by Lisa Kessler
Calisto leaned forward and snapped a bloom from its stem, careful not to jostle the delicate plant. Without a word, he nestled the large, white flower behind her ear.
He wasn’t prepared for the emotion that slammed into him. She was exactly the way he remembered, drenched in moonlight with her favorite flower tucked behind her ear. The stark contrast of her black hair and the white petals took his breath away. His fingertips lingered against her cheek, caressing it while his gaze held hers, and in that brief moment, she was his again.
The fog surrounded them, and the rest of the world disappeared. She gazed at him, her full lips parting until he could resist no longer. Calisto bent to claim her lips one last time. Her hand slid up his chest, but instead of deepening the kiss, Kate pushed him back.
“We have to stop. This can’t work out,” she whispered. “I can’t. I can’t do this.”
She ran to her car without looking back, and within a minute her little VW disappeared into the fog.
Chapter Nine
The sun beat through the living room window. Kate sat up, still in her Dad’s favorite recliner. Glancing at the clock, she stretched her arms and groaned. Every muscle felt drained and achy.
She’d struggled with her mixed-up emotions the entire drive home. In the end, she didn’t fall asleep until almost five in the morning. Six hours wasn’t enough to recover from the tempest of emotions Calisto had brought on.
In spite of her exhaustion, she had a clear understanding of what she needed to do.
She would pack and head home. Running to San Diego was supposed to help her regain her emotional footing, but now her escape was on the verge of spiraling out of control, too. She’d run from her demons in Reno, and it was time she faced them. How could she gain control of her life when she let a cheating bastard chase her from her life? Besides, she couldn’t stay and let herself fall into another relationship when she’d promised herself she would take her time.
She wasn’t that masochistic. Not yet, anyway.
After packing up her clothes and a couple of boxes of mementos, she called the realtor to put the house back on the rental market, and then made one last call.
“Hi Betty, it’s Kate Bradley.”
“Hello Kate.” Did Betty sound less than happy to hear from her? “What can I do for you?”
“I’m heading back to Reno this afternoon. I won’t be here when the movers come to pick up the piano. Can I give you the realtor’s number? She’ll come by and open the house up for you.”
“Sure, that’ll be fine,” Betty said, her voice suddenly warm and friendly.
Kate gave her the information and chuckled to herself as she hung up the phone. Of course Betty would be happy that she was leaving. Or maybe she was just reading into it because Betty was staying here with Calisto.
She let out an exasperated sigh. How did he make such an impression on her in just one night? She was usually pretty levelheaded, not swayed by a pretty face, but if she didn’t stop thinking about the dark, charming, handsome Spaniard, she was going to drive herself insane.
She stared at the cordless phone and rubbed her hands over her face. How would she explain her sudden departure to Lori and Edie? She couldn’t leave without at least saying good-bye.
But her heart couldn’t handle another waltz around the floor with sadness. She also didn’t have the strength for questions.
“Hey Edie, it’s Kate.”
“Hey you! Everything okay?”
No, everything sucked. She forced herself to sound cheerful. “Everything’s fine. I’ve got to get back to Reno. The kids need me.” She sighed. She couldn’t lie to Edie, but if she told her the truth Lori would go on a trash-talking rampage against Calisto. “I met up with the man I met at the mission.”
Edie was quiet for a second. “What’s he got to do with your work in Reno?”
“Nothing. That’s the point.” Kate struggled to keep her voice from wobbling. “I really like him, Edie, but less than a month ago I was engaged. I’m not ready to jump into another relationship.”
She held her breath, ready for judgment.
Instead, the warmth in her friend’s voice reached through the phone like a hug. “You’re an amazing lady, Kate. I don’t know many women who would pass up a millionaire to go teach middle school, though.”
Kate laughed, and her eyes filled with tears. “When you say it like that I sound far from amazing.”
After assuring Edie she’d be back to visit soon, she hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and hoped she was making the right decision.
…
1775
“Kuseyaay! Kuseyaay! The trader is hurt. Come quickly!”
Gregorio dropped the log onto the fire and followed the women into the night. They ran through the sagebrush and up the mountainside. He followed close behind, no longer winded by running. The torches weren’t necessary for him to see in the darkness either, but they helped him hide his preternatural abilities. As far as they knew he was their Kuseyaay, their healer, and he was careful to keep it that way.
The Night Walker blood that coursed through his veins only gave his body life after the sun died, but it also healed the wounds of the mortals around him. His position as the tribal healer gave his strange new existence purpose. He enjoyed relieving the pain of others, reminiscent of his priesthood when he served the spiritual needs of his flock. The simple act of healing someone made it easier to believe that he wasn’t cursed, but in fact blessed with a newfound gift.
Gift or curse, he kept the secrets of his new state of being well guarded, just as the Old One had taught him.
As they neared the fur trader, the man moaned in pain. The foreigner was a friend to the tribe. He had traveled far from his homeland in the north, trading skins and occasionally meat from the brown bears and mountain lions he hunted.
“Lukas?” Gregorio knelt at his side and took his trembling hand. “Lukas, can you speak?”
The man’s eyes rolled back, and he wheezed, his breath fast and shallow. Gregorio bowed his head, preparing to offer a silent prayer for the man’s soul, when he heard Lukas’ thoughts in his mind.
A snake. My right leg. Hurts. Can’t move.
Gregorio reached down and pulled at the trader’s pant leg. The women gasped, pointing at the oozing wound.
“Fetch water,” Gregorio said.
They vanished into the woods, and he turned his attention back to Lukas. The venom had already infected his body and organs. Gregorio could pierce his tongue and lick the wound. His blood would heal the bite, but the man would still die from the poison.
Unless.
When Gregorio heard the women’s footfalls fade, he bit his own wrist, wincing as his fangs pierced his flesh. He placed his open wound over Lukas’s lips, watching as his blood filled the dying man’s mouth.
The seizures quieted, and a final breath bubbled up from the man’s lungs. Gregorio’s heart sank. He had hoped the blood might heal more than superficial injuries and symptoms of greater illnesses. He reached out to close Lukas’ eyes, and the man suddenly pulled Gregorio’s arm to his mouth and sucked hard at the wound. Gregorio felt the pull on his veins, but he hoped his blood would counteract the venom and heal the fur trader from the inside out.
When he yanked his hand away, Lukas coughed and sputtered. He sat up and looked down at his hands. “I feel better… much better.”
Then he looked down at his snakebite.
Gregorio watched the blood flow cease. The angry red flesh lightened, and Lukas’ skin wove itself back together, closing the small holes in Lukas’ calf. Gregorio smiled. His plan had worked. The fur trader would live.
Before he could speak, the women returned with two clay pots of full of fresh water. The wounded man’s attention snapped up, but his gaze was no longer that of a man. His eyes glowed red.
Gregorio’s stomach clenched. What had he done?
“I thirst,” Lukas said and then growled.
The women lowered the c
lay pots of water.
“So thirsty… ” He sprang from the ground, and Gregorio grabbed him as the man struggled to break free.
“Run!” Gregorio shouted, shocked to see the sudden change in Lukas.
The pots smashed against the ground as the women sprinted into the darkness. The fresh water soaked into the earth. Gregorio gripped the crazed man even tighter as the trader bellowed into the darkness.
He had not healed him. He had damned him forever.
…
The wind rattled against the cloth top of her old Volkswagen bug convertible as she drove into Reno’s city limits. Bessie wasn’t a great car for Reno’s cold winters, but Kate didn’t mind.
In spite of the quick fixes she’d used to keep the car functional, her bug never failed her. She bought it with her own money the week after she graduated high school, and drove it all the way to Santa Cruz when she started college.
It was her ticket to freedom.
And she’d finish restoring it soon. She just needed to find another passenger door and a new top. No problem. Plus the more projects to keep her busy, the less time she’d have to think about men.
When she made the final turn into her apartment complex, she remembered no one would be there to greet her. Even as she opened the door to her home, she half expected to see Tom’s friendly smile and open arms.
Then she remembered seeing his arms around his grad student.
And for the first time since she’d caught him in the act, it didn’t sting. In fact, since she’d met Calisto, it was even more apparent that Tom wasn’t the right man for her. She’d never felt the passion in his arms that she shared with Calisto on the beach, and they had only kissed.
Her bags hit the floor. She shoved her door closed and flipped on the lights. Unlike San Diego, Reno had a definite change in seasons as fall succumbed to the frosty cold of winter. She tugged her hooded sweatshirt closed and turned on the heat before she plopped onto her sofa.
Home again.
Her familiar surroundings reassured her that she made the right decision. After kicking off her shoes, she sorted through the stack of mail a friend had left on the coffee table. Doing her usual mundane tasks felt strangely surreal.
When she opened a card, she issued a surprised shout of laughter.
Hi Kate -
I’m sorry about everything. It was all a mistake. I don’t know what I was thinking. We need to talk. Please call me.
I know I don’t deserve it, but I still hope you’ll call.
Love,
Tom
She might have felt moved or even angry a month ago by his words. Instead, she felt a little sorry for Tom. After all, she hadn’t been honest with herself about him. Until she met Calisto she never realized she could feel so connected to another person. She’d spent her whole life feeling distanced from everyone. Had Tom felt the distance too?
If she had truly been in love with him, she would be devastated, not laughing at how apathetic she felt toward him. The betrayal still stung, but if he had broken off their engagement before cheating, she wasn’t sure she’d feel anything more than embarrassment at the rejection.
She crumpled the card and tossed it out with all the sale flyers and junk mail. With the mail stacked and sorted, she turned to her answering machine. She got through about five messages ranging from fund-raisers for the fire department to new benefits for her Discover card. Then she heard a familiar voice.
“Hi Kate. It’s Tom. I really am sorry. Call me when you get back, okay? Hope everything’s all right.”
The machine beeped and she sat in the silence overthinking every angle. She couldn’t avoid him forever, right? But she’d just as soon start her life fresh without any complications. Tom definitely complicated things, especially if he wanted to resume their old, stagnant life.
But a tiny part of her was comforted to hear his familiar voice, the one she’d thought would greet her for the rest of her life. Funny how life didn’t always turn out the way she thought it would.
Maybe funny wasn’t the right word for it.
She sat on the sofa and unzipped her duffel bag, throwing the clothes and toiletries out to get to the tiny treasure hidden at the bottom. Carefully, she opened the small Ziploc bag holding the Romneya. Just the scent of the flower reminded her of Calisto.
She tucked it behind her ear as he had the night before and went into the bathroom. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Was Calisto thinking about her, too? Probably not after the way she ran out on him.
She crossed the hall to her bedroom and collapsed on her bed with a sad sigh. She felt like a lovesick puppy. Despite her best efforts, she was falling in love with a man she hardly knew. A man who was definitely way out of her league. She was not in control, had not taken anything with Calisto slowly, and was certainly on a path that would take her right back to heartbreak and weakness.
Why was she doing this to herself?
Late-night coffee and a walk on the beach. It was amazing, but she needed to let it go.
It was a toe-curling kiss, though.
She plucked the flower from behind her ear and twirled the stem, watching the petals turn around the high golden pistil. For all she knew, Calisto and Betty were an item, and he figured he’d have a little fun with her on the side. The thought alone curdled her stomach. Calisto seemed genuine and sincere, and the way he looked at her made her knees weak. She couldn’t imagine it was all an act, but could she trust herself after she’d trusted Tom?
…
Father Mentigo spun his signet ring around his finger with his thumb, wrestling with impatience to get off the airplane. He’d never flown before, and he was ready to put his feet back on the ground. The cattle on board dragged out carry-on bags, reminded children to hold hands, checked voice mails on their cell phones.
A muscle in his cheek twitched.
He clutched his duffle bag to his chest and shot forward when the row in front of him finally moved. His ears still buzzed with the change in air pressure.
“Can I help you find your terminal, sir?” The blonde he’d watched throughout the flight stood at the hatch, holding a clipboard and wearing an insincere smile.
Did she fail to notice his robe? His rosary? He was a monk, not a sir. She might be stupid, but her breasts were the perfect size for his hands. He ogled her curvy figure, imagining the treasures hidden beneath her uniform, then met her gaze.
She shifted her weight and lowered her clipboard. “Is San Diego your final destination?”
“No hablo Ingles,” he said as he disembarked.
San Diego wasn’t his destination.
It was his destiny.
Chapter Ten
Calisto waited outside of the downtown bus station for his next meal. It was a good place to find people who would not be missed. Husbands walking away from the responsibilities of a wife and children, angry runaway teens entrenched in gang violence and drugs, men on the run from the police. They all rode buses, and all made perfect meals.
Someone might report his victims missing. No one would ever know they met their end in San Diego. He usually sought violent criminals that the world wouldn’t miss. Lately, the crime rate in this area had increased, which meant he could hunt quickly.
Tonight he was in a hurry.
He settled for a petty thug recently diagnosed with cancer. He was already near death anyway. Once he turned down a dimly lit alley, Calisto slammed the man into the wall, yanked him close, and bit into the man’s jugular, drinking until his struggles ceased. After closing the wound on the man’s neck, he disposed of the body and walked along the bay in quiet contemplation. He needed to see Kate again. He pushed her too hard the previous night, and he vowed not to make that mistake tonight. If she gave him another chance. Kate made herself perfectly clear when she left.
She didn’t want him in her life.
But her enlarged pupils and the flush that crept up her cheeks said otherwise. Somewhere inside, deep within, she r
emembered him. He saw it. Her heart still recognized his, but she had no conscious memory of their love.
He was still a stranger.
He had watched her drive away, unable to stop her. Nothing had prepared him for this. To find her and fall in love with her all over again was his destiny. He sold his soul to the night in order to live long enough to love her again.
But there was no guarantee of her love in return.
Tonight, he hoped she would agree to speak to him, to give him another chance. He had located her address for the piano movers in Betty’s office, and now that his skin warmed with fresh blood, he was ready to see her.
Kate.
Two running steps later, he soared through the night sky toward her home. Cutting through the crisp air, using the sea breezes to aid his flight, the raven glided over the water. The lights of the city faded, and the moonlight glittered on the waves below. Finally the cliffs of Point Loma appeared.
After landing in the darkness of her backyard, he found no sign of her, no scent, no sound. No Kate. With a shake of his body, the raven gave up its form. He straightened his clothes, walked to her back door and knocked. “Kate?”
He didn’t know why he called for her. He already knew she was gone. Her scent was faint, and he couldn’t hear any noise inside the house. But he still hoped.
Calisto checked the carport and found her car was gone. He peered through a couple windows. No suitcases, no shoes, no trace of her. The house was empty. A growl rumbled in his chest, and he raked his fingers through his hair.
After flying back to his home, Calisto stormed into his office, throwing the door open with enough force to bury the doorstop in the wall. He reached across his desk in frustration and ripped the cordless phone from its cradle, sending the base crashing to the floor.
“Hello, Bettina.” He forced his voice to chime with hypnotic purity. “Forgive me for calling you at home at such a late hour, but this is most important.”
“Calisto? What is it? Is something wrong?”
“Did you hear from Kate Bradley today? We picked up her mother’s piano, no?”
