was leading her off the floor when Petrina intercepted them. "My turn," she purred. "Dance with me, Dom."
Dominic glanced atTracy ,then shook his head.
Petrinaalso looked atTracy , her cat-green eyes narrowing with disdain. Then, she smiled up at Dominic. "Surely your little mortal won't mind if you dance one dance with an old friend."
"I do mind,"Tracy said, surprising all of them. "Take your hands off of him."
"Well, well, what do you know," Petrina said with a malevolent grin, "the little mortal has... teeth."
Dominiclaughed, a deep, rich masculine sound. "Run along, Pet, beforeshe takes a bite out ofyou ."
Tracyhad no idea that vampires could blush, but a surge of red flooded Petrina's cheeks. She glared atTracy ,then vanished from sight.
Taking her by the hand, Dominic ledTracy back to their table.
"I probably shouldn't have said that, should I?"Tracy remarked, sitting down.
"Probably not.You have made an enemy of her now."
"Well, she made me mad!"
"And a little jealous, perhaps?"
"Not a little.A lot."
He smiled, pleased. "Do not worry about Petrina . She is harmless."
"Oh, sure, a harmless vampire."
"She will not harm you, my best beloved one."
"As long as you're around,"Tracy muttered. "But what if she finds me alone?"
"She knows I would destroy her if she dared lay a hand..." He grinned."Or a fang, on you."
Tracysmiled at him. "I'm not afraid, not really."
But later, lying alone in her bed, she couldn't help wondering what the outcome would be if Petrina caught her alone.
Chapter 15
Petrinastalked the dark city streets, her rage growing with every step. How darehe ! How dare he talk to her like that, treat her like that, sending her away as if she were some troublesome child! She was not some fledgling vampire, to be lightly dismissed! He had embarrassed her, humiliated her, not only in front of that foolish mortal female, but in front of Sea Cliffs other vampires, and that was something she could not forgive.
" Petrina?"
She turned to find Zarabeth hurrying after her.
"Go home, Bethy ."
Zarabethdidn't argue. She had lived with Petrina long enough to know better.
Petrinawatched her friend vanish into the darkness.
Dominic would be sorry for his lack of respect, she vowed, as she continued on her way. In five hundred years, she had never formed attachments to any place, or any one, save for Zarabeth . She had fully intended to drain the girl and cast her aside but something about Zarabeth had given her pause and she had brought her across instead. Zarabeth had become Petrina's first friend since becoming a vampire. At first, it had been strange; now the two of them were very nearly inseparable.
Aside from Zarabeth , the only thing she wanted was Sea Cliff. Petrina had hoped Dominic would accept her in his house, that they could rule Sea Cliff together. She knew now that such a thing was impossible. Dominic had rejected her for that puny mortal.
She thought briefly of destroying the woman but knew such a thing would gain her nothing but Dominic's hatred and perhaps cost her her own life.
Which left only one alternative.
She frowned as she contemplated it, and then she smiled. It was always better to rule alone.
Chapter 16
Tracysat up, yawning. A glance at the clock showed that she had already slept most of the morning away. Dating a vampire certainly kept her up far later than she was accustomed to. By the time she showered and had breakfast, the day would be half gone! Not only that, but her laundry was piling up and she had bills to pay.
Rising, she went downstairs to put the coffee on,then hurried back upstairs for a quick shower. She pulled on a pair of cut-off shorts and a tank top,then went downstairs to fix breakfast. Opening the refrigerator, she grimaced at what she saw. Not surprisingly, all of the food she had left in the fridge when she ran away had soured, wilted, or turned blue with mold.
After dumping it all in the garbage and washing out the refrigerator, she grabbed her purse and her keys and headed for the village.
Driving down the main street, she noticed anew how deserted the place was. Funny, she had never paid much attention to that before. Many of the shops didn't open until after sundown. She saw a few tourists peering into windows. An elderly couple sat at a table at the outdoor cafe, sipping lattes.
Tracypulled into the parking lot of the market and got out of her car. Did the townspeople know that their town was a haven for vampires? Or were they as