Rylan was going back to Morgan Creek to find out if Lilith was there. And if she was, what did that mean for Rosemary and the others?
Kadie’s head was throbbing by the time they reached her house.
Saintcrow pulled up to the curb, his nostrils flaring. Andrews had company.
“ Rylan . . .”
“Stop worrying about me.”
Kadie nodded, worried by how pale he looked, by the fact that the house lights were on so late, and by the unfamiliar cars in the driveway. She glanced at the house, quickly exited the car when she saw her father step out onto the porch. Was that a gun in his hand?
She looked back at Saintcrow. “Go!”
Kadie hurried up to the porch, determined to get some answers. One look at her father’s face and she swept past him into the house, her heart pounding with fear for the man she loved.
Two men stood in front of the hearth, their bodies rigid, their faces expressionless, as if they had been carved from stone.
Kadie turned to look at her father, who’d followed her inside. “What’s going on?”
“Saintcrow,” her father said. “Where’s he staying?”
“I don’t know.”
“He killed a man tonight,” her father said. “A man who was a friend of mine.”
“Your friend tried to kill Rylan. What was he supposed to do?”
“He’s a vampire, Kadie.”
She took a deep breath. “I know that.”
“You know?” Disbelief swept every other emotion from her father’s face. “You know? And you’re dating him? Are you out of your mind? He’s a monster. A killer. Dammit, he’s not even alive!” He took a step forward. “You haven’t . . .” He sucked in a deep breath. “Never mind, I don’t want to know. Just tell me where to find him.”
“I have no idea. And I wouldn’t tell you if I did.”
“Kadie.” Her father moved toward her, one hand outstretched. “I understand you’re infatuated with him, but whatever your feelings for this creature might be, they aren’t real.”
“Dad . . .”
“Let’s leave it alone for now, Kadie. We’ll talk in the morning.”
Kadie nodded. She spared a brief glance for the two men in front of the fireplace, then went up the stairs to bed, only to lie there, wide awake, unable to sleep for the questions that plagued her.
Was Rylan safe?
Had his wounds healed?
And, most troubling of all, how many others were hunting him?
Thinking a glass of warm milk might help her sleep, she tiptoed down the stairs, only to pause when she heard voices on the front porch.
“. . . tomorrow night.”
“We’ll be ready.” Her father’s voice.
“What about your wife and daughter?”
“Leave that to me.”
Hearing muffled farewells, Kadie scurried back up the stairs, dived into bed, and pulled the covers up to her chin.
Tomorrow night? She clutched the bedspread in her fists. What was happening tomorrow night?
Chiding himself for not going back to the vacant house he was currently using as a lair, Saintcrow stood outside a rundown tavern on the outskirts of town, waiting for some unwary drunk to exit. Under other circumstances, he would have gone inside, but being shirtless, his pants stained with blood, he would surely have drawn attention, and that was one thing he didn’t need right now.
So, he stood in the shadows and waited.
It was nearing one A.M. before a middle-aged couple staggered out the door. He mesmerized them both, ordered them into the car—the woman in front, the man in the back. He took the woman first. Her blood was thin and tasted strongly of alcohol, but he was in no condition to be choosy. He took as much as he dared, then got into the backseat. The man’s blood tasted vile. He drank as much as he could stand, wiped the memory from their minds, and sent them on their way.
Feeling only marginally better, he drove back to Kadie’s house. The two cars that had been parked in the driveway earlier were gone. The lights were out. Opening his senses, he knew Kadie’s parents were asleep. Kadie was awake. And worried.
He sat there a moment, the engine purring softly while he debated the wisdom of stealing a few minutes with her under her father’s roof.
He had just decided it was a really bad idea when the curtains at her window parted and he saw her staring down at him.
She gestured for him to wait for her. A few moments later, she ran down the porch steps and slid into the car.
“You’ve got to get out of town!” she said. “My father knows you killed