Night of the Vampires by Heather Graham

information out of him. Look at his uniform! He was a lieutenant in the cavalry. He might have known where it started.”
    Cody appeared at the doorway then, tense, ready for action. He stared from Megan to Cole—and to the corpse on the floor.
    â€œThank God you were here in time,” he said to Cole.
    â€œYeah, that was my thought. But apparently, Megan didn’t want help. She was going to reason with the man. Before or after he ripped open her jugular, I’m not sure. But I’m done for the night. You two figure this out. Oh, and Megan, if you’re such an excellent fighter that you can reason with a starving vampire, I’m sure you’re also adept at the disposal of bodies.”
    He turned and strode past Cody, who stared at him with surprise but didn’t say a word. Alex was just outside, standing with Brendan. He shook his head and walked past them.
    As he did so, Martha Graybow opened her door so that it was just ajar, saw him and stepped out. “Cole?” she asked softly.
    He inhaled on a deep breath. “Martha, everythingis all right now.” He saw that Cody had set up alarms, and that he’d made her house safe by erecting wooden crosses—that might pass for structural supports—at the corner joints at the roofline. He was sure Cody had taken a few other precautions, as well.
    He took her hands and looked into her eyes.
    â€œI’m all right,” she said. “I was worried about Megan.”
    â€œMegan is fine. And I’ll fix the door to the kitchen tomorrow…and we’ll put in a new window. Look, Martha, these are really bad times. We’ll be here for a while, and you’ll be paid while we are. But don’t bring anyone else in. Don’t ask anyone in, for the love of God. I can’t really explain, but—”
    â€œThere are vampires loose in the city,” she said flatly.
    He hesitated. He’d always suspected that she knew more than they had realized. But his protective instincts wanted to guard her against even knowing this level of evil existed. “There’s something like a plague. It—it makes people crazy and murderous.”
    â€œRight. A plague of vampires,” she said.
    â€œThat’s not something you say out loud, you know. People will lock you up.” He looked at her very seriously.
    She smiled. “I know that, Cole. I’m glad you’re here.”
    â€œHow do you know about the vampires?”
    â€œI’ve known Megan a long time,” she said. Then she added worriedly, “She’s a good soul, Cole. She’ll never hurt you. She’ll never hurt anyone. You—you wouldn’t ever hurt her, would you?”
    Hurt Megan. Could he ever hurt Megan? he wondered.
    â€œShe’s Cody’s sister,” he said. “But you must have known that.”
    â€œI knew that she was looking for a brother,” Martha said. “And I knew Alexandra because she lived in D.C. and we were friends. I didn’t meet Cody until you all came here. But I do know Megan. And I care about her.”
    â€œWhy didn’t she tell us that she knew you?”
    Martha’s smile deepened. “She was protecting me, I believe. She wouldn’t want anyone thinking that I was a Southern spy. I told you—she would never take a chance on hurting anyone. And the vampires are just a bit of something more hideous in the midst of a hideous war. But, it means that we all have to be careful on many levels.”
    He nodded. “I guess I’m glad you know. It will help make you truly vigilant. Make sure everything is locked up, Martha. And get some sleep. You have little ones to attend to.”
    â€œThank you, Cole. Thank you for being here.”
    â€œWe’ll do our best, ma’am,” he told her, tipped his hat and bade her good-night.
    As he watched Martha leave, Cole was suddenly aware of just how tired he was. He was bone weary. He thought