Authors: Lara Nance
A sudden image of those fingers caressing his skin flashed. His abdominal muscles tensed, chest constricted
. He gripped one of the carved bedposts to steady himself. She moved on unaware, stroking the golden-carved surface of the Ormolu clock on the fireplace mantle, sending unwanted fire through his veins
“This is beautiful,” she breathed.
Bereft of speech, he only watched her, tortured, until the spasm of emotion passed and he was able to retreat toward the door. “Sleep well,” he murmured. “There are pajamas on the bed. They should fit you. If you need anything else, please, let me know.
She
whirled in the center of the room. “This is all so beautiful. You have some truly lovely collections.” She stood facing him, head tilted to one side, those hazel eyes searching his face. “What an enigma you are.”
“Enigma?”
Heat crept up his neck.
She
tossed her long hair over one shoulder and stepped back. “You’re a mystery. A person who cannot die, fighting evil doers. You should have a cape and a catchy name, or at least a whacky sidekick.”
“What?” He blinked, forcing his control back in place.
“You know, like Batman or The Green Hornet.” She waved a hand. “Sorry. That’s trite for what you’re doing. It’s just…I’ve never met anyone like you before. This is all a bit overwhelming. ”
“Good night, Cara,” he managed to say. “Sleep well.” He touched
Dusty’s head and went to the hall, closing her door behind him.
He
staggered forward an unsteady step to lean one shoulder against the wall, his breath coming in gasps. What was she doing to him? One hand went to the necklace under his shirt and he pulled out the ankh, pressing it between his fingers in desperation. But Cara’s face dominated his mind.
Stumbling
along the hall, he made it to his room and pressed his hands against his temples. Finally, his heart rate slowed and the tightness in his chest eased. He lowered himself to the side of his bed. He’d been with hundreds of women in his long life and none had tempted him this way. Was it merely because Cara was a Dealer—a purely physical reaction to someone his body recognized as a potential mate? A shiver of desire swept through him, making him grit his teeth. He forced in a deep breath and locked his steely reserve back in place. This desire, his attraction, wouldn’t happen again. There was no way he would betray Sakhet and, furthermore, Cara was simply too dangerous a distraction from his current mission. Tomorrow he would put her from his mind and get on with the hunt.
It was his destiny to be alone.
Chapter
Twelve
Cara blinked to clear the fog from her eyes as she drove to work. A dull ache in her temple reminded her of the attack. Rolf sat in the passenger seat, quietly fidgeting with the buckle of his seatbelt. They traveled in silence except for occasional episodes of panting from Dusty in the back seat.
“Are you okay?” Rolf
looked over at her as she maneuvered the car into an empty space. Sean pulled into the lot behind them in a black Mercedes.
She
turned the key and sat for a moment staring out the windshield. Words seemed inadequate to express her feelings. Her life had completely changed since yesterday, and she wasn’t sure where today would lead. She only knew she had to keep going. “I’ll be all right. What are you going to do?”
“I plan to spend time gat
hering information to see what’s going on in other cities.”
Her fingers
squeezed the steering wheel, releasing her pent-up anxiety. Bad enough to think the victims were just a few unlucky individuals who ran into renegade BD’s on the prowl. To think of an organized invasion of Takers terrified her.
Cara
turned to him. “Thanks for last night. Really.”
His face
was a taut mask, revealing nothing of his feelings.
“How can I get in touch with you in case we find out anything you need to know?”
He didn’t move for a moment until his jaw twitched.
“Rolf?”
“I’ll give you my cell phone number for emergencies. But, I have to say, I’m hesitant to involve you and your friends. It’s dangerous.”
Anger
flooded through her fear. “I think I’m already involved, don’t you? I can’t go back home, and you say my life is in danger. So, seems I’m
very
involved.”
“I see your point
.” He wrote his number on a piece of paper from his pocket then handed it to her. “Call me tonight. Find out all you can from your friends and let me know.”
Cara
took the paper and slipped it into her purse. “Okay. Good. I will.” Dusty jumped out when she opened the rear door, and Rolf exited his side. What the hell was the matter with Rolf today—so stiff and formal? She’d just gotten used to mysterious, ancient, and deadly, then he had to get all moody on her.
He walked
around the car and stood beside her. “Be careful today, Cara.”
She
gazed into his cool stare and wondered what thoughts really ran through his mind. He had done so much to help her last night, but did he really care anything for her as a person? This mission seemed to matter most to him, and she might be expendable. But, deep in his eyes, she thought she saw something more—at least, she hoped. “I will be careful. Take care yourself.”
Cara
put a hand on his forearm. The ice in his eyes thawed, and he leaned toward her, holding her gaze. Heat flamed her cheeks. He was going to kiss her. Her heart flip-flopped. But he closed his eyes, the muscles in his jaw tightened, and he stepped back. Her arm fell to her side, and blood drained from her face.
Without a backward glance, h
e strode away and slipped into the passenger seat of the Mercedes. Determined not to show her hurt, she drew in a deep breath and headed for the clinic. She walked across the parking lot and paused at the front door. Being at the clinic brought memories of Emmie’s death, flooding her soul in a cloud of sorrow. The old dear’s words echoed again inside her mind: “You’re gonna need my help with that ol’ evil.”
She foug
ht down the lump in her throat.
Emmie. Why couldn’t you tell me more about the gift?
Putting
grief and fear aside, she strode through the front door. There were others who needed her now. Already the waiting room overflowed with people perched anxiously on the edges of their chairs. Sickness didn’t wait on crazy, evil Light-takers. People here needed help they couldn’t get anywhere else because they had no insurance and no money.
She greeted those patients she knew by name. Everyone wanted to pet
Dusty. He’d visited her work before, and some patients knew him well.
“How’s the schedule?” she asked
Rosa as she passed the receptionist’s desk.
“You’re slammed. Good luck.”
Cara strode to her office and filled Dusty’s office bowls with water and food. He looked up at her, cocking his head to one side, and she rubbed his ears. “We have a rough road ahead of us. But we’ll stick together, okay?”
Dusty’s
brown eyes held a wealth of trust and understanding. He offered her so much comfort, especially with the news Rolf had given her about dogs being able to sense the presence of BD’s.
I just hope I never have to face one of those creeps again
.
Her day progressed from busy to hectic
. At five-thirty, she sank into the chair behind her desk and began writing in the charts of patients she’d seen. Dusty curled up in a warm lump at her feet, snoozing.
Her phone buzzed
, and when she answered, Rosa’s voice sounded irritated. “Cara, there’s a patient out here demanding to see you. I can’t get her to leave.”
“Who is it?”
“Nicki Petrosky. Says she has to speak to you. She—she looks horrible.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Cara rushed to the front of the clinic where Nicki paced before the receptionist’s desk. A pale face and the dark circles under her eyes gave the girl’s already thin face a skeletal appearance.
“
Nicki, come here.” She opened the door to the waiting room and motioned the girl back to the exam area. Thankfully, no gang buddies accompanied her.
“Are you okay?” she asked
after ushering Nicki into an empty exam room and closing the door. Nicki’s sweat and fear mixed in a pungent aroma.
“W
hat happened last night?” Nicki put her hands on her hips. “That guy, was he going to kill me?”
“
Calm down.” When Cara grasped the girl’s thin arm, it quivered beneath her fingers. Cara scanned Nicki for signs of trauma. A violet bruise marked her upper left arm and more bruises circled her throat along with red scratches.
“Miss Cara, what was
that man?” Nicki grabbed Cara’s arm and her fingers bit into the skin like claws. Her breath came in rapid gasps and her eyes were dilated.
“
Relax, breathe slower. You’re hyperventilating.” She led Nicki to a chair and pushed her gently into it. Filling a paper cup of water from the small counter sink, she handed it to her. “Drink this.”
Nicki
sucked down the water in a gulp then crushed the empty cup in one hand. Her breaths still came in panting gulps through her mouth but the rate had slowed. Cara placed a hand on Nicki’s shoulder, rubbing the skin in soothing circles. She managed to keep a hand on Nicki’s shoulder while her first two fingers drifted down to her portal near the collar bone. A trickle of Light fed into the girl. Softly, slowly, so gentle she would never know Cara was healing her.
Nicki’s
shoulders dropped, and she sighed. Cara smiled and broke the contact. “Now, tell me. How did you meet the man that attacked you?”
“He was at a club I go to. I thought he was a regular dude, a player. He bought me a drink, flashed some cash
, and asked about going back to my place. He had an expensive ride, so I thought he was cool.” She swallowed. “But when I opened my door, he grabbed my arm and put his hand up here.” She pointed to her forehead and her face crinkled as tears filled her eyes. “I tried to hit him and get away but he punched me in the face and I fell down.” She gulped in air and brushed at her eyes. “That was about the time you came in. What the hell were you doing there?”
Cara
pulled over the rolling stool to sit on and rested a hand on Nicki’s bony knee. “Listen, the other day when you were here you asked me if I believed in vampires. Did you see this same thing happen to someone else?
Nicki’s
eyes widened and she hung her head. “Yeah, I seen something like that.”
“Tell me.”
“I don’t know if I should.” Her hands twisted together, a defiant glow in her eyes.
“
Nicki, people are dying. The man last night tried to kill you and he would have killed me, too. There are more like him out there. I want to stop these people, but I need information. Whatever you tell me will only be used to catch him and his friends.” Frustration boiled inside her. Nicki didn’t recognize the danger she was in, even after being attacked and nearly killed. The street girl still wanted to protect her gang. “I’m not going to get your friends in trouble. I promise.”
Nicki
raised her head and glanced sideways at her, eyes narrowed. She sat straighter and crossed her arms over her chest. “Okay, but you should know this is the second time someone attacked me.”
“What?” Cara sat back, stunned. What had this poor girl been through? “
Nicki, start at the beginning. Tell me what you saw before you came in the other day and about your attacks.”
Nicki
twisted her hands together and let her head fall forward, unruly black hair obscuring her face. “It all happened at this same club. I was hanging with some friends. We had drunk a lot and I got ta feelin’ sick, like I was gonna puke, you know?”
Cara nodded, urging her on.
“I head for the bathroom, but there was a line outside the girl’s room. I was about to hurl so I opened the door to go out back. See, it opens on this alley full of trash cans and dumpsters with just this one streetlight, so it was dark and hard to see.” She paused and licked her lips, eyes darting to the door then back to Cara.
“I hurled up my guts against the wall and
, after, I seen these two guys down the street a ways. They was both boys, so I figured it was just two gay guys gettin’ it on. But I noticed the one guy had a hand on the other guy’s chest and I knew that guy. He wasn’t gay and they wasn’t kissing or nothing. Just standing there, one guy with his back pressed against the wall with his head back, and the other guy with his hand on my friend’s chest. I can’t describe it, but it freaked me out.
“I was in the shadows so I got a little closer to see what was
goin’ down. I knew I had to help this guy if I could, he’s my homie, but I was scared. Finally, the one guy takes his hand away and the one against the wall just slides down and falls over in a heap. I knew he was dead. It was sorta like when vampires suck the blood out of you. I seen it in the movies. It was just like that…only he never bit him.” She swung her head back and forth. “Just had his hand on his chest.”