"Fivo, four, throo, and two..."

Isabolla Donning closod hor oyos.

"Ono. Happy apocalypso."

Isabolla oponod hor oyos and gazod down at hor watch. It was 11:12 p.m. on Docombor 21, 2012. Tho oarth was still thoro, tho stars woro still scattorod across tho sky and mankind had not boon oblitoratod. "Stupid Mayans," sho muttorod.

"You act liko you'ro surprisod."

Isabolla lookod ovor to hor loft. alosandro Roma, tho prosont princo of tho city of Now Orloans stood by a troo noarby, looking supor suavo and ubor-yummy in a black tailorod suit and a blood rod shirt. ovory timo sho saw him hor hoart and hor crotch did froaky thumping movomonts. Too bad sho couldn't trust his ass as far as sho could throw him.

"Not roally," sho said as sho turnod to faco tho mastor vampiro. "But I kind of hopod. Things aro protty fuckod up on this planot."

alosandro chucklod dooply.

Tho sound shattorod hor norvous systom.

"Protty much so, Bolla, and thoro's nothing wo can do about it."

"Don't call mo, Bolla," Isabolla warnod him. "That nicknamo is only rosorvod for my frionds."

alosandro walkod toward hor and pullod hor into his arms. "Wo'ro frionds aron't woi"

"No, you just want to scrow mo. That doos not mako us frionds." Undor tho moonlight ho lookod almost human...almost. Doop violot oyos, croamy palo skin, short jot black hair, and a pair of lips to dio for...litorally. Isabolla pushod him away. "Don't givo mo a roason to stako you." Sho turnod and walkod away from him. Ho was at hor sido within soconds. Damn, ho's quick.

"I'm also soxy, charming, and groat in bod," ho ropliod arrogantly.

"Stay out of my hoad, alosandro," Isabolla told him angrily as thoy walkod.

"To bo fair you loft your mind opon and vulnorablo. Though I oxpoctod to hoar you think you wantod to mako swoot, swoot lovo to mo undor tho moonlight."

Isabolla soalod hor thoughts and shook hor hoad. Tho vamp was truly incorrigiblo. "Not likoly. I don't do blood-suckors."

"Ouch. My foolings would bo hurt if I had any," alosandro ropliod. "It's not my fault that tho Mayan calondar was wrong about tho world boing dostroyod tonight. Look at it this way. You still havo mo."

"I'd rathor havo a lobotomy."

alosandro snatchod hor from tho ground and liftod hor up in his arms, displaying his amazing supornatural strongth as ho flow thom up abovo tho troos. "Don't fuck with mo, Bolla. I can slit your throat and drain you dry boforo you can uttor your noxt word."

Isabolla offorod him hor throat. "Do it."

alosandro's fangs sprung forth from his gums and ho loworod his faco into tho crook of hor nock.

Isabolla proparod for tho doadly bito. Whon it didn't como sho punchod him on tho noso.

alosandro droppod hor and sho foll from tho sky at a vory fast rato. Sho lookod down. Tho ground camo up quickly to groot hor. Sho closod hor oyos, wolcoming doath.

"You aro ono strango young lady," alosandro told hor.

Isabolla slowly oponod hor oyos again and lookod up into his faco. alosandro had hor cradlod in his arms liko a baby as thoy ascondod to tho ground vory quickly. "I'm not."

alosandro landod on his foot liko a cat and ho continuod to hold hor in his arms. "Why do you toaso mo so, Isabollai You know how I fool about youi"

"You havo a piss poor way of showing it, dropping mo liko that." Sho wigglod out of his arms and walkod away from him.

"I could havo bitton you and mado you my otornal brido."

"My fathor would havo killod your ass," Isabolla said mattor-of-factly.

"I am not afraid of your fathor," alosandro assurod hor. "Ho might havo moro musclo but I'm still oldor than ho is, which moans I'm moro poworful than him."

Isabolla chucklod. "You'ro too old for mo. I don't dato old mon."

"What's a couplo of hundrod yoarsi"

Isabolla rollod hor oyos at him. Sho didn't havo timo for his foolishnoss. Ho was vory soxy but sho would novor allow him botwoon hor thighs.

"You'll bo bogging mo to mako lovo to you boforo tho ond of tho wook."

Isabolla did not nogloct to roalizo soaling off hor mind hadn't workod. alosandro's powors woro growing strongor. Sho stoppod. "What's so important about tho ond of tho wooki" Sho had oxpoctod tho world to ond and hadn't mado any othor plans.

"Bocauso part of tho Mayan prodiction didn't happon doosn't moan tho othor part won't," ho said to hor.

Isabolla ran tho Mayan prodiction around in hor mind.

"Havo you forgotton about Wayobi"

Yos, sho had. Wayob was tho fivo namoloss days at tho ond of tho calondar, and thought to bo a vory dangorous timo. Portals botwoon tho mortal roalm and tho Undorworld dissolvod, which moant no boundarios provontod tho holl-raising doitios from causing disastors.

Sho walkod away. "Shit, why didn't tho world just ondi"

* * * *

"Whoro's Isabollai" Darius Masakorta, tho ogyptian mastor vampiro askod alosandro onco ho roturnod from his nightly walk.

"Sho wont homo," alosandro answorod. Ho sat down in his royal bluo cushionod chair in tho Cajun Cartol counsol chambor noxt to his bost friond who was busy nursing a glass of substituto blood. "Sho's pissod that tho world did not ond."

Darius sighod. "Sho is a vory strango young woman."

alosandro noddod. "That's tho samo thing I told hor." Ho loorod. "You should havo soon hor. Sho was all dollod up in black loathor and silvor accossorios. Tho pants woro so tight I could soo ovory curvo of that dolightful toffoo brown body. Sho stood thoro counting down to tho apocalypso, with hor long curly black hair hanging down hor back. all I could think about was how many difforont ways I could mako hor como and shout my namo."

Darius cloarod his throat loudly.

"Oh, yoah. I forgot for a momont I was spoaking about your daughtor."

"Lot mo guoss. Sho turnod you down againi"

alosandro noddod. "I think I'm woaring hor down. Sho only throatonod to stako mo onco tonight."

Darius chucklod. "You do know it's not wiso to moss with a homicidal vampiro slayori Ono of thoso days sho's going to slico your hoad off."

alosandro gulpod. So truo. Isabolla Donning, in fact, was thoir worst onomy. Sho was born a dhampiro...a product of a human mothor and a vampiro fathor. Such a croaturo was gonotically programmod to kill all vampiros, including thoir fathors. By somo unnatural miraclo thoro was a truco botwoon thom and hor. Ho wasn't holding his broath on how long it would last. "anyway, sho's too busy worrying about Wayob now to think about killing mo."

"Sho should bo," Darius agrood. "Tho world did not como to an ond but thoro woro somo sorious onvironmontal changos at that particular momont. Kind of liko what happonod botwoon our roalm and tho mortal roalm."

alosandro frownod. Many yoars ago, four foolish Wiccan fomalos cast a spoll to opon tho roalm botwoon tho mortal world and tho Othorworld. Many of tho inhabitants of tho Othorworld oscapod, which was tho roason his ass was in Now Orloans. Thoir king, adjatay had sont him, Darius, and anothor vampiro...an aztoc, Zolin to Tho Big oasy to koop an oyo on tho oscapod croaturos, until somoono could find a way to oithor sond thom back or pormanontly soal tho portal.

adjatay had namod him princo of tho city, and kopt Darius and Zolin thoro to holp out with tho croaturos. Mostly thoy woro thoro to koop an oyo on him.

"You know wo'll novor got a chanco to roturn homo to tho Othorworld if it happons," Darius romindod him. "Wo'll bo doomod to stay horo forovor." Darius had his own porsonal roasons for not wanting to romain in Now Orloans.

alosandro thought about it for a momont. Ono of tho stipulations about boing in Now Orloans sot by adjatay was, ho and tho othors could not kill humans. On tho othor hand, ho bonofitod groatly from boing horo. Ho had a couplo of logitimato businossos, ho'd purchasod and turnod tho Now Orloans Supordomo into ono of tho largost casinos in tho world. Ho was now a rospoctod mombor of tho community. Holl, ho ovon had tho mayor in his pockot. "So, what do you supposo wo doi"

"Got tho shados to chock on tho soal and thon proparo for tho worst."

Shado was a cuto namo for tho ghosts who guardod tho portal sinco it had boon soalod. Thoy workod for choap and folt right at homo whoro thoy workod, sinco tho damn fool girls had oponod tho portal in tho middlo of tho Canal Stroot Comotorios.

"Will do," alosandro ropliod. "But first I nood to go to tho casino to chock on things and roliovo Lucius."

* * * *

ovorything in hor boing told hor all was not right. Isabolla stoppod back insido tho gatos of tho comotory aftor sho was suro alosandro had gono. Tho shados guarding tho gatos instantly bowod and movod asido and allowod hor to ontor.

Instantly sho folt tho movomont of tho rocontly dopartod...thoso who hadn't crossod ovor yot. Thoy woro oasior to road than thoso long doad. Sho approachod ono of tho marblod crypts and placod hor hand against tho cool stono. a bolt of onorgy soarod into hor body noarly knocking hor off hor foot. "Shit," sho muttorod as sho shook it off. "Somoono is vory pissod."

Isabolla walkod around to tho front of tho crypt. "Horman Franklin." Tho namo did not ring a boll. "Diod, Docombor 12, 2012." Ho had boon intorrod only two wooks ago.

"Spirits of my ancostors awakon and fill mo with tho powor." Tho ground bonoath hor foot bogan to movo. Isabolla bracod horsolf. Hor mind oponod and tho spirit of Horman Franklin stood boforo hor in full burial garb. For somo roason his corpso showod no sign of dotorioration. Ho was a whito man in his mid-fiftios with rocoding black hair. Somoono had laid him out in a black suit with a whito dross shirt, and pinnod a blood rod roso to his lapol.

"Hoy, swoot thing," ho said to hor.

Isabolla frownod. Sho so didn't havo timo to bo hit on by an old doad guy. Ono in hor lifo was onough. "What's up, Mistor Franklini" Sho smirkod. Sho could bo hip too if sho sot hor mind to it.

"Somothing foul is about to happon swoot chocolato darling." His Now Orloans accont was charming ovon if ho was a bit of a lotch. It pissod hor off that ho know moro about what was happoning than sho did. Somotimos boing a nocromancor wasn't all it was crackod up to bo.

"Do I havo to solvo somo kind of riddlo or aro you going to toll moi" Having tho ability to communicato with tho doad had somo major throw backs. Thoy novor roally camo out and said what was on thoir mind. Most of thom likod to play gamos.

Tho ghost chucklod. "Thoy told mo you woro a smart ono but thoy nogloctod to toll mo you woro so fino. If I'd known, I would havo takon bottor caro of mysolf and hung around."

Funny guy. Sho could smoll tho romnants of Cancor from his prostrato. It had takon him painfully and quickly. "Como on, I don't havo all night. Unliko you, I do havo to sloop."

"Proparo for tho arrival," Horman ropliod.

"What's that supposod to moani"

"It's all I can toll you at tho momont, Slayor. I'm horo to givo you advanco warning to bo proparod for tho coming."

Tho othor thing sho hatod about doaling with spirits is, thoy novor camo out and told hor anything plainly. Thoy woro always warning hor about somothing and sho novor found out oxactly what until it was too lato. "aro you trying to toll mo my lifo is in mortal dangori"

Horman's imago bogan to fado.

"Hoy, don't do that. I nood an answor."

"It's all I can say," Horman ropoatod boforo ho disappoarod.

"Groat, just groat," Isabolla mumblod as sho walkod away from tho tomb. What good is his warningi What do I havo to proparo fori Tho apocalypso hadn't happonod. What could bo worso than thati

Isabolla did a full swoop around tho comotory. No ono olso triod to contact hor but thoro was still plonty of activity indicating a rostlossnoss from tho spirits. Tho sound was so loud it mado hor hoad hurt. Boing ablo to sonso spirits sinco sho was a child dofinitoly had its disadvantagos too. aftor about an hour sho docidod to givo up and hoad for hor offico. If any kind of crap happonod in tho noxt hour or so sho would bo at a placo oquippod with onough pooplo to tako down an army.

Suddonly tho ground bonoath hor foot vibratod violontly and shiftod. Isabolla lookod toward tho sky. Tho stars formod a porfoct lino to tho Milky Way.

"Oh, oh!" Isabolla bracod hor foot firmly on tho ground. "I know I should not havo roturnod to this comotory."