Loving the Vampire

Chapter 3 Fire

"I'm done." Anthea stepped back and gathered everything she used. Careful not to look at Sam as she lifted her shirt and slipped it back on. "Would you like something to drink?"

Sam grinned and let her fangs show. "Are you offering?"

"Down vampire." Anthea found herself smiling back at Sam. "I meant coffee or juice or water?"

"Coffee would be good. If you don't mind and if you're sure."

"You saved my life. Coffee seems like a small price to pay." Anthea turned and saw her store bags. "Have you eaten?" She lifted a hand before Sam could answer. "And I mean food."

Sam grinned anyway. "I haven't, but you don't have to feel like you owe me. I was just in the right place at the right time."

"How was that?" Anthea asked. "How were you there?"

"Ah." Sam looked directly at Anthea. "I was up on the clock tower watching, waiting for, uh, food. And I saw you leaving the grocery store, then noticed you didn't do the poof, and then saw him follow you and well, I was curious and worried. This is my town and I don't like idiots coming in and causing trouble."

"Poof?" Anthea asked.

"Yeah, you always go behind the store, and then, poof, you're gone." Sam shrugged. "So, I noticed."

"Okay. Well, thank you." Anthea turned away so Sam couldn't see her smile. "I'm making burgers, there's enough for both of us."

"You're not creeped out that I keep watch over the town?"

"No, I think I feel a bit better knowing you're up there, watching over us. It really proved a good thing tonight."

"You are not going to tell me anything about you, are you?"

"Not tonight. Maybe not ever. I'm not really the sharing type. And I'd prefer as little exposure as I can manage."

"Someone knows you're here," Sam said.

"It would seem so." Anthea nodded but kept her back to Sam as she worked on their food. "I will make a call later."

"To?"

"Sam, I'm not telling you who I am. Take that or leave."

"All right!" Sam held up her hands in defeat. "No more prodding."

"Thank you." Anthea froze as Sam's hands settled on her shoulders.

Sam didn't know why she was drawn to this woman, but she was. And for some reason, she wanted to keep her safe. She turned Anthea around. "Promise me this. Promise me you will call me, anytime, anytime at all if you're in trouble?" Her hands tightened on Anthea's shoulders as their eyes met. "Please."

"I... Okay." Anthea muttered. She took a deep breath. "Please step back." She lifted her hand to Sam's chest and pushed her lightly. "Please." Anthea held eye contact and let Sam see some of the magic swirls in her eyes. She let the power flow from her to Sam.

Sam swallowed hard as purple and blue swirled in Anthea's eyes. And then a light punch of power flowed from Anthea to Sam. "Wow." Sam dropped her hands with a grin and stepped back. "If we ever take that to bed we might need emergency services on the speed dial."

"That will not be happening, ever," Anthea said and spun back to make their food. She turned on the stove to cook the patties. "Here, slice some tomatoes, keep yourself out of trouble."

"He's going to come back," Sam said matter of factly. "The truck man failed, so he's going to try again. Maybe this time at school, where the kids are." She felt like a d**k for saying it, but it was true. Whoever he was, he'd be back.

"He's not going to try again," Anthea said. "He's dead." She wasn't stupid either, she knew if he was sent by someone, they'd just send someone else, but she was going to phone her mother, and let her deal with whatever this was. "As for anyone else who might come, I'll deal with them too."

"Deal with them too? When did you deal with the truck man?" Sam stared at Anthea. "You've been here the whole time!"

"I have, yes." Anthea smiled at Sam. "He's taken care of. That's all you need to know." A black cat jumped onto the counter and glared at Sam. She watched Anthea stroke the feline with clear adoration. It licked its lips and she could swear she saw blood on its teeth.

"Right. Okay." Sam went back to slicing tomatoes and kept a wary eye on the cat until it finished the food Anthea had dished out for it. It glared at Sam one last time before jumping off the counter and sauntering out. "I don't like cats."

"Marvin is a sort of protector. He's been with me since I was a child."

"Marvin?" Sam risked a laugh. "A big name for a cat."

"Well, he's more of a panther, but easier to blend in here if he looks like a cat."

"Right. I heard about shifters, other than wolves, of course. But never encountered any in my two hundred and forty years."

"You speak about yourself so casually."

"I have nothing to hide from you. If you know what I am, you've known for a while and haven't done anything to give me any reason to think you'd mean me harm."

"I want you to know if I could tell you, I would. But I've learned the hard way, the fewer people know, the better." She wasn't letting anyone get hurt because of her. Not again.

"Look, I'm not going to pretend that I'm not curious. But I do understand wanting your privacy and wanting to disappear." Sam shrugged.

"Thank you." Sam had shrugged off the comment so casually, but Anthea knew there was so much more behind the casual words.

Sam stepped out into the night. She'd found herself enjoying the evening with Anthea. But she needed to feed. Her only hope now was that Allen had some blood bags. She had no time to wait for a loner in the park, or she feared the patience not to hurt someone. Her shoulder ached, and she could feel the poison pulsing through her from the bullet. Anthea might have removed the bullet, but she had no idea of the silent killer laced within. Someone wanted Anthea dead, but they also wanted her to suffer before the end. Sam would damned well find out why.