Page 100 of Bargain with Fate
He met my gaze. “I don’t work like that.”
“I considered it,” Cowboy interjected, “but I’ve seen the husks someone like her leaves behind.” He cringed. “That’s a hearty no thank you from me. I’ve worked too hard to build this body.”
I looked at the vampire. “Do you really not dream or were you trying to discourage her?”
“That was the truth.”
“Is it a vampire thing?” If so, I hadn’t heard that before.
“No, it’s a Cowboy thing. I drink a potion each night before bed that prevents them.”
My gaze sharpened. “You don’t want to have dreams?”
“I don’t want to have nightmares, but since I can’t control them, I choose not to experience either one.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. I couldn’t imagine how bad the vampire’s nightmares were that he opted to bypass the dream state altogether.
Cowboy shrugged. “No big deal. It’s been so long, I hardly miss ’em.”
My nightmares weren’t as bad as they used to be. I still had them on a fairly regular basis, but not as incessantly as when I first arrived on the island five years ago. Adapting to life on Evermore had helped smooth some of my rougher edges.
Vale gave me an appraising look. “Are you telling me you would’ve lingered if you’d been asked?”
“No, but I wouldn’t have let her off the hook so easily. Ronald is in bad shape, and Leanne is the only one who can stop it.”
“She isn’t off the hook,” Vale countered, as we continued along the sidewalk toward Cowboy’s truck. “I’m lulling her into a false sense of security so we can assess her next move.”
“Her next move is to suck the last remaining drop of life from poor Ronald.”
Cowboy chuckled. “You two are fun. It’s like watching oil and water trying to blend.”
I thought of his unexpected question in the parlor. “You think she has information about the Coranians.”
“I took a shot in the dark that might actually pay off.”
“And you’re willing to sacrifice Ronald for that possibility?”
“You told me Ronald can’t die.”
“Maybe not, but he can suffer. The longer this drags on, the more pain he experiences.”
“Could be why she was so hell-bent on getting his address,” Cowboy said. “So she can finish him off—and not in the good way.”
I stopped at the familiar truck. “She tried to get that information out of Ronald in the dream too. It is odd, isn’t it? Especially if she can drain him dry from the comfort of her own home.”
“Maybe it’s the fact that she can’t kill him,” Vale said. “She wants to visit him in person to see what’s keeping him alive.”
“Comfort is the key word,” Cowboy agreed. “I’ve been in my share of fancy homes, but I’ve never seen so many antiques in one space. She doesn’t need a separate auction house. She could host one right from her living room.”
Another idea pushed its way to the surface. “What if their life force isn’t the only thing she’s after?”
“You think she uses these men to scout antiques?” Vale sounded skeptical.
“Think about it. She preys on elderly victims who live alone. She sucks them dry, then steals their valuables before any heirs show up. There’d be no way to know whether any items had been sold or given away prior to their deaths. That’s why she wants Ronald’s location. She probably doesn’t mind that he’s hanging on because she’s missing that important piece of information.” Leanne was a killeranda thief.
“Guess she can’t find him using her usual methods because your island is cloaked,” Cowboy said.
“I’d argue she found him there,” Vale said. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t be wasting away before your eyes.”
