by Lisa Kessler
Until his plan came to fruition, he remained vulnerable. He couldn’t let the Night Walker find him. He would face the immortal when he was ready.
It couldn’t be the other way around.
He turned to the bar when the bartender delivered his drink. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her. She sat alone at a small table just to the right of him. Taking a swallow of his drink, he made his approach.
Betty sipped her margarita and glared at the dancing couples from over the salty rim of her glass. Even the blasting music and alcohol didn’t dull the anger that festered inside of her. She’d been pissed off since she opened Calisto’s door and found Kate Bradley standing there in nothing but his bathrobe. The bitch was probably in his bed at this very moment, planning to screw him stupid until he married her and wrote her into his will.
She drummed her perfectly manicured acrylic nails on the table, trying to stop picturing Calisto touching another woman. She needed to find a gorgeous guy to take her mind off of him, but so far she was still alone.
“Good evening.”
A nice pair of black slacks suddenly obscured Betty’s view of the club. She gave him her sultriest smile and allowed her gaze to wander up his body. “Hello.”
His voice was deep and rich, with an accent very similar to Calisto’s. He was over six feet tall, with dark eyes and hair. His thin, well-groomed goatee only added to the overall look of sophistication radiating around him. He looked like a man who usually got what he wanted.
Nothing on earth turned Betty on more.
She took another long, slow sip of her margarita, her eyes on his, making it plain that he now had her undivided attention.
“I hope that I’m not intruding, but a woman as beautiful as you should be dancing, not sitting.”
Something about the way he said beautiful sounded familiar, but she didn’t take the time to try to place it.
“Are you asking me to dance?”
He nodded with a hint of a smile and offered his hand.
She followed him onto the floor. Betty sensed the stares from the other dancers and loved it. She enjoyed knowing they were drawing attention, knowing people watched their bodies move in harmony with the beat, their hips driving with carnal desire. She smiled at him with bedroom eyes and got a jolt by the heated stare he gave her in return.
Her night was finally showing some potential.
She wasn’t sure how long they danced. Heavy, unspoken flirtation made it easy to lose track of time, but she needed a break. The last thing she wanted was to start sweating.
They applauded as the band left the stage for a break, and Betty took his hand, leading him back to her table. “You were pretty good out there.”
“Only when I have the right partner.” He gave her a sensual, almost dangerous stare.
She sat but leaned forward to ensure he had a good view. “Thank you. You know, I don’t even know your name.”
“Jose. Jose Mentigo.”
Calisto didn’t need to read Kate’s mind to know she was elated and completely exhausted. By the time they pulled into his driveway, it was nearly three in the morning, but her face glowed, her eyes shone, and she wore a perpetual grin.
She followed Calisto into his office and sat in one of the large chairs opposite his desk. He still had some work to finish up, and she told him she wanted to read. Exhaustion set in, and within twenty minutes, her eyes drifted closed and the book in her hand fell to her lap.
Calisto smiled. Words couldn’t describe how much he enjoyed spending time with her, loving her. She was his perfect mate, just as she had been lifetimes ago. In fact, Kate shared much more in common with him now than she had when he had known her as Tala.
After tonight, he was certain he loved her for the woman she was today, not the memory of who she had been.
He shook his head, forcing himself to get back to work. Looking over the notes and receipts Betty left for him, he noticed an unopened package sitting on the corner of his desk. He tore open one end, frowning when he withdrew the contents. More pictures.
This time they were pictures of Kate.
Calisto flipped through the photos of Kate getting into her little yellow car, fighting the rage brewing inside of him. The monk watched her too.
But his rage gave way to cold fear when the pictures ended with a short note.
I know you cannot protect her during the day.
Unlike the recent warnings, it didn’t threaten to expose his true identity. This threat aimed squarely at Kate.
He couldn’t ignore the Fraternidad any longer. He needed to find the monk who stalked him. He should have found him already. Being with Kate made everything else in the world seem insignificant.
It also made him careless.
Calisto looked over at her snoozing figure on his chair and pulled his hair back from his forehead in frustration. It was nearly sunrise, too late for him to hunt for the man who left the photos. He should have already corrected the situation, but he’d been too distracted, too wrapped up in loving her to think about hunting down the nameless monk stalking him.
Until he dealt with the priest, Kate’s safety during the day was in jeopardy. He dreaded leaving her alone and vulnerable during the day. He wouldn’t let them hurt her again. Not in this lifetime.
He rose from his desk and went to her side, lifting her into his arms. When she moaned and snuggled in closer to his chest, she looked like an angel sleeping in his arms. His angel.
And he needed to protect her, even during the day.
He rushed her safely inside his secret chamber below the main house. He lowered her onto the bed and lay down next to her, stroking her hair back from her forehead.
She opened her eyes and gave him a drowsy smile. “You aren’t going to leave me again, are you?”
“Not yet,” Calisto whispered. “I need you to do something for me in the morning while I am away.”
“What’s that?” Kate caressed his chest. Then she yawned.
“Call your friend again, and move your things here. Stay with me, Kate.”
She sat up. “You want me to move in?”
He nodded. “Very much so.”
“Are you sure?”
“If I was not, I would not have asked.”
Kate hesitated for a moment, her eyes searching his. “Ok… I’ll call Edie and Lori in the morning.”
“Good. I will have Bettina work here in my office to keep you company.”
“If you haven’t noticed yet, Betty is less than thrilled that I’m here. I don’t think she’s going to want to stay with me. Besides, I’d much rather go with you.”
“If only such a thing were possible.” He kissed her forehead. “But I do want someone here with you. You should not be alone while I am away.”
“I’m a big girl.” She fluttered her fingers over his stomach. “I know how to look after myself.”
She didn’t understand, and he couldn’t tell her the truth, but he knew she was in danger. He grasped her hand and held it still. “For me. Please, I do not want you left alone.”
She sighed with a resigned smile and laid back. “Ok, you win. Have Betty work over here. But I’m telling you, she’s not going to be happy about it.”
“Perhaps not, but she will do as I ask.” He kissed her forehead and pulled away.
Kate frowned. “Do you have to go?”
“If I did not, I would stay with you.”
“Then at least hold me until I fall asleep again…”
“Happily.”
And within a few minutes, Kate drifted off to sleep. Calisto smiled and rose from the bed. He had arrangements to make before the sun came up.
Chapter Twenty
A few days later, with a little help from Edie and Lori, Kate had all of her things moved into Calisto’s house. In no time, she had his kitchen filled with food and was thrilled when he encouraged her to hang some pictures and put some of her things around his home. It warmed her heart to know he wanted this
to feel like their home, together. Every night it became more real.
But the days were lonely.
Calisto was never home while the sun was up. Even on the weekends he worked until nightfall. Kate tried not to let it bother her, but the schedule drained her. At times she didn’t recognize herself. Clingy and needy were never words she would have used to describe herself.
Betty continued to work out of the home office so Kate wouldn’t be alone. Not that she was awake much during the day anymore anyway. Since she moved in with Calisto, her inner clock turned upside down. She fought to keep from sleeping at night because that was their only time together. She wasn’t falling asleep until after four a.m. most nights.
She had no idea how Calisto could function on so little sleep. He went to bed with her in the wee hours of the morning and was up and gone before sunrise. Maybe he slept on the airplanes? She didn’t know, but each day she slept more of it away, usually only waking up when her stomach felt queasy, which still affected her off and on. It wasn’t bad enough to see a doctor, but it also wasn’t going away.
On the bright side, even though they were into winter, her nightmare wasn’t haunting her as much. Usually, fall and winter guaranteed her restless nights of fitful sleep filled with the nightmare of the woman being chased.
Since she moved in with Calisto, the dreams changed. The woman in the leather dress with the pendant tied around her neck still haunted her, but instead of the echo of hoof beats, she saw rocky beaches with waves breaking against the shore, secret kisses and warm breezes.
She still couldn’t see their faces, but she didn’t care. Anything was better than the running, and the woman begging for her life and the life of her unborn baby. For the first time in years, Kate slept soundly.
Except for nights like this one.
She had fallen asleep just after midnight, early for her new sleeping schedule. Around three in the morning, she woke up with an ache in her belly that demanded attention. With a soft sigh, Kate slipped from their bed, careful not to wake Calisto, and disappeared into the bathroom to purge whatever disagreed with her.
When she stopped retching, Kate wiped the perspiration from her brow. She felt like hell, but the wave of nausea finally receded. Yawning, Kate turned to go back to bed and nearly ran into Calisto’s chest.
“You scared me,” she said with a gasp, letting her eyes take in his naked body. Even just rolling out of bed in the middle of the night, he was stunning. His dark hair fell loosely around his muscular shoulders, and he leaned against the doorframe. The way he looked at her made her heart pound in spite of how sour her stomach felt. “Did I wake you?”
He gently hooked his fingers under her chin and tipped her head back until she looked him in the eye. “You are still sick… ”
Kate shrugged. “It comes and goes. I feel much better now.”
“You should see a doctor.” He lifted her into his arms and carried her back to bed. “You have been sick for the past three weeks.”
She nodded, sinking into the bed and closing her eyes as he laid her back down. “I will… It’s just a pain since my doctor is in Reno. I need to figure out what to do about my job, too. School starts next week and I haven’t told them if I’m taking a leave of absence.” She sighed at his look of concern. “Okay, okay, no more changing the subject. Tomorrow I’ll figure out a way to see a doctor here.”
Calisto settled beside her in the bed, stroking her hair as she drifted off to sleep again, but his head ached with worry. She had been sick frequently during the past few weeks. He let her believe he was sleeping, since she had obviously been trying not to bother him when she got up.
But he listened, and he was concerned. The few times Kate had been ill while they were both awake at night, she made excuses about the food she ate, but it was more serious now. In the last week, he had heard her getting sick nearly every night before he left to go to his underground shelter. Mild concern grew into worry and fear.
If he could taste her blood he might be able to discern her malady. Whatever cancer or disease she carried would taint her bloodstream.
But he couldn’t bite her. He couldn’t risk exposing his immortal nature, or the chance that once he tasted her blood he would thirst for more. Protecting her from the truth of his existence, the truth about her past, and the monk who stalked them both, was difficult, but he couldn’t protect her from her own body.
He shook off the thought as best he could, but he couldn’t help wondering if souls were doomed to repeat their fate. Was a human soul’s destiny predetermined?
The Old One promised that she would live again. He did not promise a long life. Did he know she would be destined to die young again?
Calisto clenched his jaw. He wouldn’t allow destiny to repeat itself, stealing her from his arms before he was prepared to let her go.
Not this time.
He rubbed his forehead, wishing he could squeeze the thoughts out of his head. He looked down at her sleeping face and found resolve in his heart. She would see a doctor and whatever ailed her would be treated.
She would be well again. Kate was a fighter—she always had been—and they would get through whatever this was together.
He kissed her tenderly and rose from the bed without rousing her from her slumber. He had work to do before the night ended.
The face of the monk stalking him remained a mystery, and his frustration mounted. His only solace came from knowing Kate was never alone while he slept. Things were working out well with Betty running the foundation from his office. Kate told him they were even talking more.
Betty also had a new man in her life, Jose, and Calisto was relieved to hear it. She was a driven woman with career goals that sometimes made men shy away from her. It was good to hear she had finally found a man who respected her ambition instead of being intimidated by it.
But recently Kate mentioned Jose’s company as well, a confession that made Calisto’s hackles rise.
Betty hadn’t told him she was bringing her new beau to his house. Calisto immediately ordered a background check on the man. Until he stopped the monk from the Fraternidad, he needed to stay alert.
Or at least that was the excuse he gave himself.
Deep down he felt the thorn of jealousy stabbing him whenever Kate talked about playing cards and walking down the beach with Jose. He should be glad she wasn’t alone while he slept hidden deep in the earth. It was his burden to walk under the moon’s light. It shouldn’t be hers as well.
But he didn’t have to like it.
After placing the final signature on the stack of paperwork Betty left for him to sign, Calisto opened the envelope marked confidential and pulled out Jose Mentigo’s background check. He glanced over all of the information, looking for any inconsistencies, but he didn’t find anything.
Jose had a bachelor’s degree in business management and spent the last ten years in facilities management for the Marriott Corporation. No misdemeanors or felonies, and his credit was spotless. Calisto shredded the contents of the envelope. He didn’t want Betty to think he was spying on her, but allowing mortals into his life was risky.
Background checks were a necessary precaution.
Calisto retired to his daylight sleeping chambers far beneath the sand. He cursed himself for being complacent about the threats he continued to receive from the monk he had yet to find. The last threat he received prompted him to search every chance he had. It was hard to leave Kate alone at night after he was away all day, but she fell asleep earlier each night.
He had to focus on her safety. She was his world now, but he couldn’t keep ignoring the risk that existed for them both while the Fraternidad watched them. He needed to remedy the problem so they could share their lives together without the shadow of danger looming around them like a heavy fog.
Calisto laid down in the darkness, and as the sunlight stole the life from his body, he made the decision to hunt down the priest that stalked them.
It was time
to end the game.
Chapter Twenty-One
The drive from Torrey Pines to La Jolla passed by in a blur. Kate pulled into Calisto’s driveway and turned off her car, but instead of going inside the main house, she walked around the side until she reached the sand.
She didn’t want to see Betty and Jose yet. Right now, being alone was what she wanted. No, that wasn’t completely true. What she wanted right now was Calisto.
Looking up at the lazy afternoon sun, she tried to put the test results out of her mind. Her life had changed so much over the span of a few weeks, and the visit to the doctor left her reeling.
He didn’t prescribe any medication for her nausea, and he assured her that she wasn’t dying. Kate was pregnant.
“Pregnant,” she whispered into the soft sea breeze.
She still couldn’t believe it. She knew she’d missed a couple of periods, but her menstrual cycle had never been anything close to regular. The thought hadn’t even crossed her mind that her bouts of nausea could be a sign of pregnancy. Besides, she was on the pill.
Even birth control pills aren’t a hundred percent. The doctor’s voice echoed in her mind.
Obviously he was right, and now she was living proof of that slim statistic. Instead of a prescription to settle her stomach, the doctor sent her home with prenatal vitamins and a lot to think about.
Kate loved children. Less than two months ago, she thought she would have a family with Tom. But her relationship with Calisto was still new. They hadn’t even discussed marriage, let alone a family. At this point, she wasn’t sure he wanted children.
But sure or not, she was having a baby.
And it wasn’t his.
Tears glistened on her cheeks while the strong breeze whipped her hair. For the first time since she met Calisto, that empty feeling welled up inside her again, washing over like the waves caressing the sand.
