“Should I slip my driver’s license under the door?” he asked.

“No. How’d you get here?”

“Drove.”

“That’s not what I meant.” The man was irritating enough to be Lex, that much was sure. “How’d you get past Dracula and his thugs?” Images of Lex opening up a can of whup-ass inspired by the many blockbuster action movies I’d seen zoomed through my thoughts. Maybe it was my lucky day and Lovely Laura had lost her head, literally.

A chuckle sounded on the other side of the door, and I pictured him smiling and shaking his head. “They had to let me in to check on the health of the Titania. Kinda like havin’ a search warrant. Now are you goin’ to open the door or am I goin’ to have to pick the lock?”

“I want proof you’re really you.”

“Thought you might say that. I have chocolate chip pancakes for you.”

I unlocked the door.

Lex grinned at me as he leaned against the dressing table, looking out of place surrounded by the girly glass perfume bottles and the lighted mirror. Of course I did the sensible, composed thing, and threw my arms around him and kissed him as though I was afraid he’d disappear when I stopped.

“It’s okay, honey, you’re all right,” he murmured once he pulled away. With an enormous amount of effort I swallowed the urge to burst into tears and buried my face into his chest. Lex continued to murmur to me for a few more moments as he held me close, until he finally turned his head and spoke to someone standing in the doorway to the bedroom.

“She’s leaving with me.” There was a steely, almost frightening tone in his voice. It was so different from his normal easygoing drawl that if I hadn’t been pressed against him I wouldn’t have known it was Lex talking. I turned to see who was the intended target of the scary voice, and a rush of anger sizzled through me as I spotted Harrison. The vampire was dressed in a new expensive suit, and he watched us with an intrigued expression. Said expression turned to surprise when I moved with speed that shocked even me, snatched up the nearest perfume bottle, and hurled it at him. The delicate glass cylinder shattered upon impact and splattered the front of his suit with a strong, obnoxious floral scent.

“You son of a-”

Lex grabbed hold of me and prevented me from showering the head vamp with more perfume retribution. That didn’t stop me from cussing Dracula out though, and two light bulbs exploded over the dressing table, victims of my fury.

“You said you wouldn’t bite me,” I snapped.

“No, I said I wouldn’t harm you, and I haven’t.” Harrison made a great show of slowly brushing away the remnants of the bottle, refusing to let his calm be ruffled. Turning me toward him, Lex peered at my bloodstained clothes and the twin bruises on my neck, and then he ran his fingers over the marks to better gauge how bad they were. I resisted the urge to flinch, but honestly it didn’t hurt a great deal. Harrison’s bite had been fairly neat and the holes had healed shut. Normally a wound that small would’ve been completely healed by now, but I had a feeling that because magic was involved it interfered with the healing process.

“This looks like harm to me,” Lex accused.

“Miss Baker suffered no permanent damage. She is not leaving with you, because she agreed to stay here until the full moon. You are only here to observe her condition, as was agreed. Though I must admit after tasting her blood I’m considering keeping her as a pet,” the vampire commented, his tone as casual as if he were remarking about the weather.

“Oh hell no.” There was no way I was allowing myself to be signed up as a permanent menu addition. Ever.

“Catherine is Titania for the Midwest. She serves Faerie, not you. You can’t keep her here once the agreed upon time is over.”

“Miss Baker has not been officially appointed Titania as of yet. That makes her fair game. Besides, she may very well wish to stay once the time is over.”

“I’m not anybody’s game,” I growled. Harrison ignored me, and it made me long for my lighter. I bet he’d respect me more after I lit his undead ass on fire. Temper sizzled through me and the rest of the bulbs around the mirror began to flicker and buzz ominously.

Before I could continue destroying innocent lighting fixtures, Lex drew me against him and gave my arms a squeeze to remind me to control myself. “This isn’t a fight you want to pick, Harrison. You already put her clan on the warpath, and they can wipe out every vampire from here to Miami if you give them reason to.”

“But they won’t, not for a cousin, and someone who hasn’t yet been crowned Titania.” The vampire smiled, a sly expression that made my stomach roil and my fists clench. “Miss Baker stays here for now.”

“For now,” Lex replied. “But Catherine is my soul mate, and when your agreement is over, she’ll be leaving with me. If I hear that you laid a hand on her during her stay, I’m gonna take it personal.”

“Is this true?” Harrison raised an eyebrow at me.

“Yes,” I answered. The vampire looked royally annoyed by my statement, and I had absolutely no sympathy for him.

We glared at each other in strained silence, but then he shrugged nonchalantly at the idea. “Very well. Catherine will continue to enjoy my hospitality for now, after which I will return her to you.”

“Your hospitality hasn’t been up to par, Harrison,” Lex warned, cutting me off before I could launch into a hailstorm of expletives.

“A lapse in judgment, for which I apologize. You have my word that Miss Baker will not be harmed or bitten against her will.” It wasn’t much, but it was something. I turned my attention back to Lex and stared up at him.

“You’ll be okay, sugar. I’ll see you soon, I promise,” he said softly. Something in his eyes made me want to burst into tears, and I choked the feeling down. All I could manage was a nod and a weak smile. Lex turned toward Harrison, looking grim and determined. “Don’t cross me, Harrison. You don’t want to pick this fight.”

“Duly noted. Now if you would be so kind…” The vampire extended an arm toward the exit.

After a long parting kiss Lex walked away from me, and for a tense moment it looked as though he was going to take a swing at Harrison. Instead he kept his temper in check and glared at the vampire. “If you put your hands on her again, I will end you,” he said, his voice so low I could barely hear it across the room.

Without waiting for a reply Lex turned and disappeared from my sight. Harrison followed, leaving me alone and unsure of just what to do with myself. Since I was already in the closet I decided now was as good a time as any to grab a new change of clothes, as the sensible blue suit I’d chosen for dinner last night was a tad bit on the rumpled and bloodstained side. Yet another outfit I’d been extra hard on-guess I wasn’t a friend to fashion anymore. Not that I had ever been in the first place, but until recently my previous clothing destruction experiences had all been of the tragic waitressing-accident variety.

There was still not a pair of blue jeans in sight and it was downright un-American. If I was going to be trapped in the tower, I needed comfortable pants. I stood with my hands on my hips and surveyed the selection. Eventually I heard a soft step in the doorway. Harrison had returned.

“I’m not talking to you,” I informed him.

“Catherine, I apologize for my behavior last night, it was inexcusable.”

Pausing in my search, I glanced over at him. His expression seemed sincere but there was no way I was going to buy that. Vampires don’t apologize for being predators-it’s like a lion feeling remorse for the gazelle it just brought down. He must have realized from my less-than-pleased reaction that putting the bite on me wasn’t going to endear me to him, and now he was doing damage control. Right, good luck with that one, fang-face.

“Please, hear me out,” he said. Emphasizing my displeasure, I ignored him and concentrated on rummaging through hanger after hanger of endless blouses. “I’m not leaving until you’ve heard what I have to say.” Apparently Harrison was still not entirely clear on the concept of “no”, and I wouldn’t be rid of him until he’d spouted whatever apologetic speech he’d prepared.