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Shaking the memories aside, Santiago ghosted past the sentries, strode into the center of the camp, and called for the peace chief of the village.
Moments later, a tall warrior carrying a feathered lance strode into view. "Why have you come here?"
"You have my woman. I have come to claim her."
"She is trespassing. The penalty is death."
"She is with me, and you will not touch her."
The warrior stared at Santiago. "How are you called?"
"I am Joaquin. Crazy Horse called me Rides in Darkness."
A collective gasp rose from the crowd that had gathered around Santiago and the chief. As one, the people took a step backward. It might have been respect. It might have been fear.
"Your name is well known to us," the warrior said, his voice tinged with awe. "I am Hunonpa Luta. It has been many years since you walked among us."
"If you know who I am, then you know of my power."
Hunonpa Luta nodded. "It is said that you have great magic."
Santiago nodded. "Release my woman." Hunonpa Luta spoke to the man at his right, who immediately ran off in the direction of a small lodge near the edge of the camp circle.
Santiago waited, his face impassive as he watched the warrior duck into the lodge. He emerged a few moments later, pulling Regan along behind him.
Santiago's gaze quickly moved over her from head to foot. As near as he could tell, she was scared but unhurt.
Her relief at seeing him was a palpable thing. With a cry, she wrenched her arm from the warrior's grasp and ran the remaining few feet to where Santiago waited.
He caught her to him, one arm slipping around her waist. "Are you all right?"
"I am now that you're here."
"Did they hurt you?"
She shook her head no just as her stomach growled.
"When did you eat last?"
"This afternoon."
Santiago looked at the chief. "My woman is hungry. What has happened to Lakota hospitality, that a guest is not offered food and drink?"
A muscle twitched in the warrior's cheek. "I will have my woman prepare something immediately," Hunonpa Luta said, his voice brittle. "Will you stay the night?"
"It is not possible, but I thank you for the offer."
"Then we will have a feast to honor your return to our people."
Santiago nodded. It would have been rude to refuse the chief's hospitality. He gestured toward the lodge where Regan had been held prisoner. "We will wait there."
Inclining his head, the chief went to his own lodge. Seeing that there was to be no further confrontation, the crowd dispersed.
Taking Regan by the hand, Santiago led her back to the lodge at the edge of the village.
Inside, he drew her into his arms, his hands running lightly over her hair, her face, her arms. "I should not have left you alone."
"I don't know what else you could have done," she replied, then frowned. "Where did you spend the day?"
Santiago considered his answer for a moment, wondering what her reaction would be. For all that she was a hunter—and he had no doubt she was a good one—she still had a lot to learn about the vampire way of life.
"I slept in the earth," he replied.
"In the earth? Like, under the ground?"
He nodded.
"Sounds, um, dirty."
He laughed, charmed as always by her candor. "Do I look dirty?"
She frowned. "No, you don't. Why don't you?"
"I cannot explain it, but the earth does not cling to us."
"Interesting. I suppose you go down six feet?"
"Ah, Regan," he exclaimed, "you are an endless delight. It is only necessary to go down deep enough to hide from the sun."
She shuddered at the thought. All those bugs and worms…
"As always, you see only the worst," he remarked.
"I'm sorry, I just don't see anything good about it."
"I suppose it depends on your perspective. Personally…" He fell silent as four women entered the lodge. The first one carried a clay bowl filled with soup. The second carried a plate heaped high with roasted meat in one hand and a tin cup of coffee in the other. The third carried a pair of backrests and a blanket, which she spread on the floor. The fourth carried a flat piece of wood and a candle.
It was amazing, Regan thought, how a blanket and a candle transformed the tepee from a prison to a comfortable abode.
Santiago nodded at the women. "Pilamaya."
"Do you require anything else?" asked the first woman.
Santiago looked at Regan. She shook her head.
"Someone will come for you," the woman said. Gesturing for the other women to follow her, she left the lodge.
One woman stayed behind. She was younger than the other three, tall and slender, with sleek black hair and large brown eyes. She looked at Santiago expectantly.
"Is there something you want?" he asked.
With a hand that trembled slightly, she pushed her hair away from her neck. In a voice that also trembled, she said, "I am for you."
"What does she mean?" Regan asked.
"You have your food," he replied, gesturing at the meal spread on the blanket. "And I have mine."
"She's your dinner?" Regan asked in disbelief.
"So it would seem."
"You're not going to… are you?"
"It would be an insult to refuse."
Slipping his arm around the girl's waist, he drew her close. He could feel her body trembling. "Relax," he said quietly, "I will not hurt you." He gazed deep into her eyes for a moment. Capturing her mind with his, he assured her once more that there was nothing to fear, and then he bent his head to her neck. He took only a taste, and then released her from his spell. "Pilamaya."
Looking vaguely disoriented, she smiled and left the lodge.
Regan stared at him, her own hunger forgotten. "I can't believe you did that."
"You did not have to watch."
"How could I help it? Watching a vampire feed is something you don't see every day."
"I would not call that feeding," he said with a wry grin. "I took only a drop, to be polite." He would have taken more had he not been aware of Regan's horrified reaction at watching him.
"Polite," she repeated. "Yeah, right." She tilted her head to the side. "So, that little bit filled you up?"
"No, but it is not necessary for me to… dine every night."
"Oh. How long can you go without, ah, you know?"
