airport. Saintcrow gave Frankie and Claude a thousand dollars each, and then, while telling them good-bye, he erased the memory of Morgan Creek and the vampires from their minds.
On Wednesday night, Saintcrow drove her, Chelsea, and Jeremy to Chelsea’s home in Rexburg. He gave them the same amount of cash he had given to Frankie and Claude, and after Kadie hugged Chelsea, Saintcrow wiped all memory of vampires from their minds. The only thing Chelsea and Jeremy would remember was that they had met while in Wyoming.
Thursday night, Kadie was surprised to find Nancy’s car gassed up and idling in front of Saintcrow’s lair.
“Her parents live just a few miles from here,” Saintcrow said.
Nancy was sitting on the front porch when they arrived. Her eyes widened in surprise when he pulled into the driveway.
“Do you want to drive?” Saintcrow asked after stowing Nancy’s belongings in the trunk.
Nancy shook her head. “It’s been years,” she said, and climbed into the backseat.
When they arrived at her parents’ house, Nancy hesitated on the sidewalk. “Maybe I’m doing the wrong thing.”
“I’m sure your parents will be thrilled to see you,” Kadie said, wondering at her reluctance.
“I hope so, although we didn’t part on the best of terms. My father didn’t want me to marry Troy and we had a terrible fight.” She let out a sigh. “I guess that doesn’t matter now. I’m sure Troy has found someone else.”
“I hope everything works out for you,” Kadie said, giving her friend a hug.
“Thank you, Kadie. You’ve been a good friend. If you’d never come to Morgan Creek . . .” Her voice trailed off as the porch light came on.
Glancing past Nancy, Kadie saw a man staring at them out of one of the front windows.
“Time to go,” Saintcrow said. He pulled Nancy’s suitcase from the trunk and dropped it on the sidewalk, then pressed a wad of bills into Nancy’s hand.
Kadie felt the rush of his power as his mind brushed Nancy’s. Saintcrow pulled Kadie into the shadows when the front door opened.
The man who had been watching them from the window stepped onto the front porch, peering into the darkness. “Nancy? Nancy, honey, is that you?”
With a joyful cry, Nancy ran up the steps and into her father’s arms.
Kadie smiled, touched by the scene on the porch.
“You ready to go home?” Saintcrow asked.
“How are we going to get there?” Kadie had scarcely spoken the words when she felt an odd rush of wind in her face. The next thing she knew, she was standing in Saintcrow’s living room, wrapped in his arms. “How did you do that?” she asked when she’d gathered her wits about her.
He shrugged. “Talent.”
“Seriously, how did you do that?”
“I’m not sure. I just think about where I want to be, and I’m there. Comes in handy when you’re trying to outrun a mob wielding pitchforks.”
“Pitchforks?” Kadie asked, brows raised in amusement.
“Pitchforks. Swords. Torches. Wooden stakes. Holy water. You know, the good old days.”
“I can’t tell if you’re serious or just putting me on.”
“A little of both.”
“Sounds like you’ve had an exciting life. Or death,” she added with a grin.
“Yeah. Well, life and death got a whole lot more interesting when you showed up.”
“You made quite a change in my life, too.” With a sigh, she rested her cheek against his chest.
“I didn’t mean to complicate your life, Kadie.”
“I don’t mind so much anymore.”
“I’ll make it up to you one day, I promise.”
“Are we still leaving here tomorrow night?”
“Would you rather stay?”
“No. It’ll seem strange, though, not being here, not seeing everyone.” She looked up at him. “Will Rosemary and the others be all right, staying here by themselves?”
“I don’t know. I can’t predict the future. I’ll leave them some cash, gas up their cars, provide them with cell phones. The rest is up to them. I could be wrong, but I don’t think they’ll stay long, now that the others are gone.”
Cupping her chin in his palm, he smiled at her. “There’s a big world out there, Kadie. I look forward to seeing it anew through your eyes.”
In the morning, Kadie woke feeling excited at the prospect of going to England, and depressed at the thought of saying good-bye to those who had decided to stay in Morgan Creek. Since becoming a freelance photographer, she hadn’t spent much time at home. Her high school friends were all married now, raising families, caught up in their own lives. The ladies in town were the closest friends she’d had since college.