“Should I?”
“You’ve never doubted me before.”
“Nick was never here before.”
Mara cupped Logan’s face in her palms, then opened her mind and her heart to his gaze. “There’s no one for me but you, Hektor,” she whispered. A pair of tears, tinged with blood, slid down her cheeks. “There never has been. There never will be.”
He smiled faintly at her use of his ancient name.
And then he took her in his arms and kissed away her tears.
Chapter Ten
In the morning, after putting on her work clothes, Abbey poured herself a cup of coffee. Carrying it into the living room, she stared out the window. How had things gotten so complicated? She wasn’t even sure what was going on. She was the youngest member of the family, the only mortal, and yet she had always known that everyone loved her, that they would always be there for her, and yet last night made it crystal clear that she didn’t really know anything about them.
She had lived with vampires her whole life and she knew most of the basics. They were practically immortal. They healed rapidly when they were wounded. They drank blood to survive. They could move faster than the human eye could follow. They could turn into mist, change shape, scale tall buildings with a single bound. Holy water burned them. The old ones could only be killed if you drove a wooden stake into their heart, took their head, or burned them to ash. Younger ones could be destroyed by dragging them into sunlight.
Abbey had never asked her parents any but the most fundamental questions, had never wanted to know the intimate details. Not knowing made it easier to pretend the Cordovas were just like everyone else. She had clung to the belief that ignorance was bliss, at least where vampires were concerned.
Until she discovered Nick was a vampire.
Now she wanted—needed—to know everything because, as impossible as it seemed, what she had told her father was true.
She was falling in love.
The thought made her smile. After rinsing out her cup, she put it in the dishwasher, then went out the back door. She strolled toward the barn, pausing now and again to appreciate the beauty around her—the vast blue sky, the wildflowers, the rolling hills. She laughed as a squirrel darted across her path and scampered out of sight. Overhead, birds chirped merrily in the trees.
Using both hands, she opened the barn door. It was time to earn her keep, she thought. Time to get to work. Although getting paid to do something you loved really didn’t seem like work.
She mucked the stalls. She fed the stock. She filled the water barrels. She exercised the horses. And all the while, her thoughts were on Nick. Everyone seemed opposed to her relationship with him, but she didn’t care.
She wanted him.
It wasn’t quite noon when her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t had any breakfast. After cooling out the horse she had been exercising, she made her way to the cottage.
In the kitchen, she washed her hands and packed a lunch. Hurrying back to the barn, she saddled Freckles, stowed her lunch in one of the saddlebags, and rode to a secluded glen where she could relax and sort out her thoughts. It was her second favorite place on the ranch.
Dismounting, Abbey tethered the mare to a low-hanging branch, then loosened the cinch. The Appy immediately lowered her head to nibble on the thick grass.
Giving the mare a pat on the neck, Abbey moved a few feet away. After finding a shady spot, she sat on the grass to eat her lunch, her mind filling with the events of the previous night.
A coalition of hunters was offering a reward for whoever had killed Lou McDonald and her sister. It didn’t mean anything to Abbey; she had never met the McDonalds. She didn’t know who had killed them or why. But the thought of hunters in the area gave her cause for concern. If there was one thing she did know, it was that hunters were often more ruthless than the vampires they hunted.
Edna and Pearl were missing. Again, Abbey had no idea how or if that should worry her, since she had never met either one of them.
And then there was Nick. Always Nick. Was he somehow involved in all this? Was that why the family was so upset? She frowned as she pulled two apples from her bag. She tossed one to Freckles, then bit into the other. What possible reason would Nick have to kill the McDonalds, or offer a reward for their killer? By the same token, what would he want with Edna and Pearl? Surely he had no designs on them. Abbey knew little about them other than that they had both been in their seventies when her Uncle Rafe had turned them. They had recently concocted a potion they hoped would cure Derek of being a werewolf, but Sheree had refused to let him take it.
Abbey shook her head. Her father had mentioned a cure for vampires. Was Nick looking for it?
Too many questions without answers. Taking a last bite of her apple, she tossed the core to Freckles, who quickly gobbled it up.
With a sigh, Abbey gained her feet. She stowed the trash in her saddlebag, then tightened the cinch and swung onto the Appy’s back.
She turned the mare toward home, only to abruptly change her mind. It would be hours until her parents were up. Might as well do a little exploring. If she remembered correctly, there used to be an old line shack not far from here. Was it still there, or had her father finally torn it down?
Nick stirred as a wayward breeze penetrated the chinks in the shack’s walls, carrying Abbey’s scent with it. He started to rise, thought better of it, and rolled onto his side, his gaze on the door. Abbey’s scent grew stronger as the sound of hoofbeats drew closer. Nick propped himself on one elbow, listening. A horse whinnied softly. Tentative footsteps approached the door.
She was here. Why?
The rusty hinges creaked as Abbey nudged the door open and peered inside. The room was in shadow, the ragged curtains drawn across the cracked window. She glanced around, then opened the door wider, allowing more light inside.
A faint movement caught her eye. Startled, she took a step backward, her eyes widening when she saw Nick watching her from the cot. She pressed one hand to her breast. “What are you doing here?” she exclaimed.
“I could ask you the same thing.” He sat up, the sheet pooling in his lap.
Abbey stared at him, her mouth going dry. He had the upper body of a Greek god. Toned and well muscled. With six-pack abs any bodybuilder would envy.
He lifted one brow in wry amusement. “Wanna see the rest?”
“Of . . .” She swallowed hard. “Of course not.”
He slid one long, muscular leg out from under the sheet. “Are you sure?”
Abbey bit down on her lower lip as a flush spread up her neck and into her cheeks. She clenched her hands at her sides to keep from ripping the sheet from the bed and satisfying her curiosity. She had to get out of here, she thought desperately.
Before she did something totally out of character. Before her father found her . . .
That thought sent her backing out of the shack. Taking a deep breath, she closed the door.
She was trying to convince herself to jump on her horse and get the heck out of there when Nick stepped outside clad in nothing but a pair of jeans that rode dangerously low on his hips.
Oh, Lord, he was just as sexy and desirable partially clothed as naked.
Caught in the web of his gaze, she stared up at him, helpless to resist as two short strides closed the distance between them.
Murmuring, “Mornin’, darlin’,” he wrapped her in his arms.
With a sigh, she rested her head against his chest, no longer caring if her father or anyone else saw them. She was in Nick’s arms, and that was all that mattered.
He held her close, his hand lightly caressing her back, his breath warm against her skin.
“How did you know I was here?” he asked after a while.
“I didn’t. I was just out riding and I stopped by to see if this old place was still standing. I used to play here when I was younger.”
He grunted softly. “Another hope crushed.”
She smiled up at him. “What are
you doing here?”
“I needed a place to spend the day.” He stroked her cheek. “Someplace close to you. Come on,” he said, shielding his eyes against the sun, “let’s go inside.”
Ignoring the little voice warning her that being alone with Nick in a room with a bed was a bad idea, she followed him into the shack, her teeth worrying her lower lip as he closed the door, shutting out the rest of the world.
He lifted one brow. “I can hear your heart beating a mile a minute. What are you afraid of?”
“I’m not afraid.”
“No?”
When she shook her head, he crossed the short distance between them.
“Maybe you should be.” His gaze moved to the pulse beating rapidly in the hollow of her throat.
Abbey swallowed hard. What was she doing here, alone with a vampire she scarcely knew? His gaze was compelling and she glanced away, only to come face to face with the bed he had so recently occupied.
Nick laughed softly as her cheeks turned pink. The scent of her desire, mingled with her uncertainty, teased his nostrils. She wanted him, but she was afraid—afraid of him. Afraid of her own desire.
“Ah, Abbey,” he murmured, “you tempt me almost beyond reason.”
“Do I?”
“You are so incredibly lovely. And you smell so damn sweet.” Lifting a lock of her hair, he let it sift through his fingers. “Your hair is like silk.” His knuckles brushed her cheek. “Your skin is soft and smooth.” His gaze moved over her, lingering on her breasts, her narrow waist, the flare of her hips. “Do you have any idea how much I want you?”
Incapable of speech when he was looking at her like that, as if he were a starving man and she his next meal, she could only stand there, mute. Waiting.
“Tell me what you want, Abbey.”
She curled her hands into fists to keep from reaching for him. “I want you, but . . .”
“Go on.”
“How do I know what I’m feeling for you is real? My Mom told me vampires have an innate allure that’s hard for mortals to resist. How do I know you’re not manipulating me in some way? Making me feel something that doesn’t really exist?”
Nick blew out a breath. Damn, how was he supposed to answer that?
“Nick?”
“It’s true,” he admitted. “I have the power to compel you to do whatever I want. I also have the power to attract you. It’s part of being a predator. But I’ve never compelled you or used any preternatural power to attract you. Whatever you feel for me is real.”
“I want to believe that, but we hardly know each other. It doesn’t seem possible that I could care for you so quickly.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of love at first sight?”
“Of course.” Hadn’t she admitted as much to her father? “But I don’t want to end up like my mother.”
Taking her by the hand, Nick led her to the small wooden table in the corner. He held out a chair for her and when she was seated, he took the other one. “Tell me about her.”
“Her father was fascinated with magic when she was growing up, and with one magician in particular. That magician happened to be my dad. She saw him several times through the years as she was growing up. And even though he used a lot of different names, she always recognized him. Eventually, she became a reporter, and being the curious type, she was determined to find out why he never aged. She started waiting for him outside his dressing room. One night, she finally met him and the rest, as they say, is history. When I turned eighteen, my dad turned my mom.”
Abbey paused. “I always thought my mom liked being a vampire, but we had a talk the other day and it seems she’s not as happy about it as I thought.”
“Being a vampire isn’t for everyone,” Nick remarked. “I take it you’ve given it a lot of thought.”
“What do you think? I grew up surrounded by them. My mom was always warning me that I couldn’t tell anyone the truth, plus she was very protective of me. I had to come straight home from school. I wasn’t allowed to spend the night at my friends’ houses. I know she worried about me, always afraid that I’d say something I shouldn’t, or that some hunter would find out who I was and use me to get at my dad.”
Abbey sat back in the chair, hands tightly folded on the table. “Sometimes I think I should ask my dad to turn me, but then I think of all I’d be giving up, and . . .” She blew out a sigh. “Once it’s done, it’s done.”
“I don’t imagine it’s an easy decision for anyone who’s given the choice.”
“What made you decide to become a vampire?”
“I didn’t.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Someone decided for me.”
“Would you undo it, if you could?”
He nodded. “In a heartbeat.”
“I always wished I could have all the preternatural perks—without actually becoming a vampire. I mean, it would be great, being able to read minds, move faster than the eye can follow, turn into mist, never grow old.”
“Yeah, that is nice,” he agreed.
“What do you miss most about being human?”
“A lot of things. The change in seasons. Summer or winter, hot or cold, it’s all the same to me. I miss sleeping and dreaming. I miss the innocence that mortals have, the sense of wonder that I no longer possess.” He paused. “I would have liked the chance to be a father.”
“It’s not impossible. Look at Mara. She has a son. And my uncle Vince and his wife had twins.”
“I guess miracles happen now and then,” Nick mused. He was silent a moment, and then asked, “So, where does that leave us?”
Where, indeed? Did she really want to pursue a relationship with a vampire? Even one as gorgeous as Nick Desanto? What if they got married . . . Married! Where had that thought come from? She had just met the man. She hardly knew him, and since she didn’t believe in casual sex, there didn’t seem to be any point in seeing him again if it wasn’t going to lead to something permanent . . . And if it did, was she prepared to make the hard decisions sure to follow?
If she was going to call it quits, now was the time, before she started to care more than she already did.
But she couldn’t form the words.
Leaning across the table, he covered her hands with one of his. “Will you go out with me tonight?”
Her heart made the decision before her brain had time to think it over. “Yes.”
“Pick you up at seven?”
“I’ll be ready.”
Rising, Nick drew Abbey to her feet, then wrapped her in his arms again. He held her for a long moment before he claimed her lips with his.
And in that gentle, lingering kiss of possession, Nick knew his fate was sealed.
As was hers.
Chapter Eleven
When Abbey returned to the cottage, she found her father sitting on the swing on the front porch.
“Hi, honey,” he said, rising. “Where have you been?”
“I was out riding. Have you been waiting long?”
“Not really.” He gave her a hug, then drew back, nostrils flaring. “You’ve been with him, haven’t you?”
Abbey’s gaze slid away from his. Having a vampire for a father made lying useless. Not that she would have lied to him. But without his preternatural senses, he never would have known she’d been with Nick.
Rane glanced around the yard. “Where is he?”
“Dad . . .”
“Where is he?”
“Out at the old shack.” She grabbed his arm when he started to turn away. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to ask him what his intentions are toward my daughter.”
“Dad! I just met the man!”
“He’s got no business on my property,” Rane said. “Or any business stalking my daughter.”
“He’s not stalking me.”
“No? What do you call it when he follows you here and then sneaks around like a thief in the night?”
Abbey bit down on the corner of her lip. No
t long ago, she had used the word stalker herself. She took a deep breath. “He asked me to go out with him tonight.”
“I suppose you said yes.”
She nodded. “I don’t know where this is headed, but there’s something between us, a connection. I can’t explain it, but it feels right.”
Rane drew a ragged breath, let it out in a long sigh of resignation. “Like you’ve said so often, you’re old enough to make your own decisions.”
“Did Mom know what she was getting into when she fell in love with you?”
Rane looked at her sharply. “What does that mean?”
“Nothing. But Mom was human when the two of you met. If you’re so set against humans and vampires dating, why did you go out with Mom?”
Rane grunted softly. Why, indeed?
Walking toward the old shack, Rane found himself thinking about what Abbey had said. He had never intended to get involved with a mortal female. But Savanah had been hard to ignore.
He had first seen her when he was performing as The Remarkable Renaldo. He had invited several volunteers to come onstage to witness one of his most popular tricks, in which he stepped through a doorway and disappeared. Savanah’s father, William Gentry, had volunteered, at his daughter’s urging. Gentry had asked if his daughter could accompany him and after a moment’s hesitation, Rane had agreed.
In the years that followed, he had seen Savanah and her father in the audience in a number of cities. He had watched her blossom from a gangly nine-year-old into a lovely young woman with hair the color of moonlight, eyes as blue as a robin’s egg, and a figure that went in and out in all the right places. The first time he had seen her, all grown up, he’d wanted to know her better.
After graduating college, she became a reporter. As such, she became more interested in discovering the secrets behind his so-called tricks than in being entertained.
He recalled the night that had changed his life forever. Savanah had been in the audience, front row center. Wanting to show off a little for her benefit, Rane had left the stage and strolled up the center aisle. He had stopped here and there, asking men and women chosen at random to think of something no one else could possibly know about them and then, using his preternatural power to read their minds, he had revealed their secrets. From time to time he had glanced at Savanah. Annoyed by the skepticism in her eyes, he had made his way to the front row.