With my mind made up, I got out of the car.

  At the front door, I put my key in the lock, but there was no need. The door swung open on its own. A closer look showed the lock had been broken.

  Turning on my heels, I ran down the stairs and climbed into Rafe’s car. I didn’t know who had broken into my house, but I had a pretty good idea. I doubted if they were still inside, waiting for me, but I wasn’t about to find out.

  Without a backward glance, I drove out of Oak Hollow just as fast as I could.

  I drove until I reached River’s Edge, and then I pulled into the parking lot of the first motel I saw.

  Five minutes later, I locked myself in Room 9. I pulled the drapes over the windows before I turned on the lights. I stood there a minute, wondering if I had overreacted, but my mother had always said it was better to err on the side of caution than wake up dead in a ditch.

  I smiled at the memory, then sat on the edge of the bed and switched on the TV. I was surfing through the channels when I heard a reporter say, “This just in from Oak Hollow.”

  As I listened to his report, I knew that leaving Oak Hollow had been the smart thing to do.

  Two photographs were flashed on the screen. I recognized Jennifer and Gary immediately, listened with mounting horror as the reporter related how the two had been found dead in their homes, both dispatched by a single gunshot to the back of the head while they slept.

  Pulling my cell phone from my bag, I quickly punched in Susie’s number. She answered on the second ring. “Kathy?”

  “Hi, are you all right?”

  “We’re fine. I just heard about Gary and Jennifer on the radio. Where are you?”

  “I’m at a motel in River’s Edge. Where are you?”

  “With Joe. We’re on our way to pick up my kids, and then we’re getting out of town.”

  She was probably smart to take her kids. I doubted if either Edna or Pearl would have any scruples about using three innocent kids to get to Susie.

  “What about your folks?” I asked. “They could be in danger, too.”

  “I convinced them to take a little vacation.”

  “Good. Listen, we need to warn those two men that were with us that they’re in danger,” I said, “but how? I don’t even know their names.”

  “I don’t know. Joe thinks it’s probably too late.”

  Just then, pictures of the two men appeared on the screen.

  “Local police are calling the killings the work of a serial killer,” the reporter said. “If you have any information…”

  I turned the volume down. “Cagin was right,” I said. “We’re too late.”

  “Joe wants to know if you’re with Rafe. He wants to ask him…”

  “I don’t know where he is.”

  There was a moment of silence, and then Susie said, “Keep in touch, all right?”

  “I will. If you hear anything…”

  “We’ll let you know. Joe wants to know if you want to meet us somewhere tomorrow. He thinks we should stick together.”

  Safety in numbers. Ordinarily, it was a good idea, but I couldn’t help wondering if that was true now. “I’ll let you know tomorrow,” I said. “How’s your face?”

  “It burns like the very devil, but at least it won’t leave any scars. Be careful, Kathy.”

  “You, too.”

  I watched the rest of the news, relieved that there was no mention of Jimmy and Gina or Rafe, and then switched off the set.

  Of the twelve people who had been subjected to Pearl’s formula, two of the Werewolves had died from the injection. Four of the others had been executed. There was no doubt in my mind that Edna and Pearl were behind the killings. Clearly, the women intended to do away with those of us who had survived as quickly as possible so there would be no witnesses, no one left to go to the police.

  Where was Rafe? Had he left town? Did he know what was happening? I wished he was with me. Closing my eyes, I tried to find the link that we shared, but either he was blocking me, or I was too far away to contact him. Or…I refused to consider the possibility that he was dead. I would know it if he was. I was sure of it. After all we had shared, I would know.

  Sitting there, with the phone still in my hand, I wondered where it would all end.

  Chapter Thirty

  Rafe prowled the outskirts of the town. He had fed earlier, but it had done nothing to ease his inner torment. He should have known it wouldn’t last, but he had let himself believe that Kathy was different, that she was strong enough and brave enough to share his life. How could he have been such a fool? No matter how hard he pretended otherwise, he was a Vampire, Nosferatu, Undead. He was a hunter, a killer by nature, a drinker of blood. He might play at being mortal, but that didn’t make it so, would never make it so.

  Giving free rein to his anger and his hurt, he stalked the shadows. The night closed around him, clouds gathered overhead, lightning scorched the skies, and a cold, bitter wind whipped the land.

  And once again, he was alone, as he had been alone since Rane disappeared.

  Ah, Rane, he thought, where are you now? His brother had long ago ceased pretending to be anything other than what he was. Rafe had followed him one night, stood in the dark, and watched his brother drain the blood and the life from some streetwalker. He had watched, and had been sorely tempted to push his brother aside and take the woman for himself, but he had not. He had known his mother would not approve, that his father would be disappointed. His grandfather had understood and sympathized with him.

  He remembered sharing his thoughts while walking with his grandfather late one night.

  “You can be man or monster,” Roshan had said quietly. “It’s up to you.”

  “You’ve killed,” Rafe had said. “Many times.”

  His grandfather had nodded. “In the course of my existence, I have killed many men, sometimes in self-defense, sometimes because the temptation to drink my fill and ease the pain was more than I could bear. I have often wondered if I’ll be called to account for all the lives I’ve taken.”

  “Judgment?” Rafe had asked. “Damnation?”

  His grandfather had nodded again. “I’ve often wondered if I’ll writhe in the flames of an unforgiving hell forever, or if there might be redemption for someone like me.”

  “Do you think that’s possible?”

  “I don’t know.” Roshan had laughed softly. “In all these centuries, I’ve not found an answer. I didn’t ask for the Dark Gift. It seems unfair somehow that I should be punished for doing what I did to survive. And yet, the people I killed are just as dead. What right did I have to take their lives to prolong my own?”

  “A Vampire with a conscience,” Rafe had murmured. “A rare thing indeed.”

  And yet, in Rafe’s family, not so rare, except for Rane. Ah, Rane, he thought again, where are you now?

  But it was Kathy he yearned to see. His mind replayed every moment they had spent together, from the night he had first walked into her bookstore to that last night in the cave. He missed her smile, the sound of her voice, the love in her eyes, the touch of her body against his. His heart, his dead heart, twisted inside his chest. How long would it take to forget her? A century? An eternity? Where was she now? He knew she had left Oak Hollow, no doubt for good. For a moment, he was sorely tempted to open the link between them, but he shook it aside. She had left him, left town. He would not go after her, would not beg for her love and hope she would take pity on him.

  He paused to stare into the darkness. The raging storm called to something primal within him, something dark and feral that yearned to be set free.

  A jagged spear of lightning pierced the clouds, unleashing a torrent of rain. A rumble of thunder shook the earth beneath his feet.

  He lifted his head to the rain, rain that soaked the ground around him even as the voice of thunder rolled across the heavens.

  “Go,” it seemed to say. “Go and be what you were born to be.”

  Muttering an oath, he pivoted on his heel and headed back toward the town. He couldn’t get Kathy out of his heart, but maybe he could drown her memory in blood.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  I stood at the motel window, staring out at the rain. Too restless to stand still, I turned away from the window and paced the floor, my thoughts in turmoil, my heart aching. I was angry with myself for driving Rafe away, and angry with Rafe for walking away without an argument. Had he loved me so little?

  I slammed my hand against the wall. That was unfair. It wasn’t Rafe’s fault that we were apart, it was mine. I had thrown our happiness away with both hands because I had let my doubts and fears get the best of me. There were no guarantees in life. Yes, the odds were good that Rafe would outlive me by hundreds of years, but what if he didn’t? And what difference did it make? Life was uncertain, and more so every day. I could get run over by a car while crossing the street. Rafe could be destroyed by a Vampire hunter. Instead of accepting that and holding fast to whatever time we could have together, I had let my fears of an unknown future drive us apart.

  Resting my forehead against the cold window pane, I closed my eyes.

  Rafe, Rafe, where are you? Please don’t shut me out. I was wrong. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  The inside of the club was dark, quiet at this time of the night save for the clink of glassware and the murmur of voices.

  Rafe stood to one side of the entrance, his gaze moving over the room, skipping over couples in his search for a female who was there alone.

  After a time, he choose a woman sitting by herself at the end of the bar. She wore a white sweater and an ankle-length green skirt. He told himself the fact that her hair was golden blond and her eyes were green, like Kathy’s, had nothing to do with his choice. Lots of women had blond hair and deep green eyes.

  “Lying to yourself again,” he muttered as he walked toward her.

  She glanced up as he approached.

  “Is this seat taken?” he asked.

  “No.”

  He gestured at her glass, which was nearly empty. “Can I buy you another?”

  “Sure.”

  “What are you drinking?”

  “Scotch and water.”

  He ordered another drink for her and a glass of red wine for himself. Her name was Sonja and she had just turned thirty. She worked for a real estate company, had recently ended a two-year relationship, and lived alone.

  She was ripe and ready for the taking, Rafe thought, but he wasn’t interested in her body, only her blood.

  It took little effort to convince her to leave with him. Once outside, he led her into the shadows and drew her into his arms. She was soft and pliable, her skin warm beneath his hands. The hunger rode him with whip and spurs, urging him to take her, to take it all, to give up the fight and surrender to the reality of what he was.

  His power flowed through him, heightening his senses. The scent of her blood, warm and vital with life, filled his nostrils. The beat of her heart was echoed in the thunder that rolled across the skies.

  He was a Vampire, and she was his for the taking.

  He ran his tongue over his fangs, then bent the woman backward over his arm.

  She was prey, and he was the hunter.

  He was lowering his head when Kathy’s voice, thick with tears, whispered through his mind. Rafe, Rafe, where are you? Please don’t shut me out. I was wrong. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.

  Lifting his head, he glanced over his shoulder, almost expecting to see her standing there.

  Rafe, please come back to me….

  With a low growl, he released the woman from his thrall and then, thinking he was a damn fool, he followed the sound of his beloved’s voice.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Fighting the urge to cry, I went into the bathroom and turned on the light. After undressing, I stepped into the shower. With hot water sluicing over my body, I could pretend the wetness on my cheeks was water and not tears.

  Once started, the tears came harder, faster. How long could a person cry before they dehydrated?

  So, I’d made a mistake, but it wasn’t irreversible. It couldn’t be. In spite of the danger, I would go back to Oak Hollow and find Rafe. I’d tell him I loved him, that I would always love him, and hope that he would believe me, and forgive me.

  Unwrapping a bar of soap, I washed my face. When I rinsed away the soap and opened my eyes again, Rafe was standing outside the shower door.

  I blinked at him, wondering if he was real or if I had been so desperate to see him again, I had conjured his image from my imagination.

  I watched him undress, my gaze moving avidly over every inch of exposed flesh, and then he opened the door.

  “You want to get rid of that?” he asked, gesturing at the silver chain and cross that I now wore day and night.

  Happiness bubbled up inside me like warm champagne. He was here, and by the look of him, he wasn’t mad at me. I ran my fingertips over the chain. “I don’t know if I should take it off,” I said, as if I was giving it serious thought. “A girl can never be too careful.”

  “Take a chance,” he said, flashing a wicked grin. “Walk on the wild side with me.”

  “You tempt me, sir.” Batting my eyelashes at him, I lifted the chain over my head, leaned out the door, and placed the cross and chain on the sink top. I grinned inwardly when Rafe dropped a washcloth over them.

  “That’s the idea,” Rafe said, and stepping into the shower, he closed the door. Taking the soap from my hand, he began to wash me, first my neck, then my shoulders and my arms.

  I trembled at his touch, afraid to speak. If this was a dream, I didn’t want it to end.

  I had never felt anything as erotic as Rafe’s strong, soapy hands sliding over my flesh. Once, I had imagined what it would be like for the two of us to shower together. The reality was better than my wildest fantasies. Desire stirred within me, hot and slick. A glance at Rafe showed that my nearness was having a similar effect on him.

  When he had washed me from neck to heel, I took the soap from his hand. “My turn,” I said, surprised at how breathy and sexy my voice sounded. It was an amazing feeling, running my lathered hands over his taut flesh, feeling his muscles quiver with longing at my touch, watching his eyes grow hot as my hands moved over his body, lower, lower…

  With a growl, he turned off the water, swung me up into his arms, and carried me to bed.

  He made love to me without a word, and I reveled in it.

  He was here, and he was mine. There was no need for words. The look in his eyes, the sweet caress of his hands said it all eloquently.

  Later, satisfied and sated, with my head pillowed on his chest, I whispered that I was sorry.

  He covered my mouth with his fingertips. “Don’t,” he said quietly.

  “But…”

  “You don’t need to apologize for being human, for being afraid of the unknown, for wanting a home and a family.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  Rafe turned on his side so that we were lying face-to-face, our legs intimately entwined. “I knew what you were thinking, feeling.” He pressed his hand over my heart. “I knew how you felt, in here, but I let my pride get in the way of my good sense. I told myself I didn’t need you, and I walked away.” He lifted one hand, his fingertips sliding over my lower lip. “I’ll never leave you again,” he said, and I heard the promise in his voice, “unless you tell me to go.”

  “It’ll never happen.” The short time we had been apart had been enough to convince me that I never wanted to be parted from him again. “Will you promise me something else?”

  “Anything.”

  “Please don’t ever shut me out again. I tried to find you and I couldn’t.”

  He stroked my cheek, brushed a lock of hair from my brow. “I’m sorry. It will never happen again.” He blew out a sigh. “You saved me, you know.”

  “What do you mean?” My hand slid over his chest. I loved the feel of his bare skin beneath my palm, the fact that I could touch him and taste him to my heart’s content.

  “I was leaning toward the dark side,” he said with a wry grin. “I had decided to stop fighting what I am and take what I wanted. I was about to feed when I heard your voice.” He paused, his jaw tight. “Another minute, and I would have taken her. I would have taken it all.”

  “But you didn’t. That’s what’s important. You didn’t.”

  “You can’t know how hard it is,” he said, and there was no humor in his expression now, and none in his voice. “How hard it is to forever deny yourself that which you crave most, to smell it and taste it and not touch it.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t begin to imagine what it was like for him.

  “That woman owes her life to you.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that, either.

  He shook his head. “If I’d taken her, I would have regretted it the rest of my life.”

  “From now on, we’ll be strong for each other. Just promise me one more thing.”

  “Whatever you want.”

  “Promise you’ll never turn me against my will.”

  “I promise.”

  I snuggled against him. I hated to ruin the moment between us, but it couldn’t be helped. “On the news tonight…”

  “I heard. You were smart to leave town.”

  “I didn’t know about that until later. Someone broke into my house. They broke the lock on the front door. I didn’t wait around to see who it was, or if they were still there.”

  He squeezed my shoulders. “Like I said, smart.”

  “What’ll we do now?”

  “You’re going to stay here.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going back to Oak Hollow to put Edna and Pearl out of commission.”

  “Why can’t Mara and Clive do it?”

  “Clive took off for South America last night to take care of the last of the rebels. Mara’s gone to Texas to put a certain school out of business.”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29