Free Bound By Blood by Amanda Ashley Page A

Zack Ravenscroft, or of what might have been. She shook her head. Just her luck. She had finally met a man she liked and he was the wrong kind of vampire.
    Kaitlyn closed her eyes and took several slow deep breaths. She refused to just sit home and feel sorry for herself. She was Drake Sherrad’s daughter, heir to the Carpathian dynasty. She had a destiny to fulfill, and Zack Ravenscroft had no place in it. How could she have forgotten that? In a year or two, three at the most, she would be required to return to the Fortress and seek a life mate.
    After washing her face, she reapplied her makeup, grabbed her purse and her keys, and left the house. It was still early and there was a movie in town she had been wanting to see. Tonight seemed like the perfect time.
     
     
    The movie had been a mistake, Kaitlyn thought as she walked toward the ice-cream parlor located down the block and across the street from the theater. She had forgotten the film was one of those chick flicks with lots of long, lingering looks and a sad ending. She had cried all the way through.
    Hopefully, a banana split with extra whipped cream and a cherry would cheer her up. Her mother always said there were few miseries in life that a hefty helping of chocolate couldn’t make better.
    Kaitlyn had just taken her first bite of hot fudge when the last person she wanted to see dropped into the seat across from hers.
    “Hey, Kaitlyn, how’s it going?” Eddie asked cheerfully.
    She forced a smile. “Just fine, thank you.”
    “I thought you had a date tonight,” he said, his voice carefully casual.
    “Something came up at the last minute and he had to cancel.” It wasn’t exactly a lie.
    Eddie glanced at his watch. “Well, it’s early yet. Maybe we could go out. I hear there’s a nice dance floor at Ravenscroft’s Casino.”
    “No!” The idea of running into Zack was unthinkable. “I mean, I don’t feel like dancing tonight.”
    He looked thoughtful. “Do you like bowling? There’s a new place down the street. Lois Lanes. Get it?”
    She forced another smile.
    “So, what do you say?”
    “I don’t think so.” She took a bite of ice cream but it seemed to have lost its appeal and she pushed the dish away.
    “I guess it’s not my night,” Eddie remarked.
    And it never will be, Kaitlyn thought, pushing away from the table. “Sorry, Eddie, I’m just really tired.” Rising, she plucked her handbag from the table. “Maybe some other time.” Talk about a lie, she thought.
    “The least I can do is walk you home.”
    “Thank you, but I have my car.”
    “I didn’t see it parked outside.”
    “I left it in the parking lot behind the theater.” She started toward the door, a huff of annoyance rising in her throat when Eddie followed her outside and fell into step beside her.
    The silence stretched between them, but Kaitlyn didn’t care. She was too upset about how things had ended with Zack to worry about what Eddie Harrington thought. She had nothing to say to him and had no interest in his company. If she didn’t encourage him, maybe he would finally get a clue and leave her alone.
    Apparently, he was clueless. “So, you went to the movies? How was it?”
    “Very sad.”
    “The new sci-fi flick starts on Friday. I hear it’s a good one.”
    “Well, I hope you like it,” she said, hoping he would take the hint this time. Grateful to have reached her car, she unlocked it and opened the door. “Good night.”
    “Yeah, good night.”
    Kaitlyn slid behind the wheel and put the key in the ignition. When she glanced in the rearview mirror, she saw him standing under one of the lampposts, watching her. The surly look in his eyes sent a shiver of unease down her spine. Putting the car in gear, she drove out of the parking lot.

    Zack stood in the shadows across from the parking lot, his eyes narrowed as he focused on the man who had been with Kaitlyn. Even from a distance, he recognized the man’s scent. It was the same as the one