Vampire he might be, but he sure knew the way to a girl's heart.
I was humming softly, counting the hours until sundown, when a man and a woman entered the store. One look and I knew they were both Vampires. The man was tall and lean with powerful shoulders and long limbs. His hair was as black as ink, his eyes a bold midnight blue beneath straight black brows. The woman was beautiful. Her hair, as red as flame, fell unbound to her waist. Her eyes were green flecked with gold. She had a small determined chin, a finely shaped nose, and perfectly arched brows. A necklace of amber and jet circled her slender throat.
Clearing my own throat, I said, “May I help you?”
“You must be Kathy,” the man said.
“I'm at a disadvantage, sir,” I replied, “since you know my name and I don't know yours.”
“I am Roshan DeLongpre,” he said, bowing at the waist, “and this is my wife, Brenna.”
“Pleased to meet you,” I murmured, my thoughts racing. Roshan DeLongpre was Raphael's grandfather. He was a Vampire. His wife was a Vampire. It was a little after eleven in the morning, and they were both awake and in my store. I stared at the two of them, too astonished to think clearly.
“Our Raphael speaks very highly of you,” Brenna DeLongpre remarked.
“Does he?”
“Yes, indeed.”
At a loss for words, I could only nod. How was it possible for Raphael's grandparents to be awake when the sun was up? Had he been joking when he told me they were Vampires? And what were they doing in Oak Hollow when they were supposed to be out of the country?
“I take it from your expression that Raphael has told you what we are,” Roshan said with a wry grin.
“Yes, I believe he did mention it.”
Roshan laughed softly. “Please, do not be alarmed by our visit. Brenna wanted to pick up a few books, and since we both wanted to meet you, we thought we would stop by and introduce ourselves.”
I made a broad gesture with my hand. “Please, feel free to browse as long as you like.”
“Thank you.”
He moved toward the science fiction section, the top of his head just visible above the shelf. She wandered among the romances, humming softly.
I wondered what they were doing in Oak Hollow. Rafe had said they were in France.
After fifteen or twenty minutes, they approached the counter, each carrying several books.
“How much do I owe you?” Roshan asked, reaching for his wallet.
“Please, just take them. No charge.”
“Nonsense,” Roshan said. “You're running a business here, and I can well afford to pay.”
I remembered that Rafe had said his grandfather was rich. My fingers were shaking a little as I tallied their purchases. I wondered if Rafe knew his grandparents were in town, and if so, why he hadn't mentioned it the night before. My cheeks grew warm as I recalled how we had spent the night.
Roshan paid for their purchases; I put their books in a bag and handed it to him.
“Thank you,” he said. “I'm sure we'll see you again.”
“Soon, I hope,” Brenna added with a smile. I suddenly remembered Edna telling me that Raphael's grandmother was a witch. She must be a good witch, I thought. She was far too lovely to be anything else. I grinned inwardly as I recalled the good witch in The Wizard of Oz telling Dorothy that only bad witches were ugly.
Brenna DeLongpre took her husband's arm, and they left the store.
Feeling suddenly weak, I dropped into the chair behind my desk, my mind whirling. What on earth had Raphael told them about me?
“I told them you were beautiful and I was in love with you,” Rafe said later that evening. “What did you think I said?”
“You think I'm beautiful?”
“You know I do.”
We were still standing on the porch because I had hit him with the question uppermost in my mind the minute I opened the door.
“Okay if I come in now?” he asked drily.
“Of course.” I stepped back so he could cross the threshold.
He closed the door, then followed me into the living room and sat beside me on the sofa.
“I was just surprised to see them,” I said. “I mean, really surprised, especially since it was still daylight. Shouldn't they have been home in their beds or whatever?”
“You'd think so, wouldn't you?” Rafe said with a grin.
“So, why didn't they burn to a crisp?”
“You remember I told you about Mara?”
“The oldest Vampire around?”
“Right. Well, she made my father and because Mara's blood is so powerful, he can be awake during the day. Mara also shared blood with my grandfather, who then shared his blood with my grandmother. Consequently, they can all be active during the day.”
It was beyond amazing. His Vampire father had sired twins. His father and his grandparents weren't rendered unconscious when the sun rose. “What about your mother?”
“Naturally my father shared his blood with her.”
“So she can walk around during the day, too?”
Raphael nodded.
“What about you?”
“The Dark Sleep has no power over me.”
“Then why haven't I ever seen you during the day?”
He shrugged. “It's when I choose to take my rest. Even though I can be awake and active, it's more natural for me to rest when the sun is up. My parents and grandparents also prefer to rest in the afternoon.”
“So, why doesn't Mara share her blood with all the Vampires?”
“It would weaken her. There are hundreds of Vampires, you know.”
I nodded. It made sense. Even if she doled it out over time, it would take years to share her blood with all the Vampires.
“But that's not the only reason,” Rafe said. “Being able to walk in the daylight gives her an edge over most of the rest of our kind. You understand?”
Oh, I understood, all right. It gave her a decided advantage to be able to be awake when all the other Vampires were asleep and helpless.
“What are your grandparents doing here?” I asked. “I thought they were in France.”
“Mara summoned them.”
“Another council of war?”
“Another council of peace,” Rafe said. He slipped his arm around my waist and drew me closer. “Do you want to talk all night?” he asked, nibbling on my ear.
“I don't know,” I murmured. “What did you have in mind?”
“Oh, a little of this,” he said, trailing slow, hot kisses along my neck. “A little of that.” His hands skimmed over my body, leaving a quivering mass of desire in their wake.
“I'll give you an hour to stop that,” I said, and surrendered to the magic that was Raphael.
Chapter Fourteen
I woke smiling the next morning. It was getting to be a habit, I thought, one I didn't want to break.
Humming softly, I turned on the radio in the kitchen while I poured myself a cup of coffee.
“…in other news, longtime resident Susie McGee is still missing.”
Susie, missing? I turned up the volume.
“According to her husband, Mrs. McGee went to a parent-teacher conference three nights ago and never returned home. Her car was found on the edge of Brawley Woods late last night. Mr. McGee was questioned at length by the Oak Hollow Police Department and later released. In what may be a related story, Mark Littlejohn has also been reported missing. According to his wife, Mary Littlejohn, Mark went bowling with a couple of friends three nights ago and never came home. The police are currently questioning Mark Littlejohn's associates at work. If you have information relating to either of these missing persons, please call the Oak Hollow Police Department. In the meantime, local police are advising residents to be sure to lock their doors and windows and to remain inside after dark. In stock market news…”
I switched off the radio. Two people had gone missing on the same night. That didn't sound good. I didn't want to believe that anything bad had happened to Susie, so I searched my mind for some other explanation. Maybe she and Mark had run off together. I shook my head. Even if such a far-fetched scenario was true, Susie would never have left her kids behind. She might leave her husband, but never her sons. What if Mark was the father of Susie's new baby and Rick had found out and…and what? Killed them both and buried the bodies? I shook my head. There had to be another explanation, something a little less gruesome.
I couldn't imagine Susie sneaking out to meet another man. As for Mark Littlejohn, I had never met the man and knew nothing about him except that he owned a roller-skating rink on the outskirts of town.
Susie was still much on my mind when I opened the store later that morning. Who would want to hurt a pregnant woman? Poor Susie…I thrust the thought from my mind. Until I knew otherwise, I refused to believe the worst.
Edna and Pearl stopped by later that afternoon. Instead of their usual colorful attire, they both wore black from head to foot, relieved only by tinkling silver bracelets, dangling earrings in the shape of crosses, and silver necklaces.
“Isn't it awful, dear?” Pearl murmured. “Poor Susie! And Mark. Such a nice boy.”
Edna clucked softly. “I knew something like this would happen, what with all those Vampires and Werewolves stalking the streets after dark.”
Pearl laid her hand on my arm. “Susie was a friend of yours, wasn't she?”
“Yes. Have you heard anything?”
“No, only what they said on the news this morning. But when people go missing in Oak Hollow…” Pearl's voice trailed off.
Edna nodded. “It's so sad. I don't know how Rick will raise those boys without her.”
“Stop it! She's not dead. I can't believe it. I won't!”
“I know how you must feel, dear,” Pearl said kindly. “But it's better to face the truth, however ugly it might be, and then put it behind you.”