Sofia was surprised to find Rosa standing on one side of the bed and their mother on the other, each holding one of her father’s hands. His breathing was shallow, labored, his heartbeat slow.
“Isn’t this Angela’s shift?” Sofia asked.
“One of her kids was sent home from school. He’s got a high fever.”
“How’s Dad?”
Rosa shook her head imperceptibly.
Sofia beckoned for her sister to come away from the bed.
Frowning, Rosa joined Sofia and Ethan near the door. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve called everyone. They’re on their way. Well,” she said, sniffling, “everyone except Micah and Holly.”
“Rosie, Ethan thinks some of his blood might help Dad recover. There’s no guarantee, but at this point, it can’t hurt.”
“I’m willing to try anything, but we should ask Mom first.”
Sofia nodded. “Of course.”
Ethan stayed by the door while Sofia and Rosa went to talk to their mother. He had no trouble overhearing what was said, or reading the shock in Lena’s eyes as Sofia explained what Ethan proposed to do. For a moment, he thought she would refuse, and in some ways, he hoped she would. He was pretty sure a little of his blood would, at the least, strengthen Ravenwood and give him a fighting chance. But if he was wrong, it might make the old man feel worse.
In the end, Lena agreed.
Taking a deep breath, Ethan approached the bed. “Mrs. Ravenwood, you might not want to watch.”
“I’m staying.”
Ethan glanced at Sofia, who nodded.
Praying this would work, Ethan bit into his wrist.
Lena Ravenwood’s face paled when she saw the dark red blood welling from the twin puncture wounds. Vampire blood was a lot darker than its human equivalent. In the dim light of the room, it looked almost black.
Lena looked as if she was about to faint as she watched drops of that dark red blood dripping into her husband’s mouth.
Rosa gagged and looked away.
Sofia’s gaze moved from Ethan’s face to her father’s and back again. Would it help or hurt? How long before they knew?
After what seemed like forever, but was only a minute or two, Ethan withdrew his arm.
Sofia glanced over her shoulder as Sergio and Paolo arrived. They glanced at their father, then at Ethan.
Paolo frowned.
“What the hell’s going on?” Sergio asked.
Sofia forced a smile. “Nothing; why?”
Before her brother could say anything else, her sisters, Angela and Delia, arrived, closely followed by her two other brothers, Enzo and Mario.
Rosa looked at Sofia, her expression clearly saying, what now? as the tension in the room grew thick enough to cut with a knife.
Sofia moved closer to Ethan, her hand finding his. Hoping to distract her siblings, she said, “I’m not sure this is the right time or place to tell you this, but Ethan and I are getting married and . . .”
“And what?” Sergio demanded. He glared at Ethan, then looked back at Sofia, his eyes narrowed ominously. “Are you in trouble?”
“No. No! I didn’t want to say anything with Dad so sick, but . . .”
“Luciano!” All eyes swung toward Lena, who was openly weeping tears of joy. “Luciano, you’ve come back to us!”
Sofia looked at Ethan, mouthing the words thank you, as the rest of the family congregated around her father’s bed.
“Where’d this blood on the sheet come from?” Sergio asked. “There’s blood on Dad’s chin, too.”
“It’s nothing,” Lena said, quickly wiping the blood from her husband’s face with a corner of the sheet. “Luciano, can you hear me? How do you feel?”
Sofia held her breath as she waited for her dad’s answer.
“I feel . . . good,” he said slowly. “Kind of strange, but good. Enzo, raise the bed.” He frowned when he was sitting up. “I had the strangest dream,” he said, taking Lena’s hand in his.
Sofia looked at Ethan again, her expression worried. Can he possibly know what happened?
Ethan shrugged. I don’t know.
“What kind of dream?” Rosa asked, darting a glance at Sofia.
“Is Micah here?” Luciano asked, looking around.
“He should be here soon, Dad,” Delia said. “The sun’s going down.”
Luciano nodded, his brow furrowing. “Of course.”
“The blood,” Paolo murmured. “Vampire.”
“Why did you think Micah was here?” Mario asked.
Somewhat sheepishly, Luciano said, “I dreamed he was beside me, giving me his blood.”
Silence fell over the room and then, as if pulled by the same string, all heads turned toward Ethan.
Chapter Thirty-One
Feeling like an alien invader, Ethan faced Sofia’s increasingly suspicious siblings as they murmured among themselves. He was wondering whether to stand his ground or get the hell out of Dodge when Micah and Holly burst through the door.
“What’s going on?” Micah asked, his gaze sweeping the faces of his parents and siblings. “I could feel the tension in this room a mile away.”
“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” Sergio said.
Micah’s nostrils flared, and then he turned all his attention to Ethan. “What have you done?”
“Saved your father’s life,” Ethan retorted. “Why didn’t you?”
Micah took a step forward, his rage a palpable thing.
“Stop!” Lena exclaimed. “You will not fight in here! Instead of being angry, you should be thanking Ethan . . .” Her voice trailed off.
“Vampire,” Paolo said. “I knew it.”
There was little point in denying it, so Ethan nodded.
Lena looked at Micah, accusation in her eyes. “Would your blood have saved your father?”
“I don’t know. I guess so. I would have given it to him if I’d been here.” Micah frowned as he again focused his attention on Ethan. “How long have you been here? The sun just went down.”
“The sun’s not a problem for me anymore.”
“How is that possible? You’re still a fledgling.”
“Maybe you should talk to Saintcrow.”
“I’m asking you.”
“Children, enough.” Luciano’s voice cut through the tension. “Micah, could you get me something to eat? I’m starving.”
Keeping his gaze on Ethan, Micah said, “Send Sergio.”
“Micah, shame on you!” Lena chided. “Do as your father asks.”
“He’s just trying to get me out of here!”
“Then go.”
Eyes blazing red with anger, Micah stalked out of the room. Holly sent Lena an apologetic glance, then followed him.
“Mrs. Ravenwood, I think I should go, too,” Ethan said as the door closed behind Holly.
“That’s not necessary,” she said quietly. “You saved my husband’s life. You are welcome here and in my home.”
One by one, the Ravenwood sons and daughters nodded in agreement.
Luciano cleared his throat. “Excuse me, but who is this man who is causing such a fuss?”
“His name is Ethan Parrish,” Sofia said, tugging Ethan toward her father’s bedside. “He’s Holly’s cousin.”
Luciano’s gaze moved over Ethan. “And you are a vampire, like Micah?”
“Yes, sir.”
Ravenwood glanced from Ethan to Sofia. “You two are together?”
Sofia squeezed Ethan’s hand. “Yes.”
“Why have we not met him before?”
Sofia gave her father a why-do-you-think look that brought a faint smile to his face. “I would not have approved.”
“I hope you will now,” she said, “because we’re going to be married as soon as you’re well.”
“With your permission, Mr. Ravenwood,” Ethan added.
“How can I refuse?” Luciano replied with a wry grin. “I owe you my life.”
Sofia blinked back tears of
happiness as her father and Ethan shook hands.
“I was happy to help,” Ethan said. “But I think I’ll say good night for now. I’d rather not be here when Micah gets back.”
Luciano nodded. “As my Lena said, you are always welcome in our home.”
“Thank you, sir. Good night.”
Sofia kissed her father on the cheek. “I don’t want to be here when Micah gets back either,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She gave her mother and siblings quick hugs, then took Ethan’s hand. “Let’s get out of here while the getting’s good.”
* * *
Ethan wasn’t keen on going back to the Ravenwood home and mingling with the family, and he didn’t feel safe staying at Sofia’s place, so he transported them to the warehouse he had once intended to use as his lair. There was still no electricity, but he’d bought some candles, which turned away the night.
Muttering, “Well, all the cats are out of the bag now,” he sat on the couch and pulled Sofia down on his lap.
“Not exactly the way I planned to tell the family we’re getting married—or that you’re a vampire,” she remarked, “but I’m glad it’s all out in the open. No more sneaking around.”
“Micah’s never gonna forgive me for doing what he feels he should have done.”
She couldn’t argue with that. “Do you think he’ll ask Saintcrow to do that blood exchange thing?”
“I don’t know.”
“I wonder if Saintcrow would do it?”
Ethan shook his head. “I don’t know that either, but somehow, I doubt it.”
“Why?”
“If Kadie’s life hadn’t been in danger, he wouldn’t have suggested it. I’m sure of that. One of the perks of being a master vampire is being able to walk in daylight. It gives them an edge over those less powerful. I don’t know about Saintcrow, but if I was a master vampire, I’d want to keep that particular talent to myself.”
* * *
After days of searching, Nolan Browning finally found another witch.
She lived in Newport Beach and called herself Madame Zola. She agreed to meet him at the bar in a lavish club near her house an hour before midnight.
He had no trouble picking her out. She wore a low-cut white blouse, a colorful skirt, and two-inch heels. A mass of long red hair fell over her shoulders. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, but his vampire senses told him she was far older.
Her unblinking gaze ran over him as he took the stool beside her. It was like being watched and weighed by a hungry lioness.
“What do you want, vampire?” Her voice was like sandpaper sliding over silk.
“I’m looking for someone to help me destroy an enemy of mine.”
“Why come to me?”
“I need a witch.”
Her nostrils flared. “What happened to the last witch you employed?”
Her question took him aback. How did she know about Shiloh? He considered lying, but decided against it. “She was killed.”
“Indeed. Think I am foolish enough to pit my powers against those of Rylan Saintcrow?”
Browning couldn’t subdue his look of surprise. “You know him?”
“I know of him. He is a vampire without equal. I have no desire to make him my enemy.”
Browning drummed his fingers on the table. “You make potions, right?”
She nodded.
“Can you create one that would make it impossible for him to sense my presence?”
“Yes.”
“Can you also make it possible for me to get past the wards he’s set around the town?”
She looked thoughtful, then nodded again. “There might be a way to disguise your true nature so the wards will be ineffective. Of course, it all depends on whether or not the price is right.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Two days later, Luciano’s doctor declared him 100 percent recovered. Lena and Sergio drove to the hospital to bring him home.
The whole family—save for Micah and Holly—were there to greet the patriarch when he arrived.
Lena had prepared all his favorite foods for lunch: homemade pasta with marinara sauce, antipasto, rolls fresh from the oven, and cannoli for dessert. A huge “Welcome Home” sign—painted by Rosa and Sofia—hung on the dining-room wall.
Ethan had tried to avoid showing up, but Sofia wouldn’t hear of it. “You’re family now. You saved Dad’s life. You have to be there.”
Now, he stood in a corner of the living room, watching while the Ravenwood children and grandchildren gathered around the patriarch, all talking at once.
He couldn’t help envying Sofia her family. The love and concern they felt for one another was a beautiful thing to see, something he had never experienced in his own home. He had no idea why his parents were still married, or why they had married in the first place.
Luciano insisted Ethan sit at his left hand at the table. It was a little awkward, sitting there while the family passed food and drink back and forth. And yet it gave him an opportunity to see how a loving family interacted. One after another, Sofia’s brothers and sisters told their favorite stories about their dad. Some were funny, some were serious, but the love was real. So was the laughter.
For a moment, he hated Saintcrow for turning him. He would never have a family like this. Of course, there was no guarantee any family he might have had would be as full of love and laughter as this one. But it might have been. Now, he would never know. How could he marry Sofia and rob her of the chance to enjoy life fully, to watch her own children grow up? Would she come to despise him for what he had stolen from her: a normal life with a mortal man who could give her children and grow old at her side?
He couldn’t ask her to make a sacrifice like that. He loved her too much to yoke her life with his.
Hating Saintcrow, hating himself for what he was, Ethan stood abruptly and left the table. Once out of sight of the family, he dissolved into mist and fled the city.
* * *
He prowled the streets of another town, feeling more lost and alone than he had since he’d been turned. He blocked Sofia’s thoughts, afraid hearing her voice would weaken his resolve to do the right thing. Leaving was for the best. At least for her.
He was a vampire. Being able to walk in daylight didn’t change that. He would never be able to fully trust himself not to hurt her, either by accident or in a fit of anger. He didn’t want to watch her grow old. Didn’t want her to hate him because he didn’t age. Didn’t want her to decide to give up her humanity just so they could be together. True, she had once thought she wanted to be a vampire, but he’d been in her mind often enough to know she no longer felt that way. He knew he was hurting her now, by leaving, but better now than later, when she had given him her youth. He could have taken her aside and told her good-bye, but he couldn’t bear to see her tears, couldn’t take a chance she would change his mind. Better to do it this way, so her hurt would turn to anger. They had only been together a short time. She would forget him soon enough.
But in the deepest part of his soul, he knew he would never forget her.
* * *
Sofia refused to cry, but it was difficult to hold back her tears when everyone wanted to know why Ethan had left so abruptly and whether he was coming back.
He wasn’t. Before he’d shut her out of his mind, she had read enough of his thoughts to know why he’d left. But it didn’t ease the pain. It was as if he had ripped her heart from her chest, leaving nothing but a great, empty hole she would never be able to fill.
With a shake of her head, she kissed her father’s cheek and excused herself from the table.
In her room, she stood in the center of the floor, her mind in turmoil, her throat burning with unshed tears. She would not cry for him. If he could walk away without so much as a good-bye, if he didn’t have the guts to try to make a life with her, if he didn’t think she was strong enough to be his woman, the hell with him.
The tears came then, slowly at first, then faster a
nd faster. She sank to the floor, her face buried in her hands, and wept until she had no tears left.
She was still sitting there when someone knocked on her door.
“Sofia?” It was Rosa.
Wiping her eyes, she called, “Come in.”
“Sofie, what happened?” Closing the door behind her, Rosa dropped down on the floor and reached for her sister’s hand.
“He left me.”
“Just like that? Why?”
“He thinks he’s ruining my chance to have a normal life and a family of my own.”
Rosa nodded slowly. “Don’t get mad, but maybe he’s right.”
Sofia glared at her. “Shouldn’t what I do with my life be my decision?”
“Well, yes, but . . . you’re in love and not exactly thinking straight. I mean, have you ever seriously stopped to think about what it would mean to be married to a vampire?”
“Of course I have.”
“Really? You’ll age and he won’t. You can’t have kids.”
“We could adopt.”
“Suppose you do. But what about those kids? Are you going to spend your whole life lying about their father? Or burden them with the truth? And then there’s that age thing again. You’ll have to move every fifteen or twenty years because your neighbors will notice that you’re growing older and he isn’t. Or do you want to spend your whole life hiding in Morgan Creek? Or, worse, have him bring you across? I know you’re miserable right now, but honestly, Sofie, I really believe he did you a favor, and he did it because he loves you.”
“He has a funny way of showing it,” Sofia muttered. “I hope he’s miserable for the rest of his life when he realizes what he’s thrown away.”
* * *
During the next week, Ethan focused on helping Reed’s men finish up the renovations on the last of the houses. He started early in the morning, took shelter in his lair when the sun was at its hottest, then went back to work with the second shift. But physical labor didn’t make him stop thinking about Sofia, didn’t make him miss her less.
He hunted nightly, but there was no solace to be found in the women he preyed on, no pleasure to be had in easing his hellish thirst.
Saintcrow remained oddly quiet, limiting his conversation to topics that pertained to Morgan Creek and nothing else. His reticence ended after two weeks. They were sitting in the newly refurbished tavern splitting a bottle of cabernet when he asked Ethan how much longer he was going to go on moping.
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