Page 52 of Hunting My Vampire

“Something’s been going on in town for the last few weeks,” Tina told me. “I think it’s the water, so many people have been sick.”

I called Fuzz, he said he was down with the bug as well and wanted to know when I could work.

“I thought you could handle being without me,” I said, jokingly.

“Ha-ha,” he said weakly. As it turned out, Roberto was off sick too.

I spent the night with Princess in the hospital and the following day, she was released. After making sure she was tucked safely in bed, with some snacks and a movie on, I decided to check on the shop.

There were some cars booked in for small jobs, a fender repair and an oil leak, which took a bit longer to trace. Then I got a call from someone needing help with a flat tire.

The guy asked me to bring a tire and gave me directions to where he was stuck by the side of the road. I didn’t think twice. I took the workshop truck and headed out to his location.

It was late but not yet dark.

I found the truck, saw the flat tire and, as I was about to get out, saw a text from Tina. She asked me to look in on Princess. I got out, thinking about her, not paying attention to the man at the car.

“You called for help?” I asked without really looking at him.

“Sure did. Thanks for coming out so quickly,” he replied. “If you’ve got the tire, I can put it on myself,” he said.

I turned to take the tire out of the back of the truck and an instant too late, I saw the movement coming towards me. The man jumped on my back, the glint of the knife in his hand coming towards me.

I managed to twist out of his grip and punched him in the face but I had no weapons on me. I knew I couldn’t take weapons to the hospital, so I had not been armed that day. I needed them now.

I didn’t have much time, I had only my keys, so I took aim for his eyes, sticking one deep into his eye socket. He screamed in agony and I ran around to get back into the car to drive off but I wasn’t fast enough. He was at the window, clawing at me, when I saw someone or something rip him away from the car and throw him against a tree like a rag doll. The man slumped on the ground.

“Jack?”

I saw Jack walk over to the body on the ground and stick something into it, to make sure the guy was dead.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“What are you doing here?”

I had not seen him in almost two weeks. My heart was beating fast and I could barely breathe.

“I could feel you were in danger. I came as soon as I could. Fortunately, I wasn’t far.” He pointed in the direction of the castle, which was not far away.

“Who was that?” I asked, looking over at the man who had attacked me.

“I’m going to find out,” Jack said, darkly.

There was an awkward silence.

“Well, thanks for… that,” I said.

“Any time,” Jack said, smiling at me, that killer smile that I found so hard to resist. I quickly turned around and drove off, forcing myself not to look in the rearview mirror.

I couldn’t deny it, I still had feelings for him. Lots and lots of feelings I had no idea what to do with.

Chapter 22

Jack

My father had told me to expect a backlash from our kind.

After the last War, when the final negotiations were signed, he warned me that this wouldn’t last. There would be a pushback, he told me. The vampires may have been vanquished for now and thrust into submission but they would not stay there.

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