Night's Mistress (Children of the Night) (15 page)

 

Lou McDonald leaned back in her chair, her feet propped on a corner of her desk as she listened to the latest update from Cindy.

“Mara had another appointment last night. According to her chart, the baby’s growing and gaining weight and Ramsden isn’t expecting any complications. Oh, one more thing. I overheard him tell Susan that he thinks Mara’s either lost her powers or she’s losing them.”

“What do you mean, lost them?”

“I’m not sure. I didn’t hear the whole conversation. Is it possible she isn’t a vampire anymore?”

Lou grunted softly. “Who knows what’s possible these days? Kind of makes sense, though.” She drummed her fingertips on her thigh. “If she’s not a vampire anymore, it would explain how she could get pregnant.”

“True enough,” Cindy agreed.

“Anything else new on that end?”

“Not really. What’s going on with you? Made any kills lately?”

“Just one. It’s not as easy as it once was, you know, now that the vamps have gone back underground, so to speak.”

“Underground,” Cindy muttered. “That’s a good one. Which one did you take out?”

“Travis Jackson. I caught him off guard in L.A. He went down hard.”

“Chalk up one for the good guys,” Cindy said, a smile in her voice.

“I’ll get his grandmother one of these days, and that other old broad, too,” Lou said in her best wicked Witch of the West voice.

“I can’t believe those two old ladies are giving you so much trouble,” Cindy said with a laugh. “I mean, come on, girl.”

“Hey, if you can do better, go for it.”

“Very funny.”

“They’re not as easy to corner as you might think. They used to be hunters, remember? They know all the tricks that hunters use, which makes them twice as hard to find. But I’ll get ’em. Both of them. You wait and see.”

“I know you will. Listen, I’ve got to go. Ramsden’s calling me.”

“All right. Talk at ya later.” Lou tossed her cell phone on the desk, then gazed out her office window. Hunters had been trying to destroy Mara for centuries and they had all failed. But she wouldn’t fail, and when it was a
fait accompli
, her customers would double and so would the price of her services.

She was about to leave her office when her business phone rang. She stared at it a moment, then decided to let the machine pick it up.

“Lou? This is Kyle Bowden. Dammit, where the hell have you been?”

“Avoiding you,” she muttered, then swore softly when her cell phone rang. Knowing she couldn’t avoid him forever, she picked up the phone. “What can I do for you, Bowden?”

“You can do what I’m paying you for. I want to know where Mara is, now. No more games, no more evasions.”

Lou considered a moment, then shrugged. What could it hurt if Kyle knew where Mara was, as long as Lou knew where they both were? “She’s in Tyler, Nevada, just outside of Reno.”

“What’s she doing there?”

“Her doctor is there. Thomas A. Ramsden. He’s not listed in the phone book, but his office is on Franklin, between the bank and the post office.”

With a muttered “Thanks,” Bowden ended the call.

Lou grunted softly. It might have been a mistake, telling Bowden where to find Mara, but what the hell? The guy was in love and the baby was due in a few weeks. Might as well let him spend a little time with the mother of his child while he could, since Mara’s days were numbered one way or the other once the baby was born. If Ramsden didn’t kill her, Lou would take her head, vampire or not.

With that thought in mind, Lou went home to pack a bag. Whatever went down when the baby was born, she intended to be there to see it all firsthand.

 

Logan stared at Mara, a bemused expression on his face. “You want to learn how to drive a car, now?” He glanced at her ample girth.

“What’s the matter?” she asked with a frown. “Don’t you think I’ll fit behind the wheel?”

His laughter thrilled her even as it irritated her. “Come on,” he said, “there’s nothing to it.”

As it turned out, sitting behind the wheel, even with the seat all the way back, turned out to be a tight fit.

Mara glared at Logan. “Don’t say a word.”

He shrugged as he settled into the passenger seat. “I’m not the one who ate a whole pizza last night.”

“I didn’t eat the whole thing!” She hadn’t eaten the crust.

He wisely refrained from making a comment. Instead, he spoke to the car and the engine revved to life.

“There’s nothing to driving,” he said. “You just tell the car where you want to go, and it’ll take you there.”

“That’s not how you do it.”

“Yeah, well, I like being in control.”

“I want to drive, the old-fashioned way.”

“Put your seat belt on.”

“You don’t wear yours.”

He didn’t say anything, just looked at her. She felt a rush of resentment. He was a vampire. He didn’t need a seat belt. She did.

Logan spoke to the car, telling it to release control to the driver, then he looked at Mara. “Okay, that’s the gas,” he said, pointing. “That’s the brake. Those are the headlights. Make sure the street is clear before you pull out of the driveway. Hey,” he admonished as she stepped down hard on the gas pedal, “take it easy.”

She backed out of the driveway, the car jerking crazily down the road until she got a feel for the gas pedal. She smiled, immensely pleased with herself when she managed to keep the car moving smoothly.

“Where should I go?” she asked.

“Turn left at the corner. There’s a long stretch down Winter Ridge Drive that won’t have much traffic this time of night. Don’t forget to signal for the turn.”

He clicked on the radio, then sat back, content to watch her while she got a feel for the car. He grinned. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, her lower lip caught between her teeth. He glanced at her abdomen. It still amazed him that she was pregnant. The fact that he wished the child was his was even more surprising, but there it was. He was one of the oldest vampires in existence, more powerful than any creature who walked the earth, and he was jealous of the puny human male who had sired her child.

“Pathetic,” he muttered. “Just pathetic.”

“What?”

“I said turn right.”

“That’s not what you said.”

“Well, it’s what I’m saying now.”

She turned down the road he indicated, frowned as the road climbed higher and higher and got narrower and narrower until they ran out of road. A full moon shone down on a patch of tall grass surrounded by a stand of timber. Putting her foot on the brake, she looked at Logan and said, “Now what?”

Leaning forward, he switched off the engine and turned off the lights.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

He flicked a switch. The console between the seats disappeared. The steering wheel folded up and slid out of sight.

Mara lifted an inquisitive brow as Logan turned toward her, one arm stretched along the back of the seat. “Is this part of the lesson?” she asked.

“The best part. It used to be called ‘parking.’”

“Parking?”

“Didn’t you ever park in a car and neck?”

“No. Did you?”

“Sure, it was all the rage in the late fifties. Of course, kids don’t do it much today. They just go to a motel.”

“You weren’t a kid when parking was popular.”

Logan shrugged. “It was still fun,” he said, moving closer. “Wanna give it a try?”

“Well, as long as it’s part of the lesson,” she said, trying not to grin.

“Radio,” Logan said, “play some tunes from the fifties.”

He put his arm around Mara and drew her up against him as Bonnie Guitar’s voice came over the speaker and the words to “Dark Moon” wafted through the air.

“So,” Mara said, her voice shaky as his tongue laved the sensitive skin beneath her ear. “Is this still part of lesson one?”

“Yes, and this is lesson two,” he murmured, and claimed her lips with his.

Kissing Logan was like diving into a deep, warm pool. She felt weightless, breathless, as he deepened the kiss. Every nerve ending hummed to life as sensual heat flooded her being. The music faded into the distance as Logan became her whole world. He was the air she breathed, her reason for living. His mouth moved over hers, now as light and gentle as a summer breeze, now hard and demanding. His tongue dueled with hers while his hands moved over her body, his touch tender, almost reverent.

She shivered with pleasure as he whispered love words in her ear, soft sweet words that made her feel beautiful, desirable. When she was trembling with need, certain she would expire or explode, he lifted her out of the car. Holding her close, he opened the trunk and grabbed a blanket. Nuzzling her neck, he spread the blanket on a patch of grass, lowered her onto it, and dropped down beside her.

“You okay?” he asked.

“No.”

“What’s wrong?” he asked anxiously.

“You stopped kissing me, so I was wondering if that was the end of lesson two.”

“What do you think?” he asked with a roguish grin.

She slipped her hand under his shirt. Her fingers rubbed back and forth across his belly, then slipped inside his trousers. “I think I’m ready for lesson three.”

“You keep that up,” he growled, “and we’ll skip right to lesson four.”

Closing her eyes, she flung her arms out to the side. “Teach me,” she murmured. “Teach me everything.”

“You asked for it.”

He stretched out beside her, his arm sliding under her shoulders, drawing her body up against his, letting her feel the heat and strength of his arousal as he covered her mouth with his.

She moaned softly as his tongue tangled with hers. Caught up in his kisses, she hardly noticed the disappearance of their clothing until she felt his bare skin against hers.

She ran her hands over his back, his chest, loving the hard, muscular strength beneath her questing fingertips, the way his muscles quivered at her touch, the groan that rose in his throat as her hands caressed him.

Effortlessly, he rolled over, carrying her with him, so that she ended up on the top.

“Oh,” she purred, “I like this.”

He cupped her face in his hands. “I didn’t want to squish you, or the little one,” he said, and kissed her, slow and long and deep. “A taste?”

“You told me I tasted like poison,” she said, pouting.

“You’re human now, so . . .” He shrugged. “I’m willing to risk it.”

She gazed up at the sky, her body quivering as his fangs brushed her skin. There was no pain, only a rush of sensual pleasure, a sense of satisfaction that came with knowing her life’s blood was nourishing him.

“Logan, let me taste you.”

He didn’t argue, didn’t question, merely made a slit in the pad of his thumb with his teeth and held it to her lips. His blood slid down her throat, hot and thick. It increased her desire, amplified her senses, heightened her pleasure as his body melded with hers.

It was, in a word, amazing. Drinking from humans had been wondrous beyond compare. Why had it never occurred to her that the opposite misght also be true? If humans knew how wonderful a small drop of vampire blood tasted, how it magnified human senses, hunters would be seeking vampires more zealously than they did now, not for their heads, but for their blood.

Logan moved deep within her. Fulfillment came quickly and completely.

He kissed her gently, tenderly. “Thus endeth the lessons for tonight,” he murmured, and rolled onto his side, taking her with him, so they lay face to face, their bodies still entwined.

“Logan . . .”

“What is it, love?”

“Tasting your blood.” She gazed into his eyes, her own filled with wonder. “It made me feel . . . it was almost like being a vampire again! Did you know? Did you know it would make me feel like that?” Why hadn’t she known how vampire blood affected humans? And why had it never occurred to her before?

“I’ve heard rumors to that effect.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it can be addicting.” He ran his thumb over her lower lip. “And in the long run, it’s dangerous.”

“I want more.”

“Maybe after the baby is born.”

The baby. Mara slid her hand between her body and Logan’s. Of course, concern for the baby had to come first. But after he was born . . . She smiled inwardly. If she couldn’t be a vampire again, tasting Logan’s blood would be the next best thing.

 

Mara blew out a sigh as she smoothed her skirt over her hips. She was heartily tired of shapeless maternity clothes, swollen ankles, having to relieve herself every five minutes, and visits to the doctor, who now wanted to see her every week, and who had chided her, once again, for gaining too much weight.

Logan was waiting for her in the lobby of Ramsden’s office. He looked up and smiled when he saw her.

Running into him at this time of her life had truly been a blessing, Mara thought as she walked toward him. He had been the one thing she could count on these past months, the only thing in her life that didn’t change from day to day. At first, she hadn’t planned to stay with him after the baby was born, but more and more she found herself wondering what she would ever do without him. As a vampire, she had been fearless, indomitable. As a mortal woman who would soon be responsible for a baby, she wasn’t sure she could face the future alone. If not for Logan, she would now be dead by Rogen’s hand. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed someone to protect her and her unborn child from her enemies.

And Logan was willing. Not only that, but he loved her. And she loved him. But was she in love with him? Only time would tell. Time, she thought. It was measured to her now, no longer infinite.

“So, how’d it go?” he asked.

“Ramsden said everything’s fine. He’s still going to induce me on the eighteenth, as planned.”

“Is that a good idea? I don’t know much about childbirth, but shouldn’t he let the baby come when it’s ready?”

She shrugged. “He said first babies often come early and he doesn’t want to take a chance on my going into labor during the day, when he can’t be there.”

“I still think you should wait and see if you can’t have it on the thirty-first.”

Mara stuck her tongue out at him. “Sorry, you won’t be getting a Halloween baby.”

Logan made a clucking sound. “It would have been perfect.”

“I guess so,” Mara said.

“I can see the headlines now:
EX-VAMPIRE GIVES BIRTH AT THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT ON ALL-HALLOWS’ EVE
.”

“Well, I’m sorry, but I’m glad I don’t have to wait that extra two weeks.”

Logan punched the button for the elevator, held the door for her while she stepped inside. She loved it that he was so polite, so protective of her. She admired his profile as they rode down to the first floor, curled her hands into fists to keep from reaching up to run her fingers through the hair at his nape, to stroke the firm line of his jaw, to run her thumb over his sultry lower lip. Lordy, the man seemed to get better looking every day.

Logan glanced at her. Quirking one brow, he smiled that insufferable knowing smile. And then he winked at her. “We’ll be home soon.”

“Doesn’t matter. We’re not supposed to make love anymore until after the baby’s born.” She grinned at his look of mock horror. The doctor had told her that, normally, he wouldn’t have advised her to stop having sexual relations so soon, but, in this instance, he thought it would be a wise precaution, since her case was extremely unusual.

Logan grunted softly. “I guess it’s a good thing we went parking when we did,” he said with a wry grin.

The elevator doors slid open when they reached the main lobby. As Mara stepped outside, she said, “You know, the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that Ramsden is hiding something from me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not sure. He’s been asking me an awful lot of questions about my past and about the baby’s father . . .”

“What’s the matter with that? Makes sense to me that he’d want to know everything he can.”

“So, it doesn’t seem strange to you? I mean, what possible difference can my past make? He’s not asking about my health or my ancestors, but personal stuff, and . . .”

Her words trailed off as she reached the curb. Coming to an abrupt halt, she stared at the man standing a few feet away, unable to believe her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Logan glanced around, wondering what had put that stricken expression on her face.

“Kyle,” she whispered. “It’s Kyle.”

Logan quickly stepped in front of her, ready to defend her, if necessary.

She couldn’t stop staring at Kyle. He looked old and tired and endearingly familiar. She moved up beside Logan as Kyle closed the distance between them. “What are you doing here, Kyle?” she asked, keeping her tone deliberately cool.

He paid no attention to the man standing beside her. “Looking for you.”

She couldn’t stifle the rush of hope that filled her heart. “Why?”

“I should think that would be obvious. You’re having my baby.”

Mara lifted her chin, her heart pounding with trepidation. How had he found her? How did he know about the baby? She would have denied her pregnancy if it hadn’t been so blatantly obvious. “What makes you think it’s yours?”

Kyle glanced at Logan. “Are you going to tell me it’s his?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“It doesn’t matter what you believe.”

“Dammit, Mara, I know it’s mine. Can we talk for a few minutes?” Kyle glanced at Logan again. “Alone.”

A muscle throbbed in Logan’s jaw. “She’s not going anywhere with you, alone or otherwise.”

“It’s all right, Logan,” Mara said, laying her hand on his arm. “I’ll meet you at the house.”

Logan glared at Kyle. “I want her home in thirty minutes. Don’t make me come looking for you.”

“I’ll bring her home when she’s ready, and not one second before,” Kyle retorted.

“Logan, I’ll be all right.” Standing on her tiptoes, Mara kissed his cheek. “I won’t be long.”

With a last warning look at Kyle, Logan got into his car and pulled away from the curb.

Kyle rubbed a hand over his jaw. “He’s a vampire, isn’t he?”

“Yes,” she admitted. “A very old one.”

“Why don’t we go to the coffee shop across the street?” Kyle suggested. “We can talk there.”

“All right.”

Mara was as nervous as a cat in a thunderstorm as she sat in the booth facing Kyle. She couldn’t stop staring at him, couldn’t keep her heart from beating double-time whenever his gaze met hers. She had never been happier than when they were together, never been more miserable than when they were apart. And now he was here. She took a deep, calming breath. “What do you want to talk about?”

“I’m sorry for the way I behaved when you told me you were a . . .” He glanced around, lowering his voice. “When you told me what you are, but, dammit, you sprang it on me without any warning.” He ran a hand through his hair, making her think he was as nervous as she. “I never told you, but my father was killed by a vampire. I know that doesn’t excuse my behavior, but, maybe . . . maybe it explains why I reacted the way I did.”

“I’m sorry about your father.”

Kyle nodded. “If you’d just given me a little time to get used to the idea instead of taking off . . .”

“It’s all water under the bridge now,” she said, pleased that she sounded so cool and aloof.

“Is that what you think? I came to tell you . . .” He paused when a waitress approached their table. “A cup of coffee, please,” he said.

With a nod, the waitress moved away.

“What did you come to tell me?” Mara asked.

“I want you to . . .” He took a deep breath, then said it all in a rush. “I want you to make me what you are.”

Mara stared at him. “Are you saying that you want to be a vampire?”

“Hell, no,” he exclaimed. “Who wants to be a vampire?”

“But you just said . . .”

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes for us to be together.” He scrubbed his hands over his jaw. “The baby’s mine, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” She glanced up in irritation when the waitress arrived with Kyle’s order.

“Congratulations!” the waitress said, smiling expansively. “Can I get you anything else?”

“Just the check,” Mara said.

The waitress knew how to take a hint. With a muttered “Yes, ma’am,” she dropped the check on the table and hurried away.

Kyle stirred cream into his coffee, his expression thoughtful. “How can you be pregnant? Everybody knows that vampires can’t reproduce.”

Mara took a deep breath and let it out in a long, slow sigh. “I’m not a vampire anymore.”

Kyle stared at her as though she had suddenly grown two heads and a tail. “What?”

She made a vague gesture with her hand. “It’s true. I don’t know how. I don’t know why, but I’ve lost my powers.”

“Are you telling me that you’re mortal again?”

Nodding, she pulled his cup toward her, added sugar, and took a drink. “Now do you believe me?” she asked, pushing the cup away.

Kyle stared at her a moment longer, and then he grinned from ear to ear. “That’s great!”

“I’m glad you think so.”

“Don’t you? Mara, think what it means. You’re human again. We can be together now, as equals. I never stopped loving you. Even when I thought I hated you, I couldn’t get you out of my mind.” He reached across the table and took one of her hands in both of his. “Or my heart.” He paused, his brow creasing in a frown. “That guy you were with, you’re not . . . he’s not . . .”

“He’s just a good friend,” she said, and wondered why it sounded like a lie. “I don’t know what I would have done without him these last few months.”

“You could have come to me.”

“Do you really think I would have come back after what you said? The way you looked at me, as if I was some kind of monster?” She wasn’t being entirely fair, and she knew it. To most humans, she had been a monster. There had been times when she had thought of herself that way. But she had expected more from the man who had vowed to love her as long as he lived.

“No, I guess not.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “But that’s all in the past. We’re together now and that’s the only thing that matters.” He smiled at her. “We’re together and we’re going to have a baby. Call me old-fashioned, but I think we should get married.”

“Married!” Now it was her turn to stare.

“Is that such a terrible idea?”

“No, but . . . married?”

“Don’t you think our baby deserves a mother
and
a father?”

“Yes, but . . .” In all her years of existence, Mara had never once contemplated being a wife. Or a mother. Now both were there, within her grasp.

“I love you,” Kyle said quietly. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, grow old with you.”

Mara frowned at him. What was so great about growing old, together or otherwise? Lovers in movies were always talking about growing old together, as if it was something wonderful, but for the life of her, she couldn’t understand their reasoning. Why would anyone want to grow old, get sick, and die?

“Whether you’re human or vampire,” Kyle was saying, “it doesn’t matter to me as long as we’re together.”

“Kyle, I don’t like being human. When this baby is grown, I’m going to ask Logan to bring me over.”

“Why the hell would you want to do that?”

“Because I liked being a vampire. Until this happened, I could scarcely remember what it was like to be mortal.”

Mindful of others in the café, Kyle lowered his voice again. “You liked drinking blood?”

“Yes,” she said, wanting to shock him without knowing why. “I liked that part, too.”

Kyle looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. “I just can’t believe this. I’d think you’d be thrilled to be human again. Grateful for the chance to have children and live an ordinary life.”

“What’s so great about being ordinary?”

With a sigh, Kyle drew his hands away from hers. “Nothing, I guess. I just thought . . .” He shook his head.

“Never mind.”

“What did you think?”

“I thought you loved me.”

The hurt in his voice, the pain in his eyes, made her heart ache. “Kyle, I don’t know how to be human anymore.” Even that wasn’t entirely true. She had finally mastered the art of cooking simple meals, she enjoyed working outside in the yard. She had even applied for a credit card using Logan’s last name and address. She didn’t like being human, but she was determined to make the best of it for as long as she had to, for the baby’s sake.

“I’ll help you,” Kyle said. “I know we could be happy together if you’d just give us a chance.”

Maybe he was right. If she sent him away now, she might never see him again. She had thought herself in love with him once. Perhaps she still was. Confused, she shook her head. She had been happy with Kyle in the past. When he’d left, she had been brokenhearted, certain she would never be happy again, and then Logan had entered her life again . . . Logan who loved her unconditionally. He would never turn his back on her. No matter what she did or what she said, she knew he would be there for her. In spite of Kyle’s declaration of love, she wasn’t sure she could depend on him.

She ran her finger around the rim of his coffee cup. Life would be so much easier if she wasn’t pregnant. But she was, and Kyle was right—her baby deserved a mother and a father. So why was she hesitating? Being human wasn’t all that bad. She might even grow to like it. She enjoyed mortal food. She liked being able to see her reflection in a mirror; in fact, she had spent far too much time admiring herself from every angle until she gained so much weight that she started avoiding anything that reflected her image.

She smiled inwardly. Fat or not, she was still a pretty woman; some said she was beautiful. Kyle was a strikingly handsome man. No doubt their baby would be adorable. But marriage . . . she just wasn’t ready for that, not yet. She might never be ready.

“I’m sorry,” Kyle said, “I don’t mean to pressure you. Will you at least think about what I said?”

How could she refuse him when he had been willing to become a vampire—something he abhorred—just to be with her?