As Twilight Falls(38)
Author: Amanda Ashley

Hard on the heels of that thought came the realization that now was her chance to get away.

Instead, she crept back toward Saintcrow’s car. The sounds of a struggle grew louder. Rounding the front of the car, she gasped. Four men wearing black clothing and hoods were trying to force Saintcrow to the ground. Even as she watched, he picked one of his attackers up and tossed him over the Corvette, sending him headf irst into a phone pole. With a sickening thud, the man slid to the ground and lay still.

The other three attackers launched themselves at Saintcrow again, their combined weight carrying him backward. They crashed to the ground with Saintcrow pinned beneath them. She heard muffled cries and groans, the smack of fists striking flesh. What were they doing to him?

Who were these guys?

They’re vampire hunters.

One of them wielded a wooden stake. Without hesitation, Kadie sprinted across the lot toward the man on the ground. Frantic, she searched him for some kind of weapon, felt a surge of relief when she found a gun in a shoulder holster. The pistol was heavier than she expected. Holding it in both hands, she slowly circled the car, dodging another of the men in black as he flew across the blacktop. He hit a concrete block with a sickening thud.

Kadie fired the gun into the air.

Startled, the two men hovering over Saintcrow looked up.

She pointed the weapon at the biggest one. “Let him go!”

The man stared at her in amazement. “Lady, get the hell out of here!”

“I said let him go.”

When the man shifted his weight, Saintcrow sprang to his feet. With a roar, he grabbed the two men by their throats, smashed their heads together, and tossed them aside. When he let them go, they sprawled facedown on the ground.

Kadie drew a shuddering breath when Saintcrow stepped into the moon’s light. His skin was taut and pale. The whites of his eyes were tinged with red. Blood dripped from his fangs. He looked every inch the monster Rosemary declared him to be.

Seeing the horror on her face, he turned away, his hands clenched at his sides, his head lowered.

Kadie stared at his back, wondering why she was so shocked. She knew he was a vampire. She had felt his fangs at her throat. But never before had he looked so frightening. Never had she seen his eyes the color of blood. Except in her nightmares.

He turned slowly to face her, his body tense as if he expected her to turn and run screaming into the night.

Kadie took a deep breath, reminding herself she had nothing to fear from him. “Are they dead?” she asked, pleased when her voice hardly shook at all.

Some of the tension drained out of him. “Just unconscious.”

“What about the other two?”

“They’re dead.” Prying the gun from her hand, he tucked it into the waistband of his jeans. “Come on, let’s get out of here. That gunshot’s sure to draw attention.”

Burning rubber, he peeled out of the parking lot and didn’t slow down until the mall was far behind them.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he asked. “I told you to run.”

“You’re bleeding.” His shirt was torn in several places. A jagged piece of wood protruded from his stomach. A long gash spanned his chest from one side to the other. There was another cut along the side of his neck.

“Yeah.”

“Doesn’t that hurt?” she asked, pointing at the wood embedded in his flesh.

Biting back an oath, he withdrew the thing and tossed it away.

Kadie flinched. “Are you all right?”

“I will be. But the next time I tell you to run, you run. Those hunters would have killed you.”

“Why? I’m not a vampire.”

“They wouldn’t have stopped to find that out. Guilt by association.” He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have brought you with me Why didn’t you leave when you had the chance?”

“What?”

“You could have taken a taxi, gone to the airport. Left town. Why didn’t you?”

“I would have, but all my camera equipment is still at your house.”

He pulled the car off the road and turned sideways in his seat to face her.

Kadie met his gaze squarely, felt the brush of his mind against her own. “What’s the matter?” she asked. “Don’t you believe me?”

“No.”

“I promised I wouldn’t do anything stupid.”

“But you did,” he said flatly. “You stayed when you should have run.”

She thought about what he’d said as he pulled back onto the highway. Was it a warning? Had she made a mistake in staying?

She slid a glance at him. He was staring at the road ahead, his jaw rigid. What was he thinking? If only she could read his mind for a change.

By the time they returned to Morgan Creek, his wounds had healed, leaving no trace.

After seeing Kadie into the house, Saintcrow retreated to his lair to clean up. She didn’t miss the fact that he took all the phones with him.

In her room, Kadie put her new clothes away, took a quick shower, changed into her nightgown, and went back downstairs.

You stayed when you should have run. Had he been trying to tell her something?

She curled up in a corner of the sofa, trying to dismiss his words from her mind, but it was impossible. They had sounded so ominous.

She couldn’t stifle a little shiver of unease when he returned a short time later. He wore a pair of gray sweatpants and the red sweater she had picked out.

His favorite color. The color of blood.

“Are you all right?” he asked tersely.

She scrubbed her hands up and down her arms. “I’m a little cold,” she lied.

He glanced at the fireplace and flames sprang to life in the hearth.

She stared up at him. He stood in front of the fireplace, looking incredibly tall and strong. Powerful. Supernatural.

She flinched when he took a step toward her. Forcing a smile, she said, “I was right. Red is your color.”

He didn’t miss the tremor in her voice. “What’s wrong, Kadie?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly. “What could be wrong?”

“What are you afraid of ?” he asked, and then frowned. “You’re afraid of me again. Why?” It was a stupid question. She had seen the monster beneath the civilized veneer he habitually wore.

“Because . . . I . . . what you said . . .”

“What I said?”

“You told me I stayed when I should have run. Why did you say that? What did you mean?”

“Only that you won’t get another chance.” He raked a hand through his hair, then sat beside her. “Vampires are notoriously selfish creatures.”