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It was her turn to laugh. “Oh, I know how I make you feel, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to let you get anywhere near me or any of these people.”

“You can’t be with them all night.”

“Once I stake you, I won’t have to.”

“I like your attitude. You’ve got spunk—something a lot of people seem to lack nowadays, but our meeting tonight is over. I’ll see you again, very soon.”

“With some luck it’ll be in a dark alley,” she whispered.

“I hope you’re right because I can’t wait to taste your blood. And if
you’re
lucky, when I turn you, I might even decide to keep you.”

With that, the vampire evaporated between blinks. The only evidence that he’d been here in the first place was the rush of air he left in his wake, and the open sliding doors.

What a fucking freak!

Okay, the game had just changed. Trina had no way of contacting Vigilante, and she didn’t want to risk any of her coworkers becoming targets because of her. Besides, if anyone died in this store there would be an investigation, which was something she couldn’t afford.

She sighed. She already knew Brenna’s parents would pick her up, and the other guy—the new one—had raved about how he was leaving early because a bunch of his friends were meeting him here so they could go partying. But Millie and Zeke were going to the local pub, which meant they’d be out walking alone at night.

When Zeke came around the next time, she signaled him over.

“Hey, Trina, what’s up?” he asked

“About your offer, I’d love to get a drink after work with you and Millie.”

“Cool. I’ll let her know.” He walked away with a beaming grin and headed toward Millie. She gave him the same type of smile when she greeted him, but it quickly faded. Trina knew that as far as her female workmate was concerned, she’d be the third wheel tonight. But she didn’t care. If it meant she could save herself the trouble of having to kill them after they became a couple vamps, it would be worth it.

I already have too much to deal with as it is. I don’t give a crap about some jealous girl.

Chapter Eight

After watching her workmates’ behavior change after each drink they consumed, Trina was glad that drinking one beer after another didn’t have much of an effect on her. There were other times she wished she could drink to forget the majority of her past. If given the chance, she wouldn’t think twice about erasing nearly all of it.

But tonight she had to keep her eyes open and her senses as sharp as possible. That asshole vampire could be anywhere, hiding and waiting.

She looked around the bar. So far, the most threatening thing going on were the spiteful stares she’d been getting from Millie. Her workmate would sip from her drink, throw back her head, and laugh at everything Zeke said. Then she would oh-so-casually touch his forearm or lean into him and whisper something. It would’ve been really awkward, if Zeke had responded to Millie’s advances. He didn’t even seem to notice them.

Every time Millie tried to share a “secret”’ conversation with him—which was pretty hard in a place where a combination of TV screens with nonstop sports and music blared in the background—he invited Trina into the conversation. The guy was oblivious and determined to keep Trina in the loop. It was sweet, but she was secretly glad these two were getting drunker by the minute. They’d remember less that way.

Trina had to find the bastard vamp before he surprised her again. How had he gotten into the store without her noticing? Then again, all vamps weren’t created equal. The older they got, the easier it became to conceal their presence. But no matter how well they could disguise what they were, it was only a matter of time before she figured it out. All they had to do was let their guard down for a second and she would know what they were and could attack when they least expected it. Not that this cocky bastard had bothered to hide what he was. Still, while stalking her, she had no doubt that he’d use all the tricks he had access to, and he could be watching them right now.

She couldn’t help wishing, for what was probably the millionth time, that vamps couldn’t enter a public place without an invitation from the owner. That would make her life so much easier. Unfortunately, such restriction only stretched to people’s homes.

A chuckle escaped her. She liked tempting fate by having a doormat on her balcony stating:
Welcome, all vampires, all the time,
and had even read it out to the wind to see if it gave the invitation more power. If this dude kept following her around, maybe she’d soon find out.

Zeke stretched his arms over his head and yawned. “Excuse me,” he said holding a hand over his mouth. “I think it’s time I called it a night.”

Trina frowned. Why was he looking at her when he said that?

It didn’t matter why, and she nodded because she was looking forward to getting out of here as well. “I agree.” So much color and activity was helpful when she wanted to blend in, but it was hell on her senses when she was trying to detect a threat. As far as she could tell, there wasn’t a single vampire on these premises. Except for the bartender, everyone inside this pub was human and drunk.

“Are you sure?” Millie looked at Zeke and pouted. “The night is young.”

He stood, pulling his arm out of hers when she grabbed it in an attempt to stop him. “I think it’s time we all caught a cab home.”

Trina followed suit and stood. Millie gave her a dirty look but also got to her feet. Trina walked behind them as they headed for the door, taking another quick look around before they ducked outside.

Hardly anyone noticed they were leaving, except for the guy behind the bar who watched their every move. He wasn’t a vamp, but he wasn’t entirely human, either. She didn’t have the time to explore the possibilities of just what he was right now.

As she stepped out into the cold night, it actually felt good on her face. She let the cool air wash over her and cleanse away the sting of the alcohol and hot air inside the pub.

“That was great. I think we should do it again sometime, girls.” Zeke stepped in between them, wrapping an arm over each of their shoulders. “Now, where are those cabs?”

Maybe Millie hadn’t noticed, because she was smiling like an idiot, but Zeke was drunker than he’d seemed inside. His eyes were bloodshot.

Trina glanced up and down the silent street. “There aren’t any cabs.” Actually, there were hardly any cars on the street. Then again, she wasn’t surprised. It had to be way past midnight. “Why don’t we walk? Do you guys live far?”

“Actually, no, I live down the road.” Millie didn’t sound upset or defensive when she pointed down the street.

“Zeke?”
Trina prompted.

“I live a little farther than that.”

“Yeah, he lives a few blocks from the local high school,” Millie supplied.

Trina knew where the high school was and, for her, it didn’t sound too far to walk. But if she were drunk, that would be quite an uncomfortable walk. And it wasn’t a good idea to be out in the open with some crazy vampire on the loose. But without a cab, she didn’t have a choice. She’d have to walk them home.

She sighed. “It’s settled then, we’ll walk. First we’ll get Millie home, and then we’ll get you home.”

Zeke nodded, but Millie grabbed
ahold
of her arm and dragged her away from Zeke, who didn’t seem to notice as he leaned back against the building’s wall.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Millie’s breath smelled like beer and peanuts, and her rage was obvious in the stiff set of her narrow shoulders.

“I don’t know what you mean—”

The small blonde wasn’t smiling now. “Of course you do. It was bad enough that you tagged along with us tonight, but now to try to steal him right out from under me?”

“I’m not trying to steal anyone. I just want to get home as soon as possible.”

“So, go, then. Zeke can stay with me tonight.” Her stupid smile had returned.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea . . .”

“Why?” Millie interrupted.
“Because you’d rather he stay with you?”
She tightened her grip on Trina’s arm. “Well, that’s not going to happen. I saw him first. I knew him way before you even thought about working at Pen, Paper & Beyond. You’re not going to take him away from me.”

“Millie, I don’t want him.”

“Don’t lie to me! I’ve seen you flirting with him, and I’ve got news for you. He’s mine, you got that?” If her spiteful words were all Millie had done, Trina would’ve taken her crap and walked away, but when she tightened her grip on Trina’s arm and started poking a finger in her face, Trina pulled out of the woman’s grip and spun her around. Squeezing her forearm beneath the girl’s chin, she applied just enough pressure to knock her out. This wasn’t how she’d planned to end the night, but she figured it was the best way to shut Millie up.

When the woman went limp, Trina slung her over her shoulder, grabbed a hold of Zeke’s forearm and said, “Come on, let’s go.”

Zeke nodded. He didn’t seem to notice Millie was now unconscious.

As they headed down the street, Trina walked as swiftly as she could. Luckily, Millie was so small and thin she hardly weighed anything. Once she dumped this moron safely inside her house, Trina would then be free to handle whatever situation arose. And she knew something would happen. She had no doubt the old vamp dude would strike when she least expected it.

So she carried the woman, making sure to drag Zeke beside her, down the deserted street. At least she could be grateful that neither of her workmates would probably remember any of this the next morning.

Chapter Nine

Doug watched Trina as she stepped out of the two story apartment block. She closed the door behind her, looked up and down the concrete corridor before walking away.

He kept his eyes on her until she reached the staircase on the left side of the building, descended it, and exited the complex.

For a moment, he’d felt a surge of jealousy when he’d watched her duck into the guy’s apartment while he clung to her. Doug couldn’t help smiling at her reaction when the guy he recognized from the stationery store had made a move to kiss her. She’d jerked back before he could even get close to kissing her.

Seeing her reaction was worth stalking her. Just because he’d made a “date” with Trina didn’t mean that Doug would stop watching. In fact, he’d seen Luis waltz out of the stationery store earlier, trying very hard to appear human. If Luis had tracked her, he knew exactly where she worked and lived, and he’d systematically hurt everyone around her before turning his full attention on her.

Unlike all the random people Luis had turned for the fun of it during the last year and then discarded like dirty rags, Trina would provide a challenge. She’d keep him interested until he couldn’t take it anymore.

Luis
Gallego
was an old school vampire who’d one day—for whatever reason—decided to change his ways. Where feeding used to be about survival and keeping vampiric secrets, now he enjoyed chasing his prey, loved toying with it. He played mind games and didn’t shy away from hurting anyone he felt was in his way or could rouse a reaction from his primary target. It was why he couldn’t understand this new routine Luis had of grabbing a random person and turning them instantly.

But Trina had just become Luis’s ultimate prize.

Trina was long gone by the time Doug noticed Luis on the roof of the building where her coworker lived. Before Doug could decide on what to do, Luis had already slipped inside the guy’s place. The man was now in danger.

Shit!
He couldn’t afford to blow his cover with Luis. He would have to let Trina do it.

He sighed and headed for the man’s apartment. He was probably already too late, but he had to see if he could somehow save the man from Luis.

He crossed from one side of the roof to the other, and paused when he heard the click of the door below him. Luis skipped down the stairs and walked onto the street, as if he were just a casual bystander who’d stopped by to visit a friend.

Once Luis’s footsteps completely retreated, Doug became the third person to slip into the man’s apartment tonight. He closed and locked the door behind him, and the smell of warm blood stung his every sense. It was like a toxic drug he couldn’t ignore, and his fangs pushed through his gums. The smell of blood roused this uncontrollable reaction from him, but it didn’t mean he had to follow it through by killing. He was here to see if this human was still alive.