Page 27 of Night of the Vampire
Angel and Talin flounced out of there like they couldn't wait to leave. Alex trailed behind them, with Alice being the last to go.
The light from the storeroom streamed in though the open door, and Aunt Judy murmured some words I couldn't quite hear. The candles all went out simultaneously.
The hair stood up on the back of my neck, but I still had the presence of mind to hold out my hand for the key as she walked past. "The key to this room, too," I told her.
After a brief pause, she dropped it into my palm, along with her key to the store. "Call me when you're ready to talk some more about this," she said. Then she followed the others out.
Once I made sure they had all left the store and I'd locked the door behind them, I went back into the storeroom and shut and locked the door to the secret room. Then I yanked and tugged the rack of shelves back into its place against the wall.
I stepped back and stared at the wall.
There was no sign of a door or a lock that I could see.
Chapter 11
Killian
I knew right away she was still at my house. The small amount of my blood I'd given her dog led me to them both like a lighthouse in a storm.
The forceful rush of relief I felt, when it came, was a surprise to me. Because I had the uneasy feeling it had very little to do with the reason I was here again.
Kenya was getting worse every night now. I'd gone in to see her before I left the house. The spell had progressed to such a point that for the first time, I felt true fear she would leave me before I could return with the witch.
But when she saw the determination on my face and I'd told her I was planning to come straight here, she'd begged me to try to convince Lizzy once again to help her willingly, instead of going with my original plan. I was tired of this game. There was no time to play nice. Not when I could see the life draining from Kenya's eyes with every hour that passed. But, nonetheless, I'd agreed.
After checking I wasn't being watched by any curious eyes, I let myself in through the side gate and walked through the courtyard to the back door. I was momentarily surprised to find it locked. Although I don't know why. What did I expect? That she would have the door open wide and be waiting with open arms for me to kidnap her?
I debated breaking it down out of sheer frustration for about half a second. It would take very little effort on my part. But it would also mean replacing the original door with something more modern. And I liked my house the way it was. Removing my hand from the doorknob, I backed up a step, took a breath, and rapped gently on the wood. "It's me," I called when I heard her footsteps on the other side of the door.
When she opened the door, I unconsciously backed up another step. I thought I'd prepared myself for the hit the sight and smell of her would have on me. But I'd completely forgotten how potent it was on both counts. Staring at her standing there, my fangs shot down and every muscle in my body tightened as the predator inside of me took over before I could get a handle on it.
And then she smiled, and I lost my breath, not catching it again until it faded uneasily from her face as her eyes took in the tightness of my jaw and my fists clenched at my sides.
"Hey," she said.
I could hear the nervous tremor in her voice, still the slightest bit raspy from the fire. It snapped me from my trance. "I just came to check on you." I mumbled the words to keep my fangs hidden.
She was dressed in Kenya's clothes I'd brought to her the night before, black knit pants and a soft winter pullover. Pink and white plaid. It complimented the blush in her cheeks beautifully. With her dark hair and eyes, she looked so innocent. Young. Vulnerable. Despite the fact she had to be in her thirties.
As my eyes traveled over her, she looked down at the clothes she was wearing. "I'll go shopping and pick up a few things tomorrow," she said. "I didn't have time today."
"You don't have to worry about all that," I told her. "Kenya is more than happy to share with you. She has tons of clothes."
"Still, they're not mine." She stood, undecided as to whether or not to invite me in. I didn't need an invitation to enter my own home. It was one of the reasons I'd brought her here. But I let her work it out for herself. It didn't take long. "Would you like to come in? I was just making something to eat."
Now that she mentioned it, something was burning. "I think you might want to go check on that."
She blinked rapidly a few times, then suddenly turned and rushed over to the stove, leaving me standing on the other side of the threshold.
I let myself in and closed and locked the door behind me. As I watched Lizzy move around my kitchen as though she'd lived here for years, my throat burned with thirst and my fangs ached to sink into the taut flesh of her throat.
However, with Kenya's plea still ringing loudly in my head, I decided I would give her this last chance to decide to help me. If, by the end of the night, she still refused to try, I would make the choice for her. If I planned it right, I could have her bound and gagged before she had a chance to cast her magic on me. I just had to get to my bedroom closet.
I heard a bark to my right and looked over to see Wiggles trotting toward me. When he got within a few feet of where I stood, he stopped abruptly, cloudy eyes staring up at me intently as he tried to make out who I was. "Hey now, buddy. There's no need for any of that."
He inched forward cautiously until he could get a good whiff of my leg, and then he yowled, ending it on a happy little whine as his entire chubby body began to wag back and forth. Something caught in my chest as I bent down to give him a pet. His black fur was short and soft beneath my palm, his little heart pounding with excitement. Pulling the nearest chair out from the kitchen table, I picked him up onto my lap. After he got over his excitement, he gave me a few good extra licks on my chin, then found a comfortable position and settled down for a snuggle.
My eyes stung a bit as I rubbed his satiny ears. Apparently, all it took to have the unconditional love of a pet was to give it a little of my blood. I only wished it worked that easily with my vampires.
