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  "I'd love to see her come when she's not under

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  compulsion. I can see why you want her, but there are plenty of beautiful women for you now. Bite the bitch, and get it over with." Malicious glee filled Darius's voice as he commanded Anthony to finish the job he'd started.

  "I love you, Dyanna. I'm sorry." She couldn't understand what he was apologizing for doing. She didn't comprehend why the other man was telling her husband to finish a job. Everything jumbled together. She lay calmly filled with an unnatural bliss that had nothing to do with the orgasm. What had they given her?

  Anthony bent close to her and kissed her neck tenderly. It was nice, she sighed. Then a sharp sting made her hiss. She desperately wanted to push him away but her body stayed trapped. The bliss wasn't enough to numb her pain. Tears ran involuntarily from the corners of her eyes.

  Why would he hurt her like this? Fighting the hypnotic euphoria, Dyanna managed a whimper.

  "No, don't… stop… don't. Why, Anthony?"

  She could hear slurping sounds, and, to her horror, the realization of what was happening finally penetrated the mind control. Oh God, he is a vampire. He's killing me. She struggled enough to move her arms, but pushing him away was impossible. Whatever they'd done to her, she was so fully in the grip she couldn't save herself. Everything blurred, her eyes fluttered. Weakness assailed her followed

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  by nausea. Dyanna couldn't hold her eyes open any longer.

  With her last moment of consciousness, she whispered.

  "Don't kill me. I'm sorry for whatever I did, but let me live." Then darkness took her away from the pain and terror.

  * * * *

  "You did well, my boy. I'm impressed." Darius spoke the words with honest admiration.

  Anthony held his wife as she lay dying. He'd given her his blood at the last moment. Her soft plea had saved her life. The sound of her pain broke through the bloodlust long enough for him to pull away before her heart stopped completely. He could see even though the clan leader was impressed, he wasn't happy that Anthony had saved Dyanna.

  "Don't forget, I am the sire of this clan. My blood rules you all, and by giving her your blood, you've given her to me. Never forget who you serve." The words confirmed Anthony's suspicion.

  How his love for his wife was a threat to Darius's leadership was a mystery to him, but he'd remember the man's paranoia in the future. Dyanna stirred and moaned in his arms. He felt helpless. When Darius commanded him to

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  give up his mortal life and move into the club, he'd been desperate to keep Dyanna in his life. He'd selfishly decided on her as his blood slave. Even if he had to keep her as a mindless zombie, it was better than losing her, but he should've expected that such a stubborn woman wouldn't be easy to control. He hadn't wanted to turn her. She abhorred violence, and she wasn't a predator. Dyanna was a joyful light, and he'd extinguished her.

  Looking down at her beautiful, albeit pale, face, he wanted to shout for joy and cry all at the same time. She was in his life now, part of his clan. Would she forgive him when she awoke? The vampire blood had killed part of him, made him relish the bloodlust. Would she be the woman he loved, or had he inadvertently lost her by changing her? She didn't wake and wouldn't until the next nightfall; that's when he'd find out the consequences of the choice he'd made for both of them.

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  PART TWO

  One Year Later

  Dyanna stared up at Club Silver Moon in disgust.

  Had it really only been a year since that terrible night? Two drunken college kids wearing masks walked past her, and she smelled the liquor in their blood. They would be such easy targets. She reined in her desire to follow them and returned her attention to the club. The vampire ADD really sucked. She was so easily distracted, but not tonight. She'd save herself and the worthless killer she'd married, if he was still alive.

  "You don't have to do this, you know." Bettia spoke quietly. The mortal was her dearest ally and closest friend.

  She'd saved her from becoming a monster only a few days after she'd woken up dead in a coffin housed in the subbasement of Club Silver Moon. Dyanna had escaped Darius's clan to wander hungry and confused in the city.

  The woman had stopped her from killing an elderly man and instead of staking her, had brought her home and given her a bag of blood. Dyanna had thought the woman was a vampire, because she kept blood, but Bettia had surprised her with the truth. Her new friend was a witch. She kept the

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  blood for the purpose of magic and had as much reason as Dyanna to hate Darius. They'd shared stories and formed an alliance that night.

  It sucked living in her hometown and not being able to see her family. She didn't trust herself around Joanie and the kids. The police thought she was dead, and after interviewing her sister and Anthony's employer, he'd become their prime suspect in her disappearance. If they only knew how close they were to the truth. She'd almost been offended at how quickly the "search" for her ended, but she knew Joanie had never dealt well with sorrow.

  Dyanna was just sorry she'd certainly caused Joanie pain.

  "Thank you for everything you've done for me.

  You're the best friend I've ever had, B, but this ends tonight." Bettia nodded; they'd worked together on this plan for almost a year while Dyanna lived a half-life in her friend's basement. She spent her days in the death-like sleep and her nights watching bad movies on basic cable with her friend. She'd miss her friend, but if she survived the night, she was leaving Sioux City and finding a way to fight her evil needs and live again. Even the dead needed a life. She'd stayed in the safe confines of Bettia's little basement too long. Magic kept Bettia safe from her, and she loved knowing as long as she stayed inside the house that she couldn't hurt anyone. At first she remained because

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  she wanted to protect the world from herself, then she stayed because she wanted revenge but didn't know how she could stand against such a powerful enemy alone. Now it was time to act.

  Each day Dyanna felt more power over the monster inside her. The blood drinker in her head wanted to kill, but the woman detested violence. The inner struggle was more than she could bear at times. Her pain over the loss of her humanity battled with her anger toward Anthony and his sire. She knew her husband loved her once. Even after everything he'd done, she still loved him, and not being able to hate him royally pissed her off.

  "I've got everything we need. We just have to get in.

  Samhain is sacred, I'll be at my strongest. Midnight on the thirty-first is our best chance." Bettia said with firm, albeit quiet, assurance.

  "Don't worry; we'll get in." Dyanna confidently walked over to the bouncer. He looked at her curiously. He knew just as she did that they were of the same clan, and yet they didn't recognize each other.

  "Are you on the list?" She could see he was still trying to figure out how he didn't know her. Clearly, Darius wasn't looking for brains when he brought this guy into the clan. Bettia's magic had severed Darius's control, but it could never take away the tainted blood that flowed

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  through her veins to make her human again.

  "When isn't family on the list? I've come to see our sire."

  The man looked unsure. Dyanna tried again. "It's been a long time; Sire sent me away for important business.

  It kept me from the clan for far too long."

  She hurried over to Bettia and pulled her along. The unexpected move caused her friend to take halting steps, which worked into her plan perfectly. "I've compelled this mortal; she's for
the Sire of Us All."

  That seemed to convince the bouncer who quickly moved the rope and let her in, along with Bettia. She noticed her friend was trying to act compelled. She wasn't a very good actress, but luckily the bouncer became distracted by a tasty looking brunette and paid them no further attention. Dyanna hissed, "Walk normally, we don't want extra attention." Her friend paled. They were walking into the lion's den, and the odds they'd walk back out were slim.

  Darius had killed Bettia's fiancé. The girl's anguish was the catalyst for her natural elemental powers to call to her and how she discovered she was a witch. She'd only been using her gifts for a few years when she'd meet Dyanna; she'd been able to see that she wasn't a vampire who relished the bloodlust. She'd helped Dyanna, and

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  because Bettia had spent so much time studying vampires, she knew more about the clan than Dyanna did herself.

  There'd never be a perfect time to go up against Darius, but now seemed as good as any, so they took the little knowledge they had and came up with a plan. Now Dyanna wondered if they hadn't made a terrible, fatal mistake. Too late to back out, she looked at her best friend realizing she'd die to protect the woman who'd given her hope when she'd felt hopeless. Bettia had saved her. She owed the woman for that and more.

  Club Silver Moon was just as she remembered it, dark and twisted. The numerous Goths gyrated to a different song, but otherwise it could be a year earlier. The same gaudy Halloween decorations hung carelessly around the room. A few predators danced with costumed humans either too drunk to notice or compelled not to see the danger lurking next to them on the dance floor. The only real difference was that this time Dyanna could see as well as she had as a mortal in the daytime sun. Bettia gasped, and Dyanna turned to see what her friend was looking at. A woman hung naked and chained to an inverted cross, her feet savagely slashed to ribbons. Three male vampires gathered around her licking at the rivulets of blood flowing down her body. The woman moaned as if in the grip of orgasm. Only a few people stood watching the spectacle,

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  and Dyanna wondered if the humans in the room were compelled not to notice or if they were just desensitized.

  Most of the humans who hung out partying at the club had no idea what was really going on there. Dyanna couldn't believe that in such a small, close-knit community this kind of horror thrived. Tonight she hoped for a miracle. If they were successful, they'd stop the vampires in Sioux City.

  There were vampires everywhere in America, but if they could save one town, it was something. If she survived she'd continue destroying vampires. She had to start somewhere, and home was as good a place as any.

  The DJ suddenly turned on a strobe light and Bettia stumbled, Dyanna grabbed her and helped her regain her footing.

  The DJ crooned. "Par-tay on, all you thirsty people, this song is for our newest performer. Give it up for the A-man." Dyanna turned to where the DJ pointed. Even under the strange, blinking strobe lights that distracted her vampire senses, she could clearly see the A-man was her husband. Relief that he was alive, or undead, or whatever, filled her, but she was horrified when she saw the knife he held. The stage across the room from them held three people. One was a woman who sat naked in a chair. It was crystal clear to Dyanna that the woman sat compelled. She sat calmly staring out at the crowd. Anthony wore black

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  jeans and boots; his chest was bare. His body was in even better shape than she remembered. A vampire she didn't recognize knelt at the compelled woman's feet; he wore the standard black leather ensemble. Anthony stood behind the woman, his knife ready. Then Dyanna noticed that his hand shook. Was it stage fright, or something else that caused his unsteady hand? When he turned a bit she got a good look at his face. She could tell he hadn't seen her yet, and she grabbed Bettia and went to an area full of mindlessly gyrating blood slaves who paid no attention, unlike the vampires and mortals not subject to mind control. In the crowd, she could see him, but the motion of the others would keep his vampire eyes from focusing on her. The expression on his face gave her a moment of sympathy for him. He looked terrible. She could see that he didn't want to be there. He looked… sorry. Did something worth salvaging still exist inside of him?

  Bettia gripped her hand in a desperate way that would've been painful if she'd still been mortal, as Anthony made the first terrible cut on the woman's stomach. In a matter of moments and with inhuman speed, he'd carved Darius's name into the woman's flesh. She never blinked, never flinched, just allowed the mutilation as if he'd been writing on her with a pen. The vampire at her feet began to lick the letters, and the woman moaned in ecstasy. Anthony

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  left the stage and applause followed him. She'd expected an escalation in the brutality, and a sigh of relief escaped her.

  It'd been hard to watch, but knowing how much worse it could've been, judging by what she'd seen during her limited time at the club, she knew the poor woman had gotten off easy.

  Dyanna watched Anthony enter one of the numerous vampires-only rooms, and she pulled her friend along. She stood near the door and listened. With her enhanced hearing, if she focused, she'd hear inside over the music blaring around her.

  "Sire, I did as you've commanded." Anthony spoke; Dyanna detected a note of anxiety in his voice.

  "No you didn't." Annoyance and anger were heavy on the leader's words. "I monitored your performance and I'm very disappointed. You have gifts, and bloodlust that you deny me. I'm your leader, your father, and yet you would show me this? Is that the best you can do to entertain me? I've expected so much more from you, why do you refuse me?"

  "I… I'm not… I'm sorry."

  Darius cleared his throat. "Did I ever tell you I had a son before I was reborn?

  "No Sire." Anthony sounded even more worried.

  Dyanna was afraid for him. She should hate him, but even

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  after everything, she still loved her husband. After she'd woken up dead, he'd told her to rejoice, but when she'd wept and railed at him, he'd been contrite. He hadn't expected her to run the first chance she'd had. Her unexpected desire to run, no matter the cost was the reason she'd been able to escape. She'd used the element of surprise and done the unexpected. Leaving had taken tremendous courage. She'd loved him, but she'd never accept what he'd made her. Dyanna had never forgiven him for accepting his fate.

  "He disappointed me too. The boy rejected the skills I taught him, and he was too lazy to be of much use to me. I was a miller; our family had run the mill for many generations. The boy didn't want to work at the mill; he wanted to gamble and drink. Do you want to know what I did, almost as soon as I was turned?"

  "What did you do, Sire?" She heard reluctance in Anthony's question. She too felt afraid of the answer.

  "What's going on?" Bettia cut into her intense eavesdropping.

  "Shh." Bettia was silent after the quick chastising.

  Darius paused for dramatic effect so she hadn't missed his answer. "I killed him. He was my first kill. The little shit even pissed on himself. His worthless mother raised him to be nothing but a waste of talent. I quickly

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  overpowered my sire and took the clan. I've been the leader of this clan for almost two hundred years. I'd like to think of you as a son I could be proud of, Anthony. I won't accept my family squandering their talent. Will you be a son I can take pride in?"

  "Y-yes, Sire."

  "Good, now get out there and show me you're loyal to this clan. I want to be entertained. The mortals think it's all faked for the holiday, but we know better, don't we?

  Halloween is the one night of the year my club can reach
its full potential. Show me how brutally you enjoy the bloodlust and how worthy you are to be a son in my clan."

  She hurried away from the door; she and Bettia slunk into the shadows, out of sight. A moment later the door opened and Anthony started walking to the stage, but then he paused and turned in her direction. This was the moment she'd waited for during her year of self-imprisonment. His eyes caught hers and for a long moment, he gazed at her in disbelief. Deep pain appeared etched into his handsome face, and her heart stopped. She'd never said goodbye when she'd fled in angry confusion. Now a play of emotions fluttered across his face, and she could see how he'd suffered. Only a brief spike of guilt left her wondering if she should've told him she was leaving, or asked him to come with her. She'd wanted to get away from Darius so

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  badly she'd feared telling him in case he turned her in as a defector. Dyanna wished she'd given him more of a chance.

  He hadn't deserved it, but she could see he still loved her.

  The pain and joy blended in a harmony of suffering in his eyes, speaking his love to her as if he'd whispered the words in her ear.

  "Is that your husband?" Bettia broke the moment with her worried whisper.

  "Yes." Her voice cracked as she replied with the simple word. How could she tell her friend she still loved the man who killed her? Being a vampire changed how your mind processed things, but not who you were at the very core. Was her Anthony still in there, somewhere, or had her love been a lie?

  "He sees us." Bettia's voice was an octave too high.

  Dyanna felt hysteria threatening to overwhelm her mind as she wondered if he'd drag them straight to his sire.

  "I know." She couldn't do anything except give simple answers. It was just too hard to focus when his rich cocoa eyes were boring into her. His hair was longer than she'd remembered, but it still looked soft. What would it feel like now with her heightened vampire senses? She could almost feel her fingers running through the black strands.