Her Midnight Cowboy (Keeper's Kin Book 1)

by Beth Alvarez

  A pause. Thaddeus didn’t like that, but he wasn’t going to object without hearing it. “I’m listening.”

  “We need to eliminate some of du Coudray’s backup before we can get to him. I’ve been shot enough for this job, and I ain’t gonna sit around pickin’ off cattle bandits and hopin’ he won’t notice. They’re thieves and this is a major deal for the local police. Filly says we should bring them in on it, drop an anonymous tip on where they can find the stolen cattle, and let the police bust up this little rustlin’ ring our target’s got goin’. I think she’s right on the money.”

  “Hmm.” The sound was halfway between thought and disapproval, but when the Keeper spoke again, there was no displeasure in his voice. “Involving police is always questionable, but du Coudray’s establishment may be close enough to the city for me to work something out.”

  Kade blinked in surprise.

  Felicity mouthed a silent “What?”

  He gave her a thumbs-up in response. “You got contacts in the area?”

  “Some. If nothing else, I can ensure the information is relayed to the police without you having to be involved. The farther we distance you from the ordeal, the better.” Thaddeus paused again, papers rustling in the background. “You will have to work quickly, of course. It will require coordination. When the hammer falls and police arrive, you will have to be ready to strike. The moment he believes himself found out, du Coudray will likely flee. He cannot be allowed to escape.”

  “I won’t let him,” Kade promised. “What do we need to give you to get the cops on his tail?”

  “Evidence, obviously, but I assume you already know that. Did you have a plan?”

  “A bit.” Kade flashed Felicity another grin. She smiled back, though he knew she was nervous. She only heard half the conversation. “Filly’s suggestions, really. Hole up outside du Coudray’s place and get some photos if possible. We’ll have to show them the trailers comin’ and goin’ if we want them to take us seriously.”

  “Precisely what I would suggest. A positive identification of someone involved would be best, but I can assist with that if you can provide incriminating photographs. Congratulations on finding yourself a human who isn’t worthless.”

  Kade twitched at the backhanded compliment, but he wasn’t going to repeat it to Felicity. “Thank you. We’ll get on that tonight, long as you get that address to us.”

  “I will,” Thaddeus said dryly, ending the call.

  Kade closed his eyes, releasing a long breath of relief.

  “Sounds like that went well,” Felicity murmured.

  “Went great. Better than I expected, really.” He pulled up his scarf and tucked the phone into his coat pocket before climbing into the front seat. “Let’s head back to the hotel. We got a bit of down time before we need to go on our stake out. After trompin’ around that farm half the night, I could use some rest.”

  * * *

  Felicity closed the curtains, jostling them on their rod until every hint of light was shut out. The hotel room became gloomy without it, the artificial lights dim by comparison even when all of them were on.

  Did vampires worry about depression? She didn’t know how she would survive without the sun to lift her spirits. Being awake at night with insomnia made it bad enough. It didn’t seem to bother Kade; he was always chipper and playful. She turned away from the curtains, stopping when she saw him.

  He’d kicked off his boots and left his hat on the nightstand, but he sat on the bed with a fist pressed to his chin, one arm across his middle and his elbow propped against it. He stared at nothing, his hazel eyes distant, his brow furrowed with deep thought.

  “I’ve never seen you brood before.” She crept closer, sitting gingerly on the side of his bed.

  Kade twitched as if startled, dropping his hand. “Sorry. I ain’t given to it, that’s for sure.”

  “What’s the matter?” Felicity patted his leg, meaning to offer comfort, but her touch seemed to make things worse. He pulled away, frowning.

  “I don’t know how to say this.”

  Her heart sank, but she tried to look cheerful anyway. “That’s easy, you just start talking. Eventually the words will come out.”

  A sound of exasperation rose in his throat. “I don’t know, Filly. I just . . . everything’s finally comin’ together, we know where we’re headed tonight and we got a rough idea of what to expect once we get in there. But I can’t stop myself from thinkin’ about takin’ you in there. We both know it’s gonna be dangerous.” He paused, searching her eyes. “And I know I can’t talk you out of goin’.”

  “Then why let it bother you?” She crawled up beside him, sitting with her legs folded beside her.

  “Because I can’t help it. I can’t stop thinkin’ about all the things that could go wrong, all the ways you could get hurt. When it’s time to go in, when the police are there, there’ll be crossfire. Maybe guard dogs, who knows what else. Forget Drake and his pet we’re after. You ain’t like me. What if I can’t keep you safe?”

  Felicity stroked his dark hair away from his face, cradling his cheek in her hand. “I know the risks, Kade.”

  “I know you do,” he replied, agitated. “And you’re fearless, but I’m not. If somethin’ happens to you in there, I don’t know what I’d do. I got one job, and when we’re in there, I’m gonna have to give it my all.”

  “I won’t hold you back.”

  “You won’t.” Kade leaned into her touch, closing his eyes. “I will. Because I won’t be able to think about anything but you.”

  She stared at him, unsure what to say. Her heart ached, but she wasn’t backing down, either.

  “I didn’t think I’d be askin’ like this,” he continued, taking her hand and lacing his fingers with it. “But if you’re gonna be on a hunt, Filly, well . . . maybe you oughta be more like a hunter before we go in there.”

  A hunter. Her pulse quickened. Her lips parted, words failing her.

  His hand tightened on hers. “I could do it. I could change you now, before we get into this mess. And that way, I’d know for sure you’d be safe.”

  And then they’d be together. No worry about the ages separating them, no chasm between life and death to keep them apart. They’d be young together forever, though surely not in Holly Hill.

  Tears filled her eyes. “Kade-”

  “I’m not askin’ this lightly, Filly. I know.” He touched her face, the depths of his troubles clear in his eyes. “I know what you’d have to give up and I know we ain’t been together long, but I already know I-”

  She pressed a finger to his lips before he could finish. She already saw the words in his eyes, felt them in his touch. She couldn’t stand to hear them, knowing she wouldn’t be able to resist. “My dad needs me,” she whispered. “I can’t.”

  The light in his eyes dulled. He fought not to let his disappointment show, but it shone through anyway. “Yeah,” he sighed, letting her go. “I know. You’re right. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  Felicity held her hands against her heart as if to soothe its ache. “I’m sorry, Kade.” She didn’t know what else to tell him. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be with him. But the thought of immortality was heavy, and worse was the niggling fear in the back of her head. She knew so little about him—about what he was—that she couldn’t imagine being one herself. How could she?

  “Don’t be,” he murmured. “I shouldn’t spring it on you like that. It’s a lot to think about, I know. Just . . . promise you’ll think about it, okay?”

  “Okay.” She petted his thigh through his jeans, unsure how else to comfort him. He still looked sullen and unsettled, but now he looked discouraged, too.

  “You should be glad you got someone who’d miss you. I know that means a lot.” A hint of bitterness colored his words. “Guess I’m a little bit jealous of that.”

  “You have family too, don’t you?”

  Kade crossed his arms, shrugging. “Guess so. Don’t mean much, th
ough.”

  “Will you tell me about them?” His sour mood made her tense, but she tried to sound pleasant.

  “What for? It ain’t like you and your daddy. They don’t even know if I’m alive.” He paused, then snorted. “Though I guess I ain’t, am I?”

  “You look fine to me.” She shifted closer, touching his arm. When he didn’t resist, she settled against him, leaning her head on his shoulder. “Besides, they were a big part of who you are. You’ve met my dad, he’s all the family I’ve got left. But I don’t know anything about yours.”

  He didn’t seem thrilled, but he rested his head against hers and let out a sigh. “Well, I know I told you my mama passed away after I left home.”

  “I remember.” Felicity trailed her fingers up and down his arm, pleased to feel the tension seep out of his body. “You said she was Puerto Rican, too. How’d she meet your dad?”

  “Her parents were immigrants, but she was born here. They met in college and married not long after. They had some classes together, I guess.” He looped one arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his side.

  She snuggled close, drawing her thigh over his. “What does he do?”

  “He’s a lawyer. Or I guess he still is. Old goat’s probably too stubborn to die, and I never saw him as the type to retire.” Kade peered at her out of the corner of his eye, letting one hand settle on her leg and the other on her backside.

  She didn’t protest. “Sounds like you come from an affluent family.”

  He grunted in displeasure. “I guess so. My brother Owen took after Dad, went into law and all that. He wanted both of us to do it. I tried, but my heart wasn’t in it, so I didn’t get too far. Ended up with a whole bunch of debt and no degree, no real opportunities. I worked where I could, but Dad was always disappointed in me. Wanted me to be successful and rich, like him. Like Owen.”

  “You’re successful now, though, aren’t you?”

  “For all the good it does me. Doesn’t make a difference there, since I haven’t spoken to any of my family since I went to Thaddeus and asked for the job.” Kade smiled mirthlessly, patting her backside. “Don’t matter in the end, though. I like what I do. That’s what’s important.”

  Felicity half smiled. Again she thought of her selfish desire to be close to him, to keep him in Holly Hill after everything was over. She’d already told herself she couldn’t ask him to give up the hunt, but he couldn’t stay close to her if he didn’t. She could accompany him on jobs if she accepted his offer and let him take her into darkness—but that meant giving up her home, her dreams, her tiny, broken family.

  “Do vampires marry?” The question escaped the moment it popped into her head, leaving them both blinking in surprise. She hadn’t thought it an important part of their relationship until now, wondering if it was even possible. Would she be happy if they couldn’t? Just living together like Nick and Penny? Felicity winced, hiding her face.

  “Some of them do,” Kade said slowly. “They hire a Justice of the Peace or just get a Keeper to do it.”

  “What about having families? They can’t have children, can they? Do they adopt?” Including Kade in their number still struck her as odd. In her head, she knew he was one of them, but it still felt unreal, like she was asking about theoretical beings. He was too real, too alive. Or at least he seemed that way.

  “Never heard of that happening, but . . .” He trailed off, biting his lower lip. Inexplicably, he laughed.

  “What?” She sat straighter.

  “Damn Keepers,” he muttered. “Birch told me this would happen. I didn’t believe him.”

  Felicity frowned, pushing away from him, trying not to marvel at the way his muscular chest felt beneath her hands. “That what would happen?”

  “Um.” Kade laughed again, averting his eyes. He scratched his jaw, shifting awkwardly. “There’s a rule for us. I mean, there are a lot of rules, but for people who decide to turn undead, I mean. Unless it’s done in an emergency situation, the Keepers require some paperwork, and . . . well, they got this funny rule.”

  She tried to pull out of his arms, but he kept one around her waist, his hold as strong as iron. “What is it?”

  “He said it was established to prevent regret. Because the most common regret vampires express is that they end up with nobody to carry on the family name, nobody to pass an inheritance to . . .” He cleared his throat. “So back in the eighties, when there started bein’ test tube babies, the Keepers mandated that anybody changin’ had to freeze some . . .” He gestured vaguely downward, looking awkward. “Some . . . reproductive measures, first.”

  Felicity’s shoulders went slack. Her jaw almost followed, but she caught herself first.

  Again he cleared his throat. He didn’t blush—she didn’t know if he could—but she’d never seen him so flustered. “I’d never thought about it again, truth be told. Not until you asked that just now. And the very first thing that popped into my head was how glad I was. So in that respect . . . yeah. I guess we can have families, after all.”

  “Oh, Kade.” Among all the pieces of her broken, troubled heart, that was one piece put back in place. She hugged his shoulder.

  “That’s just what I need, ain’t it?” He drew a fingertip down her nose, tapping the end with a sigh. “More reasons for you to stay just as you are. More reasons for me to want you that way, and more reasons for me to worry myself sick about draggin’ you in there with me when the time comes.”

  Felicity scrunched her nose. “Don’t act like it’s my fault. You already knew I wanted something long-term, with the house and kids and picket fence.”

  He lifted his chin, looking down at her with a mock scowl. “But were you gonna stay with me, if I couldn’t give you those things?”

  “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t realize I was with you, until now.”

  “Ain’t you?” Kade smoothed her hair, frowning.

  She leaned up, kissing his jaw. “I guess I am.”

  “Thought so. I mean, I sorta had it figured you were from whenever you sprawled yourself out on my bed like a siren, baitin’ me into a trap.” His finger jabbed between her ribs. “Worked, too.”

  “I don’t hear you complaining,” she teased.

  His face darkened.

  Sighing, she snuggled into his side again. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “I’m fine.” He turned away, but not before she saw the way his eyes drifted down her throat.

  A pang of concern made her chest tighten. “When was the last time you ate?”

  “It’s been a minute,” he admitted. “But it can wait.”

  Felicity studied him for a long time. He didn’t look at her again, but she felt him tense beside her. An odd fear rippled through her and she pulled away.

  “Are you afraid of me now?” A tinge of amusement colored his words and he glanced at her from the corner of one hazel eye.

  “No,” she lied.

  “I can smell it, you know. I ain’t got most of the powers they talk about in movies and books, but my senses are pretty sharp. I already told you, I ain’t gonna hurt you. I don’t bite people without permission.”

  But he needed to eat. If he was that irritable now, she couldn’t imagine what he’d be like when he woke up on an empty stomach. She twisted her hair into a ponytail, drawing it over one shoulder.

  Kade raised a brow. “What are you doin’?”

  “You need to keep your strength up. You need to be at the top of your game tonight.”

  “Filly-”

  “You want to, right?” She couldn’t meet his eye, turning her head and exposing her neck. Her heart pounded in her chest and made her dizzy, but she willed herself not to tremble.

  He didn’t reply right away, though she felt the weight of his gaze. Lifting a hand, he drew his fingers down her neck, letting them linger over her pulse.

  She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to see him. She didn’t want to think of him eyeing her as food instead of a person.<
br />
  Sighing, Kade pulled her into his arms, lowering his head. She braced herself for the prick of his fangs, the pain she was sure would follow. Instead, she felt the soft brush of his lips trailing kisses down her throat.

  “You give me too much,” he murmured, tasting her skin, slipping his fingers underneath her shirt.

  “Kade-” she started, cutting off with a sharp intake of breath when he closed his mouth on her neck.

  Instead of biting, he gently sucked, sending a rolling wave of pleasure through her body. She melted in his arms, letting him lay her down.

  “It ain’t bad if you do it right,” he murmured, unbuttoning her jeans and slowly peeling them off her legs. “So I’ve heard, anyway. I’ve only been bit once, and Birch was a mean son of a gun. But it doesn’t have to hurt. If you want me to, I . . .”

  He couldn’t finish.

  “Show me,” she said, letting him undress her. Her skin felt like fire wherever he touched, her body already yearning for him.

  Kade started at her legs, kissing and caressing his way back up her body. His hands ghosted over her knees, dipping inward at the juncture of her thighs. Every few inches, he pressed kisses to her flesh and she stiffened reflexively.

  “You don’t have to do this.” His breath stirred against her stomach as he spoke, lips just brushing her navel.

  Her voice was hoarse when she answered. “You’re not arguing very much.”

  “I want you. I won’t lie. I want to have you in every sense. Every way.” Kade’s fangs rasped against her side and she twitched. He smoothed his hand over the same spot, soothing her. “You smell so good . . . I’ve wanted a taste since that first time I kissed you.”

  She never would have guessed. He’d never done anything to indicate anything other than a sexual appetite. Now she reflected on all the times she’d offered to feed him. Ironic that it hadn’t come sooner.

  “Last chance to tell me no, Filly.” He crawled over her, pushing his jeans down, nuzzling her collarbones. “I don’t want to, but I’ll stop if you tell me to.”

  “Do it,” she whispered.

  His soft, gruff chuckle sent a shiver up her spine. “I was hopin’ you’d say that.”