Victor let the towel drop back down over Elvi's throat with a soft curse. "She damned near ripped your head off."

"She didn't mean to," Elvi reminded him for the third time since he'd bundled her into her room and settled her in his lap on the bed to pop bag after bag of blood to her fangs. Her voice, she noticed, was getting better, less a broken hiss and more her old voice. It must be nearly healed.

"Don't talk," Victor said, also for the third time, and slapped another bag of blood to her teeth. He was scowling, but the expression actually soothed her. The man had been cold and distant all night, but there was nothing cold or distant about him now. He definitely cared about her. He was furious and worried and all the things a man who loved her should be when she was so badly injured.

It was just a darned shame she had to get her throat ripped open to see his caring again, Elvi thought, and scowled at him over the bag in her mouth. Really, the man blew hot and cold like an air conditioner with a broken thermostat.

"How is she?" Harper asked, drawing their attention to the door.

"Fine," Elvi assured him, pulling the empty bag from her teeth. "How is Mabel?"

"She's doing better," he said cautiously. "It's going to be a long one, though. She's older and there's a lot to repair. We're going to need more blood."

"I'll call Teddy. He'll pick up some from the blood bank and bring it by," Elvi assured him. "Do we have enough to last a couple more hours? I'd rather not wake him up at"-she paused to glance at the clock, then finished-"four-thirty in the morning."

Harper considered the matter before saying, "Barring her ripping out someone else's throat, I think the blood will last until midmorning."

Elvi nodded. "I'll call him first thing in the morning, then. He'll be upset when he hears what's happened and it would be better if she was further along in the turning."

Nodding, Harper backed out of the room, assuring them he'd keep them posted as he pulled the door closed.

"I don't know how you can be so calm about all this," Victor muttered, taking the empty blood bag from her and tossing it in the garbage can he'd moved beside the bed.

"She didn't do it on purpose," Elvi repeated as he reached for a fresh bag.

"Yes, but-Hell, you seem almost cheerful about it," Victor said with bewilderment.

"Well," Elvi said, a smile curving her lips, "I sort of am."

"Why, for Christ's sake?" he asked with exasperation.

"Because now I don't have to feel guilty about my biting her when I was turning in Mexico," she pointed out and then added more seriously, "I've suffered horrible guilt about that over the years. Horrible, horrible guilt," Elvi said with a sigh, and then shrugged. "But now I don't have to. She's bitten me back, so we're even."

"Women," Victor muttered with disgust. "Your reasoning never fails to bewilder me."

Elvi narrowed her eyes and muttered, "We're no worse than you men. None of you make sense either, and you're the worst, as changeable as the wind."

"What?" Victor asked with surprise, but she'd already slapped the blood bag to her teeth and he had to wait while it drained.

"What do you mean I'm as changeable as the wind?" Victor asked again once the bag was empty and she'd removed it from her mouth.

"Nothing," Elvi said, too tired to be bothered arguing with him at this point.

Sitting up, she removed the towel from her throat and got to her feet, then walked to the mirror to peer at her wound. She'd been woozy from blood loss when Victor had brought her in here, but aware enough that she understood what the men said as they kept Victor updated with what was going on. She knew the men had tied Mabel down, fed her several bags of blood, and given her the drugs Harper had fetched back. They'd kicked in quickly and Mabel's screams had soon become nothing but a memory.

The throat wound Elvi had sustained had been almost healed by then, yet Victor kept pressing blood on her. Now she looked in the mirror to see it was completely closed and merely an angry, jagged scar on her throat that she knew would soon be gone.

Her gaze shifted to Victor as he appeared behind her in the mirror. His hands settled on her shoulders and he met her gaze in the reflection. "You should be in bed."

Elvi felt her body respond to the huskiness in his voice and stood very still as his eyes slid over her reflection. The silver had flared in his eyes, burning away the blue of his irises and leaving them a hot, hungry current of electricity that she could almost feel caressing her body. She knew she should suggest he leave, or at least demand an explanation for his distant behavior that night, but her body had other ideas and simply leaned into him, melting to fit his form.

Elvi's breath left her on a small sigh as his hands slid around her waist then up to close over her breasts in the red halter of her dress. She covered them with her own, squeezing them as they squeezed her, her own eyes flaring golden as her body automatically arched, pressing her breasts more firmly into the caress while pressing her bottom back against him.

When Victor bent his head to gently kiss her injured throat, her eyes drooped. She watched through slits as he gave up his caresses to undo the catch that held the halter in place. The deep red cloth immediately dropped away to hang down in front of the skirt, leaving her breasts on display.

"Beautiful," Victor whispered, his gaze sliding over her in the mirror. Just the word breathed by her ear made tingles slide through Elvi and she stretched like a cat, one hand slipping behind her to seek his hip, the other rising to slide around his neck making her back arch further and lifting her erect nipples in a plea for his touch.

Victor obliged at once, his hands covering them both. Elvi moaned at the erotic feel as well as the sight of his touching her. She'd never thought of herself as an exhibitionist, but seeing their entwined reflection and watching him do what he was doing was having an incredible effect on her. When one of his hands drifted down over the skirt of the red dress to cup her between the legs, Elvi groaned and arched further.

Her weariness was suddenly forgotten, but there was still no chance they would be discussing anything. Conversation was the last thing on her mind now.

Elvi turned in his arms. The men had all changed when she had and Victor had chosen a casual blue cotton shirt with jeans. She promptly began to tug it out of his jeans, and then turned her attention to the buttons, undoing them blind as Victor bent his head to kiss her, obscuring her view.

She had half the buttons undone when his hands slid under her skirt to clasp her bottom. He only squeezed and kneaded at first, but the moment Elvi had his shirt undone and began pushing it off his shoulders, he lifted her by his hold on her bottom, urging her firmly against the erection straining his jeans.

Elvi stopped pushing at the shirt and instead clutched at it, sucking desperately at his tongue as they ground together. Easing her back to stand on her feet again, Victor quickly undid the zipper at the waist of her dress. She shivered against his chest as the light cloth slid down to pool around her feet, her panties quickly followed, leaving her standing in only a pair of red high heels.

Victor broke the kiss and raised his head, then stilled, and she glanced curiously over her shoulder to see what had his attention. She caught their reflection-the sight had his eyes swirling with silver, but all it did for Elvi was make her decide one of them was overdressed. Turning back, she finished pushing his shirt off, and then reached for the snap of his jeans to undo it. The zipper quickly followed, then Elvi knelt to drag his jeans down his legs, noting how strong and muscular they were and the fact that he'd gone commando.

When his erection popped free of the blue cloth, Elvi leaned forward and pressed a kiss to it as she continued pushing his jeans down. She gave up on the jeans, however, when she reached his ankles, and instead reached for his erection, and then leaned forward to draw him into her mouth and run her lips his length.

Victor immediately groaned and tangled his hand in her hair, but she was only peripherally aware of that, her mind was swirling with a sudden infusion of pleasure. As she caressed him, her mind filled with the sensations he was enjoying, her body reacting as if it were being pleasured. She didn't know how it was happening, but she seemed to be experiencing what he was experiencing. It was an incredible sensation, letting her know exactly what felt best and how much pressure to apply, and she wondered vaguely if Victor had been experiencing this in the garage the other day. Was this how he'd known exactly what would drive her wild and when to stop and make love to her?

Just when she thought she would explode with the pleasure overwhelming her, Victor caught her by the upper arms and forced her back to her feet. He covered her mouth with his own, and drove his tongue inside as he caught her behind the thighs and lifted her to wrap her legs around his hips. Holding her in place, he kissed her thoroughly and continued to do so as he turned toward the bed, apparently sufficiently distracted to forget about the jeans still caught around his ankles. With the first step, they were both reminded of it when he suddenly lost his balance and started to fall forward.

Elvi cried out and squeezed her eyes closed, arms tightening desperately around him as she waited for a pain that never came. Releasing her, Victor reached out with his hands, stopping them before her back touched the floor. They both released a relieved breath, and then he peered down at her as she eased her hold on him and allowed herself to ease down to lie on the floor beneath him.

"Are you all right?" he asked with concern.

Elvi started to nod, then froze, her head jerking toward the door at the sound of feet pounding up the hall.

"Victor! Elvi!"

"Stop!" Victor roared, kicking out with his feet to hold the door closed as the knob started to turn. When it stopped turning and silence erupted outside the door, Victor released a breath and lowered his forehead to hers briefly, his eyes closing.

"Is everything all right?" Harper asked, his voice muffled through the door. "We heard Elvi scream."

Victor raised his head and peered at her as he said, "She's fine. She... er... I was carrying her back to the bed and tripped."

"Carrying her back?" Edward asked sharply. "What on earth was she doing up in the first place? She shouldn't be up."

"Yes, I agree thoroughly... and shall endeavor to keep her there," Victor spoke solemnly, but there was sudden devilment in his eyes as his gaze met Elvi's.

She started to smile in response, and then sucked in a breath as he shifted, his erection rubbing against her. The silver in Victor's eyes burned hotter and he deliberately shifted once more, caressing her with his body. Elvi's hands clutched at his shoulders as her own body pressed into the caress.

"Well, I should hope so," Edward muttered. "The woman doesn't know enough to give her body time to recuperate when necessary. She's forever rushing about right after sustaining serious injuries. She needs a damned keeper."

"I'll keep her," Victor breathed by her ear, rubbing against her again, his erection slick with her excitement.

"What was that?" Edward asked sharply. "I couldn't hear you."

"I said I'll be her keeper," Victor lied, his voice almost covering the sound of her moan as they ground together once more. Almost.

"Are you sure she's all right?" Harper asked with concern. "I thought I heard her moan."

"Are you all right, Elvi?" Victor murmured, pressing a kiss to the point below her ear as he shifted to the side and ran one hand down to slip between her legs.

"Yes," Elvi groaned, arching her hips into the caress. She started to groan again, but Victor bent his head to catch the sound in his mouth as his fingers slid over her slick flesh.

"Are you sure?" Harper asked and she could hear the frown in his voice, knew he was concerned, but just wished he'd go away.

"I'm fine," Elvi gasped the moment Victor lifted his head. The words were faint and breathy, her breathing reduced to short pants by what he was doing to her. In the hopes of getting rid of the annoying men outside the door, she added a breathless, "Really. You can stop worrying. I'm going to sleep now."

"I sincerely hope not," Victor breathed into her ear, and then lowered his head to catch one nipple lightly between his teeth and nip it gently.

"Elvi?" Harper asked.

"Yes?" Elvi breathed, sucking in her stomach with alarm as Victor released her nipple and suddenly began to slide down her body until his face was between her legs. She immediately tried to close them to keep him from doing what she suspected he was going to do, but Victor simply caught her legs and pressed them open again, exposing the core of her to his view.

"Elvi?" Harper repeated and she realized there had been no voice behind her first response.

"Yes," Elvi tried again and this time it came out a near squeal as Victor chose that moment to rasp his tongue over her quivering flesh. Trying for a more normal voice, she panted, "What is it?"

There was an uncertain pause from outside the door and Elvi lifted her head to peer down at Victor, then caught at his hair and tugged, hissing, "Stop that."

At first, she thought he would obey the half-plea, half-command. He rose up slightly between her legs, but merely grinned at Elvi evilly and slid a finger into her. Elvi bucked like a wild horse, her body uncaring that there were men outside the door. Then his mouth found her again and Elvi pressed a hand to her own mouth to stifle a whimper. She closed her eyes as he set to work in earnest.

He was hitting just the right spots with just the right pressure so that her head began to twist frantically back and forth.

Victor must be experiencing the same thing, Elvi thought suddenly, amazed at what he was doing to her. There was no way he could-

"You won't forget to call Brunswick in the morning? About the blood?" Harper finally asked, interrupting her thoughts and bringing her eyes abruptly open.

Elvi had actually forgotten the bloody men were outside the door. How could she forget that? Easy, she realized as Victor caressed her more determinedly.

"Yes!" Elvi cried, hips thrusting. Lights were starting to dance on the periphery of her eyes and she felt ready to explode, but this time Victor was showing no mercy.

"You will?" Harper asked with confusion.

Elvi blinked, wondering what the man was nattering on about. She'd quite forgotten the question. She hadn't been talking to him anyway. Had she talked? She might have said something. What had it been? She thought it might have been yes or something of that ilk. Since that was apparently the wrong answer, she tried, "No!"

"Oh, good, thanks," Harper murmured. "I'm off to bed, then. Alessandro has already retired, but Edward is going to stay up with DJ for a while, to help watch over Mabel. Just shout if you need anything."

Elvi didn't bother to respond, she hadn't really heard anything he was saying, or perhaps it was more correct to say she'd heard it but hadn't comprehended any of it. Her brain didn't have the capacity at the moment when it was being hit by wave after growing wave of pleasure from what Victor was doing to her. The man was turning her into a mass of raw sensation and she was sure she was going to explode.

The moment footsteps outside the door announced that the men were leaving Victor reared up and scooped her into his arms. Apparently he'd managed to kick his jeans off before doing so because this time they made it to the bed without falling.

Once there he simply turned his back to it and dropped onto the bed with her in his arms. Elvi landed on his chest with a gasp, then quickly took advantage of their position and sat up before he could try to shift her beneath him. She wasn't having anymore torture. She knew what she wanted and would have it. Victor reached for her, but Elvi scrambled backward and shifted to straddle his hips, her hand finding his erection and guiding him into her as she came to rest on his hips.

They both went still, their gazes meeting as he filled her, then Victor suddenly sat up, catching her by the back of the head and drawing her forward to meet him as his mouth covered hers.

Elvi moaned and caught one arm around his shoulders to keep her balance. Her other hand slid into his hair to run over his scalp as his tongue filled her as well. He was in and around her, enveloping her and it still wasn't enough. She couldn't move in this position and she so wanted to move. Elvi moaned a plea into his mouth, her hips shifting the slight bit they could in frustration, then Victor twisted them both on the bed, laying her on her back and coming down on top.

Elvi sighed into his mouth as his body covered hers, and then gasped as he withdrew, only to surge back in.

As he withdrew and plunged forward again, she dug her nails in, clawing at his back and urging him on, but then cried out in protest when Victor caught her wrists and lifted them over her head, holding them there. He immediately covered her mouth again, thrusting his tongue between her lips as his body surged forward.

Elvi struggled to free her hands for a moment, then gave it up and concentrated on using her body to meet his thrusts as the pleasure swirling in her brain became a tornado, wiping out every other thought. It was only one more thrust before the pleasure exploded between them. Elvi tore her mouth from his and bit into his shoulder to keep from screaming out and drawing the others again, then allowed herself to drop into the darkness that waited beyond the fire they'd created.

Elvi woke several times over the next few hours, finding herself wrapped in Victor's arms all but once. She rose up sleepily in the bed that time, and peered around but didn't see him. Thinking he'd gone to his own room, she dropped back to sleep with a disappointed sigh, only to find him there again when next she woke. The last time she opened her eyes it was after nine in the morning. Recalling she was supposed to phone Teddy, she eased carefully out of Victor's embrace and slipped from the bed. A quick shower later, she dressed and crept from her room so as not to disturb Victor.

The house was silent as she made her way up the hall. Elvi paused at Mabel's room and eased the door carefully open. When she saw Mabel sleeping peacefully and both Edward and DJ asleep in their chairs, she eased the door closed and made her way downstairs. She didn't think Mabel's turning was over yet, but it appeared the worst of it was done.

In the kitchen, Elvi placed her call to Teddy. He was understandably surprised to hear they already needed more blood. He and Mabel had laid in a lot before the men arrived. It was only then that Elvi realized she hadn't informed him of the attacks on Victor and her resulting injury. She'd meant to call him, but found she was uncomfortable around him since the day she'd learned he cared for her. He'd been so short with her since then that it had been easy to allow the pie making to distract her.

She didn't tell him now, thinking it better to tell him in person, and was glad she hadn't after his reaction to the news of Mabel's turning. Teddy was cursing up a storm as he hung up. He wasn't pleased.

Making a face as she hung up, Elvi moved to turn on the stove to allow it to heat, and then grabbed a tray from the cupboard over the refrigerator and headed downstairs to see how many pies left in the cold room needed baking. She wasn't surprised to find that there were still fifteen pies on the shelf. DJ had given blood to Mabel an hour after they'd left last night and there was no way he would have been baking pies while Mabel thrashed and screamed upstairs.

Setting three pies on the tray, Elvi carried them back up to the kitchen and set them on the counter. Leaving them there for the moment, she retrieved one of the few bags of blood remaining in the fridge, slapped it to her teeth, and moved to peer out the window while she waited for it to drain. Her gaze slid over the garden with longing as she fed. Elvi had never got to work on it as she'd hoped. She hadn't even made it past the deck in sunlight yet. Perhaps she could do some work while the pies were baking.

Turning away, she tossed the empty bag in the garbage, then moved into the cupboard room and retrieved her hat and the long-sleeved shirt she'd hung there the other day. She donned both, then found the suntan lotion and quickly slathered some on. Satisfied that she'd taken the necessary precautions, Elvi then put the pies in the oven and set the tinier before grabbing her gloves and slipping outside.

A smile curled Elvi's lips as she started across the deck. Birds were singing and flapping around in the birdbath, butterflies were dancing among the flowers, and there was a squirrel digging in the garden, no doubt in search of a walnut it had buried there.

"Good morning, Elvi!"

Pausing at the edge of the deck, she glanced over and smiled at Mike Knight. The man was dressed in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, busily running a fine net over the surface of his pool to remove the leaves that had fallen during the night.

"Good morning, Mike. Not working today?"

He shook his head. "My day off. I arranged the schedule that way so I could help out at the fair."

Elvi nodded. As fire department chief he had that freedom and often took advantage of it. Mike was as involved in local charities as she had been before her turning.

"How are the pies coming?" Mike asked. "Karen said you'd forgotten all about them."

"Yes, thank goodness she reminded me. I had forgotten," she admitted. "They're mostly done, though. I'm just baking the last of them now, but I thought I'd come out and see how much work there is to do in the gardens."

"We'll see you out here more often, then." Mike smiled. "Good. We've missed our chats over the fence."

"So have I," Elvi said solemnly, and it was true. That was one of many things she'd missed over the last five years.

"Do you want some help with the garden?" Mike asked, pausing in his scooping to peer at her. "I'd be happy to help get it back in shape. Karen probably would too. In fact, I've had to hold her back from doing so before now. She was so upset to see all your lovely work go to seed these last five years."

Elvi chuckled at the claim, not doubting it for a moment. Karen and Mike kept a beautiful home and yard and could always be found outside mowing, raking, or working in the garden. Their yard was never less than impeccable and she knew the house wasn't either. It must have driven the poor woman mad to see Elvi's own garden slowly go to ruin. Mabel had hired Owen to mow the lawn and such, but had let the garden go.

"No, that's okay," she said as Mike moved to hang up his net. "I'm just looking today to see how bad it is. I'm thinking I might hire a landscaper to get it back in shape if there's too much work. Actually, I might have to have them redo it so that there's less maintenance. I can come out now, but its better if I'm not out too much I guess. It means I have to have more blood."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that," Mike said, his expression concerned.

"I suppose it's better than nothing," Elvi murmured and turned to head toward the stairs leading down into the yard.

"Elvi?" Mike called, bringing her to a halt. When she turned back, he hesitated, and then asked, "Are you happier?"

She blinked in confusion at the question. "Happier?"

"Yes." Mike moved toward the fence. "Mabel once said that you wished you'd never gone to Mexico and never turned into a... er... vampire. She said you were miserable."

"Yes, I did say that. Many times," Elvi admitted quietly, and it had been how she'd felt then. But then she'd thought she couldn't eat, had slept in a coffin, and avoided daylight like the plague. Things had gotten much better since the arrival of Victor and the others in her life. She supposed that was what everyone was hoping for and why the men had been invited.

"I'm sorry."

Elvi tore herself from her thoughts and peered at him with surprise. "What for?"

"For helping to pressure you into going to Mexico when you didn't want to," he explained. "The lot of us have felt horrible about it ever since Mabel explained what had happened at the town meeting Teddy called when you guys got back. We never would have pressured you so if we'd known-"

"Don't be silly, Mike. I know that," Elvi interrupted. She'd known for years that the reason everyone had been so accepting of her new status was because many of them had felt bad for talking her into taking that trip when she hadn't wanted to. Elvi had intended to cancel the trip to Mexico after the accident, but everyone from Teddy, Mabel, the Knights... even Dawn, the grocery store clerk, had all insisted she should go.

"We were hoping that Mabel's plan with the single's ad would help make things better."

Elvi smiled faintly and opened her mouth to tell him it had, then paused and glanced toward the driveway as the sound of a car engine caught her ear.

"Oh, Teddy's here," she said. "I'll talk to you later."

Giving him a wave, Elvi moved to the end of the deck and descended the stairs to greet Teddy as he got out of the car and retrieved a cooler from the trunk.

"How is she?" Teddy asked grimly as he stomped up the sidewalk toward her.

"She was sleeping when I checked on her," Elvi said, hurrying ahead of him to open the door. Teddy carried the cooler inside, slammed it on the counter, and whirled to face her.

"How could you let this happen? After all she's done for you?" he asked furiously.

"I didn't let anything happen," Elvi said quickly. "I wasn't even here. DJ turned her and-"

"Well, you should have been here," he interrupted with a snarl. "After the way she's looked after you for five years, doing all those things you couldn't anymore, you could have spent a little time looking after her for a change." He gave a snort of disgust. "But I suppose you couldn't tear yourself away from that damned Argeneau character long enough to be bothered."

"I-" Elvi began, only to be interrupted as Teddy's eyes narrowed.

"DJ did this to her?" he asked suddenly, apparently that part of the conversation just having made it through his anger. Mouth tightening, he snarled, "I'll stake him out like-"

"You will not!" Elvi interrupted sharply. "Mabel loves him, and he was only doing what she asked him to do."

"We'll see about that. I'm checking on her. Alone," he announced in a tone of voice that suggested she not argue.

Elvi watched him head determinedly upstairs, then shook her head and turned to head right back outside. She wasn't interfering. DJ could handle him. If he still wanted to yell at her after that, then he could just come find her, she thought furiously as she crossed the deck to the yard.

Elvi couldn't believe the man had turned on her like that, blaming her for Mabel's turning as if it were her fault. As if she'd been a bad friend and let it happen. The truth was if she'd known Mabel wanted it, Elvi would have stood by her decision. And Teddy had no right to stand in judgment, she thought as she stomped around the garden glaring at the damage done by time. That was all she'd intended to do today, but Elvi was so wound up and agitated by her run-in with Teddy that she decided she needed some physical exertion to help get rid of it.

Crossing to the shed at the back of the yard, she dragged the door open, and stepped inside. All her gardening tools were still there; hanging from their hooks and racks, in perfect shape, but covered with a fine coat of dust.

Muttering under her breath, Elvi walked along the implements, trying to decide what she'd need. She wanted to do something that took a lot of hitting or something. Something like cutting wood would be good, she thought. Unfortunately, she didn't have any wood to cut. They bought it all corded and split.

Muttering about the stupidity of men, Elvi picked up the shovel, thinking that slamming it in the ground a couple hundred times and jumping up and down on it to dig it into the earth would be good.

She'd started back toward the door when it suddenly slammed shut. Pausing, she blinked in the darkness. There was no light in the shed, no window even to allow natural light in, not even enough light for her eyes to use. Something she'd found annoying on other occasions, but which was almost scary now. It had been years since she'd been in the shed and where-at one time-she would have known exactly where everything was and been able to move through it easily enough, now she couldn't and there were several dangerous items in the shed. There were sharp items everywhere; on the floor to trip over and fall on... against the wall for her to walk into. Elvi wasn't at all sure she could find the door without skewering herself.

She should have leaned something against the door to keep it open before entering, Elvi realized, and berated herself briefly for not thinking of that before the wind had blown the door closed. And then she paused to sniff the air as something wafted past her nose.

Was that smoke? Elvi sniffed more deeply, frowning when she got a good nose full of the scent. It was smoke.

Aware of creeping light in the back corner, she turned slowly and stared at the flames licking their way up the back wall.

"Well, hell," Elvi muttered.

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