by Elisa Adams
Rex sputtered for a few minutes before he regained his composure. Barely. His face relaxed, but his body still shook so hard Wil was afraid he might topple over. “What did you do to her?”
Wil said nothing. Let the man draw his own conclusions. He walked toward Rex and pulled out of his pocket the knife he’d retrieved from his hotel room when he’d checked out earlier. It was bigger than the last one he’d threatened Rex with. Long and thin, the blade serrated on both sides. The handle was a dark wood, intricately carved and laden with multicolored jewels. It was a favorite piece of Wil’s, one of the most valuable in his collection. A very rare piece he’d picked up years ago and often put to use.
“What is that?” Rex asked, swallowing hard as he backed up toward the far wall. His back hit the wall with a thump, his eyes going wide and his lips parting.
“A few hundred years ago, it was used as a ceremonial blade in certain black magic ceremonies. Ones involving human sacrifice. Pretty, isn’t it?”
Rex shook his head, his brow glistening with sweat. “You’re sick.”
“I just thought since you were so kind to share your…collection with me, I’d offer to share mine with you. This is worth a lot of money. Strange, but a collector would pay even more if the blade was tipped with blood.”
Rex held his hands up in front of him and waved them wildly. “Okay. Stop. Enough. What do you want?”
Wil stepped closer until he was inches from Rex and pressed the sharp tip of the blade into the man’s neck. It pierced the skin and a fat drop of blood dribbled from the wound. His gaze fell on the red liquid and fangs descended at the sight, his mouth watering and a knot forming in his stomach. He used the automatic reaction to his advantage and smiled, making sure Rex got the full effect.
Rex’s already pasty face turned a sickening shade of ghostly white. His body buckled. “Please. Stop, Wil. I’ll do anything you want.”
“Leave town. Tonight. Don’t ever come back. And if I get wind of you starting another collection like the one you have here, I’m coming after you. And next time, I won’t be so kind. I’ll take you apart, inch by excruciating inch, instead.”
He dropped the knife from Rex’s throat and backed up. He lifted the blade to his lips and licked the blood from the tip. When he was done, he smiled at Rex. “Then again, maybe I’ll just drain you dry right here.”
“No. I’m going. Just stay the hell away from me.”
With a brief nod to the scared-looking woman cowering in the chair, Wil walked out of the office without looking back. He didn’t doubt Rex would leave, and leave quickly. The rat valued his life too much to piss off anyone stronger than him.
Wil passed by the bar and noticed Kel’s seat empty. Celia was nowhere in sight. Satisfied that he’d done all he could do for everyone involved, he walked out of the bar. There was nothing left to do but leave, and start putting his solitary existence back together. He had several hours before daylight and he intended to use them wisely.
* * * * *
Becca hung up the phone, the pain in her heart growing more intense with every second. It was bad enough Wil had left her before morning without saying goodbye. But as the desk clerk at the hotel he’d been staying at had just told her, he’d also checked out of his room. He’d left her. Walked away without looking back. She’d woken up at a little after ten am and he’d been gone. She’d known that was the way it would happen, but it didn’t make it any easier to accept now that he’d done it.
A tear slipped out of the corner of her eye, but she pushed it away. The tears were stress-related, and nothing more. She couldn’t be crying over a man. She barely knew the guy. Why cry over a man who, just days ago, had been a total stranger?
The answer was right there as soon as she’d asked the question. Because they fit. There was no other way to explain it. She hadn’t met a man before who made her feel the way Wil did. He brought to the surface such intense emotions that she’d wanted more time. Months, years, decades to explore what was going on between them. He could have been her forever, the man she wanted to be with despite everything else. But it just wasn’t meant to be. He was a vampire. Forever with a vampire took on a meaning she wasn’t ready to accept. Maybe she’d never be.
She picked the phone and dialed Ellie’s number.
“Hey,” she said when Ellie answered. “It’s just me, the long-lost sister.”
Ellie laughed. “Becca. I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”
“I’m packed. Getting ready to put my bags in the car and leave now. Where did you say you and Eric had moved to?”
She wrote down the directions as Ellie rattled them off. A small town in southern Maine. About twelve hours, give or take, from the Pennsylvania town she’d been living in. “I should be there sometime tomorrow.”
“Good. Aidan is so excited to finally meet his aunt we all keep talking about,” Ellie said. “And he’s really looking forward to seeing Wil again.”
Becca swallowed hard, the tears fighting to break free again. She shook her head. “Wil’s not coming.”
“Why not?”
“You know nothing could ever last between us, Ellie. We’re too different.”
“So were Eric and I. And that worked out fine.”
Becca bit her tongue to keep from telling Ellie how not fine she thought being turned into a demon was. Ellie would take offense to Becca’s opinion and that would only be detrimental to their impending reunion. “No, it wouldn’t. I barely know him, anyway. That would make for a very uncomfortable car ride. And I had something to take care of here that I asked him to do for me. You know, him being for hire and all.”
Ellie clucked her tongue. “Are you still upset with me about that?”
Duh. “Why wouldn’t I be? It was a very sneaky and underhanded thing to do, even for you.”
That got a chuckle out of Ellie. “I only did what I thought was best. I just wish it could have worked out differently. Royce and I thought the two of you would have gotten along so well.”
A chill ran down Becca’s spine. “Royce was in on this?”
“Of course. How do you think I found Wil in the first place? They’re old friends. They go way back.”
Just what she needed to know. Ellie’s ex-lover turned good friend was a friend of Wil’s. She’d been right. This whole thing had been an elaborate setup from the start. “Lovely. Well, you can tell Royce that the little plan the two of you concocted backfired. Now I’m even more turned off to men. In fact, I don’t know if I’ll ever want anything to do with them again, for the rest of my life.”
Liar. She smiled as she thought about Ellie turning the idea over and over in her mind.
“Don’t do anything drastic.” Ellie’s tone held more than a hint of worry, the words harsh and rushed. “Just come visit. We can talk about it when you get here.”
Becca’s smile widened. That was fine with her. But Ellie was wrong if she thought she was going to get off that easy. She didn’t know Becca very well.
“Sounds good. I’ll be leaving in a little while, so I’ll see you as soon as I can.”
“Great.”
Becca disconnected the call, feeling better than she had in too long to remember. She’d been away, on her own, long enough and now it was finally time to change that. Though she’d gotten used to living a certain way, without busybody family members, and it would be hard to walk back into the life she’d wanted to leave from the time she’d been eight years old. She’d visit Ellie and Eric for a while, but she wouldn’t stay long. She’d get her own place, close enough that she could visit Aidan when she wanted to, and far enough away that Ellie wouldn’t be at her door with some lame excuse every single morning.
She walked around her house, taking in everything since it was the last time she’d get a chance to do so. She’d called the landlord an hour or so ago and told him she’d be moving out a few weeks before the month ended. Once she got to Ellie’s she’d hire movers to come in and pack up the rest of h
er stuff—the stuff she wanted, at least. The furniture had come with the rental property, but she couldn’t fit all of her clothes, books, and personal possessions in her sports car, so she’d have to make do for now.
She let herself out of the house and locked the door behind her. She’d miss the place—hadn’t even gotten a chance to use the pool due to the cool spring weather. But it was best to cut all ties. That was what she always did when she’d overstayed her welcome in one place. And this time, she’d done that in spades.
Once she was on the road, she took her cell phone out of her purse and dialed Kel’s number. When he answered his tone was sleepy, as had become the norm over the past few months. She couldn’t help but smile. Now that she knew the reason behind his tiredness and crabby attitude lately, she understood him better. It was like a weight had been lifted from her chest and she could stop worrying about him. Once she’d learned from him that he was fine.
“Hey handsome. How’s it going?”
“Becca.” She heard the smile in his voice when he said her name. “Everything’s as fine as it’s going to get for the moment.” He paused. “But it’s getting better, I think.”
“That’s good to know.” She stopped for a red light, her gaze searching the area almost instinctively for Wil’s navy blue SUV. She let out a breath when she didn’t see anything remotely similar.
“What’s the matter?” Kel asked, his tone a little more relaxed than she’d heard him in months.
“Nothing. I was just looking for someone.”
“Wil.”
“Yeah.” The light changed and she drove through the intersection. Almost at the edge of town. Where was Wil? Why hadn’t he even bothered to tell her goodbye, or leave contact information where she could get in touch with him if she needed him?
And why had she been stupid enough to even hope he’d hung around? He was gone. He’d checked out of his hotel and left, and she had to learn to accept that.
“He’s a good guy, Becca. You can trust him.”
“You talked to him?”
“You know I did.” He laughed. “I know you told him to come talk to me.”
She bit the inside of her cheek before she responded. “Are you mad at me?”
The trees grew thicker along this nearly deserted stretch of road. Lush leaves in all shades of green. She barely noticed the beauty around her, though. She was too busy glancing in the rearview mirror. Still no sign of him. Maybe he really was going to let her walk out of his life.
Maybe she deserved it if he did.
And why wouldn’t he? She nearly laughed at her own stupidity. She’d been nothing to Wil. She’d been a job, and nothing more. He’d left her before sunup, and had probably used whatever dark hours he could to start his journey out of her life. Even if he had hung around town, he wouldn’t be out looking for her in the middle of the morning.
“No, I’m not mad at you.” Kel’s voice brought her out of her thoughts. “You have more reason to be angry than I do, kid.”
She had to agree. He’d lied to her about something important. Had been lying to her about it for years. But for some reason, it didn’t seem to matter very much anymore. “I’m not mad now. A little disappointed, maybe. But I have to warn you, that could change to anger real soon so be prepared.”
He laughed, but said nothing to her comment.
“Will I see you again?” she asked him. She couldn’t stand to lose the person who’d become her best friend, no matter if he was vampire or human.
“Hell yes. Don’t think you’re getting rid of me that quickly. Where are you going to be staying?”
She gave him Ellie’s address. “I’ll have my phone with me. Call me anytime. I’ll probably be there for a while. Heck, I might even decide I love it and want to settle down near there. Be sure to come and visit me, okay? It isn’t going to be the same without having you close by when I need to talk to someone.”
“I’m only a phone call away, hon. If you need me to come see you, just call. You know that, right?”
“Yeah.” But it wasn’t the same as having her best friend always close. Always right there. It was just another thing she’d have to get used to. “I think I’m going to be looking for a new job.”
Kel laughed again, this time louder than the last. “Yeah, you and me both. I have an idea, but give me some time to work on it, okay? It could be good, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise quite yet.”
“Kel—”
“No, no. Don’t press it. I don’t want to get your hopes up. Or mine, either. I’ll let you know soon if everything pans out, okay? But until then you aren’t allowed to bug me about it.” He chuckled, the first time she’d heard a happy sound from him in too long to remember.
She let out a dramatic sigh, barely able to contain a fit of giggles. “Oh, okay. I suppose if I have to.”
“You do. Now I’m going to have to let you go. I don’t want you talking on the phone while you drive. It’s bad for your concentration. Call me when you get there.”
With that he disconnected the call.
She dropped her phone on the passenger seat and ran a hand through her tangled hair. After talking with Kel, doubt about her plans had started to creep in. Could she really stay with Ellie and pretend everything was normal? Could she pretend that the past few years hadn’t happened? She let out a heavy sigh. Either this decision to move back in with Ellie temporarily was going to be the best one she’d ever made, or the worst.
Chapter Nine
Becca dropped down into one of the wicker chairs on Ellie’s deck and patted her lap. Aidan scurried over and climbed up, wrapping his arms around her neck. She smiled down at him and kissed the top of his head. The sun had just started its descent. A cool breeze rustled the leaves in the trees and crickets chirped a soft song.
“What do you want to do this evening, kiddo? Want to read a story before bedtime?”
“No.” Aidan’s full lips turned into a killer grin, one Becca had learned she had a hard time refusing. Ellie and Eric were going to have their hands full with this one in a few years. “Wanna play.”
“We’ll play tomorrow. Now it’s time to settle down.” She leaned back against the chair and Aidan rested his head against her chest.
Playtime sounded like fun, but Ellie would kill her if she worked him up right before it was time for him to go to bed. “Where’s mommy?”
“House.”
Becca nodded and murmured soft words, hoping to calm him enough that he’d give Ellie an easy time tonight. His energy astounded her. She’d never know how Ellie kept up with such a ball of fire Aidan was. She wanted to stay with him forever, but that wouldn’t be possible. She needed to go out and find a job at some point. It had been three weeks since she’d left Pennsylvania and Wil behind. She had a decent amount of savings from her jobs over the past three years, but that would only last so long. She’d made good money, but she’d also gotten good at spending it. She’d enjoyed living comfortably, so she didn’t have as much saved as she should have. So now she had to figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.
As they always did when she thought about the future, her thoughts drifted to Wil. She spoke to Kel on a weekly basis and he assured her Wil was fine. Sometimes she got the impression that the two men were in close contact, and it made her a little jealous that Kel spent time with Wil when she didn’t. It also made the little ache inside her heart intensify. Why did Wil contact Kel when he hadn’t even bothered to pick up the phone and call her? Not even once since he’d walked away.
Aidan’s chubby hand came to rest on her cheek. “Okay?”
“Yeah, honey. Auntie’s okay.”
She was still having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that the little boy on her lap was something other than human. With his thick black hair, golden skin and green eyes, he looked vibrant, beautiful and all too mortal, though he was anything but. He was a Panthicenos, an earthbound demon whose main purpose was to keep the balance
between good and evil. He had some pretty big shoes to fill when he grew up. She had no doubts that he’d fill them, though. The little guy in her lap was destined for greatness. All she had to do was look in those big, bright eyes to know that. Ellie and Eric had brought something special into the world.
And she’d spent the past two years ignoring his presence.
She intended to make up for all the time she’d missed, and all the time she’d missed with her sisters. She’d shut them out of her life for too long, and it was time for that to come to a stop. Seeing Aidan is what had changed her mind about what Ellie had become. It had taken so long, but now she was finally able to let it go. He was so pure and innocent she couldn’t help but love him, no matter what sort of being he was.
Wil had changed her mind, too, just a little bit. He wasn’t what she’d expected from the dark and brooding stranger she’d been watching every night he came into Rex’s bar. In the short time she’d spent with him, she’d started to care for him. A lot more than she should have. She’d wanted more time, but he hadn’t given her that. She didn’t know whether to be sad or angry by his lack of communication, so she settled for a little of both.
Ellie stepped out onto the porch deck and shut the door behind her. “Aidan, don’t you think you need to give Auntie Becca a little break once in a while?”
He shook his head forcefully. “No.”
Becca shifted the child on her lap. “I’m fine, Ellie. Really. Aidan and I have a lot of catching up to do.”
Ellie smiled. “Well, you’re going to have to do some of that catching up later. There’s someone here to see you.”
Becca’s heart skittered and a sheen of sweat coated her palms. “Really?”
She nodded. “Do you want me to send him out?”
“Yes. Absolutely.” Hope filled the hollowness inside her heart. Had he really come to see her?
“Okay. Aidan, give Auntie a kiss. It’s time for bed.”
Aidan pressed his lips to Becca’s cheek, bounded off her lap and followed his mother into the house. Becca sat forward in the chair, waiting an endless minute for Wil to walk through the door. Her palms got clammy and her mouth ran dry. What would it be like to see him again? She might have to kick his ass for walking out on her the way he did. She’d forgive him, but she wasn’t going to let him get away with it.