"Is there any way I can convince you to quit?" he asked.
She lifted her chin. "I'm not a quitter."
"Are you sure about that?" he muttered under his breath as he continued to pace.
Was he referring to their relationship? Lara's cheeks heated with indignation. He was a two-hundred-year-old vampire, for Pete's sake. Was she supposed to be happy about that?
"I'm not a quitter, either." He removed his leather jacket and draped it on the back of her desk chair. "I'm going to find Apollo before you end up doing something foolish."
"Oh, thanks for the vote of confidence." She glared at him.
He glared back as he sat down. "You're plenty tough for a mortal, but you're still no match for a vampire."
She looked away. "Exactly. I shouldn't be matched with a vampire."
"Let's get started." His voice sounded strained.
"Fine by me." She turned back to him and clasped her hands in her lap. "What do I need to do?"
"Nothing. I do all the work, and you just try to be… receptive to me."
She gripped her hands tighter. "Okay."
He leaned forward, his elbows braced on his thighs, and studied her intently. The gold flecks in his eyes seemed to grow until the entire iris was gold and gleaming.
Lara looked away, uncomfortable with the fierce energy radiating from his stare. The room seemed awfully hot. Her skin began to tingle all over. Especially her breasts. The tingling sensation took a sudden turn south. She pressed her thighs together. She was suddenly desperate to feel a man inside her. And not just any man. Jack.
"Do you feel that?" he whispered.
She gulped. His eyes were actually glowing now. "What are you doing?"
"Turning up the power. This is how a vampire lures people in."
She stiffened. "So you can bite them?"
"I haven't bitten a woman since 1987, when synthetic blood was introduced."
"How considerate of you." She lifted her chin and gazed nonchalantly across the room. "I guess you're a bit rusty, 'cause I'm not feeling much of anything."
"Maybe you're just insensitive."
She shot him an annoyed look.
His mouth twitched. "You are feeling it. Your heart is pounding. Your temperature has increased. I can feel the heat coming off you like—"
"All right." She clenched her teeth. "Is there a point to this? I thought we were going to concentrate on hearing voices."
"I'm trying to assess your capabilities. Your sense of touch seems to be working fine. I think it's only your hearing that's off-kilter."
A blast of cold air nearly knocked Lara on her back. With a shiver, she righted herself.
"You felt that." He watched her closely.
"Yes." The cold air swirled around her, sweeping icy tendrils across her brow. "You're trying to invade my mind?"
He nodded. "Normally, I would be in by now."
She wrinkled her nose at him. "You don't make people squawk and do the chicken dance, do you?"
Now he gave her an annoyed look. "Do you hear anything at all?"
She shut her eyes and focused. There was a buzzing behind her ears that sounded like radio static. "Are you saying something now?"
"Yes."
She wondered what. She squeezed her eyes more tightly shut, frowning with all the concentration she could muster. The buzzing sounded louder and more masculine, more like Jack, but she couldn't distinguish any individual words.
With a sigh, she opened her eyes. "This isn't working. All I'm getting from you is a buzz."
His mouth curled up. "Was it good for you?"
"No." She scowled at him. "It's like having a pesky mosquito in my head."
"Damned bloodsuckers. I hate them."
"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?"
He smiled slowly and leaned closer to her. "I need to touch you. Now."
She gulped. "I… but…"
"On your head," he explained, still smiling. "I can make a stronger connection that way."
"Oh." She recalled how he had touched Megan's head in order to release her suppressed memories. "I guess that will be all right."
Her heart speeded up when he sat on the bed beside her. Icy currents swirled around her, brushing against her skin and raising goose bumps. She shivered.
He rested a hand on top of her hand. "Concentrate."
She closed her eyes, and the buzzing returned. It was deep and masculine now. It ricocheted from one ear to the other, a jumble of words that she couldn't isolate. The harder she tried, the more her temples throbbed.
"Can you hear me?" he whispered.
She shook her head.
His fingers tightened their grip, digging into her scalp. A sudden burst of pain stabbed like an icy dagger between her eyes. With a gasp, she fell back and broke contact.
"Ow." She rubbed her brow. "What the hell was that?"
"I used too much power. I'm sorry."
"It's just a headache." She massaged her throbbing temples. "It'll be worth it if this helps keep me alive."
"I would do anything to keep you alive."
"That makes two of us." She scooted back on the bed so she could rest her back against the wall. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, willing the pain in her head to subside.
I'm still in love with you.
Her eyes flew open. "We shouldn't talk about that."
"I didn't say anything."
"But…" She could have sworn she'd heard him speak. Had it been wishful thinking? She caught her breath when she realized what had happened.
She'd heard his thoughts. He was still in love with her! Before she could think of a response, her mind filled with static. The throbbing increased, then she heard a few words.
… hear me?
"I heard the end of that." She gave him a wary look. "Can you hear my thoughts?"
He shook his head slightly. "Not very well. I mostly feel your pain."
"Oh, sorry." Though she was greatly relieved that he couldn't read her mind. She sure didn't want him to know that she still loved him. Don't even think that. Think about pink elephants. She winced as a damned elephant galloped across her brain.
At least the cold air had dissipated. That had to mean that Jack had stopped trying to communicate with her telepathically.
She motioned toward her desk. "I have some aspirin in my handbag."
Apparently, he could take a hint. He jumped up and passed the bag to her. "Do you need anything to drink?"
"Yes. There's a vending machine down the hall."
"I'll be right back." He left the room.
"Aargh." Lara collapsed on the bed. His incredible thought kept echoing in her aching head. I'm still in love with you. What was she going to do? The most wonderful man on earth loved her, but he was a vampire.
Her reclining position made her head hurt even worse, so she sat back up. She retrieved the aspirin bottle from her handbag and struggled with the childproof cap. Dammit. She'd be able to do this if her hands weren't shaking. I'm still in love with you.
Jack slipped back into her room, carrying a diet cola and bottled water. "I didn't know which one you'd want."
The world was a bizarre place when the most considerate man she'd ever met was a vampire. "I'll take the water. Thanks." She popped two aspirin in her mouth and drank.
He set the cola on her desk, then sat in the chair.
Lara rested her head against the wall. Talk about something safe. "So… do vampires ever get sick?"
"It hurts like hell if we're deprived of blood," he answered quietly. "We can be poisoned, burned, or wounded, but we usually heal during our death-sleep."
"Death-sleep?" She grimaced, then stopped because it hurt too much. "You're actually dead when you sleep?"
He gave her a wry look. "That's why we're called the Undead."
She shuddered. No wonder he'd never returned her calls during the day. He wasn't being rude, just dead. As far as excuses went, it was pretty good, but she hated to think of him as dead. "Are you fully alive now?"