He glanced at the windows downstairs, wondering if she was home. No lights shone from inside. He knew she had to go to work tomorrow, but surely she hadn't gone to bed so early. Had she gone out for the evening?
He was stalling, and he knew it. He was a vampire with remarkable powers, yet the thought of facing one mortal female filled him with trepidation. Would she be angry with him for leaving so abruptly? Would her eyes be filled with silent reproach? He could withstand her anger, he thought, but not her tears.
Angry or not, he had to see her. If he had learned one thing in the past two weeks, it was that his existence wasn't worth living if he couldn't share it with her.
Muttering an oath, he walked quickly to the front door. He was about to knock when his preternatural senses told him the house was empty. He was trying to decide whether to wait inside or come back later when he caught a familiar scent on the freshening wind, a scent that raised the short hairs along his nape and filled him with a quiet sense of dread.
Vilnius.
Rourke opened the front door with a wave of his hand. Stepping over the threshold, his gaze swept the darkness, coming to rest on a folded sheet of paper propped on the mantel.
He read it quickly, then read it a second time.
Rourke, I have the woman. Call me when you read this if you hope to see her alive one last time....
There was no signature, no date, just a phone number under a boldly scrawled V. When had Vilnius been here? How many days had Karinna been at his mercy?
Rourke moved unerringly through the darkness toward Karinna's office. Each breath carried her scent to his nostrils, reminding him of the nights they had spent together, the fervent kisses they had shared. If anything happened to her, it would be all his fault. He swore softly. He should have realized that the wizard would know when the curse was broken, should have known that Vilnius would come after him. Had the wizard also found his daughter?
Picking up the telephone, Rourke listened for the dial tone the way Karinna had showed him, then punched in the wizard's number.
Vilnius answered on the first ring.
"Where is she?" Rourke asked curtly.
"Ah, Mr. Rourke. She is here, with me."
"If you hurt her..."
"Spare me your empty threats."
"Where are you?"
"There is a house for sale on the corner of Willow and Wade streets. I will be waiting for you there."
Rourke swore softly as Vilnius broke the connection. A thought took him to the corner of Willow and Wade. Standing in the shadows across the street from the house, Rourke closed his eyes, his preternatural senses reaching out, searching for her. He caught a hint of the wizard's presence, but nothing to indicate that Karinna was inside.
Muttering an oath, Rourke dissolved into mist, crossed the street, floated down the chimney, then hovered near the ceiling.
Below him, Vilnius paced the living room floor, his long gray robe flowing behind him like the breath of Satan.
But Rourke had little interest in the wizard. He had come to make sure Karinna was safe, but where was she? Rourke drifted from room to room. He checked the closets, the walk-in pantry in the kitchen, but there was no sign of her, no sense of her presence in the house. Save for a tall, three-legged stool in one corner of the front room, the interior of the house was empty. The drapes were drawn across all the windows.
He returned to the living room wondering what game Vilnius was playing. He had been certain Vilnius would keep Karinna close by. Had he been mistaken? And then he saw that the house wasn't empty, after all. A large painting of a still, blue lake set in the midst of a deep green forest hung on the wall just inside the front door. A small cottage bathed in early morning sunlight stood off to one side of the lake. A blue sailboat, with its white sails unfurled, floated on the placid surface of the water.
Rourke was about to turn away from the painting when he saw Karinna. Clad in an emerald green gown, she was seated in the bow of the boat, a look of horror etched on her countenance.
If he could have spoken, he would have uttered every curse word he had ever known. If he had been in his own form, he would have smashed something, preferably the wizard's arrogant face.
Instead, he hovered near the ceiling unable to look away from Karinna. He had brought her to this, he thought. He had insinuated himself into her life and now she was in the wizard's power, caught in the same kind of hell that he himself had endured for so long.
Was she aware of what had happened to her? How would an ordinary mortal react to being imprisoned in such a fashion? If he could free her, would she be the same woman he had known, the woman he loved more than his very existence, or would being entrapped in such a way forever shatter her hold on reality?
He had to get her out of there, but how?
In his present condition, he was helpless. He had intended to destroy Vilnius. He knew there was a possibility that Vilnius would defeat him, but it was a chance he had been willing to take. But now...Dammit, now it wasn't only his own existence that was at risk, but Karinna's life, as well.
He was still trying to decide what action to take when Vilnius suddenly stopped pacing. Head cocked, his eyes narrowed, he glanced around the room.
Fearing that the wizard had sensed his presence, Rourke made a hasty exit. Resuming his own form outside, he paced the darkness, his mind in turmoil. He was tempted to charge in and confront Vilnius and to devil with the consequences, but his concern for Karinna's welfare, his love for her, demanded caution. Assuming he won the battle with the wizard, there was always a chance that Vilnius had worked a different enchantment on this painting and that calling Karinna to his side wouldn't work. He couldn't kill the wizard until he knew how to remove the spell and free Karinna.
He needed an edge...but what?
Rourke dragged a hand across his jaw. He needed some backup, he thought, then grinned, thinking that he sounded like a character on one of the cop shows Karinna sometimes watched on the television. Backup...Ramon Vega quickly came to mind. If he could persuade the vampire to help him, he might have a chance to overpower the wizard.
Ramon Vega answered the door wearing a pair of faded jeans low on his hips, and nothing else. He looked understandably surprised when he saw Rourke standing on the porch.
"Well, well," Vega muttered. "Look who's here. I guess you want to see Ana."
"I came to see you. I need your help."
Vega's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "My help? Doing what?"
"Ramon, who is it?"
Glancing over Vega's shoulder, Rourke saw Ana Luisa walking toward them. She wore a pair of white shorts that made her legs seem three yards long, and a bright red halter top that left little to the imagination. Rourke whistled softly, thinking she had quickly adapted to the somewhat shocking fashions of the time.