Reborn to Bite (Vampire Shadows Book 1) (10 page)

He shook his head and reached out to caress her face. "You know it wasn't. I wanted to do something to show you how much I trust you. I got a little swept up and couldn't resist... and it was definitely worth it."

"Believe me, it's never been that great before. If my life was like this all the time, it would be heaven." Her face melted against his hand, her body begging for more. She smiled at him with glassy eyes, wondering what she had disliked before.

"So... you like me," he said, smirking again.

She smiled faintly, her fangs back in hiding after a moment of concentration. "What's not to like?"

"I snore, and I turn into a furry creature at least once a month. I might tear you apart on the full moon."

"Well, at least you're honest."

"You know, most people would be scared. Relationships between shape-shifters and non-shifters are extremely rare and dangerous."

She stretched to get the tingling out of her muscles. "Esmerelda and Mike seem to be happy. You trying to scare me off, Miller?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You probably read my mind and know about my previous relationships."

"I didn't look on purpose. When you stabbed yourself on my fang, I saw a flood of memories. Mostly pain and frustration, but it was kind of a haze... like you blocked out details from yourself."

"Well, you should know that Val and I were an item a few years ago. She's the only one that's still in my life, but just as a friend."

"I didn't know, but okay. I guess it ended amicably?"

Trent adjusted himself. "Talking about her is a definite buzz kill. Yeah, we had a knock-down drag-out fight and shook hands after."

"She seems really tough."

"She's a raving bitch, but I have to deal with her because she's the Alpha's daughter. Mike and Esmerelda tried to set us up because I'm Mike's second, but it didn't work out."

"And your other ex-girlfriends aren't around because...?"

"I left some behind in Michigan when my family moved here, and my last ex-girlfriend moved in with another pack."

Sabine suddenly recalled a painful memory of Trent's. "She's with Tony Diamato now. The Tony I beat up."

"Thanks for that, by the way. I wish I could have been there to see him bleed a little." He smiled.

Sabine bounced in her seat. "Oh! It was so great. You would've loved it. He had Doug tied up and his gun aimed at me, and I flipped him before he even knew what hit him and he was face-down on the roof and I smacked his head against the roof and knocked him out and took his gun!"

"You realize you just said that whole thing without pausing to take a breath?"

She arched an eyebrow, her smile from ear to ear. "Yeah, so?"

He shook his head. "You're beautiful when you smile."

She checked her watch, suddenly nervous. "Oh, damn! It's after five. We need to go into the restaurant."

"We? So I'm invited?"

She rolled her eyes. "As long as you don't use that mojo of yours on any of the vampire hunters."

"I can keep it in check as long as I get to practice it on you later," he said with a lascivious smile.

Sabine suppressed a shiver at the thought of a repeat of what had just happened and got out of the car, her hand shaking slightly. She leaned back against the open car door and tried for a sultry look. "You drive a hard bargain, mister. I'll think about it and get back to you."

"Back to me, front to me, whatever way you like."

She laughed. "You're bad."

They walked to the restaurant with matching smiles, occasionally glancing at each other. Sabine couldn't believe how this day had turned out. Had she completely misjudged this handsome werewolf? For some strange reason he seemed to care about her.

She chewed her lip as they walked, worried about what this thing with Trent meant, and what she'd find in the restaurant.

Trent held the door for Sabine, and they walked in, taking in the ambiance. The smell of garlic and spices and cooked food filled their nostrils. Sabine sneezed, and rubbed her nose. The tickle persisted, and Sabine decided to breathe through her mouth if she needed to speak. She could swear she heard Trent's stomach rumbling, but the sound was covered by a perky blonde hostess greeting them.

"We're meeting a group here," Trent said.

The hostess took in Sabine's outfit. "The vampire slayer party? I'll show you to their table. This way please."

Sabine took off her sunglasses and looked around as they walked, comparing the restaurant to the photos she'd seen on their web site. A world-record strand of garlic cloves wound throughout the place along the roof, sharing space with strands of corks. Her nose tickled, and she pinched it to keep from sneezing again.

As they turned a corner, the vampire hunters' table became obvious. The restaurant had several rooms with multiple tables per room, but the vampire hunters had arranged for a small walled in section to themselves, with a beaded curtain blocking out the rest of the patrons. She wondered if the manager was a friend or wanted to keep them from scaring people away.

Their table had room for six, with four people already seated. There was a man in a leather hat and black duster coat, a fairly good reproduction of Van Helsing from the same movie Sabine had used as inspiration for her own hat. Another man was dressed like a Sherlock-Holmes-era gentleman. A blonde woman dressed like a cheerleader with a bandolier of stakes sat with her back to Sabine, and the last man was dressed in a black suit with a white T-shirt under it.

"Hi everyone," Sabine said, taking in their faces. These were the four! The ones from her first night after the resurrection. The ones that got away.

Their expressions were welcoming and friendly, without a trace of fear. They didn't recognize her as the dirty wretch from a year ago. So far, so good. Considering she'd been covered in a layer of caked on soil a year ago, it wasn't surprising. She matched their faces to their online stories. Her movie Van Helsing was 'VanHelsing451', and the blond cheerleader was 'Charity1980'. 'DarrenWRX' was the guy in the black suit, and 'Shaman' was the nineteenth century character.

"I'm 'MourningGirl', AKA Sabine, and this is my friend Trent."

VanHelsing451 stood up. "We weren't expecting you, Trent. Are you on the site?"

"No." He glanced sideways at Sabine, a small grin on his face.

"Gabe, be nice! There's always room for more." The blonde cheerleader said, standing. She adjusted her bandolier of stakes before offering a hand to Sabine. "Hi Sabine, I'm Kim, AKA 'Charity1980' and I'm glad you made it. I was feeling outnumbered."

Sabine shook hands with Kim and returned her smile, noting Kim's glance to the men.

"I love that outfit! You're like a female version of Gabe," Kim added.

Sabine felt relief coming off Kim. Relief was better than fear. Kim showed no sign of recognition as they shook hands. "Thanks! That's an awesome Buffy. I love the stakes."

VanHelsing451 offered his hand next. "I'm Gabe, AKA 'VanHelsing451'."

Sabine shook his hand, giving him a warm smile. "It's a pleasure, Gabe. Thanks for the invitation, and I apologize if bringing Trent was a
faux pas
."

Gabe glanced at the group. "It's okay. As long as he understands why we're here."

Trent shook Gabe's offered hand. "Hunting vamps. I get it."

"I'll let the others introduce themselves. If you'll excuse me, I need to get us another place setting," Gabe said, then stepped away towards a waitress.

Sabine noticed a crossbow strapped to his back as he walked away. It looked real.

The guy in the suit stood and offered a hand to Sabine. "Hi Sabine, I'm Darren, AKA 'DarrenWRX'. Love the outfit." His eyes drifted over her body and almost back up to her face as they shook hands. She felt his lust like a grimy taste in her mouth, and she felt glad she was wearing gloves as she pulled away.

Sabine glanced at Trent when she heard his low growl.

Darren shook hands with Trent and grimaced, pulling free and rubbing the pain out of his hand.

Trent smiled. "So what's you're costume, Darren?"

"Clooney's character 'Seth' in From Dusk Till Dawn. I'm a huge Tarantino fan."

Sabine nodded. "Didn't he have a gun or two, if I remember?"

Darren opened his jacket, showing the handle of a large revolver in his waistband. "Got a carry permit last month."

Sabine raised an eyebrow before turning her attention to the last one of them.

He had been watching patiently and stood, extending his hand. He smelled of cigarettes and strong coffee. "Sabine, it is a great pleasure to meet you. I'm Sam, possibly known to you on the site as Shaman."

She shook his hand and met his gaze. "Sam, nice to meet you. Did you come armed as well?"

He released her hand and shook Trent's, smiling. "I brought a small bag of tricks such as one might expect of Bram Stoker's original Van Helsing."

Sabine sat next to Kim the cheerleader and Trent chose the seat across from her and next to Gabe, who had returned during the introductions.

A waitress and busboy attached another table and brought an extra place setting at Sabine and Trent's side of the table. The waitress added glasses of water for everyone. "I'll be back in a few minutes to take your order."

Gabe looked up. "We're still waiting on one more, but I'd love a garlic hot tub to start us off."

Kim waited for the waitress to leave before she turned to Sabine. "So I hope it's not too bold of me to ask, but why 'MourningGirl'? We're dying to know."

Sabine looked from one to the next, reading their expressions without reading their minds. She was afraid that they might recognize the sensation and realize who she was. Her gaze landed back on Kim. "Is there a pool or something?"

Darren choked on his water. Gabe patted him on his back.

"I'll take that as a 'yes' then."

Gabe regarded Sabine. "We have a small wager going, since you're new to the group. We've all heard each other's stories, but I searched your posts on the forum and didn't find any story. Did someone you know die from a vampire attack?"

Not counting myself?
She couldn't exactly tell them about that right off. Turning wasn't technically the same as killing. Sabine thought back to the morgue. She hadn't really known the attendant, and she wasn't sure he had died from her bite. She shook her head no. "I lost my mom to cancer when I was in high school, and my father passed away a little over a year ago. So who wins the pool?"

Kim raised her hand. They all reached into their wallets and passed her a dollar.

Sabine smiled at their antics. "So let me guess. Kim, you were born in 1980; Gabe, you're a fireman or something; Darren has a Subaru WRX, and Sam... you're a magician?"

"Wow, that's not bad," Kim said.

Sam shook his head. "I used to go by my Arabic name and some people butchered it. I got the nickname 'Shaman' and I use it because my true name proved false."

Sabine couldn't help but ask. "What was your true name?"

"Salman. It means 'safe', but I discovered a year ago that none of us is truly safe."

"I read the posts you put on the site. You all seemed so hurt, but you seem happy now." She concentrated on breathing normally and choosing her words carefully.

Sam shrugged. "We survived. We paid a price to learn a great secret. This group has given us new friends and fellowship."

Darren stared at her. "So why are you on the site? Were you attacked also?"

Sabine nodded. "I don't remember much though. I was totally drunk at the time."

"That's typical. Vampires look for weak and vulnerable people to feed on," Gabe said, nodding.

The waitress came to the table, carrying a skillet full of garlic cloves. She put the skillet on a stand and took out her notepad. "Would you like drinks while you're waiting?"

Gabe looked to Sabine and Trent. "We have a tradition that we started when we first met. This restaurant has a drink called VAMPIRE'S BITE. Are you up for it?"

"Bring it on," Sabine said, smiling.

Trent nodded and gave Sabine a knowing look. "Count me in."

Gabe slapped the table. "Great! Seven Vampire's bites."

The waitress nodded and left.

Kim got up. "I'm going to freshen up. Sabine?" She gave Sabine an expectant look.

Sabine looked the question to Trent. Would he be okay without her? He nodded. She got up and followed Kim to the restroom. When they got there, a woman was standing by the door. Sabine could hear voices inside, over the din of the crowded restaurant.

"Are you waiting for the restroom?" Kim asked the woman.

The woman nodded.

Kim gestured for Sabine to take the next place in line. "I wanted to get you alone to warn you about Darren."

"I have a feeling I know what you're going to say," Sabine said.

Kim nodded. "He's a total letch. I was nervous about wearing this outfit 'cause I knew he'd eat it up, and I swear I felt like he was licking me with his eyes until you got here."