Page 27 of Bound By Blood

Setting her cup on the table, she picked up the billfold. She paused before opening it, then shrugged. There was no other way to find out who it belonged to.

She stared at the face on the driver’s license, and then read the name. Daryn Korzha. She blinked, and read it again. Korzha. Her father had mentioned Daryn Korzha and his mother not long ago. Was it merely coincidence that this man had the same name, or was this Korzha related to her? And if so, why had he lied to her?

She thought about it for several minutes, but there was only one way to find out. She would confront Eddie or Daryn or whoever he was the next time she saw him, even though she hoped he would leave town and never return.

With that problem solved, Kaitlyn found herself thinking about Zack again. Had she really done the right thing in telling him goodbye? She might forget him, in time. And maybe she wouldn’t.

Her mother was mortal, but she had married a vampire. Would it be so wrong for Kaitlyn the half vampire to marry Zack the Other? After all, being vampires, they had more in common than her mother and father.

Confused and lonely, Kaitlyn called home, hoping her mother could give her the answer she sought.

She had no sooner said, “HI, Mom,” than her mother asked what was wrong.

“Am I that transparent?” Kaitlyn asked.

“Are you kidding? You sound like you just lost your best friend.”

“Maybe I did,” Kaitlyn said, and quickly told her mother what had happened. “I miss him so much, Mom. I don’t know what I should do.”

“You did the right thing.” Elena sighed, wondering how she could advise her daughter to stop seeing Zack Ravenscroft. So what if he wasn’t one of them? She had fallen in love with someone who was not human, married him, and given him a daughter, and never regretted it for a moment.

Would Drake see it that way? As Master of the Carpathian Fortress, he was responsible for making sure the laws of the coven were upheld. But then, hadn’t he changed the laws of his people in order to marry her?

“Mom?”

“Sorry, sweetie, did you ask me something?”

“I asked if you thought Dad would … oh, never mind. I know he wouldn’t. He thinks of the Others as our enemy. I’ve never heard him say anything positive about any of them. I just don’t understand it. They drink blood. We drink blood. They kill humans …” Remembering who she was talking to, Kaitlyn murmured, “Sorry, Mom.”

“It’s all right, dear. I know what you mean. And I know some of your father’s people have killed humans to survive. But that’s rare.” Elena sighed again. She had lived with Drake and his people for over twenty years, and even though they accepted her and treated her with respect, there were times when she felt like an outsider. She didn’t want Kaitlyn to ever feel like that.

“Well, it doesn’t matter, anyway,” Kaitlyn said, her voice melancholy. “I told Zack I couldn’t see him anymore, and I haven’t seen him since.” She paused. “Mom, have you ever heard of Daryn Korzha?”

Elena’s heart skipped a beat. “Did you say Korzha?”

“Yes, do you know him?”

“No. No, I don’t.”

“But you’ve heard of him?”

“I’m not sure. There are a lot of Korzhas in the world,” Elena said, her mind racing. “Where did you meet him?”

“He bumped into me at the grocery store in town. He told me his name was Eddie Harrington and that he was a businessman, but his driver’s license says his name is Daryn Korzha.”

“How did you see his driver’s license?”

“Someone left it where I’d find it.” As Kaitlyn said the words, she knew it must have been Zack and that he had been in her house without her knowledge. The thought gave her pause. “Eddie, or whoever he is, told me he was on his way to L.A., but he’s still here. I saw him the other day, when I was driving home from the drugstore.”

“Listen, Kaitlyn, promise me you’ll stay away from this man until we know who he really is, all right? I need to talk to your father about this.”

“I promise.” Kaitlyn didn’t even have to think about it. She’d be happy if she never saw Harrington, or Korzha, again.

“I’ll talk to you soon,” Elena said.

“All right. Bye, Mom. I love you.”

“I love you more. And remember what I said. Stay away from Korzha.”

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