My cellphone was ringing when I woke up, and it took me forever to find the damn thing before I could answer it.

"You're supposed to be ready to go in two hours, Reese." Sylvie knew I was no good at pretending to be awake when I wasn't, and she liked to take advantage of it.

"It was a late night," was all I offered. I wasn't going to parse out the details of the gollum party and my testosterone-driven boyfriend who wanted to use my neck as a chew toy. "Are you enroute?"

"Yep. Tell me about your night. I'm intrigued."

"How about I do that on our way to Albany. Plans have changed slightly. We're going to have a chaperone, and we'll be taking Vincent's Escalade, so we won't have to put the miles on your car."

"Is Vincent coming with us?" Sylvie's tone turned suspicious, like she was ready to counsel me about my possessive boyfriend. If she only knew.

"No, but he's sending his brother, Rizzo, so neither of us has to drive. I'm still at Vincent's place. I'll text you the address."

Sylvie stayed silent for a minute. "Are you doing okay, Reese? Is this call being monitored?"

"I'm fine, Sylvie. And this call is not being monitored."

I glanced around the room and realized I was in Colin's spare bed wrapped inside a silver and red geometric print comforter. A far cry from sandy neutrals. "Just call me when you're fifteen minutes out and I'll meet you in front of the building."

"Okay. See you soon. Love ya."

"Love ya, too."

I hung up and swiveled off the bed, looking down at the tee shirt and sweatpants I'd been dressed in by my possessive boyfriend. Vincent must have apologized ten times. He was beyond pissed with himself for hurting me. The worst part was learning he had recited a mantra to begin the change into his gollum form. He claimed to have no memory of this, but apparently it was the only way to cause the fangs to appear, which meant it wasn't the first time he'd done it. The thought was depressing.

I felt for the bandage Colin had expertly applied to my neck. Having not seen the wound, I had no idea how hard it would be to hide from Sylvie. She had seen bite marks on my neck before, during my chaotic days with Heath, and I didn't want to endure another lecture. I turned on a table lamp and stood in front of the mirror hanging above it. Only a trace of blood had soaked into the gauze, but when I pulled the bandage away to inspect the wound, I was greeted by a full set of canine punctures with fresh, red scabs. Ugh. The only positive thing was their location behind my left earlobe, which put them far enough back that my hair would cover the evidence.

Colin was nowhere in sight when I padded around his living room, and after determining he was out, I took a moment to pry. Unlike Vincent's barren apartment, Colin had magazines on his coffee table and knick-knacks on his shelves, although I wouldn't count a solid gold Seal of Solomon that claimed to be from the seventeenth century as a knick-knack. Right behind it hung a framed Beatles Abbey Road album. I knew I had read Colin correctly when I said he would be a fun guy to hang out with. So, why was my body craving his moody, hard-headed brother?

I let myself out of Colin's apartment and walked next door. The dogs greeted me with their usual enthusiasm, jumping and whimpering while I patted their heads. The Rolling Stones were playing in the background, but apart from Bonnie and Clyde, the living room was empty, and I decided not to go hunting for Vincent. I needed to pack for my assignment this evening, and seeing Vincent would only distract me. I wasn't eager to reopen fresh wounds, which in this case could mean both figurative and literal wounds.

The dogs jumped on the bed and began their ritual of finding the perfect spot to curl up, and Vincent followed in their wake, although he chose to stand in the doorway, looking like a puppy who had been left out of the fun.

"How did you sleep?" he asked.

"Fine."

"Good. I know it can be difficult to sleep in a strange bed."

"Do you really want to talk about my sleeping habits, Vincent?"

I could have answered that question myself. Vincent didn't look like he wanted to talk at all. He looked like he needed sleep. His eyes were glassy and bloodshot, his face was unshaven, and he was still dressed in the clothes he'd worn to the Lassiter's party. I also noticed an increase in the potency of his scent. Not that it bothered me.

"No. I have been trying to think of a way to undo what happened last night. Not the intimacy. The intimacy was incredible." Vincent stepped cautiously into the room, keeping me locked in the sights of his eyes, which despite the redness, were a soft gray this morning. "Can I see your neck?"

"I'd rather you not." I backpedaled as I spoke, and Vincent stopped when he saw my reaction. His face went ashen, and he looked like the air had been knocked out of him.

"I don't know what else to say other than I'm sorry, Reese. I've asked you to trust me, and I've broken that trust twice. It's inexcusable. Unforgivable."

"I know you didn't mean to hurt me. You told me to go to my room and lock myself in. You were trying to protect me."

"I should never have let it get that far. My will power is shit when I'm around you. I would do anything to keep you near me, and I'm doing everything to push you away."

I wanted to run into his arms and tell him I liked being near him too, but something held my feet to the floor. "Are you sure getting rid of Heath will make things less volatile between us? A life is a huge price to pay for freedom, even sexual freedom. What if your plan doesn't work?"

Vincent shook his head as he walked to the window. The fact that he didn't immediately reassure me made my stomach clench. "I would love to say all the obstacles will be removed when Heath is out of the picture, but I honestly don't know if that's true. The documentation I'm working from is ancient, and most of it is highly guarded. I'm still waiting to hear back from a domus in Prague. The fact of the matter is, demons and gollums rarely become mates. I'm surprised you were even attracted to Heath. For a gollum, the demon scent is off-putting."

"Gee, thanks." I walked to the closet and pulled out my duffel, tossing it on the bed.

"I didn't mean to insult you. Your gollum scent is a much stronger trigger for me."

I suddenly wished I was home as I listened to Vincent talk about gollums and demons, and how much my smell put him off, but I just focused on organizing my duffel. "Why didn't you mention anything to me about safe words? It would have been useful information to know. Maybe Colin wouldn't have had to rescue me and see me naked."

I knew it was a low blow, but Vincent had been unnecessarily aggravated with Colin when he found me nude in Colin's guest bed.

"I meant to, but I kept hedging." Vincent pressed his hands against the window and lowered his head between them. "Every time I brought up the calming mantra you got aggravated. I was trying to feed you information in small doses. Dammit. I'm doing everything wrong." He pounded the frame with his fist, and I startled at the sound.

Still, the sappy romantic in me felt compelled to reassure him, and I walked over and rested my hand on his back. "I forgive you, Vincent. I've already told you that umpteen times. When I get back from Albany, you and I can talk about where we should go from here."

He turned and dragged me into his embrace, and the scent of sweat and musk overtook me. "Thank you. Your understanding is more than I deserve."

"We both deserve to be happy," I said as I buried my face between the curve of his pecs. "If we can give that to each other without one of us needing stitches, I don't see why we can make this work long term."

With the help of two curious dogs who insisted on nosing through my toiletries, I dressed for the trip, ate a Vincent-style breakfast of coffee and wheat toast, and when Sylvie called with her ETA, I took the long trip down the elevator with my duffel in one hand and Vincent in the other. Rizzo and the Escalade met us at the curb, and shortly afterward, Sylvie pulled up in her Subaru. Introductions were dispatched between Sylvie and Rizzo, and Sylvie handed her keys to Vincent, who promised her car would be safe in the Valentino's private garage.

With the logistics handled, it came time for goodbyes, and I didn't hold back when I offered my farewell to Vincent. I knew he wouldn't turn savage on the sidewalk, although I noticed a woman taking a picture of us with her cellphone. It was something I would have to get used to if I wanted to become Mrs. Monomaniac.

"Be safe tonight," I told him as I stood on my tiptoes to speak against his lips. "I prefer to find you in one piece when I get home."

"It won't feel like home until you return." Vincent offered me a wistful smile that had me reeling.

Oh, yes. Mrs. Frickin' Monomaniac.