hallway, still within sight of the door. Whatever happened next, she was going to be there to see it.
When Saintcrow was certain Kadie was safely out of the way, he opened the door.
The three men inside blinked at him, the color draining from their faces when they realized they were staring into the face of the man they had come to destroy. The hunter at the top of the stairs loosed a cry undoubtedly meant to boost his courage as he charged forward, a stout wooden stake clutched in his right hand.
Saintcrow grabbed the man by the collar of his coat and tossed him against the wall. The hunter crumpled to the floor, a thin trickle of blood leaking from his forehead.
The other two came through the door together, only to meet the same fate as the first man, although one of them managed to drive a stake into Saintcrow’s left shoulder before his head hit the wall.
Grimacing, Saintcrow jerked the wood from his shoulder and threw it down the stairs.
Kadie glanced at the three fallen hunters. “What now?”
“I’m going to wipe this place and everything that happened here from their minds. And then I’m going to make the mere idea of hunting vampires so repellent to them that the very thought of it will make them violently ill.”
“You can do that?”
He nodded. “Why don’t you go downstairs and wait for me? I’ll join you as soon as I can.”
“But . . .”
“Get out of here, Kadie.”
With a huff of exasperation, she tossed the tapestry at him, then flounced down the staircase.
Saintcrow grinned as he listened to her angry footsteps.
After rehanging the tapestry, he knelt beside the first hunter. The sooner he sent these idiots on their way, the sooner he could spend time with his woman.
Kadie was playing solitaire at the kitchen table when Saintcrow strolled into the room. He looked extremely satisfied with himself.
“Are they gone?” she asked coolly.
“Yeah. They won’t be staking any more vampires.”
Kadie nodded. “That’s good.” She placed a red nine on a black ten, then dropped the rest of the cards on the table as she put a disquieting thought into words. “I think my father figured out where I was and sent those men here.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“You’re not upset?”
“No, why should I be?”
“They killed Lilith. If I hadn’t come back here, they wouldn’t have found you. You could have been killed, too.”
He lifted one brow.
“Well, excuse me for worrying!”
Laughing, Saintcrow dragged her chair away from the table, then drew her into his arms. “Kadie, my love, stop worrying about me. I can take care of myself, and you, too. As for Lilith . . .” He shrugged. The world was better off without her.
He was about to suggest they take a walk when his nostrils flared. A moment later, there was a knock at the front door.
Kadie looked up at Saintcrow. “Are you expecting someone?”
“No, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised he’s here.”
“Who’s here?”
“Lilith’s fledgling. Micah Ravenwood.”
Saintcrow gave Kadie’s hand a squeeze, then went to greet his guest.
Kadie trailed at Saintcrow’s heels. She hung back a little when he opened the door. He didn’t invite the other vampire into the house.
Lilith’s fledgling stood almost as tall as Saintcrow. He was a good-looking man with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and dusky skin. Kadie guessed he was probably in his mid-twenties.
“What the devil are you doing here?” Saintcrow demanded.
“I’m not sure. I felt something strange when I woke tonight.” Ravenwood shook his head. “I don’t know what it was, or how to describe it . . .”
“Lilith was destroyed this afternoon,” Saintcrow said. “What you felt on waking was the breaking of the blood bond between you.”
“What does that mean, exactly?”
“It means your sire is dead and you’re on your own. Ideally, she should have stayed with you the first few months until you were comfortable with your new lifestyle.”
“So, what do I do now?”
Saintcrow shrugged. “Anything you want. Just don’t do it here.”
“Where is she? I mean, did you bury her or do old vampires just go up in smoke?”
“I buried her. The town cemetery is just a few miles down the road.”
“Would you mind if I”—he cleared his throat—“if I stopped by there on my way out of town?”
“Suit yourself.”
“Well, so long, then.”
“The women in town are off-limits,” Saintcrow said. “Remember that.”
With a wave of his hand, Ravenwood ambled down the stairs and drove off in a black Chevy truck.
With a shake of his head, Saintcrow shut the door. He couldn’t