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“Ms. Holland,” he says, stepping closer. “I don’t know if you remember me; I’m Augustus Sutton. I was at the scene the other night. What brings you to the emergency room?”

The fact that he’s not running away from me must be a good sign.

I raise my hand and smile weakly. “Hi, Mr. Sutton.”

“Please, call me Augustus.” He says before I finish.

I nod and continue, “Cut my palm on broken glass at work. Couple of stitches. Nothing as bad as the other night.”

I’ve met a few vampires during my travels, and Mr. Augustus Sutton is most certainly the standout among them.

He’s tall, with a lean, athletic build. A few locks of dark curls have come loose to frame his face. The rest of it is gathered at the nape of his neck in a low bun. His eyes are a striking shade. Some stunning mixture of brown with hints of ruby woven in.

But it’s his coloring that strikes me most.

A gray tone, almost ashen. On anyone but him, I imagine it would look odd, yet it suits him.

He flushes lightly, or at least I think it's a flush. It’s a little difficult to know for certain given his pallor.

His gray turns a bit darker.

The nurse cuts in before he can respond.

“Ma’am. As I was saying, if you walk out the front door and hang a left at the stop sign, there’s a bus stop about two blocks down.” She says as I scribble the directions down.

“Bus?” Augustus asks.

“Mhm. My car is still in the shop, and I need to get home.”

He makes a huffing sound. “The bus is not the best place for new stitches.” He says as I turn to face him. I’d be more irritated if there weren’t such sincere concern on his face.

“I’d be more than happy to take you home.” He offers.

Alone. With a stranger. Possible escapes blocked. My pulse quickens at the thought.

As if he senses my fear, he quickly adds, “My partner, Eric—he treated your injury the other night—and I are headed to drop our rig back at the station. We can drop you on our way.”

His offer eases some of the fear, and I nod.

“I’d appreciate that.”

When he smiles, it’s joyful and full of fangs, and I find myself smiling back. “See ya, Mag,” he says as he waves an arm in front of himself, and we walk through the hospital and out to the ambulance bay.

Augustus opens the rig door and pokes his head in. “We’ve got a plus one,” he announces before stepping aside so I can climb in. My driver is none other than Eric, the other paramedic from the other night.

“Hey there, Ms. Holland,” he says.

“Hi,” I say as I buckle in.

“Where are we headed?” He asks, reversing out of the hospital.

“The apartments off Main, please.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he says.

Eric glances to the back of the rig where Augustus is seated before we pull onto the main road. The ride is quick and quiet.

I thank Eric as I climb out of the rig. Music drifts in the air from somewhere nearby, and I wonder if it's the market Mason was talking about.