Immortal Sins

Page 21

"So they say."
"Well, stay away from those old tombs."
"Don't worry."
"Are you sure you don't want to vacation somewhere closer to home? I mean, what if you go all that way and then find out you two don't have as much in common as you seem to think, or you have a fight? You won't be able to make a graceful exit and head for home."
"I'll be fine, Trish. Sheesh. You sound like my mother."
"How soon are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow night."
"Well, since I can't talk you out of it, have fun. And be careful!"
"Yes, mom."
"I mean it, Kari," Tricia said soberly. "You haven't known him very long and now you're going off to a foreign country with him. The world's a scary place these days, so keep your eyes open and..."
"Be careful, I know. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"Do you need a ride to the airport?" Tricia asked.
"No, thanks, I've got it covered."
"Well, call me as soon as you get back, and I mean the very minute."
"I will, I promise."
"Send me a postcard. Oh, and be sure to take lots of pictures."
"Right. Talk to you soon."
Taking pictures was the last thing on Kari's mind. But now that Tricia had brought it up, Kari went searching for her digital camera.
She spent the rest of the day getting ready for the trip. She packed a suitcase for herself and another one for Rourke. He had told Kari that he thought she and Ana Luisa were about the same height and build, and with that thought in mind, Kari went to the mall and bought a loose-fitting dress, a pair of low-heeled shoes, a bra and panties, a coat, and a nightgown for Ana Luisa, figuring the girl would most likely need some contemporary clothing to wear on the plane, and something to sleep in when they got back home.
She went to a bookstore and picked up a couple of paperbacks so she would have something to take her mind off the flight and the reason for it.
On the way home, she stopped at Mel's to pick up the hearse. She shivered as she slid behind the wheel and backed it out of the driveway. She had never liked scary parties, scary movies, or scary stories, and now she was living a scary story of her own, although she had to admit Rourke wasn't really scary, just a little strange.
Back at home, she checked her suitcase to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything and made sure her plane tickets and the paperbacks were in her handbag, along with a couple of candy bars. She called Pizza Joe's and ordered a ham and pineapple pizza, then went into the kitchen to clean out the refrigerator of anything perishable.
The pizza and Rourke arrived at the same time.
He wrinkled his nostrils against the stink of meat and cheese and tomato sauce as he shouldered his way past the young man delivering the pizza.
Kari scowled at Rourke as she closed the door. "Don't look like that. Pizza's very good. Have you ever tried it?"
"Of course not."
Silly question, she thought. It hadn't even been invented when he was born. She dropped the box on the coffee table, then went into the kitchen for a soda. When she returned, Rourke was sitting on the sofa, remote in hand.
He surfed the channels while she ate.
She couldn't imagine not being able to eat pizza, or bread, or bananas. How did he survive on nothing but blood? "Don't you ever get tired of consuming the same thing night after night?"
"What is your favorite food?"
"I don't know. I have a lot of them. Chocolate, I guess."
"Do you eat it every day?"
She shrugged. "Pretty much."
"Do you ever get tired of it?"
"Of course not, but I eat other things, too. I mean, I suppose I'd get tired of chocolate if I couldn't eat anything else." Even as she said the words, she doubted it would be true.
She ate another slice of pizza, washed it down with soda, then sat back, feeling pleasantly comfortable and content until Rourke switched off the TV and turned his full attention to her.
"Have you made all the necessary arrangements?"
"Yes. We have to be at the airport at seven o'clock tomorrow night. Our flight leaves at eight."
He nodded.
"I packed everything I thought you'd need, but you might want to take a look and make sure I didn't forget anything."
He nodded again. "Have you made arrangements for Ana Luisa?"
"Yes. I bought her a dress and shoes, and a coat and a nightgown and some other things. They're in my suitcase. Does she speak English?"
"When I knew her, she did not, but she may have learned it, as I did, from hearing it spoken."
"How are we going to get her on the plane? She doesn't have a passport or any identification."
"She will travel with me."
Kari stared at him. "With you?" She tried to imagine herself alive and locked inside a coffin for fifteen hours and knew she would go stark raving mad. She shook her head. "That won't work. I read somewhere that it's, you know, like freezing in the cargo hold, and they don't pipe any oxygen in there, either. She'd suffocate."
He looked thoughtful a moment. "I will think of something."
"Yeah?" she asked skeptically. "Like what?"
He shrugged. "Do you have a better idea?"
"No, but..."
"It will be all right."
"If you say so. Where's her painting located?"
"It is in a museum in Bucharest."
"How are you going to get it?"
He lifted one brow. "How do you think?"
"I don't suppose you plan to buy it?"
"No."
She tried not to think of what would happen if he got caught, and then wondered why she was worried. He was a vampire, after all. If anyone saw him, he could simply disappear, or wipe his memory from the person's mind.
She felt a wave of heat when she realized he was watching her, a hungry expression in his eyes. "Have you, ah, fed tonight?"
"No."
She lifted her hand to her neck. "Maybe you should."
His gaze moved to the pulse throbbing in the hollow of her throat. The weight of his gaze was like a physical touch warming her skin. Slowly, she shook her head. "Don't."
"A taste, Karinna?" His voice moved over her like a velvet caress. "Only a taste and then I will go."
How could she refuse him when he asked so sweetly, when she could hear the yearning in his voice, see the hunger in his eyes?
With a sigh, she brushed her hair away from her neck. "Just one taste? You promise?"
"I promise." He closed the distance between them. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her up against him. "Do not be afraid."
"I'm...I'm not."
He smiled at her. "I can hear the rapid beat of your heart, smell your fear." He stroked her cheek. "Do not be afraid of me, Karinna."
His breath was warm against her skin, his voice low and almost hypnotic. With a sigh, she leaned against the back of the sofa and closed her eyes. A shiver of anticipation ran down her spine as he licked her skin. She remembered tasting his blood, and liking it.
His mouth was hot against her skin. There was no pain in his bite, only warmth. She moaned softly, lost in a world of sensual pleasure that spread throughout her body. Why had she been afraid? Why had she made him promise to take just a taste? Maybe, if she held very still, he wouldn't stop....
She felt bereft when he let her go. He went into the kitchen, returned a moment later with a glass of grapefruit juice.
"Here," he said, offering it to her. "Drink this."
Obediently, she took the glass and drank the contents. The taste, the coolness, quickly restored her.
He was watching her carefully. "Karinna?"
"Hmm?"
"How do you feel?"
"Wonderful." She lifted a hand to her neck, her fingertips tingling as she touched the place his mouth had been. "Do you want some more?"
A wry smile tugged at his lips. "Do not tempt me."
"It should be disgusting," she remarked candidly. "Why isn't it?"
"Because I do not wish it to be."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
"It is up to the vampire whether the experience is pleasant or painful."
Kneeling in front of her, he took one of her hands in his. A sizzle of awareness skittered over her palm and spread up her arm.
"I would never hurt you, Karinna. I owe you more than I can ever repay." He lifted her hand and kissed her palm. "And now, you should go to bed."
"Are you going out to...you know?"
"Feed," he said, nodding. "Is it so hard for you to accept that you cannot say the word?"
"No. Yes. I wish..." She shook her head. "Never mind."
"What do you wish?"
"Nothing."
"You are jealous?"
"Of course not!" It was inconceivable to think she was jealous of the women he fed on. But she was, and they both knew it.
The following morning, Kari woke with butterflies in her stomach. Her nervousness grew worse with every passing minute. She wasn't looking forward to getting on the plane. She was having second thoughts about the reason for their journey. She was ashamed and annoyed by the flashes of jealousy that plagued her whenever she thought about Ana Luisa and the witch's relationship with Rourke. She was afraid that Rourke might somehow get caught in trying to free the girl.
To pass the time, she repacked her suitcase. She called her mother. She went to the mall and had her nails done. She called Tricia. She fixed a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch, then tried to calm her nerves with two candy bars and a bowl of chocolate ice cream. It didn't help. She dusted and vacuumed and did two loads of laundry, but all she could think about was the plane crashing, or Rourke winding up in prison for breaking and entering, leaving her stranded and alone in a foreign country.