Page 2 of Bloodhunter

When she sagged against her car, he held her thereeffortlessly, and put his face level with hers. “I am dying.” And in his eyeswas such agony and hopelessness that she had to look away.

“What can I do?” Her words came out thick and garbled. “Ican’t…” She realized her palms were against his cold, hard chest, bloodless anddry and dead like the cat she’d been given in anatomy class to dissect. Shesnatched her hands off his body and rubbed them on her coat. “I mean…”

The vampire slid to the ground, his head hitting the carwith a painful-sounding thump.

She should have bolted. She knew she should have. But she’dalways been a soft touch, a romantic, a bleeding heart. And she wanted to saveher very first vampire.

He was a vampire, and he was asking her for help.

It wasn’thisfault he wasn’t human.

She didn’t like seeing anyone mistreated or in pain—not evenvampires, apparently.

As injured as he was, he’d be almost human slow. Human sick.He couldn’t hurt her.

His damage was too severe.

He sat on the cold, wet pavement, and for a brief second, thelight blinked and went out of his dark eyes. Then it was back, dimly, and hesmiled. “Shall I live, or shall I die?”

Her choice. Her decision.

Or maybe he wasn’t even asking her. Maybe he was askinghimself.

She pulled away from him, and he didn’t try to stop her. Hedropped his head and sighed, his hand to his chest.

She shut off the engine, then slammed the door shut, herheart hammering. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket.

Maybe she should have rushed back into her sister’s house,called the police, and watched from behind the safety of the window glass as hewas hauled away.

But she didn’t. “Linda,” she said, urgently, when her sisteranswered. “I need help.”

Immediate panic lit her sister’s voice. “What’s wrong? Whereare you?”

“I’m outside. There’s a…a very injured vampire at my car. Heneeds our help.”

“Oh my God,” Linda cried, and in the next second, she andeveryone else in the house came pouring through the doorway.

“Trin,” Linda yelled. “Trin!”

“I’m here.” Trinity let her coat slide from her shouldersand handed it to the vampire. “Put this on. We’ll help you.”

She caught sight of her sister’s pale face and wide eyes asher family, stuffed full of Thanksgiving food, milled around her and the downedvampire.

“Linda!” Trinity reached for her sister. “We need help.”

Linda held out her hands but didn’t move forward. “Oh myGod, Trin! What’s happening?”

“He’s…” Trinity gestured helplessly at the vampire. “He’sbadly hurt.”

They all stood frozen, for one heartbeat, then Derek yankedhis cell from his pocket. “Chad, get my gun. Bedroom closet. Top shelf. I’mcalling the cops.”

“No,” she cried. “You can’t.”

Derek narrowed his eyes. “Why not, Trin?”

“They’llkillhim. You know they will. He’s tooinjured to hurt anyone. We have to help him.”

The vampire shivered, clutched his stomach, and then a low,tormented growl slid past his cracked lips.