Night's Illusion Read online

Cassie moaned softly as he kissed her again, his hand sliding up and down her side, slipping under her sweater to caress her bare flesh.

  He was sorely tempted to take her there, on the kitchen floor, but what would she think of him? What would he think of himself if he took her like some rutting stag?

  Lifting his head, he blew out a shuddering breath. “We’d better slow down. Don’t you think?”

  Cassie nodded, even though her body was urging her to take him to bed. Years ago, she had vowed that she wouldn’t sleep with a guy unless he married her first, but just now, with her lips still tingling from Johnny’s kisses and her body hungry for his touch, keeping that vow suddenly didn’t seem so important.

  “Close call,” Giovanni said, grinning.

  And the moment was gone.

  “It’s still early,” he said. “Would you like to go out?”

  “I guess so. What did you have in mind?”

  “Have you ever been to Hollywood?”

  “ No.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  * * *

  An hour later, they were strolling down the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

  “This is amazing,” Cassie exclaimed. “I’ve always wanted to come here. I’ve never even heard of some of these people. Oh, look! Amy Adams! I love her.” Tugging on his hand, she said, “Look. There’s the Chinese Theater.”

  It was crowded with tourists, even at this time of the night.

  Giovanni watched, smiling, as Cassie oohed and aahed over the imprints of Tom Cruise and Harrison Ford, Johnny Depp and Hugh Jackman.

  “Look, here’s Robert Downey, Jr. I love Iron Man!”

  He grinned as she compared her footprints to those of Cher and Britney Spears.

  Moving on, they stopped at a Starbucks, where he bought her a cup of hot chocolate with extra whipped cream.

  She sighed as they pulled onto the freeway. “Thank you for tonight. I had a wonderful time!”

  “So did I,” he said, thinking of the joy he had seen on her face, the sparkle in her eyes. He couldn’t remember when he’d had such a good time.

  With luck, they would have many more nights like this.

  * * *

  Cassie woke early the next morning after a restless night. She wasn’t sure why she’d had so much trouble sleeping. Maybe it was because she was in a new house, in a strange bed.

  Swinging her legs over the edge of the mattress, she made a quick trip to the bathroom, then pulled on her robe and went into the kitchen.

  While scrambling eggs, she smiled as she thought of the good time she’d had last night. It had been exciting, strolling down the Walk of Fame, reading the names of movie stars, all the while hoping to see a real one.

  After breakfast, she wandered through the house. She perused the DVDs on the shelf in the den, noting that Johnny had a preference for superhero movies and that his taste in books leaned toward the paranormal, although there were several Bibles in different languages, as well as several biographies, including one of John Paul II.

  She wondered where he spent the day.

  Overcome with curiosity, she went into his bedroom and looked in his closet. His taste in clothing ran to dark shirts, pants, and boots. A garment bag held items worn by a priest—a long-sleeved black shirt and trousers, a cassock, a white surplice. A beautiful black rosary was draped over a padded hanger.

  Feeling suddenly guilty for snooping, she hurried out of the room, closed the door, and walked down the hall to her own room.

  After hanging her clothes in the closet, she stuffed her underwear and socks in the chest of drawers. She carried her toiletries into the bathroom, then filled the tub with hot water and a generous dollop of gardenia-scented bubble bath. Sighing, she stepped into the tub and closed her eyes. What luxury! There had been no bathtub in her apartment, only a tiny shower.

  She lingered until the water grew cold.

  After dressing, she checked the time. Still hours until she had to go to work.

  In the kitchen, she made a turkey sandwich for lunch, added chips and some store-bought potato salad, then went into the den and turned on the TV. And all the while, she wondered where Johnny spent the daylight hours and what it was like to never see the sun. He’d told her he didn’t dream. Was it like being dead?

  Dismissing her morbid thoughts, she lost herself in an old movie.

  * * *

  Cassie woke with a start to find Johnny looking down at her, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing. I was just thinking this is the first time I haven’t come home to an empty house. How was your day?”

  “Wonderful. I didn’t do much of anything.”

  He laughed softly as she stood and put her arms around him. “Welcome home, Johnny.”

  “We have a few hours before you have to go to work. What would you like to do?”

  “Go out to dinner and maybe take a walk. Just let me change my clothes.”

  * * *

  Cassie opted for a burger, fries, and a strawberry shake at her favorite fast-food restaurant. The hamburger was rare and Giovanni licked his lips at the scent of the blood. He was no stranger to feeding on animals, having done so when nothing else was available—a fact he didn’t share with Cassie.

  They were strolling through the park after dinner when Cassie felt an odd ripple in the air. She let out a gasp and made a grab for Giovanni’s arm when a woman suddenly appeared on the path in front of them. A beautiful woman with translucent skin.

  Giovanni groaned. “Mara. What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Waiting for an introduction to this lovely young lady.”

  “Cassie, this is Mara, an old friend of mine.” He emphasized the word old just to annoy the Queen of the Night. “Mara, this is Cassie.”

  Mara held out her hand. “So pleased to meet you.”

  Cassie reluctantly took the other woman’s hand, felt a jolt of she-didn’t-know-what run up her arm.

  “Mara, stop it!” Giovanni pulled Cassie closer to his side. He could feel her trembling though she tried to hide it. “You’ll have to forgive her, sweetheart. Sometimes she forgets her manners.”

  Cassie waved off his apology. She couldn’t stop staring at the other woman. Her hair, thick and black as ebony, fell over her shoulders in glorious waves. Tight black pants and a low-cut, white silk blouse emphasized every curve. She was gorgeous. And scary as hell. Power radiated from her like heat from an active volcano.

  “What do you want, Mara?” Johnny asked.

  “Nothing. I simply wanted to meet your friend. The family was curious.”

  “The family? And how does the family know about us?”

  “Well, when I told them to stop looking for a suitable mate, they naturally wondered why.”

  Giovanni shook his head. “Go tell the family that my friend and I are ever so grateful for their concern but to mind their own damn business and let me take care of mine.”

  Mara grinned broadly. She had rarely heard him swear and she found it infinitely amusing. “Buona notte, Giovanni. Cassie, dear, I do hope to see you again.”

  Though that was the last thing she wanted, Cassie nodded politely. She felt another ripple in the air and the woman was gone as if she’d never been there. “Who is she?”

  “Like I said, an old friend. I’ve known her for centuries. She is the oldest of our kind and a law unto herself.”

  Mara. Of course, Cassie thought. The vampire who lived during the time of Cleopatra. “She scared the crap out of me.”

  He chuckled. “She’s good at that.”

  “Wait a minute. Did you say you’d known her for centuries? As in, hundreds of years?” Cassie asked, certain she had misunderstood. And then wondered why it was such a shock. Impossible as it seemed, Mara had lived even longer.

  “Yes.”

  Cassie shook her head. It was beyond comprehension that anyone, even a scary creature of the night, should live so long. Maybe so
meday she would ask Johnny how long he’d been a vampire, but right now, she didn’t want to know.

  “Come on,” Giovanni said, “we’d better get you home so you can get ready for work.”

  “What? Oh, right.” Suddenly, she couldn’t wait to get there; she needed something to remind her that she wasn’t living in some kind of alternate universe. Schlepping drinks at the Winchester would ground her back in the real world, where she belonged.

  * * *

  Giovanni sat at the bar in Rick’s, nursing a glass of red wine. The last few weeks had been filled with surprises. He had met Cassie. He’d taken human life. He had discovered that centuries of abstinence hadn’t left him impotent. Not only had he learned his sire’s name, but that Alric was very much alive. And Mara had insinuated herself in his life in ways he found both irritating and amusing.

  He could only wonder what the future held.

  The thought had barely crossed his mind when Angelica perched on the stool beside him. “How are you, Father?”

  “Fine. And you?”

  “Doing well, thank you.”

  Giovanni frowned. “Did Mara send you?”

  “No, why do you ask?”

  He made a vague gesture. “She’s been snooping in my life quite a bit lately, sticking her nose in where it doesn’t belong. I thought . . . Never mind. Do you come here often?”

  “Now and then. Why? Am I trespassing in your territory?”

  “Not at all.” At a loss for words, he sipped his wine.

  “Actually, I was looking for you.”

  “Oh?”

  “I was wondering if you’d like to go out tomorrow night.”

  “I thought you said we had no future together.”

  She ran her hand up and down his thigh. “I’m not infallible,” she murmured, her voice low and sultry. “I think I may have made an error in judgment. So, what do you say?”

  “I’m afraid it’s out of the question. I’m seeing someone.”

  “Really? Is it serious?”

  “It is on my part.”

  “One night,” she coaxed. “The girl need never know.”

  Giovanni shook his head. “There are no secrets between us.”

  Angelica stared at him in disbelief. “None?”

  “None.”

  “Then she knows that you’re . . . ?”

  “Yes. I told her everything.”

  “And she doesn’t care?” Angelica shook her head, surprised by an unexpected wave of jealousy for a mortal female.

  “I’m sorry, Angelica, but I have to go.”

  “Late date?”

  “You could say that.” He took a last sip of wine and centered the glass on the cocktail napkin. “It was nice seeing you again.”

  Grabbing his arm, she said, “Are you sure you won’t change your mind?”

  Frowning at the note of desperation in her voice, he removed her hand. “I’m sorry,” he said again. “Good night.”

  He felt her angry gaze on his back as he left the nightclub.

  * * *

  Cassie was waiting for him outside the lounge when he pulled up to the curb. Smiling, she opened the door and slid into the seat. Her smile faded when she saw his expression. “What’s wrong?”

  Giovanni shook his head as he put the car in gear and pulled into the right-hand lane. “Nothing.”

  “Hey, weren’t you the guy who said no secrets?”

  “Yes,” he said with a sheepish grin. “I just don’t know how to explain it. Before I met you, Mara tried to set me up with someone.”

  “Oh?”

  He nodded. “She was a vampire-witch. We met at a bar one night. After we talked awhile, she said we weren’t right for each other, but that I was going to meet someone else.” Johnny reached over and squeezed her hand. “I can only think she meant you.”

  Cassie grinned at him. “I sure hope so.”

  “Anyway, she showed up out of the blue tonight and asked me out.”

  “What? I hope you said no!”

  “Of course, I did.” Cassie was jealous, he thought, pleased. “I’m just wondering what changed her mind.”

  * * *

  “He turned me down,” Angelica said, not meeting Alric’s eyes. “He’s dating someone.”

  “You must not have tried very hard.”

  “I could hardly seduce him right there with the bartender watching,” she retorted.

  He swore a vile oath. “Stop making excuses! You’re a vampire and a witch! Are you telling me you’re helpless against a priest?”

  “What do you want from him, anyway?”

  “I want Mara. I tried to get him to give me her whereabouts, but he refused, and when I tried to force him, she blocked me.”

  “Going after Mara is suicide, Alric. You must know that. Everybody in the supernatural community knows that. She’s practically indestructible.”

  Alric stared at her, black eyes narrowed ominously. “Do you know where she is?”

  “She could be anywhere.”

  His hand closed over her arm, bearing down until she grimaced. “You’d tell me if you knew, wouldn’t you?”

  She gasped, “Of course I would,” as pain splintered through her.

  His hell-black eyes burned into hers. “If you’re lying to me . . .”

  It took all her self-control to still her trembling and meet his gaze. “I’m not!”

  Alric released her arm even though he wasn’t convinced. If she hadn’t been a witch, he might have tried to read her mind to see if she was telling the truth. But that was risky, as he well knew. Though her vampire powers weren’t as strong as his, she was a master of her craft. It was a potent combination. Even ancient vampires such as himself knew it was dangerous to run afoul of a practicing witch, especially one with three hundred years of experience behind her.

  Dammit!

  Chapter 16

  Mara paced the floor in front of the living room fireplace, muttering under her breath all the while.

  “You’re going to wear out the rug,” Logan remarked from in front of the TV as he tracked her progress back and forth. “Ordinarily, I wouldn’t care, but it’s brand-new.”

  “Alric is getting to be a pest. Now he’s hounding Angelica. What if he goes after Abbey? She’s still a young vampire.”

  “She’s married to Desanto. If Nick can’t protect her, no one can.”

  “That’s not the point.”

  “Then end it. Call Angelica and have her tell Alric where we are.”

  “I hate to kill a man without a good reason.”

  He stared at her, one brow lifted. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

  “That was ages ago,” she said, with an airy wave of her hand. “I’m much more civilized now.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “Keep it up, Hektor, and you’ll be next.”

  Laughing, he grabbed her arm and dragged her onto his lap. “No way. You’d miss me too much,” he said, nuzzling her breast.

  “You think so?”

  “I know so.”

  She closed her eyes as his lips trailed along the side of her neck, sending shivers of delight down her spine.

  “Let me,” he murmured against her throat as his hands slid restlessly up and down her back.

  She turned her head to the side in silent invitation, gasped with pleasure as he bit her, ever so lightly. The wonder of it drove every other thought from her mind save her need for this man and this man alone.

  Chapter 17

  Giovanni awoke from the Dark Sleep smiling, as he had every night for the last five weeks, because he knew Cassie would be waiting for him at his house. They had quickly fallen into a routine. Their lives had merged together almost seamlessly, he thought. He met her when she got off work at 2:00 A.M. and drove her home, where they spent an hour or two together, mainly locked in each other’s arms. He stayed in the house until dawn, then sought his lair. Since they stayed up so late, she slept a good part of the day. On the nights she worked, he r
ose a couple of hours before sunset so he could spend time with her before she had to leave for the Winchester. Her days off were the best. He had taken her night fishing at Huntington Beach. They’d gone to the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles to look at the stars, spent an evening at the Hollywood Bowl. So many things to do and see, things he had done before, yet they were all so much more enjoyable when Cassie was with him. He wanted to show her the world, wanted to see it anew through her eyes.

  He found her in the kitchen, loading dishes into the dishwasher, when he arrived that evening.

  Moving up behind her, he slipped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. “You smell so good,” he murmured.

  “I bought a new shampoo.”

  “I wasn’t talking about your hair.”

  She stilled in his arms.

  “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “Sometimes I just can’t help myself.”

  She turned in his embrace. “How can you smell my blood?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s driving me crazy. Why aren’t you wearing your crucifix?”

  “I left it in the bathroom after I took a shower. Do I need it?”

  “No.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and backed away from her. “Shall we watch some TV before you go to work?”

  “Okay.”

  They settled on the sofa in the den, his arm around her shoulders. He loved sharing his house with Cassie. Loved spending so much time with her. She was good company, easy to get along with, a tidy housekeeper. For the first time since he’d been a young boy, he had a home. A real home. True, there were nights when the scent of frying meat turned his stomach, nights when his need to taste her tested every bit of his self-control, but it was a small price to pay for the happiness she brought him.

  There was only one drawback. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted her. He had kept his desire in check for so long that just holding Cassie in his arms was sometimes painful. As his need to make love to her grew ever stronger, so did his desire for her blood. Holding her close, kissing her, touching her skin, her hair, listening to the strong, steady beat of her heart.... He blew out a shaky breath in an effort to cool his ardor.

  “Johnny?”

  “What?” he asked, his voice thick with barely suppressed need.