A zombie jumped on my back, embedded its fangs in my shoulder. I spun, making it dizzy, and tossed it off me pulling my skin with it. It fell, knocking other zombies down creating a domino effect.

Zombies sniffed the air, smelling my blood. I growled.

They came at me again-buried me. No air. Claws slashed and sc.r.a.ped, dug into my skin; huddled over me in a football trap.

Terra's shrill voice made it worse. "Ready to give up, yet?"

My daughter's and Ilida's faces flashed before my mind's eye. This was for them. I had to succeed. I pushed once, and then twice with a hard nudge, pushed the Zombies to my right off me.

One breathed its foul breath in my face. I pulled him off my shoulder grabbed his arm and leg and used him to fling the others off me. One zombie fell, knocking over a lab table, releasing gas.

I pulled the remote switch activating the bombs.

My ears nearly bled from the loud explosion, but I had no time to cover them. The force of the blast knocked hurled me through the window. Shards of gla.s.s sc.r.a.ped my back, neck, and scalp. I landed on the hard snow. Flames leaped down around me. More explosions leveled the lab. Foul blood joined the smell of burning metal and gas. I was still alive. Barely. I managed to crawl out from under the destruction then collapsed.

The constant sound of sirens and the harsh horn of fire trucks made me move again.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm hosting the seminar tonight, Thom."

It seemed to be her lot in life. Covering for people, working late, and not getting any sleep.

"It's Beverly's turn to host."

"Beverly had to take care of personal business."

"You've been here since three this morning. Don't you think your pushing it?"

Yes, she was pushing it. She was about to collapse on her feet, but the seminar had to go on. It helped fund Tilly House. Her eyes were watery and she moved as if each limb weighed a hundred pounds. "We all have to pull our weight around here."

"I can manage the seminar. You go home."

"Isn't your wife missing you?"

"Do you miss me?"

"We aren't together anymore, Thom."

"We had something."

"That lasted five minutes." It was a moment in time between two friends. It shouldn't have happened, but it had and they put it behind them. Or so she'd thought. It wasn't her imagination when Thom came in looking curious and jealous and found her and Daedalus talking. Thom and Daedalus exchanged a look that established territory. Ilida was the territory! "You and your wife are back together again. Don't ruin it."

"Are you seeing Sqourakis?"

"Thom!"

"Hey I've heard a lot about him. He's a shark with women."

A shark with women because he's afraid. Everyone is afraid of risking his or her hearts. She didn't want to be afraid but his psychic prowess scared her. She wanted normal. Thom is normal but off limits.

Daedalus is normal but isn't. Daedalus made her feel things that disturbed her, invigorated her. The man rang her bells.

"I know about his reputation. Go home, Thom."

"You're off for two days starting Monday."

"Don't be silly, Thom. I have Mike to help."

"I mean it! I don't want to see you until Wednesday." She could use a few days off to recharge. To not have to go anywhere after the blizzard would be heaven sent. "Who will handle Mike?"

"I will. Just leave his file on my desk before you leave tonight."

"Thanks, Thom."

"Hey? How are you getting home?"

"I'll drive slowly."

It was something she put off pondering about. There was bound to be food left over. She'd make a sandwich before the seminar was over; tuck it away in plastic wrap. She'd have something to snack on while driving.

"Drive slowly all the way to Brooklyn in this blizzard?"

"It'll take me three hours instead of two."

"Ilida Davis, the martyr."

"Bye Thom," she said waving. I'm not martyr am I?

Ilida checked the residents to make sure they were in their rooms. She did roll call and when she was satisfied, she told them good night and walked down the stairs.

The platters of food ordered from Apollo Restaurant came. She set the tables in the back of the dining hall. She made sure there were enough chairs for the scheduled guests, and she laid out the Styrofoam cups, soda, juices, and water.

Half an hour into the seminar and she was restless. Luckily, she was in the back of the room. She got up softly, walked to the refreshment table, and poured herself a cup of Mountain Dew. She gulped it down then lifted the cup away from her lips. The metallic smell of blood hit her, making the soda in her mouth turn to bile. She ran to the bathroom around the corner and spit it out in the toilet. She washed her hands and walked out of the bathroom only to encounter the smell again.

She gave the guest listening to the speaker one last glance then she moved to the foot of the stairs. The smell was much stronger, now clawing at her. The silence and the darkness loomed before her. She clutched the handrail...

"Ilida?"

"The guests are ravenous."

"Oh, well there's food. Want to help me?

Chapter Twenty-two

Thirty minutes later, the guests were eating food and talking and laughing. Ilida excused herself and made her way to the foot of the stairs. The smell of blood was stronger. A heavy feeling came over her as she took a step up the stairs.

It was a struggle to lift her leg up to the second step-as if something didn't want her to go up there. She flipped the light switch on the staircase. Something psychic... She looked around her. The guests were preoccupied eating. She closed her eyes pushed the force up the stairs. Once she got to the top she was winded, and her head began to throb.

A foul, heavy feeling came over her-encased her heart. Evil. The word flashed in her mind. Something awful was happening. Ilida opened her mind to it. She should've kept her lessons up with Ca.s.sandra.

Ilida turned the corner of the landing and slipped. Had she not caught the wooden guardrail, she would've slid in...blood? She stepped back and jumped at the sight of her bloodied footprint. The metallic smell made her nasal membrane sting- her nostrils flared.

The first door she came to she opened without knocking. It was dark. The smell of blood permeated the room. Two of the residences lay in their beds. Joann was still, but pale. Mandy convulsed. Blood dripped from jagged holes in her wrist. "Mandy?"

"I'm going to get help."

She tore a piece of cloth from the bed sheet and tied Mandy's wrist with it.

"Ilida?" Her voice sounded like sand paper.

"I'm going to get help." As she said it, she made a step to the door.

"Vampires."

"What?"

Mandy's eyes slowly rolled up at the ceiling then she lay still. Ilida stepped back horrified. Sweat ran down her back. Slowly she looked up at the ceiling. Twin red dots stared down at her, moved as though disembodied. The red dots faded into the darkness. She bolted for the door. Something hissed at her then it pushed her to the floor. Sharp daggers dug into her neck sc.r.a.ped down her back. She fell to the floor.

She screamed, kicked her attacker's face. She had to get help. Get the people downstairs out of there. Once she was free she yanked open the door. Running blindly, she collided into something large and hard. She jumped back clutching her breast.

Panic like she'd never known before threatened to make her black out. It was the man from in front of the club with that woman. They killed Juliana. Have to call Daedalus.

"Ilida? Leaving so soon? You wouldn't leave your favorite patient to dine alone."

Wary she looked behind her. Mike! His eyes were red, sunken in, with pinpoints of light as pupils. His mouth covered in-she gulped down bile-blood. He didn't look like Mike, he looked like a monster out of her nightmares. Mandy's words rang in her head.

In a blur, Mike had her lifted in the air by her throat! She struggled and grasped his wrist. He was too strong; he pulled her closer to him, his mouth opened. His teeth long. Saliva dripped from one fang. His breath reeked of stale blood. She struggled to speak. Her vision blurred. Her breath came in fits.

Heat gathered in her head. She was going to die like this. She had to fight. Fight now. Her brain tingled, light burst from her eyes. A sizzling sound blocked her hearing. Energy gathered in her head and with incredible force burst out of her, hitting Mike.

He went straight through the wall back to where Mandy and Joann lay dead.

With a sudden burst of adrenaline, she pushed the man back. She jumped on the steps. She screamed as pain radiated from her trapezoid to her shoulder blade. She lost her footing but held onto the handrail, breaking her fall. Her head began to pound. The man stood in front of her.

Daedalus! She was picked up by the collar of her sweater. "You'll have to forgive Mike. He's a teenager. I can make this good for you if you don't struggle." Then he licked his lips. "I never fed on a telekinetic before. Did I hear the name Daedalus?"

Ilida's self-defense training came back to her. She kicked the man in the face. He fell back. Ilida landed on the edge of one of the steps. Ignoring the pain, she jumped over him down the stairs. She made a right turn.

"Everyone Get out!" her next words caught in her throat.

Bodies lay everywhere. The smell of blood, now familiar, saturated the room. Crazed, thirsty looking? They looked like the residents of Tilly. They leaned over the bodies. Some wiped their mouths of blood. They all looked at her and stood up. Ilida ran to the front door, grabbed her coat off the hook. Cold air and snow greeted her.

Ilida?

His voice sounded faint, weak. Did they get to him, too? Then she felt the pain in her shoulder, legs. She felt wetness there. He was hurt and she felt it. You're hurt, Daedalus. Tilly house is being ...

They'll go after you. Get the h.e.l.l out of there.

I have to go back find someone who's alive.

No! Go to my brother on Fiftieth and Lexington. You can't help anyone now.

She was hurt herself. Her vision began to blur. Her body began to shake. She couldn't hold onto her keys. Won't make it.

Wake up!

Daedalus loud deep voice echoed in her head, splitting it in half from its intensity. Her eyes fluttered open and her body flooded with strength. I'm up. Can't keep talking now.

She pulled off her sweater, rolled it around her fist, and punched the window of her car door. She unlocked her door, pushed the gla.s.s off the seat.

Can't keep talking.

That was it. She was gone and I was still laying on the snow, battered, bruised and losing copious amounts of blood by the second. Carefully, I lifted my head. It was like lifting an anvil. Too tired. I wanted to sleep. Just sleep...

Get up, Daedalus! Get the h.e.l.l up! My inner voice continued screaming at until I lifted my head off the snowy ground. Flakes collected on his lashes and nose. A pool of blood spread out under his shoulder. Terra. Should've killed her when I had the chance.

I'll find out what payback is soon enough, if I can't find blood and shelter, fast.

My pelt of short hairs covering my body was useless against the biting cold seeping through my skin to my bones. Frostbite wasn't far off. Only the stuff of life would get me through this.

I needed blood. There was no way around it. My wounds were too numerous to count. I didn't want to think about what my body looked like without the short hair. Probably like crumbled, goat cheese. Flying wouldn't help much, either. I'd used up too much energy morphing to my bat form.

The bleak weather added to my misery. I'm on my way out to Never, Never Land. Dying would be so easy now. I'd lived six centuries too long and seen too much death and dying. A majority of those deaths were by my hands. I'd never thought Death would come back to bite me in the a.s.s.