Chapter Four
After parking her car, Tessa got out, house key in hand, and hurried up the stairs. She had expected Andrei to walk her to her door to make sure she got safely inside.
She wasn’t sure what it was that warned her. A faint creak on the stairs or the way the hairs along her arms suddenly stood at attention, but she had no sooner slid her key into the lock than someone pushed her to the ground.
A large hand covered her mouth, stifling her scream.
It took her a minute to realize that there were two men on the landing, each tugging on one of her arms as if she were a wishbone.
And then a third man appeared, his hands slashing through the air like knives, and she was free.
“Get inside!” Andrei barked. “Lock the door.”
She obeyed without question. After practically hurtling into her apartment, she slammed the door shut behind her and shot the dead bolt home.
Gasping for breath, Tessa went to the window and peered out.
Three men, all dressed in black, struggled on the landing. She had no trouble identifying Andrei. He was taller than the other two and moved with the kind of speed and grace she had only seen in martial arts movies.
It was a silent battle, vicious, and quickly over.
Tessa covered her mouth with her hand when Andrei broke the neck of one vampire and drove a stake into the heart of the other.
She gagged when he pulled the stake—dripping with dark red blood—from the second body and drove it into the heart of the first vampire.
She had seen things a lot more gruesome and violent on TV shows. But this wasn’t TV. It was real life.
Sick to her stomach, she bolted for the bathroom.
* * *
Andrei frowned at the sounds of retching coming from inside Tessa’s apartment. He supposed he couldn’t blame her for being sick. Still, she had seen him kill before. Then again, it wasn’t something most mortals ever got used to.
He had intended to walk her from her car to her door, only there had been a third vampire lurking in the shadows by the sidewalk. By the time he questioned that one, then dispatched him, the other fledglings had already reached the landing.
Hoisting the dead vampires—one over each shoulder—he whisked them out of the city to the local dump. After tossing their bodies on top of a heap of trash where the early morning sun would quickly turn them to ash, he returned for the third vampire and added him to the pile.
A thought took him back to Tessa’s apartment. He stood at the door a moment, pondering what he’d learned as he questioned the first vampire. In fear for his life, the fledgling had gasped, “Madame Murga . . . she tells of a woman named Tessa whose blood can enhance a newly made vampire’s strength tenfold.”
Andrei hadn’t waited to hear any more. At the sound of Tessa’s name, he had ripped the heart from the vampire’s chest and tossed the body aside.
He was still considering the fledgling’s words when Tessa’s pale face appeared at the window. Her eyes widened a moment and then, recognizing him, she breathed a sigh of relief.
A moment later, the door swung open.
With a tentative smile, she invited him in.
Not a smart move on her part, Andrei mused as he stepped across the threshold. But then, she had no idea what manner of man she had just welcomed into her home.
He glanced around her apartment. Several inexpensive paintings of flowers adorned the pale yellow walls. A narrow cabinet held a collection of Disney princess figurines. A striped sofa and matching love seat faced each other in front of a small fireplace. A half wall divided the living room from the combination kitchen–dining room. There were two closed doors to the left of the dining room.
“I knew you were a hunter,” she said, gesturing for him to take a seat.
“I’m sorry you had to see that.”
“Me too. But it wasn’t the first time.” Tessa sank down on the sofa. “I don’t know why it bothered me so much tonight.” She shook her head, as if to clear the memory. “Let’s not talk about it.”
“Whatever you wish.”
“Have you killed many vampires?”
“I thought you didn’t want to talk about it.”
She made a vague gesture with her hand. “I guess I’m just morbidly curious.”
“I haven’t kept count.”
“Oh. You told me you sold antiques. So, what are you, some kind of merchant by day and superhero vampire slayer by night?”
“Not exactly. Hunting is more of an avocation than a job.” Better she should think him a hunter than what he truly was, he thought, amused.
“Well, you’re certainly good at it. How did you know those two were following me?”
“I saw them pull over in front of your building while I was looking for a place to park. It made me suspicious.”
“That’s twice you’ve saved my life.”
He nodded, pretty sure it wouldn’t be the last time. He had mesmerized her on the dance floor earlier tonight, just long enough to take a little taste of her blood. In seven centuries, he had never tasted anything like it. Her life’s blood was thick and rich, but, more than that, it had gone through him like fire, enhancing his vampire senses, his preternatural powers. Had he been a young vampire, unable to control his hunger, she would likely be dead now. But he was ancient and well able to control his hunger and his desire. But that added kick in her blood . . . It had given him a mild high, the kind humans experienced after one too many drinks.
So who was Tessa Blackburn? And who the hell was Madame Murga? And why had some gypsy woman told a fledgling that Tessa’s blood would make him stronger? Had she actually foreseen such a thing? Or had she thrown out a name at random in a desperate attempt to save her own life? What if the rumor was true? And how the hell was he going to find out?
“Can I get you something?” Tessa asked. “A soda? A cup of coffee, perhaps?”
He glanced at the hollow of her throat, at the pulse throbbing there. The beating of her heart was strong and steady, the sound of the blood coursing through her veins a siren song that took all of his considerable willpower to resist now that he had tasted her. “No, thank you.”
“Something stronger? I think I have a bottle of Scotch someone left here a few months ago.” She frowned. “No, you’re a wine drinker, aren’t you? I have a bottle of merlot a coworker gave me for my birthday.”
“Sounds good.”
She went into the kitchen and rummaged through a cupboard until she found the bottle she was looking for. She pulled the cork, then poured a glass of wine for him, a soda for herself.
“I don’t know why people keep giving me wine when I don’t drink it,” she remarked, handing him the glass. “Anyway, my friend assured me that 2009 was a very good year.”
Andrei swirled the wine in the goblet, inhaling the bouquet. A good year indeed. Although it had been centuries since he had eaten solid food, he detected the rich aromas of chocolate and espresso. A sip carried the taste of dark cherries and plums.
“So, how is it?” Tessa asked, resuming her place on the love seat.
“Excellent.”
“I must be the unluckiest woman in the city,” Tessa remarked, curling one leg beneath her. “Or maybe the luckiest.”
“How so?”
“Well, I’ve been attacked by vampires twice in a matter of days. I’d call that unlucky. On the other hand, you were there to rescue me both times. I’d call that lucky. For me, anyway,” she said with a faint smile. “Maybe not so much for the ones who attacked me.”
“I’m glad I was here for you.”
The look in his eyes, the unmistakable hint of desire in his voice, sent a little thrill of pleasure down Tessa’s spine. But who could blame her for being flattered? He was drop-dead gorgeous, after all, and sexy as sin on a Saturday night.
Andrei smiled inwardly. He didn’t have to read her thoughts to know she found him desirable. It would be so easy to mesmerize her, to make love to her until dawn, and then wipe the memory from her mind. He had done so to countless women in the past, and while those encounters had been pleasurable, he much preferred his lovemaking to be spontaneous and his partners warm and willing.
“Do you really sell antiques?” Tessa asked.
“Indeed.”
She frowned. “There aren’t any antique stores in town.”
“I sell them from my home to a select clientele.”
“Oh.” She was curious to know where he lived, but couldn’t summon the nerve to ask.
Swallowing the last of his wine, Andrei stood. “I should be going.”
“So soon? It’s still early.”
“It’s for the best.” He placed the goblet on the end table. “If I stay any longer, I’m going to take you in my arms and make love to you until the sun comes up.”
Tessa blinked at him. Men had desired her before, but none had ever expressed it quite so candidly. Or tempted her quite so much.
Brushing a kiss across her brow, he murmured, “Good night, dragostea mea.”
Before she could decide if she should ask him to stay, he was gone.
* * *
Andrei. His face rose in Tessa’s mind as soon as she woke in the morning. In the shower, she heard his voice softly threatening to make love to her until the sun came up.
While she dressed for church, she couldn’t help wishing she had asked him to stay the night—a wish that no doubt required some sort of repentance on her part. After all, didn’t the Bible say lusting after a woman—or a man, in this case—was the same thing as doing the deed? And if a thought was as bad as the action . . . well, she was already damned.
But how could she help but want him? Andrei was beyond gorgeous, beyond sexy, beyond description. She had never met a man like him. Doubted if there was another man like him anywhere in the world. A woman would have to be three years dead not to be attracted to him. And this morning, she felt very much alive.
She ate a quick breakfast, stepped into her favorite heels, grabbed her handbag, and ran out the door.
She managed to stay within the speed limit—mostly—and made it to church with a minute to spare.
“I didn’t think you were coming,” Jileen whispered, scooting over to make room for Tessa.
“Why would you think that?”
“I texted you yesterday and you never answered. I figured you were . . .” At a reproving look from the minister, Jileen fell silent. Until the choir began to sing, and then she whispered, “You were supposed to call me this morning with all the details.”
“I’m sorry. I turned my phone off when we went to the movies and I guess I forgot to turn it on again.”
“And?”
“And nothing. Now hush!”
During the next hour, it was all Tessa could do to keep from laughing at her friend, who looked like she was about to burst with curiosity.
As soon as the service was over, Jileen grabbed Tessa by the hand and hurried her outside. “All right. Tell me everything! You went to the movies and . . . ?”
“And he followed me home and killed a couple of vampires.”
Jileen blinked at her in openmouthed astonishment. “What is it with you and vampires?”
“I don’t know, but it’s getting kind of creepy, you know?”
“Dinescu is like your own personal Superman.”
“You should have seen him. He was like . . . like . . . I don’t know how to describe it. It was horrific and bloody, but he was amazing. He’s a hunter, you know.”
“He is? I thought he sold antiques.”
Tessa shrugged. “He does. He said hunting’s an avocation.” She bit down on the inside corner of her lip, wondering if she should tell Jileen the rest.
“I know that look,” Jileen said. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“He said he wanted to make love to me.”
“Just like that? I mean, you’ve only known him a few days.”
“Look who’s talking, Miss Falls in Love on the First Date.”
“We’re talking about you, not me.”
“Last night, he said if he stayed any longer he was going to take me in his arms and make love to me until the sun came up.”
“That’s so romantic! How was it?”
“Jilly, I just met the man a week ago, remember?”
Jileen sighed dramatically. “I wish Luke said things like that. He’s a great guy, but he doesn’t have a romantic thought in that handsome head of his. Isn’t it odd, that we’re both dating vampire hunters?” Glancing at her watch, she said, “Listen, I’ve got to go. My folks are expecting me for lunch. Do you wanna come? I know my mom would love to see you.”
“Not this time,” Tessa said, giving her friend a hug. “I’ll see you for lunch at work tomorrow.”
Jileen lifted one brow. “Are you going out with him again?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t say anything about another date. Say hi to your mom and dad for me.”
At home, Tessa kicked off her heels, then changed into a pair of sweats. In the kitchen, she made a tuna salad sandwich and opened a can of soda. Moving into the living room, she plopped down on the sofa.
She loved Jileen’s parents, but she needed some time alone to come to terms with the events of the last few days. Last night, every time she closed her eyes, she saw Andrei with blood on his hands, heard his deep, sexy voice saying he wanted her. He had saved her life and she was more grateful than words could express, but she couldn’t stop thinking that he had killed three men right before her eyes, no matter that they were vampires trying to kill her. He was a hunter. How many vampires had he destroyed? Did she want to go to bed with a killer? Even one who had saved her life?
It was a question that haunted her for the rest of the day, whether she was watching TV, sending an e-mail off to her mother, or trying to read a book. Of course, she might be worrying for nothing, since he hadn’t asked to see her again.
Tossing the book aside, she stared out the window as another, more troubling question niggled at her mind. Why were all these vampires coming after her?
And why now?
Was it just a coincidence that three vampires had tried to kill her in the last few days? She sure wanted to think so.
Suddenly exhausted, she rested her head on the back of the sofa and closed her eyes....
And Andrei was there. Clad in ubiquitous black, his dark eyes aglow with desire, he wrapped her in his embrace and swept her away to a place where she had never been. He aroused her in ways she had never imagined, wooed her with whispered words of love, seduced her with his kisses, until she cried out for him to take her, only to turn away in horror when she saw the blood on his hands....
She bolted upright, a long, shuddering sigh of relief escaping her lips.
It had only been a dream.
* * *
Deep in his lair, Andrei roused from his daytime rest. He had been dreaming, something he had not done in over seven hundred years.
Dreaming of Tessa.
Seducing Tessa.
Until she had seen the bloodstains on his hands . . . so much blood.
He stared into the silent darkness that enveloped him like a shroud.
Vampires didn’t dream, so how was it possible that he was dreaming of her?
That he was dreaming at all?
And then he knew the answer.
It was the blood.
Tessa’s blood.