Chapter one
Sly Flores overheard an argument coming from a nearby alley. His inner vigilante vampire paid attention. Creeping closer, but using the long shadows to hide his presence, he watched and listened.
“You take that back!”
“Fuck you, I will not.”
Sly crept closer to get a better look at the “happy couple”. The guy wore a leather coat and expensive sneakers. A hat created shadows that obscured his facial features.
A roar then a scuffle ensued. Sly wasn’t sure who threw the first punch, but it didn’t matter. The woman was taking a brutal beating. He didn’t care what she said or did…nobodydeserved that.
She fell and the man kicked her. Just as he was about to kick her a second time, Sly’s fangs extended, and he flew out from his hiding place. He grabbed the guy by his leather collar and lunged for the thick neck in front of him.
Instead of sinking his fangs into the brute’s carotid artery, he encountered something rock hard and unyielding. He tried topull back, but his fang was caught. He tried to retract them, but something cold and hard hit his gums first.
The woman shrieked.
He shoved the guy with all his might. Something popped and fell to the ground, making a ching noise. The jerk stumbled several feet away before catching himself.
Searing pain hit Sly’s gums like a hot poker used as a dental tool!Shit! Ow, dammit!He’d never experienced this kind of pain—even the time he was caught in the sun. Fortunately, his friend Konrad threw his big coat over him just before he thought he might burst into flames.
As he held his jaw and hopped around, the couple recovered from their shock and took off. They charged down the alley to the main street.
Ordinarily, when hurt, his incredible healing powers took over and whatever was wounded would be on the mend by now. Why wasn’t the pain stopping?
Sly stooped to pick up the item that had fallen. A thick neck-chain draped over his hand. It looked gold on the outside, but where the links joined, he saw something white glinting through.
Silver!
The enemy of every vampire he’d ever heard of. Dracula himself probably couldn’t escape its blistering damage. Sly fell to the pavement, curled into a fetal position, and rolled back and forth.
Just my luck to get a brute whose bling was a knock off.
Morgaine opened her door the moment Sly knocked. She might have been standing there having sensed someone coming to see her. Psychics were fun that way.
“Hi Morgaine, uh…”
His throbbing fang distracted him so much, he hadn’t looked up to see her face yet. When he did, he was met with an intriguing surprise. The woman he thought would be dressed in black with long, black hair, wearing heavy black eye makeup and red lipstick almost looked like a different person. He had to blink and look again to be sure it was indeed the witch he was looking for.
She smiled. Her face seemed softer with glowing skin, pink lips and golden hair falling around her shoulders. Her dress was a dark shade of purple. Maybe something called plumb.
A few moments passed before he realized he hadn’t finished his sentence and was staring at her.
“Sly? Is there something I can do for you?”
He recovered and said, “Uh, yeah. There ith. Can I come in?”
She tipped her head. “I invited you in years ago, didn’t I?”
“Yeth. But if you’d rather not—”
“Don’t be silly. Of course you can come in. I was just wondering if you thought vampires needed to be invited in again after a certain amount of time passed.”
“Like an ecthperathion date? No. Even if there wath one, I’d knock and athk. I’m not rude, you know.”
Her lips twitched in a smirk. He realized, she’d noticed his lisp, and she was trying not to be rude too.
“I know that. Please come in.” She stepped aside.
