That she would invite them inside so they could destroy him?
He didn’t trust her.
The idea hurt more than she would have thought possible.
She was waiting for him in the living room when the sun went down. One look at her face, at the way her arms were crossed over her chest, and he knew she was upset. He didn’t have to read her mind to know why.
“It isn’t a matter of trust, exactly,” he said.
“Then what is it, exactly?”
“I haven’t existed for over nine hundred years by being careless. None of the other humans in this town know where my lair is located. You wanted to see me at rest, and I let you. But to leave the door to my lair open during the day . . . ?” He shook his head. “I’m not that trusting.”
“You trusted me. Why? I could have stabbed you while you slept, just like anyone else.”
“I was willing to take my chances with you, but not with any of the others.”
Somewhat mollified, she asked, “Can I go with you when you take Rosemary away?”
“If you like.”
“Will you take her home?”
“If that’s where she wants to go, although I’m sure she’ll find it and everything else greatly changed after so many years.”
Kadie nodded. Rosemary’s husband had probably declared her dead after all this time. Her children would be grown now, probably married with kids of their own. Her husband could have remarried and had another family. How would Rosemary handle something like that? Kadie frowned. What would she do in a similar situation? How would she feel? How would she pick up her life on the outside after such an extended absence? The world had changed a lot in the twenty years Rosemary had been here.
“Maybe we should give her a choice,” Kadie suggested. “Maybe, after all this time, she’d rather stay.”
“And if she chooses to stay, then what?”
Kadie considered his question a moment. Of all the women in Morgan Creek, Marti had been there the shortest amount of time and had the youngest child. But of all the people in town, Marti was her favorite.
Shaking off her selfishness, Kadie said, “I think instead of Rosemary, you should let Marti go. She has a six-year-old daughter.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
At midnight, Kadie and Saintcrow drove to Marti’s house in Kadie’s Durango. “Wait in the car,” Saintcrow said. “I’ll be right back.”
He returned moments later, carrying a pajama-clad Marti in his arms. She was sound asleep, and remained asleep when he laid her on the backseat and shut the door.
“Remember,” he said, sliding behind the wheel and putting the car in gear, “you can’t tell anyone about this.” His gaze met hers. “I’ll know if you do.”
Kadie nodded.
They reached the bridge a short time later. She felt a sudden apprehension as he drove across, but the Durango emerged onto the road without the slightest hesitation.
“How do you know where she lives?” Kadie asked.
“Driver’s license.”
“Oh. Aren’t you afraid she’ll tell people about you and the others?”
“No. I’ll wipe the last five years from her mind. She won’t remember anything.”
Kadie stared at Saintcrow in amazement. She would never want to be a vampire. Their lifestyle was repugnant at best, but she couldn’t help being in awe of his preternatural powers and abilities.
She gazed out the window, wondering about the other women and the lives they had left behind. They rarely spoke of their families. She supposed it was just too painful to think about people you loved when you were never going to see them again.
Kadie felt herself dozing off when Saintcrow pulled over to the curb. After shutting off the engine, he got out of the car and lifted Marti out of the backseat. Kadie stepped out onto the curb, then glanced up and down the street, wondering which house was Marti’s.
“Do you want to tell her good-bye?” Saintcrow asked.
When Kadie nodded, Saintcrow spoke quietly to Marti, who woke instantly. She glanced at Saintcrow, her eyes wide with fear as he set her on her feet, until Kadie said, “Marti, it’s all right. We’re taking you home.”
“What?” She glanced around, her eyes filled with confusion. “Why am I here?”
“Kadie convinced me to let you go,” Saintcrow answered. “Come on.” Holding Marti’s arm, he started walking toward the corner.
Kadie followed the two of them as they turned the corner, then came to a stop in the middle of the block in front of a single-story, ranch-style house on a well-kept street. A pink bicycle lay on its side in the