"Gross! You're drinking his blood?” Sarah looked around quickly and lowered her voice. “Yuck, Cyn!"
"It's not that bad,” Cyn chided her. “Besides it's just a little bit, and it keeps me young and gorgeous.” She grinned and leaned forward conspiratorially. “And it makes the sex even better."
Sarah blew out a breath. “Okay. TMI. Let's change the subject. You still have your agency?"
"No,” Cyn said regretfully. “That had to go. It's hard to do undercover work when you've got a bodyguard hanging around all the time."
"You've got a bodyguard?"
"Yeah. It was either that or a tattoo on my forehead. I took the bodyguard. As a matter of fact...” She gestured over Sarah's shoulder. “See that guy over there by the bar?"
Sarah twisted to look and found herself staring at a tall, well-muscled black man who seemed to be rather obsessively focused on their little corner of the room. Her eyes widened and she whipped back around to Cyn. “That's a vampire?” she whispered.
"Yeah. Hard to tell, huh? You get used to it. And speaking of vampires..."
There was a sudden stir in the crowded bar. Conversations died to whispers and people shuffled aside, clearing a path for someone entering through the street door. There were two men, one blond and one dark, but it was the dark-haired one who drew everyone's attention. Tall and broad-chested, with a face that could only be described as beautiful, he moved with the lethal sort grace she usually associated with something dangerous and wild. Women and men both straightened where they stood or sat, their faces rapt, eyes glassy as they sort of ... leaned in his direction. She heard Cyn laugh gaily and looked over at her friend.
"Tell me that's not him,” she said in disbelief.
"That's my honey,” Cyn confirmed.
"Oh, man,” Sarah said in admiration. “Where can I get me one of those?"
"Probably not in Buffalo,” Cyn commented dryly. She took a final sip of her martini and stood. “My ride's here, hon. Good luck with the job. I hope they know how lucky they are to have you."
"I'll be sure and tell them,” Sarah said. She reached out and they exchanged hugs.
"Send me your new address when you have it."
"I will. And good luck with ... you know. Everything. I'm really happy for you, Cyn."
"I know.” She kissed Sarah's cheek and whispered, “Yours will come too. You just wait."
Sarah watched as Cynthia walked over to meet her vampire lover. His arm went around her waist as soon as she reached him and they exchanged a kiss so tender it brought tears to Sarah's eyes. She shook her head. “Yeah,” she muttered to herself. “But will he know he's supposed to look for me in Buffalo?"
To be continued...
Acknowledgments
As always, I want to thank Linda Kichline for her unflagging dedication and enthusiasm, and especially for getting this book out on schedule. Thanks and sincere appreciation to Patricia Lazarus for creating my gorgeous covers.
Special thanks go to all the readers who picked up Raphael, and especially to those who took the time to let me know they loved it. It means more to me than you can ever know.
Thanks again to Kelley Armstrong and everyone at the OWG, but especially those members of my own group who read most of this manuscript and gave me unstinting and always excellent advice—John G. (DoH), Lesley W., Michelle M. (Ghostwriter), SteveMc, and Mila (isdsm). To Adrian Phoenix who let me hijack her Yahoo group more than once, to Michael Moore for putting me on Squidoo, and to the many bloggers on both sides of the Atlantic who invited me to guest blog so that people could hear about my vampires.
Thank you to Dr. Heather M. who sat at a bridal shower with me and discussed the nature of human blood and why vampires might find it tasty. To Dr. D. P. Lyle for answering all of my questions about exsanguination without once reporting me to the local authorities. To Jessica B. who couldn't believe my vampires didn't have a Facebook page. They do now, thanks to her. And once again, I'm indebted to John G. for his expertise in guns and weapons of all kinds, and I'm sorry about the Sig, John.
To everyone at Gillette & Associates, especially Terry, Jamie and Josh, who helped me get moving again. Love and thanks to my family and friends who have been so amazingly supportive as I undertake this new journey, and to my wonderful husband who put up with a laptop in our bedroom on far too many late nights! And finally, to my beautiful Zarechka, who was there on the dark days to remind me there's always a tomorrow.
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Copyright 2009 by D. B. Reynolds
Published by ImaJinn Books, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of both the copyright holder and the above publisher of this book, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. For information, address: ImaJinn Books, Inc., P.O. Box 74274, Phoenix, AZ 85087, or call toll free 1-877-625-3592.
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