Chapter Twenty-Five
Twenty-five years later
Conor Rylan Saintcrow strolled down the town’s main street, occasionally nodding at passersby as he made his way toward the park.
One of the things he liked best about his life was that it was never dull.
He had been twelve years old when his father took him aside and finally answered all the questions that that plagued Conor for years.
He had to admit, it had come as something of a shock, learning that his parents were vampires.
Unbelievable. A little scary. But fascinating.
And it had explained so many things – like why his mom and dad had never shared a meal with him, why they never aged, why his father could be at his office in the hotel one minute and home the next, why his mother could make a trip to Cheyenne and back in no time at all, even though she didn’t take the car.
Once they told him the truth, they stopped hiding their supernatural powers.
It had been a thrill, having his father transport him to school or wherever else he wanted to go in the blink of an eye.
He discovered his parents could do fantastic things, unbelievable things, like going from point A to point B with just a thought, dissolving into mist, moving faster than the eye could follow, transform into wolves, climb a wall like Spiderman, fly like Superman.
It was all amazing. Even the blood thing didn’t seem so bad, not compared to everything else.
His first question after he learned the truth was to ask why he wasn’t a vampire, too.
“Vampires are made, not born,” Saintcrow had explained.
From that time on, Conor wanted to be a vampire, but Saintcrow – Conor had never learned to call him father – said he was too young. And there was no arguing with Saintcrow.
Conor had watched all the vampire movies, read copious books on the subject, dressed up as Dracula every Halloween. When he turned sixteen, he had asked his father to turn him.
“You’re still too young,” Saintcrow said.
And his mother had agreed. “Becoming a vampire isn’t a decision to be made until you’re fully grown,” she said. “Once it’s done, it can’t be undone.”
“Except under certain circumstances,” his father had said with a grin, and his parents had shared a secret smile.
“Wait until you’re twenty-five,” his father had advised.
“Old enough and hopefully wise enough to make such a life-changing decision. If you still think it’s a good idea then, I’ll bring you across. ”
His second shock had been learning that they weren’t really his parents. He found that astonishing, especially when everyone said he looked just like his father.
Blood-kin or not, his parents had given him a wonderful life. He had everything he could possibly want. Nice clothes, a good education, a couple of years of college. They had given him a sleek blue Mustang convertible when he graduated high school. It was the pride of his life.
Of course, he’d had to earn some of it. During the summers, he worked as a lifeguard at the pool.
During the winter, he did various jobs – working as a bus boy at the hotel restaurant, shoveling snow from the front of the rental houses, taking reservations if one of the clerks called in sick, or whatever other task Saintcrow came up with.
Saintcrow was an amazing man. Tall, good-looking, smart, strong. Conor’s girlfriends all thought his old man was movie-star gorgeous, which made him proud and jealous at the same time.
These days, he was in charge of keeping the tourists happy, answering their questions, reporting problems to Saintcrow.
But today, he was filling in for the lifeguard at the pool.
It had been his favorite job growing up, he thought, as he went into the dressing room to change into his trunks and grab a towel.
He had enjoyed being a lifeguard. It was easy work and had given him a chance to meet a lot of girls and kiss more than a few.
But there was no room in his life for a woman, not now.
He had spent the last nine years of his life thinking about what it meant to be a vampire, weighing the pros and cons, weighing what he would be giving up in exchange for what he would gain.
He knew all the other Morgan Creek vampires, as well as the Ravenwood clan.
He had talked to all the ones who were vampires, questioned them about what it was like.
Did they have regrets, would they do it again?
Some of the answers had surprised him. He’d learned that Rosa had come to Morgan Creek hoping Saintcrow would turn her, but it had been Jake Kincaid who did the trick.
He knew his mother had been turned the first time to save her life, and that she had made the choice a second time, although he didn’t know all the details.
Soon, it would be his turn.
Taking his place on the lifeguard stand, his gaze moved over the people playing in the pool. It was mostly young men and women, although there were some mothers and kids in the shallow end.
He was settling back in his chair when he saw her, a long, leggy redhead in a hot-pink bathing suit that somehow managed to be modest and sexy as hell at the same time.
She stood on the edge of the pool, her long hair flowing like liquid fire down her back.
She must have felt his gaze because she turned, ever so slowly, and looked up at the lifeguard station.
She was beautiful, her skin a smooth, golden tan, her eyes large and honey brown, her lips ever so tempting.
He felt the force of her gaze like a physical caress.
Before he realized what he was doing, he was descending the stairs and striding toward her.
She blushed and bit down on her lower lip when he drew near.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
“I’m terribly near-sighted,” she said, obviously embarrassed at having been caught staring. “I...uh...thought you were someone else.”
“Oh. Well, I hope you find him.”
“I wasn’t looking for him,” she said. “Now that I see you close up, you’re much better looking.”
“Thanks,” Conor said, with a grin.
“I’m Brynlee,” she said. “But everyone calls me Bryn.”
“Conor Saintcrow.”
“Saintcrow?” She frowned. “Isn’t that the name of the man who owns the town?”
“He’s my father. Are you going to be here long?”
“The rest of the week.”
“Any chance I could take you out to dinner tonight?”
“I’d like that.”
“The pool closes at seven. Pick you up at eight?”
She nodded. “See you then,” she said, and dove into the water.
~ * ~
Conor called himself all kinds of a fool as he dressed for his dinner date with Bryn.
He had sworn off women, determined not to get involved.
In two weeks he’d be a vampire. Dating would be unwise until he grew accustomed to his new way of life.
But what the hell. He deserved to go out with a beautiful woman.
And Bryn was beautiful indeed. By the end of the week, she would be gone and he would soon belong to the ranks of the Undead.
Running a comb through his hair, Conor left the house and slid behind the wheel of the Mustang. It was an awesome car, sleek, fast, with an engine that purred like a contented tiger.
Five minutes later, he pulled up in front of rental house 23. He took a deep breath, got out of the car and went up the stairs to the door. He whistled softly when Bryn opened it.
“Wow, lady, you are one gorgeous woman.”
“Thank you. You look very nice, too.”
“Thanks. Shall we?”
With a nod, Bryn followed him out to the car, waited while he opened the door for her.
A lot of women these days preferred to open their own doors, pay for their own meals and movie tickets, but she rather liked having a man do those things for her.
She slid into the soft leather seat, watched him go around to the other side.
She liked the confident way he moved. He was a handsome man, tall, broad-shouldered, with long black hair and deep blue eyes.
“Where would you like to go?” Conor asked. “We can eat at the hotel restaurant, or drive into Casper or Cheyenne.”
She lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. “You invited me. You decide.”
He was tempted to take her to the hotel, get a suite, and have the hotel send up dinner, thinking if he got lucky, there would be a bed handy.
But he dismissed that idea. She didn’t seem like the kind of girl who would agree to a one-night stand.
And he found himself liking her too much for such cheap tactics.
“Let’s go to Casper,” he said. “It’s a nice night for a ride.”
“Okay if I turn on the radio?” she asked.
“Sure.”
She switched it on and skipped through the stations until she found one that played soft rock. “Tell me about yourself,” she said, settling back in her seat.
Conor shrugged. “Not much to tell. I’ve lived in Morgan Creek all my life. My parents spoiled me for a while and then insisted I learn to pay my own way. Right now I’m in charge of complaints, so if you have any, I’m the guy to see.”
She laughed softly as she rested her gaze on his face. “So far I like everything just fine.”
They made small talk on the drive, getting to know each other a little better, exchanging likes and dislikes, favorite movies and songs.
He liked horror movies, she liked romantic comedies.
She liked soft rock, he liked jazz. She loved light chocolates, he preferred dark.
But they both liked being outdoors, swimming, water skiing, hiking, and horseback riding.
They ate dinner at an Italian restaurant, a favorite for both of them.
“Are you here alone?” he asked.
“No. I’m here trying to comfort my older sister who’s recovering from a broken heart.”
“So, what do you do when you’re not comforting your sister?”
“I’m an assistant to the president of a large investment company,” she said. “It’s not a fun job but it pays well and has lots of benefits.”
Conor nodded. “Nice.”
“Tell me about your family,” Bryn said, over dessert.
“It’s small,” Conor said, with a shrug. “Just me and my parents. How about you?”
“Ridiculously large,” Bryn said, rolling her eyes. “My mother has five sisters and four brothers, who all have large families of their own. My dad has three brothers and they all have three daughters. Do you like living in Morgan Creek?”
“Yeah. Of course, I’ve never lived anywhere else. Where do you call home?”
“Vermont.”
Conor grimaced. “Not exactly the girl next door.”
“No.”
“I’d like to see you again,” he remarked as they drove back to Morgan Creek. And even as he said it, he knew it was a bad idea. In a few days, she would be back East and he would be a vampire.