“Please!” I begged as the vampire continued to suck at my arm. “Please let me go! You can have whatever you want! This necklace is worth at least ten-thousand dollars…”

But I might as well have been arguing with a wall. He didn’t want a necklace. He wanted my blood. And it seemed there was nothing I could bargain with that would take that want away.

How ironic, I thought as my head began to spin. I was already starting to weaken thanks to the blood loss and I wondered how long I would be able to stay standing. I made my fortune off writing vampires. Now I would die with a purse full of money—and not a drop of blood left.

My knees buckled, giving out from under me. I dropped to the ground, tears streaming down my cheeks. The light around me seemed to be fading and I was starting to feel so tired. I just wanted to fall asleep and—

“Hannah!”

The club door flew open again and I vaguely heard a voice calling out my name. I looked up, the landscape swimming before my eyes. It took me a moment to register who it was.

Logan.

He looked down, taking one moment to assess the scene. Then he grabbed the vampire, ripping him off of me. Blood splattered onto the pavement and onto my dress, but I barely noticed as I watched Logan slam the vampire against the wall. The creature snarled at him, revealing his fangs, still dripping with my blood. But Logan held him by the neck, his eyes flashing fire and his own fangs bared.

He turned to me. “Run, Hannah. Get to the limo. Quickly!”

I did my best to nod, to let him know I understood. I couldn’t even speak at this point, it felt like too much effort and I felt too weak to do much more than crawl. My mind was spinning, my head aching, but I forced myself to focus on the task in front of me. To get to the limo. To get away.

At last I managed to rise to my feet, using the wall for support. Behind me I could still hear the two vampires fighting, but I forced myself not to turn around. Instead, I limped toward the exit, focusing on freedom shining from a street lamp—literally the light at the end of a tunnel.

I almost made it. But then something compelled me to turn around. To see how the fight was going. If Logan had beaten the other vampire yet. To my dismay I saw just the opposite. The vampire had Logan on the ground and was slamming his beautiful face in with his fist.

Shit.

I bit my lower lip, my mind racing with fear. If he killed Logan—or even knocked him out—he’d be coming after me next. He’d finish me off for good.

I should run. I should get into the limo before that happened. Speed away.

But then... Logan had saved my life. How could I just turn my back on him. Let him die. That would be selfish. Cruel. Though, on the other hand, what could I possibly do to help? Little old me was not going to even make a dent in Big Vampire Baddie.

Unless…

Suddenly, an idea struck me like a jolt of lightning. The rosary beads! The ones the fan had given me at my last signing. Darla had put them in my purse. They were probably still there. Could they help somehow? They always seemed to work in the movies…

I made the decision before I even realized I was making it. Reaching into my bag, I grabbed the beads in my fist. Then, channeling all my remaining strength I rushed at the two vampires. Logan was still on the ground and the other vampire was trying to slash his neck with his fangs. Thankfully he was so engrossed in doing so he didn’t see me.

“Take that, you asshole!” I cried, pressing the cross against his left cheek.

“ARRRRR!”

The vampire howled, jerking his head. I watched in fascinated horror as his skin seemed to sizzle where the cross had touched it. His flesh burning up. His hands dropped from Logan’s neck and flew to his face.

Which was all the advantage Logan needed. He flipped the man over, grabbing an abandoned piece of rebar in his hand. He raised it up, then let it come down. Staking the vampire through the heart.

The vampire burst into a pile of dust. Like literally exploded before my eyes. Just like in the movies. But in real life.

I screamed, dropping to my knees again. The rosary beads slipped from my hands and fell to the ground.

“Oh my God,” I cried. “Oh my GOD!”

Logan turned to me. His face was ashen and his clothes filthy. “We need to get out of here,” he said, his voice hoarse and scratchy. “His friends won’t be far behind.”

I nodded, unable to speak. Logan stalked over to me, grabbing me and lifting me into his arms, as if I weighed nothing at all. Then, to my shock, he bent his knees, then pushed off the ground, launching us into the air. A moment later we were twenty feet off the ground. Then thirty. Then…

We were flying. Legit vampire flying.

“You know,” I said, as my head started spinning again, darkness swimming before my eyes. I snuggled against his chest, breathing in his rich, deep scent. “If you really wanted to prove the whole vampire thing you might have just led with the fact that you can fly. Just saying…”

I could feel his smile against the top of my head. “I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” he said.

“Next time?” I started to ask. “You think you’re getting a second date?”

I passed out before I could hear his answer.