As Twilight Falls

“Don’t start posing for pictures yet, Harry,” her father said. “He won’t be easy to kill.”

“I don’t care how tough you think he is,” Harry said. “A stake to the heart works every time.”

“Not on this one. He told me himself that the only way to destroy him is to take his head.”

Kadie pressed a hand to her heart. What was going on? Why was her father discussing vampires with these two men? And how had he come to know so much about the subject?

Flashes of past memories sprang to her mind—memories of the large, oblong wooden box she had found while looking for hidden birthday presents in the basement the year she turned twelve. It had been filled with a variety of odd-looking sharp implements. When she’d asked her father about it, he had told her they were medical instruments used in surgery. How often had she seen him leave the house early in the mornings on his day off, carrying that box?

She shook her head, astonished by the turn of her thoughts. Her father was a hunter. It explained why her mother, who preferred gold jewelry, always wore a large silver cross on a silver chain. Kadie had asked her about it once. Her mother had replied that it had been a gift from Ralph and she had promised never to take it off. Did her mother know she was married to a vampire hunter? Or had she thought the cross merely a sentimental gift from the man she loved? Now that she thought about it, Kathy had been wearing one in the hospital when she’d visited her there.

“What about that other vampire?” the first man asked. “The one who was supposed to have a lair in the old Hedley building.”

“He’s gone. I think Saintcrow warned him away.”

“So, now there’s two bloodsuckers in town that we know of,” Harry muttered sourly. “And that’s two too many.”

“Let’s worry about the other one for now,” her father said.

“As long as Kadie’s here, we can be pretty sure that Saintcrow is nearby.”

“A vampire dating your daughter,” the first man said, a note of irony in his voice. “It would be funny if it wasn’t so dangerous.”

“I know what I’m doing, Gordon.”

Kadie tensed at the sound of chairs being moved.

“Let’s call it a night,” her father said. “I’ll meet the two of you at the usual place in the morning and we’ll see if we can track down the other vampire.”

Pivoting on her heel, Kadie hastened down the hallway and up the stairs to her room. Her father was a hunter. It was unbelievable. Inconceivable.

But all too true.

Safe in her room, Kadie closed the door, her mind racing. Thank goodness Saintcrow was planning to leave town soon. As far as she was concerned, the sooner the better. She told herself her father wouldn’t attack him, but she knew the other two hunters would have no qualms about taking Rylan’s head.

And neither, said a worrisome little voice in the back of her mind, would her father, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

Twenty minutes after midnight, Saintcrow found Ravenwood pacing the parking lot behind the bar.

“You’re late,” Ravenwood said.

“Sorry. I had a date.”

“A date? With a mortal? How can you stand to be near them and not sink your fangs into them?”

“A lifetime of practicing self-control.”

Ravenwood snorted.

“I didn’t say it was easy. Lilith shouldn’t have left you without telling you a few things.”

“Yeah, like what?”

“For one thing, she should have told you that you don’t have to kill when you feed, and that if you do take a life, you need to dispose of the body where it won’t be found. If you want to keep your head longer than a few months, it’s best not to leave a trail of bodies in your wake.”

“I don’t want to kill! I hate that. But once I start . . .” Ravenwood shook his head. “It’s just so hard to stop once I start drinking. Who knew that people were so fragile? Or that their blood tasted so good?”

“I know how intoxicating the hunt can be. Believe me, I know. But you don’t have to be a monster if you don’t want to be. It’ll get easier as you get older. Feed more than once a night. Try drinking a little from several people instead of taking from just one until you learn to control your hunger.”

“Does that really work?”

“If you give it a chance. Did you find a new lair?”

“Yeah. Thanks for the heads-up.”

“Just one more thing. If you go rogue in this town, I’ll hunt you down myself.”

Chapter 30

In the morning, it was difficult for Kadie to sit at the breakfast table with her father and pretend she hadn’t overheard his conversation the night before. She had a million questions she was dying to ask him, like when had he become a vampire hunter, and if her mother knew, and how many vampires he had killed, and did he really intend to hunt Saintcrow.

Those questions and more chased themselves through her mind as she listened to her mother and father discuss their plans for the day, the weather, the latest headlines, Kathy’s prognosis.

“In a word, not good,” her father said. “It’s taking her longer each time to absorb the infusion. And the effects aren’t lasting as long as they should.”

Kadie studied her father surreptitiously. How was it possible that he’d managed to hide the fact that he was a hunter from her and her mother all these years?

“Kadie, you’re very quiet this morning,” her father said. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes, of course. I’m just a little tired.”

“I’m not surprised,” her mother said. “You were out pretty late last night.”

“Quite the night owl, your friend,” her father remarked.

Kadie looked at him sharply. Was he fishing? Trying to find out if she knew Saintcrow was a vampire?

“Are you serious about Mr. Saintcrow?” her mother asked. “I was under the impression you’d just met.”

“I’m in love with him.”

Her father rose from the table so abruptly that his chair tumbled to the floor with a loud crash.

“For goodness’ sake, Ralph, what’s gotten into you?”

“Nothing.” He righted the chair, then stood with one hand braced on the back. “Is he in love with you?”

“I don’t know.”

Her father glanced at his watch. “I’m late for a meeting.” He drained his coffee cup, kissed her mother on the cheek, and strode out of the room.