“I’m not moping,” Ethan replied flatly.
“Mourning?” Saintcrow suggested. “Grieving? Acting like a damn fool?”
“Why don’t you mind your own business?”
“I am. If you don’t start thinking straight, you’re gonna do something stupid. I poured a ton of cash into this place. I don’t want to have to destroy my partner.”
“It won’t come to that,” Ethan retorted sullenly.
“No? One of these nights you’re gonna lose that control you’re barely holding on to. You’re gonna sink your fangs into some woman and drain her dry. And I’ll have to kill you.”
“I don’t think I care.”
“We’ve been down this road before,” Saintcrow said, his patience growing thin. “I don’t want to have to destroy you. I don’t have that many friends or people I trust. I’d like to hang on to the ones I have. So either go and patch things up with Sofia, or forget about her.”
“I can’t,” Ethan said quietly. “As much as I’d like to, I can’t.”
“I can make you forget.”
Ethan shook his head. “She’s the only good thing in my life. I did what was right.”
“That’s not going to keep you warm on cold nights.”
“Vampires don’t feel the cold.”
“Have it your way.” Saintcrow looked up as Kadie stepped into the tavern.
“Lecture over?” she asked, dropping onto Rylan’s lap.
“It is as far as I’m concerned,” Ethan muttered.
Kadie kissed her husband on the cheek. “He’s stubborn, isn’t he?”
“You have no idea,” Saintcrow said.
“Listen, you two,” Ethan said irritably. “You don’t understand. Yes, Kadie, you and Holly and even Micah seem perfectly happy as vampires, but it wasn’t a decision any of you had to make. Saintcrow turned you to save your life. Micah did the same for Holly. Sofia’s not in any danger, and I intend to keep it that way. I don’t want to have to make her a vampire and I don’t want her to have to decide between me and living a normal life. She’s a big girl. She’s young. She’ll forget about me.”
“Like you’ll forget about her?” Kadie asked.
“Okay, that’s enough. I’m outta here.” Ethan stood, then froze. “What is that?” he asked, his nostrils flaring.
“Fresh blood,” Saintcrow said. “Out on the bridge.”
* * *
It took only moments for the three of them to reach the end of the bridge. The scent of freshly spilled blood was unmistakable, as was the cause of death of the woman sprawled on her back, eyes wide and staring but seeing nothing. The blood pooled in the hollow of her throat glistened like black ink in the light of the full moon.
Saintcrow walked around the body, then swore softly. “I don’t detect any scent but the woman’s. Do either of you?”
“I don’t,” Ethan said.
“Me either,” Kadie agreed. “How is that possible?”
“It’s a new one on me. Every corpse I’ve ever found carried the scent of the vampire responsible for their death. This body smells of cheap perfume overlaid with blood and death and a faint odor I can’t identify.”
Ethan drew a deep breath. And frowned. “What is that smell?”
Saintcrow shook his head. “I don’t know, but if we can figure it out, we might be able to find out who killed her and why.”
“Maybe someone wanted to draw us out of town,” Kadie suggested.
“There’s no one else here,” Ethan said. “And no way anyone could get by the three of us.”
“Are you sure about that?” she asked, moving closer to her husband.
“Something’s not right,” Saintcrow said. “But damned if I know what it is.”
* * *
Lurking in the shadows across the highway from the bridge, Nolan Browning watched Saintcrow and the other two vampires return to town. He had drained his bank account to pay for the witch’s potion, but by damn, it had been worth every cent because, in addition to the magical elixir that disguised his true nature, she had given him a charm that would render him invisible for short periods of time. He had yet to try crossing the bridge. If there was one thing being a vampire had taught him, it was the value of patience. All he had to do now was bide his time until he caught Saintcrow alone.
Browning smiled into the darkness. The master vampire might be the most powerful of their kind, but even he couldn’t fight an enemy he couldn’t track or see.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Sofia allowed herself a two-day pity party; then she washed her face, combed her hair, put on her best dress, and went looking for a new job. She hadn’t really expected to find one, but, to her surprise, she found an opening for a hostess in a five-star restaurant. As luck would have it, the owner, Carlo Russo, played bocce ball with her father, and he gave her the job on the spot.
She had to laugh, though without much humor, when she found herself keeping vampire hours—sleeping days and working nights.
Her father had recovered fully. His doctors were calling it a miracle, which, in a way, she supposed it was.
Micah and Holly were house hunting. Micah was still in a snit, not because his father was better but because Ethan had been the hero of the day.
So, except for the fact that Ethan was out of her life, things had pretty much returned to normal. She couldn’t help feeling a little thrill of expectation every time her phone rang, and a sharp stab of disappointment when it never was Ethan, though if he did call, she had no idea what she would say.
Antonio, the manager of the restaurant, had asked her out several times. So far, she had declined, even though she told herself she was being foolish. Tony was a nice guy, good-looking, with curly black hair, blue eyes, and a wry sense of humor. Rosa urged her to go out with him. Sofia knew she would eventually. But not now. It was too soon, her heart still too raw.
* * *
Ethan and Saintcrow accompanied Reed on a walk-through of the renovated buildings, with Ethan taking notes. He had to admit, Reed and his crew had done a hell of a job in a remarkably short time. Ethan was especially pleased with the tavern, which, though modernized, retained its roaring twenties’ atmosphere. The theater’s sound system had been updated, the screen and projector replaced. Several boxes of new books had been added to the library. The pool sparkled like a diamond in the middle of an emerald sea of grass.
Returning to the office, Saintcrow wrote out a check for the final payment. He and Ethan thanked Reed for a job well done, promised to call him if they decided on any new construction, and watched him drive away, a good deal richer for his labors.
“Well, your town’s done,” Saintcrow remarked, one shoulder propped against the office door. “And you still haven’t hired anyone.”
“I know. I’ll get on it first thing in the morning.”
“Why don’t you call Sofia?”
Just hearing her name made Ethan ache deep inside. “She’s getting on with her life. She’s got a new job in a fancy restaurant and the manager is panting after her.”
Saintcrow grunted softly, but said nothing.
“They’ve got two vampires in the family. They don’t need another one.”
His sire nodded, but again refrained from commenting.
“You’ve got nothing to say?” Ethan asked.
“Call her. You won’t be happy until you do. And neither will she.”
“Where do you think Browning is?”
“I wish I knew.”
“Do you think he killed the woman at the bridge?”
“That would have been my first guess, but we would have caught his scent.”
“What if he found a way to hide it?”
Saintcrow stared at him. “Shit!”
“Hey, I was kidding.”
“Witches,” Saintcrow muttered. “I’d bet the rest of my fortune that he’s found another black witch.”
“You think a witch could conjure something strong enough to keep us from scentin
g him?”
“I think it’s very possible.”
“Crap.”
“Exactly.”
Ethan nodded. Just one more reason to stay as far away from Sofia as he could.
* * *
“Dinner tonight?” Antonio asked. “A movie? A walk? Ice cream at the mall?”
Sofia laughed, charmed and amused by his persistence.
“Is that a yes?”
“Antonio, I—”
“Tony. My friends call me Tony.”
“Tony, I really like you, but I’m just not ready.”
“I guess there’s someone else.”
“There was.”
“Ah. How about if I take you out for a hot fudge sundae? That always works for my sister when she’s feeling blue.”
Sofia started to say no, then bit back the word. Why not go out with Antonio? She hadn’t been out in weeks. Smiling, she grabbed her handbag and her coat. “Let’s go.”
It was a weeknight, so the mall wasn’t as crowded as usual. Sofia ordered a sundae with chocolate ice cream, double hot fudge, and marshmallow. Tony opted for a strawberry malt.
They carried their orders to a small table near the front window.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, peeling the paper from a straw.
“Not really.”
He nodded. “So, tell me about yourself.”
“Not much to tell. I’m the youngest girl in a very large family.”
“How large?”
“Three sisters and five brothers.”
He whistled softly. “You’re lucky you survived.”
She laughed, thinking it was the second time in one day. It felt good.
Later, he drove her back to her car. When she was settled behind the wheel, he leaned in the window. “Any chance of taking you out on a real date Friday night?”
“I’d like that.”
“Great. See you at work tomorrow.”
She smiled all the way home.
* * *
Ethan was surprised that it took less than a week to fill all the positions at the new resort. Apparently, jobs in the surrounding towns were scarce, and they had more applicants than jobs. Two of his new employees—the bartender and the guy doing hotel security—didn’t have homes of their own, so Ethan offered to rent each of them one of the houses in town.
He advertised the Morgan Creek Campground and Hotel in all the major newspapers and a dozen websites, and in less than two weeks, all the houses had been reserved and they had a growing waiting list.
“I really didn’t think people would come here,” Saintcrow remarked as the first guests drove across the bridge three weeks later.
“Seriously? You loaned me a small fortune and you expected to lose it?”
“It’s only money,” Saintcrow said with a negligent shrug.
“I’ll pay you back.”
“No hurry. Now that you’ve got the place staffed and running, Kadie and I are leaving as soon as she rises.”
“What? Why?”
“This place has a lot of memories for both of us. Not all of them are good. Don’t worry; we’ll come back from time to time.”
“What about Browning?”
“It’s been over a month since he was here. He’s probably long gone. Just don’t forget to set the wards when the sun goes down and you should be fine. If you run into any trouble, call me.” He slapped Ethan on the back. “Keep a light burning in the window.”
“Right. Listen, I really appreciate everything you’ve done.”
“You want to do something for me? Call Sofia.” And with that last piece of advice, his sire was gone.
* * *
Nolan Browning prowled the outskirts of Morgan Creek from the bridge to the surrounding mountains, but he detected neither scent nor sight of Saintcrow or his mate to indicate either one of them was still in the town. Was it possible the master vampire had gone, leaving only his fledgling behind?
Browning surveyed the town every night for the next week with the same result. If Saintcrow had indeed left, taking control of the place was going to be a hell of a lot easier. All he needed was the right bait to draw Parrish away from Morgan Creek.
Parrish’s woman might make a handy lure if he couldn’t find another way to get the fledgling alone, Nolan thought absently. If he remembered correctly, her name was Sofia Ravenwood. She no longer resided in Morgan Creek either, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find her if necessary. He knew her name and her scent. That should be enough.
* * *
Ethan sat in the tavern, an untouched glass of wine on the bar in front of him. He stared out the window while Saintcrow’s words repeated themselves over and over again in his mind: Call Sofia. Call Sofia.
Questions plagued him. What was she doing now? Was she happy? Did she miss him? Did she ever think of calling him? Why hadn’t she? Stupid question. He had left her. If there was any calling to be done, he needed to do it. A dozen times in the last hour, he had reached for his phone, but he had never made the call.
He checked the time. It was a little after nine in Arizona.
And suddenly, talking on the phone wasn’t enough. He had to see her.
A thought carried him to the front door of her apartment. He took a deep breath, raised his hand to knock, and froze when he heard a man’s voice. Ethan’s eyes narrowed as he listened to a stranger professing his growing affection for Sofia.
Anger and jealousy exploded within him, and before he knew what he was doing, Ethan slammed his fist against the door. The force broke the lock. The jamb splintered with a horrendous screech and the door swung open, revealing Sofia and a dark-haired man locked in each other’s arms on the love seat.
The man lunged to his feet and put himself between Ethan and Sofia. A brave move, but not a very smart one.
“Ethan, no!”
Her harsh cry was the only thing that stopped him from tossing the other man out the window.
“What the hell?” the stranger exclaimed. “Sofia, do you know this barbarian?”
“Yes. We were once engaged.”
“Do you want me to throw him out?”
Ethan snorted. “I’d like to see you try.”
“Tony, I think you’d better leave. I’ll be fine,” she said when he started to protest. “Please.”
With a curt nod, he grabbed his jacket, glared briefly at Ethan, and stalked out of the apartment.
“You owe me a new door,” Sofia said, her voice arctic cool.
“Who the hell is that?”
“He’s the manager of the restaurant where I work, not that it’s any of your business. What are you doing here?”
“You serious about that jerk?”
“I might be. You still haven’t told me why you’re here.”
“Can’t you guess?”
“No.” She folded her arms across her chest, her expression and mind closed to him. “I think you should go.”
She could shut him out of her thoughts. She could shutter her expression. But he could scent her yearning for him, hear the rapid beat of her heart. “I miss you, Sofie. I’m sorry if I hurt you. I told myself you were better off without me, that I couldn’t give you the kind of life you deserve, and that you’d always be in danger if you were with me. I guess what I need to know is how you feel. Are you happier here, without me? If so, I’ll leave, and you’ll never see me again.”
Tears surfaced in her eyes as she opened her heart and her mind to him, letting him feel the pain and sadness she had suffered without him.
“Sofie.” Her name whispered past his lips as he drew her gently into his arms. “I’m so sorry.”
She buried her face in the hollow of his shoulder, her tears wetting his shirt.
He brushed a kiss across the top of her head, then, tugging her gently toward the love seat, he pulled her down on his lap. “I’m sorry,” he said again. “Sofie, I don’t want to live without you in my life.”
“Me either, without you,” she sai
d, sniffling.
“I love you, Sofia. I’ll never leave you again.”
“You promise?”
“I swear it.”
Her gaze probed his while her mind searched his thoughts. He did love her. He had missed her, been as miserable without her as she had been without him.
“Can you ever forgive me?” Using his thumbs, he wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“You owe me a wedding.”
“Name the day, darlin’, and I’m yours. What’s wrong?” he asked when she frowned.
“My family.”
“What about them?”
“My mom will want a big wedding. That takes time, and I don’t want to wait.”
“So, let’s elope and not tell anyone. What do you say?”
She looked up at him, her brow furrowed as she considered his suggestion, and then she nodded. “All right, but only if we have a big wedding later.”
“Fine by me,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose. “Two weddings, two wedding nights. So, how about tomorrow for the first one? We can go anywhere you want.”
“Not so fast. We need a license and . . . and I really don’t know what else. I’ve never been married before.”
“All we need is a license and someone authorized to perform the ceremony. According to the Internet, there’s no waiting period here. We can go to the county clerk’s office tomorrow afternoon. I’ll mesmerize him so he puts it through right away. We can be married tomorrow night.”
“You’ve thought this out, haven’t you?”
“I might have looked into it. So, what do you say?”
“All right.” She hesitated. This was a big decision, perhaps the biggest one she would ever make. Was she rushing into something she might regret later? Was she ready to tie her life to Ethan’s? But then she thought of how empty her life had been without him. Did she want to feel like that for the rest of her life? She loved Ethan with all her heart, for better or worse. So why was she hesitating?
“Sofia?”
Shaking aside her doubts, she said, “Where will we go on our honeymoon?”
Twilight Desires Page 21
