Chapter Twenty-Five
Tessa was hunting for the TV remote when she heard a noise on the landing. Thinking it was Jilly and Luke, she started to unlock the door when something stayed her hand. She peered through the front window, but didn’t see anything. She was about to write the sound off to her imagination when the door exploded inward, striking her shoulder and knocking her to the floor.
Hearing a gasp from behind her, she struggled to sit up. A glance showed Bailey standing in the hallway, wrapped in a towel, a trail of foamy soap bubbles melting on the floor behind her. She stared, wide-eyed, at the opening where the door had been.
Tessa’s gaze darted toward the landing.
Three male vampires stood there, fangs bared, eyes blazing with anger and frustration because they couldn’t cross the threshold.
Andrei! His name screamed in Tessa’s mind.
“Tess, are you all right?” Bailey asked, her voice surprisingly steady.
“Yes. Don’t look in their eyes. Guard your thoughts.” Tessa frowned when she heard a growl. A quick glance showed that Bailey had shape-shifted. It was the first time Tessa had seen the girl in panther form. It was, she thought, an awesome—scary—sight.
It didn’t seem to intimidate the vampires, who prowled back and forth in front of the doorway.
And then Andrei was there. Like a cleansing whirlwind, he broke the necks of the vampires before they knew what hit them. A moment later, Luke came thundering up the stairs, stake in hand. Face set, he drove the stake into the heart of the nearest vampire.
Tessa swallowed the bile rising in her throat. “Is that really necessary?”
“Broken necks aren’t fatal,” Luke said, his voice grim as he quickly dispatched the other two. There was surprisingly little blood as he struck the final, mortal blows. “It just slows them down.”
A white-faced Jileen edged around the doorjamb into the living room. “I think I’m going to be sick,” she murmured, and ran toward the bathroom.
Ignoring everyone else, Andrei knelt beside Tessa. “Are you all right?”
Gingerly, she massaged her shoulder. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“What’s wrong with your arm?”
“The door hit me.”
If it had been her head . . . He clenched his hands. Damn Katerina! She was behind this. He had caught her scent on one of the vampires. “Tessa, did any of those fledglings bite you?”
“No.”
“Have any others?”
She shook her head.
Andrei grunted softly. It was possible she could have been bitten without knowing it. Katerina could have taken her unawares, hypnotized her, and wiped the memory from her mind. But if anything like that had happened, he would have detected Katerina’s scent on Tessa’s clothing or skin.
What if he’d been wrong in his thinking? Tessa’s blood had a certain zing to it. Madame Murga had said it would make new vampires stronger. But what if she had lied? What if the opposite was true? What if it destroyed them and the lie had cost the gypsy her life?
“Andrei?”
“I’d best have a look at your shoulder.” He lifted the sleeve of her shirt. The skin wasn’t broken, but her arm was badly bruised from her shoulder to her elbow. By tomorrow, it would be a lovely shade of black and blue. Lifting her in his arms, he held her close for a moment before carrying her to the sofa.
“I can walk, you know. It’s my shoulder that’s hurt, not my leg.”
“Be quiet, love. I like holding you. Bailey, get some ice for Tessa’s arm. Luke, get in here and guard the door while I dispose of the bodies.”
With a growl, Bailey grabbed her towel in her teeth and padded behind the sofa. She emerged a moment later with the towel wrapped around her.
Andrei picked up the door and set it in place. “I won’t be gone long. We’ll fix the door when I get back.”
* * *
It took a while for the three of them to settle down after everything that had happened.
Bailey decided she would sleep on the sofa so Jilly and Luke could have the bed. And some privacy.
Tessa and Jilly went into the kitchen. Luke remained in the living room, keeping an eye on the damaged front door.
“Remember when life was boring?” Jilly asked, pouring herself another cup of coffee. “Remember when we didn’t know vampires existed?”
“Seems like a long time ago,” Tessa murmured. “I wish Andrei would get back here.”
“I’m sure he’s fine. You really do love him, don’t you?” Jilly’s voice held a note of wonder. “Even though he’s, you know, not human?”
“Yeah, I really do.”
“Assuming there comes a day when the vampire problem is resolved, do you see the two of you getting married? Settling down? What about kids? He probably can’t have any, can he?”
“I don’t have answers to any of your questions, Jilly. All I know is that I can’t imagine my life without him.”
Jilly shook her head. “You’ve got it bad, girlfriend. You’re not going to do anything stupid, are you? I mean, you wouldn’t let him turn you? Tell me you wouldn’t.”
Tessa stared into her cup.
“Tessa?”
“He suggested it earlier tonight. He said if I was a vampire, the fledglings would probably stop coming after me.”
“Probably?”
“Well, there are no guarantees in life, you know,” Tessa said, repeating what Andrei had said earlier.
“So you are thinking about it?”
“Sort of,” Tessa said, choosing her words carefully. “I mean, it just seems like the easiest solution to everything.”
She wouldn’t have to worry about getting older when he never would. She wouldn’t have to worry about getting sick and becoming a burden to him. On the other hand, she would have to give up so much—all her favorite foods. Her job. Being able to go for a walk on a sunny day, going to church on Easter morning. Getting a tan in the summer. And what about a family? Since vampires couldn’t reproduce, she would never have children of her own. And what about her parents? What would they think?
“Would we still be able to be friends?” Jilly asked, her expression doubtful. “Or would you always be thinking about biting me?”
“I don’t know about the biting part, but I hope we’ll always be friends.”
Jilly nodded, then smothered a yawn.
“It’s late. Why don’t you go to bed?” Tessa suggested.
“Will you be all right?”
“Yeah. I think I’ll go wait for Andrei in my room.”
“Okay.”
Tessa bid Luke good night, hugged Bailey, then went into her room and closed the door. After changing into her nightgown, she brushed her teeth, then sat on the bed, her back against the headboard, wondering what was taking Andrei so long.
* * *
“You sent the three of them, didn’t you?” Andrei glared at Katerina. She sat on an elegant Louis XV armchair upholstered in burgundy silk, her back rigid, her expression icy. He couldn’t help thinking she looked every inch the queen she had always wanted to be. “Why?”
“My reasons are my own. I would have shared my thoughts with you, once upon a time. That time has passed. You are no longer welcome in my home. Begone.”
Andrei stared at her, his eyes narrowed. “So, we’re through with this charade?”
“I had hoped to rekindle the passion between us,” she said, her tone glacial. “I’ve come to realize that is impossible.”
“It always was,” he retorted, his voice as frosty as her own. “One word of caution. Leave Tessa and her friends alone. If you harm any of them, I will hunt you down and I will destroy you.”
Chin lifted defiantly, she glowered at him. “You may try.” Her power filled the room, skittering over his skin like the fingers of doom.
Andrei smiled inwardly. She was not as indomitable as she would have him believe. In spite of her haughty expression and bold words, he had seen the barest hint of fear reflected in the depths of her eyes.
* * *
Andrei found Tessa in her room, staring off into space. She smiled when he appeared on the bed beside her.
“You were gone so long, I was beginning to worry,” she said.
“No need.”
“Where were you?”
“After I disposed of the bodies, I went to see Katerina.”
“Oh.”
“We’re through.”
Tessa stared at him wide-eyed. “Really? No more playing house?”
He nodded. “I guess she realized my heart wasn’t in it. Listen,” he said, taking her hands in his, “I want to try a little experiment tomorrow.”
“What kind of experiment?”
“We’ve been going on the assumption that Madame Murga was right, and that your blood makes fledglings stronger, that it enhances their powers, because it added a little kick to mine.”
“So?”
“Hell, what if she made it all up? What if she’s wrong? What if it doesn’t work the same on every vampire?” He paused, his brow furrowed. “What if it makes some stronger and weakens others?”
“What makes you think that?”
“I don’t know. Just a hunch. We need to learn more about exactly what your blood can do.”
“We know it healed you.”
“Yes, but at first I didn’t think your blood had any other effect on me. I’m starting to believe I was wrong. Katerina used to be a lot more powerful than I am. But that’s not true anymore. I can feel the difference, and I think she can, too.”
“So, this experiment? What does it entail?”
“I want to use you as bait to lure four or five fledglings. When I have them under control, I’ll give a couple of them a little of your blood and see what happens.”
“You want me to let them bite me?” Good grief, that was almost as revolting as the idea of letting him turn her.
“Of course not. I’ll use a syringe to extract it and then have them drink it.”
“I don’t know . . .” Was there no end to this nightmare?
“It’s up to you, of course,” he said, squeezing her hands.
“How’s that going to help keep other vampires away from me?”
“I need to see what kind of reaction they have to your blood. If it doesn’t actually strengthen them, word that it failed will spread through the vampire population pretty fast.”
“And if it does?”
He shrugged. “We’ll see if we can come up with a Plan C.”
And if not, she thought, they were back to Plan A—turning her into a vampire. Plan B was definitely the lesser of two evils.
“All right,” Tessa agreed with a sigh. “I’ll do it. When?”
“Tomorrow night.”