Chapter One Malibu, California Cyn lowered the twenty pound weight to the exercise mat—okay, so it was only a five pound weight, but it felt like twenty pounds when combined with thirty plank press reps, an exercise that was surely designed by a madman or a sadist. Or both. Every muscle in her body was whining at her to stop, so she surrendered, collapsing to the mat and rolling onto her back. Eyes closed, she pressed her spine flat to the floor a few times, then starting with her toes and working upward, she consciously relaxed each muscle in turn, focusing on every even breath, in and out, the steady beat of her heart— “Yo, Cyn.” Cyn’s Zen state collapsed. She kept her eyes determinedly closed and snapped out an irritated, “What?” Her workout partner cum sadistic trainer Elke laughed. “I wanted to be sure you were still breathing.” “I was relaxing. It’s good for me.” “It’s good for all of us, but it’s nearly midnight.” “And?” Elke gave an unladylike snort. “Pretending ignorance won’t get you out of it.” Cyn sat up and cast a scowling glance at the vampire who’d become a friend. Surprising, since she and Elke hadn’t exactly started on the best of terms. “Hey, don’t blame me,”