I heard the shower running when I woke up in Vincent's bed. Despite waking up alone, I smiled when I remembered him cleaning me with a towel after our intimate encounter. I had to admit, his substitute for unprotected sex wasn't too shabby. Call me kinky, but I enjoyed having a guy shoot his load all over my stomach, but I was bound and determined to feel Vincent inside me even if it meant wrapping a scarf around my neck.

The bathroom door was open a crack, and the thought of seeing Vincent in the nude had me alert and aroused. He had been overly modest with his body, only allowing me brief glimpses of flesh and rarely when we were intimate. I assumed this was another form of defense. Was he worried I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off him if he exposed himself? Oh, my poor fucked-up gargoyle.

I climbed out of bed and walked to the bathroom door, peeking through it like a voyeur. It seemed silly to spy on the man I'd been getting nasty with a couple hours prior, but this was what I'd been reduced to. I could see Vincent's silhouetted form behind the shower's frosted glass, and when I stared really hard, I detected the outline of his penis. Even in its flaccid state, he was impressive, and I replayed his explosive orgasm and how incredibly powerful he felt in my hand. Damn. The things I could do to him.

I watched like a Peeping Tom until the shower turned off, then I slipped out of sight to wait for him to step out, hoping to catch an unhindered view of his beautiful body. Unfortunately, his towel rack was inside the shower, and he dried himself while still hidden behind the glass. Vincent's cellphone rang, scaring the crap out of me and causing my elbow to knock into the wall. I quickly backed out of the room as I listened to him answer.

"Hi, Debra. I appreciate you calling me back. Did you? Great. Thanks for taking care of this for me. I know it's last minute. How is the old crank? Is he still smoking the Arturo Fuente? I'll send a few from my private reserve." There was a long pause, during which I continued to retreat into the living room as Vincent walked past his open door wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. Christ, he was ripped. "I'm afraid that won't be possible this time, Debra, but I do have fond memories of that weekend. Give my regards to your sister-in-law."

My mind threw out multiple scenarios for why Vincent was talking with this Debra woman, and I didn't like any of them. I settled my butt on the couch in front of my laptop and brought up the Valentino spreadsheet, pretending to be engaged in reading when Vincent emerged from his room. He had dressed in his usual black V-neck, pairing it with coal gray Dockers, and his hair was wet and tousled. My stomach did a little flip when he gave me a salacious grin, and I realized I was only half dressed when he tossed me my jeans.

"You forgot these," he said as he detoured to the kitchen. After grabbing a water and offering a couple treats to the dogs, he walked over to sit next to me. "I've arranged for dinner to arrive at eight, if that suits you."

Oh, right. Our second date. "Eight is perfect."

"How are you feeling?"

I wasn't sure what he was driving at with his question, so I asked him as I stood to slip on my jeans. "That depends. Are you asking how I feel after we dry humped each other into orgasmic oblivion, or before that when you told me I was... not human?"

A long, rather uncomfortable sigh escaped Vincent's mouth, which I hoped was not in response to our orgasmic encounter. "The question was meant as a general inquiry of your state of mind, but we can drill down to the bedrock of my concern. How are you taking the news of your gollum status?"

That's what I thought.

"To be honest, I'm trying not to think about it, or my concerns that you and your family are suffering from delusional thinking. I'm the kind of girl who needs to see the facts before she's railroaded into something."

"You think we're trying to deceive you?"

"Not on purpose. I'm just wondering how you can be so sure I am who you claim I am."

Vincent turned to face me head-on, and I was immediately drawn into his steely gaze. His ability to command my attention bordered on the paranormal. I was helpless to escape. "Have you been convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Valentinos are gollums?"

"Yes."

"And this is because you have seen it with your own eyes?"

"Yes."

"What about your other senses? Your sense of smell, for instance. I suspect you have picked up on our scent. It's probably something you can't identify or attach a memory to, but you are drawn to it like a babe is drawn to her mother's breast."

Damn. He was right about the scent. I'd smelled it on everyone in the Valentino domus, even the females. "Yes, there is a scent. I noticed it on Colin when we first met, and then on you. Only yours is..."

My train of thought derailed there and Vincent's eyebrows sharpened. "Mine is what?"

I bit my lip as I divulged. "Your scent is more intense. It makes me want to jump on you and ride you into the sunset."

A gleam flashed across Vincent's eyes and his lids lowered briefly. When he had collected himself, he captured me again. "You have no idea what your disclosure means to me. It is a sign that we are compatible, at least from a physical standpoint, although I believe we already proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt." His lips twitched, and I thought I saw a smirk forming on them before he continued. "Humans cannot detect the scent of a gollum, only demons and gollums are attuned to the subtleties. You noticed it because you are one of us, Reese."

I clenched my hands in my lap and started rocking, but Vincent wasn't hindered by my anxiety, since he didn't let it stop him from pursuing the subject.

"You will be meeting members of the Lassiter and Cromwell domi tomorrow night. The Lassiters are hosting our annual All Hallows Eve party. I am hoping this will give you more insight into our world. Into your world."

A gargoyle party? Oh, goodie.

"Why do you hold the party on the night before Halloween?"

"All Hallows Eve is one of our busiest nights. Every available gollum will be required to patrol. That's why I'll be sending Rizzo to Albany with you and Sylvie. Being the magister, it is my responsibility to stay and protect my city."

"Oh." A wave of disappointment crashed over me, which said a lot about how attached I'd grown to Vincent and his overwhelming presence. Truth be told, the Albany assignment would give me an opportunity to escape his world of insanity. On the other hand, the more I learned about his world, the more convinced I became that it was preferable to the one I had with Heath.

Vincent's eyes were still boring into me when I refocused my attention on him, and I noticed there was a look of sadness to his gaze. Was he torn about something? Did he want me to embrace my inner gollum now?

"Besides the horns, what distinguishes a gollum from a demon?" I asked.

Vincent's expression changed from melancholy to grim, and he drank greedily from his water bottle as if to wash a bad taste from his mouth. "Demons are spawned from darkness, while gollums are born of the light. Demons are manipulative, vengeful, and incite malice. Gollums are not."

When enough time had passed after his sparse explanation, I threw another question at him. "What about similarities? Are there any besides the wings, fangs and talons?"

Again, Vincent appeared to be fighting the desire to cough up his lunch. "Demons are more active at night, so Gollums were bred to be nocturnal for this reason."

Light bulb.

"So, that's why Heath claimed to work nights. Instead of cleaning empty cubicles in an office building, he was probably out tormenting people."

Vincent nodded. "While it's possible he was holding down a night job, demons need to support themselves like everyone else, he would have also been engaging in more devious activities. Heath probably thought he'd hit the jackpot with you - a gollum who didn't know what she was. I'm sure he enjoyed corrupting you. I'm curious how you met."

I ignored his jab about corrupting me. I didn't think Heath had much to do with it. I had done a decent job all on my own. "We met at a party thrown by one of my college professors. After giving me the stink eye for an hour, he introduced himself. He definitely came across as suspicious and guarded at first. Then we warmed up to each other and started having a good time."

"What attracted you to him? If you don't mind me asking?"

I couldn't help smiling at Vincent. He appeared reticent, like he was preparing to be hit over the head. "His sense of humor, mostly. And, he's not bad to look at."

I shrugged apologetically, but Vincent didn't give me a chance to feel guilty before pressing on with his questioning. "How long was it before your relationship became volatile?"

"About four months in. It was subtle at first, mostly nit-picking about where I was going and who I was going there with, then it progressed into physical altercations. He eventually became so controlling that I had to escape while he was asleep. I worried one of us would end up dead."

"The fact that he was able to mark you makes me wonder what kind of birth control you were using."

My face flushed at the personal nature of his question, but I indulged him in the interest of full disclosure. "We were both tested about two months in and I got on the pill. I told you that already. I only agreed to it to appease him. I have always insisted on condoms with my partners, but he promised he would remain monogamous."

"Do you think he kept his promise?"

"If he didn't, he managed not to spread anything to me. I got tested again after I moved to New York and I'm clean."

I realized I was talking to my lap when Vincent lifted my chin. "You carry guilt about Heath. I see it in the way you restrain yourself with me."

"Restrain myself? How wet and naked does a girl have to get?"

"If you had wanted to have me inside you, you would have had me by now. I am at your mercy every moment we're together. Your gollum nature is an aphrodesiac to me. And, if I may be so bold, I expect you have been a sexual being since the onset of puberty."

I had to curb my desire to slap Vincent's face, and I shoved my hands between my knees to redirect my focus. My sexually unrestricted lifestyle choices were none of his business. Besides, I had recently given myself a time-out from all the drama of said sexual encounters. "I have always been comfortable in my own skin. I don't see that as a threat or a crime."

"I am not suggesting either. I am making a point. Your dormant gollum tendencies would have still influenced your temperament. The only thing keeping me from you is the mark that demon left on you. You have already seen what can happen when a demon and gollum engage in sexual acts. Both species are aggressive in the bedroom."

"You make sex sound like a battlefield."

Vincent lifted his hand to caress my face, a gentle touch that betrayed his tough exterior. "Reese. Sex with you is going to be better than any battle. A gollum's nature is to fight, but sex is always the most satisfying release. And just so you're aware, a gollum marks his mate the same way a demon does, through unhindered sex. When that happens between us, you will be mine. It is another reason I have abstained with you. You needed to know the truth before that happened. It is important to me that I have your full and willing consent."

"Oh." My mouth unhinged as I stared at him, although I wasn't sure why I felt so dumbstruck. I already felt like I was his.

Vincent's cellphone buzzed and he checked it. "Our dinner is here. I'll go down and get it if you want to set the mood."

"Set the mood? What kind of mood did you have in mind?"

"Well, there's a state of the art sound system inside that cabinet," he said as he pointed to a sleek, black hutch standing unassumingly in the corner of the room. "You can sync up the music with the bluetooth speakers on the balcony using the remote. There's also a tablecloth in the linen closet, if you want to cover the patio table, and I think I have candles around here somewhere."

He shrugged, as if he had never engaged in mood setting before, and I couldn't help feeling special. He was making an effort to please me, and I realized I had gone from wanting to slap his face to wanting to sit on it.

"I don't need music or fancy linens. As long as you're with me."

My comment had Vincent smiling, the kind of smile a guy gets when he has just purchased his dream car. It elevated his already handsome features into fallen angel status, and he left me with a tongue-infused, weak-kneed kiss that had me pinned to the couch for the next few minutes. I used the time to absorb the riotous feelings taking over my body. It seemed there was no way to avoid the situation. These Valentinos were as relentless as debt collectors. I only hoped I wasn't paying them off with my freedom.