Holiday with a Vampire 4: Halfway to DawnThe GiftBright Star (Harlequin Nocturne)

by Susan Krinard

  Kane glanced at Alfie. “Of course,” he said. He and the Englishman followed D’Agostino out the door. The living room was crowded with soldiers, including Johnson and Cole, who avoided his gaze. Goodman was nowhere in sight.

  Fiona, however, was. Kane could see her through a door to an adjoining room, lying on a cot and apparently asleep. He reassured himself that she was resting easily and accompanied Sandoval to the kitchen, where maps were spread across a table.

  Kane and Alfie consulted with the senator and his aide, a woman named Radha, going over the safest route to Sacramento. When they were finished, Kane went past the soldiers to the sagging front door. Alfie joined him.

  A whole day and half the night had passed, and Kane realized how unaware he had been of the passage of time. He stepped outside, breathing air untainted by the smell of human perspiration and hostility. The sky was clear, but icy snow still lay in patches on the ground, and he could smell another storm on its way.

  “Let’s go up the hill,” he said. “We need to go back for our packs anyway, and I want to have a look around.”

  “Yer knee okay?”

  “Good enough. Let’s go.”

  They climbed the hill behind the house, watching and listening. Once they had retrieved the field packs they had left behind near the tree where they’d moved Fiona, they returned to the hilltop to survey the open land to the east.

  “Nothin’,” Alfie said.

  “So far. But we aren’t alone.” Kane readied his rifle, listening to the tread of boots climbing to meet them.

  “Goodman,” he said, rising. “To what do we owe this dubious pleasure?”

  Goodman stopped. He was empty-handed, but his mouth was twisted in disgust. “Put that down, bloodsucker,” he said, “or you won’t like what happens.”

  “Threats, Commander?” Kane said. “Hardly effective, under the circumstances.”

  “It’s not my life that’s in danger,” Goodman said. “The senator may trust you, but I know better. I’ve been with the captain a long time. I don’t know what you’ve done to her, but she’s lost her judgment where you’re concerned.”

  “So, apparently, has your ambassador,” Kane said coldly, lowering his weapon.

  “Sandoval,” Goodman said. He spat inches from Kane’s feet. “He’s too softhearted for this. They could both jeopardize the mission.”

  “And you would be more suited to lead it.”

  “I don’t have a problem getting rid of anything that stands in our way.”

  “Or yours,” Kane said. “What do you really want?”

  “What should have been mine.” The commander dragged his hand across his lips, as if even the act of speaking to Opiri left a bad taste in his mouth. “I’ve come to give you a final warning. Leave now. If you stick around, I’ll arrange for the captain to have an accident. I’ll take command, and I’ll finish the job I started with you two.”

  A red veil fell over Kane’s vision. “You’d kill your former partner?”

  “We haven’t been partners in a long time,” Goodman said. “Whatever happened in the past doesn’t matter now.”

  “Why do you think I’m concerned with the captain’s fate?”

  “You must think I’m stupid. You saved her life at the risk of your own. You’d do anything to save her again, and that’s why you’ll do what I say.”

  “The captain won’t believe we’ve left of our own volition.”

  “You’d better hope I convince her.”

  Only Alfie had the strength to hold Kane back. “You oughtn’t talk ta the lieutenant that way,” the Brit said pleasantly, keeping a powerful grip on Kane’s arm. “’E might get mad and tear yer ’ead off.”

  “He’d better not try if he wants the captain to live,” Goodman said. “You understand, bloodsucker?”

  “I understand,” Kane said through his teeth. “Now I warn you—”

  “I have men to back me up. One of us’ll always be able to take care of the captain if I don’t return or you refuse to cooperate. If you behave, she’ll be all right.”

  “Why should I trust your word?”

  “You have no choice. You’ve got your blood. Keep going the way you were before, and be glad I didn’t bring the VS120.”

  “Your new weapon?” Kane asked.

  Goodman grinned. “We call it the ‘Vampire Slayer.’”

  “Very appropriate,” Kane said. “But I doubt you’ll ever have a chance to use it again.”

  “Lieutenant,” Alfie whispered behind Kane, too quietly for Goodman to hear. “We better do what ’e says—fer now.”

  For now. Kane stared into Goodman’s eyes. Wisest to let the human think he had won.

  “We’ll go,” he said.

  “If you try to follow us,” Goodman said, “we’ll know it. Get moving.”

  Turning their backs on the commander, Kane and Alfie descended the hill and headed south, away from the house. Once they were out of the range of human hearing, they crouched amid a stand of oaks and waited until they were sure Goodman had gone back inside.

  “What now, guv?” Alfie asked.

  “We aren’t leaving Fiona in that house.”

  “’Course not.”

  “Goodman won’t let her keep command. He’ll find a way to remove her and make the others think it was an accident. I won’t let that happen.”

  Alfie sighed and rested his thick arms over his knees. “She won’t thank you fer it.”

  “I know. I’ll be stealing her honor as surely as if I’d made a serf of her.”

  “’Onor?” Alfie said. “We don’t ’ave that luxury no more.”

  Kane turned to face Alfie. “No,” he said. “I’m not honorable. Not where she is concerned.” He scraped his hair back from his forehead. “All I can think about is tasting her blood.”

  “I don’t think that’s all, guv,” Alfie said, laying his hand on Kane’s shoulder. “I was wrong about ’onor. You ’ave it, ’n’ you’ll ’ave it till ya die.”

  “I hope you’re right, my friend.” Kane rose. “We’ll have to get her outside, where we can take her without alerting the others.”

  “What’s yer plan?”

  Kane told him. Odds were the humans wouldn’t fall for it, but it was the best he could come up with.

  He and Alfie worked their way carefully back toward the house. Alfie climbed the hill behind it, while Kane continued north to hide inside a small wood of frost-damaged eucalyptus trees. He waited for Alfie to get into position and then opened fire on the house.

  His shots were deliberately angled to hit the roof and not the walls, but that wouldn’t matter as far as the people inside were concerned.

  “Humans!” Kane shouted, altering his voice to a higher pitch. “We know who you are, and we outnumber you. Send your commanding officer out unarmed, or we’ll cut you to pieces.”

  Nothing happened for several minutes, and Kane was about to open fire again when Fiona walked out of the house, hands raised. Her hair was in braids tightly pinned around the top of her head, and she was dressed in heavy winter fatigues. She still wore her sidearm.

  “Come into the trees alone,” Kane called. “If anyone follows, you’ll be shot.”

  Fiona walked toward him, her expression grim. When she reached the trees, Kane set down his rifle, grabbed her and pulled her into the deeper shadows.

  “Fiona,” he said, dropping his voice back to its normal register. “Listen—”

  “You ran!” she yelled, wrenching her arm out of his grasp. “Goodman made a serious mistake in trying to question you, but maybe he was right.”

  Kane realized then that Goodman had already gotten to her, convinced her that he and Alfie had abandoned her and the senator.

  “Have you forgotten we saved your life?” he asked, matching her coldness.

  “How do I know you didn’t do it just to get a look at our plans?” she asked. “I let myself believe I owed you a debt. I deserve to lose my command for making the mistake of
trusting you.”

  “Has it ever occurred to you that you’re playing right into Goodman’s hands?”

  She laughed. “He’s made mistakes, but he’s a good soldier. You want to turn me against him for reasons of your own.”

  It was as if she was parroting someone else’s words. Something wasn’t right. “Believe what you want,” he said. “I can’t stop you.”

  “But I can stop you.” She pulled her gun and pointed it at Kane’s chest. “I knew it was you out here all along,” she said. “I decided to gamble that you wouldn’t shoot me. But I’m not so merciful. I can hit your heart before you can move. Give me a reason not to.”

  She was bluffing. If she really thought he and Alfie had betrayed her, she knew her odds of getting back to the house were slim to none.

  And now he would have to make her believe that he and Alfie were exactly what Goodman had told her.

  Chapter 5

  Kane lunged for Fiona, squeezed her hand until she was forced to drop the gun and then shoved the weapon under his belt.

  “You’re coming with us, Captain Donnelly,” he said.

  She rubbed her hand. “I’m no good to you as a hostage,” she said, her voice still pitched to a level anyone near the door to the house could hear.

  “We don’t want a hostage,” Kane said, looking away from her accusing eyes.

  “I’ll kill myself before I let you take my blood,” she spat.

  Alfie strolled into the grove. “D’ya think we can’t stop ya?” he asked.

  Kane nodded to Alfie. “Bind her.”

  The Englishman took a rope from his field pack and tied Fiona’s hands. She didn’t struggle, but her expression was stark as she tried to resist showing any sign of emotion.

  “Let’s go,” Kane said.

  “They’ll come looking for me,” she said.

  “You said yourself that they won’t risk the mission, not even for their captain,” Kane said, picking up his rifle. “Remember?”

  She said nothing more until they were in the hills southwest of the house. Kane took her arm when he thought she might stumble in the dark, feeling the tension in her muscles. Her rejection.

  “Where are you taking me?” she asked when they stopped to rest.

  “I know you won’t believe me, but our only purpose was to get you away from Goodman.”

  “Because he wants to take command of the mission?”

  Kane stared at her. “You know?”

  Her laughter held an edge. “That’s why I came out to you. Why I said the things I did.”

  “What?” Alfie said, coming to join them.

  “Goodman knew that was you out here shooting, too,” Fiona said. “He got me alone and said I couldn’t be trusted, that I was going to pass command to him. He said he’d kill you if I didn’t find a way to get rid of you, even if I had to leave with you.”

  “Because ’e knew ’ow ya felt about Kane,” Alfie said.

  “He thought he knew,” Fiona said, looking away, “but it wouldn’t have mattered if he was right about that or not. He wanted it to seem as if I believed you’d betrayed us, for the sake of the other troops. But sending me out here was only a trap. He was watching all the time, and he planned to kill you the second he got the chance.”

  “With the ‘Vampire Slayer’?” Kane asked.

  “Who told you that name?”

  “Goodman did, when he politely asked us to leave.”

  Fiona’s jaw hardened. “He met with you again?”

  “Didn’t bother to ’ide ’is plans, neither,” Alfie said.

  “He said he’d kill you if we didn’t go,” Kane said.

  “He believed you would protect me from him and his supporters,” Fiona said, “but I think if things had gone as he planned, he would have killed me out here, too, and blamed it on you. There was just no good way to handle this except hope that, between us, you and I could keep him from shooting. I don’t know how he got hold of the weapon again, but keeping it out of his hands was my responsibility.”

  “Ya did what ya could,” Alfie said gently.

  She shook her head. “I never knew he hated me so much. He thinks he should have been promoted to captain years ago. He believes I’m too soft, that this mission should have been his.”

  It wasn’t as if Kane hadn’t seen men kill each other for lesser reasons. “If you go back,” he said, “he’ll find another way to get rid of you.”

  “But I can’t leave the mission in his hands. He’s too reckless, too angry. He’ll fight instead of think. Now that he has the weapon, he’ll keep it. Sandoval can’t stop him, but he’ll have a hard time murdering me in front of the team.” She pulled on her bonds. “You can let me go now. I’ll take care of Goodman the way I should have before.”

  “No,” Kane said. “You’re still coming with us.”

  She stared at him. “I’ll be all right. Go. Take your freedom.”

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you leave,” he said quietly. He got up and turned his back to her, listening as Alfie moved closer and began to speak.

  “’E won’t do it,” Alfie said, well knowing Kane could hear every word. “Ya see, ’e cares too much about ya. ’E just won’t admit it out loud.” He chuckled. “Same thing with ya, ain’t it? Too proud. But ya tried ta save each other anyway.”

  “I owed him,” Fiona said stiffly. “I owed both of you. That has nothing to do with—”

  “Ya can’t fool ol’ Alfie. I been watchin’ both of ya. Ya think ’e let your soldiers take us because ’e’s weak? He coulda killed all of ’em before they could move. But ’e wanted ta make sure you was safe. ’N’ you did the same for ’im when Goodman said ’e’d kill ’im.”

  “No,” Fiona said. She moved to stand behind Kane. “Don’t do this, Kane. If I ever...cared about you, I’ll despise you if you don’t let me go back.”

  “There are only a few hours’ travel time left before dawn,” he said, ignoring her.

  “And where will you take me?” she demanded. “Have I become your serf now, Kane?”

  “No. Never.”

  “But you’ll take me against my will anyway. If you’re headed southwest, you’ll be very close to the Enclave borders. The first chance I get, I’ll run to the nearest outpost and send them after you. They won’t take any chances with you. They’ll kill you.”

  It wasn’t her threat that cut into his heart but her desperation, her determination to get away from him.

  “I’ll let you go as soon as we’re far enough away that you can’t rejoin your team,” he said, turning to face her. “Or if you’re prepared to accept our help... The Opiri who are against any move toward peace will have sent scouts to pinpoint your position and assess your strength before a direct attack. They’ll likely be coming from the northeast. If we find them first, we can warn your people.”

  Her breath quickened, loud in the silence. “You’re still willing to scout for us?”

  “If you stay with us,” he said. “If you give your word you won’t try to go back until I let you leave.”

  “Are you sure my word is sufficient?” she asked bitterly.

  “Yes,” he said. “And I promise your people will receive any intelligence we obtain.”

  “But not through me.”

  “Alfie and I will make sure word gets to them.” He looked past her in the direction of the house. “You don’t have your pack with you, but we have enough rations for you.”

  “Not hungry?” she asked, her voice sharp with mockery.

  “Our field rations are supplementary. Without blood, we can’t digest them. But you must know that.” He met her gaze again. “We need to get going. I expect another storm to arrive sometime in the next twenty-four hours.”

  Fiona folded her arms across her chest. “If we’re heading back toward the lines, how likely is it that you’ll fall back under your Bloodmaster’s influence? What will you do then? Will you forget you ever ‘cared’ about me?”

  She was rig
ht. That was a danger, and he had known the risk from the moment he offered his compromise. He and Alfie could both be caught again. That would be enough to put Fiona in grave peril.

  “If that happens,” he said, “we’ll know it. If I so much as begin to feel his influence, I’ll tell you. You know how to kill an Opir, especially if he isn’t fighting back.” He untied her hands and then pulled her handgun from his belt. “Keep this with you.”

  She took the gun from his hands and stared down at it as if she’d never seen it before. “You’d let me kill you?”

  “Not only for your sake.” He glanced at Alfie, who was pretending to be absorbed in rearranging the supplies in his pack. “For ours, as well. Neither one of us is willing to be taken again.”

  “You think I could do it?” she said, slowly looking up at him again. “You think I could kill you in cold blood?”

  “If it becomes necessary, yes. I would demand it.”

  Her eyes were suspiciously moist, but she holstered the gun and said nothing more.

  Shrugging into his pack, Kane started down the hill again, listening for her footsteps behind him. Every part of him ached with need. He kept on walking so he wouldn’t turn around and pull her into his arms.

  * * *

  Kane moved quickly away from her without looking back, and she knew he trusted her to follow.

  She had given her word. Admittedly, she had pretty much been coerced into giving it, but even so, she knew she couldn’t break her promise. Just as she knew Kane wouldn’t break his promise to get word of any Opiri presence back to her people.

  But he was putting her entire mission in danger because of his desire to protect her. Alfie had told her why. “’E cares too much about ya. ’E just won’t admit it out loud.”

  Of course he wouldn’t. She wasn’t deceived into thinking he wasn’t every bit as much the soldier as she was—nor any more inclined to express his feelings openly, whatever they might be. Alfie had said that Kane had let himself be taken by her men because he had wanted to make sure she was safe, and she didn’t doubt him for a minute.

  But had Kane somehow sensed that Goodman was a threat even before the commander had tried to interrogate him? If Goodman hadn’t compelled Kane’s