He’d dreamed about the woman for the past four nights. Hot, wild dreams that left him aching and pissed when he awoke alone.

Cain had wanted Miranda from the first moment he’d seen her. Wanted her naked and moaning his name.

He’d thought he’d play the gentleman. Get her used to him. Then take her.

Idiot. He’d wasted time playing the good guy when the woman was hanging out with the undead.

He wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

If Miranda wanted to take a walk on the wild side, she could damn well walk with him.

It wasn’t like she could find a guy much wilder, anyway. He could get downright primal and knew that with her, he probably would.

“Uh, Miranda? You gonna be all right tonight?” The question came from the uniformed deputy with the buzz-cut red hair, a fellow who apparently thought he was in charge. Miranda had called him Sam. Cain had no idea what the guy’s last name was.

Her head lifted, and he caught sight of the bruises, scratches, and bite marks on her neck. His hand clenched. Oh, yeah, he’d be finding that vamp. Very, very soon.

“You didn’t catch him,” she said, and sounded both alarmed and disgusted by that fact.

Of course they hadn’t. Humans weren’t equipped to track vampires. Not like he was. Cain knew he should have run full force into those woods after him, and if the deputies hadn’t trained their guns on him, he would have.

Then Miranda wouldn’t be sitting there looking furious and afraid.

But neither he nor Miranda had confided to the deputies about her date’s true nature. Cain hadn’t spoken up because he knew the uniformed men wouldn’t believe him.

Was Miranda keeping silent for the same reason? Or was something else holding her tongue?

Sam crossed to her side and put a hand on her shoulder.

Cain frowned at the man.

“I can keep a patrol car in the area. We’ve got an all-points bulletin out for him—”

Like that would do anything.

“We’ve fixed your door—”

Okay. His fault. Cain winced at the reminder. But when he’d heard Miranda’s scream and caught the scent of her blood on the wind, he’d been frantic to get to her side.

He barely remembered kicking open the door.

“You didn’t fix it,” she muttered. “You pretty much just nailed the thing shut.”

A cough from Sam. “Well, you can go in the back, can’t you?”

Miranda sighed and shrugged off his hand. Then she rose, holding tight to the railing.

“He’s not going to come back, Miranda. He’d be an absolute fool to head this way again.”

Unfortunately, most of the vamps Cain had met were fools. Or sadistic killers.

“I—It’s all right,” Miranda said. “I’ll put on the alarm and—”

Oh, hell, no. Cain marched toward her. Breathed in the sweet honeysuckle scent the woman carried, caught the richer smell of her blood. “You’re not staying alone.” Not until he’d caught that vampire.

A frown appeared between her brows. There was only a little moonlight trickling down on them, but her porch light shone brightly on the small area.

Yet even if it had been pitch black, he would have been able to see her almost perfectly. One of his kind’s little gifts.

He caught her hand. Became aware of just how small and delicate she was. He could crush her bones with a careless touch.

But he’d never be careless with a human female.

And certainly not with her.

She licked her lips and the sensual swipe of her pink tongue had his cock swelling. “Wh—what are you proposing?”

The deputy glared at him.

“My place.” His bed, but they’d get to that later. “You can have the guest room, and you won’t have to worry about that vam—ah, jerk coming back.”

She blinked at him. Damn, but he loved that woman’s eyes. “That’s very kind of you—”

Kind. He snorted. If the woman knew just how many hot and heavy fantasies he’d been having about her, the last word she’d use to describe him would be kind. “Baby, I want you safe. I don’t care what Sam here says”—he jerked his thumb toward the glowering human—“but that creep could be back.” And he didn’t want to take any chances with Miranda’s life.

Damn. Why had the woman been with that guy?

“There’s no reason for him to come—” Sam began.

“Miranda’s the reason.” The perfect temptation. Sensual woman. Sweet blood. How could the vampire resist?

How could he? Especially once he got lovely Miranda locked inside his house?

The beast within began to growl.

He could easily hear the sound of her indrawn breath. Even over the dizzying call of the insects. The mutters of the men. The racing of his own heart.

Then she was pulling her hand away. Easing down the steps.

Running?

Forcing his gaze to break its lock on her, Cain surveyed the area. A large lake separated his place from Miranda’s. The woods surrounded their homes, effectively cutting them off from the rest of the town.

To the right, the way the vampire had fled, waited swamps. Alligators. Snakes.

If he was lucky, maybe one of them would attack the parasite.

Maybe.

“Miranda, if you want to stay with someone, you can stay with me,” Sam said, raising his voice and catching Cain’s attention.

Oh, hell, no. Not one of his options. Bad enough he had to compete with a bloodsucker to get the lady’s attention. He didn’t want to go against some kind of hick deputy.