The morning sun would take care of the rest.
~ * ~
At home, Kadie curled up on the sofa and wept blood-red tears, not for those who had perished but for the pain of the man who had destroyed them. She wiped her eyes when she sensed Rylan was on his way home. He had always hated her tears.
He materialized in front of her, his skin splattered with blood, his clothing stained and torn. In true vampire fashion, his injuries had already healed. He stared at her, a challenge in his dark eyes. “Go on, say it.”
“You did what you had to do,” she said quietly. “Nothing I say can change that.”
“You disapprove.” It wasn’t a question but a statement.
She lifted one shoulder and let it fall. “It was self-defense, Rylan. It isn’t what you did to them, it’s what it’s doing to you.”
He scowled at her for a moment, then dropped down on his knees in front of her and buried his head in her lap. “I wanted to send them away,” he said, his voice muffled. “If only they hadn’t attacked me. If they’d just....oh, hell, it doesn’t matter now. What’s done is done.”
Kadie stroked his hair. She couldn’t begin to imagine what he was going through. All she could do was pray that they could find a way to make Rylan’s blood normal again. She had a feeling that the more toxic it became, the harder it would be for him to control his rage and his blood-lust and that, in the end, his fury would destroy him.
~ * ~
Two days later, Kadie sat at her desk staring at her blank computer screen. How on earth did anyone find the whereabouts of ancient vampires? She had never realized how unusual the friendship between Saintcrow, Kincaid, and the Ravenwood clan was. She knew attachments between vampires was not only rare, but practically unheard of. Years ago, Morgan Creek had been a haven for vampires, and while she had never noticed any kind of real affinity between the inhabitants, they had been civil to one another. One would think, with their numbers being relatively small, that they would have kept in touch. If it had been up to her, there would be some kind of vampire brotherhood so that whenever something like the previous plague that had affected young vampires occurred, word could have been easily spread.
She huffed a sigh. But vampires were not social creatures. They didn’t share territory, which had made the Morgan Creek vampires a law unto themselves. Maybe she should get in touch with Ethan and the others and see if they had come up with any fresh ideas. She certainly wasn’t having any luck online. But then, what she was looking for probably couldn’t be found on Google or DuckDuckGo.
She turned away from the computer, then turned back and opened her favorite Solitaire game. Perhaps if she concentrated on something else, her subconscious would come up with an idea.
~ * ~
Saintcrow strolled down Morgan Creek’s deserted main street, thinking he far preferred it this way than crowded with mortals. It was quiet now, as it had been in the old days when only vampires and the few humans who served as prey lived here. Life had been simpler then, he mused. And then smiled. All that had changed when Kadie stumbled across the bridge one stormy night. He had been resting in mother earth when he caught the tantalizing scent of her blood. It had drawn him to the surface and changed the course of his life.
And hers.
He muttered an oath as he crossed the street and made his way to the park. What did Elowynne have to do with his problem, if anything? How could the few times they had met when he was mortal have any effect on his life now?
Strolling through the park, he recalled the plague that had affected the young vampires a few years back. Thankfully, what ailed him now was nothing like that. Earlier, looking for answers to his current dilemma, he had gotten in touch with the only three old ones he knew in hopes that they might have some knowledge or experience with his problem. Florian and Grigore made their lairs in Transylvania, Oriana resided in Rome. None of them had never heard of a vampire’s blood turning toxic. Oriana, however, had offered to come to Morgan Creek and share her blood with him in hopes it might help. Saintcrow had quickly accepted her offer. Even if it didn’t cure the problem, a little ancient blood couldn’t hurt. She would be there that night.
~ * ~
Kadie stared at Rylan. “A vampire is coming here, to give you his blood?
“Her blood,” he corrected.
“Herblood.” Kadie worried her lower lip between her teeth, fighting the little twinge of jealousy that quickly sprang to life. Rylan was a tall, dark, incredibly handsome and charismaticman. Deep down inside where she rarely looked lurked a secret fear that he would one day tire of her. “Is she older than you? Is that why she’s coming?”
“Almost as old,” he said, his lips twitching. “But a little ancient blood can’t hurt. No need to be jealous, darlin’.”
“I’m not!”
“Kadie, Kadie,” he chided, taking her in his arms. “You know you can’t lie to me.”
“How well do you know her?”
“We’re old friends, darlin’,” he said, with a shrug. “We hunted together for a while a long time ago, that’s all.”
She gazed up at him, her heart in her eyes. She knew he loved her, that her fears were groundless, but still they persisted. Only two percent of mortal marriages lasted sixty years. Baring accidents, she and Rylan could be married for centuries. She shook her gloomy thoughts away and reminded herself that the woman had come to help Rylan, not seduce him.
With a shake of his head, Saintcrow captured her lips with his and kissed her deeply, his tongue mating with hers, his thoughts invading hers, telling her he loved her, would always love her. Her, and no other.
A thought started a cheery blaze in the hearth, lit the candles. Two pillows appeared on the floor in front of the fire. He was about to whisk away their clothing when there was a knock at the door.