Immortal Sins (13 page)

“Do you eat it every day?”

She shrugged. “Pretty much.”

“Do you ever get tired of it?”

“Of course not, but I eat other things, too. I mean, I suppose I’d get tired of chocolate if I couldn’t eat anything else.” Even as she said the words, she doubted it would be true.

She ate another slice of pizza, washed it down with soda, then sat back, feeling pleasantly comfortable and content until Rourke switched off the TV and turned his full attention to her.

“Have you made all the necessary arrangements?”

“Yes. We have to be at the airport at seven o’clock tomorrow night. Our flight leaves at eight.”

He nodded.

“I packed everything I thought you’d need, but you might want to take a look and make sure I didn’t forget anything.”

He nodded again. “Have you made arrangements for Ana Luisa?”

“Yes. I bought her a dress and shoes, and a coat and a nightgown and some other things. They’re in my suitcase. Does she speak English?”

“When I knew her, she did not, but she may have learned it, as I did, from hearing it spoken.”

“How are we going to get her on the plane? She doesn’t have a passport or any identification.”

“She will travel with me.”

Kari stared at him. “With you?” She tried to imagine herself alive and locked inside a coffin for fifteen hours and knew she would go stark raving mad. She shook her head. “That won’t work. I read somewhere that it’s, you know, like freezing in the cargo hold, and they don’t pipe any oxygen in there, either. She’d suffocate.”

He looked thoughtful a moment. “I will think of something.”

“Yeah?” she asked skeptically. “Like what?”

He shrugged. “Do you have a better idea?”

“No, but…”

“It will be all right.”

“If you say so. Where’s her painting located?”

“It is in a museum in Bucharest.”

“How are you going to get it?”

He lifted one brow. “How do you think?”

“I don’t suppose you plan to buy it?”

“No.”

She tried not to think of what would happen if he got caught, and then wondered why she was worried. He was a vampire, after all. If anyone saw him, he could simply disappear, or wipe his memory from the person’s mind.

She felt a wave of heat when she realized he was watching her, a hungry expression in his eyes. “Have you, ah, fed tonight?”

“No.”

She lifted her hand to her neck. “Maybe you should.”

His gaze moved to the pulse throbbing in the hollow of her throat. The weight of his gaze was like a physical touch warming her skin. Slowly, she shook her head. “Don’t.”

“A taste, Karinna?” His voice moved over her like a velvet caress. “Only a taste and then I will go.”

How could she refuse him when he asked so sweetly, when she could hear the yearning in his voice, see the hunger in his eyes?

With a sigh, she brushed her hair away from her neck. “Just one taste? You promise?”

“I promise.” He closed the distance between them. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her up against him. “Do not be afraid.”

“I’m…I’m not.”

He smiled at her. “I can hear the rapid beat of your heart, smell your fear.” He stroked her cheek. “Do not be afraid of me, Karinna.”

His breath was warm against her skin, his voice low and almost hypnotic. With a sigh, she leaned against the back of the sofa and closed her eyes. A shiver of anticipation ran down her spine as he licked her skin. She remembered tasting his blood, and liking it.

His mouth was hot against her skin. There was no pain in his bite, only warmth. She moaned softly, lost in a world of sensual pleasure that spread throughout her body. Why had she been afraid? Why had she made him promise to take just a taste? Maybe, if she held very still, he wouldn’t stop….

She felt bereft when he let her go. He went into the kitchen, returned a moment later with a glass of grapefruit juice.

“Here,” he said, offering it to her. “Drink this.”

Obediently, she took the glass and drank the contents. The taste, the coolness, quickly restored her.

He was watching her carefully. “Karinna?”

“Hmm?”

“How do you feel?”

“Wonderful.” She lifted a hand to her neck, her fingertips tingling as she touched the place his mouth had been. “Do you want some more?”

A wry smile tugged at his lips. “Do not tempt me.”

“It should be disgusting,” she remarked candidly. “Why isn’t it?”

“Because I do not wish it to be.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“It is up to the vampire whether the experience is pleasant or painful.”

Kneeling in front of her, he took one of her hands in his. A sizzle of awareness skittered over her palm and spread up her arm.

“I would never hurt you, Karinna. I owe you more than I can ever repay.” He lifted her hand and kissed her palm. “And now, you should go to bed.”

“Are you going out to…you know?”

“Feed,” he said, nodding. “Is it so hard for you to accept that you cannot say the word?”

“No. Yes. I wish…” She shook her head. “Never mind.”

“What do you wish?”

“Nothing.”

“You are jealous?”

“Of course not!” It was inconceivable to think she was jealous of the women he fed on. But she was, and they both knew it.

The following morning, Kari woke with butterflies in her stomach. Her nervousness grew worse with every passing minute. She wasn’t looking forward to getting on the plane. She was having second thoughts about the reason for their journey. She was ashamed and annoyed by the flashes of jealousy that plagued her whenever she thought about Ana Luisa and the witch’s relationship with Rourke. She was afraid that Rourke might somehow get caught in trying to free the girl.

To pass the time, she repacked her suitcase. She called her mother. She went to the mall and had her nails done. She called Tricia. She fixed a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch, then tried to calm her nerves with two candy bars and a bowl of chocolate ice cream. It didn’t help. She dusted and vacuumed and did two loads of laundry, but all she could think about was the plane crashing, or Rourke winding up in prison for breaking and entering, leaving her stranded and alone in a foreign country.

She had just washed most of her dinner down the garbage disposal when Rourke appeared in the kitchen.

Sometimes, it was most disconcerting, the way he simply appeared out of nowhere!

“Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“Not really.” She didn’t think she would ever be ready.

He frowned at her. “What more do you need to do?”

“Nothing. I was just…never mind. The suitcases are by the front door. Just let me grab my purse and my keys.”

Taking a deep breath, she put on her jacket, then grabbed her handbag and the keys to the hearse and followed Rourke out the door, wondering if she was embarking on the most exciting adventure of her life, or making the world’s biggest mistake.

Outside, Rourke plucked the car keys from Karinna’s hand. “I will drive.”

“Do you know the way to the airport?”

“No,” he said with a roguish grin, “but you can give me the proper directions.”

Kari couldn’t help grinning back as she got into the car, partly in response to Rourke’s remark, but mostly because she found it morbidly amusing to be riding through the darkness in a hearse that was being driven by a man who was, technically, dead.

When they reached the turnoff for the airport, Rourke pulled onto a side street and parked the car.

“I will see you in Bucharest,” he said.

Kari nodded, thinking she would feel much better about the whole trip if he could sit beside her and hold her hand.

“Do not worry.” His fingertips caressed her cheek, and then, leaning forward, he kissed her. “I will see you soon.”

Nodding, she watched him get out of the car and go around to the back. Looking in the rearview mirror, she watched him lift the lid on the casket and climb inside. She couldn’t help but shudder as he closed the lid.

Shaking off her doubts about the trip and her fear of flying, she slid across the seat to the driver’s side, put the car in gear, and drove the rest of the way to the airport.

A ground agent told her where to drop off the coffin. She had been told it would be X-rayed before being put on board. She smiled a sickly smile, wondering what sort of reaction vampires had to being X-rayed. But it was out of her hands now.

After dropping off the casket, she left the hearse in the parking lot and made her way into the terminal. Feeling totally out of her element, she went to check in, annoyed to see there were long lines at the check-in agent’s desk. But then, you couldn’t go anywhere these days without standing in line. The post office, the bank, the gas station, the DMV, Disneyland—there were lines everywhere.

When it was her turn, she handed the agent her ticket and her passport, waited while her suitcase was weighed and labeled. She smiled as the agent returned her ticket and a newly printed boarding pass with her gate number and seat number on it. The agent then pointed her in the direction of the gate where she would be boarding and informed her of the time boarding would begin.

After leaving the check-in counter, she made her way to airport security. She had heard that security was tight since 9/11; now she saw it in action. All around her, people were shedding their coats and shoes, men were emptying their pockets, removing their belts. Her shoes, purse, carry-on bag, and jacket went into a bin that gave way to a conveyer belt to be X-rayed. Barefooted, she got into line to go through the metal detector. On the other side, she grabbed her belongings and moved on. The man behind her set off the metal detector. The sound made her heart skip a beat. Was he a terrorist? She watched anxiously as a guard waved a handheld wand around the man, and finally declared the man’s zipper had set off the alarm.

Relieved, she put on her shoes and grabbed the rest of her belongings. She felt like a criminal by the time she reached the international departure area for her flight.

A short time later, she made her way past the two gate agents at the entrance to the Jetway, and past a flight attendant who also checked her boarding pass and directed her to her seat.

The aisle was crowded with people shedding coats and stowing their luggage. One man was trying to shove a large suitcase into a storage compartment.

Kari put her carry-on bag in an overhead compartment that looked surprisingly like an old-fashioned breadbox turned upside down. When that was done, she noticed there was a blanket, a pillow, and what looked like a small cosmetics bag piled on her seat. Moving them aside, she sat down, her heart pounding. Over the conversation of those around her, she could hear the faint humming of the engines, which, in her imagination, grew louder and more ominous with each passing moment.

Hoping to allay her mounting fears, she glanced around the plane.

Flight attendants walked up and down the aisle, helping passengers find their seats and stow their luggage. Other attendants were taking drink orders and passing out newspapers.

One of the attendants, a grandmotherly type with pretty gray hair and silver-rimmed glasses, stopped beside Kari to ask what she would like to drink. Kari requested orange juice, then wondered if she should have ordered something stronger.

She picked up the little leather bag, rummaged inside, and found a mini toothpaste tube, mouthwash, a comb and a shoehorn, a small package of tissues, earplugs, a sleep mask, an emery board, and moisturizer. Grunting softly, she closed it and put it aside.

A dull thud signaled that the boarding door had closed. Kari took a deep breath. This was it. There was movement as the plane taxied to the runway to await its clearance for takeoff.

Kari looked up as one of the flight attendants welcomed the passengers aboard. She stated their flight number and destination, no doubt to give anyone who had somehow gotten on the wrong plane a heads-up. In a bright, cheerful voice, she advised the passengers to pay attention to the safety and emergency procedure film they were about to see.

Moments later, screens were lowered from the ceiling. Kari’s heartbeat accelerated when the film began. Emergency exits were pointed out and the passengers were instructed that in the event the plane lost oxygen, oxygen masks would drop from overhead. She wasn’t comforted by learning that the seat cushions could be used as flotation devices, or that life vests were located under the seats. She was feeling light-headed as instructions were given on the proper way to put on a life vest.

“Oh, Lord,” she murmured. “I can’t do this.”

“Karinna, what is wrong?”

Startled by the sound of Rourke’s voice, she looked up, expecting to see him standing beside her, but there was no one there. The man across the aisle looked at her and smiled.

“Karinna?”

Lowering her head, she whispered, “I’ve always been afraid to fly. I’ve never done it.”

Again, his voice whispered in her mind.
“There is nothing to fear.”

“Easy for you to say,”
she thought.
“You’re already dead.”

His laugh filled her mind.
“I will protect you.”

“You will, huh? Don’t tell me you can fly, too.”

“In a manner of speaking. If the plane should fall, I will catch you before we hit the ground.”

“I’d like to know how you plan to manage that, seeing as how you’re in the hold and I’m here.”

“Trust me.”

Kari blew out a breath. Maybe vampires were immune to sarcasm.

She swallowed hard as the captain’s voice came over the PA. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have been cleared for takeoff. Flight attendants, please take your seats.”

Kari grabbed the armrests and hung on for dear life as the engines revved up. She shuddered when the plane did, her knuckles going white as the plane picked up speed. Eyes squeezed tightly shut, she sent a hurried prayer to heaven that the plane wouldn’t explode, that the pilot wouldn’t make a mistake, that there were no crazed terrorists on board.

Startled to feel a hand squeezing hers, she opened her eyes. She was going mad, she thought. That was the only explanation for the sound of Rourke’s voice in her head, the feel of his hand holding hers.

And suddenly she wasn’t frightened anymore.

She glanced out the window as the plane gathered speed and lifted into the air, leaving her stomach somewhere on the ground. The plane made a long, slow curve, away from the airport. The ground seemed to be tilted sideways until the plane gradually leveled out.

Sometime later, the senior flight attendant’s voice came over the PA. “Ladies and gentlemen,” she said brightly, “the captain has now turned off the
FASTEN SEAT BELT
sign and you are free to move about the cabin. We do ask that while in your seats, you keep your seat belt loosely fastened. Thank you, and enjoy your flight.”

Drinks were served again, and dinner menus were passed out. Kari ordered lasagna and a glass of soda.

After dinner, the lights were dimmed. Kari was too keyed up to sleep and opted to watch a movie. It was hard to concentrate, though. She wondered what it was like for Rourke, riding in a coffin in the cargo hold. It was dark outside. Was he still awake? She wondered if he was having second thoughts about rescuing Ana Luisa, and if he would tell her he was a vampire. How would Ana Luisa react after he freed her from the painting, and how would he convince the girl to climb into his coffin?

She shook her head. With Rourke’s preternatural powers, convincing the girl to do his bidding should be a cinch.

Yawning, Kari closed her eyes. She would just rest her eyes for a moment….

In the cargo hold, Rourke knew the moment when she drifted off to sleep. Lifting the lid on the coffin, he sat up and stared into the darkness. In his day, he had been a simple man, accustomed to simple pleasures. This new world continued to astound him. Mankind had progressed in the most amazing ways. He supposed people had always dreamed of flying, but he had never expected that it would become a reality, or that he himself would actually take to the skies. He wondered how Ana Luisa would handle the changes the centuries had wrought in the world.

Only time would tell. Time, he thought, the stuff that human life and dreams were made of.

Kari felt like a seasoned, world-weary traveler by the time she reached Bucharest. She collected her luggage and made sure the coffin was loaded onto the hearse she had arranged for in advance. Rourke had told her to have the coffin delivered to the cemetery and he would take care of the rest.

Her rental car was waiting for her, and after getting detailed directions, she drove to the apartment she had rented. Thanks to a wrong turn, she had to stop and ask for directions again. By the time she checked in and unpacked, she was exhausted. Her internal clock told her it was still early, but it was almost nine-thirty
P.M.
Bucharest time.

She wondered where Rourke was, and if he intended to try to free Ana Luisa that night. In spite of his supernatural abilities, she couldn’t help worrying that something might go wrong. What if he was caught stealing the painting? What if he couldn’t free Ana Luisa? What if he freed her only to find that, after being frozen in a painting for three hundred years, the girl had gone stark raving mad?

She put the worrisome thoughts from her mind. Whatever happened now was out of her hands. Worrying wouldn’t help.

She wandered around the apartment. It was small but comfortable, with a living room, tiny kitchen, tinier bathroom, and two bedrooms. The furnishings were quaint. She had booked the room for three days. She would have liked to stay longer, would have liked to see the sights while she was here, but it just didn’t seem like a good idea to spend too much time in a foreign country with a vampire and a young woman whom she might or might not be able to communicate with.

Returning to the living room, she curled up on the sofa, wondering if she dared go into the city alone at night. Back at home, she had searched the Web for information on Bucharest and learned that it was a cosmopolitan city with an active café society, elegant restaurants, historic churches and palaces, opera houses, antique shops and boutiques and shopping malls. As eager as she was to see all that, she remembered another Web site that had warned tourists to be careful and noted that Romania was one of the most corrupt nations in the world, with public, municipal, and political life supported by bribes. Of course, she had no way of knowing if that was true or not.

The same article also said that Romania’s cities were among the safest in the world, with very little violent crime, as long as one avoided the “bad” areas and questionable clubs. The article went on to say that drugs were not tolerated and that users could expect to spend seven years in prison, while distributors could face life behind bars.

The article also warned visitors to be sure to take a cab from a reputable company. It went on to say that a common scam was for a cab to pick up a fare and then, a short time later, stop to help two men, one of whom would appear to be injured. After pulling over to pick up the two men, the cabby would assure the first passenger that he would take the injured man to the hospital only after delivering his paid fare to his destination first. Instead, it often turned out that it was the paid fare who would wind up in the hospital after the two men had robbed them. A further warning was for women to keep an eye on their handbags, and to avoid shoulder bags and backpacks, as there were those who made a habit of cutting the straps with razor blades and making off with the rest.

Rising, she went to the window and stared out into the darkness. She was still debating the wisdom of going out alone when Rourke appeared.

Kari pressed a hand to her heart when she turned away from the window and saw him standing there, looking as tall and gorgeous as always.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to your popping in and out like that,” she muttered.

“I am sorry. I did not mean to frighten you.”

Her gaze moved over him. “I see you made it through the X-ray machine all right.”

He frowned. “X-ray?”

She nodded, wondering how to explain it, and then decided not to try. “So, what now?”

“Later tonight I will go to the museum that houses the painting and look around. Tomorrow night, I will free Ana Luisa and bring her here. Perhaps you can explain the new world to her….”

“Oh, right, that should be a cinch!”

“Perhaps not as difficult as you expect.”

Kari lifted her brows in an “oh, sure” gesture but said nothing. She wasn’t looking forward to staying cooped up with a witch who had spent the last three hundred years trapped inside a painting!

“I am going for a walk through the city,” Rourke said. “Would you like to come with me?”

Kari had been nervous about wandering around by herself, so she jumped at the chance to go exploring with Rourke. Grabbing a jacket and her handbag, she followed him out the door.