Page 98 of Twilight Destiny

Rosa stared at him as if he’d spoken in a language she didn’t comprehend. “Is he coming back?”

“I don’t know. He’s still afraid of you. Of hurting you.”

“Do you think he’ll get over it?” She had accused Jake of being afraid of her once before.

Saintcrow dragged his hand across his jaw. How could he make her understand? “Maybe afraidforyou would be a better way to put it. He’s an old vampire and he’s lived alone most of his life, taking what he wanted when he wanted, with little regard for the consequences. And he wants you.”

She stared at him blankly. “What’s wrong with that?”

“He wants all of you. Your heart. Your soul. Your blood. He wants to make you his in every way, so that you’ll never leave him.”

It took her a few minutes to understand what he was saying.

Saintcrow watched her eyes slowly widen with comprehension. “He wants to turn me so he can be my sire. My master.”

“He’s scared he won’t be able to control what he feels. Being Luca’s prisoner changed something inside him, weakened his confidence and his self-control. He damn near killed you.”

“He surrendered to Luca because of me. I couldn’t just stand there and watch him suffer when I could help.”

“I know. And he’s grateful. But, like I said, he came damn close to killing you. He knows that and it’s tearing him apart. So he left. He loves you, Rosa. He’s never really been in love before. I think part of the problem is that he just doesn’t know how to handle it.”

“What about the woman in Mexico?”

Saintcrow chuckled. “That wasn’t really love for either one of us. She was a beautiful, desirable female and we both wanted her. She was like the spoils of war, a prize for the winner. Only neither of us won. And neither one of us gave a damn.”

Two fat tears slid down Rosa’s cheeks. She made no move to wipe them away, just sat there staring at the floor. “Maybe I should have let him turn me that night.”

“Is that what you want?”

“I thought I did,” she said slowly. “Now I’m not so sure. But what if it’s the only way we can be together?”

Rosa sat in the kitchen long after Saintcrow had gone home. Did she want to be a vampire? Did she love Jake enough to give up her humanity so they could be together? She could wait a few years. She was young yet. Maybe the promise of letting him turn her would be enough. Was that really the only way they could be together? If her blood was such a temptation, couldn’t he just drink a little from her every night? Too bad she couldn’t find a way to make her blood taste bad so he wouldn’t want it … She frowned. Was such a thing possible? If a witch could conjure a way to hide Jake’s presence, why couldn’t the same witch give her a potion or something to make her blood unpalatable?

Maybe she would ask Saintcrow if that was possible the next time she saw him.

Where was Jake? Was he at rest in his lair in Montana? Was she ever going to see him again?

“Tune in tomorrow, same Bat time, same Bat channel, for the answer,” she muttered darkly.

She had just dressed for the day when her phone rang. “Micah, hi! I’m so glad to hear from you.”

“You won’t be when I tell you why I called.”

The tone of his voice was like a punch in the gut. “What’s happened?”

“You’d better come home right away. Dad’s in the ICU. It’s not looking good. I can’t leave Mom. Ask Saintcrow to bring you.”

“I will!”

She called Saintcrow’s name as soon as Micah said goodbye.

He arrived within seconds. “What’s wrong?”

“My dad … ,” she said, blinking back her tears. “He’s in the hospital … ”

“Are you ready to go?”

“As soon as I change clothes.”