Page 2 of Twilight Destiny

“Uh-huh.”

She shrugged. “Sofia’s one. Micah’s one. Holly’s one.”

“And you’re feeling left out?”

She made a face at him. But it was true. In a way, she did feel left out. But it was more than that. The last time she had talked to Sofia, Rosa had mentioned she was thinking she might like to be a vampire, too. To her surprise, Sofie had tried her best to talk her out of it.

Rosa wasn’t sure why. Sofia and her husband, Ethan, Micah and Holly, Rylan Saintcrow and Kadie, were all vampires and seemed happy to be so. Her brother’s objection was that she was too young, blah, blah, blah. How could she be too young when she was older than Sofie? Besides, she was intrigued by all the cool powers vampires possessed—they could think themselves wherever they wanted to go, read minds, they never got sick, never grew old. Not only that, they could light a fire with just a thought, run faster than The Flash, dissolve into mist. So many cool things that she couldn’t do. Why did they want her to wait? She was old enough to know her own mind and make her own decisions.

Of course, she knew there was a downside. She would have to give up all the foods she loved and exist on blood. Say goodbye to the sun. Hunt for prey like some kind of wild animal. The blood thing gave her pause, but Sofia didn’t seem to mind it, and neither did any of the others.

Whether her family liked it or not, she was determined to meet a vampire, preferably one who would give her the Dark Gift if she decided she really wanted it.

“Why is everyone trying to talk me out of it?” she asked. “Why is it right for them and wrong for me?”

“You might want to enjoy being human for a few more years, that’s all. Most of us were turned against our will,” he replied, his voice quiet and thoughtful. “Some accepted it to save their lives. I don’t know anyone who went looking for it.”

“What about Sofia? She asked Ethan to turn her.”

Saintcrow nodded. “True enough. But Lilith turned Micah against his will. The vampire who made me turned me and left me. I never saw her again, never even knew her name. As for Ethan, he was dying when I brought him across. You’re a healthy, young woman. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t wait a few years. You can’t change your mind, you know. Once it’s done, it’s forever.”

“I don’t suppose you’d turn me?”

He shook his head. “And bring your whole family down on me? No way, darlin’.” He frowned at her. “How old are you, anyway?”

“What difference does it make?”

“None, I guess.” Sofia was the youngest girl in the Ravenwood family and she was over twenty-one now, so Rosa had to be a couple of years older than that, certainly old enough to make up her own mind, no matter what anyone else thought.

“You won’t tell Micah or Sofie that I’m here, will you?”

“No.” Saintcrow scrubbed his hand over his jaw. He had never known anyone so determined to give up their humanity. And if he couldn’t talk her out of it, well, it was better for her to go trolling with him than go out on her own. And he would be there to keep her out of trouble.

Besides, with Kadie out of town, he didn’t have anything better to do.

“I know a place or two where you might find what you’re looking for,” he said. “Come on, I’ll show you where to bed down. We’ll go vampire hunting tomorrow night.”

Vampire hunting.Saintcrow grinned inwardly, amused by the thought of one vampire hunting another, not for revenge, but matchmaking.

Chapter Two

Rosa woke slowly. She experienced a moment of panic when she opened her eyes and found herself in a strange bed in a strange room. And then she remembered. She was in Saintcrow’s house in Morgan Creek, and he had agreed to help her find a vampire. She hoped it wouldn’t take long. She only had two weeks off and then she had to go back to work. Her rent was due at the end of the month, and she couldn’t afford to get fired. Not now, when jobs were scarce.

Bounding out of bed, she threw open the windows and gazed outside. It was a beautiful, clear day. Blue sky, a slight breeze, and endless possibilities. Saintcrow was an old vampire. She knew he could be awake during the day if he wished, but if he rested until the sun went down, she had a whole day with nothing to do.

Rosa frowned when her stomach growled. “I don’t suppose there’s any food in the house,” she muttered as she grabbed her robe and padded downstairs to the kitchen. As she’d suspected, the cupboards were bare, as was the refrigerator. The appliances looked relatively new and she guessed Saintcrow had bought them for Kadie before he turned her.

She found a note on the counter, written in a bold, masculine scrawl.

Rosa, I’ve advised all the businesses in townthat you’re my guest. Buy anything you wantand charge it to me. RS

Rosa grinned as she read it a second time. The man was full of surprises. When her stomach growled again, she hurried upstairs to shower and dress.

On the way into town, Rosa cruised along a residential street lined with well-kept homes. She recognized the pale yellow house at the top of the hill from photos Sofia had sent. Her sister had told her it was known as Blair House and that it had once been the lair of the Morgan Creek vampires. Like Saintcrow’s house, this one also had iron bars on the doors and windows. Ethan had remodeled the place and he and Sofia had lived there for several months while their new home was being built. The thought of living in a house where vampires had lived sent a shiver down her spine. Which was odd, she mused, since she was thinking of becoming one.

Sofia was deeply in love with Ethan and Rosa knew her sister had never been happier in her whole life than she was now. And even though envy was one of the Seven Deadly Sins, Rosa was green with jealousy, not just because Sofia was married, but because she had a husband who was not only strikingly handsome, but a vampire.

Morgan Creek was nothing like she had expected and certainly didn’t look like a town that had once been inhabited by a coven of bloodthirsty vampires. The hotel was modern, a dozen specialty shops lined both sides of Main Street. Ordinary people strolled along the sidewalks, talking and laughing as if they were in any small city in America instead of a town once filled with vampires who had imprisoned humans to feed on.

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