He released her after a moment, his nostrils flaring as he cupped her chin and turned her head to the side. He sniffed the shallow cut on her forehead. “Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked dubiously. “Maybe you should sit down.”
“I’m fine.” With a shake of her head, Abbey sat in her favorite chair, her legs tucked beneath her.
Rane sat across from her, his hands resting on his knees. “Tell me about this man you met.”
“There isn’t much to tell. I mean, I hardly know him.”
“Where did you meet him?”
“In a computer store,” she said, grinning at the memory.
“Does he know who you are?”
Abbey frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I smell vampire on you.”
“What?” Abbey blinked at him. “Are you sure?”
“New York City’s a big place. There’s no way for me to detect his or her identity. It could be your friend, it could have been some vampire who brushed against you by accident.”
Abbey stared at her father. Could Nick be a vampire? Even as she told herself it was ridiculous, she knew it was true. “That’s how he knew my middle name,” she muttered.
Rane’s head jerked up. “What?”
“The night I met him. He called me Abbey Marie. I never told him my middle name.”
Rane nodded, his expression troubled. “I don’t want you to see him again.”
“Come on, Dad, you’re a vampire and you don’t want me to date one?”
“Abbey . . .”
“You’re not suggesting he knew who I was and met me for some nefarious reason, are you?”
“Stranger things have happened.”
Stalling for time because she couldn’t think of a valid counterargument, she kicked off her sandals, made a fuss about lining them up side by side next to her chair. It wasn’t always easy, being the adopted daughter of a vampire and the only mortal in the family. They knew things she didn’t know, possessed supernatural powers she sometimes envied.
“So, what’s the big deal if he knew who I was?” she asked at length. “What could he hope to gain by meeting me?”
“It depends. He could be one of those rare vampires that hunt their own kind. He could be looking for Mara. He could be looking for that will-o’-the-wisp cure of Pearl’s.” Rane leaned forward and pinched her cheek. “Maybe he just wanted to seduce a pretty girl.”
“Right.”
“Listen, why don’t you come home for a while? We haven’t seen much of you lately. Your mom misses you.”
“I know. I miss her, too. Why didn’t she come with you?”
“I decided to come on the spur of the moment. She was still resting when I left.”
Abbey nodded. Her mother, Savanah, hadn’t accepted the Dark Gift until the year after Abbey graduated from high school, making Savanah the youngest vampire in the family. Because Rane had sired her, and because he had consumed Mara’s blood, Savanah was able to be up during the day. However, she usually rested when the sun was at its zenith. Abbey had often wondered if her mother regretted giving up her humanity, though she had never found the nerve to ask.
“So, what do you say, honey? Will you come home for a while?”
Abbey nodded, thinking how foolish she had been to leave in the first place. After selling their home in Porterville, her parents had bought a beautiful place near Auburn. The two-story ranch-style house sat on ten acres. Besides the house, there was a big, old barn, a chicken coop, and several corrals. A stream ran through the back of the property; pines and oaks covered the gently rolling hills. It was the perfect place for her mother to fulfill her secret dream of raising horses.
“Your mom bought a new mare,” Rane remarked, hoping to tip the scales in his favor.
“Really?” One of the things Abbey missed in New York was riding across open country. Until now, she hadn’t realized how much she had missed it. True, you could ride in Central Park, but riding some plodding stable hack just wasn’t the same as riding a horse with some spunk.
“All right, Dad,” Abbey said, grinning. “You convinced me.”
She would miss seeing Nick again, but what if her father was right? What if Nick was up to no good?
Besides, there were enough vampires in her life. She didn’t need another one.
It didn’t take her long to pack. She had been staying in a furnished, rented apartment; all that belonged to her—her clothing and personal effects, her books and a few knickknacks—fit easily into two large suitcases.
Since she had already paid the last month’s rent, all she had to do was let her landlord know she was leaving. When that was done, she took one last look around to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything and she was ready to go.
Rane held one of her suitcases, Abbey held the other, along with her purse.
A rush of anticipation swept through her when her father wrapped his arm around her waist.
“Ready?” he asked.
Abbey nodded.
“All right, then. Here we go.”
Abbey felt a rush of nervous excitement as her father called upon his preternatural power and transported the two of them from her apartment in New York to their living room in Northern California. It was an awesome experience, hurtling through time and space. It always left her feeling slightly disoriented and a little queasy.
She dropped her suitcase and her handbag on the floor, then sank onto the nearest chair while she waited for the world to right itself and her head to stop spinning.
“You okay, honey?” Rane asked.
“Fine.” What was it like, she wondered, to be able to think yourself anywhere you wished to go?
They had left New York City at four, but in California, it was only one in the afternoon, Pacific time. Her mother was still resting.
Abbey glanced around. The room was just as she remembered it. The walls were still white, the carpet a light blue plush, the curtains—heavily lined to block the sun—were a darker shade of blue. A pair of high-backed sofas covered in a flowered print flanked the fireplace; a pair of easy chairs covered in the same shade of blue as the drapes faced the hearth.
Rane dropped her second suitcase beside the first. “I’ll take these up to your room later.”
“Thanks, Dad, but I can do it.”
“You always were an independent kid.”
“Well, I guess I learned that from you.”
“Is that right? I always thought you got it from your mother’s side of the family. Oh, you might want to go pick up some groceries,” Rane suggested, handing her the keys to his car.
Abbey glanced at the keys, then grinned at him. “Really, Dad? Another new car?”
“She’s fast. Take it easy on the curves. Maybe we’ll try out that new mare when you get back,” he said with a wink. “She’s fast, too.”
“Sounds great. I won’t be gone long.”
Thinking how good it was to be home again, Abbey tucked the keys into her purse and went out to the garage. She whistled softly when she saw her dad’s new car. Like his father and his brother, Rane Cordova loved fast cars. This one was as black as sin, with black leather upholstery and every extra imaginable.
When she slid behind the wheel, the dashboard lit up as the onboard computer sparked to life, and asked for her destination.
“Howard’s Market, no faster than the speed limit.”
“Yes, miss.”
Abbey buckled her seat belt, then sat back, and let the car do the driving.
She had a lot to think about. She knew she was welcome to stay with her parents for as long as she wished. A visit was one thing, but she was too old to live at home and sponge off Mom and Dad. Not that they would mind, but she needed to do something with her life, make her mark on the world before she was too old....
Abbey shook her head. Why was she so obsessed with aging all of a sudden? She was still young; she had a good long life ahead of her. Places she wanted to go. Things she wanted to do.
Savanah had made sure they celebrated all the holidays while Abbey was growing up. Turkey and all the fixings at Thanksgiving and Christmas, ham at Easter. Her father had joined them at the table, sipping wine while Abbey and her mother ate until they couldn’t hold another bite.
Savanah never mentioned those bygone holiday feasts, but sometimes, when Abbey was eating something her mother had once loved, Abbey glimpsed a hint of longing in her mother’s eyes.
An hour later, Abbey was back home and putting her groceries away. She found a note from her father on the fridge. It read: I’m at the barn, waiting for you.
After quickly stowing the last of the canned goods in the cupboard, Abbey hurried up to her room and changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, pulled on her favorite riding boots, and ran out the back door, heading for the stable.
As she passed the corrals, she noted there were three yearlings in one, and a couple of black-and-white heifers in the other. A large yellow cat dozed in the shade beside the barn.
Abbey found her father outside the barn, currying a lovely Appaloosa mare. His favorite mount, a long-legged bay gelding, whinnied softly as Abbey approached.
“What do you think of her?” Rane asked, resting one arm on the mare’s back.
“She’s beautiful!” The mare was predominantly black, with one white stocking. A spotted white blanket covered her hindquarters.
“She’s yours.”
“Mine? But I thought you said Mom bought her.”
“She did. She bought the mare for you.”
Abbey stroked the Appy’s neck, ran her fingers through the short, silky mane. “Hi, girl,” she murmured. “Have you got a name?”
“Her previous owner called her Freckles, but I suppose you can call her anything you like.”
“Freckles suits her.”
“Well, saddle her up and let’s go,” Rane said.
The mare had a smooth, rocking chair gait. She responded quickly to the touch of Abbey’s heels and seemed to be bomb-proof, unruffled by a jack rabbit that darted across her path, unperturbed when a flock of birds burst from cover and took to the air.
Abbey glanced at her father as they rode across the pasture, side by side. He was a handsome man, with chiseled features, a strong jaw, and long black hair. Years ago, he had been a magician, performing as The Remarkable Renaldo, The Marvelous Marvello, The Amazing Antoine, and Santoro the Magnificent. Of course, the magic he had performed wasn’t magic in the usual sense of the word, merely a display of his preternatural powers.
Sometimes she forgot that he was a vampire, that he had to drink blood to survive. He rarely spoke of his past, but Mara had once told her that he regretted every life he had taken as a young vampire, that for most of his life he had refused to walk in the sun’s light because he thought of himself as evil.
He wasn’t evil, she thought, but the kindest, sweetest man in the whole world.
And then there was her mother, Savanah, a direct descendent of that infamous vampire hunter, Abraham Van Helsing.
As always, thinking of her parents brought a smile to her face. It just didn’t seem possible that a vampire and the descendent of a vampire hunter could ever find happiness together.
“What’s so funny?” Rane asked.
“I was just thinking about you and Mom. Yours has to be the strangest love story I’ve ever heard.”
“I can’t argue with that,” her father agreed.
“I guess opposites really do attract.”
“So they say. Are you ready to let her out?”
At Abbey’s nod, Rane touched his heels to his mount’s flanks. With a toss of his head, the big bay gelding broke into a lope.
With a whoop, Abbey urged her own mount into a gallop. It was wonderful, exhilarating, racing across the ground with the wind in her face, the sound of the mare’s hooves pounding over the ground, the sense of freedom that engulfed her.
They rode until the horses broke a sweat, then turned back toward home.
“So, what do you think you’ll do now?” her father asked after a time.
“I don’t know.” Abbey shrugged. “Got any ideas?”
“Your mom can always use help with the horses. Right now, we’re paying a college kid to come by and feed the stock in the morning, but he’s starting a new job tomorrow, so today was his last day.”
Abbey chewed on her lower lip. It did sound tempting.
“If you don’t want to feel like you’re mooching off of us, we can make it a business deal. I can even put it in writing. I’ll pay you a fair salary. And if you want a place of your own, you can live in the cottage out back. If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll even charge you rent. What do you say? Do you need to think it over?”
What was there to think about? It was the best offer she’d had since she’d left home.
It was only later, alone in her room, that Abbey had second thoughts. If she stayed in California, she would probably never see Nick again.
Chapter Six
At sundown, Nick left his secondary lair located in New Jersey. A thought took him to his condo. Even before he opened the door, he knew Abbey was gone.
He grunted softly. He wasn’t surprised that she wasn’t there. After all, he hadn’t really expected her to spend the day waiting for him. What surprised him was the depth of his disappointment. He hardly knew the girl, and yet he was drawn to her in ways he couldn’t explain.
After leaving the condo, he strolled the crowded streets to her apartment. He loved hunting in New York. A vampire could find prey on every corner, he thought with a wry grin, and there was no end of variety. Male and female—and some who hadn’t yet made up their minds—people of every ethnic origin imaginable. A veritable smorgasbord of humanity to choose from.
But it wasn’t prey on his mind just now.
He took the stairs to Abbey’s apartment two at a time. An indrawn breath told him she wasn’t here, either. A second breath told him another vampire had been there not long ago.
Frowning, Nick returned to the street. He had smelled vampire on her before, but not this particular vampire. Was she in the habit of keeping company with the Undead? The thought that she might be a hunter skittered, unwanted, across his mind again.
Was it possible that the lovely Abbey Marie was not the innocent she seemed?
Determined to see her again, hunter or not, he opened his vampire senses, homing in on the blood link that bound them together.
Chapter Seven
Abbey woke early on her first day back at home. For a moment, she lay in bed, listening to the familiar sounds of the house. Outside, a rooster crowed. Smiling, she threw back the covers, bounded out of bed, and headed for the shower. It had been a long time since she’d gotten up with the chickens, she thought with a grin.
After showering, she pulled on a pair of jeans, donned a red sweatshirt over a white T-shirt, and tugged on a pair of well-worn boots. A cup of coffee and a doughnut served as breakfast.
Although her parents could both be up and about during the day, they preferred to sleep late, often not rising until midafternoon.
With that thought in mind, Abbey grabbed three apples and hurried down to the barn, eager to ride while the air was still cool. She could move into the cottage later. Right now, she wanted to see her horse.
Freckles whinnied softly when Abbey entered the barn. Her father’s gelding and her mother’s chestnut added their greetings to the Appy’s.
“Hey, girl.” Abbey offered the apples to the horses, idly scratched the mare’s neck while Freckles quickly devoured hers, then sniffed Abbey’s hand, looking for more.
After dropping
a halter over the Appy’s head, Abbey led her out of the stall. She picked the mare’s feet and gave her coat a quick going-over with a dandy brush before lifting the heavy Western saddle into place.
Abbey tightened the cinch, gave Freckles an affectionate pat on the rump, and swung onto her back. Nudging the mare with her heels, she rode out of the barn and into the cool, misty morning.
Holding Freckles to a walk, Abbey wondered why she had ever left home. She loved it here, loved the horses, the cattle, the sense of freedom that riding gave her. How had she ever thought to find happiness in a small apartment in a crowded city?
When Freckles tugged on the reins, Abbey loosened her hold and the mare took off running. As they flew across the dew-damp grass, laughter bubbled up inside Abbey. Oh, how she had missed this! The sting of the wind in her face, the power of the animal beneath her, the rhythmic pounding of hooves. It was exhilarating.
Abbey let Freckles run flat out until, sides heaving, the mare slowed of her own accord.
Abbey reined Freckles to a halt in the shade of a tall oak. After dismounting, she stood there a moment, idly scratching the mare’s ears while taking in the beauty of the land that stretched away into the distance, the vast blue vault of the sky. The air was crisp, redolent with the scents of earth and grass, trees and sage.
After a time, she started walking back toward the barn, leading the Appy to give her time to cool out.
Abbey hadn’t gone far when she had the uneasy feeling that she was being watched. She glanced behind her and from side to side, but saw no one, yet the feeling remained. Someone was watching her. She was sure of it.
As nonchalantly as she could, she stepped into the saddle, took up the reins, and kicked the mare into a gallop. Heart pounding, Abbey leaned over Freckles’s neck, afraid to look behind her. She told herself she was being foolish. There was no one there, but she didn’t stop until they reached the barn.
Once safely there, she felt like an idiot.
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