Stealing Time (24 page)

My door key was on the same ring as the Honda’s, and I spun them round and round my index finger—an old habit—as I caught up with the others. Leo carried Kate, who was still out, and James stood by Gage’s shoulder, subtly watching him. It was apparent that there was some effort involved, but Gage was holding his own with a human so close.

My hand shook a little as I tried to put the key in the lock and James eyed me quizzically. “Are you hungry?”

I shook my head. “I’m not sure what I am. A little anxious, I think.”

He wrapped his arms around my waist and waves of reassurance came from him. I shot a smile over my shoulder as my hand steadied and the key found the lock. He grinned and released me, and I went to the keypad to quiet the alarm’s insistent beeping before it could go off.

“The electricity is still on after all this time?” James asked.

“I set everything up on automatic bill pay when I started traveling around the country, looking for a cure,” I said. Standing in the kitchen was surreal. I let my gaze wander around the lovingly hand-stained maple cabinets, the Italian tile counters Gran and I painstakingly installed before my senior year in high school. I gave myself a shake. “I never could stand paying anything late and didn’t want the extra worry.”

“Wow, this is nice,” Gage said as he wandered around.

I dropped my keys on the kitchen counter in the exact spot I’d put them my entire life. This act and the layer of dust covering everything seemed strangely significant.

“Delightful,” Leo enthused, still holding Kate.

“Thanks.”

The uneven hardwood floors, the arched doorways, and small, tidy rooms were filled with a million memories. It seemed that Gran would call out at any moment, wanting to know how school went and reminding me to put my backpack away before changing clothes.

I missed her with the same fierce intensity as the day I watched her coffin lowered into the ground.

Shaking off the mental cobwebs, I said, “Sorry, Leo, come with me.” I led him down the narrow hall to a guest bedroom and moved most of the mountain of pillows out of the way. “You can put her in here.”

Leo placed Kate carefully on the bed and watched as I folded half the comforter over her. Dust tickled my nose and I wondered idly how it would affect Kate, remembering that she’d suffered from raging allergies in college.

“Forgive me, but you do understand that we cannot allow your friend to leave? It is for her safety as much as for ours,” Leo said.

“Yes, I know.” I gestured vaguely. “There are keyed locks on the windows. So she won’t get out of this room unless she breaks one, which we would hear. Just to get to a door, she’d have to come through the hallway to the front or back. But, again, we would hear her. She’s not going anywhere.”

James stood in the doorway. “Are you okay?” he asked and I tried to shake off the melancholy.

“Peachy,” I responded, forcing a half-smile. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”

My little cottage took all of five minutes to explore. James was fascinated by everything, especially the scattering of photos showing me at various times in my life, and he studied each one with care.

“My grandmother had those out. I never got around to putting them away,” I said, warmed by his interest.

“I’m glad.” He smiled softly, touching a finger to an image of me sitting on a fat pony. As usual, the brown beast’s ears were pinned flat.

“That was Barney. Gran referred to him as ‘Devil Spawn.’”

“You rode?”

I nodded. “That photo was taken when I was seven, just after I came to live with her. Gran decided riding would bring me out of my shell. We’d never met before Mama brought me here and our shared interest in horses gave us something to talk about.”

“And the pony?”

Barking a laugh at the memory, I leaned against the built-in bookcase and let my eyes rove over the many framed snapshots. Gran beside the battered tent we took on our numerous camping trips, her wiry steel-gray hair sticking out in all directions, her boyish grin lighting her weathered face. A ten-year-old me sitting in the cockpit of her beloved Cessna, Gran’s too-big leather flying helmet all but obscuring my face…but not my ecstatic smile.

Looking at all the photos, it occurred to me that there weren’t any of the two of us together—we’d been one another’s lives, really, with no one else to hold the camera. And that had been more than enough for me. Gran had been larger than life itself and that she’d shared hers with me—literally, a foundling discovered in her bushes—was a mark of the amazing woman she’d been.

Perhaps I’d do better to remember being found and finally stop dwelling on having been thrown away.

I met James’s concerned eyes and smiled. “Gran bullied an acquaintance into letting me keep Barney fit while his daughter was away at boarding school.” Remembering how the pony had repeatedly kicked, bitten and run away with me, and that I’d adored the spoiled, bad-tempered beast, I laughed again. This time, it was an easier, warmer sound. “Gran was brilliant. I was so busy trying to stay in Barney’s saddle and win him over that I forgot all about myself and Mama.”

James hugged me to him. “Will you show me more photos later?”

“If you’d like. Gran was an avid photographer and had several cartons full.”

His expression lit.

With so many memories pressing on me all at once, I felt too frazzled to be the hostess my southern manners demanded. Needing time alone with James, I saved my bedroom for last—a detail that did not go unnoticed by him.

He closed the door behind us and drew me into his arms. “Your home is beautiful. It fits you quite well.”

“Thank you,” I said, pleased. My gaze wandered around the bedroom, taking in the details I’d lived with so long, but now with the extreme acuity of my vampire eyes. Everything looked the same…and excruciatingly different.

He kissed me on the forehead. “You are tense, love.”

It was difficult to put into words. “When I left on that last trip, I thought I would either come home cured or I’d come home to die. Now, being here like this, it’s…strange.”

He listened with the intensity singular to James—like I had his entire attention and what I said was important to him, no matter how long it took to say it.

Resting my forehead on his shoulder, I thought some more. “I love this house, but it no longer feels like
home.
”

“Why, do you suppose?”

That was a good question. “It feels bound up in my past, and not a place that could be part of the future and who we are.
What
we are.” Lifting my head, I shook the hair back from my face. “Plus, I’m concerned about my neighbors—they’re sure to notice that I’m different. Not just healthy, but
different.
It seems like way too much attention.”

James’s expression was thoughtful. “It is normal for you to feel odd coming home after all that’s happened since you last lived here. As well, you are right to be concerned about the interest of your neighbors.” He glanced toward the window. “And it’s sunny here, which will make it more challenging to hide our eyes when we’re outside.”

“Baseball caps will help, in addition to sunglasses, but you’re right. How long do you think it will be safe for us to stay here?”

“I’m sorry, Evie. But we would be wise to not stay very long. Perhaps a few days. Long enough to make plans for something more long-term.”

“I should sell the house,” I said, trying not to sound wistful.

He studied my expression. “You don’t have to do that.”

“It’s worth a great deal.” Lots in my neighborhood sold for ridiculous prices to buyers who bulldozed the quaint, little houses and built McMansions in their place. My street, Magnolia, was one of the last to have resisted this trend, but it was only a matter of time and I felt sure it would be my house’s fate if it were sold.

He smiled. “That’s not necessary. I have accounts scattered around the world, with a substantial sum in each. There is no need for you to give up your home. Once enough time has passed, it should be safe for us to return here, to enjoy Dallas.”

I eyed him. “You’re not just trying to make me feel better?”

“No, I’m serious. You should have something of your own, something that means a lot to you.”

I relaxed a bit and he smiled as he felt it. His head lowered and he nuzzled along my jaw, down my neck. His teeth lightly grazed my collarbone and I gasped.

“Now I have your attention,” he whispered as his mouth found mine. When I broke the kiss a moment later, James made a little sound of protest.

Musing to myself that I’d needed to come home to see all that I had instead of what little I’d lost, I met James’s darkened gaze. “Ask me,” I whispered.

He went still and I knew he understood exactly what I meant. “Are you sure?”

I kissed him and murmured against his lips, “I’ve never been more sure of anything.”

When I pulled back, his eyes were insanely green and his face seemed lit from within. “Excuse me just a moment, Evie. Stay right there. Don’t go anywhere.” The words spilled from him in a rush as he disappeared at vampire speed. I had no trouble hearing the SUV’s hatch slam shut, then he was back beside me. Taking my hand, he went down on his knee and my throat constricted at the tenderness in his gaze.

He took a deep breath. “All that I am, all that I ever was, and all that I will be, for the time I am given, is yours. I cannot imagine a life without you in it. Evelyn Virginia Reed, would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?”

So many things happened at once. My heart stopped, the world spun, and I flung myself on James, knocking us both to the floor as I shouted, “Yes, yes, yes, yes…” He held me tight, his face against my neck. I could feel him trembling—or maybe that was me.

He freed his trapped hand to reveal a jewelry box. “I’ve been carrying this around with me, just in case, for months.” His cheeks bore a faint flush. “It’s been in my family a very long time, Evie. I would like it to be yours…” He opened the lid to show me the ring inside.

Now I knew with certainty that I was trembling. “It’s perfect,” I breathed. It truly was. Nestled in the antique velvet was a breathtaking platinum ring. Its setting consisted of delicate, intertwining leaves that worked their way upward, vine-like, to cradle a beautifully cut round diamond.

With an enormous smile full of delight, he took the ring from the box and eased it onto my finger. “When everything settles down, I would like very much to find a church, to see you walk down the aisle to me, to have a minister speak the words over us.”

Overcome, I leaned into him and held on with everything I had. “I love you, James,” I whispered.

He pushed the hair back from my face to kiss me tenderly on the forehead, the eyelids. “My love, my Evie,” he murmured and a thrill went through me at the fierce possessiveness in his voice.

A bit later, James and I were in the spare bedroom I’d converted to a home office. We had just turned on the computer and were about to search for New York City news stories to see if anything Jack had said was true. Both of us were unwilling to accept his word, despite his saving Kate from Philippe.

“Your friend is waking up, Evie,” Leo said as he stuck his head in the doorway.

I made a noise. “This should be interesting.”

James smiled, but didn’t say anything. As I passed him, he lifted a hand to caress my cheek and his gaze was warm, understanding.

I went down the hall to the room where Kate was just beginning to stir. I sensed James move into the living room while Leo went to the kitchen—both were positioning themselves close to the front and back doors in case Kate tried to bolt. I appreciated their thoughtfulness, as I didn’t want to be the one to restrain her.

Meanwhile, Gage was resting in the third bedroom, so if there was to be any excitement, he’d miss it.

I moved into the guest room, hesitating on the threshold as the concentrated scent of prey filled the small room and assaulted my senses. I needed a moment before it was safe for me to enter.

I was already in the rocking chair in the far corner when Kate woke with a start.

“Hey, Kate,” I said softly so as not to frighten her.

“Evie?” She blanched and I could practically see the violent memories flooding her thoughts.

“No one is going to hurt you,” I said, keeping still. “You’re safe here.”

She sat rigid, on the edge of hyperventilating. “Where…?” Her voice was hoarse.

“My home in Dallas,” I said, and the normalcy of the answer seemed to anchor her.

“But how…?” she whispered.

“We drove here while you slept.”

“I don’t even know where we were before,” she said, her voice shaky.

“Idaho.”

“Idaho?” she echoed. “How long did I sleep?”

I shrugged, faking nonchalance. “A while. You were very tired.”

She repositioned herself on the bed, crossing her legs and leaning back against the headboard. I interpreted this to mean she was beginning to feel a little calmer.

“There are some things I need to know, Kate,” I said. “Do you feel up to talking?”

She frowned. “There are some things I need to know too.”

I shook my head. If we started with her questions, mine would be a lot harder to get answered—what with all the running and screaming I anticipated.

“Me first,” I said, watching her set her jaw. I knew that look, but started anyway. “What happened? How did Jack find you?”

Kate’s eyes widened at the memory. “I went to James’s exhibit at the Neuwirth. I didn’t have a number for you and Lilith refused to pass along my message when I called. Apparently, James’s anger made a big impression on her.” Kate glared at me. “You didn’t even bother telling me goodbye that day. You just took off. At first I was hurt and then I got pissed. After a while, it occurred to me that you wouldn’t have done it without a reason. And that’s when I decided to try to track you down.”

“I really am sorry,” I said. “But you’re right about there being a good reason.”

“Any plans to tell me what it was?”

“Later. Finish your story first.”

“Judging by the ring on your finger, you got married?” Her expression darkened.

“Engaged. Just a little while ago. We haven’t even told the others yet.” I realized with some guilt that I actually just did, since vampire hearing is so acute. On the heels of this thought, I heard Leo’s enthusiasm in the living room and James’s happy thanks.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” My heart did somersaults with joy and I had to work to keep my expression smooth.

Kate scowled. “I didn’t have any other way to get hold of you and thought, what the hell, I’d go to the exhibit on the off-chance you’d be there.”

“How did it turn out?”

“It was great and the place was packed. Lilith looked happy, so I’m guessing sales were good.” Kate shrugged. “Anyway, I walked around and looked at the paintings. A guy came up and asked if I knew the artist. That’s when I realized he looked familiar, that he was the guy you and James were talking to on the sidewalk. I saw you through the window.”

“Jack.”

“Yes. We got to talking and he asked me out for a drink. He was really good-looking…Besides, he said he had James’s cell phone number in his car and that he’d call to see if you two could join us. We went out front and down the street a little way. I thought we were going to his car. But he grabbed me and held my arms
hard.
” Kate trembled as she rubbed the hand-shaped bruises on her arms. “He was so strong. I tried to scream, but he just
looked
at me and told me to keep quiet. It was strange…like my voice wouldn’t work. I don’t remember what happened next. But when I woke up, I was sitting in your backseat, tied.” Her eyes were wide with fear, but she was holding herself together. “I saw you and the others…outside…”

“I’m sorry about that,” I said, my voice low. “We were in a dangerous situation and didn’t know you were there.”

She swallowed and her expression hardened. “My turn to ask questions.”

Reluctantly, I nodded.

“You and the others…” she faltered.

“James, Jack, Leo, Gage, and me.”

“Yes. I saw James lift Jack over his head and throw him. I saw the tree Jack crashed into just…exploded. I saw you…your teeth.”

“Yes.”

Her voice a whisper, she asked, “What are you?”

Even though I knew this question was coming, I winced. “There isn’t an easy way to answer that one.”

“You’re different, Evie. You’re not the same person I roomed with in college.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m not.”

“What then…?”

To just say it or lead her to it gradually? I doubted it would make a difference—either way, we’d get to the running and screaming. “We’re vampires, Kate.”

She started to laugh but saw from my expression that I was serious.

“What…?”

“You’re safe, though. No one will hurt you,” I said, never having once moved since entering the room. I had also managed to breathe shallowly the entire time, which made being so close to her a bit easier. Well, not easier…more bearable, perhaps.

“Hurt me?” she repeated, her eyes enormous in her pale face.

“We don’t hunt humans.”

“
Hunt?
” Her voice climbed an octave, her eyes grew wild and she began to hyperventilate.

“It’s okay, Kate—you’re okay,” I said, trying to put my will into the words. I was so tentative, though, it didn’t seem to have any effect.

Her eyes darted to the open doorway and back to me, gauging the distance. I had to distract her—anything to keep her from full-blown panic.

“Whatever happened to Brian?” I asked casually.

“What?” She blinked in confusion.

“You know. Brian. The guy you dated in school. I used to spend most of every weekend in the library because the two of you had taken over our dorm room.”

Color tinged Kate’s cheeks. “Oh, um…we broke up after graduation.”

“Good,” I said with some feeling.

A shadow of outrage crossed Kate’s face. “
Good?
”

“Yes. I never liked him. He flirted with me when you weren’t around.”

There was indignation in her voice, more color in her cheeks. “What? But why didn’t you tell me?”

“I tried, but you didn’t want to hear it.”

“He
flirted
with you?” she asked and her heart rate slowed to a more normal speed.

“Yeah. He was such an ass.”

“What did you do?”

“I told him off but he couldn’t have cared less. He acted like it was a great game, messing with me when you weren’t looking.” I leaned my head back on the rocker and grinned at Kate. “The day we graduated, he tried to kiss me and I punched him in the mouth.” James’s anger wafted to me like an air current. “It felt great. Hitting him, I mean.”

Kate’s eyes narrowed. “That sonuva…He said he got the busted lip from falling down the front steps of our dorm building.”

I snorted. “Figures.”

Her gaze flicked from my face to the open door. With a sigh, she leaned against the headboard and studied me. “You’re still in there somewhere, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” I wrinkled my nose. “Just a little more…sturdy than before.” A memory surfaced, drawing a laugh from me. “Remember how we used to buy six-packs of Coke, chug a can each, and try to belch the alphabet?”

She laughed. “I remember I always lost. I couldn’t get past
h
and you’d always get to at least
l.
”

“Yeah, Gran would’ve been proud.” I wasn’t being sarcastic—she really would have been tickled by the tomboy behavior.

Kate’s smile faded and her gaze was appraising. “Will you tell me what happened? Why you and the others are…what you are?”

“Sure.” A little surprised that we just might avoid the screaming and running after all.

James’s love and pride filled me—he was sending again—and I felt my cheeks heat.

“What?” Kate asked, confused.

I shook my head. “It’s kind of a long story. Do you want something to eat before I begin?”

She startled. “You have
food?
”

I laughed out loud. “Yes, there are cans and some other things that might still be okay in the pantry. Nothing in the fridge…well, nothing you would want to eat. I’ve been gone for a while, so what’s in there will be pretty disgusting. But there’s soup and half a box of cereal if you don’t mind eating it without milk. Or I guess we could call for pizza.”

“You never did have much interest in the finer things in life,” Kate remarked. “Cereal would be okay.”

“I’ll go get it.” Since we were talking openly, I didn’t see a point in camouflaging my speed, so I shot to the kitchen and back to the bedside in the span of a few seconds. Kate’s face froze as she registered the cereal box in my hand.

“Um, thanks,” she said, taking it from me.

“You’re welcome.” I went back to sit in the rocking chair.

I sensed James and turned to see him in the doorway, leaning against the frame and smiling kindly.

Kate’s eyes flitted to him and back to me.

His voice was warm and the little room filled with his presence. “I wanted to see if you would like anything else, Kate? I saw some bottled water in the kitchen.”

She nodded and James turned away, and was back an instant later, handing a bottle to her. Kate’s eyes were huge and her hand shook as she took the water. Then he was gone—because of his speed, it would seem to Kate that he vanished.

I chuckled. “He’s quite something, isn’t he?”

Stunned, she nodded.

“I’m a lucky woman,” I said, hearing the smugness in my voice…as well as his chuckle from the other room.

Kate opened the box and ate a handful. She made a face but kept on eating, so I assumed the cereal wasn’t too stale. “You’re both very fast.”

“We all are.”

“You were going to tell me how you became…what you are.”

So I did, beginning with Dr. Katzen’s appointment. “It wasn’t that I wanted to live forever. I just didn’t want to die…”

It took a significant amount of time—hours, in fact—but she listened, rapt, and didn’t interrupt. Her face blanched several times, I heard her breath catch at least as often, and on each occasion, I paused. But she would just breathe deeply and motion me to continue.

Finally, I brought the story up to the present, to Kate and me sitting in my guest room. Gage had joined James and Leo in the living room and, while I could hear them talking, I didn’t bother focusing to make out their words.

She stared at me openly, her expression fascinated. “I have no idea what to say.”

“I know. It’s a lot to absorb.”

“Where does this leave me, though?”

I sighed. “No idea, Kate.”

“I can’t go home, can I?”

“No.”

She leaned her head back on the headboard to stare at the ceiling—this was the first time she’d taken her eyes off me and I understood the implied trust. “But I can’t exactly stay with all of you either, can I?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but…well, it’s difficult having you so close.”

“Gee, is there a
right
way to take that?” she asked, rolling her eyes. “I mean, seriously?”

I laughed—she had a point.

“Is it difficult for you right now?” she asked.

I studied her for a long moment before answering, debating how much to share. “It requires some effort. And…vigilance.”

“Vigilance?”

“Yes. Toward my reactions.”

She considered this. “So some part of you wants to kill me.”

I winced. Kate had always been blunt, a characteristic I usually appreciated. “Not to put too fine a point on it, yes.”

“A lot?”

“Kate!”

“But why? What is it exactly? How I look? How I smell?”

“Dammit, Kate! I’m trying not to think about it.” There was some growl in my voice and I had to tighten the leash on my hunger.

She startled. “What about the others?”

I breathed shallowly. “Leo and James have much better control, but, yes, they have the same desires. It’s just our nature. Instincts lie very close to the surface for us.”

“And the other one? Gage?”

I hesitated, the need to be honest with Kate warring with loyalty to Gage. “It’s harder when we’re younger.”

“Younger?” she asked, confused.

“More recently changed,” I clarified. “Gage doesn’t
want
to hurt you—he’s a good guy and he’s really trying. Besides, Leo and James are helping him and will make sure there aren’t any accidents.”

“Accidents?” Kate echoed, her voice a whisper. “That would be bad, right?”

I nodded.

She looked at me sideways. “What about you?”

“What about me?” I asked, confused.

“Who’s helping you?”

“I’m doing okay.” This didn’t seem to reassure her. “Look, if I was close to losing it, James would know and he’d be in here.” At my words, his loving mental touch was like gossamer.

Kate swallowed hard. “So what now? I know you. You’re not going to just sit around and let Philippe screw with you and the people you care about.”