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Gabriel was a rare find. He was nothing like the men my age who lived in the Hollow. For one thing, he seemed to realize that wearing a baseball cap was not a substitute for combing one ’s hair. He seemed to enjoy the contents of my brain, instead of looking at it as something that had to be canceled out by the contents of my bra. And I don’t think he’d even heard of NASCAR.
“How did we even get on this subject?” I’d asked, squinting at him.
“I honestly don’t know,” he had said, sipping his drink. “I asked you about your family’s church background, you went on a tangent about having to sit through the annual All-Gospel Sing and ‘Karen Newton’s atonal warbling.’ Gospel led to Elvis, Elvis led to Johnny Cash. I don’t think I’ve ever absorbed so much random trivia in one sitting. I do enjoy watching your mind work, though.
I can practically see all the little cogs and wheels clicking into place. Tell me more. My knowledge of contemporary music is somewhat limited.”
“Contemporary?” I’d laughed. “We’re talking about rockabilly music from the 1950s.”
Gabriel had raised his hands defensively. “Well, I haven’t bought an album in a while.”
Looking back, I really should have picked up on that as a clue that I was dealing with a vampire. But I ’d been too pleased with ebb and flow of the conversation to pay attention, one subject leading to another and another in lazy concentric circles like smoke rings over our heads.
The memory was like reliving a pleasant dream, one that leaves you disappointed when you wake up and realize it wasn ’t real. Only Gabriel was real, and it seemed I could pick this dream up again if I wanted. Now I touched Gabriel’s shoulder and tried to speak as carefully as possible. “Look, I’m really grateful that you saved my life. I know what would have happened if you hadn’t intervened. It’s just I’ve had so much to absorb. And I didn’t adjust to change gracefully while I was living.”
He was quiet again, studying me intently, looking for rhyme or reason in a brain where I was sure he ’d find little of either. I looked away, brushing at the bloodstains at the corners of my mouth with a tissue.
“So, you’re inexperienced,” Gabriel said, more of a statement than a question.
“Yes, I thought we just covered this.”
Gabriel would not be swayed from his line of questioning. “How?”
I blushed, a rush of Gabriel’s blood coming to my cheeks. “That’s none of your business.”
“I only ask because vampires with even the slightest hint of innocence are rare these days. For that matter, humans with the slightest hint of innocence are rare these days. It’s rather refreshing.”
“Why don’t you just put a big red stamp on my forehead?” I grumbled.
“Given your literary proclivities, why not a red letter sewn on your clothing?” he asked, his lips quirked.
I frowned at him. “I think it’s time for you to go.”
“I think I should stay and look after you, ” he said. “Your first few days can be a difficult transition. Your senses, your feedings—”
“It’s already been a difficult transition.” Besides, I wondered, where was Gabriel going to stay? Where would he sleep?
Where would I sleep? Where would I get blood? Who would pry Zeb off my couch? “I just need some time to myself. I promise to send up the bat signal if I need you.”
“After spending more time with your kind, you will realize that remark was in very poor taste,” he said, rising. “I’ll take your friend home.”
I used some super-speed of my own to block Gabriel’s path to the couch. “Wait, you can’t just take him. I mean, how do I know you’re not going to snack on him on the way home?”
“I give you my word,” he said, looking wounded again. He was awfully sensitive for someone who’d lived off the blood of the innocent for more than a century.
“But what, specifically, will you do?” I demanded. “You’re not going to leave him in a ditch or anything, are you? You don’t even know where he lives.”
“I’ve lived through two world wars and the disco era. I think I can manage.” I must have appeared unimpressed. He sighed.
“I will look at his driver’s license and take him home. I will use his keys to take him into his house. He will remember that you are a vampire, but he will have no memory of your attacking him.”
“You can just wipe his memory?” I asked. “Can I do that? Because I’d kind of like to get my uncle Dave to stop telling the story about me flashing my panties at his wedding reception.”
Gabriel stared at me.
“I was three,” I explained. “Pink panties were a big deal.”
He snorted, an intriguing and undignified noise. “Yes, you might develop the talent. And you may be able to replace those memories with new ones of your own design. It ’s a handy trick when one needs humans to forget how they sustained neck punctures. Every vampire has different abilities, talents. Just as every human cannot carry a tune …” He trailed off as he read my horrified expression. He rolled his eyes, exasperated. “I’ll give him a good memory, with sports victories and beer drinking.”
