Page 43 of Twilight Destiny

With the witch’s threat ringing in his ears, Rhinehart limped out of the house. He had no hope of finding Kincaid, little hope that Saintcrow would betray the other vampire’s whereabouts.

Sliding behind the wheel of his car, he slumped in the seat, his forehead resting on the steering wheel. His only hope was to follow the woman, and even the feasibility of that was questionable as long as she was in Morgan Creek under Saintcrow’s protection. No matter the risk to his own life, he couldn’t give up. He had a wife and three kids depending on him.

Muttering, “You play the hand you’re dealt,” he made a U-turn and headed for the nearest hospital, every indrawn breath a new adventure in pain.

Chapter Seventeen

Rosa woke bleary-eyed in the morning. Recalling the events of the night before, she decided to pack up and go home. She’d had enough of Morgan Creek, Wyoming. Enough of vampires.

She rolled out of bed, showered and dressed, packed the rest of her belongings, and carried her suitcases downstairs. She took a deep breath and then called Saintcrow’s name.

He appeared ten minutes later. “You’ve decided to go home a few days early, I see,” he remarked, glancing at her luggage by the door.

“Will you please take me?”

“Sure, if that’s what you want.”

“And would you return my rental to the airport for me? The key’s in the console.”

“No problem.” He handed her the smaller of the two suitcases, tucked the larger one under his arm, and then wrapped his other arm around her waist.

Blinking back tears, Rosa closed her eyes.Goodbye, Jake, wherever you are.

All too soon, she was standing in the middle of her own living room.

Saintcrow set her suitcase on the floor, took the smaller one from her hand and dropped it on the sofa, and then took her in his arms. “I know you’re confused right now. My advice to you is to put it all out of your mind for the time being. I know you care for Kincaid. You might think you’re in love with him. Hell, maybe you are. But, like I said, he’s an old vampire. He’s never settled down, and even though he’s been around a long time, he still goes off the rails from time to time. I don’t think he’s ever really been in love, or ever cared deeply about anyone other than his family. I don’t even know if he’s capable of it.” He wiped the tears from her cheeks with his fingertips. “It isn’t easy, being in love with a vampire. There are a lot of sacrifices to be made and you’d have to make most of them. Kincaid can’t change what he is. And he’s afraid that he might hurt you. Or worse.”

“I take back what I said the first night I arrived in Morgan Creek,” Rosa said, sniffling. “You really are nice.”

Saintcrow grinned at her. “Don’t tell anybody. It’ll ruin my reputation. Are you going to be all right here, alone?”

She nodded. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Sorry, you’re family now. That makes you my responsibility. If you ever need me, or just want to talk, you know what to do.”

“Thank you for everything.”

He winked at her, and then he was gone.

She stood there a moment, thinking how big and empty her small apartment seemed. Two weeks’ worth of dust covered the furniture. Her refrigerator was empty.

And all she wanted to do was cry.

Picking up her suitcases, she carried them into the bedroom. Refusing to think about Jake, she put away her clothes and toiletries, grabbed her car keys and drove to the market. Grocery shopping had always relaxed her. She concentrated on the task at hand, buying the basic necessities, which, on this night, included a carton of double fudge ice cream, a large jar of hot fudge, whipped crème, and cherries.

Returning home, she kicked off her shoes, put the groceries away, turned the music on high, and threw herself into cleaning the house. But no matter how she tried, she couldn’t put Jake Kincaid out of her mind, couldn’t stop thinking of him, wanting him. How could she miss him so much when she had known him such a short time? And yet, no matter how fiercely she attacked the task at hand, no matter how determined she was to think of something else, he was there in the forefront of her mind. She remembered the deep timbre of his voice, the touch of his hands, the taste of his kisses, the way his smile turned her insides to mush.

“Darn you, Jake Kincaid! Leave me alone!”

Fighting tears, she went into the kitchen to put the cleaning supplies away when she happened to glance at the plaque on the wall over the stove. It read,Life is short. Eat dessert first.Thinking that was first-rate advice, she filled a big bowl with ice cream, added a generous helping of hot fudge, three cherries, and topped it off with a mountain of whipped crème. Settling on the sofa in front of the TV, she turned on her favorite sci-fi channel, determined to drown her sorrows in hot fudge and science fiction.

But it was not to be. She felt the sting of fresh tears burn her eyes when she recognized the music fromThe Lost Boys.

She cried all the way through it.

Kincaid knew Rosa was gone as soon as he crossed the bridge into Morgan Creek that evening. Refusing to believe it, he willed himself to Saintcrow’s house.

Kadie answered the door. The look on her face told him everything he needed to know—Rosa had packed up her bags and run for home.

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