The last dream had been the most horrifying of all. She had been running through a dark forest, fleeing an unseen terror. And then, from out of nowhere, Andrei had appeared. She had thrown herself into his arms, a sigh of relief escaping her lips, only to recoil in horror when his teeth had turned to fangs. Great black wings had sprouted from his back, wrapping around her, cocooning her in darkness until she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see anything but a pair of hell-red eyes blazing into hers. Her own screams had awakened her.
She jumped when her cell phone rang.
“Tessa?”
His voice wrapped around her like soft black velvet. “Andrei! Oh, hi.” She blinked several times, startled to hear his voice when she had been thinking of him.
“I was wondering if you’d like to go to the theater tomorrow night? I’ve got tickets for Hell’s Hollow.”
Tessa felt her eyes widen in surprise. Hell’s Hollow was a vampire love story, rumored to have been written by a vampire, although most people believed the real writer had spread that rumor to garner interest in his first musical production. “I’d love to.”
“Terrific. Pick you up at seven?”
“I’ll be ready. Thank you.”
“Until then.”
“Bye.”
She was still smiling when Jileen stepped into her office.
“What are you looking so happy about?” Jilly asked. “Did you just get a raise or something?”
“Better! Andrei called and asked me for a date.”
“Cool. Where are you going?”
“To see Hell’s Hollow. Tomorrow night.”
“Wow, on opening night! I’ve heard those tickets are practically impossible to get.”
“I know. I can’t wait to see it.”
“So, are you ready for lunch?”
“Sure, but I’m so excited, I’m not sure I’ll be able to eat a bite.” Tessa closed the file she had been working on, grabbed her handbag, and followed Jileen to the elevators. “What are you in the mood for?”
“I’ve been hungry for one of Tommy’s hamburgers and a chocolate shake. How about you?”
“Whatever.”
“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?” Jileen pushed the button for the main floor. “Not that I blame you. He is dreamy.”
“He is that. To tell you the truth, I haven’t been able to think of anything else since we met. It’s like . . . I don’t know . . .” She shook away the memory of her nightmares.
“Like you’re smitten?” Jilly suggested.
“I guess so.”
Jileen nodded. “I saw it in your eyes the other night.”
They walked the short distance to the café, put in their order, and then found a small table near the front window.
“Are you still seeing Luke?” Tessa asked.
A dreamy look spread over her friend’s face. “Yes. We have a date tonight.”
“You’re rather smitten yourself, aren’t you?”
“You could say that. Luke called me last night and said he’d been thinking about giving up on hunting because he hadn’t been able to find a single vampire. He said the decision to quit had no sooner crossed his mind when he saw a real one! He said he didn’t know how he knew the man was a vampire, but in his gut, he knew the guy was the real deal.”
“That’s great,” Tessa exclaimed. “I’m all for anyone who can rid this town of vampires.”
* * *
Tessa found it hard to concentrate on the job at hand the rest of the day. All she could think of was Andrei and their date tomorrow night. Jileen had teased her unmercifully on the way home from work, insisting Tessa was obsessed with Andrei.
Tessa couldn’t argue with that. Sometimes she wondered what Andrei saw in her. Though they were about the same age, he seemed far older, his mannerisms tinged with an old world charm that was sadly missing in most of the men she knew.
At home, she spent most of the night trying on one dress after another, finally deciding on an ice-blue sheath and matching heels she had worn to a wedding a few months ago.
* * *
Tessa hurried out of her office at the stroke of five on Tuesday. She was home eating dinner by six, in the shower by six fifteen, dressed and ready to go by ten minutes to seven.
With time to spare, she sat on the edge of the sofa to catch her breath. Heart pounding with anticipation, she drummed her fingertips on the end table.
She knew he was at the door even before he rang the bell.
She closed her eyes, striving for calm. Made her way to the foyer. Opened the door. And felt her breath catch in her throat when she saw Andrei standing there. He had always been gorgeous, but clad in a dark suit and long, black coat, he was devastatingly handsome.