Page 79 of Bound By Blood

“We’ve been married over twenty years,” Elena remarked, “and his ability to disappear like that still amazes me.” She smiled at Zack. “Sometimes I wish I was a vampire.”

“I could arrange it,” Zack said with a grin. He had been joking, of course. Had expected Elena to laugh. Instead, she looked thoughtful. And then interested.

“Does it hurt, becoming a vampire?”

“No. The act itself was pleasant, although I didn’t realize what was happening at the time. I woke alone the next night, terrified by what was happening to me. And hungry as hell.” He shook his head. “I’ve never forgiven her for abandoning me, for not telling me what to expect. For not teaching me how to be a vampire … hey.” He looked at her, his eyes narrowing. “I was only kidding about turning you, you know.”

“Of course. I was just curious. I mean, Drake was born a vampire, but you weren’t. Have you ever turned anyone?”

“Just once. You’ve given this a lot of thought, haven’t you?”

“Of course not. Drake can’t turn me, and I wouldn’t want anyone else to do it.” She made a vague gesture with one hand. “It’s just that, after living with Drake’s people for so long, well, you can’t blame me for thinking about it.”

“I guess not,” Zack said. But he had the feeling that, had it been an option, she would have willingly let Drake change her.

“You won’t say anything to Drake about our conversation, will you?”

“Not if you don’t want me to.”

“Thank you. If you’re ready, I’ll show you to your room.”

Zack replayed their conversation in his mind as he followed her up a winding staircase to the second floor. He had the feeling that, if he offered, she would happily become a vampire. He couldn’t blame her. It had to be difficult, being the only mortal in the family.

He followed her past closed doors on both sides of the carpeted hallway. Paintings of sunny landscapes graced the walls between the rooms.

Elena stopped in front of the last door on the right. “Please, make yourself at home. And please be patient with Drake. In all the years I’ve known him, this is the first time he’s been at a loss as to what to do.”

Zack nodded. He wasn’t used to losing, either, and he damn sure didn’t like it when it happened. But he wasn’t about to give up, not now, not until Kaitlyn was back where she belonged.

“Feel free to look around,” Elena said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to be with Drake.”

“Sure.” Truth be told, he would just as soon be alone.

Zack glanced at his surroundings after Elena took her leave. It was a large, rectangular room. A comfortable looking queen-sized bed was flanked by a pair of mahogany nightstands. A thick, dark green carpet covered the floor. Flowered curtains hung at the windows; a matching spread covered the bed.

He grunted softly when he saw the beveled mirror over the dresser. He wondered if Romanian vampires could see their reflections, something foreign to his kind. There were no mirrors on the floor of the casino; at night, blinds covered the windows, preventing anyone from noticing that the owner of the club didn’t cast a reflection, nor did a few members of his staff.

His internal clock told him dawn was still hours away. Pulling out his cell phone, he flipped it open and called Scherry.

She answered on the first ring. “HI, boss, when are you coming home?”

He grinned at the sassy tone in her voice. “I’m not sure. How’s business?”

“Good, as usual. I’m glad you called. I was just about to call you.”

“I thought everything was good?”

“Oh, it is. This has nothing to do with the club. There was a man in here night before last, asking questions about some guy named Eddie Harrington. And last night, a woman showed up asking after somebody named Daryn Korzha. I couldn’t be sure but I had the feeling both the man and the woman were vampires.”

“What made you think that?” Zack asked, though he was pretty sure she was right.

“Something about the way they smelled—not human, but not like us. It was weird.”

“You were right. They’re vampires, only a different breed. I’ll tell you all about it when I see you. Everything else okay?”

“Jackson’s been seeing this woman, Adele. She works the late shift at the hotel in town. He turned her earlier tonight. He was afraid to tell you.”

“Smart boy.”

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