some kind of control if I need it. But I promise not to delve, not to open any doors you wish kept closed. And you must promise the same."

She nodded and wondered if it mattered. Michael's abilities far outstripped hers. There was no way on earth she'd be able to control him. “But how will this merging screw up the kind of trap Jasper had waiting last time?"

"I intend to direct your abilities along a slightly different path."

She licked her lips. For all intents and purposes, he'd have control of her. Her willingness to go along with this would allow Michael to succeed where Jasper had so far failed—would give him the access Tommy had wanted but couldn't fully control.

"Damn it, Nikki, I'm not Jasper. Or Tommy."

He rose and moved around the desk, stopping only a foot away from her. She bit her lip and backed away a step. Her back hit the wall. The wood paneling felt cool against her palms when compared to the fire of his gaze.

"I don't want control of your mind—or your body—or anything else, for that matter. When will you get that through your head? I just want you to trust me."

She stared at him. Deep in his eyes she saw a flicker of longing and knew in that instant he wanted something more than he'd ever admit or allow.

"Just tell me what you intend to do."

He sighed and turned to the window, staring out through the lace. “Instead of merely tracking Jake's whereabouts, I intend to join his mind. That will prevent Jasper from detecting us, and it will give us a better idea of what is going on."

So Michael would have control of two minds. She remembered how easily he had made the waiter do as he asked, and shivered. But that had only been surface control. This would be so much deeper. “Won't it be dangerous?"

"Anything that deals with this kind of mental intrusion can be dangerous."

"For us or for Jake?"

"For everyone. But we should have no trouble linking with Jake. I've already done it."

She gave him a long look. He ignored it, though she knew by the taut muscles in his crossed arms that he was well aware of her gaze. “When was this?"

He shrugged. “The night before I met you. I needed to know Lyndhurst's background in a hurry, and who would know more than a private investigator?"

Who indeed? And Jake had been an investigator long enough to know his fair share of secrets. She just had to hope he'd be around long enough to learn a few more.

She swallowed to ease the sudden dryness in her throat. “Will we be able to feel what he feels?"

"Yes. But I will protect you from it as much as I can."

"I don't know—"—if I can cope with Jake's fear on top of my own.

"You must,” Michael said gently. “If you want him to survive."

She took a deep breath then nodded. Jake was the closest thing she had left to family. She didn't want to lose him. “What do I do?"

"Sit in his chair and relax."

She did. Michael held her hand. Heat burned through her flesh, warming the ice formed by her apprehension.

"Now relax and close your eyes."

She listened to the rhythmic flow of his breathing and tried to match it. Gradually, she felt the tension begin to leave her limbs.

"Relax, relax.” Michael's voice was a whisper that soothed her soul. “Allow our thoughts to touch, become one."

Heat danced through her, warmth that burst like an explosion through every fiber of her being. It was a caress, a lover's kiss, and nothing like the invasion she'd imagined. The fire that burned when they touched was nothing when compared to the inferno they raised as their minds became one.

Concentrate, Nikki

The cool breeze of his thoughts whispered through her. His mind ran like a wave before hers, separate yet united with her own. She could see his thoughts before he spoke them. See his emotions, a blaze of color that almost left her blind. Could see the areas he wished kept hidden, vast tracts of forbidding darkness.

Find Jake, Nikki.

She reached for the watch. The metal was cold against her skin, but her hands twitched, burned by the images rushing from the fob. Her senses leaped away, following the trail that led to Jake. Shapes began to form. She felt a tremor of fear, only to have Michael chase it away.

Concentrate on Jake, Nikki. See him. Feel him. Become one with him...

...Pain throbbed through his temples. Jake cursed and ran a hand through his hair, only to stop when he felt the sticky dampness matting it all.

What the hell? He struggled into a sitting position and tried to remember what had happened. Cold stone nudged his butt, and a breeze pulled at his wet clothes. Where on earth was he? The air was heavy with age and the scent of decay. Somewhere ahead in the darkness he could hear the steady drip of water.

It had to be a cave of some kind. But how in hell had he gotten here—wherever here was?

"Hell is an apt enough description of this place, my friend."

The words came out of nowhere, reverberating around the walls. Jake tensed, studying the darkness.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"Questions.” The stranger's voice dripped cold sarcasm. “Always questions from my captives."

Jake swallowed. He knew who had him. Knew why.

"Nikki won't be fool enough to fall into your trap a second time."

"We shall see.” The darkness moved, forming shape. Became a man with the eyes of a demon.

It was easy to understand Nikki's fear, Jake thought, studying the muscular form warily. He wasn't psychic, but he could feel the power that oozed from the man. And those eyes ... they were almost hypnotic.

Don't look, he thought with a frown.

"Interesting,” Jasper murmured. “You have a certain ... strength I did not expect."

Jake made no comment and studied the darkness beyond Jasper. There had to be some clue as to his whereabouts—some way to warn Nikki not to come after him.

"You will find no escape."

His gaze darted back to Jasper. He noted the insanity entrenched in the blue depths of his eyes, saw the gloating. Knew he was a man who enjoyed toying with his victims. No, not a man. A vampire.

Jake cleared his throat. “Where are we?"

"Underground. Deep underground.” As Jasper spoke, a tremor ran through the ground, a vibration that shook the air and rushed wind through the darkness.

Were they in a tunnel? Did some sort of vehicle passing through cause the vibration? Maybe a train?

"Not even close,” Jasper mused. “I could, of course, tell you, but I doubt it would do you any good."

"Nikki won't look for me,” Jake replied, trying to sound casual, though tension knotted his gut and constricted his throat. “She won't run the risk of falling into your trap a second time."

"You lie, little man. I know her mind. I know how much she values your friendship."

Jake closed his eyes. “They will stop you,” he whispered. “No matter what it takes.

"I like a man with confidence.” Jasper smiled sharply. “What if the cost is your own life?"

Jake shrugged. He would die no matter what happened. He could see it in the monster's eyes. But he wasn't about to give Jasper the pleasure of his fear.

"I can read your mind, little man. I know what you feel."

"Then you know I loathe you more than I fear you."

The chill in the mad blue depths sent ice splintering down his spine. For an instant he regretted his rash words.

"Bravery must run in your profession,” Jasper said. “As much as I'd love to stay and chat, I must go tend to my traps. But first, a drink is called for, I think."

The fiend lunged at him. Jake scrambled backwards, but talon-like fingers caught his arm, tearing into skin. Jake swore and kicked out. Jasper only laughed. Fear slammed through Jake's entire being, and no amount of fighting against Jasper's hold could stop the journey towards the gleaming white teeth and death.

"Struggle little man. Struggle as hard as you can. I like my meal accompanied by fear."

Teeth tore into his neck. Jake screamed as the warm gush of horror plunged him into darkness...

Nikki's scream echoed through Michael's soul. He tore her from Jake's mind and lurched forward, catching her as she fell sideways out of the chair.

"Easy, little one. We're safe. You're safe,” he whispered and held her gently, one hand caressing the silky length of her hair.

She shuddered and wrapped her arms around him, holding on as if she'd never let him go.

Which was about as far from the truth as you could get. “I'm sorry, Nikki. I should have pulled us out earlier."

"Yes,” she agreed softly.

Lightly linked as they were, he could see the visions running riot in her mind, felt her shudder as she remembered Jasper's teeth tearing into her flesh...

"Jake's memory. Not yours.” It will not happen to you, Nikki. I won't allow it.

"My memories because we were there."

"Hush. It's over."

She sighed into his chest, her breath warm against his skin. “For us. Not for Jake."

True. He pulled away from her, though it was the last thing in the world he wanted to do, and held her at arm's length. “If we want to save him, we'll have to move quickly."

She sniffed then turned and sifted quickly through the papers of Jake's desk. “There's a map of the area ... here it is."

"Right.” He stood, giving her no time to dwell, no time to fear. “Where are all the tunnels situated?"

She frowned, studying the map. “If it was a rail tunnel, there are three.” She pointed them out with a trembling hand.

He ignored the sudden desire to comfort her again. They had no time, nor was it right for him to keep touching her like he cared. “What about old caves? Mine shafts?"

"This section of the mountains is literally littered with old mines. I know a lot of them were filled to stop people falling down them, but there are about a dozen that still remain. Jake could be in any one of them."

But Jasper couldn't. The shaft would have to be deep and long to provide the protection he needed. “The tunnel was wet. We heard drips, remember?

She nodded, chewing her lip thoughtfully. “There are two old mines near the new dam they're building here.” She pointed to an area on the western edge of the map. “I'm pretty sure one of them goes into the mountain rather than down."

He saw her glance at the watch in her hand, saw her fingers twitch against it.

"Is he there, Nikki?"

"I think so,” she whispered. “But I've been wrong before."

And it had resulted in death, Michael thought. Too much of her young life had been affected by death, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. But he'd do everything it took to stop Jake dying on her as well.

"We'll need some supplies,” he said.

"Out back."

She stood, but rather than brush past him, took the long way around the desk and walked across to the storeroom. He shook his head and followed her. She'd trusted him with her soul, but still wouldn't trust him with her heart. He wondered if she ever would.

But what in hell would he do if she ever did?

He leaned against the doorway and watched her collect some chocolate and a few cans of soda and throw them in a backpack. She pulled on a heavy coat and turned to face him. Fear was everywhere, in her thoughts and in her eyes.

"Ready?” he said softly.

Ready to dance with the devil himself? Never. Her thought ran through his mind like a frightened gazelle. Her gaze was grim when it met his

"But for Jake I must,” she said softly. “Let's go."