Night's Mistress (Children of The Night 5)

Mara shuddered. She had no desire to lose her head to a hunter’s wicked blade.

“I’m sorry,” Kyle said. “I didn’t know how else to find you.”

“You haven’t told her you found me, have you?”

“No. We haven’t talked in a while. Don’t worry, I won’t let her know where you are . . .” His voice trailed off, and then he swore softly. “She can find you through me, can’t she?”

“Yes. You can’t use any of your credit cards while we’re here. We’ll have to pay cash for everything. I bought this house under an assumed name, so I don’t think she can find us that way. If she calls you, don’t answer. It might be best if you got a new cell phone, a prepaid one like mine, so she can’t trace it.”

Kyle lay back on the bed and drew her down beside him. “Calm down, Mara. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She rested her head against his shoulder, her heart still pounding. She’d be no match for any hunter now. And it wasn’t just her life she had to worry about.

“Listen, sweetie, I don’t know why you decided to leave Nevada, but . . .”

Something in his tone annoyed her. Maybe it was the condescending way he said “sweetie.” Sitting up again, she put some space between them. “I left because I had a bad feeling about staying. Did I tell you that the doctor I was seeing is a vampire?”

Kyle shook his head ruefully. “No, you forgot to mention that.”

“He seemed nice enough in the beginning, but the last few times I saw him . . .” She worried a lock of her hair. “I can’t put my finger on anything concrete, but, I don’t know, he just creeped me out.”

“So, who’s going to deliver the baby?”

“I was thinking you would.”

“Me?” He jackknifed into a sitting position, the color draining from his face. “Are you out of your mind? I’m not a doctor.”

“I can’t have the baby in a hospital. They’d want insurance forms and personal info. I don’t have any identification.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve rarely needed any, and when I did, I just made whoever wanted to see my ID believe they had. But I can’t do that anymore. Besides, I can’t risk having them take my blood or the baby’s.”

Kyle muttered an oath. She was right, of course. If the baby carried any trace of vampire blood, it would undoubtedly cause quite a stir among hospital personnel, especially when the mother was human.

“We could be in big trouble,” he agreed. “What about your old vampire friends? Can’t they help?”

Mara thought of Brenna and Cara and Savanah. Nice women, all of them. Cara and Savanah had both given birth. They would know what to do. But for some reason she didn’t understand, she was reluctant to ask for their help, reluctant to admit to anyone, including herself, that she needed help, even though she had never needed it more. She had chosen to stay with Kyle because he was human and because he was the baby’s father. She knew now that she would have been safer with Logan.

Mara yawned behind her hand. She was tired. Her back hurt, and she was getting a headache.

“We can talk about this tomorrow,” Kyle said, turning off the light. “You should get some sleep.”

She curled up against him and closed her eyes, but sleep was a long time coming. She wished fleetingly that it was Logan lying beside her. He would know what to do. She wouldn’t be afraid to face McDonald or anyone else with Logan covering her back.

The next few days went by slowly, and yet all too fast. Kyle turned one of the bedrooms into a studio, and Mara turned another one into a nursery. They rarely left the house except for groceries. Most nights, they snuggled on the sofa watching TV and necking like teenagers, some nights they played cards. At other times, they went for walks in the moonlight.

One afternoon, Kyle suggested Mara pose for him before the baby came.

“Like this?” Mara glanced at her stomach. She was as big as a horse.

“You’re beautiful.”

“I’m sure no one else would think so,” she muttered, and then smiled faintly. “But I’m glad you do.”

“Come on,” he coaxed. “I’m tired of watching TV.”

“Oh, all right. What should I wear?”

“I was thinking of painting you in the buff.”

“Nude? Are you serious?” She placed her hands on her stomach. “I don’t think so.”

“All right. Hang on a minute,” he said, and left the room.

Mara stared after him. What was he up to? She shook her head. Naked, indeed. She must have gained fifty pounds if she had gained an ounce.

Kyle returned a few minutes later carrying a sheer panel from one of the bedroom windows.

She eyed the curtain suspiciously. “What are you going to do with that?”

“You’ll see. Get undressed.”

Minutes later, she was reclining on the sofa, her girth strategically camouflaged by the curtain, so that only her arms, legs, and shoulders were bare. A pot of greenery added a splash of color near her feet.

Kyle regarded his handiwork a moment and then pronounced it, “Perfect!”

Mara shook her head in amusement. “Only you would think so.”

She watched his face as he worked, his brow furrowed in concentration, his brushes moving quick and sure over the canvas. After a time, she closed her eyes and Logan’s image crept into her mind. She imagined she heard his voice, soft and silky and filled with longing as he whispered that he loved her. In her mind, she yearned toward him, her body aching for the touch of his hand in her hair, the pressure of his lips on hers. And then his voice again, low and seductive, reminding her of the nights they had spent together, the love they had shared.

“Mara? Hey, Mara, are you all right?”

Feeling disoriented, she opened her eyes, expecting to find Logan standing over her. It took her a moment to remember where she was. “Oh. Kyle.”

“Are you all right?” he asked again.

“Of course. Why do you ask?”

“You were talking in your sleep.”

“I was?” A rush of guilt swept through her. Had she called Logan’s name? “What did I say?”

“I don’t know. It was in a language I didn’t understand.”

“I must have been dreaming.”

“Yeah. It must have been some dream. Your cheeks are flushed.” He smiled faintly. “Can I hope you were dreaming about me?”