CHAPTER THREE

Las Vegas

July 2, 1998

Lee opened sleep-encrusted eyes and glanced at the illuminated clock radio by Meghann's bedside—2:00 P.M. Unlike Charles, who'd been forced by the sunrise to crawl away from his friend and stretch out on the cot they'd set up by the foot of the bed, Lee had kept vigil until exhaustion finally set in around eight in the morning. Not that he'd been able to do much for his comatose patient besides hold her slack hand in his and pray some magic cure would occur to him.

"You can't die," Lee said out loud to the still white wraith on the bed, and clumsily wiped at the tears on his cheeks. He couldn't stand this, being forced to sit here and watch this wonderful woman that'd saved his life slip away from him.

Think, he told himself. You're a doctor… there's got to be some reason Meghann is rejecting blood.

The shrill buzz at the PATIENTS ONLY door startled him. The night after Charles and Meghann showed up, Lee had canceled all his appointments, having his receptionist tell his patients he was bedridden with the flu.

The buzzer jabbed again, and Lee walked out of the guest room, shutting the door behind him.

"Mrs. Hilliard?" Lee questioned, indifferent to his patient's dismay at his sleep-rumpled clothing, tousled hair, and bandaged nose.

"Doctor," she said timidly. "It's the beginning of the month—time for my Depo-Provera shot. I have a two-thirty appointment."

"Didn't Jeannie call and…" Lee sighed and mentally cursed his flaky receptionist. He really should fire the girl, who hadn't shown up for work on time in God knows how long and screwed up appointments routinely, but Lee wasn't any good at confrontations.

"I'm sorry," Mrs. Hilliard said. "If I've made a mistake."

"No, no," Lee said. "It's not your fault. Jeannie was supposed to call all my patients and tell them I wasn't seeing anyone for the rest of the week. You see, I have a… uh, family emergency." That was no lie.

"Well, I can just reschedule—"

"It's okay," Lee told her and stepped aside so his patient and her six-year-old daughter could enter. "I can give you the shot in five minutes—there's no need to make you come back."

He touched the rheostat on the wall, and the dark house (shuttered in deference to his guests) brightened.

In the examining room, Lee rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands quickly before reaching into the refrigerator for the small bottle of Depo-Provera.

"Needles are bad," the little girl pronounced solemnly while Lee prepared the shot. "I had one today and it really hurt."

"Well, I'm going to try my best not to hurt Mommy. What kind of medicine did the doctor give you?"

"It was a vampire shot," the little girl said, and Lee almost dropped the needle.

"She means the doctor took blood," Mrs. Hilliard explained. "He calls it his vampire shot to calm her down. Laurie's having her appendix taken out and he wanted to know her blood type."

"Oh," Lee replied and used a cotton swab to sterilize his patient's upper arm before giving her the intramuscular injection of birth control that would work for three months before she needed another shot. Pity no one gave Meghann some Depo-Provera, Lee thought and wondered idly if a vampire could practice contraception with anything but a condom.

"Good for you," Lee told the little girl and gave her a red lollipop from the collection he kept for his patients' children. Then he turned to Mrs. Hilliard, pulling her plaid sleeve down over the bandage he'd put on her arm. "You can pay me outside."

"What is blood type?" Laurie asked him.

Lee gave the girl a simple response, actually glad to be distracted from his worry over Meghann. "All blood type means is that there are different kinds of blood."

"You mean some blood isn't red?" Laurie asked, and Lee laughed.

"No, honey, all blood is red but there are tiny differences. Now, do you know what a transfusion is?"

The little girl thought for a minute and then said, "On Mommy's soap opera, someone got in a car accident once and they had to get a transfusion."

"Right," Lee said. "They were in an accident and they probably lost blood when they got hurt. Now, when they got to the hospital, the doctors and nurses would have new blood waiting for them. When doctors put blood into a patient, that's called a transfusion."

"Where do they get the blood?" Laurie asked.

"Nice people donate their blood to help people who get hurt. And sometimes, when people have an operation like you're going to have, they lose a little bit of blood and they need a transfusion. But doctors have to be real careful about the blood they give you. Thank you, Mrs. Hilliard." Lee accepted her payment and gave her a receipt before turning back to Laurie. "You could get very sick if the doctor gave you the wrong type of blood."

"Does everybody have different blood?"

"There are about four different types and everyone is one of them."

"How do you know who's who?" Laurie asked.

"We have a test that says which type you are and I bet your doctor is testing your blood right now. Have you ever heard of antibodies?" Lee asked.

The little girl shook her head, and Lee explained, "Antibodies are very, very important. They're what prevent you from getting sick. When you get a cold, it's your antibodies that fight the cold and make it go away. But everyone has different antibodies… they're also what decides which blood type you are." There was no need to confuse the child by explaining it was actually antigens that determined blood type, and that antibodies simply rejected any antigens they didn't recognize. "Now, my blood type is B. Understand?"

Laurie nodded, and Lee continued with his very simplified explanation. "That means my antibodies are Bs—great big Bs." Lee drew a huge B on a legal pad. "Now, antibodies aren't very friendly to strangers. Let's say someone gave me blood from somebody with blood type A. What do you think would happen?"

"The Bs would get mad at the As," Laurie answered, and Lee ruffled her hair.

"Very good! They'd get real mad and tell those A intruders to go away. A and B would have a fight and that would make me very sick. And that's why the doctor gave you that test—so he'd give you the right blood."

Lee held open the door and as Laurie walked through, she turned to him and said gravely, "Antijobies are important."

Lee and his patient laughed together and he shut the door.

Antibodies are important. Lee stopped cold and then an earsplitting grin appeared on his face.

"Antibodies, antibodies, antibodies!" he chanted like a rabid cheerleader. Lee ran toward Meghann's room. Maybe, just maybe, that little girl had given Lee the answer to Meghann's sickness.

Charles came awake to a hand shaking him and Lee screaming, "Come on! Come on! Wake up… I think I found a way to save Meghann!"

Charles bolted upright, clutching at Lee. "What are you talking about?"

"Come on!" Lee yanked him out of the bed, and Charles followed him to the basement where Lee had a small lab set up.

"Look at that!" Lee gestured impatiently to his microscope, and Charles leaned down to examine the small tissue sample.

Charles frowned, not looking up when he spoke to Lee. "It's agglutinated blood. Wait a minute… those blood cells—my God, those are vampire cells!"

"Meghann's cells, to be precise. I did a biopsy today—a small scrape off her ileum. She didn't wake up. That means she's even sicker than she was yesterday. But don't you see? You said that once blood gets to the ileum, it's supposed to be broken down. The blood isn't breaking down; the red blood cells are clumping together and that happens when—"

"When antibodies cause you to reject donor's blood," Charles said slowly, looking up from the microscope. "But I don't understand. Vampires don't have antibodies, not like mortals…"

"Maybe pregnant vampires do," Lee said. "I think the blood is clumping and Meghann isn't digesting it because she's having a transfusion reaction—rejecting the blood because it contains antigens her body doesn't recognize. If we give her blood with antigens comparable to the ones in her body, she'll break it down and start producing the enzyme again."

"But we tried that last night," Charles argued. "I gave her my blood. We're both vampires…"

Charles trailed off, and then the confusion in his eyes cleared and his eyes took on a look of guarded hope. "But we were transformed by vampires who weren't of the same bloodline. Of course! My blood has antigens hers doesn't—subtle differences—but enough to cause that violent reaction she had last night. If we were of the same bloodline, I'm sure my blood would have healed her."

"So all we have to do is get someone in her bloodline to donate blood!" Despite the purple circles under his eyes, nothing could overpower the joy in Lee's expression.

For a moment, Charles felt nothing but deep relief—Meghann would live! But then his own blood froze in his veins when he thought of who would have to be Meghann's donor.

Charles dashed back to the bedroom, taking in Meghann's corpse-pale skin and comatose state that hadn't been broken by the sunset.

"Meghann needs blood from someone in her own bloodline," Charles repeated dully.

Lee saw his lover's trepidation and nodded. "We must get blood from the… from the person that transformed her or someone in that bloodline. And we better do it soon. Charles, how much longer can she live like this?"

Charles considered their options—go to Lord Baldevar or someone of his bloodline. Did that mean asking someone like Isaac Spears to help Meghann? Even if one of those opportunistic vampires would agree to be the donor, it would leave Meghann completely at their mercy. No, that was out of the question—they'd exploit Meghann and her child in the hopes they could use them against Lord Baldevar.

Charles looked down at Meghann's still, waxen face. She'd forbidden him to contact Lord Baldevar, but would she feel differently if she heard Lee's theory? God help me, Meghann, he thought and clutched her hand. I can't let you die. But how can I tell Lord Baldevar your secret? How can I turn you over to that monster'?

"Jesus Christ!" Lee jumped back, slamming into the dresser behind him when a short scream escaped Charles's lips.

"What is it?" Lee started to ask and then he heard the footsteps in the hall. He whirled around to face the intruder and saw a tall, handsome man with unusual yellow eyes in the doorway.

Lee felt his knees clacking nervously together, and his mouth was suddenly dry. Something about this man inspired intense fear. Lee wished the stranger would speak, shout, do anything but stand so still with those evil eyes fixed unblinkingly on Charles.

"You can't come in here," Charles said, all the color gone from his face and his black eyes wide with fear. He clutched Meghann's unconscious form to him. "We barred the house to you."

The apparition laughed—a low, menacing sound that made Lee grasp the bureau to stay upright. "Your pathetic power cannot keep me at bay. And what have we here?" The man turned to him and Lee felt a hand grasp his chin. Dimly, Lee heard Charles yelling for the stranger to let him go.

The vampire ignored Charles, and scrutinized Lee with open curiosity. "Even after four hundred years, coincidence can still amaze me. I never expected our paths to cross again."

Lord Baldevar's eyes made Lee feel naked and powerless. No wonder Meghann was so frightened.

"Meghann does not need to fear me and neither do you. I will not kill you when you've attempted to help my consort."

Lee swallowed a crazy urge to laugh. What was he supposed to say—thank you? He stared into the golden eyes and didn't see a shred of remorse for nearly killing him forty years ago when he was a child. Did this creature have a conscience?

Lord Baldevar turned from Lee and gave Charles a freezing glare. "Finding this physician is the one intelligent thing I've ever known you to do. Now, back away from that bed."

"Hell will freeze over before I let you near Meghann."

Lord Baldevar moved his hand slightly and Charles crashed into the wall behind the bed. Lee rushed to him while Lord Baldevar gave Meghann a slight shake and said her name.

"She can't hear you," Lee told him. "She's comatose."

"She'll hear me," Lord Baldevar said flatly. He undid a ruby and gold cufflink, pushing his sleeve up to his elbow.

Lee gasped when he saw the fangs emerge from the vampire's mouth. He bit into his wrist and put it to Meghann's mouth. Then, he gently pried her lips apart and put her tongue on his bleeding wrist.

Meghann's response was immediate. For the first time since last night, her eyes flew open and she started to devour the blood. Charles and Lee both watched in amazement as the near death pallor faded from her face while she drank. Her system must have produced the enzyme in a matter of seconds, Lee thought, stunned by how quickly she recovered, actually sitting up and clutching the arm she fed from.

Lord Baldevar was nearly as white as Meghann had been a few minutes ago, but he didn't pull his arm away until Meghann raised her mouth from his wrist. Then he used the bedsheet to wipe the blood off her mouth and neck. The only sign of softness the vampire showed was when he stroked Meghann's limp, lusterless red hair and the cruel line of his mouth relaxed slightly.

Meghann put her hand up, to beckon or ward Lord Baldevar away Lee couldn't tell. "Am I a vampire yet?" she asked in a hoarse, drowsy voice.

He took her hand and spoke softly. "You've been a vampire for quite some time but you're sick now." It was hard to believe the man who held her hand and spoke so gently was the same monster that just sent Charles crashing into a wall.

Meghann's eyes were still glazed, and Lee wasn't sure she'd registered Lord Baldevar's presence. She was probably delirious, if she was asking him whether she was a vampire yet.

"Rest now," Lord Baldevar told her, and she closed her eyes at once, falling back against the pillows.

"Will she be all right now?" Lee managed to ask. "What about the baby?"

Lord Baldevar didn't look up from Meghann when he replied, "Meghann will recover. As for the child, he was never in any danger. Meghann was nearly killed by starvation because she did not have any of my blood to replenish her."

"Wrong," Charles said coldly. "Impregnating her in the first place is what's killing her… and still might cause her death in a few months."

Lord Baldevar glared at Charles as though he'd just remembered he was there. Carefully, he pulled his hand from Meghann's and whipped around to grab Charles by the shoulders and shove him against the wall.

It felt like his spine was going to collapse and then Lord Baldevar let him fall to the floor. "Your incompetence nearly cost me my heir. Unfortunately, I cannot kill you… it would upset Meghann too much. I will settle with you for endangering the life of my consort and my son after she has the child."

Flicking his hand contemptuously, Lord Baldevar turned his attention back to Lee. "Will you continue as Meghann's physician?"

"Of course… I'd do anything to help her."

"You are already doing a great deal. Deducing that Meghann needs my blood… you are an exceptional doctor. I wonder what you'll be capable of after you transform?"

"Transform?" Lee asked. Becoming a vampire had never occurred to him—all he'd wanted to do was save Meghann's life. Had Charles planned to transform him or was he planning to leave again once Meghann was well?

"I would be honored to transform you if you decide you'd like to be immortal," Lord Baldevar said politely. "If you leave your life in the hands of this fool, you'll never survive. He'll kill you the same way he nearly killed Meghann."

Charles gave a bitter laugh. "You claim such love for Meghann but you're willing to let her die so you can have a chance to make your warped fantasy come true?"

Charles gasped and clutched his chest; it felt as if his heart were exploding inside his body.

"Massive coronary event," Lord Baldevar told him calmly. "Meghann won't die as long as she receives the proper care."

"What do we need to do?" Lee asked, trying to divert Lord Baldevar's attention. "Does she need to stay in bed until the baby is born? When will she wake up? What should she eat? Should the delivery be caesarian?"

Apparently satisfied that his point was made, Lord Baldevar released Charles and addressed Lee. "She shouldn't be kept idle. Make sure she's active. It's unnatural for a vampire to sleep at night… she should regain consciousness soon. Like any expectant mother, she should eat well and be kept happy. There is time yet to discuss the delivery."

Lord Baldevar reached into his suit jacket and produced a small, handsome leather-backed book, placing it in Lee's unresisting hands. "This will explain all you and Meghann need to know."

"Infans Noctis," Lee read aloud from the cover.

"Night's Child," Lord Baldevar translated. "It is an account of a vampiric pregnancy—written down by the father. It should settle all Meghann's fears. After you read, you'll understand why this child will not be born malformed and see that there is every reason for Meghann to survive delivery. Read it at your leisure, Doctor. It's written in Latin—the language of the father, a Roman senator. Of course, that is not the original text… I keep that safe in a steel box so air won't destroy it." Again Lee had to resist the urge to laugh when he thought that this creature could kill another vampire or a small child without turning a hair but he went out of his way to preserve ancient texts. "Should you have any trouble with translation, Meghann can assist you."

Lord Baldevar turned from Lee and returned to the bed, holding Meghann's hand.

"What the hell are you doing?" Charles growled.

"I do not explain myself to underlings. Go prepare something for Meghann to eat; she is dreadfully thin. She'll wake up quite hungry."

"I am not leaving her alone with you!"

Lee saw murder in those gold eyes and grabbed Charles's arm. "Come on, you can't stop him."

Lord Baldevar laughed—a sound that made Lee clamp down on Charles's forearm with a painful grip. "Your lover is not only a gifted physician, but a pragmatist. You cannot keep me from Meghann; do not humiliate yourself by trying."

"Please," Lee whispered when Charles took a step toward the bed. "You can't help her if he kills you. You know he won't hurt her. At least he hasn't taken her away."

Charles turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. Meghann, was this what it was like for you the thirteen years you lived with him? An endless sense of futility and hopelessness because you couldn't defend yourself against his power?

"Damn him," Charles snarled, stalking toward the kitchen. "Goddamn that monstrous fiend to hell! Poor Meghann—what's going to happen to her now?"

"She'll live?" Lee ventured.

"She'll live at his mercy," Charles said, smashing his fist into the stucco wall at his right. "Sorry… I'm just so damned angry… at myself, at him. You don't think he saved Meghann because he loves her, do you?"

Lee thought of the way the vampire softened when he addressed Meghann, but decided this was not the time to engage Charles in a debate. "He wanted to save Meghann so the baby wouldn't die?"

"Yes, there's that." Charles sighed. "But the bastard has another purpose. You see, we are forever linked to our masters… to the vampire that transforms us. That link is made through drinking the master's blood. With Meghann drinking that fiend's blood continually, he'll gain a hold over her mind… a way to try to influence her, control her."

"Meghann doesn't seem easily controlled to me."

Charles gave Lee a tired smile. "No, she's not… a fact that drives Lord Baldevar up a wall. But if he doesn't want her to miscarry, he can't resort to his usual measures and torture her into submission. So he's going to use the blood link and her vulnerability to try and worm his way back into her life. But I won't let that happen. I might have had to stand back in there so he could save her life, but I won't let him destroy her. If sharing blood weakens her resolve against him, I'll be here to remind Meghann of her hate. Goddammit, I will not let that bastard hurt my friend any more than he already has."

Simon could hear the boy making his melancholy promises, and shook his head. That is what you left me for, Meghann? Whimpering fools who do nothing but wring their hands and whine about their helplessness?

He shuddered to think of what would have happened if he'd allowed the sodomite to remain in the room with Meghann. She'd wake up, and immediately start to wallow in self-pity and melodrama—all encouraged by her good friend.

Simon stretched out on the bed, pulling Meghann close to him and inspecting her emaciated body. Poor child, he thought, it feels like your bones will break if I even touch you. He couldn't find the voluptuous beauty he loved in this starved vampire. Her cheekbones stood out in shocking prominence on her face; he could count all her ribs.

Simon felt a brief flash of rage when he looked at this skeleton with a bit of flesh stretched tightly over her bones. Damn you, he thought and his fingers clamped down on her forearms. Why did you do this to yourself, Meghann? Why didn't you come to me and let me save you? How could she risk the life of her child and put herself through this kind of agony rather than contact him?

Meghann whimpered in her sleep, and he forced himself to relax. Still she thrashed and kicked at the bedsheets until he put her head to his heart and stroked her hair, murmuring the old endearments. Only then did her body go slack while her lips curved in a contented smile.

What an inconsistent, fickle child she was! He knew she'd raise the roof with her lamentations the moment she opened her eyes and saw him but now she clung to him like a frightened child. From the night he'd transformed her, Meghann seemed to change her feelings about him as often as the wind changed direction. One night, there would be cool silence for some imagined slight and the next she'd crawl into his lap and her green eyes would plead eloquently for comfort, beg him to soothe away whatever had distressed her.

There were ways to help Meghann realize her true feelings, Simon thought with an evil smirk. But first he'd have to give her a bath, he thought, staring down in distaste at her oily, unwashed hair.

He gave her a quick sponge bath in the small, adjoining bathroom and washed her hair twice, pinning it to the top of her head. Then he took her back into the bedroom, scowling at the contents of the wooden drawers containing her clothes. The drawers were filled with T-shirts displaying scruffy minstrels (he believed they were called rock stars) and vulgar sayings—did the girl own nothing feminine? Finally, he found a pretty spring-green nightgown with a scooped neckline and slipped that over her head.

He brushed her long hair free of the tangles that indicated it had been at least a few nights since she'd last brushed it, and glanced down at her sleeping face with satisfaction. Meghann was getting more color in her face and her eyes were beginning to move beneath her closed lids. She'd be awake soon and he intended to make sure she did not forget this particular waking for a long time to come.

Arise, Sleeping Beauty. Simon bit down savagely on his index finger and put it to Meghann's lips, rubbing the crimson liquid all around like lipstick.

Without opening her eyes, Meghann reached out with her tongue to lap up the blood. Soon she was sucking on his finger, but she did not open her eyes because of the slight command Simon put in her mind.

Meghann tasted warm, unbearably delicious blood pouring down her throat. She lapped greedily at the nectar… where had she tasted this before? Not mortal blood, not this strong, dark substance that made her feel alive again, that the child inside her cried out for.

She felt a light hand at her thighs, playing with her. Eagerly she spread her legs, craving more. She heard a man's laugh, low and self-assured, as he started to finger the aching flesh between her legs.

The finger at her lips was withdrawn and she whimpered a protest… she wanted more blood. Then she felt hard, firm lips force her mouth open… allowing her to taste the blood on the tongue that teased in and out of her mouth. Yes, she thought, take me, make me yours. Let me take more blood… let me see you…

"As you wish, my pet," the hateful voice whispered, and Meghann's eyes snapped open. She saw the chestnut hair, then the amused, gloating amber eyes, and bit down hard on his tongue with her blood teeth. Lord Baldevar pulled away without a sound, laughing even as blood poured from his wounded tongue.

"You son of a bitch!" she howled, slapping his face with a harsh crack that echoed through the small bedroom. "Take your filthy hands off me!"

"Will you take yours off me?"

With a start, Meghann looked down at the bulge she'd wrapped her hand around, and pulled her hand away as though she'd been burned.

Cheeks flaming, she was caught between such shame that she'd allowed this bastard to touch her that she wanted to die and an overwhelming rage that screamed out to kill him. Anger easily won out and she lunged at him, punching, kicking, and biting like a woman possessed.

"Careful, wildcat," Simon said, dodging a right cross to his jaw. He grabbed her wrists, forcing them behind her back. "Kill me and you destroy yourself."

"Shut up!" she howled, all her depression and fear turning to hate now that the source of all her misery was in front of her. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you! You evil bastard… look what you've done to me! You ruined my life, and what the hell have you done to Jimmy?"

Wildly, she glanced around the room. Yes, this was Lee's house… what the hell had happened? "Where is Charles?" Her voice shook with rage and fear. "Charles! Where are you?"

Charles appeared instantaneously, face pale and tense as he approached the bed. "Has he harmed you?"

Meghann sagged against the pillows with relief. Thank God… at first, she'd thought Lord Baldevar must have killed Charles and Lee.

Careful to avoid Lord Baldevar by staying on the opposite side of the bed, Charles took her hand.

"Why is he here?" Meghann demanded, ignoring Lord Baldevar.

"Tell her why I'm here," the vampire said calmly, his lips stretched into an amused grin. "By all means, I think you should be the one to explain to Meghann why I'm going to remain here. But first, perhaps she'd like news of Mr. Delacroix?"

"Jimmy!" Meghann said, and Charles thought he saw something flicker in the monster's eyes at the love and concern in Meghann's voice. "What have you done to him? I want to see him!"

"Of course," Lord Baldevar said immediately, making Meghann glare suspiciously. "When?"

"Now!"

"You've waited two months to find out his fate… will another hour kill you?"

"Why another hour?"

"You're going to eat whatever that nice mortal physician has made you so you start to regain your strength. Then, I'm sure you'll want to dress. Too, you'll need time to throw one of your childish tantrums when your catamite explains to you that you need my blood. Be at my home within the hour, Meghann, and you may gaze upon your boy-toy to your heart's content." Lord Baldevar murmured his address and gave Meghann a curt bow before vanishing.

Lee returned to the bedroom, carrying a wooden dinner tray laden with food. "Hey! How did he disappear?"

"Didn't you tell Lee about astral projection?" Meghann asked Charles.

"No time yet," he replied and took the tray from Lee, placing it on Meghann's lap.

"Lord Baldevar didn't disappear," Charles explained while Meghann sniffed cautiously at the chicken noodle soup and then began to eat. "Have you heard of the astral plane?"

"Isn't that where Shirley MacLaine goes to find out about her past lives?"

That actually drew a small smile from Meghann. "Whether she does or not, I have no idea. The astral plane is a spiritual realm. Have you heard of people's souls traveling to warn loved ones of danger? That's astral projection too. Basically, your soul leaves your body and travels the astral plane for enlightenment. But vampires can travel the plane with body and soul intact and we don't just use it to contact spirits—it's our way of getting from place to place."

"Huh?"

"Show him," Meghann suggested to Charles, and he vanished, reappearing in the doorway.

"We can use the astral plane to travel distances of up to thirty miles," Charles said, grinning at his bemused lover. "It comes in handy—leave the scene if someone sneaks up on you while you're feeding, get away from your enemies."

"So Lord Baldevar just left my house and went to his by flying the astral plane?"

"Probably," Meghann said and her eyes darkened when she remembered the loathsome bastard had found her. A small crease appeared between her eyebrows and she turned to Charles. "What did he mean when he said I needed his blood?"

"Meghann," Lee said gently when Charles simply looked at her with frustrated pity. "Haven't you wondered why you feel well? What made you better?"

No, she hadn't—everything had happened too fast, waking up and finding Simon leering over her. But before she opened her eyes… the blood on her lips that made her feel such energy, banished that awful fatigue and nausea…

"Oh, God," Meghann whispered. "Simon's blood… I drank Simon's blood and I was fine. But why? I don't understand."

Quickly, Lee explained his theory and nearly crossed himself at the unnatural light that appeared in Meghann's eyes.

"Damn him!" she cried and flung the tray across the room, creating a wild mess of splattered food and shattered cutlery, then pounded her fists through the mahogany headboard behind her. "Damn him, damn him, damn him!"

Her voice had risen to a hysterical scream, but Charles restrained Lee when he went to grab Meghann.

"Let it all out," Charles told her.

"I hate him!" she yelled, splintered wood flying everywhere as she attacked the headboard. "I hate him, I hate him, I hate him! I can't have him in my life! What's wrong with me? I should have had an abortion! If only I'd let you scrape it out of me, Charles, before I got so sick and he found us. But no—no, I wanted the baby."

"You couldn't know you needed him through your pregnancy," Charles soothed.

"That doesn't matter," Meghann said, pounding what was left of the bed. "What hubris, thinking I could outwit him on this—his precious philosophers' stone. How could I be so stupid? Now what am I going to do? He knows about the baby and I have to drink his blood for the next seven months. Charles, don't you see? He'll take the baby after I give birth! My child in Lord Baldevar's hands."

Meghann shuddered, and Charles wrapped his arms around his friend. "We haven't lost all hope, Meghann."

"What do you mean?" she demanded. "Of course we have, or I have. I can't escape the bastard now."

"You need his blood while you're pregnant, right?"

Meghann nodded.

"But you'll have no need of him once the baby is born. I propose to cut off his head while you're in labor—when he's utterly engrossed in you and his defenses drop."

Meghann considered that… it wasn't a bad idea at all but something was making her deeply uneasy.

"Charles!" Her voice shook with fear. "How do we know he's not still here? You know we can't feel his presence."

Charles jumped, scanning the small bedroom with wary eyes. Meghann was right—they couldn't know if Lord Baldevar was still here.

We'll talk in places where we're sure he can't follow us—far out in the desert, Charles told her telepathically. He did not think Lord Baldevar could camouflage his presence and read thoughts at the same time.

Meghann nodded. Or very near the dawn—when he wouldn't have enough time to fly back to his resting place.

"It's settled, Meghann," Charles said and sat down beside her. "We'll accept this temporary setback. But try to look on the bright side. You're going to see Jimmy soon. Perhaps we can help him. Okay?"

"Okay," Meghann said but she couldn't control the tremor in her voice.

"Meghann," Lee said and reached out to pat her hand. "I know it's difficult but you have to try and relax or you'll never recover."

Relax, Meghann thought and shook her head. How was she supposed to relax now that Lord Baldevar was back in her life?