Pulling out a chair Kane sat down to watch her, elbows on the table, chin in his hands. A familiar pose. Laura worked at the bread for a few minutes before turning to him, smiling.
"I don't need all your attention every moment of the day," she said. "If you've things to do, then feel free."
"I like watching, that's all. You're very pleasant to look at," he said smiling back.
"But you follow me around all day." Laura glanced up from her vigorous kneading, hitching up her sleeves and covering them with flour. "I'm not saying I don't like it, merely that you needn't. You're out half the night, shouldn't you be catching up on your sleep?"
"Just want to make sure you're safe, love."
"My brother wouldn't come here, surely. There's nothing to connect me with this place."
Kane went uncharacteristically quiet for a few moments so she continued with the very satisfying task of pummelling the dough into submission. Then a thought struck her. "You're not worried about anything else, are you?"
The big giveaway was that he didn't answer immediately. It only took a heartbeat, but she noticed the hesitation before he told her, with false brightness that no, there was nothing else on his mind. She dropped the dough back into the bowl and covered it with a cloth, then set it to rise on the warmth of the cast iron range.
"Do you want to tell me about it?" She turned back to him.
Kane closed his eyes briefly, opened them and scraped back his chair. "Sit here," he said patting his knee. "I don't want to alarm you unnecessarily."
Laura wiped her hands on the apron and pulled at the tapes. She hung it on a peg, and took a moment to fill the kettle and place it on the hotplate before doing as he requested. With her arms around his neck she gazed into his face and was shocked to see the concern he couldn't hide.
"Let's go to America," he said suddenly. "A new beginning. What do you say?"
"America?" It was the very last thing she thought he would say. He waited, expectantly and when she'd got over her shock she managed a reply. "I'd love to go to America," she said actually feeling excited at the prospect. "But we can disappear in England just as easily. There are many places we can go where my brother will never find us."
The way his hand moved restlessly over her thigh spoke more of concern than any sexual motive, and although she knew he worried about her obsessively this had nothing to do with her brother. Kane could best him easily if he should ever show up. This was different. An indefinable threat, and something that even his demon was afraid of.
"Kane," she said moving in closer as the very air seemed to chill around her. "What is it?"
For a few moments the two of them sat holding each other and the feeling of dread increased. It radiated off Kane in waves and in turn caused her heart to start a painful hammering in her chest. She fought to control it, knowing that Kane would react to her fear and now they both needed to be in control. Leaning her head on his shoulder she let herself go limp.
"Calm down love." She patted his arm. "You're holding me too tightly."
His grip immediately loosened and he gave her an apologetic kiss. "Sorry about that."
"Tell me what it is that frightens you so. It's not my brother, is it?"
"No, it's not," he said and glanced at the door. She did too, before he continued. "Laura, I don't think we're safe here any more."
"Why not?" Her heart slithered down into her boots and, like a dream on waking, the cosy life she'd already imagined for them, in this house, faded and slipped away.
"Because I've got family problems as well," he said. "And believe me, compared to mine, yours are nothing."
"Your family are looking for you, too?"
"My vampire family, love. And it's not me they're looking for."
Laura tensed and looked around, despite the fact that they were the only two people in the kitchen. The tone of his voice, his whole demeanour, made her believe that this threat was very real.
"You mean me? Why should they be looking for me?"
It was Kane's turn to calm her. "Shh," he said. "I won't let them anywhere near you. We should leave, and soon."
"Leave?" Laura knew she sounded disappointed, she couldn't help it. This place was already beginning to feel like home in a way her real home never had. "But you got the goats, and I've done all that work on the garden, I thought..."
"Yes, so did I," Kane said in a resigned tone. "I'm really sorry love, I've been fooling myself these past few weeks. Thought we could live here and just get on with our lives. It's not to be, I can feel it. They're coming, Laura, but the important thing is this, me and you. Yes?"
"Of course." No hesitation there. She squeezed him hard to show she meant it.
"Then you trust me in this?"
"Yes." Her voice was small. Kane caught her cheek and made her look at him.
"No, you really have to trust me, I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it was this important. Now say it."
"Kane, I do trust you," she said making sure this time she sounded as if she meant it. "But I don't understand why they should want me? What have I done to them?"
"Nothing, it's just what they do, and if you knew what I know you'd be upstairs packing this very minute."
His words chilled her to the bone and for the first time in weeks Kane felt very cold as he held her. Reminding her that he had more in common with them, his vampire family, than with her. Even though she'd seen his demon face there was still a side of him that she suspected he kept hidden. A side she wasn't anxious to see, despite her protestations that he be totally honest with her.
"One of them made you into a vampire?"
"I was sired by a crazy-woman," Kane said with a humourless laugh. "That's probably why I'm such an aberration. She's got abilities, special talents. Psychic, reading people's minds, I don't know what it is with her, she always knows where to find me. There are blood ties that go with family, it's complicated. Nathan won't rest until he's found you."
"Nathan?"
"The grand-sire, I suppose you'd call him. One person you don't want to meet."
"What will he do if he finds me?"
"One of two things."
"Kill me, or make me into a vampire." Laura stated it as a fact and also had the distinct impression that she should have said when and not if he finds me.
"I hate having to leave you at night to go feed, but I have to, and it's too dangerous to take you with me. And yes, Nathan will do either of those things. I didn't want to frighten you so much but I can't ignore the threat any longer, much as I want to."
"Then we'll leave," she said resolutely. "Let's go to America, like you said. Or South America, no-one will find us there." She took a moment to fiddle with his collar which always seemed to be askew and straightened her spine. Looking him in the eye, she said, "I was only scared because I could feel you were. Kane, I'll protect you. Tell me again how vampires can be killed."
Kane let out a short, incredulous laugh and took her hand. She stopped him before he had a chance to speak, knowing what he was going to say.
"No, don't laugh," she said seriously. "I may be small, but this Nathan is not going to spoil things for us, and I dare him to try. If he wants to harm you, then he'll have to go through me."
"Which is exactly what he intends to do," Kane replied, his eyes still a little wide as he took in her determination. "We can't beat him, love. All we can do is run away."
"Then we'll run," she said slipping from his lap and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Tears were of no use, there would be time for crying later, when they were far from here. "I'm not so stupid as to invite a confrontation with him. You still must show me, though, what to do if I should ever meet him."
Looking around frantically she spotted a wooden spoon on the table, left over from the bread-making and a sudden picture of Victoria defending her baby popped into her mind.
Snatching up the spoon she handed it to the still rather stunned-looking Kane. "Pretend this is a sharpened stake," she said. "I know it has to go through the heart, show me what to do."
Laura tried to imagine killing someone. Could she do it, even to an evil vampire? Then she looked at Kane.
What couldn't you do if you had reason enough? If you reached out with enough love you could touch the stars.
"Show me what to do," she repeated with even more determination. "Show me how to kill him."
)
