Tall, Dark, and Deadly: Seven Bad Boys of Paranormal Romance by Laura Kaye
“Thanks for everything,” she told the flight attendant who helped her to the Jetway.
“Good luck, Kate. I hope you feel better soon.”
Had she told them her name? She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what else she might have mentioned in her dizzy and dazed state. Frightening to realize she couldn’t remember most of the flight.
“Thank you. I’m sure I will.”
“Good, and I hope you see Gregorio again very soon.”
Kate’s knees wobbled for a moment. “Who?”
“You told me about a man on the beach, Gregorio... Don’t you remember?”
Gregorio. The name the woman in her dream had called Calisto. Gregorio...
“I hope I see him too,” Kate finally answered. “Thanks again.”
She turned around and slowly made her way up the Jetway. Her legs already ached when she reached the top. Somehow she made it through the terminal with only a couple of stops to rest.
“Jesus, Kate!” Lori rushed to the escalator leading to the baggage claim and helped her to a chair. “What happened?”
Lori sat down beside her and Kate tried to explain, but tears won out over her voice and instead of talking she ended up sobbing. She wasn’t sure how long they sat together in the airport, but she’d never been more grateful to Lori for her company.
She didn’t ask another question, just held her and stroked her hair until the tears finally passed. Kate drew back with a sniffle.
“Sorry about that. Can we leave now before I lose it again?”
Lori nodded and helped her through the airport and out to her car.
“Just wait right here,” she said, taking Kate’s ticket with the luggage tag stapled inside. “I’ll grab your luggage and we’ll get out of here, okay?”
Kate nodded in agreement, too tired to argue that she could get it herself, and watched Lori’s red hair disappear into the river of travelers. The doctor discharged her earlier in the morning with strict instructions to rest, and now she found it almost funny.
Rest was inevitable. She was too wiped out to do anything else.
The drive back to Lori’s house was a blur. She slept through most of it. Once they were settled inside, Lori brought mugs of hot tea and sat down beside her.
“Okay, what’s going on?”
“Other than my life falling apart around me?” Kate blew gently on the surface of her tea. “Not much.”
Lori frowned. “Is it Calisto? Is that why you were at the airport?”
“I went to the airport because the hospital in Reno discharged me and I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I gave up my apartment when I moved back out here.”
“The hospital?”
Kate nodded, taking a sip of her tea. “Yeah... I went back to tell Tom I was pregnant.”
Lori leaned forward in her chair, taking Kate’s hand in hers.
“But I... ” Kate cleared her throat as another tear spilled over her cheek. “I lost the baby before I could tell him.” Lori squeezed her hand in support. “I lost a lot of blood, but the doctor said I should be fine.”
She sipped her tea, trying to avoid another wave of tears. A palpable silence settled between them. She almost hoped her friend would lecture her about jumping into a relationship with a man she hardly knew.
But she didn’t.
Instead, Lori hugged her. “I’m so sorry. You’re sure it was Tom’s?”
“I was too far along for it to be Calisto’s baby,” Kate said, looking down at her mug.
“So where is Calisto now?”
Kate shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Does he know you went back to Reno?”
“He sent me there,” Kate sighed, finally raising her eyes to meet Lori’s. “He looked like he’d seen a ghost the second I mentioned being pregnant, and immediately decided he didn’t have room in his life for a family. A few minutes later he had plane tickets for me to go back to Reno to live happily ever after with Tom.” She shook her head and wiped her nose. “As if I could just waltz back into his cheating arms and live happily ever after. But it doesn’t matter now. The baby... ” The word filled her head, blinding her with another wave of tears. “I lost the baby before I could even tell Tom I was back in town.”
“Do the doctors know why it happened?”
Kate shook her head, wiping her eyes. “Something might have been wrong with the baby, but they said it’s common in the first trimester. They don’t know for sure what happened. I lost a lot of blood, so they kept me overnight in the hospital on antibiotics and fluids.”
“Did they give you anything for the pain?”
“My heart hurts worse than my body. I lay in that hospital bed feeling more alone than I’ve ever felt in my life.”
Lori frowned. “You were alone?”
“Yeah.” Kate nodded. “Why?”
“Because on the way back from the airport you kept talking about some man in black named Gregorio.”
Kate’s hands trembled. She stretched forward to place her mug on the coffee table before she spilled it all over herself. Running both hands down her face, she fought for some kind of clarity. There must be a way to put the pieces together. She’d had the same dream for too long. This couldn’t be a coincidence.
It had to mean something.
The dream had changed, but the woman in her dreams remained same. She wore that same pendant. And when she smiled and laughed on the beach, Calisto’s face smiled down at her. But she called him Gregorio.
Where was Gregorio while the woman ran for her life with a man on a horse closing in on her? What if Gregorio was the man chasing her?
She shook her head, forcing the thought from her mind. They were just dreams. She saw Calisto’s face because he sent her away and she couldn’t stop thinking about him. She missed him. That felt logical.
But what if there was more to it?
“Are you all right?” Lori asked, pulling Kate back from her thoughts.
“I need to talk to Calisto.”
Lori cocked her head. “After he abandoned you when you needed him most?”
“He didn’t abandon me. He thought I would get back together with Tom and have a family. I’m sure he thought he did the right thing.”
Lori shook her head. “You are giving him way too much credit. Let’s face it. If he really loved you, could he just put you on a plane and send you away at the drop of a hat like that?”
“Damnit, Lori. You weren’t there. You didn’t see his eyes when I told him I was pregnant. He looked so sad. I don’t think he wanted me to go. He did what he thought was best for me and my baby.”
“Or he was sad because now you’ve see his true colors. Now you know once and for all that when you really need him, he won’t be there for you. He can’t fool you anymore.”
“Enough. Please, stop it.” Her eyes brimmed with tears all over again. “He’s not like that. I need to talk to him, and if you won’t take me, I’ll get a cab.”
Lori sighed. “Are you sure you’re up for this, Kate? He may not be happy to see you again.”
“How can you say that?”
“I’m just being honest, hon. You weren’t with him very long, and even though you think you were both deeply in love, the world’s a cruel place. Sounds like he used you. You told me yourself he was never around in the daytime. How do you know he’s not already married with five kids?”
“All of that might be true,” Kate whispered, praying otherwise. “But it doesn’t change the fact that I need to see him.”
“Fine.” Lori sat back and crossed her arms.
“Can I use your phone? I just need to call Betty and be sure Calisto is still in town.”
“No problem.” Lori handed her the cordless phone.
After a quick conversation with Betty, Kate hung up with a slight frown.
“What is it?” Lori asked. “Is he in town?”
Kate shrugged. “It’s nothing, I guess. She said as far as she knows he’s not out of the count
“So what’s the frowning all about?”
“Nothing really. Betty said Jose was looking for me yesterday, and they were glad I got back okay.”
“Isn’t Jose Betty’s new boyfriend? Why would he be looking for you?”
“I don’t know. I hope it’s nothing about Calisto. What if something happened to him?”
“Geez Kate...” Lori rolled her eyes. “Betty would have told you. Let’s not forget you’re the injured party here. He dropped you when you needed him most.”
“Please stop saying that. He did what he thought was best.”
She hoped that was all he was doing.
Lori sighed, shaking her head. “I hope you’re right, for your sake. So when do you want to go?”
“I need to sleep a little first. Promise you’ll wake me up at four so we can leave?”
“All right, I promise. But I really think you should rest longer than a couple of hours.”
“I’ll be fine,” Kate said, lying down on the sofa. “Thank you.”
Lori draped a soft blanket over her, and before she realized it, she fell asleep.
…
“Please wait for me,” the monsignor said, exiting the taxicab. He walked down the deserted driveway toward the home of Kate Bradley.
Secrecy no longer ranked as his main concern. He worried about Brother Mentigo and Kate. The only correspondence he received from Brother Mentigo since he left the monastery included this address and mentioned that Kate had indeed met the Night Walker. However, she was still mortal at the time.
But that was weeks ago. Now he prayed he wasn’t too late.
After ringing the bell twice, he peered into the front window of the house. It looked empty. Except for the sleeping bag on a big easy chair, there he saw no other sign that anyone had been inside.
He rubbed his forehead. Was he too late? With a sigh, he walked back to the taxi.
“Take me to the Mission de Alcala.” He clutched his crucifix and prayed.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lori finally drove away. It took a lot of arguing on Kate’s part, but her VW, still parked in Calisto’s driveway, had been the final bargaining chip. That and her demand that Lori back off and just support her decisions. Once Kate showed her she had car keys to leave if she needed to, Lori agreed to go home. She still insisted on giving Kate a final reminder to call if she needed her, no questions asked.
Kate had to promise she would before Lori finally drove away.
Calisto trusted her to keep his private room private, so once Lori left, Kate walked around the back of the house toward his bedroom below. She didn’t want to wait in the main house, but she couldn’t have gone down to his room with Lori around. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be alone for long.
Kate dug through her purse for her keys, walking across the sand toward the small double doors hidden under the deck. She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally heard the familiar jingle of metal and pulled her key ring free of her leather bag.
She stepped inside and closed the door behind her, blinking her eyes until they adjusted to the dim light. His scent lingered in the room, making her ache to lose herself in his arms. She glanced at her watch and took a deep breath. If Calisto were coming back home tonight, he’d probably walk through the door any minute now.
Kate went to the piano, intent on playing something while she waited, but she never made it to the piano bench.
Her feet were glued to the floor, her body frozen in place, and her eyes locked on the large canvas portrait hanging on the wall.
It was her, right down to the tiny crescent in her right eye. But there was more to it. Her hair was longer, her skin slightly more tanned, and around her neck hung the pendant from her dreams. Only now she saw it clearly. It wasn’t really a pendant. It was a ring.
Calisto’s ring.
Kate blinked back her tears, her head throbbing until she wasn’t sure what was real anymore. She saw the woman running again, heard the hoof beats pursuing her, or was it the pounding of her head?
Her heart raced, and she couldn’t catch her breath. Her entire body ached, drained of energy, and her feet stung. Every step felt like her legs were on fire, burning until she thought she might scream in pain. She was no longer watching the woman running through the brambles, she was that woman...
Her lungs heaved, her muscles were in agony, and finally she couldn’t run any longer. Kate crumpled to the floor.
…
Calisto awoke in his usual fashion, but after rising from his resting place, he frowned. Someone lurked inside his private chambers a few feet above. He heard a human heartbeat, racing.
His thirst demanded his attention, but he pushed the hunger aside as he rushed to roll away the large stone that kept his resting place hidden from the rest of the cavern. Replacing the stone, he hurried out of the cave and up toward the double doors beneath the deck. They were closed. If someone had broken into his private chamber, the locks would be broken, or the doors pried apart.
Unless someone unlocked it.
Kate!
In less than a second, he stood inside, unable to believe his eyes. But his initial rush of joy vanished, replaced with worry. She lay collapsed on the floor, weeping, and the lingering unmistakable scent of blood surrounded her.
“Kate?” He kneeled at her side and searched for any sign of an injury. Thankfully, he didn’t find any wounds. Stroking her hair back from her face, hoping to soothe her, Calisto leaned closer and placed a tender kiss to her hair. He stopped cold when he heard her whisper.
“Gregorio?”
Calisto sat beside her and withdrew his hand from her hair. When her dark eyes, so full of pain and confusion, finally met his, he knew.
Kate remembered.
“That’s your real name isn’t it?” Kate whispered.
Calisto nodded slowly.
“Oh God... ” She backed away from him. “Then it’s all true. My dream. It’s real... It was me!”
Tears gathered in her eyes, and fear. The fear tore at his heart and made him wish he had never intruded upon her life. He offered his hand. “Please do not be afraid. I would sooner die than hurt you.”
“But let me guess, you can’t die, right?” Kate sniffled, making no attempt to take his hand. “What does all of this mean? How can you still be alive?”
He slowly lowered his hand, realizing she had no intention of touching him. “Does it matter?”
“Don’t answer me with more questions. Not now. I need answers. Please.”
Calisto sat beside her, leaning against the corner of the bed. “Where would you like me to start?”
“It’s me in my dreams, and up there,” she pointed. “In the painting. It’s me, but it’s not me.” Kate paused. He watched her struggle to understand. “Who was I back then?”
“Your name was Tala,” Calisto answered quietly, staring up at the canvas. “You were a member of the Kumeyaay tribe here. We met on the beach on a summer afternoon. I had never seen an angel until the moment I saw you with the wind in your hair and a Romneya behind your ear.”
“Gregorio doesn’t sound like a Kumeyaay name.”
He stared into her eyes. “It is a Spanish name. I was Father Gregorio Salvador back then. I was a priest at the Mission de Alcala. I helped build it.”
“That’s why you were wearing black.” Kate said.
“Black?”
“I had a new dream. Instead of the woman... ” She hesitated and corrected herself. “I guess it was me. Anyway, instead of running, she learned to dance with a man dressed all in black. She called him Gregorio. I didn’t see his face until last night. It was you.”
Calisto’s eyes brimmed with tears he wouldn’t allow to fall. Knowing she remembered a precious moment they had once shared together, one of the moments he had treasured in his heart for centuries, touched him deeper than he ever could have imagined.
He nodded slowly. “You taught me the language of your people, and in trade I
Kate smiled faintly. “We were smiling and laughing... Then we kissed.”
“I fell in love with you.” He paused, wishing she would look at him. “I had pledged my life to God, but I gave my heart to you.”
She pressed her lips together, eyes downcast. “Were you the man chasing me in my nightmare? The man on the horse, was that you?”
Calisto froze, too stunned to speak. He had thought about this day ever since the Old One told him she would live again, but never in all his years on this earth did it occur to him she might believe he was her attacker. Why would she suspect him?
“No... I love you. I always have. Why would you think otherwise?”
“I never saw the killer’s face in my dream. I always woke up before... But she... I was pregnant. It makes sense. A priest would get into big trouble for that kind of thing. Wouldn’t a secret pregnancy be motive enough?”
Calisto’s expression darkened. He wished he could spare her the details surrounding Tala’s death, but he saw no other way. She wanted to know, and she had every right to know.
But would she ever forgive him?
“I knew about the baby. Knowing you carried my child made me happier than I had ever been. But I was also an innocent fool. I trusted Father Jayme, my superior. I believed he was my friend. I wanted to marry you and raise our family together, so I confessed my sins and told Father Jayme of my plans to give up the priesthood.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I never dreamed he would pass judgment on you for my decision.”
“She... I was killed by a priest?”
“Not physically, but he ordered it.”
She shook her head slowly. “How did you find out?”
“I searched for you, to share my news and ask your father to let us marry. One of the guards from the mission rode past me.” He choked back the lump of emotion tightening in his throat.
Kate glanced at the portrait. Her hair, usually so vibrant, was dull and lank. Yet she was still so beautiful.
He forced out his next words quietly. “He had my signet ring, the one you used to wear around your neck. It dangled from his wrist while he rode away. Then I knew. Father Jayme had betrayed me. He had no intention of allowing me to give up the cloth or marry a native woman. Something terrible had happened, and I ran, searching everywhere for you.”