TALL DARK AND HUNGRY Page 0,115

grin. He placed the handle of Terri's suitcase in Bastien's hand rather than shaking it.

Bastien stared down at the suitcase as Dave turned and hugged Terri. "I have to go. Sandi will worry. Call and let us know what happens."

Bastien lifted his head to watch the man roar off in his Jaguar. "Nice car."

"It's Dave's pride and joy," Terri said. "Would you like to come in?"

Bastien nodded, then followed her up the sidewalk, only then noticing that she was carrying a grocery bag. Obviously, her brother-in-law had taken her shopping before bringing her home, he realized. He followed Terri into her small cottage, his eyes moving curiously around the place as he closed the door. It was small but cozy and tastefully decorated, he noted; then Terri whirled to face him.

"I'm sorry," she blurted. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have run off like that."

"Terri--"

"No, wait. Let me speak," Terri insisted. "I made a mistake. A stupid mistake because I was scared. I..." I love you, Bastien. I do. And the idea of your being ill and watching you go through what Ian and my mother went through scares the heck out of me, but I'm willing to do it if I can spend however much good time you have left with you. I'll take the bad with the good. I'll--"

"I'm not sick," Bastien interrupted.

Terri paused and stared, uncomprehending. "What?"

"I'm not sick," he repeated firmly.

"But the vials in your fridge."

"The vials?" he asked. Then understanding slowly dawned. "Vincent's serum?"

"Vincent's serum?" Terri echoed.

"Yes. You know about his digestive trouble. The lab sent those up for him to try. It's a new serum we hope will help," he answered, couching his words carefully so that he was telling the truth, but not re¬vealing everything. Yet.

Terri sank onto the sofa with a plop. "The serum is Vincent's."

"Yes."

"But what about the blood and the IV stand?"

"The IV stand? In the closet of the master suite?" he asked with surprise.

She nodded.

"That's been there a long time. Lissianna needed it at one time, and we've just never gotten rid of it."

"Lissianna?" Terri's voice was a squeak.

"Yes. Lissianna."

"And the blood?" she asked hopefully.

Bastien hesitated. This was where it got tricky.

Terri went on, "And Kate said you had something to tell me that we would have to work out if we were going to work out."

"That's true," he admitted, glad to avoid the blood for the time being. "There is something that I'll need to discuss with you if you agree to marry me, but it isn't that I'm terminally ill. I'm not ill at all."

"You want to marry me?" Terri asked with pleasure.

Bastien rolled his eyes. "Terri, honey. I just flew two thousand three hundred miles chasing after you. It wasn't to ask you on a date."

"Oh, Bastien!" She launched herself off the couch. Bastien caught her with an, "oomph," then found his face peppered with little butterfly kisses.

"Terri, honey, hang on. We do have to talk."

"Later," she murmured. "I've been so miserable since hearing Lissianna and Kate in the bathroom, I--" She paused and peered at him with question. "What were they talking about--that I should understand, because of Ian? I thought they were saying that you were ill, and I should be able to understand and deal with it because of my experiences with Ian."

"We have to talk," Bastien repeated with a sigh.

"Just tell me," she said.

"It's not something you just blurt out, Terri."

"Now you're making me nervous again."

"I'm sorry, but it's..." Taking her hands, he drew her back to the sofa and settled beside her. "It's not bad," he started, hoping she would agree.

"It isn't?"

"No." He glanced around the living room of her cottage, absently noting the comfortable charm as he tried to think of the best way to tell her. "Well," he said finally, "have you ever seen the movie An Ameri¬can Werewolf in London?"

She gave a perplexed laugh. "Yes. Hasn't everyone?"

He nodded. "Well, I'm not American, or a were¬wolf, and we aren't in London."

She blinked several times at his comment. Then she said slowly, "No, this is Huddersfield."

"And I'm Canadian and a vampire," he finished brightly.

"Uh... huh," she said slowly. "Bastien, are you feeling well?"

"Terri--"

"Is this your idea of a joke?"

She was getting annoyed, he thought with alarm. How the heck had Etienne and Lucern told Rachel and Kate that they were vampires? "Terri, honey," he began. "It's not a joke. I really am a vampire."

"Oh. I see." She was getting snippy. That was inter¬esting. He'd never seen her snippy before. Well, per¬haps