Saintcrow arrived at Kadie's house just after dinner. After exchanging pleasantries with the doctor and his wife, Saintcrow asked Kadie if she'd like to go for a drive.

"I'd love to," she said. "Just let me grab a jacket."

When she left the room, Ralph Andrews said, "I trust you won't be out too long."

"I'll have her home before dawn," Saintcrow promised with a wry grin. "You can count on that."

"I'm ready," Kadie said as she came back into the room. "Dad, stop worrying about me. I'm a big girl now, remember?"

"I'm your father," he said. "It's my job to worry."

Kadie hugged her mother, gave her father a kiss on the cheek; then, holding Saintcrow's hand, they left the house.

"What is it with you and fast cars?" she said as he held open the door to the sleek, metallic blue Porsche.

He shrugged. "What can I say? Fast cars, fast women."

She stuck her tongue out at him when he slid behind the wheel. "Where are we going?"

"Just somewhere we can be alone."

"Any particular reason why we need to be alone?" Kadie asked, settling herself in the seat.

"I can think of one or two."

"I'm sure you can," she replied primly.

Saintcrow chuckled. "Don't go all schoolgirl innocent on me now."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"All the stories about vampires say they can't be seen in a mirror, and that garlic repels them, and holy water burns them. Is that true?"

"It depends on the vampire. We're solid. We can be seen in a mirror. Garlic stinks but it doesn't repel us. Holy water won't burn me, although it burns new vampires. Fire . . . that's something else."

"What about silver crosses?"

He shook his head as he made a left turn and headed for the beach. "They no longer have any power to thwart me." Silver didn't affect him, save for weapons that were made out of it. Though they wouldn't kill him, wounds inflicted by solid silver took longer to heal and were infinitely more painful.

"Wooden stakes?"

He slid a glance in her direction. "I'm not sure I like the tone of this conversation."

"I'm just curious."

"A wooden stake through the heart will destroy most vampires."

"Most?"

"You'll be happy to know that I'm impervious." As he had told her father, the only way to destroy him now was to take his head. Even fire wouldn't destroy him, although it took decades of agony spent deep in the earth to recover.

"What about other vampires?"

"A stake to the heart will destroy most of them. We grow stronger and harder to kill as we grow older. Anything else you want to know?"

Kadie shook her head, thoughts of vampires receding as she stared out at the ocean, beautiful and peaceful under the light of the moon.

They reached the marina a short time later. Saintcrow parked the car, then they walked down to the water.

"This is such a pretty place," Kadie remarked. "Have you ever been here?"

"Once, a long time ago." He glanced at the Morro Rock, which was the town's most famous feature. "Do you know how the rock got its name?"

"I seem to recall some explorer named it."

Saintcrow nodded. "Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. He discovered it in 1542 while exploring the Pacific Ocean. It's said he named it El Morro because it reminded him of the headwrap of a Moor."

"I've lived here all my life and never knew that."

"Well, that's how it usually is. People don't pay much attention to the attractions close to home."

"I love this place," Kadie said. Once surrounded by water, the northern channel had been filled in to create a harbor. The public wasn't allowed to climb the rock, not only because it was dangerous, but because it was a reserve for the peregrine falcon. "We used to camp here a lot when I was younger. The only spanking I ever got was when my best friend dared me to climb the rock."

Kicking off her sandals, she started to walk down the beach, which was deserted at this time of night. A short time later, she began to run.

Saintcrow watched her for several minutes, admiring her curvy bottom, the way the moon cast silver highlights in her hair, the sound of her heart as it began to beat fast. All his predatory instincts came to life as he watched her run away from him. Yanking off his boots and socks, he pursued her.

She let out a squeal when he grabbed her around the waist and carried her to the ground, twisting at the last minute so that she landed on top of him. She stared down at him, breathless, a hint of fear in her eyes.

He took a deep breath, inhaling the fragrance of her hair and skin, the tempting scent of her blood. Cupping the back of her head, he kissed her. The salty smells of sea and sand clung to her skin. He tasted it on her lips.

She moaned softly as he rolled over, tucking her beneath him. She wrapped her arms around him, drawing him closer. And all the while, she made little hungry sounds deep in her throat.

Holding her close, he whisked them up into the hills above the bay. Removing his long leather coat, he held her to his chest with one arm while he spread his coat on the ground, then lowered her onto it. With hands that moved faster than her eyes could follow, he removed her clothing and his own, and then he gathered her body to his, his hunger for her blood, his longing for her body, merging in a maelstrom of desire that would not be ignored.

She writhed beneath him, as eager as he, her hands roaming over him, now caressing him, now raking her nails across his back, down his chest.

With a low growl, he buried himself deep within her, felt her answering cry of pleasure as desire engulfed them.

Loosing a contented sigh, Kadie ran her fingertips through Rylan's hair. She never wanted to move, never wanted to let him go.

"I must be heavy," he remarked, raising himself up on his elbows.

She wrapped her arms more tightly around him. "I don't care."

Chuckling softly, he quickly rolled over, carrying her with him so she was now on top. "That's better."

She smiled at him, thinking she had never been this happy. She started to tell him she loved him, but she bit back the words, her joy slipping away like a wave returning to the sea. There had been no words of love spoken between them. Right or wrong, silly or not, she wanted him to say it first.

Saintcrow stroked Kadie's cheek, brushed a kiss across her lips. So, she wanted the words, did she? He kissed her again, longer and more deeply. He had never intended to fall in love with her. Relationships between humans and vampires rarely ended well. He didn't want to hurt Kadie. Better to keep the words locked inside. Once spoken, they could not be taken back.

The fact that her father was a hunter only complicated matters. There was no way Andrews was ever going to welcome a vampire into the family, nor did Saintcrow trust the man. Kadie's father might decide to try ridding the world of one more vampire regardless of his daughter's feelings.

And there were other hunters in town. He had smelled them on the drive to the beach.

"What are you thinking about?" Kadie asked. "You look so far away."

"Just thinking about you," he admitted quietly, "and how lucky I am to have you in my life."

Kadie stared at him, the words I love you begging to be said. But, again, she held them back.

Sitting up, he gathered her into his arms and held her close. I love you, too, he thought, stroking her hair. More than you'll ever know.

"I wish you didn't have to go." They were parked in front of her house. "Where do you spend the day, anyway?"

"Nearby." He kissed the tip of her nose. "It's late. You should go to bed."

She squeezed his hand. "Come with me."

He laughed at that. Finding him in Kadie's bed would give her father one more reason to take his head. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

"It's early yet," she said, pouting.

"I know, but I need to feed." It wasn't a lie, just not the whole truth. Before he fed, he needed to meet with Ravenwood.

"All right. Good night, Rylan."

"Sweet dreams, darlin'."

She lifted her face for his kiss, closed her eyes as his mouth covered hers.

Drawing back, Saintcrow reached across her to open the door. "You'd best get in the house," he said, "before I take you right here, right now."

"I wouldn't mind." A saucy grin curved her lips as she got out of the car. On the sidewalk, she blew him a kiss, then, reluctantly, went up the walkway and into the house.

Kadie shut the door. On her way to her room, she paused when she heard voices coming from the back of the house. Without turning on any lights, she tiptoed down the hallway to her father's den. Light shone beneath the closed door.

She was about to turn and tiptoe away when she heard the word vampire.

With all her senses suddenly alert, she placed her ear against the door.

"Are you sure it's Saintcrow?" A man's voice. One she didn't recognize.

"I'm sure," her father said.

Kadie smothered a gasp. Her father knew Rylan was a vampire? How was that even possible?

"Damn! That'll be quite a feather in our cap, taking him out." This from another man with a slight English accent.

"Don't start posing for pictures yet, Harry," her father said. "He won't be easy to kill."

"I don't care how tough you think he is," Harry said. "A stake to the heart works every time."

"Not on this one. He told me himself that the only way to destroy him is to take his head."

Kadie pressed a hand to her heart. What was going on? Why was her father discussing vampires with these two men? And how had he come to know so much about the subject?

Flashes of past memories sprang to her mind-memories of the large, oblong wooden box she had found while looking for hidden birthday presents in the basement the year she turned twelve. It had been filled with a variety of odd-looking sharp implements. When she'd asked her father about it, he had told her they were medical instruments used in surgery. How often had she seen him leave the house early in the mornings on his day off, carrying that box?

She shook her head, astonished by the turn of her thoughts. Her father was a hunter. It explained why her mother, who preferred gold jewelry, always wore a large silver cross on a silver chain. Kadie had asked her about it once. Her mother had replied that it had been a gift from Ralph and she had promised never to take it off. Did her mother know she was married to a vampire hunter? Or had she thought the cross merely a sentimental gift from the man she loved? Now that she thought about it, Kathy had been wearing one in the hospital when she'd visited her there.

"What about that other vampire?" the first man asked. "The one who was supposed to have a lair in the old Hedley building."

"He's gone. I think Saintcrow warned him away."

"So, now there's two bloodsuckers in town that we know of," Harry muttered sourly. "And that's two too many."

"Let's worry about the other one for now," her father said.

"As long as Kadie's here, we can be pretty sure that Saintcrow is nearby."

"A vampire dating your daughter," the first man said, a note of irony in his voice. "It would be funny if it wasn't so dangerous."

"I know what I'm doing, Gordon."

Kadie tensed at the sound of chairs being moved.

"Let's call it a night," her father said. "I'll meet the two of you at the usual place in the morning and we'll see if we can track down the other vampire."

Pivoting on her heel, Kadie hastened down the hallway and up the stairs to her room. Her father was a hunter. It was unbelievable. Inconceivable.

But all too true.

Safe in her room, Kadie closed the door, her mind racing. Thank goodness Saintcrow was planning to leave town soon. As far as she was concerned, the sooner the better. She told herself her father wouldn't attack him, but she knew the other two hunters would have no qualms about taking Rylan's head.

And neither, said a worrisome little voice in the back of her mind, would her father, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

Twenty minutes after midnight, Saintcrow found Ravenwood pacing the parking lot behind the bar.

"You're late," Ravenwood said.

"Sorry. I had a date."

"A date? With a mortal? How can you stand to be near them and not sink your fangs into them?"

"A lifetime of practicing self-control."

Ravenwood snorted.

"I didn't say it was easy. Lilith shouldn't have left you without telling you a few things."

"Yeah, like what?"

"For one thing, she should have told you that you don't have to kill when you feed, and that if you do take a life, you need to dispose of the body where it won't be found. If you want to keep your head longer than a few months, it's best not to leave a trail of bodies in your wake."

"I don't want to kill! I hate that. But once I start . . ." Ravenwood shook his head. "It's just so hard to stop once I start drinking. Who knew that people were so fragile? Or that their blood tasted so good?"

"I know how intoxicating the hunt can be. Believe me, I know. But you don't have to be a monster if you don't want to be. It'll get easier as you get older. Feed more than once a night. Try drinking a little from several people instead of taking from just one until you learn to control your hunger."

"Does that really work?"

"If you give it a chance. Did you find a new lair?"

"Yeah. Thanks for the heads-up."

"Just one more thing. If you go rogue in this town, I'll hunt you down myself."

P/S: Copyright -->www_novelfreereadonline_Com

***