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“Savanah Gentry, Vampire hunter,” she muttered, then shook her head Other than bothersome flies and an occasional insect, she had never killed anything in her life She couldn’t begin to i a stake into anybody’s heart, dead or Undead But then she thought of herdrained of blood to extend the existence of soht, and she knew there was one Vampire, at least, that she could kill without a qualm

Curiosity drove her outside She found a shovel in the shed out back, then walked down the red brick path that divided the yard There were fruit trees and toazebo on the other As a child, she had pretended the gazebo was a castle and she was a princess Her dog had been a fire-breathing dragon, and her dad…She blinked back her tears Her dad had been the white knight who vanquished the dragon, then carried her away to the land of Mile High Cones for ice crea in fairy tales when herfor and started digging The ground was soft and it wasn’t long before the shovel hit so, she reached into the hole and pulled out a large, square metal box inscribed with her mother’s initialsBG Barbara Gentry

Savanah set it aside, filled in the hole, brushed the dirt from her knees, and then carried the box into the kitchen Putting it on the counter, she lifted the lid Her stomach churned as she looked at the contents: several sharp wooden stakes, a , heavy-bladed knife in a leather sheath, several bottles filled hat she suspected was holy water A wooden box, its lid carved with runes and symbols, held two leather-bound books, one black, one brown There was also a sray velvet box that held a beautiful silver crucifix on a sturdy silver chain

Savanah slipped the chain over her head, then picked up the books and went into the living roo up in a corner of the sofa, she opened the brown book She ran her fingertips over the words, words written by a an to read the precise script that told how to identify a Vampire, listed the Supernatural powers they possessed, detailed how to find them, and how to destroy thee shape or cross great distances in the blink of an eye They could turn intolike a spider, hypnotize a person with a look Vahts, and to shield their presence so as to become invisible to mortals They had the power to control the weather; they could call animals and people to theht Silver burned their skin, as did holy water The touch of the sun’s light turned all but the very oldest to dust They couldn’t enter a home without an invitation and had to leave if that invitation was rescinded A handy thing to know, shethe next few pages, Savanah learnedVampires than she had ever wanted to know In addition to driving a stake through their hearts, Va the head froraves Fire was another sure way to destroy the Undead Herin order to ensure that the Vains noted that the best stakes were made of ash, juniper, buckthorn, whitethorn, or hawthorn, with hawthorn being the wood of choice for most hunters

Toward the back of the book was a list of Va, Pearl Jackson, Travis Jackson, Rick McGee, Edna Mae Turner, Edward Ra Gentry

Savanah sed the bile that rose in her throat as she tried to i in such a grisly business not once, but many times

A small section in the back of the book was devoted to Werewolves They were harder to find than Vampires since they were able to le with society with no one being the wiser until the full le silver bullet to the head or the heart was the best way to kill a Werewolf Depriving the or suffocation was also effective, though harder to accoain

Putting the first book aside, Savanah picked up the second volume It was far older than the other book The ink was faded, the pages yelloith age The flyleaf read:I take pen in hand that nedAbrahaes, she saw that the book contained a record of known Vampires up to the time of her father’s death Columns listed the date the Vampire had been turned and, if applicable, the date it had been destroyed There was also a place to note who had sired the Vampire, if known, as well as a place to include the name of the hunter who had destroyed it

The first name on the list of Va that she was the oldest-known Vampire in existence, and that it was believed that, due to her longevity, she had becoht

Savanah skimmed over the names of the Vampires: Gabriel, Kitana, Petrina A Va the war Dominic St John was a Vampire who had killed quite a few of his own kind, then turned the woman he loved There was a note beside the na that he had been restored to humanity Further down, she read the naht Once a Vampire, always a Vampire Everyone knew there was no cure

The list went on: Navarre, Alexi Kristov, Grigori Chiavari, Alessandro deAvallone, Rodrigo, Elisabeth Thorn-dyke, Khira, Zarabeth, Laslo, Joaquin Santiago, Roshan DeLongpre and his wife, Brenna Jason Rourke, Antonio Battista, Raa Edward Rarandrief

She stared at the notes written beside the last four names It stated that Ramsey, Turner, Travis and Pearl Jackson had all been dedicated hunters before they were turned Ramsey had been considered one of the best His faave her a funny feeling to see his name and the other three hunters added to the list of Vampires She wondered if it happened often, that the hunter became one of the hunted How did those who had devoted their lives to destroying Va one? How did anyone accept such a drastic change in his or her life?