As she dressed for the evening in a white knee-length summer dress, the reflection in the mirror made her feel strangely as if she were looking at someone else. It had been quite some time since she’d woken with such a heavy sense of detachment. She could almost hear the echo of Arden’s words inside her head, warning her she was alone without him.
“Fuck you, Arden.” The whispered words eased her growing tension. Every time he found her, every damn time he came for her again, this was the result. She detested the man more than any other creature on the face of the planet, and yet she always started to believe him.
Not this time. She wasn’t running from Arden anymore. This was her world too, and if she wanted to walk among the inhabitants as if she belonged, she would. He had no right to steal all she had left.
Plastering a smile on her face, she nodded once to her reflection and turned to go. Maybe a little shopping would cheer her up. It wasn’t the solution to her problems by any means, but it would provide an outlet that enabled her to bury the truth of Arden’s words.
She was a woman and wanted to feel like one at times. Was that really so wrong? Being a vampire was only one aspect of who she was. Kat didn’t see any point in creeping around like a horror-movie monster. She was in this world, and she damn well wanted to enjoy it.
A few hours later she was walking through the dark parking lot of the shopping mall, shaking her freshly layered tresses. The girls at the salon had kept her busy with their chatter. From celebrity gossip to their boyfriends, there had been no shortage of discussion. It was when one of them had suggested she come out with them for drinks at closing time that she’d made excuses and been on her way.
As badly as Kat wanted to fit into their world, she was wise enough to know it would be dangerous to socialize with them outside the salon. With Arden in town, something like that could put the girls on his radar, which just couldn’t happen.
So much for making herself feel better.
Arden’s presence in the city Kat thought of as hers was hindering even the most mundane aspects of her life. It filled her with a vengeful rage. He had to ruin everything for her, finding her no matter where she made her home. Not anymore. It was time to bring Arden’s reign of control to an end. Even if that meant seeing him dusted once and for all.
Luca Alexander suddenly came to mind. He wanted Arden dead too. His reasons were irrelevant. It was unlikely that either of them could best Arden alone, but together…
She’d witnessed him kill a vampire with an unsettling amount of skill. There was always a chance he would turn on her after killing Arden and stake her as easily as he’d done to Jerome. Still, it might be worth the risk if it meant escaping Arden at last.
As Kat stalked through the parking lot, lost in thought, a scream rang out, quickly followed by another. Excitement flooded her, and she turned in the direction of the sound. A man across the lot held a woman at gunpoint. It brought a smile to Kat’s face. She hadn’t felt the need to hunt tonight, but since the perfect victim had dropped right into her path, she wouldn’t turn him down.
* * * *
Sleeping in hadn’t been on Luca’s agenda for the evening. He detested rushing around. If he didn’t hurry, his entire plan for the night would be a bust. He needed to confirm the information Kat had given him regarding Arden’s whereabouts. Once he was sure of his enemy’s location, it would be time to put together a plan of attack. Rushing in blind would get him nowhere.
With his hair still wet and mussed up from a hurried shower, Luca threw on a pair of dark jeans and a black T-shirt. Not quite incognito, but it would have to do. He spent ten minutes searching for his keys before he remembered he’d left them in the pocket of the pants he’d worn the previous day. What in the hell? It wasn’t like him to be so scatterbrained.
He had to double-check on his way out the door to make sure he had everything he would need if he encountered any vampires. One might have thought he’d never been kissed by a beautiful woman before from the way he was reacting. Of course, he’d never been kissed by a woman as beautiful as Kat.
His winning smile was carefully plastered on his face when he turned to meet his neighbor’s expectant gaze. Jessica gave a little wave, shuffling her purse from one shoulder to the other as she locked her door.
“Hi, Luca. How are you?”
“Great, thanks. And yourself?”
They often made small talk when they bumped into one another. It was always awkward for Luca, never pleasant. Since the one night they’d gone to a movie together and ended up in bed after, he’d done his best to avoid her. Jessica was a nice person. She just wasn’t for him. Unfortunately, she didn’t agree with that outlook.
“I’m doing well.” She paused to look him up and down. “I haven’t seen you around much. Your SUV is gone a lot. We should do something sometime when you’re not too busy. I could cook you dinner. Anything you like.”
Luca paused, weighing his response. This was exactly the kind of thing he tried to dodge. He opened his mouth to give her a neutral reply when an image of Kat flickered behind his eyes. He could still feel her lips on his, taste her sweetness.
“I appreciate the offer, Jess. I’m not sure it’s a good idea, though.” It was a lame attempt at an easy letdown, but he didn’t know what else to say. When her face fell, he hurried to add, “I’ve started seeing someone.”
Luca felt as surprised by his words as Jessica looked. She nodded and mumbled something that sounded like, “Forget I asked.” The click of her high heels on the concrete sidewalk filled the silence as she hurried to her car.
“Smooth move, dumb-ass,” Luca cursed himself. What had he been thinking? Sighing, he shrugged and decided that if it enabled Jessica to give up on him and move on, a little white lie was worth it.
The real question was, why the hell couldn’t he stop remembering that sensational kiss? She was a vampire, goddammit! Maybe he really did just need to get laid.
As he strolled down the walk to his vehicle, Luca watched Jessica peel out of the parking lot. Maybe he should think about moving. To the country, where he’d never have to deal with neighbors who couldn’t handle rejection. He had tried to be nice about it.
It didn’t take long for Jessica to leave his thoughts. Once he was in his SUV and headed for the outskirts of the city, all he could think about was Arden. After vampire hunting for so many years without any trace of the one he sought the most, Luca found it strangely coincidental that Arden would end up here, in his city. Perhaps it was meant to be.
Luca’s thoughts were dominated by his reasons for desiring Arden’s death. It was more than the fact he could never resume his mortal life until he successfully wiped out Arden and his bloodline. It also tied into his deep resentment for his father. His anger fueled, Luca was more than ready to take on the master vampire. Waiting for the perfect moment would be painful.
He found the house exactly where Kat said it would be. He slowed enough to check out the place without appearing suspicious. A large iron gate barred the end of the long driveway. Though Luca saw no trace of vampires on the property, he knew they had to be there. What he wasn’t sure of was how many he could anticipate.
He drove until he found a side road, where he parked his SUV a mile or so from a nearby farmhouse. Walking back to Arden’s allowed him the opportunity to scope out the area. The location outside the city meant the surroundings were primarily forest, farmland, and fields littered with cattle. It made a nice private location for conducting all sorts of nasty vampire business.
The driveway that led up to the house was lined with thick hedging. On either side, the hedges grew down toward the ditch and then disappeared into the forest that bordered the house and yard. There weren’t that many places to hide outside the gate. Climbing over the gate was out of the question. It was high, with pointed spikes on the top of each bar, and circled the entire perimeter of the house.
Headlights lit up the night, and Luca pressed flat against the fence. The ca
r turned into the driveway, pausing for just a moment. The gate slowly swung open, and the car proceeded. It closed a moment later. It appeared to be activated with a remote, like a garage-door opener.
Luca peered through the bars of the gate, straining to see if Arden got out of the car as it came to a stop beside the house. A sound from behind had Luca turning quickly to find a vampire lunging at him with fangs bared.
Throwing his arms up in defense, Luca went down under the weight of his attacker. The vampire fought for his throat. Luca landed a series of blows straight into the guy’s face, but they barely made a difference. The vampire snarled, fighting harder.
A few heavy punches caught Luca on the side of the head. He barely felt them with the adrenaline coursing through him. He gained some ground when he managed to land a tough blow straight into the vampire’s throat. The sound of crunching cartilage indicated a successful shot. Shoving the vamp off him, Luca got to his feet and withdrew a stake from his boot.
“Who the fuck are you?” the vampire spat in a low, guttural tone. “A snoopy human playing vampire slayer. I’m going to enjoy this.”
Luca braced for another attack, ready this time when the undead creature made his move. With his eyes glittering maniacally and arms outstretched, the vampire struck out, and his sharp fingernails cut into Luca’s face near his left eye. The damn thing was trying to blind him. Now that was a dirty way to win a battle.
His grip on the stake left Luca with only one free hand. Grasping the guy by the face, Luca shoved him so hard he flailed his arms as he stumbled backward.
Rushing toward the vampire full-out, Luca leaped on top of him and took him down hard. The vampire reached for his face at the same time Luca slammed the stake into his chest. A pained cry echoed around them for a split second, then cut off abruptly as the vampire burst into dust and ash beneath him.
Luca got to his feet and brushed the vamp’s remains from his clothing. That had been relatively easy. His face stung, and he felt the blood dripping near his eye. Wiping it away with the back of his hand, he shrugged the injury off as no big deal. He’d had much worse in his time.
The sound of his scuffle with the vampire might have alerted someone up at the house. There was no way he was ready to take on several of them at a time. Not without some additional preparation. After shoving his stake back into his boot, he turned to go back to where he’d left his vehicle.
And there she was. Silent and ethereal, Kat stood near the hedges watching him. An amused smile played along her lovely mouth, and his gaze was drawn to those luscious, full red lips. She looked like a dark angel standing there with her red hair flowing all around her. Luca was struck silent, captivated by her delicate beauty.
“So,” she murmured. “How do you feel about forming a little partnership?”
Chapter Four
The way his jaw dropped when he looked at her had Kat grinning with a self-satisfied smile. She gave her hair a toss for effect and fixed him with an intense stare. Luca looked like he wasn’t sure how to react, and she liked that. She enjoyed catching him off guard.
He was bleeding. The scent was strong, potent. It drew her attention not because she was hungry, but because there was a powerful quality to it. Interesting. Luca was already captivating. Whatever else there was to him certainly had her intrigued.
A sound near the house caught her attention. She couldn’t see anyone, but something didn’t feel right.
“Somebody’s coming,” she told Luca. “We have to get moving. I assume your vehicle is around here somewhere.”
Luca looked at her with wide eyes. “You expect me to get into a vehicle with you? You’re a vampire.”
“Thanks for noticing. Now let’s go before we’re found. I can guarantee you that there are too many of them in there for the two of us to take on. Please. We have to hurry.”
She turned to go, waiting for him to step up beside her. Luca stared at her with a combination of confusion and suspicion. He glanced toward the house and then back at Kat.
“How do I know you weren’t sent out here to draw me in? I have absolutely no reason to trust anything you say. We’re not exactly fighting on the same side here.”
“Yes, we are. You just don’t realize it.” Kat gestured frantically. “Come on, dammit!”
She took a few steps, relief coursing through her when he joined her. He was careful to stay in step with her, not falling behind or going ahead. As Luca indicated the direction of his vehicle, he sneaked a few glances at her. She pretended not to notice.
They hurried down the dirt road and continued on until the outline of an SUV could be seen near a farmhouse. Kat couldn’t help but keep looking back over her shoulder. Though she sensed no one, she had an irrational fear of Arden’s lackeys leaping out at them. That was the last thing she wanted to deal with. Getting back into the city was her first concern.
It had been somewhat of a gamble coming here to look for Luca. She’d had a feeling he had gone to seek out Arden, and her plan had been to head him off before he could make the mistake of confronting Arden alone. When she’d come upon him fighting with Ryan, she was overjoyed to find Luca outside the perimeter and still in one piece.
She’d been ready to jump in if necessary, but Luca was more than capable of handling himself. She was impressed.
When they reached his vehicle, he paused near the driver’s door. It was clear to Kat he really didn’t want to let her in the car with him. She couldn’t blame him. She wouldn’t trust a vampire either, no matter who they were.
“I’m really not comfortable with this,” he said, his eyes downcast. The jingle of keys was the only noise. “I don’t know anything about you. How do I know you’re not going to try to kill me?”
Kat laughed, breaking the stillness of the country night. “You’re kidding, right? I’ve seen you take out vampires I have known for almost two hundred years. I doubt you have any reason to fear little ol’ me. Now unlock this door and let me in the damn car.”
She smiled as she spoke, careful not to flash too much fang. Luca must have been reassured. After a moment of looking at her across the hood, he came around to the passenger side and opened the door for her. It was a pleasant surprise that made her feel more like a lady than she had in a long time.
When Luca climbed in, he gave her a long, appraising look, earning an eye roll from her. Ignoring it, he started the engine. “I sure hope you’re not lying to me. I can’t deny there’s a part of me that’s tempted to leave you out here.”
“Look, Luca.” Kat’s tone became deadly serious. “If I were interested in wiping you out, I would have already done so. Leaving me out here won’t do anything but force me to walk back to town. We both want Arden dead, and that is the only reason why I’m here right now. Believe it or not, we have a much better shot of taking him out together than separately.”
The engine roared to life, and after pulling a U-turn, Luca steered them back toward town. As they passed Arden’s driveway, there was more than one shadowed figure lurking along it. Kat felt a sense of relief they’d made it out of there in time. If Arden had gotten his hands on Luca, the situation would have been horribly unpleasant. Not to mention the hell he would have put her through.
They drove in silence until they reached the bright lights at the edge of the city. Luca drove quietly, occasionally reaching to fiddle with the radio knobs. Kat wasn’t sure why he was so anxious. She could feel the nervous energy rolling off him. He wasn’t really afraid of her, was he? She didn’t want him to be. She wanted him to see her as a woman, not solely a creature of the night.
“So, what’s your deal? Why do you want Arden dead?” Kat asked, abandoning any notion of polite conversation. Might as well get down to business.
Luca was quiet before clearing his throat and saying, “I have my reasons. Forgive me if I don’t lay them all on the table for you to pick through. It’s rather personal.”
“Right. Sorry. I guess I don’t meet your requirements for s
omeone worthy of having a conversation with.” Kat watched the passing scenery. Since when had she cared what a human thought of her? She didn’t know this guy from a hole in the ground.
“It’s not that.” He said quickly. “I’m sorry. It’s just, it’s complicated. Working with a vampire would go against everything I’ve ever stood for. But…you did tell me the truth about where to find Arden. I need time to think about it, me and you working together.”
Fair enough. Kat could relate to that. She didn’t trust him either. After all, in a matter of twenty-four hours, he had taken out at least three of her kind. It was her deep desire for Arden’s demise that had her sitting in the confines of a moving vehicle with a man skilled in slaying the undead. It was also a sign she was at the end of her rope. Desperation could make people do crazy things, as she was learning. But Luca didn’t seem to have any immediate intent to harm her, and so far his company was kind of enjoyable.
“It’s not really working together. That’s just as taboo for me as it is for you.” She studied his profile in the dim light. Lord, he was handsome. “So are you a natural vampire hunter, or do you just do this for fun?”
“Excuse me?”
Kat smirked. “You know, a natural. One of those destined to hunt the undead or however the story goes. Last I heard, there were three different families that fell under that category, each of them located in a different part of the world. Does that apply to you? Or are you one of those self-appointed types?”
To her surprise, Luca chuckled. The sound was smooth and sexy, touching her in a way that was almost physical. What would that enticing laugh sound like as a soft, breathy murmur in her ear as he made love to her? She squirmed in her seat, suddenly flush with heat.
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