Night’s Mistress (Children of The Night #5)(9)
Author: Amanda Ashley

Her breathing quickened; her body tingled with the memory of his hands on her skin, his mouth on hers, the way she had responded to his caresses, the husky sound of his voice murmuring love words to her in his native tongue.

Mara saw the subtle change in his expression and knew that he, too, was remembering the good times they had shared. Why had she ever left him?

“Are you involved with anyone?” Logan asked.

She thought fleetingly of Kyle, then shook her head. “No, are you?”

“No.” His heated gaze trapped hers. “There’s been no one for me since you.”

His words, the seductive tone of his voice, made her insides quiver with pleasure. “No one? In nine hundred years? I can’t imagine you living as a monk.”

“I didn’t say I’d been living as a monk, but there’s a big difference between scratching an itch and what you and I had. I think you know that.”

Mara nodded. She had been lying to herself and others for centuries. When asked, she had always answered that she had been in love many times when, in truth, she had never truly loved anyone with her whole heart and soul, not the way Rane loved Savanah, or the way Rafe and Vince loved their wives. True, she had fallen hard for Kyle Bowden. Foolish as it had been, she had convinced herself that she had finally found a man she could love with no reservations, a man she could trust with the truth. She would not make that mistake again.

“I’m forgetting my manners,” Logan said. “Would you care for a glass of wine?”

Mara licked her lips, thinking she would rather have a soda. She had developed quite a taste for sugary soft drinks in the last few weeks, but she couldn’t ask for a Coke, didn’t want to answer the questions that would surely follow such a request. “Yes, thank you.”

“Coming right up.”

Rising, he left the room, only to return a few minutes later carrying two crystal goblets.

She accepted one with a murmured, “Thank you.”

“Are you going to be in town long?” Logan asked, resuming his seat.

“Perhaps. I have a home not far from here.”

“You mean we’re neighbors?”

“It looks that way, at least for the time being.”

He smiled at her over his glass. “That’s the best news I’ve had this century.”

Chapter Six

As was his wont, Rane stood in the shadows outside his house, enjoying the touch of the night air while Savanah put their daughter to bed. He shook his head, bemused. It was still hard to believe he was a father, or that he had grown to love Abbey Marie so deeply in such a short time. He had discovered there were many kinds of love—that of a son for his parents, that of one brother for another, that of a husband for his wife, and that of a father for his child.

He smiled into the darkness. Life, as he knew it, was good. And only promised to get better.

He glanced up at the second floor as the lights went out. In a few moments, he would go inside to find Savanah waiting for him in the living room. It was his favorite time of the night, sharing a few quiet moments with the woman he loved above all else.

He was about to go into the house when a movement to his left caught his eye. Lifting his head, he sniffed the air. “Bowden, what the devil are you doing skulking around out here in the bushes?”

Looking somewhat sheepish, Kyle stepped out of the shadows. “I was hoping you could tell me where to find Mara.”

“Why would I do that? From what I heard, you told her you didn’t want anything to do with a . . . how did you put it? A ‘bloodsucking fiend.’”

Bowden waved a dismissive hand in the air. “I didn’t mean it.”

“No? She was pretty sure you did.”

Kyle shrugged. “What did she expect? I mean, sure, I knew vampires existed. One killed my father, after all. I was around during the War. I heard my share of horror stories, but I never expected to meet one, much less fall in love with one.”

Rane grunted softly. “Doesn’t sound much like love to me.”

“Okay, I behaved badly, I admit it, but she caught me off-guard. When I asked her to tell me what she was hiding, having her go all vampire on me was the last thing I expected.”

“So, what’s changed? She’s still a vampire.”

Kyle ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I can’t stop thinking about her.” He didn’t sound at all happy about it.

Rane understood what Bowden was saying, feeling. He knew all too well the effect vampires had on unsuspecting humans. All too often what mortals believed was love was nothing more than attraction to the supernatural glamour common to all the Undead.

“So, where is she?” Bowden asked.

“I can’t tell you.”

“Why the hell not? We were more than just friends, you know, not that it’s any of your business.”

“I know exactly what you were,” Rane said, his voice cool. “Just like I know you hurt her. I’m not about to give you a chance to do it again.”

Bowden took a step forward, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes narrowed. “Listen here . . .”

“No, you listen. I’ll tell Mara that you’re looking for her. If she wants to see you, she’ll find you.”

“But . . .”

“No buts,” Rane said tersely. “This conversation is over.”

“He was there?” Mara sank down in a chair in front of the hearth. “And he wants to see me?”

“That’s what he said.”

She tapped one finger against the edge of her cell phone. Kyle had gone to Rane’s house looking for her. “Did he say anything else?”

“He said he misses you, and that he behaved badly. Do you want me to tell him where you are?”

Mara stared at the flames dancing merrily in the fireplace. Did she want to see Kyle again? What was the point? Nothing had changed.

“Mara?” Rane’s voice brought her back to the present.

“Tell him . . . tell him I’ll think about it.”

“How are things in Tinsel Town?” Rane asked.

“Fine.” She smiled, thinking of Hektor . . . no, not Hektor. He was Logan now. She had to remember that.

“How’s Abbey Marie?”

“Beautiful, like her godmother.”

Mara laughed softly. “Flatterer.”

“It’s true.”

“You like it, then, being a father?”

“Yeah. It’s amazing. Abbey’s amazing. I can’t believe how much she’s changed in just the last few weeks, or how much she’s changed our lives.”