Kadie took a deep breath, then opened the door. As she'd feared, it was Darrick. "What do you want?"
"I just wanted to stop by and see if there was anything you needed."
"The only thing I need is to get out of this horrible place." He shifted from one foot to the other. "Haven't we already had this conversation?"
"Well, we're having it again. I want to go home. Back to California," she added before he could tell her again that she was already home.
"Now that we've covered that, would you like to go to a movie?"
"A movie?"
He heard the disbelief in her voice. "What's the matter?"
"Whoever heard of vampires going to the movies?"
"Who said anything about vampires?"
"The ladies in town, of course."
Vaughan looked thoughtful. "So, what do you think vampires do?"
"Drink blood and kill people."
He chuckled softly. He couldn't argue with that.
Kadie stared at the door, wondering why he didn't come in, and then she frowned. What was it Marti had said? Something about vampires being unable to enter a home without an invitation. Surely that didn't apply to Vaughan, since he had been in the house before. Then again, it hadn't belonged to her at the time.
Curious, she opened the door a little bit wider. "You can't come in, can you?" she asked, a note of wonder in her voice.
"Told you that, did they?"
Kadie nodded. So, it was true then. He couldn't come in without her permission. She found that immensely reassuring.
"Have you nothing to say?"
Feeling safe within the walls of the house, she asked, "Do you feed on everyone in town?"
If he was startled by her bold question, it didn't show. "Not everyone."
"Why did you give me this house if I can keep you out?"
He considered a lie, then opted for the truth. "I didn't want any of the others preying on you." He flashed a wicked grin. "You might say you're my own private stock."
"That's disgusting!"
"Really? I thought you'd be pleased."
"Why on earth would you think that?"
"If you're opposed to the idea, I can revoke your ownership of the house and let you fend for yourself."
The threat should have scared her. Instead, it made her angry. "Do it then!" she snapped, and slammed the door in his face.
Eyes closed, Kadie stood with her back against the door. What had she done? If Vaughan took the house away from her, she would be at his mercy, and at the mercy of every other bloodsucking vampire in town.
Lifting a hand to her neck, she tried to imagine what it would be like to have them feeding on her, one after the other, until there was nothing left.
With a shake of her head, she went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of cold water, then splashed some on her face. She was letting her imagination run away with her. None of the women she had met looked as though they had been abused.... Good grief, what was she thinking? Just because the women hadn't been drained of blood didn't mean they weren't being mistreated. They might have the run of the town. Food and shelter and entertainment might be provided for them. But, one and all, they were prisoners here, nothing but a food source for the vampires-a supply of fresh blood whenever the monsters got hungry. It was despicable!
Leaving the glass in the sink, Kadie went back into the living room and dropped down on the sofa. What was she going to do?
Kadie was still pondering her questionable future when she woke late the next morning. Later, sitting at the kitchen table over a cup of coffee, she considered her options and decided she really only had two-she could accept Vaughan's offer, or she could join the ranks of the other women.
Neither option was particularly appealing, but if she had to pick one, Darrick seemed like the best choice. Kadie didn't know how often he ate-or drank-or whatever, but better to nourish one than many.
Would he give her a black scarf to warn the other vampires away?
Feeling as though the walls were closing in on her, she ate a quick breakfast, dressed, and left the house.
Filled with a restless energy, she walked through the town, nodding to those she passed. Most waved back; a few people she hadn't met stared at her, their eyes narrowing suspiciously.
Without conscious thought, she found herself in front of the house on the hill.
Was Vaughan in there? Resting in his coffin? Waiting for the sun to go down so he could rise and terrorize the townspeople ?
Why didn't the people in town break into the old house and destroy the vampires while they slept? If the vampires were dead, would it break whatever spell kept the human inhabitants of Morgan Creek from leaving? Had they ever tried to destroy the vampires?
She frowned. If killing the vampires didn't break whatever spell prevented the people from leaving, they would all eventually starve to death.
With that cheerful thought, she returned home, where she ate a leisurely lunch. After washing the dishes from breakfast and lunch, she rearranged the furniture in the living room.
A glance at her watch showed it was only two o'clock.
Sighing, she took another walk through the town and ended up at the library. Perhaps she could lose herself in a good book. It wouldn't solve her problem, but it might take her mind off her predicament for an hour or two.
After chatting with the librarian, Kadie picked up the latest mystery by her favorite author, then found a chair in a secluded corner where she spent a few minutes wondering how the vampires managed to have the latest movies, books, and DVDs before losing herself in the story.
Kadie woke with a start, fear piercing her heart when she realized she had fallen asleep and hours had passed.
She stood abruptly. The book in her lap fell to the floor with little notice.
It was dark outside.
Marti had told her that the human population had the run of the town during the day, which, by implication, meant it belonged to the vampires at night.
And it was night.
And she was human.
And terrified.
She stared at the front door of the library, wondering why no one had awakened her, and what her odds were of getting safely home. There were a lot more people in town than vampires. Maybe she was worrying for nothing. It wasn't that late. Only a little after seven. Maybe it was too early for the vampires to be out and about and there was nothing to worry about.
Nothing to worry about.
Startled, she shivered as the words whispered through the room. She glanced around, a nameless fear raising goose bumps along her arms. "Is someone there?"
Even as she called out, she knew there was no one else in the library, and yet she felt a presence in the room beside her. A frightening, almost tangible presence, as if a ghost had wandered inside and was now hovering nearby, watching her every move.
She flinched, certain someone-something-had just brushed against her arm.
"No such things as ghosts," she murmured, her gaze exploring the shadowy corners.
She didn't see anything, but there was something in the room with her. She knew it. And while there might not be ghosts, she knew there were vampires.
The thought had no sooner crossed her mind than a man was standing in front of her, a speculative gleam in his eye. A man who was, without doubt, one of the Undead.
"You must be the new one." He smiled. His teeth were very white.
Kadie stared at him, her panic growing when she realized his wasn't the presence she had felt earlier.
That same unembodied thing was still in the room.
The vampire took a step forward. "Just as pretty as I was told." He took another step toward her. "You smell delicious," he said, licking his lips. "Do you taste as good as you look, I wonder?" He took another step toward her, his nostrils flaring as he leaned over her.
He was sniffing her, she thought, the way he might appreciate the aroma of dinner cooking. And she was dinner.
He was reaching for her when he suddenly froze, his expression changing from lust to fear as he backed away from her, his gaze darting nervously around the room.
"I never touched her!" he shouted, and as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone.
Kadie slumped down in the chair, her heart pounding as she glanced around the room. What had the vampire seen-or sensed-that had frightened him so?
She jumped out of the chair at the sound of footsteps, her hand pressed to her heart in relief when she recognized Darrick walking toward her.
"What are you doing here after dark, Kadie?"
She waved her hand toward the chair. "I was reading and I . . . I fell asleep and when I woke up, I was afraid to go outside, and then a vampire showed up. . . ."
"What? Who?"
"I don't know. But something scared him off and then you came in."
Darrick glanced around the room, then shook his head. "Saintcrow," he hissed.
"What?"
"Nothing. Come on, I'll take you home."
"How did he disappear so fast?"
Vaughan shrugged. "He didn't really disappear."
"Well, he certainly vanished from sight. What else would you call it?"
"Vampires can move faster than the human eye can follow."
"So, he just left the room at the speed of light?"
"Something like that." Vaughan opened the door for Kadie and followed her outside. "Vampires get stronger as they get older."
"Really? How long have you been a vampire?"
"A little over five hundred years."
Kadie blinked at him. Five hundred years. Try as she might, she couldn't believe it. Sure, people were living longer these days, with more and more men and women living to be over a hundred. But five hundred?
"It's true," Vaughan said. "I was turned in 1513. Henry the Eighth was king of England."
Kadie turned that over in her mind as she crossed the street toward her house. She had always been fascinated by Henry the Eighth and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Kadie had always questioned Anne's wisdom in defying Henry. Had Kadie been the queen at the time, she would have taken young Elizabeth and fled the court. In Kadie's opinion, being queen wasn't all it was cracked up to be, especially if you were married to Henry, who had divorced two wives and beheaded two others.
They had reached the house. Kadie stopped at the door. "Thanks for walking me home."
"If you'd really like to thank me . . ." His voice trailed off as his gaze moved to the pulse throbbing erratically in the hollow of her throat. "I know a way."
Kadie shook her head. "No. I know you're stronger than I am. I know fighting is useless. But I'll never surrender to you willingly. I don't care what you do."
"Is that right?" He closed in on her, his hands flattening on the door on either side of her head. "Look at me, Kadie."
She tried to look away. She tried to close her eyes, but she had no will of her own. She stared into his eyes and all thought to resist fled her mind.
"I want to drink from you," he said. "And you want me to."
"I want you to." She hadn't meant to say the words aloud, but they passed her lips of their own accord. She stood there, helpless, as he brushed her hair aside, then lowered his head to her neck. She felt a faint sting as he bit her. It wasn't really painful, but the thought of what he was doing filled her with horror and disgust.
When he released her from his preternatural power, she slapped him as hard as she could, then escaped into the house and slammed the door.
She stood there, breathing heavily. Had he gone? Stepping closer to the door, she pressed her ear to the wood, but heard nothing. Was he still there?
Going to the window, she peered outside. At first, she saw nothing, but then, from the corner of her eye, she saw movement. She stared at the scarf fluttering in the breeze for several minutes. Vaughan had gone, but he had left a black silk scarf tied to the porch rail.
The scarf was still there the next morning. Black. The color of death. Removing it from the railing, Kadie let the silk slide through her fingers. If she wore it, she would be admitting to everyone, and to herself, that she belonged to Darrick Vaughn. A shiver of unease slithered down her spine as she wadded it up and shoved it into her back pocket.
Feeling a sudden need to get away from the house and everything it represented, she quickly changed out of her nightgown and into a pair of jeans and a sweater, grabbed her car keys, and left the house, deciding a drive was just what she needed.
At the end of town, she turned onto an unpaved road flanked by stands of timber that grew taller and closer together the farther she went.
She turned off the road onto a trail that wound through the forest, hit the brake when she saw a deer bounding away. Easing her foot off the brake, she continued down the trail, her troubles momentarily forgotten when she saw a pair of deer grazing on the sparse grass. Braking, she spent several minutes admiring the animals. They were such beautiful, graceful creatures with their large eyes, big ears, and delicate legs. She watched them until, for no apparent reason, they turned and bounded out of sight.
Kadie drove on, her gaze darting left and right. Could this be a way out of town that no one else had found?
After a number of twists and turns, the trail ended at the foot of a mountain that appeared to be made of solid rock and went up and up, seemingly with no end in sight. Backing up, she turned left onto another trail. She'd gone about a mile when she saw the cemetery. Curious, she grabbed one of her cameras. Maybe she could get some good shots as long as she was out here.
She opened the rickety wooden gate and walked toward the nearest grave. It was marked by a wooden cross and nothing more. Glancing around, she saw row after row of weathered wooden crosses. No headstones. No flowers. No names or dates to identify the dead. Just crosses of various sizes. Maybe it wasn't a real graveyard. Whoever heard of burying people without identifying the deceased?
She shook her head. It was just one more piece of the increasingly strange puzzle that made up Morgan Creek.
Ignoring a growing sense of unease, she took several photographs. "Good thing I don't believe in ghosts," she mused. But it sure felt like she was being watched.
As she approached one of the graves, she was struck by a sudden coldness, as if she had stepped into a freezer. A TV show she'd watched claimed that cold spots indicated a ghostly presence.
Deciding she had enough pictures, she left the graveyard. She wasn't a Ghostbuster and if spirits of the dead lingered here, she didn't want to meet one. She had enough supernatural creatures to deal with, thank you very much.
She thought about the peculiar graveyard as she fastened her seat belt, then put the SUV in gear.
A short time later, she reached a fork in the road. Wondering if she would ever find her way back to town, she turned right. She hadn't gone more than a mile or so when she came to a large, square house made of gray stone. There were turrets at the corners of the building, which gave the place the look of an old English castle. Thick iron bars covered the front door and the windows.
Thinking maybe whoever looked after the graveyard lived here, Kadie opened the door of the SUV, hoping to find someone who could tell her how to get out of this accursed town. She gasped when an unseen force slammed into her.
Pulling the door closed, she put the Durango in reverse and got the hell out of there as fast as she could. An hour later, she was hopelessly lost and almost out of gas. Again.
