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“That’s great, Mom. Dad.” She hugged them both. Of course, she didn’t really have any friends her age except for Sarah Beth. Most of the friends she’d had in high school had moved away or she had lost touch with them. Still, it was nice to know she could bring company home if the occasion ever arose. Company like Vince…
They were about to sit down and play Canasta when the doorbell rang. Roshan looked at Cara. “Are you expecting someone?”
“No.”
Looking thoughtful, he went to answer the door.
Vince rang the bell again, thinking this was probably the stupidest thing he had ever done, but he had been yearning to see Cara since he woke that evening and the yearning had only grown stronger.
He fought down a sudden sense of panic as the door opened.
The vampire who answered the door was tall and lean with powerful shoulders and long limbs. His hair was as black as the ace of spades, his eyes a bold midnight blue set beneath straight black brows. His skin was pale though not sickly looking—more like that of a healthy man who didn’t spend a lot of time in the sun. Preternatural power rolled off him in waves. Coming here suddenly seemed like a really bad idea.
“Who are you?” the vampire asked. “What are you doing here?”
Vince squared his shoulders and thrust out his chin. He had the feeling the man could squash him with a look. It wasn’t a feeling he liked.
“I’m Vince,” he said, his tone more belligerent than he had intended. “I came to see Cara.”
“Is my daughter expecting you?”
“No.” Damn, Vince thought, he’d been right. The vampire was her father.
Roshan glanced over his shoulder to find Cara standing behind him, her eyes wide. Roshan swore under his breath. Of all the bad luck! He had no sooner told the girl she could have guests than one came calling, and not just any guest, but a vampire! And not just any vampire, but the one whose presence he had sensed before, the one who had been in Cara’s room. He looked at his daughter, his eyes narrowing. Was there more going on here than Cara had told him? Did she know Vince was Nosferatu?
“Roshan?” Brenna called, coming up behind him, “what’s going…” She came to an abrupt halt, her gaze moving quickly between her husband and the young man standing on the doorstep. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Roshan replied curtly. “Cara has a visitor.”
“Mom, Dad, this is Vince Cordova,” Cara said, smiling as she moved toward the door. “I told you about him.”
“Oh, dear,” Brenna murmured.
“Is something wrong?” Cara asked. She looked from her parents to Vince and back again. Tension crackled in the air. It crawled over her skin like the tickle of static electricity, though she could find no reason for it.
“Cara, I should like a few minutes alone with your young man,” Roshan said, his gaze still resting on Vince’s face. “We’ll join you shortly.”
“Dad…”
“Come, Cara,” Brenna said, and taking her daughter by the hand, she led her into the other room.
Roshan stepped out onto the front porch and closed the door behind him. He was immediately struck by the power of the young man standing in front of him. Though the man was young in the life, he exuded the strength of a much older vampire. Such power could only be passed on by the ancient ones. “Who made you?”
“I don’t remember her name. It was kind of hit-and-run, if you know what I mean?”
“Was it Mara?”
Vince frowned. The name sounded familiar, but so much of that night was hazy in his mind “It might have been,” he allowed. “Does it matter?”
Mara, of course, Roshan thought. She was the oldest of their kind, a law unto herself. No one knew how old she was, when she had been made, or who had made her. There was speculation that she had been made in the valley of the Nile during the reign of Cleopatra. It was said that she was truly immortal, that she was impervious to blade or stake, and, perhaps most amazing of all, that the sun no longer had any power over her.
“What are you doing here, in my town?” Roshan asked.
“Your town?”
“My town.”
Vince shrugged. “I was passing through, saw it, liked it. You got a problem with that?”
“As a rule, I don’t allow other vampires to reside in my territory, especially disrespectful young punks who don’t ask my permission to stay.”
“Well, pardon me all to hell. I didn’t know I had to ask.”
“Mind your manners, whelp. You’ve been one of us less than a year. You still have a lot to learn.”
“How do you know that?”
“I know a lot of things,” Roshan retorted dryly. “I’ve been a vampire for over three hundred years.”
“No shit.”
“Have you no respect for your elders?”
Vince blew out a sigh. His mother would be ashamed of him if she saw him now. He was a little ashamed himself. One thing was for certain, he wasn’t making a good impression on Cara’s father.
Meeting the other man’s eyes, Vince muttered, “I’m sorry. Sir. I was out of line.”
Roshan grunted softly. “What do you want with my daughter?”
“Not what you think.”
“No?” Roshan’s gaze burned into Vince’s. “What were you doing in her room the other night?”
“Not what you’re thinking!” Vince said emphatically.
Roshan’s gaze bored into him, as if seeking the truth of his words.
“Dammit, we didn’t do anything but talk.”
“She doesn’t know what you are, does she?” Roshan asked.
“No.” Vince canted his head to one side. “She doesn’t know what you are, either, does she?” He laughed softly. “I won’t tell on you if you don’t blow the whistle on me,” he said, then frowned. “If you’re over three hundred years old, she can’t be your natural daughter.” He still had a lot to learn about being a vampire, Vince mused, but if there was one thing he knew, it was that vampires couldn’t create life.
“I want you to leave town,” Roshan said. “Now. Tonight.”
“And if I don’t?” Vince lifted his chin and squared his shoulders, refusing to be cowed. He had come here to see Cara and, by damn, he was going to see her!
“I’ll destroy you.”
“Then do your worst, ‘cause I’m not leaving. I’m in love with your daughter.”
