Because Your Vampire Said So - By Michele Bardsley Page 0,3

His long hair flowed down his back and joined with the white fur sprouting over every inch of skin.

Snapping and snarling, the white wolf lunged for the monster.
Chapter Two
At this point, I had several options. Scream for help. Pull out my cell phone and call someone. Get up and run for cover.

Unfortunately, I was so discombobulated and scared out of my mind, I didn't make a logical choice. I sat on my butt and watched the fight.

The white wolf was the biggest lycanthrope I'd ever seen, larger and more muscular than even the triplets. He savagely attacked the creature, ripping with his teeth and scratching with his claws.

Black blood seeped from the creature's wounds and smeared the wolf's white fur. Despite the creature's advantage in both height and strength, his punches and kicks were ineffective. Gabriel's assault was relentless and vicious.

With a roar of frustration, the monster raised his arms to the sky and poof. A huge cloud of black smoke erupted from the ground and enveloped him. The noxious smell of sulfur gagged me.

When the air cleared, Evil Dude was gone.

Gabriel sniffed at the blackened soil, digging at burned ground. After a minute, he gave up and turned toward me. God, he was the most beautiful wolfie I'd ever laid eyes on. He limped forward, looking exhausted and torn up. I guess the scary guy had gotten more than a few good licks in.

"Come here," I said.

Panting heavily, his eyes glazed with pain, he plopped down next to me and put his head in my lap. I rubbed his matted fur; then I leaned down and kissed his muzzle. "You did good, hon. Thank you."

Beneath my fingers, his body undulated and I heard the awful snap-snick. Within moments he was human again. And naked. And unconscious.

I needed to get up and out of here. Or call for help or at least get us inside the trailer. Shoot. All the pizzazz had gone out of me. Most vampires got lethargic close to dawn. Sunrise wasn't too far off.

I stood up, grabbed Gabriel under the arm-pits, and dragged him to the trailer. Even with my vampire strength, he was a handful. Getting him up the three steps and through the door took some doing.

I settled him on the couch.

The headache-inducing music my sixteen-year -old son enjoyed filtered down the hallway. At least he'd kept it down tonight.

My gaze roamed over Gabriel. Oo-wee. He was all kinds of yum. I checked out his package because ... well, hell, wouldn't you? Now, that was a damned fine piece of equipment. I just about drooled over his abdomen and pectorals, all smooth as beige silk. Or would've been if he weren't covered in bruises, cuts, and blood.

"Did you kill him?"

"Oh, God!" I glared at the wizened old woman, who'd been dead herself for almost twenty years. Nonna stood above Gabriel, which she did only because she knew that kind of shit freaked me out.

Yeah. Remember those new tricks I talked about earlier? Well, I can see ghosts. That's my vampire Family's power - seeing earthbound spirits. Yippee.

"Nonna, how many times have I asked you not to pop out of the woodwork like that?"

She shrugged, but her grin was filled with orneriness. That was Nonna, all right. On her eighty-fifth birthday, she'd gone to Vegas and whooped it up. Her favorite thing was playing the one-armed bandits. Old-fashioned to the end, she pulled the handle instead of smacking the big plastic buttons.

Nonna died with one hand curled on the handle and the other hand curled around a Jack and Coke. Nobody noticed she'd passed on for three hours and by then, she was in rigor mortis. They had to remove the handle from the slot machine because they couldn't unclench her wrinkled fingers from the metal bar or from the highball glass. That's how she went to the coroner's office.

Nonna always said she wanted to go in style.

I watched my deceased grandmother poke Gabriel with the toe of her orthopedic shoe, which of course went right through his shoulder. I can't imagine why old people think those white, high-soled shoes look good with workout wear, but there Nonna was, as always, wearing those terrible shoes with her pink velour jogging suit.

"Stop that," I demanded.

"What for?" She did it again, this time sinking her whole shoe into his forehead. She stared at me defiantly. "He cain't feel nothing."

I took out my cell phone and flipped it open. If I was smart, I'd hit the speed dial