Bound By Blood

“That was more than twenty years ago,” Andrei said. “Why would she wait so long?”

Drake shook his head. “I have no idea. Perhaps it has taken her this long to formulate a plan, or to gather an army against me. One thing I do know, her youngest son is dead, killed by a man I do not know.”

“What man?” Gregor asked.

“The one Kaitlyn is dating. When she was attacked, the man, Ravenscroft, defended her and somehow managed to kill Korzha. Kaitlyn was vague on how this was accomplished.”

“You are certain young Korzha intended to do her harm?”

“Yes.” Drake resumed his seat. “Elena wishes me to order Kaitlyn home.”

“Do you think that is necessary?” Ciprian asked.

Drake shrugged. “I have not yet decided. I want each of you to contact the leaders of the other Fortresses. Find out if they know anything of Nadiya’s whereabouts, or if they have heard anything suspicious. Marku, I want you to see if you can locate her other children. They all seem to have dropped out of sight about the same time.”

Marku nodded. “It will be done.”

Drake glanced at the members of the council. “I want daily reports. And until we find out what she is up to, I suggest you warn your wives and children to stay close to the Fortress. That is all. The council is dismissed.”

Drake sat there for several moments. He had never cared for Nadiya. He thought her a cold, calculating woman, caring for no one but her own children. He had often wondered why his father had married her, and when he had found the courage to ask, Rodin had shrugged, then said, She is cold. She is selfish. But she is beautiful. And no one else will have her.

Drake’s opinion of Nadiya Korzha had not changed. How far would she go to avenge the deaths of her sons? What had been her intentions where Kaitlyn was concerned? It was obvious that young Korzha had been sent to keep an eye on Kaitlyn, but why? Were his instructions merely to watch her? Given what Kaitlyn had told him, that seemed unlikely. Had Korzha intended to kidnap Kaitlyn and hold her for ransom? Or had Nadiya intended to demand his life in exchange for his daughter’s? Knowing Nadiya, he thought it more likely that she planned to kill Kaitlyn, knowing the loss of his only daughter would cause him endless heartache, and more suffering than anything else she could do.

He grunted softly. Could Nadiya really be that cold-blooded? Surely she realized that if she harmed so much as a hair of Kaitlyn’s head, he would hunt her down and destroy her, no matter where she went, or how long it took.

Muttering an oath, he stalked out of the council chambers.

Whether she wished it or not, he feared it was time for Kaitlyn to come home.

The nightmare was still fresh in Kaitlyn’s mind when she woke the next afternoon. She hadn’t told her father that Zack was one of the Others. If she was lucky, her father and Zack would never meet, and her father would never discover the truth.

Later, standing in the shower, she was overcome with guilt for her omission. She had never kept anything from her father. Not that she had ever done anything truly horrible, but from the time she was a little girl, she had confessed her misdeeds—from sneaking a cookie before dinner to sneaking out of the house for a midnight swim with her girlfriends. She had never been inclined to try drugs or cigarettes. She had been curious about sex, of course, but not curious enough to experiment with any of the boys who had offered to enlighten her.

She turned off the shower and then, after drying off with a big fluffy towel, she went into the bedroom to get dressed. She had wanted to tell her dad about Zack, but doing so could put Zack’s life in danger, and that was something she simply couldn’t do.

She put on clean underwear, pulled on a pair of black sweats and a pink T-shirt, then ran a brush through her hair. Maybe it wasn’t just lust she felt for Zack, she mused as she went into the kitchen. Maybe it was love. She smiled as she put two slices of bread in the toaster. In love with Zack. The mere thought filled her with a delightful warmth from head to heel.

“I love him,” she said, hearing the wonder in her voice. “I love him.”

Hard on that realization came the unwanted thought that he might not love her in return, that he was just toying with her affection, that she was just another in a long string of women. After all, he had lived for centuries. He must have had dozens—hundreds—of women in that time. How could any woman resist him?

She shook her head. She was being ridiculous. And whether he loved her or not didn’t change the way she felt about him. He was gorgeous, yes, but he was also sweet and kind, and funny in his own way. He had been the soul of patience last night, not to mention brave, to let her drink from him. Even though he had insisted he hadn’t been in any danger, she might have drained him dry.

She wasn’t sure exactly what had transpired between Zack and Korzha since Zack had not elaborated, but it was obvious they had fought and Daryn had lost. Perhaps Zack had saved her life. At the risk of his own. She wondered again about Daryn Korzha’s intentions. What would her fate have been if Zack hadn’t come to her rescue the night Daryn drugged her? And why had Daryn attacked her in the first place?

Would she ever know?

She buttered the toast, daydreaming while she ate it—she pictured herself spending the rest of her life with Zack, maybe here, in the States, maybe in Romania, although she doubted there was much chance of that. Hatred for the Others was deeply embedded in her people. She shook her head. The war between her kind and the Others had ended centuries ago. It seemed an extraordinarily long time to carry a grudge.

She wondered if Zack liked being a vampire. What was it like, to have your whole world turned upside down?

She could relate, in a way. After all, her people were mortal for a time. Still, they knew the change was coming, knew it was normal and natural. There was no fear involved. Had Zack been afraid? Or was the change something he had wanted? If not, did he yearn to be mortal again?

Once the questions started, they just kept coming. Did he kill to survive? Did he miss the taste of food? He could tolerate wine, but what about milk and water? Had he ever been married? It was believed the Others couldn’t have children. If that was true, did he regret not being able to father a child?

He was much in her mind that day, whether she was trying to watch a movie, folding a load of laundry, or fixing an early dinner since she hadn’t bothered with lunch.

Time dragged. Finally, she picked up a book and settled down on the sofa to read.

She woke to the sound of someone knocking on the door. A glance at the window showed the sun was down. Smiling with anticipation, she ran a hand through her hair, then hurried to open the door.

“Zack, hi!”

He kissed her soundly. “Hi, yourself. I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

“What’s on the agenda tonight?”

She shrugged. “I’m in the mood for a walk. How about you?”

“Fine by me.”

Something was up, Zack mused as they strolled down to the lake. He could sense the tension in her although he had no idea what was causing it. He didn’t think she was upset by what had happened last night. She had enjoyed it too much. Maybe she wanted another taste and was embarrassed to ask. No. He was pretty sure that wasn’t it.

When they reached the bench, she sat down and after a moment, Zack sat beside her. “Okay, what’s up?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You haven’t said a word since we left the house. Whatever’s bothering you, just spit it out.”

“Nothing’s bothering me except, well, I still don’t know very much about you.” She raised a hand, staying his comment. “I only know you’re young and single and rich. And you taste good.”

“Want another bite?”

“Not right now.” She stared out at the lake a moment. “Do you like being a vampire? Was it something you wanted?”

“Is that what’s got your panties in a knot? You’re worried about whether I’m happy being a vampire?”

“Of course not. Like I said, I just want to know more about you.”

Zack shook his head. Women. “In the beginning, I hated it and I hated the vampire who turned me, but once I got the hang of it . . .” He shrugged. “It took some getting used to, but I’ve got no complaints now.”

“Have you killed very many people?”

“Define many.”

“Zack.”

“I’ve killed a few, especially in the beginning, before I learned to control the hunger. I don’t know any vampire who hasn’t taken a life or two.”

Kaitlyn nodded. She didn’t know if her father had ever taken a life to sustain his own, but she knew he had killed at least two men. “Would you be mortal again, if you could?”

“Hell, no.”

“Have you ever been married?”

“No.”

“In love?”

Colette’s image flashed through Zack’s mind. “Once,” he admitted, “a long, long time ago. How about you, Katy?” he asked, his voice suddenly silky smooth. “You ever been in love?”

She shook her head, although it wasn’t entirely true, because she was in love with Zack. “Is it true you can’t have children?”

“Yeah.”

“Does that ever bother you?”

“Sure, but . . .” He made a vague gesture with his hand. “You’ve got to take the bad with the good.” He stared into the darkness. “I guess that’s something you’re looking forward to—marriage, motherhood, the whole nine yards.”

“It’s expected of me.”

“Expected?”

“Our women are only fertile for a short time each year.”

“Is that why your grandfather had so many wives?”

“Partly. Our women outnumber the men, so it’s not uncommon for Master Vampires to take more than one wife.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Zack muttered and then grinned. “Your grandfather must have been quite a stud.”