It took ten minutes to stop looking in the rearview mirror for any sign of pursuit and begin to relax. I glanced at my brother, still slumped in the passenger seat, and touched a hand to his neck. His pulse was steady, his breathing even. Yet I didn't feel any easier. Until he woke, until I knew for sure he was okay, I couldn't

Which left the problem of where to go while that happened. If I couldn't go home and couldn't go to the Directorate, then really, I only had one other choice

Liander

He'd protect Rhoan every bit as fiercely as I would, simply because he loved him. I reached for my phone and quickly dialed his cell phone number. He wouldn't be home, not with the moon in bloom

He answered on the third ring. "Riley," he said, surprise in his voice. "What's up?"

"I found Rhoan."

"He okay?" The edge was back in Liander's voice and I relaxed a little more

"He's unconscious, so I'm not sure. We need somewhere safe to retreat."

"My office," he said instantly. "It has plenty of security, and there's a loft where he can sleep it off."

I glanced at the time and saw it was almost three. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"I'll meet you out front."

I got there in fifteen, but it didn't matter because Liander was waiting, anyway

"Jesus," he said, as he dragged Rhoan from the car and hauled him over his shoulder. "He looks like he's been through a marathon."

"In some ways, he has." A marathon of milking, I suspected. "Let's get off the street, then I'll try to explain what has happened."

He nodded. Once he'd checked himself through the eye scan and fingerprint scanner, the huge red metal door that dominated the front of the cheerless brown brick building opened, revealing the soft golden glow that was Liander's workshop. I stepped through, my gaze scanning the many half-finished bits of latex humanity and monsters. "You've got another movie contract?" I asked, scanning the line of ogres, trolls, and wart-nosed witches

He nodded as he closed and relocked the doors. "A fantasy project. I've actually had to take on two apprentices."

"Excellent."

"Indeed it is." He walked toward the stairs, taking them two at a time, as if Rhoan's weight was nothing more than that of a babe. "What happened to him?"

I hesitated, but only briefly. Liander was ex-military, and knew how to keep a secret. And while Jack might have a problem with me telling Directorate secrets to non-Directorate personnel, I doubted Rhoan would. Not in this case, anyway. And he was the only one whose opinion I really worried about

"He was in St. Kilda trying to find out why hookers were being snatched off the street, and got snatched himself."

Liander carefully placed Rhoan on the bed, then touched his neck, checking for a pulse before he began taking off my brother's clothes. "So where did he end up?"

"The Moneisha Research Center. We think they're a collection point for nonhuman sperm and eggs."

He shot me a surprised look. "Really?"

"Really." I walked across to the small washbasin area and grabbed a soft cloth and a small bowl, then flicked on the tap and waited for the warm water to arrive

"Well, that certainly explains the bruised and swollen state of his genitals." He shook his head. "No moon dancing for this young wolf this month, that's for sure."

"And won't that piss him off."

Liander gave me a grin. "Truly," he said, as his gaze skated down my body. "Can I just say you're looking wonderfully tarty for a change?"

"Thanks." I added some soap to the warm water, then carried the bowl and cloth over to Liander. "He doesn't seem to be hurt."

I was looking for reassurance more than anything, and Liander wrapped an arm around my shoulder, giving me a light squeeze. "I'd say he's just dehydrated and tired. There don't seem to be any injuries other than bruising, but I'll get a friend over to check, anyway. She's a doctor."

"Good idea."

Liander took the bowl and cloth from me and carefully began to wash Rhoan down. I fidgeted for a moment, then walked across to the small window, staring out at the moonlit sky. The force of the heat that shivered through my body was a warning that I better get to one of the clubs sooner rather than later

"Go," Liander said, reading the surge of desire, not my thoughts. "He'll be fine with me."

I swung around. "You'll ring the minute he wakes?"

"You know I will."

I walked across the room and kissed his cheek. "Thanks."

He smiled. "I'll buzzer you out when you near the door."

I headed out. Once down on street level again, I grabbed the cell phone and called Jack

He answered on the first ring. "You safe?"

"As houses. Rhoan's unconscious, though, so I haven't been able to question him."

"Then perhaps you'd care to tell me why you decided to knock Quinn unconscious."

"Well, he was insisting on taking Rhoan to Sydney. And I'm sorry, but I'm not going to fully trust the man, no matter what you say, until I talk to my brother."

Jack laughed. "Darlin', you are going to make such a wonderful guardian."

"Not in this lifetime, I'm not." I hesitated. "How is Quinn?"

"He's got a sore head - and he deserves no less for being so foolish as to turn his back on someone he barely knows."

"So he's there with you?" I paused. "Actually, where are you?"

"I'm back at the Directorate for the time being. Quinn's booked himself into one of the vamp hotels to sleep off his headache."

At least he'd be safe there, as most of the vamp hotels guaranteed the safety of their patrons. "Which one? I need to return his car." I didn't want to leave it at Liander's, simply because whoever was behind Moneisha might have recognized the car and be looking for it. For the same reason, I didn't particularly want to drive around in it. Besides, given my less-than-spotless driving record, it wasn't a particularly good idea to be driving a car I could never afford to fix

"He's at the Gatehouse," Jack said

Which was in Little Collins Street, and not all that far from the Kingfisher. I wondered if Talon would be there yet. "I'll get Rhoan to ring you once he's awake."

"Do that. And Riley? Be careful out there. Rhoan may be safe, but I doubt the danger is over for any of us yet."

"Will do."

I hung up, then stared at the car for a few seconds, debating the option of ringing Talon as opposed to simply going to the club. Talon might be up to something, but I doubt he'd actually hurt me. Whereas, if I went to the clubs and mated with strangers, I had no such assurance

In the end, that was what swayed me. Talon was the only man I could class as safe just then. I dug my phone out, and called him

"Little wolf," he said, voice a throaty growl. "This is a pleasant surprise."

"Can you meet me at the Kingfisher in twenty minutes?"

He chuckled. "By the sound of your voice, the moon rides you hard."

"You have no idea," I muttered. "Let's forget breakfast."

"Good. Niceties were never my style anyway."

Which is why I would have called him rather than Misha, even had Misha been available. At that moment, I didn't need niceties. I just needed the ache eased as quickly as possible - and if Talon could be depended on for anything, it was quickness

"I've already booked the penthouse suite. I'll be waiting in front of the hotel."

I hung up, jumped into the car, and zoomed into the city. After giving the car and keys to the Gatehouse's parking attendant and leaving instructions for Quinn to be informed of its return, I loped across to the Kingfisher. Talon was already there, waiting at the top of the steps

I undid my coat as I climbed the steps toward him, and his desire swirled around me, hot and strong and demanding. I welcomed that heat, breathed it deep, letting it mingle with the urgency already pounding through my veins. Sweat broke out across my brow, and it was all I could do to restrain the desire to rip off his clothes and taste his readiness right there on the steps of the hotel

"Like the boots," he growled. "Those I think you can keep on for a while."

He caught my hand and we hurried into the hotel, all but running past the lobby elevators into a second, more secluded area

"Private elevators," he said, swiping a keycard through the slot. "It'll take us direct to the penthouse."

I couldn't wait for the penthouse. My blood burned, my heart hammered like a steam train, and the ache was all-consuming. I wanted sex, and I wanted it now

The doors slid open. Not waiting for him to take control, I pushed him inside, pressed him against the wall, then, with one hand, pulled him down to claim his mouth. With my free hand, I undid his pants

He growled deep in his throat, and lifted me. I wrapped my legs around him and pushed him deep inside, a groan escaping at the sheer glory of it

"You feel wonderfully tight, little wolf. It tells me you didn't have any lovers last night. Tells me I'm your first this morning."

"Shut up," I said, my voice breathy, "and just fuck me."

He chuckled softly, then got down to business. The elevator began its ascent, and the whine of machinery mingled with the rasp of our breathing, the slap of flesh against flesh, and the grunt of need. The moon's heat was fierce, and so was I. I rode him hard, desperate to claim every inch of his rigid heat, to feel him fill me. A pressure began to build low in my stomach, fanning through the rest of me in slow waves. The air was so thick and hot and needy I could barely breathe. Then he found that spot deep within, his flesh hitting it again and again and again. The slow waves became a molten force that flowed across my skin, making me tremble, twitch, drawing unintelligible words from my mouth

And still I drove his flesh into me, deeper and deeper as his breathing became harsh, his tempo more urgent. His urgency pushed me into a place where only sensation existed, then he pushed me beyond it

He came with me, his warmth spilling into me as his body went rigid against mine

The elevator came to a stop. For a second, neither of us moved. His breath fanned my cheek, ragged gasps I echoed. Yet he was still hard inside me, and I knew the fiery, urgent need burning through his blood wasn't satisfied. Knew, because I felt the same

The door opened. He put me down, zipped up his pants, then pulled me into the corridor. We were barely inside the room when he took me again

It set the scene for the rest of the day. Sex that was hard and fast. Anywhere and everywhere

It was early afternoon before the fever faded and either of us was able to rest. By then, we were in one of those swim spas that seemed bigger than my whole bedroom. Walls of glass surrounded us on two sides and would have allowed us the view of the city and the bay had the rain not come in and turned the world gray

I floated in the bubbly heat, the faint scents of lemon and lime teasing my nostrils as I flicked water up with my toes, watching the droplets glitter in the cold afternoon light

"You seem pensive, little wolf."

I looked at him. He sat on the molded bench seat down the far end, golden arms stretched out along the edge of the spa, muscular body touched with the warmth of the water

"Just worried about Rhoan." Liander hadn't yet phoned, and that couldn't be a good sign. If he didn't ring in the next half hour, I was calling him

"You found him."

It wasn't a question, more a statement, which was odd. I nodded. "He wasn't well, so I've a friend at home watching him." I might trust Talon with my body, but I wasn't about to trust him with my twin's safety

"He's a wolf. We're strong by nature. He'll be okay."

I nodded again. I knew that, but the worry was, what had Moneisha been doing to him? Just because there'd been no visible cuts or bruising didn't mean there weren't any. Didn't mean deeper damage hadn't been done

"Champagne?" Talon asked, reaching for the half-empty bottle near the steps

I shook my head. "No. It doesn't seem to agree with me."

He poured himself a glass and drank it down in one gulp. It seemed he liked the bubbly stuff the way he preferred his sex. And as much as it was physically satisfying, part of me was beginning to hunger for more. Though what that more was, I couldn't really say

My gaze drifted back to the gray-clad sky. What would it be like to make love with Quinn? It would surely be good - after all, with a thousand years behind him, he'd have had the time to sharpen and refine his technique. Something I doubted Talon would ever do

"Have you ever thought about the future, little wolf?" Talon poured himself another glass of champagne, then leaned against the wall again

I slanted him a curious glance and wondered where he was headed with a question like that. "No, not really. Why?"

"So you have no idea where you want to be in ten, or twenty years' time?"

"No." Mainly because no one seemed to know how much time I actually had. Werewolves generally lived somewhere between one hundred fifty and two hundred years. But vampires were eternal, unless killed. No one knew which side of the fence I would fall on. So far, my development was slower than a wolf's normally would be; but, by the same token, I wasn't years behind the norm

I tended to treat the longevity problem the same way I treated the whole fertility problem - by not really thinking about it. When it became a problem, then I'd worry

"So you've had no yearning for children or marriage or anything like that?" he asked

"Of course I have - but the time isn't right yet for such things."

He reached out as I drifted near to him, snagging my hand and tugging me closer. As I settled on his lap, he said, "And if it was?"

"Then yeah, kids and marriage would definitely be on the agenda." I could feel the rising force of his erection, but for the moment, he made no attempt to enter. "What about you? Do all these questions mean the lone wolf is actually thinking about settling down sometime in the near future?"

He laughed. "No. But I do want a son. I want my name carried on in the next generation."

I grinned. "All males want a son, but sometimes they get daughters."

"There are ways to ensure gender."

"I prefer to rely on nature." Although if I relied on nature, I'd never get pregnant

"So you do want to have kids sometime in the future?"

I frowned. Hadn't I just answered that question? "As I said, yes. If I meet the right man."

"And if you don't?"

"I don't know. I'll worry about it when the time comes."

His hands slid down to my hips, shifting me, then holding me still as he slid his cock deep inside. And while the lingering moon heat had me half-ready to take him, his continuing avoidance of any form of foreplay was beginning to annoy

And I said as much

He merely grinned. "When the moon rises high, sex is what matters, not foreplay."

"It may not matter to you, but it does to me." I pried his hands off my hips and pushed away from him, kicking water in his face as I floated back to the center of the spa

Surprise flitted through his golden eyes. He hadn't expected me to be so strong. "You weren't so concerned about the foreplay this morning, little wolf."

"That was this morning. This is now."

"There's no satisfying you females, is there? No matter what we do, we're wrong." Though it was said with a smile, the spark of anger lit his eyes. He didn't like being denied, even for something as simple as sex

"What is foreplay going to cost you? Ten? Fifteen minutes? Not much, in the scheme of things."

"Do I satisfy you, little wolf?"

"Mostly."

"Then what is the problem?"

I shook my head. I'd beaten my head against this particular wall before and knew from past experiences that nothing would ever change. Talon was what he was - I either put up with it or left

Still...

"The problem is you just presume. You never even bother to ask."

He studied me for a moment, expression one of thoughtful consideration. I had a bad feeling that our relationship was about to change in some unfathomable way

"Then I have a question for you, little wolf."

Though that bad feeling was growing, I grinned faintly. "The answer is no, you can't have sex with me just yet. I'm enjoying floating in the bubbles right now."

"That wasn't the question."

Like I didn't know that? "Then what is?"

"Will you have my child?"

Surprise hit like a club but I somehow managed to say, "What?"

"I want you to carry my child."

"But..." My voice faded. Was he absolutely crazy? Maybe the heat of the spa had fried a brain cell or two. Surely he had to realize I wasn't about to take the risk of having kids with a man I didn't love. "We're not soul mates."

"So? I don't want to swear eternity to the moon, little wolf. I just want a son."

"So wait for your soul mate."

"I don't want a soul mate. I want to take my pleasure when and where I choose. But I also want a son to carry my name and take over my empire when I die."

Empire? Lord, his businesses weren't that big... were they? I shook my head, unable to believe he was actually serious. "So why me?"

"Because you are unlike any female I have met, and a son of ours would be strong."

"This is madness, Talon. I don't want a child with you - or anyone else - at this moment. And just in case I've never mentioned it, there's a history of conception problems in my family. That's why the red packs are so few."

Which wasn't a lie. The red packs were small in number for precisely that reason. Which is why none of my earlier doctors had picked up the real reason behind my fertility problem. They'd all been working on the premise that I'd inherited the barrenness that ran riot in our pack, and hadn't tested any further

"We have read your medical files - "

"We?" I interrupted, annoyance in my tone. "What do you mean by 'we'? And how the hell did you get my medical files?"

"There is nothing that can't be bought if you have the money. And I am, of course, talking about the specialists I have consulted. It is their belief that all you need is a series of injections to help ovulation."

If he and his experts believed that, then they'd obviously gotten hold of my earlier medical records and not the more recent ones from my Directorate-approved, and therefore carefully screened, doctor. No one could get into those files without an alarm being raised back at the Directorate. It wasn't common procedure, and while the precaution had made me feel a little easier about using a Directorate doctor, I'd always wondered why Jack had implemented the procedure for me. Of course, his reason was now pretty clear. He'd known all along what I was and was keeping my secrets even as he kept an eye on what was going on within my system

Those protected files were the only ones that mentioned my being a half-breed as the major factor in my fertility problems. And from what I'd been told, there wasn't a drug currently on the market that would help me ovulate

Even so, Talon's smug smile had my fist clenching, but I somehow resisted the temptation to smack him one. "Talon, if I have a kid with you, I'm locking myself to you for the next ten years or more. Few wolves are willing to take on the pup of another."

"No other wolf would be allowed to. What is mine is mine."

"I'm not spending the next ten years in an exclusive arrangement with you. I enjoy what we have, but I don't want it permanently."

"So I'll raise the kid myself."

I shook my head. "If you think I'm going to go through all the trouble of trying to conceive just to hand my baby over to someone else at the end of it, you're crazy."

"I'm not crazy, but I am serious. I want you to have my child."

How could he believe I'd actually agree to something like this? Surely, in all the time we'd spent together, he must have learned something about me. Yet as I stared at him now, I realized the answer was no. Talon didn't see me as a person - just a willing sexual partner he now wanted babies with. "The answer is no."

"At least take some time to consider it."

"No." I climbed out of the spa

He watched me, golden eyes filled with cold determination. "I always get what I want, little wolf. In the end, you will do this."

"No, I won't."

He gave a lazy smile that had wariness skittering through me. I didn't like that smile. Didn't trust the gloating underneath it

"You may not have a choice."

I grabbed a towel off the chair and began toweling myself down. "What do you mean?"

His lazy, confident smile made the wariness grow. He was up to something, something more than what he was admitting

"I mean, I've put out word that you and I have reached an exclusive agreement for the next couple of months. You can turn to no one but me during the moon heat now, and I will not provide what you want until you agree to my terms."

Anger rose, and it was all I could do not to launch myself at him and punch that smug, cold smile from his lips. "Misha will be back soon. And he'll be told the truth."

He raised an eyebrow. "Misha will not fight me over you."

The certainty in his voice sent chills down my spine, if only because it sounded like he knew Misha far better than I did. Which was stupid. As far as I knew, they'd met less than half a dozen times. Hardly time enough to form any depth of friendship

I chucked the towel on the chair. "What we have is good, but I can live without it. If you don't give this crap up, I'll walk away for good."

"I have put a lot of thought into this, little wolf. A lot of time. I don't intend to give it up until I get what I want."

"The answer is, and will remain, no." I swung around and walked through the door to get my clothes

His chuckles followed, brushing ice across my skin. "We'll see, little wolf. We'll see."

I didn't bother answering, just put on my super short skirt and top, and got the hell out of there. But I had a feeling Talon's surprises weren't over yet



My phone rang as I was walking out of the hotel. I dug around in my bag until I found it and was relieved to see it was Liander

I flicked the receive button, and said, "Is he okay?"

"I'm fine, sis."

Relief swept through me and tears welled. I blinked them away fiercely, and said, "Really?"

"Well, I'm not going to be doing much dancing for the next couple of days, but other than that, yes."

"So they were milking you? Nothing more?"

"As far as I know. They had me chained with silver, which was why I couldn't escape."

"Have you been checked over by Liander's doctor friend?"

"Yeah. I'm fine, as I said, just as sore as hell and walking like a man who's been in the saddle too long."

I grinned. "Nothing new in that, brother."

He snorted softly. "I wouldn't mind if it was self-inflicted."

"So now all we have to do is find out why Moneisha are in the market for sperm."

"To do that, we may have to break in there again, and that's not going to be easy." A bell dinged, and I looked up to see the sleek silver tram approaching the stop outside the hotel. I hurried across the road. "Have you talked to Jack yet?"

"Yes. He told me to stay here - he's coming to us."

"Did he tell you someone tried to kill him?"

"Yes." He hesitated. "He also told me Kelly has gone missing."

Something inside froze. "But... but she wasn't supposed to be looking for you. She was supposed to be on another mission entirely."

"She was. Jack's sent out searchers. They'll find her."

Rhoan's tone was meant to be reassuring, but all I could think of was the other guardians who'd disappeared of late. I didn't want that happening to Kelly. Didn't want it happening to anyone I knew, or even to anyone one I hated

With one exception. "Gautier threatened her last night. Has Jack questioned him about it?"

"Yes. Gautier's many things, sis, but he isn't a fool. I doubt he'd attack another guardian."

"Gautier would kill anyone who got in his way." Especially if he thought he could get away with it

"Kel's a survivor. She'll be okay."

She might be a survivor, but if Gautier had gone after her, then she was dead meat. Though I guess she did have more of a chance against him than whoever was behind the mutilations of the other guardians

"If he's hurt her - " I just couldn't say killed her. I didn't even want to think about it. "I'm going to kill him." Blow his brains out, then stake his rotten heart

"If he has hurt her, you won't have to. Jack will."

Maybe. Maybe not. Gautier was our best, after all. I blew out a breath and changed the subject. "Jack knows about us."

"He's known for a long time. You can trust him, sis."

I'd thought I could trust Talon, too, but after the discussion we just had, I wasn't so sure

"Where are you now?" he added. "Or rather, how long will it take you to get back here?"

"I've been with Talon at the Kingfisher." I glanced at my watch. "It'll take me about half an hour to get there, because I have to go to the Casino parking garage and collect Misha's car - "

"Misha lent you one of his cars?" The surprise in Rhoan's voice came through loud and clear

"I'm not that bad a driver - "

"This from the woman who has wiped out how many cars in the last ten years?"

"Eight," I mumbled. "But only two of those accidents were my fault."

"The jury is still out on the other six, though."

"I just got your ass out of jail, brother, so you could play nice for a little while."

He chuckled softly. "If you insist."

"I do." I hesitated, then added, "Jack's going to try to drag me into this investigation. I don't want to be involved any more than I am, Rhoan. I don't want to be a guardian."

"I know." The amusement fled from his voice. "And I'll do what I can to keep you free, but when it comes to this particular case, I don't think there's any escape."

Which is not what I wanted to hear

He paused, then added, "You might want to ring Talon and Misha, and just warn them that work is creating problems that may spill into your private life. Tell them to be careful."

"Misha's gone back to his pack, and I have no intention of speaking to Talon for the next couple of days. He's being a bastard."

"Always has been. You just couldn't see past the sex."

"True. But then, the sex was damn good." Or it had been, until recently. What had changed, I wasn't sure. Certainly Talon hadn't

"Just be careful, Riley."

Like I needed to be told that. "See you soon, bro."

I hung up and caught the tram down to the Casino. If I didn't get Misha's car out of the garage soon, the fees would cost me more than the old Mercedes was actually worth. I took the elevator down to sublevel three and headed out across the concrete expanse. Water dripped in the distance, and up ahead, lights blinked, sending shadows scurrying through the concrete paddock

Sound whispered around me - the soft scuff of a heel, followed by the faint caress of mint in the air. I stopped abruptly, muscles tense as I looked around. There was no one else there... and yet there was. My gaze swept across the shadows filling the distant corners. A vampire lurked there - but he wasn't what I sensed. It was something else... something stranger

I sniffed. The air was a mix of dampness and exhaust fumes, but underneath it lay something old. Something rotten

Something almost dead

My stomach stirred. I clenched my fist and forced my feet to walk on. The car was only two rows away - closer than the elevator. Not that I could retreat that way even if I'd wanted to because whatever that smell belonged to stood between me and the elevator

Air caressed my cheek with foulness. The vampire was on the move. I dug the keys out of my bag and clicked open the car. The taillights flashed in response, briefly illuminating my surroundings with cheerful yellow

I opened the car door and threw in my bag. My neck prickled a warning and I spun. Something glittered in the air - a thread of silver arrowing toward me

I swore and ducked out of the way, but it was too close, too fast, to avoid. It sliced through my coat into my arm, biting deep into my flesh. Pain slithered through me, and with it came a cold sensation. Icy fingers began spreading from the wound, reaching up toward my shoulder and down toward my hand. I wrenched the thing free, but it felt like half my arm came with it, and I couldn't help screaming

When I held the thread up, I saw what remained of the barbs on the arrowhead. Saw the flesh hanging off them

Warmth pulsed down my arm, and from the shadows came a surge of blood hunger, a force so strong it almost knocked me over. Sweat broke out across my brow, yet the coldness was spreading, making me tremble

Air screamed. I blinked, switching to the infrared of my vampire vision, and saw the blur of heat rushing at me. I swung, kicking the vamp as hard as I could. But my movements seemed to be in slow motion, and the vampire easily avoided the blow

His fist swung. I ducked, felt hair stir as his hand skimmed the top of my head, then rose, fist clenched as I cut upward. The blow hit him under the jaw and knocked him off his feet. The force of it numbed my fingers. I shook my hand, trying to get some feeling back

Sweat stung my eyes and obscured my vision. I blinked, but it didn't seem to help any. The vampire was little more than a smudge of red as he scrambled back to his feet and rushed at me

He lashed out again. I blurred, but it felt like my feet were stuck in glue. The vampire's blow smashed into my chin and sent me sprawling backward. I hit the car door with a grunt and fell sideways to the floor, my breath leaving in a whoosh of air. Pinpoints of lights were dancing before my eyes, and I wasn't sure if it was lack of breath or something else

Then the vamp hit me, his body covering mine, hot and heavy. Though gasping for breath and fighting the blackness threatening to consume me, I heard the vampire's snarl. The shadows were unraveling around him, revealing gaunt features and dead brown eyes that were identical to Gautier's. His teeth were extending, saliva dripping from the points in expectation of the feed

I thrust my hands between us, and tried to push him away. I might as well have been trying to move a mountain. My strength was slithering away, the darkness coming in, and close by the dead thing

Watching, waiting

I didn't know what it was. Didn't care. Just knew I couldn't let it get me

The vamp's teeth sank into my flesh, and heat flashed white-hot through every cell in my body. The sounds of his greedy sucking filled the air, the last thing I'd ever hear if I didn't do something soon

I took a deep breath and gathered the last of my fast-fading reserves. Energy surged through my limbs. I grabbed the vamp's head, ripped him away from my flesh, and twisted his neck hard

Bone snapped. Breaking his neck mightn't kill him, but it sure as hell would immobilize him and allow me to get away

I rolled him off me, then grabbed the car door and pulled myself upright. The parking garage whirled around me and, for several seconds, I simply stood there, battling for breath as sweat dripped down my face and blood ran from my neck and arm. There was a bitter taste in my mouth, my throat was drier than the Sahara, and my heart pounding so erratically it felt like it was going to leap out of my chest

Something had been on the arrowhead. Something meant to knock me out

Ahead, a creature that was cool and blue moved toward me. It seemed to flow rather than walk, shimmering brightly one moment, fading out of existence the next

I blinked, not sure what I was seeing. Or if I was actually seeing

Then the smell hit me. This was the dead thing. The thing I couldn't let get me

I tried to climb into the car, but my legs had become lumps of unfeeling ice and suddenly I was toppling sideways again. I hit the ground with a grunt, gasping for breath as the blackness rushed in

The last thing I remember seeing were the hands that reached for me

Hands that were blue and suckered like a gecko's