Page 27

K adie sat by the window, staring out into the night.

She searched her mind, hoping to find some trace of her past but it was like staring at a blank wall.

Her only memory was of waking up in a strange room with a strange man to learn that she had been stricken by some rare virus. At least, that’s what he’d said.

Of course, he could tell her anything he wanted and she wouldn’t know if it was the truth or a lie.

He’d said they were friends. The idea of being friends with such an intimidating man was intriguing and frightening at the same time.

He oozed sex appeal and testosterone. He didn’t seem like the kind of man to have a woman for a friend unless it included extra benefits.

She shivered at the thought. Had she been his mistress? That would explain his concern for her well-being, why he was willing to put her up in an expensive hotel, buy her a costly new wardrobe.

Kadie shook her head, refusing to believe she would ever have agreed to be any man’s mistress. She wasn’t that kind of woman. Or was she? How was she to know?

Feeling suddenly exhausted, she went into the bedroom and changed into her beautiful new nightgown, brushed her teeth, and slipped into bed.

She lay there a long time, staring at the ceiling. What if her memory never came back?

What if she was better off not knowing who she was? What kind of person had she been?

Kind? Selfish? Had people liked her? Or despised her? Did she really want to know?

Overcome with worries and fears of an unremembered past and an uncertain future, she rolled onto her side and closed her eyes. Rylan Saintcrow’s image flashed across her mind as sleep carried her away.

Saintcrow materialized beside Kadie’s bed. His gaze caressed her. She was so beautiful. He knew every sweet curve, every secret hollow. How many times had they made love over the years, each time better than the last?

Unable to resist, he let his mind touch hers. In her dream, she was standing on a deserted beach, taking photos of a glorious sunset. It was all too easy to slip into her dreams …

Kadie smiled uncertainly as a man came up beside her. A man who looked remarkably familiar.

“Beautiful night,” he said. “Do you come here often?”

“Yes.” She smiled. “I love to photograph the sunsets. Isn’t it amazing that no two are ever the same?”

“Indeed. Is photography a hobby?”

“Sometimes. But this shoot is for an outdoor magazine.” His eyes were inky black, filled with dark fire, and she felt the heat of his gaze caress her as he moved closer. She didn’t think she had ever met him and yet she had the strangest feeling that she knew him, had always known him.

She didn’t object when he took the camera from her hand and set it on the blanket at her feet.

Nor did she protest when he reached for her.

Instead, she moved into his embrace, her eyelids fluttering down when he lowered his head to claim her lips with his as the fire in his eyes flowed through her.

Somehow, they were lying on the blanket, their bodies entwined.

He murmured that he loved her, would always love her.

“Remember me,” he whispered fervently. “Please, Kadie, remember me.”

She woke with a start, her gaze sweeping the room, every fiber of her being aching for her mysterious lover to put out the flame he had kindled inside of her.

The air was blue with Saintcrow’s frustration as he paced the floor of his lair back in Morgan Creek. He’d been so close to possessing her. So close. Dammit!

What if her memories were lost forever? It was entirely possible.

He frowned as he stripped down to his briefs and sat on the edge of the bed.

The bed he had shared with Kadie. Was it possible for him to restore her memories?

Likely he could only restore the ones the two of them had shared. Would that help her recall the rest?

There was always a risk involved when messing with human minds.

Usually, nothing went awry. But he had heard stories from others of his kind, sad tales of men and women who had gone insane when their memories were erased or restored, and of others who had killed themselves.

He knew from personal experience of a woman who had gone quite mad.

He had been a young vampire at the time, just learning how to control the minds of others.

He didn’t know what he had done wrong, if anything, but it had ended badly.

He couldn’t risk that with Kadie. Better for her memories to return in their own good time.

Shit.

He would have to be patient, he thought. Not his best trait by far. Spend time with her. Maybe bring her home to Morgan Creek. No, he couldn’t do that. Not until they were sure the curse had been lifted from the town and the state, as well.

He glanced at the sky. It was nearly midnight. Still early for his kind.

Grabbing his cell phone, he sent a group text to the family .

I need to see all of you. Now. Meet me at Kincaid’s.

“I wonder what the hell is going on?” Jake muttered, as he tossed his phone on the bed.

Rosa shrugged. “I’m sure it has something to do with Kadie.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you’re right. Better get dressed. The others will be on their way.”

Saintcrow gave them twenty minutes to assemble before he knocked on Kincaid’s door.

Rosa opened it. “Are you bringing good news?” she asked, as she led the way into the living room.

“No.” His gaze swept over the family, resting for a moment on Micah and Ethan. “I want to bring Kadie home. But before I do, I need one of you to come with me and see if it’s safe. If none of you are willing, that’s all right with me. I’ll find a fledgling somewhere.”

“I’ll go,” Ethan said.

“No!” Sofia cried, a look of horror on her face. “I saw a picture of Kadie. I don’t want that to happen to you.”

Ethan wrapped her in his arms. “Listen, honey, there isn’t much of a risk. The Methuselah Stone saved Kadie. Hopefully, it will work on me, too, if necessary.” He looked at Saintcrow. “Do you still have it?”

“Izabela does.”

Ethan nodded. “All right, then.”

Sofia shook her head, silent tears tracking down her cheeks. “Ethan, please don’t go.”

“It isn’t right to expose someone else,” Ethan said. “It’s a family problem, and the family should take care of it.”

Knowing she was defeated, Sofia slumped against him.

“Can we do this tomorrow night?” Ethan asked.

Knowing Ethan wanted to have some time alone with Sofia before returning to Morgan Creek, Saintcrow nodded. “Tomorrow night on the bridge, say eleven o’clock?”

Ethan nodded.

“If nothing happens in twenty-four hours, we’ll assume the curse has been broken, at least in Morgan Creek.”

While they waited to find out if the curse struck Ethan or caused any other ill effects, Saintcrow would call the vampires who lived in Laramie and Cody and check on the condition of their fledglings again.

He had checked on them several times since the curse struck.

A number of their fledglings had died. A few still lingered in the same vegetative state Kadie had been in.

“How is Kadie?” Micah asked.

“The same. No sign of her memory returning. I put her up in a hotel in New Orleans.”

“Maybe you should have a doctor examine her,” Holly suggested.

Saintcrow shrugged. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Doctors would ask a lot of questions that are better left unanswered. In the meantime, do any of you need anything?”

Ethan and Micah shook their heads.

“All right. Ethan, I’ll see you tomorrow night on the bridge.”

“Eleven o’clock,” he said. “I’ll be there.”

With a nod, Saintcrow vanished from the room. He made a quick trip to the hotel to make sure Kadie was all right, tested the wards he had set around the room, and then transported himself back to his lair.

Settling on the edge of the bed, he called Izabela.

“What do you want now?” she asked.

“Do you still have the Medallion?”

“Of course. And I intend to keep it.”

“Does it work more than once?”

There was a long pause. He heard her whispering to someone.

“Romar says it should,” Izabela remarked when she came back on the line. “Why?”

“I may need it again.”

“Any time,” the witch said.

Saintcrow grunted softly when he heard the smile in her voice. No doubt she was looking forward to another blood-letting.

“Is that all?” she asked.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

He had no sooner hung up than his phone rang. “What do you want, Jake?”

“Just checking to see how you’re doing. You seemed a little tense when you were here.”

“Gee, I wonder why.”

“Don’t be a smart ass. I just called to see if you need to talk.”

“About what?”

Kincaid muttered an oath. “About Kadie, dammit. About Ethan. About Luca. Remember him?”

“What do you think?”

“Are we still going after him?”

“Eventually. But I can’t worry about him right now.”

“All right. Talk to you later.”

“Yeah, later.”

Saintcrow ended the call. Truth be told, he had been so focused on Kadie that he had forgotten all about the necromancer. Luca would have to be dealt with sooner or later, he mused. But he wasn’t a priority right now unless he caused more trouble.

Dropping his phone on the bedside table, he hugged Kadie’s pillow to his chest. An indrawn breath filled his nostrils with her familiar scent.

Murmuring her name, he fell back on the mattress and stared at the ceiling.

He had rarely prayed in the course of his long, long life, but he prayed now, prayed fervently that Kadie would regain her memories and that, if Ethan should need it, the Methuselah Stone would work its magic a second time.