Chapter Twelve
“You’re going, aren’t you?”
Saintcrow looked up from the book he’d been reading to find Kadie staring down at him, her arms crossed over her luscious breasts. “Going where?”
“Don’t give me that ‘what are you talking about’ look, Rylan Saintcrow! You’re going to Romania to look for that cave.”
Saintcrow blew out a sigh. She knew him way too well. “I’m thinking about it.”
“And thinking about leaving me home.”
“Kadie...”
“I’m going.” Even though she was a vampire and carried his ancient blood, he sometimes treated her as if she was still a puny human female who couldn’t take care of herself.
“Kadie, love...”
“Don’t ‘Kadie, love’ me, Rylan Saintcrow. Either I’m going or you aren’t.”
Grinning, he tossed the book aside and pulled her onto his lap. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Anything you want,” she retorted with a teasing grin.
Desire flared in his dark eyes.
“Later,” she said. “You’re taking me with you, right?”
“Kadie, there’s a small coven of vampires in the mountains of Transylvania.
Most of them are old ones who have taken refuge there because they’re free to do whatever they choose.
They’ve killed so many vampire hunters that hunters refuse to go anywhere near the place now.
The coven is said to prey on humans and vampires alike and. ..”
Kadie slapped her hand over his mouth. “Stop trying to scare me, Mr. Saintcrow. I’m going. And if you use some of that ancient power of yours to compel me to stay home, I’ll....I’ll burn Morgan Creek to the ground while you’re gone.”
Amused by her tirade, Saintcrow threw back his head and laughed, then bit back a curse when she stood and kicked him in the shin. “Hey! What are you trying to do? Break my leg?”
Hands fisted on her hips, she glared at him. “Are you taking me with you?”
Capturing her hands in his, he tugged her back down on his lap. “Of course I’m taking you along. Who’s going to keep me warm at night if you’re not there?”
“I’m nothing but a sex toy,” she muttered with mock annoyance.
“And a damn good one, too.” Feeling her temper rise again, he kissed her.
Kadie melted in his arms, her whole body on fire for him as she writhed against him.
She cried his name, begging for relief as he carried her to the floor, their clothing disappearing as his body covered hers, everything else forgotten in the magic of his touch, the wonder of his kisses, the sweet abrasion of skin against skin.
~ * ~
They left for Romania the following day.
Kadie wore a fanny pack that contained a comb, brush, toothbrush and paste.
They rarely packed clothing for short trips, preferring to buy what they needed when they needed it.
That had taken some getting used to, Kadie recalled with a wry grin.
She had always been one who crammed anything she thought she might need into her suitcases, no matter how trivial.
But Saintcrow’s way was easier than carrying a lot of luggage when they transported from place to place, especially if they were only staying a short time.
And since vampires weren’t bothered by the cold, jackets and gloves were unnecessary.
Kincaid was waiting for them when they stepped outside. Like Jake, she and Rylan wore jeans, long-sleeved shirts, and hiking boots. Kadie also wore a broad-brimmed hat.
“Where’s Rosa?” Kadie asked, glancing around.
“Last minute emergency at home,” Jake said. “Her father’s in the hospital with appendicitis. The rest of the family is there with her.”
Kadie nodded as Rylan slipped his arm around her waist. If Rosa needed Jake, he could be in Arizona in a matter of moments.
“Ready, Kincaid?” Saintcrow asked.
At Jake’s nod, the three of them transported to the Carpathian Mountains.
Kadie had experienced transporting through time and space numerous times, but it always left her felling a little breathless. The view was spectacular. Snow-topped mountains surrounded deep valleys.
“The Carpathians are the third longest mountain range in Europe,” Saintcrow remarked. “They also have the largest European population of brown bears, wolves, and lynxes.”
“What you’d do before we left home?” Jake asked. “Swallow an encyclopedia?”
“Bears?” Kadie asked, glancing over her shoulder. “Seriously?”
“They won’t bother us,” Rylan assured her.
“So, how do we find the cave?” Kincaid asked.
“If such a cave exists, the blood inside should lead us to it,” Saintcrow said. Abruptly, he grabbed Kadie and thrust her behind him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Is it a bear?”
“Worse.”
She felt their presence before they materialized. Six men and a woman, vampires all. Obviously old vampires since they were up and about in the middle of the afternoon. She felt the hair rise on her arms as they surrounded her, Rylan, and Jake.
One of the vampires stepped forward. “I am Dacien, master of the Carpathian vampires. Who are you?” He was obviously the oldest of the bunch, a tall, painfully thin looking man with white hair and colorless eyes.
“Rylan Saintcrow, from America. You may have heard of me.”
“Indeed. Your name is legend among our kind. What brings you here, to my territory?”
“I’m looking for the blood cave,” Saintcrow said. “Do you know where it is?”
Dacien shook his head. “It does not exist. It is nothing but a myth.”
“I know a witch who says otherwise.”
The vampire shrugged. “Witches cannot be trusted. I thought all vampires knew that.”
Between one breath and the next, Saintcrow’s anger slammed into Dacien, driving him backward against a large rock and holding him there. The other vampires took a step forward, fangs bared, only to meet the same fate.
Capturing Dacien’s gaze with his own, Saintcrow said, “I want to know the location, now.”
Dacien glared at him, lips compressed, eyes flashing defiance.
“I will not ask you again,” Saintcrow warned.
“It is said to be at the southern peak of the Carpathians.”
“It either is or it isn’t,” Saintcrow snarled.
“I do not know! I have never looked for it.”
Saintcrow held the vampire’s gaze for stretched seconds, then released him and the others. “Get out of here. I don’t want to see any of you again.”
Eyes burning with hatred, Dacien nodded at his companions and they all disappeared.
“Do you believe him?” Kincaid asked.
“No.” Head tilted back, Saintcrow looked toward the southern peak of the mountain range.
“I’m glad we don’t have to walk,” Kadie remarked, taking Rylan’s hand.
Saintcrow glanced at her, his expression grim, and then he smiled. “Me, too,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze. “Let’s go.”
It was cold and windy at the top of the mountain. Standing there, looking down, made Kadie feel like they were the last three people in the world. Tugging on Rylan’s arm, she asked, “How high up are we?”
“About eight thousand feet. Come on, let’s see if we can find this damn cave.”
It took longer than she had expected. There were so many crevices, some shallow, some deep. They went over the top of the mountain and started down the other side and that was when they found it.
Saintcrow came to an abrupt stop about twenty feet from the top. “It’s here,” he said, and began pushing aside a bunch of small rocks and pine needles that looked like they had been there for centuries.
Saintcrow went first, followed by Kadie and then Jake.
The inside of the cave was narrow and pitch black but, thanks to her vampire vision, Kadie had no trouble seeing their surroundings.
The walls were streaked with all the colors of the rainbow.
She heard the drip of water in the distance, wrinkled her nose against the smell as she tried to pinpoint the stink.
They walked over rocky, uneven ground for perhaps a mile. She was beginning to feel claustrophobic when Saintcrow came to a sudden stop.
“What is it?” she asked. And then she saw the bones. Hundreds and hundreds of bones, both animal and human, so old and white they almost glowed in the dark. There were also a couple of decomposing bodies, which accounted for the stink.
“You were right,” Kincaid said. “Dacien knows this place.”
“It’s their graveyard,” Saintcrow remarked. “No wonder he didn’t want us to come here.”
A shiver crawled down Kadie’s spine. “Let’s get out of here.”
Saintcrow stared at the narrow river bed at his feet. It smelled faintly of old blood, but the ground was dry. “Dammit to hell,” he muttered. “Looks like we came on a wild goose chase.”
Kincaid grunted. “Do you suppose Dacien and his compadres drank it dry?”
“I don’t know. It’s possible, I guess.”
“Well, thanks for a fun afternoon,” Kincaid muttered. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Tell Rosa hi for me,” Kadie said. “And tell her I hope her father gets better.”
“Oh, he will,” Kincaid said, with a wink. “I’m sure someone’s already given him a little blood. The old man will home by tomorrow.” A wave of his hand and Jake was gone.
“I’m ready to go home, too,” Kadie said. “I’ve had enough adventure for one day.”
“Yeah.” Saintcrow swore under his breath. He’d been a fool to get his hopes up, he thought glumly. Well, hell, there was no point in standing here feeling sorry for himself. “Come on,” he said, slipping his arm around Kadie’s waist. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Swallowing her disappointment that their only clue had been a false alarm, Kadie closed her eyes. There was a sense of flying through time and space as Saintcrow whisked them away. But when she opened her eyes, they weren’t at home, but in front of a lovely old inn in England.
“What are we doing here?” Kadie asked.
“I thought we’d spend the night and go to a jousting tournament in the morning.”
“A joust!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands. “Really?”
“Sure, unless you don’t want to.”
The image of Rylan as a knight flashed through her mind. “I can’t wait.”
~ * ~