Page 1 of Dragon Exposed

1

Vampire Bait

IZOBELLE

Revenge was finally within my grasp.

After months of research, months of following leads and chasing down vampires and their victims, I was certain I was closing in on the asshole who sucked my niece dry right in front of me.

That night was still branded into my mind like it’d just happened. The cops didn’t believe me when they finally showed up, hours after the bloodsucker had killed every last member of my family, leaving me for dead in a puddle of my own blood. I’d barely managed to dial those three little numbers that brought emergency responders to the location, and when I finally woke up in the hospital days later, spouting about vampires, they all treated me like I was insane.

So much so, I ended up on a three-day stint in the psych ward and a whole slew of meds and mandatory therapy sessions to address my delusions.

No one believed my truth.

I was left alone with all the bloody horror and realization that not only was my family murdered, but they were taken from me by something that shouldn’t exist. Something that most people thought was a myth, nothing more than a monster out of literature. But I’d experienced it firsthand, and I knew my own mind. I didn’t make it up to help myself deal with their murders. A fucking vampire had killed them and left me for dead, I was sure of it.

Now, I was going to kill the bastard once and for all. Once that bloodsucking monster was dead, maybe I’d finally get to sleep in peace. Maybe I’d finally be able to start living again.

His feeding routine, as much as I gagged thinking about it that way, was as predictable as humans taking the same path to work every day. He frequented the same types of bars, the same dives, picked up the same sort of people every night. It was comforting that even bloodsucking fiends from beyond the grave were still human in some ways. I mean, humans could be murdering sociopaths too.

Tonight, I had every certainty he’d be at an upscale nightclub, the type that drew in the young, privileged, and trendy. The perfect place for a vampire to scope out, the perfect place to make it look like a drug overdose or a mugging gone bad.

The only problem was, I was neither privileged nor trendy.

With a sigh, I called up the one person I knew who even remotely fit the bill.

“Nina? Hey, it’s Iz. Any chance you’d be interested in going clubbing tonight? And, um, maybe help me look the part?”

“Are you kidding? Izobelle, I have been trying to drag you out into the club scene for weeks. What changed? Why are you on board all of the sudden?” I could hear the excitement and skepticism in my friend’s voice, and almost regretted calling.

With a sigh, I scanned my closet, wishing I didn’t have to let Nina dress me. “I’ve been in the city a few months now, things are going good, I thought it might be fun to let loose a little. See if the club scene is everything it’s made out to be. Are you in or what? I was thinking we could check out Epsilon.” I tried not to sound too excited. Or desperate. The last thing I needed was Nina asking questions.

“Epsilon’s the hottest ticket in town right now. Unless you can somehow get our names on the list, there’s no way I’m going down there to stand in line outside a club all night.”

“Not a problem. Meet me here in an hour to get ready? I’m sure you’ve got something fabulous you want to pour me into, right?” It was a not-so-subtle ploy, and I was sure Nina knew it, but at least it’d solve the problem of what to wear and keep the budding fashion designer from getting bent out of shape when she showed up and I was wearing something entirely not trendy enough.

“Deal.” Nina hung up.

I looked at my closet again with a sigh and went to work securing our names on the list.

At least being a producer on a national morning talk show got me some notoriety. And left my nights open to chasing vampires.

* * *

Nina showedup right on time, with a garment bag thrown over her shoulder and an overflowing makeup bag in hand. “Girl, when are you going to start looking the part of a New York bigwig? No one’s going to take you seriously or put you on TV if you don’t start dressing like you want to be there. And what, exactly, have you done to your hair?”

I rolled my eyes and ushered her in, following behind to catch the trail of lipsticks and eyeliners that dropped throughout the apartment. I could only imagine what Nina had lost between the taxi ride over and getting up the elevator. “I didn’t do anything, because I knew that if I’d attempted anything, you’d just undo it and start over. I figured I’d just accept being your plus-sized Barbie without complaint tonight.”

“Okay, who are you, and what have you done with Izzie?” Nina dumped her stuff on my bed and started pulling out all sorts of torture device-looking tools.

Or, as the fashion designer called them, straighteners, curling irons, and makeup brushes.

I shrugged and sat down on the kitchen chair I’d dragged into the bedroom. “It’s been a while since I’ve had anyone look at me like I’m worth a second glance, okay? I just want to go out and blend in with all the other women trying to find some happiness in this city.”

“Uh-huh. Girl, if you need to get laid, all you have to do is ask. You know I’ve got some prime hook-ups, and I’m willing to share.” She winked at me and picked up her brush. “That is, if you can keep up.”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “As much as I appreciate the offer, I’d rather not just have a long line of booty calls I can make. Doesn’t real love exist here? Or is that just another thing New York trendsetters have deemed passe?”

---