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I WAS STARVING BY the time I finished my little tour of the main avenue of MacLeod Village. The town was made up of charming little shops with window boxes full of colorful flowers. It was a little river town and some of the stores and one quaint little café was located right on the river.
I stuffed my bags into the SUV and made up my mind. A seat with a view of the river and a spot of tea and those little cakes. Oh yeah.
How could I pass that up? I didn’t.
Inside, the décor that accented the dark beamed ceilings was perfect, just as I always imagined it would be. Tables and c
hairs were set up on the balcony overlooking the quiet river and although it was quite crowded, the hostess found a place for me. It was heaven.
“I heard someone mention some ruins nearby. Brently, I think they called it. Is it open for tourists?” I asked the waitress who took my order. I wanted to get a feel for what the villagers thought of Brently and just where its location was.
“Aye, but ye dinnae want to go there,” she answered, and shook her head. “Best go towards Inverness if it’s ruins ye want to tour.”
“Oh? Why?”
“Brently Manor is privately owned, and though it has fallen into some disrepair, it isn’t the kind of place ye would want to explore, even if it was allowed.”
“Oh, is that the only ruins nearby?”
“Aye, miss…”
“Bobbie,” I answered.
She laughed. “What is it for, Bobbie?”
“Roberta.” I pulled a face.
“Och now, Roberta is a lovely name.”
“Bobbie,” I emphasized, and she grinned.
“Dinnae go to Brently.” She shook her head. “Besides, ‘tisn’t open to the public.”
“Oh, ok, maybe I’ll just drive by it and take some pictures. Is it far?”
“Ten minutes or so by car.” She shrugged and then made a show of shivering. “Went there once with m’friends after school, some years ago. Never will again. Ye can smell the evil in that place, ye can.”
“Oooh, thanks then, I’ll avoid it,” I said to appease her as I made up my mind to visit Brently during the day and soon. Perhaps there was something hidden there that would help me find the right spell to free Devin?
I lingered over delicious tea, scones, and yes, little sandwiches, when I noticed the overcast sky. Hmm, it was getting late and I didn’t want to drive in what looked like was going to be a downpour, so I headed for the SUV. Although it was already well after six by the time I headed back for the castle, I didn’t think it was really quite dark yet. However, Naomi had taught me that many vamps can roam about as long as there is no direct sunlight. But that wasn’t why I was on edge. I had a nervous sensation in my gut…a foreboding I couldn’t shake.
Perhaps it was only because Mrs. Tunny had me spooked? I put my foot down on the gas and moved out a bit faster and there he was, in the middle of the road, smiling!
Right in my path…a vampire with his fangs dripping with blood and a woman limp against him.
He held her tightly and I knew when she opened her eyes and looked towards me she was still alive. Damn, damn, double damn! How the hell do I save her?
What do I do? What do I do? I can’t leave her for him to kill, but that was just what he wanted, for me to challenge him. I couldn’t run him down, which wouldn’t kill him but only knock him out for a time, not with him holding onto her.
Shama! I went into my head and searched the archives for something, anything I could find to use to help rescue the poor woman and still get away clean. Shama allowed me in and pointed me in the right direction.
I found it. First, I hurriedly shielded myself, stopped the car completely and got out. Bravado is something I learned when I was a twerp of a kid.
“Hey, vamp…were you waiting on me?”
“Nothing personal, but I have my orders,” the creep in black leathers and spiked brown hair said. He made the mistake of bending towards the woman as he told me, “First, I’ll finish my meal…”
I put out my hand and shouted, “Téarmaí cosúla!”
