As Twilight Falls

Kadie nodded. Rosemary’s husband had probably declared her dead after all this time. Her children would be grown now, probably married with kids of their own. Her husband could have remarried and had another family. How would Rosemary handle something like that? Kadie frowned. What would she do in a similar situation? How would she feel? How would she pick up her life on the outside after such an extended absence? The world had changed a lot in the twenty years Rosemary had been here.

“Maybe we should give her a choice,” Kadie suggested. “Maybe, after all this time, she’d rather stay.”

“And if she chooses to stay, then what?”

Kadie considered his question a moment. Of all the women in Morgan Creek, Marti had been there the shortest amount of time and had the youngest child. But of all the people in town, Marti was her favorite.

Shaking off her selfishness, Kadie said, “I think instead of Rosemary, you should let Marti go. She has a six-year-old daughter.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

At midnight, Kadie and Saintcrow drove to Marti’s house in Kadie’s Durango. “Wait in the car,” Saintcrow said. “I’ll be right back.”

He returned moments later, carrying a pajama-clad Marti in his arms. She was sound asleep, and remained asleep when he laid her on the backseat and shut the door.

“Remember,” he said, sliding behind the wheel and putting the car in gear, “you can’t tell anyone about this.” His gaze met hers. “I’ll know if you do.”

Kadie nodded.

They reached the bridge a short time later. She felt a sudden apprehension as he drove across, but the Durango emerged onto the road without the slightest hesitation.

“How do you know where she lives?” Kadie asked.

“Driver’s license.”

“Oh. Aren’t you afraid she’ll tell people about you and the others?”

“No. I’ll wipe the last five years from her mind. She won’t remember anything.”

Kadie stared at Saintcrow in amazement. She would never want to be a vampire. Their lifestyle was repugnant at best, but she couldn’t help being in awe of his preternatural powers and abilities.

She gazed out the window, wondering about the other women and the lives they had left behind. They rarely spoke of their families. She supposed it was just too painful to think about people you loved when you were never going to see them again.

Kadie felt herself dozing off when Saintcrow pulled over to the curb. After shutting off the engine, he got out of the car and lifted Marti out of the backseat. Kadie stepped out onto the curb, then glanced up and down the street, wondering which house was Marti’s.

“Do you want to tell her good-bye?” Saintcrow asked.

When Kadie nodded, Saintcrow spoke quietly to Marti, who woke instantly. She glanced at Saintcrow, her eyes wide with fear as he set her on her feet, until Kadie said, “Marti, it’s all right. We’re taking you home.”

“What?” She glanced around, her eyes filled with confusion. “Why am I here?”

“Kadie convinced me to let you go,” Saintcrow answered. “Come on.” Holding Marti’s arm, he started walking toward the corner.

Kadie followed the two of them as they turned the corner, then came to a stop in the middle of the block in front of a single-story, ranch-style house on a well-kept street. A pink bicycle lay on its side in the front yard. A rope swing hung from the branch of a tall oak tree.

Saintcrow released Marti’s arm and stood back, giving the two women a little space.

“Marti, I’m going to miss you so much,” Kadie said, blinking back her tears. “Thank you for making my days in Morgan Creek easier to bear.”

Fighting tears of her own, Marti said, “How can I ever thank you?” She glanced at the house. “What if Brad doesn’t want me anymore?”

“He hasn’t remarried,” Saintcrow said. “He still loves you. Now say your good-byes. It’s getting late.”

Kadie hugged Marti. “Be happy.”

“Thank you so much. I don’t know how you did this, but I’ll never forget you.”

Kadie wiped her eyes. “Yes, you will,” she said, overcome by a wave of sadness as Saintcrow captured Marti’s gaze with his. She felt a rush of preternatural power whisper over her skin.

A moment later, Marti was on the front porch and Kadie and Saintcrow had darted out of sight around the side of the house.

Marti glanced around, looking confused, then rang the bell.

A few minutes later, the porch light came on and a man clad in a navy blue bathrobe stood in the open doorway. For a minute, he simply stared at Marti. Then, with a wordless cry, he threw his arms around her. “Marti! Thank God, you’re back. Where have you been all this time?” He looked past her, his gaze sweeping up and down the sidewalk.

“I don’t know,” Marti said. “The last thing I remember is going for a walk . . .”

“It doesn’t matter,” Brad said, pulling her into the house. “All that matters is you’re home. Teresa!” he called, his voice filled with happy tears. “Teresa, wake up! Mommy’s home!”

Kadie wiped the tears from her eyes as she followed Saintcrow back to her car.

She was pensive on the ride home. Rosemary was wrong, she thought. All vampires weren’t monsters. No monster would have done what Saintcrow had done tonight. She would never forget the look of surprise on Brad’s face, the joy in his voice. She only wished she could have seen Marti reunited with her daughter.

“That was a wonderful thing you did,” she said at last. “Thank you.”

“It was a wonderful thing you did,” he replied, sliding a glance in her direction. “I know Marti was your favorite. You spent a lot of time with her. I know you’ll miss her more than you would any of the others.”

Kadie didn’t deny it. She would miss Marti dreadfully, but it had been the right thing to do. Once she had thought it through, Kadie had realized there was nothing for Rosemary to go back to, while Marti’s life was still waiting for her.

Kadie smiled inwardly. She couldn’t remember when she had felt so good. Was Saintcrow feeling good about it, too?

She studied his profile, thinking again how handsome he was. Maybe, if she played her cards rights, she would be able to convince him to let some of the other women go, as well.

Chapter 23

Kadie was roused out of bed early the next morning by someone pounding on the door. Slipping into her robe as she went, she hurried downstairs, wondering who it could be. No one ever came calling at Saintcrow’s house. Belting her robe tightly, she opened the door.