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asked to in exchange
for a chance at immortality.” The words left a sour taste. It
wasn’t a subject he liked to talk about. He wasn’t proud of some of
the promises he’d made when the gnawing hunger robbed him of his
reasoning ability. He’d learned his lesson well--never go too long
without feeding--never to act human for so long that he forgot what
he was.
    “You think she’s selling her soul?” Her
pretty voice became a croak. The smell of fear momentarily
overpowered her enticing scent.
    “I hope we can get to her before that
happens. But I want to warn you, you’re going to see things you
won’t like, and if you want to get inside, you’ve got to pretend it
doesn’t bother you. Are you willing to do that? If not, I will take
you home right now, and I’ll conduct the investigation by myself
... which is how I’d prefer to do it anyway.”
    “No.”
    He tapped the break pedal. Was she really
smart enough to back off now while she still could?
    “No?”
    “No. I’m going to find Elena. I’ll do what I
have to. I can’t let her turn herself into a vampire.”
    Max laughed, but there was no humor in it.
“It takes two to make a vampire.”
    “Whatever. Look, it’s not something I like to
talk about, but Elena drinks too much. She does drugs sometimes.
She likes men who mistreat her. In my opinion, all those things can
be cured--with the right kind of help. But there’s no cure for
‘vampire’ .... right?”
    He smirked. He’d looked for one, in the
beginning, when he thought he’d go mad from the craving for blood.
“None that I know of. Except for death. That cures the condition
pretty quickly.”
    “Then I’ve got to stop her. Even if it’s what
she thinks she wants.”
    “All right. Then you have to do exactly as I
say when we’re inside. Do you understand?”
    She nodded and he just knew she didn’t
understand. Not completely. They were going to hit a rocky road. It
was just a matter of time.
     
    * * * *
     
    Erica shivered as she got out of Max’s car.
She already didn’t like the way things were going, but she didn’t
see a choice but to go along with him. The things he’d told her to
expect inside Club Dead made her skin crawl just a little. The last
thing Erica had the stomach for was anything deviant. Elena had
told her stories about aberrant human behavior that still kept her
awake some nights. She couldn’t imagine what a glimpse of vampire
life would do to her, but she couldn’t back out now.
    She waited while Max came around the car. He
took her hand and pulled her toward the side of the building,
which, from the outside, looked very similar to After Dark. The
place was nondescript with darkened windows and no glowing marquis
like human clubs boasted. She didn’t hear any music coming from
within this time, which surprised her. She expected the place to be
loud and obnoxious just like After Dark.
    “Don’t we get to go in the front this time?”
she asked as he herded her around the corner of the building.
Another car pulled into the parking lot just then and Hart shielded
her from view, stopping in front of her.
    She looked up into his face and stifled a
scream. His fangs were showing.
    “What the--”
    “I promise it won’t hurt.”
    He pulled her to him in a swift movement that
caught her off balance. She stumbled forward, putting her hands up
against his chest to brace herself. She struggled against his iron
grip as his arms came around her and trapped her against him. Fear
stole her breath, and the bloodcurdling scream she planned came out
as an impotent squeak.
    Her knees buckled when the needle sharp
points of his incisors pierced her neck.
    But it didn’t hurt.
    When he set her back on her feet, she wobbled
a little and he steadied her. “I’m sorry about that.”
    “What did you--” She swiped her hand over the
spot, still oddly warm from the pressure of his lips. Bright red
blood covered her fingers.
    “I marked you as mine.”
    The words sent a