Page 18 of Twilight Longings

Saintcrow slapped his hands on the arms of the chair. “I’m going to take a shower and then hit the sheets.”

“I think I’ll go spend the night with Rosa,” Kincaid said, switching off the TV.

Saintcrow nodded, thinking he would gladly give up everything he owned to spend just one more night in Kadie’s arms.

Vampires didn’t usually dream, but that night Saintcrow’s rest was filled with images and memories of his life with Kadie. He had been smitten with her from the moment they met, had known he had to have her. Darrick, one of the other vampires who had lived in Morgan Creek at the time, had more or less chosen her as his, but Saintcrow had put a stop to that by claiming her as his own. Darrick had protested but to no avail. As a master vampire and master of the city, it had been Saintcrow’s right. Kadie had not been thrilled when he took her to his lair.

Saintcrow smiled with the memory. He could have taken her by force. He could have compelled her to love him, but he had wanted her love to be freely given. And, in the end, she had chosen to stay with him of her own free will.

Since then, they had faced everything together. Until now. He missed her at his side, missed her smile, her sweetness, her advice, her wisdom. He missed her in his bed, in his arms, whispering that she loved him, her hands caressing him, the little moans of pleasure that rose in her throat when he possessed her …

He swore under his breath as the ache in his groin grew painful. Shutting his mind to the past, he sank into the dark oblivion of his kind.

Kadie knew she was dreaming, even as she wondered how it was possible. The images were fragmented and blurry, thecolors overly bright, the shapes distorted. She dreamed of Saintcrow, of meeting him the first time, getting acquainted with the vampires of Morgan Creek, making friends with the other men and women imprisoned in the town. The women had warned her that Saintcrow was a monster, that he killed the women he took to his house, that he was cruel, heartless. A savage.

None of that had been true and in spite of the fact that he had kept her against her will, she had fallen in love with him. How could she help it? He was tall, his hips lean, his skin dusky, his eyes dark, his hair long and inky black. The thin, white scar on his cheek should have detracted from his good looks, but it only made him look sexier. The most amazing thing had been his age. He had lived as a vampire for over nine hundred years. The very idea had fascinated her as she had considered all the amazing things he must have seen and done in that time.

She remembered a night when he had taken her out to dinner. Trapped in the darkness, she relived it in her mind …

Saintcrow poured a glass of wine for himself, then looked at Kadie.

She shook her head.

“Are you sure? It’s a very good year.”

“I don’t like wine. I don’t like you, and I never will.”

“You might not like me,” he said quietly. “But you want me.”

“I do not!” she said hotly.

“You can lie to yourself, Kadie, but you can’t lie to me.” He leaned forward, his gaze intent on her face. “I can taste the longing on you, smell it on your skin, hear it in the rapid beat of your heart.”

She stared at him, mesmerized by the blatant desire in his eyes. His words wrapped around her, his breath caressed her cheek.

Swearing softly, he drew back when the waitress reappeared with Kadie’s dinner.

Kadie drew a deep, shuddering sigh. She could deny it until she turned blue in the face, but he was right.

Shehadwanted him then, though she had refused to admit it. And she still wanted him.

Even now, even here, locked in a never-ending sea of darkness, she yearned for his touch, the sound of his voice, the love in his eyes, his slow, sexy smile. She clung to the memory of that smile as oblivion swallowed her whole.

Chapter Fourteen

Saintcrow and Kincaid left for Nevada late the following afternoon. By nightfall, their search of the state was finished with no success.

Their next stop was Utah.

“This is getting us nowhere,” Kincaid remarked as they were checking into a hotel that night. “It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

“You think we should give up?” Saintcrow asked, although he had no intention of doing so until they had exhausted every possibility.

Kincaid snorted. “Hell, no. We can’t leave Luca running around loose.”

“That’s for damn sure. Who knows what kind of chaos he’ll cause in the future? We were just lucky that blasted plague didn’t infect every vampire in the whole damn country!”

Idaho was their next stop. Again, they had no luck.

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