"Don't worry. He'll mess with their memories a bit, but they'll all be fine, even that nasty police detective—or at least as fine as he ever gets. Raj just doesn't want anyone to remember a bunch of vampires arriving en masse to save your cute little ass."

Sarah blushed. “I don't care what he does to them. I hate those people."

Emelie gave her a longer look. “Is there somewhere you'd rather go? Family maybe?"

Sarah stared out the window and shook her head. “No. No family."

"What about your parents, or your brothers?"

Sarah turned and gave Emelie a flat stare. “You checked me out."

Emelie nodded easily, no embarrassment, no apology. “It wasn't easy, if that's any consolation,” she offered.

Sarah took a deep breath and let it out. “It doesn't matter anymore, does it?” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “They all know who I am now. I'll have to start all over again."

"Raj could help you with that. The vampire community has resources."

Sarah laughed bitterly. “I don't think Raj would give me the time of day unless he had to."

Emelie gave her a puzzled look. “He rode to your rescue today, didn't he?"

"Yeah,” Sarah admitted. “But only because he wants this case solved and I'm the best lead he's got. So far, anyway. I probably won't even be that for much longer."

Emelie startled her by reaching out to snap her fingers in front of Sarah's face. When she recoiled, Emelie said, “Huh. Well, you're not blind, so the only alternative is stupid."

"Excuse me?"

"Raj is crazy about you, little human."

"Raj hates my guts, skinny vampire."

Emelie laughed. “Skinny vampire,” she repeated. “Awkward, but accurate. So tell me, Sarah,” she said deliberately. “What exactly did you do to my master to turn him around the way you have? He's been a bitch to get along with the last few days and I think it's your fault."

Sarah met Emelie's certain gaze and turned away, unwilling to admit what she'd done.

"Oh, come on, Sarah. We're going to be spending a lot of time together for a couple of days. It'll be more fun if we can talk girl talk—you know, guys, makeup, hair, shit like that."

It was Sarah's turn to laugh at the idea of Emelie being interested in girl talk. “What did Raj tell you?” she asked.

"You may not have noticed, Sarah, but Raj can do a fair imitation of the Sphinx when he wants to. He hasn't told me shit. And that's saying something, because Raj tells me pretty much everything. He's my Sire and that makes him pretty damn important, but he's also my best friend. He was the first person ever to see me as something other than what he needed me to be. I would die at his command without hesitation and I will kill anyone who harms him."

"Oh."

Emelie grinned. “Don't worry, that wasn't a threat. Raj'd kill me if I harmed a hair on your pretty head. But I'm thinking whatever you did had to be something bad because that vamp is crazy about you."

Sarah sighed. “Did Raj tell you we went over to the university the other night and talked to Jennifer Stewart? Trish's roommate?"

"Yes. We've been doing the three dollar tour of Buffalo blood houses the last couple of nights because of it."

Sarah blinked in surprise. Raj had been continuing the investigation without her? It was stupid, but she was sort of hurt to discover that.

"And?” Emelie said impatiently.

Sarah cringed. She had a pretty good idea of what Emelie's reaction would be to what she was about to say.

"I don't know anything about how you all do stuff. I mean, I know you can make the act of drinking blood feel really good—not that I've ever done that."

Emelie hooted loudly, obviously amused by Sarah's inexperience.

Sarah scowled at her and continued. “Apparently Raj was talking to Jennifer, um, in her head, I guess you'd say. You know, telepathically or however you do it. I think he only had her talk out loud eventually so I could hear, but I didn't figure that out until later. I didn't know then what was going on."

Emelie's face grew solemn. “What did you say to him?” she asked, her eyes suddenly dark with accusation.

"I told him what he'd done was the same as rape,” Sarah said in a small voice. “That he'd raped Jen's mind instead of her body."

Emelie closed her eyes briefly, as if in pain, shaking her head slightly. “You and I have to talk,” she said somberly. But then she lapsed into silence, making a left turn down a long, dark street, eventually pulling up in front of the same abandoned-looking warehouse where Sarah and Raj had stopped what seemed like a lifetime ago. Back when he'd still liked her.

Sarah sighed as Emelie drove past the office door, stopping instead in front of one of the three big loading bay doors. Jamming the car into park, she reached over to the back seat and dug into a black canvas duffle bag, emerging with what looked like a heavy-duty garage door opener. Point and click, and the left-most door rolled up on nearly silent tracks. Emelie dropped the remote into her lap and drove the car inside, clicking it again to close the door behind them as soon as they were clear.

"Home sweet home,” Emelie announced and turned off the engine.

"What is this place?” Sarah asked, staring through the window.

"This, my dear, is why Raj is going to be the next Vampire Lord of the Northeast. Raw power is good and he's got lots of that, but it's brains that makes the difference, and Raj is a fucking genius when it comes to strategic planning. He bought this place years ago in anticipation of this day."

Sarah gave her a skeptical glance. “This day?” Either Emelie was talking about something other than her own predicament, or Raj was more than a strategic genius, he was a damn fortune teller.

Emelie laughed as she swung the car door open and climbed out. She grabbed the duffle from the back and said, “There's a lot more to this day than you realize, little human. One hell of a lot more."

"Tell me something I don't know,” Sarah snapped back.

"How much time do you have?"

Sarah swung around. “What?"

"You said tell you something you don't know. Well, how much time do you have?"

"Har, har.” Sarah watched enviously as Emelie strode away from her. She looked like a model on a runway despite the heavy bag thrown over one shoulder and the functional black combat gear she wore. Or maybe because of it. The contrast only accentuated her very feminine appeal. As if aware Sarah was watching her, she turned around and walked backward for a few steps, grinning. “Come on, Sarah. I've got a story to tell you and I'm going to need a drink first."

"A drink? But—"

"Don't be such a wuss.” Emelie dropped her bag near a pile of similar gear and sauntered back to hook Sarah's arm, leading her across the large, empty space toward some sort of living room in the corner. Since Emelie was as strong as any other vampire, Sarah had a choice between going along or being dragged like a rag doll. She went along.

They crossed into the faux living area which was about the size of Sarah's entire first floor. It was defined by a thick-pile carpet, or maybe just a really big throw rug. Several couches and chairs were scattered at odd angles, although every one of them was turned toward a wide-screen display worthy of a private theater and complete with a dizzying variety of electronic devices. Emelie dropped Sarah's arm and walked over to a bar which stood along one wall, with several rows of bottles lined up on a counter behind it. Emelie grabbed one of the bottles and poured herself a shot of some clear liquid. She offered the bottle to Sarah who shook her head.

"Raj got me hooked on vodka decades ago,” Emelie said. “When it was still only commies who drank it.” She laughed at her own joke and threw the shot of liquor down her throat. Sarah almost coughed in sympathy, but Emelie didn't seem at all bothered by the alcohol. “Tastes better with blood in it, but I don't want to sully your innocent sensibilities.” She winked at Sarah and poured herself another shot, downing it the same way.

"Okay,” she said, drawing a deep breath and letting it out, as if reaching some momentous decision. Hands resting on narrow hips, she gave Sarah a speculative look. “Have a seat, Sarah. I'm going to tell you a story. It's one that very few people know—in fact, only two people in the world know it, and that includes me."

"Uh, I'm not sure—"

"Oh, pooh. You're a scholar, right? Where's your curiosity? You're about to hear how I became a vampire."

Chapter Thirty-four

Em poured another shot, swallowing it quickly. “I was gang raped.” She glared at Sarah, as if daring her to comment. When Sarah said nothing, she continued. “The circumstances don't matter. Let's just say I was more attracted to the cook's daughter than the young men who called at my parents’ house to play suitor, and I did something stupid trying to make up for it.

"Raj found me while . . . Anyway, he pulled some of them off me, scared the rest away. I don't remember much about that part. I don't really try very hard. But I remember afterward. He took me back to his lair. It wasn't fancy, but it was safe."

She leaned back against the bar, a half smile on her face. “I know what you're thinking. He's a vampire, right? A sensible girl would have run from him screaming. But I knew who the real monsters were and it wasn't the nice vampire offering me some hot soup."

Rubbing her hands up and down her arms, as if suddenly cold, she walked over to one of the couches, picked up someone's discarded jacket and slipped it on. “The true monsters were altogether human. Those men could have been my cousins or uncles. Hell, for all I know, some of them were. I was beaten and raped nearly to death. She stared down at the floor, her face blank of any emotion. “Stupid,” she said at last, then drew a deep breath and met Sarah's gaze.