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“Bed.” She quickly made a comfortable place for the exhausted unicorn. After kissing his horn, she turned to Darius. “He likes to nap.”

“Little girls need lots of sleep too. I’ll get you on a regular schedule soon.”

“I can’t nap. I work.”

“Not every day, perhaps. For now, I’d like to know more about what you found. Can you show me some examples in our online account?”

“I have the dates in a file on my phone. We can check to see what shows up on the customer’s side.”

“Let’s go to my office at Nightfall. That way I can gather some details together and you can explore the club a bit while I meet with my clan.”

“No outsiders allowed?” she asked, looking a bit put out.

“You will be welcomed as part of the clan when we seal our bond and take the next step.”

“What’s that?”

“A discussion for another day, Little one.” Darius didn’t want to rush through talking to her about becoming a vampire. That choice was too important to make before she understood what the change involved. “I promise I will answer your questions. Will you trust me?”

She hesitated.

“Consider, Little girl, that you’ve been safer in my care than ever before. And that I’ve waited for you for many, many years. Why would I do anything to jeopardize you?”

She shrugged. “I’m being silly. This seems so unreal. You’re a vampire. In a clan of vampires. You saved me in the parking lot of a nightclub run by vampires….”

Darius had to chuckle. “A bit unbelievable to your logical mind. What does your heart say?”

“That you care for me a lot.”

“Your heart is right, Zoí mou. That’s why we need to give your brain time to figure out why you already know deep inside how special this is.” Darius drew her close to kiss her lightly. “I promise to take excellent care of your mind, heart, and sizzling body.” He winked at her lasciviously.

“I think I can live with that promise,” she said, smiling up at him.

In a few minutes, they were off to Nightfall. Most of the area around the club was quiet except for a few pockets of people milling around. As they got closer to the nightclub, Darius noted that vehicle and foot traffic increased. Several neighboring restaurants had expanded their hours. The area had undergone a revitalization since his clan had opened for business.

Like every Friday and Saturday afternoon, hopeful attendees lined up to be the first inside. Marcus nodded to Darius as he drove past to the clan parking lot under the building. The head of security would join the meeting when the clan gathered.

“That guy is huge,” Mara said, leaning closer to Darius to peer out the window.

“That’s Carina’s mate, Marcus. He’s the head of security. You saw him last night.” Darius clamped down on the jealousy brewing inside him. Until the final bond was locked into place, any attention Mara showed other men would trigger him.

“Who was that shirtless guy at the bar?” she asked as he pulled through the remote-controlled gate into the dimly lit vampire-only space.

A growl actually escaped his lips as he turned to stare at her. He could see the red glow of his eyes reflecting off the passenger window behind her. “Titus. He has a mate as well. Alessia.”

She patted his knee. “Down, boy. I noticed him because everyone seemed really excited. I still like you best.”

“You better damn well prefer me.” His caveman response was ridiculous, but he couldn’t stop himself. Instantly, her amusement disappeared, and she placed her hand over his on the steering wheel.

“I put my foot in my mouth, didn’t I? Park, please, and I’ll apologize better.”

Darius nodded, and the tension stiffening his neck eased slightly. He pulled into his usual space and turned off the engine.

Immediately, Mara kicked off her shoes and maneuvered herself around in the passenger seat to face the rear window. She slid a foot over his lap and squeezed herself between Darius’s bulk and the steering wheel. With a flick of his fingers, he guided the seat as far back as possible and wrapped his free arm around her waist, hauling her tight to his body.

“You’re mine, mate.”

“All yours.” Mara’s composed face showed no hesitation or worry. She leaned forward to kiss him softly. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I shouldn’t have teased you. No one else matters to me at all.”