Free Night's Mistress (Children of the Night) by Amanda Ashley Page A

arm along the back of her seat, he lightly stroked her hair. “You’ve nothing to fear from me. You know that, don’t you?”
    “I don’t know anything anymore,” she replied sullenly. “I just want this to be over!”
    “Come on, let’s go inside.”
    Taking the key from the ignition, Logan got out of the car. Opening her door, he offered her his hand, felt a brief flare of annoyance when she hesitated before placing her palm in his. He told himself to be patient. He had loved her from the moment they met, and that hadn’t changed. He knew she was fond of him; in her own way, she might even love him. But things were different now. For the first time in their long acquaintance, she needed him . And she didn’t like it one little bit.
    “Are you going to be all right?” he asked.
    “How should I know? This has never happened to me before.”
    “Maybe you should come home with me.”
    “Not tonight.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “Yes.” She needed to be alone, to come to terms with what was happening to her. Mortal. Pregnant. Impossible. “Thank you for your help.”
    “I still think you should come home with me tonight.”
    “I need some time alone, time to sort all this out.”
    Logan nodded. He could understand that, but he didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone, not now, when she was as vulnerable as a new fledgling. “I’ll see you tomorrow night. If you need me before then, give me a call.”
    “Yes, I will.” She stood on the front porch, watching as he got into his car and drove away.
    She was pregnant. It had never occurred to her to ask Kyle to take precautions, but why would it? Vampires couldn’t reproduce. Everyone knew that. Only, she wasn’t a true vampire anymore.
    She went inside, careful to lock the door behind her. Fear was a new emotion, one she instantly despised. But she was safe in her house. She had never invited any of the Undead into this place. As long as she stayed inside at night, she would be safe from most of the vampire community. To her knowledge, there was only a handful of vampires who were old enough and strong enough to endure the sun’s light. She didn’t think she had anything to fear from Roshan’s family, but what if there were others who could walk in the daylight that she didn’t know about? Secrets were hard to maintain in the vampire community, but not impossible. Gossip spread like wildfire. She didn’t know how many of her enemies still existed. If any of them learned of her vulnerability, she would be helpless to defend herself.
    Maybe she was worrying for nothing. Maybe she wasn’t losing her powers. Going into the living room, she stood in front of the hearth and willed the fire to light. Nothing happened.
    She closed her eyes and tried to find her link to Rane. Nothing. It was the same with Rafe and Vince and Roshan. She didn’t know why her failures surprised her. If she could no longer feel her bond to Logan, a connection that was older and stronger than her bond to any of the others of her kind, then it was a safe bet that her link to the Cordova family had vanished, as well.
    She tried to dissolve into mist, only to blink back tears of bitter frustration when nothing happened.
    Going to the window, she stared out into the night. Without her preternatural powers, the world seemed dull and quiet. As a vampire, she had seen colors and textures clearly. Day or night, it didn’t matter, the world had been bright, the colors vibrant and alive. Once, she had been able to hear the flutter of a moth’s wings, the stirring of birds in their nests, but no more. She felt empty, adrift, cut off from all that had once been familiar.
    Mortal, she thought. I’m a pregnant mortal woman with no family, and no one I dare trust, including the baby’s father!
    Sinking down on the floor, she folded her arms over her belly and rocked back and forth. If only she had never revealed her true nature to Kyle. She could have stayed with him until the baby was born,