He shut down his phone as he felt dawn’s approach. It was an odd feeling and decidedly unpleasant—a sort of burning sensation, as if all the blood in his body was on fire.
In his room, he undressed, then stretched out on the bed, hands folded behind his head as he stared at the narrow crack in the ceiling.
But it was Sara’s face that followed him into oblivion—a wealth of sun-gold waves framing a heart-shaped face, warm hazel eyes beneath gently arched brows, pink lips curved in an innocent come-hither smile.
He murmured her name as the darkness engulfed him and carried him away.
The next afternoon at work, Sara couldn’t help noticing again that all the women who came into the shop were lovely and well-dressed. Their skin seemed to glow with good health. She also noticed that they all seemed to be on a first-name basis. Of course, it was a small town, so maybe that wasn’t so strange. Still, it made Sara feel like an outsider, and it had nothing to do with the fact that she was new in town. No, it had to do with some kind of underlying camaraderie that she didn’t understand, almost as if they all shared a secret she didn’t know.
Or like they were Stepford wives.
The thought sent an icy chill down her spine. Of all the horror movies she had ever seen, that one had scared her the most.
At seven, she closed the store. She was deciding whether to go home and make dinner or eat out again when her phone rang. She felt a tingle of anticipation as she answered. Could it be him? “Hello?”
“Hey, Sara. It’s me. Travis. Am I calling at a bad time?”
At the sound of his voice, she felt her smile stretch from ear to ear. All day, she had hoped he would call. “No, it’s fine.” She couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice. “How are you?”
“Doing good. I was planning to wait until tomorrow night to give you call so you wouldn’t think I was too anxious, but I guess I blew it.”
“I’m glad.”
“Are you busy after work? I know you get off late, but I thought maybe we could go out for a drink.”
“I’d like that.”
“Great. Where would you like to go?”
“How about Teddy’s? It’s a nightclub over in South Port. Do you know it?”
“No. What time should I pick you up?”
“How about if I meet you there? Around ten? It’ll give me time to go home and change.”
“Sounds good. See you then.”
Smiling, Sara ended the call. She had a date!
Smart girl, not wanting him to know where she lived, Travis thought as he slipped his phone into his pocket. But it didn’t matter. He felt better than he had since he’d been turned. He showered and dressed, then headed for Mamie’s Manse, a known hangout for the undead. Owned by a middle-aged woman who was addicted to vampire blood, the nightclub was located in the basement of an abandoned warehouse at the end of a long, dirt road five miles west of Susandale.
Candlelight illuminated the basement, casting dancing shadows on the dark gray walls and cement floor. The patrons were predominately vampires, with a few humans who were either addicted to vampire blood or just got a kick out of letting the undead feed on them. There were two house rules strictly enforced by the biggest man-turned-vampire Travis had ever seen. At nearly seven feet tall, the Hun had been a wrestler in his former life. Travis had no doubt the guy could rip a vampire’s head off without breaking a sweat. The first law of the house was that no vampire was allowed to feed on an unwilling human. The second was that any vampire who inflicted death on a patron, mortal or immortal, would forfeit his life.
Travis recognized a few of the vampires as residents of Susandale.
Another thing he had learned was that all the women who lived in town belonged to the vampires—some by choice. Some by compulsion.
Though he had just met Sara, he intended to make sure she didn’t become one of them.
Chapter 4
Sara hurried home from work, changed into a white skirt and a pink sweater, ran a comb through her hair and drove to Teddy’s. She hoped Travis hadn’t been offended when she offered to meet him at the club, but she had only known him a few days and in this day and age, she preferred to err on the side of caution.
After leaving her car with the valet, she took a deep, calming breath and entered the club. Round tables covered with crisp white cloths took up one side of the dance floor, booths the other. A large mahogany bar was located in the back of the room. Shelves made of teak held glasses of all shapes and sizes. A tall, good-looking man with a clipped mustache tended bar.
It was Friday night and the place was crowded with couples laughing, talking, and generally having a good time. A three-piece band provided music for dancing.
Sara threaded her way to the bar and ordered a Cosmopolitan.
Travis came up beside her just as her drink arrived. “Hey, sorry I’m late,” he said.
“I was early.”
“Shall we get a table?”
“If you can find one.” Drink in hand, she followed him around the edge of the dance floor. As luck would have it, they spied a middle-aged couple just getting up
