Chapter Twenty-Four
Luke found the vampire he was looking for sleeping under the desk in the office of a gas station that had been out of business for several years. Someone—the vampire, perhaps—had tacked black cloth over the broken windows.
Heart pounding with anticipation and trepidation, Luke stared at the creature. At rest, it looked pretty much like any other human male, except that its skin was papery dry and fish-belly white and there was dried blood caked on its lips.
Luke pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket and snapped a photo. He refused to consider the fact that his victim had once been human, that he’d likely had a family, people who loved him. Maybe someone he loved. Whether he had been turned by choice or by force, it didn’t matter. He was a monster now, a killer.
Luke frowned as a little voice in the back of his head whispered that he, too, was a killer. “But not of innocents,” he muttered, hoping to ease his conscience.
Jaw clenched, he pulled a stake from the back pocket of his jeans. He hesitated a moment. Vampires, at least the young ones, were trapped in the deathlike sleep of their kind from dawn to dusk. Was it truly like death? Were they able to feel pain?
Thrusting the disquieting thought aside, he drove the stake into the vampire’s heart. It slid in, as smooth as a hot knife through butter. There was very little blood.
With the deed done, Luke took a second photo of the creature, focusing on the stake and the vampire’s face as proof that he had destroyed it.
Blowing out a sigh, he tore the black cloth from the windows.
The vampire turned to ash the minute the sun’s light touched him.
Vampire hunting might be dangerous as hell, Luke mused, tucking his phone into the back pocket of his jeans, but, thanks to the town’s generous bounty, he was making money.
He was heading for his car when he felt it, a shift in the atmosphere that caused the hairs on his arms to stand at attention.
He had felt that same sensation before, a warning that a vampire was nearby. And since it was daylight, it had to be one of the old ones. Adrenaline spiked through him as he ran to his car, jerked open the door, and slid behind the wheel. Thank goodness for keyless ignitions, he thought, as he hit the start button and stomped on the gas.
He felt a surge of relief. Damn, that had been close.
He didn’t slow down until he pulled into a condo parking place.
He had just switched off the ignition when someone ripped the driver’s-side door off its hinges and he found himself staring into a pair of hell-red eyes.
Acting instinctively, he grabbed the stake on the passenger seat and lunged out of the car, his stake angling for her chest.
But she was too fast for him. The stake missed her heart and sank into her belly instead.
She let out a horrific shriek and vanished from his sight.
Legs trembling, his clothes spattered with dark red vampire blood, Luke scrambled up the stairs to Tessa’s apartment.
She opened the door immediately. “Merciful heavens!” she exclaimed. “What happened?”
He darted past her and slammed the door. “I think I just had a close encounter with Katerina.”
Tessa felt the blood drain from her face. “She’s here?”
“Not anymore.”
“Did I hear Luke?” Jilly ran out of the kitchen, only to come to an abrupt halt when she saw the blood splattered across his shirtfront. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine, honey. It’s not my blood.”
He’d barely finished speaking when she threw herself into his arms.
He hugged her tightly.
Tessa gave them a few moments before asking, “Luke, have you seen Andrei?”
“No, I thought he’d be here.”
Tessa shook her head. Where could he be?
* * *
Andrei wiped his hands on the sides of his jeans. He had spent the day trailing Katerina from town to town, disposing of the bodies she had left in her wake. Only one kill had been made in Cutter’s Corner, for which he was grateful. The last thing they needed were a lot of bodies drained of blood and a lot of hysterical citizens.
Fortunately, as far as he could tell, the corpse in town had been that of a transient and not likely to be missed.
It was after midnight by the time he buried the last body and willed himself to Tessa’s condo.
He hadn’t expected her to still be awake, but she opened the door even before he knocked.
Sighing, he stepped inside and after locking the door behind him, he wrapped her in his arms. He had waited all day for this moment.
Tessa looked up at him, her brow furrowed. “Are you all right?”
“I am now.” After a day of burying Katerina’s victims—most of whom had not died easily—holding Tessa was like a balm to his troubled soul. Katerina could be the poster girl for death and darkness, but Tessa radiated light and life, something that had been sorely missing from his existence until she came along.
Her gaze searched his. “Where were you?”
“Don’t ask.” He inhaled deeply, reveling in the clean sweet smell of her hair and skin. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay. We have two more houseguests.” Bailey, Jilly, and Luke were all asleep in the guest room, with Bailey and Jileen sharing the bed and Luke sacked out on the floor.
Andrei nodded. “Oh? Why’s that?”
Tessa explained briefly and he nodded again. He had caught Katerina’s scent when he arrived. Even now, he could feel her mind probing his, seeking to get into his head. He felt her anger as he pushed her out and slammed the door.
“I was just getting ready for bed when I had a feeling you were here,” Tessa remarked.
Andrei stroked her cheek, his eyes going hot as he drew her closer. “Shall I tuck you in?”
All thoughts of Katerina fled Tessa’s mind as his mouth closed over hers. Nothing else mattered when he was holding her, kissing her. Her whole being responded to his touch, every nerve coming alive, every sensation heightened as his tongue found hers. Wanting to be closer, she leaned into him, her arms sliding around his neck as their kisses grew deeper and more intense.
Sweeping her into his arms, he carried her to the sofa, then stretched out on his back, carrying her with him, so that she lay sprawled across him, her legs tangled with his. His hands stroked her back as he rained kisses along the curve of her neck, her eyelids, the soft, sensitive place behind her ears.
She was lost, drowning in an ocean of sensation when, abruptly, he stopped. The next thing she knew, she was sitting on the sofa with him beside her.
A moment later, Bailey entered the room.
Tessa took a deep breath, certain her flaming cheeks would give them away.
Bailey stopped in the doorway, her gaze darting from Andrei to Tessa’s flushed face and back again. “I’m . . . I’m sorry,” she stammered, her own cheeks suddenly red. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I . . .”
“No harm done,” Andrei said smoothly. “Tessa was just going to pour me a glass of wine.”
Tessa smiled at Bailey. “Can I get you anything?” she asked, rising.
“No, thank you. I . . . Good night.”
“Do you really want a glass of wine?” Tessa asked after Bailey retreated to her bedroom.
“No.” Twining his fingers with hers, he drew her down beside him on the sofa again. “Your kisses are intoxicating enough.”
“Flatterer.”
He cupped her face in his palms. “You doubt me?” He kissed her, his touch as light as a butterfly, the pressure increasing slowly, building inside her like a volcano.
His hand curled around her nape as his tongue ravished her mouth.
Tessa groaned low in her throat as desire flooded her veins.
She gasped his name.
He kissed her until she thought she might go mad with wanting him.
“Tessa?” His voice whispered in her ear, low and husky.
Nodding, she closed her eyes. She moaned softly as the touch of his fangs sent a wave of sensual pleasure sweeping through her, carrying her away in a warm, red haze.
She came back to reality slowly, gradually becoming aware of his arm around her, his breath cool against her cheek, his hand lightly stroking her back.
She blinked at him, thinking nothing in the world could equal what she had just experienced.
“You think not?” he asked, his voice thick with amusement.
“I can’t imagine anything better.”
“Just say the word, dragostea mea. I will be more than happy to show you what you’re missing.”
“Andrei . . .”
“I’m a patient man,” he said, his fingertips caressing her cheek. “Take as long as you need.”
He would have her, he thought, whether he had to wait a day, a week, or a year. Sooner or later, she would be his.
* * *
Tessa sipped her coffee, then glanced at Jilly, who sat across the kitchen table from her, nibbling on a sugar cookie. Earlier, they had gone to church; later, they had ordered pizza, salad, and breadsticks for lunch. Since no one had wanted to go out after dark, they had eaten the leftovers for dinner. Now, Bailey and Luke were in the living room watching Sunday night football.
“So, what are we going to do tomorrow?” Jilly asked.
Tessa frowned at her. “What do you mean?”
“If we’re going to work, I need to go home and get a change of clothes.”
“I’m not sure going to work is a good idea,” Tessa said. And yet she was anxious to get out of the house. She was tired of feeling trapped in her own home. Tired of being afraid of Katerina. And yet, only an idiot wouldn’t be afraid of the psycho vampire.
Tessa heaved a sigh of frustration. “I don’t know what to do,” she admitted. “If she was just a run-of-the-mill vampire who could only go out at night, it wouldn’t be such a problem. But I keep asking myself what would happen if she showed up at the office and went on a rampage. A lot of innocent people could get hurt. Killed.”
“I know, but . . . Has Andrei said anything?”
“No.” At least nothing Tessa wanted to repeat. He had rested in bed beside her last night, his arm around her, his voice whispering love words in her ear, his nearness a constant temptation. When she’d finally drifted off to sleep, her dreams had been dark and erotic. Had he been in her bed this morning, she might have surrendered to the urges her dreams had aroused in her the night before. She told herself she was relieved he hadn’t been there when she woke, but she was afraid she was lying to herself.
“Do you really think she’d follow us to work?” Jilly asked.
“I wouldn’t put anything past that creature. She’s evil.”
“Maybe Andrei could go with us.”
“Maybe. I know I’d feel a lot safer if he was there.”
“Me too. Do you think there are other vampires like him? Vampires who don’t go around wreaking havoc and killing everything in sight?”
“I have no idea. I’d like to think so, but maybe he’s one of a kind.”
Jilly ran her finger around the rim of her coffee cup, her expression pensive. “How many vampires do you suppose there are in the world? Hundreds? Thousands?”
“Thousands?” Tessa shook her head. “Merciful heavens, I hope not!”
There was a shimmer in the room and Andrei appeared. “Is this what you girls do all day? Fret about how many vampires are running around?” He kissed Tessa’s cheek, then pulled another chair up to the table. “At best, there are a few hundred of us in the States, perhaps a thousand in the rest of the world. Tessa, can I talk to you alone?”
“Sure. We can go in my room.”
Andrei nodded at Bailey and Luke as he followed Tessa into her bedroom and closed the door.
“What is it?” she asked anxiously. “What’s wrong?”
Taking her by the hand, he led her to the bed. Sitting on the foot, he drew her down beside him. “I want to ask you something. Don’t freak out, don’t jump to conclusions,” he admonished as her heart began to beat faster. “Just think about it, okay?”
She nodded.
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this. About Katerina. I’m not sure I can defeat her in an all-out test of power. I barely escaped with my life the last time we fought. And then there are the fledglings. I sensed three of them resting nearby on my way here. They’ll keep coming as long as they think your blood will strengthen them.” He squeezed her hand. “We don’t have many options. I can only protect you as best I can and hope that Katerina calls off her vendetta, or . . .”
Tessa went suddenly still. “Or?”
“I can bring you across, make you one of us.”
She had known, somehow, that he would suggest this sooner or later. It still came as a shock. “How would that solve anything?”
“Because your blood would undergo a drastic change once you’re one of us. Whatever it was that made me stronger would most likely be destroyed. Fledglings would no longer have any reason to come after you. And being turned by a master vampire will make you stronger than any fledgling, able to easily defeat any that come after you.”
“Are you sure about that?”
He shrugged. “Nothing in life is certain. As for Katerina, she wants you for the same reason the fledglings do. Your blood.”
Tessa stared at him. What if it was the only way? Would she rather be really dead? Or just undead? Feeling chilled to the bone, she wrapped her arms around her waist. “How do you make a vampire?”
“I would drain you to the point of death, then give you my blood, which would have mingled with yours.”
“You’d drain me? To the point of death?” She shuddered as horrific images of every vampire movie she had ever seen flashed across her mind. “What if you accidentally took too much? I’d be . . . dead.”
“That won’t happen.”
“How can you be so sure? Have you ever done it before?”
“No.”
“I’d be the first?” Somehow, she had assumed that, having lived for so many centuries, he would have made at least one other vampire.
“I never wanted to be a vampire. Why would I make one?”
“But you want to make me one?”
“I’m not sure we have any other options.”
Tessa shook her head. “I don’t know. I mean, once it’s done, it’s done, right? You can’t undo it?” It wasn’t like buying a dress. She couldn’t decide she didn’t like it and take it back.
“I’m afraid not,” he said, grinning. “But who knows? You might like it.”
Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Somehow I doubt that.”
“It’s not so bad.” He ran his fingertips down her cheek and across her lower lip. “You’d never age. Never be sick. You would always be as young and beautiful as you are now. You would have incredible power and stamina.”
Tessa looked at Andrei. Really looked at him. He was easily the most handsome man she had ever met. His skin was smooth and unlined. His hair thick and black. In ten years, a hundred, he would look the same. Men spent millions of dollars a year trying to maintain their health and vitality. Women spent millions on cosmetics guaranteed to reduce the signs of aging. But it was all money down the drain. No matter how she tried, how many vitamins she took, how much she exercised, she couldn’t stop the years from passing, couldn’t stop them from sapping her energy or leaving their mark on her face.
But Andrei could. All she had to do was let him make her a vampire. “Does it hurt?”
“No, love.”
It was tempting, in a morbid sort of way. Tempting and scary. And gross. How could she drink his blood? True, she had tasted it, but a little taste was one thing. To turn her into a vampire, he would drink most of her blood and give it back to her. That was certainly more than a drop or two. She grimaced, sickened at the thought.
“The blood will be sweet to you, dragostea mea.”
“Seriously?”
“Once you’re changed, you’ll wonder why you ever thought the taste of blood would be repulsive.”
“Was it that way for you?”
He nodded. The blood had been sweet. The hunger had been excruciating. But it wouldn’t be that way for Tessa. He would teach her how to hunt, how to satisfy the craving without killing her prey. He was an old vampire. His blood was ancient, strong. She wouldn’t need to hunt as often as other fledglings.
Tessa blew out a sigh. Try as she might, she simply couldn’t picture herself as a vampire, stalking humans for their blood, living in darkness. Giving up all the things she loved. “There has to be another way.”
Andrei sighed, then cocked his head to the side. “Luke and Jileen have decided to go back to her place and pick up a change of clothes.”
“Maybe you should go with them,” Tessa suggested. “I don’t like to think of them going alone. But don’t tell Luke it was my idea. I don’t want him to think I doubt his hunter skills.”
“Even though you do?”
Tessa nodded. “I’d just feel better knowing you’re there to protect Jilly.”
“All right, love. We’ll be back soon.”
Tessa lifted her face for his kiss. She smiled as she watched him walk away. She would have preferred to spend her time thinking about Andrei and how good he looked walking away, but his suggestion niggled at the back of her mind.
To be—or not to be—a vampire, that was the question.
With a sigh, she thrust it out of her mind. There was no way she was going to make a life-altering decision like that tonight.
And likely not for many nights to come.