She looked into his eyes and was overcome with the thought that he needed her. A soft sigh escaped her lips. “Will you be in town long?”
His smile went straight to her heart. “As long as you want.”
~ * ~
Bryn spent Saturday morning at her computer, looking up everything she could find about vampires. She was amazed at the number of books about vampire lore, the hundreds, maybe thousands, of websites dedicated to vampires and the supernatural. Every country had its own beliefs and myths. She wondered how much of what she read was factual. Surely it couldn’tallbe true. Vampires were strong. They were almost indestructible. They could move from place to place faster than the human eye could see. They could change shape, turn into mist, climb up a wall like a spider, become invisible. They had the power to compel people to do their will, to read minds.... That gave her pause. Conor had read her mind. Had he made her do things she didn’t remember? Shaking the disturbing thought away, she read on. Silver and holy water burned their flesh. Sunlight, beheading, or a stake in the heart could kill them.
Overwhelmed by so much information, much of which she’d rather not know, she sat back in her chair and took a deep breath, wondering, once again, how much of what she’d read could possibly be true. There was, she thought, one sure way to find out. She could just ask a vampire.
Before she could talk herself out of it, she went to the online phone directory and looked up Saintcrow. There were no listings. She tapped her fingers on the desk top, and then called the number for the Morgan Creek Hotel. If his father owned the town, someone was bound to know where to find him.
~ * ~
Saintcrow glanced at his phone. The number was unfamiliar but something told him to answer it anyway. “Saintcrow here.”
“Hello.” The voice was female and nervous as hell.
“Who is this?”
A long pause. “Brynlee Davis. I’m dating your son.”
Saintcrow’s brows shot up. Few things surprised him these days but this was far and away the most unexpected call he’d ever received. “What can I do for you, Miss Davis?”
“I have a lot of questions about...you know.”
“I’m sure you do. But you should be talking to Conor, not me.”
After a moment’s hesitation, she said, “I’m afraid he won’t be totally honest with me.”
Saintcrow grunted. “Afraid he’ll skirt the truth to make it more palatable?”
“Something like that. We’ve only known each other a short time but I’m falling in love with him. Before it goes any further, I want to know what I’m dealing with. Today, I read a lot of stuff online about vampires. I need to know how much of it’s true.”
“Maybe we should do this face to face.”
Bryn glanced around the room, totally taken aback by the thought of meeting Conor’s father.
“What do you say?”
“I...I don’t know.” Before she could make up her mind, there was a knock at the door.
Murmuring, “Hang on a minute,” she went to answer it. And came face to face with a man she knew immediately was Conor’s father. “How did you know where I lived?”
“Conor told me. May I come in?”
He was tall, broad-shouldered and lean-hipped. And as intimating as hell, with his long black hair and piercing dark eyes. The same kind of power that surrounded Conor emanated from this man, only it was much stronger. Summoning her courage, she took a step back. “Come in.”
Saintcrow followed her into the living room, sat down at her invitation. “The first thing you need to know about vampires,” hesaid, after she was seated, “is that we can’t enter a home without an invitation, and we’re compelled to leave if asked to.”
“Good to know,” she muttered.
“I turned Conor,” Saintcrow said, leaning back in the chair. “He’s wanted to be a vampire his whole life. It’s unfortunate that he didn’t wait a little longer. He loves you.”
“I know. Are all the things I read true?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know what you read, but this is the truth. Young vampires can’t abide sunlight. They must have blood to survive but the need lessens as they age. Silver and holy water will burn them. They must rest during the day. Conor will not be compelled to shun the sunlight as long as most, since he carries my blood. Our injuries heal immediately.”
Bryn gasped, remembering the night Conor was shot.