She glared at him, arms akimbo. “What if I don’t believe you?”
“Why would I lie?”
Holly couldn’t think of a logical reason, but that didn’t mean he was telling the truth. “How can you be awake? It’s daytime.”
“I’ve been a vampire a very long time. I can be awake during the day as long as I don’t spend too much time in the sun. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going back to bed. We’ll talk later.”
And with those ominous parting words, he vanished from her sight.
Holly stared at the place where he had been standing. How had he done that? And how had he known she was at the bridge?
She looked at the door. Curious, she tried to open it again. The handle turned, but the door remained closed. She tried the windows and the back door with the same results.
With her mind still reeling from her conversation with Saintcrow, she returned to the living room and sank down on the sofa. She hadn’t believed Micah when he told her that her life was in danger if she went home, but in spite of her words to the contrary, when Saintcrow said her life was in danger, she believed every word.
How strange was that?
* * *
Micah rose with the setting of the sun. He would have preferred to take his rest upstairs, in one of the bedrooms, but he didn’t feel comfortable doing so with Holly in the house, so he slept in the basement with the heavy iron door bolted from the inside. Not that he was afraid she would try to destroy him—although that was always a possibility. It was more that he didn’t want her to see him when he was trapped in the dark sleep, helpless, vulnerable. He had never seen a vampire at rest, had no idea what he, himself, looked like.
He still found it unsettling, sinking into that deathlike oblivion. No dreams, no tossing and turning. He grunted softly. No trouble falling asleep. Once the sun went down and he closed his eyes, it was, indeed, like death. If he lived long enough, he would be able to be active during the day, but that was decades—maybe centuries—down the road.
He dressed quickly, ran a comb through his hair. As soon as he opened the basement door, he knew Saintcrow had been in the house.
What he didn’t know was why.
Racing up the stairs, he found Holly in the kitchen, drying her hands on a dish towel. His gaze moved over her, lingering on the curve of her neck. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “Why wouldn’t I be? There’s no one else here.”
Micah frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“What did Saintcrow want?”
“How do you know he was here?”
“I can smell him. What happened?”
Holly leaned back against the counter and folded her arms over her chest. “I left.”
“Left?” Micah raised one brow. “What do you mean, you left? Where did you go?”
“I was going home. I would have made it, too, if Saintcrow hadn’t grabbed me and brought me back here.”
“Why would you do that? I told you it wasn’t safe for you to leave.”
“Why?” she asked, her voice rising as anger and frustration replaced her fear. “Why? Maybe I don’t want to be here! Maybe I don’t like being held prisoner by vampires! Maybe I’m scared out of my mind because some psycho vampire who doesn’t even know me wants to kill me!”
“All good reasons,” Micah allowed with a grin. “Although, if you ask me, that last one seems like reason enough to stay.”
“It’s not funny, damn you!”
“You’re right—it’s not funny. It’s serious as hell.”
“What is this place? What kind of town has businesses and houses but no people?”
“A very strange town.” Micah jerked his head toward the living room. “Let’s go sit down and I’ll tell you what I know.”
Holly hesitated a moment, then went into the front room and sat on one of the sofas, her hands tightly folded in her lap.
Micah took a place on the other couch. “Years ago, and I don’t know how many years exactly, this town was inhabited by a coven of vampires. Saintcrow was their leader. He put some sort of supernatural whammy on the bridge that also extended to the mountains that surround the town, so that anyone who wandered into Morgan Creek was unable to leave. The vampires provided the people with food and shelter, books and movies . . .” He paused, wondering how to explain the rest without making Saintcrow and the others sound like monsters, only to realize it was impossible.
“What happened to the people?”
“Not what you’re thinking, exactly, but . . . the vampires preyed on the men and women who lived here. The vamps weren’t allowed to hurt anyone. Or kill them,” he added quickly. Although that had happed from time to time. “But they did drink from them.”
Holly’s eyes widened in horror. “They kept people here to feed on? Like cattle? That’s disgusting! It’s . . . it’s . . .” She shook her head. “How could you do that? What about children?”
“Hey, I wasn’t even here then. This was all set in motion long before I met Saintcrow. And as far as I know, they never kept any children here.”
“As far as you know.” She shook her head. “He’s a monster.”
“I don’t know about that.”
She stared at him, aghast. “You think what he did was right? Is that what you intend to do with me? Keep me here like your own private stock?”
“Of course not!”
“So, where are all those people now?”
“Kadie convinced Saintcrow to let all of them go.”
“For someone who says he wasn’t here, you seem to know an awful lot about what went on.”
Micah nodded. “Three of the women who lived here decided to stay when the others left. I fell in love with one of them. I told you about her.”
Holly nodded. “I just don’t understand what any of that has to do with the woman who’s after you?”
“There’s no connection that I know of. It was just bad timing that Braga and I crossed paths. I don’t know how she put it together that Saintcrow and I know each other. All I know is Saintcrow told me she’s dangerous, and so is the man she travels with.”
“So,” Holly murmured, “if I’d never met you, my life wouldn’t be in danger, and I wouldn’t be here now.”
“That about sums it up.”
“Talk about bad luck.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way.”
“How else would you expect me to feel?”
“I’m trying to help you, sunshine, whether you believe it or not. If you want to leave, leave.”
Holly chewed on her thumbnail. If everything he had said was true, going home would be foolhardy, perhaps fatal. “How did Saintcrow know I was at the bridge? I left in the morning, when your kind is supposed to be dead to the world—you should pardon the pun.”
Micah shook his head. “He has incredible power. I don’t know how he does it, but he knows everything that goes on in this town. It’s like he’s got some kind of physical connection to the place.”
She nodded, her expression thoughtful.
Micah sat back, hands resting on his thighs, watching her, reading her thoughts. Some of her fear had evaporated, replaced by what she considered morbid curiosity about the history of Morgan Creek and the vampires who had lived here, preying on those who’d had the misfortune to stumble into the town. Kept like rats in a trap, was the way she viewed it.
She wasn’t far wrong, he thought. Still, from the vampire point of view, he could understand why Saintcrow had done it. Fifty years ago, vampire hunters had stalked their kind relentlessly. It must have seemed like a stroke of genius, taking over a ghost town, warding it so no one who entered could leave, thereby assuring that the town’s location and inhabitants were kept secret from the rest of the world.
From a human standpoint, it was despicable. But if Micah had learned one thing in his short time as a vampire, it was that humans and vampires didn’t live by the same codes of conduct.
Holly
blew out a sigh. “I don’t know what to do.” Closing her eyes, she massaged her temples.
Micah watched her a moment; then, moving behind the sofa, he began to rub her back and shoulders. She started at his touch, then relaxed, her head falling forward, a sigh of pleasure escaping her lips.
“This is all so unreal,” she muttered. “No one will ever believe it.”
No one would ever know, Micah thought as he kneaded the tension from her neck. If she decided to leave, he would wipe all memory of himself, Saintcrow, Kadie, and Morgan Creek from Holly’s mind. It was a handy talent, one he had used often on those he preyed upon.
All things considered, he couldn’t help thinking that would probably be the best course of action for all concerned. Except . . . he wasn’t ready to see the last of Holly Parrish. And wiping her memory wouldn’t keep her safe. Ignorance might be bliss, but it wouldn’t protect her from Braga.
“So, what do we do now?” she asked.
“I guess that depends on you.”
Holly didn’t pretend she didn’t know what he was talking about. Even now, knowing what he was, she couldn’t deny the attraction that hummed between them like the sizzle in the air before a storm. She had tried to ignore it, told herself it wasn’t real, but to no avail. It intrigued her, tempted her, even as it frightened her.
She folded her arms over her chest. “What if I still want to go home?”
“If you’re determined to leave in spite of everything, then I’ll take you back.” Saintcrow might have been able to justify keeping people against their will, but Micah couldn’t do it. He wasn’t Holly’s keeper or her jailer. She was a big girl, old enough to make her own decisions, no matter how stupid they were.
She leaned forward, her hands on her knees. “Do you mean it?”
He nodded. He didn’t tell her he would erase her memory before he released her.
Decisions, decisions, Holly thought, settling back on the sofa. Now that Micah had agreed to take her home if that was what she wanted, she hesitated. Did she really want to go home and take a chance on facing a vindictive vampire? Or stay in Morgan Creek with an attractive one until the danger was past?
In the end, there was really only one decision that made any sense. “As much as I hate to admit it, I guess staying here is the smart thing to do. But you promise you’ll take me home when that other vampire is no longer a threat?”
He nodded again.
“All right,” she murmured. “I’ll stay. Oh, wait! I can’t. I have a job! My boss expects me to be at work tomorrow. I have an appointment with a new client at ten, and I’m supposed to interview a new secretary for one of the partners, and . . .” Her voice trailed off.
“Can’t you take some time off?” Micah asked.
“My vacation starts next week.”
“All right, here’s what we’ll do. I’ll take you home late tonight. You go to work in the morning. Tell your boss something’s come up and you need to take your vacation a little early. Don’t go out for lunch. Work overtime if you have to, but don’t leave the building until I get there. You should be safe as long as you’re surrounded by people. When the sun goes down, I’ll bring you back here.”
“Can the Braga woman go out during the day?”
“I don’t think so. But her bodyguard, Mahlon, can, and I don’t want to mess with him. Even Saintcrow’s afraid of him.”
If that was true, Mahlon must be scary indeed. “Are you sure all this is necessary?”
“It’s your life.”
When he put it like that, there was nothing else to say.
* * *
As promised, Micah took Holly home that night. He sat on the sofa, watching an old Steve McQueen movie, while she went into her room. He heard the water come on, detected the scents of soap and shampoo as she showered and washed her hair. Soon after, he heard the sound of a blow-dryer. Fifteen minutes later, she stepped into the living room clad in flowered PJs and a light blue robe.
After a moment’s hesitation, she joined him on the sofa. He noted she left as much room as possible between them.
“You remember what I told you about staying inside tomorrow?” he asked.
She nodded. “Are you going back to Morgan Creek tonight?”
“No.”
“You don’t intend to stay here, do you?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Tonight and tomorrow?”
“Is that a problem?”
“Where will you spend the day?”
“In your closet probably.”
“My closet?”
“It’s dark and quiet.”
“Oh.” She had never let a man stay the night, Holly mused, grinning inwardly, and the first time she did, it was a vampire who intended to sleep in the midst of her jeans and dresses. On one hand, she was less than thrilled with the idea. On the other, she would at least have someone to protect her on the off chance that Braga came sniffing around tonight. “Well, I think I’ll go to bed. Do you need anything?”
His gaze moved to the curve of her throat. The heat of his eyes was a palpable thing, almost like a physical caress.
Holly lifted a hand to her neck, suddenly remembering that he claimed to have bitten her. “When?” she asked. “When did you bite me?”
“While we were dancing at Gabriella’s.”
“I don’t believe you. I’m sure I’d remember something like that.”
“Not if I didn’t want you to.”
She stared at him. Not only had he bitten her, but he had also compelled her to forget it. How many times had he done such a despicable thing?
“Just once.”
Holly grimaced. It was yet another grim reminder that he could read her thoughts.
“Why should I believe you? You could have done it a hundred times and I wouldn’t know.”
“True enough, but I didn’t.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out her cell phone and tossed it to her. “Saintcrow thought you might need this.”
“How thoughtful of him.”
“Why don’t you get some sleep, sunshine? It’s late.”
Nodding, she went into her bedroom and locked the door, although that seemed pointless, since he could easily turn into mist and slip through the cracks.
She brushed her teeth, tossed her robe on the foot of the bed, crawled under the covers, and all the while, she imagined Micah bending over her, his fangs piercing her flesh, drinking her blood.... Such thoughts were not conducive to a good night’s rest.
When she finally drifted off, it was to dream of Leticia Braga chasing her through a dark, shadowy world. Micah ran at the other vampire’s side, his eyes as red as the fires of hell, his fangs dripping blood.
Her blood.
Chapter Ten
Several years before she passed away, Holly’s grandmother had decided she needed a walk-in closet with built-in shoe racks and sweater cubbies. And mirrored doors because they were all the rage. The rest of the family had considered the remodel an extravagance, but not Holly. She had bragged to all her friends about how hip her granny was. Not only did Grandma Parrish drive a Dodge Challenger, but she had mirrored doors in her bedroom.
One of the last things Holly had promised her grandmother was that she would be worthy to wear white on her wedding day. In college and beyond, Holly had come close to breaking that promise several times, but her vow to wait had kept her from crossing the line. So far. She had a terrible feeling that if anyone could make her break that vow, it would be Micah, whether she was willing or not.
In the morning, Holly stood in front of the closet doors, checking to make sure nothing was showing that shouldn’t be. And all the while, her hand itched to slide one of the doors open and steal a peek at Micah while he was at rest. Would it wake him up? Was it possible to wake a sleeping vampire? Did he look gross while trapped in that deathlike sleep?
Shaking the impulse aside, she stepped into her shoes, grabbed her handbag, and hurried out to her car. Sliding behind the wheel, she qui
ckly locked the door and pulled out of the driveway. She told herself there was nothing to worry about. Braga was a vampire. She had to sleep when the sun was up. But her bodyguard . . . what was his name? Oh, yes, Mahlon. He was human. And Saintcrow was afraid of him. Having met Saintcrow, she found it hard to imagine that he was afraid of anything, human or otherwise.
All the way to work, she kept glancing in the rearview mirror, a quiver of unease slithering down her spine every time she saw a car with a man behind the wheel following close behind her.
She didn’t relax until she was safely inside her office with the door closed. By then, she was a nervous wreck.
* * *
Holly breathed a sigh of relief when five o’clock rolled around. She had just backed up her work when Micah materialized beside her desk.
“You about ready?” he asked, glancing around her office. It was small and square. A window overlooked the street, a framed painting of a running horse adorned one wall, a whiteboard hung beside the door.
Holly pressed a hand to heart. “Don’t do that!”
“Do what?”
“Just zap into my office.”
“Sorry.”
Scowling, she quickly shut down her computer and gathered her things.
“Did you talk to the boss about taking your vacation early?”
“Yes. He wasn’t happy about it, but he said it would be all right.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
All Holly’s senses came alive as they rode the elevator down to the parking garage. As she walked toward the car, her gaze darted left and right. Was there someone lurking in the shadows?
She quickly unlocked her car, and Micah slid into the passenger seat. His presence, so close, made her pulse race. The car seemed smaller with him in it. With her hands clenched on the wheel, she drove out of the garage and headed for the freeway.
He chuckled softly when she glanced in the rearview mirror for the tenth time in as many minutes. “Relax. There’s no one following us.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I’d be able to sense her if she was nearby.”