A Vampire for Christmas

chapter TWO





ALL RIGHT, that was stupidity to the nth degree, Eagan thought. So much for blending in. There was no way that woman or any of her regulars would forget him anytime soon.



Especially the lady herself—Della, according to her name tag. Even before those two punks got caught ripping off the tip jar, she’d been way too interested in him. Now there was no way Eagan could continue to patrol this area without her noticing him. He’d have to come up with some excuse to hang around that held more weight than just a craving for hot coffee.



Hell, under other circumstances he might have even taken her up on what those big brown eyes were offering. Just the thought of what she could serve up with that generous mouth was enough to have his cock sitting up and begging.



Yeah, right. Who was he fooling? Even if he wasn’t an undercover cop, he was a vampire. Somehow he doubted she’d be willing to add fresh blood to the list of daily specials.



No, far better that sweet, innocent Della remain happily unaware of the supernaturals whose world occasionally bumped up against hers. He looked up from the crossword puzzle that he had no real interest in. Della was chatting with the wolf bitch seated in the corner booth when she leaned over to look at something the redhead was showing her. Damn, the way those faded jeans cupped that sweet ass should be outlawed. The wolf caught his scent, her eyes briefly flashing gold and angry. Clearly she did not like him paying attention to her friend’s lush attributes. He considered flashing his fangs at her, but restrained himself—barely. There was no use in antagonizing the local pack, especially in front of the unsuspecting humans. He tipped his head to acknowledge the warning but lifted his upper lip to briefly reveal the tip of his fangs.



Her eyes sparked gold again. Message received. He turned his attention back to the crossword puzzle. Four across, three letters. Santa’s helper. He rolled his eyes. Was he the only one who was already tired of the tinsel and twinkle lights? Evidently. He neatly filled in the boxes with e-l-f and moved on.



He was reaching for his coffee when he finally spotted some action across the street. A pair of males in black hoodies were double-timing it down the sidewalk with a smaller guy between them. There was no indication he was there under duress, but he appeared to be purely human. His companions definitely weren’t.



Even if it turned out to be nothing, it was time to go anyway. Eagan tossed back the last of his coffee before heading up to the register to pay his bill. However, when he reached inside his coat for his wallet, it wasn’t there.



What the hell? Had one of those punks lifted it when Eagan had them pinned against the wall? No, he would’ve noticed. He closed his eyes and thought back to when he’d last seen it. For sure he’d had it with him earlier when he’d bought coffee on his way to the precinct.



One look down at his well-worn jeans and faded sweatshirt gave him the answer. He’d changed into street clothes before going on the prowl. No doubt his wallet was in his leather bomber jacket, the one he didn’t wear while on the job. He muttered a curse and checked to see how much change he had: two quarters and four pennies.



“Is there a problem?”



Eagan looked up from the motley collection of coins and lint he’d pulled out of his pocket. “I left my wallet in my other jacket, ma’am.”



And how lame did that sound? Della’s dark eyes were sympathetic, as if finding a customer was a bit short on money was a common occurrence.



“Considering what you did earlier, the coffee is on the house. And it’s Della, not ma’am.” Her smile was gentle when she dropped her voice and said, “If being short on funds is why you didn’t eat anything, I’d be glad to spot you a hot meal.”



“I’m not hungry, but I appreciate your offer.”



Not unless she was talking about a quick hit off that pulsing artery at the side of her neck, the only kind of meal he was interested in at the moment. Even then, he’d want to be someplace a whole lot more private and with a lot fewer clothes on.



Still, he needed to maintain his current persona of a down-on-his-luck day laborer. “I’ll drop by with the money for the coffee tomorrow night after I get paid.”



The perfect excuse to return and not even a lie.



“Really, it’s okay. You don’t have to, mister.”



She emphasized that last word, obviously hinting for something else to call him. He surprised himself by answering her unspoken question with his real name.



“It’s Eagan, and yeah, I do.” Then he dropped the change in the tip jar and walked out into the night.



“Happy holidays!” she called after him.



He pretended not to hear.



Outside, Eagan shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked off down the street. There was nothing happy about the holidays, not for him and not for the local teenagers being lured into a web of deceit and death. Several bodies had been found, mutilated and drained of blood. There’d been no solid leads so far, only rumors and hints that there was someone new on the scene. Based on the nature of the attacks, that someone wasn’t human. No one wanted that truth to make the evening news, and it was Eagan’s job to make sure that didn’t happen by putting a stop to the deaths and taking out the bastard behind them.



He fought down the wave of rage that threatened his control. No one deserved to suffer and die the way those kids had. There would be a reckoning and the guilty would be dealt with. He just wished that would be the end of it, but there was always another killer waiting in the wings. He should know. He’d spent decades hunting down predators and eliminating them. Always the same dance of death, one that played on and on.



Eagan waited until he was at the far end of the block before crossing over to the other corner in case Della was watching where he was going. The last thing he needed was for her to poke that cute little nose in his business. He stopped to taste the night air, hoping to pick up the trail left by those two supers and their human companion. Nothing.



They had to have gone to ground somewhere close by. He studied the area in all directions. No hint of any movement anywhere. All he could do was circle the block again and hope he got lucky. If not, he’d call it a night and try again tomorrow.





DELLA BUSSED THE LAST FEW tables herself. One of her usual helpers hadn’t shown up for work and hadn’t called. She’d learned long ago not to let herself worry too much about that sort of thing, but she couldn’t seem to help herself when it came to Daniel Cortez. Hopefully he’d check in before she turned the lights off.



Daniel’s home situation was complicated, thanks to an absentee father and a mother who often took extra jobs cleaning offices to make ends meet. When that happened, Daniel stayed home to watch over his younger siblings. With that thought in mind, she packed up some of the leftovers from the daily special so she could send them home with him in the event he came by.



She looked outside, telling herself it was Daniel she was looking for even though she knew better. Not seeing anyone out there, she turned off the neon Open sign but left the twin Christmas wreaths in the front windows plugged in, liking their soft glow in the night. Her last few customers started for the door. On her way out, Lupe stopped to talk.



“You watch out for him, Della. He’s trouble.”



At first Della thought her friend was talking about Daniel, but then Lupe glanced toward the table by the front window. Oh, Eagan, not Daniel. Well, tell her something she didn’t know.



“That was his first time here. Considering how embarrassed he was about not being able to pay for his coffee, I doubt I’ll see him again anytime soon.”



Lupe stepped closer. “But he promised to come back with the money, didn’t he? He wants something. A man like him has no reason to be hanging around a place like this.”



How had Lupe heard him when she’d been all the way over in a far corner? The place had been pretty crowded, not to mention the Christmas music playing over the intercom.



Della wiped down the counter. “I told him not to bother, that it was on the house. But why do you say that? Do you know him?”



The older woman shook her head. “I just know his type. The world would be better off without them.”



The vehemence in her friend’s voice shocked her. Lupe rarely had anything bad to say about anyone. Who did she mean by “them”? Tall men? Ones who wore dusters?



She tossed her washcloth back in the sink. “Look, all I can say is that I was glad to have him here. I still can’t believe those boys tried to rob me after I gave them pie and coffee. And right before Christmas, too!”



Her friend frowned. “I keep telling you that you’re a soft touch for every hard luck story in this town. You need to be more careful, especially when it comes to a man like him.”



Lupe gave the empty table another pointed look. “Trust me on this, Della. A lot more careful.”



Then she was gone. Della started to lock the door but realized the diner wasn’t completely empty yet. Old Harry had evidently dozed off. She went over to shake his shoulder.



Harry, it’s time for you to go now.”



He sat up and blinked at her. “Sorry, Della. Didn’t mean to fall asleep.”



That’s all right, Harry. Let me fix you something hot to drink on your walk home.”



If it’s no trouble.” He stood up and shuffled off to the restroom.



While she waited for the milk to heat, there was a knock on the front door. Good, it was Daniel. He pushed back the hood of his sweatshirt and flashed her a guilty smile as he pointed at the lock on the door. She hurried to let him in.



Sorry I didn’t get a chance to call, Della.” He shifted from one foot to the other in that high-energy way he had. “Hope it wasn’t too busy.”



We did fine, Daniel. Don’t worry about it. Did your mom have to work?”



His eyes shifted to focus somewhere over her right shoulder. “Uh, yeah. It was a last-minute thing.”



Although he’d never openly lied to her before, she was pretty sure he just had. Maybe he was embarrassed for having blown off his shift to hang with his buddies. At least he’d taken the time to come let her know he was all right. She opened the cooler to retrieve the care package she’d prepared for him.



You’d better get back home so your mom doesn’t worry, Daniel. I put this together for you. Tonight’s special was meat loaf, and I made too much.”



It was one of Daniel’s favorites. Besides, he’d long ago learned not to argue with her about it. Even if he didn’t want to accept charity for himself, he’d never deny his siblings a hot meal.



The Christmas cookies are for your brothers and sister, but the piece of pie is for you. I made blueberry today.”



For the first time since he’d come in out of the cold, Daniel’s smile was genuine. “That won’t make it all the way home with me.”



She grinned back at him. “I figured that, so I stuck in a plastic fork.”



When she opened the door to let him out, she spotted someone standing in the shadows across the street. She started to grab Daniel’s arm and drag him back inside. Even in Seattle, predators roamed the streets looking for vulnerable prey. But as if sensing her concern, the man stepped into the light of the streetlamp long enough for her to recognize him. Eagan.



She released Daniel’s arm. “Go straight home. Promise?”



The teenager shrugged his shoulders. “I will, Della. See you tomorrow.”



She latched the door again, still staring at the shadows across the street. What was Eagan doing out there at this time of night?



“Is my drink ready?”



Della jumped. Darn it, she’d forgotten all about Harry. “It will be in just a second.”



On impulse, she filled two cups and added extra whipped cream. “Harry, do me a favor. This one is for you. The other is for my friend Eagan standing across the street. Will you take it to him?”



“Sure thing, Della.”



As soon as he walked out the door, she turned off the lights and scurried upstairs to her small apartment over the diner. She headed straight for her bedroom and the only window that overlooked the street below.



Harry looked dwarfed standing next to Eagan as he offered him the extra cup of hot chocolate. She really hoped Eagan didn’t refuse the drink. It would only confuse Harry—and maybe hurt her feelings.



But no, he accepted the cup and even patted Harry on the shoulder before the older man shuffled on down the sidewalk toward home. Meanwhile, Eagan took a long sip from the cup, the whole time staring straight up at her window.



Did he know she was watching him? It wasn’t as if he knew where she lived, and she hadn’t turned on any lights in the apartment. He shouldn’t be able to see her at all, but she suspected he saw her all too clearly.



When she raised her hand in a tentative wave, he held the cup up as if toasting her before fading back into the shadows. Turning away from the window, she felt as if she’d just brushed up against something powerful and potentially dangerous.



She shivered. Maybe she’d soak in the tub before curling up under the covers in her flannel gown and wool socks. Not a very sexy image, but then it had been a long, long time since she’d last had someone to warm her bed.



For sure Eagan was a far cry from her usual choice in men, but there was just something about the guy that made her want to learn more about him. As she slipped into her old claw-foot tub filled with hot water and lavender bath salts, she pictured him in her mind.



He had a rough look about him, as if life had left him a bit battered but definitely not broken. A woman could get lost in those intense ice-blue eyes. Did he ever smile? She’d like to see that. Her fingers flexed, imagining the sleek muscle under that T-shirt and those faded jeans. What had he done to his leg that left it aching? So many questions with no answers.



There was also a kind of strength in him that was impossible to miss. Even though he wore his solitude as comfortably as he did that scuffed leather duster, he hadn’t hesitated to come to her aid and he’d been kind to old Harry out there. Yes, Eagan was quite the puzzle, one she had no business wanting to solve.