enjoyed himself. He didn't know what had made him stop at this particular roadside
bar. Maybe loneliness. He'd been on the road for several months now, traveling the
countryside in his specially customized truck. After Lucian and Delight had married,
he'd just had to get away.
He knew what had led him to North Carolina though. He felt a small, but genuine
smile cross his face. How could any vampire resist visiting a place called Transylvania
County? The tall mountains and trees of the state reminded him of home and he had
enjoyed several days there before moving on. But he hadn't gone far. Just down the
road really, a few counties north. For some unknown reason, he'd felt compelled to stop
here.
So here he was, sitting in the corner of a dingy bar not really knowing how he'd
gotten there. Maybe some hot, raw sex with the two blondes would lighten his mood.
Maybe pounding his cock into their wet warmth would help him feel connected to
another human being, if only for a brief moment. A quick glance assured him that the
two women were still interested. One of them caught his attention when she opened her
mouth over the long neck of her beer bottle, letting her lips slide up and down over its
slender neck. His cock jerked. Oh yeah, he could use some of that tonight.
Taking another mouthful of beer, he casually listened in on the conversations going
on around him as he pondered if he should try and find a motel close by to rent a room
for the night. Most of the chatter he tuned out immediately, not really interested in
whose wife was cheating on whom or why someone thought their boss was a shithead.
"...gonna be a problem."
Stefan's head shot up as he focused intently on the speaker. His heart was
pounding in his chest and he had no idea why. With all his attention centered on the
two men talking in low whispers on the other side of the room, he listened.
"She just needs a little more encouragement, is all." The larger of the two men had
long, shaggy brown hair and a bushy beard. He punctuated his words with a nod and a
mouthful of beer.
"You think?" The smaller, skinnier one glanced around as he spoke. His leg bobbed
in a nervous rhythm.
"Sure," the big man nodded again. "Laurel Rose is a woman living on her own up
in the hills. How hard can it be to scare her into moving?"
"I don't know, Aaron." He pushed his thinning, dirty-blond hair back from his face
and swiped a hand across his chin as if thinking about what his friend had just said.
"She don't seem to be the type to scare easy."
White teeth flashed through the bush of facial hair as Aaron smiled. "Don't you
worry, Clem. She'll be ready to sign them papers and move by the end of the week."
Clem nodded, obviously more than willing to believe every word the other man
said.
Stefan sat frozen in his chair. He had no idea who this woman was and,
furthermore, it was none of his business. But some primal instinct had kicked in at the
mere mention of her name. Laurel Rose. He rolled it over in his mind, examining it from
every angle. He whispered it under his breath. It was a good name, a solid name, and
just saying it brought him more peace than anything else had in years.
His eyes narrowed at the two men as the hunter in him surged to life. He needed
more information. But first he needed to appease his hunger in order to be at his peak
strength. Leaving the bottle still half full on the table, he rose and strode out of the bar
without looking back.
Once again, he felt all eyes on him as he blew back out into the night as swiftly and
silently as he'd entered. Only this time, he sent out a mental command as he left. He
walked around the side of the building and into the darkness. Leaning against the
outside wall, he crossed his arms and waited for his company to arrive.
Chapter Two
Laurel Rose McCaffey sat curled up on the window seat and stared out into the
night.
Something was coming.
Shivering, she pulled the faded old quilt a bit more tightly around her shoulders,
gripping the ends in her hands. Her knuckles were white. Her entire body was tense.
She didn't question her certainty or try to brush it aside. She'd been proven right
too many times before. From the time she was old enough to start talking, people had
known that there was something different about her.
Her grandpa had told her she was special. Some of the older folks whispered that
she was fey or had the Sight. They always said it in hushed tones as they glanced
worriedly at her as if she'd suddenly put some kind of hex on them.
Others weren't quite so kind. Crazy, witch, touched or just plain nuts--she'd heard
them all and then some. She'd long since learned not to let it bother her. Content to live
alone, she had very little to do with the nearby townspeople. The limited contact suited
both sides.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to relax. The wind was little more than a
light breeze, so it was quiet other than the usual creaks and groans the old house made
as it cooled and settled for the night.
Unfurling all her senses, she waited and listened. The animals seemed fine, going
about their nightly business. That was good. They would alert her to any danger. She'd
always been able to "talk" with the animals--yet another talent that set her apart from
others. And that was fine with her. Animals were much more trustworthy than people.
Whatever was coming, it wouldn't be good. She could sense that much, but nothing
more. Laurel Rose settled back against the side of the window seat and waited.
Something was coming.
Stefan cocked his head to the side and listened. He could sense something on the
air. A calling. A searching. Something. It was there for a moment, no more than a
whisper on the wind, and then it was gone.
A feeling of urgency swelled inside him. He had to hurry, but to where? To whom?
Shrugging it off, he concentrated on the here and now. The door to the bar opened and
he could hear the giggles of the two blondes as they hurried toward him.
Stepping out into the dim glow of one of the few remaining lights in the parking lot,
he smiled. "Ladies," he greeted them. He bowed slightly and swept his hand back,
inviting them into the darkness.
They giggled and tittered as they hurried forward on the uneven ground in their
high-heeled shoes. One of them stumbled slightly and Stefan grabbed her arm,
steadying her. She looked up at him, her smile slowly fading the longer she watched
him. It was as if some gut instinct had kicked in, warning her of the danger he
presented. "Maybe I should just go back inside."
Stefan could hear the anxiety in her voice. Cupping her pale cheek in his hand, he
rubbed her red-stained lips with his thumb. "If that is what you wish, I will not stop
you. But I will not hurt you." He reinforced his words with a small mental push of
encouragement. Her friend was already eagerly waiting, watching him and licking her
lush lips in anticipation.
Her frown instantly disappeared. It was replaced by a sultry smile filled with
sexual promise. But Stefan was no longer interested in sexual release. The women who
had appealed to him only minutes before now left him cold. All he could think about
was the woman called Laurel Rose.
But he played the game. After all, they deserved some fun for what they would
provide for him. Putting his arm around her, he guided her into the sheltering darkness
of the building.
Pushing her back against the wall, he lowered his mouth and kissed her. Her lips
were soft and sweet and she was so very eager to please him. Her tongue swept into his
mouth as she opened her own wider, offering him everything.
Stefan tugged at the front of her blouse, flicking at the buttons one by one until it
fell open. He could see the long line of her pale belly and the generous breasts encased
in a lacy bra. He stroked a finger down her neck, across her cleavage and over her
stomach until he reached her bellybutton.
Her friend tittered, her high-pitched voice grating against his nerves. He turned to
her and pinned her with a stare. When he crooked his finger to her, she all but fell over
herself in her haste to reach his side. Pushing her back against the wall next to her
friend, he leaned over and kissed her. She was slightly shorter than her friend, but just
as voluptuous. He searched her mind. Her name was Karen and she thought he was
hot.
Stefan usually respected people's right to privacy and didn't trespass into their
minds. Only when he or his family were threatened or when he needed to feed did he
do so, and then he kept it at a minimum. It was as much for himself as for them. There
were things floating around in people's minds that he just didn't want to know. He
usually got the information he needed and got out. But it was a useful skill and one he
kept well honed, as he did with all his powers. Only very rarely could a person block
his questing mind.
He ended his kiss with Karen and returned his attention to the other delectable
morsel in front of him. He skimmed his finger back up her torso, dipping into the deep
valley of her breasts. A quick twist of his fingers opened the front clasp of her bra, and
the fabric pulled away as her generous breasts tumbled out.
Cupping the pale, white mounds in his hands, he rubbed his thumbs over her
distended nipples. She moaned and arched her hips against him, searching for his hard
cock. The only problem was that his dick was no longer hard. The only yearning
burning within him now was the need to feed.