“His private number,” the androgynous vampsaid. “He says that you may call him any time day or night.”
“Wouldn’t he be asleep during the day?” Idemanded, forgetting that I didn’t want to call Corbin no matterwhat time it was.
The little vamp shrugged. “My master is old.He requires very little daytime rest anymore.”
“I see.” I took the card and started to tearit up but somehow, instead, I put it in my pocket.
“Do you have a message for Master Corbinbefore you go?” the little vamp asked.
“No,” I said shortly. “Wait—yes. Tell him ifhe thinks giving me his private number will inspire me to make abooty call, he’s sadly mistaken.”
The androgynous vamp gave me a puzzled look.“A booty call? You will call his buttocks on the telephone?I do not understand.”
I stifled a snicker. “You don’t have to.Basically it means I’m not interested in fucking a vampire.”
He looked grave. “I am sorry you dislike mykind so much. We were once as you are, you know.”
“Yeah, I know.” I frowned. “And some of mybest friends are vampires—I just don’t like Corbin. Now if you’llexcuse me…” I looked down at my watch. Three AM and time for me toget home. Since I work with vamps I have to be out at night but myshift was finally coming to an end. Thank goodness.
“I will faithfully repeat your words toMaster Corbin,” the little vampire assured me. “Though I am stilluncertain about the meaning of this ‘booty call’ you spoke of.”
“Don’t worry your pretty little head aboutit—your master will get it even if you don’t.” That was one thingabout Corbin, he was surprisingly good with modern slang for anolder vampire. Every once in awhile I could hear a soft,Gaelic-sounding burr in his deep voice and he had a tendency not touse many contractions but other than that, he was certainly up onthe current century. Which was probably the secret to hislongevity.
Though they are technically immortal, notmany vamps are adaptable enough to keep up with the ever changingworld. A lot of them just shut down after a couple of centuries,which is a good thing or the world would be overrun withbloodsuckers and we humans would become little more thancattle.
I headed for the exit more purposefully thistime, not allowing myself to be sucked into the various bizarrefetish fantasies I heard being whispered about in the clear glassbooths on either side of me. Sick, this whole damn thing was sickand I wished for the umpteenth time that I was in another line ofwork. Still, the pay was too good to quit, and besides, I hadpersonal reasons for doing what I did. Also, I usually didn’t haveto put up with the amount of bullshit I’d endured that night. Mostvamps hate and fear me and none of them but Corbin had ever daredto come on to me. I didn’t have to visit Under the Fangagain for a whole month so maybe my night was looking up.
That was what I thought, anyway, until I gotout into the parking lot and my cell phone rang.
Chapter Two
I groaned when I saw the number on my cell.It was my best friend Taylor and I was already feeling anemic. Ihoped she just wanted to talk and wasn’t looking for a midnightsnack.
See, I wasn’t kidding when I said some of mybest friends were vampires. Taylor and I have been BFFs since mysophomore year of college and she’s a vamp, though unfortunatelynot a very good one.
I answered the phone on the third ring andtried to make my voice light. “Hey roomie, what’s up?”
“Not too much.” Even in those few words, Icould tell Taylor was holding herself back. Her voice had thattight sound you get when you’re trying to talk without crying.“Could, uh, could I come over?” she asked. “Not to eat or anything.Just to talk?”
“Sure,” I said, repressing a sigh. My dayhad started almost twenty hours ago with a dawn execution and I wascompletely worn out. But I couldn’t say no to Taylor—after all, itwas my fault she was a vampire in the first place.
“Okay. I’ll be at your place in twenty.”
“See you there,” I said, sliding into my carand starting the engine. “I’m on my way from my monthly inspectionof Under the Fang.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Taylor sounded concerned.“Did Alec Corbin give you shit again?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe.” I sortof regretted telling my best friend about the perverse attractionCorbin seemed to feel for me—mostly because I knew she couldn’tkeep secrets from her mistress—the vampire who had made her. But wehad always been each other’s confidants and it was a hard habit tobreak. Besides, I reasoned to myself, what did it matter if othervamps in Tampa knew Corbin seemed to have the hots for me? Ifanything it would just prove that he was crazy—not that anyonewould dare to call him that to his face since he was the mostpowerful vampire in the state.
“We can talk about your shit first if youwant,” she offered, breaking my train of thought.
“No, I think I’d be better off just tryingto forget it,” I said, thinking of Corbin’s offer to heal my scars.It was true they were unsightly and hard to explain, which meant Ispent a lot of my time in long-sleeved shirts. In Tampa, where theheat and humidity were a punishment to begin with, that was nolaughing matter. But saying so would only hurt Taylor’sfeelings.
“Okay, then. Whatever you want.” She soundedsubdued again. I wanted to ask her what was wrong but I resistedthe urge to get the bitch session started over the phone. It waslate and I was tired. I should hang up and concentrate ondriving.
“I’ll be there soon,” I said, wishing Icould promise her a pitcher of margaritas, extra salty, the way sheused to like them. But vampires aren’t able to ingest anything butblood and sometimes a little weak tea or watered down wine so atrip to Margaritaville was out of the question.
“See you.” She hung up with a click and
