Raven’s gaze moved in the direction of William’s. Standing a few feet away, dressed in priestly black, was Father Kavanaugh. He was staring at William with a thunderous expression.
“Release her!” he commanded.
He removed a cross from his pocket and held it in front of him as he advanced, reciting what Raven thought was Latin. She tried to get around William’s body, but he pushed her back, cursing the priest in Latin, teeth bared.
“By the power of the Name, I command you to release her.” Father produced a bottle of what looked like holy water. Panic ripped through Raven.
She knew holy water had only a minimal effect on William. She also knew that he was at pains to keep this information secret. She couldn’t risk Father Kavanaugh throwing the water in their direction, only to learn that William was immune.
“Stop.” Raven managed to lean around William, making eye contact with her former mentor. “I’m fine, Father. He won’t hurt me.”
The expression on the priest’s face grew even more determined.
“Raven, walk toward me. Right now.” His voice was low as he continued to approach the angry vampyre.
“She’s mine,” William hissed, blocking her from the priest’s vision once again.
“William, stop it.” She grabbed hold of his arm and tried to push him, but he didn’t move. “This is Father Kavanaugh, the priest who saved me and Cara.”
William’s grip slackened for a moment and she managed to extricate herself. Limping to stand between the two men, she looked from one to the other.
“I’m safe. No one is going to hurt me. Both of you, just relax.” She lifted her hands, trying to keep them from shaking.
“Raven, come here. Now.” Father muttered words she did not understand. He fished in his pocket and produced a flat disk, which featured a red cross formed by two swords.
William grabbed Raven’s hand, pulling her to his body. He hedged her with his arms. “We must go. Now.”
“But he’s practically my father,” she protested. “I’m not going to run from him.”
William leveled angry eyes on the priest. “What do you want?”
“I’m not here to do battle. I came to see Raven.” The priest extended his hand in her direction. “Release her and we have no quarrel.”
“Stop it, both of you.” She extricated herself from William once again. “I’m not in danger. If you two would just come upstairs, I’m sure we can talk this out.”
“I am asking you now, Cassita, to come with me.” William’s tone caused a chill to ascend Raven’s spine.
“I need to talk to him. He won’t hurt me.” Raven tried to convince William with her eyes. William held her gaze, then his eyes shifted to the priest.
Father Kavanaugh had not relaxed his posture but he’d stopped moving, his pale eyes narrowed.
William spat on the ground. He turned and ran toward a nearby building.
Raven watched in shock as he scaled the wall without a backward glance, disappearing onto the roof.
He’d left her.
“We need to get inside.” Father wrapped an arm around her shoulders and surveyed the piazza. “There could be more of them.”
Confused, she allowed him to walk her to the front door of the building.
The priest insisted on crossing the threshold first, holding out a cross and reciting sacred Latin formulations. Raven was too distracted by her worries over William’s departure to pay much attention.
When she unlocked her apartment, once again Father Kavanaugh insisted on entering first. He searched the entire space, turning on every light, before allowing her inside. He closed and bolted the door behind them, breathing a slow sigh of relief.
“What just happened?” She stumbled to a chair, anxious to take the weight off her leg. She was without her cane because William had suggested she leave it at his villa before the motorcycle ride.
“Thank God you’re safe.” The priest hugged her as if she’d survived a war. Raven returned his embrace.
Father Kavanaugh was in his midfifties and was two inches taller than Raven. He was wearing a collar, a black shirt, and black pants. His hair, like his carefully trimmed beard, was white. His eyes were blue and usually happy. His hands were roughened from years of hard work with Covenant House in Orlando.
Once he’d released her, he placed the cross, the disk, and the holy water on the kitchen table. He pulled up a chair and sat facing her, his skin visibly pale behind his beard.
“What just happened?” she repeated, arms crossed defensively over her chest.
“We have to get out of here. Pack a bag. I’ll take you to Rome, where you’ll be safe.”
“I’m safe here.”
The priest shook his head. “The . . . man you were with is dangerous. You need to get away from him. Tonight.”
“He isn’t dangerous to me.”
Father’s eyes narrowed. He touched her chin, turning her face to the side so he could examine her neck. “No marks,” he muttered. “Thank God.”
She jerked away. “Tell me what’s going on. What were you two saying to each other in Latin?”
“I’m sorry to tell you this but the man you were with is not a man.” The priest spoke in a low voice, watching her reaction.
“I know that,” Raven huffed. “He’s a vampyre.”
Father sat back in his chair, eyes wide.