 
### Blood Callings Part 1

#### By Sandra Ross

#### Published by Publications Circulations LLC.

SmashWords Edition

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The following story is for entertainment purposes only. This book contains sexually graphic scenes depicting consenting adults above the age of 18 engaging in passionate sexual acts. This story is intended only for persons over the legal adult age. By downloading and opening this document, you are stating that you are of legal age to access and view this work of fiction. Mature readers only. Reader discretion is advised.

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### The Vampire and The Nightwalker

In the Blood Part 1

### Chapter One

LOOKING INTENSELY AT the spread of cards on the table in front of her, Secret Lavalle pondered what to say to her young client. There was no easy way to tell a girl in love that she was being cheated on by the object of her affections. She was stalling for time, but she knew it wouldn't make any difference in the end.

"Ok, Sharla. Do you see these two cards right here? This is the Queen of Pentacles and here's the Three of Swords. In between these cards is the King of Wands. Now, remember, we said that the King of Wands represents Dion. The Queen of Pentacles is showing us a new woman that seems to be in Dion's life. The Three of Swords right here shows heartbreak and disappointment."

"But what does that mean, Secret?"

"It means, sweetheart, that Dion is seeing another woman."

"I knew it!" Sharla yelped as she slammed her hand down on the table. "That bastard has been lying to me for months! I could feel it, Secret! It's just that I didn't want to believe it, you know? But he's gonna get what's coming to him now!"

"I know it's hard when men do these things," Secret said, trying to offer comfort where there wasn't any to actually be had. "But let's look at this to see what's ahead for you after you get rid of this worthless piece of waste."

"I don't care what's ahead! I don't want any other man ever! This is it for me!"

Shaking her head, Secret waited for Sharla to calm down. It was rarely ever the end for a 19-year-old woman. Sure, Sharla was hurt and angry now, but once she was able to get Dion out of her life, there would be another man. Apparently, there would be more than just one other man coming up in Sharla's future.

"Oh well," Secret sighed. No matter what I say, these girls never listen.

"Sharla, you're going to make it through this. It's pretty clear that you and Dion aren't meant to be together, but there will be someone else for you in the future. However, if you stay stuck in this situation, you'll just delay finding that man."

"I don't care about finding any other man!" Sharla's big brown eyes got even wider as she shook her head full of long, curly, dark hair in denial. "Dion has proved to me that no man's worth it."

"Sharla, you're going to be fine, sweetheart," Secret said calmly. "There is someone else for you. It doesn't matter if you believe me or not. He's there and he's waiting for you. You're going to deal with this Dion mess, grieve a little because of the time you wasted with him, and then you're going to move on. Your heart will heal. I promise."

Sharla was still glaring at the cards as if she could make them change their meanings if she just got mad enough. Secret hoped that her anger would hold for a little while. It would sustain her and keep her from feeling all of the pain that was also in her very near future.

"I should have known," Sharla finally said in a quieter tone. "My Mama told me not to mess with him. I just couldn't listen to her for once."

"It's okay, Sharla," Secret responded. "Do you want to know about the next man who's coming into your life?"

THIRTY MINUTES LATER, Sharla left Secret's house in a marginally better mood. It had helped her to hear about this upcoming man, just as Secret had known it would. There was no reason to tell her that it wouldn't last, either, though. She would find that out on her own, when she was meant to know it.

Secret went to the back of her house where her cozy, country blue and yellow kitchen was located and put on some water for tea. The only time she preferred hot tea was when she needed to replenish her energy after a reading. Iced tea was her favorite the rest of the time.

Sharla was easy to read, though. So Secret's energy level wasn't too depleted. The reason for the rejuvenating tea was because of her next client, who would be there within an hour. Adele Dubois was a psychic vampire in every sense of the phrase. Her husband had divorced her two years ago and married a lovely young woman, who was now pregnant with his child. Even these small details did nothing to deter Adele from her firm belief that her ex-husband still loved her and would be realizing that fact any day now. Secret wasn't even sure why the woman kept coming to see her, because all she did was argue about everything the cards turned up.

Lacing her tea with plenty of honey, Secret stirred it thoroughly and went out onto the deck off of her kitchen. This was a wonderful place to her; a place of calm and peacefulness. She had added the deck just after buying the house. With such an incredible back yard, she just knew the house needed a small deck so that she could enjoy it.

She sat down at the round table, sheltered from the sun's heat by a large umbrella. The Louisiana sun showered down on the grass in her yard, as well as her large plants and flower garden. A green water hose snaked out into the yard from an outside water spigot that Secret used on the days that the heat wasn't broken by a rain shower.

Not today, though, she thought. It's going to rain within a couple of hours.

It never occurred to her to wonder how she knew those things. But she had no doubt that it was going to be raining by the time she was able to close her door in relief on the departing back of Adele Dubois.

At the moment, she felt completely at peace and would enjoy that for now. Adele would arrive soon enough to drain her of both solace and energy.

Secret wished that there was some way to convince the woman that she needed to move forward rather than staying mired in the past. It seemed that there was no moving Adele from fixating on her ex-husband. Secret almost felt sorry for the man.

Checking her watch, she realized that she only had about fifteen minutes before Adele arrived. Finishing the last of her tea, she stood and went back into the kitchen. Rinsing out her cup, she placed it into the dish drain beside the sink and headed into her bedroom to freshen up a little.

By the time Adele was ringing her doorbell, Secret was ready for her.

Well, at least as ready as she would ever be for someone like Adele.

Secret opened the door.

"Hi, Adele. Please come in," she said.

"Hi, Secret. I sure hope you have some good news for me today," Adele began her monologue that wouldn't end the entire time she was here.

Just as Secret was closing her door, she felt that familiar chill down her spine. Glancing out at the street, she saw no one, but was positive that someone was watching her.

"I've just had the most awful week," Adele continued to whine in the background. "You just won't believe what Sam's wife has done to me now. I called Sam only because I needed to ask him a very important question and... Secret! Are you listening to me?"

"Hmm?" Secret asked, continuing to scan the street for whoever was focused on her. "Oh yes! Of course, Adele. Certainly. Please, let's go get started, shall we?"

Looking once more, she closed the door and walked with Adele back to her reading room.

SHE FELT ME watching her! That's nearly all the proof I need that she's the one.

From his concealed perch in one of the many trees lining the street, Kane Broussard knew that the woman hadn't spotted him. But he knew when she had sensed him. He could feel her as she searched for him both visually and psychically.

He had first noticed her a week ago when she and some women were exiting a bar in the French Quarter. Her scent was intoxicating and immediately caught his attention. He had surreptitiously followed them that night, watching the woman and trying to figure out what was so unique about her.

Sure, she was quite beautiful. Her black hair hung straight and thick to the middle of her back. She had almond shaped eyes, the color of whiskey, with what seemed to be green flecks in them. High cheekbones and a full mouth gave her a somewhat exotic appearance. She was tall; probably around 5'10" with a model's body.

Eventually, he was able to get her name out of a bartender that she seemed to be rather friendly with. That was how he had discovered that Secret Lavalle was one of the best psychics in a town of psychics. It seemed that she used to do readings on Bourbon Street as well as the French Quarter, but she had moved into a small house just outside of New Orleans. Clients still found her with no problem.

Kane had been watching her ever since that night. He wanted to know more about her. No, that wasn't right. He needed to know more about her; as much as he could discover. It was too soon to approach her and it would help his cause if he knew a few key things that would draw her in.

It wouldn't be difficult for him to gather information on her. In a matter of just a few minutes, he had discovered all sorts of details about her. Now, he only needed to find out if what he believed was true.

Obviously, the fastest way to find out what he needed to know was to meet this woman in person. He wasn't ready for a face-to-face meeting just yet, however. She might very well see him for what he was, and that couldn't happen until he was more prepared.

So, he would continue to keep an eye on her for the time being. For now, he must rest for awhile; and then he would be ready to resume his watch tonight.

With that thought, he took his leave.

### Chapter Two

AFTER A GRUELING hour, Secret bid Adele goodbye and closed her door in relief.

Why do I even keep her on as a client? she wondered. Do I really need her money that badly?

Oh, she knew it wasn't actually the money that made her continue allowing Adele to come to her. It was Secret's uncontrollable empathy; especially for those in pain. Adele's pain was so strong that it was almost tangible; and Secret simply couldn't turn her back on the woman, no matter how much she might want to do just that.

She found it frustrating and infuriating trying to help Adele because she categorically refused to see the truth. At first, Secret had entertained the thought that Adele might just be hiding the truth from herself because she couldn't cope otherwise. In the many months of reading for her, though, it had become clear that the way Adele saw things was actually what she truly believed.

Adele saw that Sam's new wife was holding him almost against his will and was preventing Sam from coming back to her. How Sam's pregnant wife was able to hold a man the size of Sam, in place against his will, was something that Secret hadn't been able to figure out, and Adele glossed over that little point anytime she was presented with it.

It was becoming exceedingly clear that Adele needed help that Secret wasn't qualified to give. That was another sore point, however, because Adele refused to seek professional help. The only help Adele saw herself needing was what Secret provided her in readings.

Things were getting worse, though.

Adele was beginning to become somewhat verbally abusive to Secret; and that wasn't something to be tolerated. As badly as she felt for Adele, Secret would never allow herself to be treated badly. That would never happen again.

For the moment, Secret put the problem of Adele out of her mind. She would figure something out when it became necessary. Now, she just wanted to head upstairs to her bathroom and sink into a sea of warm bubbles in her claw-footed tub. Just thinking about it made her smile and start to relax.

Locking her door, she headed up the staircase to her sanctuary.

This house was the best thing she had ever done for herself. Once she had decided to give up the street readings in New Orleans, she had started looking around for some place that would work as both her home and a reading parlor. She must have looked at fifty houses before landing upon this one.

It was built around the turn of the 20th century; but had been extensively remodeled so that everything important such as plumbing, electrical wiring, and insulation had been upgraded by the time she saw the house.

The house wasn't huge by any stretch of the imagination, but it was more than enough for her. Downstairs boasted a small foyer at the front door that held the staircase climbing up to the second floor and expanded into a hallway. Just a few feet down this hallway was the doorway to her reading parlor. It was once a formal living room, but she had found it to be the perfect place to receive and read for her clients.

Down a few steps from this doorway was a powder room. She wasn't sure when this had been added because she didn't think it had been a part of the original house design. But again, it was something that worked to her advantage.

A kitchen, dining, and den area made up the entire back of the house. . Set up all in one long room, she found this to be the best place in the house. It was perfect for relaxing or entertaining, not that she did a lot of that though. Then, of course, there was her beloved deck, which looked out from the start of her colorful, lush backyard to the line of trees at the end of it.

Upstairs held the master bedroom with an ensuite and walk-in closet. French doors led to a small balcony just off of her bedroom where she often sat with her morning coffee. There were also two more bedrooms and a bathroom. She used one of these as an office and the other, she kept as a spare room, in case she had any overnight guests. There were shiny hardwood floors throughout, accented with rugs of all shapes, sizes, and colors.

Secret loved her house and counted herself lucky that she had found it when she did. Her realtor had called her as soon as the house was listed. They went to see it that very morning and she made an offer instantly. This house called to her. It was, quite literally, home.

As she set up her candles and music for her bubble bath, she thought again of the strange feeling she had experienced when letting Adele into her house. She had been so sure that someone was watching her. Rarely did she get those feelings, but when she did, they were never wrong. Just because she hadn't seen anyone didn't mean that there was no one there. All it meant is that they were very well hidden.

Shaking off the disturbing thoughts, Secret slid slowly down into the warm, fragrant bubbles and felt as though she was transporting to heaven. Sighing contentedly, she laid her head back against the cool tub and closed her eyes. This was definitely her favorite part of the day.

Dipping her fingertips into the bubbles, she moved them up her arms and across her chest as she bathed. Slowly, she continued the movement over her breasts and stomach. As the palms of her hands lightly grazed her nipples, a little current of excitement coursed through her body. She could feel the instant hardness in response to her touch.

How long had it been since a man had touched her body in this way? Obviously, too long, if something as simple as a bath had her reacting like this.

Trying to ignore the fire she accidentally ignited within, Secret continued to bathe. But it was pointless. She burned with a need that could not, would not, be ignored.

Moaning, she gave in to the sensation of pure lust while her hand made its way down her body, to the place that demanded her touch. Letting her knees fall apart, her fingers quickly and deftly found the right place to grant her release.

The second her fingers made contact, her hips arched upward eagerly to meet them. Swirling in circles which became rapid quite quickly, the point of no return hit her like a tsunami. Crying out over and over, she rode the wave that carried her up and over to the side of unadulterated pleasure.

Eyes still closed, Secret let her breathing slow before treating herself to another session.

By the time she was both clean and satiated, the water had cooled considerably and the bubbles had dwindled down to nothingness. On the other hand, she did feel much better. Her tension abated, and she was now in the mood for a glass of wine and dinner. Suddenly, she felt like getting out of the house for a bit. Maybe she would call Marielle and see if she would like to meet her somewhere for dinner.

As it turned out, Marielle was at loose ends for the evening and thought dinner out sounded wonderful. They agreed to meet at La Peniche in the Marigny neighborhood. It was only a few blocks to Bourbon Street, so they could hit a bar or two after eating.

Deciding on a gauzy, red sundress with spaghetti straps and matching red sandals, Secret was dressed in no time. That was another advantage of living in such a casual location. The only time people really dressed up here was for a ball of some sort or for a private, special occasion. Even couples that came to New Orleans to get married didn't always dress formally.

Bare-legged and with her hair flowing freely, Secret headed out to her car. She was nearly halfway there when that sensation hit her once more. That chill creeping up and down her spine made her halt. Whoever was watching her was very focused. There was an intensity emanating from the presence that she didn't like. She wanted nothing more than to race back inside her house and lock herself in, but she had to wonder if mere locks would protect her from whoever this was.

Taking a deep breath, she chose not to let this ruin her night and she continued on her way to the car. Trying to appear normal, she unlocked the car and got inside. She was relieved that the engine turned over instantly. In the back of her mind, she almost feared that whoever was so focused on her might have taken steps to trap her at home. The relief was so great as she drove away, that she almost felt a bit silly for her panic. Almost.

### Chapter Three

SHAKING HIS HEAD in amazement, Kane watched Secret as she picked up on him once more. He had to give her credit for the courage she displayed. Most women would have turned and run back into their homes, firmly locking the doors behind them.

Not this one, though.

She continued on her way after a momentary pause. He could tell that she was nervous, but he could also tell that she wasn't experiencing any great terror at the thought of being observed. Rather, she was simply uneasy and mildly curious about who would be so fixated on her.

La Peniche wasn't exactly large enough for him to remain invisible to someone with Secret's abilities. It was a lovely restaurant, but not a place to be discreet. She would ferret him out in no time.

He would simply have to follow her to whatever bar she and her friend decided to pass away the time in after dinner. It would be much easier to remain unseen and undetected in a bar full of people. She might still be able to tell that she was being observed, but it would be almost impossible for her pick out who was observing. That is, unless she was a lot better than he thought.

Going to the bar where Secret had been the last few times he had followed her, he sat down in a booth to wait. He ordered a glass of red wine and watched as the throng of people inside the place expanded. That was one of the reasons he found this place to be exactly what he needed. With so many people packed in, he was able to accomplish whatever he needed to with absolutely no notice taken of him. That's also what made him reasonably certain that Secret Lavalle wouldn't be able to spot him too easily.

As it turned out, he didn't have to wait very long for Secret and her friend to make their way inside. They came in the door laughing, looking very relaxed and happy. Many men's heads turned in their direction.

The women made their way straight to the bar and exchanged a few words with the bartender. Kane knew that this man was a friend of theirs, simply from the conversation he had initiated with him. Neil was a friendly sort of fellow, but then he had to be in order to be a successful bartender. It was clear that all of Neil's customers liked him. He always found time to talk to them, whether he was busy or not. It seemed he had found a way to mix drinks, serve them, and talk to the customers all at the same time.

Neil was had been full of information about Secret Lavalle and, once Kane asked had asked him nicely, Neil was quite forthcoming about her. Now, all Kane needed to do was wait for the right moment to approach her. Tonight probably wasn't going to be that right moment, so he would simply continue to observe her. But he was always able to change his plans on a second's notice.

As he sipped his wine, Kane watched Secret and her friend, who, he had learned, was named Marielle. They took a booth toward the back and did everything they could to fend off would-be one night stands. It was a ritual they were used to, as very attractive women. The men came, one after another; sometimes even in pairs... Yet, Secret and Marielle kept sending them on their way.

Kane watched in amusement as each man went slinking away with a dejected demeanor. The really interesting thing was that the ladies didn't really seem aware of the effect they had on the male patrons of this bar. He might have felt some sympathy for them if he didn't find them so amusing.

So, that was something else he found intriguing about Secret. She didn't cheapen herself, or let these performing monkeys take advantage of her, which showed that she thought much more of herself than a stranger's plaything. With every passing minute, he became even more convinced that he was right.

Just then, he saw a troubled look appear on her face and she started to glance around. He had been staring too intently at her again. That's when she always seemed to feel him. He needed to use more caution when watching her.

"WHAT'S WRONG, SECRET?" Marielle asked when she saw the look on her friend's face.

"I'm not really sure, Mari," Secret replied. "Lately, I've been feeling like someone is watching me. It's happened at home before, but I just felt it again."

"In here?"

"Yes, in here."

Marielle started to crane her neck and look around to see if anyone was overtly staring at them. Secret reached across the table and grabbed her hand.

"No! Don't do that! If someone's watching me, it will be obvious that I know it."

"So? If they see that you're aware of it, maybe they will stop doing it!"

"It's not that simple, Mari. This is different somehow. I can feel this level of intensity that's like nothing I've ever experienced."

"Well, then what do you think it means?"

"I wish I knew. I'm kind of uneasy, but not terrified. Does that make sense?"

"If you were anyone else, girl, I would say you need therapy.."

"I noticed twice earlier today. Once, when I was letting a client in, and then again, on my way to the car to come meet you. I was really happy that my car started so I could get out of there."

"Wow! Okay, well, what will you do tonight? Do you want to stay with me?"

"You know, I might take you up on that. I don't have any clients until after noon, tomorrow. But, I'll see how I feel later. So far, I haven't felt any true danger or anything. It's just that I'm not too thrilled with being stared at like this. It's a pretty strong feeling."

"Well, if it's like that, I'm positive it's not any of these bozos that keep hitting on us here."

"Oh yeah, me too! None of them have that kind of energy..."

"Ahhh, so you checked?" Marielle teased.

"Of course I checked!" Secret replied. "I wanted to be sure that we were both safe, after all. If it was one of these guys, I would tell Neil and let him remove the problem, so to speak."

Secret had the ability to crawl into someone's mind and see what was in there. If she had felt that any of those guys had the potential of being a stalker, all she had to do was psychically snake into his head. There were a few that seemed to have a harder time taking no for an answer than the rest, and she had performed a little check on them. But the only thing she found in their brains was immature, frat boy intelligence.

She was sure that they were safe from those guys. What bothered her was whether or not they were safe from the actual watcher. There was no clear way of knowing this without being able to identify who it was.

"At any rate, it's gone now."

"What's gone?"

"The feeling," Secret replied. "I don't think I'm being watched anymore."

"That's good, right?" Marielle asked.

"It might be. I'm not sure," Secret said, hesitantly.

"Why wouldn't it be good?"

"Whoever it was might have just pulled back a little. I'm starting to wonder if this is someone who also has some abilities. If that's the case, I may not always know when I'm being watched."

"Well, that sucks! I wouldn't be comfortable with that at all!" Marielle exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm not, trust me! But it is something that I need to consider."

Secret was still casting her eyes around the bar to see if anyone unusual caught her attention. She kept being drawn to a certain booth in the back of the bar on the opposite side of the room.

Marielle noticed.

"Do you see something?" she asked.

"I don't know... No, don't turn around! There's a booth back there, but no one is in it. I see an unfinished glass of wine, though. Someone was obviously sitting there until very recently. You know how fast the staff here is about cleaning up the tables."

"Why don't you go ask Neil? He'll know if someone was sitting there and, knowing him, he'll probably be able to tell you who it was."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll go up and get us more drinks and talk to him while I'm there. I'll be right back."

Secret rose from the booth and fought her way through the crowd to get to the bar.

"Hey, Neil!" she called.

He looked up from a couple of drinks he was setting up, saw it was Secret, and smiled brightly.

"Hey, girl," he called back. "Be there in just a sec!"

True to his word, Neil was with her in under a minute.

"What can I get for you, beautiful?" he asked.

"Marielle and I would like refills," she said, giving him her sweetest smile. "Also, can you tell me who was sitting in that booth back there? The one with the unfinished glass of wine?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Neil said as he worked to make their drinks. "That was some dude. Pretty nice, really. Tall, black hair, weird eyes. Kind of intense. How come?"

"Oh, I just wondered. Marielle thought she saw someone there that she knew, but clearly it wasn't who she thought. Thanks, Neil."

Gathering up their drinks, Secret returned to the booth.

"Well, we were right about there being someone in that booth. Neil said he was tall, with black hair and weird eyes. Not sure what that meant and he was so busy that I really didn't want to tie him up any longer. Oh, and he said that the guy was kind of intense."

"That certainly bears some looking into," Marielle said, as she sipped her drink.

"I agree, but we can't be sure who he was or why he was watching, if he actually was."

The women sat there, sipping their drinks, as they contemplated what they should or would do next. In the end, they couldn't come up with anything constructive.

"Maybe I'll talk to Neil at some point, if I keep having these feelings. He's met the man sitting at that booth. If I push a little, he'll probably answer any questions I ask."

"Are you kidding?" Marielle exclaimed. "Neil would walk across hot coals for you! So yeah, I'm pretty sure you could get him to answer a question or two."

Dramatically rolling her mossy green eyes, Marielle tipped her glass up, draining the rest of its contents.

Secret looked at her friend wryly.

"Why do you always say things like that?" she asked. "When have I ever done anything to make you, or Neil for that matter, think that I've got a thing for him?"

"That doesn't matter," Marielle replied. "It's all right there in the way he looks at you. I swear, his whole face just lights up when you come in here. You're just not seeing from my viewpoint."

Secret shook her head at the total idiocy of it all. Neil flirted with all of the women who came into the bar. Hell, he even flirted with some of the gay men! He was a bartender and tips were a huge part of his income. Making nice with the patrons served to net him quite a nice little bankroll by the time he got off work.

"I refuse to discuss this with you because it's simply not worth the effort. I do, however, have some real issues going on and I need to figure them out."

"Okay, okay," Marielle said as she held up her hands in surrender. "So do you want to stay at my place tonight?"

"You know, I think I will," Secret agreed. "It's not that I'm really scared or anything like that, but I do need a good night's sleep. Being nervous and on the lookout for a possible stalker isn't conducive of decent sleep."

"I do believe you're right," Marielle said in mock seriousness. "One more and then we hit the road?"

"Sure," Secret said as she nodded.

### Chapter Four

FROM THE SECOND floor roof of the building housing the bar, Kane watched as the two women made their way carefully down the crowded sidewalks to where they had parked their cars. His keen hearing already alerted him to the fact that Secret was staying with her friend for the night.

Well, that's alright, he thought. It wasn't quite time to introduce himself anyway.

He hadn't yet figured out exactly how he would handle that little detail; but he had to do it, and soon. Secret Lavalle played a very important part in his future and he would not let her get away; not after he had waited so many lifetimes to find her.

So, he moved deftly from rooftop to rooftop as he tracked Secret and Marielle.

SECRET FOLLOWED MARIELLE in her car on the short drive to her friend's condo. It was conveniently located in the Marigny part of New Orleans. She had found a great deal on the place considering the location. Three bedrooms and two baths were almost impossible to attain, unless you had quite a bit of money to sink into the place. But Marielle had found exactly what she was looking for by acting as her own realtor.

It was a gorgeous place, with a very nice garden in the back, off of her patio. She had furnished the place in an eclectic fashion that worked perfectly with her personality. Secret always loved coming here. She preferred her own house, but Marielle's was a great second home.

Since it was pretty late, the women said goodnight and went to bed.

Normally, Secret slept very well when she was at Marielle's; but tonight, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was more interested in her than they should be. It wasn't so much that she still felt that sensation of being watched, but more the frequency lately, especially today. Now she knew it wasn't her imagination.

When she finally did doze off into a fitful sleep, dreams of men in long black coats and red eyes plagued her... In fact, red seemed to be the dominant color in her dreams. Deep red, the color of blood, was splashed everywhere. Someone was chasing her and she couldn't seem to run fast enough to get away. It was a man, yet he could fly. Hovering over her as she ran, his huge black wings covered her with their shadow. Just as his talon-like fingers reached down to pluck her up, she awoke with a scream in her throat.

At first, she wasn't sure if she had actually made any sound at all. When Marielle didn't come bursting through the door, she assumed that the scream was only in her dreams.

Glancing at the windows, she could tell that the sun was up. Picking up her phone, she noted that the time was 8:45AM. Even though she didn't have to worry about any appointments until 1:00 this afternoon, she decided to get up. It wasn't like she was actually going to get any more sleep anyway.

She showered, brushed her teeth, put on a small amount of makeup, and brushed out her hair. Lured by the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee, she put on the dress that she had worn the night before and headed to the kitchen. There, she found Marielle dressed for the day.

As a book illustrator, Marielle worked from home more often than not, unless she had to meet with a client or visit a publisher's office. Apparently, she didn't need to go anywhere today, since she was wearing a pair of comfortable jeans and a bright pink tank shirt. Her red hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her face was free of makeup. Even completely natural, she still looked quite stunning.

Looking up from the newspaper she was reading, Marielle gave Secret a smile and saluted her with the cup of coffee she was holding.

"Good morning! Help yourself to some coffee."

"Thank you, I believe I will. It smells amazing!"

Secret walked to the counter, where a mug and coffee awaited her. Adding a tablespoon of honey and a hefty dose of French Vanilla creamer, she stirred it all together. Carrying it with her, she joined Marielle at the breakfast bar to see what was so interesting in the paper today.

"So, it seems that there's been another murder," Marielle said, as Secret settled herself into the bar chair.

"Seriously? How many does that make now?"

"They're saying that this is the eighth one in the last three months," Marielle said, as she scanned the article. "The police don't seem to have any leads as of yet."

"That's too bad," Secret said, as she sipped her coffee. "It's also kind of scary knowing that there's such a monster out on the street."

"Yeah," Marielle agreed. "Oh, but they do have a name for him now!"

"A name? Really? Naming these aberrations only makes them more determined to keep killing, doesn't it?"

"Possibly, since most of them love the attention. Want to hear what the name is?"

"I'm not sure, but I guess I'll have to. So what is it?" Secret asked with a cringe.

"They're calling him, The Blood Drinker."

"Oh, my God! How awful!" Secret cried. "Why are they calling him that?"

"It's pretty simple," Marielle started to explain. "All of the victims have been found with two puncture wounds to their throats and their bodies completely drained of blood. Apparently, there was once a murderer called, The Vampire Killer, so they didn't feel that they could duplicate that name."

"Ugh!"

"Right? Anyway, they don't have a single lead because this guy doesn't leave any evidence behind."

Both women were silent as they continued to sip their coffee, lost in their own thoughts.

"How about something to eat?" Marielle asked, as she got up from the chair and headed to the refrigerator.

"I'm not sure if I'm hungry now or not," Secret laughed.

"Oh, sure you are! I'll make pancakes and bacon. You always like my cooking!"

"Okay, okay," Secret agreed. "Just don't serve anything with tomatoes or tomato sauce. That includes tomato juice, too!"

### Chapter Five

PROMPTLY, AT 1:00 PM, Secret's first client of the day arrived.

Mrs. Harriett Bennington was dressed as if she were attending a formal afternoon tea. She wore a flowered print dress with stockings and sensible heels. Her ensemble was complete with a sunhat and gloves. Her age could have been anywhere from fifty to seventy, but it wasn't easy to nail down with such a flawless makeup application over perfectly sculpted, plastic facial features.

Once Secret escorted Mrs. Bennington to the reading room, they both sat on opposite sides of the round, cloth-covered table where the readings took place. Since she had never read for Mrs. Bennington before, she let her spider senses reach out to see what they would pick up from the woman. Almost instantly, she hit on the one thing that Mrs. Bennington would do almost anything to keep hidden.

Yes, I will need to tread very carefully with this one, Secret thought.

"What can I do for you today, Mrs. Bennington?" Secret asked her.

"You mean you can't tell that already?" the woman barked at her. "I would think that as a psychic you would already know things of that nature."

Oh wonderful! A rude one, Secret thought with dismay. Well, that's why I work alone. I can always send someone away when they're rude.

"I ask the question as a courtesy," Secret replied. "There are many gifts that I possess as well as various services that I offer. I simply ask because I'm not clear as to which ones you're here to experience."

Mrs. Bennington sat up straighter in her chair and sniffed disdainfully.

"Just tell me what you see," she said sharply.

I could scare the hell out of her, thought Secret, and just start talking. Or I could make a show of using the Tarot cards to tell her. Either way, it's going to be the same.

Making a decision, she picked up her deck of Tarot cards. Shuffling them well, she cut the deck, and started to lay them out. Normally, she would have the client cut them and choose cards from the deck, but she didn't want this horrible woman's energy to infiltrate her cards.

"The High Priestess card," Secret said, as she turned it over. "This card shows that you have secrets, Mrs. Bennington. Some very deep secrets that are soon to be revealed."

"What exactly does that mean?" the woman huffed.

"Just what I said," Secret replied. "There's a secret that you're holding very tightly to you, and you'll do almost anything to keep it from coming to light."

Glancing up at her, Secret was somewhat gratified to see that Mrs. Bennington had turned a bit pale.

Turning over the next card, she saw that it was The Tower.

"This is The Tower," she said. "It shows that things are going to start crumbling around you sometime very soon. There will be changes in your life that must happen, but they may not happen the way that you had hoped or anticipated. You may even need help in dealing with these changes."

"I don't know why I'm even here! I've never heard such garbage!"

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Mrs. Bennington. Shall we continue with your reading or shall I simply refund your money?"

That seemed to stop her in her tracks. It was clear that this was a woman who was used to getting her way all the time. The fact that someone as inferior as Secret Lavalle had the nerve to speak to her in that way infuriated her. On the other hand, she was starting to become nervous about what Secret was actually picking up around her.

"No, no go on."

"Very well. Your next card, as you can see, is the Ten of Swords. This shows that there's been some violence around you recently, and that you probably feel you have been betrayed in some way. The next one is the Death card, which shows that you're going to have a new start but, in this case, it may not be the one that you had hoped it would be."

"Well, none of that makes any sense," Mrs. Bennington cried. "You're a charlatan, just like the rest of your kind that crowd the streets of New Orleans!"

"A charlatan? Is that what you called me?" Secret barely managed to whisper the words.

"Yes! It's clear that you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!"

Secret swept up the cards with one hand and put them to the side.

"I'll show you what a charlatan I am, Mrs. Bennington," Secret said, as she leaned toward the woman's face with a dangerous look. "I was trying to be kind and considerate, but I can see that you're beyond understanding something so basic. So here it is."

Mrs. Bennington had gone from being livid to somewhat nervous.

"Your husband has recently died, Mrs. Bennington, and you've been left a rather large amount of money. However, you won't get to enjoy any of that money. You see, your huge secret that I was able to pick up within minutes of your darkening my door is that you killed your husband. Granted, he wasn't a very nice man. He was the typical rich man who couldn't keep his pants zipped up, and was constantly dipping into the recesses of every gold digger that came along. You got tired of it, but you just couldn't give up all that money. So you started to slowly poison him with something that will never turn up in an autopsy. A Wiccan High Priestess mixed it up for you and told you how to use it, and it worked like a charm. The problem is that you didn't hide the leftovers very well and the police are now searching that big, old house of yours for evidence. They're minutes away from finding the little bottle of poison, and your fingerprints are all over it. The medical examiner is going to look more closely at your husband's body and this time, he'll find what the police need to put you under the prison!"

Secret finally stopped talking long enough to take a breath.

"Now, tell me again what a charlatan I am."

Mrs. Bennington had now turned a dangerous, pasty white, eyes wide and jaw hanging open.

"How... how could you possibly know any of that?" she whispered in shock.

"Because I read it in you as soon as you sat down."

"Are the police really at my home?" Mrs. Bennington shuddered.

"Yes, I'm afraid they are. You need to go home and face what you've done."

Secret stood up and looked at her client meaningfully.

At first, it didn't seem as if the woman was going to move, but she finally braced herself by placing her hands on the table and stood up.

"Don't even try to run, Mrs. Bennington," Secret warned her. "This isn't something that you're meant to avoid. You chose a path and now you must follow it to the end."

Mrs. Bennington did her best to regain her regal composure, but it wasn't working so well for her.

"You need to go now, Mrs. Bennington," Secret said in more compassionate tone. "They're waiting for you, and it will go easier on you if you just confess to it all."

"I can't go to prison," she said, as her face started to crumple.

"You're stronger than you think, Mrs. Bennington."

Actually, Secret could see that this woman wasn't going to do well in prison at all, but she couldn't see that telling her so would be helpful at all. In fact, Secret almost felt sorry for her now. Her husband really had been a dick in the worst way, but she had made the wrong decision in getting even with him. Sadly, Mr. Bennington would be having the last laugh.

Escorting a very shaky Harriett Bennington to her front door, Secret was relieved to see that there was a driver waiting with the car in her driveway. She had been a little worried about the woman driving herself home.

At the door, Mrs. Bennington stopped and turned to face Secret.

"I do apologize, my dear, for my horrible manners and rudeness," she said in a trembling voice. "You're not a charlatan. In fact, you're very accurate. Everything you said is the truth. Everything."

"Mrs. Bennington, I'm very sorry that this has turned out like this for you, but you cannot get away with this type of vengeance." As Secret spoke, she motioned surreptitiously to the driver to come and collect his employer.

"Thomas, please take me home," she quavered.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, as he offered her his arm for support on the way back to the car.

Secret watched them as Thomas settled his employer in the back seat of the large, shiny black car.

She felt a heavy sadness descend upon her heart. Yes, the woman had been rude to her, but in the end, that was such a small thing. Harriett Bennington was about to have everything torn away from her, and she didn't know the half of what she was about to face.

She was relieved that she had an hour to gather her thoughts and center herself before her next client arrived.

### Chapter Six

KANE AWOKE AND sat up.

He wasn't quite sure what caused him to wake because the sun had not totally set. Something stirred his rest, though. Of that, he was positive.

Listening carefully, he trained all of his senses in the direction of where the disturbance seemed to have emanated.

There it was!

A scream and then silence. Blackness.

He had, of course, been keeping up with the current murders that were happening in and around the New Orleans area. So far, he hadn't focused on who was doing it. Other things were consuming his attention.

That dreadful name the newspapers were calling the killer simply grated on him. The Blood Drinker. Seriously? He assumed they didn't fully believe that the murderer was actually drinking the blood of the victims, but it seemed that humans always had to sensationalize these things.

He would have to see who was encroaching on his territory and calling attention to them all. This had to stop. That meant, even though his current project was quite important, it would have to be shelved for the moment so he could sort out this murder situation.

Well, he thought. There's no time like the present.

Since he had already heard the scream, he knew what direction to take. It was, of course, too late to save the woman, but he could still catch the culprit and dispatch him in whatever way seemed appropriate.

Moving with his supernatural speed, he was at the murder site in seconds. As he had known, the victim was long past any help humans or his kind could offer to her. Sniffing the air, he caught the scent he needed and followed.

In no time, he spotted his prey. He stared at him in amazement.

No wonder he continues to collect victims so easily, Kane thought. He looks as though he's no older than fifteen or sixteen years old, and has the face of an angel. Before the boy could move in on his next target, Kane swooped down on him and flushed him into a deserted alleyway. . Pushed up against the brick wall, the boy showed no fear until he got a good look at Kane's face. Recognition, as well as terror, sank in rather quickly then. Even he knew who Kane was.

Leaning right into the young vampire's face, Kane hissed "So you're trying to call attention to all of us because you're stupid?"

"I... I'm hungry and I can't seem to stop myself."

"Oh, you can stop yourself. You just choose not to do so. What is your name?"

"My name is Bonn," he trembled. "You're not going to kill me, are you?"

"I haven't decided yet. Who is your maker?"

"She said her name was Lisette."

"Dammit!" Kane spat out as he shoved Bonn away from him. "Where did she find you?"

"She's here in New Orleans. I was out with some friends and we got separated. Suddenly, she was right there in front of me."

Lisette was a very dangerous vampire because she possessed a lethal combination of both beauty and evilness. Outwardly, she had beauty that defied description. It was that appearance which fooled so many humans over the years; even those who knew of and believed in vampires.

Her hair wasn't dark like a good many vampires'. Rather, it was the lightest shade of blonde. The only time her eyes took on a red tint was when she was getting ready to feed or when she was compelling someone. The rest of the time, they were a shade of blue that the sky would envy. She was tall and slender.

The look of innocence that she wore drew more people to her than if she had used her powers to compel them to come closer. Everyone who saw her wanted to be near her.

For her to have snatched this boy from the street, meant that her hunger had overtaken her. This fact made Kane very curious. Lisette had been around long enough to control her surroundings and sort them in a way suitable to her. What could have happened that would have caused her to take someone just because he was handy? Even more puzzling, why had he not been able to sense her? Usually, Kane knew whenever Lisette was close.

"Did she speak to you?" Kane demanded to know.

"Not really," Bonn said. "She did her thing and threw me to the ground. But first, before she started feeding, she told me that her name was Lisette and that she was going to give me the gift of immortality."

"Let me guess. She bit your neck and the next thing you knew, you woke up with a burning hunger, the likes of which you had never felt in your life. You might have even tried to eat food, but it only made you ill. Am I close?" Kane asked.

"That's exactly what happened!" Bonn cried.

"How do you know who I am? I can see that you recognize me."

"All vampires know who you are, and most of them are afraid of you."

"And you're not?" Kane asked.

"Of course I am, but if you're gonna kill me there's not a lot I can do to stop you."

"That's very true," Kane said softly. "But this is your lucky day. I've decided not to kill you. However, I do have some conditions attached to that decision. You're going to stop killing outright. Obviously, Lisette left you on your own with no training. I'll show you how to feed without killing, and without leaving the memory of your presence behind. Am I understood?"

Bonn looked at Kane as if he didn't quite believe his good fortune.

"You know, I don't really like to kill," he murmured. "I just get so hungry."

"How old are you?" Kane asked him.

"I was nineteen when I was turned."

"And how long ago were you turned?"

"Six months ago. I remember, because we were out celebrating my friend's twenty-first birthday. We stumbled out of the bar and into this crowd of people. My friends went one way and I kind of fell in another direction. Then this woman comes out of nowhere. Man, she was so hot! She's standing there smiling at me like she wants to eat me up, which is kind of what ended up happening."

Kane was still puzzled as to why Lisette would single out this young man. At any rate, Bonn couldn't be allowed to roam around freely until he had been taught a few things, and it seemed as Kane was the only one around to do it. Of course, he could simply kill him, but even after all of these years as a vampire, he got no pleasure from killing. No, if he could save this new vampire; he would do so.

He spent the rest of that night with Bonn, showing him the ropes, so to speak. They began by going back to his last victim and removing her from the dump spot. The police wouldn't find another body and would simply believe that the murderer had moved on. That didn't mean they would stop looking, though they would never find the murderer.

Just before dawn, having made sure that Bonn was satiated for a while, Kane helped him locate a resting place that would keep him safe as he slept. Heading back to his own home, Kane made it just in time to sequester himself before the sun was completely up. Even though the sun didn't cause him to burst into flames, he found that it did drain him after too much exposure. So he preferred to not spend a lot of time in direct sunlight. Besides, his sleep was a healing one and replenished him in just those few hours.

He was a bit sorry that he hadn't had a chance to check in on Secret that night. It was okay, though. He knew she wasn't going anywhere that he would be unable to find her. One lost night wasn't going to ruin anything.

Reassured that all was well, Kane closed his eyes.

### Chapter Seven

"EVERYTHING IS GOING to be just fine, DeLisa," Secret said, as she tried to reassure her young client that she didn't have to marry someone she didn't love.

"But what about my family?" the girl sobbed. "They adore Davis! They've practically had us married since we were in diapers!"

Pointing to the Seven of Swords that lay on the table, Secret tapped it with her fingernail.

"See this card right here?" she asked. "This shows that Davis hasn't been entirely honest with you about something. All you have to do is find out what he's been hiding and then go to your parents. They won't have their baby girl marrying a liar!"

"But he'll never admit to me that he's lied about anything. How will I find out what he's doing?" DeLisa wailed.

"Because I'm gonna tell you, DeLisa," Secret said to her in a quiet, calm voice.

Then she pointed to The Empress card that was on the table.

"Okay, this card shows us that he's gotten someone pregnant," Secret told her.

"You mean he's been cheating on me?" DeLisa shrieked.

"I'm afraid so, honey."

"But who? And how could he keep a baby hidden?"

"First of all, he doesn't know she's pregnant yet. I'm not quite sure that she even knows, but she will soon."

"Do you know her name?" DeLisa asked.

Secret had to pause with that one. She did know who the girl was, but she had to figure out a way to make DeLisa believe that she was seeing it in the cards, when, in fact, she hadn't seen any of these things in the cards alone. All of it had come from her special ability that she kept hidden for the most part.

"Let me see if we can get a name for you," Secret said kindly, as she picked up her cards and re-shuffled them.

She laid out a few new cards and pretended to study them intently.

DeLisa was quite impatient and kept asking her if she was getting anything. Secret held up her hand to silence the girl. It was important to make it look good. Finally, she looked up at DeLisa and spoke to her.

"I have a name," she said quietly. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes! I have to know, Secret! This might just give me my life back!"

"Alright then, I'll tell you. I'm getting that her first name is Bethany and her last name seems to be DuMonde. Yes, I'm quite sure that's it. Bethany DuMonde."

DeLisa had suddenly gone quiet and her eyes were wide.

"Are you sure that's her name?"

"Yes, honey, quite sure," Secret answered. "What's wrong? Do you know her?"

"Actually, I do know her. I know her quite well. She's my best friend."

Secret had also seen that, but she felt that it would be better for DeLisa to work that out on her own.

"What will you do then?" she asked.

"It all makes so much sense now," DeLisa said. "They always got along really well, and Davis wanted to invite her to come with us sometimes when we would go to a movie or out to eat. Not only that, but they would both be unavailable at the same time when I wanted to go out for the night. Now, I know why."

"I'm very sorry, DeLisa," Secret said.

"Well, I'm not sure that I am," DeLisa laughed. "I mean, sure, I'm kind of pissed that they went behind my back, but this actually works out for me. I'm going to confront them and then tell my parents. They definitely won't have me marrying a cheater, liar, and the father of someone else's baby. Yes, the more I think about it, this is perfect!"

"So, you're not upset then?" Secret asked.

"Not really. Funny, isn't it? Most girls would be destroyed over something like this, but I'm totally fine! Of course, Bethany will no longer be my friend because I can't have a best friend that would do something like this to me. But I'm actually fine. Thank you so much, Secret!"

Reaching across the table, Secret took DeLisa's hands in hers and gently squeezed them.

"You're going to be just fine, DeLisa," she said. "I promise. Your next relationship is going to be so much happier."

"I'm already a lot happier! You've helped me regain my life. I can't thank you enough!"

Releasing DeLisa's hands, Secret rose from the table.

"Just continue to believe in yourself and you'll find that everything will be wonderful."

DeLisa continued to thank Secret all the way to the front door. In fact, she even left a pretty hefty tip on top of Secret's usual fee.

Smiling as she watched the girl go down her front walk, Secret felt happier than she had in a while. So far, she hadn't noticed any more of those feelings of being watched. That had gone a long way to relaxing her, even though she was still on the alert in case they returned.

She was starting to think that maybe she had imagined it all. Then she would remember that empty booth in the bar and the abandoned glass of wine. She knew that someone had been watching her that particular night. Maybe it was just a fluke. At any rate, she wasn't going to let it consume her.

DeLisa was her last client for the day and now the evening belonged to her. Just as she was headed into the kitchen to figure out dinner, her cell phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, she saw that it was Adele Dubois.

Bloody hell, she thought. That's the last thing I need tonight! She decided to let it go to voice mail. There was no way that she would be able to handle that woman at the end of the day. It was why she always scheduled Adele's appointments at the beginning of the day, or at least only one or two into the day. She had virtually no energy left after a reading with Adele.

A mere few minutes later, as she stood surveying the contents of her refrigerator, her phone rang again. Adele. Once more, she let it go to voice mail.

After another five calls, Secret gave up and set the phone to silent. She would never get anything to eat at this rate.

Finally, deciding on a salad and some boiled shrimp, she set out what she needed to fix a light dinner. She just bought the shrimp, fresh the day before, and now was the perfect time to cook them. Starting the shrimp boiling, she made the salad while they cooked. In the middle of her preparations, her doorbell rang.

She froze. Surely Adele wouldn't be so bold as to simply show up here uninvited or without an appointment. Moving silently to the front of the house, she ducked into her reading room briefly and glanced out the window so that she could see her driveway.

Oh, thank god! It's only Marielle! What a relief, she thought.

Secret hurried to the door and opened it for her friend.

"Hey, I didn't expect to see you tonight!" she said to Marielle.

"Well, I tried to call you a little earlier to see what you were doing tonight but no one answered. Since I was almost here anyway, I thought I would just stop by."

"You're just in time for dinner! Come with me to the kitchen. I'm sorry about the phone. I had to turn it off because Adele kept calling."

"Adele! What did she want?" Marielle asked.

"I have no idea," she replied. "I didn't want to answer; at least not until I had eaten. But she kept calling and calling. I haven't even listened to her voice mails."

"Hmm, well, do you mind if I listen to them?" Marielle laughed as she picked up Secret's phone.

"Knock yourself out," she replied. "By the way, I'm having boiled shrimp and salad. Do you want to join me?"

"Oh yum! Will you make your special homemade cocktail sauce?"

"Of course! It wouldn't be right otherwise."

Both women laughed, as Secret went back to her salad preparations and Marielle put in the code for Secret's voice mail. As she listened, her face went from smiling to outraged to concerned.

"Hey, Secret," she said. "I think you need to listen to these. She sounds like she might actually be on her way over here."

"Oh, God! Here, let me have the phone," Secret said as she reached for it.

"Your first unheard message: 'Secret, you've got to be there! Oh, my God, I've got to see you! I need a reading! Sam's whore has finally done it! She's made him file a restraining order against me! I've got to find out what to do, please...'"

"End of message. Your second unheard message: 'Secret, it's me again! I'm on my way to your house. You've got to do a reading for me! Don't say no. I'm almost there!'"

"End of message. Your third unheard message: 'Don't you ever answer your damned phone? What kind of a psychic are you if you don't know when to answer you own phone? I'm almost there. You can't say no!'"

Secret didn't bother listening to the rest of them. Deleting the messages, she set her phone on the breakfast bar.

"Well, now what do I do?" she said almost to herself.

"I'd call the cops if I were you," Marielle said. "She sounds unhinged, sweetie."

"I can't call the cops," Secret said. "I don't have a great relationship with them. I'm not exactly their favorite person."

"Oh, please! This is fucking New Orleans! Home of the Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. Surely, they can move past the fact that you're a Tarot reader."

"If they knew the rest of it, they'd probably tar and feather me. But it seriously isn't the best idea to get them involved. If Adele is really headed here, I'll just have to handle her when she arrives."

"Do you still have that handgun in your nightstand?"

"Yes, but it's not going to come to that. We're not shooting anyone."

"If you say so."

Just as they were starting to settle back into preparing food, they heard the squeal of tires on the street. Exchanging looks, they set down their glasses of wine and headed to the front of the house. Sure enough, Adele had arrived and was flying up the sidewalk to the front door. Her car was parked across Secret's small, but carefully maintained yard at an odd angle.

Adele looked like a mad woman.

As they watched her approach through the window of the reading room, Marielle started shaking her head.

"Now can I convince you to call the cops?" she asked.

Secret was actually a bit unnerved by this new development, but she focused on this situation and knew that no one was going to get hurt by it.

"No, Mari, we won't need them," she replied.

At that moment, Secret's doorbell began to ring over and over again. "Secret! Secret! You've got to let me in! Please, Secret, I need to see you!" the woman screamed in between ringing the doorbell.

Finally, Secret opened the wooden door, but not her glass storm door. Up close, Adele looked even more frightening than she had coming up the walk.

"Adele, you know this is highly inappropriate. I'm not seeing clients tonight. Call me in the morning and we can set something up. You need to go home now."

"Secret, you don't understand what that bitch has done!"

"Yes, Adele, I do understand. I heard it on your message. But I simply cannot see you tonight. If you don't leave on your own, I'll have to call the police."

"No!" she screamed. "You've got to let me in!"

Suddenly, with almost superhuman strength, Adele lifted one of the medium size clay pots filled with plants that sat on either side of the front door. Before anyone knew what was happening, she threw that pot through the glass door, completely shattering it.

After that, everything happened so quickly that neither Secret nor Marielle could totally recall the events. What they did know, is that Adele was quite suddenly yanked up and away from the door. In her place stood a rather tall man with jet black hair, aquamarine eyes, high cheekbones, and quite a sensual mouth.

The man was facing Adele, speaking to her in low urgent tones. She seemed to be under some sort of spell as she nodded slowly and finally walked down the steps and back out to her car. As she drove, they all watched her brake lights disappear down the street.

Only then, did the man turn to fully face them.

"I don't believe that you'll be having any more trouble from that woman," he said in a deep, pleasantly modulated voice. There was a slight accent that Secret couldn't identify but, in the end, that was of little importance.

"Wow," Marielle exclaimed. "What did you say to her?"

"Nothing too complicated," he replied with a slight smile. "She needed to understand why her actions weren't acceptable. She'll most likely be calling you tomorrow in a highly apologetic frame of mind."

"Where did you come from and how in the hell did you see her?" Marielle continued to interrogate him.

"I just happened to be out taking a walk and heard her screaming. I followed the sound of her voice and here I am."

"Well, we can't thank you enough, right Secret?"

Secret hadn't uttered a word throughout the exchange. It was clear to her in a flash that this man was her watcher.

"Hey, why don't you come in and have a glass of wine with us? It's the least we can do, right Secret?" Marielle continued to try to elicit some response from Secret.

"I'm quite sure that he's got more important things to do than spend his evening with us, Mari. Will you please go check on the shrimp? I'm afraid it may boil over."

"Um, sure, okay," Marielle said in a puzzled voice.

As soon as Marielle was out of hearing, Secret turned back to face the man standing on her front porch.

"What is your name?" she asked.

"I apologize. I've neglected to introduce myself in all the excitement. My name is Kane Broussard. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Mr. Broussard, I do thank you for your help this evening. However, I won't be inviting you into my home. You see, I know what you are. Obviously, my friend does not. I also know that you've been tracking me for some time now. I'm not sure what I have that you could possibly want, but I do know that your kind doesn't stalk someone without a reason. Please go away and don't come back."

Before he could reply, she had closed the door in his face. For a moment, he wasn't sure if he was angry or amused. In the end, he decided that he found her reaction to him very entertaining. He also found that he was quite excited by her lack of fear, even with the knowledge of what he was.

Fine, he would leave for now. But this was not going to be their last meeting.

He and Ms. Secret Lavalle had a lot to discuss; and discuss these things, they would. Her beauty notwithstanding, she had a spirit that attracted him like no other woman ever had. He knew that she was still watching him through the peephole in her door. That knowledge made him smile at her and incline his head in a slight nod.

Then, just as she had demanded, he turned and left.

~ ~ ~ ~

The End

~ ~ ~ ~

### The Awakening Revisited

A Halloween Awakening Part 1

### Chapter One

CHANDLER LOGGED OFF of her computer and shut it down. Sitting back in her chair, she raised her arms over her head, stretching. She loved her job and she knew how lucky she was to be able to work from home, but there were days that she was perfectly content to be done with everything so she could take a break and rest before starting a new one.

Just as she was getting up, her cellphone trilled. When she saw who it was, she almost didn't answer it.

Lisette was her best friend in the world and she loved her dearly, but sometimes she just had too much focus on Chandler's love life, which was kind of non-existent at the moment the way she wanted it to be. The trouble was, Lisette wanted the opposite.

So Chandler already knew what this call was about. Lisette had been talking about the two of them going to a new club in town. It was a Goth club called Lilith's Lair. Lisette changed lifestyles almost as quickly as she changed clothes and this was her new flavor of the week. But the last thing that Chandler wanted to do was spend the evening drinking glasses of fake blood and fending off stupid jokes about neck biting.

"Hello, Lis," Chandler said after she hit the connect button on her phone.

"Did you figure out what you're wearing to the club tonight?" Lisette said without preamble.

"You know, I really don't know that I'm feeling up to this," Chandler said, then held the phone away from her ear to avoid the verbal assault that she knew was coming. She picked up a few words here and there, but she didn't need to hear it all to know that Lisette was protesting vehemently.

When the stream of words slowed down, Chandler put the phone back to her ear. "Look, I just don't enjoy this kind of thing the way that you do, Lis."

"But you promised me!" Lisette screeched again.

She cringed from the phone. "Lisette, screaming at me isn't going to go a long way in convincing me."

"So you'll go with me if I lower my voice?"

She couldn't help grinning. "I'll consider going if you stop trying to force me into doing things that I really don't want to do."

"Then I won't. Pro-oo-mise. Just give it a chance, at least. Ple-ee-aase? What if you happen to like it? Chandler, a lot of women who prefers things that you do-like working non-stop for about twenty-three hours seven days a week-visits this place every night. And they seem happy."

Chandler sighed. She knew this was an argument that she wasn't going to win no matter how hard she fought it.

"Ok, I'll go, but we're not leaving until eight or nine, and I'll be picking out my own clothes."

Chandler could hear Lisette revving up for another argument so she cut the conversation short and disconnected. Well, she might as well get started so that she would be dressed and ready to go on time. Even though she had said eight or nine tonight, she already knew Lisette would be on her doorstep at least by seven-thirty, if not sooner.

Strolling into the kitchen, she peered into the refrigerator to see what she had to make a quick meal from. There were things to make a salad as well as some sandwich things so she hauled out everything and set it on the kitchen bar.

Creating her meal did a lot to fuel her appetite. After eating, she found that she felt a lot better about her impending evening out.

Chandler supposed that she could understand Lisette's concern. It had been a little over a year since she had broken up with James and she hadn't even dated anyone since then.

She wasn't even sure why she had gone out with James in the first place let alone stayed with him as long as she had. They had nothing in common and he was so boring that she had had trouble staying awake a lot of the times they were together.

Even the sex wasn't anything to write home about.

Oh well, that was all behind her now.

### Chapter Two

CHANDLER STARTED THE SHOWER and let it run while she stripped down to her bare skin. Chandler felt that her body was in pretty good shape.

She wasn't thin, but neither was she plump. Her stomach was flat, her breasts were round and firm, and her ass was tight and round. She often got compliments on her legs which where long as well as toned. At 5'9" she was taller than a lot of the men she ran into and it got even worse when she wore heels.

Well, I don't care about that tonight, she thought as she ran a loofah over her soapy body. I'm going to wear heels and it doesn't matter how many men I tower over.

Chandler decided to forego the styling of her long black hair. Instead, she just used a blow dryer on it and brushed it out straight. With a simple middle part, she was satisfied that it would do.

She had also decided to get a bit Goth in her makeup. What the hell, she thought. If I'm going to do this, I may as well do it up right.

When she was finished with her makeup, she had perfectly lined eyes in a soft black, long black lashes, and smoky gray eye shadow. Her eyes were an unusual violet color in a shade that no one in her family was ever able to figure out where it came from. No one else had them, which was the biggest reason that she loved them so much.

Now, it was time to rummage through her closet and find something appropriate to wear. It turned out to be easier than she had thought it would.

She instantly stumbled upon a long, black lacy skirt with slits up the sides. Added to that was a deep purple corset that she would wear under a see through black lace top.

Chandler stood in front of the mirror completely naked and was pretty happy with what she saw. She added a piece of clothing at a time and checked out the effect in the mirror. Finally, she was done.

Perfect! she thought.

This outfit needed jewelry and she had plenty of that. In fact, this seemed to be the right time to break out that lovely old pendant that she had found in an antique store a couple of weeks ago. Pulling it out of her jewelry box, she found that the color of the amethyst crystal in the pendant matched her corset perfectly. It was a Celtic cross of some sort and was attached to a large black chain. Slipping it around her neck, she found that the overall effect was somewhat mysterious.

As she gazed at herself in the mirror, she suddenly felt a chill come over her. Chandler glanced quickly at her bedroom window and walked over to it. She looked down onto the street below her, and saw nothing.

Yet, she was quite positive that she had felt someone watching her.

CHANDLER WASN'T WRONG about being watched.

There was a set of glowing golden eyes that were trained on her at that very instant. This is she, the watcher thought to himself.

She's the one! Now, that I've found her, she will be mine. I'll spread her beneath me and claim her as my own. They could not hide her from me forever.

As the watcher continued his vigil, he saw another young woman arrive.

That would be the friend, he thought. So, my love won't be alone tonight. I must be patient. Moving too quickly will only ruin everything. However, I will meet her face to face tonight. I must see if even a glimmer of memory stirs within her.

He continued to watch as the two women left the house and got into a small red vehicle. It seemed to belong to the other young woman. They set off down the street in the direction of Lilith's Lair.

The watcher followed.

CHANDLER HAD TO say that this club looked a lot more fun that she had anticipated.

Sure, it was a bit campy with all of the dressed up vampire wannabes. Even the club owner, Lilith herself, had made an effort to come over and introduce herself to Lisette and Chandler when they walked in.

That part had been a little weird because it was almost like she had been watching for them. They had literally just got in past the bouncers when this woman dressed in red from head to toe appeared beside them.

"Good evening," she said in a low sexy voice. "I'm Lilith, and welcome to my establishment."

Chandler almost giggled. Who the hell says things like "establishment" these days? But she managed to contain herself and turn her giggle into a wide smile.

"Thanks," she said. "I'm Chandler and this is my friend Lisette. This is the coolest place I've seen in a while," she exclaimed as she swept her eyes around her. She was definitely glad she tried Goth get-up tonight. It was simple Goth, and she didn't appear too weird but not out-of-place either. She looked back at Lilith and wondered at the woman who was able to make this kind of "establishment" as seemingly successful as it looked.

"I'm so glad you like it," Lilith replied while giving Chandler a rather penetrating stare. "If you need anything at all, just let me know. Enjoy."

With that, she saluted them with a small raise of her glass and glided away through the rather packed club.

There was something about the woman that made Chandler keep staring as she moved away from them.

Wow, Chandler thought. If I was into women, she would be fair game!

On the heels of that thought came one asking where that had come from!

Well, the woman was powerfully sexy and it's been a long time since anyone has tickled my fancy, or anything else, thought Chandler. I'm just horny. That's all it is.

### Chapter Three

LISETTE WAS ALREADY trying to get her onto the dance floor. There was a very odd but good band playing and it seemed as if there would be a DJ playing later that night. At any rate, the music was just right for dancing, whether you could or not. So Chandler allowed herself to be dragged by the hands out onto the dance floor.

In no time, she and Lisette were surrounded by other dancers that included them into their little groups.

Yeah, thought Chandler. This is kind of fun.

Then, she suddenly felt that chill again.

Motioning to Lisette that she was heading to the bar, Chandler made her way off of the dance floor. After lots of "Excuse me's," she was finally at the bar and was able to get the attention of the bartender.

"A glass of red wine, please," she said.

"I'll get this, Daniel," said a deep male voice from just behind her.

Daniel, who was apparently the bartender, nodded, set her drink in front of her, and took the money held out to him from the voice. Turning, Chandler was starting to protest-until she was face-to-face with the most beautiful man she had ever seen in her life.

The words died on her lips as she gaped at him.

Those full lips twisted into a very seductive smile as his golden eyes seemed to glow at her. His hair was very dark and worn in a longer style than men were currently sporting. He had high cheekbones that led into a deep dimple on the side of his face when he smiled at her. He was taller than she was, which was something different for her, and his slim, yet muscular body made her want to run her fingers over him.

"Allow me to introduce myself," he said softly. "My name is Lucien."

"Um, well, it's great to meet you, Lucien," Chandler managed to stammer after an obviously long two seconds. "And th-thank you for my drink."

"You are most welcome," he replied. "Will you do me the honor of telling me your name?"

"Oh yes! How rude of me!" she said, not even thinking about how it was easy to just give what he asked. "I'm Chandler."

"Chandler. What an unusual name. Of course, you're also a very unusual woman."

"Oh, I wouldn't really say that," Chandler laughed. "It's just the clothes."

They both laughed at that because she was dressed similarly to most of the other women in the club.

"I assure you that it is not the clothes," Lucien said, still staring directly into her eyes. "There's something very special about you other than your beauty. I noticed it the second you walked into the club."

"You were watching me?" she asked, feeling a chill again.

"Not in a creepy way, but yes, I was."

As Chandler listened to him speak, she detected a slight accent, possibly European, but she wasn't sure. Just as she was about to ask him, Lucien spoke again.

"And no, I'm not from around here."

Chandler almost spit out her drink at that. "How did you know what I was thinking?" she asked.

"It's nothing magical," he replied. "Typically, people always pick up on my accent even though I like to think it's very faint now. So I just assumed you were wondering, and you face actually looked like you were going to ask."

"Well, you assumed correctly," she laughed.

"I'm originally from Romania," Lucien explained. "However, I've lived all over the world at different points in time."

"Wow. So how did you come to be in New Orleans?" Chandler asked.

"I've been here a few times," he answered. "I like it here. It's as simple as that."

"Yeah, me, too," Chandler replied. "I'm not from here, either, but I kept coming here to visit and stayed a little longer each time until I finally decided to just live here."

Lucien nodded his understanding.

Chandler's gaze had gone back to the dance floor where Lisette was having a blast, it seemed.

### Chapter Four

"YOUR FRIEND SEEMS to be having a good time," Lucien commented.

"Yes, she really does, doesn't she? You know, she forced me to come here tonight. I was all set to settle in with a long bubble bath and good book."

"That would have been a shame to waste such a wonderful night inside reading. I, too, love such things as books, music and the arts, but there comes a time when you must go out and enjoy your surroundings. Speaking of which, would you like to step outside and get some air with me?" he asked.

Normally, "stepping outside" with a man she had just met isn't something she would have even considered. Yet there was something about Lucien that kept drawing her in and before she allowed herself to think clearly, she was nodding her assent. And outside they went.

She felt no fear at being alone on the street with this man. In fact, if she was honest with herself, the thing she felt most for him was desire.

As they walked down the sidewalk to a quieter spot, Lucien casually took her hand as he pointed out how full the moon was that night. It had a reddish overcast to it that he told her was sometimes called the Blood Moon. As she turned her face to look upward, he leaned down and kissed her fully on the mouth.

Every bit of common sense that Chandler had ever possessed had now vanished or was in deep hiding because nothing could have made her stop that kiss. Instead, she kissed him back in way that became ravenous almost immediately. Part of her figured she had lost her mind, but that part of her wasn't feeling the electric currents of want and need that were in possession of her body at that moment.

Swiftly pulling her into a deserted alleyway, Lucien pinned Chandler against the brick side of a building and proceeded to press his body against hers. Still kissing her, he ran his hands expertly up her sides and stopped just short of her heaving breasts.

She moaned between their lips, the sound a testimony of her arousal. Never had she wanted a man to touch her more than she wanted him to. As he ground himself into her, she felt full evidence of his arousal and responded to it in kind. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him even deeper into their kiss.

He seemed to take this as a signal of some sort because he moved his hands completely over her breasts, this thumbs teasing her nipples through the scant material of the corset she wore.

Chandler moaned as she pressed herself against his rock-hard erection and started to move against it. He was breathing quickly as well now, and had taken one hand from her breast to slide it up one slit of her long skirt. She positioned herself so that he would have complete access to her pleasure center. As his fingers found the now soaking crotch of her panties, she nearly passed out from the sweet desire that flooded her.

He had to actually hold her up when he slipped a finger beneath those panties and parted the folds that hid her core.

She was moving closer and closer to the point of no return when he suddenly muttered a muffled curse and removed his hand.

"Oh please, don't stop doing that," pleaded Chandler as she struggled to wake up from the sexual haze of desire that had her on its hold at the moment. Her body was buzzing with it. She wanted to clobber him for stopping! "Why would you ...?"

Then she realized that he was speaking into his cellphone while he has his face turned away. Snapping it shut, he turned to her.

Desire was still in his dilated pupils, in the tension in his jaws. But he was breathing evenly, already on the path to controlling it.

"It seems that your friend is desperately searching for you and is getting upset that she cannot locate you. She's almost making a scene and Lilith has just called to get the situation in order." Something like fire flared in his eyes again. "She saw us going out together and I think she knew that she has to stop us before we get any further and... not be able to stop."

She smiled up at him. She liked hearing him talk about going uncontrollable with her.

"We must return to the club," he said in such a reluctant way, she felt forgiving about the abrupt halt to their little tryst.

"Okay..." she whispered.

With that, Lucien took her by the hand and led her out of the alley and back down the sidewalk to the entrance of the club.

### Chapter Five

LISETTE SAW HER as soon as they were inside the doors. She flew at Chandler and wrapped her arms around her.

"Oh... thank God, you're ok!" Lisette screamed. "I was terrified when I looked all over and couldn't find you anywhere!"

"Of course, I'm alright," Chandler said through gritted teeth as she disengaged herself from Lisette's grip. "Why in the hell wouldn't I be alright?"

"Well, you weren't here! And I couldn't find you..."

"So? It got stuffy in here and I went out for some air. I was with Lucien and we got to talking. That's all."

For the first time, Lisette seemed to take in the presence of a man in the near vicinity. When she saw him, she also had a rather strong reaction to him, just as Chandler had. After all, the man was phenomenally gorgeous.

Then it hit Chandler-she had just walked outside to a dark alley with a man she really didn't know and almost had sex with him!

What the hell was wrong with her? She didn't do things like that!

Oh my God, she thought. I've got to get out of here. I've never been more humiliated in my life! I finally meet a man that I'm attracted to and I go and fuck everything up by acting like a slut. Great job, Chandler, she thought.

"You know, Lis, I'm going to call it a night," she said, then turned and headed toward the door without looking at Lucien. "But you stay and enjoy yourself. I'm just a little more tired than I thought I was!"

"But, Chandler!" Lisette said after she'd followed her outside. "You can't just leave! We haven't even been here that long!"

"Oh, I've been here long enough," Chandler stated. "Seriously, Lis, I'm fine. I just want to go home and relax for a while. It looks like you've made some new friends, so please, stay and have some fun. We'll talk tomorrow."

They had reached the car by that time and that's when she noticed that Lucien followed them out after all. She didn't even hear his footsteps, when she could both hear hers and Lizette's on the metal walkway towards the concrete driveway.

"Look, take my car," Lisette said, not noticing Lucien standing a little near her side. "I have a friend here who lives just a block from me so I'll just ask for a ride from her, okay?"

Are you sure?" she asked as she reluctantly received the car keys to Lisette's car.

"As sure as sunshine, sweetie," Lisette replied, then kissed her cheek, then turned back towards the bar almost running without noticing Lucien at all.

He stepped near her and then put his hand on her arm.

"Chandler, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. It was a powerful moment, a beautiful moment between two people that are very attracted to one another. Don't feel badly that it happened."

She was again surprised that he seemed to know exactly what was going on inside her head. He couldn't possibly be literally reading her thoughts. It was all just coincidence.

Besides, she was still embarrassed about her behavior. She had never felt so ashamed of herself. "Yeah, why should I feel badly just because I behaved like a hooker? No problem!"

Then she sighed. She didn't want him to think she was angry at him. She went with him so it wasn't his fault.

Or at least not all of it, she grudgingly thought as she turned to see him again. It was his entire fault that he was gorgeous and charismatic that women felt compelled to fall for him. She had to work hard not to melt all over him again!

"Look, I really do want you to know that I never do things like that. It wouldn't surprise me if you didn't believe me, but it's the truth. I don't know who that woman was back there in the alley, but it wasn't me. Maybe I've developed a split personality or something." She has to take her eyes away before she take back everything she had just said so she turned back to her car. "But anyway, it was great meeting you, Lucien."

"We will see each other again, Chandler. Very soon," he said in his charismatic voice.

She involuntarily had her eyes closed when she felt his kiss on her shoulder.

And then, she felt him walk back into the club.

Well, hell, that kiss felt like the most intimate thing on Earth, she thought, a little dazed, as she went behind the wheel of Lisette's car. It felt like they had been lovers before, or something like that. It felt like he has kissed her on that very same spot many times because it felt so damn familiar.

But she couldn't explain feeling something like that, and it made her feel foolish all over again.

Chandler was shaking her head as she started the car to go home. It was a strange night.

And she was glad the confusion was almost over.

### Chapter Six

CHANDLER UNLOCKED THE door to her house and entered. She always kept a small lamp turned on in the foyer so that she would never come in to a dark house. It just seemed smart to her to do this although she was rarely frightened by anything. She loved her old house near the French Quarter and had never had any qualms about living there alone.

Tonight, she was even more relieved to walk through her front door. What on earth had got into her?

She gave her head a slight shake and continued down the hall to her bedroom. Stripping out of the Goth clothes, she slipped into a pair of sleeping shorts and a spaghetti strap t-shirt.

Then she padded barefoot into the kitchen to make some iced cafe au lait.

This will settle me down a bit, she thought.

Cup in hand, she returned to her bedroom and sat cross-legged on the bed. Taking up the remote, she turned on the television and flipped idly through the channels. It was really too early to be in on a Friday night and she knew it. But it was better than remaining in the club with at least one person who knew how she had behaved earlier.

Chandler still couldn't forget how Lucien had aroused her so quickly and completely. Even now, the throbbing between her legs had never really abated. She still felt as if she were just on the edge of experiencing the most amazing event of her life. It was exquisite and tormenting all at the same time.

She knew that she could easily take care of it herself but something kept her from reaching over to her nightstand drawer for her vibrator. It was almost as if she would be defiling something sacred.

Now where did that come from, she thought. Defile? Sacred? What the hell?

The strangeness had followed her to her house.

She finished off her cafe au lait and switched off the television.

I might as well go to bed, she thought. I certainly can't concentrate on a book now. With a groan, she threw herself onto her back and put an arm over her eyes. She really wished she wasn't so horny. Nothing had compared to this in her entire life, and it really made no sense.

She didn't know Lucien. Yeah, ok, so he was almost other-worldly gorgeous, but that was no reason to totally lose herself the way she had. In fact, her control had always been a matter of pride with her.

So where was that marvelous control earlier tonight?

Finally, she gave up trying to make sense of it and crawled under her covers. Reaching over to her nightstand, she turned off the lamp, punched her pillows a few times and lay down.

She knew it was probably a futile effort because she was still too wired. Giving her nightstand one last glance, she deliberately turned her back on it so that she wouldn't give into the temptation of retrieving her toy, and relieving the pool of tension located in her lower body.

"SO, YOU MET her then?" Lucien asked Lilith in her office at the club.

"Oh yes, I did meet her," Lilith replied as she sat back in her chair and sipped her wine.

"And what did you think?"

"I think she's quite beautiful and has a great deal of charm."

"You know what I mean," prodded Lucien. "Do you agree with me about her?"

"I do have to admit that there may be some truth to what you've been saying. She has a quality about her, definitely. And there's also those beautiful violet eyes..."

"Exactly!" Lucien exclaimed. "It must be her! I feel the connection to her."

Lilith curiously looked his way. "Even if what you feel is true," Lilith continued. "How are you going to tell her? Obviously, she doesn't recognize you."

"That's not so surprising," Lucien countered. "It's been many years and she would not have been awakened yet. But I will make her remember," Lucien said with determined passion. His eyes glittered and his jaws tensed. "We will be together once more, and this time I won't let anyone part us."

"Lucien, you know there are no guarantees, dear," Lilith advised, adopting the tone of a mother as she reached out a hand to gracefully caress his hair.

Lucien was adamant. "This time it must work. I know it will," he said, with a little desperation.

Lilith smiled and nodded encouragingly. "I suppose you're going to pay her a visit?"

"Of course!" This time, Lucien smiled. "You would not believe the way she responded to me. Her mind may not remember me, but her body does, and soon her heart will follow."

"Oh well, then. Go." In a gracefully fluid motion, Lilith rose from the chair. "If she's truly one of us, then she must be awakened." She directed her eyes on him. "Go and get your better half, my friend."

Lucien went without a word, or any sound.

### Chapter Seven

LUCIEN WATCHED AS chandler tossed and turned in her bed.

Perched on her windowsill, he throbbed with the memory of what they had shared so briefly only few short hours ago. He really had not meant to lose control that way. Things had to go a bit more slowly in order for it all to work out right.

However, he thought with a small frown marring his beautiful face, he also hadn't expected her to respond so ferociously to his kisses. Now, she thought of herself as cheap and a slut and that was certainly not what he had intended.

No, he must redeem himself and prove to her that he wanted much more from her than just a quickie up against a wall in an alley.

For now. Of course, once she has awakened she would know exactly what she was to him.

As Lucien continued to watch Chandler, he saw her roll onto her back. Moaning in her sleep, she moved one hand under the covers.

He was suddenly on instant alert. What was she doing?

Ah, I see, he thought, as her hand began moving industriously under the covers. She did not give in to her urges when she was home alone. Instead, she went to sleep and now she was dreaming.

This was something that he could do for her, though, and he would.

Silently moving to Chandler's bed, he pulled the covers down from her body. He had the ability to do this without her ever waking up. Gazing down at her beautiful body, he removed her pajama shorts effortlessly. Her thighs were already parted where her hand was doing its best to gain some release for her.

Ahh, sweet release, he thought, smiling with his eyes hooded. He was getting aroused just watching her. Roaring and aroused.

Positioning his head right at the top of her thighs, he used one hand to part the folds that hid her pleasure core. Once he had found her stiffening little rosebud there, he touched it lightly with the tip of his tongue. He could taste the moisture that had gathered there and it only excited him even more. But Lucien had promised himself that when he claimed Chandler's body, it would be when she came to him willingly.

So he did his best to ignore the painful throbbing between his legs, but that didn't seem to stop him from moving back and forth against the bed trying to ease the ache there as he ran his tongue in fast, gentle circles around Chandler's clit.

Her breath was coming faster now, and she was moaning more as her hands clutched desperately on the bedspread, still seemed to be asleep. Deep in her dream state, she was also arching her back and riding his face even though she didn't know what was going on.

Slipping a finger inside her soaking little hole, he started to move it in and out of her as he continued his studious licking. It seemed that it was no time before she started to thrash about, moving her hips up and down, her pussy contracting around his finger.

Her orgasm seemed to go on for several minutes, although that could not possibly have been the case.

He sensed that Chandler was starting to wake up from the force of her orgasm so he slid quickly and silently from the bed. Even though Lucien wanted to stay and watch her longer, he didn't think it would be in his best interests for her to catch him in her room.

He flew out of the window and lightly touched down on the lawn under her window.

He smiled as she looked up at the window he's just left.

He knew that he had left her with plenty of feelings to decipher and he would be seeing her again quite soon.

With one last look up at Chandler's window, he stole away silently into the night....

### Chapter Eight

WHEN CHANDLER WOKE up the next morning, she felt relaxed, a little tired, and strangely satisfied. She had a vague memory of a very explicit "wet dream" and how she had cum so hard that it woke her up in the middle of the night with her pajamas off of her and her panties, too.

But she had awakened in the last throes of her orgasm, so it couldn't possibly be someone else. Her dream might have been that strong that she unclothed himself and played. She must have been so horny before finally sleeping that she had that dream. She hardly ever kicked off her covers. Yet, there they lay on the floor at the foot of the bed.

This morning, though, there was also a bit of a sensation between her legs that she only remembered having after sex. It was just a little tender and her pajama shorts were somewhat damp in the crotch, since she had donned them again before going back to sleep last night.

There was also a lingering impression that someone had been in her room. She didn't remember leaving her window open. But... again the possibility of someone touching her last night was on her mind, but she shook her head again.

If someone was here, she would have seen him. She was still almost spasming when she woke up last night. No one could move that fast. She would have seen whoever it was.

Unless whoever it was jumped through the window then she would have heard the landing. And that would be impossible without injury. She would have heard a cry. She would have heard something.

So that was really impossible.

Well, at least she didn't seem to feel quite so horny right now. She got a little dizzy she got to her feet, so she sat back down on the side of the bed.

Whoa, what was that all about, she thought. So my dreams make me weak-kneed. What do I need with a man if I can just dream myself into satisfaction?

Ok, let's try this again, she thought. This time she was able to get to her feet without any lightheadedness. She headed into the bathroom to wash her face, brush her teeth and put some clothes on. She opted for a short kimono-style robe and a pair of clean bikini panties. Coffee was just what she needed to wake up.

As she glanced at the clock, she got quite a start. Was it really past ten AM? That just isn't possible! She never slept that late.

Wow. Okay, don't panic. Coffee first, maybe some toast, and then she would try to figure out what was a little off with her this morning.

The special New Orleans blend coffee Chandler favored kicked in and she started to feel much better. Well, at least more alert. She opted for a fresh beignet over toast and decided that she really did feel better. Time to check email.

Carrying another cup of coffee down the hall, she went into her office and turned on her computer. There were random emails related to her business so she dealt with those first. Then she went through a few personal ones from friends.

Finally, in the midst of them all, there was an email with an address she didn't recognize.

She opened it and scanned it. A slow smile spread across her face as she read it a second time.

Chandler,

I haven't stopped thinking of you since our little encounter. Please don't think badly of yourself because I certainly don't. I find you quite enchanting and would like another chance to get acquainted with you.

Will you do me the honor of having dinner with me tonight? If so, I'll call for you at 7PM. I pray that your answer will be yes.

Warmly yours,

Lucien

Well, apparently he didn't feel that she was a slut. Or maybe he thought he could come back for a sure thing?

It didn't matter. She already knew she was going to have dinner with this man. What else she may or may not have with him was yet to be decided.

She quickly composed a short email accepting his gracious invitation and hit Send before she could change her mind.

Then she decided to do some work before it was time to get dressed for her dinner date.

Amazingly, she got quite a bit accomplished even though she did take a short break for lunch. Finally, she pushed her chair back around four: thirty and decided that it was time to start getting ready for her date.

Suddenly, Chandler realized that she hadn't heard from Lisette all day. That was very unusual because Lisette would have wanted to know what the hell had been going on last night. If she hadn't been so caught up in everything else as well as being a bit dull witted today, she would have realized hours ago that Lisette had not called, nor had she asked about her car.

She debated calling Lisette but figured she would be trapped on the phone for a long time so she decided to wait until tomorrow. Who knows, she might even have something juicy to share by then.

Chandler opted for a shower so that she could spend more time on her hair and makeup. Besides, she hadn't even figured out what she would be wearing. That was something she thought about as she took her shower and by the time she was finished, she knew exactly what she would wear.

### Chapter Nine

CHANDLER STOOD NAKED in front of the bathroom mirror to blow-dry her long straight hair. This was followed by applying her makeup. Last of all, she moved into her bedroom.

Going into her closet, she located the purple sundress she was looking for.

It was made from a chiffon type of material and made her look as if she were floating on a cloud. It was cut into a sexy V in the front and there was no back. Chandler's body could easily pull off this dress and once she added some matching purple heels, she was ready.

She felt a bit wicked about not wearing any underwear. There was something about being naughty tonight that felt very compelling to her. It made her giggle at herself.

She was ready promptly at seven PM, which was exactly when her doorbell rang. After looking through the small window in the door to make sure it was Lucien, she opened it and was rewarded with one of his slow seductive smiles.

Ah, that dimple, she thought. How could any woman resist that?

"Chandler, you look magnificent," he said with his sexy accented voice. "I also see that you are prompt."

"Only for things that I'm looking forward to," she answered. "Come in while I get my purse."

She wanted him to be watching as she walked away from him because this dress showed off her considerable assets to full advantage. When she turned back to him, she was gratified to see that he was, indeed, watching her.

Now she was the one that smiled seductively. "Shall we go?" she asked.

"Of course," Lucien answered as he took her arm and they walked down her steps to the limousine he had waiting for them.

"Oh, wow," enthused Chandler. "Now, this I did not expect!"

"Only the best for a beautiful woman."

There was even a driver that was waiting for them with the back door open. She got in first and Lucien followed. The buttery leather of the seats made her sink into them. Lucien settled himself close to her and took her hand.

"Is this alright?" he asked.

"Of course it is! It's perfect!" Chandler exclaimed.

"I was not sure if it would be too much."

Chandler laughed at him good-naturedly. She assured him that he had planned everything perfectly. Suddenly, she sobered and turned to face him.

"Look, about last night," she began.

"No, no, we are not going to talk about that," he said as he placed a finger over her lips. "It was simply one moment where two people that were attracted to each other gave into that attraction briefly. Now, tonight is a new beginning and we're going to start as if we had just met. Is that okay with you?"

Chandler smiled and nodded. If he was willing to forget about it, then so was she. Maybe he didn't think she was a slut after all. She relaxed and decided to just enjoy herself.

So they spent the rest of the ride chatting and drinking some amazingly great wine.

It suddenly occurred to her that they had been riding for a rather long time.

"By the way," she finally said. "Where are we having dinner?"

"I should have told you earlier," Lucien said. "We are going to have dinner at my home. Please do not worry or be frightened. I assure you that you will be quite safe there and I never get the opportunity to entertain."

Well, this was a new turn of events, she thought. Sure, I should be relaxed and feel safe because he has stated that I will be.

As she looked at him, though, his odd, beautiful eyes seemed to glow golden at her.

"You know, you really need to tell me where you get your contacts. I noticed that Lilith has the same ones. That golden glow they give off sometimes is totally awesome!"

At first, Lucien seemed to be puzzled but then he suddenly started to laugh. "Yes, yes, I will be happy to let you in on my secrets at some point," he promised.

She loved watching and hearing him laugh. How could even his laugh turn her on so much? After the promise that she made to herself, she could feel certain parts of her body twitching.

Suddenly, she remembered how his body had felt against hers last night in that dark alleyway.

That's what she wanted again and she wanted it soon.

LUCIEN COULD SEE that Chandler was a bit unnerved at his announcement that they would be dining at his home. He watched her carefully to see what her reaction would be when she saw his house.

It seemed that he should have thought this through a bit better. Maybe a restaurant would have been a better choice, but he really wanted to be alone with Chandler and this would guarantee that he would be.

Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, he saw her eyes widen at the size of his estate but, to her credit, she recovered quickly. Then everything was easier after that.

The only servants that he kept on tonight were members of the kitchen staff. They knew that he had a special diet and they could work around a human dinner companion. Once dinner had been served, they would retire discreetly to their own quarters located on the grounds behind the main house.

Dinner did go quite well, even better than either of them expected. His very rare steak was concealed among mixed vegetables so that Chandler didn't see the copious amount of blood that was running around his plate. They continued talking as they ate at a small table set up in front of a lovely fire. It was quite romantic.

Following their dinner, they moved to the overstuffed love seat that was located to the side of the table. While enjoying some wine, they were sitting very close together and it was inevitable that they would soon be even closer.

Finally, things went very quiet between them, and Lucien reached for Chandler's wine glass and set it down on the coffee table by his. Looking her deeply in the eyes, he started to lean in to kiss her. Her eyes told him that she really wanted him to kiss her.

As their mouths touched, it happened all over again.

It was as if they were right back in that dark alleyway in New Orleans. Chandler lost all sense of herself as she felt that same current of electricity jolt through her body. Before either of them knew what was happening, she was sitting on Lucien's lap, straddling him while kissing him ravenously.

Oh my god, I want this man more than I've ever wanted any man, she thought, both shocked and excited at the knowledge that there was no way she could stop whatever's going to happen to them that night,

She could feel the evidence of his arousal not only in his kisses but in his crotch. It was that hardness that she was, at this very moment, moving against her. It was to encourage him to do whatever he wanted with her. His hands ran up and down her bare back as he crushed her upper body to him.

Suddenly, he broke their kiss. Then he did something she found incredible.

He stood up while still holding her and turned her so that he was carrying her Gone with the Wind style up the curving stairs leading to the second floor of his home.

When they reached a set of double doors at the end of the hall, he kicked them open and carried her into a huge master suite. Sitting her down gently beside the bed, he began to kiss her again, this time unfastening her dress and pushing it off her to the floor.

He gasped when he realized that she was completely naked underneath.

"Oh, dear God..." he whispered. "You are such a beautiful creature."

Lucien continued to kiss her as he moved his hands all over her nakedness, stopping to tantalizingly tweak her nipples into little pebbles that he, then, bent down to suckle. Chandler was moaning and trying to get at his clothes.

She wanted him to be as naked as she was. She had felt the evidence, but now she wanted to be viewing it and holding it-oh God, how she wanted to feel it entering her body!

As his clothes were discarded at last, Chandler was not disappointed. His muscled body rippled under the light, inquisitive touch of her fingers. She traveled downward and found what she sought. Wrapping her hand around it, she gave his erect member a firm squeeze as she moved her hand up to his cockhead.

Lucien stood very still, with his head back and his eyes closed. Without losing her grip on him, she sat down on the side of the bed and leaned forward to move her tongue from the base of his cock to the head.

He inhaled sharply as he felt the wetness of her tongue exploring the fullness of his tool. He certainly didn't have anything to be ashamed of. She had never held anything so large in her hands, let alone tried to get it into her mouth.

The oddest feeling had started to come over her that she couldn't explain. There was something so familiar about Lucien's body.

At first, she thought it was because of their unsuccessful encounter in the alleyway, but now, she felt that it was something much more.

Chandler's body was still on fire, though, and nothing was going to get in her way of being satiated by this man. She slid her lips around his enormous cockhead and worked it into her mouth as far as she could get it. Using her hand on the bottom half of it, she employed a rhythm that worked the top part of his cock in her mouth and the lower half was attended to by her slippery hand.

The technique was definitely having the desired effect.

Suddenly, Lucien stopped her and laid her back on his bed, positioning himself so that he was able to repay her very generous favors. As soon as his tongue made contact with her aching little clit, she had another one of those flashes of familiarity.

She had felt this before! Not just the act, but the act from this man! That couldn't be true, though. Could it? At any rate, she couldn't ponder it at the moment because she was swept away by Lucien's very talented tongue. In mere seconds, she could feel her orgasm approaching.

Chandler didn't want Lucien to ever stop, but she wanted to feel his huge, engorged member inside of her right now.

She couldn't wait another second for him to take her.

### Chapter Ten

"LUCIEN," SHE WHISPERED. "Please, oh God, please, I want to feel you inside of me. Please, don't make me wait any longer."

Truthfully, Lucien was more than ready to fill this woman with his cock. He had denied himself even self-pleasure in anticipation of this moment. He lifted himself up and put himself so that his cock was directly at her pretty pink pleasure cleft. The head of it teased her opening by moving around it and dipping quickly in and out.

Chandler could stand it no longer. She reached down between them and pushed his cock in her as she lifted her hips in order to help him go as deep as possible.

She had not been wrong. This man filled her in a way that no other had ever come close to. She was going to be spoiled for any other man from now on. The more Chandler pushed upward, the less control Lucien seemed to have.

All at once, he plunged his cock deep inside of her so that she could feel his swollen balls slapping against her. It was the first time she had ever experienced power fucking and she was not likely to ever forget it. Each time he drove into her, he was hitting a very pleasurable spot that was pushing her closer and closer over the edge.

When the feeling hit, it was a lot like a tsunami. Nothing could prepare either of them for the range of sensations that were hitting them repeatedly. Both of them were howling at the top of their lungs and clinging together. As the feelings started to ebb, Lucien kissed Chandler deeply.

They lay together catching their breath. Lucien kept kissing her even then, not stopping, reminding her of a cat satiated with a meal.

Just as she was dosing off smiling with her head on his chest, Lucien spoke quietly to her.

"I have to tell you something," he said. "It's going to be difficult for you to believe, but I need for you to listen before passing judgment."

"Why would I pass judgment?" she asked, curious. She opened her eyes and she looked at his handsome face. The feeling of attraction did not ebb one bit. It was still there. She still felt mesmerized by him... if not more. "Though to tell you the truth, I'm not judgmental by nature. Unless you're a serial killer who kills babies?" she teased, but actually shuddered at her joke.

He grinned a sexy grin. "No babies. I eat beautiful women for dessert."

The innuendo hit her like he's uttered a curse word. "Women?" she repeated before she could stop herself. Then blushed. "Not that I feel possessive-"

"It's okay, honey. No other women anymore. Now that I've found you, it will be you forever," he assured her after another soul-wrenching kiss that almost got her speechless.

That's when he started telling her the story of a young man who loved a beautiful young woman with incredible, mysterious violet eyes. This couple lived two hundred years ago and they were very happy in a Romanian city.

The day that they were to be wed, the young man was attacked by a vicious creature known as a vampire. Rather than expose his love to what he had become, he hid and let her believe that he had left her.

Overcome with grief, the young woman threw herself off a cliff. Incredibly, she was still barely alive when the young vampire found her. Not wanting to lose her, he did the only thing he could do.

He changed her.

The young woman's mother was a very powerful witch who became enraged when she discovered what had happened. She couldn't undo what her daughter had become, but she could make sure that the couple was separated and that her daughter would never remember what happened.

She did a powerful spell that made her daughter a being of twilight-those in between the living and the undead. She would go through the process of rebirth like humans until she would be awakened.

But she made sure her daughter would not remember about her past lives so she would not try becoming the undead and look for her lover vampire.

The young vampire had been looking for his lost love ever since.

Then, one night, the young woman had walked into his friend's nightclub.

Shocked, Chandler was afraid to move. Lucien had clearly lost his mind. It was obvious that he believed every word that he was saying and that he had decided that she was his lost love.

"Oh, and, by the way," Lucien continued. "Your friend Lisette is fine. I couldn't have her interfering with my plans so I set her up with a good friend of mine. They've actually connected quite well. You will be hearing all about it, I'm sure. Now, there is one thing that I need to do. There is only one way that you will remember what you are, and once you do remember, you will change."

Chandler suddenly felt a chill move over her and she started to sit up, intent on getting the hell out of this lunatic's house. Before she got far, however, Lucien's lips were on hers and she could feel a difference that she hadn't noticed before.

It was the sharpness of his fangs that he had let down. Swiftly, he moved to her neck, where he sank his fangs into her throbbing skin.

And as he fed from her, memories of another life came flooding back.

She supposed it was a bit like they say drowning was like, when you remember everything that has happened to you in your life. That's what was happening to her right then. She was drowning with the upsurge of memories.

She closed her eyes.

When Lucien pulled away from her, she opened her eyes and looked into his.

Her memories had been truly awakened and she knew she was looking at her one true love. Only a shadow of the terror she felt at being bitten remained. She felt renewed, reborn, and ravenous.

"I remember..." Chandler said as she moved to kiss him on his neck.

Lucien, with a grateful sigh, turned his head to give her what she needed.

His blood.

And she drank from him like she has not drunk for two hundred years.

When she raised her head again, her eyes were glittering with red-blood tears.

"You found me," she said huskily.

"I never would have stopped looking for you. The only reason I'm still living is because I know you're out there, waiting for me to find you."

She nodded.

And their lips sealed the eternal kiss of the awake.

**~ ~ ~ ~**

**Read the next book by Sandra Ross:**

**If you like this book, you will also like Blood Callings Part 2...**

SANDRA ROSS'S EROTIC ROMANCE VAMPIRE STORIES COLLECTION

In the Blood Part 2: KINSHIP TO THE BLOOD

Among the Beings of the Macabre Night... In her is a kinship with the blood

His skin tone slightly paler than most, with a firm build and impressive height, Kane's raven-black hair and cerulean eyes ignite women with heated desire. Secret senses their inevitable meeting with caution as he leads her on with his supernatural charm.

The night after Kane and Secret's first meeting amid shattered glass and psychic fallout, he continues to eye her from afar. One question is on his mind as he waits for their next meeting: Will she know who I am?

Secret is no stranger to vampires. A nightwalker of New Orleans since her teenage years, she first sensed a vampire at the same time she realized she had a special knack for premonition. Not only is she an adept psychic, she also senses superhuman qualities in people when she sees them. Secret remembers her first meeting with a beautiful young vampire temptress, the one who's had a mysterious fear of Secret.

But Kane is unique – he is attracted to her like no other. Her preternatural abilities are exceptionally alluring to him, but since meeting him, Secret notices that vampires keep appearing on her doorstep, like they sense something they want in her blood....

Is Secret in danger, or is she about to find her past, her present, and her future?

A Halloween Awakening Part 2: LILITH'S LAIR

Things are always happening at Lilith's lair, especially on the Halloween.

Lilith, an exotically beautiful vampire with dark locks and green eyes, owns Lilith's Lair. She regards with a certain kind of happiness Lucien's love life with the newly awakened Chandler. But at the same time, she is somewhat dubious she will ever find the kind of love she needs with any one of the Undead.

But then, she meets handsome Gavin, a newly awakened, whose Scottish drawl can send exciting tingles up her spine and can tighten up parts of her that have not been stroked for a long time.

The one time she feels she is ready to indulge on her own merrymaking, Lilith feels a dangerous presence watching her again. It comes and goes for years, but this time, it seems to be staying.

Does she know who's watching her? Lilith has a clue. It has something to do with her painful human life.

After all these centuries, will she finally meet her father?

**Unravel more of this fascinating book, continue reading Blood Callings Part 2...**

**~ ~ ~ ~**

### Related Books

Did you enjoy this book? I recommend reading these related books, available on various retailers:

### In The Blood: The Complete Book

### A Halloween Awakening Complete

### Eve Snow Psychic P.I. Series: The Complete Book

### Dark Knight In Disguise (Complete)

# Bonus Preview:

## Blood Callings Part 2

### Kinship to the Blood

In the Blood Part 2

### CHAPTER ONE

SECRET WAITED UNTIL Kane Broussard had disappeared from her front porch before attending to the mess of glass shards lying in her foyer. Once he was gone, she felt comfortable enough to go collect the broom and dust pan.

As she was sweeping up the broken glass, Marielle made her way back from the kitchen. Leaning against the stair bannister, she watched Secret with very curious eyes.

"So, are you gonna tell me what that was all about?" she asked.

"There's nothing to tell," Secret replied without looking up from her task.

"Secret Lavalle, I've never seen you rude to anyone since I've known you but you were out and out rude to that man! I do know you pretty well so I'm sure that you wouldn't have done that without a reason. I'm just asking you to share with me what that reason is."

"Mari, sometimes there are things that I just can't explain," she sighed. "And this is one of those times. Please don't push me on it."

"But, Secret, did you not see that man? He was beautiful! That hair and, oh my God, those eyes! I almost dropped to my knees on the spot!"

"I'm quite sure that you did, Mari, but you can't just trust everyone you see until you know more about them. Please just trust me on this."

"Okay, I'm kind of used to you being all weird sometimes. So if you say that I need to trust you on this, then that's what I'll do. But do me favor, okay?"

"What's that?" Secret asked as she continued to sweep.

"The second you find out that he's not dangerous, please let me know. I need a hot man like that in my life."

Secret stopped her sweeping long enough to roll her eyes at her friend.

"Do you ever stop chasing men?" she asked.

"Why... I don't know what you're talking about," she said in a mock huff.

Ignoring her, Secret went back to her sweeping.

"Okay, fine," Marielle said. "Can I help you clean this up?"

"If you hold the pan, I can finish sweeping the glass up into it. Then I'll run the vacuum just to be sure I got up all the glass. I can't have any clients cutting themselves."

Together, they worked in silence and got the rest of the mess cleaned up.

"I'll have to call about getting this fixed in the morning," Secret lamented. "I'm pretty thankful that I've got a normal door on top of a storm door. I'd be screwed otherwise."

"Yeah, but you're fine for now."

"Oh, well, let's go eat and finish up that wine," Secret said, as she put away the broom and dust pan.

"Sounds good to me," Marielle said. "Hey, do you want me to stay over tonight? Just in case that whack job comes back?"

"Mari, your company is always welcome, you know that. I don't feel the need for protection, but as you seem to be without a date tonight, I think you should stay here," Secret teased. "Is your overnight bag in the car?"

Drawing up to her full height, Marielle did her best to look insulted, but lost the battle pretty quickly when she saw Secret's mouth twitch in the effort to hold back a laugh.

"Oh, let's just go eat," Secret said, as she put her arm around her friend. "We can get your bag later."

KANE WATCHED SECRET'S house from his hiding place across the street. Listening to her conversation with Marielle, he found that she wasn't about to let her friend in on what she knew about him.

That was another baffling question.

How did she know about him? Rarely were humans able to tell that he was not one of them. Obviously, there were certain characteristics about him that gave people pause. He was paler than humans, of course. His height and build often afforded him some extra attention in public places, as well as his hair and eye coloring. However, most of that attention came from women who were intrigued and attracted to him.

In fact, it was this very attention that kept him from ever having to chase down his food. Women came to him willingly enough and he knew how to take just enough while not causing them any problems. They never remembered him afterward. He made sure of that.

So yes, he was noticed. He was definitely a man that would stand out in any crowd. But no one had ever known him to be a vampire.

Not until Secret Lavalle.

Kane considered what that meant and realized that it was just more proof that she was the woman he had been searching for and waiting for all of his vampiric life. Having overheard her conversation with her friend, he wasn't concerned about her giving up his identity. She seemed to know that no one was going to believe her, even if she had shared the information.

Well, at least tonight's events had accomplished a face-to-face meeting with Secret, even though he would have preferred for it to have been different. Now that the first contact had been made, he would consider the door to have been opened, so to speak, whether she had refused to allow him to enter her house or not. He was sure he could take care of that small detail with a little effort.

Kane would leave her alone for tonight and give her a chance to recover from her very eventful evening. But tomorrow night, he would pay her a visit. They had much to discuss-and the sooner they started, the better.

Something that had bothered him a bit was how attractive he found her. The full effect of her beauty had dealt him an almost physical blow that he had not been prepared to experience.

Finding her so compelling could be a problem in keeping him focused on what he needed to do for her.

Ah well, he thought. One thing at a time.

### CHAPTER TWO

THE NEXT MORNING, two men appeared bright and early to repair Secret's shattered glass. After looking at it, they decided that it would cheaper and more effective to simply replace the entire door.

She was perfectly fine with that and told them to do what was needed.

Returning to the kitchen, she poured herself another cup of coffee and glanced at the newspaper. No new murders reported today. That should be a positive thing, but Secret couldn't shake the feeling that something was still going on there.

Maybe she would concentrate on that later.

She could suddenly see in her mind the vampire that had so blatantly stood on her front porch last night. Kane Broussard. It had been years since she had last seen a vampire and she had hoped to never see one again.

But there was something different about this one.

For one thing, as Marielle so kindly pointed out, he was beautiful. Of course, that beauty was in an unearthly way, and meant to draw his victims to him. Also, he could have passed as a normal human among the majority of the population. It was just unlucky for him and fortunate for her, that she had a sort of radar where his kind was concerned.

The first vampire she had ever seen was when she had been thirteen years old.

After sneaking out of the house of her foster parents to meet some friends, she had found herself walking on a dark and lonely stretch in New Orleans. Where she was headed would have plenty of light, people, and activity. Here, though, there were a few silent buildings and, literally, no street lights.

It wasn't a shortcut that she would ever take again, she had decided. Next time, she would simply go the long way around because there were lights and people that way.

As she was hurrying along the cracked pavement, she became aware of the feeling that she was being watched. Even if no one else believed in her "feelings," or they thought she was crazy, Secret knew that she could trust these instincts, abilities, or whatever anyone wanted to call them.

How could she not? They had never let her down.

Secret strongly suspected that the reason her friends were so wary of her talent was that she was never wrong. That would probably be more than enough to make them nervous. It would also make them never want her to get any of her "feelings" about them.

The thing was, they believed in her. They just didn't want to.

That didn't stop them from coming to her secretly and asking questions about important things. Most of the time, it was the girls wanting to know about various boys and what was going to happen in their love lives. Once in a while, a guy would come to her and ask a question, but that was rare.

None of them would have ever admitted to it, though, and that was just fine with Secret. She didn't want to be known as being any stranger than they already thought she was. So she was happy to keep those little question-and-answer meetings private.

That wasn't her problem just now, however.

At the moment, someone was following her. This felt different, almost like whatever was following her wasn't quite... human. She wasn't picking up anything that even remotely resembled the same vibrations that a human always put out there.

It was that realization that made her start to become afraid. She was starting to wish she had skipped this particular outing and stayed safe at home in her room. The spookiness made her pick up speed until she was practically running along the deserted sidewalk.

Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw nothing out of order, but when she whipped her head back around to face forward, she nearly slammed into a young woman.

Clapping her hand over her mouth, she just managed to keep from screaming as she came to an abrupt halt.

The girl was eerily beautiful and had seemed to come out of nowhere. She had long black hair, deep brown eyes that seemed to glow in some way, and a lush red mouth. Her body was just short of being perfect with rounded breasts, a slim waist, and hips that flared out just the right amount. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, she smiled at Secret in a way that made things even scarier.

"Hello," she said in a low, somewhat husky voice. "What are you doing out here all alone?"

"I... I'm, uh, just on my way to meet some friends," Secret managed to stammer.

The woman laughed at her. It sounded like crystal bells tinkling. "So you're sneaking out, then." It wasn't a question.

"How would you know something like that?"

"Because I used to do the same thing," the woman answered, then shrugged. "Everyone does it at least once in their lives."

"Yeah, well, I better get going or they'll think I'm not coming."

Secret was still trying to find a way around her. She wanted to get the hell away from her, but the other woman was just staring at her, and in such an unsettling manner.

"I'm making you nervous," the woman observed.

"Well, you did kind of just come out of nowhere," Secret managed to say defensively. "Anyone would be nervous."

"I'm quite sure you're right. My name is LaDonna, by the way."

"That's a pretty name. I'm Secret."

"Ah, such a special name for a special girl."

The way LaDonna's gaze was fixed on Secret made her even more uncomfortable. Secret had started to realize something else, too. LaDonna wasn't carrying anything with her. No purse, backpack, or even a fanny pack. She had long, sharp nails that were painted a deep red. Like blood. And she was very pale.

Secret had no idea what was going on. She couldn't seem to get into this woman's head. She could always pick up what someone was thinking if she really focused.

But not with LaDonna.

In fact, there didn't seem to be anything inside of her.

What did that mean?

She didn't have time to stand there and try to figure it all out. Her friends would be waiting. And LaDonna was really making her very nervous.

"You're frightened of me," LaDonna said. She moved closer.

"No, I'm not frightened of you," Secret replied as she tried very hard to put on a brave face.

"Of course you are. You're out here in the middle of the night on a deserted street and I've simply appeared right in front of you. On top of that, you've noticed some things about me that are rather different than the people you're used to seeing. Isn't that true?"

That was it. "Look, I don't want any trouble. I'm trying really hard to just hook up with my friends and have some fun before I have to be home."

"Poor, innocent little Secret," LaDonna crooned as she ran her fingers down the side of Secret's face. "You've no idea what you're up against."

Her unease instantly shot up to full-fledged terror. She had no idea who or what LaDonna was, but she was positive that it wasn't good. The way those eyes were burning into hers seemed to hold her in place, preventing her from running or even screaming.

LaDonna was looking at her the way she had often seen cats look at cornered mice. She didn't like that at all. Her heart was thudding so hard in her chest that she was amazed it didn't just pound its way through.

Suddenly, LaDonna opened her mouth slightly-and Secret saw sharp, elongated fangs that didn't look like anything she had ever seen. Leaning in closer, LaDonna sniffed Secret's neck and smiled.

"So sweet," she murmured. "Let's see if you taste as sweet as you smell."

Opening her mouth wide, LaDonna descended on the side of Secret's neck. Secret closed her eyes tightly, as she stood frozen in place. She didn't want to die but she was sure that was going to happen. How could she escape if she couldn't move?

She felt the sharp nick on her skin. But nothing further.

As soon as LaDonna had pierced Secret's skin, she withdrew with a sound that resembled an angry growl. Secret only had time to see the look of horror on her face before she disappeared into the night.

With speed that was inhuman.

Secret could suddenly move but all she was capable of doing was to slide to the sidewalk in a heap. Her legs simply wouldn't support her.

She never made it to her friends that night. Once she was able to walk again, she raced back to the home of her foster parents and slipped back into the window of her bedroom. No one had noticed her absence and she was very grateful. How would she have explained the odd cut on her neck?

She still wasn't sure what had happened to her. Reaching into the medicine cabinet, she withdrew some peroxide and cotton balls. She proceeded to disinfect the marks and topped it off with some triple antibiotic ointment.

Sleep was out of the question so she did some research on her computer about the supernatural creature she encountered that night.

And half-hour later, there was no doubt in her mind that she had had an encounter with a vampire.

After that night, she would notice vampires on occasions. New Orleans seemed to have quite a few of them, though the area where she lived was free of them.

At least until last night.

Secret frowned. She had never understood why LaDonna had let her go that night. If she had been scared shitless, LaDonna had been horrified of Secret. That was clear-but the reason for it that fear was not. She could not simply think of a reason why a vampire could be frightened of her.

In the years following that night, other vampires kept a clear distance from her. She recognized them for what they were and, apparently, they recognized something in her that caused them to stay away.

Then it hit her.

Why had Kane Broussard displayed no such reticence? What was it that made him immune to whatever it was in her that scared vampires? She would need to know a bit more about this special trait before she could make any sort of educated guess.

As she sat there mulling it all over, Marielle entered the kitchen.

"That coffee smells amazing!" she exclaimed. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"The way I look at it, if your body needs the sleep you should allow that to happen," Secret said, glancing up from the paper that she had stopped reading quite a while ago, when she walked down Memory Lane. "There's a mug waiting for you by the coffee maker."

Crossing the room, Marielle fixed herself some coffee and peered into the box of beignets that was also sitting on the counter. Using a napkin, she plucked one from the box and took a sizeable bite from it. Then she closed her eyes and moaned in pleasure as she chewed. Then she looked at Secret.

"So, you've already been out and about this morning?"

"Oh, I just ran into town to get the beignets and some milk. I wasn't gone long. I barely beat the repair guys back here."

"How's that coming along, anyway?" Marielle asked.

"It turns that it's going to actually be cheaper if I just replace the entire door rather than the broken glass. They're almost done."

"Damn. You know, you really should make Adele pay for fixing that damage."

"It doesn't matter, now, Mari," Secret replied. "I'm not going to see her anymore and I'm pretty sure, from her point-of-view, that will be punishment enough."

"Maybe," Marielle said doubtfully. "She did kind of cling to you."

"That's an understatement," Secret laughed shortly. "At any rate, if she has the nerve to ever contact me again, I'll let her know then that our association has come to an end."

"Fair enough. I can't say that I blame you, either. If Kane Broussard hadn't arrived when he did, there could have been all sorts of damage done, including to us."

"Yes, it was lucky that he showed up," she said, then she closed her mouth. Secret was determined not to discuss Kane with Marielle. In all the years that the two had been friends, she had never shared the knowledge she held about vampires.

She was reasonably certain that Marielle wasn't ready to hear that there were such things walking among humans. In fact, she would most likely never be ready to know such a thing.

"I better go check on the progress of my new door," Secret said. She slid from the bar stool and left the kitchen before Marielle could say something to stop her.

### CHAPTER THREE

"HOW'S IT COMING, guys?" she asked as she approached her front door.

"It's almost done, Ms. Lavalle," said one of the men. His shirt said his name was Gerald. "Just need to put this last part in right here and you'll be all set."

"Wonderful!" she exclaimed. "That was impressively fast."

"Oh, we aim to please, ma'am," the other man said. His shirt identified him as Terrell.

Secret laughed. "Well, consider me one pleased customer," she told them. "How much do I owe you?"

"That's already been taken care of, Ms. Lavalle."

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, it was all paid for when we got here this morning."

"Who exactly paid for this?" Secret asked, clearly bewildered.

"Well, that's the thing, Ms. Lavalle," Gerald said. "It was paid for anonymously."

"How is that even possible? Didn't you get a credit card name or something?"

"No, ma'am. There was a sealed enveloped that got dropped off by messenger. It had cash in it and a note that said it was to be applied to fixing your door."

"How would someone know exactly how much was needed to fix my door?" Secret asked incredulously.

"Well, they didn't know exactly, but there was plenty in there to cover it and we were told to keep the rest as long as we made you our first priority today," Terrell chimed in.

"Yeah, we just figured someone was doing a nice thing for you. You know-kind of like a present?" Gerald added.

"I see," she said absently. "Well, if you happen to find out who my benefactor is, will you please get in touch with me? I'd love to be able to thank them."

"You bet, Ms. Lavalle!"

Wandering back down the hall and into the kitchen, she was wearing a rather blank look on her face.

"What happened to you?" Marielle paused in eating her second beignet to ask.

"You're not going to believe this, Mari, but someone already paid to fix my door."

"For real? Who would have done that?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm starting to form a thought or two about it." Secret tapped a fingernail rhythmically on the breakfast bar.

"Do you think Adele paid for it?"

"I seriously doubt it," Secret replied. "She wouldn't have done that on her own."

"Then what are you thinking?" Marielle asked. Suddenly a light bulb of comprehension seemed to spread across her face. "You're thinking Kane Broussard paid for it!" she exclaimed.

"Well, he certainly seems to have the money for it," Secret retorted.

"Just to play devil's advocate, why would he help you after you were so rude to him last night?"

"I wasn't rude," Secret replied. "I just didn't feel that he was someone that I wanted hanging around my house."

"Yeah, about that," Marielle said. "You never did explain why you acted that way."

"And I'm not going to, Mari. You'll just have to trust me on this one."

"It's a shame you don't have a way to get in touch with him, you know; just to thank him or whatever."

"I have a feeling that Mr. Broussard will just turn up again. Sort of like he did last night. I'm not concerned about not having the chance to thank him."

"Seriously? Now how can you know that?"

Secret shot Marielle a look that said it all.

Slapping her head with her hand, Marielle started to laugh. "Who am I asking?" she cried as she kept laughing. "Sorry, Secret. I had a brief lapse there for a second."

"I'm not saying that he will come back here, but I've got a pretty strong feeling that we haven't seen the last of him."

"I like that you said 'we' in that sentence because I, for one, found him to be absolutely delicious!" Marielle popped the last bite of her beignet into her mouth.

"You're such a man-eater," Secret laughed.

"Never denied it," Marielle said, as she slid off of the barstool. "Well, I appreciate dinner last night, as well as breakfast this morning, but I've got to head out. I'm meeting with a new author in about an hour about designing a cover for a new book. She wants me to come up with a few concepts to present to the publisher. Anyway, I'll give you a call later."

Secret gave her friend a quick hug and wished her luck, although she certainly wouldn't need it. Marielle was known all over for her unique cover designs as well as other artistic concepts. As they walked to the door, Marielle picked up her tote bag.

"Hey, this looks really nice!" she said when they reached the newly installed storm door.

"Yeah, they did a great job."

"Not a minute too soon, either. It looks like your first client has arrived," Marielle said, as she went out of the door. "Love you!"

"Love you, too," Secret said.

She stayed in place so that she could welcome her first client of the day.
