Companions Of The Night Part 3

Kerry felt her cheeks go hot and red again, so she hardly glanced at Ethan to see if he'd offer any objection Not that she could think why he wouldHe didn't Regina's car, parked beyond the bend in the driveway, turned out to be a red Ferran Somehow Kerry wasn't sur- prised Impressed, despite herself, but not surprised While she waited for Regina to lean over and unlock the pa.s.senger door, she noted that Ethan's uncle had a three-car garage and a tennis court back here There was also a stockade fence, which probably indicated a built-in pool The house was looking better and better And ever more unattainable, no matter how rich and famous Kerry ever got "Lift the handle, sweetie," Regina said, as though she didn't realize Kerry's mind had momentarily wandered, as though 48.she thought Kerry couldn't figure out for herself how to get into the car There was a man's denim Jacket on the floor of the pas- senger's side Probably not Ethan's, Kerry thought, picking it up rather than stepping on it, or Regina would likely have tafem it iMto the house Just how many students does she make house calls on?

Kerry wondered Looking over her shoulder to back out, Regina saw Kerry holding the jacket "Just wad it up and toss it in the back,"

she said If Regina didn't care, why should Kerry? She flung the jacket behind her Ethan had already backed her father's car up to, but not into, the street He pointed to the left and then to the right, asking which way to turn Kerry pointed to the left, and he backed out to the right but facing left, so that they could lead "Where to, sweets?" Regina asked"Fawn Meadow Circle," Kerry said "It's-"

"1 know where it is," Regina interrupted That was a surprise It wasn't in the village of Brockport itself but in a nearby development, all of which had pseudo- woodsy names tike Doe Run and Meadowlark Lane Kerry was prepared for Regina to be hesitant once she got into the development, but she wasn't even fooled by Fawn Meadow Drive, the street before Fawn Meadow Circle "Do you live near here?" Kerry asked, thinking that might be good news if Ethan ever visited Regina's house She might actually get to see him again But Regina gave her a look that said she most definitely didn't live in this neighborhood and that Kerry was a fool to 49.even consider she might "Which house?" she asked, the first thing she'd said in the seven- or eight-minute drive "The blue two-story with the basketball hoop on the garage" Kerry figured that in this light Regina was just as likely to pull up in front of the Armendarizes' house, which, in daylight, was green But by chance-either that, or Regina was very familiar with the neighborhood-Regina found the right house "Thanks," Kerry mumbled, glad for an excuse to Jump out of the car-to show Ethan exactly where in the driveway he should park so Dad wouldn't notice that it had been moved Ethan turned off the engine and got out to look at the house, which Kerry realized she should have already done The light by the front door was on, but she'd left it that way so as not to have to find her way up a dark walk None of the other downstairs lights were on Upstairs, lan's drapes were open and--though there was no sign of lan-she couldsee his elephant lamp was on But the windows of her father's room were dark Most significantly. Kerry's father hadn't come crashing out the front door bellowing, "Where have you been.

young lady?" so Kerry felt confident telling Ethan, "Every- thing's fine"

"You're sure?" he asked "Do you want to go in, maybe flash the lights as a signal if you don't need me^"

It was, she felt, a serious offer, but she shook her head He handed her the keys "I'm " He seemed to search before settling on Just the right word " certain your name is never going to come up "

Kerry shrugged, unsure how to answer If you say so? I hope not? Are you fra the wnffet of tbt junior dance?

Unexpectedly, Ethan took her hands, leaned forward, and gave her a light kiss on the cheek The second time tonight, 50.and on neither occasion had she had the time or the presence of mind to respond "You did save my life," he told her, smiling, his tone light but his eyes very, very serious Out on the street, Regina tapped her car hom It only lasted a moment, but at two-thirty in the morning, that might just be enough to rouse the neighborhood "Ubm ." Kerry started But Ethan only waited a second to determine that she didn't, in fact, have anything to say He smiled again as he pulled his hands from hers "Thank you," he said, turning to head back out to the street Kerry humed to the front door, flew in, turned off the light before Mrs Armendanz could see it and say-later that morning, when Kerry's father dropped lan off for the day- "There was some sort of commotion in front of your house last night, and your light was on Are you letting your childrenrun wild?" Mrs Armendanz had a thing about single parents who let their children run wild Kerry went upstairs as quickly as she could without mak- ing noise Her father's door was still closed lan was sprawled across his bed, asleep despite the light being left on Kerry pulled his blanket up over him, then removed Footy from her jacket pocket and wedged the koala bear under her brother's arm When she went to the window to shut the drapes, she saw that Regina's car was gone "Cood-bye, Ethan." she whis- pered "It was nice knowing you Bizarre, but nice "

She nicked off the light, leaving only lan's night-light on Then she headed for her own bed, knowing that unless some- thing went wrong with their plan and the police came banging on her door demanding explanations, the chances were she'd never see Ethan Bryne again 51.

CHAPTER FIVE.

KERRY'S ALARM WENT off four hours later, but she felt as if she'd had only about fifteen minutes' sleep In the kitchen, her father was whistling while he poured himself a bowlful of the cereal that Kerry thought of as Bran, Twigs, and Gravel She searched through the cupboard for anything with a lot of sugar and marshmallow shapes "Cood morning," her father said, planting a kiss on the back of her head as they met in front of the refrigerator, he getting the skim milk and she the regular Kerry gave a noncommittal grunt Under the best of cir- c.u.mstances, mornings were not a good time for her, and her father didn't seem to sense anything unusual now He had the newspaper on the table, which meant he'd been outside 52.already Apparently Mrs Armendariz hadn't come runningout to complain, and apparently nothing was so obviously wrong with the car or its location that he commented Kerry, who never read anything besides the comics page, tried to be un.o.btrusive about skimming the headlines No story about a ring of vampire hunters being captured, nor about the police looking for a mystery girl Stilt, she didn't let herself relax There really hadn't been time for the morning papers to get the story They'd probably have her picture by the evening edition If there was time after Dad left for work, she could turn on the TV and try the local news lan came down without having to be carried or threatened, which was unusual, and he planted a big wet kiss on Kerry's cheek, which was downright odd But he had the sense not to say anything about last night He made Footy give Kerry a kiss, too, despite the fact that Kerry growled at him "Such a pleasant family," Dad said with a smile that was much too bright for so early in the morning Kerry grunted again Eventually Dad took lan over to Mrs Annendanz's Kerry watched from behind the drape in lan's room Dad certainly didn't seem to take any longer than usual to drop lan off Maybe Mrs Armendanz hadn't heard or seen anything last night to complain about Then Dad got into the car and pulled out of the driveway, drove around the circle and down the street No hesitation that Kerry could see Maybe I'm going to get away with ifcis after all, she thought Yeah. nght. she told herself More likely it's all just going to MOT in later.

53.ALL DAY AT school she half expected to hear her name announced over the PA system Kerry Nowicki. please come to theprinc.i.p.al's office, the FBI is here to arrest you.

In fact, it almost would have been a relief. Especially during her second period literature test on the book she had never finished "What was the narrator's name?" she hastily asked her friend Nelle as they settled into their seats seconds before the bell "Did she ever get a name by the end of the last chapter?"

But n.o.body came to fetch her during school, and when she took the bus that dropped her off at the supermarket, the police weren't waiting for her there either.

"My father calh" she asked Elaine at customer service.

Elaine glanced through the phone messages. "Nope Were you expecting him to?"

"Not really" Kerry headed back to the lockers before Elaine could start asking questions In the locker room, some- one had left the front section of the evening paper on the bench. That was usually world news, but if something im- portant happened locally, it'd be on the front page Kerry thought abduction and attempted murder on Main Street should qualify as important, and even if that was too common these days, surely the fact that the criminals saw themselves as vampire hunters must be unusual enough for a mention Nothing.

Maybe the police hadn't released all the details yet be- cause they were still investigating Chilling as a cold hand on the back of her spine, another thought came to her- Maybe the laundry owner and Sidowski and Roth and Marcia had gone into hiding; maybe the police hadn't been able to catch them at all. What if they come after me; she thought. Surely, if 54.there hadn't been arrests, Ethan would have told the police about her so they could protect her Wouldn't he?She spent the next five hours unable to remember regular customers' names. She made mistakes giving change, rang up cabbage as lettuce, even overloaded cranky old Mr. Nate's shopping bag so that he complained at the office Finally, when her shift was over, the head cashier patted her on the shoulder and said, "Get a good night's rest for tomorrow, would you?" and she sat down by the door to wait for her father to pick her up, thinking this was the worst day she had ever lived through, even worse than last night After a few minutes she shouldered the backpack con- taining her school clothes and books and went outside, just in case her father was waiting in the parking lot, but there was no sign of him. By 8:20 she was thinking that she could have walked home, and she went back to the customer service desk to have Elaine call her house. There was no answer "Must have just noticed the time and he's on his way,"

Elaine a.s.sured her But those who were leaving at 8:30 cashed out, got their things from their lockers, and left, and still no sign of her father Kerry went back to customer service, but Elaine had gone for the night and Craig didn't allow personal phone calls So Kerry called Mrs Armendariz from the pay phone that was located, for some reason Kerry had never been able to figure out, near the crash and clatter of the beverage-container re- turn center. All Mrs Armendariz had to offer was that Kerry's father had taken a half-day's vacation from work to take lan to the pediatrician for his four-year checkup, and he had picked up lan shortly after noon She hadn't noticed anything since then, and the car wasn't in the driveway 55.Thanks," Kerry said Something had happened, she was sure of it Ever sinceMom had left. Dad, who had never been on time in his life before, had made a strict point of being punctual He was never more than five minutes late to pick her up, and here it was almost forty-five minutes past the time he knew she was expecting him Jl (MS lo be the car. she thought Oh. please Jri it bt car trouble.

not anything to do with- Turning from the phone, Kerry walked smack into Ethan Bryne He put out a hand to steady her, and only a second later seemed to recognize who she was "Kerry," he said And, a moment after that, "What's the matter?"

"My father was supposed to pick me up at eight o'clock"

She felt awful, because she was truly concerned about her father and lan, and yet here she was aware that her super- market uniform of white shin and black pants looked tike a stupid tuxedo-for-girls, and her eyes were red-rimmed because she was worried Don't cry, she told herself You don't netd to cry )st to prove you'rt more worried about him than about how you look "Kerry," Ethan repeated gently A woman and her daughter entering the store were forced to walk around them The little girl craned around to stare, not making any pretense of not listening "I'm afraid something's happened," Kerry said "Did you call the police?"

Ethan shifted the shopping bag he was carrying to his left hand "Yes," he said This likely has nothing to do with that"

One of the newer stockboys whom Kerry barely knew 56was gathering shopping carts He looked over at the mention of police and asked, "You okay, Kerry?"

"Would you like a nde home?" Ethan asked before she could answer Kerry was aware of the stockboy watching and realized this probably looked like a pickup She nodded vigorously to Ethan, then told the stockboy-Bill? Will?-"If my father does show up, could you tell him Ethan's given me a ride home?" Not that the name would mean anything to her father, but it did show that she wasn't going off with a stranger "Sure " The stockboy crashed two lines of carts together Ethan had hold of her arm and was guiding her out into the parking lot before it occurred to Kerry that Ethan didn't have a car "Oh I just remembered We're not nding your bicycle, are we?"

Ethan laughed "No, that's pretty well totaled 1 decided to go all out and borrow my uncle's car"

After the fancy house, Kerry was amazed to see that the car was only a Skylark-the same as her father's, although blue instead of white, and considerably newer Afc, well. Kerry thought, remembering that there had been three doors to the garage Probably Ethan had left the Porsche and the Rolls at home Ethan opened the pa.s.senger door for her, then tossed her backpack and his bag of groceries in the back Cla.s.sic c.o.ke and potato chips, she noted She wondered what yesterday's vampire hunters would make of that "Your leg's a lot better," she said as he got into the car beside her He turned on the engine and pulled out of the parking s.p.a.ce before answering, "It wasn't as bad as it looked"

Which was hard to believe57 But his color was definitely better And he was using his right hand as though it didn't hurt He finally had a jacket, a brown leather one She couldn't make out any bandaging under his sleeve, but all in all she decided he was lucky he hadn't been forced to stay in the hospital overnight.

"What did the police have to say?" she asked him when it became apparent he wasn't going to volunteer information Ethan shrugged "They seemed to buy my story "

"The others didn't contradict you?"

"No"

"The police arrested them? Alt of them?"

Ethan glanced at her "Yes " As they pa.s.sed through pools of brightness beneath some streetlights, his eyes seemed to flicker from light blue to black "Why^ What is it you're really asking?"

"It's Just- I was afraid thai alt of this had something to do with my father not showing up "

"No," he said He glanced at her again "No The police got them all Daniel and Marcia Jordan, George Roth, Phil Sidowski"

It was strange to hear their full names Not as rea.s.suring as she would have thought, and strange He told her, "They won't be bothering you again"

"Are they going to jail?" Kerry asked He looked at her blankly "Or to a mental hospital?""That's for judges and lawyers to decide "

"But you'll have to testify?"

"Eventually I suppose " He seemed to be getting annoyed with her questions "1 gave a full deposition to the police last night" Maybe that was it He had volunteered to face them by himself, but maybe he resented it Or maybe he was just 58.exhausted She was, and she had gone to bed about the time he was just beginning with the police "As for your father ," Ethan said "Your car is old "

He was too polite to call it a junk heap But she had never been so aware of all its clunks and thuds and vibrations until riding in this newer and better-maintained version of the same model "I'm sure he's sitting by the edge of the road, waiting for the tnpte A, even as we speak" He gave her a rea.s.suring smile "I suppose," Kerry said 'The same thing happened with my mom once"

She said that because the previous night he had known Kerry's mother didn't live with them, and it seemed an op- portunity to start a conversation, but he didn't ask for any details He was certainly less friendly and open than last night, more distant and self-a.s.sured It was hard to put her finger on what it was that had originally made her think he was a freshman Had a falling out with Regmii, did wc~> she wondered It was just about 9 00 when they reached Fawn Meadow Circle Most of the houses were brightly lit, and some even had Christmas decorations up, too, although this seemed premature to Kerry since it was only the first week of De- cember and there was no snow Amid all the tights, the Nowicki house looked not only totally dark but almost in-timidating Ethan pulled up in front and gave her another rea.s.suring smile Thank you," Kerry said, reaching around the seat for her backpack "Anytime." Ethan a.s.sured her, but nothing was the same as last night 59.Kerry got her key out of the pocket of the backpack and started up the walk, Ethan s headlights lighting her way.

Kerry put her hand on the doork.n.o.b, but before she even got the key in, the door swung open. Odd for her father not to lock up, but maybe he was at one of the neighbors' and had left thinking he'd only be away a few minutes; maybe he hadn't counted on being away after dark But that didn't fit in with the car being gone Kerry groped for the tight switch The living room was a wreck Not wreck as in it-hadn't-been-cleaned-in-a-week. Wreck as in pictures askew, furniture tossed around, cushions slit Kerry whirled around just in time to see Ethan pulling away from the curb, "Wait!" she cried Ethan kept going.

Kerry dropped her backpack and raced across the lawn, "Ethan!" But it was winter, he had his windows rolled up.

"Elhan!" She ran out into the street, waving her arms franti- cally, He was up to the comer stop sign, five houses away, and there was no way he could hear her and no way she could catch up. His brake lights were on, but in a secondhe'd go around the comer and she'd be on her own. What should she do? Co to the Armendarizes', she supposed. Or the Hagginses'; they were friendlier.

But Ethan's brake lights were still on. He must have seen her in his rearview mirror, for in a moment he began to back up. She ran down the street, reluctant to be near her house, afraid of whatever had happened in it.

Ethan rolled down his window.

"Somebody's broken in," Kerry said, panting. "We've been burglarized."

"Get in," Ethan told her- 60.He turned the car around and pulled up in front of the house. The light from the open door spilled brightly on the front stoop. No sign of movement, "Wait here," he told her, He left the car door open and didn't turn off the engine.

Kerry watched apprehensively as Ethan walked up the driveway "Don't-," she whispered as he hesitated in the doorway, but then he stepped in and she lost sight of him, Wait m the car, where she couldn't see him? Alone? Right When she got to the house, Ethan hadn't moved beyond the living room She had tried to be quiet, just in case the intruders were still in there, but when she saw what he was looking at-the red writing on the wall-she gasped.

Though he had his back to her, he must have heard her coming, because he wasn't startled "It's just paint," he said "It's just red paint."

"Are you sure?"

"Smell it,"

The awful pain that had started in her chest loosened abit. At least it wasn't blood.

VAMPIRE, the writing said, WE HAVE YOUR FAMILY.

61.

CHAPTER SIX.

V EMPIRE'?" KERRY SAID "Somebody thinks I'm a wmpim"

There was additional writing below VAMPIRE, WE HAVE YOUR FAMILY There were some letters and numbers that Kerry didn't understand at first and didn't take the time to try to work out LEV 1710 "You said they got them " She turned on Ethan, who seemed unable to tear his gaze from the wall "You said the police got all of them "

Quietly, sounding surprised more than concerned. Ethan said, "There must have been more than the four"

Kerry's voice became louder and shriller with each word 62."And with all their questioning, the police didn't figure that out?"

Ethan finally turned to face her "And the ones in custody," Kerry continued, "don't these others realize that they're making it worse for the ones who've already been arrested? We've got to call the police-"

Ethan was suddenly at her side, holding on to her elbow She hadn't seen him move She shrank back, startled, and he began pulling her to the door "Shh." he warned "Ethan-"He gave her a strong shake His voice a whisper even after all her yelling, he said, "They might still be in the house "

That had been her first concern, but she'd forgotten in the horror of worrying about her father and lan "We'll call from another phone," Ethan told her She nodded and let him lead her out of the house He closed the door behind them and picked up her backpack Kerry started to cut across the lawn to the Hagginses', but Ethan tugged on her arm in the direction of the car "We've got to get to a phone," she insisted "If they're watching us," Ethan hissed at her, "that'll put us and your neighbors in danger" He hustled her to the car, tightening his grip when she tried to get one last look over her shoulder at the house windows "What if they're stil! in there?" she demanded "My father and brother?"

"No" Ethan took off with a squeal of tires that in normal circ.u.mstances would have had her worried about Mrs Ar- mendariz "They would have gotten them out of there first thing"

63.Wby7 Kerry was about to ask What malm you so sure?

But before she had a chance, Ethan made a nght-hand turn, going the direction opposite from his uncle's house, which was where she had a.s.sumed he was heading-and she said, "It'll be faster to call nine-one-one than to go all the way to the police station "

"If they suspect you're a vampire, it's because you helped me last night They may welt be watching my house We'llcall from Regma's "

"But-"

"Kerry'" he snapped in a tone that was equivalent to Be {juieti She had been going to ask whether he was sure Regina would be home on a Friday night, but maybe he knew where she kept a spare key He was obviously trying to work some- thing out-who knew what?-and she gave him the benefit of the doubt Her own mind, meanwhile, closed down and just went around and around a single thought / hope they re all right Please. G.o.d, let them be all ngbt RECINA'S WAS A bnck house surrounded by more-modem but still old wooden houses that stood on what had originally been all one property There were lights on downstairs and in one of the upstairs windows, and Regma's red Fcrran was parked in the driveway Kerry opened her car door as soon as the car stopped, but she hesitated when Ethan made no move to turn off the engine or get out He rested his elbows on the steering wheel, leaning forward, studying the house "Whaf?" she demanded "Something's wrong"

She wanted to call him paranoid, but the accusation died somewhere between intent and vocalization She listened, 64.because that seemed to be what he was doing Then she lowered her voice to a whisper "What do you hear?"

"Nothing" He said it as though it should be significant But it was December The house windows were closed, the car windows were rolled up, and quiet as this car was compared to her father's, there was the engine noiseIn another moment he turned off the car and stepped outside She stood next to him on the front walk "She's home," she said as the upstairs light suddenly went off and the one in what had to be the next room went on "Automatic lights," Ethan told her After what fell like at least a half hour but was probably closer to ten or fifteen seconds, she demanded, "What are you listening for?"

He gave her a long look but didn't answer She wondered if he was going to tell her to wait outside, but when he finally went up to the front door, he didn't say anything, maybe waiting to see what she would choose on her own She was about two steps behind him He had his own key, she told herself she wasn't surprised It certainty made things easier "AWr," Ethan said the instant the door opened She'd had French in junior high, and though she remem- bered little else, she remembered the words Madame Welch had carefully but somewhat naively tried to steer them away from "Well, yes dear, that's almost right, but don't put a d in, or it's a vulgar expression" Kerry had a pretty good idea what Ethan had Just said, but in the instant it took her to wonder why he'd said it-much less why he'd said it in French-he'd taken off across the living room and was going up the stairs two at a time In the well-lit downstairs Kerry caught a glimpse of 65.polished wood walls and expensive antiques Everything was orderly, nothing obviously amiss-certainly nothing like what had happened at her house But no matter how com- fortable and secure it looked, she wasn't willing to get sep- arated from Ethan, especially not with something having rattledhim She ran up the stairs after him He'd ignored the room with the light that they'd seen from the street, didn't glance left or right but made straight for the last room at the end of the hall Kerry did it more slowly, half expecting someone to leap out at her The rooms-guest bedrooms, a workroom with computer and fax machine, a bathroom big enough to fit two of the Nowickis' bathrooms-were empty But something was wrong Surely it was more than jumpiness on Ethan's part He had taken several steps into what had to be the master bedroom, but he was just standing there Unasked for came the memory of how he'd stood in much the same way at her house, staring at the message written on her wall. She came up behind him, sure he was aware of her despite the fact that he didn't turn around He was still in that att.i.tude of listening, of studying intently, though the room was dark The light was on behind them, in the bra.s.s-and-oak bathroom Ethan was making no attempt to find the room light Kerry remembered pa.s.sing a switch that was probably for the hall light, but she hesitated Surely he had seemed familiar enough with the layout of the house Surely he and Regina were sleeping together, she should have no more delu- sions about that He should know where the light in this room was So why was he standing in the dark?

66.In the seconds it took her to work that out, her eyes became accustomed enough to the dark that the last thing in the world she wanted was more light The easiest thing to make out was the big bra.s.s bed Her first impression was that the covers were all lumpy and askew, that the bed wasn't made But then she thought, no, there was someone in the bed Except that the shape was all wrongNot someone, but Two dogs? A larger one stretched out in the middle and one of those hairy little dust-mop-looking ones on the pillow? But Regina didn't seem the kind of person who'd own dogs, much less let them sleep on her bed And they weren't moving Kerry was finding it hard to breathe, to hold back the growing conviction that it was, in fact, Regina in the bed And that-if it was-the head was much too far removed from the body "Ethan?" she whispered, less in a voice than on the simple exhaling of a breath She wanted to look away before her eyes became any more accustomed to the dark, but she couldn't He swore in French again Several times The light went off in the bathroom- Not in here, she prayed -and came on in the computer room across from the bathroom Which was still enough to show that the lumps were definitely Regina Kerry finally managed a backward step "Who would do such a thing?" she asked "Vampire hunters," Ethan whispered HE'S m shock, she thought Ht's saymf) it, fcul il hasn't sunk in yet. Which had to be a mercy 67.He was saying, still never looking at her, "That's one way humans kill vampires expose them to sunlight, then chop off the head and stuff the mouth with garlic I've never been clear what the garlic's supposed to do "

Kerry remembered the awful stillness in her own houseThey had never checked those bedrooms Not Dad. she thought Not Inn n.o.body could think that of lan She couldn't stop shaking "They make em wbm they're still fads?" Roth had asked This was all her fault She should have gone to the police herself She headed for the computer room, found the phone, dialed 9-1- Ethan set his hand down to disconnect her call "If there's someone here," she pointed out, "they'd cer- tainly have heard us, they'd have had the chance to come out and get us "

"Just wait-," Ethan started, but she pulled the phone away from him "For what this time?"

His eyes, that lovely shade of blue, scanned her face Looking for what?

"Kerry She was willing to forgive bad choices But too many things were beginning to sink in Like the way he'd run up the stairs with no trace of a limp Like how there was no evidence of that awful bruise he'd had on his temple last night He reached to take the phone from her, and she yanked back on the sleeve of his Jacket, exposing a pale and perfectly unmarred wnst where yesterday she'd cut him so badly she had been sure he'd need st.i.tches 68.After all she'd seen, and despite all logic, she couldn't be surprised "You're exactly what they said," she told him, less question than statement "You're a vampire "Lest she have any lingering doubts, he took the phone from her and yanked the cord out of the wall 69.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

SOMEHOW, BEFORE KERRY was aware of Ethan moving.

he'd tossed the phone aside and had taken hold of her wnst The coldness of his skin seeped into hers How had she never noticed that before"

She tried to squirm away. but though he wasn't holding tight enough to hurt, she couldn't budge He caught up her other wnst and drew her in closer "I'm not going to hurt you," he told her She tried to knee him in the groin, which always seemed to work in the movies, but he was too fast for her, and in a moment he had her backed up against the wall "Don't," she whispered Stilt holding her wnsts up against the wall, he took half 70.a step back so that he wasn't pressed against her It wasn't much of a gamble on his part-not with that speed and strength And she didn't have enough room to struggle any- way But at the very least he was inconveniencing himself, and for no other reason that she could see than to make a declaration that he wasn't going to take advantage of the situation She was angry at the relief that weakened her knees, that made her want to look at him more favorably just because he wasn't thoroughly despicable "I'm sorry," he told her She fought not to read sincerity into his voice She knew he was a liar Everything he'd saidso far had been a lie "You're involved in this purely by accident, and for whatever it's worth, I swear to you I am grateful for last night and I never thought to see you again"

Her eyes were hot and stinging She fought to keep them open--to face what was coming-and not to cry It would have been easier but for the strand of hair that had gotten loose and was poking at the edge of her eye "I'll do all in my power to save your father and your brother," he told her No doubt to keep her calm until it was too late He shifted position so that he held both her hands in his left, and he used his free hand to brush the hair out of her face She cringed from his touch "I'm not going to hurt you," he repeated She forced herself to look directly into his eyes "Does that mean you're not going to harm me, or does it mean that when you kill me, it's not going to hurt''"

He didn't answer, which was answer enough There was no malice in his blue eyes Maybe he was sorry, 71.as he said, he certainly was being as gentle as he could, but she saw his gaze flick briefly to her throat He slipped his right hand behind her neck, supporting her head, and pulled her in closer so she was pressed against his chest "Wait," she said, "please" Her own struggles brought them into more intimate contact than he'd attempted on his own, and she shrank back in panic "Don't," she begged, knowing that surely she was trying his patience, that his kindness would stretch just so far, that if he were truly kind he -could never have survived as a vampire "Listen, please " She stopped strug- gling, to show she wasn't just stalling for time Not that shecould stop shaking or gasping for breath "Just a minute Just listen for one minute"

He hadn't bitten her yet For this moment at least he was only holding her steady, and she forced herself not to think about their relative positions She felt his breath, light on her throat, which was unexpected She realized she'd been feeling his heartbeat, too, a steady five or six beats a minute, belying the coldness of his touch "I can help you," she told him, determined to make her- self useful to him, determined to make her family valuable to him His eyes searched her face, as though he honestly wanted to find something there to make himself believe her "Oh, Kerry," he said, sort as a sigh "You want to find the vampire hunters who killed Regina, don't you?" she cried as he bent over her throat again He hesitated, looking up at her through a fringe of dark hair "You want to find who killed her before any of the other vampires start getting killed, don't you?" It was a risk Regina could have been a hapless mortal like Kerry herself, a.s.sumed guilty by the vampire hunters because of her a.s.sociation with 72.Ethan Her death could mean nothing to him If so, Kerry didn't have anything else to offer But she didn't think so If nothing else, there was the matter of how dark it had been in Regina's room Inner shutters as well as drapes, she was willing to bet In any case, Ethan had his head raised He was watching her, waiting "They think I'm one of you," she continued, putting it together in her mind even as the words came out "But they're hoping to draw me out of hiding by using my family Maybe you can draw them out by using me"At least he was considering it "I have nothing to lose," she said, remembering, a moment later, that he had said the same thing last night It couldn't hurt to remind him he owed her his life or rather his continued existence "At least this way I get a chance My dad and lan get a chance 1 can go places you can't Or at least, 1 can go at times you can't It'd be like gaining back the daylight"

His expression told her nothing She should probably be mentally preparing herself for death-that would be more useful than pleading But how did one prepare for death? And while she was trying to work that one out, he stepped back Then he released her arms and stepped back farther With a slight smile he bowed his head to indicate acceptance For the moment She still couldn't see that his teeth were long enough to have done what he had been about to do But she had no doubt how close she'd come to dying It was hard to get her voice to work, but she asked, "What a.s.surance do I have that if I help you in good faith, you'll let me and my family live afterward?"

73.Ethan looked surprised, then he laughed, seeming gen- uinely amused "None"

She realized that, like Regina's, his ready smile was most often pretense She supposed that after a couple hundred years vampires had probably heard everything, seen everything, done everything already, no doubt most of the time they were bored out of their minds She wondered-same old question, but with a new twist-how old Ethan really was Old enough to have developed acting skills, definitely And to be a good Judge of people He had seen that she would respond well to a poor frightened victim, so that was what he had been for her when he needed her help last night No doubt he could convincingly be other things for other peopleIn a moment all trace of humor was completely gone from his face His voice was neither harsh nor threatening, he might have been reading course descriptions from the college cat- alog "Of course, if I even suspect the possibility of betrayal, your family will be the ones to pay for it" His voice got even softer "Believe this, Kerry An easy death is only one of the choices I can offer"

He waited to see that she believed, which she most em- phatically did Then, "Come," he said, putting his hand out for her She took one step forward, to show that she would follow and he didn't need to hold on to her He didn't move. so they stood face-to-facc looking at each other until she finally gave him her hand She shivered as his cold, strong fingers closed around hers How an pampim madt? she wondered Had a vampirt bitten him when ht'd still ben mortal? Human, she corrected herself He'd referred to nonvampires as human, as though humans and vampires were two different species Which 74.probably made killing people easier The stones she'd read and movies she'd seen offered conflicting methods Surely there was more to it than a vampire's victims becoming vam- pires, after enough years of that, there'd be more vampires than humans Or was there something about being bitten a certain number of times? And what about being buried in unconsecrated ground? Kerry wondered if Ethan had spent any time in a grave The thought made her shiver But he only led her as far as the desk, and if he noticed-he didn't comment Ethan sat down and turned on the computer, it made the distinctive high-pitched squeals that indicated it was attached to a modem He watched her while he waited for the screen to come up, probably to see how quickly she caught on to what he was doing It took a couple seconds Fast, slow. or average? she wondered, sure that he could tell from her face the moment she guessed, though she couldn't tell anything from his face And she doubted she could have even in betterlight than from the flickering monitor Once the prompt appeared, he typed, one-handed be- cause he was still holding onto her hand "Had to leave abruptly Regina can't come I'll catch up when lean Michael"

"Is that your real name?" Kerry asked, trying to decide whether he looked more like a Michael or an Ethan He looked in her direction but didn't answer, and in the dim light she still couldn't make out his expression, if he had any "You're warning the other vampires, aren't you?" she asked "What is this, a bulletin board for vampires? You all subscribe to the service and every day-every night-you check for secret messages to see if anybody's on your trail?"

75."Something like that," Ethan acknowledged "I thought the big advantage of being a vampire was living forever, not having to be afraid of anything"