Andrei shook his head. “I don’t want to ruin your holiday.”
“Don’t be silly,” Tessa said. “You have to come. You’re practically family.”
“In that case,” he said, smiling, “I’ll bring the wine.”
* * *
Sitting at her computer, Tessa tried not to think about the experiment Andrei had mentioned the night before, but she couldn’t put it out of her mind. Tonight, he’d said. He wanted to do it tonight.
Change your mind?
It was disconcerting, hearing his voice when she couldn’t see him. But she knew he was in her office. She could sense his presence, knew he was sitting in the chair across from her desk, even though no one could see him.
“No, I haven’t,” she whispered. “I’m just not looking forward to it.”
You’ll be fine.
“I know. Be quiet now. Mr. Ambrose is coming.”
Somehow, she made it through the day and the drive home, and even managed to eat a little dinner.
Her heart was pounding like a bass drum when, hours later, Andrei drove them to the next town.
“Just walk down the street as if you’re on your way home from a date or a late movie,” he told her. “I’ll be right behind you.”
Tessa nodded. Nerves strung tight, she took a firm hold on her courage and strolled down the street, pausing now and then to glance into one of the store windows.
When she reached the end of the block, she crossed the street and started back the other way.
By the time she reached the point where they had left Andrei’s car, she decided it had been a waste of time.
“Not at all,” Andrei said, materializing beside her. “I’ve got five fledglings locked up at my place.”
“Your place?”
He grinned at her. “Don’t you want to see where I live?”
* * *
Tessa stared at the big, old house. The outside—a weathered gray—was in desperate need of a coat of paint, but the house itself looked sound. Funny, she had never noticed the place before. Had Andrei put some kind of spell on it to make it invisible to passersby?
She gasped when she stepped inside. The living room was large enough to hold her whole condo with space left over. The walls were papered in a navy-and-gray stripe, the floors polished wood. She wasn’t much of a connoisseur of furniture but she would have bet her 401K that all the furnishings in the room were antiques. And gorgeous ones at that.
“Would you like to see the rest?” he asked.
She nodded, eyes wide with wonder as he took her through the rest of the house. Every room was furnished with exquisite antiques in a variety of woods—oak and walnut, cherry and ebony.
The kitchen was the only room not furnished. No table. No refrigerator or stove. No dishwasher or microwave. But then, he really didn’t need any appliances.
In the library, Tessa noticed a small cherrywood secretary with a drop-down writing desk on one side and three glass-fronted shelves on the other. She fell in love with it immediately.
“You like it?” he asked.
“It’s beautiful.”
“It’s yours.”
“I’m sure I can’t afford it,” she said, remembering that he sold furniture for a living.
Drawing her into his arms, he kissed her lightly. “I’m sure you can.”
“Where do you sleep?” Tessa asked. The bedrooms upstairs were furnished, but none of the beds—whether brass, sleigh, or Victorian—included a mattress. All the closets were empty.
“My lair is in the basement.”
“Oh?”
He regarded her a moment, then took her by the hand and led her through a narrow door that had been painted to look like part of the wall. It opened onto an equally narrow staircase that led to the basement. Lights came on when they reached the bottom of the steps.
“Oh, Andrei, it’s lovely.”
And so it was. A thick burgundy-colored carpet covered the floor. A dozen paintings adorned the beige walls. A king-size bed with a walnut headboard and a matching wardrobe dominated the room. A comfortable-looking chair and footstool stood in one corner, a bookcase crammed with paperbacks in the other.
Andrei slid his arm around her waist. “I’ve never brought anyone else here.”
The thought pleased her beyond measure.
“Now to business,” he said.
“What? Oh.” The vampires, she thought, shuddering.
“It won’t take long.”
“Where are they?”
Gesturing for her to follow, he led her back upstairs, through the kitchen, and out the rear entrance.
The backyard was large and empty save for what looked like a small storage shed. When he unlocked the door, she saw that it wasn’t a shed, but a cage. Three men and two women huddled inside, their hands shackled to one of the bars over their heads.