she thought, smiling faintly. “One of the women said the other vampires can’t leave either. Is that true?”
He nodded.
“So, they’re prisoners, too?”
“In a way. They came to me for sanctuary. I agreed to give it to them, but only if they agreed to stay inside.”
“Why?”
“I don’t trust any of them not to betray this place.”
“Why would they?”
“There is a rather large bounty on my head.”
Kadie’s eyes grew wide. “Really? Why?”
He shrugged. “Perhaps because I’m the most powerful vampire in the country.”
“You are?”
“Impressed?”
“I don’t know. Should I be?”
He laughed, amused by her bravado.
“How much are you worth?”
“Last I heard, they were offering a cool five million for my head.”
Kadie’s brows shot up. “Wow!”
“Thinking of trying to claim it for yourself ?”
“Of course not!” She didn’t think any amount of money would persuade her to do such a thing. “So, who wants you dead so badly?”
He looked at her askance. “You don’t know?” Was it possible she really had no idea?
“Well, since you’re a vampire, I suppose a lot of people want you dead,” she replied candidly.
He laughed again. “True, enough, but there are others—hunters—who are more persistent, more knowledgeable about my kind, who have sworn to wipe us from the face of the earth.”
Kadie’s brows drew together. “But you leave town.”
He shrugged. “I’m a master vampire. I can do whatever I wish.”
In a voice dripping with sarcasm, she said, “Must be nice.”
He nodded again. Then, reaching for her hand, he drew her to her feet and walked her up the stairs. “Shall I tuck you in?”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Too bad.” His gaze swept over her from head to foot. “Good night, Kadie,” he said quietly. “Sweet dreams.”
She closed the door, then stood there, his scent all around her, her thoughts muddled. How was it possible to hate him so much and still burn for his kisses?
Chapter 15
Sunday morning, Kadie returned to the cemetery. She studied the two newest graves, but there was no way to distinguish one from the other. She told herself again it didn’t matter. Mona and Leslie were beyond caring. Tears stung her eyes as she carved Mona’s name on one of the crosses, and Leslie’s name on the other. She thought about Saintcrow. He had taken more of her blood than he should have the other night. Had he taken too much, she might be buried here, another casualty in an unmarked grave.
Blinking back her tears, Kadie bowed her head and prayed for the courage to endure what could not be changed, prayed that Saintcrow would relent and set her and all the others free, prayed that her parents would be comforted and not give up hope. Her father had become distant ever since Kathy took sick. More and more, he’d been away from home, and when he was there, he was always preoccupied. Men in dark suits came and went at odd hours of the day and night. They rarely stayed long, thank goodness. Her father never spoke of them. She knew little more than their names, but there was something about them that Kadie found disturbing.
Unable to hold back her tears, Kadie dropped to her knees and prayed for Kathy, pleading for a cure to be found before it was too late, praying that Kathy would hang on until Kadie got home. She had never mentioned her sister to Saintcrow, but maybe she should. Surely, if there was the slightest bit of compassion in his soul, he would relent and let her go home.
Driving back to Saintcrow’s house, she found herself thinking about vampire hunters. Until she came here, she had never believed vampires existed. Now it seemed that not only were they real, but there were people dedicated to destroying them. She could almost sympathize with Saintcrow and the others. It would be awful to be hunted, to have a price on your head. Still, the vampires could hardly blame people for hating them when they preyed upon humans. Maybe if the vampires could drink animal blood, people wouldn’t hate them so much.
Even as the thought crossed her mind, she knew she was being naïve. After all, how could you expect someone to give up what they needed to survive? Still, she couldn’t help wondering if they’d ever thought of it? Tried it? Vampires did it in the movies all the time.
It was still on her mind later that night when Saintcrow appeared. Without thinking, she blurted, “Can you live on animal blood?”
“Excuse me?”
“I was thinking about what you said, about being hunted. Maybe