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His voice was a raspy whisper, but the words made me almost smile. Almost.
“You want to sign on for this kind of pain on a regular basis?”
“Hell, yeah.” Breathy but firm.
I shook my head sardonically. “Then congratulations, Tate. You’re the first team member.” I stood and turned to Don.
“Get a nurse and have them take some blood from me. At least a pint. Have them transfuse it to Tate.”
Don gave me a wondering squint. “You don’t even know if you’re his type. You have to be cross-matched.”
That made me laugh. “I’m everyone’s type. Half vampire and topped off with extra-aged nosferatu. The additional strength will be out of my system in the next couple days, so I suggest you use it while it’s still effective. Here’s Lesson One in the class of I Know More Than You Know-vampire blood heals. He’ll be on his feet by the end of tomorrow. We need to start training right away. We have a lot of work to do.”
I rolled up my sleeve as Don pressed for the medical attendant.
“What else are you going to tell me that I don’t know?” he asked.
My eyes flashed their emerald glow at him and he gasped as their light settled on his face.
“You can’t even imagine…”
Later, when my mother and I were stationed at a military facility, I allowed myself to think about Bones. He would have gotten back to Rodney’s hours ago and seen the note I’d left him. In brief terms, I’d tried to explain how I couldn’t let more blood of those I loved stain my hands. No matter how cleverly he managed things, sooner or later the government would catch up with us. Or one of the vampires who’d gotten away would find us. Or my mother would ruin things between us with her hatred and inevitable attempts to run off. Or time would be our enemy as I aged and he didn’t. We had to play the hand we were dealt, all of us. Fighting the battles we could win.
And yet when I finally drifted off, in that barely conscious state where logic was absent and dreams encroached, I could almost hear Bones’s voice. He was whispering that same promise he’d made to me months ago when our relationship started, and I wondered if it was a sign-and if he’d really meant it.
If you run from me, I’ll chase you. And I’ll find you…
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First, I must thank God, for giving me my twisted sense of imagination and humor. Since I had both as far back as I can remember, I know I can’t blame anyone else.
My deepest appreciation goes to my amazing agent, Rachel Vater, who read a very raw manuscript and said, “This is good. Now make it better.” Without her tireless efforts and encouragement, my novel never would have seen the light of day.
Further gratitude goes to my editor, Erika Tsang, whose incredible enthusiasm and support made it possible for there to be an Acknowledgments page to begin with. Thank you so much, Erika. You made a dream of mine come true.
My heartfelt thanks go out to my family, for being such a big part of my life. Last but most important, I am grateful to my husband, for more things than I have room here to list.
About the Author
JEANIENE FROST lives with her husband and their very spoiled dog in Florida. Although not a vampire herself, she confesses to having pale skin, wearing a lot of black, and sleeping in late whenever possible. And while she can’t see ghosts, she loves to walk through old cemeteries. Jeaniene also loves poetry and animals, but fears children and hates to cook. She is currently at work on her next paranormal novel.
To know more about Jeaniene, please visit her website at www.jeanienefrost.com.
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