Authors: Ginger Voight
“Read these,” he instructed. “If you still believe that vampires aren’t real then you’ve done nothing more than waste some time.”
She was on the verge of telling him where he could stick his books when she looked down and saw a drawing of the same h
ooded creature from the forest. That meant two of the old books in her hands showed the exact same monster she’d seen face to face. Could it really be a mere coincidence?
“
But if you do read it,” he said softly. “I’ll tell you whatever it is you want to know.”
Her eyes met his. There was something
deeply hidden there, something that caused her refusal to play his game die on her lips. Something in her gut prompted her to step out on faith.
W
hat other choice did she have?
She met up with Michael at the hospital, who was holding vigil in
Dani’s room. Adele straightened the covers around the unconscious child. “Any change?” she asked Michael.
He shook his head.
“No, but she’s holding on. She’s strong.”
Adele nodded.
“How are you?” he asked softly.
She shrugged and took a seat in the extra chair.
“Going out of my mind, thanks for asking.”
He
didn’t say anything. She was still working it all through, he could tell by the way she studied him. “Why didn’t you tell me about the bites on Lily’s neck?” she asked softly.
He let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair.
“What do you want me to say, Adele? Honestly? You’d never have believed me anyway.”
“
That never stopped you before,” she accused with a slight grin, but he didn’t even smile. That alone scared her half to death. “And that’s why she wasn’t laid out in the church?”
He nodded.
“Isabel told the Maldonados not to, and they listen to everything she says. I thought she was crazy at the time, but…” he trailed off, looking back at Dani. “Now I don’t know what to believe.”
Her eyes followed his, landing on the wounded girl who was fighting from one minute to the other to survive.
“What the hell kind of priest are you anyway,” she asked softly, tears hovering in her eyes.
He met her gaze.
“I’ve been asking myself that same question.”
She hated to see him like that. It was bad enough she was questioning her own sanity. She needed Michael to be what he always was to her – her source of strength.
“I want you to do something for me,” she said.
“
Anything,” he promised immediately.
“
I think it’s time I talked to Isabel.”
He nodded, knowing that if she was willing to speak to a psychic, things were definitely taking a turn for the worse. Adele stood, kissed
Dani’s forehead and left.
CHAPTER
EIGHT
A
dele answered the persistent knock on the door, stunned to find the tall and striking Thaddeus on her doorstep. As before, his intense and unusual gaze set her off center, despite the fact he was carrying a rather impressive bouquet.
“
Yes?” she queried, using the door as a brace between them.
“
Miss,” he bowed. “Nicholas has requested your company for the evening.” He held out the bouquet of blood red roses.
She
didn’t know what to say. Never before had she been sent a human invitation. What would Miss Manners suggest as proper etiquette, she wondered. She finally opened the door a bit more, giving shelter to this strange man from the wind.
“
Come on in,” she said, stepping aside.
He bowed again in thanks as he stepped into the tiny hallway. She took the flowers and headed toward the kitchen. He silently followed.
“Does Mr. Sterling always send you to retrieve his dates?” she asked, grabbing a vase from the cabinet and filling it with water.
“
This is the first time,” he admitted. “You must be special.”
She chuckled. She was far from convinced of that. She arranged the flowers, doing anything and everything to not look into those eyes.
“I think your employer is just an unusual case.”
“
You have no idea,” Thaddeus purred. “He has dinner prepared,” he said as he turned to leave. “The car is outside waiting.”
With that he was gone. There was never a question if she woul
d accept the unusual invitation; it was just assumed that she would. Adele turned once again to the roses. Nicholas was persistent, she thought. With the phone messages she hadn’t answered while in the hospital, to the flowers delivered regularly to her office, sending her partner in crime Brian into hives, he had not let her forget his presence.
And though she tried her level best to do just that, she
found that she couldn’t. She thought about him in the odd, quiet times when she paused to catch her breath. When she’d shower or bathe, or as she was drifting off to sleep, his face would float in front of her mind’s eye and she could practically feel his warm, strong embrace. It was comforting in a way she hadn’t expected. Had she not been so distracted by the terrifying events surrounding her beloved Dani, she’d probably have run deliriously into his arms just to feel it again. He began to fill in a silhouette she had never noticed was hiding in the corners of her troubled psyche. The thought of his hands on her body, the promise of his kiss on her lips, had her thoughts going where they had never before gone.
“What is wrong with me?”
she wondered with a sigh. She was far too old to go gaga over some charming, good-looking stranger. But it was more than that, the other part of her insisted. There was something deeper. Falling headlong into that dark, intense gaze was the safest place she’d ever found. For Adele, that was a big deal.
She
didn’t even bother to change as she grabbed her purse and ran for the door before she could talk herself out of it.
If anyone needed safety at that moment, it was Adele.
Her heart raced all the way back to the hotel. As she drew closer she could almost feel him. Everything seemed to move in slow motion and she grew more and more anxious to be with him. It was as if his heart called her name, and even though she knew it would be better to deny that calling, she found she really didn’t want to resist. She had been flooded with negative emotions for as long as she could remember. Now her body flushed at the mere thought of him, and it wasn’t at all unpleasant.
She thought about Michael with a guilty grin. He
wouldn’t recognize her. He’d never seen her fall for any guy. Not even him.
She sighed as she thought of her oldest and dearest friend
, which grounded her back in reality again. So many people thought they would get married one day and were shocked when he entered the priesthood. They’d been thick as thieves all their lives; they never dated anyone else, they seemed perfectly content to spend every waking moment with each other or at least talking to each other over the phone.
Even Brenda was surprised that they never
got involved. And perhaps they would have, Adele thought, fighting back a tear, if her whole life hadn’t come apart one fortuitous night roughly ten years before.
It was then she knew that she loved him too much to burden him with her probl
ems. No one deserved that, especially Michael. He was the kindest, most loving person she knew. So she distanced herself and was almost relieved when he took his vows of celibacy. Her one true temptation was now safely guarded. All the teenage fantasies of her youth were now tucked away behind the very comforting collar that he wore.
She was safe.
Alone. But safe.
She
wasn’t blind. She knew that Michael cared about her deeply. There had been one kiss a million years ago where she’d pulled back and run away and they never spoke of it again. For one bright shining moment she felt normal, like she could have anything that any other girl could.
But
all too soon she reminded herself that she was far from normal, and Michael deserved oh so much more than what she could give him. She’d never thought she could give anything real to any man.
Until now. Until Nicholas.
As the door opened to the penthouse suite, Adele briefly considered that the events surrounding Dani were making her more susceptible to his charm. He was a titillating distraction from horror movie her life had become. The minute he walked in from the other room, clad in an elegant suit, his hair long and wild about his shoulders, the rest of the world seemed to fade away. What had been and what would be seemed insignificant to what was. All that mattered was they were there in that moment together. Adele had quickly learned from nearly losing Dani that the present was all anyone ever has.
He approached, drinking her in his burning gaze. Her breath caught in her throat as he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. She shivered though his skin was warm.
“You look wonderful,” he murmured.
She shook her head. She was wearing jeans and an old ratty sweater. She
didn’t even wear a speck of makeup. She was white as a ghost, making the circles under her eyes stand out even more. “You lie so effortlessly, Mr. Sterling,” she kidded.
He held a free hand to his chest. “On my honor. I
wouldn’t lie about that.”
Her
eyebrow cocked. “And what would you lie about?”
He just laughed.
“Always the reporter.” He led her toward a beautifully set table. “Come. Let’s eat.”
He pulled out her chair and let her sit. He reached around her, so close she could feel the heat from his body, and took the silver dome from her plate.
“I hope you like quail.”
“
I love it,” she answered. “How did you know?”
He shrugged as he sat.
“Call it a lucky hunch.” He uncovered his own meal. “I used to do quite a bit of hunting when I was younger.”
The memory seemed to pain him.
“For her?” she asked quietly.
His eyes shot to hers.
“How did you know?”
She shrugged.
“Lucky hunch.” Thaddeus approached with a bottle of champagne. “What’s the occasion?”
Thaddeus popped the cork and
filled her glass while consuming her with his eyes. It was almost tiresome how on the spot he made her feel.
Nicholas
didn’t bother to answer as Thaddeus filled his glass. Their eyes met – a silent duel as Nicholas sent him from the room with nothing more than a look of disapproval.
Nicholas waited until Thaddeus had gone before holding his glass up to her.
“That you finally answered my messages and joined me again.”
She held up her glass, unable to tear her eyes from him as she sipped the champagne.
“How could I not reward your tenacity? It’s a quality I can appreciate.”
She proved her point as she relentlessly grilled him on his background over the course of their dinner. He answered every question calmly and directly. Every time he tried to turn the table to have her talk about herself, she would give him a vague answer and then meet it with more questions.
By the end of their meal, she knew when he had started Sterling International, how he’d built it from the ground up, acquiring other companies along the way, turning himself into a self-made millionaire through his world travels.
What she still
didn’t know anything about was Nicholas the man.
“
What are your parents like?” she asked, swirling the last of the champagne in her glass.
“
Dead,” he answered simply. There was no pain, no mourning, just a simple statement of fact. “They died long before I enjoyed true success. A shame, but life is like that, isn’t it?”
He saddened her when he talked like that. This was clearly a man deadened by the weight of his losses.
“And what about your love?” she queried softly.
There was a slight pause.
“The same,” he finally answered. His eyes misted over as he looked at her. She could feel his sadness sweep across the table. He scooted his chair back and walked toward her, offering her a hand. “How about some fresh air?”
She nodded and allowed him to lead her onto the balcony that overlooked the city. “Have you ever heard of the red string of fate?” he asked as they leaned together along the stone railing. She shook her head. “There is an Eastern legend that
says we are tied to significant people in our lives by a red string around our ankles. Destiny links people who are supposed to find each other, help each other, and even love each other, by this unbreakable cord. It knows no distance, no time, no circumstance. No matter what happens, this string will never break.” He glanced toward the sky. “Maybe I believe it because I have to, but I believe that red string will restore what was once stolen.” He glanced down at her upturned face. “Do you believe in destiny, Adele?”
“I never did,” she said softly as she lost herself in his eyes. “But life has a way of testing our beliefs, doesn’t it?”