“How'd you know about that?” he asked, his voice sharp.

I shrugged. “I must have overheard someone mention it. Why? Is it a secret?”

“Well, it's not news that we want the Supernatural community to be aware of. I'm sure you can understand that.”

“Of course. So, where does one train to be a Vampire hunter?”

“In school, naturally,” he said with an easy grin.

I would have thought he was kidding if Rafe hadn't told me about that school down in Texas. “You must have some interesting classes.”

“You could say that.”

“Like what? Bloodletting 101? The ten best ways to kill a Werewolf? How to stake a Vampire without getting blood on your clothes?”

His laughter didn't reach his eyes, making me think I'd hit close to home.

“There's a place in Amarillo,” he said. “For all intents and purposes, it's been closed for the last twenty-five years. Used to be the number one school in North America, but a lot's changed since then.”

That had to be the understatement of the century!

“We've been underground for a while,” Jackson went on, “keeping a low profile, so to speak, but the Weres and the Vamps are getting more aggressive every day. It's no secret that they're not just killing each other anymore.”

Rafe had mentioned that, too. I thought about Susie. I needed to warn her that there was a hunter in town. I wondered if Jackson would spare Susie's life if I told him that she was my friend and that she had three young children, but something told me to keep that information to myself. “So,” I asked, “are you the only hunter in Oak Hollow?”

“No.”

“I don't suppose you'd tell me who the other one is?”

“Not a chance. If he wants you to know, he'll tell you.”

“Fair enough. Well, it's been nice talking to you,” I said, “but I need to close up.”

“Good idea,” he said. “The streets aren't safe after dark.”

I nodded. He was the second one to tell me that today. Like my mother always said, if two people tell you you're sick, lie down. When two people tell me the streets aren't safe after dark, you can be sure I'll be inside behind locked doors before the sun sinks below the horizon.

“I hope to see you around…I never got your name.”

“Kathy.”

“Pleased to meet you.” He glanced out the front window, then back at me. “It's getting dark,” he said, scooping up the bag from the counter. “Why don't you lock up and let me walk you out?”

“Thanks, but I'll be all right. That's my car, parked out front.”

With a nod, he headed for the door.

I stared after him, thinking that the Supernatural community was in a world of hurt if Travis Jackson was a typical Vampire hunter.

I said as much to Rafe later that night. We were at my place, sitting on the sofa in front of the hearth. It was raining again. I snuggled closer to Rafe, thinking how cozy it was to sit next to him in front of the fire and listen to the rain.

“So, do you know him?” I asked.

“I've heard of him. They say he's got a high body count.”

“Thirty-six Vamps and eighteen Werewolves. Oh, and one Were-leopard.”

Rafe whistled softly. “I guess he is good.”

“You think?”

“Well, he's not going to have anyone to hunt in Oak Hollow after tonight. Mara and Clive are telling all their people to get out of town.”

In spite of the heat of the fire, I felt suddenly cold all over. “You're leaving?” I told myself it didn't matter. He was a Vampire, and even though I loved him more than I had ever loved anyone else, there was just no future for the two of us.

His gaze moved over me. “If I was, would you miss me?”

“Don't tease me, Rafe. Are you leaving?”

“No.” He slipped his arm around me and drew me closer. “Not even if Mara told me to.”

Relief washed through me, and I sagged against him. If I'd had any doubts about how much I cared for him, the ache I'd felt at the thought of his leaving town had chased them all away. Though I had only known Rafe for a short time, I could no longer imagine my life without him in it. The words Mrs. Raphael Cordova whispered through the back of my mind. Even if I'd wanted to marry him, it was impossible. Two years ago, legislation had been passed forbidding Vampires to marry mortals. Anyone getting married after sunset was required to submit to several blood tests to prove that both parties were human. No such law existed for the Were-creatures, perhaps because they were still technically human and alive.

Rafe looked at me, one brow raised. “Marriage?”

I blew out an exasperated sigh. “Do you read all my thoughts?”

“No, but some of them come through loud and clear.” His gaze searched mine. “Do you want to get married?”

“Of course. What girl doesn't?”

He nodded, his gaze narrowing. “Do you want to marry me?”

I stared at him for the space of a heartbeat. “Are you proposing?”

“If you want me to.”

I didn't know what to say. Yes, I loved Rafe, madly, truly, deeply, but I couldn't help wondering how much of what I felt for him was from the depths of my own heart, and how much came from the Supernatural glamour that all Vampires possessed? And even if my feelings were 100 percent my own, did I want to be married to a Vampire? Did I love him enough to accept him as he was, to give up all thought of living a normal life, of having children and grandchildren? Once the excitement and the first thrill of falling in love wore off, as was bound to happen sooner or later, would I regret my decision? Did I want to live with a man who needed blood to survive, a man who would never age, never look any different than he did now? I was mortal, subject to sickness, old age, and death. What if he grew disenchanted with me when the passage of time began to leave its mark on my face and figure?

Rafe stroked my cheek. Had he been reading my thoughts again? Was that disappointment I saw in his eyes?

“It's all right, Kathy,” he said quietly.

“I do love you,” I said, fighting the urge to cry. “You know I do.”

“I know.”

“It's just…I just don't know…I don't want to be a Vampire.”

“It's all right.”

“But everyone in your family is like you. I'd never fit in, never really be a part of your family. I'd always be different, an outsider.”

“It's all right,” he said again in that same quiet tone. “I'm not asking you to change.”

I thought about his mother. She had lived with a Vampire husband until her sons graduated from high school, and then she had asked to be brought across. Had she ever been sorry she had given up her humanity? Did she miss doing mundane things like grocery shopping and going to lunch with a girlfriend? And what about his grandmother, Brenna? Had she asked to become a Vampire? The mere idea of anyone wanting to be one of the Undead was inconceivable. And yet…what would it be like never to grow old, to never be sick, to have a wealth of Supernatural powers? The fact that I was even thinking about it unnerved me. Thoughts gave birth to deeds.

I could tell, just by looking at Rafe, that he was reading my thoughts again.

“Do you want me to leave?” he asked.

“No! Can't we just go on the way we have been?”

“If that's what you want.”

“It is,” I said. “It really is.” But I couldn't help wondering whom I was trying to convince, Rafe or myself.

I thought about our conversation long after Rafe went home that night. Everything was changing. Oak Hollow was no longer the safe, peaceful place I had imagined. Susie had been attacked by a Werewolf. The Camerons' oldest son was still missing, presumed dead. The governor's daughter remained in the hospital in critical condition. The latest news bulletin stated she wasn't expected to recover. I wondered if Mara and the leader of the Werewolves would be able to put an end to the war between the Vampires and the Werewolves, if Susie's husband would be able to accept the radical changes her new lifestyle was bound to cause in their marriage, if Susie would be able to adjust to her new life, and how she would explain it to her children. I thought about Rafe's mother asking for the Dark Gift. Had it really been her own idea, or had his father coerced her? And what about his grandmother, the witch? Had she been a willing victim, or had the change been forced upon her?

Later, lying in bed, I stared up at the ceiling, wondering how things had gotten so complicated. I had come here looking for a quiet place to live and ended up in a hotbed of Supernatural activity.

I considered moving to another town, but where would I go? And how could I leave Rafe? Even as I asked myself that question, I knew that leaving now, before our relationship went any further, would be the smart thing to do. Just as I knew that I wouldn't go. No matter how things played out between us, I had to stay until the end.

I didn't feel like having cold cereal for breakfast Saturday morning, and I didn't feel like cooking, so I headed over to Carrie's Café. I wasn't the greatest cook in the world, and Carrie's buttermilk hotcakes were the best I had ever tasted. Besides, it was no fun cooking for one…something I would be doing for the rest of my life if I married Rafe.

Rafe. How had he managed to get under my skin so deep and so fast? Sooner or later, he would grow tired of me. I pushed the thought aside. He had said he loved me. I loved him. For now, that would have to be enough. But even as I tried to convince myself that the present was all that mattered, I couldn't help wondering what the future held for us. When we were together, I was certain that we could make it work. I loved the way he made me feel. I had never been happier, never felt more beautiful, more desirable, or more cherished. And when he kissed me…Lord have mercy, when he kissed me it took every ounce of restraint I possessed to keep from dragging him into my bed and having my wicked way with him, although, never having slept with a man, I didn't know exactly what my wicked way would be. But one thing I knew for sure. Making love to Rafe would be wonderful.