I push back to crane my neck and look him in the eyes. “Who was this vampire?”
“Ion Radu.” The name seems to vibrate on the air.
My heart is pounding. “You know Ion Radu?” It seems impossible. Legends say that witches created the first vampiresas a curse. They lived high in the Carpathian Mountains, and many stories were written, most of which were fiction with a hint of truth. Ion Radu led the origin-vampires for hundreds of years. They say he disappeared in the fourteenth century, and it was believed there had been an uprising and his own people killed him.
He was said to be kind, and his mere presence created order among the bloodthirsty vampires. Once he was gone, the origin-vampires split up and made families of their own.
I know my mouth is agape, but I’m flabbergasted. “When was this? Why was he in Belgium? How did you meet? Where is he now?”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Sam pulls me into his lap. “I first met Ion sixty years ago outside of Bruges. He lived a quiet life in a cottage, and I tended his farm. He was good to me. I couldn’t say what brought him to the area, but he didn’t draw attention to himself and led a quiet life. I farmed at night and stayed away during the day. It went on like that for about ten years. In his last letter to me, he was in the Himalayas. I assume he’s still there.”
It takes an act of will to force my mouth shut. Ion Radu is alive. “Does he have a family?”
Sorrow fills Sam’s eyes as he shakes his head. “He doesn’t make vampires. Though we are friends, so perhaps I am his family.”
I’ll admit, it takes a lot to impress me, and at the moment I’m feeling very starstruck. “Ion Radu.”
“Perhaps we should talk about the present problem we face and discuss Ion another time. I’ll let you read his letters if you wish.” Sam holds me tighter, as if his arms can protect me from Pierre.
I settle against him and sigh, knowing nothing can. Running and staying under Pierre’s radar was my only hope.
“I wonder how Pierre found me. How did he get your number? I don’t even have a phone, just for this reason. It always seemed one less way for him to track me.” Clearly, there are other ways.
“The woman, I assume. She was probably the one who got my number from Gabe at the hardware store last month. Maybe Pierre had her check all the towns that are heavy with monsters since the Great Revelation.” Sam’s lips draw into a flat line.
“Her name is Tilda Shwan. She waited a month before she contacted him, and she warned me that she couldn’t wait any longer.” A shiver runs up my spine.
With a shrug, he says, “I wonder how he keeps her. Why doesn’t she run?”
I think about exactly what she said and how she touched her neck. “He can’t put a vampire in thrall. She hardly seemed loyal to him, only terrified. Maybe he has a link to her phone?”
“Hmm… I forgot about thrall. I suppose that’s possible, though why not dump the phone in a town like this and make a run for it?”
A horrible thought occurs to me. “Maybe he had a locater put inside her body.”
“That’s not possible. Is it?” Sam’s voice rises.
“Dogs and cats are tagged. I promise you that Pierre considers her a pet, much as he thinks of me.” I draw a breath that shudders. “We should try to help Tilda.”
“When he shows up tomorrow or the next day, we’ll try to ferret it all out. Maybe we can find a way to get her away from him. For now, let’s go to bed.” He sets me on the mattress and drags his shirt over his head.
Unabashedly, I watch him strip out of his clothes. I’ll never get tired of my giant.
He stands at the side of the bed, naked and beautiful, as if waiting for permission to get on his own mattress.
I drag my pink shirt over my head, kick off my shoes, and strip out of my jeans before lying back. “Come, Sam.”
He leans over me, keeping his weight on his forearms on either side of my head. “Thank you for not running.”
“I love you. There’s no other creature on earth I would have stayed for.” I mean every word, and the look in his eye tells me all I need to know. He would have followed. There’s no doubt in my mind.
There is little worse than waiting for a terrible moment to come. I can’t stop it. I can’t control it. For almost a hundred years, I have controlled my destiny. Admittedly, my life has been empty, but I’ve been free to make my own choices. This waiting for all of that to be ripped away is torture.
I trust Sam, but the fear of my past is paralyzing.
Meanwhile, Sam spends the next day in my backyard while I teach piano lessons to two humans, both in their seventies and both retired. Mildred took lessons when she was a child. She’s got some skills and seems to enjoy the learning process. Morris is a retired schoolteacher, and I get the impression that he’s looking for ways to spend his time.
When Morris leaves after I give him advice on an inexpensive keyboard for practicing at home, Sam slides the back door open.
