Chapter Eleven
Saintcrow stood at the end of the Morgan Creek bridge. A deep breath carried the scent of three young vampires lurking in the dark across the highway. Stepping past the wards that kept them out of the town, he dissolved into mist and crossed the road, then followed their scent.
He found them sitting at a camp table behind some tall brush. Two men and a woman. All fledglings.
They sprang to their feet when he materialized in front of them, their eyes wide with surprise. And fear.
He trapped them with his gaze before they could decide what to do. “You,” he said, calling to the female. “Come here.”
She cast a frightened glance at her comrades and then moved woodenly toward him, her anxiety a palpable stink in the air.
“Want a taste of my blood, do you?” Saintcrow asked.
She stared at him, too frightened to answer, even though there was a glitter of blood-lust in her wide blue eyes.
“Drink,” he said, and held out his arm, giving her easy access to his wrist.
She quickly closed the distance between them. Grasping his arm in both hands, she bit him somewhat hesitantly. One taste and she buried her fangs in his wrist and drank.
He let her drink for thirty seconds then said, “Enough.”
She backed away, licking the last crimson drops of his blood from her lips.
Saintcrow watched her carefully. Would his blood destroy her? And if it was toxic, would it kill her immediately? Willing her to stay where she was, he called the younger of the two males.
There was no fear in the male’s eyes, only an eager lust for blood as he contemplated drinking from a master vampire.
“Go on,” Saintcrow said. “Drink.”
He didn’t have to tell the vampire twice. The male sank his fangs into his wrist and drank as if he hadn’t had any nourishment in weeks.
“Enough!” Saintcrow said.
Reluctantly, his eyes red, his fangs still extended, the vampire backed away.
“You,” Saintcrow said, gesturing to the second male. “Come here.”
The second male was not as eager as the first until he got a taste of Saintcrow’s ancient blood, and then he buried his fangs deeper in Saintcrow’s wrist. He had been drinking only a few moments when he backed away, gagging, and then fell face down on the ground.
Seconds later, the first male toppled over.
Well, damn, Saintcrow mused, looking from one to the other. There was no doubt about it. His blood wasn’t just toxic to himself. He glanced thoughtfully at the girl, who was staring at her companions in open-mouthed horror.
The girl shifted her gaze to Saintcrow. “Am I...will I....?
Saintcrow shook his head. “I don’t know, but I don’t think so. Go on home,” he said, releasing her from his spell. “And tell anyone else who intends to come here what just happened.”
A quick nod, and she was gone.
Saintcrow regarded the two bodies a moment, then covered them with a thin layer of dirt. The sunrise would disintegrate the bodies, clothes and all, leaving nothing behind.
He dragged a hand across his jaw. Apparently, his blood destroyed young males but not females.
Why? And was that true for all young vampires?
Dammit, if he just knew what was causing the anomaly in his blood.
Was it something peculiar to vampires? A curse concocted by an old enemy?
Some kind of slow-acting poison in his system?
He barked a laugh. He was a thousand years old.
Talk about slow-acting! And why had Elowynne appeared to Izabela? That was the greatest mystery of all.
There wasn’t much that surprised him anymore but he started when Alara suddenly appeared beside him. “What the hell!” he exclaimed. For a moment, he’d been sure he had seen some strange kind of reptile standing there.
“I came for their blood.” She quickly knelt beside the two bodies. He had expected her to collect some in bottles. Instead, she drank from both of them. Rising, she said, “I should have come before the female left.”
“So, what does their blood tell you?”
“I’m not sure. I think I’ll need a little more.”
“How did you know I was here, with them?”
She smiled a lazy smile. “I’m a powerful witch, remember?” Kneeling beside the bodies again, she filled two small bottles with their blood. An airy wave of her hand and she was gone in a glittering flash of green fire.
Saintcrow muttered an oath. Could things get any more bizarre?
~ * ~
Kadie frowned when he told about the incident. “What do you think it means?”
“I don’t have a clue. But that witch is the strangest creature I’ve ever met. I wish I knew who or what was urging fledglings to come here. It isn’t natural. Someone must be telling them to look for me, but why? Dammit! Someone has to be behind all this.”
“I don’t know how that could be. I mean, who could be powerful enough to cause this kind of change in your blood? And even if it was possible, who would want to? And why?”
“Damned if I know. But I sure as hell intend to find out!” Too restless to sit still, he paced the floor in front of the fireplace. There had to be an answer if he just knew where to look for it.
Kadie felt the tension in the room swell as Rylan’s frustration grew. How much longer could he go on like this before it drove him over the edge? She jumped when his cell phone rang.
Pulling it from his pocket, he barked, “What?”
“I may have found something,” Izabela said.
He glanced at Kadie. “I’ll be right there.”
“We’ll be right there,” Kadie said.
He didn’t waste time arguing, merely took her hand in his and transported them to New Orleans.
Izabela was waiting by the front door. One look at Saintcrow’s face and she unlocked it and welcomed them inside. Gesturing at the sofa, she invited them to have a seat. Kadie smiled her thanks and sat down. Saintcrow paced the floor.
“So, what have you found?” he growled.
“Temper, temper,” the witch snapped. “Sit down and I’ll tell you.”
Scowling, he sat beside Kadie, who took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze.
“There is a cave high in the Carpathian Mountains rumored to have a river of blood that is said to restore balance to ancient vampires,” Izabela said.
“I have no idea if this river actually exists but it is the only thing I’ve found that relates in some small way to your condition.
I’m not sure restoring balance has anything to do with the toxicity of your blood.
” She smiled faintly as the black cat made itself comfortable on her lap.
Saintcrow snorted. “A river of blood in a cave? It sounds like the plot for a two-bit horror movie.”
Izabela shrugged.
“How did you come up with this information?” Kadie asked.
“I found it in an ancient book of Transylvanian superstitions.”
Saintcrow shook his head. A river of blood in a cave.
In Romania, of all places. Romania, long rumored to be the birthplace of vampires.
It sounded ridiculous. But what if the cave existed?
What if it held the key to his current state?
It would take only moments to transport from here to there.
... He could feel Kadie watching him, waiting.
“Thanks for the information.” Tugging on Kadie’s hand, he pulled her to her feet. “I’ll think about it.”
Izabela also rose, one brow raised. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
He looked at her in surprise. “You can’t be serious.”
“Excuse me?”
“My blood just killed two vampires. Don’ tell me you’re crazy enough to drink it anyway.”
“It has other uses,” she replied with a casual wave of her hand.
Saintcrow muttered an oath as he bit into his wrist and held it over the bottle that magically appeared in the witch’s hand. When the container was full, he licked the wound in his wrist to seal it. “Nice doing business with you,” he muttered.
A thought took them home.
“A cave in Transylvania,” Kadie mused as she settled on the sofa. “Are we going?”
“I’m considering it.” Leaning down, he brushed a kiss across her lips. “I’m going out.”
“I’ll go with you, if you like?”
“Not this time.”
Nodding, she pursed her lips to keep from begging him to take her along. If he was going hunting, she wanted to be with him, knowing he wouldn’t take a life as long as she was beside him.
“I’m just going for a walk,” he assured her. “I need to clear my head.”
She nodded again. As much as she loved him, as much as she loved being with him, there were times when she enjoyed being home alone, or hunting alone. No doubt he felt the same.
Impulsively, he lifted her to her feet, gathered her into his arms, and kissed her, a long, slow kiss that ignited every nerve and desire in her body. She clung to his broad shoulders as he deepened the kiss. “Go warm my side of the bed,” he said, with a wink. “I won’t be long.”
The night was dark and cool. Thick gray clouds chased each other across the sky, sometimes blocking the moon’s light. He sighed as the darkness embraced him in loving arms. The wind whispered her secrets in his ear, telling him that prey was just around the corner.
“Prey is always just around the corner,” said a familiar voice.
Saintcrow grinned as Kincaid appeared beside him. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Haven’t seen you in a while. I was starting to worry.”
Saintcrow scowled at him. “Did Kadie send you to keep an eye on me?”
“Not this time.”
Side by side, they strolled down the street, a comfortable silence between them. Then, with a sigh, Saintcrow said, “Izabela said she’s found a river of blood located in a cave in the Carpathians that might help.”
“A cave with a river of blood?” Kincaid chuckled. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve never heard of anything like that.”
“Me, either.”
“Are you going to look for it?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. There’s nothing to keep me here, with the town closed. Hell, at this point, I’m willing to try anything.”
“Well, if you decide to go, count me in. I’ve never seen a river of blood.” Kincaid paused a moment before asking, “How are you feeling?”
Saintcrow shook his head. “Some days I feel all right and some days I want to rip into everybody I see. Oriana’s blood helped some. In fact, I might ask her for another drink.”
“Couldn’t hurt.” Giving Saintcrow a slap on the back, he said, “I’ve gotta go. I promised Rosa I wouldn’t be gone long.”
“Tell her hi for me.”
“Will do.”
Saintcrow stared into the darkness for a moment and then grinned.
He had a woman waiting for him, too. His mind brushed hers.
She was lying in bed wearing a black lace nightgown that left nothing to the imagination.
He grinned as his body responded to the image.
A moment later he was lying in bed beside her, everything else forgotten but his love for the amazing woman in his arms.