A Vampire for Christmas

chapter FIVE





DELLA FOCUSED ON Eagan’s hand for several seconds before she could work up enough courage to look him in the eye. To make matters worse, her friends were chanting “Kiss him! Kiss him!”



It didn’t help that last night she’d dreamed about what it would be like to be held in those powerful arms and how that straight slash of a mouth would feel. Well, now was her one chance to find out if her subconscious had come close to the reality.



Placing her hand in Eagan’s somehow carried more weight than it should have. The palm-to-palm connection between them sparked and sizzled. When had the room gotten so hot? Eagan tugged her closer, wrapping her in his embrace firmly enough to say he meant it, gently enough not to leave her feeling trapped.



Shall we dazzle them?”



The teasing note in his whispered question gave her the courage to nod. When his lips settled over hers, the rest of the world faded away, leaving just the two of them standing there amidst the twinkling lights and Christmas music. If anyone had asked her at that moment what she wanted from Santa, she would’ve said nothing more than this amazing gift from a man she hardly knew.



He teased her with a soft nibble of her lower lip before getting down to business. Okay, it was time for her to join in the fun. She circled his neck with her hands and leaned in close. When he smiled against her mouth, she grew more adventurous and touched her tongue to his lips.



It was as if she’d touched a match to tinder. His tongue swept in and conquered her mouth, staking a claim, making her wish they were someplace a lot more private. This couldn’t go on much longer. She knew it. Hopefully he knew it, too. But for the duration, she was determined to enjoy every second.



“Ahem!”



Someone nearby cleared her throat and then did it again. No doubt Lupe. Eagan broke off the kiss long enough to glare at the woman before picking up right where he’d left off. But then he gentled the kiss, slowly banking the fire, leaving only a few softly glowing embers when he stepped back at last.



“I guess we showed them,” Eagan said for the benefit of their audience. Then leaned close enough to whisper near her ear, “And us.”



Her face was as red as her T-shirt when she bowed to acknowledge everybody’s applause. Rather than look Eagan in the eye, she kept her attention focused on the others in the room. “Okay, then, I guess it’s time to break out the eggnog!”



Everyone applauded again and retreated to their tables while she made a beeline for the kitchen. The eggnog was only an excuse to give herself a few seconds to catch her breath. Leaning her forehead against the cool stainless steel of the fridge, she waited for her pulse to slow down to normal.



That man should come with a warning sign pinned to his shirt. If his casual kiss was that potent, how overwhelming would it be if he’d really meant it?



And darned if she didn’t want to find out.



“Della, are you all right?”



Darn it, she’d forgotten all about Daniel coming in to work. She straightened up and opened the refrigerator. “I’m fine. Just a bit of a headache.”



“Did you take something for it?”



“Not yet, but I will if it gets worse. How about you? How was school today?”



“Okay I guess.”



He started scrubbing one of her baking pans with renewed gusto, a clear sign he didn’t want her to pursue that line of questioning any further. Too bad. He might have a mother, but the woman was overworked and had three other kids to worry about. As Daniel’s employer, Della claimed the right to do some nagging of her own.



“Why did you blow off school?”



His shoulders sagged, but he didn’t respond, telling her she’d been right on target. It would be one thing if this was the first time he’d skipped, but it wasn’t. She knew for a fact he’d been spotted hanging around the neighborhood during school hours at least twice in the past month.



She started pouring cups of eggnog. “Is something going on that I can help you with?”



“I’m handling it.”



He rinsed the pan and reached for the next one. Odd that he still had on his hoodie despite the heat in the kitchen. She couldn’t very well demand he take it off, but it bothered her even if she couldn’t quite figure out why.



“When you finish with those, you can call it quits for the night if you’d like. I’ll run the dishwasher one last time when everyone is gone.”



She picked up the tray. “I’m going to close up early tonight. It’s been slow all evening, and I’m tired.”



Not really, since Eagan’s kiss had left her feeling buzzed, but it was the only excuse she could think of on short notice to give the boy a break.



That he didn’t argue indicated just how tired he really was. “If you’re sure.”



“I am, but promise me you’ll go straight home and get some sleep.”



“Will do. I’ve got homework, but that won’t take long.”



She’d done all she could to help without talking to Daniel’s mom. He wouldn’t appreciate her going behind his back, but she would if that’s what it took to get him back on track. Crossing her fingers that it wouldn’t come to that, she headed back out to the dining room.



Eagan was nowhere in sight, a good thing. Harry was still looking pretty proud of himself, but Lupe clearly wasn’t happy. Too bad. It was just a kiss. Well, not just, but it wasn’t as if it was going to happen again.



At best she suspected Eagan might be up for a brief fling, but she wouldn’t risk her heart on a man who wouldn’t stick around. She was looking for a man who would build a life and a family with her. Since her mother’s death ten years ago, Della had been alone. Her friends here at the diner helped fill in the gap, but it wasn’t the same as having a man who loved her and would give her children. Unfortunately, Eagan wore his solitude like a second skin.



Not even all of her favorite Christmas decorations could make that thought any cheerier. Rather than dwell on it, she started handing out the eggnog.





EAGAN SKIPPED THE EGGNOG, preferring to use the time to check out the human hanging out in Della’s kitchen. He’d heard pots banging around and the sound of running water. It wasn’t much of a leap to realize the kid was her dishwasher.



Eagan shifted the ladder to his other side as an excuse to pause in the doorway. The teenager appeared to be about sixteen, seventeen tops. Odd that he was wearing his sweatshirt zipped up and the hood cinched down close to his face.



He wasn’t cold, not with the way he just swiped a rivulet of sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. He was hiding something under that fleece, and Eagan had a good suspicion about what it might be. He’d bet anything the kid was sporting fang marks either on his neck or his wrists or both.



The kid didn’t reek of leftover fear, which meant he’d been a willing donor. Maybe that was a plus, but Eagan couldn’t see how. The question was why? Money, if Eagan were to hazard a guess, but that didn’t exonerate the vampire feeding off someone Daniel’s age. Cautious vampires survived by moving in the shadows and making sure their blood sources didn’t remember being bitten. They also didn’t leave marks behind. The chemistry of their saliva should ensure puncture wounds faded within minutes.



Only the very young and the stupid left obvious evidence behind. The young might be forgiven and taken under an older vampire’s wing until they mastered both their hunger and their survival skills. The stupid were ruthlessly culled from the herd for the benefit of everyone. Now that Eagan knew this boy had been used as a traveling buffet line, he’d hunt down those two vamps and see whether they warranted a tutor or an executioner.



The kid finally noticed him standing there. Lots of resentment in that gaze and then a flare of awareness. Shit, had he been made? Eagan set the ladder down, ready to shut the kid up by fair means or foul if he tried to sound the alarm.



But instead of screaming, the kid shoved his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt and glared at Eagan. “What are you staring at?”



Not much. Eagan forced a small smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I’ve got a bum leg, and climbing up and down to hang lights for Della has the muscle cramping. I was giving it a rest before carrying the ladder back down to the basement.”



That much was true, not that he would’ve admitted as much in front of Della. “My name’s Eagan.”



The kid actually grinned. “I’m Daniel, and better you than me with the whole light thing. I figured I’d end up doing that for her.”



Okay, maybe he wasn’t such a pain in the ass. “Yeah, well, it was me or Harry.”



Daniel raised his eyebrows. “Seriously? I don’t believe Della was going to let him.”



“No, she wasn’t. That’s why she asked me.”



He shouldered the ladder again. “Nice meeting you. I’d better get back to work. She promised me pie if I did a good job.”



Daniel wiped down the counter and tossed the towel in a bin in the far corner. “Her blueberry is my favorite, but they’re all good.”



He headed out of the kitchen. “See you around.”



Eagan waited until he was out of sight to take several deep breaths to draw Daniel’s scent deep into his lungs. With luck, he’d be able to track the boy’s trail back to the place the vampires were using as a feedlot. Once he located it, he’d call the lieutenant and request some backup to keep an eye on the place.



For now, he’d haul the ladder back to the basement. After that, he’d claim his reward. Too bad it wouldn’t be another kiss. As good as Della’s pie was reputed to be, he seriously doubted it could possibly taste as sweet as Della herself did.



Just the thought of how well she’d fit in his arms, how right she’d felt there, had him rock hard and hungry. No human woman had ever had such a powerful effect on him. In fact, no woman ever. He didn’t like it, not one bit. She was human, and an innocent. His job was to protect people like Della, not to seduce her and risk drawing her into the darkness of his world.



Damn it, he wanted to heave the stupid ladder down the steps, grab his coat and get the hell out of the diner. He was there to investigate a case and find the rogue vampires who were threatening the secret existence of all supernaturals, not to hang Christmas lights and mistletoe.



If these guys weren’t stopped, and soon, more teenagers would disappear or die, and the merely human would learn that their worst nightmares lived right next door. He needed to get his head back in the game. His first solid lead had just walked out the front door, and instead of tracking Daniel, all Eagan could think about was kissing Della again. His senses were overloaded with the memory of how she looked, her scent and how she tasted.



His imagination shifted into hyperdrive. He suspected her blood would leave him both sated and jazzed for days. The only way to find out for sure would be to strip them both down and get skin-to-skin in a tangle of arms and legs in that brass bed right upstairs from where he now stood. Whoa, boy, that painted one hell of an image. One he couldn’t afford to hold on to right now. In fact, not ever. He needed to leave before he lost it altogether. He jumped the length of the steps, wincing only slightly when his leg reminded him that it still wasn’t happy with him. Ignoring the twinge, he hung the ladder up on the wall and headed back upstairs.



He really hated the thought of missing out on that pie. Besides, it would hurt Della’s feelings if he refused payment for services rendered. Rather than think about why that bothered him so much, he walked out into the diner, pretending to be on his phone. He hung up as soon as Della spotted him.



“Sorry, I got another call and have to leave. Any chance I could get that pie to go?”



She nodded. “Will you be able to come for dinner tomorrow night?”



Lies upon lies. “I’m not sure, but I’ll try.”



As he yanked his coat back on, he cursed himself for a fool. Why had he said that? Stupid question when he already knew the answer. It was because he’d kissed her. She wasn’t the kind of woman who gave herself up to a moment like that easily or often. He knew next to nothing about her, but he knew that much.



He’d kissed Della as if it meant something. If he simply disappeared now, it would hurt her. What had started off as a joke had turned into something far more serious and not just for her. Yet another reason to exit from Della’s life with as much grace as he could muster.



“Here’s the pie. It’s blueberry.”



“Thank you.” He stared down at the container. “Your employee Daniel said it was his favorite.”



“If you come back tomorrow, you can try the chocolate so you have something to compare it to.” Her eyes twinkled when she added, “Of course, then there’s also peach and the banana cream, not to mention I also make a mean Dutch apple pie. Gee, Eagan, think how much you’ve been missing out on all this time.”



“That’s just mean, woman.” He opened the door, still oddly reluctantly to step out into the darkness.



Della surprised him by raising up to press a quick kiss to his cheek. “Not mean, just truthful. Now go. My electric bill is bad enough without trying to heat the streets of Seattle, too.”



He did as she said, walking away without looking back. Her kiss was meant as a small gesture between friends but still somehow packed a powerful punch. All he knew was that if it was really cold outside, he didn’t notice.



Two hours later the pie was gone and the kiss-induced warmth had dissipated, leaving Eagan cold and empty. Hungry, too, but not for pie. He wanted blood, warm and straight from the source. Della’s vein, to be specific.



Most often he fed from blood packs at the precinct. They kept a steady supply on hand for the nights the vampires on the force didn’t have time to hunt for themselves. A hungry vampire was more likely to lose control in the midst of a crisis. No one wanted that. It had happened before, and it wasn’t a pretty picture.



Just for grins, Eagan swung by the diner one last time. The lights were out, upstairs and down. He stopped briefly before moving on. He’d followed Daniel’s scent all the way to an apartment a few blocks away. After watching to make sure the kid stayed in for the night, he’d circled the area looking for the two young vamps. He hadn’t really expected to find them. If they’d fed from Daniel, they were probably done hunting for the night.



Time to head back to the office and report in. He hoped Lt. Hughes would assign someone to keep an eye on Daniel whenever Eagan couldn’t. After that, he’d chug down a couple of packs of blood and seek out his own bed.



For the first time since starting this case, it felt like he’d made progress. Not enough, but at least now they had the identity of one of the teenagers involved. With luck, Daniel was the first link in the chain that would lead them right to those behind the attacks.





EAGAN HAD SPENT the past twenty-four hours trying without success to find another lead in the case, one that would allow him to put some distance between him and Della. There were so many reasons he needed to stay away from her, but he was still tempted to accept her dinner invitation.



He remained convinced that blowing her off, even knowing it would hurt her feelings, was the right thing to do for both of them.



Soon, maybe in just a few days, he’d be but a faint memory. Someone she might think of briefly when she took down the Christmas lights and mistletoe.



He hated knowing that.



Now that they knew that Daniel was involved, he’d convinced his lieutenant that Eagan no longer needed to use the diner for cover. Since they knew where the kid lived, they could keep an eye on Daniel whenever he wasn’t in school or working. He suspected his boss knew he wasn’t being completely forthcoming on why, but Hughes had let it slide. Eagan had walked out of his office determined to spend the night alone, once again an outsider looking in.



Instead, here he was standing in the alley across the street again, his feet leaden and reluctant to move. In or out? Which was it going to be?



Out.



He caught himself rubbing his chest as if his heart hurt. How stupid was that? It didn’t help that twice he’d seen Della standing at the door and peering up and down the street. Was she looking for him or someone else? No way to know and the answer didn’t matter. It wouldn’t change anything.



Restless and edgy, he headed back down the alley to the next block. With luck he’d eventually cross paths with someone he could take out his bad mood on.



Fangs down and predatory senses running hot, he was ready to hunt.