Free As Twilight Falls by Amanda Ashley Page A

door, she closed her eyes. Saintcrow’s image immediately sprang to the forefront of her mind. Piercing dark eyes. Broad shoulders. A massive chest. Long, long legs. Large hands . . . She shivered, remembering the touch of those hands in her hair, on her skin. The hard length of his body pressed against hers. The way his tongue had ravaged her mouth . . .
    “Vampire.” She forced the word past her lips. “Vampire,” she repeated, more forcefully this time.
    But first a man . Saintcrow’s voice slid through her mind like honey warmed by the sun. A man who wants you. Who burns for your touch. Who hungers for your sweetness.
    And with his words came the image of the two of them locked in each other’s arms.
    Clapping her hands over her ears, she shouted, “Get out of my head!”
    She felt his withdrawal like a physical ache.
    Gaining her feet, she undressed down to her underwear. Crawling under the covers, she pulled the blankets over her head, curled into a ball, and burst into tears.

Chapter 8
    Darrick Vaughan stared at the dark crimson liquid in his glass. Bottled blood. It was enough to make a vampire gag, yet all the females were off-limits for the next few days. It didn’t happen often, but it was hell when it did.
    As always, his thoughts turned to the new woman. The one who should have been his. Would have been his if Saintcrow hadn’t asserted his right to have any woman he wanted at any time. One of the perks of being a master vampire, Vaughan thought glumly, and felt his jealousy and his frustration grow in equal measure.
    Of course, he could have challenged Saintcrow, but he wasn’t insane. There was no way he could hope to beat the older vampire, one-on-one.
    He grimaced as he sipped his drink. If he could sway the other vampires to his way of thinking, they might be able to destroy Saintcrow and take over Morgan Creek, run it the way they saw fit. Instead of waiting for unwary mortals to stumble into town, they could go out and round up a dozen, a hundred, and gorge themselves to their hearts’ content. But that would never happen as long as Saintcrow existed.
    He drained his glass and set it aside. Right now, only Lilith agreed with him.
    With enough persuasion and a little luck, he might be able to change that.
    He thought again of asking Saintcrow for permission to leave Morgan Creek, but he was reluctant to do so. This place was a haven, a refuge from the hunters and slayers who were determined to wipe their kind from the face of the earth. Leaving Saintcrow’s protection could be dangerous.
    After signaling for a refill, Vaughan drummed his fingers on the bar top. Slow and steady wins the race, his father had always said. The best thing to do was try to sway the others to his way of thinking. It might take a year. It might take ten. But what the hell. If there was one thing he had, it was time.

Chapter 9
    Kadie woke late after a surprisingly restful sleep. She had slept like the proverbial log, with no dreams that she could recall.
    She stared up at the high ceiling. It was Sunday. Had she been at home, she would have eaten a late breakfast, read the paper, taken her little sister, Kathy, to church, if Kathy was feeling up to it. After lunch, she would have gone through her latest batch of photos, deciding which to keep, sorting them into groups, deciding if the pictures deserved a story and where she would send them. In the evening, after dinner, she would have read her e-mail, updated her Web site, maybe played cards with her mom and dad after Kathy went to bed. Her parents must be worried sick. She had promised to call as soon as she reached Wyoming.
    Sitting up, she glanced around the room. She hadn’t paid much attention to it before. It was a nice-enough room, large, with bare, off-white walls. The rug was deep green; matching drapes hung at the single window. The four-poster bed looked like an antique, as did the rocking chair in the corner. But maybe that was to be expected, since the