"What's the best way to kill them?"

"Beheading, usually. If they lose enough blood they'll die, too. They can't live without it. They store blood in their stomachs."

I made a face. "Yuck! I just don't get how they can drink blood. It's gross for a whole host of reasons, not to mention it's unsanitary." I paused and looked at her. "Do you have to drink blood?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"You know all about my kind. I know nothing about this Templar and dhampyr business."

After staring blankly at the wall for a few seconds, she sighed. "I guess you deserve some explanation."

"It would be nice after having a knife pressed to my throat." I raised an eyebrow in challenge.

She looked down at the table. "We need human blood to survive, just like nightstalkers—that's what we call normal vampires. We can subsist on mammalian blood, but it isn't as nutritious, so to speak."

"Nothing like Flintstones vitamins, eh?"

A brief smile lit her face and vanished like the sun behind a cloud. "We don't drink directly from humans. It's forbidden. The Templar organization provides us with blood packs."

"Can you eat normal food?"

"We have to eat it for our human side to survive."

"Dad told me vampires love spawn blood like a woman loves her chocolate. Is it the same for you?"

Her violet eyes sparkled and she gave my neck a long look. "I've never tasted it." She clenched a fist. "I don't understand how I could have missed what you are all that time. I can usually sense it right away."

"I had a charm protecting me. I guess it camouflaged me just enough."

"No. You don't understand. The minute I spilled your blood it was all I could do not to…"

"You vanted to suck my blood?" I said in my best Count Chocula imitation.

She chuckled. "I had never smelled anything quite like it. So sweet. Just the smell made my skin tingle, like chocolate. I can't imagine what it would taste like."

"Are you saying you only wanted me for my blood?" Doubt crept into my gut. What if my sweet blood had been the only reason she'd fallen for me in the first place?

Her body tensed. She bit her upper lip and turned her gaze back to the map. "Maybe we should get back to planning your father's rescue."

I grimaced. Stubborn girl. "What did you have in mind?" I pushed away the doubt for another time. More important matters required my attention.

"What was I talking about before?" she said, tapping her chin and looking at the map. "Oh yeah. Nightstalkers." She gave me a drawing of what looked like Grandpa, the vampire, from the Munsters. Underneath the drawing were a few paragraphs outlining some interesting factoids about vampires.

"Is this what passes for Templar literature on vampires?"

"No, I made that one just for you."

"Cute." I chuckled and read through it. "How can you tell a vampire's age?"

"Well, if his bones are like iron, then he's probably old. They get a lot tougher with age."

"That's helpful. I'd like to know how old one is before I attack."

"The vampires who have your father are a bunch of young rogues. They're rebelling against the established order for more freedom."

"More freedom to kill?"

She shook her head. "Vampires don't like to kill. It would be very messy. They have willing humans who keep them fed for the possibility of being turned or for the high it gives them."

"I guess I can see the lure of immortality."

"It boils down to population control. Immortals can't add more humans to their ranks without outpacing their food source. The rogues disagree with the policy."

"Maybe they want all their friends to live forever."

"Probably. In any case, they rebelled because they hate their politics."

"Sounds a lot like human politics."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Just because they're supernatural doesn't mean they're any better at life than the rest of us."

I had so many questions I wanted to ask about her, her family, and their mission. But I knew all that had to wait, so I asked her to get down to brass tacks and explain her plan to me. She'd already mapped out several routes and possible locations where my dad might be within the building. I was amazed at how she analyzed and broke down what seemed an impossible rescue attempt now that I was presented with the logistics.

"We prepare tomorrow and start at dawn the next day."

"Isn't that a school day?"

She blew out a breath. "If we fail, I don't think it'll matter."

I raised the question I'd been dreading the answer to. "What do you think our chances are?"

She compressed her lips into a thin line. "Slim to none."

Chapter 29

Elyssa looked at the time. "I should go. I have…responsibilities."

"Beasts to slay? People to save?"

One corner of her mouth lifted in a wistful smile. "Let's just say that my absence will be noticed."

I knew that feeling. Her absence left an aching void in my heart.

She stood up and turned to leave. I walked her to the door and opened it. She stopped just over the threshold and offered a hopeful smile.

"We'll get him back, Justin."

Then my sexy ninja girl turned and walked to her car. I wanted to race after her. Spin her around and kiss her. I wanted her back so badly that the effort of not chasing her squeezed my heart until tears welled in my eyes. I closed the door as the taillights of her car faded into the night and readied for bed.

I passed out the moment my head hit the pillow. Surprisingly, I didn't have a single nightmare. Real life was already a big enough nightmare, and the future wasn't looking much brighter.

I woke up feeling moderately less depressed than the day before. A shower and a shave later, I left and went to the Laundromat where Dad had taught me how to feed properly. The people there were not exactly perky. Boredom etched tired expressions on most of their faces. Their emotions read like flat-lined heart monitors and tasted like unsalted pretzels.

After a trickling diet of unsatisfying blah, a couple of old women came in, gossiping and laughing about some poor woman named Matilda who apparently was not as great a cook or lover as she thought. Neither of them looked like God's gift to men, either, with their pink curlers and polyester clothes. And they smelled like baby powder. On the other hand, their emotional states were just dandy. I tapped into both of the gossipers and my much-needed helping of tastier emotional nutrition trickled in. My nerves calmed and the worry creasing my forehead into an origami swan notched a level lower. But I wanted more and I wanted it faster. I pulled harder. The women noticed. They licked their lips and preened their hair. One of them pressed her hands against her hips and pursed her lips. I realized with horror I was about to resuscitate their elderly sex drives.

I did not want anything to do with that. I grimaced and throttled back before I instigated grandma porn that would destroy the minds of everyone present.

After getting my fix, I went home to wait for Elyssa. I studied the map she'd given me last night in the hope I might discover a minor detail that would make things easier. I apparently didn't possess her skill with analytics, however, because it all looked like a jumble of lines and dots. I gave up. My phone rang. I answered without checking who it was, thinking it must be Elyssa.

"Hey, Justin," said Katie.

My brain flat-lined for a moment because I hadn't even given her much thought since the party. It seemed ages ago I'd suffered my Katie-induced meltdown. "Uh, hey. What's going on?"

"I hadn't heard from you since Friday. I must have been really drunk because I don't remember a thing." She paused. "I do remember us kissing—"

"Yeah, you were really drunk," I said, thinking fast. "But, um my dad's really sick so I haven't had a chance to call." I was pretty sure "kidnapped by vampires" would not fly well with her.

"I hope it's nothing serious."

"He's puking all over the place. I feel kinda bad leaving him alone. How about we get together later this week?"

"Promise?" she said, drawing out the word in a throaty, sexy voice which I had never heard her use before. What the hell is it with women? The minute you don't give a crap about them, they suddenly want you.

"I promise," I said, leaving out the clause which abdicated me of said promise should vampires kill me or Elyssa decide she wanted me again, and hung up.

"Hasn't that girl caused you enough trouble?" said Elyssa in a withering tone.

I jumped so high I hit the ceiling with my head and left a dent. "You scared the crap out of me," I said, brushing drywall dust out of my hair.

"Sorry," she said, not looking sorry at all. She set a black leather scabbard on the table. "I brought this for you, just in case."

I pulled a silvery-looking rapier from the scabbard and admired it. It was beautifully designed with tiny pictures of knights killing all sorts of evil creatures like me engraved on the blade. "Wow." I sheathed it and gave her a quizzical look. "Why don't we use guns? Or is it required we go old-school on vamps?"

She shrugged. "Tradition. There are those who prefer projectile weapons, but not my family."

"What if the vamps have guns?"

"I'm sure some do. Bring a gun if you want, but it won't do much good unless it blows a huge hole in them."

"What about a headshot?" I'd killed thousands of virtual enemies in video games, but real-life shooting sent a shudder of horror down my spine.

"I suppose if you blew their head off it would kill them. Vampires can regenerate almost anything else provided they're well fed."

I examined the blade. "I'm guessing this is silver."