LITMIR.BIZ

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fit.”

      She laughed. “You honestly don’t expect me to believe that I—the one who doesn’t know diddly about the Bible, or David or Joshua or Jewish symbols—will be able to help you—a superbrilliant college professor? How could I possibly help you? For all practical purposes, I’d say I need you more than you need me.”

      “That’s very kind,” he said, his eyes sparkling, his expression full of naughty promises, which had her retracing her words to see if she’d said anything too suggestive.

      When she realized the “I need you” thing could be taken at least a couple of ways, she felt her face heating again. Her privates went into party mode. “I’m talking about the research, you understand.”

      One side of his mouth quirked. “Of course. So was I. In researching this topic, you happen to have one thing going for you that I don’t—objectivity.”

      She felt her still-stinging face screwing up into a mask of confusion. “My friend is possibly near death, his very life being drained by what my boss is telling me is a real-life vampire, and you say I’m objective? I’d say I’m desperate.”

      “You’re objective because you don’t have any preconceived notions—”

      “Sure I do. I assumed the shield and spear were literal weapons. And I’m still skeptical of your theory that they’re not. So why don’t you tell me the real reason why you invited me here tonight? I’m dying to know.”

      He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, as if he was trying to find a gentle way to break some bad news to her. “Because I sense we both need someone at our side as we travel this road. Am I wrong?”

      “You?”

      “Yes.”

      Her heart did a little pitter-pattering. He needed her. Not just because she was brilliant and could solve some riddle for him—which she wasn’t and couldn’t—but because he wanted her at his side, his partner. “That would be…nice.”

      “But before we shake on this deal, I need to hear it. I need to hear you need me too, and not just because I know more about this subject than you do.”

      “Wow. Okay.” Her gaze brushed over his features—the cute crinkles at the corners of his eyes, the little mole on his left cheek—and felt the warmth of his companionship and friendship in eyes gone all warm and golden seep into her bones. “I need someone whom I can trust, someone who won’t laugh when I make a stupid mistake, and someone who’ll cheer me on when I get frustrated. Although I haven’t known you but a couple of hours tops, I feel like that person is you. That I’ve been searching for you, that I’ve known you a whole lot longer than one day. Is that strange?”

      “Not at all.”

      “Good. Then we have a deal? We’re not just going to share this book but we’re going to share this journey, help each other, any way we can?”

      “You bet.” Just like he had in the library, he offered his hand to her, and just like before, she took it. Again, a strange tingle buzzed up her arm, like a current of low-voltage electricity. Not sure what it was, or if it would hurt her, she gave his hand a quick shake, then released it, checking her hand when he let go.

      Just like that, with a simple handshake, they formed their partnership.

      But only one knew what that handshake really meant.

      Chapter 4

      “Stay the night.”

      Sophie took one look at Lisse’s face and gave her head a vehement shake. “No. Thanks.” It wasn’t because Lisse looked particularly bothered by Dao’s suggestion, but the opposite, because she looked fairly pleased by it. If—and Sophie admitted this was still a big if—Lisse was a vampire, the fact that she was seemingly thrilled to have another female under her roof for the night didn’t bode well for Sophie’s health and well-being. What good would she be to Dao if she was dead?

      “Please,” Dao said. “We have a great deal of catching up to do. We haven’t seen each other in such a long time, since before the wedding.”

      “I was here a few days ago.”

      “You were not. Don’t lie to me.”

      Now, she was really worried. Never mind the fact that it seemed her already skeletally thin friend looked like he’d lost another few pounds, but now he was confused too. He needed to get to a doctor. Pronto!

      “What time’s your doctor’s appointment tomorrow?”

      “His appointment is at eight o’clock and it would be a great help if you could take him,” Lisse answered. “I was going to have him drive himself, but I worry about his safety.”

      “That makes two of us,” Sophie said, still not feeling real keen on the idea of staying in the same home with a suspected blood-sucking husband killer.

      “And I’m afraid I have a prior appointment I cannot reschedule,” Lisse said importantly. “It would be a great help—to both of us—if you’d take him. I know you’ve been a great friend to my husband in the past.”

      “I’d be happy to drive by in the morning and pick him up.”

      “That’s foolish!” Dao piped in. “You’ve stayed here hundreds of times. In morning rush hour it’d take you over an hour to get here. We have a perfectly comfortable spare bedroom. You’ll have privacy.”

      He was systematically killing off every one of her believable excuses. Darn it.

      “I don’t have any clothes, toothbrush. Can’t deny the importance of oral hygiene,” she said, frantically working her way through the unbelievable excuses now. She had a feeling in her belly that this was a bad—with a capital B—idea. That if she spent the night there, something very terrible would happen. To her, to Dao, maybe to both of them.

      “Yes, you do,” Dao countered. “You left several things here the last time you spent the night. You have some toiletries in the bathroom and clothes hanging in the closet. And since I know you can wear casual clothes to work, I won’t hear the excuse that they’re not dressy enough.”

      “Speaking of work, I’d have to call Tim,” Sophie said, pulling one final excuse from her stash, knowing Dao wouldn’t have a card to trump that one. “Tell him I’m coming in late tomorrow. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. I can call the doctor’s office and reschedule the appointment.”

      “Very well,” Dao said. “You can use our phone. Call him now.”

      Whew! Disaster averted. “I’ll need the doctor’s phone number.”

      “No. I mean your boss,” Dao corrected. “Call him.”

      “He’s not in the office on Sundays,” Sophie lied, knowing he would be. Tim never took a day off work, not even when he was near death with the flu.

      “You can leave a message then,” Lisse offered, handing Sophie the cordless. “Please, this would mean so much to both of us.”

      I bet it would. “Well…” Sophie figured her best bet was to call Tim, the boss who expected her to show up as well when she was near death, and let him do the deed for her. There was no way he’d let her come in late on such short notice, at least not without her doing some serious groveling, which she’d been prepared to do if she hadn’t been pressured to stay the night. Now, there was no way she’d get on her knees and grovel. “Okay. I’ll give it a try but my boss is a real slave driver, let me tell you.” She punched the number and when he picked up said, “Hi, Tim. It’s Sophie. Wow, what’re you doing in the office on a Sunday?”

      “You know I always work on Sundays,” was his dry response.

      “Oh, really?” She tried to look surprised as she gave Dao and Lisse a what-do-you-know look.

      “I

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