Night's Master (Children of The Night 3)

He swore softly. There was nothing he could do about that. Putting the thought out of his mind, he let himself think about Kathy instead. He had never been one to believe in karma or fate, but in the deepest part of his being, he knew she had been born for him.

When he was with her, he could almost forget he was no longer human. Almost. He was amazed that she had so quickly accepted him for what he was. Her curiosity about his lifestyle and his paranormal powers amused him, her nearness aroused him, her blood was the sweetest he had ever tasted. A few sips had satisfied his craving in ways nothing else ever had.

And she loved him. That was the most amazing thing of all. But did she love him enough, was she brave enough, to spend the rest of her life with him?

Only time would tell, he mused ruefully.

And that was one thing he had plenty of.

Chapter Sixteen

Friday morning dawned cold and wet. Dark clouds hung low in an angry gray sky. My first thought was for Susie. Picking up the receiver, I called the hospital and gave the operator her room number.

A man answered the phone.

“Hi,” I said. “This is Kathy McKenna. Is Susie there?”

“This is her husband. She's not taking phone calls just now.”

“Oh.” I didn't like the tone of his voice at all. “Is she feeling any better?” I heard Susie's voice in the background. It sounded like she was crying. “Mr. McGee, please, if I could just speak to her for a minute.”

“Perhaps another time,” he said curtly.

“Excuse me, Mr. McGee, but I'm the one who found her. I think I have a right to speak to her.”

There was a pause, the sound of muffled voices that told me Rick had his hand over the receiver, and then Susie's voice came over the line.

“Kathy, I'm sorry, but I really can't talk right now.”

“Are you all right?”

“Not really.”

I had the feeling her husband was standing over her, listening to every word. Before today, I'd never said more than three or four words to the man, but I was starting to hate him. “I understand. Why don't you call me when you get home, or when you can talk?”

“I will.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, thank you for calling,” Susie said politely, and hung up the phone.

I stared at the receiver, wondering if I dared call back. She had sounded so…I don't know, so completely forlorn, so lost. I had hoped her husband would comfort her, but I didn't think the man had it in him. He had sounded angry, as if what had happened to Susie was her own fault.

But there was nothing I could do about it now, not while he was there. If he didn't want me to talk to her on the phone, I was pretty sure he wouldn't want me coming to visit.

After a quick breakfast, I showered, got dressed, and went to the bookstore.

In spite of the rain, or maybe because of it, a number of people came into the shop to browse. Even more surprising, they seemed in no hurry to leave, and most of them actually bought books.

“I'm going home to curl up in front of the fire,” one woman remarked. “A good book and a cup of hot chocolate—I can't think of anything that sounds better on a day like this.”

An image of Rafe flashed through my mind. I could think of several things I'd rather do on a day like this, I mused, imagining the two of us curled up on my bed. I didn't say it out loud, of course, merely nodded in agreement.

Shortly after two o'clock, things went back to normal, as in, no customers. I closed up for thirty minutes and went to lunch, then returned to the store. Shortly after three, the Were-girl I had seen once before entered the shop.

She picked out a couple of paperbacks. Ringing up her purchases, I wondered what would be the best way to start a conversation with her and decided on a simple, “Hi, Jennifer, it's nice to see you again.”

She looked at me, her violet eyes wide and suspicious. “How'd you know my name?”

I held up her credit card.

“Oh,” she said, blushing, “of course.”

I smiled as I returned her card, then bagged her books. I wanted desperately to question her about what it was like to be a shape-shifter, but the words stuck in my throat. She didn't look like she was anxious to talk about it, and I wasn't sure it was a good idea to let her know that I knew what she was. Besides, she probably couldn't answer my questions anyway, since being a shape-shifter wasn't the same as being a Werewolf.

“Come again,” I said.

She smiled uncertainly as she picked up her bag and left the store.

With a sigh, I stared after her, then picked up the phone and dialed the hospital. I asked for Susie's room, only to learn that her husband had already taken her home.

The hours seemed to drag by. And it was Friday, which meant staying open until nine. Of course, I was the boss. I could always close up early. Heck, I could close up now.

Moving to the door, I stared out into the gloom. Jagged bolts of lightning speared the clouds; thunder rolled across the lowering skies. The sidewalks were empty; there was little traffic on the street.

I'd stay another half an hour or so, I thought, and then I was going to go home and, like the woman who had been in earlier, I was going to curl up in front of the fire with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book.

The prospect was so appealing, I decided not to wait any longer. With that thought in mind, I turned away from the window and felt my heart skip a beat when I saw Rafe standing by the counter. He wore a long black leather coat over a pair of black jeans and a dark green shirt.

“Oh!” I pressed a hand to my heart. “You startled me!”

“Sorry.”

I studied him for a moment. He was as handsome as ever, his appearance impeccable, his long black hair framing a face worthy of a Botticelli, but something wasn't right. And then it hit me. “How come you're not wet?”

He shrugged. “Vampire magic?”

I grunted softly. It seemed to be his standard answer for anything related to his Supernatural status. “Susie went home today.”

“She's better then?”

“I don't know. I didn't really get to talk to her. I'm worried about her, Rafe. Her husband seems so unsympathetic and, well, I'm just worried about her.”

“You don't think he'd hurt her, do you?”

“I don't know, but I can't believe they let her go home already. I mean, she lost a baby and…and, you know.”

“We can stop by there later, after you close up,” Rafe said.

“I'm closing now,” I said. “Let's go.”

Rafe parked his car a block away from Susie's house. I looked askance at him. Did he expect us to walk in the rain? Maybe he wouldn't get wet, but I would.