by Lisa Kessler
It felt like she’d already lost him. Kate wiped her tears away and stared at the horizon, waiting for the sun to set. It was crazy to feel this way. She knew Calisto well enough to know he would never blame her for this. She hadn’t been unfaithful to anyone.
Maybe he’d be happy about raising a child with her.
She clung to the thought like a life preserver to keep from drowning in the sea of doubt. She wanted to be excited for the baby and impending motherhood, but somewhere inside a dark shadow lurked that she couldn’t seem to shake. Until nightfall when Calisto came home, she was alone.
Alone and afraid.
Jose stood on the balcony, watching the wind slide its invisible fingers through Kate’s hair, envying the softness it caressed. She looked like a fragile flower, small and alone on the sand, and yet she was so much more. Kate was his sacrificial lamb, his means to immortality. She would make his dream possible, and he supposed in some small way, he loved her for that. Maybe he would tell her later while he made her cry out in pain.
A cold grin curled his thin lips at the thought.
But he wasn’t ready for the final battle yet. He had crafted a false identity, infiltrated Calisto’s home and his closest confidants without any of them ever suspecting his true desires. He shared Betty’s bed at night and Kate’s company during the day, all the while leaving threats to keep Calisto distracted and defensive. Anything to keep his mind off of making Kate a Night Walker.
But he wasn’t sure the threats were necessary anymore.
Kate talked about Calisto incessantly. It was painfully obvious she had no idea about his true nature. Perhaps the Church had been wrong all these years.
Maybe the Night Walker had no intention of making her a blood-drinker. Not that it mattered. The concerns of the Church had never really mattered to him in the slightest. What did matter was keeping her mortal long enough for him to gain victory over death.
Eternity would be his to claim.
Ever since he learned of the Night Walker’s existence, when the Fraternidad del Fuego Santo took him into their fold, he dreamed of the day they would meet face to face. And tonight his dream would become reality. Betty had arranged for the four of them to go to dinner together. He already counted down the minutes until he looked Calisto Terana in the eyes.
With a smug smile, Jose disappeared inside the house. He retrieved his leather attaché case and pulled out a small package.
He entered the office. “Someone just dropped this off for Calisto.”
Betty looked up from her paperwork with a smile. “You can leave it here on the desk. Calisto will find it when he gets home.”
He laid the box on the corner of the desk with an inward grin. He wished he could see the Night Walker’s face when he opened it.
“Who delivered this?”
The sound of Betty’s voice shook him from his thoughts. His eyes cut up to meet her gaze.
He shrugged. “A delivery man.”
Betty eyed the box. “Did you notice what he looked like?”
“No. Why? Is there something wrong?”
Betty glared at the box before looking up at him. “Not really, it’s just that I signed for a little box like this a couple weeks ago and the courier was… I don’t know how to describe it, really. He just seemed creepy, like he was a stalker or something. I tried to track down where the package came from so I could complain, but no one in town had record of making a delivery here.”
“That is strange. I’m glad he hasn’t been back,” he said, masking his features with a look of mild concern, but inside he laughed. Betty considered herself a shrewd businesswoman, someone who could spot a fraud in a heartbeat. Yet she was fucking the creepy deliveryman, and she hadn’t the slightest idea.
All he had to do was cut his hair, shave, and speak without a faked accent. Of course it wasn’t really her fault. Betty had never met a man of his caliber before.
“Me, too.” Betty glanced at the clock on the desk. “We’d better get going. I want to grab a shower and change before we meet Calisto and Kate for dinner.”
He pulled Betty into his arms. “She doesn’t hold a candle to your beauty.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Betty beamed at him.
“Yes, you do,” he whispered, nipping at her bottom lip when he kissed her. “Not to worry, tonight will be perfect.”
Kate was in the shower when Calisto returned. He smiled, holding a Romneya as he crossed the room. He tapped his knuckles against the door before entering.
“I missed you.”
“You’re home… ” Kate called from inside the shower.
“Si. How was your day?”
Silence.
Calisto frowned, staring at her through the frosted glass of the shower door. “Kate?”
“I’m fine.”
“Did you go to the doctor?”
She turned off the water and grabbed the towel. She wrapped herself before she opened the shower door.
“Yup. But I don’t want to get into that right now. I’ve got to get ready. We’re supposed to meet Betty and Jose for dinner in an hour.”
Calisto watched her move from one place to another, dressing and brushing her hair and searching for shoes… And never once looking up at him.
Something was wrong.
As she passed by again, he pulled her into his arms, lifting her chin to meet his eyes. “Talk to me, Kate. Please… What did the doctor say?”
Her eyes welled with tears, and she shook her head, blinking them back. “I can’t talk about it right now. If I do, we’ll never make it to the restaurant in time.” Her eyes searched his, pleading with him silently. “Please, Calisto. Just let it go for now.”
His chest tightened with worry, but he found himself nodding and releasing her from his arms. He couldn’t force her to tell him, and as much as he longed to search her mind for answers, he fought the temptation. He had to trust her judgment. Surely if her condition was serious the doctor would have admitted her to the hospital.
It was impossible not to watch her and wonder what her secret might be. He looked over her body for any outward sign of whatever might ail her. Her eyes looked red against her pale skin. She had been crying, and it stabbed at his heart. But for now she wanted space, so he would do his best to honor her wishes.
He went to his closet, quietly changing his clothes, senses registering her every breath. He was no longer sure he would be able to maintain his precarious control over his emotions during dinner.
“We should cancel the dinner tonight.” He buttoned the cuffs of his long-sleeved shirt.
“It’s too late to cancel now,” Kate said, still searching for her shoes. “Besides we need to eat.”
“Whatever it is, we can face it together.”
Her shoe search halted for a moment, and he could see a sigh escape her.
“I hope so.” She looked over at him with a weak smile. “Let’s just try to forget about it for now and have a nice dinner together, okay?”
“I will do my best.” Calisto turned back to slide his jacket off of the hanger. “That is all I can offer you.”
He adjusted his coat. “I am going to check my desk upstairs while you finish getting ready.” He leaned in close and kissed her cheek tenderly. “I love you, Kate.”
And with that he left. He needed to clear his head and think. Allowing himself to move quickly, he went up the stairs and entered the main house. When he reached his office, he froze. An unmarked package sat on the edge of his desk.
Yet another reason he should skip the infernal dinner date, but Kate had made it clear she wanted to go. As much as he wanted to cancel, he could refuse her nothing.
He went to his desk, tearing open the plain brown box and reaching inside. What he pulled out of the box made his heart stop. Dangling at the end of Calisto’s fingertips was a pair of Kate’s white silk panties, stained and reeking of semen. Red ink covered the fabric. On the front it read simply, Soon she will kn
ow me. The rest of the fabric was covered inside and out with the words Again and again and again scrawled all over the silk in a frenzied script of red ink.
He shoved the underwear back into the box. This was no monk. This was a madman. And he was after Kate.
“Are you ready to go?”
Calisto looked up as Kate walked into his office. She had the flower he brought for her tucked behind her ear, and all at once he realized he was trapped. She was just as innocent to what lay in store for her now as she had been over 200 years ago. Again her life was threatened, and not because of her own doing, but simply because she loved him.
While he wanted to find the sick monk and kill him slowly and painfully, it was clear that he couldn’t leave Kate’s side, not even for a second. Not now.
Fate was attempting to repeat itself, and it seemed they were once again set on a collision course with tragedy. This time he would change the end of their story, or die trying.
If dying were still an option for him anymore.
He took her hand and kissed her knuckles tenderly, masking the dread that festered inside of him. “You look incredible.”
She moved into his arms, and he closed his eyes, holding her tight. It had been centuries since he’d experienced fear. He had almost forgotten what it felt like.
He remembered now.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jose had waited for years for this moment, to confront the immortal Night Walker. Now, he sat across the table from him talking about mundane topics such as the upcoming opera season and whether or not the San Diego Symphony would be able to maintain paying union wages.
He participated in the casual conversation, while still maintaining the constant drone in the back of his mind, reciting the ancient chant that had been drilled into his memory. They had prepared him to watch the Night Walker from a distance, not to dine with him at the same table, but Jose wasn’t worried.
Even if Calisto uncovered his true thoughts and identity, he felt confident he wouldn’t be harmed. The public place and the women who shared their table protected him. He and Betty were lovers, and now Kate considered him a friend. Both women would think Calisto was a monster if he suddenly attacked him.
And once the sun came up, the Night Walker would be helpless to stop him.
Perfect. Tonight, everything would change.
Amidst the conversation that surrounded him, Jose analyzed Calisto’s behavior and smiled inwardly. The box he left had obviously shaken the Night Walker. He seemed distant, and his gaze tracked every new patron, examining them. Each person became a suspect.
Jose chuckled at the irony playing out before him. While Calisto sat preoccupied with his search for danger, he never suspected he dined with his foe. Calisto had no idea the man he sought sat no more than three feet away from him.
And seeing the haunted gaze in the Night Walker’s eyes, as though Kate was already gone, only sweetened Jose’s victory.
Calisto watched Kate sip her water. He’d watched everything tonight. He couldn’t help it. What if the monk spied on them right now, plotting to harm her? Every person who entered the restaurant drew his attention as he lightly scanned their thoughts for any sign they were looking for him, or for Kate. Paranoia threatened to take over, but it was difficult to control it when he knew someone wanted to hurt her. He couldn’t concentrate on anything, and his head throbbed with worry.
“Calisto?”
He blinked when Kate’s hand brushed up his thigh.
“Did you hear a word I just said?” She raised her eyebrows and smiled, but tight lines rimmed her mouth.
“Forgive me.” He rested his hand over hers.
He ached to peer into her mind and know what ailed her, but he wouldn’t. He had to trust her. It would be far too tempting to dig deeper into her mind, to invade her privacy on such a personal level. He would never forgive himself for such a breach of her trust.
He patted her hand. “I was too lost in your beauty to hear the words you spoke.”
She laughed, and for a moment, her tense shoulders relaxed.
“You find this funny?”
“That was a fine piece of flattery to cover up the fact you weren’t listening to a single word I said.” Kate chuckled.
“Am I forgiven?”
“You are if you pay the bill.” Kate handed the small leather binder to him with a grin. “I thanked you for dinner and said I’d never been here before.”
Calisto took the check from her. “I am glad you enjoyed it.”
His words died away as his gaze shifted to the man sitting across the table from him. Was Jose glaring at him?
Calisto stared at the other man as he gently reached into Jose’s mind and… The chant.
The same chant the last Spanish priest had used to mask his thoughts.
Jose knew the chant.
Rage tore through Calisto. The threat he had searched for sat at his own table, and he had been too distracted with worry to notice. Calisto ground his teeth with pent-up fury, his cold stare cutting into his adversary.
This man had been in his house with Kate nearly every day. Jose’s mouth curved into a hateful smirk. Calisto wanted to kill him right where he sat. He rose from his chair suddenly, fighting to keep his voice down. “Please excuse us, ladies. Jose and I need to talk.”
“We do?” Jose wore a clever mask of surprise.
“Si,” Calisto practically growled. “Come.”
Jose politely smiled at Kate and placed a soft kiss to Betty’s cheek. “I will be right back.”
Calisto followed Jose, struggling to keep himself from ripping Jose’s heart out. He needed to wait until they were alone, then he would tear the arrogant bastard apart piece by miserable piece.
Jose stopped once they reached the main entry of the restaurant. “You don’t really think I would be stupid enough to be alone with you, do you?”
Calisto fought to keep his eyes from glowing red with hatred. “Do you think a crowd of people can protect you after all you have done? If so, then you have greatly underestimated who you are dealing with.”
“I don’t agree. In fact, you disappoint me. You’re hardly the foe I dreamed you might be. I have been with your women, in your house many times. I could have raped and killed them both any time I wished.”
Calisto’s fists tightened at his sides as he battled to cage his fury. “If that were true, then what stopped you?”
“They are not what I want, but they do provide me with a way to get it.”
“I know what you want, and the Fraternidad is wrong. I have no intention of cursing Kate with an eternal existence. I will not make her a Night Walker. There is no reason for them to interfere.”
Jose laughed and shook his head. His twisted smile sent chills through Calisto. “Do you think I care what the Fraternidad wants? They were simply a means to get what I desire. The Church’s limited view of what could be gained is almost as pitiful as your own. You could be a god, worshipped, have money and power, and yet you sit in your office and pretend that you’re a mortal man. You live a pathetic existence when you could have the world groveling at your feet.”
“You’re mad.” Calisto grabbed the collar of Jose’s jacket, jerking him up close. A deep growl emanated from Calisto’s chest. He reached out with his mind, seeking to coax Jose to come outside with him, but the constant repetitive chant kept the madman immune, blocking Calisto’s silent suggestions.
“Yes, why not kill me right here in front of all these witnesses? And don’t forget Betty and Kate are waiting for me to return. What will they think of you when you have my blood on your hands? I am their friend. You’ll be the madman, not me.” He narrowed his eyes. “Now put me down.”
Calisto threw him back, sickened at how impotent he felt. “What is it you want from me?”
Jose wet his lips like a hungry wolf. “I want immortality.”
Calisto clenched his hands into fists. “Impossible.”
“Then you will lose her again
. I will take Kate’s life while you sleep. I’ll kill her slowly too, enjoy every soft whimper of pain. But first I’ll enjoy her moans when I taste her sweet flesh and remind her what being with a real hot-blooded man is—”
Calisto cut him off, his fingers tightening around Jose’s throat. He pinned the wiry man to the wall. The monk clawed at him, struggling to break free.
He couldn’t kill Jose here, with so many witnesses.
But he would kill him.
Calisto leaned in close to his ear and growled, “I will find you, Jose. I will hunt you down and slaughter you. No one will ever find your body and the women will never know. This is not a threat, it is my solemn vow.”
He freed Jose from his grip, watching the other man cough as the color returned to his skin.
“You think it will be so easy to rid yourself of me?” Jose rasped, gasping for air.
A cold, deadly smile pulled at Calisto’s mouth. “Yes.”
Calisto spun around and made his way back to their table. He was finished listening to the madman from the Fraternidad. He needed to get Kate out of there, now. He could deal with Jose once he knew she was out of harm’s reach.
“Thank you for your company tonight, Bettina,” Calisto offered Kate his hand. “Forgive me, but I have some pressing business to attend to, and we really must be going.”
Kate took his hand and stood, sliding her arms into her coat when Calisto held it up for her. “Goodnight Betty. Please let Jose know that we enjoyed his company.”
Before she could say anything else, Calisto led her away. He considered warning Betty about Jose, but harming her would get him no closer to immortality. His assistant wasn’t the monk’s target. The woman on his arm was.
And he needed to get her as far away as possible.
Once they were outside, Kate tugged at his hand. “Calisto, stop.” She steadied herself, catching her breath. “What’s going on?”
He scanned the parking lot for Jose. “We need to talk. But not here. Far away from here.”
“Is this about the doctor appointment today?”
His heart pounded with urgency. Jose’s scent still lingered on the night wind.