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Rick dragged a hand over his jaw. “I can't handle this now,” he said, “not on top of everything else. I'm going to call my folks tomorrow and see if they'll take the boys for a while. ”
“I'd never hurt my babies,” Susie repeated, her eyes bright with unshed tears.
“You already killed one of them. ”
Susie pressed her hands over her womb, her face white with shock. “It wasn't my fault,” she whispered. “How can you blame me for that?”
“I shouldn't have said it,” Rick muttered. “You know I didn't mean it. I know how much you wanted another baby. ” He shook his head. “I just don't know what to do. ”
“Maybe you're right,” Susie said, her expression bleak. “Maybe it would be best if the boys went and stayed with your mother. ” She hesitated a moment, then said, “I think you should go, too. ”
There was a long pause. I had the feeling Susie was hoping that Rick would refuse to leave her, that he would take her in his arms and tell her that no matter how bad things seemed at the moment, they would work it out together.
He said nothing of the kind. “What are you going to do while we're gone?”
“I'll ask my mom to come down and stay here with me. ”
“Does she know about…about what you've become?”
Susie nodded.
“It's settled, then. I'll call my folks first thing in the morning. ” Rising, he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. “Why don't you try and get some sleep? Everything will look better tomorrow. ”
Leaving the bedroom, he closed the door behind him.
Susie stared at the door. “No, it won't,” she murmured, and dissolved into tears.
My own eyes were wet when Rafe materialized in the car beside me. “How did you do that?” I asked. “How could I see what you were seeing, hear what you were hearing?”
“I've tasted you. You've tasted me. We're connected now in a way that I can't explain. ”
“Poor Susie,” I said, swiping at my tears. “I wish there was something I could do. ”
Rafe blew out a sigh. “It's worse than you think. ”
“Worse!” I exclaimed. “How could it possibly get any worse?”
“There's an underground movement among the mortals. As Mara and Clive feared, the humans are starting to worry. That worry has prompted some of them to band together. They're forming groups, hunters, if you will. ”
I stared at Rafe. “Hunters?” I thought about Susie and her husband. But surely Rick wouldn't tell anyone, especially a hunter, that Susie was a Werewolf. And yet I couldn't forget the expression on his face when he looked at her. I was very much afraid that his revulsion for what she had become was stronger than whatever love he'd once had for her.
Rafe nodded. “As far as I know, there haven't been any active Vampire hunters in the last twenty-five years, but from what I hear, mortals from all over the world have gone off to some school down in Texas that was supposedly started years ago by a couple of the best hunters in the business. The school hadn't been attracting any interest until recently. Other hunters have gone underground in hopes of finding our lairs. No one knows where these men meet, or how many there are. Right now, all we have are rumors, but when rumors abound, there's usually some truth behind them. ”
“But…why? I mean, the Vampires and the Werewolves are only killing each other, aren't they?” But even as I spoke the words, I thought about Mark Littlejohn. How many other people had disappeared that no one knew about? How many innocent people, like Susie, had been transformed into monsters?
“It seems there have been scattered incidents of Vampires and Werewolves attacking humans,” Rafe said. “Until recently, most of the mortals killed have been drifters, you know, people who wouldn't be missed. But late last night there were two attacks that changed all that. In New York, a Werewolf killed the son of a well-known actor, and another Werewolf attacked the daughter of the governor of New Jersey. She's not expected to live. ”
A coldness swept through me at his words. It was one thing for the Supernatural creatures to kill each other; quite another when they started openly attacking humans.
“How do you know all this?” I was pretty sure it hadn't been reported on the six o'clock news, or on the front page of the Oak Hollow Clarion.
“Bad news travels fast. Mara and Clive met early this morning. The Werewolves involved in the attacks have been dealt with, but that won't end it. ”
Dealt with. A polite way of saying they had been executed.
I looked at Rafe, realizing for the first time that he was also in danger from hunters, and his family with him. I told myself not to worry. His grandfather had existed for hundreds of years. His grandmother and his parents were all strong, able to walk in the sun's light. Surely they could all protect themselves. Couldn't they?
By the time we reached my house a few minutes later, the rain had stopped. I was glad to be home. I quickly turned on the lights, as if that could chase away the evil that lurked outside in the shadows.
When I shivered, Rafe obligingly started a fire in the hearth, then drew me down onto the sofa beside him.
I snuggled against him, grateful for his nearness. “You're in danger now, too, aren't you?”
Rafe draped his arm around my shoulders. “Don't worry about it. ”
“How can I help it?”
“Kathy, love, I appreciate your concern, but…”
“But you're a big, bad Vampire and you can take care of yourself,” I said, elbowing him in the ribs.
“Exactly. ” His fingertips caressed my cheek. “Now that that's settled…” His lips brushed mine. “I've been needing to do that since last night. ”
“And I've been waiting since last night. ” But even as I closed my eyes and surrendered to Rafe's caresses, concern for Susie continued to niggle at the back of my mind, until I felt Rafe's tongue sweep the side of my throat. Excitement rose up within me as his fangs lightly scraped my skin.
He hesitated, his breath warm against my neck as he waited for my consent.
“Do it,” I murmured, and surrendered to the dark ecstasy of my Vampire's kiss.
The faint sting of his fangs was quickly swallowed up in the almost painful pleasure that followed. For a time, I was lost in a world unlike any other, a hazy red wonderland where nothing existed save one exquisite sensation after another—the heat of his mouth against my skin, the touch of his hand in my hair, the pressure of his thigh against mine.
Gradually, vague figures rose in my mind, like pale images emerging from the mists of time.
I saw Rafe playing football with a dark-haired boy that I dimly realized must be his twin brother, Rane. A woman with blond hair hovered in the background, her expression one of maternal amusement as the two boys tussled on the ground like rambunctious puppies. That scene blurred as a new one took its place, and I saw Rafe and his brother prowling the shifting shadows of the night. A tall, handsome man accompanied them, and I realized I was watching Rafe's father teaching Rafe and his brother how to hunt. The image became sharper, clearer. I felt the coolness of the evening air, the pounding of Rafe's heart as he summoned a young woman to his side. I felt his excitement and her fear as he wrapped her in his embrace and then, like magic, her fear vanished and she stood quiescent in his arms. I shivered as his fangs extended and his eyes took on a faint red glow. I gasped when he bent his head over her neck. The scent of blood and lust filled my senses and then, as if someone had turned off a light, the images disappeared.
It took me a moment to realize that Rafe was no longer nuzzling my neck, but holding me in his lap.
I stared at him, feeling oddly disoriented. “What happened?”
“What do you mean?” He was watching me, his face carefully blank.
“I'm not sure. If I'd been asleep, I would have thought I was dreaming, but…” I met Rafe's gaze, and he looked
away. “I wasn't dreaming, was I?” Even before Rafe answered, I knew I had been seeing bits and pieces of his past.
“What did you see?” he asked, his expression guarded.
“You and your brother,” I said, smiling at the memory. “You were scuffling. ”
“We used to do a lot of that when we were younger,” Rafe said, a melancholy note in his voice.
“You must miss him. I mean, I've always heard twins are really close, that sometimes they feel what the other is feeling, even when they're far apart. ”
Rafe nodded. “It used to be that way, until he shut me out. Sometimes I feel I'm only half alive. ”
“I'm sorry. ”
“You'd think I'd be used to it by now. So,” he said briskly, “did you see anything else?”
“I saw the two of you, hunting with your father. ”
A muscle twitched in Rafe's jaw. He didn't say anything, didn't draw away from me, but I suddenly felt like there was a wall between us.
“He's very handsome, your father,” I said, hoping to change the subject. “You look a lot like him. ”
“You know what they say,” he said flatly. “Like father, like son. ”
“What's wrong? It's not as if I didn't know you were a Vampire. ”
“I never wanted you to see me like that. ”
I stared at him. Was he embarrassed because I had seen him feeding?
“Not a pretty sight, is it?” he asked, his voice brittle.
I had a sudden image of Rafe and Susie running through the night together, their heads lifting as they paused to scent the wind for prey. Would they fight over the first luckless mortal who crossed their path, or would Rafe take the blood and leave what was left for Susie? The thought made me sick to my stomach.
Rafe swore softly, and I knew he had been reading my mind. Gently, he moved me from his lap onto the sofa, then gained his feet in a fluid movement no human could ever duplicate.