Page 13 of Newly Undead in Dark River

Someone put the jukebox on, and music spread through the room. Bert, who didn't seem to say much but followed orders well, started bringing out trays of sandwiches, cheese fries, mini burgers and savory pastries from the kitchen and placed them along the counter. Everyone came over to offer their congratulations.

Ella, who had given me the dress, came over and told me how beautiful I looked. I couldn't thank her enough for her kindness. “Don't worry about it. You just come over if you want to buy yourself some clothes. A girl has to have her own style, I think. We'll flick through the catalogs and order in any style you like. I'll start you a tab until you get paid.” We talked a bit more, and I learned that she'd been a vamp for over a hundred years.

The woman with big hair that I'd seen Walker talking to the day I'd violated him on the footpath came over and introduced herself as Cresta. She handed me an envelope with a gift voucher. “Sometimes, it's nice to reinvent yourself. Come around any time, and I'll give you a makeover.”

It sounded fun, though Doc Alice had told me that my hair wouldn't regrow at the same rate, and neither would my fingernails.

“That sounds great. I'll definitely take you up on that.”

The rest of the night passed in a blur of names and faces, laughter and good food. Someone cracked the champagne, and although the alcohol wouldn't affect me, it didn't really feel like a celebration without it. The sun was just lightening the horizon when Judge strolled up to stand next to me. Everyone seemed to have forgotten that they'd accused him of my murder less than three days ago, but thus was the nature of small towns.

“Well, Sugar, this has been quite the shindig. Seems the town has embraced you with open arms.” He was standing close to me, and I breathed in his spicy scent. Almost instantly, my body tightened and my fangs elongated. My body craved, and it wanted Judge more than its next bag of blood.

“I was surprised you came,” I purred. I was actually shocked at myself. I had never been a sex kitten, but the way my voice had dropped and my lashes fluttered, I was really turning it up.

“Well, I couldn't miss the birthday of my favorite citizen of Dark River, could I?” His voice was low, and heat radiated from his innocuous words.

I wanted him, wanted him like a cheeseburger at one a.m. after a big night of tequila shots. I looked over my shoulder at Walker, who was laughing at something Angeline was saying. The light hit his face just right, making his hair shine and his eyes sparkle. He looked so pure and earnest. Judge, on the other hand, made my body combust, and I was hungry. His eyes were hooded, and he stepped closer, so I could feel the energy around his body seep into mine.

“Sugar, if you don't stop starin' at me like that, one of two things will happen. One, I'll put my hands up under that pretty dress of yours, push you against the wall and make love to you right here in front of the town.” I sucked in a gasp, and all the heat from my body dropped to my nether regions.

“Two, the Sheriff over there will notice that you are eye-fuckin' me with enough heat to cook a hashbrown, and one or both of us will end up in the lockup tonight for indecency, or whatever else he can cook up to make sure I don't climb on top of all those sweet curves and play with your body like it’s a wonderland.”

My mind fritzed. Like when your computer just freezes, and no matter what you do, you just can't get it working again. All I could picture was Judge's naked chest pressed against mine, his mouth nibbling at my tender flesh, my teeth piercing the throbbing pulse point in his neck. Judge let out a groan.

“Dear lord, you smell like Christmas right now. Sugar, please, please tell me you want me to come home with you tonight, because otherwise, I might just explode.” He actually sounded like he was in pain, and he shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

I looked down, and I could see the jean-clad reason he was uncomfortable. Woah.

I had a little moment of panic. This wasn't what I did. I didn't go home with guys I barely knew. I stuck to those cosmopolitan ordained rules; four dates before you release the goodies. Mika McKellen was no slut. I was a good girl through and through.

But I wasn't Mika anymore. I didn't have to stick by the rules to protect my image, to make my parents proud.

Raine could have her beefcake and eat it too.

“Do you know where my apartment is?” My whisper was barely audible. I was in a room full of vamps with supernatural hearing. A normal whisper would have been like yelling across the room.

Judge nodded.

“Meet me there, after this is all over?”

Judge nodded again and bent to kiss my hand. His lips were softer than I imagined, and hotter, and the brief touch made my heart race. He gave me another hot look, turned and left the party. Walker and Angeline turned to watch him go, Walker looking suspicious. Angeline looked at my rosy cheeks and waggled her eyebrows. That made me blush harder. I needed a cupcake.

I launched my face into the buttercream with abandon, and Doc Alice came to stand next to me. “Well, I'll be. I was sure you were going to go after the good Sheriff, but watching that little exchange with the drifter, I can see why you'd be attracted to the bad boys. Now drink this.” She handed me a bag of Type O, which she must have had on her body somewhere. What was she, a walking blood bank? I obediently downed the blood, and Doc Alice gave a little nod. “Now I don't have to worry that you'll get too carried away and get exsanguination. Now go, say your goodbyes, and chase down that hunk 'o' vampire. If I were a little younger, I'd probably race you.” She laughed and walked away.

Although I didn't race out the door like I wanted to, I did start the rounds of goodbyes, saying thank you to all my new friends. They'd made the effort to come and support me today, I wasn't just going to run out because I now shared my body with an extremely horny predator. I left Walker and Angeline ‘til last, hoping that Judge's exit had faded from their mind. Still, my cheeks flushed when I said goodbye. I hugged them both.

“Thanks for this, guys. Thanks for everything. Today would have been one of the most miserable in my existence if it wasn't for you two. But now I'm pooped. I think I'll just go home to bed.”

“Well, I hope you have a goodsleep,” Angeline grinned. “I'll see you at five.”

Walker was frowning, and he kept opening his mouth then snapping it shut. Finally, he sighed. “Be safe.” Was that a touch of jealousy on his face, or was it wishful thinking on my behalf?

I didn't think I had enough blood in my body to blush this hard, but every inch of flesh from my feet to the roots of my hair went pink. I just nodded, mumbled my goodbyes and escaped out of there as fast as I could.

I whisked to my back door and barely got my key in the door before I felt Judge. He was a step or two behind me, but the energy changed when he was around. I looked over my shoulder and smiled. I felt the predator lift her head, felt the wild lust spread through my limbs, making me tingle. Judge growled and stepped into my body, spinning me and pinning me against the door. His lips were on mine.

His tongue pushed into my mouth, and I moaned as he ran it over my fangs. He grabbed my ass and lifted me off the ground, and I wrapped my legs around his trim hips. He held me effortlessly with one arm and finished unlocking the door with the other. We only made it a few steps into the room, before Judge was pushing me back up against the wall. He unzipped the back of my dress until I stood there in my cotton bra and panties. Not exactly the sexiest lingerie, but at this point, I was beyond caring.

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