It was exactly what Hannah had decided to do earlier. So why did she feel like bristling now? She weighed different responses and finally said, "If he wants to kill me so much, why didn't he just do it last night? Instead of talking to me."
"Oh, my dear child." The tone was slightly patronizing, but seemed genuinely pitying. "He wants you to love him first, and then he kills you. I know, it's sick, it's twisted, but it's the way he is. He seems to think it has to be that way, since it was that way the first time. He's obsessed."
Hannah was silent. Nothing inside her stood up to say that this was a lie. And the idea that Thierry was obsessed certainly rang true. At last she said slowly, "Thank you for coming to warn me. I do appreciate it."
"No, you don't," Maya said. "I wouldn't either if someone came to tell me things I didn't want to hear.
But maybe someday you will thank me." She stood. "I hope we won't have to meet again."
Hannah walked her to the back door and let her out.
On the porch, Maya turned. "He really is insane, you know!" she said. "You'll probably begin to have, doubts again. But he's obsessive and unstable, just like any stalker; and he's really capable of anything.
Don't be fooled."
"I don't think I'm ever going to see him again," Hannah said, unreasonably annoyed. "So it's going to be kind of hard to fool me."
Maya smiled, nodded, then did the disappearing act. Just as Thierry had, she turned and simply melted into the night.
Hannah stared out into the darkness for a minute or so. Then she went back into the kitchen and called Paul Winfield's number.
She got his answering machine. "Hi, this is Hannah, and I got your message about making another appointment. I was wondering if we could maybe do it tomorrow-or anyway some time over the weekend. And..." She hesitated, wondering if it was something she should say in person, then shrugged. Might as well give him time to prepare. "And I'd like to do another regression. There are some things I want to figure out."
She felt better after she hung up. One way or another, she would get at the truth.
She headed into her bedroom with a faint, grim smile.
And stopped dead on the threshold.
Thierry was sitting on her bed.
For a moment Hannah stood frozen. Then she said sharply, "What are you doing here?" At the same time, she glanced around the room to see how he had gotten in. The windows were shut and only opened from inside.
He must have walked in while I was in the kitchen talking with Maya.
"I had to see you," Thierry said. He looked- strange. His dark eyes seemed hot somehow, as if he were burning inside. His face was tense and grim.
"I told you to keep away from me." Hannah kept fear out of her voice-but she was scared. There was a sort of electricity in the air, but it wasn't a good electricity. It was purely dangerous.
"I know you did, and I tried. But I can't stay away, Hannah. I just can't. It makes me ... crazy."
And with that, he stood up.
Hannah's heart seemed to jump into her throat and stay there, pounding hard. She fought to keep her face calm.
He's fast, a little voice in her head seemed to say, and with relief she recognized the dark wind voice, the cool voice of reason. There's no point in running from him, because he can catch you in a second.
"You have to understand," Thierry was saying. "Please try to understand. I need you. We were meant to be together. Without you, I'm nothing."
He took a step toward her. His eyes were black and fathomless, and Hannah could almost feel their heat. Obsessed, yes, she thought. Maya was right. He may jut on a good front, but underneath he's just plain crazy. like any stalker.
"Say you understand," Thierry said. He reached a pleading hand toward her.
"I understand," Hannah said grimly. "And I still want you to go away."
"I can't. I have to make sure we'll be together, the way we were meant to be. And there's only one way to do that."
There was something different about his mouth, Two delicate fangs were protruding, indenting .his lower lip.
Hannah felt a cold fist dose over her heart.
"You have to join the Night World, Hannah. You have to become like me. I promise you, once it's over, you'll be happy."
"Happy?" A wave of sickening revulsion swept over Hannah. "As a monster like you? I was happy before you ever showed up. I'd be happy if you'd just keep out of my life forever. I-"
Stop talking! The cool wind voice was screaming at her, but Hannah was too overwrought to listen.
"You're disgusting. I hate you. And nothing can j ever make me love you ag-"
She didn't get to finish. In one swift movement, he was in front of her. And then he grabbed her.
Chapter 9
You'll change your mind," Thierry said.
An instant later everything was chaos. Thierry had one hand in her hair, twisting her head to the side, exposing her neck. His other arm was keeping both her arms trapped against her body. Hannah was twisting, struggling-and it wasn't doing any good. He was unbelievably strong.
She felt the warmth of breath on her neck . .. and then the sharpness of teeth.
"Don't fight." Thierry's muffled voice came to her. "You'll only make it hurt worse."
Hannah fought. And it did hurt. The pain of having blood drawn out against her will was like nothing she'd ever felt. It was as if her soul was being pulled out of her body, a pain that radiated down her neck and through her left shoulder and arm. It turned her vision gray and made her feel lightheaded.
"I-hate-you," she got out. She tried to reach for him with her mind, to see if she could hurt him that way .