Enchant the Night - Amanda Ashley Page 0,68
Nolan.
Jeffries nodded, his expression somber as he patted his wife’s back. “Let’s get together later.”
* * *
Quill met Nolan Jeffries in the woods at 4 AM. “I take it Brooke knew someone in California?”
“A good friend of ours lived there with his mortal wife and their teenage son. She tried calling him after you left, but there was no answer.”
“We only found one dead female. She took her own life.”
“We need to do something about those damn Knights,” Jeffries said. “But what?”
“They’re getting stronger. Even though they only have thirteen active members at any given time, it’s rumored that they have members in training in just about every big city. I’m afraid they’re planning some kind of coup in hopes of wiping out every one of our kind here in the States.”
“Are they strong enough to do that?”
“Perhaps.”
“You’re one of the oldest of our kind,” Jeffries said. “What can we do?”
“This confrontation has been a long time coming. We’re few in number.” Quill stared into the forest, his brow furrowed. “There are some Transylvanian vampires living in Louisiana.”
“You’re not suggesting we unite with those bloodsucking monsters!” Nolan exclaimed.
“Only as a last resort.”
Jeffries shook his head. “We can’t trust them.” And then he frowned. “Do you know any?”
“ No.”
“Our feud with them is even older than our war with the Brotherhood of the Knights. Even if you could get in touch with any of the other vampires, they’d never agree to join us.”
“Maybe, maybe not. At the moment, it’s a moot point. Go console your woman. She needs you.”
Nolan stared at him. Then, with a nod, he vanished into the night.
Quill stared after Jeffries. He didn’t know any Transylvanian vampires personally, but he knew where to find one.
* * *
When Quill returned home, he paused inside the door, then made his way to Callie’s room. “I thought you’d be asleep,” he remarked, switching on the bedside light.
She shrugged. “I tried.” Sitting up, she propped a pillow behind her head. “What did you and Jeffries talk about?”
“He asked me what we were going to do about the Knights.”
“What did you say?”
Quill sat on the edge of the mattress, hands resting on his knees. “It’s late. Are you sure you want to talk about this now?”
She nodded.
“I’ve heard the Knights are growing in number. I think they might be planning a nationwide attack on my people.”
Callie’s eyes grew wide. “Do they have enough men to do that?”
“From what I’ve heard, they already outnumber us.”
“What are we going to do?”
He smiled at her use of the word we. “I’m not sure. I think that our best chance of winning is to unite with the Transylvanian vampires.”
“Are you serious?”
“Once the fight begins, the Knights will kill every vampire they find, Hungarian and Transylvanian alike. But it’s not my decision. My father is the oldest of our kind. His decision will be final.”
War, Callie thought. He’s talking about going to war. “Brooke said they’re trying to get pregnant.”
Taken aback by the abrupt change of topic, Quill lifted one brow. “If she wanted to be pregnant, she’d be pregnant. It’s up to her.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The man plants the seed. The woman decides when it grows.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean it’s up to her when she gets pregnant.”
Callie stared at him in disbelief. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“It’s the way of my people.”
“That’s just plain weird.”
Quill smiled wryly. “Don’t ask me to how it works. All I know is, human females can reject our sperm. I suspect it’s some kind of protection against bearing a child if a woman is attacked by one of us, something that’s punishable by death.” Leaning forward, he kissed her lightly. “This is a heavy conversation for so early in the morning. Let’s get some sleep.”
“Stay with me?”
Nodding, he removed his boots, socks, pants, and shirt, then stretched out on top of the blankets, naked save for a pair of navy-blue briefs.
Callie snuggled under the covers, then pillowed her head on Quill’s shoulder. Soon, she thought, soon they’d be married and he wouldn’t have to sleep on top of the blankets anymore.
Chapter 30
In the morning, Callie ate a quick breakfast, then drove fifteen miles to the bridal shop she had located online. She had considered wearing her grandmother’s gown but rejected the idea. She wanted something new, something that was hers and hers alone.
She spent the next hour and a half trying on a dozen dresses—long ones, short ones, tea-length, sleeveless, strapless, plain and fancy, sexy and modest. None of them