Kari nodded, thinking that was probably the best thing to do.
"Thank you for your help," he murmured, and taking Karinna into his arms, he kissed her.
She swayed against him. The fate of the wizard's daughter faded away with the rest of the world as his lips claimed hers. She wondered briefly if all vampires kissed as well and as thoroughly as he did, and then she surrendered to the magic of his mouth on hers. His tongue was like a flame as it dueled with her own in a timeless dance of mating, making her yearn for more than kisses. His hands skimmed over her back, massaged her nape, delved into her hair, each touch a wish and a promise.
She was drowning in an endless sea of sensual pleasure when her tongue brushed his fangs. She drew back with a little cry of alarm.
He stared down at her, his eyes glowing with hunger and desire. "I should go," he said abruptly, then left her standing there battling a hunger of her own.
When her breathing returned to normal and her heart stopped pounding, Kari went into the kitchen, thinking a glass of ice water might cool her ardor. It eased her thirst but did nothing to quench the physical desire he had aroused in her. No other man had ever affected her the way Rourke did, she thought, and technically, he wasn't even a man. He was a vampire. She had to remember that, but somehow, with the taste of his kisses still on her lips, it didn't seem to matter.
"Was that Rourke?" Ana Luisa asked when Kari returned to the living room.
"Yes."
"I thought I heard his voice." Ana Luisa looked past Kari. "Where is he?"
"He had to go out for a little while," Kari replied. Taking a seat on the sofa, she curled one leg beneath her. "He should be back soon."
"Oh." Ana Luisa returned her attention to the TV for a few minutes, her expression one of disappointment.
Kari tried to concentrate on the program Ana Luisa was watching, but she kept glancing at the door, wondering when Rourke would return.
When the program ended, Ana Luisa yawned, then rose gracefully to her feet. "If you will excuse me, I should like to retire."
"Sure. Good night." Kari flipped through the channels until she found a movie she hadn't seen. She didn't know how long Rourke would be gone, but with each passing minute, it grew harder and harder to keep her eyes open. Trying to stay awake was a losing battle. The flight and the stress of the last few days were catching up with her.
Going into her room, Kari slipped on a T-shirt and her favorite pair of pajama bottoms, brushed her teeth, and fell into bed, wondering if she would ever be able to call her life her own again.
Rourke stalked the drifting shadows of the night, his hunger and his impatience growing as he searched for prey.
He had just turned down a dark street lined with older homes when he sensed a presence behind him. Whirling around, fangs bared, Rourke found himself face-to-face with another vampire. Startled, he could only stare. Except for Melina, he had not seen another vampire in centuries. Before Vilnius had cursed him, Rourke had wondered from time to time if he and Melina were the last of their kind. Obviously, they were not.
"Who are you?" the stranger demanded, his voice laced with arrogance. "And what are you doing in my territory?"
"Rourke," Jason replied coolly. "I was unaware that this territory had been spoken for."
"Yeah, well, now you know."
"You would do well to treat your elders with respect, fledgling," Rourke said, baring his fangs.
The other vampire reached out with his preternatural power, testing that of the stranger in his domain.
Rourke met it with a rush of his own force, grinned inwardly as the younger vampire realized, with something of a shock, that he was the weaker of the two. But he didn't back down.
"This is still my territory," the young vampire said belligerently.
"Only as long as you can keep it," Rourke retorted, annoyed by the younger man's surly attitude. "What is your name?"
"Ramon Vega."
"Are you the only other vampire in this area?"
"No, there are three others."
"Did you make them?"
"What if I did?"
In a movement so fast Vega never saw it coming, Rourke's hand closed around his throat. "I do not like your tone," he said coldly, "or your attitude. You will change both, or I will rip out your heart." His hand tightened around Vega's throat. "Do you understand me?"
Vega nodded. For the first time, there was a faint hint of fear in the vampire's eyes, along with a healthy dose of respect.
"How long have you been a vampire?" Rourke asked.
"Almost five years."
"And the ones you made?"
"I brought Maitland across three years ago. Nita about a year ago, and Jan last month."
"Where are they now?"
"Back at my place."
"Just so you know, I intend to stay here as long as it pleases me. Do you have a problem with that?"
"No, man. Hell, stay as long as you like."
With a nod, Rourke released his hold on the other vampire. "I do not want to see you again."
Vega rubbed his throat. "Don't worry, you won't," he said, and melted into the shadows.
Rourke stared after him, wondering if the vampire had meant his parting words as assurance or threat.
With a shake of his head, Rourke continued on down the street, drawn by the scent of prey.
Chapter 15
Ana Luisa stared up at the ceiling, her thoughts muddled. She was happy to be out from under her father's curse, delighted to be free again, thrilled to see Jason again. At the same time, she was frightened by a world that was totally foreign to her. Thus far, save for a few buildings in Bucharest, she had seen nothing that was remotely familiar. But then, after three hundred years, she supposed that was to be expected. Life went on, people changed, the world changed. It bothered her that she recalled so little of her past life. Would her memories return, in time, or had they been lost forever, wiped out in the void of the last three centuries?
So many changes...
Earlier, she had followed the woman, Karinna, from room to room, her mind spinning as she tried to understand what she was seeing. So many new things to learn. A big white box that kept food cold on one side, yet kept things frozen solid on the other. She liked the box with pictures that moved and talked, although she didn't comprehend most of what she saw or heard. There was another square box that washed and dried the woman's dishes, and other boxes that washed and dried her clothes. Truly incredible, as was the metal box that Karinna had called a stove. It had flames in small rings on the top that were used for cooking, as well as an oven that lit itself, making it unnecessary to haul wood into the house. A most amazing thing! Even more astonishing was a rectangular box that heated food in moments and cooked a meal in minutes. In the room Karinna called the bathroom, there was a small round bowl where one relieved oneself, and then, with the push of a lever, it swept everything away. Truly a kind of modern magic, she thought. Imagine, no smelly chamber pots that had to be emptied every morning. There was even special paper to use to wipe oneself. It was all so new, so different from the life she had once known. She wondered if she would ever get used to the world in which she now found herself. It occurred to her that she was trapped here, just as surely as she had been trapped in her father's painting. Only there was no escape now. Like it or not, this was her new home. She had to admit, there were things she liked. Bathing, for instance, was most pleasurable.