swore again, knowing it was his own blood that had increased her strength.
Heaving a sigh, he left the house. He was about to transport himself home when he hesitated. Unwilling to take a chance that the four vampires he’d killed might rise the next night when the moon came up, he summoned fire and set the place aflame, then stood there, jaw clenched, and watched it burn.
He swore softly, wondering if Claret was going to be a problem in the future. He didn’t know if she’d been telling the truth when she said her coven had been attacked. He could only hope it was true, and that the four vampires he had destroyed had been the last of them.
But he couldn’t worry about that now. There remained the Knights of the Dark Wood, and they were a far bigger threat than Claret. Trey 95 might be dead, but the others were just as dedicated, just as determined.
And then there was Callie’s grandmother, still looking as young and lovely as she had the first time he’d seen her.
As he watched the flames engulf the house, he found himself wondering how Ava’s return would affect his relationship with Callie. It was one thing for her to accept the fact that he had made love to her grandmother over a hundred years ago. After all, there was little point in being jealous of someone you thought dead and buried.
But how would Callie feel about it now that Ava was again among the living?
* * *
Back in their house in Montana, Callie paced the floor in front of the sofa where Ava sat. “Where have you been all this time?” she asked. “Why didn’t you let me know you were alive? Why didn’t you tell me you were a witch? Why didn’t you—”
“Callie, dear, calm down.”
“Calm down? Calm down! You let me believe you were dead and you want me to calm down? I grieved for you! I cried for days, filled with grief and guilt because I thought you’d died alone while I was off in Paris having a good time. I—”
Ava patted the cushion beside her. “Callie, child, come and sit with me.”
Shoulders slumped, Callie dropped down on the sofa.
“I explained in my letter why I didn’t tell you I was a witch. As for why I faked my death . . .” Ava sighed. “I did it to protect you and to put some much-needed distance between myself and a rather nasty wizard I’d had a disagreement with. I knew if Ranald thought I was dead, he wouldn’t bother you and he would stop looking for me. But you had to believe it, too, or he never would.”
Callie frowned. Looking back, she dimly recalled seeing a tall, thin man with gray hair and colorless eyes at the cemetery every time she had gone there to put flowers on Ava’s grave.
“I never left you alone,” Ava went on. “I was frequently nearby in one form or another.”
“You were the cat!” Callie exclaimed.
“Yes,” Ava said, reaching for her hand. “Once you found out you were a witch, I wanted to be close to you. I was curious to see if you would pursue your magic and if it was as strong as I suspected it would be.”
Callie looked at her grandmother’s hand, frowned as an image of that hand caressing Quill’s bare skin leaped into her mind. Startled, she jerked her hand away.
“What’s wrong?” Ava asked.
“You. And Quill.”
“Oh.” A faint flush colored Ava’s cheeks. “He told you about that, did he?”
“Yes.”
“It was such a long time ago.”
“Did you love him?”
“I could have.”
Callie frowned, thinking Quill had said much the same thing when she’d asked if he’d loved her grandmother.
“I was very vulnerable when we met. And he was very dashing. The attraction I felt for him was mutual and we . . .” Ava made a vague gesture with her hand. “It was only one night. I realized soon after that the two of you were destined for each other, and we never made love again.” She paused. “It bothers you, doesn’t it?”
“Of course it does!”
“Callie, don’t let what happened one night all those years ago ruin what you and Quill have. A love like yours is rare. Cherish it.”
Callie nodded. Suddenly needing a few minutes alone, she said, “I’m going to get a soda. Can I get you one?”
“No, thank you, dear.”
With a nod, Callie hurried out of the room. In the kitchen, she braced her hands on the counter and stared