by Terry Spear
Robert smiled inwardly. Bill wanted to find out how he made out with Crystal Anderson after all the racket they’d made. “Not today. I’ve got to take care of some other business.”
“Another blonde? Or that one?” Bill pointed at the disappearing Cougar.
“I told you, she’s best left alone.”
“I don’t know how you do it. She gave me the cold shoulder, but it sure seems like she gave you a lot more than that.”
“Later, Bill.” Robert grabbed his hat off his coat rack. Every chance he had, he’d follow Nicolai’s consort, despite her words of warning. He figured one of Nicolai’s blood bonds or Nicolai himself would soon pay him a visit, but he’d be ready. Killing the vampire who murdered his sister, couldn’t be an act of revenge…he kept telling himself.
Yorovitch was a rogue vampire who killed ruthlessly whenever he felt the urge. That’s what Robert had to focus his attention on. Humans everywhere would rest easier with the vampire dead. Somehow, he’d get Yorovitch, not out of revenge, but to ensure another lovely woman like his sister, wouldn’t fall prey to the vampire’s ruthless touch.
16
Crystal couldn’t shake the feelings Parker’s hands touching her skin stirred in her. When he’d grabbed her in the car, the action happened so quickly, she hadn’t a chance to sense the connection. The tingling sensation he aroused in her this time triggered a treacherous desire deep within. How could she long to feel more of his vibrant touch?
She shook her head, not believing daytime vampires really existed. The other vampire hunters probably had learned of them and the ones who were born that way, sometime during the four years she’d been cut loose from the family. She was no longer privy to such important news. The notion further soured her against her family. How would it have hurt them to have given her the word?
As she drove across post to her office, she thought of Parker’s strength. He was strong like her brothers. He must have been around for a very long time, too. As with the other vampires, she didn’t want to kill him, but he pushed her to the edge.
Although her blood had heated when he left her in the road for Nicolai to pick up, he’d called the police to help her. He definitely was a contradiction of terms. Of course, the same was true of her. A vampire hunter who hated to kill. She sighed.
After checking in at her office, she drove straight to the Mexican restaurant for lunch. Time to find out how angry Nicolai was with her and what would happen now. Knowing would help her to keep one step ahead of the game. Maybe Lila would slip up and reveal something to Crystal that would aid her against Nicolai.
Crystal parked her car, then entered the building. Lila waited on a long line of customers. The blond roots of her hair seemed to contrast even more harshly with the black dye that coated the rest of the straight silky strands today.
Crystal shook her head. She could never fathom why the hosts thought they’d be more accepted by the vampires if they dyed their hair black. Lila’s hair was pulled back in a ponytail, just like the vampires. One of these days, she’d be one, too. Crystal shuddered, then stepped into her line, and after a several minutes, made it to the long tile counter.
Lila raised her brows. “I’ve never seen Nicolai so furious before. I mean, the night before, his brother had angered him. But last night. Whew! Steam was coming out of Nicolai’s ears.” She fixed a basket of meat filled tacos for Crystal, never asking if it was what she preferred. “It’s on me.” She handed her a glass. “Join you in a minute.”
Crystal took the basket of food this time, then found a booth to sit at.
Lila soon sat opposite her. “Listen, uhm, what do I call you? I’d call you mistress if you were Nicolai’s, but he hasn’t quite joined with you yet.”
“Crystal is fine.”
Lila ran a paper napkin between her fingers. “I’m not sure I can be that informal with you.”
“You call Nicolai by his name.”
“Yes, to outsiders. Otherwise you wouldn’t know who I was talking about. To me, he’s my master.”
Crystal wrinkled her nose. “No one is your master, Lila.”
“They’re my family. I enjoy being with them. What’s wrong with that? Besides you have no family. When you’re Nicolai’s, you’ll be the mistress of the house. Just like being queen. I’d love to be queen.” Lila’s voice oozed with admiration.
Of the bloodsuckers. The notion disgusted Crystal as the bile rose in her throat. She tried to think of something more pleasant. No longer hungry, she poked at the taco in its red plastic basket with disinterest. “So what happened last night?”
Lila looked at her, then down at the table. “Well, you got away. Nicolai was pretty angry about that. Several of the hosts who failed to stop you from fleeing…well, it was pretty bad. Kostya took me away. He didn’t want me to see it.”
“So you don’t know what happened?”
Her gaze met Crystal’s. “Sure I do. Several of the vampires went on a blood fest. Now they’ll have to find new willing friends.”
“Friends?”
“You know, like me.”
Human hosts. Crystal sipped her soda, nausea rising in her stomach. “The vampires killed them?”
“They deserved to die. They let you get away.”
“They didn’t deserve to die.” Crystal took a deep breath trying to calm the upset. She couldn’t give in to Nicolai, but she was only making things worse. “So what else happened?”
“I’m only telling you this, so you’ll come back and stay with Nicolai. He says you’ll be his once you understand us better.”
“All right. So what else?”
Lila glanced around the room, then looked back at the table. “Nicolai killed one of the female vampires last night. She spoke against you. He…” Lila gulped.
Crystal reached out and patted her hand. “It’s okay, Lila. You don’t have to tell me.”
“Oh no. I want to. I want you to know how much he cares for you. She said the friends shouldn’t have died, but you should have instead. Nicolai had killed two of her favorite friends, and it angered her. Even so, she shouldn’t have spoken against you. His brother is the only one who can say anything against you and get away with it. Anyone else risks Nicolai’s wrath.”
Crystal hadn’t wanted any of the killings. But she hadn’t a clue how to stop it. She felt impotent, useless. How she wanted to have the ability to stop all the mindless killing, but knew there wasn’t anything she could do but cause more of it to occur.
“Anything else?”
Lila smiled. “No. Oh yeah, he gave me a note to give you. He’s glad you and I’ve become friends. He said if I helped change your mind about us, he’d show me his gratitude.” She pulled the note out of her pocket and handed it to Crystal.
His gratitude. Crystal hmpfd. He’d feed on Lila, too, like Kostya did? Her thoughts shifted. No mention of the dead blond and redheaded vampires was made. Why not? Maybe he didn’t realize Crystal had killed them.
“Anything else, Lila?”
“I hoped you and Nicolai could join around the same time Kostya and I do.”
“Kostya is preparing you so he can join with you by blood bonding. Nicolai can’t do that with me. I don’t understand how he thinks he can. It won’t work. Our blood isn’t compatible. If we tried to join, it would kill us both.”
Lila shrugged. “Nicolai knows everything. If he thinks it will work, it will.” Lila looked down at the table.
She seemed nervous. Was Lila worried if she didn’t convince Crystal to join Nicolai, he’d kill Lila?
Crystal reached for her hand and held it. “Nicolai hasn’t threatened you, has he? I mean, if you don’t succeed in convincing me to go to him—”
Lila shuddered. “Oh, no. Nicolai rarely spoke to me before you and I became friends. Now he’s very nice to me.”
“Something else is the matter then.”
“Kostya’s worried your killing vampires is going to cause a revolt. A lot of the vampires are too wea
k to fight either Dimitri or Nicolai. But if they ganged up on them separately, they might be able to kill them.”
“Then maybe Kostya could be in charge.”
Lila’s blue eyes grew big. “Oh, no. He’s not like the others. Nicolai and Dimitri have always liked him, but a lot of the others are fearful of him because he’s not the same.”
“Because he was born a vampire?”
She nodded.
Crystal leaned back in her seat, not sure what to think of the new development. If the other vampires killed Nicolai, Dimitri, and Kostya, maybe that would end the problems she was having with the local vampire family. It could be a good thing, possibly. “So you’re worried Kostya might be killed by the other vampires, too?”
“Yes.”
Crystal checked her watch. Time to head back to the office. This time, she’d return to the hotel before dark as her boss wasn’t there to delay her. “I’ve got to get back to work, Lila.”
“You’ll see Nicolai tonight, won’t you? He wants to see you so badly.”
“I have to sleep.”
“Oh, I know. It’s hard for me, too. I never get enough sleep it seems. But it’s worth it.”
“Not for me. I need my sleep.” Crystal rose from the table and noticed the white convertible parked in the lot. Robert Parker wouldn’t heed her warning. She’d show him she meant business. This time, though, she made no mention of the car to Lila. “See you tomorrow.”
“Tonight, you mean. Nicolai won’t be dissuaded.”
“We’ll see.” Crystal rushed out of the restaurant. Just as quickly, Robert drove out of the parking lot. He’d stalked her for the last time. After work, she’d follow him. Maybe she’d even get lucky and find his home. Then somehow, she’d search it for clues.
By 6:30, the light would begin to fade from the sky. Crystal left her work at 4:30, and parked down the street from Robert’s office. The tail end of his convertible remained in sight. Hopefully, he’d leave before it got dark, or Nicolai would come for her again. She had every intention of returning to her hotel before he could grab her this time.
At 5:30, Robert headed for his car. Crystal straightened her back. If she could only follow him without him catching her at the game.
17
Robert Parker’s backup lights came on. Crystal turned on her ignition.
She stayed several cars behind him, her stomach clenching with concern that he’d see her. They continued off-post. Heavy traffic kept several cars between them. When he turned right at a light, she did, too. His speed remained unchanged. Two to three cars drove between them at any one time.
For twenty minutes, she followed him until he finally pulled into a housing development. Small brick and siding homes lined the roads. Landscaped with graceful oaks and tall shrubs, it was a well-established older neighborhood.
She slowed to nearly a crawl. Only one car separated them now. She had to distance herself further from him. Then his cherry brake lights came on. He turned right into a drive.
A peach brick home with black shutters and a two-car garage stood before her. Three live oaks stretched their massive branches over the green lawn. Red-tipped evergeen shrubs stood ten feet tall, providing a living fence between both his neighbors and him.
Good. They wouldn’t see her sneaking into his place. No way could she wait to check him out either. The longer she delayed, the more trouble she figured he’d be. Yet, there seemed to be something else driving her to see him, to find out all she could about him, that she couldn’t quite fathom. Maybe the notion he was a daylight vampire that could spell doom for her people, nagged at her. She had to find out for sure if that’s what he was.
She parked her car two houses down. After locking her car door, she ran for the garage. The door remained up. Had he seen her after all?
Drawing close, she found only his car parked inside, but no sign of him. A red tool chest, extra fridge, and packing boxes filled one wall. Had he just moved in?
She slipped into the garage. Against the other wall were two doors. One appeared to be the type for a utility closet. The other door had a curtained glass window and undoubtedly led into the house.
She reached for the latter, but the doorknob twisted in her hand. With her heart tripping, she dashed for the utility room. She yanked the door open. A laundry room complete with washer, dryer, table, sink, and water heater. She hurried inside and closed the door behind her. The garage door ground closed.
Then the door leading to the house clicked shut. She closed her eyes, trying to settle her overwrought nerves.
Now what?
Somehow she had to sneak into the house without getting caught. Then she had to search for information about him. If all went well, she’d return to her hotel before dark.
She glanced at her watch. The time slipped away faster than she could afford.
She peeked out of the laundry room. No sign of him. She closed the door behind her and headed for the fridge. After pulling the door open, she shook her head. No food…just a couple of bottles of wine…for his victims.
The doorknob to the house twisted. With lightning quick reaction, she darted for the other side of his car and crouched down. If he was taking another ride, he’d find her for certain.
His boots tromped into the laundry room. Now was her chance to get into the house.
She bolted for the open door and dashed into the kitchen. After crossing the white tile floor, she pulled a black fridge door open. A few condiments. More wine. A brick of cheese and a carton of milk.
A rush of water flowed beyond the wall. He’d started his laundry. She hurried out of the kitchen and through a dining room. Furnished in a black laminated china cabinet and matching dining table and chairs, his house reminded her of the other vampires’.
She strode through the living room, black velvet couches, brass legged coffee table, more bookshelves filled the room. Ancient swords decorated the walls.
The kitchen door to the garage slammed shut. Her heart nearly stopped. She poked her head into one room. An office. She’d search through it later. For now, she had to hide until Robert Parker settled down somewhere. Preferably the living room…then she could explore his other rooms.
She checked out the next room. Boxes stacked against the wall three deep. No place to hide here. The next room was a bathroom, then a bedroom. No canopied bed here. Then again, he could live during the day so he didn’t need to hide from the sun’s rays.
Covered in a black velvet comforter, the queen-sized bed sat against one wall. On either side, matching dark cherry end tables rested. She’d check the drawers of those and the dresser opposite the bed as soon as she could.
Footsteps padded down the carpeted hall toward the master bathroom. She dropped to the floor and peeked under the bed-skirt. In her apartment, plastic boxes stored stuff underneath her bed. Nothing but dust bunnies collected under his. She slid underneath the bed.
His boots tromped into the room, then stood next to where she hid. When he sat on the bed, the mattress sagged. She took a deep breath as the springs sank toward her. The dust made her nose itch. She stifled a sneeze.
He unlaced his boots, then pulled them off. He was changing out of his uniform.
His socks came off next. He stood and the mattress rose, giving her more breathing space. The dust tickled her nose again. She closed her eyes and held her nose. If she sneezed, it’d be all over. She curbed the terror she experienced as she attempted to keep from sneezing. If he discovered her there, then what? She couldn’t think about it. Fear only intensified when worrying about what could happen.
Returning to the hotel tonight wasn’t an option now, either way. By the time he changed his clothes and left the bedroom, she’d barely have time to search before it was dark.
She could only see his feet and ankles, but when satin black boxers dropped to the floor, she raised her brows. He was showering first? Hell…he was naked? She tilted her head a little, trying to peek further. Damn, the bed ruffle hid h
im from her view, all except his big feet. The only way she could get a really good eyeful was to poke her head out from under the bead. She nearly laughed at herself. She’d never thought of herself as a voyeur.
In a few minutes, the water from the shower came on. She waited until it should’ve had time to warm up.
When he began to sing in the bathroom, she grinned. Wouldn’t he love to know he had company? The notion he was running soap all over that hard body of his…
She shook her head. Time to get on with the real business at hand. Lusting after a…well, whatever he was, wasn’t in character for her at all.
She slid out from underneath the mattress, then hurriedly searched his drawers. Nothing but clothes in any of them.
Hurrying down the hall, she attempted to keep her breathing steady and not rushed. She entered his office where he’d left the overhead light on. Not sure what she’d find, she rummaged through the papers on his desk. Nothing.
In his master bedroom, a drawer opened and shut, then another followed suit. Apparently, he’d finished his shower and was dressing.
Where would he go next? She opened the closet in the office and found it jammed with file cabinets and unopened boxes. She wasn’t sure she could fit in there if she had to hide.
She had no choice. He headed down the hall toward her. She squeezed into the closet and closed the folding doors.
His phone rang and he strode into his office. “Hello?”
Silence.
“Yeah, Susan. Listen, I told you, in the line of work I’m in, I can’t—”
Crystal smiled when his words were cut off. Susan apparently wore the pants in the relationship.
“Susan…” He walked away from Crystal toward the window. “Damn. I’ve got to go.” His words were dark and foreboding.
Now what?
He slammed the phone on the hook with a bang and closed the blinds with a woosh. After turning off the light, he rushed out of the office.
Crystal’s heart pounded. Was he leaving the house? If he left, she could explore his place at her leisure. That would work.
