Her hand went to her neck, her fingers anxiously probing the skin beneath her left ear. There didn't seem to be any bite marks. There was no blood.
"A dream," she murmured, "it was only a dream."
But it had seemed so real. The creature bending over the bed, his gray eyes glowing an unholy red in the darkness, his hands like claws as they clamped over her shoulders to hold her in place, his long reddish brown hair brushing against her cheek as he leaned over her, his fangs poised at her throat.
So real, she thought, so real.
Leaving the light on, she drew the covers up to her chin, afraid to close her eyes, afraid to go back to sleep for fear the nightmare would find her again.
Chapter Two
Marisa returned to the carnival the following Monday evening after work, hoping that by seeing the vampire again, by assuring herself that it was still there, she would somehow be freed of the nightmares that had been plaguing her dreams for the past three nights. Why she thought seeing the creature again would put an end to her bad dreams instead of causing more remained unclear as she parked her car on a side street and ran through the light drizzle that had started falling at sundown.
She paused when she reached the lot, surprised to see that the food booths were gone. Several of the rides had been dismantled; in the distance, she could see three men taking down the Ferris wheel. Another man was trying to load a skittish horse into a trailer. No one paid her any attention.
The ticket-taker's booth was empty. A black-and-white sign was propped in front of the window. It read:
CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
For a moment, she stared at the sign; then, glancing around to make sure no one was watching, she ducked into the big tent. It was empty. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she approached the smaller tent.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside.
This tent was empty, too. The dais stood in the center of the floor, but the ebony coffin was nowhere to be seen.
"May I help you?"
The sound of a woman's voice startled her. Whirling around, Marisa recognized the girl she had seen on Friday. The girl had been wearing a short red skirt, ballerina slippers, an off-the-shoulder blouse, and long, dangling red earrings then. Today, she looked as though she had just returned from a funeral. The severe black dress made her look older than her years. She wore a black scarf over her hair. A filigreed silver crucifix hung from a thick silver chain around her neck. Wide silver bracelets adorned both wrists.
"I came to see the vampire."
The girl frowned at her a moment. Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying.
"Ah, yes," she said, "you were here on All Hallow's Eve, weren't you?"
"Yes." Marisa glanced at the center of the tent where the coffin had been. "Where is it?"
The girl looked around the tent, her fingers worrying the crucifix.
Was she imagining it, Marisa wondered, or did the girl's movements seem furtive, fearful?
"Is something wrong?" Marisa asked.
"What? Oh, no. I regret the... the count is no longer available for viewing."
"No longer available? Why not?"
The girl hesitated before answering, and Marisa had the distinct impression that she was choosing her words with great care. "The body is being... restored."
"I see," Marisa said. "Do you know when he... when it will be finished?"
The girl's hand tightened over the cross. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't say."
"Is Silvano here?"
The girl looked at Marisa sharply; then, expelling a deep, shuddering sigh, she shook her head.
"It looks like you're packing up."
"Yes, I'm afraid unexpected business has called us away. I'm sorry you made the trip out here for nothing. Good evening to you."
"Yes, good night."
Marisa watched the girl leave, then walked to the center of the tent and stared at the empty platform. The girl had said the body was being "restored." What, exactly, did that mean? How did one go about "restoring" a body that wasn't quite dead?
She felt a sudden coldness at the base of her neck, an eerie sensation that she was no longer alone. She glanced at the doorway, thinking the girl had returned, but there was no one there.
"You came to see the vampyre?"
Marisa whirled around, her heart leaping into her throat. "Good Lord, you startled me!" She stared at the stranger, wondering how he had gotten