Immortal Sins

The other vampire reached out with his preternatural power, testing that of the stranger in his domain.

Rourke met it with a rush of his own force, grinned inwardly as the younger vampire realized, with something of a shock, that he was the weaker of the two. But he didn't back down.

"This is still my territory," the young vampire said belligerently.

"Only as long as you can keep it," Rourke retorted, annoyed by the younger man's surly attitude. "What is your name?"

"Ramon Vega."

"Are you the only other vampire in this area?"

"No, there are three others."

"Did you make them?"

"What if I did?"

In a movement so fast Vega never saw it coming, Rourke's hand closed around his throat. "I do not like your tone," he said coldly, "or your attitude. You will change both, or I will rip out your heart." His hand tightened around Vega's throat. "Do you understand me?"

Vega nodded. For the first time, there was a faint hint of fear in the vampire's eyes, along with a healthy dose of respect.

"How long have you been a vampire?" Rourke asked.

"Almost five years."

"And the ones you made?"

"I brought Maitland across three years ago. Nita about a year ago, and Jan last month."

"Where are they now?"

"Back at my place."

"Just so you know, I intend to stay here as long as it pleases me. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, man. Hell, stay as long as you like."

With a nod, Rourke released his hold on the other vampire. "I do not want to see you again."

Vega rubbed his throat. "Don't worry, you won't," he said, and melted into the shadows.

Rourke stared after him, wondering if the vampire had meant his parting words as assurance or threat.

With a shake of his head, Rourke continued on down the street, drawn by the scent of prey.

Chapter 15

Ana Luisa stared up at the ceiling, her thoughts muddled. She was happy to be out from under her father's curse, delighted to be free again, thrilled to see Jason again. At the same time, she was frightened by a world that was totally foreign to her. Thus far, save for a few buildings in Bucharest, she had seen nothing that was remotely familiar. But then, after three hundred years, she supposed that was to be expected. Life went on, people changed, the world changed. It bothered her that she recalled so little of her past life. Would her memories return, in time, or had they been lost forever, wiped out in the void of the last three centuries?

So many changes...

Earlier, she had followed the woman, Karinna, from room to room, her mind spinning as she tried to understand what she was seeing. So many new things to learn. A big white box that kept food cold on one side, yet kept things frozen solid on the other. She liked the box with pictures that moved and talked, although she didn't comprehend most of what she saw or heard. There was another square box that washed and dried the woman's dishes, and other boxes that washed and dried her clothes. Truly incredible, as was the metal box that Karinna had called a stove. It had flames in small rings on the top that were used for cooking, as well as an oven that lit itself, making it unnecessary to haul wood into the house. A most amazing thing! Even more astonishing was a rectangular box that heated food in moments and cooked a meal in minutes. In the room Karinna called the bathroom, there was a small round bowl where one relieved oneself, and then, with the push of a lever, it swept everything away. Truly a kind of modern magic, she thought. Imagine, no smelly chamber pots that had to be emptied every morning. There was even special paper to use to wipe oneself. It was all so new, so different from the life she had once known. She wondered if she would ever get used to the world in which she now found herself. It occurred to her that she was trapped here, just as surely as she had been trapped in her father's painting. Only there was no escape now. Like it or not, this was her new home. She had to admit, there were things she liked. Bathing, for instance, was most pleasurable.

She turned over onto her side, thinking how nice and soft the bed was. The sheets smelled of springtime, the blankets were warm, the pillow was downy soft.

Unable to sleep, she got out of bed and tiptoed into the kitchen. She opened the cold box, pulled out a carton of milk, then poured herself a glass. She had never tasted milk like this, nor any that was so cold. She drank it all and wondered if she dared have any more, and then she frowned. Where did the milk come from? And the meat? She hadn't seen any pigs or chickens or cattle or goats.

With a sigh, she put the glass into the sink and went back to bed, marveling at the plush carpet beneath her bare feet. Snuggled under the covers once again, she thought of Jason, remembered the few nights they had shared, the way he had made her feel, as if she were the most beautiful, intelligent woman in the whole world when, in truth, she had been nothing but a foolish child who had never ventured out of the village where she had been born. In Jason's arms, she had been unafraid of the future and of her father. In Jason's arms, anything had been possible until her father found them. She would never forgive Vilnius for the way he had treated her, for what he had done. He had claimed he loved her, but what kind of father magicked his daughter into a painting and left her there for three hundred years? No, she would never understand him or forgive him.

She huddled deeper into the covers. Her father would already know that the spell had been broken. Would he come looking for her? Her magick could not stand against his. Her anger and indignation, even when fueled by three hundred years of captivity, would be no match for his wrath. There was no one to stand between her and her father's fury save for Jason. He hadn't been able to protect her last time, yet he was her only hope of salvation. She had no one else to turn to.

The thought hit her with stunning force as, for the first time, it occurred to her that everyone she had ever known save for Rourke and her father had turned to dust long ago. A wave of loneliness washed over her with the realization that her childhood friends, the sweet lady who had raised her after her mother passed away, the young boy who had delivered wood to their home, the village seamstress, the town crier, the men and women who had peddled their wares in the town square were all gone.

There was no one to help her but Jason. Where was he now? Karinna had said he would be back soon, but he had not yet returned. Was he avoiding her? A single tear slid down her cheek. He was the only constant left in her life, all that was familiar in this strange new world. Without him, she would be utterly lost.

And what of her father? Where was he now? Thinking of him made her shiver. If she had to face her father's wrath again, she wanted Jason Rourke to be there beside her.

Chapter 16

Kari slept until late afternoon. Rising, she padded barefoot into the bathroom, and took a long hot shower. Then, wrapped in a fluffy white robe, she went downstairs and put on a pot of coffee. When it was done, she sat at the table and sipped it slowly, grateful, for the moment, to have nothing to worry about.

After a time, she went into her office and booted up her computer. She went through her e-mail, replying to some, deleting others. Even with a spam filter, it was amazing how much junk she received. When she finished reading her e-mail, she began searching for a coven. She didn't think it was a good idea to contact the witch she had e-mailed before since neither Rourke nor Ana Luisa wanted Vilnius to know where his daughter was staying, and Kari heartily agreed with their decision. If there was one thing she definitely didn't want, it was an angry wizard showing up on her doorstep. She had no desire to find herself trapped in a canvas prison for three hundred years!

It took only a few minutes to find a coven located in Oak Bluff, which was about twenty miles away. Kari sent an e-mail to the contact address, informing them that she knew of a young witch who needed a place to stay, as well as instruction about life in the twenty-first century. Taking a deep breath, she hit SEND. All they could do now was wait.

After signing off the Internet, she played several hands of Scorpion. If there was a trick to winning the card game, she hadn't found it yet. Out of 386 games played, she had won only thirty-six. Not a very good record. After quickly losing four games in a row, she went into the kitchen for another cup of coffee.

Standing at the sink, Kari glanced upward wondering if Ana Luisa was awake yet, and what she was going to do with the girl come Monday morning. Leaving her home alone didn't seem like a very smart thing to do.

When she finished her coffee, Kari rinsed the cup and put it in the dishwasher and then went upstairs to get dressed. After combing her hair and brushing her teeth, she went to look in on the wizard's daughter, who was sitting up in bed, looking lovely and lost.

Kari went into her own bedroom, then returned a few minutes later with one of her dresses and a pair of panties. The dress she had bought for Ana Luisa to wear on the plane had been too large. She wasn't sure her own dress would fit the girl, she was such a tiny thing.

"Here," Kari said, dropping the clothing on the foot of the bed. "Why don't you get dressed while I fix us something to eat?"

Ana Luisa nodded. "Thank you. I am most grateful for your kindness."

Kari waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "I'm glad to be able to help," she said, though taking care of Rourke and the wizard's daughter was turning out to be more of an expense than she had anticipated. After breakfast, she would have to take Ana Luisa to the mall and buy the girl some more clothes, underwear, and shoes. And then she needed to return the hearse, go to the market and stock up on groceries, pick up her dry cleaning, and fill her car with gas.

"Where is Rourke?" Ana Luisa asked. "You said he would meet us here."

Kari folded her arms across her chest. "I'm sure he'll be along later."

"Are you?"

"I can almost guarantee it," Kari said reassuringly.

The girl nodded but she didn't look convinced.

After a late breakfast, they went to the mall. Ana Luisa proved to have very expensive taste in both clothing and shoes, but the girl took such delight in her new attire that Kari didn't have the heart to ask her to pick out items that were less expensive. Besides, the girl had spent three hundred years wearing the same dress. It wouldn't hurt to let Ana Luisa splurge a little.