Thirty minutes later, clad in a pair of bright yellow PJ bottoms and a white tee shirt, Sara rummaged around in the refrigerator looking for something to snack on.
Travis stood in the doorway behind her, admiring the view.
Finding nothing, she grabbed her cell phone and ordered a small ham and pineapple pizza. “You must miss eating,” she remarked on her way into the living room.
“You have no idea.” Trailing behind her, he took the chair while she settled on the sofa.
“What was it like, the first time you … you know?”
The question was inevitable, Travis thought. He was only surprised it had taken her so long to ask. “It was horrible. I woke up disoriented. Scared. And in pain.” He shook his head. “You can’t imagine what it’s like. I knew enough about vampires to know what was wrong with me, but I had no idea how to …” There was only one way to say it. “To hunt. I knew vampires mesmerized their prey, but I didn’t really know how. And I was afraid.”
“Afraid? Of what?”
“Afraid that I’d bungle it and kill somebody.”
Sara bit down on her lower lip.
“It took me days to figure out how to mesmerize my … my prey. By then I was almost out of my mind with thirst. And once I had a woman in my arms, the thought of what I was going to do made me sick to my stomach. But the smell of her blood …” He paused a moment. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”
She nodded, as fascinated as she was repulsed by what he was telling her.
“My fangs were razor sharp. I’d learned that when I ran my tongue over them. I was worried I’d hurt her because by then I was desperate for relief. It took what little self-control I still had to keep from burying my … my fangs in her throat and drinking her dry.” He shook his head, his eyes tormented. “I don’t know how I stopped. When I released her, she seemed unhurt, so I sent her on her way.”
“And the blood?” She was intrigued in spite of herself.
“I don’t know how to describe it. Taking it, drinking it …” Travis shook his head. “It should have been disgusting, but it was …” He made a vague gesture with his hand. “Once you taste it, you really don’t want anything else. I guess I’ve freaked you out, haven’t I?”
“A little. Maybe you should tell your story to Carl.”
He looked at her as if she had lost her mind. “That’s the last thing in the world I’d ever do. And I mean that literally.”
“Well, it’s one heck of a story. I doubt if very many people have ever heard one like it.”
“Well, they won’t hear it from me.” He wrinkled his nose against the sudden smell of cheese and garlic. “Your pizza’s here.”
Travis watched her go to the door, heard her laughter as she paid the delivery guy. He had never thought to be this close to her again. Being with Sara made him feel whole, let him forget what he was, at least while he was with her.
She carried the pizza into the kitchen, then poked her head around the door. “Would you like a glass of wine?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
She came back a few minutes later carrying a tray laden with a couple slices of pizza on a paper plate, a can of soda, and a goblet. She placed the tray on the coffee table between them, then handed him the glass. She jerked her chin toward the pizza. “Does it bother you? The smell, I mean?” She had eaten in front of him before but at the time, she hadn’t known what he was.
“Not really.”
“I could eat in the kitchen.”
“It isn’t necessary.” He raised his drink. “Enjoy your dinner, Sara.”
She felt a little self-conscious as she nibbled on the first slice. She tried to imagine what it would be like to survive on a warm, liquid diet, to never eat solid food again. Bread and pasta. Fried chicken and cheeseburgers. Decadent chocolate cake. Shrimp and lobster and all of her other favorite dishes. She didn’t think even staying young forever would be a fair trade. “How are you able to drink wine?”
“I don’t know. But it’s a nice change.” He smiled at her and she smiled back. It warmed him more than the Merlot.
“Carl’s thinking of leaving town,” she remarked.
“I’m not surprised.”
“I guess whatever story he hoped to write isn’t working out.”
Travis nodded. “Joey Cannon.”
“You know about that?”
“Yeah. Overstreet mentioned him.”
“Do you think the man’s story is true?”
“I don’t know. It very well could be.”
Sara finished her dinner and put the plate aside. She didn’t know how or why, but suddenly the atmosphere in the room changed. She looked at Travis, felt her heart skip a beat when she saw him staring at her throat.
Vampire.
“Sorry.” He lifted his gaze. “The wine’s good but it’s not very filling, if you know what I mean.”
“Who do you … um … prey on? Certainly not anyone in town.”
“No. That wouldn’t be wise.”
“How do you choose them”
He shrugged, bemused by her curiosity. “Whoever’s handy, I guess. A woman walking alone down a dark street. Sitting alone in a bar. Waiting at a bus stop.”
She leaned forward, her whole body tense. “Have you ever wanted to drink from me?”
Damn, there was a loaded question if he’d ever heard one. How the hell was he supposed to answer it? All the time? I already have? Can I do it again? “I’m a vampire, Sara. What do you think?”
“What’s it like, when you bite someone?”
“For me or for them?”
“Both.”
“In most cases, blood is blood.” Not in her case, though. It had been spectacularly satisfying. “For those I prey on, I try to make it pleasurable, even though I wipe the memory of it from their minds afterward.”
It was the wrong thing to say. He could see the wheels turning, see her wondering if he had bitten her and made her forget. Damn. Just when he thought there might be a chance for them.
“How do you do make them forget?”
“It’s a form of hypnotism, I guess. I’m not really sure how it works. Only that it does.”
Her gaze speared his. “Have you ever done that to me?”
And there it was. “The truth?”
She nodded. “No more lies, remember?”
“I tasted you the night we went dancing.”
Her eyes widened. “I don’t believe you!”
He shrugged. “I only took a very little.”
“And you made me forget it?”
“It seemed like the smart thing to do.”
“Is that the only time?”
“No.”
A flood of emotions chased themselves across her face.
He held up his hand as if to stave off her protest. “I know, I know, it was a despicable thing to do, but Sara, your blood …” He shook his head. “I’ve never tasted anything like it. It’s warm and sweet and … and I don’t know how to describe it exactly, except that after tasting it once, it was all I could think about.”
Sara stared at him, wondering if she should be furious because he had stolen her blood or flattered that he liked it so much.
“I won’t blame you if you hate me and never want to see me again.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “This is all so new to me. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing half the time. But I’m crazy about you, Sara. And I don’t want to lose you. I know this is gonna sound corny, but I was lost until I met you. If you’ll give me a chance, I swear I’ll never drink from you again unless you say it’s all right.” Suddenly out of steam, he huffed a sigh and fell silent.
“You’re right,” she said, leaning back on the couch. “I should throw you out on your ear right now, but …” She shook her head. “I don’t know. Call me crazy, but that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
“Sara!” He started to reach for her, then drew back. “Sorry.”
Smiling, sh
e grabbed his hand and pulled him toward her. He sank down on the sofa beside her, his arm sliding around her waist to draw her close as his mouth claimed hers.
Sara melted into his embrace, thinking that it felt oh, so right to be in his arms. She moaned softly as his tongue teased her. Vampire or not, the man knew how to kiss!
And, like it or not, she was falling in love with him. She had no idea if such a relationship would lead to a life of happiness or if it might end in sorrow and regret, but she was determined to take a chance and hope for the best.
One kiss led to another, and then another, each one longer and sweeter than the last. They were lying side by side on the sofa now, bodies pressed intimately together. Lost in the magic of his kisses, it took Sara a minute to realize someone was pounding on the front door.
“Leave it,” Travis said, his voice husky. “Maybe they’ll go away.”
“Good idea.” She slid her fingers into the hair at his nape, her eyelids fluttering down as he kissed her again, only to let out a whimper of protest when Travis rolled to his feet.
Sara blinked up at him. “Travis? What’s wrong?”
“It’s Overstreet. Maybe we’d better let him in. He might be in trouble.”
Chapter 16
“Carl, this is a surprise,” Sara said, smoothing a hand over her hair. “Is something wrong?”
“Is Hewitt here?”
“Yes.”
Overstreet stood in the open doorway, his shoulders slumping when he saw Travis.
“What’s wrong?” Travis asked. “You look like hell.”
“I was at the hospital, looking over my notes … and …” Overstreet scrubbed a hand over his face.
“And what?” Travis asked impatiently. “Spit it out, man.”
“Ronan’s here.”
Travis swore under his breath. “What the hell! Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure! He’s waiting for you at the hospital.”
“I decided not to wait.”
Sara let out a shriek as a tall, dark-haired man suddenly appeared on the porch beside Carl.
Overstreet darted across the threshold as if his life depended on it. And maybe it did, Sara thought.
Travis put himself between Ronan and the others, eyes narrowed as he stared at the vampire who had turned him and then abandoned him. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Shannah’s been worried about you,” Ronan replied with a negligent shrug. “She insisted we come and make sure you were adjusting to your new lifestyle.”
“Is she here, too?”
“Indeed. She’s waiting for me at the hospital.” Ronan looked his fledgling up and down. “You seem to be doing all right.”
“No thanks to you.”
Ronan shrugged. “As I frequently remind my wife, you’re lucky I didn’t kill you.”
“Yeah,” Travis said bitterly. “Lucky. So, you’ve seen me. You can tell Shannah to stop worrying about me and go home.”
“But you haven’t introduced me to this lovely lady.”
Travis hesitated a moment before answering. “This is Sara. She’s a friend of mine. Sara, remember when you said you wanted to meet Claire Ebon? Well, here she is.”
Sara stared at the man standing on the other side of the threshold. Clad all in black, he was tall and broad-shouldered, with hair and eyes the color of ebony. She took a step back when his gaze met hers. Danger emanated from that flint-like stare like the warning rattle of a snake.
“Always pleased to meet a fan,” the vampire said, his voice silky soft and smooth.
She nodded, speechless.
The vampire laughed softly, as if her fear greatly amused him.
Sara felt a wave of relief when the vampire turned his attention back to Travis.
Frowning, the vampire said, “You’ve changed your name.”
“Get out of my head!”
“Travis Black? Interesting choice for a last name. Should I be flattered?”
Travis scowled at him.
“When you have time, please come to the hospital.” It wasn’t a request. “Shannah would like to see you.” Ronan sketched a bow in Sara’s direction. “Until next time, Miss Winters,” he said, and vanished into the darkness.
Sara looked at Travis and frowned. “How did he know my last name?”
“He’s a master vampire. He can’t only read your mind, but he can compel you to do whatever he wants.”
Sara pressed a hand to her heart. That was the scariest thing she’d ever heard.
“Are you going to go the hospital?” Overstreet asked.
“I don’t have much choice.”
“Do you think that’s wise?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. He’s my sire. If he commands it, I have to obey. “Why don’t you stay here with Sara?”
“Fine with me, if Sara doesn’t mind.”
“No, please. I’d rather not be alone.” She smiled, though it felt a little frayed around the edges.
Carl looked at Travis, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Do you think that’s why he’s really here?” he asked, frowning. “Because Shannah’s worried about you?”
Travis snorted. “I don’t know why she would be. After I staked him, she dragged me over to him so he could feed on me and then ruin my life.”
Somewhat timidly, Sara took Travis’ hand. “I’m glad he didn’t kill you.”
He looked at her, his anger melting away. “Yeah. Me, too, because I never would have met you. And believe me, darlin’, you’re the only thing that makes me want to go on living.” He kissed her lightly. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Travis found Ronan and Shannah sitting side by side on a faded sofa in the hospital waiting room. In her mid-twenties when Ronan turned her, Shannah was as lovely as he remembered, with a wealth of thick black hair, blue eyes, and a curvy figure.
“So, you wanted to see me and here I am,” Travis said flatly. “Is that all?”
Shannah glanced at Ronan.
He shrugged. “I told you he wouldn’t be happy to see us.”
“Right as always,” Shannah murmured as she turned those wide blue eyes on Travis. “I’m sorry for the way things turned out, but you brought it on yourself. You should have left us alone.”
“Yeah. Well, silly me, I thought your life was in danger. Little did I know the female was just as deadly as the male.”
She stiffened, her chin jutting out. “I guess I don’t need to worry about you anymore.”
“I guess not.” Travis looked at his sire. “Okay if I go now, master?”
“No.”
“Why the hell not?”
“There’s something strange going on in this town. I’m surprised you haven’t noticed.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m not sure, but I smell treachery in the air.”
Travis frowned. “Are you serious? I’ve only counted maybe forty people in town, counting kids, and twenty-three of them are vampires.”
Ronan snorted. “I’d say there were more than fifty vampires living here. Don’t you think that’s odd?”
“I never thought about it,” Travis said, shrugging. “Fifteen or fifty, it seemed like a nice quiet place to hole up.”
“Expand your feelings, vampire. What do you smell?”
“I don’t know how to do that,” Travis retorted, his voice bitter. “The vampire who turned me didn’t see fit to stick around long enough to teach me the ins and outs.”
What might have been regret passed behind Ronan’s eyes and was quickly gone. “It’s easy. Just open your senses. It’s like opening a door.”
Taking several deep breaths, Travis closed his eyes and imagined his senses expanding, reaching outward. An odd sensation came over him, almost as if he was drawing on a power not his own. Sensations slammed into him—not just feelings but the overwhelming emotions of hopelessness and despair, fear, and pain. Old blood. And death.
And over all a stifling air of pret
ernatural power.
Reeling under the assault, he opened his eyes. “What the hell!”
“Now do you see what I mean?” Ronan asked.
“Yeah. Something’s definitely wrong here. But what?”
“I suspect the vampires here are selling humans to other vampires, and they’re keeping them prisoners, either in their homes or in some sort of containment center nearby.”
“That’s horrible!” Shannah exclaimed.
“Why would they do that?” Travis asked. “Prey is easy enough to find.”
“I have no idea.” Ronan took Shannah’s hand in his and gave it a squeeze. Rising, he went to the front window and looked out. “It makes no sense. What do you know about the vampires in town?”
“Nothing. I haven’t met any of them.”
Ronan glanced over his shoulder. “Doesn’t that seem odd to you?”
“I don’t know. Should it?”
“More than one or two vampires in any town is unusual. This many is unheard of unless there’s a master vampire in charge. Someone who can keep the others under control. That’s not the case here. The oldest vampire was turned less than forty years ago.”
“Why are the rest of them hiding?”
“That’s a good question.”
Travis sat on the arm of a chair, his brow furrowed. “Joey Cannon,” he murmured.
“What?”
“Overstreet met some guy named Joey Cannon. The man claimed he’d been held prisoner for a couple of weeks in some little town called Susandale and that he barely escaped with his life. That’s what brought Overstreet here in the first place. He was hoping to get a story out of it.”
“Overstreet, yes,” Ronan murmured. “I remember him well. I thought he’d retired.”
“He did, until the journalist in him suspected Joey might give him one last claim to fame.”
“We don’t need another titillating tale about vampires in America,” Ronan said dryly. “We’ve spent centuries staying under the radar. I’m not going to let some two-bit reporter ruin it for all of us.”
“Well, they’ve been keeping it a secret, so far. Well, except for Cannon.”
“All it takes is one match to set the world on fire.” Ronan paced the floor in front of the window. “We’re going to find out what the hell is going on and shut it down.”
Dark of the Moon Page 9
