In the living room, Kadie sank down on the sofa, a book in her lap, but instead of reading, she found herself staring at the suit of armor standing in the corner. She couldn’t imagine wearing anything like that. It must weigh a ton. She wondered again if Saintcrow had worn it during the Crusades, or if it was just a decoration.
Lost in thought, she was hardly aware of time passing until Saintcrow appeared on the sofa beside her.
“Oh!” Kadie exclaimed, one hand pressed to her heart. “You really have to stop that.”
“You should be used to it by now.”
“I guess.” She ran her fingers over the spine of the book, wondering how best to bring up the subject that had been on her mind since lunch.
Saintcrow cocked his head to one side. “Something wrong?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I suppose, after last night, I was expecting a warmer welcome.”
“Is that so?”
His eyes narrowed. “All right, what’s bothering you?”
She took a deep breath, and said it all in a rush. “Is it true that vampires are incapable of feeling human emotions?”
“Who’s been talking to you now?”
“Is it true?”
“Yes, and no.”
“That’s no answer.”
“Most of us turn human emotions off because it makes it easier to prey on people if your feelings don’t get in the way. After a while, it becomes second nature to hide what you’re thinking, what you’re feeling.”
“Can vampires fall in love?”
“If they let themselves.”
“How am I supposed to know what’s real and what isn’t? You already proved that you could make me want you against my will.”
“I told you the attraction between us was real, and I meant it. There’s no way for me to prove it to you. Either you believe me, or you don’t. I guess you’ll just have to trust me.”
Trust a vampire. That was asking quite a lot.
Kadie stared into the distance. She wanted so badly to believe that what she felt for Saintcrow was real, but how was she to know if he was telling the truth? If only she could read his mind the way he read hers.
She could feel him watching her. Was he reading her mind even now? She had never felt like this about any other man. Did that mean Saintcrow was manipulating her? Or that she had finally found the man of her dreams? Just her luck that he was a vampire.
Kadie sighed. They were so different. Worlds apart, she thought, separated not only by hundreds of years but by the way they viewed life. And, most of all, by the fact that he was no longer human. He was, for all intents and purposes, dead during the day.
“Not dead.”
The words were so faint, she wasn’t sure if she’d imagined them, or if he’d said them aloud.
He needed blood to survive.
“Do you ever get tired of drinking blood?” As soon as the question was out, she wished she could call it back.
He lifted one brow. “Do you ever get tired of eating chocolate?”
“
Touché,
milord.” She looked up at him. “What did you mean when you said, ‘Not dead.’”
He shrugged. “I can move about during the day if it’s necessary.”
So, what was she to do? It was obvious that she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Saintcrow was handsome and charming and she enjoyed his company. Why not make the best of it?
“Is that armor yours? I mean, did you wear it during the Crusades?”
“No. That kind of armor came later. I wore chain mail. I got the tin suit at an antique store.”
“Oh. Did you wear anything under the chain mail? I mean, all those metal links couldn’t have been comfortable against bare skin.”
“You’re right about that. We wore bries. Think of it as medieval underwear. Over that we wore cloth chausses on our legs. Those were covered by another set of mail, also called chausses. A gambeson protected our body.” Seeing the question in her eyes, he said, “A gambeson is a thick quilted coat. We wore our hauberk—the mail—over it. The thing weighed about forty pounds. A surcoat was worn over the armor to keep the desert sun off the metal, and to identify individual knights. Surcoats were usually embroidered with a knight’s arms or family crest. During the Crusades, a lot of us wore a white surcoat emblazoned with a red cross to remind us what we were fighting for.”
“Do you still have it?”
“No, why?”
“I’d loved to have seen you in it. In days of old, when knights were bold,” she said, grinning. “Were you bold? Did you have a lady fair?”
“None so fair as you.”
Five little words spoken in his whiskey-rough voice and she melted. Rosemary could insist from now until doomsday that vampires were incapable of human emotions, but she was wrong. Kadie heard the wanting in Saintcrow’s voice, saw the desire in his eyes.
He slid his arm around her waist, drawing her up against him, holding her close. For a time, he simply held her, one hand lightly massaging her back.
Kiss me,
she thought.
A moment later, he tilted her head up and claimed her lips with his. It was a kiss like none of the others they had shared, one filled with an aching tenderness that gradually grew deeper, more intense. It unleashed a wave of longing deep within her, a hunger for his touch, a yearning to touch him in return.
“Kadie?”
She gazed into his eyes, perhaps into his soul. He wanted her. He was a powerful creature, able to bend her will to his if he chose, capable of taking her by force. Yet he left the decision to her. How could she refuse him when she wanted him so desperately?
When she nodded, he stood, carrying her with him. His steps were long and swift as he carried her up the stairs to her room. He lowered her onto the bed, then stretched out beside her.
He cared for her.
She’d bet her life on it.
A poor choice of words, she mused.
Because that was exactly what she was doing.
He kissed her then, a searing kiss that made her toes curl with pleasure. If she was to die, she thought, there was no place she would rather do it than in Rylan Saintcrow’s arms.
In the morning, Kadie woke smiling. She lay there staring up at the ceiling for a long time, reliving the hours she had spent in Saintcrow’s arms. What an incredible lover he was, she thought, and then giggled because she had no one else to compare him to. But surely no other man was as tender. Or as inventive. A blush heated her cheeks as she recalled her wanton behavior, and the way he had urged her on, encouraging her to let go of her inhibitions.
Later, lying spent in his arms, she had asked him again where he took his rest, pouted when he refused to tell her. It wasn’t fair. She trusted him with her life. Why wouldn’t he trust her in return? Did he truly think she would betray him?
The thought made her frown. Had another woman betrayed him in the past?
She wondered about that as she showered, and again while she ate breakfast.
After doing the dishes, she felt the strangest urge to explore the turret rooms. To her disappointment, there was little to be seen. The two in front were empty. The third held a narrow cot and a wooden chair. A black iron cross adorned one wall. The fourth room had a bed, a chair, and a table. A tapestry that looked very old covered the far wall from the floor to the ceiling. The colors were faded, the edges frayed.
Head tilted to the side, she studied the tapestry. It depicted a knight in chain mail mounted on a rearing black charger. The knight wore a white surcoat emblazoned with a red cross. He held a sword in one hand and a shield in the other.
Frowning, Kadie took a step closer. Was that . . . ? It was. It was Saintcrow!
Just looking at his image made her feel warm all over. He hadn’t changed at all in over nine hundred years. She ran her fingertips over the image, then pressed her hand to the cross painted on his surcoat. And heard a strange grinding sound, like stone moving against stone.
Curious, she moved to the edge of the tapestry, pulled it away from the wall, and peered behind it to see a narrow doorway. Filled with excitement and trepidation, she opened the door, revealing a long spiral staircase.
Was Saintcrow’s lair down there?
Did she really want to know?
She worried her lower lip with her teeth, then turned and ran down the stairs to the living room. She wasn’t going down into that dark tunnel without a light of some kind. Perhaps she could find a flashlight in town. If not, then she’d use a candle to light the way.
Kadie was sure she’d set some kind of record for driving to town and back when she returned to the house. Armed with the most powerful flashlight she could find, she ran up the stairs to the turret room, made her way cautiously down the spiral staircase behind the tapestry, then paused.
Was she making a mistake? Who knew what lay at the end of the tunnel? She suspected it might lead to Saintcrow’s lair, but what if it didn’t? What if that dark passageway led to a dungeon filled with skeletons, or worse, living prisoners who had displeased the master vampire? What if it was filled with bags of blood? Or bags of gold? That might not be as far-fetched as it sounded, she thought. He drove an expensive car. He paid for food and drink for all the people who lived in Morgan Creek, as well as the utility bills for his house, and the rest of the town.
Driven by a need to know what he was hiding, Kadie moved slowly, quietly, down the tunnel. It was eerie, moving through the darkness with only a flashlight to illuminate the way. Her footsteps sounded very loud in the silence that surrounded her.
The tunnel went on and on, straight as an arrow.
Overcome by an unexpected bout of claustrophobia, she came to an abrupt halt, suddenly certain that the tunnel extended far beyond the house.
Forward or back? Which way should she go? She took a step forward, then turned on her heel and started back, only to pause again. She had come this far; why not go on?
Tamping down her fear that the tunnel would collapse, trapping her beneath tons of earth, she hurried forward. To her surprise, the tunnel ended at another door after a few yards.
She ran the light over the door. It was made of oak, crisscrossed with iron straps. There was no lock. No handle. Placing her hand in the center of the wood, she gave it a push. Nothing happened.
Chewing on her thumbnail, she focused the light on the door again. There had to be some way to open it. Starting at the top right corner, she ran her hand over the entire door, then along the lintel and the sides. Nothing happened.
With a sigh of defeat, she made her way back to the staircase, only to find that the door she had come through was no longer open.
She pushed it. She kicked it. She beat on it with her fists until her hands ached and her knuckles were swollen and bloody. But the door refused to budge.
Alarm quickly turned to panic. What if this didn’t lead to Saintcrow’s lair? What if it led to some long-abandoned storeroom and no one ever came down here?
Her stomach churned with horror.
She was trapped in the tunnel with nothing but a flashlight.
And no one in Morgan Creek knew where she was.
Chapter 19
Saintcrow woke with the setting of the sun. For a time, he remained in bed, thinking about Kadie and the night they had shared. It still amazed him that, after over nine hundred years, he had found a woman who pleased him in every way, a woman who was rapidly becoming far too important to him.
Her scent lingered on his skin, reminding him of the intimacies they had shared. He felt a brief twinge of guilt for taking her virginity. He had done a great many things he regretted, but it had been a matter of pride with him that no matter what other atrocities he had committed, he had never defiled a woman nor killed a child. To ease his conscience, he reminded himself that he hadn’t taken Kadie against her will. Far from it. She had been all too willing.
Jackknifing into a sitting position, he raked his fingers through his hair, then opened his senses, homing in on his blood link to her.
He felt her terror as if it was his own. She was trapped in the tunnel, had been trapped there, in the dark, for hours.
Not bothering to dress, he left his lair with all the speed at his command. Seconds later, he was at her side.
“Kadie, I’m here.”
“Rylan!” She collapsed against him, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.
“It’s all right now,” he said, gathering her into his arms. “I’ve got you.” A thought opened the door behind the tapestry, another carried the two of them into the living room, a third lit a fire in the hearth.
He sat on the sofa, holding her against his chest, cradling her head on his shoulder. The scent of her blood teased his nostrils. Taking her hands in his, he licked the blood from her knuckles, sealing the wounds, then whispered words of comfort in her ear until her trembling stopped.
“Thank you for coming after me.”
“Did you find what you were looking for, Pandora?” he asked.
“You know I didn’t.”
“Are you so determined to see where I sleep?”
“I’m sorry. I should have respected your privacy,” she said, “even if you don’t respect mine.”
“
Touché,
milady. But if you decide to explore down there again, you need to know that once you step through the door behind the tapestry, it closes automatically. You can’t open it from my side.”
“You did.”
“I said
you
couldn’t. Nor can anyone else.”
She drew back a little so she could see his face. “Why is that?”
“It’s my own form of revenge. Should anyone find my lair and take my life, theirs will also be forfeit.”
She shuddered as she imagined being trapped down there in the dark for days or weeks with no food and no water. “Has that ever happened?”
“Not until today.” He stroked her cheek. “You have all the tenacity of a pit bull.”
“I don’t like secrets. It’s not fair for you to have them when I can’t.”
“Hasn’t anyone ever told you that life is unfair?”
“What other secrets are you keeping from me?”
He sighed in resignation. “What do you want to know, Kadie?”
She shrugged. “I just want you to promise that you won’t lie to me. You’ve taken away my freedom and everything that’s familiar to me. You’re all I have, and I want to know that I can trust you to be honest with me.”
“All right, Kadie. I promise not to lie to you.” Though he could not promise he would always tell her the whole truth.
Kadie rested her cheek on his shoulder and closed her eyes, content to be held, to feel his hand lightly kneading her back and shoulders. Vampire or not, she felt safe in his arms. He was impossibly strong and powerful. Nothing could hurt her as long as he was with her.
There was no sound in the house. Gradually, she became aware of his skin beneath her cheek. His cool, bare skin.
“Rylan?”
“Yes, Kadie?”
“Why are you naked?”
Laughter erupted from his throat, filling the room with pure, masculine amusement.
Stiffening, she frowned at him. “Did I say something funny?”
Still laughing, he shook his head. How had he lived so long without her? He had laughed more since Kadie arrived in Morgan Creek than he had in years. He was surprised by how good it felt.
When she started to slide off his lap, he wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her body to his. “I felt your fear in the tunnel,” he explained with a grin. “I thought it might be more important to find you than pull on my pants. Next time you need rescuing, I’ll take time to dress first.”
She stuck her tongue out at him, then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.
His laughter turned to a groan as she wriggled in his lap.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Am I hurting you?”
He inhaled sharply. “You have no idea.”
“I’m sorry. Should I get up?”
“No.” He buried his face in her hair as desire shot through him. He was an old vampire, practically indestructible, yet this fragile creature had the power to humble him, to bring him to his knees in ways no one else ever had. He had spent his life guarding his existence, hiding his true nature from the world, refusing to let himself care for those around him because he knew from experience that, in the end, they would wither and die.
And then Kadie had come along. Young, innocent, and ignorant of his kind, she had burrowed deep into his heart and taken root there.
He undressed her slowly, raining kisses on her cheeks, her neck, the hollow of her throat. He caressed her, delighting in her warmth, in the little sounds of pleasure that rose in her throat as his hands moved over her.
Stretching out on the sofa, he settled her on top of him and kissed her until she cried for him to take her.
Murmuring her name, he rose over her. He could never let her know the power she held over him, he thought as he buried himself deep within her. Never let her suspect she had the power to destroy him.
Kadie blew a strand of hair out of her eyes, her heart still pounding, her body bathed in sweat, Saintcrow’s taste still on her lips. They were lying side by side on the sofa, their bodies still joined together. His eyes were closed and she studied his face. It was a strong face, a handsome face. She moved and his arm tightened around her. “Don’t go.”
“My foot’s asleep.”
Grunting softly, he lifted his leg from hers.
She loved being in his arms, feeling his body next to hers. He was so masculine, so tall and strong, with incredible powers at his command. What must he think of her when she was so weak, so human?
“I think you’re beautiful,” he said, his voice husky. And anything but weak. She had captured him, heart and soul. If she ever suspected the power she held over him, she could have anything she desired.
She tangled her fingers in his hair. “What’s it like, to live so long? You must have done everything there is to do, seen everything there is to see. How do you stand it, when there’s nothing new, nothing to look forward to? No surprises left.”
He opened his eyes. “You were a surprise. Totally new and unexpected.”
“Me?”
“I’ve never known anyone like you before.”
“I’ve never known anyone like you before either,” she retorted with an impish grin.
“Kadie, I’m being serious here.”
She shook her head. “I’m just ordinary, no different from thousands of other women my age.”
“Are you accusing me of lying when I’ve just promised to tell you the truth?”
“No, but . . . you must have known hundreds of women. What makes me so different?”
“There’s no one else like you.” He cupped her cheek in his hand, his thumb playing lightly over her lips. “I’m not sure how to explain it. You may think you’re like everyone else, and to other people, maybe you are. But I perceive you differently. The beat of your heart, the scent of your skin, the sound of your voice . . . You’re beautiful to me in ways others don’t see.” He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “Your skin is softer than the petals of a rose, your hair is like silk in my hands.”
She blushed at his praise.
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her he loved her, couldn’t live without her, but he swallowed the words, afraid to appear vulnerable, afraid she would take advantage of his love and ask for her freedom. He would willingly give her anything. Anything but that.
Later that night, after Kadie was asleep, Saintcrow drove to town. He didn’t often mingle with the other vampires, but lately, he had sensed some unrest among them, especially among Vaughan and Lilith. He wasn’t surprised to find the whole vampire community gathered in the tavern when he arrived. Nor was he surprised when Lilith bolted out of her chair.
“Where is he?” she demanded, jabbing her finger into his chest. “Where’s Carl?”
Saintcrow grabbed her hand and bent it back until she flinched. “If you point that finger at me again, you’ll lose it.” He bent her hand back a little more, until she dropped to her knees. “Remember who you’re talking to.”
She nodded, her lips compressed in pain.
“Carl and Kiel have both been dispatched,” he said, his gaze moving over the other vampires. “They accosted my woman, and they paid the price. The rest of you might remember that.” He released his hold on Lilith and she scrambled back to her seat. “So,” he said, “what’s going on?”
“We’re tired of living like this,” Vaughan said.
“Right,” Wes agreed. “We’re living like sheep instead of wolves.”
Saintcrow glanced at the other vampires, his gaze resting momentarily on each of them. “You all feel this way?”
Trent stood, his arms crossed over his chest. “We do.” “I take it this is something you’ve been talking about for quite a while.”
Vaughan nodded.
“You might want to rethink it,” Saintcrow suggested. “The hunters have united. They aren’t hunting individually now, but in packs. They’re well armed and well informed. And relentless.”
“You’re just saying that,” Felix said. “You like keeping us here.”
Saintcrow snorted. “Why the hell would you think that?”
“Well . . .” Felix shrugged.
“It makes you feel like you’re the king or something,” Gil said. “Giving orders, keeping us here like we’re serfs.”
Saintcrow shook his head. “You want out? Fine. Get the hell out of here, all of you.”
“You mean it?” Lilith asked. “We can go?”
“I said it, didn’t I?”
“What about the humans?”
“What about them?”
“Are they free to go, too?”
“No. When you’re ready to leave, let me know, and I’ll escort you across the bridge.”
Lilith looked at him, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. “How do we know you’re not going to destroy us when we leave here?”
“I won’t have to. The hunters will take care of that for me. Like I said, let me know when you’re ready to go.”
With a last look at the vampires, Saintcrow left the tavern. So, they wanted out, did they? Well, to hell with them. He’d taken them in, provided them with a comfortable lair and a variety of human prey. And now they wanted out. Well, good riddance.
“We’re free!” Lilith exclaimed. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can’t wait to get out of here.”
“Maybe we’re being hasty,” Vaughan said.
“Hasty?” Wes exclaimed. “This was your idea in the first place!”
“I know, but he’s right. We don’t know what’s going on outside. We haven’t had to seek a safe lair or hunt in years.”
“I’m pretty sure we all remember how,” Lilith said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“That’s not the point,” Vaughan said. “Saintcrow is the oldest vampire among us. If he’s reluctant to leave here, maybe we should reconsider. Maybe we could convince him to let us know what’s going on outside.”
“Maybe,” Gil said dubiously.
“What do you think he’ll do with the humans?” Lilith asked. “He won’t have any use for them when we’re gone.”
“Forget the humans. We need to know what’s going on in the world outside,” Nolan said. “When I came here, the people who believed we existed were few and far between. If that’s changed, we need to know.”
“So, we ask him to bring us up to date,” Vaughan said.
“Fine,” Lilith said. “You go ask him. And ask him what he’s going to do with the humans while you’re at it.”
“All right, I will.”
Saintcrow scowled when he opened the door and saw Vaughan on the porch. “You ready to go?”
“Not yet.”
“So, what are you doing here?”
“We talked it over. We decided we need to know what’s going on outside before we leave.” He cleared his throat. “We want you to help us connect with others of our kind in the outside world, find out what we’re up against when we leave here.”
“Is that right?”
“Come on, you owe it to us.”
“I don’t owe you a damn thing.”
“I know. We came here of our own accord and in spite of whatever was said earlier, we appreciate what you’ve done. You’ve taken good care of us.”
“Uh-huh.”
Vaughan grinned. “You don’t buy that, huh?”
“Not for a minute,” Saintcrow said.
“Would it help if I said please?”
Saintcrow shook his head in amusement. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Oh, Lilith was wondering what you’re going to do with the humans.”
“Tell her to keep wondering.”
Saintcrow stood at the door, staring out into the night long after Vaughan had taken his leave. So, the coven wanted to be brought up to date. No doubt they’d want cell phones and newspapers next. Letting them stay here had seemed like a good idea at the time. It had all started with Nolan. He had saved Browning from being staked by a couple of hunters and brought him here. Browning had asked to stay. He had found Lilith the same way, the ungrateful shrew. She’d been nothing but trouble the whole time she’d been here. Trent and Quinn had found the place by accident. He had run into Vaughan and the others on various trips outside and offered them his protection.