Flowers and Fangs (Stake and Dust series, Book II) by Karen Michelle Nutt

eyes
and turned, jerking open the top drawer where his utensils were
kept. Behind the organizer, a dagger lay in waiting. He gripped the
hilt and withdrew it. He stared at the sharp blade, the light
overhead glinting off the shiny surface.
    "Are you sure that's what you want to do?"
Cassandra asked him.
    He frowned with indecision. His sister
wouldn't stop him if he headed down the hall and ended Sloane's
life. He glanced at Tremayne who stood there with his arms folded
against his chest and eyeing him with curiosity. He supposed
Tremayne could spring to life and restrain him, but he had a hunch
the vampire would not make a move. They were letting him make the
final decision. It was easy to kill a fiend, but not so simple when
the vampire had a name and a sweet smile to go with it.
    He lowered the weapon and leveled his gaze on
Tremayne. "Can you help her?" He couldn't believe he just asked a
vampire to help another through the change.
    "Aye, but you may not like the process."
    "I already don't like it. So go on, tell me
your grand plan."
    "It would require her drinking blood from my
vein for a few days in hopes of counteracting the Nosferatu's
effects. Then I would have to complete the process of changing her
completely."
    Which meant Tremayne would drain her dry so
she could awaken as a vampire. If he allowed this he was aiding and
abetting. It stood against everything he'd been brought up to
believe. "There's no other way? There's no cure?"
    He shook his head. "But changing her and
hoping she doesn't reject my blood is the least of our problems.
The Nosferatu are possessive creatures. Her boyfriend will be back
to finish the job he started. Three bites before she will be under
his control. He's already completed the first and she drank from
him. With the second bite, she will be his minion, and the final
bite, she will be just like him. They'll be the Bonny and Clyde of
the vampire world, and I assure you their rampage will be long and
bloody. A mated Nosferatu is a binding ritual. They'll be able to
read each other's thoughts immediately. In other vampire septs it
takes training and even then it is sketchy at best."
    "You're saying Tim will keep coming after her
unless we stop him?"
    "Aye, it is a guarantee," Tremayne said
without hesitation.
    "Maybe we could use this to our advantage,"
Cassandra spoke up and both Tremayne and Derek stared at her.
    "We need to put an end to Tim, but we need to
find him. We have what he wants. All we have to do is—"
    Derek knew where his sister was going with
this and he didn't like it. "No. We aren't using Sloane as bait."
The demand flew from his lips before he could recall it.
    His sister's brows lifted. "Why not? It's a
good plan."
    "Because…" He looked to Tremayne then to his
sister again. Cassandra was right. It was a solid plan, one that
was sure to work, but… "It's too risky."
    "Too risky?" Cassandra's voice rose. "Just a
moment ago you were ready to march down the hall and dust her."
    "I…" He stared at the dagger he still held in
his hand. "What the hell am I doing?"
    Tremayne smirked. "I guess falling for a
vampire runs in the family."
    "Shut up!" Both Derek and Cassandra said at
the same time.
    Cassandra rolled her eyes at Derek and he
shook his head. "I haven't fallen for her," he voiced, but even to
him his claim fell short. If his parents hadn't dragged him out of
high school to hunt a pack of werewolves in Oregon who knew where
Sloane and his relationship would have gone. He'd been halfway in
love with her then. Maybe this was the attraction. The what
if … "It just… We shouldn't make the decision for Sloane. Let me
speak—" Footfalls in the hall caught his attention and a second
later, Sloane stood in the archway between the living room and the
kitchen.
    His heart stopped then kicked into action
thudding so loud he could hear it echoing in his ears. Sloane's
unruly strands were unbound, framing her face in dark waves of silk
and her eyes stood out like twin pools