Chapter Nine

Howard was in the security office wondering if he should drive into Cranville and accidentally b.u.mp into Elsa. Would she suspect it wasn't accidental? Did it really matter, as long as he saw her again?

Somehow he needed to gain her trust. Once her fear was gone, her desire could take over. And then she would be his.

He grabbed another donut, when something on one of the four surveillance monitors caught his eye. Tino, materializing in front of the school with ... Elsa?

"Holy c.r.a.p!" He dropped the donut on the desk and ran for the front door.

Dammit, he should have checked to make sure Tino had returned to his room. What was the boy thinking, showing off his skills like that? And Tino had no way of knowing he could successfully teleport another person. It was something the adult Vamps did, but they had years of experience. Centuries of experience. Tino had not only committed a serious security breach but he'd also put Elsa's life in danger.

Howard wrenched open the front door and spotted her collapsed on the ground. "Elsa!" He charged down the steps and skidded to a stop beside her. "Are you all right?"

She blinked up at him, a dazed look on her face.

He scowled at Tino, who knelt on the other side of her. "What have you done? You know you're not-" He stopped when he noticed the tears in Tino's eyes and the trembling of his little chin. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"I don't know," Elsa whispered, "but I think he saved our lives."

Alarmed, Howard looked at her pale face and then the tear rolling down Tino's cheek. "Don't worry. You're safe now." He patted the boy on the shoulder. "Can you walk, big guy?"

"Yes." Tino rose to his feet, wiping his face.

"Good man." Howard slipped his arms under Elsa and straightened, cradling her against his chest.

She gasped.

He froze. "Are you hurt?"

"No. I-I'm too heavy to carry."

He scoffed. She'd scared him for nothing. "Do you weigh over five hundred pounds?"

She huffed. "Of course not!"

"Then you're not heavy." He jogged up the steps to the front door, then glanced at Tino. "Can you get the door, big guy?"

Tino smiled, apparently liking his new nickname. "Sure." He pulled open the door and followed them inside.

Elsa gave Howard a sour look as he carried her down the hall. "I weigh less than two two hundred," she grumbled. hundred," she grumbled.

His mouth twitched. She felt solid and strong, but soft and womanly at the same time. And her scent was driving him wild. "I think you're perfect."

Her face flushed a pretty pink. "Where are you taking me?"

"To the clinic to check for injuries."

"I'm fine, really. I was just a little dizzy when-" She gave Tino a worried look. "I need to know what happened."

"So do I." Howard stopped in front of the clinic. According to the hours posted on the door, the nurse was on lunch break now. That was lucky. Tino was guilty of a serious security breach, and Howard wanted to keep the matter as private as possible.

The door was unlocked, so Tino was able to open it. Howard looked around as he carried Elsa inside. There was a row of five beds, then an office in the back with a window. He peered through the window and spotted medical equipment and a locked medicine cabinet.

"Are you going to put me down?" Elsa asked softly.

"Do I have to?" His gaze locked with hers. Her eyes searched his, reflecting the confusion she had to be feeling. He leaned closer, studying her. Yes, he smiled. The desire was still there.

She looked away, her cheeks pink.

He set her carefully on a bed. "Do I need to check you for injuries?"

"No." She glanced at him, then mumbled, "Unfortunately."

Stifling a grin, he sat on the bed next to hers. "So tell me what happened."

"I think you should tell me. How did I magically appear in front of the school?"

"Start at the beginning," Howard said. "What were you doing with Tino?"

She sat up with an impatient huff. "I was walking him home from the gatehouse."

He turned to Tino, who was standing between the two beds, looking guilty. "You went to the gatehouse? Alone?"

He ducked his head. "You wouldn't go see her, so I thought I should bring her here."

Howard sighed. More matchmaking. "You are definitely your mother's son, aren't you?"

Tino considered that solemnly, then nodded. "Yes." He shifted his weight. "I wanted to do like you and come up with a stragedy."

"Strategy?"

Tino nodded. "And everything was going just like I planned. Except for the animals. There was a bunch of them following us."

"On the road?" Howard asked. Woodland creatures might cross a road, but they rarely traveled down it en ma.s.se. He turned to Elsa. "What kind of animals? How many?"

She shrugged with an exasperated look. "Deer, rabbits, squirrels, a few racc.o.o.ns. Maybe thirty in all."

"But then they all ran into the woods." Tino waved his arms dramatically. "And these huge pigs came out with big tusks like elephants!"

"Feral pigs?" Howard sat up. "How many?"

"About a hundred!" Tino exclaimed.

"About half a dozen," Elsa said quietly.

Howard jumped to his feet and strode to the door. Ever since his trip to Alaska, he and his inner bear had been eager to let loose a can of whoop-a.s.s. "I'll take care of them."

"What?" Elsa stumbled out of bed. "But I need some answers. How did I get here?"

"Hmm." He paused at the door. "The age-old question: how did we get here? There are several theories-"

"I'm serious!" She swatted his arm, but he only smiled in return.

"We'll talk when I get back." He stepped into the hallway.

She grabbed his arm. "You're not going after the pigs, are you? They're dangerous!"

"I don't want them close to the school. We have some young children here." He glanced at Tino. "Why don't you take Elsa to the cafeteria for lunch?"

Tino nodded, smiling. "Okay."

Howard smiled back. The little boy had probably saved their lives. Amazing that at his young age, he'd managed to teleport another person. He tousled Tino's curls. "You did great, big guy."

Tino beamed with a wide grin.

He turned to Elsa, who was watching him with worry in her eyes. "Will you wait for me?"

She gave him an exasperated look. "I need some answers."

"I understand." Although he had no idea how he was going to explain. It would be difficult for sure. Taking care of the feral pigs seemed easy in comparison.

"Wait for me." He ran toward the front door.

Elsa barely tasted her grilled cheese sandwich. She'd called Alastair to let him know she'd be late returning. He'd wanted to know what was going on, and she hadn't known what to tell him. It was all too bizarre.

Tino sat beside her, obviously enjoying his meal. He looked like such a normal little boy, but ... he wasn't. He'd grabbed her around the waist, and a second later, they'd appeared in front of the school.

She should be completely freaked out over Tino, but she wasn't. Not when she was so worried about Howard's safety. He'd run outside without any weapons. How could he handle a bunch of feral pigs without a weapon?

She dropped her paper napkin onto her plate, giving up on the pretense of eating. "When do you think Howard will be back?"

"I don't know." Tino offered her a chocolate chip cookie. "You want one?"

She shook her head, and he wolfed it down. "I want to thank you for rescuing me from the pigs."

He nodded and reached for another cookie. "They were big and scary!"

"Yes. What you did to get us here, it was one of your special skills?"

He dunked a cookie into his gla.s.s of milk. "I guess so."

"You're not supposed to talk about it?"

He shook his head. "And I'm not supposed to do it in front of strangers." He stuffed a dripping cookie into his mouth.

"Tino." She rubbed him on the back. "I won't tell anyone. Ever. You saved my life."

He smiled, and a drizzle of milk ran down his chin. "I had to. You're Howard's dream girl."

"Really?" Was that what he called her? She rose to her feet, struggling against a growing sense of panic. What was he doing outside with those pigs? "I-I think I'll wait for him by the door."

"I'll go with you." Tino grabbed another cookie off the plate and followed her into the hallway. "You like Howard, don't you?"

Was it so obvious a child could see it? "I'm just worried about him." She headed toward the large foyer. It was spectacular with its marble floor, large staircase, and ceiling three floors high. Alastair would be jealous that she'd seen it without him.

"h.e.l.lo?" a woman called as she slowly descended the staircase with another woman.

"Hi, Toni! Hi, Olivia!" Tino called out to them. "This is Elsa. She's Howard's dream girl."

Elsa winced. "That's a bit of an exaggeration. I hardly know him. I just met him last night."

The women exchanged looks, smiling.

"I'm Toni," the blond woman said.

"And I'm Olivia," the brunette said. "We're so happy to meet you."

They were both absolutely beautiful and very pregnant. Elsa's gaze drifted to their swollen bellies. Were they having special special children like Tino? Children who could travel a distance in the blink of an eye? children like Tino? Children who could travel a distance in the blink of an eye?

"Howard's outside beating up a bunch of giant pigs!" Tino announced. "And they have huge tusks like this!" He swept his hands forward as far as he could.

"Feral pigs?" Toni asked as she reached the ground floor.

"A half dozen of them." Frowning, Elsa glanced out the narrow window beside the front door. "Howard went out alone about thirty minutes ago."

"I'm sure he'll be all right," Olivia a.s.sured her. "He's very capable."

What did that mean? Did he have special skills like Tino? He was certainly having a special effect on her. His smile, his voice, his beautiful blue eyes-they all made her heart stutter and her knees threaten to give out.

She opened the front door and stepped onto the porch, her gaze searching the woods.

"Don't worry." Tino joined her and bit into his cookie. "Howard is really big and tough."

"He'll be fine." Toni waddled onto the porch with Olivia.

Elsa glanced at them. "I don't mean to pry, but are you teachers here?"

Toni shook her head. "I'm the director. And Olivia's the counselor. Our husbands are away right now on business."

Or a secret mission, Elsa thought. Elsa thought.