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at Logan. “She wouldn’t do that! She just met the man.” But what if he was wrong? How well did he really know his daughter? She had been living away from home for the last five years. Times changed. People changed.
    â€œWe need to talk to Abbey,” Mara said. “Find out what happened between her and Nick before we make any rash decisions.”
    Logan looked at Mara, his expression carefully blank. “Maybe it’s another man with the same name.”
    â€œWho just happens to be a vampire?” Rane asked.
    A faint breeze stirred the leaves on the trees. Mara sighed as Nick’s familiar, never-forgotten scent filled her nostrils and opened the floodgates of her memory. He had been here not long ago. Nicky, with his beautifully expressive dark eyes, and that whiskey-rough voice that no woman over the age of puberty could resist.
    â€œIt’s Desanto,” she confirmed, meeting her husband’s eyes.
    And that ended the discussion.
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    Abbey looked up when the front door opened, her eyes widening when she saw the Blackwoods. What were Mara and Logan doing here?
    Savanah sent a questioning look at her husband before welcoming Logan and Mara.
    Abbey put her iPod aside, a shiver of alarm skittering down her spine as she glanced from Mara to Logan to her father. All three wore the same serious expression.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” Savanah asked.
    Rane dropped onto the sofa beside his wife. “Abbey met a man in New York.”
    Savanah lifted one brow. “I’m sure she met a lot of them.”
    â€œThis one is a vampire,” Rane said. “A very old vampire. Mara thinks he followed Abbey here.”
    â€œFollowed me?” Abbey exclaimed, unable to contain a rush of excitement at the thought of seeing Nick again.
    Rane nodded. “You thought you were being watched. You were right. It’s Nick.”
    â€œHow could he have followed me here?” Even if he had checked her driver’s license while she was asleep, it listed her home address in New York City. She didn’t carry anything with her parents’ address on it.
    â€œThere’s no point in dancing around the issue.” Mara’s gaze settled on Abbey. “The only way he could have followed you is if he’s tasted your blood. Has he?”
    â€œNo! I mean, I don’t think so. . . .” But it was possible. He could have drunk from her while she slept. She shuddered at the thought. Such a thing shouldn’t have bothered her so much. She had grown up in a family of vampires, after all. She knew what they did to survive, though they had always been careful not to talk about it in detail in her presence. Of course, knowing wasn’t the same as seeing. Or doing.
    â€œSo, it is possible,” Mara said.
    Abbey nodded, her stomach churning. “I guess so. We were in a car accident. I hit my head and he insisted I stay the night at his place so he could make sure I was okay.”
    Nick had taken her blood while she slept. How could he have done such a despicable thing? He had seemed so nice, so charming . . . and now he was here! Why had he followed her?
    A dozen reasons sprang to mind, none of them good.
    Choosing his words carefully, Rane asked, “Did anything else happen that night?”
    Abbey stared at her father. “What do you mean?” Her cheeks flamed when she realized what he was asking. “I didn’t sleep with him! I told you, I just met him.” She glared at her father. “And even if I slept with him, which I didn’t, it’s none of your business!”
    â€œAll right, all right, I’m sorry.” Clearing his throat, Rane turned to Mara. “So, since this guy is ancient, I’m guessing he’s a day-walker.”
    Mara nodded.
    â€œThat means we’ll have to be on guard day and night,” Savanah remarked.
    Abbey fidgeted with a lock of her hair, uncomfortable and embarrassed at being the