Page 9 of Twilight Destiny

Kincaid ran his thumb over the wide gold band. “Damn right.”

“I guess it’s still working.”

“So far.”

“Remember what I said about Rosa.”

As if he could forget, Kincaid thought, and blew out an enormous sigh of relief when Saintcrow vanished from his sight. He stood there a moment, thinking he was lucky to still be alive. Saintcrow’s power wasn’t a whole hell of a lot stronger than his own, but it was powerful enough to make him wary and respectful.

As he returned to his lair, there wasn’t a doubt in Kincaid’s mind that the master vampire would carry out his threats without a qualm.

Chapter Five

Rosa sat on the sofa, staring at a daytime soap opera, her mind elsewhere. Saintcrow was a truly scary creature and if what he had told her the other night was true, mortals were helpless to resist his kind. How could you withstand someone who could read your thoughts and force you to do their bidding against your will? Someone who could drain you of every drop of blood? Or turn you into a nightwalker at their whim? It occurred to her that even though she knew several vampires, she really didn’t know much about the dark side of their lives.

She thought of her brother, Micah. She couldn’t imagine him doing any of the things Saintcrow had mentioned. But then, how well did she really know him, now that he was a vampire? And what about her cousin, Holly? Was she capable of the same kind of power? Would Micah one day be as strong and invincible as Saintcrow? Would it change him from the loving brother she knew into some kind of monster? And what about Ethan and Sofia? Were they changing even now, becoming more like blood-thirsty vampires and less human?

She jumped a foot when Saintcrow suddenly appeared beside her on the sofa.

“You’re going to give yourself nightmares if you keep thinking like that.”

“Can you blame me? I’ve heard stories about you. Will Micah and Sofia turn into … into … ”

“Into me?”

Her gaze slid away from his and she nodded.

He rested his arm along the back of the sofa. “Becoming a vampire doesn’t usually change who a person is. Decent people don’t turn into ravening monsters who go around killing indiscriminately. People who like to cause pain and destruction generally get worse when they realize no one can stop them. There are exceptions, of course. Being a vampire is a major life change, there’s no doubt about that. But you don’t turn into a monster unless you want to.”

“I know you’re a Master Vampire, but what does that mean, exactly? Why isn’t Jake one, too? He’s almost as old as you are.”

“I’m considered a Master Vampire because I’ve claimed a certain territory for my own and I’ve fought to keep it.”

“So, if another vampire came along and defeated you, then he’d become a master, too?”

“Right.”

Rosa nodded as she considered that. “Do you ever get tired of living? I mean, what do you do when you’ve seen everything, been everywhere, done everything? Don’t you ever get bored?”

“Most of the old ones go to ground every now and then.”

“Go to ground? What does that mean?”

“Old vampires sometimes bury themselves deep in the earth.”

Rosa shuddered.

“It’s revitalizing,” Saintcrow said. “I’ve done it myself from time to time.”

“For how long?”

“Sometimes a decade or two, sometimes longer. Waking up in a new century makes life exciting again. New trends in fashion. New modes of transportation. New inventions. Sometimes whole new countries.”

“Sounds … horrible. Like being buried alive.” She couldn’t think of anything more terrifying.

He shrugged. And then his gaze met hers. “Why didn’t you tell me you were with Kincaid yesterday?”

She stared at him, eyes wide. “How did you know?”