Chapter Nine
A half-dozen fledglings appeared on the bridge the following evening. At least, the majority of them were fledglings, but three of them had been vampires more than fifty years, time enough to gain a little power.
Kadie hadn’t wanted him to go out to meet them, but he had insisted that the only way to get rid of them was to erase their memories and send them away.
After considerable thought, he had decided not to wipe the memory of one of the vampires in hopes that he would let it be known among the vampire community that Saintcrow was kicking ass and taking names.
He had also considered killing a couple, if necessary, to prove that he meant business.
He went out to meet them as soon as the sun went down.
Their hunger for a taste of his blood was palpable as they surrounded him.
A warning burst of preternatural power had most of them backing away.
All but the three oldest ones who lunged at him, their teeth ripping into his arms as they tried to wrestle him to the ground.
The fledglings watched until their lust for blood overcame their fear and they joined the fray.
Calling on the strength of a thousand years, Saintcrow cut a wide swath through his attackers as his instinct for survival fueled the rage building inside of him.
There was no mercy in him as he unleashed the blood-lust he had battled for years.
With fangs and claws and the sheer power of his mind, his preternatural strength destroyed all those who came against him until the bridge was littered with bodies.
He stood over the only survivor, a young female.
Saintcrow’s mind brushed hers, searching for her name. “Monica, I want you to tell all your friends and any other vampires you meet what happened here tonight. Warn them that the same fate awaits them if they come here.”
She cowered at his feet, blood leaking from numerous gashes on her arms. Her face, too, was splattered with blood.
“Do you understand?”
She nodded, her pale blue eyes wide and afraid.
“Then get the hell out of here.”
He didn’t have to tell her twice. She was gone in the blink of an eye.
Saintcrow stood in the midst of the carnage, surrounded by blood and death.
He took a deep, calming breath as he tried to summon pity for those he had destroyed, or at least a twinge of guilt.
But all he felt was annoyance that he would have to dispose of the bodies of the older vampires and drag the young ones away from the bridge where they wouldn’t be seen.
The morning sun would take care of the rest.
~ * ~
At home, Kadie curled up on the sofa and wept blood-red tears, not for those who had perished but for the pain of the man who had destroyed them. She wiped her eyes when she sensed Rylan was on his way home. He had always hated her tears.
He materialized in front of her, his skin splattered with blood, his clothing stained and torn. In true vampire fashion, his injuries had already healed. He stared at her, a challenge in his dark eyes. “Go on, say it.”
“You did what you had to do,” she said quietly. “Nothing I say can change that.”
“You disapprove.” It wasn’t a question but a statement.
She lifted one shoulder and let it fall. “It was self-defense, Rylan. It isn’t what you did to them, it’s what it’s doing to you.”
He scowled at her for a moment, then dropped down on his knees in front of her and buried his head in her lap. “I wanted to send them away,” he said, his voice muffled. “If only they hadn’t attacked me. If they’d just....oh, hell, it doesn’t matter now. What’s done is done.”
Kadie stroked his hair. She couldn’t begin to imagine what he was going through.
All she could do was pray that they could find a way to make Rylan’s blood normal again.
She had a feeling that the more toxic it became, the harder it would be for him to control his rage and his blood-lust and that, in the end, his fury would destroy him.
~ * ~
Two days later, Kadie sat at her desk staring at her blank computer screen.
How on earth did anyone find the whereabouts of ancient vampires?
She had never realized how unusual the friendship between Saintcrow, Kincaid, and the Ravenwood clan was.
She knew attachments between vampires was not only rare, but practically unheard of.
Years ago, Morgan Creek had been a haven for vampires, and while she had never noticed any kind of real affinity between the inhabitants, they had been civil to one another.
One would think, with their numbers being relatively small, that they would have kept in touch.
If it had been up to her, there would be some kind of vampire brotherhood so that whenever something like the previous plague that had affected young vampires occurred, word could have been easily spread.
She huffed a sigh. But vampires were not social creatures.
They didn’t share territory, which had made the Morgan Creek vampires a law unto themselves.
Maybe she should get in touch with Ethan and the others and see if they had come up with any fresh ideas.
She certainly wasn’t having any luck online.
But then, what she was looking for probably couldn’t be found on Google or DuckDuckGo.
She turned away from the computer, then turned back and opened her favorite Solitaire game. Perhaps if she concentrated on something else, her subconscious would come up with an idea.
~ * ~
Saintcrow strolled down Morgan Creek’s deserted main street, thinking he far preferred it this way than crowded with mortals.
It was quiet now, as it had been in the old days when only vampires and the few humans who served as prey lived here.
Life had been simpler then, he mused. And then smiled.
All that had changed when Kadie stumbled across the bridge one stormy night.
He had been resting in mother earth when he caught the tantalizing scent of her blood.
It had drawn him to the surface and changed the course of his life.
And hers.
He muttered an oath as he crossed the street and made his way to the park. What did Elowynne have to do with his problem, if anything? How could the few times they had met when he was mortal have any effect on his life now?
Strolling through the park, he recalled the plague that had affected the young vampires a few years back.
Thankfully, what ailed him now was nothing like that.
Earlier, looking for answers to his current dilemma, he had gotten in touch with the only three old ones he knew in hopes that they might have some knowledge or experience with his problem.
Florian and Grigore made their lairs in Transylvania, Oriana resided in Rome.
None of them had never heard of a vampire’s blood turning toxic.
Oriana, however, had offered to come to Morgan Creek and share her blood with him in hopes it might help.
Saintcrow had quickly accepted her offer.
Even if it didn’t cure the problem, a little ancient blood couldn’t hurt. She would be there that night.
~ * ~
Kadie stared at Rylan. “A vampire is coming here, to give you his blood?
“Her blood,” he corrected.
“Her blood.” Kadie worried her lower lip between her teeth, fighting the little twinge of jealousy that quickly sprang to life.
Rylan was a tall, dark, incredibly handsome and charismatic man.
Deep down inside where she rarely looked lurked a secret fear that he would one day tire of her.
“Is she older than you? Is that why she’s coming? ”
“Almost as old,” he said, his lips twitching. “But a little ancient blood can’t hurt. No need to be jealous, darlin’.”
“I’m not!”
“Kadie, Kadie,” he chided, taking her in his arms. “You know you can’t lie to me.”
“How well do you know her?”
“We’re old friends, darlin’,” he said, with a shrug. “We hunted together for a while a long time ago, that’s all.”
She gazed up at him, her heart in her eyes.
She knew he loved her, that her fears were groundless, but still they persisted.
Only two percent of mortal marriages lasted sixty years.
Baring accidents, she and Rylan could be married for centuries.
She shook her gloomy thoughts away and reminded herself that the woman had come to help Rylan, not seduce him.
With a shake of his head, Saintcrow captured her lips with his and kissed her deeply, his tongue mating with hers, his thoughts invading hers, telling her he loved her, would always love her. Her, and no other.
A thought started a cheery blaze in the hearth, lit the candles. Two pillows appeared on the floor in front of the fire. He was about to whisk away their clothing when there was a knock at the door.
Oriana. Saintcrow muttered an oath. Of all the rotten timing... He gave Kadie a quick kiss and went to invite his guest inside.
Kadie stared at the woman who followed Saintcrow into the living room.
The vampire was petite, with translucent skin, curly brown hair and pale brown eyes that missed nothing.
Her figure, clad in a body-hugging, long-sleeved black sweater, tight black jeans and boots, was perfect.
Kadie felt like a clumsy giant as she watched the vampire glide across the room, her feet barely touching the floor.
“This is my wife, Kadie,” Saintcrow said. “Kadie, this is Oriana, an old acquaintance of mine.”
Kadie forced a tight smile. “Welcome to our home.”
“Thank you.” Her voice was like silk over satin.
“Please, have a seat,” Kadie invited, gesturing at the chair beside the sofa.
Saintcrow hid a grin as Kadie waited for their guest to sit down, then took a seat on the sofa, obviously expecting him to sit beside her, which he did.
Her jealousy was almost palpable. Not that he could blame her.
With the passage of time, he had forgotten how attractive Oriana was.
But it was a cool beauty, like an ice sculpture, whereas Kadie was soft and warm and retained a hint of humanity that most vampires lost over time.
“So,” the vampire said, getting right to the point. “Who has told you that your blood is toxic?”
“A witch who dwells in the Everglades.”
“Alara,” Oriana murmured. “Yes, I met her once. Was she in human form when you met?”
Saintcrow nodded then frowned. “Is she really half reptile and half human?”
“Yes, though she rarely appears in reptile form. She is quite vain. I believe the reptile guise embarrasses her.”
Saintcrow chuckled. “Interesting. What does the other form look like?”
“It’s hard to describe. She still appears mostly human, though much thinner.
In reptile form, her skin turns a sort of yellow-brown and is reptilian in texture, her hair thins and conforms to the shape of her head.
Her tongue is always black and forked, which seems odd to me.
How did she determine that your blood was becoming toxic? ”
“She drank a little and said it tasted foul and that when she fed it to a rat, the rat died.”
“Fascinating.” Oriana’s gaze moved to Saintcrow’s throat. “May I?”
Frowning, Saintcrow said, “ Do you think that’s a good idea?”
Oriana didn’t qualify his question with an answer.
Rising, she lowered her head to his neck.
She took only a small taste, grimacing as she lifted her head and then resumed her seat.
“It does indeed have a bitter taste, rather like ashes. You said you’re losing control of your anger and feel driven to kill your prey.
Those traits are generally only manifest in the young. ”
“Yeah. You don’t think I’m regressing, losing my power, do you?”
“No. I can feel it burning bright and strong within you. If anything, I’d say you were growing stronger.”
“Alara thinks it will destroy me in the end. If it doesn’t drive me insane first.”
A small, non-committal sound rose in Oriana’s throat. “Have you tested your blood on anything other than a rat?”
“No.”
“You might consider it. Just because it killed a rat doesn’t necessarily make it toxic to you or others.”
That was something to think about, Saintcrow mused.
“I’ve never heard of anything like this,” Oriana remarked. “I’m not sure taking my blood will help.”
“It couldn’t hurt.”
She smiled a conspiratorial smile. “There is nothing in all the world quite like the blood of the ancient ones, is there?”
“Nothing,” he agreed as he gained his feet. Oriana turned her head to the side, her eyelids fluttering down when Saintcrow sank his fangs ever so lightly into her neck.
Red-hot jealousy flared within Kadie’s heart as she watched Rylan close his eyes and drink from the vampire, jealousy that burned even hotter when a low moan of pleasure rose in his throat.
She knew that feeling, that warm, sensual feeling aroused by drinking the blood of a vampire.
There was nothing as seductive in all the world.
She clenched her hands into fists to keep from grabbing a handful of Rylan’s hair and dragging him away from the petite vampire.
After what seemed like an inordinately long time, but was only a few moments, he lifted his head and stepped away from the other vampire. With a wink at Oriana, he murmured, “My thanks.”
“I hope it gives you some relief.”
He nodded. “I’m sure it will. I feel better already.”
“Then I will take my leave,” Oriana said. “Do not hesitate to call if there’s anything else I can do.” She nodded in Kadie’s direction. “A pleasure to meet you, Kadie Saintcrow.”
“The pleasure was all mine,” Kadie said, again forcing a smile.
Saintcrow threw Kadie a knowing look as Oriana vanished from the room.
“You didn’t tell me she was young and beautiful,” Kadie said.
“Kadie, Kadie, when will you ever learn that you’re the only woman I want, the only one I need?”
“You always said my blood was the most satisfying of all,” she murmured, and bit down on her lip. She hadn’t mean to say that out loud.
Damn. He’d hurt her feelings. “Kadie....” He blew out a breath. “There is nothing as powerful, as healing, as the blood of the ancients. But none other is as sweet, as satisfying, or as necessary to me as yours.”
“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
“No. I swear it’s true on my love for you. But her blood is stronger and it’s helping a little,” he said, taking her into his arms. “You wouldn’t begrudge me a little relief, would you?”
“No,” she said, mollified. “As long as that’s the only kind of relief she offers.”