Chapter Twenty-Six
Bryn smiled as she got ready for bed. Meeting Conor Saintcrow had been enjoyable, a pleasant surprise from some of the men she had dated lately.
He seemed nice, polite, and attentive. And he was certainly gorgeous, with his thick black hair and beautiful deep blue eyes.
She had always preferred men with broad shoulders and a muscular build and they didn’t come much better than Conor Saintcrow.
He wanted to see her again, but she wasn’t sure it was a good idea.
Long distance relationships rarely worked.
Her sister wasn’t the only one getting over a bad relationship, Bryn thought glumly.
She had spent a year and a half dating a man she thought was Mr. Right only to discover that he was Mr. Wrong, in spades.
Not only had he lied about his age, his job, and his experience in the military, but he had been cheating on her the whole time.
Broken-hearted, she had sworn off men. And then Conor came along and seemed to be everything a woman could want in a man.
Of course, Jim had seemed that way, too, when they first met.
She had intended to say no when Conor asked her out, but somehow it had come out yes.
With a sigh, she crawled under the covers and switched off the bedside light. If Conor called her tomorrow and asked for a date, she would politely decline. It was far too soon to risk her poor, broken heart again.
He called at nine the next morning and invited her to breakfast. Again, she intended to say no. But at the sound of his voice, low and oh-so-sexy, that no morphed into yes. By ten a.m., she was seated across from him in the hotel dining room.
“I wasn’t going to call you,” Conor confessed. “I’ve got some things going on in my life that are going to make seeing you difficult, but....” He shrugged his shoulder. “I thought about you all night long.”
“I was going to say no if you called,” she said with a wry grin. “I’m coming off a bad relationship and I was determined not to get involved with anyone else for a while.”
He nodded. “So, this will just be a short, sweet interlude for both of us.”
“I think I can handle that. How about you?”
“Time will tell. What would you like to do today?” he asked.
“I’d like to spend it with you, but I promised Raelynn we’d go horseback riding at eleven, and then spend the afternoon by the pool, and maybe take in an early movie.”
Conor grunted softly. “What are you doing around ten?”
“Sleeping.” She grinned at him. “What did you have in mind?”
“I don’t know.” His fingers brushed the back of her hand ever so lightly. “A walk? A nightcap at the hotel?”
Bryn slid her hand away, startled by the warm rush of heat engendered by his touch.
It was time to end this. “Haven’t you been listening?
I’ve sworn off men.” She paused and took a deep breath.
Then, charmed by his downcast expression, she said, “Maybe I’ll give you a call if Raelynn turns in early.
” She had second thoughts the minute the words left her mouth.
What was she saying? Thinking? Seeing him again was a terrible idea.
But she just didn’t seem able to say no.
He had a smile that would melt iron. “I’d like that.”
“Someone pointed your dad out to me the other day,” Bryn remarked, changing the subject. “You look a lot like him.”
“Yeah, everybody says that, which is funny, since I’m adopted.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve never known anyone who owned a town,” she said.
“Me, either. My Mom’s the one who produces all the ads you see in magazines.”
“Wow, they’re great. Raelynn saw one in a magazine and that’s why she decided to come here. She read somewhere that it used to be a ghost town, and somewhere else that it used to be some sort of haven for vampires.”
Conor chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve heard that myself. You have to wonder where those stories come from.”
“I know. I mean, who in their right mind believes in vampires?”
Conor shrugged, thinking the conversation was getting dangerously close to home.
“I’ve got to run,” Bryn said, glancing at her watch. “Thanks for breakfast.”
Conor rose when she did. “Have a good day.”
“You, too.”
He stared after her a moment, then resumed his seat. He was still thinking about Bryn when the waitress dropped off his check. He signed it, left her a generous tip, and took the elevator up to his dad’s office on the top floor. He found Saintcrow seated at his desk.
Saintcrow smiled when Conor stepped into the office and closed the door behind him. “Hey, kid. What brings you here?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Saintcrow asked skeptically.
“I met this girl,” Conor said, dropping into the chair in front of his father’s desk.
“Nothing like a girl to fill your mind with confusion.”
‘Yeah. I really like her, but she’s coming off a broken relationship and I’m about to become a vampire, and....”
Saintcrow nodded. “I hear ya.”
“She’s only here for a few more days.”
“You can put off being turned,” Saintcrow said, leaning back in his chair. “There’s no hurry.”
Conor scowled at him. “I’ve been waiting my whole life to become a vampire.”
“I know.”
“What if I wait and I get to know her better and we spend a year together and then it’s over?”
“Then it’s over. What have you lost except a little time? You can still become a vampire. Once done, it’s done. You know that. You can’t change your mind six months down the road. So you need to be damn sure it’s what you want.”
“I know.” He drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair. “Have you ever been sorry? Ever wished you could be human again?”
“No. And no. I think I was born to be a vampire.”
“And Mom?”
Saintcrow sighed. Conor knew Morgan Creek had once been a refuge for the Undead. He knew this was where Kadie and Saintcrow had met, but that was all. Maybe it was time he knew the whole story.
“Your Mom stumbled into Morgan Creek by accident, back when it was still basically a ghost town. I knew as soon as I met her that I had to have her....” He held up a hand to stay the question in Conor’s eyes.
“Yes, I kept her here against her will because I wanted to get to know her.” He grinned at the memory.
“She hated me at first. And she was afraid of me, probably with good cause. But I loved her from the moment I saw her and after a while the feeling was mutual. Kadie’s old man was a vampire hunter.
He came here with some other hunters looking for me.
By accident, her father shot her. It was a fatal wound.
I asked her what she wanted me to do. She didn’t want to be a vampire but she didn’t want to leave me, either. And in the end, she chose to live.”
Conor stared at Saintcrow. It was a compelling story. “I’ve got a lot to think about,” he said, at last.
“Yeah.” Saintcrow let his mind brush the boy’s, needing to know if what Conor had heard had changed his son’s feelings toward him. At the moment, Conor’s mind was filled with conflicting emotions. “I think you’re one of those for whom the change will come easy,” he said quietly.
“I hope so.”
“When have I ever been wrong? Now, go on, get out of here. I’ve got some phone calls to make. And if I’m not mistaken, you’ve got some order forms to fill out.”
“Yeah. I’ll see ya later.”
With a nod, Saintcrow watched his son leave the office, wondering if telling Conor about his past had been wise.
~ * ~
Conor spent the next couple of hours trying to focus on a mound of paperwork, but the story his father had told him was always in the back of his mind.
Saintcrow had kept Kadie imprisoned in the town because he wanted her.
It seemed wrong and yet, somehow romantic.
And his mother obviously loved Saintcrow, so everything had turned out for the best. After all, the plague that had affected all the young vampires in Wyoming had made her human again, yet she had let Saintcrow turn her a second time because she wanted to stay with him.
It was hard to find fault knowing that. Hell, it was old, old history now.
The biggest question was what was he going to do about Bryn?
He was still trying to decide when his phone rang. Warmth spread through him when he heard her voice. “Hey, Bryn.”
Hey, yourself. What are you doing?”
“Thinking about you. I thought you were going to be busy with your sister all day.”
“You won’t believe this, but Rae ran into an old high school girlfriend and they wanted to spend some time catching up, so I’m free until the movie starts at seven.”
“Are you at the cabin?”
“Yes. Do you want to come over?”
“Be there in five,” he said, reaching for his car keys.
She was waiting for him at the front door.
“Do you want to go out?” he asked.
“Not right now. Come on in.”
He followed her inside, his arms aching to hold her. She sat on the sofa and he sat as close to her as he dared. “Bryn.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “We hardly know each other but I’m dying to hold you in my arms.”
“And I’m dying to be held.” So much for her vow to shun men for the rest of her life, she mused. She had no willpower at all where Conor was concerned.
For stretched seconds, they simply stared at each other. And then Conor took her in his arms. She was soft and warm and he closed his eyes, wondering how he could feel this way so soon. Wondering how he would ever let her go.
She looked up at him. “Aren’t you going to kiss me?”
“Don’t ask me twice.”
Bryn closed her eyes as his mouth covered hers. His lips were soft and warm and started a fire deep inside her. She sighed as he deepened the kiss, felt bereft when he lifted his head.
“Damn, girl, are you sure you have to go back to Vermont?”
She shrugged. “I wish I could stay another week,” she murmured. And cupping the back of his head, she pulled him closer and kissed him.
Conor fell back on the sofa, drawing her down on top of him. His fingers threaded through her hair as his other hand skated up and down her back. He kissed her again, his tongue tangling with hers.
“Bryn.” Her name was a groan on his lips.
“I know.” Sitting up, she blew out a deep breath. “Things are moving way too fast. I mean, I’m leaving in a few days. Maybe we should go out.”
“I think you’re right.” Sitting up, he took her hand in his and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s go someplace crowded and noisy.”
They went to a dance club that served beer and pizza. Bryn felt her heart melt every time Conor looked at her. Just her luck, to be attracted to a man who lived so far away. She’d never had a fling, but maybe now was the time to start.
Seven o’clock came all too soon. Conor drove her to the theater to meet her sister.
She was tempted to ask him to join them, but decided against it. He was far too attractive. Far too tempting. And she needed some space. Space to think and sort out her feelings.
He grinned at her as he got out of the car, opened her door, and handed her out of the convertible. “Okay if I call you tomorrow?”
Bryn hesitated a moment before saying, “Alright.” She lifted her face for his kiss, blew out a sigh as she watched him get into the car and drive away. Tomorrow couldn’t get here too soon.
~ * ~
Conor was watching an old John Wayne western when the phone rang. A look at the display said it was Bryn. He smiled as he answered the phone. “Missing me?”
“Oh, Conor.”
He frowned when he heard the tears in her voice. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“My mom just called. They rushed my father to the emergency room a few minutes ago. They think he’s having a heart attack.”
“I hope he’ll be all right,” Conor said. “Is there anything I can do?”
“No, but thanks for asking. Rae and I are on our way to the airport.”
“Have a safe trip.” He swore softly. If he was a vampire, he could have transported her to Vermont in minutes instead of hours. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too.”
“Take care, Bryn.” He blew out a sigh as he dropped his cell phone on the table beside the sofa. Perhaps, after he’d been a vampire for a while and had learned all that he needed to know, he would make a trip to Vermont.
~ * ~
Conor made his final decision a week later, on the eve of his twenty-fifth birthday. He spent the night glutting himself on all his favorite foods and drinks, surrounded by those who would, on the morrow, be prey.
At midnight, he went back to the house his parents had built for him when he wanted a place of his own. They were already in his bedroom, waiting for him.
“You got any questions before we get started?” Saintcrow asked.
“A couple. Will I be as strong as you are when I’m turned?”
“Hell, no. But you’ll be stronger than any other fledgling.”
“How long before I can be awake when the sun’s up?”
“I’m not sure. It’s different for every vampire. It usually takes quite a while. I’ll give you some of my blood every week or so. That’ll speed things up.”
“How often will I have to...hunt?”
“Every night for a while. Don’t worry, one of us will go with you until you get the hang of it. Your need to feed will be strong, but since I’m siring you, you should be able to control it if you want to. It might be difficult in crowds, but not if you feed first. Anything else you want to know?”
Conor shook his head. He had lived with his parents his whole life, seen all the remarkable things they could do, weighed what he would be giving up against what he would be gaining.
“Are you sure you still want to do this?” his mother asked.
Conor nodded as he stretched out on his bed, his mother standing on one side of him, Saintcrow on the other.
“This is your last chance to change your mind,” Saintcrow said.
“Let’s get it over with,” Conor said, and closed his eyes as the man who had raised him sank his fangs into his neck. There was a bit of pain, a warm sensation, and then a growing sense of weakness, helplessness. Fear.
“Relax, Conor.” Saintcrow’s voice. It seemed to come from far away.
“We love you,” his mother murmured. “We’ll be here when you wake tomorrow night.”
It took all Conor’s effort to nod. His body felt light, as if he could drift away. Had something gone wrong? Was he dying?
Don’t fight it.
Saintcrow’s voice in his mind. Conor smiled faintly when he heard it. When next he woke, he, too, would be a vampire.
What would Bryn think if she knew?
It was his last conscious thought before the world went black and silent.