“Not bad,” Saintcrow remarked. “Maybe you should take up interior design.”
“Sofia made most of the decisions about fabric and color. But you’re right. It looks great, even better than I imagined.”
A couple of workers, each carrying buckets of paint, nodded in their direction as they headed up the stairs.
“This isn’t taking near as long as I thought it would,” Ethan said.
“Well, we’ve got two crews working from sunup to sundown, seven days a week,” Saintcrow remarked.
“Must be costing you a fortune.”
Saintcrow grinned at him. “Good thing I’ve got one. Come on, let’s go. We’re in the way here.”
“Still no sense of Kadie?” Ethan asked as they left the town behind.
“No.” A muscle twitched in Saintcrow’s jaw. When he got his hands on them, Browning and the witch would wish they’d never been born. “Sofia’s awake. Tell her I left some due bills on her desk and there’s food in the fridge.”
“Where are you going?”
“I think I’m going to go check out Palmer’s one more time.”
“I thought you said there was no point in going back until tonight?”
Saintcrow shrugged. “It’s probably a waste of time, but I don’t know what else to do.”
Ethan nodded. If Sofia went missing, he wouldn’t rest until she’d been found. “Do you want me to come along?”
Saintcrow shook his head. “No. You stay here and keep an eye on Sofia. I won’t be gone long.”
* * *
Sofia had just stepped out of the shower and was reaching for a towel when Ethan entered the bathroom. She let out a shriek when she saw him. “You’re awake!”
“Obviously.”
“It worked,” she murmured, sounding every bit as dazed as he had felt. “It really worked.”
Ethan grinned at her, watched her cheeks turn scarlet when she remembered she was naked. Chuckling softly, he turned his back while she wrapped up in the towel. “I’ll see you downstairs. Saintcrow said to tell you there’s food in the kitchen.” Still chuckling, he left the room.
Sofia stared after him. The sun was up and he was awake. It was a miracle, she thought as she dried her hair, then dressed. If something like that was possible, maybe there was a way for him to regain his humanity. Smiling at the thought of a life with Ethan, she went downstairs.
He was waiting for her in the living room. Determined to pretend his seeing her naked was no big deal, she said, “You must be excited.”
“About seeing you in the altogether?” he asked with a wicked grin. “You bet!”
“You know that’s not what I meant. The sun’s up and you’re awake!”
Ethan nodded. “I’m still trying to get used to the idea.” He followed her into the kitchen, sat at the table while she put two slices of bread in the toaster.
Pouring herself a glass of orange juice, she said, “Maybe there’s a way for you to be human again.”
“I doubt it.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Maybe there is a way.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” She buttered the toast and put it on a plate, picked up her juice, and carried it all to the table.
“Well, sure. I guess.”
Sitting across from him, she said, “You don’t sound very positive.”
“I don’t, do I?” He raked his fingers through his hair, wondering why that was. Ever since Saintcrow had turned him, he had been regretting it. So why wasn’t the idea of being human again more appealing?
“Do you like being a vampire?” she asked, frowning.
Did he? Would he really want to be mortal again if he had the chance?
“Ethan?” She stared at him, the toast in her hand forgotten as she waited for his answer.
“I don’t know.” He scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “I thought I hated it. Hated Saintcrow for turning me. But now . . .” He was stronger than he had ever been, his senses were sharper, he was more aware of the world around him. And now that he’d gotten the hang of it, he got a kick out of transporting himself wherever he wanted to go, being able to dissolve into mist. Even the blood thing wasn’t so bad once you got used to it. He shook his head, surprised to hear himself say, “I think I’d miss it.”
Sofia leaned back in her chair, unable to believe what she was hearing. “You’d miss it? Seriously?”
He nodded, wondering if he had just damaged their relationship. He was a vampire. She knew that. Did the fact that he liked it make a difference? Or was it his admission that he wouldn’t give it up if he had a choice? Did that make him a monster in her eyes? No longer a victim but a willing participant?
Sofia dropped her toast on the plate and pushed away from the table. “I’m going for a walk.”
He didn’t have to ask if she wanted company. It was obvious she wanted to get away from him. The question was, for how long?
* * *
After leaving the house, Sofia walked down the long narrow path to the bottom of the hill. She stood there a moment, then turned left, toward the graveyard. It seemed apropos, somehow, though she wasn’t sure why. Nor could she explain why she had felt so depressed when Ethan admitted he liked being a vampire. It hadn’t changed anything. He’d been a vampire when she’d met him. He was still a vampire. So why was she so upset? It made no sense at all.
The path she followed twisted and turned, now meandering through tree-lined avenues, now bordered by lacy ferns, sometimes running between spiny bushes.
One last turn and she reached the cemetery. She paused a moment before opening the rickety wooden gate. She had never been fond of graveyards—and this one was supposed to be haunted. She stopped inside the entrance. Nothing but row after row of weathered wooden crosses. A few of them had names scratched into the wood.
One grave, marked by a tall marble cross, stood out from all the others. Curious, Sofia walked toward it.
She stopped when she reached the foot of the grave. The wording on the marker simply read,
SHIRLEY ELIZABETH HAGUE
GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN
Shirley. The name sounded vaguely familiar. She must have been someone special, Sofia thought, judging by her memorial. And then she frowned. Was this the woman Saintcrow had mentioned? The woman Micah had been in love with? That Shirley? It seemed an odd combination, an older woman and a young vampire. Maybe one day she would ask Micah about his affair.
Leaving the graveyard, Sofia walked back to Saintcrow’s house, but she wasn’t ready to see Ethan yet. The Viper was parked out front. If the keys were in it, she could drive to the office. Fingers crossed, she hurried up the hill, smiled faintly when she saw the key fob in the cup holder.
* * *
Ethan stood at the front window, looking out. He knew a moment of hope when he saw Sofia coming up the hill, followed by a rush of disappointment when she slid behind the wheel and drove away.
Was she going to the office?
Or leaving Morgan Creek for good?
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sofia parked the car at the far end of the bridge, then sat with the engine idling while she tried to decide what to do. She was being foolish and she knew it. She had never heard of a cure for being a vampire. Of course, that didn’t mean it wasn’t possible. But whether it existed or not, she had fallen in love with Ethan just as he was. He was everything she had ever wanted in a man: tall, good-looking, easy to get along with. He made her laugh. He treated her with respect. And there was no doubt about the attraction between them, no doubt he would be a wonderful lover. So why was she letting the fact that he liked being a vampire bother her so much? Shouldn’t she be glad he was happy? Everyone knew that a happy wife meant a happy life. Wouldn’t the opposite also be true? Did she want him to be miserable?
Drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, she glanced over her shoulder. She couldn’t just drive away with nothing settled between them. Putting the car in reverse, she backed
off the bridge, made a U-turn, and drove to the office. After shutting off the engine, she stepped out of the car and almost bumped into Saintcrow when he materialized in front of her. “Geez, would you stop doing that!” she snapped.
“You should be used to it by now.”
“Well, I’m not. What are you doing here anyway?” She took a step back as he turned the full force of his gaze on her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing.” She closed the car door.
“You might be able to lie to Ethan,” Saintcrow remarked, falling into step beside her as she climbed the porch stairs. “But you can’t lie to me.”
With the master vampire trailing behind her, she went into the kitchen. “It’s nothing,” she said, filling the coffeepot with water.
“In my experience, when a woman says it’s nothing, it’s something.”
“Oh, all right. If you must know, I asked him whether he’d be human again if he had the chance and he said no. Satisfied?”
“Even if he said yes, it wouldn’t change anything. Once a vampire, always a vampire. Even if he was able to do everything mortal men can do, he would still be a vampire. To survive, he would still need to consume human blood from time to time.” Saintcrow cocked his head to the side. “Is that really what’s bothering you?”
She plugged in the pot, then turned to face him, her back resting against the counter. “I don’t know.”
He lifted one brow.
“I love him,” she confessed. “At least, I think I do. I just don’t know if I want to spend the rest of my life with a vampire. How do I know he won’t change, over time? That he won’t turn into some kind of... of . . .”
“Monster?”
She nodded. “I overheard Micah talking about Leticia Braga, about how horrible she was. And her brother, too. And how her brother nearly killed Holly. How do I know Ethan won’t become like them?”
Saintcrow pulled a chair from the table and straddled it, his arms folded over the back. “Being a vampire doesn’t usually change who you really are. Good people don’t suddenly become evil. Monsters don’t turn into saints. If something happened that prevented Ethan from feeding for a long time, he would likely lose control of his hunger. Being deprived of blood for an extended period is more excruciating than anything you can imagine. If that happens—and the chances are slim—all bets are off. If necessary, he’d kill to survive. And regret it for the rest of his life. But under ordinary circumstances, there’s no reason to think he’ll ever become like me. Or Braga. He’ll always be Ethan.”
Sofia nodded as she poured herself a cup of coffee. Carrying it to the table, she sat across from Saintcrow. “Do you regret the lives you’ve taken?”
“Ethan told you about my past, did he?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve killed a lot of people over the centuries, mortals and vampires alike, but I don’t have many regrets.” He stared into the distance for a moment, then said, “There are two kinds of fledglings—those whose sires stay with them and show them the ropes and those who wake up as vampires with no idea of what’s happened to them.
“The majority of people who are turned are basically decent people who aren’t given to killing. With the guidance of their maker, most of them quickly learn to control their hunger and don’t present much of a problem to humanity. Even without help, most of them don’t turn into monsters, although their survival rate is slim.
“But there are some, though few in number, who would think becoming a vampire was a dream come true. It lets them indulge their lust for blood. They love the thrill of the hunt, the kill. Those are the ones who turn into savages, who take lives indiscriminately. I was like the second kind,” Saintcrow admitted. “I’d been a soldier most of my life. Killing was what I did.” He shook his head ruefully. “You wouldn’t have liked me back then,” he said, grinning. “I’m not sure you like me now.”
Sofia knew she was blushing, but she couldn’t help it. There were times when Saintcrow frightened the daylights out of her. All that barely leashed power and macho male ego was intimidating.
Rising, he said, “You’re not going to like what I’m about to suggest either.”
Alarm skittered down her spine as she waited for him to explain.
“I want you to drink a little of my blood.”
“What? No way!”
“It’s merely a precaution. If you drink from me, we’ll be able to communicate mentally, the way I do with Kadie.”
Sofia shook her head. The last thing she wanted was for Saintcrow to be able to read her thoughts. Or to read his.
“I can already read your thoughts,” he said mildly. “I want you to be able to connect with me if the need arises.”
“And if I refuse?”
He lifted one brow, as if to suggest that doing so would be foolish and futile. “I thought you’d see things my way.” Dropping down on one knee in front of her, he bit into his wrist.
Sofia grimaced at the sight of the dark red blood that welled from two tiny punctures.
Looking amused, Saintcrow held out his arm. “Try it, you’ll like it.”
“I can’t.”
“You can and you will. It’s for your own safety, Sofia.”
With a sigh of resignation, and feeling a little embarrassed, she bent her head to his wrist. His blood was hot on her tongue and surprisingly pleasant. She had tasted her own on occasion. Who hadn’t licked their own blood from a minor cut? But his tasted nothing like hers.
She looked up when he withdrew his arm.
“I want you to drink from Ethan, too.”
She watched the tiny wounds in his arm disappear. “Does all vampire blood taste the same?”
“No.”
“Does human blood?”
He shook his head. “Everyone’s is a little different. Some are sweet. Some are bitter. Witch blood is supposed to be poisonous to vampires, although I don’t know if that’s true or just a rumor started by witches. Stop worrying about being with Ethan. You’re safe with him.”
Sofia nodded.
“Ah, young love,” Saintcrow muttered, getting to his feet. “I’ve got to go check something out. You two kiss and make up while I’m gone.”
“Wait!”
“What’s wrong?”
“I was wondering about . . .” Her voice trailed off as his eyes filled with despair.
He shook his head. “Nothing’s changed, but I’ll find her.” To think otherwise was out of the question.
“I know you will.”
With a nod, he vanished from her sight.
* * *
Saintcrow had no sooner left the office than Ethan appeared in the doorway. Hands in his pockets, he leaned one shoulder against the jamb, his face impassive. “I was afraid you’d decided to leave.”
“I thought about it.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I know. I’m glad you told me the truth, even if it wasn’t what I wanted to hear.”
He shifted from one foot to the other. “Being a vampire is very seductive, Sofie. I guess being human again would be kind of like being Superman, you know? Enjoying all those amazing powers and then being hit with kryptonite and just being ordinary again.”
“I guess,” she said dubiously.
“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”
“But you can’t just try it.”
Pushing away from the doorjamb, he moved closer to the table, his gaze intent on her face. “So, where does that leave us?”
She swallowed hard, her stomach fluttering as he drew near.
Taking her hands in his, he pulled her to her feet. “Sofia?”
She swayed toward him, her heart overruling the little voice in the back of her head that reminded her that nothing had been settled. But when he was this close—when he was looking at her like that—it just didn’t seem to matter.
“We okay?” he asked.
Going up on her tiptoes, she wrapped her ar
ms around his neck. “What do you think?”
“I think I’m the luckiest guy on the face of the earth.”
Grinning, she murmured, “I think so, too. Where was Saintcrow going?”
“Who the hell knows? My guess is that he’s gone back to Palmer’s to see if he can find a clue as to Kadie’s whereabouts. I don’t know how many times he’s been there. I hope he finds her soon. I think he’ll explode if this goes on much longer.” Ethan dragged his hand over his jaw. “Do you want to do it now?”
“Do what?”
“You know, what Saintcrow said.”
“Kiss and make up?”
“He said that?”
Sofia nodded.
“He’s full of surprises, isn’t he? But that’s not what I meant.”
Feeling suddenly queasy, she said, “Oh. You mean the blood thing.”
“Yeah.” Taking her by the hand, Ethan led her into the living room, then drew her down on the sofa beside him. “I know you don’t want to do this, but he’s right. I can’t always rely on a ghost to warn me when you’re in trouble.”
“Fine, let’s just get it over with.”
Ethan bit into his wrist, thinking she was probably sorry she had ever answered his phone call. He had turned her whole life upside down, and now she was drinking the blood of vampires. Holding out his arm, he murmured, “I’m sorry, Sofie.”
With a faint shrug, she licked his blood. It sizzled through her, warm and intoxicating, with a little kick that made her want more. Taking hold of his arm, she drank.
“Whoa, girl!” Ethan exclaimed.
She looked up, her expression filled with wonder. “I . . . I . . .” She shook her head. “What happened?”
“You tell me.”
“I didn’t want to stop.” Funny, she hadn’t felt this sense of euphoria when she tasted Saintcrow’s blood.
Slipping his arm around her shoulders, he whispered, “I’m glad.” And then he kissed her.
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