He smiled grimly. Jasper's behavior was sometimes too predicable. Once Nikki was safely home, Michael could resume his hunt.
"Penny for them,” she said softly.
He glanced across at her. Moonlight gilded her dark chestnut hair and softened the planes of her angular features. She was truly beautiful. A jewel he could not afford to touch. He cleared his throat and glanced out the window. “How safe is your house?"
"It's actually Jake's old house, which he divided into apartments. It has lots of locks, I can assure you." Which Jasper could pass with ease if she uttered the right words. “I was thinking in terms of help if Jasper's friends turn up."
She gave him a quick smile. “I can scream very loudly."
He controlled the impulse to return her smile and watched the amusement fade from her eyes. "I have my abilities,” she stated quietly. “I can protect myself." The hint of uncertainty behind her words suggested she wasn't as confident as she sounded. “And neighbors?"
"An old couple above me and a drunk below. Not what I'd term reliable help in this sort of situation." Not what he'd term reliable help in any sort of situation.
"I'll be fine,” she asserted softly. “I've been in worse situations, believe me." Her bleak tone stirred his curiosity. What could be worse than a vampire and his undead after your body and soul? “Such as?"
She glanced at him, amber eyes suddenly as unreadable as her thoughts. “When you tell me your secrets, I'll tell you mine. We're here."
She stopped the car in the driveway of an old Victorian. Michael climbed out and studied the building. A good coat of paint and a gardener could have done wonders for the look of the place. But no amount of paint could help the rot setting into the windows or the door frame. Neither would hold Jasper back for more than a minute.
"Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee? I've got some of the best Mocha you've ever...” Her voice faded, eyes widening slightly as she stared at him.
As if she'd suddenly realized her impulsive invitation had just given him unlimited access to her home. He smiled and reached out, tucking the stray stand of hair back behind her ear. She shivered slightly at the brief caress, but didn't retreat.
"Thanks, but I'd better not. You need to rest."
"True.” She gave him a smile that was more nerves than warmth, but her gaze went beyond him, studying the night.
He knew then she'd sensed Jasper's presence.
"Nikki.” He touched her arm lightly, felt the tremor that ran through her body. “I'll stop him, whatever it takes. He will not touch you. Ever."
Empty words, when Jasper's darkness had touched her already. He couldn't prevent it happening again, and in many respects, didn't want to. She was still his best hope of getting Jasper quickly. Her gaze searched his face, curious and afraid. “Why do you do this? Why do you risk your life for me?"
He shrugged. “I don't really know."
She sensed the lie. He could see it in her eyes. But he couldn't tell her the truth—that he was using her to find Jasper. He didn't want to hurt her that way.
He ran his hand down her arm and gently clasped her hand. Her pulse skipped a beat, then began to race. Fear had no part of this reaction, just as it had no part in his own. “I shall see you tomorrow evening."
He raised her fingers to his lips and kissed them gently. She smelled of honey and cinnamon. Of life. Everything he longed for but had long ago lost. He released her hand and stepped away, moving back into the darkness of the ill-lit street. Her gaze followed him for a while, then she turned and moved silently into the house.
He stopped and spun his senses into the night. Jasper was a half block away. Michael smiled grimly and cast a final glance at Nikki's apartment. He doubted Jasper would risk an attack with the remaining two zombies, not with dawn so close, and despite his efforts earlier this evening, Jasper hadn't succeeded in getting a firm enough grip on Nikki's mind to exert any sort of control over her. Not enough to force her to utter the words that would give him access to her home, anyway. For the moment, she was safe enough.
Time to hunt the hunter.
Chapter Six
The shadows in her room were filled with demons, insubstantial creatures that mocked and threatened from the safety of the gathering darkness. Nikki swallowed and slowly reached under her pillow. Her fingers touched the blade of the old silver knife she'd left hidden there, and cold fire leaped across her skin. The demons fled the shadows, and the room became her own again. Shifting slightly, she turned on the bedside lamp. Pale light filled the room, but did little to ease the fear sitting like a rock in the pit of her stomach. If Jasper could haunt her dreams and send images to taunt her, could he do more? Could he somehow control her?
She raised the knife still clenched in her hand. Light reflected brightly off its tarnished surface. It was part of an old setting she'd found in a second hand shop some time ago. She had no idea how much silver the knife actually contained, and no idea if it would be of any use against Jasper. Yet it had felt oddly comforting to have it under her pillow last night. She studied the shadows still crowding the far corners. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that holding it had somehow made the demons disappear. Just as it had forced Jasper's whisperings from her mind.
Shivering, she rose and padded barefoot across the dusty floorboards to open the curtains. The fading afternoon sunlight streamed into the room, chasing away the shadows and the lingering remnants of her dreams.
If the gathering clouds were anything to go by, the night was going to be a bitch. The wind stirred the nearby oak, scraping branches against the windowpane and chasing shadows across the footpath below. People wearing heavy coats hustled by, intent on getting home before the threatening rain hit. She crossed her arms and leaned against the windowsill. If Jasper was a vampire, as Michael insisted, how was he able to send her images during the day? Weren't vampires little more than corpses during the sunlit hours?
Maybe a quick trip to the library was in order. Her knowledge of vampires amounted to little more than what she'd seen on the movie screen. Which was pretty much all crap, if Michael were to be believed. Goose bumps chased themselves up her arms, due more to the chill in the air than the fear sitting like a lump in her stomach. She turned and grabbed her robe. What she needed right now was coffee to warm her up.
She headed for the kitchen, turning on the lights as she went. To hell with the power bill tonight. She made a coffee, then leaned against the bench, idly watching her eccentric old neighbors jog past. The light outside had almost faded. She'd have to get moving or she'd be late for work—again. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled a warning. Smiling, she reached for the phone. “Evening Jake."