Free Bound by Blood (Vampire Romance) by Tara Manderino

him, trying not to brush against his body, but that was impossible from the way he held the door.
    The room was very warm; it only took a moment to see the fire burning in the fireplace was the reason. It was uncommon for this time of year, although she had to admit it certainly kept the dampness out.
    “Have a seat,” Alex said, indicating the grouping of chairs close to the fireplace. She did as he asked, but still looked around for their host.
    “Monsignor Phil will join us in a few moments,” he told her. His voice rolled naturally over the Italian title.
    She nodded and sat down in one of the chairs. She was relieved – of course she was – that he sat in the chair cattycorner from hers and not next to her. She could think better when he was further away. She took a deep breath. He wasn’t saying anything, yet he said they were to talk. “What did you want to know?”
    ~*~
    Alex leaned back in his chair. “Not a lot, but I would like to fill in some gaps. The Morgans seemed to know so little about you.”
    She didn’t meet his gaze, but looked down at her fingers, twining them together. He didn’t disturb her for a few seconds, waiting to see what she would say. Finally, she sighed, and seeming to come to some resolution, she met his gaze.
    If he had breath to do so, he would have sucked it in at the clear gray gaze looking back at him. He could see to her soul. And see it was a troubled one. But why?   Her innocence proclaimed she would have been the victim no matter what the problem.
    “I didn’t tell them.”
    “I gathered that.” He purposely kept his voice low and slow, encouraging her to continue.
    “No, you don’t understand. There was nothing to tell them.”
    “Everyone has a story, Lisa. Everyone.” Even him. Perhaps he more than most. “You did not just hatch on their doorstep, a nanny to order.”
    She smiled weakly at his comment. “It’s not a particularly exciting story. I Like working with kids; love being around them. Being a nanny is a great opportunity to nurture them and see them grow.”
    Alex nodded his head in agreement. “That’s a given. Truly wonderful nannies have had great impact on the world. ‘The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world,’ kind of thing.”
    Her shoulders relaxed marginally.
    “Why did you choose to come here? Your accent is clearly British.”
    “This seemed a nice area of the country to live in.” She sounded defensive.
    Alex waved his hand, as if pushing the trivial matters aside. “Lisa, you are much too intelligent not to answer the questions I’m asking. Giving me the standard answers, probably the answers you gave to the agency you hired through or the Morgans is not going to get us anywhere.”
    She looked at him warily. “They’re the truth.”
    “Are they indeed? Then why do you not tell me why you choose to nurture someone else’s child instead of your own? Why are you here, by all accounts, spending time only with Cassandra and not dating or meeting men you could marry, have a child with? Those are the questions that need answers.” They really didn’t need an answer, certainly were not relevant to the case if he believed she had nothing to do with Cassandra’s disappearance, but he wanted to know; needed to know.
    She wore a stunned look, as if he had physically slapped her, and shrank back in her seat. “None of that matters.”
    It was necessary for her to tell him she hadn’t taken Cassandra for her own child. In one motion he managed to stand and practically loom over her in the chair before she had a chance to move. He braced his hands on the arms of the chair, locking her in. “If it doesn’t matter, there is a reason. What is it?”
    “It has nothing to do with this case,” she assured him.
    “It very well could. What if your last lover decided he wanted to reconcile with you? What if the only way he could get to you is through this child?” He wanted to say my child, but she really wasn’t. Nor could he