Shades of Gray (12 page)

"Would you mind if I showered first?"

"Of course not. The bathroom is down the hall, first door to your left."

With a nod, he carried his coffee cup into the kitchen. She heard him place it in the sink. A few minutes later she heard the shower go on.

Putting her cup on the coffee table, she sat back and closed her eyes. She never should have agreed to stay home. She would have been better off at work. At least there, she'd have something else to think about.

Ramsey returned fifteen minutes later. "Thanks."

"You look a lot better."

"I feel a lot better." He regarded her for a moment, his expression thoughtful. "Are you game to go vampire hunting?"

"Me? When?"

"Now. We should be safe enough if we stick together."

"Are you going like that?"

Ramsey glanced down at his T-shirt and pajama bottoms and grinned. "No, I have a change of clothes in my car." He winked at her. "Pays to be prepared."

"Can I have breakfast first?"

Ramsey laughed softly. "Of course. I'll even fix it for you while you get dressed. What would you like?"

"French toast."

Giving her a thumbs-up sign, he went into the kitchen. She stood there for a moment; then, with a sigh, she went into the bathroom and shut the door.

"So, where are we going to look first?" Marisa asked. It was a little after nine. She had showered and dressed while Edward fixed breakfast; then, while she cleaned up the kitchen, Edward had changed his clothes. She'd made a quick call to work to tell them she wouldn't be in.

Now she was sitting in the passenger seat of Ramsey's car, her heart racing as she anticipated her first vampire hunt.

"I think we'll start at my room." Edward shifted the car into gear and pulled onto the street. "I need to pick up the rest of my things anyway. Perhaps she left a trail of some kind."

Marisa nodded. That made sense.

Edward had been staying at a small hotel located uptown. He paid his bill, made up some excuse about the broken window, then packed his few belongings into a worn brown suitcase.

Marisa stood in the doorway, her gaze sweeping the room. Except for the broken window, there was no sign of a struggle.

"She must have cleaned the place up," Edward remarked. "See here? You can see where she tried to scrub the blood from the carpet. It's still damp." He swore under his breath. "Looks like she got away without leaving a trace."

"Now what?"

Edward rubbed a hand over his jaw. "I've covered practically every mile of Griffith Park and the surrounding area, since most of the murders took place
in that part of town. I've also checked most
of the nearby beaches. I've never searched around here, but I think he must be nearby."

"What makes you think that?"

"The revenant. I doubt if she'd be able to drive a car. She couldn't take a bus either."

"Maybe a taxi."

"Maybe." He shuddered as he recalled looking into those soulless eyes. No cabdriver in his right mind would have picked her up once he caught a glimpse of those lifeless eyes. "I'm thinking Alexi's resting place must be within walking distance of my hotel."

"So where do we look first?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe I've been operating under the wrong assumption. Maybe he doesn't hide away anymore. Maybe he's rented a house. Come on."

Returning to the car, Ramsey threw his suitcase in the trunk and then headed for the residential section of the city.

"What are we looking for?" Marisa asked.

"A house that doesn't look lived in. Perhaps one that has bars on the windows. Certainly one that has all the curtains drawn. Probably a fenced yard. With a large dog."

They spent the next four hours driving slowly up and down every street. Ramsey spotted two houses that he thought looked suspicious. He wrote down the addresses, as well as the license numbers of the cars parked in the driveways.

They went to McDonald's for cheeseburgers and fries. Marisa ordered a chocolate shake; Edward ordered coffee.

They found a table near the window in the back. "What will you do after you… you've dispatched Alexi?" Marisa asked as she unwrapped her cheeseburger.

"Take a long vacation, I think."

Marisa put ketchup on her fries, took a sip of her shake. "Where do you live?"

"Nowhere."

"Nowhere?"

"I have an apartment in Chicago, but I've never really lived there. It's just a place to pick up my mail."

"Haven't you ever wanted to settle down?"

"I've never had time to think about it."

They finished the meal in silence. Edward got a cup of coffee to go, and they left the restaurant.

They drove up into the hills. This was horse property, and the houses were more expensive and farther apart. Often, it was necessary to drive up a long winding road to get to the house. Twice, they came to driveways with locked gates. Leaving the car, they made their way up hillsides to where they could see the houses. Both had been family homes, with children playing outside.

It was near dark when they returned to Marisa's apartment. "Well," she said as she unlocked her door, "that was a wasted day."

"Not really. At least we know where he isn't."

"Where who isn't?"

Marisa's hand flew to her throat as Grigori materialized out of the shadows in the living room.

"Don't do that!" she exclaimed as she switched on the light. "You scared me to death."

"Where have you been?"

She tossed her handbag on the sofa. "Out. I'm gonna grab a Coke, Edward. Do you want one?"

"Yes, please."

Grigori glared at Edward. "Do you want to tell me where you've been?"

Edward sat down on the sofa and let out a weary sigh. "Where do you think? We've been looking for Alexi."

"You took her with you!"

"It seemed the wisest course."

Grigori studied Ramsey a moment. "He found you, didn't he?"

Ramsey nodded. "He sent someone after me."

Grigori went still. He stood there, knowing the question must be asked, afraid he already knew the answer.

Marisa came into the room. She handed Edward a glass, then sat down on the sofa beside him.

Silence cloaked the room like a shroud. And still Grigori stood there, his gaze fixed on Edward, though he was acutely conscious of Marisa, as well. He could hear the beat of their hearts, smell the blood flowing through their veins. Minutes passed. He was aware of their discomfort as the silence grew unbearable, knew that they, too, were aware of the vast chasm that yawned between them, an abyss that could never be bridged.

Ramsey drummed his fingers on the arm of the sofa.

Marisa toyed with a lock of her hair.

"Who?" Grigori asked, his voice barely audible. "Who did he send?"

"A woman," Ramsey replied in a voice equally soft.

Grigori closed his eyes a moment, summoning the strength to hear it all. "What did she look like?"

"Tall. Long black hair. Blue-green eyes."

He couldn't contain the anguished groan that rose in his throat. "Antoinette… Did you… Is she
— " A muscle worked in his jaw. "Is she still alive?"

Ramsey nodded.

Hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, Grigori groaned again. "Annie… Annie…"

Marisa shook her head, her heart breaking at the pain she read in Grigori's eyes. She could not begin to imagine what he was feeling, how awful it would be to know someone you loved had been transformed into something that was no longer human.

And then the pain in his eyes was gone, consumed by flames of rage. "Tell me everything that happened," Grigori demanded, his voice gruff. "Everything you did today."

Ramsey complied, speaking in short, crisp sentences, as if he would be penalized for every unnecessary word.

"You've told me everything you remember?"

Ramsey nodded.

"And you found no trace of Alexi?" Grigori asked, his voice harsh and bitter, like acid.

"No, nothing."

"Do you think he'll send her after Edward again?" Marisa asked.

"Yes, and we'll be waiting."

"We?" Edward asked, clearly surprised.

Grigori nodded. "Tonight we'll find you a new place to stay. If he sent her once, he may send her again. And this time I'll be waiting."

"You're not thinking of spending the day in my room, are you?"

"Exactly so."

Edward snorted. "How are you going to do that?"

"Don't worry about me."

"Believe me, I don't."

"Well," Marisa said, discomfitted by the sudden tension between the two men. "I don't know about you two, but I'm hungry."

Ramsey stood up. "Yeah, me too. As long as he's here, I think I'll go get something to eat."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Marisa said. "What's to stop Alexi from finding you?"

"She's right," Grigori said. "You shouldn't be out there alone."

"I've got some steaks," Marisa said, "or we can order something in."

"I guess you're right," Edward agreed.

"So, what'll it be?"

"It doesn't matter to me," Ramsey said, "whatever you want."

"Well, I don't really feel like cooking. Let's order some Chinese."

"Sounds good to me," Edward said. "I'll take care of it."

"Okay."

"You want anything in particular?"

"No. Well, some sweet-and-sour chicken, maybe."

"Right," he said, and went into the kitchen to use the phone.

Marisa looked up at Grigori. He was still standing in the middle of the floor, his thoughts obviously turned inward. She wondered what he was thinking, and then, seeing the dark, haunted look in his eyes, she decided she didn't really want to know.

It had been a heck of a day, she mused ruefully, and the night ahead didn't look like it was going to be any better.

Marisa sat on the sofa, her feet tucked beneath her, a pillow clutched to her chest. Earlier, they had all gone out to find Edward a room. Tomorrow, the two men would spend the day there, waiting for Antoinette. Edward had muttered something derogatory under his breath about sharing a room with a corpse. Grigori had grimaced, but let it pass. Upon returning to her apartment, Edward had gone to bed, pleading a headache, though Marisa suspected it was just an excuse not to stay in the same room with the vampire.

"What if it is Antoinette?" Marisa asked after a while. "What then?"

Grigori had been standing at the window, staring out into the darkness. She watched him take a deep breath, and then slowly turn to face her.

"It is her," he replied quietly. "I'm sure of it."

"What will you do?"

"Destroy her."

Marisa stared at him in amazement. She heard the torment in his voice. The determination. How could he even think of doing such a thing to the woman he loved?

Grigori let out a soft sigh. "I'll do it
because
I love her," he said with quiet conviction. "It's the only way to free her soul from the hell she's living in."

"I wish you'd stop reading my mind."

"Forgive me."

His voice, low and deep, moved over her like rich black velvet, making every nerve ending in her body tingle. She gazed into his eyes, and then, remembering how she had held him in her arms, how good it had felt to hold him, she quickly looked away, afraid he would see more of her feelings than she wished him to, afraid he would know that he had filled her every waking thought, her every dream, good and bad, since the night they'd met.

"Come to me, Marisa."

Trapped in the silken web of his voice, she rose to her feet, her heart pounding. She could feel his power drawing her across the floor, feel herself yearning to be in his embrace.

His arms folded around her, lightly, carefully. He placed his finger under her chin, tilting her head up until their gazes met, and she felt herself sinking, drowning, in the midnight depths of his eyes.

Feeling as though she were moving in slow motion, she wrapped her arms around his waist and waited for his kiss. His lips were cool as they slanted over hers, yet heat spiraled through her. A little thrill of excitement uncurled in her belly as his hand flattened against her back, drawing her body closer to his. He was hard and strong, yet he held her as if she were made of spun glass. His tongue was like a flame teasing her lower lip, and she opened to him without a qualm, savoring the taste of him. Time slowed, stopped, and she was aware of nothing but the wonder of his kiss, the welcome touch of his hands stroking her back, threading through her hair, the husky tremor in his voice as he whispered her name.

It was like being in another world, a place where time had ceased to exist, where there was no night or day, no wrong or right. Caught up in the wonder of his kisses, she clung to him, reveling in the feel of his hands gliding over her skin, his long fingers awakening a hunger deep within her soul, a need to be held and touched, to feel his hands upon her. Tremors of delight rippled through her. Her hands roamed over his back and shoulders, restless, eager to explore, to touch and be touched in return.

She was breathless when he took his mouth from hers. Slowly, she felt the earth stop spinning, felt time slip back into place.

Confused, she looked up at him, her gaze searching his. "Am I here because I want to be, or because you've… you've mesmerized me?"

Grigori smiled down at her, his expression infinitely tender, infinitely sad.

"Ah, Marisa," he murmured softly. "If you were under my power, you would not think such a thing, let alone ask it." He brushed a lock of hair away from her face, caressed the curve of her cheek. "Do you think to deny the attraction between us?"

"No, I don't deny it, but I don't intend to let it go any further, either."

"Because I am Vampyre?"

Heart pounding, she nodded, wondering if he would exert his power and take her against her will.

His arms fell away from her, and he took a step backward. "Do you think I would take you that way? Want you that way?"

"I don't know."

He wanted to tell her he would never do such a thing, but he couldn't. There had been times when the desire of the flesh could not be denied, times when he had used the glamour of being Vampyre to seduce a woman he fancied. But he had never employed such tactics on a woman he cared for, and he had not truly cared for a mortal woman for more than two hundred years. Not since Antoinette…