Night's Illusion

by Amanda Ashley

  But nothing happened.

  “What is this?” Alric glanced around the room.

  “Magic. You know about magic, don’t you?”

  Alric took a step back, dragging Cassie with him. “I guess you want to watch,” he said, and buried his fangs in Cassie’s throat. He drank quickly, greedily.

  Eyes blazing, Giovanni took an involuntary step forward.

  “Another step and I’ll kill her.”

  “Go ahead. You can’t get out of here. If you kill her, you’re dead.”

  Alric snorted. “You and I both know her life is more important to you than my death.”

  “Maybe. But is it more important to you?”

  “I’m willing to gamble with her life if you are,” Alric countered, running his tongue along Cassie’s neck.

  Giovanni swore under his breath.

  “Last chance, Priest. She’s almost gone. Now open the damn door.”

  “All right, you win.” For a moment Giovanni considered calling Mara into the room, but he quickly dismissed that idea. One look at Mara might drive Alric over the edge. Knowing he couldn’t get away, knowing Mara could easily defeat him, he would likely kill Cassie out of hand. “Let her go.”

  “I don’t think so. She’s my insurance.”

  Mara, tell Brenna to open the door and be quick about it.

  Are you sure that’s wise?

  He’ll kill her. My life’s no good without her.

  Very well. It might take a minute or two.

  “I’ve contacted the witch,” Giovanni said. “It’ll take a few minutes to revoke the spell.”

  “Take as long as you want,” Alric said, and again lowered his head to Cassie’s neck.

  Dammit, Mara, tell Brenna to hurry! He’s feeding on her. Hands fisted at his sides, he watched the color fade from Cassie’s cheeks, listened as her heartbeat slowed and grew sluggish.

  She’s done.

  “It’s open now,” Giovanni said through clenched teeth.

  Holding Cassie tightly, Alric dragged her toward the door.

  Hoping she could hear him, Giovanni found his link to Cassie. Fall down when he opens it!

  She went limp in the vampire’s arms, causing him to stumble as he opened the door.

  Giovanni darted forward and scooped Cassie into his arms as Mara materialized in the doorway, blocking Alric’s escape.

  A surge of power whispered through the room as Brenna refreshed the spell.

  Alric backed away from Mara, his gaze darting left and right.

  “It ends here,” she told him. “You should have quit when you had the chance.”

  “Go to hell!”

  She laughed softly, then glanced at Giovanni. “Shall I finish him, or do you want to try again?”

  “He’s mine. Take Cassie for me. Whatever happens, promise me you’ll look after her.”

  Nodding, Mara took Cassie in her arms and carried her into the bedroom.

  Alric licked Cassie’s blood from his lips. “A tasty morsel. One I can’t wait to sample again.”

  “That was the last you’ll ever have.”

  Giovanni stalked toward Alric, the rage inside him growing with each step. He watched Alric’s eyes go red, knew his looked the same. He bared his fangs, then sprang forward, oblivious to the blows and bites he received as he savaged Alric’s throat and clawed long, bloody furrows down his arms and chest.

  Alric fought back, but he was no match for Giovanni’s fury.

  When the vampire stumbled and went down, Giovanni pinned him to the floor, then sank his fangs into his throat once more. The blood was vile, but he didn’t care. Nothing mattered but destroying the creature who had hurt Cassie.

  Weak from the loss of blood, Alric stropped struggling.

  Giovanni was about to break his neck when, from some deep, desperate instinct to survive, Alric found the strength to wrest his way free. Frantic to escape, he hobbled across the floor toward the sliding glass door.

  Watching from the balcony and sensing his intent, Brenna hastily removed the spell keeping him in the room.

  When Alric saw Giovanni coming after him, he opened the balcony door, staggered outside, and let out an exultant cry as he climbed over the rail.

  A cry that swiftly turned to a shrill scream of agony as the rising sun turned his flesh into ash.

  Giovanni grunted softly as he watched what was left of his sire drift away on the wind. Drained nearly dry, his strength almost gone, the vampire had lacked the power to endure the sun’s light.

  “Giovanni,” Mara called. “You’d better get in here.”

  He ran into the bedroom, skidded to a stop beside the bed. “Is she . . . ?”

  “Not yet. But the only way to save her now is to turn her. She’s too far gone for anything else.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t. I promised her I would never do that.”

  “Then I’ll leave you to tell her good-bye, although I’m not sure she’ll hear you.”

  Taking Cassie’s hand in his, Giovanni sank to his knees beside the bed. “Cassie, can you hear me?”

  She didn’t move, didn’t answer. He stared at the savage wounds in her throat, the bright red blood that stained the collar of her robe. Her face was deathly pale, her heartbeat weak and unsteady.

  “I can’t lose you, cara mia,” he murmured. “I know you trusted me to keep my promise, but I can’t let you go. Not now. Not ever.” He blinked the tears from his eyes. “I’d rather live with your hatred than without you.” Cassie, I love you.

  I . . . love . . . you.

  Forgive me.

  He kissed her cheek, and then he turned her head to the side, gently sank his fangs into her throat and drank what little blood she had left.

  * * *

  Mara’s head jerked up. “He’s done it,” she said, her voice almost reverent. “He’s made Cassie one of us.” She glanced at the family, who had all gathered in her room. Although the sun was up, it was dark enough inside that even those few who generally had to rest during the day were able to be awake, though not for much longer.

  They all turned to stare at her, their faces reflecting surprise, shock, or disbelief.

  “She was dying,” Mara said.

  “What else was he going to do?” Logan asked. “He couldn’t let her go.”

  Derek smiled at Sheree. “I understand his motives completely.”

  “I think we all do,” Nick said. Reaching across the table, he squeezed Abbey hand.

  Vince grunted softly. “I wonder how she’ll react?”

  “Hard to tell,” Mara said. “The fact that she made him promise he would never give her the Dark Gift makes it more complicated.”

  Roshan shrugged. “She might feel differently about it when she realizes what the consequences would be if he hadn’t.”

  Edna and Pearl turned mildly accusing eyes on Rafe, who grinned back at them.

  “We hated you for a long time for turning us against our will, didn’t we, Pearl?”

  Forcing a smile, Pearl said, “Yes, dear,” in a voice still thick with grief.

  All eyes swung toward the door when it opened and Giovanni stepped inside.

  “Is she all right?” Sheree asked.

  “She’s resting.”

  “You look like you’ve been through hell and back,” Mara said, eyes narrowed with concern. “Are you all right?”

  “At least until she wakes up tomorrow night,” Giovanni replied with a rueful grin.

  Chapter 49

  “Well,” Edna said after they transported themselves to Mara’s home in Northern California. “Where do we go from here? The café is gone and our lair with it. And while this place is nice, we can’t stay here forever.”

  “You once said something about going back to Texas,” James remarked. “I’ve never been there but it sounds like a great place to start over.”

  “What do you say, Pearl?” Edna Mae asked.

  She shook her head. “I don’t care what the two of you do.�
�

  “Hey, I don’t want to hear you talking like that,” Edna Mae said sharply. “We’ve been friends for a long time, you and I. We’ve been through hell and back together. I know losing Monroe is hard, but I’m not going to let you crawl into a hole and pine away. You’re my family. Our family,” she said, taking Pearl’s hand. “Together through thick and thin, remember? We’ve faced vampires and werewolves and Mara’s wrath. If we can survive all that, we can survive anything. So, what do you say? Light out for Texas?”

  “We’re not going anywhere without you,” James said, taking Pearl’s other hand in his. “So, you might as well say yes.”

  Pearl smiled faintly. “I guess tomorrow night we’re going to Texas.” She glanced from Edna to James to the sliding glass doors. “The sun’s up. How can we still be awake?”

  * * *

  Mara stretched out on the bed beside Logan, her head pillowed on his shoulder. “All’s well that ends well.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yes. Don’t you?”

  “I suppose it depends on how Cassie handles the change.”

  “She’ll be fine,” Mara said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

  “You sure about that?” he asked, somewhat skeptically

  “Of course. She’s alive and in love. And I can’t think of anyone better than our favorite priest to see her safely through her fledgling year.” She ran her fingernails over his bare chest. “It was nice, having the whole family together for a while, don’t you think?”

  He grunted softly. “Who are you and where’s my wife?”

  She bit him playfully. “It was nice. We’ve been lucky.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, except for Monroe, all the people we care about have survived, although tonight was a close call. Alric was obviously out of his head to jump off the balcony like that with the sun coming up.”

  “Giovanni must have bled him almost dry.” He shuddered. “I can’t think of a worse way to go.”

  “No more than he deserved. He was a nasty piece of work.”

  “We’re lucky the sun didn’t get any of our people,” Logan remarked. And then frowned. “Not all of them are able to be awake during the day.”

  She made a tsking sound. “Did you think I wouldn’t take care of them?”

  Brow furrowed, he met her gaze. “What do you mean?”

  “I protected them, of course.”

  “How?”

  “I shielded them with my preternatural energy, enough to last until they were all safely home.”

  “Is there anything you can’t do?” He’d known her for centuries, Logan thought, yet he was still amazed at the seemingly unlimited power she possessed.

  “I don’t know,” she murmured, tracing his lower lip with her fingers. “I guess only time will tell.”

  A low growl rumbled in his throat as he rose over her, his eyes smoky with desire. “Enough about the family,” he muttered. “It’s time you paid attention to me.”

  “Always my pleasure,” she purred, throwing her arms out wide. “Do with me what you will.”

  Chapter 50

  Cassie woke abruptly. One minute she had been locked in thick darkness and the next she was wide-awake and aware of everything around her. The room was pitch-black, yet she saw everything clearly, including the small brown spider crawling across the ceiling. She frowned as she heard footsteps in the hallway outside the suite, the cacophony of laughter, voices, bells, and whistles from the casino floor below, honking horns from the street. Why could she hear these things now when she couldn’t last night? How was it even possible? And why did she feel so strange, as if she was inhabiting someone else’s body? She seemed to vibrate with energy and a sense of strength and power she had never felt before.

  Frowning, she sat up, her mind replaying the horror of being in Alric’s grasp, the pain of his fangs at her throat as he drank and drank. The black abyss that had swallowed her whole.

  Horrified, she realized he must have turned her. That was the only explanation. She was his now. The reality of her fate drove every other thought out of her mind. Was he here? She tried to sense his odious presence but she couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t think past the horror of what had happened.

  And then she shuddered as a new thought crossed her mind. If Alric had turned her, then Johnny must be dead.

  Before she had time to process her loss, she heard the sound of footsteps on the other side of the door.

  Alric!

  She sprang out of bed, her heart in her throat, as the door swung open. Only, it wasn’t Alric silhouetted in the doorway. It was Johnny. How could that be?

  “Cassie?”

  “Oh, Johnny,” she cried, throwing herself into his arms. “I’m so glad to see you! Tell me it was all a nightmare. Tell me Alric didn’t turn me!” She stared up at him, feeling a sudden, sinking feeling in her heart. “What’s wrong?” she asked, seeing the sadness in his eyes. “Why are you looking at me like that?

  “He didn’t turn you,” he said, his voice little more than a whisper. “I did.”

  She backed away from him, her eyes dark with accusation. “You promised me,” she said flatly. “You promised me you would never do that. And I believed you. I trusted you!”

  “Cassie, listen. I had no other choice. You were dying,” he said quietly. “I couldn’t let you go, not if there was a chance I could save you. Hate me if you must. Hit me. Yell at me. Drive a stake in my heart. I can live with your hatred, but I don’t want to live without you.”

  She glared at him. How could she hate him? His words, filled with love and regret, torn from the very depths of his soul, brought tears to her eyes. “I could never hate you, Johnny.”

  His gaze, filled with hope, burned into hers. “You’re not angry?”

  “Oh, I’m angry!” she exclaimed, thinking that didn’t begin to describe how she felt. And then she blew out a sigh as she realized it could be worse. “But . . . well, I guess I’d rather be alive and a vampire than not be alive at all. And far better for you to be my master than Alric.”

  He drew her into his arms, holding her so tightly, he likely would have crushed the ribs of an ordinary mortal. “I love you, Cassie. Now and forever,” he murmured.

  “And I love you.”

  His gaze caressed her, and then he lowered his head and claimed her lips with his in a kiss she hoped would never end.

  She was about to pull him down on the bed when a sharp pain unlike anything she had ever known threatened to send her to her knees. Gasping, she pulled away from him, wrapping her arms around her middle as she doubled over. Was she dying? It certainly felt like it.

  “Cassie, it’s okay,” he said, his voice calm and reassuring. “Don’t panic.”

  “Okay?” she croaked as her stomach clenched. “Are you kidding?”

  “You’re a new vampire,” he said, slipping one arm around her shoulders. “You need to feed, that’s all.”

  Feed. Hunt for prey. Drink blood. How could she have forgotten that part? Her head snapped up as she felt an ache in her gums and realized she had fangs. Fangs that were very sharp against her tongue.

  “Let’s get dressed,” Johnny said, “and I’ll take you hunting.”

  Even though she could see clearly in the dark, Cassie turned on the lights. Grabbing a change of clothes, she padded into the bathroom—and got her second big shock of the night. Looking in the mirror over the sink, she saw only the wall behind her. She stared at it for a long time. Reached out to touch the glass as a cold chill settled in the pit of her stomach. She remembered asking Johnny how he’d felt when he realized he had no reflection. “Invisible,” had been his reply. And that was how she felt.

  Feeling numb, she took a long, hot shower as she tried to come to terms with what she was. No more worrying about what to eat, she thought glumly. From now on, she would survive on a warm, liquid diet and an occasional glass of red wine. No more decadent chocolate desserts, no more pasta or burgers or pizza.
No more waffles or scrambled eggs and bacon. Or freshly baked bread.

  Just someone else’s warm, red blood.

  No more sunbathing. No more dreams. She blinked rapidly as tears stung her eyes. Had her hopes of becoming a hairdresser died with her humanity? Maybe not. Maybe she could find a salon that opened after dark, one that was willing to let her work nights.

  Stepping out of the shower, she fisted the tears from her eyes. No use crying over spilled milk. So, there were things she couldn’t do, she thought as she pulled on her underwear. Lots of people had handicaps and limitations and they survived. And so would she. She was alive and Johnny loved her. And that was all that really mattered.

  She groaned softly as her stomach tightened. It was time to hunt, she thought, grimacing with pain.

  Like it or not.

  * * *

  Giovanni paced the bedroom floor. He had felt Cassie’s dismay as she looked in the mirror. He well remembered what that was like—the shock, the disbelief, the sudden sense of having disappeared from the face of the earth. It had taken a long time to get over it. Probably harder for a woman, he thought. Most of them spent an inordinate amount of time in front of a mirror every day, doing their hair, applying makeup, checking their appearance.

  He dragged his hand across his jaw. Though he would do it again, he couldn’t help feeling guilty for stealing her life. He knew it would take time for her to come to terms with what she’d become, but she was a strong woman, stronger than she knew.

  And she had a whole family of vampires, including the Queen of them all, to help her get through it.

  He found part of that family waiting for him in the living room. “Mara. I should have known you’d show up sooner or later.”

  “It’s nice to see you, too, Giovanni,” she said dryly. “Is Cassie all right?”

  “She will be.”

  Gliding toward the window, Mara drew back the drapes and looked out at the neon lights. “I scarcely remember what being a fledgling was like. I only recall being angry and filled with rage and I took it out on everyone I met. Except Logan.” She smiled at the memory. The attraction between them had burned brighter than the sun itself. His power, even when first turned, had been stronger than that of any of the others she had turned. Perhaps it was because he had been arrogant, self-confident, and incredibly strong-willed, even as a mortal.