Amanda Ashley - [Children of the Night 02]

by Night's Touch

  “Be careful, Cara. Call us if you need us.” He hesitated, debating the wisdom of what he was about to say, but she needed to be warned. “Cordova is one of us.”

  Her eyes widened. “I don’t believe you!”

  “It’s true nonetheless.”

  “I suppose you’re going to tell me that Anton is a vampire, too?”

  “No, I’m not sure what he is, but I don’t trust him.”

  “You’re just saying all that to scare me so I’ll come home.”

  “I just want you to be careful. If Cordova comes to call, he can’t enter unless you invite him inside. He has the power to hypnotize you with a look. You need to be aware of the danger you’re in. Stay away from The Nocturne.”

  Still clasping the crucifix in one hand, she looked up at him, her expression one of hurt confusion. It broke his heart.

  “Are you sure you won’t change your mind and come home where you belong?”

  “I’m sure,” she said, but she wasn’t sure at all. She no longer knew who to trust or what to believe.

  He took a step toward her. She recoiled from his touch. It hurt worse than anything he had ever known. “Good night, Princess.”

  The familiar endearment brought quick tears to her eyes. “Good night.”

  Cara watched her father leave the room, then she locked the door behind him.

  He was a vampire. Her mother was a vampire. Vince was a vampire.

  Had the world gone mad? How could she have lived with her parents for twenty-two years and never suspected? Now, looking back, it was so obvious. Why hadn’t she seen it before? But, then, why would she? No one believed in vampires in this day and age. There were enough real monsters running around planting car bombs and molesting innocent children without looking for monsters of myth and legend.

  She went to the window and looked out into the night, wondering what other monsters might be lurking in the shadows.

  “Where is she?” Brenna asked anxiously. “What did she say? Is she coming home?”

  “She’s staying at a hotel over on Fourth Street. She said she needs time alone, to think.”

  “She knows, doesn’t she? And now she hates us for lying to her?” Brenna paced the floor. “I knew we should have told her the truth years ago.”

  “We decided to wait, remember?”

  “Yes, but now we’ve waited too long. What if she never comes back?”

  Roshan drew his wife into his arms. “All we can do now is…” He started to say pray, but it had been years since he had done so. After all this time, he wasn’t sure anyone would be listening. He blew out a breath. “She’ll come around, in time.”

  Brenna looked up, her gaze searching his. “Are you sure of that?”

  “Yes. She loves us. She knows deep inside that we love her. Once she gets over the shock, she’ll realize nothing’s really changed. In the meantime, Di Giorgio will be there. I got him a room at the hotel.”

  “I feel so helpless.”

  “I warned her to be careful, to stay away from The Nocturne. And I told her about Cordova.”

  “What did she say?!”

  “She didn’t believe me. I was afraid she wouldn’t, but she had to be told. She needs to be aware of the danger she’s in.” Roshan rested his forehead against Brenna’s. “There’s something about Cordova…”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He’s different.”

  Brenna tilted her head back so she could see her husband’s face. “Different? What do you mean? Different how?”

  “He told me Mara brought him across.”

  “Mara?” Brenna frowned. “Isn’t she the ancient vampire you told me about?”

  Roshan nodded.

  “I always thought she was just a myth.”

  “No, she’s real enough, though few of us have ever seen her. It’s said that in all her long life, she has made only a handful of vampires. Her blood is strong, potent. I could sense it in Cordova. He could be a powerful enemy.”

  “Or a powerful friend.”

  Roshan grunted softly. “Mara has powers that no other vampires possess. I wonder how many of them she passed on to Cordova.”

  It was a question that troubled Roshan far into the night.

  Chapter 14

  Cara woke late Monday morning after a long and restless night. She had dreamed of vampires—vampires chasing her, catching her, ripping out her throat, and drinking her blood. Vampires with hideous red eyes and skin as pale as death, their skeletal hands like claws as they reached for her.

  Banishing all thoughts of vampires from her mind, she went into the bathroom, brushed her teeth and her hair, pulled on a pair of jeans, boots, and a sweater, and left the hotel. The library was closed on Sundays and Mondays, and the day stretched before her.

  She stopped at a nearby café for pancakes and lots of strong coffee, then drove to the garage where Vince worked. She had expected to find the place closed up tight, but the big doors were open.

  After parking her car in front, she walked around the corner to the entrance of the garage. The doors were open, but there were no lights on inside. She found Vince in his office in the back of the building. Seated behind a battered oak desk with his feet propped up on one corner, he was talking on the phone. A large gray and white cat slept on top of a battered metal filing cabinet.

  Relief flooded through Cara, leaving her feeling momentarily weak. The sun was high in the sky and Vince was up and awake. He couldn’t be a vampire. Her father had been mistaken. She wondered what had made him think Vince was a vampire in the first place, then put the thought from her mind. She didn’t know a lot about the Undead, but everybody knew they slept in their coffins during the day.

  Vince smiled at her, then held up one finger, indicating he’d be done in a minute.

  Cara glanced around the garage. There were three cars inside, all with their hoods up. A couple of big red metal tool chests stood against the wall to her left. Metal shelves lined the opposite wall. A wooden table was littered with tools and rags and greasy auto parts. It occurred to her that she had never seen her father putter around the house or work on his car or do any of the other mundane things most fathers did.

  “Hey,” Vince called as he hung up the receiver, “what brings you here?”

  She smiled as he rounded the desk toward her, then shrugged. “It’s my day off and I didn’t have anything else to do.”

  “Well, I’m glad you came by.”

  “I guess you’re busy?”

  He nodded. “But never too busy for you.”

  She smiled, warmed by his words and the welcome in his eyes.

  “Does your cat have a name?”

  “I don’t know. I just call him Cat.”

  “Not very imaginative of you.”

  He shrugged. “He’s not really my cat. He just lives here. Can I get you something to drink?”

  “What do you have?”

  “Root beer, 7-Up, orange soda, Coke.” He kept a Coke machine stocked for his clients.

  “7-Up sounds good.”

  He got her a can from the machine, popped the top, and handed it to her. “So, how was your date with the stiff?”

  She made a face at him. “It was all right. We went to dinner and then dancing at The Nocturne.” She waited, hoping he would tell her what he had done last night. When he didn’t, she said, “My parents showed up at the club.”

  He grunted softly. “Checking up on you?”

  “I don’t think so. They have Di Giorgio for that.” She frowned, wondering if Di Giorgio would still be trailing her now that she had moved out of the house. She didn’t remember seeing him this morning, but then, she hadn’t been looking. She’d had thoughts only for Vince.

  He leaned against a corner of his desk, waiting for her to go on.

  Stalling, Cara sipped her drink, wondering if she should say anything. She wanted to talk to someone about her parents but she didn’t think anyone would believe her.

  “What is
it, Cara?” Vince asked. “Is something wrong?”

  “I moved out of my house last night.”

  “You did?” he asked, frowning. “Why?”

  “I found out something about my parents that bothered me.”

  “Go on,” he said, his expression suddenly guarded.

  “Anton told me that my parents are…I didn’t want to believe him, but I guess he was right.” She looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears. “It’s just so…so, I don’t know. So unbelievable. I…”

  “Go on, darlin’. What did he tell you about your parents?” Vince asked, though he had a pretty good idea about what she was going to say.

  “He said they’re vampires.” She waited for him to laugh at her gullibility, to tell her she was crazy and that Anton had been making a bad joke. He did none of those things.

  “What did your parents say?”

  “My father told me it was true.”

  “And that’s why you moved out?”

  “Of course! Didn’t you hear what I said? They’re vampires!” She shuddered. “How can I stay there?”

  “You’ve lived with them your whole life, Cara. Have they ever hurt you?”

  “Well, no, but…”

  “They obviously love you.”

  She stared up at him. “Why are you defending them? Don’t you understand? They’re not human!”

  Vince blew out a sigh; then, knowing he was making a huge mistake, he took her into his arms.

  Setting the soda can on the desk, Cara sagged against him, her cheek resting against his chest, her arms sliding around his waist. “My father said you were a vampire, too.”

  He went suddenly still. “Oh?”

  “I don’t know why he said that. I mean, it can’t be true,” she said with a forced laugh, “or you’d be sleeping in your coffin, so why would he say such a thing?”

  “I don’t know.” Vince swore under his breath. Blast! What should he do now? Tell her the truth? Wait? Hope she never found out? “Cara…”

  She looked up at him, her eyes wide. Innocent. Vulnerable.

  He should tell her the truth, he thought, before it was too late, before things got out of hand. She’d hate him, sure, but better now than later. “Listen, Cara…”

  “Hey, Cordova, my car ready yet?”

  Vince put Cara away from him as the owner of the Dodge he had been working on earlier sauntered into the garage.

  “Not quite, Murph,” Vince said. “I need another thirty minutes or so.”

  Murph glanced at Cara, then looked at Vince and grinned. “Yeah, I can see that. Mind if I grab a Coke while I wait?”

  “No, help yourself.” Vince took Cara’s hand in his. “Why don’t I pick you up tonight, say around eight? We can talk about it more then.”

  “All right. I’m staying at the hotel on Fourth Street. Room 302.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you later.”

  He watched her walk away, wishing he knew what the hell he was going to tell her.

  Chapter 15

  Serafina knelt at Anthony’s grave site. Even though his body wasn’t there, she visited his grave each week to make sure it had fresh flowers. Sometimes, when the weather was nice, she pretended his body was buried there and she spent the afternoon by the grave, reading to him from a book of poetry; sometimes she told him about Anton and how proud of him she was.

  “I’m sure he’ll be as talented as you were.” She caressed the headstone, her fingers tracing the letters of his name. “He’s such a handsome young man, so like you in every way. You’ll be so pleased when you see him. I’ve kept your lab just the way you left it. I’ll be using it soon. Anton will have to help me subdue the vampire. I was going to use the woman’s blood for the blood of an enemy, but I think Roshan’s will be more effective. I’ll probably have to kill him…”

  She smiled. “Or maybe I’ll let you do that. Would that please you?” she queried. Then, thinking about it, she frowned. “I think we might have to kill them all.”

  Dropping down on her knees, she pressed a kiss to the top of the headstone. “Rest well, my beloved, until next we meet.”

  Soon, she thought, soon the time would be right and they would be together forever, as they were meant to be.

  Chapter 16

  Cara stood in front of the bathroom mirror, examining her appearance with a critical eye. She wanted to look pretty for Vince. She had donned her favorite pair of slinky black slacks, a hot pink silk shirt, and a pair of black high-heeled sandals. She wore her hair loose, pulled away from her face with a pair of silver combs.

  She had just put on her lipstick when she heard his knock at the door. What felt like a million butterflies immediately started doing somersaults in the pit of her stomach. He was here!

  She took a slow, deep breath, and then another one before forcing herself to walk slowly to the door. She took another deep breath before she opened it. “Hi.”

  He whistled softly. “Hi, yourself. Wow, you look fantastic!”

  “Thank you. Come on in.”

  When he stepped across the threshold, she felt a funny little tingle slip down her spine.

  “So,” he said, “where would you like to go tonight?”

  “I don’t know.” She lowered her gaze. “Do we have to go somewhere?”

  “Not if you don’t want to.”

  “I could order something from room service and we could stay in and watch a movie.”

  “Sure, darlin’, if that’s what you want.”

  “Are you hungry?”

  “You bet. You look good enough to eat.”

  She stared at him, wide-eyed, her cheeks almost as pink as her shirt. “Vince…”

  He pulled her into his arms, his gaze capturing hers. “Do you want me to stop?”

  “You haven’t done anything yet,” she said, her voice little more than a squeak.

  “But I want to.” His lips brushed her cheek, the tip of her nose, her eyelids. “I want to taste every inch of you, explore every curve.”

  She blinked up at him, her eyelids fluttering down as his mouth closed over hers. She was drowning in a haze of sensation. His mouth was everywhere, dropping feather-light kisses along both sides of her neck, nuzzling her breasts. His breath penetrated the thin silk of her shirt, heating her skin, melting her resistance. He kissed her again, long and deep, and when his tongue tangled with hers, she felt the electric heat of it sizzle all the way to the very center of her being.

  Without knowing quite how they got there, she found herself lying on the sofa with Vince stretched out beside her, his mouth on hers, their bodies pressed intimately together from shoulder to thigh. His hand slid slowly, seductively, up and down her side, his thumb skimming the edge of her breast.

  She moaned softly, thinking she had never known such pleasure, or such torment. She strained against him, her hips moving in the age-old dance of mating. Her body was on fire, screaming for relief.

  “Cara, dammit…”

  His breath whispered against her neck. She felt the heat of his tongue, the scrape of his teeth.

  “Vince…please, Vince.”

  Her voice spurred him on, urging him to take what she was offering, to satisfy her hunger and his own, even as the voice of his conscience warred within him. He closed his eyes, the scent of her need and her blood arousing him until it was almost painful.

  It took every ounce of willpower he possessed to let her go. He took a deep breath, about to sit up and tell her they needed to take a walk and cool off, when her hand slid between their bodies, cupping his manhood, driving him over the edge.

  Scooping her into his arms, he carried her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed.

  She looked up at him, her eyes smoky with desire and a hint of uncertainty.

  Vince swore softly. What the hell was he thinking? He had to tell her the truth, now. And when he did, she’d walk out of his life just like she’d walked away from her parents.

  “Cara…”

  “Make love
to me, Vince.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good…”

  “Don’t think.” She reached for his hand, drawing him down on the bed beside her. “Don’t you want me?”

  “Is that a trick question?” He had to keep things light between them before he did something they would both regret when it was over.

  “Now you’re making fun of me.”

  “No, darlin’. I just don’t want to hurt you.”

  “I’m a big girl. I know what I’m doing.” She ran her hands over his chest, up over his shoulders, down his arms.

  “Have you ever been with a man before?”

  “Of course.”

  He drew his fingertip along her cheek. “Now, why don’t I believe you?”

  “Come closer,” she said, her hand sliding seductively over his belly, “and I’ll prove it.”

  “Cara, we need to talk.”

  “Later,” she said, and drawing his head down, she kissed him, and he was lost.

  With a low groan, he pulled her into his arms and surrendered to the hunger burning through him.

  Her skin was soft and smooth, warm with life, her lips sweeter than wine. His hand delved into the wealth of her hair, loving the way the strands curled around his fingers. He massaged her nape, her back, gentling her to his touch. She was passionate and pliable in his arms, willing to follow wherever he led. He caressed her until she writhed beneath him, as eager and anxious as he.

  He basked in her touch as she explored his body in return. It took all his willpower to hold both his hunger and his desire in check until, with a soft whimper, she urged him to take her.

  Murmuring her name, he lifted her hips to receive him, only then realizing that he had been right all along. She had never been intimate with a man. But by then, it was too late.

  She fell asleep in his arms.

  Feeling like the worst kind of heel, Vince stroked her hair while his nostrils filled with the scent of her blood, not just the blood he had tasted, but the virginal blood that stained the sheets, proving she had been a maiden.

  He swore softly.

  How could he have done such a despicable thing? Sure, he was a vampire, but he had always prided himself on remaining a gentleman. He didn’t satisfy his thirst on the blood of innocents. He didn’t vent his lust on virgins.