Erik walked him to the door and they shook hands. “Thanks, Ty. I appreciate the information.”
“Listen, mate, I don’t want to tell you what to do, but maybe you should think about turning the girl over. I could make sure she doesn’t suffer—and then Michael would be appeased.”
Erik stifled the sudden anger that welled up inside him. “I meant what I said, Ty. If Michael—or anyone—wants Kacie, they’ll have to kill me first.”
“You can’t hold Michael off forever.”
Erik knew he was right. “Not forever, Ty. Just one more night. Tomorrow I’m sending her back to York.”
The news seemed to surprise Ty, but he quickly nodded. “Okay. Good idea. I’ll try to keep Michael busy and give you that time, but no guarantees.”
The two men shook hands. “Thanks, Ty, I appreciate it. Anything you can do to help is appreciated.”
He opened the door so Ty could leave. “I’ll contact you if there’s a problem,” Ty promised.
“Thanks, but not across the link. Use the cell phone, okay?”
Ty nodded and then left. Erik closed and locked the door after him and then headed down the hallway to his bedroom. It was time to make arrangements for Kacie to leave, and despite everything, he wasn’t looking forward to it.
Chapter 7
Kacie stood in the middle of Erik’s bedroom holding the sword loosely in her hand, straining to hear what was being said in the other room. She was so focused that when the sound of knocking came, it startled her.
“Kacie, it’s Erik.”
She threw back the deadbolt and pulled open the door, irritated with herself for not having heard him coming. As soon as he walked in, she automatically ran her gaze over him to make sure he was okay. He seemed fine. “What was that all about? Who was that?”
He didn’t seem to mind her questions. “That was Ty wanting to see if I’d changed my mind about turning you over to Michael.”
She searched his face. “And . . . ?”
He looked irritated that she would even ask. “No. I haven’t changed my mind.” She nodded, but before she could say anything, he went on. “What I have changed my mind about is you staying here. It’s not safe, and so . . .” He paused and took a breath. “I think you should leave. Go back to the university.”
For some inexplicable reason, his words hurt. “You do?”
He nodded. “Michael isn’t going to stop until you’re dead, but he won’t follow you to York. You’ll be even safer when you move to the States.”
She nodded absently, wondering why she suddenly felt like crying.
He heaved a sigh. “I’ll call the train station in Newcastle and make a reservation for you. Tomorrow morning, we’ll call a cab to take you to the station.”
Finally, she snapped out of her daze. “What about you? Michael won’t be happy to know you helped me escape.”
“I can handle Michael,” he said, though he didn’t sound particularly happy. “I’ll go upstairs with you while you pack and then we’ll come back down here for the rest of the night.”
She nodded. “Fine.”
They left his apartment and went up the two flights of stairs that would take them to the second floor. Erik followed her into her room and Kacie couldn’t help remembering the last time he’d been there. She felt her face heat up and carefully avoided looking at him as she pulled her suitcase out of the closet and started to pack her clothes.
“Your fiancé will be glad to have you back,” Erik said quietly from where he stood in the corner, watching her.
“Maybe,” she said, not bothering to hide her doubt.
“About what happened last night,” he started, misunderstanding her. “No one else ever has to know.”
She paused in the middle of dropping clothes in her suitcase and glanced at him.
“And it’s not something you should feel guilty about,” he hurried on. “It just happened.”
She knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to ease her guilt for cheating on Ben because he still thought she was engaged. Now was not the time to set the record straight.
She finished packing, except for the set of clothes she was going to change into, and closed the lid of the suitcase. She took a look around the room. “I think that’s everything.”
“All right. I’ll carry this downstairs and put it by the front door. You change and come downstairs. Maybe we’ll get lucky and there’ll be a movie or something on we can watch.”
She watched him carry her suitcase out of the room with a heavy heart. Her emotions were a tangled mess. It was impossible for her to pretend that nothing had happened between them and yet she wasn’t sure how to feel about it. She’d killed his friend and he hated her, but by his own admission, he felt honor-bound to protect her—so had last night been about dominance and control? Not any sense of affection? The thought that she’d been manipulated didn’t set well.
Picking up her clothes, she carried them into her bathroom and changed. The first time she’d left home, she’d wanted to leave. Now she found herself longing to stay. She didn’t like running away, but that’s what she’d do—if only to help Erik. She’d already caused him enough trouble.
Folding Erik’s shirt, she placed it on the bed for him to get later. Then, grabbing her purse, she walked out the door. She only made it two or three steps before she changed her mind and went back into her room. She stared at the shirt and hesitated only a second longer before picking it up. Folding it into an even smaller bundle, she stuffed it into her purse, trying not to think about why she wanted it, and went to join Erik.
For the rest of the evening, they sat watching television and playing chess. Kacie, who had grown up playing the game with Gerard, found Erik to be a cunning strategist and impossible to beat.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” he told her after a particularly difficult and drawn-out game. “I’ve been playing a lot longer than you have.” Then he winked at her.
As the night finally drew to a close and dawn approached, Kacie looked back on the night and knew she would remember it as being one of the best nights of her life. That it had been spent in the company of a vampire never even occurred to her.
As the time of her departure drew closer, Erik became quieter until it seemed he was hardly talking at all. She supposed it must be because the sun was up and he was tired.
“Take care of yourself,” he said, his voice sounding a little rougher than usual when they finally stood at the door to his apartment. Her cab was due to pull into the drive at any minute. She searched his face for some indication of how he felt, but he was a blank mask.
“I’d walk you upstairs, but . . .”
She nodded. “I understand. Please tell Gerard—Dad—that I’ll call him.”
“I will.”
She felt like there were other things that needed to be said, but had no idea where to start. A part of her felt like throwing her arms around him, but she could imagine the shock and alarm that might elicit. “I guess it’s time,” she said at last.
“Oh. I almost forgot. I have something for you.” He went into the back room and appeared a minute later with a large, rectangular wrapped package in his hand. “I want you to have this.” He held it out to her and she immediately glanced at the wall where the McLaughlin picture had been hanging. It was missing. “Oh,” she breathed. “I can’t accept this.”
“Why not? I thought you liked it,” he said, his eyebrows furrowed.
“I do. I love it, but it’s an original, isn’t it?” He nodded and she hurried on. “It’s too expensive.”
She tried to hand it back, but he wouldn’t take it from her.
“I want you to have it,” he insisted. “To remind you of . . . home.”
Her vision blurred and she blinked to clear it. “Thank you.”
He moved past her to the door and opened it. Clearing his throat, he said, “You’d better go.”
There seemed to be nothing more to say, so with the McLaugh
lin in hand, she walked out. The door to Erik’s apartment closed behind her with a finality she felt all the way to her very soul. She took a deep breath and continued down the hallway to the stairs and had just started up when she heard a loud crashing noise from Erik’s apartment. It sounded suspiciously like he might have put his fist through a wall or a door. Briefly, she considered going back to check on him, but knew he wouldn’t appreciate it.
When she reached the ground level and looked out the front door, the cab was just turning into the driveway. She waited for it to reach the castle before grabbing her suitcase and purse and going outside.
“Morning, Miss,” the cabbie said, climbing out of the car and hurrying to take her suitcase from her.
“Good morning,” she mumbled, her thoughts still down in the castle dungeon apartment. She closed the front door to the castle and listened for the modern automatic lock to set. Then, she walked to the cab, climbed into the back seat, and waited for the driver to finish stowing her suitcase in the trunk.
“Where to, Miss?” He asked, once he was back behind the wheel.
“To the train station in Newcastle,” she instructed him.
She gazed out the window, barely paying attention to the scenery. Her mind felt too numb to think.
After a long time, she took a breath and forced herself to think about her return to York. Maybe she’d see things differently once she was back. Maybe that normal life she’d wanted would still be worth pursuing, even if it wasn’t as exciting as slaying. There was definitely an adrenaline rush that came with risking one’s life that couldn’t be found in spreadsheets or balance sheets. But if she ever went vampire hunting again, she would no longer kill indiscriminately. It was her concession to Erik—not that he’d ever know.
She wondered if she’d ever see him again. How long would she have to wait until she could go back to Hocksley again? What if it took years—or decades—before she could return? Erik would still be the virile male he was now and she would be old, frail, and decrepit. One foot in the grave, she thought as they drove past the cemetery. Too old to be attractive—
She blinked as her thoughts ground to a halt. Looking out the front window, she saw that sometime while she’d been lost in thought, the cabbie had turned off the main road and was now driving along the dirt road that led past the old cemetery.
Trying not to get too alarmed, in case it was an innocent mistake, she leaned forward in the seat. “Excuse me,” she said, tapping the driver on the shoulder. “I think we might be going the wrong way.”
“Are you sure?” the cabbie asked her politely.
“Yes,” she said, looking around. “I’m positive. If you’ll turn around, I think we can get back to the main road and I’ll still make my train.”
To her relief, the car slowed, but instead of turning around, it stopped. “Here now,” she exclaimed, starting to get really worried. “What are you doing?”
“Small detour.” When the driver turned around in his seat, he was holding a gun.
“Oh my God,” she breathed, her gaze flashing to the door handle, wondering if she could possibly get away.
“Don’t fash yerself, pet,” he said, his proper accent gone. “This won’t hurt ye none.”
In a useless gesture, she raised her hands to shield herself. The noise of the gun going off was deafening. Almost immediately, she felt the biting pain in her side.
She looked down, expecting to see half her side blown away, but saw only a small feathered dart sticking out of her.
As her mind struggled to comprehend what was happening, an intense lassitude stole over her, sapping her energy and dulling her mind until she couldn’t keep her eyes open. Unable to even hold herself upright, she slumped sideways in the seat.
The next few hours passed in snippets of consciousness. Whenever Kacie woke up enough to begin to remember what was happening, an unseen hand shot her with another dart, knocking her out. By the time she was finally able to regain consciousness, she had no idea how long she’d been out or even where she was.
It took several minutes to clear the cobwebs from her mind and, without moving any other muscle, she opened her eyes to look around. She was lying in the back seat of the cab and it wasn’t moving. Voices and music sounded all around her, and it took her a minute to realize the car radio was on. As the cogwheels of her mind started turning once more, she reasoned that whoever had gone to the trouble of kidnapping her wouldn’t leave her alone, so there had to be at least one other person nearby.
Subtly testing her hands, arms, and legs to see if they were bound in any way, she decided they weren’t. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to grab the door handle and make a run for it, but she knew she’d have only one opportunity to surprise her kidnapper and it would be nice to know first where he was. Shifting her gaze about, she tried to see as much as she could without moving, but it was no good. The grim truth was that she was either going to have to risk moving or wait to see what happened next. She knew she definitely didn’t like the last option, so gingerly, she pushed herself up, freezing midway as the cab driver’s back came into view.
He seemed unaware that she was awake, so she looked around for something she could use as a weapon. There was nothing. Surprise was the only weapon she had and she had to make it work for her.
Slowly, she finished pushing herself upright, taking care not to make any large movements that might be seen from the man’s peripheral vision. As soon as she was sitting, the world started spinning and she had to close her eyes and take deep breaths before she opened them again.
When she did, she took a second to look around. The cab was parked inside some kind of old stable that clearly hadn’t been used in a long time. Well-worn leather harnesses hung from nails in the wall and a thick layer of dust covered the tack lined up against one wall. She saw this all in a glance because that was all the time she allowed herself.
Summoning her courage, she leaned forward and slammed the unsuspecting cab driver’s head against the side window just as hard as she could.
It made a sickening thud, but she knew it would only daze him, so she grabbed the door handle and threw her weight against the door. It didn’t budge. She tried again, pushing harder, but with no luck. Fumbling with the lock, she tried again. Still, it wouldn’t open. She tried the other side. Slowly she realized the childproof mechanism on the doors had been activated and they could only be opened from the outside. She was trapped.
By now, her heart was racing and she could no longer hear the radio for the sound of her own pulse pounding in her head. She glanced at the driver to see if he was coming after her yet and saw that he hadn’t moved. Was it possible that she’d knocked him unconscious?
Daring to hope, she poked him in the back of the neck. He didn’t budge. Feeling more certain, she leaned forward and really shoved him. There was no reaction. Contorting her body so that she was standing bent over the front seat, she stretched to see his face. That’s when she noticed the blood staining the left side of his shirt. With a growing sense of dread, she leaned over him a little farther—and saw the twin crimson holes in the side of his neck. Nothing could have motivated her to move faster.
Climbing over the front seat, she nearly fell out the passenger side when she pulled up on the handle and the door opened readily.
Her legs were unsteady when she tried to stand and she had to hold on to the door until the tremors in her muscles subsided. When she thought she could support her own weight, she let go and hurried for the stable door. Each step took effort and soon she was winded and gulping for breath.
It seemed to take forever, and when she finally reached it the door wouldn’t open. She couldn’t stop the small cry of despair that escaped.
Behind her, someone laughed.
Whirling around, she watched a form materialize from out of the dark corner of the stable. “Going somewhere?” a familiar voice asked. Squinting to bring his face into focus, she recognized him.
“Carr
ington.”
He smiled, his fangs practically glowing in the dark. “I’m flattered that you remember me,” he said, touching his heart in a mocking gesture.
“What do you want with me?” she asked, her mind quickly calculating the odds of beating him without a weapon. It didn’t look promising.
“I believe we have some unfinished business,” he said with an evil smile. “And I always finish what I start.”
Erik woke after a troubled sleep and climbed out of bed. He tried not to think about Kacie, but as he walked into the living room, he couldn’t help but notice the bathroom door with its large, gaping hole. It had been a childish thing to smash his fist through it and the pain in his hand had not eased the pain in his chest one bit.
He dragged a hand down his face, trying to wipe her from his thoughts, but everywhere he looked, he was reminded of her. There was the couch where they’d sat talking and watching the television together. There was the chess board with their last unfinished game still set up. The wall of paintings with the missing McLaughlin. The bathroom where he’d brushed up against her. The chair in the kitchen where she’d knelt between his legs. Christ. He had to get out of here or he’d go nuts.
Strapping on his sword, he left his apartment and started walking toward town. He knew Penny was still staying at Myrtle’s, but he wasn’t in the mood to see her. Instead, when he neared town, he veered off in the direction of the cemetery. He hadn’t liked hearing that young boys were still foolish enough to spend the night there on The Dare. If any were there tonight, then he’d be sure to send them home with a message for others who might try.
When he got there, however, the cemetery was empty and Erik found himself walking up and down the rows of graves, silently greeting long-passed friends. When his cell phone rang, he was glad for the interruption.
“This is Erik,” he said, answering it.
Lord of the Night Page 12
