Her Billionaire, Her Wolf(53)

If she could have felt nausea through the numbness, Sara would have vomited what little dinner she had eaten. She could no longer see the policeman’s face as he was lowered flat upon the floor. His belly was so round that it mercifully blocked Sara’s view. What she did see, though, was his left foot in its scuffed black shoe. From time to time, it fluttered, quivering like a dying butterfly and then a dark pool spread out from under the dead man.

With a look of distaste, the vampire sidestepped the growing circle, then said, “It’s a shame, really, that in your last moments, you people can’t manage any real dignity. The truth is almost all of you void yourselves when the lights go out for the very last time.”

He took another step as the urine continued to run.

“Disgusting, actually....”

Then, the cheer returned to his voice as he came to her and smiled a red smile. “Time to go, little dove. Time for you to fly away from your gilded cage.”



The vampire’s power was enough that no one remarked the two people walking from the holding cells.

They were hand in hand, as if they were the best of friends, or lovers even.

No one so much as lifted an eyebrow as they passed the unattended front desk and through the scuffed glass doors of the police department out to the world beyond.

Outside, though, was someone who did remark them.

A man was lurching up the steps leading to the barracks entryway. A man dressed in county sheriff beige, although his official attire had taken on a decidedly disheveled appearance.

He was concentrating on placing his feet from one step to the next when he finally lifted his head long enough to notice the two people standing above him.

It gave him a bad feeling. People were always looking down on him and it made Jackson Woodard feel even smaller than he was.

Like many men in his particular career choice, his hand wandered down to the sidearm at his hip. And what might have happened next could have been a bloody, messy thing.

Instead, he finally saw through the silhouetted outlines and one of them he knew like his own pocket.

“Sara? Issss that youuuuu?” he asked with a voice that hung over lips sagging further by the minute.

The couple holding hands descended the steps to the deputy sheriff below. The tall man with Sara looked Deputy Woodard up and down, then said, “Are you sure you’re in a condition to take this woman? You look a fright.”

Jackson nodded while grinning a lopsided grin. His one good eye was filled with the vision of his girl, his Sara. After all this time, it did him such good to see her again.

“Uhnnnn, huh....yeth,” he burbled.

The vampire hesitated, appearing to be lost in thought.

“My instructions are clear. But I admit that it is with a heavy heart that I hand her over to the likes of you.”

He looked more closely at the deputy sheriff, then shrugged, releasing Sara’s hand.

“There is madness rattling around in that head of yours, man. In fact, I would say that my employer, as it were, has had a terrible effect on you.”

Jackson nodded at the tall man and then kept on nodding, unable to stop himself.

“Uhm goin’ to th’ doctor suh suh sooon,” he said as if that would explain everything.

He reached for Sara and managed to take her by the wrist with a hand that was rapidly curling into a clawed grasp. He was able to clamp his thumb down hard enough that the weakness creeping down from his shoulder did not make him lose his grip as he pulled her after him to his waiting squad car.

The vampire watched as the deputy sheriff roughly pushed the docile woman into the patrol car’s backseat then limped over to take his place behind the wheel.

“Well, that was...unsavory,” the creature muttered into the empty night air then whirled to disappear into the surrounding darkness as if it had never been there at all.



~~~



It was as if he had tripped over an angel. A lovely, beautiful angel who had come back to him after all this time.

If he had been a churchgoing man, Jackson Woodard might have got down on his knees to thank the powers that be for such a gift. But, he was not and he knew that soon enough he would be on his knees before another power altogether, and whether he wanted to or not, his thanks would be many.

He took care as he drove them back home. He took his time and he took no risks. There was precious cargo here, after all.

And he rambled on and on, and in his own mind, his voice was strong and clear. As were his thoughts, everything he had to say and everything he planned for them, all of it was as clear as rainwater.

He spoke to her about so many things. So much had become evident for him now that she was back.

“I’ll get you back home, Sara. But not in that flytrap trailer of ours. That’s no home for a real lady.