A Fire in the Blood

  After unlocking the door, Tessa switched on the porch light. “I’ll be all right now.” Reaching inside, she flipped the switch that turned on the lamps in the living room. “You two be careful going home.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Luke said. “Nobody’s after us.”

  “I’ll call you tomorrow,” Jilly said.

  Nodding, Tessa shut the door and shot the dead bolt home. It was, she thought, going to be a long, lonely night.

  * * *

  As Andrei expected, Katerina was ready to go hunting as soon as the sun went down. Tonight, she wasn’t in the mood to play. In less than an hour, she drained two men and a woman. When she chose a teenage girl for her fourth victim, Andrei had no choice but to intervene. Knowing he was risking his sire’s wrath, he pulled the girl from Katerina’s grasp and wrapped a protective arm around her.

  “Not this one,” he said.

  Fangs bared, eyes burning with rage, Katerina glared at him. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “I won’t let you kill her.”

  Katerina loosed an unladylike snort. “You think you can stop me?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You’re a fool if you try.”

  “Maybe. But I’m not a killer. Not anymore.”

  Katerina charged toward him in a blur of movement, so fast he barely had time to push the girl behind him before his sire’s fangs ripped into his throat.

  The pain was excruciating.

  With his strength rapidly draining out of him, Andrei grabbed the girl’s arm, focused all his energy on Tessa, and willed himself and the kid to her apartment.

  * * *

  Tessa was about to go to bed when she heard a faint knock at the door. Fear spiked through her. Andrei wouldn’t knock. Had Katerina found her? Walls, Tessa thought as panic speared through her. She had to build walls.

  Hardly daring to breathe, she drew the curtain away from the window and peered outside.

  A teenage girl stood on the landing, her face deathly pale in the glow of the porch light, her brown eyes wide with fright.

  “Tessa?” The girl knocked on the door again, harder this time. “Tessa? Are you in there?”

  “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

  “A man brought me. He’s bleeding. He said you’d take us in.”

  A man? Bleeding? Andrei?

  With a stake clutched in one hand, Tessa unlocked the door, gasped when she saw Andrei slumped against the railing. “Help me get him inside.”

  Between the two of them, they managed to drag him into the living room. Tessa immediately closed and bolted the door.

  Kneeling on the floor beside Andrei, she grabbed the dish towel she had left on the coffee table and pressed it against the ugly wound in his throat. The cloth, once white, immediately turned dark red. “What happened?”

  Face pale, voice trembling, the girl said, “You probably won’t believe this, I can’t believe it myself, but a vampire wanted to feed on me.” She jerked her chin toward Andrei. “When he tried to protect me, she attacked him.”

  “She?”

  The girl nodded. And then, as if she were a puppet and someone had suddenly cut the strings, she dropped to the floor. Arms wrapped around her waist, she rocked back and forth while tears streamed down her cheeks.

  “You’re safe now,” Tessa said, sitting back on her heels. “What’s your name?”

  “Bailey. Is he going to be all right?”

  “I don’t know.” Tessa bit down on her lower lip, wondering what she should do. Vampires were supposed to heal quickly, but when she lifted the towel, the wound was still raw and red. Still bleeding profusely. “Andrei?” She stroked his cheek. “Andrei, wake up.”

  He blinked once. Twice. “Tessa?”

  “I’m here.”

  He looked up at her, his body tense, hands clenched at his sides. “Take care of the girl. Don’t let Katerina have her.”

  Tessa glanced at Bailey, who was perched on the edge of the sofa, watching everything through eyes wide with disbelief.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll look after her,” Tessa assured him. “But . . . why aren’t you healing?”

  “Katerina bit me.”

  Tessa frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “The bite of a master vampire can be deadly to us.”

  A chill ran down Tessa’s spine. “Deadly?”

  He nodded.

  “What can I do?”

  “Nothing. I need her blood to heal.”

  “Then call her.”

  “No!”

  “Then take my blood. It won’t hurt you. Maybe it’ll help.”

  His tormented gaze searched hers. Only Katerina’s ancient blood could save him, but if he was going to die, what better way to go than with the taste of Tessa’s blood on his tongue, her scent surrounding him?

  He reached for her hand. Kissed her palm. Then bit into her wrist.

  Tessa moaned softly, surprised by the sting of his fangs. His bite had never hurt before.

  Eyes closed, Andrei drank slowly. Each drop sang in his veins. Warm. Sweet. It moved through him, reviving him. Strengthening him. Healing him.

  Tempting him to take it all.

  When he dared take no more, he sealed the wound in her wrist, then released her hand.

  Feeling a little light-headed, Tessa took a deep breath before lifting the towel from his neck. The bleeding slowed. Stopped. The ragged edges of the ugly bite knit together even as she watched.

  Shaking her head, Tessa looked at the drops of dark crimson smeared across her wrist. What kind of blood did she have, that it could cure a vampire’s wound? A wound that should have been fatal? Was Madame Murga’s prediction true after all?

  Meeting Andrei’s gaze, she read the same question in his eyes.

  * * *

  Tessa sat beside Andrei, his hand clasped in hers. For all that his wound appeared to be healed, he remained lying on the floor, unmoving, his face pale, eyes closed. Tiny lines of pain bracketed his mouth. Her blood might have healed his external injury, Tessa mused, but what if Katerina’s bite had affected him internally? Psychologically?

  Tessa frowned. It seemed odd that Katerina’s bite would have such a devastating effect on him when she had been the one to turn him into a vampire in the first place.

  Not knowing what else to do, Tessa covered Andrei with the afghan she kept over the back of the sofa, then went into the bathroom to wash the blood from her hands and arm.

  When she returned to the living room, the girl stood shivering in front of the window, looking out.

  “Bailey, would you like to take a hot shower? I have some pj’s you can wear.”

  The girl turned to face her. “You want me to stay here?”

  “Do you have anywhere else to go?”

  “No, but . . .”

  “Well, then,” Tessa said briskly, “while you’re showering, I’ll fix you something to eat. It’s a little late for dinner. Breakfast, maybe?”

  “Thank you.”

  “The bathroom’s in there,” Tessa said, pointing the way. “Take as long as you like.”

  Brow furrowed, Tessa stared after the girl. Was Bailey a runaway? An orphan? She was wan and thin and obviously scared. But then, who could blame her for being frightened after what she had been through tonight?

  With a last glance at Andrei, who appeared to be asleep—did vampires sleep?—Tessa went into the kitchen and rummaged around in the fridge.

  She had several slices of bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast waiting by the time her houseguest finished showering.

  Tessa looked up when Bailey padded into the kitchen, her long, brown hair wrapped in a towel.

  “Sit down,” Tessa invited, smiling. “Would you like something to drink? Juice? Milk? Or maybe some coffee?”

  “Milk, please.”

  Tessa poured a glass for Bailey and a cup of coffee for herself before taking a seat.

  Bailey ate ravenously.

  Tessa sipped
her coffee slowly, surreptitiously studying the girl. Her jeans and T-shirt were faded and worn. There was a dark bruise on her left arm, a faint scar on her cheek. A dozen questions about her guest chased themselves through Tessa’s mind. Finally, she settled on the most innocuous one. “Do you live near here?”

  “No.”

  “Is there anyone you want me to call?”

  “No.”

  “You don’t have to tell me if you’d rather not, but are you in some kind of trouble?”

  Bailey looked up, her expression bleak. “I ran away from my foster parents.”

  There was a wealth of information in those few words and in the fear lurking in Bailey’s eyes.

  “How old are you?”

  “Sixteen.” Bailey swallowed the last of her breakfast, then drained the glass.

  “Would you like something else? I have some cookies. They’re store-bought, but not too bad.”

  “Yes, please.”

  Tessa smiled as she carried the cookie jar to the table. “You’ll need more milk to wash those down.” As she refilled Bailey’s glass, the look of gratitude in the girl’s eyes nearly brought tears to Tessa’s own.

  Bailey quickly put away half a dozen cookies, then sat back in her chair, her expression troubled. “He really is a vampire, isn’t he?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ve heard about them on the news, but . . .” She shook her head. “It’s just so hard to believe they’re real. That he’s one of them.”

  Tell me about it, Tessa thought. Aloud, she said, “You don’t have to be afraid of Andrei. He won’t hurt you.”

  “I’m not afraid of him. But the other one . . .” Bailey shuddered. “She was going to kill me.”

  “You’re safe now.”

  “I don’t think I’ll ever feel safe again.”

  “I know the feeling,” Tessa muttered. “But she can’t come in here uninvited. You must be tired. Why don’t you go to bed?”

  “You won’t tell anyone I’m here? You won’t call the police?”

  “No, I promise.”

  “Do you want me to help you with the dishes?”

  “No, thank you. Go get some rest. We’ll talk more in the morning.”

  With a nod, Bailey left the room.

  Tessa sat there for several minutes. Deciding the dishes could wait, she stacked them in the sink, then went into the living room to check on Andrei.

  Only he wasn’t there.

  * * *

  Bailey sat on the edge of the bed, her hands clasped in her lap, trying to process everything that had happened that night.

  She had been attacked by a vampire.

  Another vampire had been injured saving her. Was he Tessa’s boyfriend? Her husband? She grimaced at the thought of anyone marrying a vampire, even one that was totally hot.

  Did he live here?

  Every instinct she possessed told her she should wait until Tessa went to bed and then run away just as fast as she could. And yet, where would she go? She couldn’t go back to the foster home. If Mr. Fischer touched her one more time, she was afraid she might kill him.

  She didn’t want to live on the streets, begging for handouts. Or worse, sell her body for food and a place to stay. She had no real friends. The Fischers had insisted she come straight home from school to do her chores. Chores, she thought glumly. She did everything her foster mother should have done except sleep with her foster father. And she would rather starve to death in the gutter than let him put his fat, dirty hands on her again.

  Maybe the best thing to do for now was stay here. She was clean and warm. No one would molest her here. No one knew what she was. The bed was soft. Her stomach was full for the first time in days.

  Suddenly overcome with weariness, she crawled under the covers and closed her eyes.

  * * *

  Tessa wandered aimlessly through her apartment, too keyed up to sleep. Where had Andrei gone? Would he come back tonight? Where was Katerina? Who was Bailey?

  Padding quietly down the hallway, Tessa peered into the guest bedroom. The girl had left the bedside lamp burning. Asleep, she looked even younger and more vulnerable than she had first appeared. Tessa started to turn the light off, then thought better of it. Maybe the girl was afraid of the dark.

  Well, who could blame her? She’d had quite a fright tonight. And who knew what she had endured with her foster parents? Not all of them were kind to the kids they took in, she thought, recalling the ugly bruise on Bailey’s arm. Tessa shook her head. She had heard far too many stories about foster kids being abused, locked in cellars or closets for days at a time, molested, beaten. Killed.

  Tessa knew she should call the authorities. Just because Bailey had run away didn’t mean her foster parents mistreated her. Teenagers were often rebellious. But Tessa couldn’t forget the fear and mistrust she had seen shadowing the girl’s eyes.

  With a sigh, Tessa closed the door and tiptoed down the hall to her own room. Pets weren’t allowed in her complex, she thought as she slipped into her nightgown. But, for now, she was harboring a lost lamb.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Head lifted, nostrils flared, Andrei paused on the sidewalk in his pursuit of prey. At first, he detected nothing out of the ordinary. And then he bit back a curse. “Katerina. What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Wondering why you’re still alive.”

  “Come to finish the job, have you?”

  Head tilted to one side, she studied him through eyes as sharp and keen as a two-edged sword. “You should be dead.” She took a step closer.

  He flinched when she ran her fingertips along the side of his neck.

  Katerina inhaled sharply. “That woman, the one you were with the other night. I can smell her blood on you. Tell me, husband. What is she to you?”

  “One of many. None of whom I’m willing to share.”

  “She saved you, didn’t she?”

  “A mere mortal?” He snorted. “How could she?”

  “You tell me.”

  “There’s nothing to tell.”

  Eyes narrowed ominously, Katerina studied him a moment.

  Andrei could feel her power crawling over him. It was not a pleasant feeling, but different from other times he remembered.

  “I rented a house,” she said at length. “I expect you to move in with me tonight.”

  “After what you did?” Andrei tapped the bite mark on his neck. Unlike other wounds, this one had left an ugly scar. “Hell, no.”

  “Maybe I’m not making myself clear,” she said, biting off each word. “Either you do as I say, willingly, or you will find yourself in need of some new private stock.”

  If it had been any other vampire, Andrei would have dismissed the threat out of hand. But Katerina was incredibly old and powerful, able to walk in the daylight. She couldn’t enter Tessa’s house uninvited, but neither could Tessa remain behind her locked door day and night until Katerina had either made good on her threat or decided to go back home.

  “Fine,” he said. “I’ll play your game for three months, and then I want you out of my town and out of my life.”

  She lifted one shoulder in what he hoped was a gesture of acceptance.

  “And remember, no hunting in my territory. No mysterious deaths, no bodies drained of blood, or the deal is off.”

  “Whatever. I’ll expect you later.”

  He nodded. It was only after Katerina had gone that he realized there was something different about her. Something had changed.

  Or was the change in him?

  Chapter Eighteen

  Bailey wandered through Tessa’s apartment, pausing at the bookshelf to peruse the titles of the paperbacks and DVDs. She had seen most of the movies. She picked up several books before she found one that sounded interesting. After pulling a soda from the fridge, she curled up on the sofa.

  Before leaving for work, Tessa had given Bailey twenty-five dollars “mad money” in case she wanted to go out to lunch or a movie, admonishing
Bailey to be extra careful, reminding her that Katerina could walk in daylight.

  Bailey opened the book, then closed it again, wondering if she should tell Tessa the truth, or if her new friend was better off not knowing. Bailey had never had any fear of the dark or of the creatures that lurked in the shadows. Until last night, she had been confident of her ability to protect herself, but all that had changed when she ran into a pair of genuine, dyed-in-the wool vampires. Fear had left her frozen, unable to fight or flee.

  But they would never take her by surprise again.

  Because—whether friend or foe—she had their scents now.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Tessa jumped every time the phone rang, always expecting it to be Andrei or Bailey, but it never was. She didn’t know whether to be relieved when she didn’t hear from either one of them, or worried.

  Unable to concentrate on the file in front of her, she chewed on her thumbnail. She hadn’t seen or heard from Andrei since Monday, couldn’t help worrying about him. Vampire or not, he was hanging out with a woman he had once found irresistible, a woman who was older and more powerful than he was.

  A woman who had tried to kill him. Had Katerina tried again? And succeeded? She banished the horrible thought from her mind.

  And then there was Bailey, a girl who was, for all intents and purposes, a complete stranger. She couldn’t help wondering what Bailey was doing. For all she knew, the girl could be lying about being a runaway foster child. Maybe she was a professional thief. She could be older and more worldly-wise than she looked. Maybe she had concocted that story about being a runaway so people like Tessa would feel sorry for her and take her in. Then, the first time she was left alone, she robbed them. Maybe . . .

  Exasperated by her wild imaginings, Tessa took the elevator down to the cafeteria for a blueberry muffin and a cup of coffee.

  She was staring into her empty cup when Andrei slid into the chair across from her. He looked incredibly handsome in a pair of faded jeans and a dark blue shirt. Just seeing him lifted her spirits.

  Reaching across the table, he took her hand in his. “Are you all right?”

  “I am now.”