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“You must be good at it,” I muttered. He had to be, or he would have been dead long before now.
“It's a gift.”
“A bloody one, I should think.”
He rested his elbow on the counter. “At times,” he admitted, “but a necessary one. Have you noticed any increase in paranormal activity in town lately?”
“No, why?”
“I'm getting a strong sense of Supernatural presence in the area.”
“Really?”
He nodded.
“How do you find these…creatures?”
He dragged a hand over his jaw, and then he smiled a cat-that-just-ate-the-canary kind of smile. “Like I said, it's a gift.”
“What do you have, some kind of voodoo that tells you when they're nearby?”
“Something like that.”
“So, how does it work?”
“I don't know how to explain it,” he said, “but when there's a Were or a Vamp in the vicinity, I just know it.”
It occurred to me that Travis Jackson had the same sort of “gift” that I had, which made me wonder if all Vampire hunters possessed it, which then made me wonder what I was doing with it. I certainly wasn't a hunter, nor did I have any desire to be one.
“Do all Vampire hunters have that peculiar ability?”
“No. Just the best ones.” His tone of voice suggested that he was among the best of the best.
“And the others?”
“They just want to kill things.”
“So, how many hunters are there?” I asked, thinking this was something Rafe might need to know, if he didn't already. “I mean, I've heard there are hunters in training, I guess you'd call them, but I didn't think there were any already working.”
“How'd you know about that?” he asked, his voice sharp.
I shrugged. “I must have overheard someone mention it. Why? Is it a secret?”
“Well, it's not news that we want the Supernatural community to be aware of. I'm sure you can understand that.”
“Of course. So, where does one train to be a Vampire hunter?”
“In school, naturally,” he said with an easy grin.
I would have thought he was kidding if Rafe hadn't told me about that school down in Texas. “You must have some interesting classes.”
“You could say that.”
“Like what? Bloodletting 101? The ten best ways to kill a Werewolf? How to stake a Vampire without getting blood on your clothes?”
His laughter didn't reach his eyes, making me think I'd hit close to home.
“There's a place in Amarillo,” he said. “For all intents and purposes, it's been closed for the last twenty-five years. Used to be the number one school in North America, but a lot's changed since then.”
That had to be the understatement of the century!
“We've been underground for a while,” Jackson went on, “keeping a low profile, so to speak, but the Weres and the Vamps are getting more aggressive every day. It's no secret that they're not just killing each other anymore.”
Rafe had mentioned that, too. I thought about Susie. I needed to warn her that there was a hunter in town. I wondered if Jackson would spare Susie's life if I told him that she was my friend and that she had three young children, but something told me to keep that information to myself. “So,” I asked, “are you the only hunter in Oak Hollow?”
“No.”
“I don't suppose you'd tell me who the other one is?”
“Not a chance. If he wants you to know, he'll tell you.”
“Fair enough. Well, it's been nice talking to you,” I said, “but I need to close up.”
“Good idea,” he said. “The streets aren't safe after dark.”
I nodded. He was the second one to tell me that today. Like my mother always said, if two people tell you you're sick, lie down. When two people tell me the streets aren't safe after dark, you can be sure I'll be inside behind locked doors before the sun sinks below the horizon.
“I hope to see you around…I never got your name.”
“Kathy.”
“Pleased to meet you.” He glanced out the front window, then back at me. “It's getting dark,” he said, scooping up the bag from the counter. “Why don't you lock up and let me walk you out?”
“Thanks, but I'll be all right. That's my car, parked out front.”
With a nod, he headed for the door.
I stared after him, thinking that the Supernatural community was in a world of hurt if Travis Jackson was a typical Vampire hunter.
I said as much to Rafe later that night. We were at my place, sitting on the sofa in front of the hearth. It was raining again. I snuggled closer to Rafe, thinking how cozy it was to sit next to him in front of the fire and listen to the rain.
“So, do you know him?” I asked.
“I've heard of him. They say he's got a high body count.”
“Thirty-six Vamps and eighteen Werewolves. Oh, and one Were-leopard.”
Rafe whistled softly. “I guess he is good.”
“You think?”
“Well, he's not going to have anyone to hunt in Oak Hollow after tonight. Mara and Clive are telling all their people to get out of town.”
In spite of the heat of the fire, I felt suddenly cold all over. “You're leaving?” I told myself it didn't matter. He was a Vampire, and even though I loved him more than I had ever loved anyone else, there was just no future for the two of us.
His gaze moved over me. “If I was, would you miss me?”
“Don't tease me, Rafe. Are you leaving?”
“No.” He slipped his arm around me and drew me closer. “Not even if Mara told me to.”
Relief washed through me, and I sagged against him. If I'd had any doubts about how much I cared for him, the ache I'd felt at the thought of his leaving town had chased them all away. Though I had only known Rafe for a short time, I could no longer imagine my life without him in it. The words Mrs. Raphael Cordova whispered through the back of my mind. Even if I'd wanted to marry him, it was impossible. Two years ago, legislation had been passed forbidding Vampires to marry mortals. Anyone getting married after sunset was required to submit to several blood tests to prove that both parties were human. No such law existed for the Were-creatures, perhaps because they were still technically human and alive.
Rafe looked at me, one brow raised. “Marriage?”
I blew out an exasperated sigh. “Do you read all my thoughts?”
“No, but some of them come through loud and clear.” His gaze searched mine. “Do you want to get married?”
