by L D Marr
She stopped drinking Jonah’s blood, but she didn’t seal the wound this time. He kept caressing her body, and he didn’t seem to notice that she’d stopped.
But Roz placed her hands on his chest and pushed herself up.
“Do you believe me now?” she asked.
Jonah stared up at her with wide shocked eyes.
“In any case, I’m not going to have intimate relations with you when the question of our marriage hasn’t been definitely decided,” she said in her no-nonsense librarian’s voice.
“I’m sorry! I’m so confused!” he said.
Jonah sat up on the bed and grabbed his head between his hands.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized again. “I didn’t believe you, and it took me by surprise. Then I lost control of myself somehow.”
“That’s fine. I understand because what happened to me took me by surprise too. And I’ll accept your apology,” said Roz. “But now that you know the truth, I need to know if you want still want to get married to me. I assume you don’t.”
Jonah stared at her. Roz stared back.
She heard the whisper of the sheer curtain stirring and turned to see Buttons jump back into the room. He sprang onto the bed and snuggled in next to her side, between her and Jonah. Roz reached a hand down to pet his silky fur while she waited for Jonah to answer.
He got up from the bed and dropped down on the chair across from her. She noticed the thin trickle of blood that leaked down his neck.
Roz handed him back his handkerchief.
“You might want to put pressure on that wound,” she said. “I sealed it last night, but this time I left it open. Then you won’t be able to tell yourself later that you imagined it all. The evidence will be there.”
⌛
Jonah accepted his handkerchief from Roz and wiped at the wetness he felt on his neck—just underneath the spot where he felt the sting of two tiny wounds.
Roz was right. Part of his mind was having trouble believing what had just happened. He lifted the handkerchief away from his neck and stared at it.
The sight of the small red stain gave him a slight shock, even though he’d been fully aware when Roz was drinking his blood. Then he folded up the handkerchief and pressed it against his neck.
While he applied pressure to stop the bleeding, Jonah though about what Roz had just done. There was no denying that she’d drank his blood. And he knew she hadn’t eaten any food for the last two days—at least when she was with him.
That supported at least part of her strange story. But did that prove everything she claimed? That her body had died, and now she was a supernatural being who would live forever?
Jonah was the kind of person who wanted all the facts before he reached a conclusion.
But in this case, will that ever be possible? he wondered.
He stared at Roz sitting her bed. Calm and composed yet tense. Her thick red hair tumbled loose around her thin but shapely shoulders. Jonah realized that he had unbuttoned her nightdress and pulled it down to reveal the top of her breasts.
As if aware of his stare, Roz pulled the neck of her dress back up and buttoned it.
Jonah blushed, but he didn’t stop looking. She was beautiful in a wild but restrained way that confused him almost as much as this strange situation. And despite what he’d just learned, he realized that he still desired her, and his feelings of affection for Roz hadn’t changed.
He knew she was waiting for him to say something.
“I still love you,” he said finally. “But I need to know more about what’s going on here. I don’t have a complete understanding of it. And I need to know who you are before we get tied together for life. I mean my life. Because you said that you’re not alive now? What does that mean?”
“It means my mortal, human body died, but this new form I’m in will exist forever. I’m immortal, according to Cowboy Bob and Bram Stoker, that is.”
Something clicked in the investigative part of Jonah’s brain.
“If it’s true that you’re immortal, then Madame wouldn’t have been able to kill you, right?” he asked.
“No. She could have killed me,” Roz answered him. “There are some ways that vampires can be destroyed—with a stake through the heart or a silver bullet, or by removing our heads from our bodies.”
“Interesting,” said Jonah.
He scratched the razor stubble on his square jaw again while various thoughts related to the murder case swirled around in his mind.
“Madame was using a weapon that could kill a vampire, so do you think she knew that you’re a vampire now? Could that be the reason she was trying to murder you?” Jonah asked. “Was Gertie a vampire too?”
“No. I don’t think Gertie was a vampire. Because Cowboy Bob said he was turning me into one to be his mate. I refused that offer, as I said. But he wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. And I don’t think Madame knew. I don’t think anyone knew. I think her choice of weapon was just a coincidence.”
“I’m not sure if I believe in vampires, but one thing I don’t believe in is coincidences,” said Jonah. “I think I need to ask Madame some more questions.”
“You’re not going to tell her that we’re vampires, are you?” Roz asked.
“Of course not,” he answered. “Do you think I want everyone in this town to think I’ve gone crazy? I’m just going to get some more details from her. To make sure there’s nothing else going on here than what’s on the surface. I like to be thorough.”
“I understand that,” said Roz.
At that moment, a strong hand knocked twice on Roz’s door.
“Who’s there?” Roz asked.
Jonah tucked his handkerchief away in a pocket and discretely straightened his collar.
“Begging your pardon, ma’am. It’s me, Sheriff DuBois. I’m looking for my deputy,” said a deep male voice through the door.
“Please come in, sheriff,” Roz answered.
The door creaked open, and the large sheriff peaked in. After viewing the scene in Roz’s room, he pushed the door all the way open. The sheriff stood just inside the doorway holding his wide-brimmed hat in front of him.
“Good evening ma’am,” he said to Roz. “I’m glad to see you looking so well after your unfortunate experience.”
“Thank you, sheriff. That’s very kind of you,” she answered.
The sheriff turned to Jonah.
“I’m done with questioning all the witnesses now,” he went on. “It’s an open and shut case, so it’s going to be jail and then hanging for Madame.”
Roz gasped.
“Must she hang?” she asked.
“I don’t like hanging a woman, believe me, ma’am. But that’s the law,” said the sheriff. “Yep, she has to hang. Just as soon as we can get a preacher in to hear her confession if she’s so minded.”
The sheriff turned to Jonah.
“It’s kind of awkward to have to lock a woman up. If you’re ready to go, I’d like you to come along with me to escort Madame to jail,” he said. “Make it more formal like.”
“Of course. Please give me a minute, and then I’ll be right down,” Jonah said pointedly.
The sheriff took the hint. He winked at Jonah.
“Goodbye, ma’am,” he said with a nod to Roz.
He stepped out of her doorway and shut the door behind him.
“I need to go follow up on this crime,” Jonah said to Roz when the sheriff was gone. “But what you told me and showed me is a big shock. It’s nothing like I’ve ever heard of or imagined could be real. It’s a lot to process, and I need some time to think about it. Then we’ll talk again. But I want you to know that no matter what’s happened to you, my feelings for you haven’t changed.”
“OK, I understand,” said Roz.
Jonah leaned forward and pressed a light kiss on her cheek. He wanted to do so much more—embrace her and assure her that nothing else had changed. But he felt the need to get more information before he made any more
promises that he might not be able to keep.
When he kissed her, Roz closed her eyes, but she didn’t say anything.
Then Jonah straightened up and walked out of her room.
⌛
Roz was pleased to see that Jonah’s distraction with the murder case had taken his focus away from her state of blood-sucking undeadness.
I guess he’s taking it better than I expected, she thought.
“Unless he’s planning to kill you later,” Buttons said in her mind. “But don’t worry. That’s why I’m here.”
“Oh. You’re so sweet!” said Roz back to him mentally.
She scratched him behind the ears in his favorite spot.
“What do you think he meant by saying that no matter what, his feelings haven’t changed?” she asked Buttons.
“It means he didn’t try to kill you this time,” Buttons answered. “But I think it was a mistake to tell him about the silver bullets.”
Now that all the excitement was over, Roz suddenly felt tired. Her sleep had been interrupted after only a few hours.
“I’m going back to sleep,” she told Buttons.
“That’s a good idea,” he said. “I’m tired too.”
He moved over to his usual sleeping spot and curled up into a ball. Roz got inside her bed covers.
She closed her eyes and was just about to drift off when another knock sounded on her door. Softer than the sheriff’s knock but firm.
Roz’s eyes opened.
Now who could that be? she wondered.
Buttons grumbled, and Roz pushed herself part-way up.
“Who’s there?” she called out.
There was no answer, but the door creaked open. Cowboy Bob stood in the doorway. Buttons sat up and snarled. Roz sat all the way up to.
“Cowboy Bob...why are you here?” she asked.
The tall vampire, now dressed in his red leather, stepped into her room without an invitation. He shut the door behind him.
“He’s entering our territory without permission!” Buttons said in Roz’s mind in an offended voice.
“Well at least he knocked this time,” Roz said back to him mentally.
The moonlight through the curtains was enough for Roz to see Cowboy Bob clearly with her now-enhanced nighttime vision. He took off his wide-brimmed white leather hat to reveal thick blonde hair that brushed up from a high, broad forehead.
“Good evening,” he said in his cultured voice that didn’t match the cowboy outfit. “Please pardon my manner of entrance into your room. I must speak to you again, and I didn’t want to attract the notice of the other women.”
“He means Loretta,” Buttons said in Roz’s mind.
But Roz didn’t pardon him. She felt cranky because of this second interruption of her sleep.
“What do you need to talk to me about?” she asked.
As if he took that for an invitation, Cowboy Bob moved in a supernatural flash from the front of the room to a seated position in the chair that was still next to her bed. But Roz’s quick vampire eyes had been able to track his movement.
Can I can move that fast now too? she wondered.
“Yes, you can,” said Buttons in her mind.
“Stop reading my mind,” she told him again mentally, although she realized the request was useless.
The large man sitting on the small chair bent toward her. Up this close and with her improved eyesight, Roz saw for the first time the handsomeness of his classic features, straight nose, and cleft chin. Brilliant sky-blue eyes that were usually hidden under the wide brim of his hat. Blood-red full lips. Toned, lean muscle defined underneath his soft cotton shirt.
He’s an amazingly attractive man on the outside, but what’s on the inside is less attractive, Roz thought.
“I agree with that second part,” Buttons answered in her mind.
Roz sighed. Cowboy Bob stared into her eyes with a strange, fixed gaze that felt creepy.
“Ah! Do you long for me now?” Cowboy Bob asked her in a low, deep whisper. “I’m here to see if you’re ready to join with me in a passionate romance that will last for all eternity. Because you’ve resisted me so far, I resumed my physical intimacy with Loretta. And I’m still taking small amounts of blood from her, so I’ve decided to continue my relationship with her too. But she’s only mortal, so you and I can work that out. For example, I can see you on alternating nights during her lifetime.”
“No!” said Roz. “I don’t long for you. I’ve had a distressing night and several days of distress since you turned me into some kind of monster, and I’m tired and need to sleep!”
Cowboy Bob leaned back a bit.
“You still resist me?” he said. “That’s most unusual. In all the uncounted thousands of years, no woman has ever been immune to my charms.”
He rested his smooth-shaven chin on his hand for a moment.
“As I was saying, I’m not interested in your charms, and I’d appreciate it if you don’t enter my room again without my permission,” said Roz.
“Do you want me to attack him?” Buttons asked in her mind in a hopeful voice.
“No. He’s bigger than you. You might get hurt,” Roz answered him back mentally.
“It must be that mortal deputy!” whispered Cowboy Bob. “You’ve been alone with him on several occasions. And you must be drinking his blood, or you’d be ravenous with hunger and mindlessly insane by now. You must be passionately in love with him! That’s the only thing that could block the spell of my love.”
“My personal life is none of your business,” said Roz.
“It is my business because you are my chosen mate. The woman I shared my superior power with, so you could be by my side for all eternity,” said Cowboy Bob. “But it’s no matter. As soon as the short lifetime of that inferior mortal ends, the spell of his love will die with him, and your eyes will turn back to me—your star-destined lover!”
Roz didn’t want to give him any encouragement.
“I don’t think so,” she said. “And if that’s all you needed to say, will you please go now? Someone tried to kill me tonight, and I’m exhausted. I’d like to get some sleep.”
Cowboy Bob stared at her.
“You’re very certain of yourself,” he said. “Do you have plans of your own that you haven’t told me about? Is that why you’re so sure that we’ll never be together?”
“What do you mean?” asked Roz.
“Are you going to turn Deputy Jonah into a vampire, so that he can remain with you eternally as your lover?” Cowboy Bob asked. “I strongly advise against doing that.”
“Hmm. I hadn’t thought about making Jonah a vampire too. Why not?” Roz asked.
“Because I know from unfortunate experience that the personality of mortals can change drastically when they’re given supreme power over others. The uncontrolled passions of all my past lovers led to their own tragic endings. That’s why I took such care in choosing you. So far, you’ve confirmed that I chose well. You haven’t engaged in any out-of-control feeding on the innocent that I know of.”
Roz thought of Jonah and blushed.
“The only problem is that you might be too reserved,” Cowboy Bob continued. “And that deputy is only a temporary obstacle.”
He leaned forward and stared intently into Roz’s eyes again.
“Don’t take the risk of making him a bigger problem for both of us. Don’t transform him, or all three of us might regret it,” he warned.
Now the new idea was knocking around in Roz’s head, and she didn’t answer Cowboy Bob. She lifted a hand up to cover her yawn. Buttons opened his mouth impossibly wide, almost wider than the size of his head. He displayed his sharp incisors and yawned too.
Cowboy Bob looked at Buttons with shocked eyes.
“As I feared, this beast has been transformed as well!” he said. “This is disastrous! Who knows what manner of destruction a feral animal with such unlimited power might cause!”
“Don’t worry. He’s a wel
l-behaved house cat,” said Roz. “Now can you please leave and let us get some sleep?”
“As you wish,” said Cowboy Bob.
Then faster than human eyes could see, but not faster than Roz’s eyes could see, Cowboy Bob was out of the chair and out of her room. The door creaked closed behind him.
Chapter 19
The next day, Jonah sat on a wooden stool in Madame’s jail cell. Sheriff DuBois sat on a similar stool next to him, and Madame sat on the cell’s thin cot. Her face was red and puffy from crying, and she dabbed at her eyes with a damp handkerchief.
The robust sheriff was clearly uncomfortable with the situation. He let Jonah ask the questions.
Jonah wasn’t happy about having a woman in jail either—one who would have to hang for murder. But the idea that there were missing pieces to the puzzle wouldn’t stop nagging at him. He had to get to the bottom of it if he could.
“Now ma’am. Several people heard your confession. But this crime was serious, and I’d like to know more. If you don’t mind,” said Jonah.
“Yes. I told them all that I killed Gertie. And everyone saw me holding the stake to Roz’s heart. What else do you need to know?” she asked in a tear-soaked voice.
“Just a few things,” said Jonah. “First of all, could you tell me why you did it? I heard that you said you didn’t like the women much. But I’d like to hear if from you. Was that the reason, or was there more to it?”
“Yes. That’s right. Like I said, those gals are tramps. All of them are. I know you’re taken with that stuck-up gal from back east with her prissy airs. But she shows her legs on stage just like the rest of them do. And I had to kill them. I just had to,” said Madame.
“I hear what you’re saying, ma’am. But I still don’t understand why you had to kill them. You lived with saloon girls for many long years without killing anybody. Why did you have to kill them now?” Jonah asked.
“I told you. I had to. I had to kill the redhead. I just had to!” Madame insisted.
“Are you saying that you only had to kill a woman with red hair?” Jonah asked.
“That’s right,” said Madame. “I had to kill the redheaded slut. I thought Gertie was the one because her ways were so free and easy. But she wasn’t the right one. It was the other gal you’re sweet on. I had to kill her. I tried, but I didn’t get her. And I can’t tell you any more than that!”
