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"Afraid to put him to the test?"
"Don't be an idiot."
"Hey, there's something about him." Alex shook his head. "I don't know what it is, but something ain't right."
Muttering, "Oh, give it up," Daisy glanced at her compass. "Stop here!"
The needle on her compass shimmered a bright red when Alex braked in front of the last house on the block. There were bars on the windows, a security screen door, and a ferocious-looking mastiff standing stiff-legged behind a wrought-iron fence.
"Whoever lives here doesn't want any company, that's for sure," Alex muttered, peering through the windshield. "Wait here, I'm going in."
"It's too hot to sit in the car."
"I'll leave the engine running. I won't be long." Getting out of the car, Alex slung his kit over his shoulder, then opened the small ice chest stowed on the backseat. Reaching inside, he pulled a large chunk of fresh hamburger out of a plastic bag. "Pays to be prepared," he said with a wink and a grin.
Daisy grinned back at him. It was an old trick, doctoring hamburger with a sedative. She watched Alex toss the meat over the fence. The dog gobbled it down in one swallow; less than a minute later, the animal was out cold.
Alex gave her the high sign, vaulted over the fence, and loped up to the front porch. Quick work with a lock pick, and he was inside the house.
Daisy leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes. What was Erik doing now? She knew he could be awake when the sun was up, though he preferred to take his rest then. She wondered what happened if vampires didn't sleep during the day. Did they just get cranky? Was it only the very young who were compelled to rest, or was it something they all did? What was it like, to sleep by day and be active only after the sun went down? Did it seem normal to vampires after a time?
Lifting her head, she stared at the house, then glanced at her watch. How long had Alex been inside? Why hadn't she paid attention to the time? He should have been back by now.
Grabbing a stake and a bottle of holy water from her bag, she switched off the engine, slipped the holy water and the keys into her pocket, and got out of the car.
She sent a nervous glance at the dog as she opened the gate. It was the biggest mastiff she had ever seen. More like a small horse than a dog. After making sure it was still sleeping deeply, she made her way to the front porch and opened the door.
The inside of the house was dark. Heavy drapes covered the windows. There were three sofas and several chairs in the living room. The floors were polished hardwood. An ancient-looking leather scabbard hung over a marble fireplace.
She paused a moment, listening, but heard only silence. Taking a deep breath, she counted to ten and then called Alex's name. When there was no reply, she tiptoed across the floor.
A shiver of unease skittered down her spine as she moved deeper into the house. Most lairs were in basements or, occasionally, in a dusty attic. Vampires didn't seem to be bothered by dirt, dust, or spiderwebs.
Her footsteps echoed on the hardwood floors as she peered into one room after another. All were empty.
She froze when a muffled cry reached her ears. Alex! Another cry, harsher than the first, set her heart to pounding. Alex was in trouble. All thought for her own safety fled as Daisy pulled the bottle of holy water from her pocket and followed the sound of her brother's voice.
The vampire's lair was located in what had once been a walk-in pantry that was big enough to have made a fair-sized bedroom. A shiny black coffin sat in the middle of the floor.
Daisy came to an abrupt halt just inside the doorway, her mind barely able to comprehend what she was seeing. Alex was on the floor. Covered in blood, he was trying to fight off the vampire hovering over him.
Galvanized by fear that the vampire would drain her brother dry, or worse, turn him, Daisy uncorked the bottle of holy water and flung it at the back of the vampire's head. The scent of scorched hair and preternatural flesh immediately stung her nostrils.
Howling in fury, the vampire spun around to face her, his narrowed eyes as red as hell's own flames, his fangs dripping with blood. Alex's blood.
With a cry of horror, Daisy grabbed the stake from her pocket, charged forward, and plunged it into the vampire's chest. Snarling, he took several steps backward, his hands curling around the stake as his curses filled the air.
"Alex!" Sobbing his name, spurred by the need to get the two of them out of there as fast as possible, she dragged her brother to his feet. Sagging under his weight, she somehow managed to get him out of the house and into the passenger seat of the car.
By the time she got behind the wheel, her hands were shaking so badly, it took three tries to get the key into the ignition. Shoving the gearshift into drive, she slammed her foot down on the gas pedal. The car lurched crazily before she got it under control.
She didn't dare look back, afraid if she did, she would see the vampire coming after them. But that was impossible. She had killed him. Hadn't she? But if she had destroyed him, why hadn't he dissolved into dust? Oh, Lord, what if she had missed his heart?
She drove like a maniac, her mind whirling as she headed for the freeway. She glanced at her brother. He was unconscious. She had to get him to a hospital, and soon. Blood leaked from dozens of deep bites on his arms, legs, chest, and neck from where the vampire had savaged him. More blood bubbled from a wound in his stomach, a wound she dared not examine too closely for fear she would lose control of the car.
He needed help, she thought anxiously. And he needed it now.
Help he couldn't get from a hospital. She knew instinctively that a doctor couldn't save him.
Erik, she thought. She needed Erik.
Giving the wheel a hard twist, she sped past the freeway on-ramp and headed for the one man who might be able to help her.
The sound of someone knocking on the front door roused Erik from his daytime slumber. A deep breath brought a familiar scent to his nostrils, and a smile to his lips. Daisy was there.
And then he frowned. What was she doing here in the middle of the day?
Rising, he hurried to the front door.
"Erik!" Daisy stared up at him, her eyes wild. "I need help!"
"Sure, honey, come on in."
"It's not for me." She waved a frantic hand toward the car parked at the curb. "It's Alex!"
Erik swore softly as he glanced at the stretch of sun-dappled sidewalk between his house and the car. "Wait a minute."
Turning, he grabbed a long leather coat from the rack just inside the door. Pulling it over his head and shoulders, he moved with supernatural speed toward the car. One look at Daisy's brother and he feared the man was beyond help. He was bleeding from numerous wounds; his face was deathly pale, his lips were turning blue.
