Night's Mistress (Children of The Night 5)

Rane glanced from his father to his brother and back again. “What kind of rumor?”

“That she’s no longer one of us,” Vince said.

Rane swore softly. “Where did you hear that?”

“A friend of mine heard it from a friend who heard it from someone in Nevada. I guess it’s supposed to be a secret, but you can’t keep a secret like that.”

“No longer Nosferatu,” Rafe muttered with a shake of his head. “How could that happen?”

“Beats me,” Rane said.

“You don’t suppose Edna and Pearl are working on another cure, do you?” Rafe asked, referring to a couple of elderly female vampire hunters. During the War, they had concocted a drug they had hoped would cure the werewolves and restore the vampires to their human state whether they wished it or not. He and his wife, Kathy, had been a part of those heinous experiments. They had escaped with their lives. Others hadn’t been so lucky. It had been in Rafe’s mind to kill them both when he found them, but he just couldn’t bring himself to kill two old ladies. Instead, he had forced the Dark Gift on Edna and Pearl. At the time he had thought of it as poetic justice.

“Hell and damnation, I hope not,” Vince said.

“Well, they weren’t happy when I brought them across,” Rafe said, remembering how they had struggled against him when they realized what he intended to do. “Could be they’ve come up with another cure. One that works.”

“Well, at the moment, that’s neither here nor there,” Vince said. He started walking, and Rafe and Rane fell in on either side of him. “We need to find out if the rumor about Mara is true.” He shook his head. “How could it have happened?”

“I don’t know how it happened,” Rane said. “And I don’t know if she’s human again, but she came to see me a few months ago.” He paused, knowing he was about to betray a confidence. “She told me she was changing, losing her powers. She was scared.”

“Mara, scared?” Rafe shook his head. “I don’t believe it.”

“And you didn’t think that little piece of news was important enough to share with the rest of the family?” Vince asked.

“She made me promise not to tell anyone.”

“Well, I can understand that,” Rafe said. “She must be feeling vulnerable as hell.”

Rane nodded. “She was supposed to keep in touch with me, but I haven’t heard from her since.”

“Have you tried calling her?” Vince asked.

“No.”

“Why the hell not?”

“He’s been busy, what with Savanah and the new baby and all,” Rafe said, coming to his brother’s defense.

Vince shook his head. Practically from the day they had been born, his sons had stood up for each other. Adulthood hadn’t changed that.

“I think the rumors must be true,” Rafe said. “I tried to find her not long ago, but the bond between us was gone like it never existed.”

Vince swore softly. “I only told you half of it. There’s more.”

Rane frowned. “What do you mean, more?”

“I also heard she’s pregnant. The idea is ludicrous and I dismissed it out of hand, but now . . .”

“If she’s human,” Rafe said, “she could be pregnant. Shoot, if it’s true, anything is possible.”

Vince nodded. “We need to find out, one way or the other. I’ll talk to my friend and see if he’s heard any more.”

Rafe grunted thoughtfully. “If it’s not just a rumor, I’ll bet Edna and Pearl would love to know how Mara regained her humanity.”

“I don’t think so,” Rane said. “Last I heard, they were both pretty happy about being vampires.”

“Really?” Rafe asked. If Kathy hadn’t been there at the time, he likely would have killed the two women when he’d had the chance. Bringing them across had seemed a fitting punishment for their crimes at the time. He hadn’t figured on their embracing the vampire lifestyle.

Rane shrugged. “It happens.”

“I guess it’s not surprising,” Rafe mused. “If I hadn’t brought them across, they’d most likely have died of old age by now.”

“We need to keep this business about Mara under wraps as best we can,” Vince said, getting back to the subject at hand. “Mara’s made some enemies in her time. If she’s lost her powers, this would be the perfect time for those who hate her to try to get even. If either of you hear anything, let me know.”

Rafe nodded. “Will do.”

Rane blew out a ragged breath. Why was nothing in life ever easy? Some days, he wished he could mutter a few magic words and make the rest of the world disappear.

Chapter Sixteen

Mara sat on the examining table while Dr. Ramsden listened to her heart, then took her blood pressure. Earlier, he had examined her and ordered more blood work.

“So, is everything all right?” She had intended to make future appointments with a human doctor, but Logan had talked her out of it. Even if she was fully human, he’d argued, the baby might be a vampire. No human doctor would be prepared for that. After thinking it over, she had agreed with him.

Ramsden nodded. “So far, so good. Your vital signs are normal.”

“For a mortal, you mean?”

He smiled sympathetically. “Yes, for a mortal.”

“And the baby?”

“Growing as expected.”

He glanced at her chart. “You, on the other hand, are growing a little more than you should,” he remarked, flipping through his notes. “You shouldn’t be gaining more than a couple of pounds a week.”

Mara shifted on the edge of the table. She had been eating way too many sweets, but she couldn’t seem to help it. Whenever she was worried or depressed, which was often, she reached for something covered in chocolate.

“What’s your diet like?” Ramsden asked.

She shrugged, too embarrassed to tell him that she favored chocolate over broccoli, and cheeseburgers and fries over salad.

He frowned thoughtfully. “Eating must be an interesting experience after so long.”

“Yes, it is.”

“I don’t even remember what food tasted like,” he mused. “Are cheeseburgers as good as they look?”

She nodded.

“Tell me, what it’s like, eating solid food again? My last meal as a human was black beans and brown bread. Hardly noteworthy.”