Blood Curse Read Free Page B

dangerous.
    And she had a journal with information about him and possibly more of his kind. It simply could not be allowed. Vampires survived by remaining beneath the radar, never allowing their pictures to be taken, changing their names each decade or moving often. They never allowed documentation of their existence. Rialto had to know what was in the journal and how the woman had come to possess it.
    He turned off the water and stepped out of the stall. A vampire did not kill the woman's mother, but she would get herself killed trying to find a murdering vampire who didn't even exist. And according to the old witch in his dream, he couldn't allow that to happen.
    Although common sense told him to stay far away from this vengeful woman, he feared the old witch's predictions far more than he feared the huntress. The witch had come to him with warnings before, and he'd found that not listening to her caused great suffering.
    With a cold shiver, one last remnant from his dream, crawling up his spine, he quickly dressed in black and left his hotel room to find the woman.
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Chapter Two
    Aria jumped as a hand landed on her shoulder. She whirled around and grabbed the owner's wrist by reflex, preparing to perform a move she'd learned in a women's defense class.
    "Oh! I'm sorry!” she blurted when she realized she had grabbed hold of Curtis, startling him in the process.
    "Um, I have to lock up now, Aria. The announcement was made over the intercom a little while ago, and the computer systems have all been shut down. I can save these books for you behind the counter if you'd like. You can check them out tomorrow."
    Aria turned her head and noticed the time on the large clock hanging from the wall in front of her. She had been so wrapped up in Alfred Dunn's journal she hadn't heard the announcement about the library closing, much less noticed it emptying out. It appeared she and Curtis were the only two people remaining in the building. “Oh, that's okay,” she said finally, realizing Curtis was staring down at her, an odd expression on his face. She closed the journal she had been immersed in, but couldn't quite hand it over. She found herself holding it protectively to her chest. “Actually, would you mind if I kept this for a while? There's a lot of useful information in here, and I've really just begun reading it."
    "Oh, uh, well . . ."
    "Please.” She gave him her best persuasive smile.
    Curtis's forehead wrinkled as he looked uneasily from the book to her face. “I guess you can. You know there isn't any truth to what's in there, right?"
    "Of course, silly!” Aria forced herself to laugh, hoping it didn't sound fake. “What your great-grandfather wrote about is just so interesting, really clever."
    "Really?” Curtis seemed to radiate pride for a short moment before something else stole the sparkle from his eyes. “People said he was a mad man."
    "Oh, well, he had an interesting mind. Very imaginative. The journal has given me quite a few ideas. This could be my chance to make it into horror fiction!"
    "So you think you might be the next Anne Rice?"
    "Maybe."
    "Yeah, sure. You can keep it for a while. I don't have any use for it anymore.” Curtis shrugged as he grabbed a stack of books from the table and carried them toward the counter. Aria pulled on her jacket, swung her backpack over her shoulder and grabbed the remaining books, following behind. “Oh, thanks. I could have gotten those books for you, though."
    Curtis took the remaining books from her with an awkward smile and put them beneath the counter with the others. “I'll have these ready for you when you stop by tomorrow.” He straightened and shuffled his feet nervously. “It's, uh, pretty late. Can I give you a ride?"
    "Oh, no thanks. I'd prefer to walk."
    "This late at night? There are a lot of unsavory characters out there, Aria."
    "I'll be fine. I have my Mace with me.” And a backpack filled with other goodies. Besides,