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time we were alone spiraled in my head.
    I hated this guy.
    The erotic dreams I’d had about him since he’d disappeared in a fiery burst of ash were meaningless. I couldn’t control what my unconscious came up with.
    “What the hell do you want?” I didn’t bother to raise my voice since I knew he’d hear me anyway.
    “Let me in.”
    “No, thanks.”
    He sighed. “Open the door, Jillian.”
    My hand curled into a tight fist at my side. “Why are you here?”
    “To see you.”
    “You saw me earlier.”
    “Only for a moment.”
    My shoulders tensed. “Declan will be back any minute.”
    His pale eyes moved to where I peeked through the window and locked with mine. “Then we best hurry this up. I get the distinct impression he doesn’t like me very much.”
    He was so insightful.
    I shook my head. “Not a good idea.”
    “I’m not planning on ravishing you, if that’s what you’re thinking.” He looked way too amused by my protests. “I’ve brought you something.”
    My guard was up. “What?”
    He pulled a small leather case out of the pocket of his black pants. “Noah tells me you’ll need this soon. It’s a vial of fusing potion.”
    My attention narrowed skeptically on the case. “Why didn’t he bring it himself?”
    “He doesn’t know where you are.”
    “But you do.”
    He shrugged. “I followed you.”
    “From the bar.” My fingernails dug sharply into my palms.
    “Yes.”
    “So that means you’ve been lurking around here for more than an hour.”
    “ Lurking makes it sound rather vile, Jillian. I was waiting for the right time to visit you.”
    My stomach churned. The curtains hadn’t been drawn earlier. If he’d been spying on me and Declan when—
    Well, he would have gotten an eyeful. My face grew warm with embarrassment, which led directly into a fresh burst of anger. I went to the door and opened it a crack so I could glare out at him and his smug expression. “You’re supposed to be dead.”
    “I thought we already discussed this.” He put his hand on the door and pushed it open farther while I tried to stop him. He was strong. I wasn’t. He won.
    His gaze swept the small room in an instant, resting on the shamble of a wall and torn-up mattress. His attention returned to me and he raised an eyebrow. “Having some fun to pass the time?”
    I tried to keep a lid on my anger and eyed the case he held. “How do I know that’s the real thing?”
    “You don’t trust me?”
    “Sorry, no.”
    “It’s real. I mean you no harm, Jillian, whether or not you believe me.”
    I studied him for a moment, but couldn’t read his intentions. Finally I held out my hand. “Okay. Thank you for bringing it to me.”
    He hesitated a moment before handing over the case. I was surprised he did so without further argument. I noticed there were dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept in days.
    “Feeling okay?” I asked.
    “Who me?”
    “No, the dethroned vampire king standing behind you.”
    His lips stretched over white teeth until I could see the sharp tips of his fangs. In the movies sometimes they were able to retract like a switchblade, but in real life they were always there, sharp and ready to pierce their next victim’s flesh.
    “I’m feeling fine. Although, I must admit, being this close to you still fills me with a difficult to resist need even knowing about your very powerful blood. It’s interesting to me.”
    Unease continued to flicker inside me. “I guess I should be extra careful around you now. You could come back for second helpings now that you know my blood won’t kill you.”
    Something unpleasant slid behind his eyes then, but I wasn’t sure what it was. “Maybe you shouldn’t have opened your door to me.”
    “If I hadn’t, you could have broken it down. Vampires don’t need an invite inside people’s motel rooms. Do you?”
    “No, we don’t.”
    He didn’t look so well. I hadn’t noticed it at the bar earlier, I’d been too