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“I am Armand,” he murmured in a voice that oozed sex and power, demanding to be obeyed, making her brain temporarily shut down. From a purely aesthetic observation, Armand was, in a word, dazzling. He would have been the dream of any artist wishing to paint the angel Lucifer, just after he fell and was experiencing lust for the first time. There was something so primal, so elemental, about him that separated him for the lesser beings and elevated him to the level of a minor deity.
        He was cold in his perfect beauty and while Melanie found him attractive, she wasn’t attracted to him. She preferred the molted heat of Vaughn’s golden eyes to the wintry chill of Armand’s glacial green glare. But he was staring at her and she realized that she had let her mind wander.
        Shaking her head to clear it, feeling bolder than her normal, everyday self, she lifted her chin and met his hard gaze. “Are you hoping to convince me that I have only dreamt you and your brothers? My apartment?”
        The corner of his beautiful mouth curved upwards in what some might consider a smile, though it didn’t reach his harsh, green eyes. He was truly breath-taking; no man should be allowed to be so devastatingly gorgeous, let alone three brothers. It wasn’t fair to the rest of the gene pool. “Do I need to do such a thing?”
        She smiled brilliantly, “No… no, of course not; it’s just that Rhys had said something… odd. But, you see, I love my apartment; it is amazing and perfect and within walking distance of my job and I doubt that there is anything you can say or do that will change my mind.”
        His brows drew together and he scowled briefly, which only enhanced his beauty. It was an expression Melanie was pretty sure he was more comfortable with. He quickly donned his neutral mask, a slight smile curving his perfect lips. “And if I told you the building was haunted?”
        Her eyes widened and her mouth spread into a huge grin, “Really?”
        His scowl returned, deeper this time. “It’s not true.”
        She frowned, sadly disappointed. “Oh.”
        Before he could speak again, she cocked her head to the side, the thing that was niggling at her mind for a few minutes finally stepping forward. It probably would have been there sooner had she not been overwhelmed with such perfection of face and form, times three. “How do you know about my apartment and the building it’s in?”
         Her eyes widened in alarm and she came to an abrupt halt on the dance floor with sudden realization. Holding onto his forearms, his hands at her elbows, she breathed, “You’re my neighbor, aren’t you? Oh, god, I am so sorry; I didn’t mean to go through your apartment but I couldn’t find any other way of getting on the roof and there is this gargoyle up there and I swear I would never break anything. Please, I didn’t mean to trespass and I didn’t cause any harm, but…. What is it?”
        He silently stared down at her, practically holding her up by her arms. Pressing his lips together, he let his eyes roam over her face, lengthening the silence, making her incredibly uncomfortable and anxious. Tightening his jaw, he narrowed his gaze, as if willing her into submission. She did not go easily. It wasn’t until he tightened his hold on her and gave her a demonstration of his superior strength that she finally relented just a little, relaxing just a bit.
        When she lowered her chin, still holding his gaze, he finally spoke, “My property is off limits, mademoiselle.” She opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off. “You are to refrain yourself from using my apartment to gain access to the roof; you are to refrain yourself from visiting the roof at all or I will have you evicted.”
        Impossibly, her wide eyes widened and her gaze darted to Vaughn for a moment before returning to him. In a breathless whisper, she asked, “You can do that?”
        She