Desire After Dark

by Amanda Ashley

  “Yeah, right.” Putting the car in gear, he drove toward the front gate.

  “Seriously. Her name is Lady Kathryn. She haunts the castle, although I’m not sure haunt is the right word. She’s not very scary.”

  “Just what we need.”

  “Well, she helped me find Antonio.”

  Duncan pulled over and put the car in Park. “Maybe we should go take a look at that shed where you found Battista before we do anything else.”

  “We’ll have to go on foot from here,” she said. “There’s no road from the castle grounds.”

  “Okay by me.” After killing the engine, Duncan grabbed a jacket from the backseat and got out of the car.

  With a shrug, she unfastened her seat belt and headed toward the woods. “It’s this way,” she said, glancing over her shoulder to make sure he was behind her.

  The clouds grew thicker and darker as they made their way through the trees.

  “I can’t see the sun,” she said, glancing at the sky.

  “So?”

  “The sun is supposed to kill vampires, right? But the sun isn’t shining today. So, could he be up and moving around?”

  “Old ones can probably rise early on days like this,” Duncan replied, frowning. “I really don’t know if they can go outside. I sure as hell hope not.”

  Vicki shivered. Falco was an old vampire. What if he was at the shed, waiting for them?

  “Did you bring your vampire-killing kit?” she asked.

  Duncan patted his jacket pocket. “Holy water in here.” He paused to pick up a narrow branch, then pulled a knife from one of his other pockets and began whittling the end of the branch to a sharp point.

  That was it? A bottle of holy water and a makeshift stake? It didn’t do much to ease her nerves or increase her confidence.

  It was drizzling when they reached the shed.

  “I’m not sure I can go in there again,” Vicki said.

  “That’s all right. You stay here, I’ll check it out.”

  “Do you think you should go alone?”

  “I doubt if Falco would hang around now that he’s been discovered here once.”

  Vicki nodded. She crossed her arms over her chest, shivering a little, while she watched Tom go into the lambing shed. She wondered if the bodies of the zombies were still inside. What if Tom was wrong? What if Falco was inside, waiting?

  She took a step forward, ears straining for some sound that would tell her what was happening inside. Her mouth went dry as she imagined Duncan stepping into the shed and coming face-to-face with a vampire who was wide awake and ready to strike. A bottle of holy water and a wooden stake seemed like puny weapons against a vampire who was hundreds of years old.

  She had worked herself into a fine state by the time Duncan returned.

  “There’s no sign of him,” he said..

  She glanced past Tom. “What about the zombies?”

  “No sign of them, either. Some blood on the floor, but that’s all.” He shrugged. “Looks like he got away again.”

  They spent the rest of the day driving through the town, stopping whenever they saw what looked like an abandoned building. They saw a few vagrants, a couple of teenagers hitchhiking on the main road, but no sign of the Undead.

  At dusk, they turned and headed for home.

  And found Edward Ramsey waiting for them on the castle’s front steps.

  Vicki studied the vampire while Duncan made the introductions. Ramsey was tall and lean, with short blond hair and ice blue eyes. It was hard to judge his age but she guessed he had been somewhere between thirty-five and forty-five when he was turned. A thin scar ran along his right cheek. He wore a light blue turtleneck sweater and a pair of dark blue slacks. When he shook hands with Duncan, she noticed there was a cross tattooed on his right palm.

  Vickie stood there while Duncan quickly brought Ramsey up to speed, wondering what she should do. She wasn’t exactly sure just what vampire protocol dictated she do in a situation like this. Should she invite Ramsey inside? How would Antonio feel about having another vampire in the house?

  She was still debating what to do when Antonio materialized at her side, attired in his ubiquitous black.

  The conversation between Duncan and Ramsey stopped abruptly. Ramsey stepped away from Duncan, his gaze focused on Antonio. The two vampires regarded each other for several long moments, almost as if they were sizing each other up, Vicki thought, and perhaps they were. She looked from one to the other. Antonio was a little taller and a little broader through the shoulders. He had been younger than Ramsey when he was brought across, but Antonio had been a vampire hundreds of years longer than the former hunter.

  Power arced between the two vampires, as though they were testing one another. It made her skin prickle and the hair raise at her nape.

  “Antonio Battista,” Ramsey said. “I’ve heard of you.”

  “And I have heard of you.” Antonio glanced at Victoria, then back at Ramsey. “Why are you here?”

  “I asked him here,” Duncan said.

  Antonio looked at Duncan. “What gave you the right to invite him to my home?”

  “He’s my friend. And the best vampire hunter in the business, as you well know. I thought we could use the help.”

  “And when Falco has been destroyed, what then?”

  “Then we’ll all go home,” Duncan said. “Right, Edward?”

  Ramsey nodded. “I have no quarrel with you, Battista. I’m only here because Duncan asked for my help. If you don’t want it, I’m gone.”

  Battista considered Ramsey’s words, then looked at Duncan. “Perhaps you are right.” Turning, he opened the door and stepped inside. “Welcome to my home.”

  Vicki breathed a sigh of relief as she followed the men into the house. It looked like there was going to be a truce, at least for the time being.

  She listened quietly as Duncan, Antonio, and Ramsey spent the next hour proposing and dismissing a dozen plans for destroying Dimitri Falco.

  “If we want to trap him, we need bait. And we all know there’s only one kind of bait he’ll fall for.”

  Vicki went cold inside as all three men turned in her direction.

  Antonio shook his head. “No.”

  “I think Edward’s right,” Duncan said. “I’ve spent weeks looking for Falco. So have you. We haven’t had any luck. He kidnapped Vicki. You were almost killed. I don’t see as how we have any other choice.”

  “I will not risk Victoria’s life.”

  “In the meantime, he’s killing another woman every night,” Duncan said. “How long do you intend to let that go on?”

  “I said no.”

  Vicki laid her hand on Antonio’s arm. “I think Tom’s right. I should be all right with the three of you there to protect me.”

  “She can wear a thick silver collar around her throat,” Ramsey said, “and bracelets on her wrists. I see that she already wears a crucifix. Even if he gets near her, he won’t be able to touch her if she doesn’t panic.”

  “I need to do this,” Vicki said. “It’s my fault all those other women are dying. Falco said it himself. He said he’d kill thousands if he had to.”

  “He will kill them regardless,” Antonio said. “I will not risk your life.”

  Vicki lifted her chin defiantly. “You can’t stop me. It’s my life, and my decision.”

  Antonio glared at her.

  “It’s settled, then,” Ramsey said.

  Duncan grinned, amused that, in spite of being a vampire himself, Ramsey so easily fell into the role of vampire hunter.

  “Victoria should go into town tomorrow afternoon and stay until dusk. Is there a road that isn’t traveled often?”

  “There’s a back road that leads to the castle,” Antonio said.

  “Good. Victoria, you take that route. Drive slow. You need to be on that road…” He paused and looked at Antonio. “How soon can you rise?”

  “As soon as the sun starts to go down.”

/>   “What about Falco? Do you have any idea when he rises?”

  “He is an old vampire,” Antonio said. “He probably rises the same time that I do. Perhaps a little earlier. What about you?”

  “I can rise as the sun sets, same as you.”

  “Such a thing is unusual in one so young,” Antonio remarked, obviously impressed.

  “I have good blood,” Ramsey said, grinning.

  Antonio lifted one brow.

  “The blood of Alexi Kristov and Khira runs in my veins, as well as that of Grigori Chiavari.”

  “A potent combination,” Antonio remarked.

  “So I’m told,” Ramsey said. “All right, we need to time this perfectly. Victoria, you need to be on that road twenty minutes after the sun goes down. Antonio, you and I will follow her. Duncan, you’ll be in the backseat under a blanket. Victoria, I want you to get out of the car and pretend there’s something wrong with it. If Falco’s anywhere in the area, he’ll find you. As soon as you see him, you’ll throw holy water in his face.” Ramsey looked at Duncan. “I’m assuming you’ve got some handy?”

  “What do you think?” Duncan replied.

  “Right. It should distract Falco long enough for Battista and me to take him down. We’ll hold him. Duncan, you stake him and I’ll take his head.”

  “Just like the good old days,” Duncan remarked.

  Ramsey nodded, his expression wistful. “Exactly.”

  “I do not like it,” Antonio said. “Too many things can go wrong. If Falco finds Victoria before we get there, Duncan and Victoria could both end up dead, or worse.”

  “It’s a chance we’ll have to take,” Duncan said, his eyes gleaming in anticipation of the hunt. “Right, Vicki?”

  “Right.”

  “My warrior woman,” Antonio murmured.

  “I need a drink,” Duncan said. “I don’t suppose you’ve got any whiskey here?”

  Vicki shook her head. “No, sorry. The strongest thing I’ve got is Coke.”

  “Then Coke it is.”

  “Do you want it in the can, or in a glass with ice?” Vicki asked, rising.

  Duncan rose. “I need to stretch my legs. I’ll go with you.”

  Antonio watched Victoria and the vampire hunter leave the room, aware that Ramsey was watching him.

  Slowly, Antonio turned his gaze on the other vampire. Not counting his confrontations with Falco, it had been years since he had been in the company of another of his kind. Vampires did not normally associate with one another. They tended to be solitary creatures. Most were fiercely protective of their hunting grounds. Antonio knew little of Edward Ramsey other than that he had once been a relentless hunter who had been turned and was now married to a vampire. He had heard of Kristov and Khira, of course. And of Grigori Chiavari. Like Grigori, Ramsey had brought his mortal lover across.

  “Your woman,” Antonio said. “Has she fully accepted the Dark Trick? Does she regret being turned?”

  “No. She seems content.”

  “And Grigori’s woman?”

  “It was her choice.” Ramsey regarded him for several moments. “You’re in love with Victoria, are you not?”

  “If I am, it is not your concern.”

  “You’re wondering what kind of vampire she’d make.”

  “Were you a mind reader as well as a hunter?”

  Ramsey shook his head. “It doesn’t take a genius to know what you’re thinking. You love her. She obviously loves you. It’s the only way you can truly be together.”

  “I would not ask her to make such a sacrifice.”

  “It should be her choice, not yours.”

  “I am making it mine. I love her as she is. Warm, human. Filled with the frailties and foibles of mortality. I would not change her.”

  “I used to hunt vampires,” Ramsey reminded him. “I thought they were the scum of the earth, not fit to live. In many cases, I was right. Kristov was a monster much like Falco. But then I met Grigori, a vampire with honor. Eventually I realized that becoming a vampire doesn’t make a man evil. A good man will remain a good man no matter what form he takes, just as evil remains evil.”

  “Do you have a point to make?” Antonio asked impatiently. “If so, make it.”

  “The point is, she would still be the woman you’re in love with, only more so.”

  “I would not rob her of the chance to marry and have a family. It is something she wants, something I can never give her. I have taken her blood. I have put her life in danger. I will not deny her the one thing she wants above all else.”

  Ramsey nodded. “As you said, it’s your choice.”

  “What’s your choice?” Vicki asked as she entered the room.

  “Whether to allow Ramsey to spend the night in the castle,” Antonio replied smoothly. “He has declined.”

  “Well, I hope you don’t mind if I stay,” Duncan said.

  “Not at all,” Antonio said, “so long as Victoria approves.”

  “It’s all right with me. I’d welcome the company.”

  “Maybe I’ll get to see the ghost,” Duncan said.

  “Ghost?” Ramsey said. “What ghost?”

  “The castle’s haunted by a lovely ghost,” Vicki said. “You’d like her.”

  “Perhaps another night,” Ramsey said, rising. “It’s getting late and I’ve not yet had my dinner.” He looked at Antonio. “Do you mind if I hunt in the town?”

  Vicki glanced from one to the other, thinking that she must be watching vampire etiquette in action.

  “So long as you only take the blood,” Antonio said, “and not the life.”

  “As you wish. I’ll see you all tomorrow night.”

  With a courtly bow, Ramsey left the house.

  “If you’ll tell me where to bed down, I think I’ll turn in,” Duncan said.

  “I’ll show you,” Vicki said.

  Leading the way, she went up the stairs, wondering if she should tell Duncan that he would be sleeping in Lady Kathryn’s chambers. She doubted if a vampire hunter would be afraid of a spirit, but you never knew.

  “Here we are,” Vicki said. Opening the door, she felt a distinct chill as she stepped into the bedroom.

  “It’s customary to knock when one enters a lady’s bedchamber,” Lady Kathryn said imperiously.

  “Oh, I didn’t know you were here,” Vicki said. She glanced at Duncan. He was staring at the ghost, who sat in front of a low dressing table, idly brushing her ghostly tresses. “Tom, this is Lady Kathryn. Lady Kathryn, this is Tom Duncan. He’s a friend of mine.”

  Rising, Lady Kathryn glided toward them. “Sir Duncan, I’m pleased to meet you,” she said, extending her hand.

  Looking nonplussed, Duncan hesitated a moment, and then, to Vicki’s surprise, he bowed over Lady Kathryn’s hand.

  “The pleasure is all mine, Lady Kathryn,” he replied gallantly.

  Looking pleased, Lady Kathryn rewarded him with a smile and then looked at Vicki. “What brings the two of you to my room at this late hour?”

  “Tom needs a place to sleep,” Vicki explained. “And since this is the only room with a bed besides mine…”

  “It’s all right,” Tom interjected. “I can sleep on the sofa downstairs.”

  “I won’t hear of such a thing,” Lady Kathryn said. “What kind of hostess would I be to allow a guest to sleep on the couch? You may use my room, of course. I’ll share Victoria’s.”

  Tom glanced at Vicki. “Is that okay with you?”

  “Sure.” Since Lady Kathryn didn’t really sleep, sharing a room didn’t include sharing a bed. However, since the ghost no longer had any concept of time, Vicki figured she wouldn’t have much use for the bed, either, since Lady Kathryn would probably want to spend the night chatting. “Good night, Tom.”

  “Yeah, good night,” he said, trying not to stare at Lady Kathryn. The ghost was flitting around near the ceiling and then, in the blink of an eye, she was gone. Tom glanced around the room. “Where’d she go?”

>   “Who knows? See you tomorrow.”

  Vicki left the room and Tom closed the door behind her.

  In the corridor, she heard him mutter, “I’ve seen a lot of things in my day, but a ghost! Man, now I’ve seen everything.”

  Grinning, she hurried downstairs to where Antonio was waiting for her.

  Chapter 35

  Antonio stood at the front window staring out into the night. It was amazing, how much his life had changed since he met Victoria. Not so long ago, his nights had been peaceful, almost monotonous. He had risen with the setting of the sun, sought his prey, then spent the rest of the dark hours in restful pursuits. He had enjoyed going to the theater or to the movies, or spending an evening reading a good book. He had taken long walks. He had spent time in each of his various abodes. The house in Oregon was the most modern. He probably should have taken Victoria there, but the castle was his favorite place, probably because of Lady Kathryn. They had spent many a night together, two lost and lonely souls who found comfort in each other’s company.

  And now Victoria was here. He turned at the sound of her footsteps coming down the stairs, his nostrils flaring as she entered the room. She smelled of soap and shampoo and woman. A woman ripe for the taking…

  She smiled at him. “You’re not too upset about Duncan staying here, are you?”

  “No.”

  “I’m glad, especially since he’s about to marry my best friend. Bobbie Sue took him home to meet her folks earlier this week.” She sat down on the sofa, looking pensive. “Would you like to meet my mom and my sister?”

  He lifted one brow in obvious amusement. “I think a better question would be, would they like to meet me?”

  “Well, sure, why wouldn’t they? We wouldn’t have to tell them you’re a vampire, you know.”

  “And if we stayed longer than an hour or two, how would you explain the fact that I do not eat or drink or cast an image in a mirror? And would they not think it odd that I could not be found during the day?”

  “Yes, I suppose so.”

  If they went to St. Louis, her mother and Karen would assume Antonio was on vacation, so she wouldn’t be able to excuse his absences during the day by telling them he was at work, although she might be able to come up with some plausible excuse, like he was the head of a big company that was looking to open an office in St. Louis. Of course, the fact that he didn’t eat posed another problem. Her family would expect them to stay at the house. Antonio might be able to skip a meal or two, but not all three.