A Fire in the Blood(32)
With a hiss of pained surprise, he released her and staggered a few steps backward. His fangs gleamed in the bright glare of the headlights of an incoming car.
She had missed his heart.
With a wordless cry, he ripped the stake from his chest and tossed it aside.
Teeth bared, hands like claws, he lunged toward her.
A scream rose in Tessa’s throat but before it found release, Andrei was there. She knew what he was going to do and she turned away, her hand covering her mouth. But there was no way to shut out the vampire’s hoarse scream as his heart was ripped from his chest.
The scent of blood wafted through the air.
“Tessa?” She flinched when she felt Andrei’s hand on her shoulder. “Tess?”
“I’m . . . all . . . right.” Suddenly cold all over, she wrapped her arms around her middle.
“Go inside. I’ll take care of this.”
She nodded, her movements leaden as she picked up her handbag. On legs that were none too steady, she made her way up the stairs and into her apartment. Feeling numb, she closed and locked the door; then, shaking from head to foot, she dropped to the floor as the strength drained out of her.
She had almost killed a man, even though he wasn’t really a man anymore, but a vampire.
A monster.
Had he been a fledgling, like the others? What did Andrei do with the bodies? Did he bury them? Burn them? Or just dump them where they would never be found?
She choked back the bile rising in her throat. She had told Andrei she didn’t think she could drive a stake into anybody’s chest. But, as he had predicted, it was amazing what you were capable of when your life was in jeopardy. One thing was certain. She needed to work on her aim for the next time, because Andrei might not be there to save her.
She practically jumped out of her skin when someone knocked at the door.
“Tessa?”
She sagged in relief when she heard Andrei’s voice. With one hand braced against the jamb, she gained her feet and let him in.
His gaze moved over her, missing nothing, before he drew her gently into his embrace. “That was close.” Too damn close, he thought.
She nodded; then, resting her head against his chest, she wrapped her arms around his waist. His nearness calmed her, chasing away the worst vestiges of the night’s horror.
One thing was certain: First thing in the morning, she was going to look into taking a self-defense class at the Y.
Chapter Fourteen
Andrei stayed with Tessa until she fell asleep.
As he slid behind the wheel of his car, he chuckled softly. Self-defense lessons, indeed. He was far better qualified to teach her how to defend herself. Perhaps he would mention it tomorrow night.
He had called Jilly earlier to let her know Tessa had decided to postpone their double date, which was understandable. She was still badly shaken. He hadn’t gone into the details of why with Jilly. He had decided to leave that to Tessa, who could relate as much or as little of her ordeal as she saw fit.
He was about to pull away from the curb when an apparition from the past appeared in front of the car.
Katerina!
What the hell was she doing here?
Between one breath and the next, she was in the seat beside him.
“Good evening, my husband,” she purred. “You don’t look happy to see me.”
“How perceptive of you.”
She glanced up at the apartment building. “Is this your hunting ground? Not very glamorous.”
“No.”
Her nostrils flared, and then she raked her perfectly manicured fingernails down his arm, tearing through shirt and skin. “You should know better than to lie to me. I can smell prey on you.”
“You asked if I hunt here. I don’t.”
“Then who is the woman?”
“An acquaintance. What brings you here?”
“Curiosity.”
“Indeed?”
“I was told there’s a female in this town with the most remarkable blood.”
“Who told you that?” So she didn’t yet know it was Tessa. Thank the Lord for favors great and small.
“One of my fledglings. Apparently only the very young are drawn to this female. It made me curious, so I decided to come and see this enigma for myself. And then I thought, as long as I was in the States, I would pay a visit to my husband.”
Andrei clenched his hands on the wheel. That was twice she had called him “husband.” It did not bode well.
“I need to feed,” he said curtly.
“Wonderful! It’s been centuries since we hunted together.”
He would have informed her she wasn’t welcome to join him, but at the moment he was willing to do whatever it took to put some distance between Tessa and Katerina.
“We’re driving?” she asked as he made a U-turn. “Seriously?”