Night's Master (Children of The Night 3)

Rafe stepped through a doorway to the left, then glanced at me over his shoulder. “Stay there.”

His tone left no room for argument, so I waited until he moved farther into the room before I peeked around the door frame.

And wished I hadn't.

There were no curtains on the windows. In the faint light cast by a streetlamp, I saw Susie sitting on the floor, her back against the wall, her expression stricken. A thin ribbon of red marred her throat. It took me a minute to realize it was blood.

Her husband lay sprawled on his back at her feet, a gaping hole where his throat had been. A large knife with a wicked-looking silver blade lay on the floor beside him.

Cagin, wearing only a pair of jeans, stood beside the body. His yellow eyes were glowing. Blood was splattered across his chest and stained the corners of his mouth.

“What happened here?” Rafe asked.

It was Cagin who answered. “He brought her here to kill her. I couldn't let that happen.”

Cagin had saved Susie's life…. I frowned, remembering the night outside Susie's house. Maybe the look on his face hadn't been anger, as I had supposed, but worry. Or affection.

I stepped into the doorway. “You were protecting her the other night, too, weren't you?”

“Maybe.”

“And you were going to shift and go after her, weren't you? Only Rafe's grandfather beat you to it, and then Rafe showed up…. You didn't want to fight him, did you? You were just angry because we interfered.”

Rafe glared at me. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“He's in love with Susie.”

Rafe's brow furrowed thoughtfully, and then he looked at Cagin. “Is that right?”

“What if it is?”

“Wolves and tigers don't mix,” Rafe said.

“Mind your own business,” Cagin said, his voice a snarl.

I looked at Susie. She hadn't moved, hadn't said a word. “Susie?”

Slowly, she lifted her head and looked at me. “Joe's been helping me adjust,” she said, her voice so low it was barely audible.

Joe, I thought. Who's Joe? And then I realized she meant Cagin.

“He promised to stay with me when the moon is full.” She looked at Cagin, the horror in her eyes changing, softening. “He understands me.”

Good grief, she sounded like she was in love with him! But how could that be? She couldn't have known him for more than a few days.

“We need to get out of here,” Cagin remarked.

Rafe nodded. “We need to get rid of the body.”

“You two can take care of that,” I said. “I'm taking Susie home.”

She was silent in the car. Now and then, a long shuddering sigh escaped her lips, but other than that, and a few tears, she just stared out the window, her hands folded so tightly in her lap, her knuckles were white.

When we reached Susie's house, I pulled into the driveway. I cut the ignition, then helped her out of the car and up the walk. Inside, I urged her to sit down; then I went into the kitchen and fixed her a cup of tea heavily laced with some brandy I found in one of the cupboards.

Refusing to meet my gaze, she drank it without question, then put the cup aside.

“He was going to kill me,” she said, her voice devoid of emotion. “He said he was sorry, but it was his duty. He told me not to worry, that he'd look after the boys, and then he pulled a knife….” She looked up at me for the first time. “He had the knife at my throat, and then Cagin was there, and…” She began to tremble. “I'm cold,” she murmured. “So cold.”

I went into her bedroom and pulled a blanket off the bed. I tried to imagine what it had been like for her, feeling the knife against her skin as she waited for her husband to slit her throat, then watching while Cagin attacked and killed her husband.

Returning to the living room, I draped the blanket around her shoulders, then sat beside her.

Susie lifted a hand to her throat. “If it wasn't for Cagin, I'd be dead now.”

“You seem very…” I searched for the right word. “Very fond of him.”

A blush stained her cheeks. “He's been very kind to me. He listens when I talk. He makes me feel like what I have to say is worthwhile.” She smiled faintly. “He makes me feel beautiful.”

It just proved that you could never tell, from the outside, what was going on in someone else's life, or someone else's marriage. Had anyone asked, I would have said that Susie was happy with her husband and her marriage, but in just a few short sentences, she had proved me wrong.

She looked at me through haunted eyes. “What am I going to tell my children? What if Rick was right? Maybe they would be better off without me.”

I didn't know what to say to that. For all I knew, Werewolves made wonderful mothers. Then again, maybe they didn't.

Susie rested her head against the back of the sofa and closed her eyes. A moment later, she was asleep.

With a sigh, I carried her empty cup into the kitchen, rinsed it out, and then stood at the sink, my hands braced against the edge of the counter as I stared into the darkness beyond the window. Where was Rafe? What had they done with Rick's body? How was Susie going to explain his absence to her children, her parents, his family, the townspeople? And what of Travis Jackson? No matter what story Susie concocted to cover her husband's disappearance, Travis would suspect the truth.

Feeling a headache coming on, I fixed myself a cup of tea, then went into the living room and sat in the chair next to the sofa. Susie had been crying in her sleep. Her cheeks were damp with tears.

My heart ached for her. I wished there was something I could do to help, some words of wisdom that would ease her fears. It just wasn't fair for such a sweet lady to suffer so much. But she wouldn't have to suffer alone. It was obvious that Cagin was in love with her. Given the chance, he would take care of her.

And then I frowned. Cagin had said two Vampires were watching Susie's house. Having seen Rafe's grandmother there, I had assumed the other Vampire was Roshan, which begged the question, where had Rafe's grandparents been tonight? Why hadn't they followed Rick and Susie?

It was a little over an hour later when Cagin and Rafe showed up.

Cagin didn't say a word. Lifting Susie from the sofa as if she weighed no more than a small child, he brushed a kiss across her brow, and then carried her out the door.

“Is she okay?” Rafe asked.

“As okay as she can be, I guess, all things considered. Where's he taking her?”

“To his place, for tonight. Tomorrow, he's taking her away from here.”