With a sigh, she pulled on her robe and padded into the kitchen. She opened the curtains on a morning that was gray and dreary. A rumble of thunder promised showers before the day was out.
She poured herself a cup of coffee, annoyed that another night had passed and she hadn't gotten around to asking Antonio anything about his past or his present. Tonight for sure, she promised herself, and wondered again what he did during the day. She knew it wasn't work that kept him occupied, so what was it?
The sound of rain drew her gaze to the window again. So much for working in the yard.
Ordinarily, she loved the rain, but not today. She needed to be busy, needed something that would keep her from thinking about yellow eyes and vampires and bodies drained of blood.
Now, in the light of day, even a rainy day, it was hard to believe that beings like vampires existed. They were supposed to be creatures of myth and legend, the focus of scary stories told around campfires late at night.
With nothing better to do, she decided to clean out the fridge. But even that mundane task backfired on her when she dropped a bottle of ketchup on the floor. She stared at the red stain spreading over the tile and thought of Sharlene and the other women who had been killed. She hoped their deaths had come quickly, before they had time to be afraid.
Grabbing a rag, she wiped up the mess, then went into the bathroom. She filled the tub with hot water, added a generous amount of bubbles, and grabbed a book from the shelf. Settling back in the tub, she lost herself in the fantasy world of Frodo and Sam where good always triumphed over evil and the world of men prevailed in spite of overwhelming odds.
Tom Duncan glanced at his watch. Almost five. He'd have to hurry if he was going to make it back to Pear Blossom Creek in time to shower and change his clothes and make it to Bobbie Sue's house by six.
Bobbie Sue. She had been much on his mind this day, making it difficult to concentrate on what he was about. The thought of going out with her remained the only bright spot in what had been a decidedly unprofitable day. He had found nothing, nothing at all to indicate where Dimitri Falco might take his rest during the hours of daylight. With a shake of his head, Duncan wondered if he'd lost whatever gift for hunting the Undead he had possessed. Perhaps it was time to give up hunting and take up a new line of work, something a little less intense, like flipping burgers at McDonald's.
He muttered an oath when the small dirt road he had hoped was a shortcut to the main highway narrowed even further and then came to an abrupt end. He was about to curse his bad luck when he saw the points of a white picket fence barely visible behind a mountain of weeds and shrubbery. Glancing to the left, he saw a weathered sign that read shady corners cemetery.
Feeling a rush of anticipation, he cut the engine and climbed out of the car. He went around to the trunk, grabbed a few necessary items, and made his way to the gate. It opened with a loud squeal of rusty hinges.
His footsteps made no sound as he moved among the graves, the majority of them overgrown with weeds and briars. Not surprising, he supposed, since the dates on most of the tombstones dated back to the early 1880s. Some were so ancient that time had erased the markings.
And then he saw it, a faint disturbance in the dirt near a crypt made of aged gray stone.
A white marble angel sat on the top, sightless eyes staring into eternity.
Going suddenly still, Duncan paused outside the door of the tomb, his senses testing the air. A vampire rested behind the door. He knew it as well as he knew the sun would rise in the east.
The door to the sepulcher opened with a whisper of stone against stone. Peering inside, he saw a single coffin on a raised dais.
Duncan took a step inside, his nostrils filling with the lingering stink of death and decay.
Holding stake and hammer at the ready in one hand, he lifted the lid of the coffin.
The body inside rested on a bed of white satin, its skin almost as pale as the cloth that lined the casket. A bit of dried blood was caught in the corner of its mouth, the red standing out in stark contrast against the wan complexion.
Taking a deep breath, Duncan placed the sharp tip of the hawthorn stake over the vampire's heart and raised the hammer.
Muttering, "Die, you bloodsucker," he drove the stake home.
The creature within the coffin shrieked as the stake penetrated its heart. Blood sprayed from the wound, splattering over Duncan, the vampire, and the walls of the tomb.
The vampire writhed in agony for several minutes and then, with a last hiss, the creature's body just aged away until mere was nothing left but the vague outline of a body against the silk.
When it was done, Duncan turned away and wiped his face on his sleeve.
After days of searching, he had found a vampire.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the vampire he had been searching for.
Vicki hummed softly as she dressed for work that night. She was looking forward to getting out of the house. Anything was better than sitting at home thinking about vampires and listening to the rain pounding on the roof. She was anxious to see Gus and the other regulars, to hear people talking about mundane things like the weather and the price of gas. Here, at home alone, she had too much time to think about things she didn't want to think about.
Slipping into her coat, she grabbed her keys and her handbag and headed for the front door, only to pause with her hand on the latch.
Moving to the window beside the door, she drew back the curtain and peered out into the night. Was Falco out there, waiting for her in the darkness? She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing as she tried to see through the heavy curtain of rain.
A knock at the door caused her heart to leap into her throat.
" Victoria?"
"Antonio!" With a sigh of relief, she opened the door.
And looked into a pair of glowing yellow eyes.
Vicki stared at the vampire, her handbag and keys falling from fingers suddenly numb.
His was a face she remembered all too well. Now, knowing what he was, it surprised her that his countenance was fair to look upon. A creature such as this, one who did such unspeakable things to the innocent, should be as ugly as the atrocities he committed.
He held out his hand and smiled. "Come to me, Victoria. It is your destiny."
His voice, which should have been as cold as the grave, beckoned her softly.
She took one step forward, and then another. One more step and she would be at his mercy.
His breathing quickened. His lips parted in a parody of a smile. "Yes, yes," he murmured. "Come to me." His eyes blazed with anticipation as the toe of her shoe touched the threshold.
"No! Victoria, stop!"
Vicki shook her head as a wild cry, louder than the thunder that rolled across the heavens, reached her ears, breaking the vampire's enchantment.