The Caretaker of Showman's Hill (Vampire Romance) (14 page)

Basil noticed Cassie holding her hand and realized the broken glass had cut her. He got to his feet and bundled the rest of the broken glass in the quilt. He then threw it to the floor and pulled her closer.

"Let me see your hand."

It was cut slightly, and a trickle of blood dribbled down her palm.

"I'm so sorry, Cassie. I never meant to hurt you."

Without thinking, he raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it. The taste of her blood tingled on his tongue, delighting his senses. It was pure pleasure, her virgin blood. He found himself craving more. Instead, he pulled away.

"Why'd you stop?" she asked.

"The taste of your blood excites me."

"I liked what you were doing." She held her hand back out to him. "Kiss it again, Basil. Please."

He watched as his hands reached out and grabbed hers. He couldn't stop himself from kissing her hand and licking the trickle of blood from her fingers.

She was soft, warm, and tasted like honey. Sweet, delectable and enticing mixed with the tangy taste of her blood. He sat on the bed and pulled her onto his lap. He kissed her hand again but stopped when he realized her idle chatter had finally ceased.

Their eyes interlocked, and he felt an aching deep in his soul. A soul he was no longer sure he even possessed. He wanted this woman more than just for her blood. He wanted her body and he wanted her soul. He wanted to feel himself buried deep between her thighs and rising to heights he thought he'd abandoned years ago.

"Cassie," he whispered. "I've never wanted anyone like I want you at this very moment."

She blinked once, her eyes burning into his face. "Then take me," she dared him.

"I can't." He said the words but only pulled her closer into his arms. He knew once he started he wouldn't be able to stop himself. If he couldn't stop, Cassie might die in the process.

"Then just kiss me." She brought her lips to his before he could object. He reveled in the sweet softness of her lips and discovered a burning in his belly that had nothing to do with the rum he'd consumed.

Cassie pushed him prone onto the bed and straddled her body atop his. He decided he liked the aggressive side of her, and deepened the kiss, using his tongue to explore inside her mouth.

He knew his fangs would be protruding any moment now and she'd pull back in disgust and it'd all be over. Then he'd bring her back to the Bat House and they'd both try to pretend nothing had happened.

"Basil, I want you, too."

Her words just about undid him. She had just given her permission for him to make love to her. It was almost like she'd coaxed him into it and because of that it was going to be alright. He foolishly believed he could make love like a human and Cassie wouldn't suffer the consequences.

He pushed up her top that was still damp from the rain and cupped his hands around her breasts. She slipped the shirt over her head herself and placed his hands on the front closure of her bra. He hesitated only for a moment before he snapped it open and pushed the straps from her shoulders.

"Let yourself free," she whispered. "Go ahead, Basil. I want you to."

His hands cupped her and she flinched slightly at the mere contrast of his ice-cold fingers to her burning hot skin. She then relaxed and leaned toward him fully.

It felt so good he thought he'd die. And the thought of dying only made him happier still.

Like the apple in the Garden of Eden, Basil found himself having to taste the forbidden fruit.  She arched and moaned, and he found himself moaning as well, fearing his fangs were never going to protrude and stop him from having his way with this tasty woman. Damn those blasted olives. They must have done something to him that was stopping his fangs from emerging.

He felt the throbbing below his waist and then realized Cassie was untying the string of his sweat pants and pulling them down to his knees. Her warm hands caressed him and he found himself more human than he'd felt in years.

"Cassie . . . don't." He could barely speak the words through his heavy breathing.

"Why? Don't you like it?" She continued to drive him from his mind.

"A little too much, I fear."

He couldn't stand it a moment longer. He had to have her, and this time nothing was going to stop him. She'd offered herself freely so why shouldn't he take her graciously? After all, he was a man with needs, and a man that knew a good thing when he saw it. Only a fool would turn away a beautiful woman who was offering him her voluptuous body with no strings attached.

He rolled her onto her back, not bothering to remove his sweats that were now tangled around his ankles. Hell, he hadn't even bothered to remove his Grateful Dead t-shirt, but she didn't seem to mind. His hands moved quickly as his nimble fingers undid her top button of her jeans and yanked the zipper all the way down. Her hands were around his neck, pulling him closer as her hips arched toward him, ready to rock.

"Hurry, Basil. I want you, now."

Her pleas were like the frosting on the cake so to speak. Every man’s dream – a wanton virgin. He thought if he'd wait any longer he'd burst before he even entered her warm body. He was thankful she wasn't wearing a belt to slow him down any, and reached around her arching hips and locked his fingers into her back pockets to help rid her of her confining jeans.

It was then that he felt it. The photo in her back pocket burned his skin and reminded him of things he'd rather forget. He tugged it from her pocket anyway and held it up to the candlelight. He didn't need the flame to see it, but wanted to be sure it was a photo of Dee and not just take Andre's word for it.

His skin prickled and the burning in his stomach turned sour. Dee's innocent bright eyes smiled up at him, and he realized what the hell he was about to do to Cassie.

He jumped from the bed and pulled his sweats back up, never letting go of the photo.

"Basil, what's the matter?"

"Get dressed, Cassie. I'm taking you back to the Bat House." He grabbed her shirt and bra and threw them at her. He didn't trust himself to help her with the process of dressing, though he felt like scum for leaving her this way.

What the hell was he thinking? He was a vampire, not a man who could bed any woman he pleased. He didn't deserve Cassie, and now felt like an ogre for thinking he could please her and she in turn could please him. Vampires weren't gratified with sex. He should have learned his lesson the last time he'd tried it. Vampires were only satisfied when they'd drained someone entirely of their blood.

He looked at the picture of Dee in his hand and the vision of her lifeless, blood-drained body at his doorstep, haunted his memory. Why the hell was Cassie looking for Dee? What the hell was the connection between them? Did she try to seduce his secrets out of him for nothing more than a good front-page story of the Strange Sightings? How the hell did she find out about Dee?

"Basil?" Cassie's hand was on his shoulder. He didn't think he'd been standing there looking at the photo that long, but obviously he had. She was already dressed and was standing with the bag of groceries in her hand. "I'm ready to go now."

She seemed to be totally sober until her gaze fell to the photo of Dee in his hands.

"I wondered what happened to the picture of my sister."

She reached out and gingerly took it from his fingers.

"Sister? Dee was your sister?" Basil's stomach lurched and he wasn't sure if it was from eating a whole jar of olives or for the fact that Cassie was related to Dee.

"Yeah. Do you know her? And what do you mean
was
my sister?"

He'd done it now. There was no covering up the fact that Dee was dead. He'd been careless and slipped up, and even in her intoxicated state she'd caught it. There was no way now she'd accept anything but the truth. No lie was going to get past Cassie Briggs, that he knew without a doubt.

"Let's go," Basil grumbled and headed out the door cursing the fact he'd ever brought Cassie to his damned secret lair to begin with.

Chapter 17

Cassie's head throbbed as she ran to keep up with Basil. Thank goodness it had stopped raining or she would have lost him in the dark for sure. She clutched the bag of groceries to her chest, cursing the fact that Basil wasn't a gentleman enough to offer to carry it. Then again, what did she expect from a vampire? Manners? Hardly. After all, he'd teased her to the point of no return and then left her body pulsating for him, not caring that she'd never been satisfied that night.

Still, neither had he. She felt like a fool coming on to a vampire in the first place. Maybe vampires couldn't make love. Maybe it was her to blame and not him.

Everything had seemed to be fine and then he’d stopped. Now she knew it was because he’d found the picture of Didi in her back pocket. He obviously knew her sister, and for some reason it upset him.

Cassie stumbled on a root sticking out of the ground. She dropped the groceries and went flying head first - into Basil's arms. He'd been so far ahead of her she could barely see or hear him, and yet when she stumbled he was there in an instant to stop her fall. Maybe the guy had manners after all.

She looked up into his eyes but they were dark in the night, and she couldn't read his expression. She reached for the bag of groceries but he stopped her.

"Leave them. We can move faster without them weighing you down."

"What's the hurry, Basil? I thought we were on a picnic."

"Well the picnic's just ended." He started off in front of her but she grabbed his arm and spun him around.

"Basil, wait! I want to talk to you."

"Cassie, I'm not in the mood for talking."

He started away again, but she grabbed his arm one more time. He stopped but faced the other direction.

"How do you know my sister and why did you say she
was
my sister? You almost make it sound like she’s . . . like something is wrong." Cassie’s stomach wrenched waiting for Basil’s answer. Her sister was alive. She had to be. Cassie hadn’t even considered the fact that maybe she wasn’t. Until now.

She felt the muscles in Basil's arm tighten beneath her fingers. Something was wrong and she had to know what. She shook her head, hoping to clear the fuzziness and asked him once again.

"Basil." She couldn't help her voice from shaking. She didn't want to ask the question but had to know the truth. "Basil, are you trying to tell me that Didi is dead?"

When he didn't answer, she knew it was the truth. Her world came crashing down around her. Her sister had died, and Basil knew all about it. It was more than she could handle. It was more than she could accept, and by god she was going to hear the actual words from his mouth before she came to terms with the resolution.

"Answer me!" she screamed, and pounded her fists against his back. "Answer me, dammit. I've got to know the truth."

Basil turned slowly and took her hands in his own. She could see him clearer now that her eyes were becoming accustomed to the darkness. His face was indifferent, and if she didn't know better, uncaring. Just the way he’d been when Helga died.

"Yes, Cassie. Your sister is dead."

Cassie flinched and tried to bite her lip to keep from crying, but couldn’t do it when her world just came crashing down around her. Didi was all she had left in life. First her mother had been taken away – and now this. There was no denying the fact that somehow Cassie was cursed. The flood of tears started and she couldn’t make it stop. Basil pulled her into his arms and held her, and though it was comforting, it didn’t do anything to ease the pain. Her search was over. Her nightmare had started. This isn’t at all what she’d thought she’d find when she left California to search for her sister.

After a while, Cassie wiped her eyes and blew her nose, and tried to gain control of her emotions. She had to know more. She needed facts. She had questions, and by god, Basil better have answers.

"How," was all she managed to squeak out, her crying subsiding some. She straightened her stance and tried to be brave. Didi would have wanted her to maintain control of her emotions. She looked up to Basil, but there was no emotion at all on his face. Why did she expect there to be?

"I think you should get some rest,” Basil suggested. “This can wait until morning."

"Wait until morning?”  The thought was preposterous. How could he even suggest such a thing? “I don’t think so. Didi was my sister and I have every right to know the truth. I've been looking for her for so long and I'm not going to wait another minute. I need to know how it happened." Her crying stopped, being replaced by anger.

Basil wanted to tell her the truth, he really did, but just couldn't. Vampires weren't supposed to have emotions, yet since he'd met Cassie he seemed to have plenty. He knew she deserved the truth, but he knew she wouldn't understand it, either. Dee had been found dead on his doorstep and the rest of the inhabitants of the Bat House had thought him guilty.

Why should Cassie believe any different? Dee's blood was drained from her body, just the way a vampire slays. That's why they had to keep it quiet and why they never told the authorities, knowing Dee was a drifter and no one would be looking for her. Until now. They hadn't counted on Cassie showing up and asking questions about her.

"She used to come to the Bat House," explained Basil. Maybe he could tell her enough now to suffice her and fill in the details little by little when she wasn't so emotional. Basil guided her along as he walked and talked. "She was a high-spirited girl who was lonely and needed some friends."

"So you're saying Dee knew everyone at the Bat House?"

"Sure. We all knew her."

Basil knew the moment he said it that he shouldn't have. But now it was too damned late.

"Everyone at the Bat House knew Didi yet when I showed them all the photo, they all denied it? Why is that, Basil?"

There was no mistaking the tone of anger in Cassie’s words. Already, it sounded as if she was accusing him of something, even if he didn’t know what. Cassie stopped in her tracks and stared at him with her arms crossed over her chest. He could see the anger in her eyes, and he knew she was ready to explode.

"Well, I'm not sure, Cassie."

"Like hell you're not. You knew her all along yet you never said a word."

"You never asked me. If you had, I would have told you the truth."

Basil wasn't at all sure he believed himself on that one, but it seemed to calm her down for the moment so he let it slide.

"Was she sick, Basil? Was that how she died?"

"No. She was the spitting image of health."

"Then how?" She looked up into his eyes and he felt something he hadn't felt since he'd been turned into a vampire so many years ago. He felt pity. He felt her innocence and he felt her pain. His heart went out to her, and he pulled her toward him, burying her head in his chest. He kissed the top of her head, suddenly feeling like he never wanted to lose her. He felt strange. Very strange. It had been a very long time, but he thought maybe what he was feeling was love.

He cursed himself for eating those damned olives. That must have been what brought on all these human emotions. He'd forgotten how much it hurt to be human. Feeling pain, discomfort, neglect and worst of all - love. Why in the devil's name was this happening to him now when he needed to remain cool and indifferent? He didn't want to care for Cassie. He didn't want anything to do with her, because he knew if he did, he'd end up hurting her or maybe killing her in the process.

It was too late. He'd already hurt her and what he was about to tell her was going to drive the knife of pain deeper into her heart. She would never want anything to do with him again when he was done confessing. It was exactly what he wanted all along, but he’d started doubting himself in the process. He didn’t know what he wanted any more.

He toyed for a moment with telling her an all out lie that would save his skin and make her feel better. He could tell her Dee tripped and fell and hit her head. It could be an accident that killed her, or maybe a tornado, an earthquake, or a freak act of nature.

"She was murdered," he said instead. He held her tight in his arms and felt her body shaking.

"She was what?" She was looking up at him again with those innocent sweet eyes much like Dee's before she died.

"You heard me, Cassie. She was murdered right here at Showman's Hill."

Cassie pulled away from him and looked at him in disbelief. She shook her head obviously not wanting to believe him.

"No,” she refused to accept it. “Everyone loved Didi. No one would want to kill her. Besides, it can’t be true. If so, it would have been all over the news. There was nothing on the news that I've heard of.  No one in town had even remembered seeing her. There were no police records. That was the first thing I checked when I came here. No, this can’t be true."

"It was never reported,” he informed her. “And as for the people in town not remembering her, it’s because I erased the memory of your sister from their minds."

Basil knew the look of fear when he saw it. Cassie's face was covered with it, along with disgust and anger.

“How could you erase someone’s memories? It’s not . . . ” she stopped when she realized who she was talking to.

“I’m a vampire,” he reminded her. “I can do a lot of things that seem impossible.”

"Why would you do that, Basil? Unless you were trying to hide something."

Basil knew the moment had come. She was a better snoop than he’d thought. She was too smart for her own good. He hated the fact she’d asked him that question, because now he had to tell her the truth. She deserved to know.

"Dee's death was covered up because it was a little out of the ordinary,” he explained. “You see, Dee was murdered but not in the usual way. Dee was murdered by . . . a vampire."

Her face clouded over and her expression turned to stone. It wouldn't be long now before she pinned the blame on him like everyone else did. He felt his insides cringe as he waited for her next question.

"Who did it, Basil? Who was the vampire who murdered my sister?"

Basil looked away and tried to think how to explain it when he didn't understand it himself. He hadn't done it, yet all the evidence said he did. Even if he told her he wasn't the one, Antonio was sure to explain to her all the bloody details of how they found Basil leaning over Dee's blood-drained body with blood on his hands, not to mention his mouth.

In a way, he decided it really was his own fault. He never should have gotten involved with Dee. He should have sent her on her way before she had the time to start developing feelings for him. But he liked the attention and his weakness was a pretty woman. History just kept repeating itself, and like a fool Basil kept making the same mistakes over and over again.

"She was found on my doorstep, Cassie."

"
Your
doorstep?" Cassie shook her head, not wanting to believe him. She backed away like a frightened deer getting ready to bolt. "Then
you
did it? You murdered my sister."

"I guess you could say it was my fault, Cassie. Dee was kind to me and I returned the attention when I should have ignored her."

"Just like what's happening between you and me?" she asked.

"Not exactly, but along the same lines."

"You bastard! You murdered my sister and now you plan on doing the same to me, don't you?"

That cut like a knife straight into Basil's heart. And for a heartless man such as himself, that wasn’t easy to do. If he was feeling this way, he could only imagine how Cassie felt.

"Cassie, let me explain." He reached out for her but she darted away. She took off into the dark woods and he was sure she didn’t know where the hell she was going. She couldn't see past the hand in front of her face, and Basil knew she'd end up getting hurt if he didn't help her. There was only one place he could put her and know she was really safe. In a split second he was standing before her and she ran right into his chest.

"Cassie, you don't understand."

"No, Basil. I don't understand any of this and I no longer want to. Just get away from me and leave me alone. I'm getting the hell out of here and you're not going to do anything to stop me."

She was crying again and he couldn't stand it. Especially when he was the cause of it all. If only she knew how much he really cared for her, but tonight wasn't the time to tell her. Tonight she needed rest and comfort and he would help her the only way he knew how. Basil reached out with his mind to calm her. Her mind was very upset and it took him several tries. Then she yawned and he knew his vampire skills were still intact. He hated doing this, especially at a time like this, but he had no idea what else to do. He would do whatever he had to, just to help Cassie.

"I feel so tired all of a sudden," she said.

"I know."

She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Don't fight it, Cassie. It's for your own good."

"No, Basil. I'm not going to let you do this to - "

She dropped into his arms, fast asleep. Basil scooped her up and headed through the forest. He felt like scum having to resort to such low tricks. Still, with the state she was in, she would have done something drastic and he couldn't allow it. One too many innocent girls had died because of him and he wasn't going to let that happen to her. He cared too damned much to let her die. He also cared too much to let her suffer. And now, he cared too much to let her hate him, too.