Desire After Dark (26 page)

“Your woman,” Antonio said. “Has she fully accepted the Dark Trick? Does she regret being turned?”

“No. She seems content.”

“And Grigori's woman?”

“It was her choice.” Ramsey regarded him for several moments. “You're in love with Victoria, are you not?”

“If I am, it is not your concern.”

“You're wondering what kind of vampire she'd make.”

“Were you a mind reader as well as a hunter?”

Ramsey shook his head. “It doesn't take a genius to know what you're thinking. You love her. She obviously loves you. It's the only way you can truly be together.”

“I would not ask her to make such a sacrifice.”

“It should be her choice, not yours.”

“I am making it mine. I love her as she is. Warm, human. Filled with the frailties and foibles of mortality. I would not change her.”

“I used to hunt vampires,” Ramsey reminded him. “I thought they were the scum of the earth, not fit to live. In many cases, I was right. Kristov was a monster much like Falco. But then I met Grigori, a vampire with honor. Eventually I realized that becoming a vampire doesn't make a man evil. A good man will remain a good man no matter what form he takes, just as evil remains evil.”

“Do you have a point to make?” Antonio asked impatiently. “If so, make it.”

“The point is, she would still be the woman you're in love with, only more so.”

“I would not rob her of the chance to marry and have a family. It is something she wants, something I can never give her. I have taken her blood. I have put her life in danger. I will not deny her the one thing she wants above all else.”

Ramsey nodded. “As you said, it's your choice.”

“What's your choice?” Vicki asked as she entered the room.

“Whether to allow Ramsey to spend the night in the castle,” Antonio replied smoothly. “He has declined.”

“Well, I hope you don't mind if I stay,” Duncan said.

“Not at all,” Antonio said, “so long as Victoria approves.”

“It's all right with me. I'd welcome the company.”

“Maybe I'll get to see the ghost,” Duncan said.

“Ghost?” Ramsey said. “What ghost?”

“The castle's haunted by a lovely ghost,” Vicki said. “You'd like her.”

“Perhaps another night,” Ramsey said, rising. “It's getting late and I've not yet had my dinner.” He looked at Antonio. “Do you mind if I hunt in the town?”

Vicki glanced from one to the other, thinking that she must be watching vampire etiquette in action.

“So long as you only take the blood,” Antonio said, “and not the life.”

“As you wish. I'll see you all tomorrow night.”

With a courtly bow, Ramsey left the house.

“If you'll tell me where to bed down, I think I'll turn in,” Duncan said.

“I'll show you,” Vicki said.

Leading the way, she went up the stairs, wondering if she should tell Duncan that he would be sleeping in Lady Kathryn's chambers. She doubted if a vampire hunter would be afraid of a spirit, but you never knew.

“Here we are,” Vicki said. Opening the door, she felt a distinct chill as she stepped into the bedroom.

“It's customary to knock when one enters a lady's bedchamber,” Lady Kathryn said imperiously.

“Oh, I didn't know you were here,” Vicki said. She glanced at Duncan. He was staring at the ghost, who sat in front of a low dressing table, idly brushing her ghostly tresses. “Tom, this is Lady Kathryn. Lady Kathryn, this is Tom Duncan. He's a friend of mine.”

Rising, Lady Kathryn glided toward them. “Sir Duncan, I'm pleased to meet you,” she said, extending her hand.

Looking nonplussed, Duncan hesitated a moment, and then, to Vicki's surprise, he bowed over Lady Kathryn's hand.

“The pleasure is all mine, Lady Kathryn,” he replied gallantly.

Looking pleased, Lady Kathryn rewarded him with a smile and then looked at Vicki. “What brings the two of you to my room at this late hour?”

“Tom needs a place to sleep,” Vicki explained. “And since this is the only room with a bed besides mine…”

“It's all right,” Tom interjected. “I can sleep on the sofa downstairs.”

“I won't hear of such a thing,” Lady Kathryn said. “What kind of hostess would I be to allow a guest to sleep on the couch? You may use my room, of course. I'll share Victoria's.”

Tom glanced at Vicki. “Is that okay with you?”

“Sure.” Since Lady Kathryn didn't really sleep, sharing a room didn't include sharing a bed. However, since the ghost no longer had any concept of time, Vicki figured she wouldn't have much use for the bed, either, since Lady Kathryn would probably want to spend the night chatting. “Good night, Tom.”

“Yeah, good night,” he said, trying not to stare at Lady Kathryn. The ghost was flitting around near the ceiling and then, in the blink of an eye, she was gone. Tom glanced around the room. “Where'd she go?”

“Who knows? See you tomorrow.”

Vicki left the room and Tom closed the door behind her.

In the corridor, she heard him mutter, “I've seen a lot of things in my day, but a ghost! Man, now I've seen everything.”

Grinning, she hurried downstairs to where Antonio was waiting for her.

Antonio stood at the front window staring out into the night. It was amazing, how much his life had changed since he met Victoria. Not so long ago, his nights had been peaceful, almost monotonous. He had risen with the setting of the sun, sought his prey, then spent the rest of the dark hours in restful pursuits. He had enjoyed going to the theater or to the movies, or spending an evening reading a good book. He had taken long walks. He had spent time in each of his various abodes. The house in Oregon was the most modern. He probably should have taken Victoria there, but the castle was his favorite place, probably because of Lady Kathryn. They had spent many a night together, two lost and lonely souls who found comfort in each other's company.

And now Victoria was here. He turned at the sound of her footsteps coming down the stairs, his nostrils flaring as she entered the room. She smelled of soap and shampoo and woman. A woman ripe for the taking…

She smiled at him. “You're not too upset about Duncan staying here, are you?”

“No.”

“I'm glad, especially since he's about to marry my best friend. Bobbie Sue took him home to meet her folks earlier this week.” She sat down on the sofa, looking pensive. “Would you like to meet my mom and my sister?”

He lifted one brow in obvious amusement. “I think a better question would be, would they like to meet me?”

“Well, sure, why wouldn't they? We wouldn't have to tell them you're a vampire, you know.”

“And if we stayed longer than an hour or two, how would you explain the fact that I do not eat or drink or cast an image in a mirror? And would they not think it odd that I could not be found during the day?”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

If they went to St. Louis, her mother and Karen would assume Antonio was on vacation, so she wouldn't be able to excuse his absences during the day by telling them he was at work, although she might be able to come up with some plausible excuse, like he was the head of a big company that was looking to open an office in St. Louis. Of course, the fact that he didn't eat posed another problem. Her family would expect them to stay at the house. Antonio might be able to skip a meal or two, but not all three.

But the mirror thing would be the biggest obstacle. One wall in Karen's living room was mirrored from floor to ceiling, as was one of the walls in the dining room. The closet doors in the bedrooms were mirrored, as well. Her sister's house was small, and she believed that the mirrors made the rooms look larger.

“So, we won't go visit my folks,” she said with a dismissive shrug. “It's no big deal.”

But it was one more aspect of her life that he couldn't share.

Sitting down on the sofa, he put his arm around her waist and drew her close. With a little sigh, she rested her head on his shoulder. “This is nice,” she murmured. “Just the two of us, alone in front of the fire.”

He nodded, thinking how much he would miss her when she was gone.

Vicki woke late again the next morning. Rising, she was filled with a mingled sense of anticipation and dread. If all went as planned, they would be rid of Falco by nightfall. It sounded so simple, but there were a hundred things that could go wrong, any one of which could get one or all of them killed.

While showering, she told herself there was nothing to worry about. Antonio would protect her. Ramsey and Duncan were both vampire hunters, and Ramsey was a vampire. They knew what they were doing.

“Everything will be all right.” She repeated the words over and over again as she dried her hair.

A look out the window showed that it was drizzling, and she dressed accordingly in a pair of jeans and a bulky green sweater.

Tom Duncan was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee when she went downstairs. “Morning.”

“Hi.” She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down across from him. “Are you hungry?”

“I could eat.”

“What would you like?”

He shrugged. “Anything you feel like fixing is fine with me.”

“Scrambled eggs and bacon sound okay?”

“Perfect.”

She finished her coffee, then set about making breakfast. “Have you and Bobbie Sue set the date yet?”

“She wants to get married in February, on Valentine's Day.”

Vicki smiled, thinking how romantic that sounded. If she were getting married in February, she would want her attendants to wear red and carry red and white flowers.

“She wants you to be her maid of honor, but that's probably no surprise.”

“Not really.” She opened a package of bacon and dropped several slices in a frying pan and put it on the stove. “She said you're going to give up hunting.”

“Yeah, it's time.”

Vicki scrambled some eggs and poured them into another pan. “Do you think you'll miss it, hunting, I mean?”

“Probably for a while. It's quite a high when you're closing in on your quarry. Adrenaline pumping, heart pounding in excitement when you find the vampire's lair and you know he's yours for the taking.”

Vicki turned away from the stove, sickened by his description. She couldn't help imagining Duncan finding Antonio's resting place and…

“You look a little green,” Tom remarked. “I guess what I do for a living doesn't make for very good breakfast conversation.”

“Not really,” she agreed with a weak smile.

She served breakfast a few minutes later. Sitting there doing something as mundane as eating bacon and eggs made her think of Antonio again. He'd said he no longer missed solid food. How long would it take to adjust to a warm liquid diet? Would years have to pass before she got used to never seeing the sun again, or enjoying a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter night, or pigging out on her favorite candy, or eating popcorn at the movies? What was it like to never see your reflection in a mirror again? How did female vampires put on their make-up?

“Vicki?”

She looked up at the sound of Tom's voice. “Did you say something?”

“Where were you just now?”

“Oh, just lost in thought.”

“Want to tell me what you were thinking about?”

“Vampires, of course. Isn't that what we're all thinking about these days?”

“Vampires?” Tom asked. “Or one particular vampire?”

“Actually, I was wondering what it would be like to be one.”

Duncan swore a vile oath, then immediately apologized.

“I guess you've never considered it,” Vicki said.

“I can't imagine anyone in their right mind even thinking about it. They're all killers. Doesn't matter if they're handsome and charming or repulsive and meaner than hell, underneath, they're all killers. Sure, some have learned to survive without killing, but most don't want to. After they've been vampires for a while, they no longer consider themselves as human and they no longer give any thought to taking human life. We're food, prey, fodder, nothing more.”

She stared at him, repulsed by the ugly picture he had painted. “What about your friend, Ramsey? Is he like that?”

“Like I said, they're all like that.”

“I don't believe it.”

“You don't want to believe it because you're in love with Battista.”

And that, she thought, said it all.

 

Vicki grew more anxious with each passing hour. She tried to read. She tried to watch television. She stared out the window at the rain. She played chess with Tom, but she couldn't concentrate on the game and finally gave up. She wondered if he was as cool and calm as he appeared. How could he be?

She fixed lunch, then tried to take a nap, but to no avail. She couldn't relax.

Where was Antonio? How soon would he be able to rise? She needed to see him, to touch him, hear the sound of his voice. Were they doing the right thing? Maybe they should just pack up and go to his villa in Italy. Maybe Falco wouldn't find them there. It was tempting, so tempting, but then she thought of Sharlene and Leslie Ann Lewis and all the other women Falco had killed in the last few weeks. The hundreds and thousands of women he would murder in the future because she was too chicken to do what had to be done. And running wouldn't accomplish anything. He had taken her blood. He would find her no matter where she tried to hide.

Staring into the flames blazing cheerfully in the fireplace, she took a deep breath. Antonio called her his warrior woman. The good Lord willing, that's what she would be.

She practically jumped out of her skin when Duncan announced it was time to go.

They decided to take the Lexus since it had the most room in the backseat.

“Have you got everything you need?” she asked.

“Yeah, don't worry.”

Vicki's hand was shaking so badly she could hardly get the key in the ignition. She patted her jacket pockets, reassured when she felt the two bottles filled with holy water. She made sure her crucifix was on the outside of her jacket.

She drove to town and stopped at a jewelry store, where she bought a thick silver collar and two silver bracelets. She put them on while inside the store and immediately felt better.

They made one more stop at a toy store, where Duncan bought two squirt guns.

“What are they for?” Vicki asked as they walked back to the car.

“We'll fill them with holy water. That way you won't have to waste time opening the bottles, and your aim will be better.”

She grinned. “Where on earth did you get an idea like that?”

“Saw it in a movie once,” he said as he climbed into the back seat. “Try to relax. If you're too tense, Falco will suspect something.”

“Relax? You're kidding, right?” She covered Tom with a heavy wool blanket, then climbed behind the steering wheel. She touched the squirt guns for reassurance, turned on the ignition, and drove toward the secondary road.

A glance outside showed that they had timed it perfectly.

Surprisingly, she grew calmer as the miles went by. She knew exactly when she reached the place where Antonio and Ramsey were waiting, though she wasn't sure how she knew.

She stopped the car in the middle of the road and left the engine running.

“Do you see anything?” Duncan whispered from the backseat.

“No.” It was hard to see more than a few feet in any direction because of the rain.

“I'm going to get out of the car.”

“Leave the door open so I can hear what's going on.”

“All right.”

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and got out of the car. She stood there a moment, glancing up and down the road, and then lifted the hood and looked at the engine. With a shrug, as if she didn't know what the problem could be, she began walking back and forth alongside the car, as if she were hoping someone would stop and offer assistance.

Where was Antonio? Where was Ramsey?

Where was Falco?

She shoved her hands in her jacket pockets, her fingers caressing the squirt guns for reassurance once more.

She knew he was there before she saw him. A ripple in the air, a sudden sense of menace, she didn't know what warned her, but she turned abruptly and there he was, striding through the rain toward her, a malevolent grin on his face.

“So, we meet again.”

She swallowed hard, her courage deserting her now that he was there.

“Nothing to say?” he asked. “No word of greeting?”

He was only a few steps away now, close enough that she could see his fangs, the red glow in his eyes.

“Go away!” she cried, loud enough so that Duncan would be sure to hear. “Go away or I'll scream!”

“And who will hear you?” Falco said, sneering.

He reached toward her.

Panicked at the mere thought of his touch on her skin, she jerked her hands out of her pockets.

He looked at the squirt guns, one a bright pink, the other neon green. Surprise and amusement were reflected in his eyes.

Until she squeezed the triggers.

A harsh cry of pain erupted from his throat as twin streams of holy water struck him full in the face. With a scream of rage, he lunged toward her, his hands like claws, his face contorted.

She reeled backward, desperate to avoid his touch. She squeezed the triggers again and again. And still he came toward her, a harsh wail on his lips.

She screamed as his hand closed over her arm.

And suddenly Antonio was there. He tackled Falco from the side, his momentum carrying them both to the ground.

Duncan scrambled out of the back of the car, a four-foot stake and a mallet in one hand, what looked like a machete in the other.

Ramsey streaked toward them. “More holy water!” he said. “Keep him too weak to change.”

Vicki pulled one of the bottles from her pocket and dumped the contents over Falco's face and body. Bucking wildly, he screamed in rage and pain as he endeavored to free himself, but to no avail.

Vicki turned away as Duncan placed the sharp point of the stake over Falco's heart.

There was one last hideous scream, and it was over.

The scent of blood defiled the air and she knew that Ramsey had taken Falco's head. Moving away from the grisly scene, she dropped to her knees in a patch of wet grass and was violently ill.

“It is over,” Antonio said, coming up behind her.

“Here.” Duncan passed her his handkerchief.

Vicki wiped her mouth. She could hear Duncan and Ramsey congratulating each other. Antonio stood beside her, one hand lightly squeezing her shoulder.

“Come,” he said. “Let us go home.”

“What about the body?” she asked.

“Do not think of that now.”

Taking her by the hand, he helped her to her feet.

Careful not to look at what was left of Dimitri Falco, Vicki climbed into the Lexus. Duncan got into the backseat. Antonio got behind the wheel.

They drove in silence until curiosity got the best of her. “Why did Ramsey stay behind?”

“He is going to dispose of the body,” Antonio said.

“How?”

“He will take it deeper into the woods and stay with it until dawn. The sun will take care of the remains.”

With a nod, Vicki stared out the window though there was nothing to see.

Antonio glanced at her from time to time. He had been worried that she would be hurt when it was time for him to leave her. Now, he thought she would most likely be glad to see the last of him. Considering all that she had been through since he entered her life, he couldn't blame her. He should have been relieved. Instead, he found himself wishing that things could be different between them. If he lived another six hundred years, he knew he would never forget her, never find another to take her place in his heart.

He pulled into the garage and killed the engine.

Moving like a robot, Vicki let herself out of the car.

Antonio followed her up the stairs and into the house. “Victoria?”

She didn't turn around. “I'm going to bed. Tell Duncan good night for me.”

He said nothing, merely watched her climb the stairs.

Duncan entered the room a few minutes later.

Antonio slowly turned around, and they regarded each other warily for several moments, the vampire and the vampire hunter.

“Well,” Duncan said briskly. “I guess I'll be going.” He glanced around the room. “Where's Vicki?”

“She has gone to bed.”

Duncan grunted softly. “She's a hell of a woman.”

“Yes.”

“Thanks for putting up with me. I'll just go up and get my things. Tell Vicki I'll see her at the wedding.”