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tossed the remote on his bed. “Gotta go open up.” He glanced at his watch. “Looks like you’re not the only one running late this morning. Should have opened up ten minutes ago…Don’t know why I’m so tired.”

  Judy grinned.

  “What?” He cocked his head to the side. “No! I’m not getting that old. One night with Amber didn’t wipe me out.”

  She sniggered. “Not so sure about that.” She walked off not waiting for his response.

  He rolled his eyes and made his way to the back door to let Bebe in. He put her in Judy’s room, not wanting to let her out in the store just yet.

  Grady was standing at the front door waiting for Paul to open.

  “Hey…Grady…Sorry I’m late getting going this morning. Been really tired the last day or two…Hope I’m not coming down with something.”

  Grady glanced up at him, as he was a couple inches shorter. “Yeah…You look tired. Maybe you should see a doctor?”

  “Nah…Probably nothing.” He followed Grady up to the counter.

  “You looking for doughnuts?”

  “Yep…No fresh ones yet, I take it?”

  “Delivery girl is here now,” Paul indicated to the front door with a nod of his head.

  “Just in time! Been thinking about them since I got up.”

  A young woman with dark hair in a pony tail, wearing jeans and a light blue shirt, walked in carrying three large boxes of fresh doughnuts and sat them on the counter.

  “Morning, Irene,” Paul greeted.

  “Morning, Paul…Grady.”

  Grady tipped his hat. “What ya got there?”

  She opened up the top box to a dozen plain and a dozen chocolate covered. “The other two boxes have jelly-filled and crème-filled.”

  “I’ll start with the chocolate,” Grady said, already helping himself to two.

  Paul paid Irene and closed his register. “Have a good day!’

  “Yeah…you do that,” Grady added, munching on his first doughnut.

  “You boys be good!” She winked in an innocent, flirtatious way and walked off.

  Grady meandered over to the coffee machine. Paul was glad to see that Judy had remembered to make coffee before she left.

  Grady took a Styrofoam cup and filled it, took a drink and then another bite of his doughnut. “You see the morning news?”

  Paul blew out air. “Sure did…Dogs…My foot!”

  “They can’t report the truth…Can you just imagine the hysteria if folks knew that real live vampires are out there waiting to pounce on them at any time?”

  “Would be bad…But, I feel they should know they’re in danger too.”

  “Yeah…it’s a hard one to call…Glad I don’t always have to make those decisions. Would rather someone else do it. At least, it’s outta our county.”

  “According to the girl, though…There were two of them!”

  “Good possibility. Especially since five young healthy men were slaughtered. If it were one vampire, I’d think that one man might possibly have gotten away.”

  “Even so…If you can believe any of the things I’ve read about them lately, they can move like lightning…One might be able to do the job.

  “Yeah…But the girl did insist there were two.”

  “Question is – Are they the same ones we’ve had the misfortune to have around?”

  “Well…If they are…It might be a good sign for us. Maybe they’ve moved on? Out of our territory?”

  “I sure hope so!”

  Grady finished off his doughnut, wiped his mustache off with a napkin and took out a glazed. “Damn…These are good when fresh.”

  “That they are…I ate so many when I first started running the store I made myself sick…I don’t eat so many anymore.”

  Grady chuckled. “I should be so lucky…Well this is what I came for…other than to see if you watched the news.” He held up the doughnut. “What do I owe ya?”

  “Always on the house for you, Grady.”

  “It’s your loss…I’m more than willing to pay for them.”

  “And you do a great service for our little community here, Grady…You do half the sheriff’s work.”

  “Ya noticed, huh?”

  “All of us have…You eating a couple of doughnuts and a cup of coffee of a morning is the least I can do to repay you.”

  “Glad to know I’m appreciated.” He gestured with his cup of coffee. “Well…gotta go! See ya later!”

  “Have a good day, Grady!” Paul watched the ranger go out the door and then went over to straighten some canned goods on the last aisle.

  Dorian was sated by the time he got home. He’d not fed so well in years. His energy level was beyond belief. And though he felt awesome, he hoped that Klaus wouldn’t expect him to do this on a regular basis. He preferred a more secluded life and to work alone. The older vampire had mentioned something about going to Canada for a few days, but he might drop back at night to visit Sally. Dorian had to chuckle at that one. He would have never thought a sophisticated vampire such as Klaus would have taken a liking to a mildly overweight, country woman like Sally. “Takes all kinds,” he mumbled to himself.

  He poured coffee in a brown mug and stepped out on his back porch, wondering how Amber had fared through the night.

  The effects of their love-making would soon wear off, that for a while all her natural feelings of guilt and shame had been evaporated by their intimacy. But she’d soon be coming to grips with her human nature – Any thoughts or memories she would normally feel guilty about would soon awaken. But once he turned her, she would have within her the ability to shut it all off, if and when she wanted. He glanced over in the direction of her cabin. A thin stream of smoke curled above the trees. He realized it must be cold, although the weather here didn’t really affect him much. It was only the extreme cold of places like Siberia that tended to bother him.

  Maybe he’d pay Amber a little visit in a while, but he wanted to finish his coffee first and give her time to wake up.

  Amber couldn’t believe it, gaping at her reflection in the mirror – the wound was gone! Completely healed! “How in the hell did it heal that fast?” She leaned in closer to her bathroom mirror. “Not even a bruise! Not unhappy about that!”

  Her cell phone rang. It was Paul. She stared at the phone for a moment and a pained frown crossed her face. The missing feelings of guilt for being unfaithful to him were suddenly there. And in full throttle! She really didn’t feel like talking to him, as shame washed through her. It quit ringing and she stuffed it in her pocket, promising herself she’d call him back in a little, but then it rang again. He wasn’t going to give up. She made herself answer it, trying to sound cheerful. “Hey! Paul!”

  “Hi! Beautiful,” he said. “Sorry I pooped out on you last night.”

  “Oh…That’s okay,” she said, now feeling like crying. He was such a sweet and caring man. How could she have betrayed him like she had?

  “Can I make it up to you tonight?”

  “Tonight?” She wasn’t sure if she could handle seeing him, not with feeling such shame. Surely he’d know something was wrong.

  “You…don’t sound too enthused,” he said disappointedly.

  “Of course…tonight would be wonderful,” she lied. Somehow she would make it up to him. Somehow!

  “It’s Friday night. How about us driving into Seattle for a little dining and dancing? You do like to dance, don’t you?”

  Dancing was something she loved, but was she up to it? Maybe in a crowed environment it would be easier to hide her feelings of betrayal. I’d love to go dancing, Paul.”

  “Good! I’ll pick you up a little earlier…Say…five-thirty?”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  “Great! Got a customer coming…That German guy…Don’t like him either.”

  “Paul! He might hear you.”

  “Nah…He’s just coming in the door…See you tonight.”

  Before she got her phone in her pocket, she he
ard Star scratching at whining at the back door. “I just let you in, Star…You gotta potty again?” But as she reached the door she realized Dorian was there. Fear and excitement overwhelmed her simultaneously. Fear of whom and what he really was, for that she hadn’t completely forgotten, and the awesome, all-consuming excitement he stirred in her from simply beholding him. “Oh God!”

  He was talking to Star, who couldn’t wait for her to let him in. She opened the door and he was inside before she could blink. He had to pet Star first, as the dog was so happy to see him.

  Once the dog was appeased, Dorian turned those keen eyes on her, delving into the core of her being. “Hello…Amber.” He noted her edginess. “Guess we’re gonna have to do something about those nerves.”

  She made an attempt to step back, but he immediately had her in his embrace, kissing her with such fire and irresistible passion that it instantly swept through her body. By the time he drew back, she was totally helpless to his touch again. He slowly grinned. “Better…” he looked at her neck and arched a brow. “Healed! Good…Real good.”

  “What do you want?” she heard herself ask.

  “Why…You…or course.”

  “I can’t keep doing this,” she protested weakly.

  “What?” he asked, smiling at her with those piercing blue eyes.

  “I love Paul…I can’t keep seeing you.”

  He appeared undisturbed by her words. “We can fix that, Amber.”

  This time she managed to turn away from him, but only because he let her.

  “Not sure I want it fixed.” She faced him again. “I know you’re a vampire…I know you can control me. This I am becoming more and more aware of. But I do love Paul! You can’t make me stop loving him!”

  It was