Desire After Dark

by Amanda Ashley

  She closed up her house and then, without a backward glance, she hopped into her car and went in search of her vampire.

  Chapter 38

  Antonio prowled the empty rooms and lonely halls of the castle like a caged beast. He had done what was best for Victoria, that was the important thing. No matter that he felt as though his heart had been torn from his chest, or that he had given up his best reason for existing. He loved her with his whole being and because he loved her, he had let her go. In time, he would forget her.

  He laughed harshly, humorlessly. Time. If there was one thing he had in abundance, it was time. And never had it passed so slowly. Every day without Victoria seemed like an eternity. He took no pleasure in rising, or in feeding. He had growled at Lady Kathryn so often she had gone into hiding, leaving him more alone than ever.

  Alone and in darkness. Strange, he thought, he had lived for centuries cloaked in the shadows of the night, but he had never realized how dark his life was until the light of Victoria’s love was no longer there to illuminate his heart and soul.

  Victoria. Her scent filled every room in the castle. Her memory filled his every waking thought. He started to go after her a hundred times, but he always turned back. No matter how much he regretted letting her go, it was for the best.

  He swore under his breath. Whose best? Not his! Never his.

  Did she ever think of him?

  Had she found someone else?

  He slammed his fist against the wall. Pain vibrated up his arm. Blood oozed from his knuckles. He hit the wall again and again, breaking through paint, plaster and mortar.

  He drew his arm back, ready to strike again, when he heard a knock at the front door.

  Frowning, he glanced over his shoulder. Who would be coming to call at this hour of the night? He laughed humorlessly. Who would be coming to call on him at any hour?

  He wrenched the door open, his angry words dying in his throat when he saw her standing there. He shook his head, unable to believe his eyes. He had dreamed of her, thought of her, yearned for her for so long, he was sure his lonely heart had conjured her image. An indrawn breath carried her scent to him.

  Still unconvinced, he stroked her cheek. Soft feminine flesh, warm with life.

  “Victoria?” She wore a pair of jeans that clung to her like a second skin, a black knit sweater, and a pair of fur-lined boots. Her hair fell over her shoulders in shimmering chestnut waves. In six hundred and twelve years, he had never seen anything more beautiful.

  “Hello, Antonio.”

  “What are you doing here?” He drank in the sight of her. What difference did it make why she was here? She was here, and that was all that mattered. He thanked a generous Fate for allowing him to see her one more time.

  “Are you going to invite me in?”

  He stepped back. “You need no invitation. You will always be welcome in my home.”

  She crossed the threshold, and he followed her into the parlor. His hungry gaze moved over her, every fiber of his being yearning toward her. “Is something wrong?”

  She turned to face him. “That depends on you.”

  He shook his head. “I do not understand.”

  “Do you love me, Antonio?”

  “You know that I do.”

  “Then you know that I love you, too.”

  “We have been through this before.”

  “I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” she said, moving toward him.

  He thought of a hundred reasons why he should send her away, but when he tried to put them into words, they no longer made sense.

  “Will you share your life with me, Antonio?”

  Unable to deny the urgings of his own heart any longer, he nodded. Right or wrong, he wanted her, all of her, for however long she was willing to put up with him and his unnatural lifestyle.

  “I asked Ramsey to bring me across.”

  Her words slammed into him with the force of a stake through the heart. He stared at her, too stunned to speak. Opening his senses, he searched for some hint of supernatural power. To his relief, he found none.

  Vicki shrugged. “He wouldn’t do it.”

  “Why?” he asked incredulously. “Why on earth would you ask him to do such a thing?”

  She looked at him as if he weren’t too bright. “Because I want to be what you are, of course. Because it’s the only way we can ever truly be together.”

  “He was right to refuse you,” Antonio said. “A decision like that—”

  “He said you should do it.”

  Antonio stared at her, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

  “Will you? Or will I have to search the world for a vampire who will bring me across?”

  “You are determined to do this thing?”

  “Yes. Very.”

  “My warrior woman.” He drew her into his arms. “You must be sure, sweeting. Once it is done, it cannot be undone.”

  “I’m sure. I’ve thought about it for weeks and weeks.” She looked up at him, frowning. “You do know how to do it, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I know how, though I have never made another vampire.”

  “Good.”

  “There is no hurry. When you are ready, let me know.”

  “I’m ready now. I want to share your life, all of it. I don’t want to waste a minute.”

  “You will not age. Are you sure this is the age you wish to be from now on?”

  She thought about that. She was twenty-two, old enough to know what she wanted. She could wait a year or two or five and still be young, but what if something happened to her while she was waiting? She was in good health now, but could get deathly ill or hit by a truck or, heaven forbid, become the target of another madman with a penchant for redheads.

  “I’m sure.”

  He swept her into his arms and carried her up the stairs to the bedroom. At his nod, a fire sprang to life in the hearth.

  Gently, he placed her on the bed, then sat down beside her and drew her into his arms.

  She looked up at him, her eyes wide. “Are you going to bite me now?”

  “Yes, but there is more to it than that.”

  “Will it hurt?” she asked tremulously.

  “No,” he said, and then he explained how it was done, that he would take her blood and then she would take his. Her earthly body would die and when she awoke, she would be as he was, a creature of the night.

  “Are you still sure this is what you want?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “You must remove your crucifix.”

  Vicki wrapped her hand around the thick silver cross. She had worn it for almost as long as she could remember. How could she take it off?

  He read the pain and confusion in her eyes. And waited.

  “Will I still feel the same about everything when I’m a vampire?”

  “That is up to you. You need not surrender your faith or your beliefs. There are priests and rabbis among the Undead. They are men who did not ask for the Dark Gift, but who have adjusted to it and manage to continue to live their religion, though slightly modified. Becoming a vampire is like mortal death. Whatever a man is in this life is what he takes with him into the next world. The same is true of becoming a vampire. A man who was a liar when he was alive will be a liar when he is turned, just as an honest man will remain an honest man when he becomes a vampire.”

  She thought that over for a moment and then she removed the cross and chain and wrapped it in a hanky she pulled from the pocket of her jeans. She held it tightly for a moment and then placed it in the back of the bottom dresser drawer. When she closed the drawer, she knew she had also closed a door on one chapter of her life. Tonight, a new chapter would begin.

  She looked deep into Antonio’s eyes, dark blue eyes filled with love and hope, and then she sat down beside him and kissed him.

  With a low groan, he tightened his arms around her. He fell back on the bed, carrying her with him, his mouth working its familiar magic, carrying he
r to places she had never been before, making her forget everything but her need for this man in her life.

  She felt the brush of his fangs against her neck, a sudden rush of heat followed by waves of intense pleasure. She knew a moment of fear as all the strength seemed to leave her body. The world grew dark, and she was falling, falling, her hold on life growing weaker as she fell into the darkness.

  And then she heard Antonio’s voice calling her back, telling her that he loved her, that she must fight to live. Must drink.

  He pressed something warm to her mouth and she drank, drank his life and his memories.

  “Sleep now, my sweetest one.” His hand stroked her brow. “When you awake tomorrow, I will show you the world as you have never seen it before. Sleep…”

  Filled with an aching tenderness, Antonio gazed at the woman in his arms. He had not prayed since he was turned, but he prayed now, prayed fervently that he had not made a terrible mistake, that she would not hate him for doing what she had asked.

  He wiped the blood from her mouth. Though he had never slept in this bed, he knew Victoria would not want to awake in a coffin; indeed, he had a feeling he would be taking his rest in a bed from now on.

  After removing her shoes, he tucked her under the covers, fully clothed, and then he went through the castle, making certain all the wards were in place. They would sleep here tonight; tomorrow, he would move the bed to a more secure location. But tonight…Tonight, for the first time in his preternatural life, he would take his rest beside a woman he loved.

  Tonight, he thought as he stretched out beside her. Tonight, and for all his tomorrows.

  She didn’t want to wake up. She felt warm and secure and at peace for the first time in her life. Sighing, she turned onto her side, remembering the dream she’d had the night before. It was very like the dreams she’d had before, the ones with the golden goblet, only this time she had been the one to drink the contents, and in doing so, she had become a vampire. One of the Undead. A creature of the night.

  Eyes still closed, she frowned. Had it been a dream? It had seemed so real. Fully awake now, she realized that she was vividly aware of the texture and smell of the cotton pillowcase beneath her cheek. She knew the sun had set. She knew it was raining.

  She knew she wasn’t alone in the bed.

  “Good evening, my sweet one.”

  “Antonio.” She rolled over and he was there. Propped up on one elbow, he was watching her, his expression oddly vulnerable. “What happened?”

  “You do not remember?”

  “No…” She looked past Antonio, only then realizing that not only could she see him clearly, but she could also see everything else in the room with perfect clarity even though the room was dark. “You did it, didn’t you? You made me a…” She stared at him. “A vampire.”

  He nodded, his expression closed to her. “Do you hate me now?”

  “Hate you?” Sitting up, she looked at her hands, her arms. She threw back the covers and wiggled her toes. “I don’t feel any different, and yet…”

  Everything was different. She felt as if she had been reborn, as if she could run forever and never get tired. As if she could fly to the moon and back again.

  She looked back at Antonio. He was sitting up now, and she noticed he wasn’t wearing a shirt, only a pair of black trousers. She couldn’t stop looking at him. Had his lips always been that sensual, his shoulders so broad, his arms so muscular? He looked incredibly sexy, with his sleep-tousled hair and deep blue eyes, eyes that watched her, unblinking, waiting for her to answer his question. Hate him? Not if she lived a thousand years, she thought. And she just might!

  “Victoria?”

  She heard the rough edge of worry in his voice, saw it in the taut set of his shoulders.

  “Talk to me,” he said. “Tell me what you are feeling, what you are thinking. Have I made a mistake? Have you changed your mind?”

  “That depends.”

  “On what?”

  “Are you going to marry me, Mr. Battista? I mean, I’m dying to…” She laughed softly. “Wrong choice of words. I mean I’m really anxious for us to make love, but I promised my mother I’d wait until I got married, and I’d hate to break a promise to my mother. So,” she asked breathlessly, “are you going to marry me?”

  He laughed then. It came rumbling up from deep within him, a sound filled with joy and relief and love as he bounded off the bed, pulled her into his arms, and twirled her around the room.

  “I will marry you, Victoria Lynn Cavendish, any night you wish.”

  Chapter 39

  Though he had said he would marry her any night she wished, Antonio decided plans for the wedding would have to wait until Victoria grew more accustomed to her new way of life. Because he didn’t want her to experience any discomfort, particularly that first night, he took her hunting before her preternatural hunger grew unbearable. If he had his way, she would never know pain or hunger or deprivation of any kind. She had willingly given up her life to be with him, and he intended to make sure that she would never have cause to regret it.

  Vicki had expected to be reluctant to hunt for prey, repulsed by the act of taking blood from another, but such was not the case. Antonio told her how to summon prey, and she felt a surge of pride as she called a young man to her and took him into her arms. She soothed his fears, was careful not to hurt him.

  Feeding seemed like the most natural thing in the world. Perhaps because Antonio had insisted she feed before the hunger had time to become painful, she wasn’t tempted to take too much. She wiped her memory from the young man’s mind and sent him on his way, then looked up at Antonio, smiling.

  He smiled back. What an amazing man he was. He had taught her so many things, helped her find her way in her new life. And he loved her, without question or doubt. It was a wondrous thing indeed to be loved by Antonio. She shared every part of his life, knew him in ways she would never know anyone else.

  “My warrior woman,” he said proudly. “I think you were born to be a vampire. I have never seen anyone take to it so easily, or so readily.”

  She basked in his praise, in the love in his eyes, the beauty of the night that surrounded them. Never before had she noticed how many stars there were in the sky, or heard the myriad sounds of the night that ordinary mortals never heard—the beating of a moth’s wings, the way the earth spoke to the trees, the sound of dew sliding down a blade of grass.

  Hand in hand, she walked beside Antonio as they turned and headed for home. They could have returned to the castle with a thought, but Vicki liked to walk. She reveled in her newfound strength. Energy flowed through her, making her feel once again as if she could soar through the heavens or run for miles and miles.

  “It is wonderful, is it not?” Antonio asked, smiling down at her.

  “Yes!” Letting go of his hand, she twirled round and round in a circle, then threw back her head and laughed. “No wonder you love being what you are.”

  He caught her in his arms and whirled her around. “It is you I love, my sweet one, now more than ever.”

  “I want to go everywhere! See everything! Can we?”

  “Whatever you wish.”

  “Can we afford it? I only have a few hundred dollars to my name.”

  “I have more than enough.”

  “Handsome and rich,” she said with a grin. “Who could ask for more?”

  They walked in silence for a moment, and then she frowned. “Where will we get married?”

  “Anywhere you wish.”

  “Can we be married in a church?”

  “If you like.”

  “I thought vampires couldn’t go inside churches.”

  “Some are more difficult to enter than others.”

  She thought of her church in Pear Blossom Creek, the crosses, the holy water, the priest. She was sure Antonio would not be comfortable there. But she still wanted to be married in a church.

  She frowned, thinking they should have gotten married be
fore Antonio brought her across. She couldn’t invite her mother now, or any of her friends. How could she explain it when she and Antonio didn’t eat any of the wedding cake, or drink any of the champagne when people toasted them and wished them well? Her mother would expect to be there to help her dress. How could she explain her lack of a reflection in the mirror or excuse her absence during the day?

  Well, there was no help for it. She would simply tell her mother that she and Antonio had eloped, and they would be married in a small nondenominational church. Perhaps they could ask Ramsey and Kelly to stand up with them…And what about Bobbie Sue? How could she get married without her best friend at her side?

  In a rush, she told Antonio of all her concerns.

  “Do not worry,” he said, drawing her into his arms. “It will all work out.”

  And it did.

  Vicki found a small church with a minister who was willing to marry them after dark. There would be no need to explain to Bobbie Sue or Duncan why the wedding had to be at night. Both knew that Antonio was one of the Undead. Vicki’s only concern was finding a way to tell her best friend that she, too, was now a vampire.

  The next night, she drove into town and called Bobbie Sue.

  “Girl, where are you?” Bobbie Sue exclaimed. “I can’t believe you left town and didn’t say a word.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m with Antonio.”

  “Well, I guessed that! But you might have told me you were leaving,” Bobbie Sue said with an exaggerated sigh of exasperation.

  “I know. I should have let you know, but I was afraid you’d try and talk me out of going.”

  “Well, you’re right about that. Call me crazy, but I just don’t think running around with a vampire is a good idea. When are you coming home?”

  “I am home.”

  “You are? When did you get back?”

  “I mean Antonio’s home.”

  “I see.” Disapproval was evident in those two brief words.

  “It’s not like that. We’re getting married.”

  “Married! Oh, Vicki, do you think that’s wise?”

  “Please be happy for me, Bobbie. You’re the only one I can share this with.”