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“Me? I’m a stranger here.”
“I know, that’s why I thought maybe you could help.” The server gave her a hopeful look. “Fresh eyes and all that.”
“I’m sorry but I’m leaving town again in a few days. And even if I were staying, I don’t think I could help.”
“I understand. I just thought it was worth a try. Thanks again for tonight.”
“You’re very welcome.”
She wrapped her cloak around her shoulders and headed back to the inn, once more lost in thought. From what she’d seen and tasted, Midnight Manor had the potential to be precisely the type of hidden gem she’d hoped to find, and she really wished she could help. But she couldn’t—could she?
CHAPTER 7
Damian waited until the front door closed behind Wendy, then slipped out the back door and followed her, keeping to the shadow of the trees. Fairhaven Falls was a very safe community, and would no doubt be even safer now that they’d elected a werewolf as the sheriff, but he still intended to make sure she arrived safely back at the inn.
The compulsion to protect her surprised him, but rather than dwell on it, he thought about Shelly’s suggestion. Was it possible that a new person could discover some clue as to what was happening? Something that they might have overlooked because they were so familiar with it?
He wasn’t entirely convinced, but the thought of having such a sweet little morsel under his roof definitely appealed to him. And once she was under his roof, he had every hope that he could entice her into more of those delicious kisses. She might be immune to his vampiric charm, but he didn’t need that to woo her.
To tempt her, he amended quickly. He had no intention of forming a mate bond—should such a thing actually exist—but hecertainly wouldn’t mind a tasty little interlude. His fangs tingled again at the memory of their kiss and of the way her soft body had yielded to him.
All he had to do was convince her to agree to take a position at the restaurant. She clearly was the type of person who liked to help others, and he had no compunction about using her compassion to get her to accept. He was so busy considering the best way to approach her that he must have let his veil slip because she suddenly turned around as he followed her onto the inn grounds.
He slipped behind a large evergreen before she spotted him, and he found himself smiling. His little kitten might prove to be a more challenging prey than he assumed—which only added to his pleasure in the hunt. He lingered next to the tree, watching as she stepped up onto the porch and disappeared into the warm, golden interior of the inn.
He had a momentary impulse to follow her, but he didn’t belong in there. Just as he didn’t belong in any of the other cozy little houses in town. After a brief hesitation, he turned to go—and almost ran into Flora. She was standing right behind him in a fluffy white tracksuit looking like a slightly demented snow woman.
“Well?” she demanded.
“She said she was going to write a more favorable review.”
“Excellent,” she cackled. “I knew your… charm would work on her.”
“As a matter of fact it doesn’t,” he said stiffly, disliking the way she was leering at him. “She simply realized that we serve excellent food in a lovely location.”
“Hmm.” Those sharp black eyes studied his face. “And have you figured out the source of your problems?”
He desperately wanted to tell her that it wasn’t her concern. Instead, he found himself shaking his head.
“Young idiot.” She reached up and flicked his ear, which was surprisingly painful. “So what are you going to do?”
It suddenly occurred to him that she might make a good ally.
“I thought perhaps I’d invite her to work for me for a little while. To see if a new set of eyes might spot something.”
“Work for you? I’m not sure if that’s—” She broke off, tapping her lip thoughtfully before breaking into a big smile that he didn’t trust at all. “I think that’s an excellent idea.”
“She might not agree.”
“I’m sure you can use your charms to convince her.”
There was that leer again, but before he could object, she gave him a cheery wave and disappeared back behind the tree. He didn’t bother trying to follow her. As far as he knew Flora didn’t have any vampire blood, but she could vanish faster than he could.
He looked back at the inn and saw that the light was on in Wendy’s room. Once again he wished he could fly up and perch on her windowsill, but since he was still Earthbound, he sighed and headed back to Midnight Manor instead.
After the last of the guests were gone and everything had been cleaned and prepped for the following day, he did a final inspection. He confirmed that all of the doors and windows werelocked, the fireplaces damped, and the fridge and freezer doors firmly closed before heading upstairs.
The book he’d been reading still didn’t appeal to him and he ended up searching the book cases that surrounded the fireplace instead. They contained a motley assortment of his books and ones that had been left behind when the previous owner left town. On a lower shelf he found an old set of the Fairhaven Falls Flier, the small local newspaper.
