Hot Blooded

him, resting her side on the banister. He was gripping the rail
with both hands. A human's knuckles would have been white. "The easy answer is
that I wanted a window on the human world, a place where my friends and I could
learn to pass unnoticed among mortals. As the years go by, we tend to lose touch
with what we used to be."
    "And the hard answer?"
    He let out a rueful laugh. "The hard answer is that I wanted a little
kingdom. I need to rule, Mariann. That drive is as strong in me as the one for
survival."
    "You say that like it's bad."
    He pushed off the banister to scrub his face. "Neither Emile or I like to
talk about it, but once upon a time, during a struggle for dominance, our pack
leader in France put a curse on Emile that weakened him bit by bit until it
threatened to end his life. To die quickly is one thing. To die slowly we find
particularly gruesome. For us, pain truly can last an eternity. Hugo chose this
form of torture to intimidate me and anyone else he viewed as a rival. Emile and
I escaped to Scotland, but getting away proved no cure.
    "Because I was desperate, I tried to take over an established pack. I
intended to use its members as soldiers to defeat the man who had cursed my
friend. I employed magic and force and any trickery I could think of to get my
way. In the end, I showed myself no better than my enemy."
    "You used magic?" The word had rolled more easily off his tongue. "Isn't
being a vampire magic enough?"
    "There are spells we can do," he said, his eyes showing his awareness of her
discomfort, "to increase our natural powers: our thralls, our glamours, all our
inborn abilities. Most are forbidden, but people do break the rules."
    "And you used these forbidden spells."
    "I would have committed any act short of murder to save Emile." He signed. "I
started my own little reign of terror, against people who had done me no wrong.
I hope I've changed since then, but I can't say for certain how much."
    Mariann pressed her thumbnail against her teeth. "What happened to the
upyr
you hurt?"
    "They forgave me, even the man whose pack I tried to steal. They welcomed
Emile and me to their home and found a way to heal his injuries. It was a
miracle, for both of us, one I doubt I'll ever repay. Unfortunately, the years
have made me too powerful to share our new pack leader's territory. Inevitably,
we would clash. That is why Ulric banished me to America."
    Sorrow roughened his voice, a regret that held the weight of all his years.
Whoever this pack leader was, Bastien admired him. She suspected being exiled
had cracked his heart.
    She was beginning to understand just how big a heart he had.
    "I don't know," she said, striving for lightness. "It sounds as if Ulric
might have meant you well. Maybe he didn't want to fight you any more than you
want to fight him. Maybe he sent you here because he thinks you'd make a good
leader. It might have been his version of a friendly kick in the pants."
    Bastien wagged his head. "I wish I could believe that."
    "Please forgive me if this offends, Bastien, but I haven't met anyone who's
terrified of you now. You treat Emile like a valued partner. You thralled
Heather, and she's still not afraid to yank your chain. On top of which, there's
me. I may be a pipsqueak compared to your pack leader but, trust me, I'm no
patsy."
    "No, you're not. You're the most wonderful woman I've ever met. I wish—" He
stopped himself, his expression turning serious.
    "I know what you wish," she said, her voice as soft as she could make it.
"And I can hardly express how gratifying I find that. All I can say is, give me
a chance to catch up with you. I've only known you liked me for two days."
    "Do you think you can catch up?"
    For all his beauty, for all his power, he was as bashful as a French
schoolboy. Smiling, Mariann laid her hand on his cheek.
    "Oh, I'm pretty sure of it," she said, "almost sure enough to promise."
    He caught her up and laughed exultantly, swinging her around on the broad
landing. Midspin he started to kiss her, adding a light-headedness of another
sort. The instant she kissed him back, she was slammed against the wainscoting.
    "You'll break something," she protested breathlessly.
    His hips undulated between her thighs. Somehow he'd managed to work his hand
under her waistband, and was cupping her bottom beneath her pants. The seam
wasn't up to the added strain. Stitches tore as she licked him behind the ear.
    "Never