by L D Marr
“No. I can’t,” she said. “I just don’t have any appetite. I hope your landlady won’t be insulted.”
“She won’t be. I’ll eat the rest of that food if you don’t mind,” he said.
“Of course, I don’t,” said Roz.
She pushed her untouched plate across the table to Jonah. She handed her milk glass over too. He dug into the potatoes and squash. They were both silent for a few minutes.
But Jonah was thinking while he worked on cleaning up Roz’s plate.
Why does Roz keep defending Cowboy Bob? he wondered. He’s an attractive man. Could she be interested in him? Even though he’s involved with Loretta, and she says he’s strange? And I know for sure he’s interested in her. A man in love can tell.
At that thought, Jonah stopped chewing and took a long drink from the milk glass.
I’m in love! the realization shocked him.
It wasn’t something he’d ever expected to happen. Especially out here in a town with so few women.
Jonah put the empty glass down and looked across the table at Roz. She watched him with large intense eyes. He thought he saw longing in those eyes. And hunger. But he knew she wasn’t hungry for food.
A tidal wave of desire crashed through him.
I’ve got to have her! he thought. It’s only been a few days, but I can’t wait and take the risk of another man getting her. I’ve got to ask her to marry me tonight!
Jonah gulped, although his mouth was empty now. He took a deep breath and steeled himself to pop the question.
⌛
Roz stared at Jonah across the plates and glasses on the checkered cotton cloth that covered the table. She was enjoying spending time with him even though the food and beverages didn’t interest her. And this meal had been more difficult than the one last night. After not eating anything for two days, her growing hunger was undeniable. And Jonah was the object of her hunger!
I’ll make it through this evening, and then I won’t be bothered by these inappropriate urges anymore, she told herself, even though that wasn’t what Cowboy Bob, the book about vampires, or Buttons had told her would happen.
Up close and with no one else in the room, the aroma of Jonah’s blood was almost intoxicating. So rich, spicy, but sweet!
Maybe I’ll take just one small drink of his blood before I swear off! said a voice inside her mind that sounded suspiciously like her own.
No! Never! Roz answered her own craving.
She made herself stop breathing, so she wouldn’t smell Jonah’s blood. But now the sight of him stirred her hunger. The luscious tan skin of his neck, with corded muscles disappearing down into his shirt. The definition of more chest muscles showing under the shirt.
Yummy! Roz thought.
And then she blushed at that thought.
Jonah was talking to her. She yanked her focus back to what he was saying.
“Roz,” he said. “I know we haven’t known each other very long. But out here in the west, things move fast. Anyway, I’ve just met you, but you’re like no other woman I’ve ever known. You’re intelligent and cultured, and you’re passionate about solving this crime.”
Roz stared at him with widening eyes.
What’s he getting at? she wondered.
“And you’re beautiful too, of course. I’ve never met another woman as desirable as you,” he said as his skin grew redder.
The hunger clenched inside Roz’s gut. She pressed a hand on her stomach, but that didn’t stop the pangs from throbbing there.
“What I’m trying to say,” Jonah continued. “Is that I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me, Roz?”
The sudden proposal took Roz by surprise. The idea of marriage knocked the concerns about her new state of existence out of her mind. She looked back at Jonah.
He is the perfect man for me. Even though he’s asking so soon in our acquaintance, I think I’m in love with him, and I do want to marry him, Roz realized.
The intoxicating feeling of that love coursed through her. Roz reached a hand across the table and placed it on top of Jonah’s hand.
“Yes Jonah. I want to marry you,” she said.
Jonah blinked at her. He grasped her hand with his other one. Roz’s physical longing for him mixed in with feelings of love and the hunger he stirred in her. The combination of all three overcame her unusual restrained standards of behavior. In fact, those standards were all but forgotten as the urge to get closer to him took complete control.
Roz rose up from her chair, and Jonah got up at the same time. In an instant, they stood together. Then his arms were around her, and hers wrapped around him.
⌛
Roz stared into the green depths of Jonah’s eyes, now just inches away from her own. His tan face and dark brown hair held a soft glow from the gaslight lamps that diffused golden light through the small room.
Because she was tall and wore heels, they were almost the same height. Roz was suddenly aware of the nearness of Jonah’s full lips. Expecting a kiss, she waited for him to close the distance.
But Jonah only stared back at her unmoving, as if entranced. As if he was waiting for her to make the first move.
I can’t do that, she thought. A lady doesn’t act so lascivious.
But even as she had that restraining thought, the hunger stirred in her. A stab of cold emptiness that demanded to be filled. The desperate hunger combined with her physical desire for Jonah and drove her forward.
Roz leaned toward Jonah and gently set her lips on his. Now he stirred from his statue-like stiffness and responded to her kiss. He kissed her back—hungrily and passionately. He reached up to caress her back and pull her closer to him.
Pressed up close to Jonah, Roz’s hunger for him only grew stronger. She reached a hand up to caress the exposed skin of his neck and felt his blood pulsing beneath her fingers.
I’m starving! the thought blasted into her mind. No! I must control myself! she insisted to herself.
Then Jonah deepened the kiss. His taste mixed with the smell of his skin and his sweet spicy blood. It maddened Roz and drove the mental argument from her mind.
Is it true that he won’t notice if I just take a sip? she wondered now. Of course, he will! Stop thinking like that! Roz fought to control her thoughts, but it was a losing battle.
As both Cowboy Bob and Buttons had predicted, logic was in retreat, and her new body’s desire to be fed took over. Now Roz knew exactly how to keep Jonah unaware of what she was about to do.
She pulled back a few inches from him and looked into his eyes. His look was fuzzy and clouded as if he was already in a trance-like state.
As Roz stared at him, she sent a mental message into his mind. “I’m going to kiss your neck. You won’t feel me biting you or drinking your blood. And you won’t remember anything except that I kissed your neck.”
Roz wasn’t sure if that would work, but the need to feed took over completely and drove her actions. She pulled Jonah’s collar open to expose more of his skin. Then she broke her gaze away from him and bent her head forward.
Her mouth opened, and her lips pressed on the side of Jonah’s neck. He stood still and unmoving again, compliant and waiting.
Now what? she wondered. I’ve never drank blood from anyone’s neck before. What do I do next?
Roz breathed in and inhaled Jonah’s scent. Her hunger activated some instinct. Her mouth opened wider, and her new sharp incisors pressed against Jonah’s firm skin.
Uncontrollable hunger surged, and Roz sank her teeth in through the skin to pierce veins that throbbed with fresh blood.
The sweet wetness flowed out into her mouth. Roz gulped it down ravenously. The rich flavorful blood was delicious beyond anything she’d ever tasted. The experience of drinking it satisfied not only her physical hunger but also some sensual need deep inside her.
Jonah stood still, but as she drank, he sighed and shuddered. He moaned, and a hand reached up and tightened in her hair. Roz’s passion for him gr
ew stronger, but now that the sharp edge of her hunger was satisfied, she felt her wits returning.
I can’t take too much of his blood, or it will harm him, she realized.
Reluctantly, Roz forced herself to stop drinking the intoxicating liquid. She lifted her mouth from Jonah’s neck and looked at the two small wounds now leaking drops of blood.
Again, instinct took over, and Roz licked the drops from Jonah’s skin. Then she brushed her tongue across the two wounds a few times, watching as each time the tooth holes became smaller and then disappeared.
Roz lifted her head and looked into Jonah’s eyes again. He showed no shock or other sign of being upset by what had just happened.
But Roz was ashamed of herself.
I can’t believe I just did that! she thought.
Jonah blinked, and the look in his eyes grew less fuzzy. He leaned forward and kissed her again, slower and softer this time. Now Roz forgot her guilt and lost herself in his warm kiss and the feel of his strong arms wrapped around her.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when they finally pulled apart. They stood holding each other for a few moments. Then Roz remembered where she was and what she still had to do that night.
“It’s getting late, and I need to get back to the saloon to question more customers tonight,” she said.
“Right now, I wouldn’t mind if you gave up on that and stayed here,” said Jonah. “But that’s just irresponsibility talking. There’s still a killer somewhere out there. If you’re ready to go, I’ll go out too and follow you down the street to make sure you get there safe.”
“Thank you, Jonah,” said Roz.
But now she knew for certain there wasn’t much that could harm her.
Chapter 15
Later that night after the saloon closed, Roz sat on her bed next to Buttons. She was dressed for sleep in her long flannel nightdress, but she wasn’t tired.
“Well, that was another waste of time,” she told him mentally. “How many murder confessions will I have to hear before I find Gertie’s killer? I’m starting to think he either left town, or he’s not one of the regular customers. And it wasn’t easy tonight when I had so many other things on my mind.”
Buttons blinked golden eyes at her.
“At least you got something to eat today,” he said as if he knew exactly what was on Roz’s mind.
The memory of feeding on Jonah’s blood returned, and she blushed.
“I’m so ashamed and embarrassed!” she said. “I can’t believe I did that! You were right. I got so hungry that I lost my mind and turned into an animal...I mean I went crazy.”
“I know what you meant, and I’ll let it slide this time,” said Buttons. “Only because you’re under so much self-imposed pressure. But I won’t be so forgiving next time,” he warned.
“I’m sorry Buttons,” she apologized.
Buttons moved closer to Roz and rubbed against her. Roz was relieved that he wasn’t going to hold a grudge because of her slipup. She reached a hand out and stroked his soft fur. It seemed sleeker than she remembered, and it shined with a high gloss in the glow of the gas lamp.
Her thoughts turned to Jonah’s sleek hair and skin.
“What am I going to do, Buttons?” she asked. “Jonah asked me to marry him, and I accepted. And then I drank his blood without his knowledge! That’s so dishonest but also bizarre and creepy. I’m not an animal, I’m an unnatural creature—a monster! If Jonah knew what I really was, he’d never want to marry me.”
Roz wiped the tears that started to drip down her face. Then Buttons snuggled up next to her.
“It’s OK. You can still get married to Jonah. Just don’t tell him. He’ll never find out. But you should probably find some other sources of blood besides him, so he doesn’t become anemic,” said Buttons. “Anyway, I’m an unnatural creature too, and I’m not upset about being a vampire. It’s not so bad. It’s much easier to get fresh food now, actually.”
“Well, I don’t like it,” said Roz. “And I can’t marry Jonah under false pretenses. It’s not fair, and I couldn’t live with myself if I was living a lie. Or exist with myself. Or whatever it is we’re doing now. I know we’re not alive anymore. And I know Jonah probably won’t want to marry me when he finds out what I’ve become. Anyway, I have to tell him.”
“OK. If that’s how you feel, then go ahead,” said Buttons. “But you won’t know how he’ll take it until you tell him. He might still want to marry you. Or he might want to put a stake through your heart or shoot you with a silver bullet. I’d better be there with you in case he decides to do something like that.”
Roz groaned and lowered her face into her hands.
“You’re right! I didn’t even think of that,” said Roz. “If he’s read Dracula or heard anything about vampires, he’ll think I’m a demonic monster like in the book. He might think it’s best to kill me for my own good. But you don’t need to be there. I can protect myself, and I don’t want you to hurt him.”
“What do you take me for?” Buttons asked in an offended voice. “An out-of-control beast?”
He reached up and gave Roz a light slap of a paw with the claws pulled in.
“See, I can control myself,” he said. “And I take my responsibility to watch out for you seriously, so I’m going to be there. But don’t worry, I won’t kill the deputy.”
Roz sighed.
“I’m worried about you too, Buttons. What if you get hurt again like when you tried to protect me from Cowboy Bob?” she asked.
“I survived then, and I’ll survive this time,” he said. “Especially now that I have cat superpowers. I’m faster than a snake and stronger than a bear. No living creature can catch me,” he bragged with a puffed-out chest.
“OK. You can be there with me. If you promise not to do anything unless it’s absolutely necessary. And no killing!” said Roz.
“Deal. I promise,” said Buttons.
With that decision made, Roz was overcome by the tiredness that her anxiety had kept at bay until now. She got up off the bed, walked over to the door, and locked it.
“I’m ready to go to sleep now,” she told Buttons. “But I locked the door in case Cowboy Bob decides to visit again. Even though he seems to have got back together with Loretta. And even though he probably has a key, and he came in through the window last time. I’d shut it, but you need to go out at night.”
Buttons scooted aside to his usual spot on the bed and curled up into a ball. Then Roz got in bed and stretched out under her quilt.
“You can lock the window if you want to,” said Buttons. “But I think Cowboy Bob could probably get in here even if you lock the door and the window. That’s why I’m not going out tonight. I hunted earlier when you were working in the saloon, so I can stay here all night in case he shows up.”
“You don’t have to do that for me,” said Roz. “I’m sure he probably won’t show up. I’m just being paranoid maybe.”
“No. You’re not paranoid in this case,” said Buttons. “He’s back with that blonde, but I’ve seen how he keeps looking at you and watching you. He’s still interested.”
“How can you tell that when he stands against the wall and barely moves a muscle all night?” Roz asked.
“Of course, I can tell that. I’m a cat, and we know these things. And you can probably feel his focus on you, especially now,” said Buttons. “That’s the reason you’re nervous about him—with good reason.”
“Maybe you’re right,” said Roz. “I hope he doesn’t show up tonight. But if he does, you just wake me up and then go hide. We know he’s a lot stronger and more dangerous than Jonah. And I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“You doubt my ability to deal with a mere primate? You wound me!” said Buttons.
Then he chuckled.
“OK. I see you’re not going to take my warning seriously. Just wake me up and let me handle it please,” said Roz.
Then she turned the key to shut off the gas to her lamp.
The lightest glimmer of golden moonlight tinted the dark cloud-filled sky outside the opaque curtains. Roz laid her head down on her goose-feather pillow, closed her eyes, and was asleep in an instant.
Chapter 16
Several hours later, a key turned in the lock of Roz’s door. Buttons, on high alert even while he slept, woke up when he heard the soft scrape of metal against metal.
Faster than the door could open, Buttons moved to the far edge of the bed. He crouched against the wall—hidden in shadow but facing the intruder and ready for action.
Even before his transformation, his cat’s night vision would have had no trouble seeing the familiar form of the person who entered. Or the stake and mallet clutched in the person’s hands.
The soft but heavy tread of feet creeping toward the bed seemed loud in his small cat’s ears. But Roz slept on.
Now the uninvited guest stood staring down at Roz, apparently taking no notice of Buttons. He sat still and waited for would happen next.
The hand that held the stake lifted and positioned the sharp point on Roz’s nightdress right where her heart was. The other hand raised the mallet up high, ready to strike.
It was time for Buttons to act. He sat up and shone the light in his night-vision eyes, also called tapetum lucidum, directly into the eyes of the want-to-be murderer.
“Freeze!” he sent the hypnotic order into the killer’s mind.
Buttons had been a powerful telepath even before his transformation. But now the addition of his new supernatural powers made his mental suggestion irresistible. The would-be killer of Roz froze in place—caught in the act with a stake held to Roz’s heart and the mallet poised to swing down.
Buttons felt quite proud of himself, which always brought the need to preen. Without breaking the stare, he lifted a paw and wet it. Then he smoothed down the fur around his ears and face, grooming himself to glossy perfection.
Meanwhile, Buttons hadn’t completely frozen the intruder’s ability to speak.
“Argh! Let me go! Let me go!”
