Night's Master

Travis nodded woodenly. “Yes, master.”



“If anyone mentions the word Vampire or Werewolf to you, it will make you violently ill and you will refuse to discuss it. If you ever attempt to hunt me or my kind again, I will find you, and I will kill you. Do you understand?”



Travis nodded again. “Yes, master.”



Rafe's eyes narrowed to mere slits. His power flowed through the room, making it hard to breathe. It whispered over my skin and caused the short hairs to prickle on my nape.



Travis's body tensed, then began to tremble. All the color drained from his face as he pressed the heels of his hands to his temples. “Stop,” he gasped. “Please.”



“Remember the pain,” Rafe said, his voice harsh, “And do not betray me or mine again. Now get the hell out of here.”



Moving like some kind of movie zombie, Travis left the room, one hand still pressed to the side of his head.



Only then did I look at Susie. Cagin had freed her hands and was wiping her face with a washcloth. She moaned softly every time he touched her, and I recalled Rafe telling me that holy water burned Vampire flesh like hellfire. The left side of her face was raw and red, the right side didn't look quite so bad. Rafe's face had healed in a remarkably short time, but he had been a Vampire longer than Susie. I wondered if she would heal as fast as he did.



I glanced around the room. The bodies of the two men Cagin had savaged were nowhere to be seen. They couldn't have just disappeared, which made me think Cagin must have dragged them outside while my attention was focused on Rafe and Travis. Were they both dead? What had he done with the bodies?



“Kathy.”



I looked at Rafe, relieved to see that he was my Rafe again.



“We need to get out of here,” he said.



“You got that right,” Cagin agreed. “Let's go.”



I didn't argue.



I pulled a long sweater coat on over my pajamas, grabbed my keys and my handbag. Rafe picked up my suitcase, and we followed Susie and Cagin out the door. Rafe waited while I locked up, and then we got into Rafe's car, which was parked out front.



I glanced out the window as we pulled away from my house, wondering if I would ever see it again.



“Drop us off at my place,” Cagin said when Rafe pulled away from the curb.



“Do you think that's wise?”



“We're not staying,” Cagin said. “I just need to pick up a few things.”



I glanced over my shoulder. “Where are you going?”



“I'm not sure,” Cagin replied. “Just somewhere the hell away from here until Susie has a handle on things. Then we'll come back and get her kids and find a new place to live.”



I looked at Susie. She sat very still, as if the slightest movement caused her pain. Fine white lines bracketed her mouth. The burns on her cheeks and down the left side of her neck looked raw and red, as if someone had tried to scrape away her skin with a dull knife. I hoped she would heal as quickly as Rafe.



“I'll miss you,” I said.



“I'll miss you, too.” She delved into her handbag and came up with a pen and a small notebook. She tore out a page. “This is my cell number, and my e-mail address.” She quickly wrote them down and handed me the paper. “Let's keep in touch.”



I tore off the bottom of the page she gave me and wrote down my cell number and e-mail and passed it back to her.



A few minutes later, Rafe pulled up in front of Cagin's house.



“Thanks for the ride and everything,” Cagin said.



“Yes,” Susie said, “thank you so much.”



“Watch your backs,” Rafe said. “Don't trust anybody.”



With a nod, Cagin opened the door and got out of the car, Susie's bags tucked under his arm.



“Be careful, both of you,” Susie called before following Cagin into the house.



I looked at Rafe. “Do you think they'll be all right?”



“I'd lay odds on it.” Reaching over, he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.



“Do you think we'll be all right?”



He slid a glance in my direction before putting the car in gear. “Don't you doubt it for a minute.”



With a sigh, I rested my head against the back of the seat and closed my eyes. Hard to believe I had moved to Oak Hollow for some peace and quiet. I sure hadn't had much of it.



After a time, I sat up. We should have been back at Rafe's by now. A look out the window showed we were on a narrow two-lane road.



“Where are we?” I asked. “Where are we going?”



“A place I know where we can spend the rest of the night.”



“There isn't much night left.”



“We'll be there before dawn.”



“Good thing,” I muttered. If there was one thing I didn't want, it was to watch Rafe go up in flames. “Do Vampires really go up in smoke if the sun touches them?”



“Yeah.”



“Have you ever…never mind.”



“Seen one?” A muscle clenched in his jaw. “Just once.”



“Was it someone you knew?”



He nodded.



“A friend of yours?”



He shrugged. “More of an acquaintance.”



“What happened? Was it an accident?”



“No, Thor wanted to die. He was an old Vampire. One night he told me he was tired of existing, tired of…of everything. In the morning, he walked out into the sunlight. I couldn't stop him, couldn't do anything but watch….”



I shuddered at the image that rose in my mind. “What a horrible way to die.”



“It was quick, like flash paper. One minute he was there, the next he was gone.”



I couldn't imagine such a thing. And even if it was quick, it must have hurt.



Rafe spoke to the car's computer, telling it where to go, and then he drew me into his arms. Utterly weary, I rested my head on his shoulder and slept.



The slowing of the car roused me. Feeling as though I had been asleep for hours, I lifted my head, looked out the window, and frowned. We were in the middle of nowhere. A tall mountain thick with trees and brush rose up on our left.



“Where are we?” I glanced at Rafe, and in spite of myself, felt a little frisson of fear slide down my spine. It was foolish to be afraid. I knew he would never hurt me and yet…



“You'll see.” He grabbed a large canvas bag out of the backseat, then got out of the car.



I waited, my heart pounding, while he came around to open my door. Taking my hand, Rafe started walking toward the mountain.



“Where are we going?” I asked, unable to disguise the tremor of unease in my voice.



“It's a surprise.”



I hoped it was going to be a pleasant one.



As we drew closer to the mountain, I saw the opening to a cave. When I tried to hang back, Rafe tugged on my hand. All I could do was follow as he moved unerringly into the darkness.



“There aren't any bats in here, are there?” I asked, and my voice echoed off the walls. “Or bears?”



“No.”



Gradually, the cave grew brighter, though no light was visible, and then, as the cave grew taller and wider, I saw a large flat area covered in dun-colored sand. Several warm, furry blankets were spread on the ground. Dozen of candles in all shapes, sizes, and colors sat on a narrow earthen shelf cut into the cave wall. I guessed that Rafe had lit them with the power of his mind.



He dropped the bag he was carrying on a corner of one of the blankets.



“What have you got in there?” I asked, my imagination working overtime.



“Food,” he said with a grin. “I can't have my bride going hungry.”



Bride. Warmth spread through me. With all that had happened in the last few days, the fact that I had pledged my heart and soul to Rafe hadn't been uppermost in my mind.



I glanced at our surroundings. “I never thought I'd spend my honeymoon in a cave.”



“It's not where you are,” he murmured with a roguish grin, “it's who you're with.”



“How did you ever find this place?”



“When I first moved to Oak Hollow, I did a lot of exploring to pass the time. One night I stayed out too long. I was about to bury myself in the earth when I saw the cave. I spent the day in here. I came back whenever I needed to be alone, away from the temptation of too many beating hearts. And no,” he said, reading my thoughts, “I've never brought anyone else here. Only you.”



And so saying, he took me by the hand again and led me deeper into the cavern. The walls grew closer together as we left the light behind. I thought I heard the sound of falling water, and then, abruptly, the cave grew wider again, and I saw a small waterfall that spilled into a placid blue pool. A profusion of night-blooming flowers and lacy ferns grew around the edge of the pool. Looking up, I saw that there was an opening overhead, revealing a patch of indigo sky dotted with stars.



“It's beautiful,” I murmured, enchanted by the fairy-like wonder of the place.



“Feel like a swim?” Rafe asked.



I glanced dubiously at the pool. “Isn't it a little cold for that?” I asked, but Rafe was already undressing.



A familiar excitement unfurled deep within me as more and more of his body was revealed to my gaze. Had there ever been a man with shoulders that wide, a chest so irresistibly touchable, a belly so hard and flat and muscular? My cheeks warmed as he stepped out of a pair of black briefs and stood fully naked before me.



He flashed a knowing grin and then dove into the pool. He swam to the other side and back, then, treading water in the middle of the pool, he lifted a hand, beckoning me to join him.



At his look, heat flooded my body. A chilly dip to cool my heated flesh suddenly sounded very inviting. Besides, how could I resist a chance to be in his arms?



Acutely aware that Rafe was watching my every move, and feeling suddenly daring, I undressed as slowly and provocatively as I knew how. I had never done anything like it before, had never dreamed of such a thing, but now, with Rafe watching, it came as naturally as breathing. I only wished I was wearing something a little sexier than a pair of blue and white pajama bottoms, a T-shirt, plain white bikini panties, and fuzzy blue slippers. But if the look in Rafe's eyes was any indication, he didn't seem to mind.