Nikki huddled against the ground, nose first in the dirt, her hands over her head and heat searing her back. Chunks thudded into the soil around her, bits and pieces of red-glowing metal, all that remained of the car. The air sizzled, thick with smoke and burning her lungs with every intake of breath.

Michael? She twisted around quickly, scanning the fire-drenched night behind her.

Here. I'm okay. You?

Relief swept through her. Fine. Even if her ears were ringing so loudly the roaring flames were little more than a whisper of sound. On hands and knees, she crawled farther away from the car and the heat, then sat down and stuck a finger in her ear. It didn't seem to help. I think I've gone deaf, though.

Can you see Rachel?

She looked around again and saw the young vampire sprawled ten feet away. A jagged piece of metal poked out of her back. She staggered across to her and felt for a pulse on Rachel's neck.

She's injured but alive.

A warning tingled across her skin. She glanced up. Michael stood opposite her, though the shadows were wrapped tightly around him. He was little more than a slight shimmer in the darkness. Fear surged anew. “What's wrong?"

Nothing. Can you sense Cordell any more?

She studied the night for several seconds. Out on the main road, coming from the right, lights approached—the flashing lights of emergency vehicles. How had they gotten there so fast? The ranch owner had obviously called the fire department.

I can't sense him anywhere near. Why aren't you showing yourself?

We have to get Rachel away from here. She's too dangerous, and we won't be able to keep her restrained once the cops get here. Cordell obviously wants her dead, so we have no choice but to save her.

The man at the gate saw her in the car with us—won't he think it a little suspicious ... She hesitated, suddenly remembering the slight wash of power she'd felt before. You erased his memory, didn't you?

It's safer that way—for him and for us. I'll wrap Rachel in shadows and take her over to Doyle. You wait here.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw the small plane taxiing to a halt at the far end of the runway. Will Seline be able to help her?

His shrug was something she felt rather than saw. Probably not. But it's Rachel's only chance.

And killing Cordell might be the flame imps’ only chance. She shivered and rubbed her arms. Don't be long.

I won't. Night crawled across Rachel's form, stealing her from sight. Nikki sat back down on the ground, picking bits of grass from her hair and watching the approach of the emergency vehicles.

Five minutes passed. The plane lifted off again as the firemen clambered out of their truck and put the fire out. The police began to make noises about sending someone after Michael—at which point, he reappeared, running towards her, his face a mask of fear. He knelt beside her, frantically touching her, kissing her, as if they were true newlyweds and he was assuring himself she was all right.

You should have been a damn actor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close. Not for the sake of the watching police, but because she simply wanted to hold him.

"I was.” His breath brushed warmth past her ear as he whispered, “Remind me to show you the posters one day. I was a Broadway sensation for all of, oh, two weeks."

She buried her face against his neck to hide her grin. Rachel?

Safe with Doyle. He'll take her back to Seline and see what can be done.

One of the police officers cleared his throat, and the questions began again. It was another twenty minutes before they were able to order a cab and leave.

They headed straight back to the hotel. After explaining what had happened to the rental car—and horrifying the concierge in the process—they headed up to their room.

She grabbed her cell phone and called Mary. Jake was still in intensive care, but he was stronger. The doctors were hopeful. Relief coursed through her. She hung up, then flopped back onto the bed and closed her eyes.

"Jake's okay?” Michael asked from near the bar.

"Getting better.” Only time would tell for certain. “Are we safe here, now? If Cordell is behind the kidnappings, he'd have to know we're staying here."

The bed dipped slightly as Michael sat next to her. She opened her eyes and accepted the drink he held out.

"We have no other choice. We can't get on the hotel grounds unless we're guests.” He took a drink, dark eyes thoughtful. “I doubt he'd make a direct assault, not here in the hotel, anyway. But he's forewarned now, and that will make it more dangerous when we head into the caverns."

"He might even leave.” She raised up on one elbow and sipped the drink. She grimaced. Too much bourbon for her taste buds.

"He has a very nice setup here, and I doubt he'd leave unless he thought it was absolutely necessary. As yet, we haven't provided much of a threat."

True. And he had the safety of numbers on his side as well. “What are we going to do, then?"

He leaned forward and picked grass from her hair. “Do you feel up to entering the caverns tonight?"

She licked her lips. After witnessing what Cordell was capable of, she sure as hell didn't want to go anywhere near him. “What about your burns? Shouldn't you rest?"

His smile made her heart do strange things again. “You have to stop thinking of me in human terms."

He undid his shirt and showed her. The blisters had already disappeared, and his skin was only slightly pink.

"Amazing,” she said, running her fingers lightly across his chest. “You're not even going to scar."

"No. One of the few advantages of being a vampire.” He caught her hand and brushed a kiss across her fingers. “I can go into the caverns alone, if you wish."

"It'll take you too long to pinpoint Matthew.” Besides, his ex was prowling around down there somewhere. Alone was the one thing he was not going to be the next time he met her. Trusting him was one thing, trusting her was another matter entirely. “But won't Cordell be expecting such a move?"

"I doubt whether he'd expect it so soon. If we wait, we give him the chance to fortify his defenses."

"I wish I had my knives with me.” She might be able to protect herself with kinetic energy, but she still felt a whole lot safer with the weight of a knife in her hand. Which was no doubt a hang-up from her days on the streets, when the obvious protection of a knife did more for her safety than the unseen threat of energy. She gulped down the rest of the bourbon and shuddered. “Ready when you are."

He rose from the bed and offered his hand. She accepted his help and found herself pulled into his embrace. “You will do as I ask down there, won't you?” His expression was a mix of amusement and worry. “You're not going to wander off alone, are you?"

She grinned. “I always do what I'm told. You know that."

"That's exactly why I'm asking.” His voice was dry.

Grin widening, she raised on her toes and wrapped her hands around his neck. His eyes were dark jewels that sparkled with caring, his mouth a breath away, warm and inviting. Too inviting to resist—so she didn't. His arms tightened around her waist, and the kiss deepened, sending ripples of pleasure pulsating through her until her need for him became an ache so fierce she wanted to scream.

But her timing, as ever, was wrong.

He pulled away, his breath ragged, brushing heat across her skin. “If I wasn't what I am,” he said softly. “If I didn't do what I do for a living—"

He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to. “If you weren't a vampire and hadn't come to Lyndhurst, I would be dead. But you saved my life and made me a part of you forever.” She cupped a hand against his cheek, staring into the dark eyes that she loved. “I want to share your life, Michael, and I'm not going to give up the hope that one day I will. No matter what you say or do."

He sighed, his thoughts as troubled as his expression. “Nikki—"

She pressed a finger against his lips. “Just think about it. That's all I'm asking."

"I have spent the last six months thinking about nothing else."

"Then think about the fact that my life is also filled with danger and death. Think about Jake, lying in the hospital, and how easily it could have been me. The woman in the warehouse sensed your life force in me and, no doubt, knew how to kill me. The danger in my life won't stop just because you're not a part of it."

"Maybe,” he murmured. He brushed the hair from her eyes then kissed her forehead and stepped away. “But I know for a certainty it will increase should you become a part of my world. You mean too much to me to take such a risk."

Then they were at an impasse—again. Yet the flame of hope flared brighter in her soul. The more they talked about it, the more she could make him see she knew and accepted the risks that were such a major part of his life.

She walked over to her bag and dug out the small flashlight she'd packed, then picked up Matthew's watch. Images teased the outer reaches of her mind, flashes of color and emotions that sent chills running down her spine. There was something very wrong in the taste of those images—something dark and deadly. She licked her lips and glanced at Michael. “Ready when you are."

"Keep close,” he warned again, and offered his hand.

Right now, she had no intention of doing anything else. She wrapped her fingers in the safety of his and followed him from the room.

They entered the tunnels from the ledge entrance they'd discovered earlier. Nikki eyed the darkness warily, fear stirring in the pit of her stomach. With no sunlight to warm or guide them, and the heat of the day still seeping from the rocks, they might have been entering hell itself.

And she couldn't shake the sudden feeling that hell was what would greet them further in.

Michael squeezed her hand. The link flared to life, and warmth wrapped around her, a cocoon of strength and courage.

Why? she asked. Why block her, and why open it now?

I cannot sense anyone near, but we dare not make much sound. Better to use the link than talk.

That wasn't what I asked.

No. His sigh was a cool breeze that tempered the warmth in the link. The link strengthens every time we use it.

That might be true, but she suspected the real reason he kept the link blocked most of the time was because, with the link open, he could not hide behind words. She could see the truth in the color of the emotions flowing from his thoughts to hers.

Meaning, the more you use it, the less you'll be able to block me?

He hesitated, then answered almost reluctantly. Yes.

She grinned. At least I now know where the next line of assault should be.

You're incorrigible. His amusement shimmered around her.

I'm also headstrong and stubborn and very bad-tempered in the mornings before I get my coffee. And I'm in love with the most muleheaded man I have ever met in my entire life.

And he loves you, even if he doesn't want you in his life.

She stopped dead, pulling him to a halt as well. That's the first time you've actually said you loved me. Why couldn't he have said it while they were in their room, when she could see him, see his eyes?

You don't need to see my eyes, Nikki. You never have. His smile danced through her heart. He touched her face, cupping her cheek. You knew what I felt. You have always known.

Maybe. But it's nice to hear it said occasionally. She turned her face into his hand and kissed his palm. As much as I would love to discuss this matter further, I think we'd better keep moving.

Yes. He pulled his hand away and continued on. The darkness closed in around them, and the air was still, stale smelling. They were headed downward, and the chill gradually increased. She shivered and wished she'd put on a sweater. But at least there was no sense of evil. Maybe Cordell wasn't back yet.

She touched the watch in her pocket. Sensations vibrated through her. Hunger and need, similar to a vampire's and yet not. Nikki frowned, unsure what that meant exactly.

We're coming up to that three-way split in the tunnel, Michael said. Do we go left or straight on?

She studied the darkness for several seconds, even though the answer throbbed clearly through her fingers. The air felt heavy and the silence intense. There was still no indication that Cordell or any of his cohorts were here, but something felt wrong.

Can you sense anyone?

Power shimmered bright enough to burn should she attempt to grasp it. Michael, searching the night, looking for the dangers she could feel.

Nothing, he said eventually. You?

Not a person ... just something. Maybe it's just nerves.

Maybe. Doubt filtered through the link. Which way?

Left. I don't think Matthew's far.

He tugged her on. The path became uneven. Stones scooted away from her feet, rattling across the silence. She bit her lip but resisted the urge to turn on the flashlight. Cordell might not be near, but something was. Turning on the light might only force into action whatever stood out there in the darkness watching them.

They made their way slowly through the blanket of night. The closer they got to Matthew, the stronger the pulsing in the watch became. Images flicked brightly through her mind, recalling moments of sweat and sex and loathing. Matthew and Elizabeth had been intimate, if the visions were anything to go by.

At least one wish had come true for the teenager, and she hoped the price he'd had to pay wasn't too high—though she had a bad feeling this wasn't the case.

Goose bumps chased their way across her skin. She rubbed her arm with her free hand and uneasily studied the cloak of darkness past Michael's shoulders. It was still there, still watching them—whatever it was. Would it do anything more than watch? She couldn't say, and that worried her.

I can sense only Matthew, Nikki. He's alone, just ahead.

No sign of Rodeman?

Not in this section of tunnels.

Damn. That meant they'd have to come back once they got Matthew out. It was a prospect she didn't look forward to. Michael stopped. Her vision flared, seeming to expand again. Suddenly a door appeared in the darkness, its metal hinges and latch glowing with icy brightness. Her stomach churned. Her night sight had never been like this—at least not until Michael had shared his life force with her.

I can see a door.

Amusement shimmered around her. So can I.

No, I mean I can see it so well it's almost glowing. And yet I can barely see you, and I certainly can't see the damn walls. Even though they were so close she could reach out and touch them.

You've always had good night vision—you told me that not long ago.

But not like this. Never like this.

I'm not sure what's happening, then. His concern ran down the link. It may have something to do with me sharing my life force, and it may not. Seline's doing a check on thralls. I'll know more when she gets back to me.

Thralls? What the hell is a thrall?

He hesitated. Technical term for what you now are.

Why didn't she like the sound of that? Another chill ran through her. Maybe because if there was a term, there were sure to be problems and disadvantages.

He squeezed her hand then stopped. The door has a lock on it.

So I can see.

Think you can break it without making much noise?

Do pigs have wings?

Try, Nikki. Impatience edged his mental tones.

She grinned and held the lock. Energy danced from her fingertips to the metal, making it glow briefly before it shattered. It was little more than a scuff of sound against the silence around them.

He pushed open the door. Shapes glowed in the heavy darkness cloaking the room beyond—a chair, table and a rough-looking bed. It looked like a cell—and probably was, if what she'd seen when she'd joined Matthew's mind was anything to go by.

She couldn't see the teenager. She wrapped her fingers around the watch again, watching the flow of images, listening to their intensity. He was there, somewhere, watching them. He wasn't afraid—wasn't anything, she realized. Beyond the rush of his memories, she felt little emotion. It was if he were a slate wiped clean and waiting to be filled.

Energy flowed across her senses. Michael, searching the darkness, trying to find the dangers they both sensed were there but couldn't see.

I do not like the feel of this.

Neither do I. Why was Matthew merely sitting there? Why didn't he do something? She licked her lips. There had to be a trap of some kind. Had to be. We can't just stand here. Nor could they run, though every instinct was telling her to do just that.

No. You wait while I check out the cell and the teenager.

Separating us may be the whole idea. And she didn't want to be left alone in this darkness.

We can't stand here like fools, either.

The warmth of his hand left hers. She bit her lip. He stepped into the cell then hesitated. Nothing happened. He stepped forward again. There was a soft click, as if a button had been pushed somewhere. He froze, his tension flowing like fire through the link. Her stomach churned, and her breath was caught somewhere in her throat. For several seconds nothing happened. Then with an almost silent sigh, the ground gave way and plunged her into a deep pit of darkness.

Michael spun and dove forward, his stomach scraping against rock as he grabbed her hand and hung on tight. The sudden shock of her weight slid him forward several inches, and his straining arm muscles burned a protest through his body. He grunted, trying not to crush her fingers in the force of his grip. She hung in the darkness, staring up at him, eyes amber fire.

Don't drop me, don't drop me ... Her litany ran through him, her fear so sharp he could taste it in the back of his throat.

Metal creaked, a sound as sharp as a gunshot in the silence. He glanced up, saw the glimmer of metal spikes hurtling toward him. He only had two choices. One of them was dropping Nikki and rolling into the safety of the cell.

He took the other option and dove into the pit with her.