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Chapter 12

I was headed toward the front of the bar when I caught a hint of cigarette se, especially around here, but the scent was hot, acrid - fresh So or two

Why I decided to follow that smell I have no idea Call it a hunch I hear soht

Retracing my steps, I strolled past the staircase that led up tofrom behind a shed halfway between the bar and the shack where Damien lived

I followed hts didn't penetrate here, instead throwing their false sunshine over the roof and into the trees Behind the shed, the air was cool, damp

Here darkness reigned, the only light a flicker of silver that filtered through the branches and the tiny glowing circle of red at the end of Daarette

He leaned against the shed, head thrown back, lips pursed to take a long drag As he exhaled, his eyes closed in bliss I took a single step of retreat,to sneak away before I disturbed him

"Don't go," he whispered

I hesitated I shouldn't be alone with Das fro But in the end I stayed Because I couldn't o

"I didn't know you smoked"

I inched closer, sniffed the air, savored the aroma Once I'd partaken of nearly every vice - alcohol, tobacco, drugs Anything to takeme closer to my loved ones, closer to death Then Edward had showed ive up all the things that made me less than aware

But I arettes in particular I understood why people couldn't quit The habit both cal, the nicotine sti

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me," Damien said

"Wanna share some?"

He lifted his hand to hisat the filter, before he closed his lips around the tip A trickle of awareness passed over oose bumps on my forearms

Da with him - in, out - the effect just wasn't the same

"No," he said

It tookhis secrets As if I'd expected him to say yes

I was drawn to both hiinning to wonder if he owned anything else

Smooth pale skin flashed between the open buttons of his shirt as he shifted inI wanted to put htened ht s will kill you"

"I can only hope"

His words jerked arette to his face, which remained as unreadable as ever "What's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged and took another long pull, letting the smoke trail out his nose as he spoke "In ht than by cancer"

"And you'd prefer cancer?"

"Ever been stabbed? I wouldn't recommend it"

His honesty left me speechless Despite my violent profession, I was an upper- stabbed in a bar fight was beyondbitten by a as another story

"You could try a different line of work," I suggested

His lips curved, but he didn't bother to answer I had the feeling he thought et another job, he would So what kept an attractive, reasonably intelligent man in a dead-end occupation?

If I didn't know better, I'd think he was a olf Many of them were drifters orked at odd jobs for cash It was easier that way No record of where you'd been when a bunch of people turned up dead

There was also the added proble wasn't kosher when someone who looked twenty years old possessed the same Social Security number as a person born in 1925

Whenever I hunted a new city, I checked out the occupations where being paid in cash was a co, construction

Of course there were those who found a way around this proble false identities, or hacking into government files When you lived forever, you had a lot of time to practice useful skills

Daarette from the butt of the first and continued to smoke with barely a hitch in the process

"Are you on break or so?" I asked

"So"

Well, that was enlightening

"Do you - uh - work every night?"

"Pretty much"

"There's no other bartender?"

"There was, but she took off"

"When?"

"The night you showed up That hy I was getting dressed so late for work Sue didn't come in No one's seen her since"

Uh-oh I had a feeling I knehat had happened to Sue Na and probably ever would

"She worked nights, too?"

A pertinent question Werewolves had to hunt It was their nature They couldn't go indefinitely without a kill Like the Weendigo, they craved human flesh

In opposition to popular e beneath the ht of the full hts were busy for me and mine

"We switched off," Damien continued "Neither one of us liked to work the same shift all the time"

Interesting Most people preferred to stick to a schedule I know I did

"Nohat'll you do?" I asked

"Hire someone new Maybe Cowboy He's in here all the time anyway"

I saw an opportunity and I took it "Cowboy's from here?"

Dalance "No one's from here Except some of the Indians"

"No one?"

"Not that I know of People who are born here can't wait to get out People who visit can't wait to ure"