Eyes wide and scared, they nodded.
“Tessa, go back to the house and lock the door. I’ll join you in a moment.”
She tried to walk away slowly, with dignity, but her feet wouldn’t cooperate. She ran the whole way. And slammed the door behind her.
In the living room, she paced the floor while she tried to process what had just happened. She had killed three people. Instead of enhancing the fledglings’ power, as she’d expected, her blood had killed them. She had killed them.
“Tessa?”
She whirled around to face him. “How could you?” she exclaimed. “How could you do that? You killed them. I killed them.”
“We didn’t know it would happen,” he said quietly. “There was no other way to find out. On the bright side, Cutter’s Corner should be vampire-free by tomorrow night.”
“Except for you,” Tessa said. “And Katerina.”
“Do you want me to leave?”
She met his gaze. And then shook her head. Heaven help her, whatever he was, whatever he’d done, she didn’t want to live without him.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Over the course of the next two days, Tessa scoured every page of the Cutter’s Corner Gazette, and every newspaper from the surrounding towns. To her relief, there were no reports of mysterious deaths. No missing persons. No bodies drained of blood.
Luke and Andrei had gone through the town street by street, checking all the known vampire hangouts and possible lairs.
“No sign of vamps, living or dead. It’s time to celebrate!” Luke had declared when they returned. And then he frowned. “Hey, I’m out of a job! At least in this town.”
Andrei had brought the most welcome news of all. There was no trace of Katerina.
As guilty as Tessa felt for causing the destruction of three vampires, she also experienced a profound surge of relief that Andrei’s experiment appeared to have been a success.
Thrusting worries about vampires from their minds, Tessa and Jilly got together Wednesday evening to plan Thanksgiving dinner. They had the kitchen all to themselves since Luke had decided to go out and wander through the town, just to make sure there were no new vampires skulking about. Andrei had gone hunting. Bailey was in her bedroom, reading a book.
“Shall we go traditional?” Jilly asked. “Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce?”
“That’s always good. Or we could have prime rib and mashed potatoes.”
“Prime rib. Wow, that sounds even better.”
“Maybe we should ask Luke what he wants.”
“No way,” Jilly said. “We’re the ones doing all the cooking. We’ll decide.”
“All right,” Tessa agreed, laughing. “So, what’ll it be?”
“I had my taste buds all set for turkey until you mentioned prime rib. So, let’s be nontraditional this year.”
“Okay by me. Do you want to cook here, or at your place?”
“Here,” Jilly said. “Your kitchen’s bigger and so is your oven. What’ll we have for dessert? Pumpkin pie?”
Tessa shrugged. “Tradition!” she sang in her best Tevye imitation.
“Well, how about hot fudge sundaes smothered in whipped cream and cherries?”
“Now you’re talking my language! Okay, I’ll buy the prime rib and seasoning and make cheesy potatoes, and you bring a vegetable and dessert. And some sodas. We’ll plan to eat around, oh, four, I guess.”
“Sounds good,” Jilly said. “You know, it’s been so long since I’ve stayed at my own house, I won’t know what to do. You’re probably glad to be rid of us.”
Tessa laughed as she followed Jilly to the front door. “Don’t be silly. I’m just glad the danger’s passed and life is back to normal. See you tomorrow.”
“Maybe we can catch a movie Friday afternoon.”
“Okay. Night.”
Still smiling, Tessa closed the door. It felt good to think about mundane things, like Thanksgiving dinner, instead of worrying about vampires.
Sitting on the arm of the sofa, she took a deep breath. Three days without a hint of trouble. Finally, they could all come and go without always looking over their shoulders, or jumping at every unexpected noise and shadow.
Glancing at her watch, she saw that it was still early. Maybe she would go shopping tonight rather than waiting until morning.
She looked out the window, trying to decide if she wanted to put on her shoes and a jacket and head for the market, or just stay home and relax.
A sound from outside drew her attention. It was probably nothing, she told herself. Just the wind. Maybe her neighbor’s tomcat prowling around. “Nothing to worry about,” she said, her voice a bit too loud. “The vampires are gone.”
She had almost convinced herself she was imagining things when a shadow passed in front of the window.
Jumping to her feet, Tessa closed the curtains, then checked to make sure the door was locked.
Shaking all over, she dropped onto the sofa. She told herself there was nothing out there, she was overreacting. But to no avail. Grocery shopping could wait until tomorrow. Cowardly or not, she wasn’t leaving the house until the sun was up.
* * *
Andrei listened intently to Tessa’s description of what had happened. He hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary when he returned to her condo, but he went outside to scout around anyway, just to reassure her.
Standing on the landing, he opened his preternatural senses. He was about to go back inside when he caught it. A faint scent reminiscent of Bailey after she shifted. He inhaled slowly, drawing in the scent. Definitely a shifter of some kind. Had Bailey lied when she’d said she didn’t know any others of her kind? Or had this one been tracking her?
“Well?” Tessa asked anxiously. “Did you find anything?”
“Yes and no. I’m going to have a little talk with Bailey.”
“What about?”
“I think there’s another shifter in the neighborhood.”
“Mind if I listen in?”
“Of course not. It’s your house.”
At Bailey’s invitation, Andrei stepped into her bedroom.
Tessa waited by the door.
Sitting on the bed, a book in her lap, Bailey glanced from one to the other. “Is something wrong?”
Andrei shook his head. “Are you sure you don’t know any other shape-shifters?”
“I’m sure,” Bailey said, frowning. “Don’t you believe me?”
“There was one here a little while ago.”
“Here?” The girl’s eyes widened in alarm. “How do you know?”
“I caught his scent a few minutes ago. It’s very faint, but it’s there.”
“But how . . . who?” She shook her head. “Are they looking for me?”
“I don’t know, but it seems logical. Any idea who it might be?”
“No.” Laying the book aside, she wrapped her arms around her middle, the color draining from her face as she stared up at Andrei.
“Hey, there’s nothing to be afraid of.” Sitting on the edge of the bed, he put his arm around her shoulders. “I’m going to see if I can track whoever it is. Do you want to come along?”
She hesitated, then nodded.
“Put on a jacket. And boots, if you’ve got any. It’s starting to rain.”
“I’m going too,” Tessa decided.
Andrei looked at her, one brow arched.
“It’s all right, isn’t it?”
He shrugged. “Sure, if you want.”
With a nod, she went into her own room to don a pair of fur-lined boots and a warm jacket with a hood.
Returning to the living room, she found Bailey and Andrei waiting for her.
Tessa gestured at Andrei. “Don’t you need a jacket, too?”
“The weather doesn’t bother me. Come on.”
He paused on the porch. The rain made it more difficult to locate the scent, but he found it after a moment’s concentration. “Let’s go.”
Tessa and Bailey trailed Andrei down the stairs and across the street. He’d said the scent was weak, but he seemed to be following it easily enough, Tessa thought as he picked up the pace. She huddled into her jacket, wondering what had possessed her to go out in weather like this. She refused to believe she was jealous of a sixteen-year-old girl, but she didn’t like the way Bailey looked at Andrei, as if he was her own personal knight in shining armor. And if she was being honest, it rankled that he was so protective of the girl. It shamed her to feel that way.
Tessa huffed a sigh of exasperation. She was being ridiculous and she knew it. She should have just stayed home.
They were almost at the forested area near the edge of town when Bailey growled. Tessa stared at the girl. She had never heard a human make a sound like that in her life. And even as the thought crossed her mind, Bailey kicked off her boots, then dropped to her hands and knees. In the twinkling of an eye, the girl was gone and a black panther stood in the midst of a pile of shredded clothing. The cat stared into the darkness, ears and tail twitching.
As if that wasn’t shocking enough, a moment later Andrei changed into a big black wolf.
Stunned by what she was seeing, Tessa held her breath as another panther materialized out of the darkness. It padded silently forward, yellow eyes glowing in the dark, until the two panthers were standing almost nose to nose.
One of them made a sort of purring sound and then they circled each other, first one way, then the other.
Tessa glanced at the wolf. He stood stiff-legged, hackles raised, watching the two cats.
Tessa chewed on her lower lip, wishing more than ever that she had just stayed home.
Abruptly, the larger panther darted into the forest and out of sight. After a moment, Bailey the panther ran after it.
Tessa felt a shiver in the air as Andrei regained his own form. “What just happened?” she asked.
“Apparently Bailey’s found another shifter,” Andrei said, gathering her ruined clothing. “Or he found her.”
“Is she coming back?”
“I don’t know.”
“But . . . should we just let her go like that? She could be in danger.”
“So could we,” he said, taking her by the arm and guiding her back the way they’d come. “There are half a dozen other shifters lurking in the shadows near the trees.”
* * *
Feeling exhilarated, Bailey ran after the big black panther. Never before had she shifted so easily or so quickly. She knew, somehow, that it was because of the other cat. His power had somehow enhanced her own. It had been the most incredible feeling in the world.
She ran tirelessly, effortlessly, following him through the forest and into the hills beyond. Scents and sensations flowed over her and through her. All her senses were heightened. She tasted fear on the wind as a rabbit scurried out of her way, its heart beating wildly. Gradually, the other panther slowed. When he stopped beside a small stream, so did she. When he dropped to his belly to lap at the water, she followed his lead. It was icy cold on her tongue.
Rising, he shook himself and suddenly a man stood before her. A beautiful man with short, brown hair and piercing green eyes. “I am Tristan.”
She shifted to her human form with ease. “I’m Bailey.” He was naked and so was she, yet she felt no shame, no embarrassment.
“You are one of us,” he said, his voice and expression solemn.
Bailey grinned, thinking he was stating the obvious. She wondered how old he was. If she’d had to guess, she would have said no more than twenty, though she’d never been good at guessing things like that.
“You have no pack.”
“Pack?”
“People to protect you. To teach you.”
“I have Andrei.”
“A vampire.” Tristan snorted disdainfully. “What can he teach you?”
“He helped me as best he could,” she said, springing to Andrei’s defense.
“He cannot teach you what you need to know. If it is your wish, you may stay here, with us.”
“Us?” She glanced around, eyes widening when six panthers of varying size padded into view.
“These are pack,” he said. “Family.”
Before he finished speaking, they had all shifted to human form—a middle-aged man and woman and three girls and a boy who looked like they were her age or a little younger.
All six nodded to her, their smiles friendly but curious. The woman pulled a large bag from under a deadfall and passed out hooded robes to everyone, including Bailey. It reminded her of the kind of robe worn by Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars. She accepted it gratefully. She hadn’t been embarrassed by her nudity in front of Tristan, but felt suddenly shy in the presence of the others.
Holding the robe close around her, she looked at Tristan. “How did you find me?”
“We have been watching you for a long time, waiting for you to grow up.”
The thought should have frightened her. Instead, a little thrill of excitement shot through her. “Why?”
“Because you and I are destined to be life-mates.”
Bailey backed up a step, then folded her arms over her chest. “I’m only sixteen. I’m not ready to be anybody’s ‘life-mate.’”
“Of course you aren’t. We just wanted to introduce ourselves to you, let you know you’re not alone.” He nodded at the man and the woman. “These are my parents, Thomas and Colette. My sisters, Mercy, Faith, and Charity. And my brother, Justin. You will meet the rest of the pack if you decide to join us.”
“Pleased to meet you all,” Bailey said. Then, looking at Tristan, she asked, “So, what happens now?”
“You may stay with us, or I will escort you back home.”
“I think I want to go back to Tessa’s.”
“Very well. But first . . .” He motioned to the others and they came forward one by one to embrace her.
To Bailey’s amazement, they each sniffed her for several seconds before letting her go. When the last girl backed away, Bailey looked askance at Tristan. “What was that all about?”
“So they will recognize you in either form. Come,” he said, holding out his hand, “I will take you home.”
Bailey was surprised again when he led her to a late-model Chevy. He held her door open for her before rounding the car and sliding behind the wheel. Bailey glanced out the window as he drove toward town, her emotions running rampant. One minute she was excited about what had just happened. The next, apprehensive. But, either way, she felt drawn to Tristan.
In some ways, she felt as if she had known him all her life.
As if she had been biding her time, waiting for him to find her.
* * *
Tessa sat on the sofa beside Andrei, listening intently as Bailey related her encounter with Tristan and his family.
“So, have you made a decision?” Tessa asked when Bailey fell silent.
“No.” Bailey looked at Andrei. “What do you think I should do?”
“That’s up to you. I’m not your father, but if I was, I’d tell you to get to know Tristan and his family better before you decide.”
Bailey nodded, then glanced at Tessa. “What would you do?”
“I agree with Andrei. You’re welcome to invite Tristan here, if you like. As for that ‘life-mate’ thing . . .” Tessa shook her head. “I don’t know anything about were-panther lore,” she said, smiling. “But it does sound romantic. Do you have a way to get in touch with him? Maybe you could invite him for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow afternoon.”
“Really?” Bailey asked.
“What better way to get to know him than to invite him to have dinner with your family?”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Tessa grinned at Bailey as they set the table for dinner. It had been a hectic morning. The first order of business had been a quick trip to the market in search of the perfect prime rib. With that accomplished, she and Bailey had spent a hurried few minutes dusting and vacuuming and cleaning th
e bathroom before going to their own rooms to shower and dress for the day.
Tristan had given Bailey his cell phone number and she had called him last night to invite him to dinner. Tessa wasn’t sure how she felt about having another shape-shifter in the house, but she kept her misgivings to herself.
Their guests were scheduled to arrive at four.
At three thirty, Tessa set out chips and dip and a vegetable platter. She checked to make sure there was plenty of ice, chilled the wine Andrei had dropped off the night before, checked the roast and the potatoes.
Luke and Jilly arrived a few minutes before four, Tristan shortly thereafter.
Bailey made the introductions.
Tessa smiled as she shook Tristan’s hand. He was a handsome young man, almost as tall as Andrei, with short, dark brown hair and vivid green eyes. He was obviously ill at ease in a roomful of strangers, but he greeted each of them politely. Tessa noted that Bailey couldn’t keep her eyes off him.
“Where’s Andrei?” Jilly asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t heard from him. Oh,” she said, hurrying toward the front door, “he’s here.”
She felt her heart skip a beat as he swept her into his arms and kissed her. And kissed her again, his hands moving up and down her spine, then delving into her hair.
“I missed you,” he murmured.
She gazed up at him, breathless, her other guests forgotten. “You should miss me more often.”
“Darlin’, I miss you every second we’re apart.” He smiled down at her, his eyes alight. “I have news but I’m not sure if it’s good news or not.”
“What is it?”
“I stopped by Katerina’s place on my way here. There’s still no sign of her. It looks like she packed up and left town.”
“That sounds like good news to me!”
“If she’s truly gone from Cutter’s Corner, then it is. If she’s still here . . . shielding her presence . . .” He shook his head. “It’s easier to fight an enemy you can see.”
“Well, let’s not worry about her now,” Tessa said, taking him by the hand. “For today, let’s pretend she doesn’t exist.”
“All right, love.”