Vampire - Dead By Dusk Part 18

"Anyway, if we lose something, it will still fit into the improv," Drew said.

"True. The best thing about these shows is that it's possible to make anything work, as long as you remain in character," Grant said.

Arturo sent dessert to the table, and the waiter, bringing espressos, a.s.sured them all that it was decaf. Stephanie noted that they were the last ones dining. She glanced at her watch. It was midnight.

She yawned, excused herself, stretched, and rose. "I hadn't realized it was so late."

"Wait up-everyone gets walked to their cottage, right?" Grant said.

"Everyone? How can we all walk one another?" Drew asked.

"I'll get Stephanie back, Clay can see to Liz, and Drew and Doug can see to Suzette," Grant suggested.

"Good," Drew said, grinning. "And then, Doug, you can walk me back. I'm not big on wolves myself."

"We're not going to run into a wolf on the beach," Doug said, grimacing.

"There are different kinds of wolves, you know," Suzette reminded him."True, but apparently, none of you thinks of either of us as the other type," Drew said. "Sadly! So... come on, Suzette, let's get you tucked in."

"Hey, what about Lena? Shouldn't we check on her?"

"I'll go see her," Stephanie volunteered.

"What if she's sleeping?" Grant asked, a little sharply.

"I have a key to her room," Suzette said. "She has one to mine, too. We thought it was a good idea when we checked in-we're both pretty capable of misplacing them, and that way, we wouldn't find ourselves locked out." She dug in her purse and handed the key to Stephanie. "You can give it back to me sometime tomorrow, okay?"

"Yep. Good night, then," Stephanie said.

They all started out the back together. Grant was silent as they headed for Lena's. "What's wrong with you?" Stephanie asked him.

"Lena was very, very strange before," he said. "I'll wait downstairs for you, if you don't mind."

Stephanie frowned, looking at him. "You don't want to see her for yourself?"

"As I said, she was very, very strange."

"How?"

Grant stopped walking, waiting until he was certain the others were out of earshot. "She tried to... come on to me."

"What?"

"Believe me, I don't mean this as any kind of an ego trip. She tried to... come on to me," he explained again.

"Grant, she likes you-she was just flirting. She's sick, remember?" Stephanie said.

"Stephanie, she grabbed me!"

"You're sure?" Stephanie asked, staring at him, and very surprised by the situation. Lena just wasn't the type. She might flirt and laugh, but...

"Yes, I'm sure." He took the key from Stephanie's fingers and opened the door. "You go on up. I'll be right here."

Grant was behaving odder and odder. Still, Stephanie didn't want to argue with him any more that night. She wondered briefly if he would say such., a thing in the hopes of making her jealous, but she just didn't think so. And still... Lena doing such a thing?

Even if Stephanie had a.s.sured her that she and Grant were no longer a couple, Lena wasn't the type to be... lascivious.

Stephanie hurried up the stairs. The hall and bathroom lights were on; the bedroom itself was dark. The windows were closed.

She walked over to the bed. Placing a hand on Lena's forehead, she was relieved to feel that it seemed a more normal temperature.

"Stephanie?" Lena asked. She sounded like a little girl.

"Yes, it's me. I'm just seeing how you're doing.""Better... just weak. Hey, the sliding gla.s.s doors are closed. There's no air in here," Lena said fretfully.

"I'm not sure you need air tonight. The temperature in here is just right, Lena."

Stephanie's eyes were growing more accustomed to the dim light. Lena looked restless. Her fingers were curled around a medallion or cross she was wearing around her neck.

"Maybe you're right," Lena murmured. "But you know... the doctor left me some sleeping pills right on the dresser. Would you give me one? I had one earlier... sleep seems to help a lot."

"Sure, hang on."

Stephanie went for the vial, thinking it was strange-sleeping pills were helping Lena. They had definitely helped her. And maybe having the place shut up was good, too. The dreams didn't seem to be as bad with the sliding doors closed.

Could dreams have made Lena ill, she wondered.

She brought Lena a pill. She had a bottle of water at her bedside, and used it to take the pill. Settling back, she smiled at Stephanie. "Thanks."

Stephanie looked at the cross Lena was wearing. She hadn't seen it on her before.

"That's a pretty piece," she said.

Lena touched it, troubled. "This... yes, thanks. I think I bought it here. I must be losing it somewhat, because I don't remember putting it on. It's strange, though. It's irritating around my neck. Want to help me get it off?"

"Sure."

Stephanie sat at her side, and Lena twisted around. For several minutes, Stephanie struggled with the clasp. "This is ridiculous, but... it's a strange hook. I can't quite get it."

"Never mind, then. I'll live with it until the morning," Lena said. "Hey... you know, just in the last few hours, I really have started to feel better."

"That's great!" Stephanie told her.

"Hey, how is the new girl?"

"She's working out fine, so you shouldn't worry."

"Now I am worried! She's not so fine that you'd rather have her permanently?" Lena said.

"No-you're still the better comedian. But she's fine."

"Thank G.o.d!" Lena breathed. "Still, I'm so sorry to miss the opening."

"Well, better to miss the opening than be really ill."

"Right."

"I'll see you in the morning, then," Stephanie said.

"Thanks. Thanks a lot! You're the busiest one, and the only one to come by and see me!" Lena told her.Stephanie had been halfway out of the room. She paused, looking back. "What?"

"You're the only one who has come!"

"Grant said he was up earlier."

"If he was, I didn't see him," Lena told her.

"But..."

Lena shrugged. "Maybe I was asleep."

"Maybe," Stephanie said. "Well, good night."

"Good night!"

Stephanie hurried down the stairs. Grant was waiting. His expression was guarded. "How was she?"

"Doing much better."

"Well, good. I'm glad to hear that."

Stephanie studied him as they went out. He turned and checked that the door was relocked.

"She says she never saw you today," Stephanie told him.

He whirled around and looked at her. She didn't think he was acting.

And yet... it was Grant.

"I told you the truth," he said flatly.

"Okay, so... maybe she was a little delirious?" Stephanie suggested.

"She was a little something," he muttered.

They crossed the distance to her cottage. Stephanie opened her door. Even as she did so, she was aware of him behind her.

And she was startled by the sudden, almost desperate urge she had to ask him in. She felt...

Stimulated... as if she'd been engaged in heavy petting for the last hour. As if she had to grab hold of him, rip into his clothing...

"Good night!" she gasped out quickly.

She didn't let him hover, or even respond. She got into her cottage, closed and locked the door, and leaned against it, stunned at herself, and alarmed.

"Stephanie! Make sure-"

"Yes, yes, I'll lock up. I'll lock everything," she a.s.sured him. She didn't wait then, but ran up the stairs to the bedroom, making certain that her footsteps were heavy, audible just outside where Grant stood.

She walked straight to the shower, shedding her clothing. She turned on the water, and let it slush over her in cold rivulets. In just seconds, she thought she'd been crazy. She turned the water to warm. After a few minutes, she stepped out, dried, brushed her teeth, and crawled into one of her long, cotton T nightgowns.

She hesitated, left the bathroom and stairway lights on, turned off the bedroom overhead, and crawled in.

The room was too silent.

She turned on the television, and lay down again.

After a while, the lulling sound of the BBC reporter's smooth voice wrapped around her, making the world seem normal, and she began to drift to sleep.

She bolted up.

There, at the foot of her bed, was Grant.

Bronzed, naked, erect. It looked as if he had been greased, as if for some kind of bodybuilding compet.i.tion. Every shadow and nuance of his muscles seemed to glimmer and excite. Though he was still, he seemed filled with electricity and vibrance. She felt her breath catch in her throat, and it started to happen again. She ached. Agonized. s.e.xually, sensually... and felt that if she didn't reach out and touch him...

Stephanie... I'm waiting. You can see... come... come on... come to me...

Yes. She was an idiot. He wanted her, and she had thrown him away. And nothing else in the world mattered now except getting to him, touching him, having him inside of her, having him...

No.

Another voice. Someone else in her room again. Someone calling her back. She turned... silly, there was nothing behind her except for the wall.

She turned back to where Grant had stood, hair falling in his eyes, body as sleek, muscle-bound, and aroused as a hungry Adonis...

Except that... he wasn't there. There just seemed to be a... shadow. A huge, eclipsing shadow where he had stood.

A shadow like wings.

A sharp sound exploded nearby. She jumped up with a scream, and realized that the sound had woken her and that she had been dreaming.

Just dreaming again.

But the sound had been real. It was coming from the gla.s.s doors.

A slam exploded against them again. Terrified, Stephanie let her hand fly to her throat. She barely swallowed back a hysterical scream.

She forced herself to rip open the draperies.