Page 3 (1/2)

Ethan’s body pressed warreedily at the view,and curve of trickling water

"Perhaps the world isn’t so narrow after all," he said

I nodded, s, dark bangs "Maybe not"

We stood there together for a long, quiet moment, until our eyes had adjusted to the darkness and our ears to the unusual silence Chicago wasn’t a quiet city Even Hyde Park, which was miles away from don, had a constant level of noise Air traffic fros, sirens

At first, there was nothing But as our ears grew accustoed The slip and fall of water around rocks Wind rustling through grass, frogs and crickets hiding a the spears of it The creak of wood as the house settled, as if it, too, was relaxing into the darkness

The sudden pealing of the doorbell was an explosion of sound It rang once, then again, with obvious urgency

Ethan cursed, released lanced back

I instantly went on alert "Who knoe’re here?"

"No one in the state, as far as I’m aware, other than Nessa and her husband"

Nessa McKenzie was our host, the owner of Ravenswood and its acco main house, the leviathan that lurked down the wooded path

I followed Ethan to the door, waited beside him as he checked the security peep and pulled it open without a word

She stood in the doorway, a vampire in the form of a voluptuous brunette

Her hair, a dark mane of curls, pitched forward over one shoulder Her eyes were big and brown, and streaks of blood stained her hands and her dress

"Nessa," Ethan said, with obvious surprise and concern as he looked her over "What’s happened?"

"It’s Taran," she said, her eyes filling with tears "He’s dead"

2

"Coently into the foyer, and closed the door again