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For the fourth book in my Offspring series, BURNING DARKNESS, I thought I'd interview the main character, Eric Aruda. Eric has been in the series from the beginning, fascinating, irritating, and heating up readers. Me, too, for that matter. So I sat down with Eric and--

Eric [arms crossed over chest]: I heard you wanted to kill me off in the beginning.
Jaime: Well, I was going to introduce you, but I guess we'll jump right in. Who told you that?
Eric: I peeked at your notes, you know, the early proposals and stuff.
Jaime: Figures. No, I hadn't exactly planned to kill you.
Eric: Define exactly.
Jaime: I figured you'd probably kill yourself off. You know, blow yourself up in a blaze of flames or maybe race into an ambush and get shot up.
Eric [shoulders widening, nodding, with a smile]: Yeah, I could see that. Go out in a big way. Like that Bon Jovi song, "Blaze of Glory." Smile fades. But then I'm gone, and that wouldn't be cool. What had me worried most was that you've killed off secondary characters before.
Jaime: I have. [stifling evil laugh] It's not easy to do. I even killed off one of the Offspring, but we never got to know him. We definitely got to know you.
Eric: How come you said it like that? Like, what, I was hard to know?
Jaime: Let's just say, you came on a little, er, strong. There were a few characters who wanted to kill you off. Amy sure had her moments.
Eric: Amy. My half-sister. And you had me kissing her before I knew about that. Sick, man.
Jaime: You did that all on your own, buddy. Actually, I don't think I even knew you were related at that point. And what about that scene on the couch�
Eric: Let's not go there. I didn't know I was going to be a hero. I would have used a little more discretion.
Jaime: Really?
Eric: Eh, probably not. But even in my book, you tried to do me in. Pair me up with a woman bent on homicide. No one else had a homicidal lover.
Jaime [not containing evil laugh]: She's your perfect match, isn't she? I loved the scene when you realized she was a lot like you. And when you kissed her and she accused you of kissing yourself. But you know, I didn't plan on Fonda being your woman. It just sort of happened. Kind of like you being a hero in your own book. It's fun not to know all the details in the beginning.
Eric: I'm the big pain in the ass. I deserved to be in my own book.
Jaime: Yes, you are.
Eric: Don't you mean 'Yes, you do'?
Jaime: Nope, just yes you are.
Eric: Now I know where I get it from.
Jaime: Get what from? Are you saying--?
Eric: If the shoe fits, babe.
Jaime: Maybe so, but your pain-in-the-assness came from you, all the way.
Eric: And you loved it.
Jaime: Oh, yeah. [ahem] You're arrogant and stubborn and hot and you made me realize why women readers love alpha males.
Eric [grins]: Glad I could oblige. And I look good naked, too.
Jaime: oh, my, yes. That was another favorite scene of mine, when you were changing at the park, and Fonda is totally thrown off by your nonchalance. So, what was your favorite part of your story? Okay, besides the sex scenes.
Eric [grinning, staring off into the distance]: I do like the sex scenes.
Jaime: Uh, Eric, can we go back to the question?
Eric: Question? Oh, favorite scene besides the sex! [scratches chin, slow, evil grin] The airplane propeller scene.
Jaime: I thought you might pick that one. That was pretty cool, wasn't it?
Eric: Can we do it again?
Jaime: That was a once-in-a-lifetime scene, and it was just for you.
Eric: Kewl. So, one question for you: will I get to come back?
Jaime [rolling eyes]: Only if you're a good boy.
Eric [laughs]: Yeah, like that's going to happen.
Jaime: That's what we love about you. Bad-assed, but tender-hearted�
Eric: Don't tell anyone about that part. I've got a rep, you know.
Jaime: Oh, I know. But it was sure fun watching you fall.

BURNING DARKNESS, Book Four of the Offspring Series
By Jaime Rush
Avon Books, Feb, 2011 (ISBN 978-0-06-201885-4)
RT Book Reviews, The Book Reviews, and Night Owl Reviews Top Picks!

Fonda Raine lives for one thing: killing Eric Aruda for slaying her lover. But she'll have to be careful--Eric can set fires with his mind. Seconds from plunging a knife into his heart, an assassin tries to take them both out. Now, she must choose: join forces with the man who's burning through her defenses or go down in flames.

She fished out the little foil-wrapped Dove chocolates she kept in her purse and tossed one in her mouth as she backed out of the spot. Back at the Center, she parked in the lot but remained in her car.
"You'd better not pretend you're not there," she muttered, closing her eyes and reaching out to Cheveyo. He had come to her, but she'd never gone to him. If they shared a connection, she should be able to talk to him, too.
She thought of his face, surprised at how easily she could conjure it in full detail, his thick, arched eyebrows, the curve of his mouth, his blue-gray eyes ablaze with a fierce protectiveness that squeezed her chest. Her heartbeat stepped up, a heavy, sensuous thudding that seemed to pump honey through her veins.
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The connection was like two train cars locking onto each other. She felt him first. Then scenes flashed into her mind: a boy with blue-gray eyes and thick eyelashes staring pensively into the night sky; a dark alley, something moving in the shadows, and the flash of light on metal. The smell of blood. That same boy screaming in fear. Her body shuddered at those images.
The images went dark, and she saw him as he might appear in a dream, hazy and in a void. "Petra?"
She could hardly breathe. "Our connection goes both ways. I can reach you, too."
He didn't look particularly thrilled by that. "I heard you � felt you calling me."
"I need to see you. Not in a need to see you way. I mean � I'm in trouble."
"What's going on? I haven't gotten any visions."
"I don't mean to sound all conspiracy-ish, but I have to tell you in person. And as soon as possible."
"Petra, unless this is life and death, now is not a good time."
She gripped the bottom of her steering wheel, quelling her irritation, and the hurt that he would put her off. Was he with someone? Was she not important to him after all? "It's life and death. I wouldn't bother you otherwise." Okay, that had come out just a tiny bit snippy.
"All right. I'll meet you in an hour."
She gave him a location near the warehouse Pope had put in her mind. "See you soon."
She pulled out, feeling the loss of the connection tingle through her. Take a deep breath. It was only Cheveyo. No big deal. She called the number Pope had given her. "We're on, in an hour."
She went into the Center and spent twenty minutes hunting for makeup deals on eBay. Sometimes she could find brand-name product for a great price. Only Cheveyo could distract her from the joy of bargain hunting. She put in two bids and logged out of her account. A few minutes later, she walked out to the parking lot.
As she reached for her door handle, a man standing by his car two spaces away caught her eye. She'd seen him earlier that day in downtown Annapolis. A normal person might think it was a coincidence and nothing more, given that he was nice looking, dressed in business attire. After everything she'd been through, she'd developed a healthy respect for her sixth sense, and it was telling her something wasn't right. Their gazes met, and she held his for a moment, letting him know that if he had any devious thoughts, she was onto him.
He gave her a nod before getting into his car. She dropped into her seat and locked the doors, but waited until he'd backed out of his spot and left the lot.
Paranoid? Maybe. Deservedly so. She took the rear entrance out of the lot.
She pulled into the gas station and waited in her car for Cheveyo. She had a full five minutes left to wait. "Breathe." Her nerves felt like an army of ants marching inside her stomach. "Look, there's no point in getting excited or anything. He only came because you fudged the truth. So seeing him means � nothing."
Still, she couldn't help but braid her hair, loosen it, and braid it again. The silky strands sliding around her fingers was comforting, even more so than cracking her knuckles had been. And she didn't have to see people grimace or hear lectures about developing arthritis later in life.
She glanced in the mirror, using her nail to scrape away a slight overlap in her lipstick. The only reason she'd taken the time to pretty up was because she wanted him to see what he was missing. Not that she went anywhere, even to the store, without going through her routine.
"So there, buddy. Too late now. I've got a date with a nice, normal guy tonight, to go along with my nice, normal life, which I love. Besides, who needs a guy that turns into a cat? Probably get cat hairs all over the furniture--"
A shadow fell across her lap, and she jumped. Cheveyo leaned sideways in front of her windshield, his hand braced on the hood. Her heart jumped, too, because that's what looking into his smoky blue-gray eyes did to her. How had she missed hearing him ride up?
She pushed the door open and got out, cringing at the breathless quality of her voice when she said, "Hi." Not helping at all were the high heels she was wobbling on.
Really not helping was how damned gorgeous he looked, his wavy dark hair tied back with a leather strap that matched the black bomber jacket he wore. It was unzipped, and beneath, a dark red shirt was unbuttoned enough to reveal a sprinkling of dark hair and a silver charm on a chain at his neck. Oh, geez, she hoped she didn't look gooey and dewy.
He glanced in her car, his eyebrow arched. "Who were you talking to?"
"Uh � no one. The car. I was muttering to my car. It's temperamental sometimes."
He looked tense, his gaze shifting to his surroundings before returning to her. She'd seen that particular type of awareness before, when they were being hunted. Or maybe he suspected she was going to spring the Rogues on him, as adamant as he was that they not meet. Or spring herself on him. Fat chance.
His gaze softened as it swept over her, but it sharpened again, all business. "What's going on?"
She nodded toward the warehouses half a block away. The transportation company that had used these waterfront metal buildings had gone out of business, leaving the area abandoned. A sign had been promising an upscale shopping revitalization, but the economy had probably put that on hold.
"Follow me over there."
He arched his eyebrow again, this time aiming his puzzled look at her. Then he shrugged and walked over to his black Harley. He had a smooth, powerful gait, efficient but not hurried. She was reminded of those wildlife shows where a lion walks his territory. In one move he got onto the bike and started it. When he looked at her, she realized she'd been too busy looking at him and not getting her car started.
He fell in behind her as she pulled through the tall fence that was opened just enough to let a car pass through. Otherwise NO TRESPASSING signs made anyone think twice about entering. The artist's rendering for the future shopping area had faded beneath the graffiti.
She parked, and he pulled up beside her and dismounted. His black boots scraped on the faded asphalt as he walked beside her toward the door of the building she remembered. He smelled of fresh air and a smoky fragrance that wasn't tobacco. She remembered the images of the boy she'd seen, but the most vivid memories where when he'd held her in his arms and coaxed her back from death, whispering Babe in her ears, emotion in his voice when he�
"Why don't you look like you're in a life and death situation?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"What do you mean? Oh, because I'm not freaking out?" He knew her well, which drove her crazy. Babe, I know a lot, he'd told her once, a ghost of a smile on his face.
"Yeah."
She took a breath at the door, not quite meeting his face. "Come in, and I'll explain everything."
She opened the door and stepped inside. His gaze scanned the interior of the large, empty building. Empty. Great, where was Pope?
She turned to Cheveyo. "Because it's not exactly my life and death."