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Chapter One

Derek Blackwood had grown up knowing he was a vampire And not just any old va their kind, the only vaiven it up He had never known his father Kyle Bowden had died shortly after Derek’s birth Logan Blackwood, his mother’s second husband, was the only father Derek had ever known

Seeking a few minutes of solitude, Derek went out on the balcony of hisa deep breath, he gazed out over thealone fro that was sorely lacking just now

Derek glanced over his shoulder His relatives were gathered inside, here to help his parents celebrate their twenty-fifth anniversary He grinned faintly He had a family like no other Of course, they weren’t kin in the usual sense of the word Roshan and his witch-wife, Brenna, slow danced cheek to cheek in the hter, Cara, sat in the living roo with her husband, Vince, who had been turned by Mara Cara and Vince’s twin sons, Rafe and Rane, atching a baseball game in the den, while the twins’ wives, Kathy and Savannah, sat in the kitchen with his mother Vampires all, born or made

Watching the loneliness, made him wonder, not for the first time, if he would ever find a woman to share his life

Suddenly restless, he headed for the garage Sliding behind the wheel of his brand-new convertible, he backed out of the driveway and headed for his favorite hangout

Driving down the twisting narrow road to the highway, he conteh he had known early on that he was a va to terms ho and what he was As a child, he had been like any other kid, able to run and play outdoors, eat ot sick; when he was injured, he healed immediately His only restriction was that he needed to wear sunglasses during the day

When he reached puberty, his life changed drastically One day he was a relatively norer; the next he was overpowered by a desperate need for blood A need that could not be ignored, or satisfied by anything else He discovered the sun was no longer his friend, though he could endure it for short periods of ti he pleased, but solid food made him violently ill

Turning onto the freeway, he put the pedal to the metal

The night was growing short and he was thirsty

Chapter Two

Sheree Westerbrooke stood in the front of the full-lengthher new Goth look It had taken her days to find just the “right” ensemble, but it had been worth it If one wanted to fit in, one had to look the part After all, she couldn’t just waltz into a vas, so, shoes, and jewelry She had debated dying her shoulder-length dark blond hair black, but decided to buy a long black wig instead Her own nize her Neither would her best friend, Shirley, she thought with a grin Perhaps she’d send her a photo

Sheree smiled at her reflection, pleased She had always loved valy ones with pointy ears and hairy hands, like Nosferatu; the suave, handsoella; the comic ones who spoke with funny accents, like Leslie Nielsen; the scary ones, like Gary Oldham and Christopher Lee She loved theazines