Bending over the sofa, he caressed Lane's cheek. It felt very warm, as it always did when she slept.

He went into the kitchen to start the coffee.

His breath flew out as if he'd been kicked. He dropped to his knees.

He thought, It's a good thing I can't breathe. If I can't breathe, I can't scream. Don't want to wake up Lane. Don't want her seeing this.

Uriah Radley was sprawled belly down on the kitchen floor beside his canvas bag. He wore his vest and skirt of coyote skin, but the skirt was held up by the handle of a hammer that jutted up between his buttocks.

His head was twisted around so he wore it backward.

Much of his neck had been eaten away.

The blunt end of a wooden stake filled his mouth, and he had a stake in each eye. The eyepatch hadn't been removed first. It must've been pushed right in by the stake. The broken side of its black band lay across Uriah's forehead, but the other side was there at the corner of the socket like a bloody worm that had tried to creep out between the stake and bone.

Larry staggered into the living room. Lane was still asleep.

Did she... ?

No, that was impossible.

Someone turned his head around.

Stepping closer to her, Larry stubbed his toe on a leg of the coffee table. He grunted at the sudden pain, and Lane opened her eyes.

She frowned. "What happened?" she asked, her voice husky.

"Bumped the table," he said.

"You look awful."

"Lane, somebody... Let me have your blanket."

"What's going on?"

"I'm not sure."

As Lane sat up, the blanket slid to her lap. She reached down for it and gasped. Larry glimpsed her bare chest and belly. She jerked the blanket up again. She looked at him, eyes wide, mouth hanging open.

"Daaad?"

"Oh, my God," he murmured.

"What's happening?"

"Uriah got into the house last night, honey."

"Uriah?"

"It's okay. He's dead. He's in the kitchen."

"The guy that killed Bonnie?"

"Somebody got him. Somebody...he's really messed up. Go to our room, honey. Stay with your mother, and don't either of you come out until I say it's all right."

Hugging the blanket around herself, Lane rose from the sofa. She faced Larry. She looked haggard, frightened. "Who killed him, Dad?"

"I don't know. I just don't know. But I don't think we're in any danger."

She stared at him, lower lip caught between her teeth. Then she turned away and headed for the bedroom.

Larry returned to the kitchen. He crouched beside the body, being careful not to look at it, and took a stake out of Uriah's bag. He left Uriah's hammer where it was.

Outside, the morning was sunny and still. He broke the police seal, opened the garage and stepped into the shadows. The concrete floor was cool on his bare feet. Casting a glance at the attic ladder, he felt gooseflesh scurry up his back. He hurried on. At the workbench he found his hammer.

"You're the one, aren't you?"

He went numb. The hammer slipped from his fingers and thudded the top of the workbench. He snatched it up again. He whirled around.

In front of him stood Bonnie. Larry knew he was gazing upon a monster. Only a mon-ster could've done such things to Uriah. Only a monster could be standing before him now, radiant and beautiful, though she'd been dead two decades, though last night she'd been a hideous, withered hag.

But she was Bonnie, the girl of the yearbook pictures, songleader and Spirit Queen. Bonnie, the girl who had haunted his dreams.

Her eyes flitted from his right hand to his left, from the hammer to the stake. A smile lifted a corner of her mouth. "You won't need those, will you?"

He struggled to breathe.

"Hey, calm down. You'll give yourself a coronary." One of her hands reached toward him. There was no blood on it. There was no blood on her at all that Larry could see.

Her hand caressed the side of his face. It felt smooth and warm.

"This can't be. It can't be."

"Hey, come on." She pulled his ear. The way she did it seemed playfully affectionate. "Are you okay?"

"No. Jesus."

"Look, I'm sorry." Frowning, she put both hands on Larry's sides.

They rubbed him gently through the robe. "I thought you'd be glad to see me. I didn't mean to freak you out or anything."

"You... you did that to Uriah?"

She lowered her eyes. "Yeah," she murmured. "Pretty gross, huh?

You must think I'm awful."

"How could you do something like that?"

She looked up at him. "Hey, I'm a vampire. Remember? Besides, he had it coming."

"But what you did to him..."

"I know, I know. Look, you don't have to rub it in. But he was all set to do a number on the girl."

"What do you mean?"

"He was going to kill her. The girl on the couch."

"God," Larry muttered. "You saved Lane?"

"Is she your kid?"

"Yeah."

"I'm extra glad I saved her, then."

Moaning, he eased forward against Bonnie. Her arms slipped around him. He dropped the stake and hammer to the floor and embraced her.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Larry. Larry Dunbar."

"I'm Bonnie."

"Yeah, I know."

Her face pushed against the side of his neck.

It passed through his mind that she might sink her teeth in. But he wasn't frightened.

Nor was he aroused.

This wasn't like his dreams at all. He caressed the smooth skin of her back. He felt her breasts pushing against his chest. He knew that only his loosely belted robe kept their bare bodies from meeting. But he felt no heat in his groin, just a mellow warmth in his chest and belly.

"You saved my girl," he whispered.

Bonnie squeezed him hard, then kissed the side of his neck. "It was the least I could do for you. I'm just glad I got here in time."

"How... ?"

"No sweat." Tilting her head back, she gazed up at him. "I just came back to say thanks. I figured... hell, you're the guy who took the stake out of me. I wanted you to know the truth, too. You would've found out, anyway, I guess. I mean, you were bound to hear about my disappearing act at the morgue. But I wanted to thank you in person.

You mean a lot to me, Larry. A hell of a lot. Anyway, I just happened to get here in time to nail that bastard. He's the same guy that murdered me. A real lunatic."

"He knew you were a vampire."

"Oh, he didn't know shit."

"But you are one."

"Yeah, but I didn't touch his wife and kid. That was Linda Latham, not me. Hell, you don't go around ripping people up. Not if you want to last long. You just give 'em a little kiss while they're asleep. A little suck. Take a pint, maybe. They wake up the next day, and half the time they don't even know anything happened. You don't go around wasting people. Linda did that 'cause her boyfriend dumped her for Martha Radley."

"A jealous vampire?"

Scowling with indignation, Bonnie dug her fingers into his sides.

He squirmed. "Don't. Hey."

"What do you think, we've got no feelings?"

"I don't know what to think. I can't even believe you're here right now."

Bonnie put her arms around him again. "I'm here, Larry. And everything's okay. Everything's just fine. The dirty bastard's dead, and Lane's alive."

"Because of you," Larry murmured.

"You gave my life back to me, or I couldn't have done it. You pulled that damn stake out of me. I'm so-" Her voice trembled. She looked up, and Larry saw tears glimmering in her eyes. "I'm so glad to be back. I'll always love you for that, Larry. I'm so happy I could... could do something good for you."

Lowering his head, he kissed each of Bonnie's eyes. They were wet.

Her tears tasted salty. She sniffed. "Look, I'd better amscray.

"You can't leave," he said. "It's morning."

She rubbed her face against the front of his robe, sniffed again, then sighed. "I'd like to stay, but... too much has happened here. I'll go off somewhere, start over."

Bonnie eased away from him, but he caught her by the shoulders.

"You'll burn up," he said.

"You've seen too many movies, Larry. I love the sun." She spread her arms, tilted back her head and closed her eyes. "It's like warm hands. Warm hands caressing me." She sighed. "I think I'll go to the ocean and be a beach bum."

"I don't want you to leave."

Her eyes met his. She smiled a little sadly. "Want to keep me in your garage?"

"We could figure out-"

She touched a finger to his lips, silencing him. "I can't stay. You know that. But I'll always love you." She curled her hands over his shoulders, drew him down and pressed her lips gently to his mouth.

Then she kissed his cheek. Then the side of his neck.

There, her lips parted and her teeth slid into his flesh.

A cold stab of panic quickly melted away. He felt the pull of her mouth, heard the soft sucking sounds. A pleasant, warm languor spread through him. Closing his eyes, he saw Bonnie standing naked on a beach, arms spread out, face raised toward the sun, a mild breeze stirring her golden hair.

She stopped sucking. Her teeth eased out of him and he felt a harsh ache of loss. She licked the side of his neck. She kissed the wounds.