Just as the sun set, Avery caught a bus to the other side of town and exited into a neighborhood she’d rather avoid. Taking a deep breath, she glanced around at the addresses of the old homes, then checked the paper again. She realized she’d probably be searching for another house that had been divided into apartments.

She’d spent the daylight hours in Victoria’s apartment eating string cheese while waiting for the vampire to rise from her slumber. Avery had also swallowed her anxiety and gone to the grocery store after raiding Victoria’s savings jar located in a kitchen cupboard.

While there, she’d bought a mix of herbs and spices that would harm vampires if it made contact with their skin. The recipe was a secret among vampires—one they liked to keep to themselves. Victoria had told her about it when it became apparent that they were becoming fast friends. With vampires loving Fae blood, Victoria had wanted her to be able to protect herself at any time. When they’d first had the discussion, more than a year ago, Avery had rolled her eyes, thinking it silly. However, now she was glad Victoria had given up the secret, and that she’d actually remembered the recipe. A concoction of garlic, cumin, turmeric, pepper and ground mustard seed sat in the pocket of her sweatshirt in a plastic bag. If need be, she’d use it and her Fae power to fight off the vampire she was visiting tonight.

Striding down the sidewalk toward the location, she walked quickly, but not fast enough to draw attention. The crowd was a mix of some who had gotten off work late, and others heading out for the evening. The streets were busy, and it helped her feel safe as her presence was swallowed up in the numbers.

When Avery arrived at the destination, she stood out in front of the building and studied it for a moment. She couldn’t imagine a bloodsucker living in one of the apartments with oversized, picturesque windows. Even if he had covered them with foil, it would still be dangerous for a vampire during daylight hours.

Somewhere, there had to be a basement apartment.

She walked around the side of the house and followed a path leading to stairs and down to a door.

Taking a deep breath, she twisted a lock of her hair and tried to calm her nerves. Her stomach snarled, but she didn’t know if that was from all the string cheese she’d eaten, or her anxiety.

She followed the path and knocked on the door. The sun had fully set, so if the vampire was home, he shouldn’t have any issues answering—unless he was simply antisocial and didn’t like unannounced visitors. She couldn’t blame him for that. More than one time recently, she’d not answered her own door simply because she didn’t want to get off the couch.

When she knocked, the door opened slowly, and before her stood a tall, thin, incredibly handsome man wearing sky-blue medical scrubs that matched his eyes. His dark hair had been combed back and appeared wet, as if he’d just stepped from a shower.

Vampires and shifters. Why are they always so beautiful?

His gaze raked over her, and he smiled.

“Can I help you?”

Her hands began to shake, and she worried he would overpower her. Yes, he was nice to stare at, but he could also destroy her in a heartbeat.

She stuck a sweaty hand into her jacket pocket and opened the plastic bag, keeping a pinch of the poison concoction between her forefinger and her thumb.

“I’m looking for Everett Johnson,” she said, trying to keep the nervous tremble out of her voice.

He raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest as if intrigued.

“That’s me. What can I do for you?”

“I was hoping to talk to you about a personal matter.”

“Well, I’m on my way to work, but I can spare a minute or two. Would you prefer to come inside?”

“No, I think we’re fine out here.”

She wasn’t about to go into his apartment, especially once he finally figured out she was Fae.

He furrowed his brow. “Okay, then what can I do for you?”

She took a deep breath but noticed the sudden change in his demeanor. His pupils dilated as his fangs elongated. She took a step back, ready to run up the stairs.

“You’re a Fae,” he whispered. That didn’t take long, of course.

He didn’t wait for an answer but grabbed her by the shoulders and hauled her into the apartment, slamming the door, before she could even think about an escape plan.

She swallowed back a scream and wrenched away from his hold, scrambling to put the black leather couch between them. Sweat broke out on her brow as she studied him. It was as if the scent of her blood had made him lose his mind. He glared at her, the blue of his eyes now black, saliva actually dripping from his chin. Coming there had been just another bad idea in a long string of them lately.

How can I get out of this alive?

Extending her hand, she used magic to slam the lamp from the side table into his face. The base shattered but didn’t seem to faze him. He kept coming at her, and she continued to slide away, keeping the sofa between them.

He leapt over the couch and landed on the coffee table. She swore as it shattered under his weight, and she ran into the kitchen.

The walls of the apartment seemed to be closing in on her, causing her throat to constrict. She could barely breathe.

She used her power to fling a chair at him. This time it stunned him for a moment, and he stumbled backward. If she were to use the concoction in her pocket, she had to let him get close. However, he could overpower her within seconds, so it would have to be timed just right.

Everett Johnson shook his head for a moment as a growl escaped his lips, but he charged after her once again. She felt like a lamb about to be slaughtered.

Cornered, she backed up farther into the kitchen and found herself trapped between him and the stove. She reached into her sweatshirt pocket and palmed a handful of the spices in the bag.

Her breath heaved in and out, and she wanted to vomit, fear making her stomach curl. The vampire eased toward her slowly, the front of his shirt now wet from his own saliva. She noticed a slight gash in his forehead from where the lamp had slammed into him. It was already healing.

When he was about two feet away, she pulled her hand from her sweatshirt and prayed the spice mix would work. If not, she was dead.

She threw a handful at him, then blew the remnants off her palm in his direction.

At first, nothing happened, and she held her breath as her life passed before her eyes. She would be remembered as the loser Fae who’d tried to find her mother’s murderer, but instead, ended up dead at the hands of a vampire, the very species she should have avoided.

His hand gripped her shoulder, and she closed her eyes and raised her arms to block his mouth from making contact with her throat. The panic had overwhelmed her, and she couldn’t concentrate enough to use her magic.

A moment later, a hissing sound met her ears, and Everett let her go. He grunted, and she turned to see what had happened.

Narrow puffs of steam rose from his exposed skin, and he smacked his arms, as if trying to put out a fire.

“What did you do?” he screamed.

Small blisters had popped up on his face and arms but began to heal almost as soon as they’d appeared.

It had worked!

Avery didn’t want to hurt him. She just needed him to concentrate on something other than the smell of her blood. His fangs retracted, and his eyes now widened with fear.

“You’re already healing,” she said as she held her hands out in front of her, her nervousness subsiding. She glanced around the room searching for something she could slam into him if it became necessary. The open cupboard filled with coffee cups was an option. Hopefully, they would make great projectile weapons, if need be.

“I just want to talk to you without being sucked dry. Can we do that?”

Johnson kept stepping away from her, then backed into the kitchen table. He rubbed his arms again, his brow furrowing in confusion.

“What do you want?” he shrieked.

She pulled out the piece of paper and approached him, holding it up in front of his face. “Your name is on this paper with a note that says, ‘crimes against humans or other paranormal entities.’ I want to know what you did.”

He sighed and studied his flesh. The blisters were healing nicely, and she hoped he didn’t slip back into bloodlust.

“That was more than a year ago,” he said, his voice full of indignation. “Who are you, anyway?”

She ignored his question and shook the paper at him again. “What happened? Did you go to Spectral Prison? Human jail?”

He crossed both arms over his chest and lifted his chin defiantly. “I’m not proud of what I did, of what I was at that time.”

She sighed, wanting to throttle him. Why won’t he just answer the damned question? “What was your crime, Everett?” she asked, her tone barely short of rage.

She heard the desperation in her voice. What if he was her guy? What would her next step be if he was a killer? How would she prove he’d murdered her mother?

His shoulders slumped. He exhaled but didn’t meet her gaze. “I used to work in a pediatric hospital… the night shift, of course. A nurse caught me feeding from the patients.”

Yuck.

“I never killed anyone. I never even hurt anyone. I always put them into a trance before I drank from them and always erased their memories.”

“I just… I just love the taste of young blood, but my actions could have led to the humans finding out about the paranormal entities living among them. I did go to prison for a short time, but I was then told to find a new job, one that didn’t involve working with children, or I would serve more time, which I didn’t want to do. Spectral Prison is not a nice place.”

She glanced at his uniform again. “If you were relieved of duty, then why are you heading out to work wearing scrubs?”

“It’s a long story, but I now work at a nursing home. I’ve found that old blood does not entice me. I don’t have the urges I did at the hospital.”

Her shoulder’s sagged. This wasn’t her guy. Her gut told her Everett was relatively harmless, as far as vampires went. His attack on her had been outside his control—Fae bloodlust taking over and overwhelming good sense.

All of his blisters had just about healed, as had the gash on his head. Avery felt an urgency to leave in case his desire to rip her throat out returned. She might not be so lucky if he attacked her again.

“Thanks, Everett,” she said, sliding by him toward the front door. She didn’t dare take her eyes off him.

“That’s it? That’s what you wanted to talk about?”

She nodded as she placed a hand on the doorknob.

“You never told me who you work for, or why you want to know about my past,” he said. “You never even told me how you got that information. I don’t want that stuff to get out. Like I said, I’m not proud of my actions.”

She didn’t know whether to lie, or just play it cool. What she could do was reassure him that she had no intention of spreading the word about his past, nor did she even care about it. “No worries, Everett. Your secret’s safe with me.”

After slipping out the door, she ran up the sidewalk leading to his apartment, then down the street.

Peeking over her shoulder, she didn’t see Everett anywhere. Avery slowed as she caught her breath.

She pulled out the paper and studied the next address. She’d already had one vampire want to suck her dry, but did she have the energy to meet up with another one tonight?