Travis nodded. Ronan wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already know.
“What this coven is doing isn’t a secret anymore,” Ronan continued. “Not since Joey Cannon escaped. No telling how many people have heard his story by now. Most will ignore it as some drunken fantasy, but a few will pay attention. And then there’s Overstreet. He knows vampires exist. He’ll either write Cannon’s story, or he’ll do a full-blown series on this town, the way he did about vampires in general last year.”
“Are you going to kill him, too?”
“I’m not sure. It might be too late for that.”
“You really are a cold-hearted son-of-a—” His head snapped back when Ronan slapped him hard, twice.
“Call me whatever you want, but don’t bad-mouth my mother.”
Stunned by the blow he hadn’t seen coming, Travis licked the blood from his lip, then muttered, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t do it again.”
“Don’t worry, I … the door’s opening. What do we do now?”
“We’re going to grab whoever comes out and see what they have to say.”
Sara tapped her fingers on the arm of the couch as she searched for something to say, but nothing came to mind. She glanced at Overstreet. His eyes were closed. Whether he was asleep or just pretending, she had no idea. Either way, no help was coming from that direction. Feeling ill at ease, Sara smiled at Shannah.
“You don’t have to be afraid of me,” the vampire said. “Or worry about entertaining me. I’m just here to keep you safe.”
Sara worried her lower lip between her teeth, then blurted, “Have you been a vampire a long time?”
“No, it’s a rather recent event.”
“Was it something you wanted?”
“I thought I did. I went looking for a vampire and I found Ronan.”
“Why on earth were you looking for a vampire?” Sara shook her head, unable to believe anyone would purposely do such a thing.
“I was dying and desperate. I sought him out hoping he’d change me. Instead, he gave me some of his blood and it strengthened me and prolonged my life for awhile. I lived with him in his house for quite some time. I even pretended to be him at book signings and interviews. But then, when I was on the verge of death, he turned me against my will. I know it’s hard to believe, since that’s why I went to him in the first place. But after spending time with him, I knew that as much as I loved him, I didn’t want that kind of life.” She blew out a sigh. “For a while, I hated him for it.”
“And now?”
“When I realized what he’d done, I told him I would him never forgive him. Do you know what he said?” Shannah laughed softly at the memory. “He said, ‘Then may it be a long and healthy hatred’.” I felt so lost and confused, I ran away but I couldn’t hide from him. I couldn’t shut his thoughts out of my mind. He begged me to come home. At first, I refused, but he was so patient with me, so kind and understanding. Willing to let me make the choice. In the end, I couldn’t deny the love between us.”
“So you forgave him?”
A faint smile curved her lips. “Love is stronger than hate. He turned me because he felt he couldn’t live without me. And now I know I wouldn’t want to live without him. So, you see, everything worked out for the best.”
“Everything? It doesn’t bother you that you can’t eat or have children, or go out in the sunlight, or do any of the other mundane things ordinary people take for granted?”
“Of course there are things I miss. But Ronan means more to me than anything else in the world.”
Sara nodded pensively. She was falling in love with Travis, a little more every day. But would she ever love him enough to sacrifice everything to stay with him?
It was a troubling question. One for which she had no answer.
“You distract him,” Ronan said as Bowman strolled down the street, “and I’ll take him down.”
Distract him? Travis thought. How the hell do I do that? Stepping out of the shadows, he called, “Hey, Bowman! Are you looking for me?”
Jason stopped on the sidewalk. “As a matter of fact …” The breath whooshed out of his body as Ronan tackled him from behind. They both hit the cement, with Ronan on top, the fingers of one hand biting deep into the other vampire’s neck.
“If you try to get away, your wife and children will pay the price,” Ronan warned.
Jason froze as all the fight went out of him. “What do you want?”
“Answers,” Ronan said. “I’m sure you already know the questions.”
“I can’t tell you anything.”
Ronan dug his fingers a little deeper into the man’s neck, drawing blood. “No?”
“He’ll destroy me.”
“I’ll kill your family.”
Without knowing how he did it, Travis connected with Ronan’s mind. You wouldn’t? Damn you, tell me you wouldn’t kill an innocent woman and her kids.
Ronan glanced over his shoulder to meet Travis’ gaze. Keep your thoughts to yourself!
“What do you want from me?” Jason asked, his voice hard and flat.
“How many people have you got locked up in this place?”
“Go to hell.”
“Travis, go get his wife.”
“She doesn’t know anything!” Jason said, his voice raw with worry.
“But you do.”
Travis took a step closer to his sire. “Ronan, we’ve got trouble.”
“You think I don’t know they’re there?”
Travis watched as a handful of vampires emerged from the darkness to stand in a loose circle around them. Their eyes gleamed a hideous red in the moonlight.
Ronan
