Arriving at The Nocturne, he parked in the lot, nodded to the man at the door, and went inside.
It was like coming home—the dim lights, the flickering candles, the scent of heated bodies and beating hearts.
He sought out a table in the back of the room, wishing that he could drown the voice of his conscience in a bottle of whiskey, but those days were gone. Unfortunately, there was no forgetfulness in a Bloody Mariah.
Perhaps it would be best for all concerned if he simply left town. No tearful good-byes. No explanations. Just pack up and go. Sure, Cara was bound to be hurt. No doubt she would believe he had just pretended he cared for her so he could get her in the sack; still, in the long run, maybe that would be kinder than telling her he loved her but that they couldn’t have a future together.
Or he could simply tell her that he was a vampire. One thing was certain. No matter what he told her, he was going to have to leave town. He couldn’t stay here. He didn’t have the willpower to be in the same city and not seek her out.
But did he have the willpower to leave?
Cara sat curled up in a corner of the sofa, the book in her lap forgotten. She had gone to bed two hours ago, only to lie awake, wondering why Vince had seemed so distant and why he had left so early. Rising, she had tried to read, but the words made no sense. All she could think about was Vince. Had he tired of her? Was he seeing someone else? It was hard to believe he could be seeing another woman so late at night, but not impossible. The hours the two of them kept were proof of that.
Something was wrong. She knew it, but what? She couldn’t put her finger on anything specific, and yet he seemed to be withdrawing from her in a way she didn’t understand.
She told herself she was just imagining it, that everything was all right, but deep inside, she knew he was keeping something from her. She just hoped it wasn’t anything as horrible as the secret her parents had kept for so long. She blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. The only thing she could think of that would be as devastating as learning that her parents were vampires was discovering that Vince was seeing someone else.
Going into the kitchen, she fixed a cup of hot chocolate, hoping it would help her sleep.
It didn’t.
Later, lying in bed, she stared up at the ceiling, silent tears dripping down her cheeks.
Sitting in the dark at The Nocturne, Vince was all too aware of Cara’s pain, and equally aware that he was the cause of it. With every fiber of his being, he yearned to go to her, to draw her into his embrace and wipe away her tears.
Instead, he went home to pack.
Cara rose early after a restless night. She took a quick shower, dressed, drank a glass of grapefruit juice, and drove to Vince’s garage, determined to find out what was wrong and make it right.
Getting out of her car, she stared in disbelief at the hand-printed sign on the door.
BUILDING FOR RENT
Cara went cold all over. Going around to the office, she peered through the window. There were no cars inside waiting to be repaired, and no sign of Vince’s car, either.
Pulling her cell phone from her purse, she dialed the number of the garage, felt her heart somersault at the sound of his voice.
“Hi, this is Vince. I’ve closed the garage and left town. If this is Phil, you can pick your car up at the Shell station across the street. If you’re a customer with a car that needs repairs, try Don’s Auto Shop on Fourth Street.” There was a slight pause, then, in a softer tone, “If this is Cara, I’m sorry.”
She stared at the phone, unable to believe he had left town, left her, without a word of explanation.
When Cara went to work, Sarah Beth took one look at her face and knew something terrible had happened.
“What is it?” She followed Cara into her office and closed the door. “For goodness’ sake, girl, you’re as pale as a ghost. What’s wrong? Did someone die?”
Cara shook her head. “It’s Vince.”
“What happened? Did you two have a fight?”
“He’s gone.”
“Gone? Gone where?”
“I don’t know. He left town.”
“Just like that?”
Cara nodded, unable to speak past the lump rising in her throat.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
With a shake of her head, Cara sniffed back the tears that were waiting to fall. She had to pull herself together, had to believe he would call and explain. She clung to that thought like a lifeline.
“Cara…”
She took a deep, calming breath. “I’m fine, Bethy. I’d just like to be alone.”
“Sure, hon. I’m here if you need me.”
“I know. Thanks.”
Cara waited until Sarah Beth left, then, needing to be busy, she reached for the stack of mail on her desk.
He didn’t call that day or the next. By the end of the week, she had resigned herself to the fact that he was never going to call. By the middle of the following week, she was convinced she had gotten exactly what she deserved. She had met a stranger in a bar and had impulsively and foolishly believed everything he told her. She had taken him into her house, into her heart, and into her bed. And what did she have to show for it? Nothing but an empty bed and a broken heart. She pressed a hand to her stomach as a new thought occurred to her. Good Lord, what if she was pregnant?
She fretted over the possibility for the next three days and then resolutely put it from her mind. It was almost Halloween, her favorite holiday, and she wasn’t going to let him spoil it for her.
Chapter 29
Serafina glanced at the clock on the wall, counting the hours until dusk. Everything was in readiness. A baby rested in the crib downstairs, drugged to insure it would sleep through the night. She had the necessary herbs: rosemary, yarrow, and meadow rue. Even now, Anton was on his way to pick up DeLongpre’s daughter. As soon as the girl was safely in the lab, Anton would deliver a message to DeLongpre. Serafina had no doubt the vampire would do as he was told when he realized his daughter’s life depended on his compliance.
It was All Hallow’s Eve.
Soon had finally come.
Tonight, she would be with her beloved.
Chapter 30
Anton pulled into the parking lot behind the library just as the sun went down. Instead of parking in one of the spaces for patrons, he parked close to the back door. He sat there for a moment, wondering at the wisdom of what he was doing. Did he really believe his mother could raise his father from the dead? True, he had seen his mother perform some remarkable incantations in the last few weeks, but raising the dead? Still, the need to avenge his father’s death, a need his mother had drummed into him every day of his life for as long as he could remember, burned strong within him. What did it matter if she killed a vampire? DeLongpre was already dead. They would return the baby to its parents in a few hours. And Cara…he felt a twinge of regret at the thought of her demise, but it was quickly swept away in the embarrassment of her choosing Vince over himself. Foolish girl. She would reap the consequences of that foolish decision tonight.