as three other men swarmed over Quill like hungry ants on chocolate.
Knights! she thought, her heart pounding with fear as she watched the life-and-death battle being waged only a few feet from where she stood. Knives flashed. Drops of blood—and not all of it Quill’s—sparkled like rubies in the sunlight.
Quill fought like one possessed. He snapped the neck of one of the Knights, broke the arm of another.
The third man hollered, “Let’s get the hell out of here!” when Quill reached for him.
Callie stumbled forward as the man who had been holding her pushed her out of the way and ran after his friends. One of them pulled what looked like a cloak from out of nowhere. Eyes wide with astonishment, she watched him spread the cloth over himself and his companions and disappear from sight.
With a shake of her head, Callie ran toward Quill. “Are you all right?” she asked anxiously. There was no way to tell how much of the blood was his.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay. Did he hurt you?”
“No, I’m fine.” She pressed her lips together as she glanced at the dead man. “Shouldn’t we do something about him?”
“No. Let’s go.”
“But . . .”
“Let’s go.”
There was no arguing with that tone. When he slid behind the wheel of the VW, she didn’t protest, merely went around to the passenger side, got in, and shut the door. “They never give up, do they?”
“No,” he said, curtly. “Never.”
* * *
When the VW was out of sight, Trey 95 removed the invisibility cloak.
“What are you doing?” Thomas 63 asked. “We need to get Alan 12 to a doctor. From what I can see, it looks like his arm’s badly broken.”
Trey 95 shook his head. “You two go ahead.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“You’re already in trouble with the Elder Knight for disobeying his orders to return to the Dark Wood,” Thomas 63 reminded him.
Trey shrugged. The vampire had killed his twin brother. He wouldn’t rest until Frank 95’s blood had been avenged.
“Suit yourself,” Thomas muttered. “It’s your neck.”
“That’s right,” Trey snapped. “So, get the hell out of here.”
With a last, worried glance at Trey 95, Thomas struck out for the side of the road where they had left their van. Face pale, Alan 12 trailed behind him, his broken arm cradled against his chest.
Trey nodded to himself as he started walking toward town. He had memorized the license plate of the VW. All he had to do was look it up to find her address. And through her, the vampire. A piece of cake.
“I have you now, you dirty, bloodsucking freak,” he muttered. “Next time, you won’t get away.”
* * *
“This is getting to be a habit,” Callie remarked as she washed the blood from several deep gashes on Quill’s arms and chest—and what a nice chest, it was, she thought. His six-pack abs weren’t bad, either. She glanced at the tattered shirt on the floor. “You must spend a small fortune replacing your wardrobe.”
He grunted softly. “Are you done yet?”
“I guess so.” She dropped the bloody washcloth in the sink, then ran her fingertips over his broad shoulders, amazed yet again at how quickly he healed. All but the deepest cuts had disappeared before they got home.
“Careful,” he growled as her fingers played in the dark hair on his chest. “You’re on dangerous ground.”
“In more ways than one,” she muttered.
“I’m sorry about this afternoon,” he said, drawing her into his arms. “I might have sensed them before it was too late but for your unexpected declaration.”
“Oh, that.” Feeling herself blush, she lowered her head, embarrassed because she’d confessed her feelings for him and he hadn’t said anything. Of course, he really hadn’t had time.
“Yes, that.” Putting his finger under her chin, he tipped her head up. “You must know I feel the same way about you.” He grinned at her. “It’s not just your sweet blood that draws me back night after night, lovely Callie. Although that is a nice plus.”
“Flatterer,” she said, dryly.
“You know what I mean.”
Feeling lighthearted, she nodded.
“As much as I’d like to show you just how much I care, I need to rest.”
Callie nodded. It was the middle of the afternoon when the sun was at its hottest. And he’d been wounded. Rest would help him regain his strength.
“Okay if I bed down in your guest room again?”
“Consider it yours.”
“I may take you up on that.” He kissed her, ever so gently. “I’ll see you at sundown.”
“I’ll be here.”
He