Dark Shadows: Risk of Discovery
Chapter 9
1
Julia Hoffman continued to work on a cure for Barnabas. It was slow going. If it wasn't for the fact that she knew she would eventually find the cure, she would be depressed. The serum worked, but only for a short time. She couldn't allow Barnabas to leave the Old House for any length of time. The problem was that altering the blood caused by the bite of the vampire bat wasn't easy. It seemed every time she thought she had the complete cure, she would try it on Barnabas, only to find his skin would start to burn, and he would have to return to his coffin.
Julia knew of a vampire in Canada who was four-hundred years old. He was actually the son of royalty, and he worked with a female police detective solving crimes. The two of them dealt with other supernatural beings. She wondered how they were able to fill out a police report. Most of it would have to be made up. Certainly, they didn't report doing away with demons and such.
She chuckled at the thought of her mind wondering. Yet, she knew why. The vampire, Henry, didn't sleep in a coffin; he slept in a bed like all human mortals. She discussed it with Barnabas, yet was unable to convince him it was safe. According to Henry, neither was spreading the earth of the vampire's origin in the coffin necessary. Julia would like to convince Barnabas to do the same. They could choose one of the many bedrooms in the mansion and keep the door bolted and locked in the daytime to protect Barnabas. If that didn't make him feel safe, they could always place a bed in the secret room behind the bookcase in the drawing room. Barnabas didn't have to sleep in a coffin. Henry was proof of that.
Maybe she would try to have the conversation with him again. Possibly, he could converse with Henry and he could convince Barnabas it was perfectly safe for him to stop sleeping in a coffin. If they didn't have to keep a coffin in the Old House, it would be to their advantage. Then, no one would ever discover one and question why Barnabas Collins kept one in his mansion. Julia realized Barnabas was not quick to make changes. She often wondered why he lived in the current century. He wasn't interested in any of the modern conveniences. The Old House was still heated by a fireplace. She was unable to convince him to put in a gas furnace. She supposed she should be satisfied he allowed her to put in a telephone. Despite saying they weren't necessary, she found he used it quite often.
Grabbing a needle, syringe and an alcohol pad, she headed upstairs to find Willie. She had to extract some of his blood and present it to Dave Woodard as Barnabas's blood. Of course, Julia would inject just a tiny bit of Barnabas's blood, in order to show a blood disorder. She just spent most of the night testing it to make sure it wouldn't give any indication it came from a vampire. It was a good thing Barnabas no longer had to bite Willie in order to force him to serve him. The two men were close friends and Willie would do anything to protect Barnabas.
Julia arrived in the drawing room. She asked Willie to meet her at this time. Unfortunately, Willie knew what she wanted, and he wasn't fond of needles. Although he would give the blood to protect Barnabas, he would also procrastinate. While she waited for the young man, she walked over to the bookcase and pressed the lever that would open the section which hid the secret room behind it. Barnabas had once used the room on occasion. Maybe it was time for him to use it again. It certainly was more secure than being nearly at the foot of the stairs in the cellar. Julia talked him into moving his coffin behind a section of wall where it would be secure in the tunnel. Once the danger of the time finished, he moved it back into the open near the foot of the stairs. She didn't like it there. It simply was too visible to anyone who would enter the cellar. It was certainly big enough for a single bed. The room behind the bookcase in the drawing room would be far more comfortable than the coffin Barnabas slept in. If he wouldn't agree to a bed, maybe she could talk him into putting the coffin in the room.
Willie walked into the drawing room. Julia didn't hear him come in. He watched her, wondering what the fascination was with the room behind the bookcase. Since he didn't like needles, he was in no hurry to have his blood drawn. He wouldn't do it at all if it was for him. Since it was for Barnabas, he would put up with the needle. He would do anything to protect Barnabas.
Julia finished her inspection of the room. Stepping out, she pushed the bookcase back in place. She turned around to see Willie standing there. "I didn't hear you come in."
"I can see that. What were you doing in that room?" Willie asked.
"I don't like Barnabas at the end of the cellar stairs. He is too exposed."
"Nobody is going to get near Barnabas," Willie insisted.
"You are not always here, Willie. David discovered the coffin, if you remember. Barnabas was able to convince him he had not seen a coffin."
"David knows about Barnabas."
Julia walked over to where she set the needle and syringe down. "He didn't at the time though. We are lucky it was David who discovered the coffin. Being a child, it was easy to convince Roger that David imagined it. What if an adult found the coffin? How would Barnabas explain it? No, Willie. I want to convince Barnabas to either return the coffin behind the wall into the tunnels or," she pointed at the bookcase, "put it in the room behind this bookcase."
"He probably won't do it. You know how stubborn he can be."
"I am going to try anyway. We could put a bed in there. Barnabas barely fits in that coffin. It can't be comfortable."
"He will never agree. He doesn't trust sleeping in a bed, and neither do I. He needs total darkness."
"No, he needs to block out any sunlight. No sunlight would get in that room," Julia said.
"Maybe not, but he is still safer in a coffin."
Julia picked up the syringe, hooked the tube to the needle. "Are you ready?"
Willie cringed. "I am never ready for needles."
Chuckling, Julia indicated for Willie to sit down. Reluctantly, he sat in Barnabas's favorite chair. "Roll up your sleeve."
Loomis unbuttoned his shirt and rolled it up past his elbow. "Is that far enough?"
"Yes, that's fine." Using the sterilized pad, she wiped it over the vein in his arm, pressed the needle in and drew out enough blood to fill the syringe. Julia pressed a piece of cotton on the entry point and covered a bandaid over it. "Leave that on for a few minutes to make sure the bleeding stops."
"Julia, I don't see how this helps Barnabas. You told Woodard that you are treating him for a blood disorder. No blood disorder will show up in my blood."
The doctor smiled. "I took care of that. Dave will find something in the blood. It will be similar to a disorder he has treated, only more aggressive. It will keep him busy, trying to find out how to treat it. Maybe he will even advance the cure for vampirism without knowing it." She added a small amount of Barnabas's blood in the tube.
She put the blood sample in her doctor's bag she placed there earlier. "I am going to drop this off at Dave Woodard's office. Don't leave the Old House until I get back. As long as Barnabas is at the bottom of the cellar stairs, I don't want him left alone."
Julia left the drawing room, removed her coat from the hall tree and left the Old House. Walking around the side of the mansion, she got into her car and drove to the Collinsport Hospital. When she arrived, she saw a man entering the front doors. Julia knew most of the people of Collinsport, if not by name, at least by sight. The man was not familiar to her. He looked lost.
"Can I help you?" Julia asked.
James Sawyer needed to avoid any contact with everybody. He had his hat pulled low, his head tilted down, in order to keep from anyone recognizing him later on. Unfortunately, due to his problems in the woods, he was a nervous wreck. Startled when Dr Hoffman spoke with him, he looked up. Damn it! He recognized her immediately. Dr Julia Hoffman, Barnabas Collins's woman — the one who was working on the formula to cure Collins's vampirism. Of all people to run into. He had no doubt she would be able to describe him to Collins. Desandro was going to be livid. There would be no way of avoiding a beating at the vampire's hands, and this one was going to be severe.
"No thank you." He turned to get as far away from her as possible.
Julia noticed he had an envelope in his hand. She could read the name of Dr David Woodard on it. "I see you have a letter for Dr Woodard."
He turned around to face her; no sense in trying to hide his face at this point. "I just need to find out where his office is."
"You are in luck. I just happen to be going to see him. I have an appointment. I can take the letter to him for you." Julia held out her hand.
He messed the whole thing up royally and he knew it. Knowing he still had to find his way back to the tunnel where Desandro was resting, it would save him some time. He walked toward Hoffman and handed her the letter. He wasn't about to allow her to question him about it. Sawyer hurried out of the hospital.
Dr Hoffman looked down at the letter in her hand. It was most certainly addressed to Dave. She wondered what it was about. Fighting off the temptation to open it, she headed toward the elevator that would take her to Woodard's floor. When she arrived, she opened the door to a smiling secretary.
"Hello, Dr Hoffman. Dr Woodard is expecting you. Go right in."
Julia returned the greeting and went directly to Woodard's office door. She knocked on the door and heard Dave tell her to come in. Opening the door, Julia entered his office.
Woodard stood up behind his desk and smiled. He came around it to greet her. "Julia, it is always a pleasure." He kissed her on the cheek. "How's Barnabas?"
"He is alright. His blood condition sometimes has him a bit under the weather, but today he is doing just fine."
He looked at the doctor's bag she was carrying. "I assume Barnabas's blood is in there."
"It is. I took it fresh this morning before he left for Bangor." She opened the bag, reached in, removed the tube of blood and gave it to Woodard. "Dave, I sincerely hope this will end your claim that Barnabas is a vampire."
Pointing toward the chair in front of his desk, he then walked around and sat down. Sitting on the desk was a microscope. Woodard took a slide, put a small amount of the blood on it and put it under the microscope. He raised an eyebrow. There was indeed an abnormality in Collins's blood, but it didn't match that which he found in the blood of the two women he believed to be murdered by a vampire. "This is certainly a blood disorder."
"Yes, I have been treating Barnabas since we met." Hoffman removed the bag from her lap and set it down on the floor."
"I have seen it before, I believe."
She raised an eyebrow. She thought he might. She put just enough of what was needed to make it appear the kind of blood disorder Dave Woodard had seen before. Julia wanted to make sure it would not appear as something he had never come across. She would never get him to back off if that was the case. "Now, you understand why he has to be treated. It is the reason his skin appears so pale. No amount of sun seems to give him better color. It is also why he is always cold to the touch."
"Yes, I can see that would be the case. If it is alright with you, I would like to run this through our lab here at the hospital."
She nodded. "Of course. It is the reason Barnabas agreed in the first place."
"Julia, I didn't mean to put a wedge between us. I truly believe a vampire is responsible for the death of the two women. You will have to admit that Barnabas has the symptoms of a vampire."
"I guess I really can't argue with that. In fact, it is how my association with Barnabas began. I suppose I have always believed vampires existed despite saying at times that I don't. When I first met Barnabas, I suspected that he was a vampire, just as you did. Careful not to let him see my suspicions, I did some research on him. I found out about his blood disorder and offered to help him control it. So, I really can't blame you for believing the same thing I did at first."
Woodard chuckled. "I'll bet you were actually disappointed when you found out he was just a normal human."
Dr Hoffman smiled. "I think I would not like to answer that."
Dr Woodard laughed hardily. He noticed the envelope she was holding in her hand. "What is that?" He pointed at it.
"Oh, a man came into the hospital holding it. He was rather disheveled. I told him I would give it to you." Julia handed it to Woodard.
The doctor opened the envelope and read it. His brow frowned. "Did you recognize the man who gave it to you?"
Due to the look on Woodard's face, she was really curious as to what the letter said. "No, I have never seen him before."
Dr Woodard leaned forward in his chair. "Would you recognize him again if you saw him?"
"Absolutely, I was standing right in front of him. Why do you ask?" She hoped he would share the letter with her.
He reached across the desk and handed her the letter. Julia read it. "Do you know anyone by the name of Lorenzo?"
"I was about to ask you the same question."
Julia shook her head. "No. As far as I know there isn't anyone in Collinsport by that name. What about you? You actually treat more people in this town than I do. Do you have any patients by that name?"
"No, I don't. This isn't a lot of help though. It only gives one name, and doesn't specify whether it is a first or last name. You did notice the last line in the letter?"
"It's a bit hard to miss," Julia said.
"Well, we know the man that delivered this is not a vampire. He delivered it in the daytime."
"Do you suppose he could possibly be the servant of a vampire, trying to get away from him?" Julia wondered.
"Julia, you know as much about vampires as I do. Servants are compelled to serve their vampire masters. It is because of the regular biting that makes them think they must serve them."
Dr Hoffman stood up and walked over to the window. "Yes, I know that, but it has been said there are people out there who can resist the bite of the vampire. It is possible the man who brought the letter is one of them."
"Unfortunately, the only way to find out is to find this man," Woodard said. "That means finding the lair of the vampire."
"And finding the lair of the vampire will have to be done during the day. We certainly can't do it at night. It would be a death sentence."
Woodard stood up, indicating the meeting was over. "I must do my rounds. I'll take a look at Barnabas's blood. I hope you can talk him into letting me help."
Knowing that was never going to happen, Julia discouraged him. "Dave, I have already told you Barnabas trust me. He doesn't want anyone else treating him. I am sure you can understand that. Many patients out there only want one doctor treating them."
Woodard led her over to the door. "Talk to him, Julia. I want to help." He closed the door behind her. Something was not right. Why were Barnabas and Julia so adamant about not allowing him to help. Both knew his reputation as a doctor. He could be a tremendous help if only they would let him. He sat down and looked through the microscope again. He did recognize the abnormality in the blood. Just because it didn't match the others, didn't necessarily mean Collins was in the clear. Yet, he had to admit Barnabas Collins certainly could come out in the daytime. He did so. That had to mean he wasn't a vampire, or did it? Julia Hoffman was more than just a doctor. She was quite adept with research. Was it possible she found a way to make it possible for Collins to appear in the daytime without being burned up?
Still, there was the problem of the letter. It indicated there was a vampire out there by the name of Lorenzo. Who was the man who brought the letter in, or was it actually brought in by anyone. It certainly was not in Julia Hoffman's handwriting. He would have recognized it. Nor could it be Willie Loomis's handwriting. He had examples of that as well. However, he didn't have any examples of Barnabas Collins handwriting. He could have written it.
Dave Woodard was determined to find out if Barnabas Collins was actually a vampire.
2
Desandro opened his eyes. Pushing the coffin lid open, he got out and stood up. He looked around. Where was his servant? He was supposed to be here to protect him. Delivering the letter to Woodard couldn't have taken all day. Sawyer must have delivered it later in the day. It was the only explanation for him not being here when he awakened. Desandro came to the conclusion he would have to do away with Sawyer and find a new servant. If there was one thing he wasn't going to put up with, it was an incompetent servant. A vampire's very existence depended upon being protected by his servant, and his was nowhere in sight. Why did he ever pick such a fool for a slave?
He wasn't about to sit around waiting for the idiot to come back. He had plans to continue. Desandro turned into a bat, flew out of the cave and headed for Lorenzo's hiding place. When he arrived, Lorenzo was just getting out of his coffin. He looked up to see Desandro.
"Good evening, Desandro. I trust you slept well."
What a moron. Vampires didn't dream, wake up, or hear anything that was going on around them. It was as if they were dead — really dead, not just undead. He decided to ignore the remark. "Are you ready to take our next victim?"
Lorenzo grinned. "I certainly am. This is fun. They have no idea what is going on, Desandro. They are completely baffled! I love it."
He certainly wasn't going to love what Desandro had planned for him. It wouldn't be long, and he would cease to exist. He was going to reveal the moron's identity tonight to Barnabas Collins. He couldn't wait to get rid of Lorenzo. Such a trusting fool!
"Alright then, give me a half hour. I want to be at Collins's mansion when it happens. Don't do it one minute before. Understand?"
"Yes, same as before. I will not let anyone see my face. I know the drill. You can count on me."
"Good, get moving. Stake out the docks and choose your victim, but give me the time to get to the Old House."
"On my way." Lorenzo turned into a bat and flew away.
Shaking his head at the stupidity of Lorenzo, he turned into a bat and flew toward the Old House. He arrived minutes later. Not really needing a half hour to get to Collins's mansion, he only wanted to make sure the idiot didn't kill the woman until he had Collins as an alibi. Desandro didn't want to take the chance he would kill the woman before he was with Collins. The whole plan depended on him being at the Old House with him when the killings took place.
Barnabas Collins opened his eyes. Lifting the lid to his coffin, he immediately saw Julia standing there. She smiled at him and said, "Good evening, Barnabas. I have much to tell you."
The vampire bent down and kissed her. "My Julia, always here to greet me when I wake up. What news do you have?"
"Let's go up to the drawing room."
Barnabas indicated for her to go ahead of him. He followed her up the stairs. Closing the door to the cellar, he turned the key Julia left in the lock and removed it, then returned it to its hiding place. They entered the drawing room. Willie was already there lighting the candles. There was a fire roaring in the fireplace.
He turned as he saw Barnabas and Julia enter. "Hi, Barnabas. I thought I would light a bigger fire. It is supposed to be cold tonight. I'll make sure it keeps going."
"That's fine,Willie." Turning to Julia, he indicated with his hand for her to sit down. "Now, tell me what makes you so excited."
"I drew blood from Willie and took it to Dave." She smiled slyly. "I added a little extra to show a blood disorder. It will not match the anomaly in the blood of the murdered women. Dave looked at it under the microscope. He was satisfied it wasn't the same."
"But – was he satisfied that I am not a vampire?" Barnabas questioned.
"I believe he was."
Barnabas wasn't as confident as Julia. Woodard made it clear from the beginning he didn't like him, and would be more than happy to prove he was a vampire in order to have him staked. He had to protect his existence, so he wasn't about to accept Woodard was satisfied. "Julia, I don't believe he is finished with me. He is going to try to push himself on my case. When we refuse to allow him to help treat my so-called blood disorder, he is going to wonder why. I didn't let him draw my blood when I was in his office. When he starts thinking about it, he is going to wonder if the blood you provided him was actually mine. I know he is your friend, but I simply don't trust the man."
Julia was afraid Barnabas was right. Dave Woodard couldn't resist a medical mystery, and he would only become more suspicious if they didn't allow him to help with Barnabas's treatment. How would she ever keep Barnabas from killing Dave? "I will do everything I can to make sure he finds out nothing."
"I hope so, Julia, for you know what I must do if he meddles into my condition."
"Yes, I know," she said warily.
There was a knock on the door. They all looked toward the foyer. "Willie, see who that is," Barnabas ordered.
Loomis left the drawing room. When he arrived at the double doors, he opened them. Standing there was Desandro.
"Hello, Mr Loomis, I would like to see your master," the vampire said with a smile, turning on the charm.
"I don't have a master," Willie said.
"Oh, that's right. You and Mr Collins are friends. You will have to forgive me. Vampires do not befriend their slaves."
"Nor am I a slave," Willie said with disgust. He stood there waiting for Desandro to address him to Barnabas properly. It seemed Desandro hadn't any intention of doing so. Finally, Willie said, "Wait here. I will see if Barnabas will see you." He left the foyer and went back into the drawing room.
What a useless, rude little man. Desandro would enjoy ending his life when the time came. A minute later Loomis returned to the doors. "Barnabas said he would see you. He's in the drawing room. He led the vampire out of the foyer.
Barnabas Collins stood by the fireplace. Julia was seated in the chair next to him. "Mr Desandro, what is the nature of your visit?"
"Nothing really. I just wanted the company of one of my kind." He smiled down at Julia Hoffman. Desandro hid his disgust for the human woman. Collins should either turn her or leave her alone. "I was wondering if you and I might go out together and see if we can find the rogue vampire. Are you interested?" Desandro knew he wouldn't be able to refuse. It would look like he didn't care there was another vampire killing in his area, and he knew fully well he did.
Barnabas said nothing. Julia spoke up for him. "I think that would be a very good idea, Barnabas. Since both of you are vampires, the rogue would not be able to stand up against two of you. Your combined strength would overpower him."
Desandro said, "What do you say, Mr Collins? I am as anxious as you to end the killing. After all, I will be in Collinsport for some time if you and Dr Hoffman decide to help me become human again. I can't afford to have this vampire killing any more than you can. It would threaten my existence as much as yours, maybe even more since I am not known in the area, and you are."
"First, there is something you should know," Barnabas told him. "Julia delivered a letter to Dr Dave Woodard at the hospital. She received it from a man who came into the hospital with the intention of giving the letter to Woodard." Barnabas described the man to Desandro. "Does that man sound familiar to you?"
"Mr Collins, you know that could describe a lot of men."
"I am aware of that. However, the letter listed a name." Barnabas watched him closely.
"Really, that's great! What was the vampire's name? Did the individual know the man in question is a vampire?"
"Yes, in fact, he did. He said he was a vampire." Barnabas stayed close to Julia. He wanted to make sure she was protected.
"Who would know that? We both know vampires don't let people live who find out their true nature."
"That's a very good question, Mr Desandro," Julia said.
"You could have sent it," Willie said with disdain.
Desandro had intended to tell Barnabas that he found out who the vampire was and sent the letter to Woodard to protect Barnabas. He didn't like the direction the conversation was going. He didn't seem to be getting any closer to the Collinsport vampire. Distrust was all over his face. He didn't understand it. When the last murder took place, he was with Collins. He knew he couldn't possibly have attacked the woman. Collins should begin trusting him. Maybe it was time he produced the vampire.
"I assure you Mr Loomis, I did not write the letter. You see, I never learned to read or write. I lived in a village where there weren't any schools or teachers. We did manual labor. You mention the writer of the letter gave a name. What was it?"
Julia stood up beside Barnabas. "The name on the letter was Lorenzo."
A shocked look appeared on Desandro's face, fake of course. "Oh my God!"
"I take it you know this vampire," Julia said.
"If it is the same man, then I am to blame for all of this happening."
Barnabas demanded he explain.
"Not too long ago, a man in my village was robbed and stabbed. The wound was fatal. He had knew I was a vampire for a long time, although I wasn't aware he knew. He asked me to turn him. He pointed out he kept my secret for years. So, I did so in gratitude for his silence."
"Did you inform the Vampire Council that you turned the man?" Barnabas asked.
"No, I am afraid I did not, although I intended to. I was busy trying to watch over the fledgling vampire to make sure he didn't kill at random. I will inform them right away."
"What was the name of the man you turned?" Julia asked.
"I don't know his last name, but then most vampires no longer use their last names after being turned. You are the exception to that, Mr Collins."
"What's his first name?" Barnabas asked.
"His name is Lorenzo."
"Barnabas, that is the name in the letter!" Julie exclaimed.
"Then it is truly my fault. Mr Collins, I must help you find this man. If I had let him die, this would not be happening."
Willie was still suspicious of the stranger. "Just who in this town would know Lorenzo was a vampire beside you?"
Damn the servant! Collins and Hoffman didn't ask that question. "Possibly, the servant of the vampire, hoping to free himself from him. That would be my guess. Sometimes, biting a servant can only control them to a certain extent." It was as good an explanation as any, Desandro thought. In fact, it would probably be true if he wasn't involved in all this. Lorenzo didn't bring a servant. He was using Desandro's servant at his suggestion. He had no doubt James Sawyer would try to get away from him if he wasn't such a coward.
"That sounds reasonable, Willie. You can identify with that. You wanted to get away from Barnabas in the beginning," Julie pointed out.
"What about the description of the man who delivered the letter?" Barnabas asked. "Does it fit the description of Lorenzo's servant?"
"Actually, I don't know who his servant is. He used mine while I guided him. I told him to find a servant when we parted."
"But why would he come here?" Julia wondered.
"I'm afraid we didn't part on very good terms. He hated being a vampire. He insisted I should have let him die. We had a fight. He tried to destroy me. I supposed I should have destroyed him on the spot, but I didn't. I figured he would eventually embrace being a vampire, so I let him go. Apparently, Lorenzo found out I was coming here to ask you to help me become human again. He must have followed me. I believe he is seeking revenge by feeding in this area, believing you might possibly destroy me thinking it is I who is doing the killing."
"You killed the first one," Willie sneered.
"I explained that Mr Loomis, and I regret it, but there isn't anything I can do to bring the human back. I am sure Mr Collins did the same in the beginning."
Barnabas couldn't argue that. Yes, he drained people of their blood in the beginning as well. "Alright, let's see if we can find this man."
3
Carolyn Stoddard looked into the fireplace. She hadn't been this excited in a long time. She hadn't seen her friend, Freida McLean in years. She lived in Collinsport when they were both little girls. Her family moved away. Carolyn kept in contact with Freida through letters and occasional phone calls. She missed her childhood friend. Her parents moved her away because of the influence of the area. They worried about Freida. She insisted she communicated with ghosts. They worried the influence of the supernatural reputation of Collinsport was affecting her adversely.
Carolyn looked at her watch. Freida was overdue. She called earlier to let her know she would be there shortly. She came by train, and Carolyn felt she should have been here by now.
In the woods, Freida McLean felt the same exhilaration she felt as a little girl. She could have taken a taxi, but she wanted to walk through the woods. It was so long since she was able to enjoy the smell and the sounds of the woods. Coming home, even if only for a short time, was worth angering her parents who objected to her visit.
"Hello, there, are you lost?" Freida turned to see a stranger standing there. She never saw skin so pale. The man couldn't be healthy. No one was that pale. "No, I am not lost. I used to live here many years ago. I know the area as well as anyone who lives here now. Who are you?" She realized she had been away for a long time now. Freida expected to run into a lot of people she never met before.
The stranger smiled. "Then I am sure you know the area better than I do. Drawing her in, he said, "My name is Lorenzo."
Freida couldn't look away from him. There was something about him. She was drawn to him and she didn't know why. She wanted him. Looking into his eyes, she walked toward him. "My name is Freida."
"Freida, that is a beautiful name." Lorenzo reached out and took her hand. Come to me, Freida."
Unable to resist the stranger and not knowing why, she moved closer to him. He pushed the hair away from her neck, put an arm around her waist, and pulled her close. Lorenzo's fangs elongated. He sunk them into her juggler and drank … and drank … and drank. He continued drinking until he sucked every drop of blood in her body. He dropped her to the ground.