Carpathian 15 - Dark Secret

dread creeping through her body. She blinked away tears, hating that just the thought of his death tore at her emotions.
    The knock on the kitchen door was loud but brief. Ben's voice called out to her. "Colby? You home?
    Doc said you had a bad cut on your leg and the vet said the horse was drugged." He was walking through the house.

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    Rafael scowled his distaste at the easy familiarity of the other man. He reluctantly allowed Colby to pull her chin away from his hand and stood up, looking more a jungle cat than ever.
    "I'm in the living room, Ben," Colby answered, her gaze on Rafael. She couldn't look away if she tried.
    He was too overpowering, filling the room with his presence, breathing all the air and taking up all the space.
    "How bad is it this time, honey?" Ben asked as he entered the room. He paused for a moment when he saw Rafael lounging against the desk with his arms crossed and his legs stretched out in front of him lazily.
    Immediately the tension in the room went up several degrees.
    Colby rubbed her hand over her face. "I'm fine, Ben. Thanks for worrying about me. Paul and Ginny are at Sean Everett's ranch at the moment and I'm just resting." Why not just say something? Have Rafael arrested for stalking her? She pressed her fingers to her throbbing temple and shook her head at her own foolishness. She didn't have the kind of strength it took to get Rafael out of her life. Maybe she could do it for her brother and sister, but not for herself. She was beginning to despise herself.
    Querida. His voice was soft, compelling. Terribly intimate whispering in her mind. You are beginning to understand, to accept. You face so much for others without fear and yet you cannot accept anything for yourself.
    When he did that, when he spoke in that voice in her mind, she turned inside out and wanted to burrow inside of him and be everything he wanted and needed.
    "We've got trouble around here, Colby. I should have listened to you when you were talking about all the accidents happening on your ranch and old Pete's disappearance." Ben removed his hat and sank into her one good rocker. "I've had three people disappear from town and another two from a couple of ranches."
    Colby glanced at Rafael. The news obviously didn't surprise him.
    Vampires have to feed and when they feed, they kill their prey.
    A chill went down her spine. He was so calm about it, so accepting and matter-of-fact. So removed. As if his feelings weren't involved.
    I have not had emotions for centuries. I do not feel when I hunt the vampire. I would not be able to kill that which was my friend over and over.
    "Was there evidence of foul play?" Colby asked, watching Rafael. Did he even feel for the victims? For their families? She couldn't see evidence of it. What did you feel when you tore out that poor unfortunate man's heart? Because it could have been Paul's heart. He could have been hunting her brother. The vampire had bitten him, tried to use him in the same way as a puppet.
    I felt nothing at all. He would not lie to her. She insisted on scaring herself and making her life so much more difficult than it needed to be.
    Would you have been so dispassionate had it been Paul? It was not Paul.
    "Colby, are you listening to a word I'm saying?" Ben demanded.

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    "I'm sorry, yes, it's just so awful. We've never had murders and disappearances here before."
    "I talked to Tony Harris." Ben's hard-edged gaze fell on Rafael.
    Colby had to admit Rafael didn't look impressed or in the least bit remorseful. "I have no idea what got into Tony. He was far worse than usual."
    "Luckily for Mr. De La Cruz, he admitted he had assaulted you," Ben said. "I felt like giving him a good beating myself."
    "Tony admitted it?" Colby was shocked. She glanced suspiciously at Rafael. Had he planted a compulsion in the man to tell the truth? Rafael's dark features remained expressionless.
    Ben nodded. "I had a long talk with him about all the things going on here. I've been suspicious that his boss wanted your ranch and that he was the cause of some of your accidents here"
    "I thought of that, Ben," Colby said, "but as much of a bully as Tony is, he's rancher. He's one of us. I couldn't see him doing that to the kids and me. I've known him my entire life."
    "And you've always looked down on him."
    Colby spread her fingers