by Beth Alvarez
The quiet privacy of her room offered some solace. She stripped off her many layers in favor of flannel pajamas, laying Kade’s hat on the nightstand beside her bed.
She expected it to hurt, but more than anything, she just felt empty, laying in the dark and looking at the shadowy outline of the hat beside her.
Between Kade and hope, she’d lost everything, and she had no tears left.
* * *
Watching Felicity leave was almost as hard as moving.
He was in sorry shape. Kade knew he was in trouble the moment the first bullet hit. A man could bleed out in a few minutes from a shot in the gut. Then came the second shot.
Stanching the blood flow bought a little time, but he couldn’t afford to waste a second. And the way she looked at him before leaving made him scared, for the first time in a long while.
He’d survived worse, if barely, and he couldn’t think of any such situation right now, but he wasn’t about to devote a lot of thought to it.
Kade rolled onto his side, squeezing his eyes closed with the pain. He couldn’t keep laying there; she’d be back in a few minutes. He turned onto his front, pressing Felicity’s scarf to the bullet wound in his stomach. That was the bad one. The other had gone high, almost to his shoulder, missing everything important. He’d dig the bullet out later, pack it with gauze and be fine. Right now, he didn’t have time.
Getting a leg beneath himself, he pushed up onto his knees, crawling to the handful of things left beside their abandoned blanket. Dex had spooked and bucked hard enough to throw things out of the bags. That wouldn’t have happened if Kade hadn’t left them open when he got the blanket. Funny, sometimes, how these things went.
The notebook Felicity brought with her was in the grass. He stuffed it into his coat pocket before casting about for the canteen he prayed had fallen. It had. Then he struggled to his feet, hissing through clenched teeth. He held the bloodied scarf to his stomach with his arm while he opened the water.
He stumbled across the uneven ground, upending the canteen.
The stranger on the ground gasped and jerked awake when the icy water hit his face. Sputtering, he tried to get up, startled when he discovered he was tied with the rope he’d tried to use on Felicity.
Kade grabbed him by the collar and hauled him to his feet before slamming the man’s back against a tree. “Where did they go?” he snarled, ignoring the wave of dizziness that threatened to take him to the ground.
“Wh-what are you talking about, m-man?” the stranger stuttered, eyes wild with fright.
“Your buddies in the red truck. I want to give back these bullets they lodged in me.” Kade pressed his forearm across the man’s chest, pretending it was more about holding him there and less about keeping himself upright.
“I don’t know!”
“I know you do. And I know what y’all are haulin’, and you’re gonna tell me where it goes when the sun’s shinin’. Or do I need to pick up my rifle over there and let you know how I’m feelin’ right now?”
“West!” the man yelped. “Not so far as Amarillo, but w-west, there’s a little ranch. William’s Woe.”
Stupid name, but it made sense to hide stolen cattle on an established ranch. “And I’ll find them there?”
The man nodded.
“Thank you.” Kade grinned, feeling the man relax in response. “You’ve been very helpful. Now, I got one more little thing you can help me with, ’fore I put you down.”
“Anything,” the man said.
“Anything?” Kade repeated.
He nodded vigorously.
Kade laughed and buried his fangs in the stranger’s neck.
TWELVE
* * *
FELICITY WOKE WITH a start, confused when she opened her eyes to darkness.
The clock on the wall pointed to four. She didn’t usually sleep so long without waking. Her eyelids still drooped, heavy with fatigue. Almost worse than living the nightmare of the night before was the day that had followed, filled with people coming and going, prying into her business, heaping on condolences and sympathy. Even more dreadful were the times she had to herself, where guilt and regret plagued her and her mind whirled over what she was supposed to do next. It had been exhausting, and with that in mind, it was no wonder she’d slept most of the night.
What woke her? Something prickled at the edge of her senses, something out of place. She used to wake like that when her mother was up at night because of her illness. More than once, they’d whiled the night away in the living room, talking in whispers to keep from waking her father.
Rubbing her eyes, she listened to the quiet of the house on the other side of the door. Nick and Penny had come in late, but they were surely sleeping now. Emmett wasn’t the type to be up at night, either. But the nagging sense of something off kept pulling at her, until she threw back her covers and sat up. The creak of the bedsprings gave way to something shy of silence.
Water.
The pipes ran to the second floor through the wall beside her bed. That was what woke her; the pipes hissing, carrying water upstairs. Her shoulders slumped and she nestled back into her bed. A late-night trip to the bathroom was no reason to be concerned. She huddled under her blankets and waited for the sound to stop.
It didn’t.
She got up again, pulling on her robe and creeping out into the house. The upstairs toilet got stuck sometimes. The water would run all night if she didn’t shake the handle, and with the noisy pipes in her wall, she doubted she’d sleep any more if she left it.
Except it wasn’t the guest bathroom upstairs where the water ran. She stopped at the top of the stairs and stared at the sliver of light beneath the suite’s door. That wasn’t right; it had to be coming from the bathroom off the hall. She crept down the hall to look.
The guest bathroom was silent, and when she stole back to the top of the stairway, the narrow sliver of light still shone against the polished wood floor.
There couldn’t be anyone in there. The suite stayed locked when a guest booked it, and there were only two keys.
Panic made her heart leap. Maybe it was whoever took him, scouring his room for any evidence that might point the police in their direction.
Only they wouldn’t have any reason to be in the bathroom, running water. Standing right outside the door, she could hear the shower.
She was dreaming, then. A horrible, tortuous dream to go with the wretched day that preceded it. And yet it didn’t feel like a dream. The doorknob felt real in her hand.
Unlocked, it turned when she twisted. The door swung open and her throat tightened.
No one had come to see the room yet; the police had promised to visit as soon as they had a warrant. Everything should have been just the way she’d left it when she’d brought in fresh linens before heading to the ranch.
Instead, Kade’s bags sat in the middle of the floor, almost all his belongings gathered into them. A familiar pair of boots waited beside the bed. And the little pocket-sized notebook she’d taken with her—the one she’d left behind, that the officers hadn’t found—sat on the nightstand, bloody fingerprints marring its cover.
She closed the door behind her.
There were keys on the nightstand, too. Felicity crept to the window, parting the blinds with her fingers to look outside.
His truck was in the drive behind the house.
She was dreaming. She had to be, or else she was going crazy. Suddenly weak, she backed to the bed, sitting on the foot of it and lacing her fingers together in her lap to keep her hands from shaking.
The water shut off.
Felicity stared at the bathroom door, willing herself to wake up.
The door swung open and Kade, wearing only a towel tied around his middle, made it half a step before he saw her.
He froze like a deer in high beams, staring in silence before he squeezed his eyes closed.
Two crusted wounds decorated his torso, one beneath his collarbone and the other marrin
g the perfection of his chiseled abs.
Her eyes wandered his body before traveling back to his face. As much as she wished she were dreaming, she smelled the iron tang of blood on his boots and knew she was awake.
“When you said you weren’t what I thought,” she said slowly, squeezing her hands together until her knuckles turned white, “you didn’t just mean being a bounty hunter, did you.”
Guilt flitted over his face. He lowered his gaze. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.”
“I saw them shoot you twice.” She sounded calmer than she felt. Or maybe she was calmer than she thought she should have been; all of a sudden, everything in her felt as tangled as the Christmas lights.
Kade glanced at the bullet wounds he sported, saying nothing.
Felicity drew her tongue over her lips. “I have a question.”
“I owe you answers.”
She nodded toward the bags on the floor. “Are you . . . whatever you are . . . in those books about monsters?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And you weren’t going to tell me?”
He tensed. “It ain’t like that.”
“You were just going to leave, weren’t you? After everything we’ve been through, without letting me know you were alive-”
“It ain’t like that!”
She flinched at the shout and he grimaced. They both sat in silence, looking at the door, waiting.
The silence grew oppressive.
He sighed, lowering his voice. “It wasn’t . . . none of this, nothin’, was supposed to happen like this. I was supposed to have time.” Kade raked his fingers through his damp black hair. “Was supposed to talk to you ’bout things, a little at a time.”
“That you aren’t even human seems like it should come a little earlier in the relationship.” Her tone bit, and a small part of her was pleased to see the twitch in his expression.
“I am human, Filly,” he murmured. “I’m just . . . somethin’ else now, too.”
The lump in her throat made it hard to speak, but it didn’t move when she swallowed. “Like what?”
Kade shrugged, shifting on his feet. “You know ’bout Dracula?”
“That’s a book.”
“Well, I ain’t a book.” He crept closer.
A vampire.
Of all the men in the world she could have fallen in love with, the one she picked was . . .
Her hands tightened in her lap. “Are you going to bite me?”
He snorted, giving her a lopsided grin. “Not if you don’t want me to.”
The suggestion made her squirm. She didn’t honor it with a response. Instead she bowed her head, her eyes wandering to the bags on the floor. “So I guess this is goodbye.”
Kade didn’t reply, studying her. His face was troubled, but he didn’t move, heavy silence breeding between them for a long time before he spoke.
“Look at you, just sittin’ there. Thought things would be different when I got you in my bed.” His voice was colored with irony and rue. “And Lord have mercy on me, but I ain’t never wanted a woman like I’ve wanted you.”
Her heart fluttered at the admission, then sank like a stone. “But here we are.”
“Here we are,” he agreed. “And I’m ’bout to lose it all.”
“Will you kiss me goodbye?” she asked in a whisper.
His expression softened and he reached forward, cradling her face in one hand. “And here after everything I put you through, I was afraid you wouldn’t want me to.”
Nuzzling into his hand, she let him tip her face upward. Her breath quickened when he leaned down to feather his lips against hers. She met them gladly, looping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Passion bubbled inside her, pent-up emotions—stress and heartache, joy and relief—spilling through in the intensity of her kiss.
He braced himself against the bed with one hand, making a soft sound of surprise in his throat before breaking away. “Now, that ain’t nice to do to a man who ain’t wearin’ pants.”
She blinked twice, her gaze dropping to the obvious swell beneath his towel. Fire lit her cheeks and she made herself lock eyes with him instead. “Last night you said I could change your mind about staying.”
“Lord, Filly,” he breathed. “You keep temptin’ me, and you just might.”
She answered him with another kiss, drawing him down.
Reluctant, he crawled onto the bed as she sprawled backwards. He resisted her kisses, the muscles in his back and shoulders knotting with tension.
“I shouldn’t do this.”
She stroked his arms, smiling shyly. “But we both want you to,” she whispered.
A hint of a smile twisted his mouth and, propping himself on one elbow, he gave in to his obvious desire. He kissed her hungrily, begging her lips to part. She obliged, her tongue twisting with his as she loosened the knot that held the towel around his waist.
Kade’s free hand slid beneath her flannel shirt, each of his fingertips against her side sending sparks through her. His hands were rough and callused from years of work, yet soft and warm after the heat of the shower. He cupped her breast, caressing until her nipple peaked beneath his touch. He rolled it with his thumb, stoking the heat in her belly, seeking a response. Her hips answered, arching toward him with a need she couldn’t seem to voice.
Instead Felicity acted, reaching down between them and stroking his hard length. His naked form was every bit as impressive as she’d imagined, sculpted and chiseled as if he were a living statue of some Greek god instead of a cowboy.
He moaned softly in approval, trailing kisses up her jawline and down her throat. “Need more time,” he sighed. “Wish we had it.” Tugging her shirt until it came off over her head, he dropped it to the floor. Then he traced shapes around her breast with a fingertip, bowing his head to catch the other in his mouth. She gasped, her nipple pebbling on his tongue, a flood of pleasure washing through her as he sucked. His hand slid downward, dipping beneath her panties.
Heat swelled in her belly and she breathed deep, pushing against his probing fingers, whimpering softly when he wouldn’t satisfy her.
“Take it easy, now,” Kade murmured against her collarbone, nipping gently as he peeled off her pajamas and settled between her legs. He guided himself to her entrance, resisting her attempts to pull him closer.
Felicity shivered, clawing at his shoulders. She was desperate to feel him, aching with a need that grew with every passing second. He touched her face and she found herself snared in his hazel eyes. “Kade,” she whimpered, pleading.
Oh so slowly, he sheathed himself within her.
Her whimper swelled into a moan and she clutched at his arms as her body adjusted to his presence. She shuddered as he began to move, and everything melted into bliss.
He set a gentle tempo, kissing her lips and throat, filling her senses. His warm, rippling muscles working beneath her hands as he pushed into her. The cool mint of his kisses and the smell of men’s body wash. The soft, pleasured sounds he made as their bodies joined.
She’d expected something wild and fierce, something to match the wicked sparkle she saw in his eyes whenever he looked at her. Instead it was slow and sweet, sensual and comforting. He was there—really there—and she squeezed her eyes closed to hide her joyful tears.
She gave herself fully to the moment, wrapping her legs around his hips and moaning softly into his ear, urging him deeper.
Kade shivered at the sound, his fingers on her hips coaxing her into motion. Bit by bit the pace increased, drawing a glorious knot of need that swelled within her until she thought she’d burst.
His name left her lips like a litany. He silenced her with a kiss and, together, they crested the height of euphoria and tumbled into the warm pleasure of repletion.
Peace replaced the last vestiges of grief in her heart as she held him, gazing up at him in silent wonder.
Panting softly—something she didn’t think vampires were supposed to do—h
e rested his forehead against hers, lingering for a long moment before finally licking his lips and opening his eyes.
“Better get your things,” he said, stroking her silky brown hair away from her face and offering a tender kiss. “We got a lot to do.”
THIRTEEN
* * *
“SUN’S COMIN’ UP soon.” Kade squinted out through his truck’s window, watching the rosy pinks and warm golds on the horizon brighten and creep higher into the sky. Getting ready took longer than he thought, though Felicity hadn’t been slow.
She threw her bag into the floorboard of the truck and climbed in, closing the door as quietly as she could. He felt bad for a moment; he hadn’t offered to help. Not very gentlemanly of him.
“Brought you something.” She presented his hat with a shy smile.
“Well, now.” He grinned, taking it from her and plopping it onto his head. “Didn’t think I was gonna see that again.”
Felicity ducked her eyes, still smiling. She fastened her seat belt and made herself comfortable. “The sun’s not a problem for you, is it?”
“Could be.” He gave the sky a second look before turning to back out of the drive. “Might need to find somewhere shady to park for the day.”
“But I’ve seen you out in sunlight.”
“No, you’ve seen me out at dawn and dusk. It ain’t the same as full sunlight. I’d fry up crispier than my grandmama’s fried chicken.” He dug a scarf out from under the seat at the first stop sign, wrapping it around his neck and chin. He could pull it up to his eyes, as long as he had his hat, but there was still the problem of looking suspicious. After all, they were in a truck people would notice was missing from the ranch as soon as the sun came up.
She frowned. “But you’re so tan.”
Kade snorted, amused. “I ain’t tan, just olive. My mama was Puerto Rican.”
“Oh.”
The streets were still empty. A small blessing that came with winter, he supposed. If it were any other time of year, the farmers and their hands would have been up and about by now, heading out for the day’s work. The farther he could make it without being noticed, the better. He left the main streets to skirt the edges of town, heading for the smooth, paved county roads.
