Dead Sexy

Shaking the water from her coat, she trotted toward the cave.

Santiago followed her, thinking that, woman or wolf, Regan Delaney was the most desirable creature he had ever known.

Chapter 18

Regan paced back and forth in front of the entrance to the cave, waiting, wondering if she would shift again. The moon had risen an hour ago; thus far, she hadn't felt the wolf stirring inside her.

"Do you feel anything?" Santiago asked.

"No."

"I think it is safe for us to leave."

With a nod, she helped him gather their gear together. The nightmare was over until the next full moon.

Riding down the mountain was much faster and more pleasant than walking up had been. Regan had been surprised to see the horses, thinking them long gone. When she asked Santiago about it, he told her he had called them to him. Another useful trick, she thought.

The trip home was uneventful. Regan had been worried about the horses when Santiago turned them loose, but he had assured her they would find their way back to Hunonpa Luta's camp.

It seemed odd to be riding in a car again, to see houses and stores, paved roads and street lights. It didn't seem right that everything in the city looked so normal, so unchanged, when her whole life had been turned upside down.

It was after midnight several nights later when Santiago pulled up in front of her apartment. "I do not think this is a good idea."

"I have to go home sometime. I need to change my clothes, and I want to sleep in my own bed and bathe in my own tub."

"Stay with me tonight."

Regan glanced out the passenger-side window. The streets were dark, the sky overcast. The thought of spending the night in her apartment alone when Vasile was on the loose sent a shiver down her spine. She was going to have to face Vasile sometime, but not tonight. She needed to come up with a plan, needed to get her emotions under control before she went hunting the werewolf. Perhaps she should go home with Santiago. She would be safer with him than she would be staying here alone.

"All right," she decided, "but I'm coming home in the morning."

He didn't say anything, but simply turned the car around and drove to You Bet Your Life Park. After unlocking the trunk, he gathered their bags.

Regan stayed close to his side as they entered the park. Few lights were visible inside the park. It was creepy, walking along the tree-lined path toward Santiago's apartment. From time to time, vampires appeared out of the darkness, seemingly from out of nowhere. It was disconcerting, having them appear and disappear like that. Some of them nodded at Santiago. Some of them looked at her as if wondering how she would taste. Here and there, they passed couples sitting on wooden benches, enjoying the evening air and the moonlight. A few of the vampires, both male and female, were with their mortal companions. There had been a time not so long ago when Regan had wondered how any man or woman could be seriously involved with a vampire, let alone live with one, but now, after spending time with Santiago, it was easier to understand the attraction, and easy to see why the vampires were trying to have a law passed that would allow vampires and mortals to intermarry. The fact that she didn't find that as disturbing as she once had was quite disturbing.

They took the elevator to Santiago's apartment. He tucked both bags under one arm, then unlocked the door and stepped inside ahead of her. Dropping the bags on the floor, he turned on the lights and muttered a vile oath.

Startled, Regan leaned to one side so she could see around him. She gasped at what she saw. The apartment was a shambles. The sofa and chair had been ripped to shreds, tables were overturned, lamps had been broken.

Santiago waited until Regan entered the apartment, then closed the door and set the lock. Hands clenched at his sides, he explored the rest of the apartment. Regan followed him from room to room. The bedding, mattress, and pillows were in shreds, the dresser and night stands were on their sides, the chair was in pieces. The refrigerator door had been ripped off; the bags of synthetic blood had been opened, their contents splashed across the floor and splattered over the walls.

"Who would have done this?" Regan exclaimed.

"Vasile."

"But… how did he get in here?"

Santiago shook his head. "I do not know, but I intend to find out."

"How?"

"Someone must have let him in."

"I didn't think anyone else had access to your apartment."

"Stay here. I will be right back."

"Where are you going?"

"Downstairs. To check with security."

"No way! I'm not staying here alone."

For a moment, it looked like he was going to argue with her, and then thought better of it. "Very well, come along," he said, picking up her bag.

The vampire at the desk, whose name was Lenny, denied letting anyone into Santiago's apartment and said that, as far as he knew, no one had come looking for him. When asked, Lenny replied that there hadn't been any killings in the park or in the city in the last week and a half.

Santiago thanked Lenny for his time and requested that someone be sent up to his apartment as soon as possible to clean up the mess.

"We can always go back to my place," Regan suggested as they left the office.

"No. We will go to my lair."

She was about to remind him it had been trashed when she realized he meant his other lair.

"Why do you keep two places?" she asked, and knew the answer before the question left her lips. She had seen the reason with her own eyes. "Do all vampires keep more than one place?"

"The smart ones do." Taking her by the hand, he led her to his car. He held the car door open for her, closed it, then rounded the front of the car and slid behind the wheel.

"You don't spend much time in the park apartment, do you?" Regan asked.

"Why do you ask?" Glancing over his shoulder, he pulled away from the curb.

She shrugged. "It's so bland. It doesn't look like you."

He glanced at her, obviously amused. "No?"

She grinned. "All that white. It just doesn't suit you."

"Perhaps I should paint the walls black," he mused, "to match my soul."

Regan's smile faded. "I didn't mean that."

"I know."

"Do you think Vasile left town? That vampire, Lenny, said there haven't been any killings recently."

"It is always a possibility."

"I'm going to have to go home sooner or later," Regan reminded him.

"But not tonight."

Knowing it was useless to argue with him, she sat back and made a mental list of the things she had to do when she got home—pick up her mail, call her parents, call Michael, call the department, check her e-mail.