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give me the shop and I fired her. Turning the shoes over in her hand, Vampirella said,
I like her shoes, though. Oh, look. They re even my size.
Maura tried to cover her horror. I ll have to eat lots of garlic sandwiches from now
on.
An evil smile stole across the sinister vamp s face. Just the reaction I was hoping
for. Adrian hates garlic too. Maybe that will convince you that he belongs with me, not
you. Now because I don t want to upset Adrian too much when he gets here, I ll put
you in the other dressing room. If you cooperate, you won t have to be tied up like the
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previous owner. Her eyes narrowed and glittered. Just remember what I can do to
you.
Maura s stomach churned. Vampirella grabbed her arm and roughly shoved her
into the other dressing room. She did her best to put up a minor struggle even though
she was pretty sure she had no choice in the matter.
Vampirella laughed as she did something to the handle. Maura suspected she had
fixed it so it wouldn t open, but she tried to turn it anyway. The handle didn t budge.
That door wasn t opening any time soon.
* * * * *
Adrian breathed a sigh of relief, satisfied that his father would be all right. How
Maura had managed to forgive them was beyond his wildest imagination. Well, she did
say she had a pretty eccentric family herself. He wondered if he d meet them someday
and if so, what they d think of her dating a vampire. At least he had vampiric strength
in case anyone tried to throw him into a dungeon.
Strudel yipped and wagged his tail when Adrian found him in the kitchen. He had
slurped up the last of the pig s blood in his bowl and looked as content as& well, as a
dog with all his needs met. With a wide smile and his tongue hanging out, he wagged
his tail furiously while Adrian scratched him behind his ears.
I m glad Maura convinced me to come back for you, boy.
He also had to admit he was glad his family had turned his boyhood best friend
and kept him undead all these years. A weird string of events, but welcome ones.
Strudel, do you want to come with Maura and me? I have to tell you it won t be
easy. We ll have to carry you around in a covered cage during the day and
Strudel jumped up and down, wagged his tail furiously and yipped his agreement.
Adrian chuckled and picked up the delighted dog.
We ll play Frisbee in the park after the sun goes down, but Maura and I will be
sleeping during the night while you re awake. It may be a little lonely for you.
No lonelier than it is here. No one plays Frisbee with me. Whatever that is.
A shocked Adrian set Strudel back on the floor and stared at him. Boy? Was that
you? Did you just speak to me telepathically?
Yes, it s me. Your Strudel. Don t worry, Master. I won t be any trouble. I ll stand guard
over you during the night. Just please take me with you. Nobody loves me like you and your
funny red-haired woman do.
Hands on his hips, Adrian studied his dog. I ll be damned. Who knew we d be able to
communicate like this. That s got to be a first.
I called to you and called to you for centuries, but you were too far away. I couldn t howl out
loud or I d get yelled at and locked in the dungeon. Maybe all that practice helped me develop
telepathy. I have to really concentrate hard to do it, though. I d have talked to you before, but I
couldn t. I was too drunk to stand on all four paws.
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Adrian shook his head. You and my lady will get along just fine. She s a bit of a
lush, I m afraid.
Yeah, but she s fun. I really like that about her.
She likes you too. I guess there s nothing like two or three bottles of wine and
singing at the top of your lungs to facilitate a bond.
Heh, heh. Yeah, she didn t even complain about my being off-key.
Well, let s get you into your covered cage so I can take you out in the sun with me.
Don t worry. It isn t like one of those cramped bird cages.
Strudel jumped up and down and licked Adrian s hand as he bent down to pat him.
* * * * *
Meanwhile, Maura sat in the corner of her dressing room and tried to call Adrian
telepathically without success. She wanted to warn him, so he d know what he was
walking into. Why it hadn t worked concerned her. Maybe it was the distance. He could
still be at the castle.
An unsettling thought struck her suddenly and she shivered. What if his father was
in serious condition and Adrian didn t dare leave him? Or what if they had managed to
talk their son out of dating a mortal?
Just the thought made her heart ache. If so, would he come and break it off with her
in person? Or would he be one of those cowardly types who just stopped calling or
coming by? And yet, it was possible he d think she left him since she wasn t able to
meet him at the café they had designated for their rendezvous after. Would he, could
he, find her with Vampirella lying in wait?
As she fumed and obsessed over all that could go wrong, she heard the tinkling of
the little bell out front, signaling someone entering the shop.
Well, well. It s about time you got here, lover.
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