A Fire in the Blood(94)
She frowned at the food before her. She really wasn’t hungry for anything she had bought, but she figured if she could keep down a bit of chicken, sweet potatoes, rolls, and pumpkin pie, she would be able to eat at least a little of her mother’s Christmas dinner.
Andrei sat across from her, looking bemused by her hesitation. “I’m sure your mother would have told you to eat it while it’s hot.”
Tessa huffed a sigh as she picked up a roll and cut it in half. And took a bite. “It has no taste!” She tasted a forkful of potatoes, a spoonful of corn. And shook her head. “Does food taste good when you eat it?”
“It has flavor. I’m not sure I would call it good. If you don’t want to dine at your mother’s, I can exert a little vampire magic to make them believe we’re eating.”
“Well, it’s good to know I’ve got an option.” Pushing away from the table, she caught his hand and tugged him to his feet. “I really am hungry, though, so what do you say we go out and find something more suitable to quench my thirst?” Going up on tiptoe, she kissed him, then nipped his lower lip. “Then we can come back here and have dessert.” She blew out a long, slow sigh. “And then I’ll pack.”
* * *
Katerina prowled the edge of the grounds that surrounded Andrei’s lair.
He took his rest here. With the woman.
Hands clenched, she stared at the house. Even knowing that she couldn’t cross the threshold, she had tried, on several previous occasions, to get past his wards, but to no avail.
She had endeavored to steal her way into Andrei’s mind. And failed.
She had sought to invade the woman’s mind. And failed.
What had changed? It had to be the woman’s blood. Somehow, her blood had made Andrei’s powers stronger. She snarled softly. If Andrei wouldn’t share the woman, there was only one thing to do. Destroy her. But how? Nothing she had tried so far had worked.
Feeling her outrage growing, she picked up a large rock and hurled it at the house with all her might. It broke one of the front windows with a satisfying crack.
Ha! She might not be able to get inside, but . . . she smacked her forehead with her hand. Of course! Why hadn’t she thought of it before? He had warded his lair against intruders but not against nonhuman invaders. Like rocks. And flames . . .
She paused a moment. It was a beautiful old house. She almost felt a twinge of guilt at the idea of destroying it.
Almost.
All she needed was a bottle, a rag, a little gasoline.
And a match.
Chapter Forty-Four
Andrei paused as he parked the car in the driveway.
“What is it?” Tessa asked. They had gone hunting earlier and, after making mad, passionate love in her bedroom, she had packed her suitcase.
He jerked his chin toward his lair. “Someone broke a window.” He rolled down the car window and inhaled sharply. “Katerina.”
“She was here?” Tessa glanced around. Darn! She thought they’d seen the last of that witch.
Andrei switched off the engine. “Come on,” he said, grabbing her suitcase from the backseat. “I’ll throw a few things in a bag and we’ll be on our way to see your parents.”
A thought transported them inside the house. It took him only moments to pack.
“How are we going to get there?” Tessa asked. Until now, she hadn’t given it any thought.
“Vampire Airways.” He tucked her suitcase under his arm, picked up his bag, then wrapped his free arm around her waist. “Hang on tight.”
He had transported the two of them before, but never so far. All the other times, the trip had been over before she had time to really experience what was happening. But this time . . . it was, she thought, the strangest feeling she’d ever had. It felt a little like hurtling down a long pitch-black corridor, yet there was no real sense of moving through time or space, just a faint hum in her ears and a queasiness in the pit of her stomach.
When the world righted itself, they were in front of a brightly lit hotel.
Tessa blinked up at Andrei. “Wow.”
“It’s a little late to be calling on your folks,” he said. “I thought we’d spend the night here.” He frowned at her. “Are you all right?”
“I feel a little dizzy.”
He nodded. “Once you’ve transported a few times, it won’t bother you anymore.”
“Next time we’re taking a trip, remind me not to have dinner first.”
He laughed softly. “I promise.”
“What if they don’t have a room?”
He looked at her, one brow arched. “Seriously?”
“Sorry for doubting you,” Tessa muttered as she followed him into the lobby.