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  I poured in a healthy handful of the salts and several capfuls of the vanilla sugar bubble bath. The steam from the hot water filled the space with the scent of vanilla. It was perfect.

  Without a care in my mind, I stepped into tub and sank down to the bottom, allowing the scalding hot water to cover me inch by savory inch. Tension flowed from my muscles and even my anxiety about being in a strange vampire’s house floated away on the scented steam. I could die a happy, clean woman in this bathtub.

  “Bailey?” Erick’s velvety voice pulled me from my state of bliss.

  “Yes?”

  “I brought you some things. May I enter?”

  “I’m ...” I looked down. The bubbles completely covered my body. It’s not like he would yank me out of the bathtub and eat me for breakfast. At least I didn’t think he would. “Sure,” I whispered.

  The door creaked and he stepped inside carrying an overflowing plastic drugstore bag. “I thought you might need the basics.” He paused and stared at the floor. “Well, Calliope thought it and gave me a list. I hope these are acceptable.” He proceeded to pull out one toiletry product after another—deodorant, feminine pads, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, comb, nail set, shaving cream, and a razor.

  Oh I needed that. My legs felt like they were covered with the bristles from a sink scrubber. It’d been over a week since my last razor had officially gone dull.

  He glanced at me and raised a quizzical eyebrow. Then held up the can of shaving cream and razor.

  “Yes, please.”

  A few steps put him beside the tub. He knelt down and handed me the desired items. Then he just sat there, staring. His eyes darkened with sexual hunger that even a blind woman could have sensed.

  My heart sped up in my chest and I dropped the can of shaving cream. He caught it before it hit the water and I gasped. I’d seen him move fast several times already, but it still surprised me.

  “Let me help you,” he said, dipping his other arm into the bathwater and catching one of my ankles and pulling it up.

  I squeaked a little, but couldn’t find the words to protest after he began kneading my sore calves with his strong fingers. He squirted a little gel onto my left leg and began smoothing the foaming cream over my skin. Each time he ventured past my knee, I held my breath. His fingers teased my skin until he’d coated my entire leg from ankle up to mid-thigh.

  Heat curled in my belly and I knew my traitorous pheromones were screaming loudly and clearly. I was aroused. And the only thing between his fingers and my throbbing pussy was a few inches of water and bath bubbles.

  He held out his lathered hand for the razor and I placed it in his palm. Within minutes he’d finished my entire leg. He pressed a soft kiss to my now satiny smooth knee.

  I peered down my leg and saw a tiny drop of red forming at my ankle. Pretty good for a guy. I usually nicked myself at least four or five times on each leg.

  When I looked back up, his nostrils flared and a ring of red had formed around his ocean blue irises.

  I yanked my foot backward, but he held it in place like it was locked in a vice.

  “Trust me, kjaere.”

  “No! Don’t influence me. I refuse to be a slave again.” I struggled again, nearly sloshing water over the side, but I might as well have been kicking at a two-ton elephant.

  “You will never be a slave again, Bailey. I promise you.” He raised my ankle to his lips and I trembled.

  This was it. He would drain me right here and now. All because of one drop of blood. After everything he’d done to protect me. Maybe Garrett had been right when he’d callously griped at Erick about washing what he planned to eat. Maybe that’d been his plan the whole time.

  He kissed the cut and then I felt his tongue sweep across my skin. Something like a cat’s purr rumbled in his chest as he licked it once more before releasing my foot from his hold.

  That was it?

  “There. Was that so bad? I merely sealed your cut.”

  “Bad? No, but I thought …”

  He reached out and caught my chin gently in his palm. “My eyes will change no matter what. It’s instinctual. But it doesn’t mean I’ve lost control. I will never bite you unless I’m invited to do so.”

  There was so much about these people, these Others, that humans didn’t know. At least the average human didn’t. I’d learned more in the span of one night than I’d ever learned in school.

  “Let’s do your other leg, yes?”

  I nodded and his hand slipped from my chin and back into the water. My breath hitched, waiting for him to touch other parts of me, but he didn’t. He caught my other leg and lifted it just high enough to lather with shaving cream, but not enough to expose me. The bubbles were still in full force.

  Attraction simmered between us, but I just couldn’t go there. Not yet, anyway.

  I was able to relax a little. His hands were gentle, but firm. He worked his hands up and down my other leg until it was completely covered and then picked up the razor again. A few minutes later he had finished without so much as one little knick.

  I rubbed my legs together under the water, enjoying the silky sensation. Nothing like smooth legs to make a girl feel good.

  “Thank you.” I was surprised how easily the words came out. “I …” What should I say? I didn’t know what to tell him and what to keep back.

  “You’re welcome,” he answered, flashing me a soft grin. “Why don’t you finish here, then try on some of the things Calliope sent over? Rose is expecting us soon.” He stood and took a few steps toward the sink behind him. He patted a stack of clothes on the counter. “I’ll be just outside if you need me.”

  He slipped out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

  I moved to the edge of the tub and shaved carefully between my legs, thankful to have a nice razor that wouldn’t scrape and scratch my tender bits. It was amazing to feel smooth all over again. Rinsing the razor, I pushed the lever to drain the tub, grabbed the plush, white towel to my left, and stood. Cool air made me shiver and I wrapped the towel around my body, tucking the end between my breasts.

  When I stepped out onto the black tile floor, I was surprised. Heated floors. How amazing was that? Even in a Texas summer, it was nice not to get chilled in the bathroom. The floor was perfectly warm and the air was a nice balmy temperature.

  I pulled the big towel loose and squeezed as much water from my hair as I could, then wove it into a loose braid and knotted it on itself. It would hold for a while. At least until it was halfway dry.

  A pretty, purple lace bra and panty set lay across a pair of dark jeans and a sparkly silver, short-sleeved tee. The bra looked huge, compared to my old one. Couldn’t the man have read the tags in my old one before just taking a wild guess? Not every woman on the planet had jugs like Darlene the bartender.

  Oh, well. Beggars couldn’t be choosers. I didn’t have a choice really. My girls were too big to go au natural. I’d have to make do until it could be swapped out for something closer to my size.

  As I snapped it in place, the strangest sensation tickled my skin. The fabric was shrinking, conforming to my body. The cups were shrinking, too, clinging and changing, pushing my breasts up just the right amount. I wouldn’t have been able to find a more perfect fit.

  Snatching the panties, I pulled them on. They were so loose, the elastic in the waist barely held them over my hips. It only lasted a second. They too shrunk and formed into cute low-waisted hipsters, exactly my favorite style.

  I squealed with delight. There were no sizes on the clothes, because the clothes changed to fit me— Unbelievable!

  The jeans were next. They were formless and loose for about two seconds before they lengthened to my height and conformed to my body as if they’d been cut just for me. I couldn’t help but turn and admire my ass in the mirror. The pants were nicer than anything I’d ever been able to afford. The underwear, too. Usually I made do with stuff off the clearance rack at the cheap general stores.r />
  After admiring my reflection one last time, I pulled on the silver metallic tee and watched in fascination as it, too, changed and conformed into something that fit perfectly and highlighted the lovely bit of cleavage the magickal bra had produced.

  The woman looking back at me was someone I didn’t recognize. She was clean and well dressed. Maybe even pretty enough to be called beautiful.

  Who was I kidding? Being pretty had never helped me in life. It’d only gotten me trapped and harassed by men. Why would it be any different this time around?

  Erick Thorson was still a man. And men liked to have their needs fulfilled. I wouldn’t fool myself into thinking he just wanted to help me out of the goodness of his cold, dead, vampire heart. All men wanted something. My short years on this earth had taught me that was a constant.

  Single women in this day and age were hunted like big game. Women my age were targets for slavers, whorehouses, labor camps, baby factories. The cruelty of the world knew no bounds.

  I could only dream of a world I’d read about in secret –a world where freedom and choice were important and protected. Where men and women were equal and found happiness together. When the truth of the Others came to light in 2046, those things disappeared. The government taught women that they had to do what the men in their life dictated—no exceptions. Even Texas, with it’s more liberal views, still made sure women knew their place. But even the men were only free if they followed the letter of the law. Anyone who deviated from the expectations was considered an outlaw and was hunted, imprisoned or worse.

  The vast majority of the female population was married off early in life, usually by age seventeen or eighteen. I’d escaped that particular fate because I was an orphan. Unfortunately, that meant I was tossed out on my ass when I turned eighteen. Because I had no family to speak for me and protect me, I was considered part of the lowest class. Even though I waited tables at restaurants, most people assumed I whored as well.

  I didn’t, but I’d come close several times. Hunger could make you consider just about anything. Hunger and fear had driven me to take a chance with Kevin and he’d almost killed me. Now I was in another man’s house, starving and afraid.

  Chapter 4

  I took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door. My heart leapt into my throat. There he was, standing only a few steps away. His hands were clasped behind his back.

  “Thank you for the clothes.” My breathing quickened and I bit my bottom lip.

  “They look perfect on you.” His gaze locked with mine and a smile slowly curved his lips. “I’d like to take them all off again, but Rose is waiting for us.”

  That’s good. I wasn’t ready for that just yet.

  I rubbed my damp palms across my thighs and gulped. Heat burned my cheeks and I looked away. It didn’t matter. He knew what he did to me. My heart raced and liquid pooled between my legs again. His extra senses would never miss either of those things.

  “Kjaere, tell me you aren’t interested and I won’t pursue a relationship with you.”

  A relationship?

  Meaning, I wasn’t just a pretty meal in his eyes? Could I have a relationship, intimate or otherwise, with a vampire? Who did that? Why did he want me?

  My survival instincts said he wasn’t the only unattached male in the town who might choose to pursue me. Better him than someone worse, but that wasn’t a reason to lead him on. He deserved better than to be used. He’d been a gentleman so far … and he was kind. Plus, telling him I wasn’t interested in him sexually would be an outright lie. I was a woman, and he’d awakened something that I thought had long ago been beaten out of me.

  Desire.

  “I …” I opened my mouth but choked on my words. Rubbing my sweaty palms on my pants again, I looked up into his perfectly blue eyes and relaxed. There were no cages in Erick’s house. That I could see. No chains on the walls. He didn’t even have bars over the windows.

  He wasn’t Kevin.

  Even with all my doubts, something deep down said it was okay to give it a shot. “I want to try,” slipped from between my lips. “Trust has cost me a lot in the past, though. I’m afraid.”

  “I’m glad you are giving me a chance.” Erick stepped closer, each movement calculated and confident. He reached out and touched my cheek, then followed the line of my face down until he cupped my chin. His fingertips brushed over my ears and slipped into the wet hair at the base of my neck.

  A shiver flitted across the surface of my skin. Energy charged between his hand and my cheek. Even though my first instinct was to pull away, I somehow found the courage to look up and meet his gaze instead.

  “Bailey. I’ve never brought a human to Sanctuary before. I’ve never interfered on behalf of a human to save their life before. Darius and I have been at each other’s throats for longer than I can remember. But you … there’s something about you.”

  He rubbed my cheek with his thumb and I leaned into the caress. I craved the affection he offered. He wasn’t a drunk customer feeling me up or catcalling to me from across the room.

  Erick said he meant me no harm. My ex had said the same thing. He said he would protect me from the monsters. He said he loved me.

  I’d been young and foolish, maybe in love. Looking back, it was hard to remember a time when Kevin was kind. After our first couple of weeks together, things changed radically. One day I woke up in our bed with cuffs on my wrists and ankles and a collar around my neck. From that point, he never showed me affection again. I was a prisoner, and I didn’t see the outside of his apartment again until I managed to escape.

  “I want this.” The words surprised me, but they were the truth. I did want this. And I wanted him … completely and totally, but I needed to make sure we took things slowly.

  He pulled me close, tucking me against his chest and wrapping his other arm around my waist in an embrace. Firm, but gentle. He kissed the top of my head and then released me.

  I missed his touch immediately. No one had kissed me like that since my parents. Not one of my foster parents had ever hugged me, and my high school boyfriends had only wanted to get in my pants. I was a castoff, like so many others in the masses of working class citizens.

  “You have my protection, Bailey. Beyond anything that may or may not happen between us, you are safe in this town. Sanctuary can be your home if you choose.”

  No pressure. No guilt. Just a haven from all my worries and the nightmares that plagued me … at least for a while, but nothing was forever. Eventually I would have to leave Sanctuary and Erick, too. But for now, his promise allowed me to relax … just a little.

  “Calliope sent a few pairs of shoes and two bags.” He gestured toward the bed.

  A pair of white ballerina flats, black tennis shoes, and some brown cowboy boots sat on the floor in a neatly arranged row. On the black comforter of his bed lay a white, crocheted hobo bag and a black leather cross-body purse. They were nicer than anything I’d ever owned.

  “She said she had others to choose from if you don’t like these.”

  Tears threatened to spill from my eyes. He was a perfect stranger and considered to be a dangerous Other. And he’d been kinder to me than any human being I’d come in contact with since my parents died.

  “Why?” I choked out, wiping my cheeks. “I’m a nobody to you. Why are you helping me? I won’t be a whore.” It slipped out. My anxiety built. Maybe this was all for show. Maybe he just planned to use me like every other man I’d met in the last five years.

  “Bailey,” he growled. “Am I dressing you like a whore?”

  “No, but … nobody is this nice to someone without wanting something in return.”

  “You’re right.”

  There it was. He did want something. I knew it was all too good to be true.

  “I want a chance to win your affections, but honestly, everything else is just to help you find a place to be safe. If you don’t want to stay with me, I’ll find you an apartment of your own. If you don’t
want to see me, I’ll find someone else to show you around town.”

  Affections? Who says that? It sounded like something out of one of those old historical novels I’d found, but then … he could be very old. My mind ran through everything he’d just said. He sounded so sincere and I wanted to believe him.

  I knew in my heart he meant me no harm. I trusted him when he said he was interested in me, though after seeing me the way I’d been before I showered … it still baffled me. Maybe vampires didn’t smell unless they wanted to.

  Stranger still, I wanted to be with him. I wanted to stay near him. I wouldn’t feel safe alone in an apartment with both a Djinn and Kevin hunting for me.

  “I’m indebted to you already for helping me. Now the clothes and everything you’ve bought. I’ll pay you back. It’ll take me a little while, but I will.”

  He smiled and rubbed his hands up and down my arms. “You cannot repay gifts.”

  I took a step forward and leaned into his chest, needing to feel the strength he possessed, needing to feel secure with my choice. Relief filled me when he wrapped his arms around my back and squeezed. He tucked my head beneath his chin.

  “Thank you for your trust, min kjaereste.”

  I didn’t need to speak his native tongue to know he’d just called me his. Hope began to fill that empty place in my heart and I prayed to whatever gods might be listening to let me remain in Sanctuary a while. For once, I felt like I might’ve found a home—somewhere worth fighting to stay.

  “I hate to let go of you, but I’m starving and you smell like freshly baked donuts. Did you bring some of those back with you, too?”

  A deep laugh shook his chest as he leaned down and gave me a firm but quick kiss on the lips. “Calliope had a box of them in her store from Rose. She’s quite the little sugar fiend. Most sirens are.” He moved toward the bed and grabbed the white flats, then threw me a questioning glance over his shoulder.

  I nodded.

  “I didn’t bring you any, but you can have as many as you like when we get to the café.”