Cara woke in her bed in her parents' house with no memory of how she had gotten there. The sun was shining through the windows and she was alone in her room. For a moment, her mind was mercifully blank and then, like the ocean at high tide, it all came flooding back-Anton and the creature, her mother and Vince coming to the rescue, Vince getting shot...
Vince. Her father had been right. Vince was a vampire... vampire... vampire.
The word echoed and re-echoed in her mind. Vampire.
She told herself it didn't matter, that it wasn't important. Her parents were vampires and she still loved them. She stared out the window, reliving the moments in the basement last night, recalling the sharp report of the gunshots, the acrid stink of gunpowder, the sickly sweet scent of blood. Vince's blood.
Vampire blood, oozing from the wounds in his chest. She recalled, all too vividly, the coolness of his skin, the sticky wetness of his blood on her hands, her certainty that he was dead, and then the miracle of watching his torn flesh heal right before her eyes.
Vampire.
Undead.
She had always imagined she and her husband sharing intimate, candlelit dinners at home, dining out in nice restaurants on birthdays or anniversaries. Did she want to spend the rest of her life eating her meals alone?
How would she feel in ten years or twenty, when she showed the signs of aging and he didn't? Did she want to live with a man who would look forever young, a man who couldn't go outside during the day?
Did she love him enough to accept him as he really was? Did she want to spend the rest of her life with a man who wasn't a man at all?
Did she want to spend the rest of her life without him?
She felt betrayed because he hadn't been honest with her. Neither had her parents, she thought ruefully.
She could understand her parents' reluctance to tell her the truth. She could understand Vince's, too, but the fact remained that, right or wrong, good reasons or not, the people she loved most in the world had all lied to her. It was worse with Vince, though. He had let her fall in love with him when she didn't really know who, or what, he was.
With a sigh, she realized that the signs had been there all the time, but she had refused to see them-
arriving late at Sarah Beth's so he wouldn't have to explain why he didn't eat dinner, never leaving the garage when the sun was up, always leaving her house before dawn. She had never seen him eat or drink anything except that glass of wine at her parents' house and a Bloody Mariah. She frowned thoughtfully, wondering why he could drink wine and nothing else.
Where was he now? Where was her dad? He had left the basement last night in pursuit of Anton, and she hadn't seen him since.
She glanced at the clock. It was time to get ready for work. For the first time, the thought held no appeal.
She got ready anyway, thinking that going to work would help keep her mind off Vince.
With a start, she realized she hadn't seen or heard from Frank since the day he had driven her to her house. Had he been hurt? Was he in the hospital again?
Ashamed for not thinking about him sooner, she hurried out to his house in the back and knocked on the door. There was no answer. Biting down on her lower lip, she turned the knob, somewhat surprised when the door opened.
She had never been inside his house before. It was small and surprisingly neat for a man who lived alone.
The furniture was sparse but of good quality. A number of photographs sat on the mantel. She moved closer for a better look. The first depicted a young couple holding a little boy. There were three other photos of the same couple. The boy was older in each picture; in the last one, it was easy to see that the boy was Frank. There were several photos of a beautiful young woman. Was it Frank's sister, or was the woman the reason he had never married?
Cara blinked back tears when she looked at the last two photos. One was a picture of herself sitting on a pony when she was about five or six, the other was her graduation picture.
"Oh, Frank," she murmured, thinking that he had devoted most of his life to protecting her. She wished she knew where he was, wished she could crawl into her father's lap and let him make everything right again, the way he had when she was a child. So much had happened that she didn't know about and didn't understand. Where was Anton? Was he still a threat? Where was her father?
Where was Vince? She told herself she didn't care, that she never wanted to see him again, but in the far reaches of her heart and soul, she was afraid it was a lie.
Wiping away her tears, she left Frank's house and went to get ready for work.
Vince prowled the confines of his hotel room, his mind in turmoil. He had planned to leave town, to leave Cara when he was certain she was out of danger, and now that she knew what he was, leaving seemed like the wisest thing to do, and yet he couldn't go, not until he had seen her one more time. Not until she told him, in her own words, that she never wanted to see him again. Until then, he clung to the faint hope that she would understand, that she would find it in her heart to forgive him for withholding the truth for so long.
Raking a hand through his hair, he dropped down on the sofa, one hand idly scratching Cat's ears. He wondered if DeLongpre had found Anton, and if so, what he had done to the bastard, and if DeLongpre had gone to the police to report Di Giorgio's death, and what story he had concocted. He was pretty sure no mention had been made of witchcraft or zombies rising from the dead.
He didn't really care about any of that, though. All he wanted was for the sun to go down so he could see Cara. Only then would he know if the rest of his existence was going to be worth living.
The minute Cara walked into the library, Sarah Beth hurried to meet her. "What is it?" she asked.
"What's wrong?"
"Am I that transparent?" Cara asked.
"Girl, you look like you just lost your best friend."
"Well, I didn't," Cara said, forcing a smile, "since you're still here."
"You know what I mean. What's happened? It's not your parents?"
Cara shook her head. "No."
"It's Vince!" Sarah Beth exclaimed. "Oh, no, don't tell me you broke up!"
"I really don't want to talk about it, Bethy."
"All right," Sarah Beth said, giving her a quick hug, "but I'm here if you need me."
Cara nodded. Walking into her office, she wished it was that easy, wished she could pour out her heart to Sarah Beth, tell her everything, but she couldn't, of course. Who would believe that her parents were vampires, that she had fallen in love with a vampire, or that some crazy witch had raised a zombie? It all sounded like some horrid nightmare, which was exactly what it was, she thought, only she wasn't dreaming.
Sitting at her desk, she switched on her computer, then sat staring at the blank screen.
She didn't know how she got through the day, but suddenly it was nine o'clock and time to go home.
Whose home, she thought, her own or that of her parents?
She said good-bye to Mary and Sarah Beth, turned out the lights, and went out the back door, only to come to an abrupt halt when she saw Vince standing beside her car. Her first impulse was to run to him.
Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest and waited.
"Cara, we need to talk."
She shook her head. "No. Not now. I need time to think."
He took a step toward her and she backed away, blinking back the tears that burned her eyes.
"Cara, I know you're angry..."
"Please, Vince, just go away."
He stared at her, a muscle throbbing in his jaw. "All right, if that's what you want."
She nodded, unable to speak past the lump in her throat.
With a nod, he turned and vanished from her sight.
Cara stared after him; then, with a shake of her head, she went home.
She met her parents at the door. "Where are you going?" she asked.
"We were just coming to look for you," her father said.
"Oh. I thought I'd stay here tonight, if that's okay?"
"You're always welcome here," Brenna said, kissing Cara's cheek. "You know that."
Moving into the living room, Cara sat on the sofa between her parents. Looking at her father, she asked,
"Where's Frank? I went by his house earlier, but he wasn't there."
Roshan slipped his arm around her shoulders. "He's dead, Princess."
So much death, she thought, and then felt a bubble of hysterical laughter build inside her. Everyone she had ever cared for was dead in one way or another. She sniffed back her tears. "Where... what have
you done with him?"
"I buried him in a corner of the backyard, beneath the old elm tree."
"The backyard? Why?"
"It was easier than trying to explain what had happened to him."
"And Anton, what happened to him?"
"I don't know. I couldn't find him."
"But... how could he get away from you?"
"I'm not the only one with supernatural powers, you know. Anton's a warlock, and a pretty powerful one."
The thought that Anton was still out there somewhere should have frightened her, but she was too numb to care.
"Don't worry about him now," Roshan said. "Besides, if he's got any sense at all, he's left town."
"Cara?" Brenna laid her hand on her daughter's arm. "It's okay to cry."
Cara looked at her father, at the love and compassion in her mother's eyes, and burst into tears.
Vince prowled the deepest, darkest part of the city, his thoughts as bleak as his surroundings. He had been afraid of what she would say, hadn't been surprised that she didn't want to see him again, and he still hadn't been prepared for the pain her words caused him. He told himself that, with time, she would change her mind, but he didn't believe it. He told himself it was his fault, that he should have told her the truth before they made love, but he was convinced the outcome would have been the same. At least he had known what it was like to have her love for a short time, and yet even that failed to comfort him.
Having loved and lost, he couldn't help thinking it was better not to know what you were missing.
Cara passed the next three weeks in a kind of haze. She ate very little, slept even less, and forced herself to go to work, but her heart was empty, her emotions numb. She saw the concern in the eyes of her parents and Sarah Beth and assured them she was fine.
Every day, she told herself she would move back to her own house, that she would put Vince Cordova out of her mind, that she would forget the horror of that awful Halloween night.
But she couldn't forget Vince.
One morning in late November, she woke up feeling nauseated. Bending over the toilet, she thought how unfair it was that she should catch the flu now. Didn't she have enough misery in her life?
She was nauseous for several days, and then it passed.
At the end of November, Cara and Mary gave Sarah Beth a baby shower. Cara couldn't help feeling an unwanted twinge of jealousy as she sat in Sarah Beth's living room, watching her best friend ooh and ahh over baby blankets and dresses and tiny little booties. She wondered if Sarah Beth knew how lucky she was. She had a husband who loved her and a baby on the way. Her life was normal, ordinary, unlike Cara's, which had lately been filled with vampires, witches, and zombies.
Later, after everyone else had gone home, Sarah Beth and Cara sat in the living room, drinking coffee and nibbling on leftover cake.
"Cara, please tell me what's wrong."
"I don't know what you mean."
"I watched you tonight. You were smiling on the outside, but I saw tears in your eyes. I know you're unhappy because of Vince but... is that all it is? You can tell me anything, you know that."
"I wish I could tell you," Cara said. "I do, but I can't."
"I can't imagine what could be so awful that you can't talk about it."
"Bethy, if I told you..." Cara shook her head. How could she tell Sarah Beth that her parents were vampires, that Vince was a vampire? What if Sarah Beth didn't believe her or laughed at her? Worse, what if she believed it and accidentally told someone else? Cara wasn't sure how people would react to knowing that there were vampires running around. In movies, vampires were feared, hated and hunted.
She had a feeling that if people discovered vampires were fact and not fiction, they would react with fear and loathing. For the first time, she wondered how many other vampires were out there. Her parents and Vince made three. Whoever had made her father and Vince made four and five.
"Cara?"
"I'm sorry, Bethy, it's a secret and I can't break it."
Taking Cara's hand, Sarah Beth said, "All right, hon, I understand. I just wish I could help."
Cara nodded. "Me, too."
Brenna watched Cara slowly climb the stairs to her bedroom. Gone was the bright-eyed young woman who had filled their house with joy, and in her place stood a listless girl with pale cheeks.
"Roshan, what are we going to do about Cara?"
He shook his head. "There's nothing to be done, love. She has to work her way through this. No one can do it for her."
"But it breaks my heart to see her looking like that. There must be something we can do to cheer her up."
"Short of kidnapping Vince and bringing him here, I can't think of anything."
"Let's do it then," Brenna said, her eyes alight.
"Brenna, be serious."
"lam!"
"If she wanted him, don't you think he'd be here? It's obvious that she can't accept what he is..."
"But she accepts us," Brenna remarked.
"Like it or not, we're her parents. She didn't have a choice in the matter. But she has a choice with Vince, and she's made it. Bringing him here would only make it worse."
"I don't think so. She still loves him, she's just hurt and confused."
"Maybe, maybe not, but it has to be her decision, not ours. Besides, I'm not so sure I want her to be married to a vampire."
She pinched his arm. "Have you forgotten that I'm married to a vampire?"
"No, love, but you're not mortal."
"Maybe Vince could bring her across," Brenna said. "Think how wonderful that would be! The four of us, all together."
With a sigh, Roshan put his arm around his wife and drew her against his side. "That would have to be Cara's decision, too, love."
Brenna grunted softly. "I liked it better when she had to do as she was told."
Roshan nodded. "Life was certainly easier then," he agreed. "But, like it or not, children grow up."
"Maybe we should have brought her across when she was a little girl," Brenna muttered.
"Maybe next time," he said with a laugh. "Come on, love, let's go for a walk."
From the shadows across the street, Vince watched Roshan and Brenna leave the house. When he was certain they were out of sight, he took a deep breath, then ran across the street and knocked on the door before he lost his nerve. He knew Cara didn't want to see him, but he had to see her one last time.
He shook his head. It seemed he was always leaving town, but this time he was going and he was going for good. It was just too damn painful to be in the same city, to know she was near, and not see her.
He knocked again, wondering if she had gone to bed, wondering if he shouldn't just forget the whole thing.
Then it was too late. The door opened and Cara stood there clad in a long pink bathrobe, her hair falling over her shoulders like liquid gold.
She stood there blinking at him. Her cheeks were pale and her eyes were red, as if she had been crying.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to say good-bye."
"You're leaving? Again?"
"I think it's for the best," he said. "Don't you?"
She didn't say anything; just stared at him, a single tear slipping down her cheek.
Vince caught it on the tip of his finger and carried it to his lips. "Be happy, darlin'," he murmured, and walked down the stairs.
"Vince, wait. I..."
He turned to face her. "What?"
She didn't say anything; she just stood there, looking at him.
"I'm sorry I lied to you," he said fervently. "Your father warned me that I'd break your heart. If I did, I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you the truth, but I was afraid I'd lose you." He shook his head ruefully. "I lost you anyway, didn't I? But I'll always love you."
"Will you kiss me good-bye?"
With a nod, he climbed the stairs, his gaze moving over her face, committing it to memory. As if he'd ever forget. He stroked her cheek with his knuckles, then bent his head and kissed her.
"Good-bye, darlin'."
"Don't go." Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I don't want to live without you. I love you."
"Cara!" He swept her into his arms, felt his own eyes burn with tears as he held her close. Holding her, inhaling the fragrance of her hair, was like coming home after a long absence. "Darlin'."
"I missed you." She murmured the words against his chest. "I missed you so much. Every day, every night." She looked up at him. "Promise me you'll never leave me, no matter what. Even if I tell you to go, promise me that you won't."
"I'll never leave you again, I swear it on all that I hold dear."
"And you'll still love me, even when I'm... I'm old and you're... you're not."
He stroked her hair. "Even then."
"You're crying." Lifting her hand, she captured one of his tears. It shimmered red in the porch light.
Frowning, she looked up at him. "It's blood."
He nodded, wondering if she was already having second thoughts.
And then she licked it from her finger. "Come on," she said, "let's go inside."
He followed her into the house and sat beside her on the sofa. He ached with the need to hold her, to bury himself in her softness and partake of her sweetness, but he was all too aware that Roshan and Brenna could return at any minute.
A wave of his hand brought the fire in the hearth to life.
Again, Cara stared at him, her eyes wide with wonder.
"I guess your folks never used any of their vampire powers in your presence," Vince remarked.
She shook her head. "I guess I've got a lot to learn."
"That makes two of us."
"What do you mean?"
"I've only been a vampire for a year."
"Oh. How did it happen?"
Vince frowned, wondering what she'd say if he told her about Mara. Skirting the issue, he said, "The usual way. A vampire took my blood, then I drank hers."
"Hers?"
He laughed softly. "You're not jealous of a vampire, are you?"
"Did you love her?"
"Love her? I hated her for a while."
"And now?"
He shrugged. "Once you get used to it, being a vampire isn't so bad."
"What did your parents say when you told them?"
"They don't know."
"Why didn't you tell them?"
"For the same reason you can't tell anyone. Mortals are distrustful of anything they don't understand, suspicious of anyone that's different." His gaze bored into hers. "You haven't told anyone, have you?"
"No. I guess you drink... blood."
He nodded. "Are you all right with that?"
"Well, I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me..."
"Can you live with it?"
"I'll get used to it, I guess. Do you sleep in a casket?"
"No. I tried it once, but..." He shook his head. "I couldn't sleep."
"I saw you during the day. How is that possible?"
"I've got Mara to thank for that. She's the oldest living vampire. Apparently her blood is really powerful and some of that power was transferred to me."
"It all seems so impossible."
"Yeah, that's what I thought." He took a deep breath, afraid to ask the next question, but it was one they had to discuss. "What about children, darlin'? You know I can't have any. I saw the way you looked at that baby in Loken's lab, your sadness when you had to give it back... I know how important having a family is to you."
She was silent for several moments.
Vince cursed inwardly. He should have known that his inability to father a child would be the deal breaker.
Cara looked up at him. "My parents adopted me. I guess we could adopt a baby, or maybe have artificial insemination. That way the child would be half ours. Could you live with that?"
"Anything you want is all right with me." Leaning closer, he brushed his lips over hers. "I love you, Cara.
Will you marry me? Share my life with me? I know it's a lot to ask, but..."
Murmuring, "yes, oh, yes," she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
She was still kissing him when a deep voice said, "Looks like you were worried for nothing, wife."
Glancing over her shoulder, Cara saw her mother and father standing in the doorway.
Cara bounded to her feet, smiling from ear to ear. "Mom! Dad! Guess what? Vince just asked me to marry him! Isn't that wonderful?"
"Wonderful," Brenna murmured. She opened her arms and Cara ran to her.
"I guess this calls for a drink," Roshan said.
Brenna hugged Cara. "So, when's the big day?"
"I don't know," Cara said, looking at Vince. "We didn't get that far."
"Whenever she wants is fine with me," Vince said.
While Brenna and Cara huddled on the sofa, already deep into wedding plans, Roshan handed Vince a glass of wine.
"I know you probably don't approve," Vince said, "but I can't live without her."
Roshan swirled the wine in his glass, thinking that the day he had dreaded had come. "I know you're what Cara wants," he said quietly, "so that makes it all right with me, but if you ever tire of her, don't just leave her. You bring her back here to me. She's my little girl, and I'll always love her."
"I'll never leave her. You have my word on that."
"I always wanted a son," Roshan said. "Just remember, if you hurt her..."
"I know," Vince said, grinning broadly. "You'll destroy me."
"Without a qualm," Roshan replied, lifting his glass. "Welcome to the family."