"You - you could become mortal again?"
"Nay." He settled in the easy chair. "It requires a sample of yer blood and original DNA from when ye were human." He motioned toward J.L.'s bloodstained clothes. "We have that for J.L., but 'tis impossible for us old-timers."
"Oh." She tried to hide her disappointment.
He gave her a wistful look. "I'm afraid ye're stuck with me the way I am."
She took a deep breath. That was what it all boiled down to. Could she accept him as he was? Could she accept the consequences of her acceptance when it meant she might become a vampire, too, someday?
"How did it happen to you?" she asked.
Robby took another sip from his bottle. "I was a soldier back in 1746. Dougal and I went to fight for Bonnie Prince Charlie and the end of English tyranny. We lay dying on the field of Culloden as the sun set. I was drifting in and out. I thought I was imagining it when a voice asked me if I wanted to keep on living so I could fight evil."
"And you said yes."
"Aye." Robby drank some more. "'Twas Angus who asked the question. I dinna realize at the time what I was agreeing to. I just knew I dinna want to die."
"Of course you didn't," Olivia whispered.
"Angus changed me, and Connor changed Dougal." Robby finished his bottle of blood and set it on the table.
She frowned. Robby was being macho and completely glossing over the pain and fear he must have experienced. "I guess you had to bite people back then?"
"Aye, but I was careful never to hurt anyone. I tried to go back to my farm, but I could only farm at night. And my wife - "
"Your what?" Olivia stiffened.
His mouth thinned. "I had a wife and daughter. They were repulsed by my new condition. Mavis taught my little girl to run from me for fear I would bite her."
"I'm so sorry." Olivia didn't need empathic powers to know this had caused Robby a lot of pain.
"Then I learned that during the day while I was hiding in a cave in my death-sleep, Mavis declared me dead and took a new husband. A bloody English soldier."
Olivia winced. "This is why you value loyalty so much, isn't it?"
Robby arched a brow. "Are ye being my therapist again?"
"I'm just trying to understand you." Now she knew why he hated betrayal so much.
He glanced down at his bloodstained T-shirt. "I need to wash up. I'll be back soon." He strode from the room.
She thought back on his story. He hadn't asked to be a vampire. He'd only wanted to stay alive. And he was using his prolonged life to fight evil. There was no denying the fact that Robby MacKay was a good, honorable man.
And she loved him.
She couldn't bear to wound him with rejection. She couldn't let him feel betrayed all over again.
She rose slowly to her feet. She was going to accept him. And love him, no matter the cost.
She eased into his bedroom and locked the door. She could hear the shower running in the bathroom. She glanced up at the surveillance camera to make sure it was still turned off.
She padded into the bathroom. He was soaping up in the clear shower stall, his back turned to her. Rivulets of soapy water meandered down his strong back and tight bu**ocks.
She sighed.
He turned and his eyes widened. He cracked open the door. "Are ye here for the view, or did ye need something?"
With a smile, she pulled his baggy T-shirt over her head and dropped it onto the floor. "I do need something." She tugged at the drawstring holding up his flannel pants. "I need you."
He leaned back into the water spray and turned the water off. He looked at her, his eyes glinting with a reddish tint. "Olivia, I canna play at this. If I take you, I willna let you go."
"Good." She wiggled the flannel pants over her hips and let them drop. "Because I'm not letting you go."
He burst out of the shower and swooped her off her feet.
She laughed. "You're all wet."
"Ye will be, too." He tossed her on the bed and landed beside her.
"Do ye know how much I love you?" He kissed her brow, her cheeks.
"About as much as I love you." She ran her hands into his long, wet hair.
With a growl, he took her mouth. She opened and welcomed his tongue, stroking it with her own. She invaded his mouth and tested the sharpness of his fangs against her tongue.
He pulled back. "Careful with those."
She smiled. "I'm not going to live in fear of you. And you don't have to keep punching holes in my pillows."
His eyes widened. "Are ye saying ye're no' opposed to a wee nip here and there?"
She laughed. "That depends on where."
"Oh aye." He cupped a breast. "There are definitely places I would never want to puncture." He brushed his thumb over her nipple.
She shivered, and her ni**les pebbled.
"Och, now would ye look at that? Is there no' a lovelier sight in the world?" He leaned over and sucked a nipple into his mouth.
The rasp of his tongue sent goose flesh shimmering down her arms and legs. Heat pooled between her thighs, and her core felt empty and aching with need.
"Robby." She dug her fingers into his back.
"Are ye rushing me, lass?" He trailed kisses down to her belly.
"Yes, yes, I am." She wrapped a leg around him.
He slid a hand between her legs. "Do ye know what happens when ye rush a Vamp?"
"I...no." She closed her eyes, enjoying the slow and gentle exploration of his fingers.
"Ye might end up with me moving at vampire speed." Suddenly, his fingers were rubbing her as fast as a vibrator.
She squealed. "Oh my gosh. That's...that's..."
She spiraled out of control and shattered with an orgasm.
"Oh my..." She pressed a hand to her chest as she struggled to breathe.
His mouth tilted up. "So maybe we should slow it down a wee bit?" His hand returned to its more leisurely pace.
"You rascal," she breathed. "You're good at every speed."
With a grin, he buried his head between her legs and continued his languid exploration with his tongue.
She moaned and writhed in motion with him. This time the climax hit her without warning. It was sudden, deep, and thorough, pulsating through her with throbs that stretched on and on.
She was so sensitized that when he plunged into her, she came again. And she wanted more. She couldn't get enough of Robby. She wrapped her legs around him and met each hard thrust. The pace escalated, becoming frantic and frenzied.
He licked her neck, and it ignited spasms of pleasure. With a shout, he climaxed with her. She felt a small pop on her neck as her core clenched rhythmically around Robby.
When her breathing and heart rate returned to normal, she realized what had happened. "You bit me?"
"Just a little." He licked the wound, and she shivered. "I couldna resist marking you. Ye're mine now."
She hugged him tight. "I'll always be yours."
CHAPTER 27
The next day at dusk, Olivia paced nervously beside J.L.'s bed. Carlos waited at the foot of the bed, ready to pounce, in case he needed to restrain J.L. from biting her. She had three glasses of warm blood ready on the bedside table. Emma had recommended she have some straws on hand.
Olivia had spent half the night making love to Robby before finally succumbing to sleep. She'd wakened around noon. It no longer freaked her out that he was lying next to her not breathing. She'd showered and dressed in the clean clothes he'd brought from her apartment.
Carlos checked his watch. "Any minute now."
"Do you like working for MacKay S and I?" she asked.
"Yes." Carlos smiled. "Are you thinking about applying for a job?"
"Maybe."
"Angus is a good boss. He's been very helpful and supportive with my...particular problem."
"Fur balls?"
Carlos snorted. "I wish it were that simple. My kind is an endangered species. The village where I grew up was destroyed and most of the were-panthers were killed."
"I'm so sorry. That's terrible."
"I've made a few excursions to hunt for more of my kind. Angus not only gives me the time off to do it, but he finances my trips."
"Where - " she stopped when J.L.'s body jerked.
His chest expanded as he dragged in a big breath of air. His eyes opened.
She leaned over him. "J.L.?"