Travis followed him down the stairs to another door. This one was warded against human intrusion, but not against vampires.
Ronan broke the lock and pushed it open, revealing a rectangular room lit by a couple of wax candles. The air smelled of old sweat and fear. A noxious odor emanated from a bucket in the far corner. Two dozen sleeping bags lined the floor. Nine of them were occupied. Three men. Four women. And two children, who huddled against one of the women. They all cringed when they saw Ronan and Travis standing in the doorway.
Ronan glanced around the basement, his expression filled with disgust, then jerked his thumb toward the door. “Let’s go.”
They didn’t argue. One by one, they rose and shuffled toward the door and climbed the stairs, like sheep on their way to the slaughterhouse.
Travis looked at Ronan. “What are you going to do with them?’ he asked, his voice pitched low.
“I’m going to take them home and then wipe the memory of everything that happened from their minds.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Stay here. I can’t take them all at once.”
Travis nodded as Ronan put his arms around the woman and her children. There was a ripple in the air as the vampire transported them out of the office.
An audible gasp rose from the throats of the remaining people. They stared at Travis, their fear a palpable thing. “Relax,” he said quietly. “You’re safe now.”
As one, they all looked at him, hope in their eyes.
“Trust me,” he said. “No one’s going to hurt you.”
Ronan made three more trips.
“Come on,” he said when all the prisoners had been taken home. “Let’s get out of here.”
Sara couldn’t help flinching when Travis and Ronan suddenly appeared in the living room. Overstreet snored softly in his chair.
Shannah smiled at her husband. “How did it go?”
“We found out who’s behind the kidnappings.”
“Anyone you know?” she asked. Ronan had been a vampire for over five hundred years. He had undoubtedly crossed paths with any number of other vampires.
“His name’s Jarick. I’ve never met him, but I’ve heard of him. He’s known to be totally ruthless.”
“Do you think he’ll come here?” Sara asked.
“Sooner or later,” Ronan said. “Once he realizes exports from Susandale have dried up, I imagine he’ll come around.”
“Dried up?” Shannah asked. “What do you mean?”
“I told the guy in charge at this end that he was out of business as of tonight.”
“And you think he’ll listen?”
“If he’s smart.” Reaching for Shannah’s hand, Ronan pulled her to her feet. “Let’s go, darlin’.” He nodded to Travis and Sara. “We’ll be in touch.”
Sara blinked as both vampires simply disappeared.
“What did the two of you do tonight?”
“I didn’t do much. Ronan persuaded Bowman to tell him where the prisoners were being kept. We went there and Ronan took them all home.”
“Bowman!” Sara thought of Olivia and her children. “How did Ronan get them home?”
“He asked the people where they lived, transported them there, and wiped the memory of everything that happened here from their minds.”
“That’s … unbelievable.”
“I know. But he did it. Are you all right?” Travis asked, taking the seat beside her.
“I guess so.” She glanced at Overstreet as Travis slid his arm around her.
“Don’t worry about him,” Travis said. “I think he’s out for the night.”
With a sigh, Sara snuggled against him. “Do you think things will be better now? Or worse?”
“No way to tell.” His gaze met hers, and then he kissed her lightly. A kiss that quickly grew deeper, longer, and more intimate.
Sara melted into him. It was hard to think about anything else when she was with Travis, when he was holding her, kissing her … unbidden came her earlier conversation with Shannah.
“What’s wrong?” Travis asked, feeling a subtle change in her.
“You’d never turn me against my will, would you?”
“What?” He drew back so he could see her face. “What are you talking about?”
“Shannah said when she got really sick, Ronan turned her even though she’d told him she didn’t want to be a vampire.”
“Believe me, Sara, I’d never do that to you. I give you my word.”
With a sigh, she pulled his arms around her again, her eyelids fluttering down as his lips reclaimed hers. She didn’t know what the future held, but she was young and in love and anything was possible.
Sara woke smiling. She and Travis had kissed and cuddled until the sun came up.
Throwing back the covers as the scent of fresh coffee tickled her nose, she padded into the kitchen where she found Overstreet fixing French toast and bacon.
“’Bout time you woke up,” he said, turning the bacon. “Late night?”
“You could say that.”
“Did I miss something between then and now?”
“What do you mean?”
He twitched one shoulder. “It’s just that things were looking a little grim last night and this morning you’re practically bubbling over with happiness.” He filled two plates and set them on the table, then poured two cups of coffee.
“I can’t help it,” she said, settling into one of the chairs.
He arched one brow as he sat across from her. “Sounds like love to me.”
“Have you ever been in love?”
He grunted. “Who would ever give their heart to an old reprobate like me?”
“I believe there’s someone for everyone.”
“And you think your someone is a vampire?”
Sara stared at him, the joy she had felt earlier snuffed out by that one single word. Vampire.
“I’m sorry,” Overstreet said. “What you do with your life is none of my business. But I’ve seen vampires up close and personal and believe me, they’re not like us.”
Sara nodded. “I know.” Pushing her plate away, she left the table.
Overstreet huffed a sigh and wished he had never listened to Joey Cannon.
Sara showered and dressed, her heart heavy. Not wanting to sit home and think sad thoughts, she decided to open the shop.
“Not without me,” Carl said, grabbing his coat and his notebook.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” she said. “It won’t be dark for hours.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m not leaving you alone.”
“Let’s walk. It’s a beautiful day.”
With a nod, he followed her out the door and down the narrow path to the sidewalk.
Sara frowned. “Do you feel it?” she asked as they made their way down the street.
“Feel what?”
“I’m not sure.” She glanced around. Everything looked the same and yet … something was different. It took her a minute to realize what it was. The sense of oppression that had hung in the air was missing. Funny, she had never noticed it until it was gone. For the first time since moving to Susandale, there were people on the street. Neighbors were outside, talking to each other. Luke and Debbie were playing catch. Deanne was watering her yard.
When they turned onto the street where her shop was located, Sara came to an abrupt halt. Several women were gathered in front of the store, looking in the windows and chatting with each other.
They smiled at her when she unlocked the door. Actually smiled.
Overstreet and Sara exchanged glances, then he went to sit in his usual place in the corner while Sara waited on her customers, none of which she had ever seen before.
It was during a mid-afternoon lull when Deanne came into the shop. “Hello, Sara,” she said, as friendly as can be. “Do you have any lilac bath salts?”
“Yes. It’s right over there.”
With a cheery wave of acknowledgement, Deanne went to
look at the display.
Sara watched as she picked up a bottle of bath salts and three cakes of lilac-scented soap.
“What’s happened?” Sara asked as Deanne placed her selection on the counter. “Something’s changed.” The woman looked different, relaxed, as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
“The vampires have all left town,” Deanne said. “We’re free.”
“Left? Why? Where did they go?”
“I don’t know. And I don’t care.”
“But you didn’t go with them.”
“The only woman who went with them was Sadie Wentworth. I thought Olivia would go, too, but …” Deanne made a vague gesture with her hand. “She decided to stay, probably because of her kids.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Olivia and Sarah were the only two women, besides myself, who were here by choice. The rest of them were here because the vampires compelled them to stay. This was a nice town before Jason Bowman and the others came. I’m hoping it will be again.”
“So, you lived here before the vampires came?”
“Yes. With my husband. Raoul was a vampire, but he never approved of what Jason and the others were doing. We talked about leaving, but …” She shrugged. “We kept putting it off and then, eight months later, he was killed by a hunter.”
“Why didn’t you leave then?”
“I had nowhere else to go, no family. And by that time, the other women were my friends. We relied on each other.”
Sara nodded. Maybe she wouldn’t leave town, after all. “Will this be all?”
“Yes, thanks.”
Sara rang up the woman’s purchases and bid her good day, wondering, as she watched Deanne leave the store, where she got the money to pay for the things she’d bought.
The rest of the day passed quickly and since business had been so good, Sara closed at six. Overstreet decided that he’d imposed on Sara’s hospitality long enough and since the vampires were gone, he decided to go back to his room in the hospital.
At home, Sara slipped into a pair of sweat pants and a tee shirt, tied her hair back in a ponytail, then headed for the kitchen to start dinner.
She decided on spaghetti, and while the water boiled, she opened all the windows, something she hadn’t done since she discovered there were vampires in the town.
Conscious of the coming night, she wondered if Travis was awake and if he knew the vampires had left. She smiled, thinking that Ronan and Shannah would be able to go home. She would be relieved to see the last of Travis’ sire. Being in the same room with him had scared her half to death.
Dinner was over and the dishes done when Travis knocked at her door.
She met him with an enthusiastic, “Hi!”
“Judging by that smile on your face, I’m guessing you heard the vampires have all left town,” he said.
She nodded as she tugged him toward the sofa. “Isn’t it wonderful? Did you know that most of the women were kept here against their will? I’ll bet that’s why I rarely saw them. They were probably afraid they’d let something slip.”
“I think you’re right.” He dropped down on the sofa beside her, his hand curling around hers.
He was different, too, Sara thought. More relaxed than he had been in days. She hadn’t realized until now that he’d been on edge, too. When his gaze met hers, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to go into his arms. To raise her head so he could brush her lips with his. So she could wrap her arms around his neck and climb onto his lap and kiss him in return.
She shivered with pleasure as his hand slid up and down her back, then dropped to stroke her thigh.
“Sara.” He groaned low in his throat as his rising desire aroused his hunger.
She pulled back a little, her gaze searching his. “Travis? What’s wrong?”
“I’m all right.”
“You don’t sound all right.” She frowned, then murmured, “Oh.”
“Yeah.” He threaded his fingers through her hair. “I should have … ah …” He cleared his throat. “You know, before I came to see you, but I wanted to make sure you’d heard the good news.”
“Maybe you should go now and … you know.”
He kissed the tip of her nose, then set her on the sofa. “Okay if I come back after?”
Sara nodded. “Hurry.”
Like Sara, Travis had noticed the change in the town as soon as he roused from the dark sleep. The aura of danger and oppression and fear was gone.
Not wanting to feed on any of the women in town, he went to the neighboring city. He was strolling along a side street, searching for prey, when he saw Ronan striding toward him. Startled, he came to an abrupt halt, his hands clenching as his sire paused beside him.
“Am I intruding on your hunting ground?” Ronan asked.
“And if you are?”
“Proper etiquette demands that I go elsewhere.”
“Is that another rule you failed to teach me?”
Ronan shook his head. “Still waiting for an apology?”
“No. And you don’t need my permission to hunt here. Or anywhere else. Bowman and the others left Susandale.”
“I know. I can’t help wondering why.”
“I figured they were afraid of you. They sure as hell aren’t afraid of me. Where’s Shannah?”
“She went home. I told her I’d join her in a day or so.” He jerked his head toward a pair of women coming toward them. “Shall we?”
“Father and son dining together for the first time,” Travis said, his lips twitching in amusement. “I’ll have to make a note in my diary.”
Chapter 20
With the vampires gone, there was a dramatic change in the town. The women spent more time outside. Tourists stayed longer. Sara realized belatedly that visitors hadn’t left early of their own free will. The vampires had kidnapped most of them. The very idea made her shudder as she imagined being imprisoned and then sold as prey to hungry vampires. It was worse than slavery, she thought bleakly, and wondered how long a vampire could drink from someone before they died. Or did they keep them like cattle? Thrusting the disquietly image away, she wondered what they had done with the cars, vans, and motor homes left behind.
With the change in the atmosphere, some of the tourists passing through decided to stay. There was no government in the town, so no one objected when Robert Clary, a retired Los Angeles police officer, decided to take on the duties of Sheriff. Or when Leonard Amata, a retired general practitioner, hung up his shingle at the hospital. Without the vampires to heal the women when they got hurt or sick, a doctor was just what Susandale needed to look after the town’s inhabitants.
Winona smiled more. She hired a cook who went by the name of Oscar. She also hired his daughter, Mercy, as a waitress.
Within a month, Susandale had turned into a bustling little town.
Four of the women decided to leave town. They sold their homes to a realtor in the neighboring city and moved away. Weeks later, three families with children ranging in age from a few weeks to seventeen moved in. One of the women, Mary Robbins, mother to twin six-year-old girls, was a teacher, who found a vacant building and turned it into a school.
Sara was amazed at the changes. Susandale was like a different place. She knew now that it had been the vampire’s influence that had hung over the town like a dark cloud. People who had sensed it had hurried through without stopping. Those unaware had been captured and sold by the vampires.
“Isn’t it amazing?” Sara remarked one night while sitting on the front porch swing with Travis. “So many changes in such a short time.”
He nodded, thinking how glad he was that he’d come to this town. Since meeting Sara, his life, while still not normal, was a hundred percent better than it had been before. Most amazing of all, since meeting Sara, his nightmares had stopped. Ronan had left town the day after Shannah went home, which was also a bonus as far as Travis was concerned.
They sat in silence for a time and t
hen, needing to touch her, he slipped his arm around Sara’s waist. She sighed and snuggled against him as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He didn’t know what it was, but there was something about being near her that filled him a sense of peace.
Putting a finger under her chin, he tilted her face up, his gaze meeting hers before he kissed her. Sara clutched at his shirt front when his tongue dipped inside to duel with hers. It lit a fire deep inside her that she felt clear down to her toes.
“Maybe you two should get a room.”
Sara’s eyes flew open at the sound of Overstreet’s voice.
Travis grimaced as the journalist climbed the stairs. “What’s up?”
“Nothing. I got bored and decided to take a walk.” He groaned softly as he eased his bulk down onto the top step.
“Can I get you something, Carl?” Sara asked. “Soda? A cup of coffee?”
“I don’t want to intrude.”
“A little late for that, don’t you think?” Travis remarked irritably.
Sara sent Travis a quelling glance. “Carl?”
“Coffee would be great if it’s not too much trouble.”
“No trouble at all,” Sara said. “It’ll just take a minute.”
Travis glared at Overstreet after Sara went inside. “What are you doing here?”
“I told you. I was bored. I can’t write all the time. I needed a break.”
“What are you working on? Your story left town with the vampires.”
“Yeah.” He huffed a sigh. “Do you think they’re gone for good?”
Travis shrugged. “Who knows? I can’t think of any reason for them to come back.”
“Unless they’re holed up somewhere nearby, just waiting for Ronan to move on.”
“He already did.”
“Oh? I didn’t know that. I guess there’s nothing to stop Bowman and the others from coming back and taking up where they left off then. Except you.”
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