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“Good,” I said.

He hesitated, with his hand on the doorknob. His back was to me, but his voice came low, “May I go and feed?”

I glanced at Asher. “Is he talking to you?”

Asher shook his head. “I think not.”

“Sure, help yourself.”

Damian opened the door and slipped outside. He left the door slightly ajar.

“What is his problem lately?” I asked.

“I think he must answer that question,” Asher said.

I turned and looked at him. “Does that mean you can’t answer the question or won’t answer it?”

Asher smiled and his face moved freely, even the scarred skin. He was having consultations with a plastic surgeon in Saint Louis. No one had ever tried to repair holy water damage on vamps, so they didn’t know if it would work, but the doctors were hopeful. Hopeful but cautious. The first operation was still months away.

“It means, Anita, that some fears are very personal.”

“Are you saying Damian’s afraid of me?” I didn’t try to keep the astonishment out of my voice.

“I am saying that you must speak to him directly if you want answers.”

I sighed. “Great, just what I need. Another complicated male in my life.”

Asher laughed, and it slid along my bare arms like a touch, raising gooseflesh. The only other vampire that could do that to me was Jean-Claude.

“Stop that,” I said.

He gave a low, sweeping bow. “My most sincere apologies.”

“Bullshit,” I said. “Go get dinner. I think the werewolves are planning some sort of party or ceremony.”

“You need one of us with you at all times, Anita.”

“I heard Jean-Claude’s ultimatum.” I looked at him and couldn’t keep the surprise off my face. “You think he’d really kill you if something happened to me?”

Asher just looked at me with his pale, pale eyes. “Your life means more to him than mine does, Anita. If it did not, he would be in my bed and not yours.”

He had a point, but . . . “It would kill something inside of him to kill you personally.”

“But he would do it,” Asher said.

“Why? Because he said he’d do it?”

“No, because he would always wonder if I allowed you to die as revenge for his failure to protect Julianna.”

Oh. I opened my mouth to say more, and the phone rang. Daniel’s voice came low and panicked, backed by country music.

“Anita, we’re out at the Happy Cowboy on the main highway. Can you come down?”

“What’s wrong, Daniel?”

“Mom’s tracked down the woman who accused Richard. She’s determined to make her stop lying.”

“Are they fighting yet?” I asked.

“Yelling.”

“You outweigh her by over a hundred pounds, Daniel. Just toss her over your shoulder and get her out of there. She’ll only make things worse.”

“She’s my mother. I can’t do that.”

“Shit,” I said.

Asher asked, “What has happened?”

I shook my head. “I’ll be there, Daniel, but you’re being a wimp.”

“I’d rather take on every guy in the bar than my mother,” he said.

“If she makes a big enough scene, you may get your chance.” I hung up. “I cannot believe this.”

“What?” Asher asked again.

I explained as quickly as I could. Daniel and Mrs. Zeeman were staying at a nearby motel. Richard hadn’t wanted them at the cabins with so many shapeshifters running around. Now I wished we’d kept them closer to home.

It would have been nice to have changed out of the blood-splattered blouse, but we were out of time. No rest for the wicked.

The real trick was what to do with Richard. He’d want to come along, and I didn’t want him anywhere near Miss Betty Schaffer.

Legally, he could enter the bar and sit down beside her. There was no court order to stay away. But if the sheriff realized we weren’t getting out of town, he’d look for any excuse to get Richard back behind bars. I didn’t think Richard would have nearly as pleasant a second visit as he had a first. Their ambush today had backfired. They’d be frustrated and scared. They’d hurt Richard this time. Hell, they might hurt his mother. Charlotte Zeeman and I were going to have to have a little talk. Come to think of it, I was with Daniel. I’d have rather faced a full-blown bar fight than have a talk with his mother. At least she’d never be my mother-in-law.