As Twilight Falls

After spending the night in Micah's arms, it was difficult for Shirley to sit in the restaurant with Rosemary and Donna the next morning, and even more difficult to concentrate on what they were saying. All she could think about was the handsome young vampire who had made love to her into the wee small hours of the morning, and how anxious she was to see him again. It had been years since she had made love. Truth be told, she had never really been crazy about it. Until last night.

"Shirley, what do you think? Shirley?" Rosemary tapped her on the forehead. "Hey, are you in there?"

"What? Oh, sorry, I was . . . um . . ."

"Not here. That's for sure. Donna thinks we should drive into Cody for the day, have lunch, do some shopping. Do you want to go?"

"Oh. Sure, why not?"

"Are you all right?" Rosemary asked. "You seem a little . . . distracted."

"I'm fine." She smiled faintly. "Really fine."

"She has that look," Donna said.

"What look?" Shirley asked.

Donna folded her arms over her chest. "The same one Kadie wore after she'd been with Saintcrow for a while."

"Don't be ridiculous!"

Rosemary nodded. "I think you're right."

"It's that young vampire, isn't it?" Donna leaned forward. "Come on, 'fess up."

Shirley slumped in her seat. "All right. I've seen him a couple of times."

"First Kadie, and now you." Rosemary sighed. "I just don't see the attraction."

"Speaking of Kadie, she hasn't been around lately," Donna said. "I hope she's all right."

"Oh, she's all right," Shirley muttered. "But she won't be coming in here for lunch anymore."

Rosemary and Donna both looked at her sharply.

"He turned her," Shirley said.

Rosemary looked stricken. "Are you sure about that?"

"I'm sure. I saw her last night."

"I was afraid that would happen. It was just a matter of time." Donna looked at Shirley. "If you're not careful, it'll happen to you, too."

Eager to change the subject, Shirley pointed at two men approaching the restaurant, "Customers." One was in his early thirties, the other in his fifties. Both were well dressed.

"I'll cook," Rosemary said, rising.

"I'll play waitress," Shirley offered.

"I guess that leaves me with the dishes," Donna remarked, following Rosemary into the kitchen.

Shirley went to greet their guests. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. Would you prefer a table or a booth?"

"Either one is fine," the older man said.

"Right this way." Shirley led them to a booth by the window and offered them each a handwritten menu. "Coffee?"

Both men nodded.

Shirley hurried into the kitchen. "Do those two look like trouble," she asked, filling two cups with coffee, "or is it just my imagination?"

"They remind me of the hunters that were here not long ago," Rosemary whispered.

"You don't think they're here for Kadie, do you?" Donna asked.

"I don't know, but I don't think so. How could they have found out about her so quickly? They're probably here for Saintcrow."

"But if they find him, they'll find her!" Donna exclaimed. "We've got to warn them."

"Yes," Shirley agreed. "But how?" Vampires slept during the day. Everyone knew that. Her breath caught in her throat as a new thought occurred. She had no idea where Micah spent the day now that Saintcrow had returned. She couldn't warn him even if she wanted to.

"You'd better go take their order," Rosemary suggested.

"Right." Returning to the table, Shirley forced a smile as she set the cups in front of the men. "What can I get for you gentlemen?"

"A little information," the older man said.

"Sir?"

"I'm looking for my daughter. Kadie Andrews. She lived here a while back. Have you seen her lately?"

"Last I heard, she went home," Shirley said. "And her boyfriend with her."

"You're sure?"

Shirley nodded. "Do you need more time to decide?"

"No. Is there anyone else in town besides the three of you?"

"No one else lives here," Shirley said.

"I'm sure of that," Andrews said dryly. "I'll have a roast beef sandwich and fries."

"I'll have the same," the younger man said.

"Coming right up," Shirley said, and hurried into the kitchen.

"What did they say?" Donna asked.

"They're looking for Kadie. The older man is her father."

"Her father? Really?" Rosemary spread mayonnaise on four slices of bread. "Well, she should be safe then."

Shirley pulled a package of roast beef out of the refrigerator. "I'm not so sure about that."

"But he's her father," Donna said. "You don't think . . . ?"

"You didn't see his eyes," Shirley said. "That man scares me." And suddenly she wasn't worried only for Kadie's life, but for Saintcrow's and Micah's, as well. If those men were hunters, there was nothing to stop them from breaking into the lairs of the vampires. Nothing at all.

Saintcrow stirred, his vampire senses warning him that someone was prowling through the house upstairs. He swore when he realized there were two hunters on the premises and one of them was Kadie's father. Damn. He should have known Andrews would show up in Morgan Creek sooner or later. Andrews had been here before. It was inevitable that he would show up again.

Rising, Saintcrow smoothed the covers over Kadie, then moved toward the door. With his preternatural hearing, it was easy to follow the movements of the two men as they explored the house, making lewd comments about the Undead as they opened doors, poking inside closets and cupboards.

Saintcrow shook his head. Did they really expect to find him stretched out in the linen closet, or holed up in one of the kitchen cupboards?

"What makes you think she's here?" Andrews's companion asked.

"I don't know where else to look." Andrews slammed a door. "He took her out of the hospital and I haven't heard from her since. For all I know, she's . . . Dammit, Harry, keep looking."

"I don't think we should even be here," Harry remarked. "You know what happened to Gordon and Rob and Clarke when they came nosing around this place. Hell, they don't even know who they are anymore."

"Let's check the upstairs," Andrews suggested. "Maybe we'll find your cojones there."

Harry snorted. "Are you even listening to me?"

"No. You're not saying anything I want to hear."

Saintcrow swore softly as the two men tromped up the stairs toward the turret rooms. And then they were in the one that led to his lair. No one had ever gotten past the door that led to his inner sanctuary. There was no reason to think Andrews would succeed where others had failed.

He heard their feet shuffling as they circled the room.

"Hey," Andrews said, a note of excitement in his voice. "There's a door here!"

As Saintcrow listened to the two men move cautiously down the stairs and along the narrow corridor, he pulled on a pair of jeans. Defending himself in the nude was something he had done only once before, and vowed would never happen again.

Moments later, he heard them at the door, rapping, pounding, hammering, swearing, but the door, made of reinforced steel and warded with preternatural power, held fast.

He listened with growing amusement as the hunters returned to the door at the top of the stairs and discovered that the way in did not allow for a way out. He heard the rising panic in their voices, the rapid beating of frightened human hearts as the hunters realized they would be the hunted when the sun went down.

Assured that there was no imminent danger to himself or Kadie, he went back to bed.

Kadie woke enfolded in Saintcrow's arms. For a moment, she was content to lie there and contemplate the events of the last few days. Amazing, how quickly her life had turned upside down. She had discovered that her father was a vampire hunter and that her mother knew all about it and had faithfully kept his secret. Kadie still had trouble accepting that fact. Hardest of all to wrap her mind around was the change in her own life. It didn't seem possible that her world had changed so drastically in such a short time. She was a vampire. There was no way to deny it. She had fangs. She had consumed human blood. But it didn't seem real.

When a familiar scent reached her, she bolted upright. Her father was here! When she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, Saintcrow laid a restraining hand on her arm.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"My father's here."

"I know. He's been trapped in the tunnel since early this afternoon."

"Is he all right?"

"For now."

Her gaze searched his. "What does that mean?"

"It means he's here with another hunter."

"Does he know about me?"

"No." He sat up, head cocked to one side. "Shirley and Ravenwood are here."

"In the house?"

"Knocking on the front door. Let's go see what they want."

"What about my father?"

"He's not going anywhere."

Saintcrow took her by the hand. A moment later, they materialized at the front door.

"Good evening," Saintcrow drawled. "What brings you here?"

"We came by to make sure you two were all right," Ravenwood replied. "Shirley thought there might be a couple of hunters in town."

"Yeah, they're trapped in my lair."

Shirley looked at Kadie. "So, you know one of them is your father?"

Kadie nodded, then looked at Saintcrow.

When he shrugged, Kadie invited Micah and Shirley inside.

Shirley hesitated before following Micah across the threshold, but curiosity prompted her to enter the house. In all the years she had lived in Morgan Creek, this was the first time she had been inside a vampire's lair.

Saintcrow and Kadie sat side by side on the sofa.

Shirley sank onto the love seat next to Ravenwood, her gaze darting around the room. She wasn't up-to-date on the latest home fashions, but there was no mistaking that the furniture in the room was top of the line. She couldn't help wondering if the armor in the corner was genuine or just a remarkably good reproduction.

"What are you going to do with the hunters?" Ravenwood asked.

"There are only two choices," Saintcrow replied. "Kill them or wipe their memories." He glanced at Kadie. "I suppose the latter."

Ravenwood frowned thoughtfully. "I've done that a few times, of course, but I couldn't help wondering how long-lasting it is. When you erase a memory, does it ever come back?"

"Not if you do it right."

"What, exactly, are you going to erase?" Kadie asked. Saintcrow rubbed a hand over his jaw. "Their memories of this place, for one thing. And all memory of being hunters, as well as their knowledge that we're vampires."

"How can that work?" Kadie asked. "My father probably knows a lot of hunters."

"Doesn't matter," Saintcrow said. "Thinking about vampires will cause both of them severe headaches." There was no guarantee that Andrews or any of the others would never regain their memories of what they were. Hunting was in their blood. But it was either erase their memories or kill them. And with Kadie's father, that wasn't an option.

"What about hypnosis?" Ravenwood asked. "Could a good hypnotist restore their memories?"

"Let's not go looking for trouble," Saintcrow advised. "We've got more than enough to go around."

"You don't think Kadie's father would hurt her, do you?" Shirley asked.

"No, but he'd do his damnedest to destroy the rest of us." Saintcrow looked at Kadie. "Are you going to be all right with this?"

"I don't know what else you can do. What about my mother?"

Saintcrow clucked softly. He had forgotten about Carolyn Andrews. "I'll have to do something about her, too." He grinned as he wrapped his arm around Kadie. "Your family is a lot of trouble, you know that?"

"I know, but we're a package deal," Kadie said with an impish grin, and then, seeing Shirley's expression, she frowned. "Are you okay?"

Shirley nodded. "I can't stop thinking about how surreal this all is."

"Surreal?" Kadie repeated, and then she nodded as understanding dawned. Shirley was surrounded by vampires and it was making her uncomfortable. "Do Rosemary and Donna know about me?"

"Yes."

Micah laid his hand on Shirley's arm. "You doing okay? You look a little pale."

Unable to keep the hurt from her voice, Kadie said, "I think she wants to leave."

"Kadie, I . . ."

"It's all right, Shirley."

Kadie blinked back unwanted tears when Ravenwood and Shirley left the house.

"How can she be so upset about me being a vampire when she's obviously in love with one?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's easier for her to accept Micah because he was already a vampire when she met him." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I wouldn't worry about it. She'll come around, in time."

"I hope so." In her job, wandering from ghost town to ghost town, holed up in hotel rooms to write her articles, she hadn't had time to make many friends. She had grown close to the women in Morgan Creek. It hurt to think they would look at her differently now, that they might be afraid of her.

Saintcrow gave her shoulders a squeeze, "I'm sorry, Kadie. I never thought about how being a vampire would affect you." He shook his head. "Only how losing you would affect me. Selfish, as always."

"You saved my life."

"I didn't want to go on without you. Selfish, like I said."

"I wouldn't have wanted to live without you, either." Cupping his face in her hands, she kissed him. "Now, let's go see my dad."