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But first, he had drained them dry.
When Cara opened her eyes again, she found herself staring up at Vince. For a moment, she couldn’t remember where she was or what had happened, and then it all came back in a rush. The five men staring down at her. Di Giorgio coming to her defense, being shot…
“Is he dead?”
“He’s gonna be fine,” Vince said, smiling. Di Giorgio would, in fact, be more than fine since Roshan had gone into the man’s room and given him a bit of his blood.
“I feel so silly,” Cara said. “I’ve never fainted before.”
“What the devil were you doing sitting out in front of my place so late at night?”
“I wanted to see you.”
“Dammit, girl, you could have been killed.”
“But it’s a nice part of town. I didn’t think…”
“The world’s a different place late at night, darlin’. People might tell you not to be afraid of the dark, that there’s nothing in the dark that isn’t there in the light, but it’s just not true.” He stroked her hair, slid his knuckles down her cheek. “Promise me you won’t ever pull a fool stunt like that again.”
“I promise.”
“What did you want to see me about?”
She shrugged. It didn’t seem important now, not with Di Giorgio in intensive care.
“Cara?”
“I just wanted to tell you that I took your advice and went to see my parents…and you were right…and…” Tears welled in her eyes. “He could have been killed and it would have been all my fault.”
“Shh. He’s out of danger. Your parents are with him now.”
She rested her head against his shoulder, thinking what a comfort he was.
A short time later, her parents joined them.
“Is it true?” Cara asked anxiously. “Is Frank going to be all right?”
Her mother nodded. “He’ll be home in a few days.”
“I have to go see him. I have to tell him how sorry I am…for everything.”
“It will have to wait until tomorrow,” her father said. “He’s sleeping now.”
“And you should be sleeping, too,” Brenna said.
“But…”
“Your mother’s right,” Vince said. “You’ve had a rough night.”
“We’ll take you home,” Roshan said.
“I’ll take her home,” Vince said.
A muscle worked in Roshan’s jaw. Hands clenched, he took a step forward, only to be stayed by Brenna’s hand on his arm.
“Call us tomorrow night, dear,” Brenna said.
“I will.”
Rising, with Cara still cradled to his chest, Vince followed her parents out of the hospital.
“I don’t like it,” Roshan said, watching Vince pull out of the parking lot. “I don’t like it one damn bit.”
“Unfortunately, she’s old enough to do as she pleases,” Brenna said.
“Maybe you could put a spell on him,” Roshan muttered. “Turn him into a lizard or a toad.”
Brenna laughed softly. “It’s too late for that. She loves him.”
“And what happens when she finally realizes what he is?”
“Who can say? Either it won’t matter, or it’ll break her heart. All we can do is be there for her when the time comes.”
Roshan shook his head. Women! Old or young, there was no understanding any of them. “Come on, wife,” he said, slipping his arm around her waist. “Let’s go home.”
Vince refused to let Cara walk. When they reached her house, he carried her inside, undressed her, and put her to bed. He gave her a glass of warm milk to relax her, then sat beside her, her hand lightly clasped in his.
He glanced at the curtained window, sensing the approach of dawn. Soon he would have to either leave or risk spending the day in her house.
She made the decision for him.
“Stay the night with me,” she said. “I don’t want to be alone.”
“Sure, darlin’.” He brushed a kiss across her brow. “But I’ll have to leave early.”
“I don’t care.”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he removed his boots and socks, stood to remove his jeans, and then crawled in beside her. It was only a few hours until dawn, but he cherished every minute he could spend with her.
She snuggled against him, her head resting on his shoulder, one arm curved over his waist.
Her eyelids fluttered down, and she was asleep.
Vince slipped his arm around her. It scared him to think how close he had come to losing her. Had he arrived a few minutes later, there was no telling what might have happened.
He wrapped a lock of her hair around his hand, inhaling the flowery aroma, along with the scent of her skin. Her blood. It called to him, warm and sweet. For the first time, he thought about bringing her across. He wouldn’t have to worry about losing her then.
He stared up at the ceiling. Because Mara had made him, he could move about during the day. Would his blood have the same effect on Cara, or would she have to get it directly from Mara?
His gaze caressed the face of the woman sleeping beside him. She was beautiful now; as a vampire, she would be radiant.
Even as he let himself imagine what it would be like if she joined him, he knew she wouldn’t agree. Her parents were vampires. She’d had time to accept the idea, had made peace with them, but she had never mentioned accepting the Dark Gift for herself; never, as far as he knew, had she even wondered what it would be like. Indeed, though she had accepted that her parents were vampires, she was still repelled by the whole idea.
What would she say, what would she do when she learned the truth about him? Should he leave her now, go without a word before she found out? Would it be kinder in the long run to let her think he had only been toying with her affections or tell her the truth?
He blew out a heavy sigh. Either way, she was bound to hate him.
Chapter 24
She was dreaming and she knew she was dreaming, but she couldn’t stop, couldn’t wake up. The men who had accosted her were dead and yet, in her dream, they surrounded her, their eyes filled with menace as their hands reached for her. They dragged her out of her car and threw her on the ground. One held a knife at her throat while another bent over her, his foul breath making her sick to her stomach. He was lowering himself onto her when a large black wolf appeared out of nowhere. With a low growl, the wolf attacked the men, ripping out their throats, lapping at their blood…
