I smiled, glad to see that she was in such good spirits, especially after the day we had, and headed into the bathroom. Soon, I emerged from the shower, refreshed, with just a towel wrapped around my waist.

"Hum," Leila said, sitting in a club chair in the living room, adjacent from the bathroom, "you look good enough to eat."

I laughed. "Now, don't you dare get that started."

She laughed as she finished the last of the blood in her glass and I headed toward the ...