"What are you saying?"

"I�m asking you to leave."

"You�re telling me I can�t use my own shower?"

"Are there no other showers in this mansion?"

"A dozen, actually, but�"

"Then find a different one!"

"Charlotte�"

"I can�t breathe, Dorian!" She turned her back on him and stepped into the shower, losing herself for a moment under the rush of hot water.

When she opened her eyes again, Dorian was gone.

* * *

The bedroom was too quiet.

With a towel wrapped around her head and Dorian�s robe wrapped around her body, Charlotte crept out of the bathroom, scanning the bedroom for signs of her vampire.

The bed had been remade with clean sheets, the splintered night table and stakes cleared away. Her ruined dress and undergarments were gone, along with Dorian�s clothing.

And the vampire himself was nowhere to be found.

Disappointment settled into her stomach.

"Careful what you wish for, girl," she muttered.

On an antique bench at the foot of the bed, she spotted the overnight bag she�d left in Travis� car and her purse, but her phone was missing. Just as she�d feared, she probably dropped it while she was careening down that hill, trying to avoid becoming a vampire snack.

Someone had also left a silver tray on the low dresser. It looked like a fancy room-service tray, with a teapot of hot water, a small basket containing at least ten different kinds of teas, and a porcelain sugar-and-creamer set that was probably older than Dorian. Beneath a silver dome, she found a bowl of fresh berries and grapes, and a selection of gourmet cheese and crackers that had her stomach grumbling.

She hadn�t eaten since she�d left the hotel in town, too nervous about the job to keep anything down.

With a surge of gratitude, she plucked a strawberry from the pile and popped it into her mouth.

Behind the fruit bowl, tucked into a tiny pewter place card holder, was a note written in elegant script.

I thought you might like some refreshment.

Sweet dreams, Charlotte.

�Dorian

She pressed the note to her chest, shaking her head as if that alone could erase all the craziness from her brain. JrNovels.com