A Fire in the Blood(41)
“And remember, no hunting in my territory. No mysterious deaths, no bodies drained of blood, or the deal is off.”
“Whatever. I’ll expect you later.”
He nodded. It was only after Katerina had gone that he realized there was something different about her. Something had changed.
Or was the change in him?
Chapter Eighteen
Bailey wandered through Tessa’s apartment, pausing at the bookshelf to peruse the titles of the paperbacks and DVDs. She had seen most of the movies. She picked up several books before she found one that sounded interesting. After pulling a soda from the fridge, she curled up on the sofa.
Before leaving for work, Tessa had given Bailey twenty-five dollars “mad money” in case she wanted to go out to lunch or a movie, admonishing Bailey to be extra careful, reminding her that Katerina could walk in daylight.
Bailey opened the book, then closed it again, wondering if she should tell Tessa the truth, or if her new friend was better off not knowing. Bailey had never had any fear of the dark or of the creatures that lurked in the shadows. Until last night, she had been confident of her ability to protect herself, but all that had changed when she ran into a pair of genuine, dyed-in-the wool vampires. Fear had left her frozen, unable to fight or flee.
But they would never take her by surprise again.
Because—whether friend or foe—she had their scents now.
Chapter Nineteen
Tessa jumped every time the phone rang, always expecting it to be Andrei or Bailey, but it never was. She didn’t know whether to be relieved when she didn’t hear from either one of them, or worried.
Unable to concentrate on the file in front of her, she chewed on her thumbnail. She hadn’t seen or heard from Andrei since Monday, couldn’t help worrying about him. Vampire or not, he was hanging out with a woman he had once found irresistible, a woman who was older and more powerful than he was.
A woman who had tried to kill him. Had Katerina tried again? And succeeded? She banished the horrible thought from her mind.
And then there was Bailey, a girl who was, for all intents and purposes, a complete stranger. She couldn’t help wondering what Bailey was doing. For all she knew, the girl could be lying about being a runaway foster child. Maybe she was a professional thief. She could be older and more worldly-wise than she looked. Maybe she had concocted that story about being a runaway so people like Tessa would feel sorry for her and take her in. Then, the first time she was left alone, she robbed them. Maybe . . .
Exasperated by her wild imaginings, Tessa took the elevator down to the cafeteria for a blueberry muffin and a cup of coffee.
She was staring into her empty cup when Andrei slid into the chair across from her. He looked incredibly handsome in a pair of faded jeans and a dark blue shirt. Just seeing him lifted her spirits.
Reaching across the table, he took her hand in his. “Are you all right?”
“I am now.”
“I sensed something was bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?”
“I was worrying about you.”
“Me? Whatever for?”
“I hadn’t heard from you . . . I was afraid you were . . . that she . . .”
“No one’s ever worried about me before.”
“She tried to kill you!” Tessa exclaimed. “How can I not worry? Where is she, anyway?”
“Resting.” He squeezed her hand. “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too.” She pressed her lips together to keep from asking the question that was ever present in the back of her mind.
“Tessa, don’t ask.”
“I won’t.” Her gaze searched his, as if she might find the answer there, even though she kept telling herself she didn’t want to know.
Andrei blew out a sigh. “I’m not sure how much longer I can hold her off. But whatever happens with Katerina, you must believe it has nothing to do with my feelings for you.”
Tessa nodded. “Has she said any more about me?”
“No. I’m trying to find a way to ask what she wants with the woman the fledgling described without arousing her suspicions about you.”
“Is she suspicious?”
“I don’t think so. I stopped by your place earlier to check in on Bailey.”
“How’s she doing?”
“There’s something about her . . .”
“I knew it! She isn’t what she seems, is she?”
“Not exactly.”
Something in his tone sent a chill down her spine. “What do you mean?”
“I didn’t notice it last night, what with everything else that was going on, but today . . . you remember I told you vampires aren’t the only supernatural creatures?”