Even now, the scent of her blood, the lingering musk of their earlier lovemaking, was urging him to possess her, to arouse her until she begged him to take her, and then bury his fangs in the warm, sweet curve of her throat and drink until there was nothing left.
Bending down, he kissed her lightly. She wouldn’t be alone when he was gone. Kincaid and the others would look after her, not that she needed help. She was a strong, vibrant woman, capable of taking care of herself.
He kissed her again, his eyes burning with unshed tears. Then, murmuring, “Forgive me, darlin’,” he left the house.
~ * ~
Izabela blew out a sigh when she opened the door and saw Saintcrow standing on the porch. “What do you want now, vampire?”
“Can you concoct a potion of some kind that will make me forget Kadie?”
Stunned by the request, Izabela unlocked the screen door. “You’d better come in,” she said.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”
She made a vague gesture with her hand. “I know you don’t mean me any harm,” she said. “You aren’t the only one who can read minds.”
“Then why bother to ask me every damn I’ve come here.”
“Because it annoys you,” she said, leading the way into the living room. “And that amuses me.” She gestured for him to sit down as she settled into her rocker. “Why do you want to forget Kadie? Is she...she’s not....?”
‘No. She’s fine. I’m just afraid I won’t be able to control whatever it is that’s driving me. Have you found anything?”
“Sadly, no. There’s something in your blood, some strange element that I can’t seem to identify. It’s almost as if an enchantment of some kind is hiding its true nature. I’ve checked all my books, contacted several witches, but to no avail. Until I can remove the enchantment, it will remain a mystery.”
Saintcrow swore under his breath. “How the hell is that possible? I thought there was nothing new under the sun.”
“Quoting Ecclesiastes now?” Izabela asked with a wry grin.
Saintcrow glared at her. “What am I gonna do?”
“I’ll keep looking, but I don’t hold out much hope. I suppose.... never mind.”
“What?” he asked sharply.
“Perhaps if you were to become human again....”
Saintcrow sprang to his feet. “Forget it!”
“It was just a thought.”
He shook his head. When the plague had hit Wyoming, it had affected Kadie and all the young vampires in the state. When they finally found a cure, it had not only cured her of the sickness but made her human again. She had begged him to let Izabela see if she could duplicate it with him. And for Kadie’s sake, he had considered it. In the end, Kadie had changed her mind, and decided to become a vampire again.
He paced the floor for several moments, thinking what it would mean to be human again, to consume mortal food and drink, to be subject to illness, disease, and old age. He would be vulnerable. He could die by being hit by a car, a fall, a mugging. Mortals were weak, powerless, subject to pain and death. As avampire, he felt pain but few things could destroy him. True, he could always ask Jake or Kadie to turn him later, but it would take centuries to regain the strength and power he had now.
Dropping back down on the sofa, he said, “There has to be another way.”
“I’ll keep looking. In the meantime, you look like hell.”
“Yeah. And that’s how I feel.”
“Have you talked to Kincaid?”
“No.” Saintcrow took a deep breath. “He was here recently, wasn’t he?”
“Worried about you, he is.”
“Yeah,” Saintcrow said, with a faint smile. “Me, too.” He stood, then looked at her, waiting.
