Desire After Dark (25 page)

She was, now that he mentioned it.

“Go and fix yourself something to eat.”

“Come with me?”

He shook his head.

“Why not? What are you going to do?”

“Nothing sinister, my sweet. I will wait for you in the back parlor.”

“You won't go out, you promise?”

“Am I to be a prisoner in my own house?” he asked, a fine edge to his voice.

“No, of course not.” She turned away, stung by his tone. She couldn't help it if she was worried about him. Couldn't he understand that?

“Victoria, I did not mean to offend you.”

“Go on, go outside, do whatever you want. I don't care.”

He laughed softly. One minute she was a warrior woman, fighting demons to save him, and the next she was like a child, her feelings easily hurt.

“I will not leave the house,” he said. “I promise.”

Keeping her back to him, she nodded.

His hands on her shoulders kept her from leaving the room. “Ah, Victoria,” he murmured with a shake of his head. “What a treasure you are.”

She blinked back sudden unexpected tears at the warmth and the wonder in his voice.

He chuckled softly as her stomach growled in a very unladylike way. “Go and eat. We will talk later.”

With a nod, she left the room.

Antonio stared after her, admiring the sway of her hips, until she was out of sight. Feeling as though he were six thousand years old, he made his way to the back parlor, sat down, and closed his eyes. Pain. He was only free of it when the daylight sleep was upon him. It burned through him now like a living flame.

He had thought to leave Victoria when Falco had been destroyed. Now, he wondered how he was ever going to let her go. In six hundred years, he had never needed anyone the way he needed her. It wasn't just her blood he craved, sweet as it was; no, he craved her company, the sound of her laughter, the touch of her hand, the way she melted against him when she should have run away, screaming in fear. He still couldn't believe she had come to rescue him, didn't want to think what would have happened to her if she had failed. How could he let her go?

How could he not? He had seen the look of utter revulsion on her face when she saw where he slept. Though she might think she loved him, he knew that would soon change. No mortal woman could long endure sharing a vampire's life. No mortal woman should have to. It was a life against nature, beyond mortal endurance. Even vampires had been known to seek their own destruction when their existence became more than they could bear.

He thought of Edward Ramsey. The knowledge that the world's most formidable vampire hunter had been turned had spread quickly through the vampire community. And there had been much rejoicing, he recalled with a faint grin. It was said that Ramsey had taken a vampire wife.

His Victoria, a vampire.

He frowned, unable to imagine her as such. Some souls were made for darkness and some for light, and she was a creature of light and laughter, a woman made to love one man, to bear his children, to grow old at his side.

He shook the thought from his mind. To think of her with another man would surely drive him mad. Until Falco was destroyed, she was his. For now, he would not think beyond that.

Her scent reached his nostrils. Moments later, she entered the room.

He knew she was standing in front of him before he opened his eyes, knew from the wary expression on her face that his hunger showed in his eyes.

“Do you need to…?” She licked her lips nervously. “You know?”

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Frequent feeding would help his wounds to heal more quickly. But it wasn't only that. Her very nearness aroused his hunger. Already, his fangs were lengthening in response.

He clenched his hands to keep from reaching for her. “I can go out.”

With a shake of her head, she sat down beside him, as trusting as a kitten.

His arm went around her shoulders. He brushed a lock of hair aside to expose her neck. So warm, so willing. He closed his eyes, fighting for control, thinking how easy it would be to take it all. If it was anyone but Victoria…He pushed the thought from his mind. In spite of his words to the contrary, he wasn't like Falco, had never been like Falco.

Lowering his head, he took what he needed, what he craved.

What he feared he would never be able to live without now that he'd had a taste of it.

Tom Duncan arrived at the castle at two o'clock the following afternoon. He followed Vicki into the front parlor, sat down at her invitation.

“This is quite a place,” he remarked, settling back on the sofa.

“Yes. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Soda?”

“Not right now. So, tell me everything that's happened since you got here.” Taking a seat at the other end of the sofa, she started at the beginning and quickly brought him up to date.

He grinned when she told him about the four young men who had come to her aid. “You're damn lucky they turned out to be decent guys, or I might have been reading your obit in the paper.”

“I know, but at the time it never crossed my mind to be afraid. I was too worried about Antonio to think about anything else.”

“You've really got it bad for that bloodsucker, don't you?”

“Don't call him that.”

“He's fed off you, hasn't he?”

“What if he has?”

“Hey, it's your life. I just hope you know what you're getting into. So, you ready to go hunting?”

“Me?”

“Why not?”

Why not indeed? It was as much to her benefit as anyone else's to find Falco. Maybe more.

Vicki grabbed her coat and they left the house. “Looks like rain,” she remarked as she got into the Camaro.

“Yeah, I think it's following me.”

She settled back in her seat and fastened her seat belt. “Do you have any idea where to look?”

“No. I just want to drive around, get the lay of the land. A friend of mine is coming in sometime tonight to give us a hand.”

“Another vampire hunter?”

“He used to be.”

“What is he now?”

“A vampire.” Duncan slid the key into the ignition.

Vicki stared at him in disbelief. “You're kidding, right? Don't we have enough vampires already?”

“Ramsey was the best hunter in the business before he was turned. I don't know where else to go for help.” Duncan shook his head. “I've never had this much trouble finding one of the Undead before. I don't know, maybe I've lost my touch. Maybe Falco's more than a vampire. Maybe he's a ghost, too.”

“I know a ghost,” Vicki remarked, smiling. “Maybe you'll get to meet her.”

“Yeah, right.” Putting the car in gear, he drove toward the front gate.

“Seriously. Her name is Lady Kathryn. She haunts the castle, although I'm not sure
haunt
is the right word. She's not very scary.”

“Just what we need.”

“Well, she helped me find Antonio.”

Duncan pulled over and put the car in Park. “Maybe we should go take a look at that shed where you found Battista before we do anything else.”

“We'll have to go on foot from here,” she said. “There's no road from the castle grounds.”

“Okay by me.” After killing the engine, Duncan grabbed a jacket from the backseat and got out of the car.

With a shrug, she unfastened her seat belt and headed toward the woods. “It's this way,” she said, glancing over her shoulder to make sure he was behind her.

The clouds grew thicker and darker as they made their way through the trees.

“I can't see the sun,” she said, glancing at the sky.

“So?”

“The sun is supposed to kill vampires, right? But the sun isn't shining today. So, could he be up and moving around?”

“Old ones can probably rise early on days like this,” Duncan replied, frowning. “I really don't know if they can go outside. I sure as hell hope not.”

Vicki shivered. Falco was an old vampire. What if he was at the shed, waiting for them?

“Did you bring your vampire-killing kit?” she asked.

Duncan patted his jacket pocket. “Holy water in here.” He paused to pick up a narrow branch, then pulled a knife from one of his other pockets and began whittling the end of the branch to a sharp point.

That was it? A bottle of holy water and a makeshift stake? It didn't do much to ease her nerves or increase her confidence.

It was drizzling when they reached the shed.

“I'm not sure I can go in there again,” Vicki said.

“That's all right. You stay here, I'll check it out.”

“Do you think you should go alone?”

“I doubt if Falco would hang around now that he's been discovered here once.”

Vicki nodded. She crossed her arms over her chest, shivering a little, while she watched Tom go into the lambing shed. She wondered if the bodies of the zombies were still inside. What if Tom was wrong? What if Falco was inside, waiting?

She took a step forward, ears straining for some sound that would tell her what was happening inside. Her mouth went dry as she imagined Duncan stepping into the shed and coming face-to-face with a vampire who was wide awake and ready to strike. A bottle of holy water and a wooden stake seemed like puny weapons against a vampire who was hundreds of years old.

She had worked herself into a fine state by the time Duncan returned.

“There's no sign of him,” he said..

She glanced past Tom. “What about the zombies?”

“No sign of them, either. Some blood on the floor, but that's all.” He shrugged. “Looks like he got away again.”

They spent the rest of the day driving through the town, stopping whenever they saw what looked like an abandoned building. They saw a few vagrants, a couple of teenagers hitchhiking on the main road, but no sign of the Undead.

At dusk, they turned and headed for home.

And found Edward Ramsey waiting for them on the castle's front steps.

Vicki studied the vampire while Duncan made the introductions. Ramsey was tall and lean, with short blond hair and ice blue eyes. It was hard to judge his age but she guessed he had been somewhere between thirty-five and forty-five when he was turned. A thin scar ran along his right cheek. He wore a light blue turtleneck sweater and a pair of dark blue slacks. When he shook hands with Duncan, she noticed there was a cross tattooed on his right palm.

Vickie stood there while Duncan quickly brought Ramsey up to speed, wondering what she should do. She wasn't exactly sure just what vampire protocol dictated she do in a situation like this. Should she invite Ramsey inside? How would Antonio feel about having another vampire in the house?

She was still debating what to do when Antonio materialized at her side, attired in his ubiquitous black.

The conversation between Duncan and Ramsey stopped abruptly. Ramsey stepped away from Duncan, his gaze focused on Antonio. The two vampires regarded each other for several long moments, almost as if they were sizing each other up, Vicki thought, and perhaps they were. She looked from one to the other. Antonio was a little taller and a little broader through the shoulders. He had been younger than Ramsey when he was brought across, but Antonio had been a vampire hundreds of years longer than the former hunter.

Power arced between the two vampires, as though they were testing one another. It made her skin prickle and the hair raise at her nape.

“Antonio Battista,” Ramsey said. “I've heard of you.”

“And I have heard of you.” Antonio glanced at Victoria, then back at Ramsey. “Why are you here?”

“I asked him here,” Duncan said.

Antonio looked at Duncan. “What gave you the right to invite him to my home?”

“He's my friend. And the best vampire hunter in the business, as you well know. I thought we could use the help.”

“And when Falco has been destroyed, what then?”

“Then we'll all go home,” Duncan said. “Right, Edward?”

Ramsey nodded. “I have no quarrel with you, Battista. I'm only here because Duncan asked for my help. If you don't want it, I'm gone.”

Battista considered Ramsey's words, then looked at Duncan. “Perhaps you are right.” Turning, he opened the door and stepped inside. “Welcome to my home.”

Vicki breathed a sigh of relief as she followed the men into the house. It looked like there was going to be a truce, at least for the time being.

She listened quietly as Duncan, Antonio, and Ramsey spent the next hour proposing and dismissing a dozen plans for destroying Dimitri Falco.

“If we want to trap him, we need bait. And we all know there's only one kind of bait he'll fall for.”

Vicki went cold inside as all three men turned in her direction.

Antonio shook his head. “No.”

“I think Edward's right,” Duncan said. “I've spent weeks looking for Falco. So have you. We haven't had any luck. He kidnapped Vicki. You were almost killed. I don't see as how we have any other choice.”

“I will not risk Victoria's life.”

“In the meantime, he's killing another woman every night,” Duncan said. “How long do you intend to let that go on?”

“I said no.”

Vicki laid her hand on Antonio's arm. “I think Tom's right. I should be all right with the three of you there to protect me.”

“She can wear a thick silver collar around her throat,” Ramsey said, “and bracelets on her wrists. I see that she already wears a crucifix. Even if he gets near her, he won't be able to touch her if she doesn't panic.”

“I need to do this,” Vicki said. “It's my fault all those other women are dying. Falco said it himself. He said he'd kill thousands if he had to.”

“He will kill them regardless,” Antonio said. “I will not risk your life.”

Vicki lifted her chin defiantly. “You can't stop me. It's my life, and my decision.”

Antonio glared at her.

“It's settled, then,” Ramsey said.

Duncan grinned, amused that, in spite of being a vampire himself, Ramsey so easily fell into the role of vampire hunter.

“Victoria should go into town tomorrow afternoon and stay until dusk. Is there a road that isn't traveled often?”

“There's a back road that leads to the castle,” Antonio said.

“Good. Victoria, you take that route. Drive slow. You need to be on that road…” He paused and looked at Antonio. “How soon can you rise?”

“As soon as the sun starts to go down.”

“What about Falco? Do you have any idea when he rises?”

“He is an old vampire,” Antonio said. “He probably rises the same time that I do. Perhaps a little earlier. What about you?”

“I can rise as the sun sets, same as you.”

“Such a thing is unusual in one so young,” Antonio remarked, obviously impressed.

“I have good blood,” Ramsey said, grinning.

Antonio lifted one brow.

“The blood of Alexi Kristov and Khira runs in my veins, as well as that of Grigori Chiavari.”

“A potent combination,” Antonio remarked.

“So I'm told,” Ramsey said. “All right, we need to time this perfectly. Victoria, you need to be on that road twenty minutes after the sun goes down. Antonio, you and I will follow her. Duncan, you'll be in the backseat under a blanket. Victoria, I want you to get out of the car and pretend there's something wrong with it. If Falco's anywhere in the area, he'll find you. As soon as you see him, you'll throw holy water in his face.” Ramsey looked at Duncan. “I'm assuming you've got some handy?”

“What do you think?” Duncan replied.

“Right. It should distract Falco long enough for Battista and me to take him down. We'll hold him. Duncan, you stake him and I'll take his head.”

“Just like the good old days,” Duncan remarked.

Ramsey nodded, his expression wistful. “Exactly.”

“I do not like it,” Antonio said. “Too many things can go wrong. If Falco finds Victoria before we get there, Duncan and Victoria could both end up dead, or worse.”

“It's a chance we'll have to take,” Duncan said, his eyes gleaming in anticipation of the hunt. “Right, Vicki?”

“Right.”

“My warrior woman,” Antonio murmured.

“I need a drink,” Duncan said. “I don't suppose you've got any whiskey here?”

Vicki shook her head. “No, sorry. The strongest thing I've got is Coke.”

“Then Coke it is.”

“Do you want it in the can, or in a glass with ice?” Vicki asked, rising.

Duncan rose. “I need to stretch my legs. I'll go with you.”

Antonio watched Victoria and the vampire hunter leave the room, aware that Ramsey was watching him.

Slowly, Antonio turned his gaze on the other vampire. Not counting his confrontations with Falco, it had been years since he had been in the company of another of his kind. Vampires did not normally associate with one another. They tended to be solitary creatures. Most were fiercely protective of their hunting grounds. Antonio knew little of Edward Ramsey other than that he had once been a relentless hunter who had been turned and was now married to a vampire. He had heard of Kristov and Khira, of course. And of Grigori Chiavari. Like Grigori, Ramsey had brought his mortal lover across.