Matters of the Blood Read online

  It really wasn't. I just wanted to find out if he or Andrea had had anything to do with Marty's death. Until then, everything else was moot, including my total fascination with him.

  "What I want to know is about the other night,” I said. “When I took you home from the mortuary, you were looking for my cousin. Why?"

  "Sorry, it's personal.” His voice was curt.

  "Not anymore,” I said. “It's sharing time, bucko. My cousin had a perfect set of fang marks on his very dead neck. I need to know if you had anything to do with it."

  Adam moved nearly too fast for me to see. He grabbed both my arms, his face inches from mine.

  "What do you mean?” His anger swept over me, washing heat and pain across my body in those four small words.

  I stood nearly as fast as he had, slid out of his grasp and backed away to stand at least five feet from him.

  "Back up,” I warned. “I'm not in the mood for playing games.” At least not any more.

  "How did you do that?” He sounded amazed. He'd probably not imagined that a human woman could have moved that quickly or removed herself from his clutches quite so easily. Surprise, surprise, surprise, Mr. Adam Walker. You aren't the only one with a closet to come out of.

  "Never mind that now,” I said, crossing my arms to put more distance between us. “Why did you need to see Marty?"

  "I didn't kill him. I didn't even know he was dead.” He sounded angry. “You think so little of me you believe I'd kill your cousin?"

  I frowned, my eyes narrowing. “I don't know what to think.” I said. “Hell, I just found out you're a vampire and I've known you for years."

  "We don't exactly have vampire pride parades, Keira. Waving banners and wearing little ribbons is not our style."

  I almost had to laugh at this. But I didn't.

  "Okay, then,” I said. “If you didn't kill him, then why does a vampire need to talk to the local funeral director?"

  Oh, shit, I thought, as the words spilled out of my mouth. I just thought of a dozen reasons. Coffins. Any style in the catalog, no doubt. What if all he'd needed was to buy a new place to sleep or something? That could explain Marty's sudden riches and his ties to the ranch.

  He sat back down at his end of the swing before he answered me. One pale hand grasped the chain. He motioned with the other one for me to sit. I did, but cautiously. I wasn't going to give him another chance to grab me.

  "I wasn't seeking him out because of his profession,” Adam said. “There have been some strange things happening around my ranch. My investigations led to your cousin."

  "Strange, as in what?” Don't be stupid, Keira. Mutilated deer ... duh.

  "I had evidence leading me to believe your cousin was involved with a couple of locals of the not too savory variety."

  "The Albrights."

  "You know them?"

  "They've been minor criminals around here for awhile,” I said. “I'm pretty sure the two of them were mixed up in some scheme or something with my cousin."

  "'Or something’ is close to correct,” Adam said. “My wildlife manager caught the Albrights trespassing. He thought they were poaching, but there was no proof. We had to let them go."

  "You have a wildlife manager?” I smiled a little.

  "Is that so unusual?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “Guess it's so ... mundane.” I wasn't really sure what I meant.

  He laughed, throwing his head back and obviously enjoying himself. “My life is less exotic than you might think, Keira. I run a business—an inn, restaurant, a game preserve. I do what it takes. My wildlife manager is as dedicated to the health and welfare of the stock as I am."

  "Is he like you, too?” I asked.

  "An environmentalist? An animal lover?” His eyes danced as he teased me.

  "You know what I mean. Vampire."

  "He is,” Adam said. “We came here together. Niko takes care of the property and wildlife, I handle the rest of the business. We've known each other a long time."

  "Great. So, I'm guessing here, but I'm betting the Wild Moon is a home away from coffin for vamps?"

  "In a way,” he laughed. “I offer a place for my kind to stay."

  "So why did you all think the Albrights were poaching?"

  Adam lost some of the humor in his eyes. “Niko found evidence of hunting, field dressing, remains of dead animals in various areas of the ranch. The Sitka deer were just the last in a long string. It's been happening over the past few months. We were able to keep it quiet, until now. I'd hoped it would stop after the guests arrived. But it didn't.

  "The other night, while patrolling, Niko ran across the Albrights, driving around on ranch property, outside the private fenced area. Their truck contained several guns, a scent of blood, but no actual animal parts. He followed them to the funeral home."

  "I'm pretty sure Marty was paying them for something,” I said. “But, come on, Adam, this is the Texas Hill Country. Every good ol’ boy with any self-respect has a truck full of guns."

  Adam shook his head. “The guns had recently been fired. Niko could smell the gunpowder. The blood scent was fresh."

  "You knew this and you let them go?” I was a little surprised. If this had happened on clan territory, the trespassers would have just vanished. Forever.

  "What would you expect me to do with them?"

  I shrugged. “I guess I thought your kind of justice might be a little less ... average?"

  "Making them disappear?"

  "Something like that."

  "We may be vampires, Keira, but we're not the mob. That kind of vengeance doesn't happen anymore."

  It does in my family, I thought. “So you let them go and tracked them back to my cousin."

  Adam nodded. “I meant to confront him. Glamour him if needed. Find out what they were doing with the animals ... and why my ranch."

  "Oh, shit,” I exclaimed.

  "What?"

  "It just occurred to me. The mortuary's a great place for stashing dead meat. Big walk-in refrigerator, totally too much for the place, nearly always empty. Who's going to go in there besides Marty?"

  "You think it's a possibility?"

  "Anything's possible. Marty wasn't the brightest bulb in the lamp. He always needed money. I imagine they thought they could make quick bucks from city boys who could pass off a poached deer as their own kill. Hunting season doesn't open for another couple of weeks. They probably couldn't care less about buying a hunting license."

  "It makes a twisted sort of sense,” Adam said. “The only thing I don't understand is this last kill. I don't understand it. Why a couple of young Sitka deer? Not much in the way of trophies or even meat there They didn't even take the bodies, just the heads. There are more exotics wandering around here that would fetch a premium."

  Now it was my turn for a little truth or consequences.

  "They didn't kill those particular deer,” I said, watching him for a reaction. “At least they didn't do the hunting down part. But they might have come by afterward and taken advantage."

  Adam started to say something but stopped abruptly as he looked at me. I think he realized he needed to be quiet and let me speak. Good choice.

  I couldn't look at him and stared down at the even wooden floorboards of the porch. “I had a vision, a nightmare."

  My voice was quiet, but even.

  He responded in the same low tones. “Does this happen often?"

  I didn't quite answer. “I saw the hunt in a dream, Adam. It wasn't the Albrights."

  "Could you tell who it was?” he asked.

  "No, I never saw their faces. But they were something that hunted for food, for blood, not for pleasure. Whoever took the heads came much later."

  "You're sure about that?"

  I nodded. “Positive. Believe me, I remember every detail.” I looked at him and asked the question that had crossed my mind as soon as I'd realized what he was. “So, I guess it wasn't anyone you know."

  His face set in a gri
m scowl. “We care for animals here, Keira. We don't hunt them."

  "Sorry, just asking,” I said. “No offense, but you have to admit, it did cross my mind. I didn't mean to imply anything."

  "None taken,” he said. “I must admit that I'm a bit touchy about this. I suppose I'm more than a little tired of the stereotypes, of these horrible movies, and novels that presume to know us."

  "Evil cruel vampire, bloodsucker, killer, seducer of young virgins.” As soon as I'd said the words I wished I could take them back.

  But Adam had a sense of humor.

  "Exactly that. Some things are real, some aren't. Some are just open to interpretation.” He grinned. “Like that last one."

  I blushed, the heat rising from my boot-clad toes to the top of my head. I was not going there right now. I also wasn't going to mention the fact that my dream-self had fed on those deer, too. Although, I suddenly realized, of all people, he might understand the need I'd felt for the blood. That certainly opened up another door of possibility. I guess Bea had been right, damn her. This would make things easier—that is, if he really hadn't killed my cousin. Time to talk about different things.

  "Look, Keira. I can't say for certain no one here hunted those deer. It's not likely, but I need to talk to Niko. There are some things I can't share with you yet, but I promise if it has anything to do with your cousin's death, I'll tell you."

  "You'll tell me and not the sheriff?” I smiled again.

  "If I'm right,” he said, “this is personal business ... and deals with things that our eager young sheriff only has nightmares about."

  I met his eyes and knew his meaning. Matters of the dark needed to stay in the dark. Matters of power, blood, and the hunt weren't to be shared with any human, not even the law.

  But there was something else I had to tell him. “Adam, just so you know, I do have another theory about Marty."

  "What's that?"

  How could I explain without actually going into too many details? He'd revealed himself to me, but I wasn't ready to share all my family angst. I was still trying to figure out how to tell him about my own personal little secret ... the difference he'd seen in me.

  "You never actually met Marty, right?"

  Adam nodded and I continued.

  "He was always kind of a geek, an outsider, never actually fitting in with any group. He hated it. The possibility occurred to me that somehow, Marty met up with a vampire and let him, or her, drain him on purpose. Thinking it was cool, or that he'd come back powerful or whatever.” That should work. I didn't want anyone to suffer consequences if Marty had asked for it.

  "He knew about our kind?"

  I shrugged. “Maybe, he could have. I don't know. I only saw the marks after he was dead, not before. If someone was chomping on Marty's neck on a regular basis, I wouldn't necessarily have noticed."

  "He was your cousin. You wouldn't have noticed?"

  "We weren't exactly close. I'd never had any reason to go pulling down his collar. Adam, really, I kept out of Marty's life as much as possible."

  "Keira, let me do some investigating. I'll try to find out for you. On both issues."

  "Also ... the only thing I can be sure of is that the hunters weren't human,” I said. “Is there anyone besides vampires around—shifters, maybe?"

  "What do you mean by ‘shifters'?"

  He sounded puzzled, but I was just as puzzled at his question. Admittedly, the two groups didn't exactly hang out together on a regular basis, at least not that I knew of, but if, as I'd finally realized, he was running a resort where vamps could vacation, why not shifters, too? It made sense to me.

  "You know, shapeshifters,” I explained. “Maybe you call them something else?"

  He burst out laughing, the sound slid over me, bubbles of mirth rolling off my skin, almost tangible enough to touch. Damn, he'd been holding back on me. I suppose now that I knew what he was, he wouldn't hide his power. But that still didn't make the laugh any easier to take.

  "You're laughing at me?” I sat up, my body stiff, already feeling the resentment.

  He turned in the seat to face me and I could see the realization creep across his face. “You're not joking."

  "Of course I'm not freakin’ joking,” I said, letting the anger show in my voice. This was hard enough to do without being laughed at.

  "Keira, I'm sorry,” he said, “but I don't know how much you know about the supernatural world. Vampires can't shapeshift. Werewolves and such are all part of the myths and legends that get mixed up in our reality.” I started to speak, but he held up his hand. His voice was kind, but just this side of condescending.

  "I suppose I should have explained before you leapt to any conclusions—"

  "Conclusions, my ass!” I jumped up, furious at the implication. So he was Mr. Know-it-all, was he? Just because his personal belief system was flawed and he couldn't accept the truth. I was so out of here. This was worse than being gay and coming out in a family of homophobes. However distasteful to them, at least no one told you your kind didn't even exist.

  I turned on my heel and stalked across the porch, flying down the steps.

  "Keira, wait.” He was standing in front of me, blocking my way on the path. I hadn't seen any movement. He definitely wasn't hiding his abilities any longer.

  I pushed at him but he didn't budge.

  "Get out of my way,” I said.

  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult you,” he said. “It's just that, well..."

  He shrugged and smiled at me, his fangs peeking out just a little. I supposed he could retract them when he wanted since I'd never seen any evidence of them before ... and we'd spent many an evening talking, flirting and laughing together.

  But damn it, at least I admitted I didn't know much about other species of supernaturals, why the hell was he being such a jerk about it?

  "Well, what, Adam?” I said. “I'm not insulted, I'm angry. You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

  "I suppose you do?"

  His sardonic tone matched the clever arrogance of his pose. Damn it, he looked so good doing it, too. He stood with his arms loosely crossed over his chest, the pure black of the silk contrasting with the clear pale skin, green eyes smoldering at me in the dark. But I wasn't going to let a little lust distract me. Okay, a lot of lust.

  "Yes, I most certainly do,” I said. “I have every idea of what I'm talking about. Did you not even begin to wonder why I was so quick to accept the fact that you're a vampire?"

  "I'm sorry, I don't follow your reasoning. You said you'd met vampires before, in Soho."

  I was getting exasperated. “Did you ever actually go to that club, or had you just heard of it?"

  "I'm not much for nightclubs,” he admitted.

  That's why he didn't know. If he'd spent any time at all there, he'd have met several of my London relatives who tended to consider the club their home away from home. At Night Moves, no one bothered hiding who or what they were. Normal humans couldn't even find the place because it was so well shielded. I should have realized he hadn't been there when he hadn't been surprised I had, especially since he thought of me as a human.

  Unless, of course, this was all some macho bullshit game and he was just playing me.

  I climbed back onto the porch and sat down on the swing. Later was turning out to be now. Adam followed, sitting next to me, saying nothing.

  "Adam, about me, my life,” I began.

  His gaze didn't waver, fixed on my face as if he were memorizing it.

  "There's so much I need to explain.” I tried to keep my voice even and steady.

  He stayed silent, watching me with a measuring gaze. I wondered what he was thinking.

  I placed my hands on my knees. Words weren't going to be enough. How did I tell him about the physiological and metaphysical changes I was going through? About the power that was in me and that I could neither control yet nor identify?

  The palms of my hands weren't exactly sweating, but
I could feel them buzzing a little, with the contained energy that I was holding back with a great deal of effort. I couldn't find the words to explain but I could definitely give him a taste of what I was. Share the possibilities.

  "Hold out your hands, Adam,” I said, my voice husky. He did as I asked. I took a deep breath in preparation and then took his hands in mine. He jerked a little, as our palms touched, but I gripped harder. He hadn't seen anything yet.

  I held his gaze and smiled a little, trying to reassure him with my expression. He smiled back, but still kept silent. I closed my eyes and consciously relaxed my muscles, hesitating a little before taking the final step. In a rush, I lowered all my shields, allowing my power to travel down my arms and across to the man sitting next to me. It wasn't the full measure of what I'd be capable of in a few weeks, just the untapped potential of a changeling, but I knew it would still be rather impressive. I'd always tested fairly high.

  Adam trembled a little but didn't let go of my hands. I poured out everything I had, reached out with every iota of my ability and energy, letting it completely loose for the first time since I'd been with Gideon. Adam's eyes burned at me, shadows and flickering fire dancing behind the glittering green. His hands convulsed on mine, sliding up to grip my wrists as if my hands were no longer safe to touch.

  I grasped his wrists in return, swallowing as the craving built in me, a need stronger than the darkest hunger, more powerful than the overwhelming and totally absolute drive that I'd felt during the hunt. Was that my hunger or his? I couldn't tell.

  Adam growled and pulled me closer, lips pulled back, fangs bared, extended. I felt desire engulf me as my need merged with his. I crawled into his lap and embraced him, both of us fighting for control. I wanted to sink fangs into him, drink the hot blood pulsing beneath the skin of his neck, knowing that was the only thing that would satisfy my thirst. I could feel the same yearning echoed in him.

  Saliva collected in my mouth as I bent my head, my knees straddling his thighs, my hands on his shoulders, my teeth straining to reach, to tear, to taste.

  "No!” Adam roared and stood, pushing me away. I fell, my head hitting the wooden planks with an audible crack. As I passed out, I felt the connection between us break.