“I believe I know what you think you are,” she said evenly, “but the truth is, you’re simply a vicious murderer.”

He laughed softly, wickedly, the sound scraping like nails on a chalkboard. She actually felt icy fingers along her skin.

“You are a child hiding from the truth.” He raised a hand and beckoned to Joshua, his glowing eyes on the boy’s face.

Joshua struggled madly, fought and kicked, biting at Alexandria’s arms in an effort to get free.

“Leave him alone!” She concentrated on subduing her brother, but he was strong enough in his trance-induced state to wiggle free. Instantly he ran to the monster on the cliff, hugged his knees, and gazed adoringly up at the man.

Chapter Two

Alexandria’s heart skipped a beat. She straightened very slowly, her mouth dry with terror as she saw those claw-like hands sink into her brother’s shoulders.

“You will come to me now, will you not?” the monster inquired softly.

Alexandria lifted her trembling chin. “This is what you call free will?” Her legs felt so rubbery, she could take only a few steps toward him before she had to stop. “If you use Joshua to control me, that isn’t my coming to you of my own free will, is it?” she challenged him.

A long slow hiss escaped him, and then he caught Joshua by one leg and held him over the cliff’s edge. “Since you like freedom so very much, I will release my hold on the child’s mind so that he can see and hear and know what is happening.” The fangs gnashed and clicked as he uttered the words in a precise, icy tone.

His words propelled Alexandria forward once more. She stumbled to within a couple of feet of the monster, reaching for Joshua. “Oh, God, please, don’t drop him! Give him to me!” There was pain in her voice, real fear, and it fed the monster’s excitement.

He laughed softly as Joshua suddenly came to life, screaming, his face contorted with fear. He screamed for his sister, his eyes on her face, his only salvation. The monster fended Alexandria off with one hand as he easily held Joshua over the cliff with the other.

She forced herself to stand perfectly still in front of the man. “Just give him to me. You don’t need him. He’s only a child.”

“Oh, I think he is very necessary—to ensure your cooperation.” The madman smiled at her and moved Joshua back to the relative safety of the cliff’s edge. He waved a hand, and the child ceased to fight or scream, once more under the man’s demonic control. “You will join with me, become what I am. Together we will have power such as you cannot imagine.”

“But I’ve never wanted power,” Alexandria protested, edging closer to try to snatch the boy from him. “Why do you say I’m the one you’ve been searching for? You didn’t know I existed until tonight. You don’t even know my name.”

“Alexandria. It is easy to read young Joshua’s mind. You persist in thinking me a mere human, but I am so much more than that.”

“What are you?” Alexandria held her breath, afraid of his answer, knowing this creature wassomehow more than human, wasthe powerful beast from legend. He could read minds, control others, draw his prey to him, even from a distance. He had ripped out Henry’s heart. He had broken a woman’s neck and drained blood from another right in front of her. Whatever he was, he was not human.

“I am the nightmare of foolish humans, the vampire come to feast on the living. You will be my bride, share my power, my life.”

He said it perfectly seriously, and Alexandria was torn between needing to cry and hysterical laughter. Thomas Ivan could not have written more bizarre dialogue. This man believed what he was saying, and what was worse, she was beginning to believe it, also.

“It... it really isn’t my kind of lifestyle.” The words came out in a husky whisper, and she could not believe she was pleading for her life, for Joshua’s life, with such a silly answer. But how did one address such insanity?

“You think to mock me and get away with it?” His hands closed so hard on Joshua’s shoulder, she could see his fingers nearly meeting.

She shook her head, stalling for time. “No, I was serious. I like the sunshine. Vampires hang out at night. I seldom drink wine, let alone blood. But I do know a bar where you can find lots of girls who are into kinky things. They wear black and worship the devil and say they drink each other’s blood. But not me. I’m ultra-conservative.”

How could she be having such a strange conversation with a killer? Wasn’t there a security guard around? Hadn’t anyone found Henry’s body yet? Where was everyone? How long could she stall, keep this creature talking?

His laughter taunted her, low and insidious. “No one will come to save you, my dear. They cannot. It is a simple matter to keep others away, as easy as it is to draw them to me.”

“Why me?”

“There are few like you in existence. Your mind is very strong, which is why you cannot be controlled. You are a true psychic, are you not? That is what my kind requires in a mate.”

“I don’t know about that. I sometimes know things others don’t,” she conceded, pushing a nervous hand through her hair. “I knew you were here, if that’s what you mean.” Someone had to come and rescue them soon. Surely Thomas Ivan was looking for her. “Please, let me take Joshua home, somewhere safe. You don’t need him, only me. I’ll give you my word, I’ll come back tomorrow night. And if you’re so powerful, you can always find me if I don’t return.” She was desperate to get to Joshua. It was terrible to see him so limp and lifeless, his eyes glassy. She wanted to gather him up and hold him close, to keep him safe, to know this creature could never touch him again. If she could save Joshua, nothing else would matter.

“I cannot allow you out of my sight. There are others seeking you. I must stay near to protect you at all times.”

Alexandria rubbed her pounding temples with her palms.

The creature was trying to invade her mind, and the constant struggle to keep him out was becoming very painful. “Look, mister—what is your name, anyway?”

“Are we to be polite and civilized then?” He was laughing at her.

“Yes, I think that would be best.” Her control was crumbling, and she knew it. She had to find a way to get Joshua away from him. Joshua had to live whether she managed to do so or not. Deliberately she dug her fingernails into her palms and concentrated on the sensation to keep her focus.

“By all means, then, let us be civilized. I am Paul Yohenstria. I come from the Carpathian Mountains. You may have noticed my accent.”

She held out her arms for her brother, unable to stop herself. “Give Joshua to me, please, Mr. Yohenstria. He’s just a little boy.”

“You wish him to remain alive, and I wish you to accompany me, I think we can work out something mutually beneficial. Do you not agree?”

Alexandria allowed her empty arms to fall to her sides. She was exhausted and frightened, and her head hurt terribly. Somehow he was amplifying her discomfort, wearing at her defenses with his mental battering, the voice in her head driving her mad with its relentless pressure. “I’ll go with you. Just leave my brother here.”

“No, my dear, I will not do that. Come to me now.”

She went reluctantly. She had no other choice. Joshua was her life. She loved him more than anything. If he was gone, she had nothing. The moment Yohenstria touched her, she felt sickened. His bloodstained fingers curled around her upper arm, and she could see the blood trapped beneath the long, dagger-like nails. Henry’s blood. He allowed Joshua to drop to the ground, but the boy simply remained where he had fallen.

“You don’t need to hold me. I just want to check on Josh,” Alexandria said. The contact with such an evil being was making her stomach churn, and she feared she would have to vomit again.

“Leave him for the moment.” His fingers tightened like a vise, dragging her close so that his body touched hers. She could smell his fetid breath, the scent of blood and death. His skin was clammy and ice-cold.