After Sundown

Ramsey woke with the setting sun. Kelly slept beside him, a welcome warmth against his back. Turning over, he drew her into his arms, feeling totally at peace for the first time since the night he had awakened to find himself a newly made vampire.

A week had passed since the slaughter at Chiavari's house. Kelly had quickly recovered from the horrible wounds Khira had inflicted on her. True to his word, Duncan had disposed of the bodies, then declared he was taking a much-needed vacation.

Ramsey blew out a sigh. It was still hard to believe that Khira was no longer a threat - that a being so vital, so powerful, one who had lived for hundreds of years, had been brought down by a mere mortal. And a woman, at that.

But Marisa was mortal no longer. He had known the moment Chiavari brought her across, though he couldn't say exactly how he knew. The words "a disturbance in the Force" had him grinning into the darkness, but that was what it had been like. He had felt the change in her, the shift of preternatural power.

The night after Khira's death, Chiavari and Marisa had left the city. "On an extended holiday," Chiavari had said. Ramsey couldn't help wondering if he would ever see them again, bemused by the thought that he would miss them. Both of them.

Kelly stirred in his arms. "You're very quiet," she remarked, dropping a kiss on his forearm. "What are you thinking about?"

"Something that's been in the back of my mind for a couple of weeks."

"Oh?" She turned over onto her side to face him. "What?"

"We need to be prepared in case some other vampire decides to go on a rampage. For all her wicked ways, Khira never left any trace of her kills. Another vampire might not be so neat. If the word gets out that vampires really exist..."

She nodded. There would be panic in the streets, hysteria. In days gone by, the very word "vampire" had been enough to start a panic. And while she didn't think that would happen in this day and age, her mother had always told her, "Better safe than sorry."

"So," he went on, "I thought maybe I'd set up a school to train vampire hunters. There aren't many of us left, you know."

"Us?" Kelly asked, looking amused.

Ramsey grinned. "Once a hunter, always a hunter."

"Well, it sounds dangerous to me," Kelly said. "What if they decide to hunt us?"

He gave her a wounded look. "They won't know about us. We'll put Duncan in charge."

"What makes you think he'd be interested?"

Ramsey brushed a kiss across her cheek. "We won't know until we ask."

"What makes you think you can trust him?"

"I've taken his blood," Ramsey said, his expression sober. "It will be impossible for him to betray me without my knowledge." He kissed the tip of her nose, his hand sliding up and down her rib cage. "What would you think about buying the LaSalle mansion?"

"Why?"

"Knowing Khira, I'm pretty sure it's as impregnable as a vampire could make it."

She smiled up at him. "Suits me. I always wanted a mansion of my own."

He kissed her again, slowly, seductively, amazed anew that she loved him, that she needed him. Wanted him. Her eyes glowed with the heat of her desire, and he swept her into his arms, silently thanking Grigori for the Dark Gift that had given him forever in the arms of the woman he loved.