"How shall I introduce you?" Kadie asked. She had packed a bag earlier that night, and then Saintcrow had used his preternatural power to transport them to Morro Bay.
Their first stop had been at a car rental agency where Saintcrow had picked out a low-slung sports model. Now, as she stood on the front porch of her parents' house, it suddenly occurred to her that she was about to present a vampire to a surgeon and a housewife who were active in their church and their community and who had lived in the same small town all their lives. If they knew vampires existed, they had never discussed it, at least not in front of Kadie or her sister.
"Perhaps you can just tell them I'm a friend."
"A friend I brought home from work?" she asked with a wry grin.
"Or you could say I followed you, like a stray puppy."
"Some puppy," Kadie remarked as she opened the door and stepped into the foyer. "Mom? Dad?" She dropped her suitcase on the floor. "I'm home."
Still standing on the porch, Saintcrow watched as a dark-haired woman with bright blue eyes ran forward to hug Kadie.
"I'm so glad to see you!" her mother cried. "We were beginning to worry about you."
"That's what mothers are for," Kadie said, hugging her mother in return. "Is Dad home?"
"No. He took Kathy to the hospital this afternoon. I just got home myself a few minutes ago."
"Is she all right?" Kadie asked anxiously.
"She's been feeling poorly the last few days, so Dad took her in for another treatment. If all goes well, she'll be home in a few days." Mrs. Andrews hugged her daughter again. "I'm so glad you're home. Kathy's been asking for you." Moving to shut the front door, she noticed the stranger on the front porch for the first time. "Kadie, you didn't tell me you brought company."
"This is my . . . my friend, Rylan Saintcrow. Rylan, this is my mother, Carolyn Andrews."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Saintcrow." Carolyn looked at Kadie. "Where are your manners?" Extending her hand, Mrs. Andrews said, "Come in, won't you?"
Summoning his best manners, he murmured, "Thank you, ma'am," as he shook her hand.
"Please, call me Carolyn," she said with a smile. Tucking Kadie's arm in hers, Mrs. Andrews led the way into the living room. She and Kadie sat together on the sofa.
Saintcrow trailed behind, his gaze moving quickly over the room. The furniture was old but expensive and well taken care of. A piano stood in one corner, the lid covered with photographs of varying sizes, all depicting Kadie and another, younger girl, in various stages of growth. The pictures on the mantel displayed photos he was certain Kadie had taken.
His gaze rested on Kadie's mother. She was a pretty woman in her late forties. She carried herself with the air of a woman who had never known want. Now and then, she ran her fingertips over the large filigreed silver cross that hung from a silver chain around her neck.
"So, tell me all about this last trip," Carolyn was saying. "Did you get any great shots?"
Their voices faded into the background as Saintcrow sat in the overstuffed chair across from the sofa, absorbing the smells of the house-soap, shampoo, shaving cream, toothpaste, the lingering odor of cooked food, disinfectant, the fragrance of the flowers on the table beside the sofa. The smell of an apple pie wafted from the kitchen. And overall, another scent he recognized all too well. The scent of vampire blood.
He was aware of the curious glances Kadie's mother occasionally sent in his direction, and after she and Kadie had played catch-up, she turned to him with a smile.
"So, Mr. Saintcrow, tell me about yourself. What do you do?"
"I don't have a job, as such. I'm rather fortunate in that I'm able to live off my investments," he said smoothly. "And please, call me Rylan."
"You must have a lot of spare time on your hands. What do you do to keep busy?"
"Mother, really!" Kadie exclaimed.
"It's all right, Kadie. I support several people who live in a small town that has no other source of income."
Carolyn's eyes widened in surprise. "That's very generous of you. It must be terribly satisfying, using your money to help others."
"Yes, indeed."
"Oh! Where are my manners?" Mrs. Andrews exclaimed. "Have you two had dinner?"
"We ate earlier, Mom."
"How about dessert? There's a fresh apple pie in the kitchen, still warm from the oven."
"Sounds great." Kadie looked at Saintcrow, a twinkle in her eye. "It's too bad you're on a diet. My mom makes the world's best apple pie."
"A diet?" Mrs. Andrews shook her head. "You look fit as a fiddle to me."
"Trying to cut down on carbs," Saintcrow replied.
"Yes, of course," Mrs. Andrews said with a sigh. "Everyone's so worried about cholesterol these days. Kadie, why don't you come help me in the kitchen?"
Saintcrow grinned inwardly, amused by Mrs. Andrews's not-so-subtle way of getting Kadie out of the room. He had no doubt that Kadie's mother was eager to get her daughter alone for a few minutes, anxious to find out more about their guest. It was obvious mother and daughter were very close.
Rising, he wandered around the room, pausing to look more closely at several of Kadie's photographs. She really was a talented photographer, he thought, admiring a black-and-white, wide-angle shot she had taken of some of the houses in Bodie. Moving on, he noticed several of her articles were framed on the wall behind the piano.
He was about to resume his seat when the front door opened and a tall, angular man with close-cropped black hair and brown eyes entered the house. The man came up short when he saw a stranger in his living room.
"Dr. Andrews?" Saintcrow said.
"Yes. And you'd be . . . ?"
"Rylan Saintcrow. I'm a friend of Kadie's."
Dr. Andrews studied him through narrowed eyes. "Where's Carolyn?"
"Right here," Mrs. Andrews said, hurrying out to greet her husband.
"Dad!" Kadie ran to her father and threw her arms around him.
"Hey, pumpkin!" Dr. Andrews said, hugging her close. "Welcome home."
Warmth crept through Kadie at the sound of her childhood nickname. "I see you've met Rylan," she said, smiling. "Rylan, this is my dad, Ralph Andrews."
The two men shook hands.
"Rylan came to my rescue when my car ran out of gas," Kadie explained. She tugged on her father's arm, leading him to the sofa. She sat down, and her parents sat on either side of her.
Saintcrow took the chair he had occupied earlier.
"So, Kadie, where have you been all this time?" Andrews was talking to his daughter, but his gaze never left Saintcrow's face.
"Rylan is the benefactor of a small town in Wyoming. I've been staying there. I got some great shots. I can't wait to print them."
"A benefactor?" Dr. Andrews remarked.
"Yes," Saintcrow said, his gaze meeting that of Kadie's father. "I have a bit of money. I find if you take care of people, they'll take care of you."
"I see. Will you be staying long?"
Saintcrow shrugged. "I'm not sure."
Mrs. Andrews laid her hand on her husband's arm. "No more questions, Ralph. We were about to have some pie. Would you like a slice?"
Dr. Andrews nodded.
Motioning for Kadie to stay where she was, Mrs. Andrews went into the kitchen. She returned moments later carrying a tray bearing three slices of pie and four cups of coffee.
Saintcrow accepted one of the cups without comment.
He grinned when Kadie looked at him, one brow lifted in amusement.
"How was your day, dear?" Mrs. Andrews asked. "Did the Perkins boy respond to the new treatment?"
"Yes, he's going home tomorrow."
"So soon? That's wonderful." Mrs. Andrews beamed with pride.
"My father's quite a famous doctor," Kadie said. "Patients with terminal illnesses come to him from all over the world."
"They call him the miracle worker," Mrs. Andrews said. "He's been written up in all the medical journals."
"Unfortunately, I haven't been able to cure my own daughter."
Saintcrow nodded sympathetically. He sat back, the cup untouched in his hand, listening to the Andrews family discuss their day. After getting Kathy settled in at the hospital, Dr. Andrews had spent the morning in surgery and the afternoon making rounds. Mrs. Andrews volunteered as a teacher's aide in a school for handicapped children three days a week. Interspersed in their conversation about the day's activities were questions for Kadie: Had she sold the photographs she had taken in Silverton? Not yet. How long was she going to stay? She wasn't sure. Where was she thinking of going next? England, with Rylan.
They spent the next half hour making polite conversation, and then Dr. Andrews said he felt like some fresh air and asked Saintcrow if he would join him out on the patio.
Saintcrow followed the man outside, waited patiently for him to say what was on his mind. He didn't have to wait long.
"Does my daughter know you're a vampire?"
"She knows. But she doesn't know you're a hunter, does she?"
If Andrews was surprised, he didn't show it.
"That's what I thought. I'm betting your wife doesn't know, either."
"She has her suspicions."
Saintcrow nodded. Most hunters chose not to marry, knowing that their wives and children could be used against them. He shook his head when Andrews reached casually inside his jacket. "I wouldn't, if I were you."
Andrews froze, then, very carefully lowered his arm to his side. "If you hurt Kadie, I'll hunt you down if it takes the rest of my life."
"I'm not going to hurt her. And just so you know, the only way you can destroy me is by taking my head. And I don't intend to let that happen."
Curiosity flared in Andrews's eyes. "I've never heard of a vampire who couldn't be destroyed by a stake in the heart."
Saintcrow shrugged. "I'm a very old vampire. Not much can hurt me anymore." He leaned back against one of the patio supports, his arms folded across his chest. "Are there a lot of vampires here in Morro Bay?"
"Not anymore."
Saintcrow raked a hand through his hair. He had a feeling Andrews would be a formidable enemy. He also had a feeling that he knew what kind of "miracle" the good doctor was using to cure his patients. "What do you do with the bodies after you take their blood?"
The color drained from Ralph Andrews's face.
"That's how you perform all those miracles, isn't it? By infusing your patients with a little vampire blood." He wondered why it didn't work on the doctor's daughter.
"It's only fair, isn't it?" Andrews retorted. "Human blood sustained their lives. It's only right that they return the favor."
Andrews was a smooth character, Saintcrow mused. He knew the doctor was afraid of him. He could hear the rapid beating of the man's heart, smell the fear on his skin. He let him sweat for a few more moments before saying, "Relax, I'm not going to give your secrets away. And I'm not in the revenge business."
"What are your intentions toward my daughter?"
"I'm going to take her to England and show her a good time."
"And if I refuse to let her go?"
"I wouldn't try it if I were you. Besides, she's a big girl, capable of making her own decisions."
"And after England, then what?"
Saintcrow shrugged. "I haven't thought that far ahead. Shall we go back inside?"
Kadie's parents went upstairs to bed a short time later. "What did you and my dad talk about for so long?" Kadie asked when she and Rylan were finally alone.
"Just guy talk." He stretched his arm across the back of the sofa. "He told me a little about his practice and asked me what my intentions were."
"He didn't! What did you say?"
"I told him we planned to go to England, and that I hadn't thought beyond that."
"Oh."
"You sound disappointed."
She shook her head. "No, I . . ." She was disappointed. Even though she kept reminding herself that he was a vampire and they had no real future together, she couldn't imagine her life without him in it.
"Kadie?"
"It's late," she said, blinking rapidly. "I'll go make sure there are clean sheets on the bed in the guest room."
When she started to rise, his hand on her arm stayed her. "I won't be sleeping here."
"Where will you go?"
"I'll find a place, don't worry."
"But what will I tell my folks? They'll expect you to stay with us."
"Tell them whatever you want. Tell them I came to town on business and I had an early meeting. Whatever. I'll see you tomorrow night."
She nodded, but looked none too happy.
"I'll miss you, too." He stroked her cheek with his fingertips.
One touch, and she wanted to pull him down on the sofa, to pour herself over him, to absorb his very essence. It had been days since he had made love to her. She wanted him. Needed him.
He smiled at her, a smugly masculine smile. "I want you, too, sweetheart."
"Then take me, now."
"Here? Under your father's roof?" He shook his head. "I don't think so." He could imagine her father's righteous indignation if he found the two of them together, could almost feel the sting of the blade as Andrews lopped off his head. But it didn't keep him from taking Kadie in his arms and kissing her. She was light to his darkness, a blanket of warmth to turn away the chill, a ray of hope that chased away his occasional bouts of despair.
Hugging him close, she ran her tongue along the side of his neck.
He hissed a word she didn't understand under his breath.
Pleased by that reaction, she climbed onto his lap and kissed him, long and hard, until, with a low growl, he planted his hands on either side of her head and took control of the kiss, his fingers tangling in her hair, his tongue plundering her mouth. He kissed her until they were both breathless, then, in a single sinuous move, he stood and placed her on her feet.
She stared up at him.
"Go to bed, Kadie," he said.
"But . . ."
"I need to feed and find a place to rest. I'll see you tomorrow night."
"You're going?" How could he leave her now, when she was on fire for him?
But she was talking to empty air.
Saintcrow strolled down the quiet streets of Kadie's neighborhood, his hands shoved in his pockets. Most of the houses were dark. Here and there, a dog barked at his passing. A cat hissed at him, then turned and ran away. A short time later, a police car slowed as it passed him, but then moved on.
He grinned inwardly, bemused by fate's sense of humor at bringing him into the home of an active vampire hunter. He wondered absently how many vampires Andrews had dispatched, and how he had discovered the healing properties of vampire blood. Had it been by accident, or had the good doctor done a little experimenting on the side? He wondered what kind of illness Kadie's sister had and why the blood of his kind failed to heal her, or at least put the symptoms into remission for an extended length of time.
Turning right, he came to a strip mall. Most of the businesses were dark, but a sign in the window of a small tavern announced it was open. Pushing through the door, he quickly scanned the occupants-a couple of young men playing pinball in the corner, a middle-aged couple sitting at the far end of the bar, a man and a woman at a nearby table who had eyes only for each other.
Moving to the bar, Saintcrow ordered a glass of red wine. He sipped it slowly, and waited. A short time later two young women-a blonde and a redhead-entered the bar, laughing. Both were pretty, but he liked the way the redhead smelled. When she looked in his direction, he smiled. It was as easy as that.
Two minutes later, he bought her a drink to quench her thirst.
Three minutes after that, she was quenching his.