Thomas shuddered and tried to shake off his feeling of dread as he stood before the door. His imagination was clearly working overtime. Savage was dangerous not because he was a night predator but because he was staking out Alexandria Houton as his territory, and Thomas Ivan intended to do the same. That was all. They were rivals for the same woman. Nothing sinister, nothing more. He had always had trouble keeping his imagination under control.

He stared at the intricate stained-glass panels in the door. They were beautiful, patterned with strange symbols and shapes. The more he studied the glass, the more he felt as if he were falling into it. Caught in it, like a fly in amber. That nameless dread began to build again, and for a moment he could barely catch his breath. To enter this house was to be trapped forever in an eternity of hell. The pattern began to move and change before his horrified stare. It wanted to draw him into its spiral, carry him into hell. His heart was pounding so loudly, his ears hurt.

Thomas nearly screamed when the door swung open, breaking the spell. Aidan Savage stared down at him from his superior height. The man was dressed casually in a faded jeans and a vee-necked shirt, but he looked at once strangely elegant yet wild and untamed, out of time and place, like some all-powerful tribal chieftain from times gone by. The shoulder-length hair, as golden as his eyes, added to the impression.

“Mr. Ivan.” The voice was so perfectly pitched, it seeped into Thomas’s heart and soul, coiling itself inside him like a living, breathing thing. “I am so pleased you could take the time to stop in and reassure Alexandria. I am certain your visit will ease her mind. She has been quite anxious that you might not hold the job for her.”

Savage’s solid weight blocked the entrance to the interior. His voice was pleasant, soothing, but the words stung slightly. It made Thomas a mere employer, nothing special to Alexandria Houton and certainly no threat to Savage’s designs on her.

Thomas reached for his own voice. A smoldering anger began to burn in him, giving him the impetus he needed to deal with this man. He was Thomas Ivan. He owned his own company, was wealthy, famous, a force to be reckoned with. He was no coward to snivel on a doorstep. “I’m glad we could meet again under more auspicious circumstances.” Smugly superior, he offered his hand.

The moment Savage gripped his fingers, Thomas winced at the man’s enormous strength. Savage wasn’t even trying, didn’t even seem to notice his own casual power. Cursing silently, Thomas shook hands. And then Savage smiled. A gleam of white teeth. Strong. Sharp. No humor, no welcome. A predator’s smile that never once warmed those strange, unblinking eyes.

“Do enter my home, Mr. Ivan,” Aidan invited, stepping back to give him room.

And all at once entering that house was the last thing Thomas wanted to do. He actually stepped backward, a cold shiver of fear racing down his spine. Savage’s mouth curved into a cruel yet almost sensual smile.

“What is it?” The voice, so calm, so smooth, like velvet, was taunting all the same.

The two detectives had been there for well over an hour, and in that time the demon in Aidan had been growing stronger and stronger. He had all but sprouted fangs as one of them did everything but beg for a date with Alexandria. Did she really need yet another suitor? He was going to have to post a sign on the lawn stating that all males courting Alexandria Houton did so at their own peril.

Alexandria walked the two detectives to the door, and at once Thomas Ivan forgot his fear. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was hauntingly beautiful, more so than he remembered. Even the police officers were staring at her, mesmerized. Thomas choked back the jealous rage welling up out of nowhere, surprised by the intensity of his emotions. Under Savage’s steady stare, he forced himself back under control.

Alexandria’s face lit up when she saw him, and Thomas sent a triumphant grin Savage’s way. He entered the house quickly, pushed past the detectives, and clasped both of Alexandria’s hands in his.

Something deep within Aidan coiled dangerously at the sight of her hands in Thomas Ivan’s. His breath stopped. His heart ceased to beat. The demon within stirred and roared for release, fangs exploded into his mouth, and the red haze of the beast flamed in his eyes. As Thomas leaned in close, intending to kiss her cheek, Aidan fought for control so that he could casually wave a hand, directing a flurry of dust spores to whirl and dance beneath Ivan’s nose. As Ivan inhaled, he began to sneeze violently, the spasms wracking his entire body.

Alexandria stepped away from him and raised an inquiring eyebrow at Aidan. When he looked far too innocent for her liking, she glared at him. It was hard enough for her to deal with the two bewitched policemen. They seemed oddly mesmerized by her voice, her eyes, her every movement. They had been so solicitous of her, so careful of what they said, so worried about her health, that she was beginning to suspect that, along with the exchange of blood, Aidan had somehow shared his sex appeal with her. And she definitely didn’t want it.

Aidan showed the detectives out the door, exercising great restraint not to throw them out bodily. He had not anticipated their human reaction to Alexandria’s haunting beauty. He certainly had not anticipated his own reaction to their wanting her. He could smell their arousal, read their thoughts, and he wanted them out of his sight before he did something unforgivable.

Something stirred in his mind like the brush of butterfly wings. Aidan? Startled, he glanced at Alexandria. She was frowning at him. Stop being so mean to Thomas.

Joy surged through him. She had voluntarily merged her mind with his and was communicating in the way of a lifemate. He smiled, completely unrepentant. Stopholding his hands.

You’re being childish. I am not holding his hands.

And stop letting him kiss you.

He didn’t get to kiss me. Aidan, stop. I mean it.

He raised a hand, and the dust dispersed. Embarrassed, Thomas turned away from Alexandria, wondering what had happened. He never had sneezing fits. Never. Why would he suddenly have one now? Was it somehow this house and those damned unblinking amber eyes?

Alexandria was smiling at him with her lush mouth and inviting dimples. “Please come and sit down, Thomas. I’m sorry you were inconvenienced by my illness.” Her voice whispered over his skin, and he felt a shaft of desire pierce him. She was dressed simply in torn, faded jeans and a pearl-buttoned cardigan. She was barefoot. Yet she looked incredibly sexy. Thomas had always preferred sophisticated, high-fashion women, yet he couldn’t tear his gaze from Alexandria’s unpolished beauty.

The housekeeper entered carrying a tray with warm croissants and cream puffs and a silver coffeepot. Unexpectedly, she smiled a welcome to Thomas. “Mr. Ivan, your flowers have certainly brightened up our home.”

He settled on the couch complacently. He was winning over the housekeeper. Feeling particularly charming, he bestowed a slight nod and a brief smile in her general direction.

Aidan caught Alexandria by one slender arm and guided her firmly to a high-backed chair facing Thomas. After seating her, he remained behind the chair, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders. “Alexandria must rest soon, Mr. Ivan. She is still quite weak. The interview with the detectives was longer than we expected, and quite hard on her stamina.” It was a reprimand, a reminder that it was Thomas Ivan who had forced Alexandria, as fragile as she was, into talking with the police.

“Yes, of course. I’ll be brief. I merely wanted to see that she was all right and to discuss our working arrangements.” Thomas accepted the cup of coffee Marie handed him, then gazed up at the man standing so protectively behind Alexandria’s chair. “Once I lay out my expectations for this project, it’s really Alexandria’s genius that has to take over. The story line is unique and very frightening, we have top actors willing to read the roles for us, and we intend to create a product unrivaled in today’s market. Everything is in place, but I need the perfect artwork.”