Page 87 of Twilight Longings

“It must hurt dreadfully.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think she’ll keep her word?”

“Only time will tell.”

Brushing her hair away from her neck, Kadie turned her head to the side. “Take as much as you need.”

Keeping a tight rein on his thirst, he took only enough to ease the worst of the pain, sealed the wounds with his tongue, then kissed her cheek.

Kadie stared at him as he bit into his own wrist, dabbed his fingertips in the blood and smeared it over his palms, one after the other. “Will that heal them?”

“Not right away. Burns take a long time to heal, but it eases the pain.”

“Why did you need my blood?”

“It strengthens me, which also eases the pain and helps with healing.”

Sitting back, he slid his arm around her shoulders.

“Do you think Eleni will keep her word?” Kadie asked after a while.

“I hope so.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

“Next time I’ll take her head.”

Kadie shivered. Looking at the harsh expression on his face, hearing the determination in his voice, she didn’t doubt for a minute that he meant what he said.

Chapter Forty-Five

Eleni reclined in the bathtub of her lair, a constant stream of epithets issuing from her lips. How dare he? How dare he! She stared at the burn marks on her wrists and ankles. It would take days for the pain to go away. An eternity to make her forget her humiliation at her fledgling’s hands.

Stepping from the tub, she dried off and dressed.

She couldn’t avenge herself on Saintcrow, at least not until she was stronger. But others would pay with their lives for what he had wrought this night.

She willed herself to the nearest big city. It would take a great deal of blood to ease the pain and heal her wounds. Men would die this night, she thought without regret, and their blood would be on Rylan Saintcrow’s hands.

Saintcrow swore long and loud when he turned on the TV the next night. The lead story on every channel was the deaths of five men in Cheyenne, Wyoming. All had died of severe blood loss.

“Eleni,” he muttered. “Dammit! I should have seen this coming.” He muted the TV when his phone rang. It was Kincaid. He didn’t bother with hello. “I’ve seen it,” Saintcrow said. “Damn her soul to hell, what was she thinking? This is going to draw every hunter in the country.”

“I reckon so,” Jake said. “They just found another body in Cheyenne.”

“I guess that’s her subtle way of letting me know she isn’t leaving the state.”

“Maybe. Or maybe she was just saying goodbye.”

“I sure as hell hope so.”

“Well, if there’s anything I can do, let me know.”

‘Yeah, thanks, Jake. I knew I should have killed her when I had the chance.”

Kadie came into the living room as he ended the call. “Killed who?”