As Twilight Falls

“What do you want me to do, find him for you?”

“That’s exactly what I want.”

Saintcrow snorted. “You’re the hunter, not me.”

“Dammit, I need your help.” Andrews jumped out of his chair and began to pace the floor. “If he isn’t stopped, he’ll kill again.”

“Probably.”

Andrews glared at him. “And you don’t give a damn, do you?”

Saintcrow blew out a sigh. That was the trouble. He did care. But hunting his own kind . . . That left a bad taste in his mouth. He looked up as Kadie and her mother entered the room. This wasn’t his town, but a vampire who killed so often and didn’t dispose of his kills was a danger to everyone. Sliding a glance at Andrews, he said, “I’ll see what I can do.”

It was with some surprise that Saintcrow found himself driving along a narrow road with Kadie’s father later that night. They were about two miles out of town when Andrews slowed the car.

“This is where we found the first body,” the doctor said, pointing to a culvert. “The man was a transient. We’re still waiting for some ID.”

Saintcrow sniffed the air. The vampire’s scent was faint, but he’d know it if he smelled it again.

The second body had been found in an abandoned warehouse. “Jack Wheldon,” Andrews said. “He was the general manager of the First National Bank.”

The third body had been found in a Dumpster in an alley.

“The same vampire killed them all,” Saintcrow said.

“How can you be sure?”

“His scent. It’s the same at all three sites.”

“Can you follow it back to his lair?”

“Why? Are you going to try to destroy him tonight?”

“Are you crazy? I’ll do it tomorrow, when the sun’s up.”

“And take his blood?”

“Do you have a problem with that?” Andrews asked, his voice curt.

“Actually, I do, but I can live with it.”

“Let’s go then.”

Saintcrow leaned back as Andrews drove back toward the city. They hadn’t gone far when Saintcrow said, “Pull over.”

Andrews parked on the side of the road, then peered out the window at the abandoned building situated on a patch of barren ground. “You think he’s in there?”

Saintcrow nodded.

“Doesn’t seem very secure to me,” the doctor remarked, frowning.

Saintcrow shrugged one shoulder. “It’s concrete and steel. I imagine he’s figured out a way to lock it from the inside when he’s at rest.”

“No doubt,” Andrews agreed.

“Well, I’m outta here,” Saintcrow said, opening the car door. “The rest is up to you.”

“Where are you going?”

“I found the vampire for you. Now I need to find a human for me,” he said, and vanished into the darkness.

Later, after satisfying his thirst, he began to feel guilty about leading Andrews to the vampire’s lair. He thought about it for a few minutes, then returned to the lair of the other vampire. A single breath told him the killer Andrews was hunting was still inside.

Saintcrow hesitated a moment, then rapped on the door. “Hey, come on out.”

The door creaked open and Saintcrow found himself face-to-face with a tall, dark-haired young man. A fledgling.

“Who are you?” the vampire demanded, his tone surly. “What are you doing here?”

“Maybe saving your life.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You might want to clean up your act. Those dead bodies you’ve left lying around are attracting attention from the local hunters.”

The fledgling snorted disdainfully. “Let ’em come.”

Saintcrow frowned. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-three.”

“I meant how long have you been a vampire?”

“Oh. I don’t know. A couple of days. A week. Time has no meaning anymore.”

“What’s your name?”

“Micah Ravenwood.”

“Where’s your master?”

“I don’t have a master. Who the hell are you, anyway?”

“Saintcrow.”

Ravenwood’s eyes widened. “Rylan Saintcrow?” He hissed a curse.

“You’ve heard of me?”

“Yeah. The creature who turned me, she mentioned you.”

Saintcrow lifted one brow. “What was her name?”

“Lilith.”

Now it was Saintcrow’s turn to swear. “She’s here?” The vampire community wasn’t small, so the chances of meeting another vampire who knew Lilith seemed like more than coincidence

“No. I was doing a shoot in Cody, Wyoming.”

“You’re an actor?”

“I wanted to be. I’d just scored my first speaking role.”

“And your last.”

“Yeah.”

“So, where’d you meet Lilith?”

“At a singles’ bar in Cody.”

“Go on.”

“There’s nothing more to tell.” Ravenwood looked away, hands clenched at his sides.

“You’re lying. She seduced you, didn’t she?”

“Yeah, she took me into this big house and one thing led to another. At first, it was . . . nice, but then . . .”

“Go on.”

“She humiliated me in ways I’d rather not repeat. Made me do things . . . When I woke up the next night, she was gone, and I was . . . hungry.” Ravenwood’s gaze slid away from Saintcrow’s. “I think I went a little crazy.”

Saintcrow swore under his breath. It wasn’t uncommon for untutored fledglings to go on a killing spree. “So, Lilith turned you and left you there without telling you anything?”

“What’s to tell? I’m a bloodsucker now. A monster. If I ever see her again, I’ll kill her.”

“Not if I see her first. Are you thinking about staying here in Morro Bay?”

“Yeah. I can’t go back home. I’ve never been to California before, so I figured, what the hell. I might even take up night surfing.”

“If you’re planning to hang around, you’ll need to find a new lair before sunrise.”

“Why? What’s wrong with the one I have?”

“One of the hunters I mentioned, he knows where you take your rest.”

“How the hell does he know that?”

“Because I told him where to find you.”