Everything Rhys said was true, but it didn’t ease the pain or erase her feeling of being abandoned. He could have stayed long enough to tell her goodbye, to assure her they’d be together again. That he loved her.
Keeping a tight rein on her emotions, she gathered her handbag and her grandmother’s cookbook, stood stiff as a board when Costain put his arm around her.
Moments later, she was standing in the middle of the most beautiful room she had ever seen. Remembering Costain’s penthouse boudoir, she had expected more of the same, but this room was exquisite—the walls a cool ivory, the carpets a deep mauve. A long, curved sofa, a pair of armchairs and a love seat faced a red brick fireplace. Paintings adorned the walls.
“Rylee,” Megan said, coming forward to greet her. “Please make our home yours. The cupboards are stocked with food and drink. And chocolate.”
Rylee forced a smile. “Thank you. I’m sorry to put you out of your house.”
Megan waved it off. “No problem. If you need anything, or if you just get scared, we’re just a call away. And if you get lonely, feel free to have someone come and stay with you.”
“Thank you. Both of you.”
Megan invited her to use whichever of the four bedrooms she preferred. “Just make yourself at home,” she said with a smile. “Feel free to rearrange the furniture, if your like. We have Hulu and Netflix. There are computers in all the bedrooms.”
“Thank you so much for letting me stay here,” Rylee said, overcome with her generosity. “I hope I won’t put you out for too long.”
“Please, don’t worry about it. Rhys has several other homes.” Megan took Rylee’s hands in hers. “I know you think this will never end, but don’t give up hope and don’t get discouraged. I’ve never known Rhys to fail at anything. He’ll find Magdalena, sooner or later.”
“I just hope it’s sooner,” Rylee muttered.
“We all do.”
“One word of caution,” Rhys said. “Try not to go out at night any more than you have to. Even though Magdalena can’t track you here, I wouldn’t put it past her to have spies out looking for you and Alex. Don’t hesitate to call me if you need me. Day or night.”
“I’m sorry to be such a bother.”
“Forget it.”
After Rhys and Megan took their leave, Rylee stood in the middle of the living room. She couldn’t help wondering how much a place like this cost. Certainly in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Maybe a million or more. Curiosity sent her wandering through the house, which was even bigger than she’d imagined. Living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry room and two bathrooms filled the downstairs. There were three bedrooms and a master upstairs, each with its own bathroom and sitting room, each unique in color and reminiscent of a different time period—Roman in the master, Greek in one of the other bedrooms, Roaring 20s in the third and what looked like it had been pulled from the set of Guardians of the Galaxy in the fourth.
Wondering if Rhys or Megan had chosen the décor, she returned to the living room. Curling up in a corner of the love seat, she called home to tell her parents about the fire.
Alex was waiting at the penthouse when Rhys returned. “Is she all right?”
“Her feelings are pretty raw. Couldn’t you have hung around long enough to tell her goodbye?”
“I was afraid if I saw her again, I wouldn’t be able to let her go. Did I do the right thing?”
“You know you did.”
“I hope so.”
“She’s better off at my place than here. With her gone, we can concentrate on trying to find Magdalena. I think from now on you and I will do a lot of hunting out in the open.”
“Like sitting ducks?”
Rhys shrugged. “She might not bite, but then again… What the hell? I haven’t fed tonight, and I know you haven’t. What do you say?”
“Why not? I’ve got nothing better to do.”
The weather suited Alex’s mood perfectly—dark clouds shut out the moon and stars. Jagged bolts of lightning split the skies followed by rolling drumbeats of thunder. They had only gone a block or two when the clouds unleashed a torrent of rain.
“You picked a great night to go hunting,” he muttered. His sire had left Megan every night for the last few nights to go hunting with him. He had a feeling Rhys tagged along not only in hopes of attracting Magdalena, but to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid. Alex had to admit there had been times when he’d considered killing someone in hopes that Costain would retaliate and put him out of his misery.
“I see a perfect pair up ahead,” Rhys said, jerking his chin toward two young women—one blonde, one brunette—who were making a dash for the shelter of a doorway. “Come on.”
Alex watched with a small measure of envy as Costain quickly and effortlessly mesmerized the two females.
“Light or dark?” Rhys asked with a wry grin.
“I’ll take the brunette,” Alex said. The blonde reminded him too much of Rylee. He fed quickly, hating what he was doing, what he’d become, more than ever. Had he still been human, Rylee would be his.
After sending the women on their way, Rhys slapped him on the back. “The girl still loves you, you jackass. Once Magdalena is no longer a threat, you can go to Rylee, admit you’ve been a damn fool and beg for her forgiveness.”
“Somehow I don’t think it will be that easy.”
“You think not? If she turns you down, I’ll give you the Jag.”
“You’re on!”
Rylee immersed herself in keeping busy in the days that followed. She bought a new wardrobe—most of it online. Ordered several books from Amazon that she’d been wanting to read, as well as a new camera and equipment. Megan had invited her to use the computers and Rylee spent most of one day updating her web page and sending emails to clients with a brief—albeit phony—explanation for her absence. She took long baths in the sunken tub, immersed herself in the latest bestseller.
She had been tempted several times to call Alex, but never did. It still hurt that he hadn’t taken the time to tell her goodbye. Coward. Sure, it would have been painful for both of them. Sure, he sent her away for her own good. But he’d said nothing about seeing her again.
She waited each evening, hoping for his call.
But it never came.
Three weeks after moving into Costain’s place, she booked a flight into L.A., then hired an Uber to take her to see what was left of her house and pick up her car.
Rylee stood on the curb for several minutes, staring at the carnage. She had intended to poke through the wreckage to see if anything had survived the blaze, but it was obvious nothing was left. She wondered what Magdalena had used to start the fire. Thinking of Magdalena made her feel suddenly vulnerable and she hurried toward the garage.
As her neighbor had said, it was still standing. Other than being sprinkled with ashes, her Mazda was fine. The Jag was gone. No doubt Alex or Costain had picked it up.
For a moment, she was sorely tempted to drive by Costain’s penthouse. But as much as she missed Alex, going to see him seemed unwise. Keeping her distance from him was the reason Alex had suggested they stop seeing each other in the first place.
But if their parting was only temporary, why didn’t he call?
Rylee drove until dark, then spent the night in a motel. Lying in bed, she stared up at the ceiling. Since moving into Costain’s house, she had managed to keep herself so busy during the day that she didn’t have time to think about a handsome vampire with broad shoulders and beautiful, dark-brown eyes, or a smile that made her heart melt.
But at night in her lonely bed, there was no denying the longing of her heart. She ached for the touch of his hand, the sound of his voice husky with desire as he whispered her name, the magic of his kisses. He haunted her dreams and she was powerless to escape him. Nor did she want to. In dreams, he was hers—hers to hold and to love—the dreams so real, she sometimes woke in the morning expecting to find him lying there beside her.
/> She reached Costain’s house in Granite Hills late the following afternoon. Feeling blue, she called home. Her mother answered the phone.
“How are you doing, hon?”
“I’m fine, Mom. Keeping busy.”
“I wish you’d come home. There’s no need for you to stay with friends until your house is rebuilt when your old room is ready and waiting.”
“How are you and Dad?” she asked, hoping to change the subject.
A pause before her mother said, “There’s something bothering you, and it’s not the loss of your house.”
Rylee smiled faintly at her mother’s tone. She had never been able to hide her feelings from either one of her parents. “I met a man in Los Angeles.”
“Go on,” her mother coaxed.
“I fell in love with him, but…” Rylee blew out a sigh. “He had some issues that drove us apart.”
“What kind of issues?” her father asked, and she wondered how long he’d been on the extension.
“You don’t want to know.”
Her father paused a moment and she knew he was stroking his mustache the way he always did when he was thinking. “Is he in trouble with the law?”
“No. No, nothing like that,” Rylee assured him. If only it was something that mundane, she thought.
“You can tell us anything,” her mother said. “You know that.”
“Not this,” Rylee said, and wondered if they would even believe her.
“If you change your mind, we’re here to listen,” her father said.
“I know, Dad. And I love you for it. Both of you. I’ll call you again soon.”
When the call ended, Rylee stared out the window. She’d found a contractor to build her new house and selected a floor plan from several he had emailed her. Since construction seemed to be in a slump, she’d gotten a good deal, plus his crew had been able to begin right away. She’d spoken to her insurance agent to make sure the money to rebuild was available.
Thinking of rebuilding reminded her of all she had lost. She blinked rapidly, determined not to cry. Things would get better, she assured herself.
How could they get any worse?
Rhys snorted softly as he watched Alex feed. The kid was hurting. It was apparent in the slump of his shoulders, the soul-deep misery in his eyes, the hopelessness in his voice. His lack of interest in hunting. Not that he was likely to starve to death, Rhys mused. The hunger would demand to be fed whether the kid wanted to feed or not.
They had prowled the streets every night for weeks now, but there had been no sign of Magdalena, save for the bodies that had turned up with clockwise precision and then suddenly stopped. They had encountered hunters on several occasions. Rhys had been forced to kill one, but Magdalena remained elusive.
Alex had checked the hunter site on the Dark Web, hoping for info on her whereabouts, but to no avail.
Was she trying to lull them into a false sense of security, Rhys wondered, because he was pretty sure she hadn’t given up her quest for vengeance.
He glanced at Alex. The kid was still feeding. Muttering an oath, he grabbed Alex by the shoulder and pulled him away from the woman. “What the hell are you trying to do? Kill her?”
Alex stared at him blankly. “No, I…” He shrugged. “I guess I wasn’t paying attention.”
“I guess not.” A thought sent the woman on her way. “You were thinking about Rylee again, weren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
Damn, the kid had it bad. “Why don’t you go see her?”
“Are you nuts?”
“Maybe so, but I’m sick of that hang-dog expression. Why don’t you call her and ask her to meet you somewhere? I’ll tag along to keep an eye out for Magdalena. If I do the mist thing, she’ll never know I’m there. And if she shows up, we’ll have her. If she doesn’t, at least you’ll get to spend a little time with Rylee.”
Hands shoved into his pockets, Alex strolled down the street after Rhys, sorely tempted to take him up on his offer. The thought of seeing Rylee again warred with his fear of putting her in danger yet again. Of course, there was some doubt that she would agree to meet him after the way he’d left her. But maybe she would, even if it was only to tell him to go to hell. At least he would see her, hear her voice, inhale the warm, womanly fragrance that was hers alone and hers alone.
“I’ll think about it,” he said when they returned to the penthouse.
But there was nothing to think about. He had to see her again, even if it was for the last time.
CHAPTER 35
Rylee stared at her phone. She read the text and then read it again. Short and sweet, it simply said, I miss you. Please meet me tonight at nine at Ristorante Sarto. If you agree, Rhys will pick you up.
Should she? Or shouldn’t she? What did he want? Rylee started to write ‘no’, but it showed up as ‘yes.’ Taking a deep breath, she hit Send. She regretted it immediately, then told herself that meeting him might be a good thing. It would give her a chance to ask why he’d never called after sending her away. She ignored the little voice that reminded her she could have called him. But he had sent her away—for her own good, that was true. But he should have called. Or at least said good-bye.
Rylee started getting ready at seven. She showered and washed her hair, applied her makeup with care, put on one of the new dresses she had ordered on line—a slinky black number bought on a whim. She stepped into a pair of black heels, grabbed her handbag and her keys, and went into the living room to wait. Glancing around, she had to admit she would miss this place when her new house was ready.
Rhys showed up at five minutes to nine. He whistled softly when he saw her. “You’ll break the kid’s heart,” he muttered as he slipped his arm around her waist.
As soon as they arrived at the pier, Rylee had second thoughts. What was she doing here? She turned around to tell Rhys she’d changed her mind, but he was nowhere to be seen.
And then Alex appeared beside her. “You look beautiful.” He glanced around, then said, “Let’s go inside.” It was a week night and the crowd was light. He asked for a booth in the back and slid onto the bench across from Rylee. “Thank you for coming.”
“What do you want, Alex?” she asked, her voice frigid.
“I wanted to apologize for the abrupt way I left you. I was afraid if I told you goodbye, I wouldn’t be able to let you go.”
She made a soft sound that was neither positive or negative. “You never called. Not even once.”
“I know. I should have. But I checked on you every chance I got to make sure you were okay. As for calling…” He blew out a sigh. “I guess it was selfish of me, but I knew if I heard your voice, it would be that much harder to stay away.”
Rylee folded her hands in her lap when the waitress came to take their order. Alex asked for a glass of wine. Rylee ordered a small antipasto salad, garlic bread, and a soda.
He waited until the waitress left to turn in their order before saying, “I love you, Rylee. You know I only sent you away because being with me is dangerous. Believe me, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Then why are you here now?” she asked, her voice still cool. “Is Magdalena dead?”
“Not yet. I’m here because Rhys said he was tired of my ‘hang-dog’ expression.”
A faint grin played across her lips and was gone. “Is he still around?”
“I’m sure he’s somewhere nearby.”
Rylee stared at him, eyes narrowed. “He’s hoping she’ll show up tonight, isn’t he? I’m just bait.”
“No. No!” But even as he denied it, he wondered if that had been Costain’s motive all along. “Other than being your taxi, he’s here for back-up in case Magdalena followed me. I’m not sure I’m strong enough to defeat her on my own.”
Alex fell silent as the waitress arrived with their order, irritated by the interruption. When they were alone, he leaned forward. “It’s been weeks since there’s been any sign of her. No more grisly deaths. Rhys
thinks she left town.” He sipped his wine while he watched her sample the salad.
Rylee kept her gaze downcast while she ate. What should she do? Nothing had changed. He was still a vampire. Magdalena was still a threat and like he’d said, as long as they were together, her life was in danger.
And so was his.
And yet…she missed him dreadfully. One way or another, she had to decide if she wanted to spend her life with or without him. And tonight was as good a time as any. Yes, there were risks, but living was a risk. People died in accidents every day. Shootings and gang violence were commonplace in most cities. Sickness claimed countless others. Tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed to anyone.
Lost in thought, she finished her dinner, though she scarcely tasted a bite of it.
Alex kept quiet. He didn’t have to read her mind to know that their future together was on the line. He paid the check and they left the restaurant.
A chill breeze ruffled Rylee’s hair as they made their way down to the shore.
When Rylee paused to remove her high heels, Alex took them from her and slid them into the pockets of his jacket
They walked along in silence for a time before he stopped and took her hand in his. “What are you thinking, Rylee?”
“Don’t you know?”
“I try not to read your mind if I can help it. I realize our whole relationship has been a little rocky but…”
She snorted softly. “Rocky?”
“All right, rough as hell. I wouldn’t blame you if you never wanted to see me again, but…can we pick up where we left off when this business with Magdalena is over?”
Rylee huffed a sigh that seemed to come from the soles of her feet.
Alex balled his hands into fists, waiting for her to send him away for good.
“I love you, Alex,” she said. “I don’t know how. I don’t know why. I have no idea how I’ll explain you to my parents. They don’t believe in Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, or extra-terrestrials. I don’t know how they’ll handle having a vampire in the family.”
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