ngus arrived in the fifth-floor office of Roman's townhouse and quickly turned off the alarm. He dropped his sporran on the desk and punched the intercom button. "Ian, that was me coming in."

"About time," Ian answered. "'Tis almost dawn. Connor wants to see you."

Angus glanced down at the state of his kilt and winced. "Give me two minutes." He dashed into the bedroom, kicked off his shoes, and pulled off his sweater and kilt. He glared at the stained kilt as he pulled on a pair of jeans. You would think he was sixteen instead of five hundred and twenty-six years old, the way he'd lost control. But he couldn't recall a woman who excited him the way Emma did. Or frustrated him.

It was downright infuriating that she wanted to reject him. His wife had done that centuries ago, but Emma should know better. She was too clever and modern to fall for old superstitious fears. Hell, she was too brave to fall for any fears at all. She was a warrior like him. She was perfect for him. And he wasn't giving up without a fight. Invading her mind tonight had been an act of desperation. But the devil take it, if she was going to reject him, she needed to know exactly what she was giving up.

There was a knock at the office door. "Come in." He strode into the office in his stocking feet, wearing jeans and a white undershirt.

Connor entered. "We need to talk."

"Everything fine at Romatech?"

"Aye." Connor shut the door. "The birthing room is finished in case Shanna's bairn has... special needs."

A half-vampire baby boy. Angus sighed. "Anything else?"

"The Vamp doctors are arriving tomorrow night, and the delivery is scheduled for Friday night."

"Good." Angus circled the desk and sat.

Connor walked toward him. "I'm glad ye called in more security. We could use them with the doctors coming in, but Jack tells me ye have him and Robby guarding Central Park?"

"Aye, to keep the Malcontents from murdering more mortals." Angus checked his e-mail.

Connor remained quiet for a while. "We appear to have a new friend, Dr. Phang?"

Angus smiled as he deleted some junk mail. "His name is Phineas McKinney. How's he fitting in?"

"He seems eager to please. Ian says he did well in his first fencing lesson."

"Good." No message from Mikhail. Angus turned off the computer. "Has the day shift arrived?"

"Phil's here. Howard should arrive any minute now."

"Tell Phil I want him to guard Miss Wallace today." Angus wrote the address of Austin's apartment on a slip of paper.

Connor stepped closer to accept the piece of paper. "Is she in danger?"

"She was with me when I found Phineas. The Russian, Alek, was there, and he recognized her as the slayer."

"Bugger," Connor muttered. "Ye realize Katya is going to believe we were behind the slayings all along, that we've been helping Miss Wallace?"

"It canna be helped."

Connor scowled. "Ye should have sent her away the minute ye discovered who she is."

"Doona lecture me, Connor."

He paced away, balling his hands into fists. "Is this the real reason Jack and Robby are guarding the park? To keep Miss Wallace from going there?"

"It is the best way to keep her from slaying."

Connor turned to face him. "I gather ye've been using all sorts of persuasive techniques on her."

Angus narrowed his eyes. "Ye're going too far, old friend."

Connor marched toward him. "I fear ye have gone too far. Nothing good can come from this."

Angus slapped a hand on the desk and stood. "Did ye have to leave her knickers in the kitchen where everyone could see them? Why no' leave them here in the office?"

"Ye're thinking of her first."

"So?"

Connor gave him a sad look. "In yer line of business, that kind of thinking can get ye killed."

"I have sworn to protect her. I willna abandon her now." Angus strode toward the bar and grabbed a bottle of Type O from the fridge. He popped it into the microwave. "Ye want some?"

"Nay."

"Then we are done." Angus poured the synthetic blood into a glass. "Good night."

Connor didn't leave. "I realize ye're the boss, but ye've been like a brother to me, like a father to Ian."

Angus sipped from his glass. He'd been friends with Connor for too many years to stay angry for long. He felt the familiar twinge of guilt whenever Ian's name was mentioned, along with the first tug of sleepiness. The sun must be close to the horizon. "I always appreciate yer honesty, Connor." He looked at his old friend. "Do ye think it was wrong of me to transform Ian so young?"

Connor took a deep breath. "Ian would have died if ye hadna changed him. I think he's happy. As happy as any of us can be." He wandered to the door and paused with a hand on the doorknob. "Do ye love her?"

Angus set his glass down. "Aye, I do."

"Then we will do our best to keep her safe." He glanced at Angus with a sad expression. "To keep ye both safe."

Emma woke about two in the afternoon. After a quick shower, she dressed for the day. With a frown, she surveyed the soggy mountain of towels she'd used to soak up the lake on the bathroom floor. It appeared that today, her dangerous, action-packed life would include a trip to the Laundromat. She bagged up the towels and dragged them to the front door.

She heard voices in the hall, so she peered through the peephole. There was a young man standing by her door. He was tall and muscular, dressed in khaki pants and a navy Polo shirt. Two blond women were talking to him. Good heavens, it was the two bimbos who'd thought Austin was gay. Lindsey and Tina. They were practically accosting the poor man in the hall. There was a thud as he backed up against the door.

Emma jerked the door open. The young man nearly fell in, but regained his balance.

"Poor baby." The taller blonde, Lindsey, grabbed his arm to steady him. "Let me help you."

"I'm fine." He tried to move away, but Lindsey dug her long pink fingernails into his arm.

Tina had pink streaks in her hair, presumably to match her pink mini-skirt and skimpy halter top. She squinted up at Emma. "You must be the celebrity that Phil is guarding."

"Phil?" Emma looked at the young man. Splendid. He was the one who had found her red underwear and given it to Connor.

Lindsey stroked his chest with her fingernails. "It's so awesome that you're a bodyguard. I bet you have like super stamina."

"I know, right?" Tina fluffed up her hair.

Phil gave Emma a hounded look. "Angus sent me to guard you today."

"All day long." Lindsey, dressed in tiny brown shorts and a turquoise cami, snuggled up close to Phil. "When do you get off work? Tina and I live just two doors down."

The shorter one wrinkled her nose while she regarded Emma. "I thought only rich and famous people needed bodyguards. Are you hiding here from the paparazzi?"

Emma shrugged one shoulder. "Something like that."

"Wow." Lindsey let go of Phil and stepped closer to Emma. "I bet you're like... filthy rich."

"And famous," Tina added. "Do I know you?"

Emma exchanged a confused look with Phil. "I don't think so. I don't know you."

Lindsey leaned close to her friend. "Did you hear the way she talks? She sounds kinda funny."

"I know, right?" Tina whispered back. "I don't think English is her native language."

Emma's mouth dropped open. Phil grimaced, shaking his head.

"I bet she's a foreign movie star," Lindsey whispered.

Tina gasped. "No! She's a foreign princess!"

"Excuse me," Emma said. "I'm right here. I can hear you."

The two blondes jumped.

Tina began speaking in a loud voice, enunciating her words very carefully. "Hello. My name is Tina. I am pleased to meet you." She curtsied.

"My name is Lindsey." The taller one made a wobbly curtsy. "Welcome to America."

"Thank you." Emma gave Phil a dubious look.

He stepped closer. "Would you mind if I guarded you inside?"

"No, that's fine. Come in." She opened the door wider, and he slipped inside.

"Good-bye, Phil," Lindsey called after him. "Remember to come see us after work."

"Good-bye, your royal highness." Tina curtsied again.

"Bye." Emma shut the door and flipped the locks.

"Thank you." Phil leaned against the wall and heaved a sigh of relief. "Those women have been pestering me for hours."

"You poor thing." Emma strode into the kitchen, smiling. She retrieved two bottles of water from the fridge and offered him one. "So what's a mortal guy like you doing working for vampires?"

He unscrewed the top off his bottle. "I'm working for the good Vamps, Miss Wallace. I'm honored that they trust me."

She sat at the breakfast table and motioned for him to join her. "How long have you worked for Angus?"

"Six years." Phil sat across from her. "I heard you killed four Malcontents, and now they want to kill you."

She shrugged one shoulder. "They don't know who I am, so I don't think I'm in as much danger as Angus believes. You really don't need to stick around if you don't want to."

"I always follow orders." He drank some water.

"Even with Lindsey and Tina waiting for you?"

He grimaced. "I'd rather face twenty Malcontents than those two dingbats from hell."

Emma laughed. "They are rather scary."

Phil nodded. "I'm supposed to stay by your side until you're safe at work this evening."

"Then you get to help me lug that down to the Laundromat." She pointed at the bulging garbage sack by the door.

Phil spent the rest of the day helping her do the laundry and grocery shopping. Emma shared a pizza with him at the local deli before they took the subway to Midtown. She wanted to ask a ton of questions about Angus and the vampire world, but Phil refused to discuss business in public.

He escorted her to the federal building where she worked. At the door, he handed her a card. "I wrote the number to Roman's townhouse on the back. Call us if you're in trouble."

"Thank you." She examined the card. It looked like the one Angus had given her. On the back, Phil had scribbled a phone number.

"If you call during the day, either Howard or I will answer," Phil continued. "If you call at night, you'll most likely get Ian."

"All right." Emma shook his hand. "It was nice to meet you, Phil. Thanks for helping with the laundry."

"Good night." He waited until she was safely in the building before he left.

The Stake-Out team's seven P.M. meeting dragged on for an hour as Sean tried to come up with a legitimate reason to shut down Romatech Industries. The fact that the company saved millions of human lives each year with their synthetic blood was lost on Sean. After seeing his daughter there, he'd become obsessed with destroying the place.

"Maybe we can get them on a health code violation," Garrett suggested. "Or tax evasion."

Sean pointed a finger at Emma. "Check on that."

"Yes, sir." She made a note on her legal pad. Maybe Angus was right, and Sean was wasting everyone's time. But if she brought up the subject of Casimir and the prospect of a global vampire war, Sean would wonder where she'd gotten her information. Instead of listening to her, he'd blacklist her like he had Austin.

"All right, dismissed," Sean finally announced. "Off to your assignments." He hurried from the office.

Emma assumed he was headed for his stake-out apartment across the street from Roman's townhouse. Alyssa was still gone, trying to locate covens in nearby towns. Alone in the office, Emma set to work on her assignment. The health department and IRS would be closed for the day, so she prepared some inquiries into Romatech Industries and faxed them to the correct offices. She would have to wait till tomorrow for a response.

She wandered about the office. Tension was building inside her. No doubt she was nervous about spending more time alone with Angus. She gazed out the window at the night sky and wondered what he was doing. Would he come to her apartment again? Would she be able to resist him?

She returned to her desk and checked the police reports from the night before. A few murders, quite a few assault cases, but not a single event in Central Park. Robby and Giacomo were doing a great job. But there had been the incident with Alek and the woman he'd attacked. Emma considered calling the number Phil had given her, just to see what had happened to the poor woman. She was reaching for her cell phone when it jangled.

"Hello?"

"Emma, is it safe for ye to talk?"

Her heart stuttered at the sound of Angus's voice. "Yes, I'm alone here. I was just wondering about the woman we found in the park last night. Is she all right?"

"Aye. She was fine when Connor left her at her flat."

"Oh, good."

"I talked to Phil earlier," Angus continued, "and he says the day was uneventful. Ye were no' followed or watched. We can assume the Malcontents havena figured out yer identity yet."

"I agree."

"Ye should be safe as long as ye stay hidden in Austin's apartment. Doona, under any circumstances, go to Central Park. The Malcontents will be there, looking for you."

"I understand."

"Jack and Robby are there again tonight, keeping it safe." Angus paused. "I was tempted to have them watch ye instead."

"No, no. I'll be fine. Please don't leave the park unguarded." Emma couldn't stand the thought of more innocent people dying.

"All right. Shanna's doctors have arrived, and I'm getting them settled in the townhouse before taking them to Romatech. I can meet ye at Austin's apartment in about an hour."

"Okay." Flashes of last night's bathtub scene rushed through her mind. No wonder she was feeling tense.

"I'm sending Phineas and Gregori to escort ye home. Phineas hasna finished his training, but he can fight well, and I know ye're one hell of a fighter."

"I'll be fine. I'll see you soon." She hung up, realizing how much she liked his worrying over her. It was unnecessary since she could take care of herself, but still, she liked it. Too much. And soon she would be alone with him all night long. How far would she go? Would she take a vampire as her lover?

Shortly afterward, she received a call from first-floor security. Phineas McKinney was waiting for her. She locked up the office. Hopefully, Sean wouldn't mind her leaving work early. If he complained, she was tempted to quit. She could always have her old job back at MI6. Besides, if she lived in London, she might be closer to Angus. She groaned. Why was she making plans for their future? They had no future.

She exited the elevator and halted when she saw Phineas. His hair had been cut. He'd shaved and was wearing clothes identical to the ones Phil had worn earlier. Apparently khaki pants and a navy Polo shirt was the MacKay uniform for those not wearing kilts. Phineas even sported a navy windbreaker with the words mackay security and investigation embossed in small letters on the upper left-hand side.

"Wow, Phineas, I hardly recognized you." She circled him while he grinned and puffed out his chest. "You look so official."

"I am." He flashed his ID badge. "Cool, huh? I'm even going to get a permit to carry a piece." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "With silver bullets."

Emma smiled. "I'm glad you like your new job."

"My mission for the night is to escort you safely home." He saluted the security officer as they left the building.

A black Lexus was waiting by the curb, and Phineas opened the back door for her. She climbed in and was greeted by the driver.

"Hi, I'm Gregori." He twisted in the front seat to face her. With a smile, he extended a hand.

"How do you do?" Emma shook his hand while Phineas climbed into the front passenger seat. She did a double-take on Gregori. Somehow, he looked very familiar.

Gregori grinned. "So you're the hot babe that has Angus all worked up."

"Excuse me?" Emma blinked when recognition struck her. "I know who you are. You were the host on the DVN reality show."

"Yep, that was me." Gregori adjusted his tie. "But tonight, I'm your chauffeur. Where to, sweetie?"

Emma smiled as she gave him the address. "Do you work for Angus?"

He snorted as he pulled out into traffic. "No way. I'm the vice president of marketing over at Romatech. Have you seen the commercials for Roman's Fusion Cuisine? I make those."

"Oh, I see."

"I was headed to SoHo to check on some property we're having made into a Vamp restaurant when Angus asked me to give you and Phineas a ride."

"I see." Emma nodded. A Vamp restaurant? Surely the menu would be a bit limited? But then it was certainly much better than attacking humans.

"Don't worry about your safety," Gregori continued. "I've been taking some karate and fencing lessons. I got sick and tired of Connor acting like I was some kind of wimp."

"I had my first fencing lesson last night," Phineas said. "It was cool." He tuned the radio to some hip-hop music.

Gregori started drumming on the steering wheel in time with the music while Phineas wiggled in his seat.

These were vampires? Emma watched in disbelief. They just seemed so... normal.

Gregori drove by Austin's apartment and surveyed the street in dismay. "I'll never find a place to park." He circled the block.

Emma leaned forward. "There's no need for you to stay if you have business elsewhere. Phineas and I will be fine."

Gregori double-parked, then glanced back at her, frowning. "I'd better stick around until Angus comes. You two go in, and I'll join you as soon as I park this beast."

Emma and Phineas climbed out onto the sidewalk. She looked around, but there was no one watching them. They hurried into the apartment building while Gregori drove slowly away.

In Austin's apartment, Phineas made a big show of examining each room carefully. He checked all the kitchen cabinets and the refrigerator. Emma bit her lip to keep from laughing. Did he think someone was hiding in the fridge or perhaps the cutlery drawer?

"Kitchen is secure," he announced, then jumped into the living room, assuming a karate pose. "Cool, huh? I learned this last night."

"Lovely." Emma entered the secure kitchen to warm up some Chinese food left over from the night before.

Phineas checked under the sofa cushions, then proceeded into the bedroom. Five minutes later, he emerged and pronounced the entire apartment was safe.

"What a relief. Thank you." Emma set her plate of Chinese food on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"I'm going to check the hall." Phineas opened the door. "Lock up after me."

"Okay." Emma flipped the locks, then returned to the couch. She settled down with her Chinese food and turned on the telly. A cop show was winding down, and the perpetrators were getting dragged off to jail. She glanced at the VCR to check the time. Angus would be here soon.

The television show was suddenly interrupted by a late-breaking bulletin from a local news station. Three murdered bodies just discovered in Hudson River Park. Emma sat forward.

The newscaster announced they were cutting to the reporter on the scene by Pier 66. Emma set her plate of food aside as the picture shifted to the park. A crowd of curious onlookers surrounded the female reporter. Lights from parked police cars flashed red and yellow in the night sky.

"The bodies were discovered just moments ago," the reporter shouted into her microphone. "We've heard that their throats were all slashed, but we're waiting for confirmation on that. What is interesting, though, is that all three bodies appear to have been moved. They were discovered nearby on the heliport pad. We can only assume that whoever committed this heinous crime wanted the bodies to be found quickly."

Emma jumped to her feet. It was the Malcontents. She was sure of it. They'd simply moved to another park. Three murders? Shit!

She had to know more. She needed to check the victims herself. Even with slashed throats, she could often detect the bite marks. Of course, she knew to look for them. And the bodies would also be completely drained.

Dammit! Why couldn't those bloody bastards take a pint and go on their way? But no, they had to kill their victims. They enjoyed killing.

She searched her purse for the card Phil had given her, then called the number.

"Hello?"

"Is this Ian?"

"Aye. Miss Wallace? Are ye in danger?"

"No. But I wanted to tell you that the Malcontents are killing again. Three bodies were just found at the heliport in Hudson River Park. I'm taking Phineas with me to check it out."

"What? Wait! Angus will want to come with you."

"He can meet us there. I'll be perfectly safe. There are a ton of police there."

"'Tis no' a good idea��"

"I'll be fine," Emma interrupted. "Just tell Angus where we are." She hung up, then dashed to the front door. She heard voices outside and peeked through the peephole. Oh no! Tina and Lindsey were outside, and they were dragging Phineas toward their apartment. He didn't appear to be struggling.

Emma flipped the locks and opened the door. "Phineas!"

The blondes giggled.

"We have your bodyguard!" Tina announced.

"Dr. Phang." Lindsey tugged him down the hall. "He's so cute."

Phineas grinned. "Hot damn! I love this job."

"Phineas," Emma shouted. "I need you!"

"Not as badly as we do." Lindsey pulled him inside their apartment.

"Phineas." Emma marched toward them. "This is important."

"Just five minutes." Phineas gave her a pleading look. "That's all I need." He glanced at the two blondes. "Make that ten."

"Bye." Tina shut the door in Emma's face.

"Phineas!" Emma hit the door with her fist, but only heard giggling on the other side.

Fuming, she strode back to her apartment. She paced about the living room. How long would it take Angus to get here? And since when did she wait on men to protect her? She was a black belt, dammit. She'd killed four Malcontents single-handedly. And there were a bunch of cops on the scene. A reporter was there and a ton of bystanders. Nothing would happen to her.

She grabbed her tote bag of stakes and locked the door behind her. She was not going to cower in her apartment in fear. She would be perfectly safe.

In fact, she almost wished she would see Alek. The bastard needed to die.

The two Vamp doctors had arrived at Roman's townhouse, and as honored guests they both expected some personal attention from the CEO of MacKay Security and Investigation. Angus assured them they would be safe during their stay and introduced them to Connor and his security team. As soon as the doctors were happy with their guest rooms, they wanted a tour of Romatech and the birthing room Roman had prepared for his wife. They were both very excited and honored to be the first doctors to deliver a half-vampire baby, but already they were arguing about procedure. Angus was beginning to think Roman had made a big mistake by sending for two doctors instead of one.

Dr. Schweitzer from Switzerland was very pleased with the birthing room, but Dr. Lee from Houston demanded more equipment be on hand just in case. Roman was busily making a list of everything Dr. Lee wanted when Angus's cell phone rang.

He excused himself and stepped into the hall as he retrieved the phone from his sporran. "Aye?"

"Angus." Ian sounded agitated. "Miss Wallace just called. She and Phineas are going to the heliport at Hudson River Park."

"What?"

"She thinks the Malcontents have murdered some mortals there."

"The devil take it," Angus muttered. He'd told her not to go out. "Is Gregori with her?"

"I doona know. She called just now," Ian continued quickly. "If ye hurry, ye might be able to stop her."

"I'm on my way." Angus snapped his phone shut.

Connor cracked the door to the birthing room and peeked out. "Is there a problem?"

"Could be. If ye doona hear from me within thirty minutes, send Robby and Giacomo to Hudson River Park."

"What's going on��"

Connor's words faded as Angus vanished. In a few seconds, he was in Austin's apartment.

"Emma?" He zoomed into the bedroom, checked the bathroom, then ran back into the living room. Bugger. He was too late.

But they might still be in the building. He unlocked the door, ran into the hall, and crashed into Phineas. He grabbed him by the shoulders. "Thank God ye're still here."

Phineas was shaking. "Oh my God, man, I think I killed her."

"What?"

Phineas's face crumpled. "I didn't mean to. She was just so hot. And I lost control. I'm not used to being like this��"

Angus shook him. "What did ye do?"

Tears ran down Phineas's face. "I know it's the number one rule, but I lost control."

A chill skittered through Angus. "Ye bit her?"

"I didn't mean to! God, I'm afraid I killed her."

Angus slammed him against the wall. "Ye killed Emma?"

Phineas blinked. "No, man. I think I killed Tina."