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sex-and-eternity thing that she had not thought about the rest of it. She had forgotten about the tests. How pissed off had that lady been a thousand years ago? Surely her ancestress was not going to hurt her? But then how could she know for sure? “Oh fuck.”
    “As soon as I check out the house,” Arrow promised.
    Eloise moved around, pointing out rooms to him. “I never understood why Caitriona had the whole curse thing going and then added the loophole about her having to be happy that the cursed couple would stay together to appease her restless spirit.” It was a big thing to ask.
    “Al women like a loophole,” Arrow responded. He heard her snort at his words. “Oh come on, you’re al the same. You’l do this or make sure you have an out if things get tough.”
    “Gee, you have quite the silver tongue. I am stunned no woman has snapped you up before, fang face.”
    Arrow took her hand in his. “Because it was always you.” The sudden silence that fel between them was deafening. They were essential y two strangers thrown together because fate and a cranky woman had decreed it to be so. “So the Caitriona curse is we are forced together and then she tries to pul us apart to test our bond. It’s sort of like we run the gauntlet.” He raised his eyebrows in mirth. “Get it? You’re a Gaunt. A Gaunt-let if you like.”
    Eloise rol ed her eyes. “You’re hysterical. Not. Anyway a gauntlet is a glove. A gantlet is a test of endurance and, al things considered, I would rather deal with a glove.” She didn’t want to take part in some endurance test. She had more than enough chal enges in her life.
    They had stopped in her sunroom near the front door.
    “I know.”
    She sighed. ”So this is al about seeing how strong our bond is.” And why am I thinking bond? I scarcely know the man, er, vampire. When did this stop being a one-off to get him out of her system?
    “Yes, we have seven tests to thwart her or we die because of our lack of faith in the other.”
    The firm, warm pressure of his hand was making other parts of her body warm and contemplating other “firm” things. “Why are these bloody legends always seven? Seven deadly sins, the seventh sign, the seventh daughter—what’s with that? Why can’t it be one sin, sign and daughter?”
    “We wil be okay, shorty.”
    When she looked in his clear blue eyes, Eloise wanted to believe him. “Caitriona had to be premenstrual when she came up with that.” Only a hormonal woman could come out with such an annoying, pissy clause.
    “My understanding is that she was once thwarted in love by a vampire. He spurned her for another. Before she died, Caitriona declared in one thousand years another Gaunt would fal for one and renew her soul if they could pass her seven chal enges. I believe test number one was in the bathtub when you admitted you needed me.”
    “Wel , you needed me too.”
    “Yes, and being strong enough to admit to need is a chal enge.”
    Not only did she have the eternity thing going on but she also had to run a gantlet. Until now Eloise had conveniently forgotten that whole testing part because she had been determined not to meet up with a vampire. She looked Arrow up and down. “Why Arrow?”
    “Why Eloise?”
    Valid point. A name was just a name, but she had to wonder how straight and true an arrow he was. “So how old are you?” Madam Cherylene had told her he was an ancient one. Of course “ancient” to Madam Cherylene would probably be a two-week-old television guide.
    “Seven hundred years.”
    Eloise staggered against him. “Wow. So you would never have known Caitriona.” It was hard to fathom beings so old.
    Arrow wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her. “No. She was three hundred years before my time.”
    Seven hundred years. That was a long time. She was thirty-two and sometimes that seemed as if it dragged. “Have you always been alone?” Did they have that in common? Did Arrow know what it felt like