Page 46 of Shadows of Eternity

During the drive to the nightclub, Janae and Leia talked about the movie. Rohan glanced at Trent in the rear-view mirror, wondering if his wife knew he was a vampire hunter.

Rohan grinned inwardly. He and Trent had recognized each other immediately. It was the cause of the tension Leia had sensed in the car earlier.

“I love this place,” Janae gushed as they waited to be seated. “It’s been ages since we’ve been dancing. Oh! Trent, you should see Rohan dance. He’s fantastic. Too bad the show closed.”

“Yeah, sorry I missed it.”

The hostess showed them to their table a few minutes later. Trent ordered a beer, Janae and Leia opted for strawberry daiquiris, and Rohan asked for a glass of red wine.

As soon as the band broke into a new tune, Janae grabbed her husband’s arm. “Come on, honey, this is my favorite song.”

“So, what do you think of Trent?” Leia asked.

“He seems like a nice guy. A bit stiff.”

“I can feel the tension humming between the two of you,” she remarked.

He grunted softly.

“I’m not imagining it, am I?”

“No.”

“So, what’s the deal?”

“He’s a hunter.”

“A hunter?” Leia exclaimed, then clapped her hand over her mouth. “You mean, someone pays him to kill vampires?”

“Yeah.”

Leia stared at him in disbelief. “How do you know?”

“I can sense what he is, just as he senses what I am.”

“How is that even possible?”

“It’s something vampires and hunters are born with. Frumusanu is an old Romanian name. His family has hunted vampires for centuries.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? You let me put your life in danger. What if he … ?”

“Calm down, darlin’.”

“But … you said … ”

“Leia, he’s been hunting vampires for maybe five years. He’s no threat to one as old as I am.”

“Does Janae know what he does?”

Rohan shook his head. “Hunters are sworn to secrecy. The penalty for telling anyone what they do or who they’re hunting is death. And that includes their family.”

Leia shuddered. “That’s terrible.”

“What does Janae think he does?” Rohan asked.

“She told me he works for some secret government organization, but she doesn’t know exactly what his job is. She thinks he hunts wanted men and brings them in for questioning.”

“Interesting,” Rohan remarked. “Come on, let’s dance.”

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