Past Life by C S Winchester

any psychic impressions left on the bedding, they most likely wouldn't come into contact with her skin.
    She half expected the fight with her mother to keep her awake but in the event, she was asleep just minutes after climbing under the covers.
    She awoke to the sound of the Scissor Sisters singing I Can't Decide, the ring tone she used for Dante. She looked at the screen on her phone which informed her it was 4.22am.
    “ This had better be good,” she said by way of a greeting as she answered the call.
    “ Help me... Poisoned.”
    There was a loud crash on his end and Frankie bolted upright in bed.
    “ Dante? Dante!”

Chapter Nine
    Frankie heard a crashing sound and the call ended just as Will rushed into her room, having been awoken by her cries.
    “ What's wrong?” he asked.
    “ Something's happened to Dante.” She began pulling her socks and boots on.
    “ What?”
    “ He said poison.”
    “ Vampires can be poisoned?”
    “ I don't know,” she stood up and pushed past him. “I've got to get over there.”
    “ I'm coming with you.”
    Frankie didn't argue but she didn't wait for him either. She grabbed her bag and coat as she left, awkwardly pulling the coat on as she ran down the stairs. He was slower than her as he had to pull some shoes on, but he caught up with her by her car and got into the passenger side.
    The drive to Dante's apartment took entirely too long for her tastes, and she broke far too many traffic laws for Will's taste but, by some miracle they didn't encounter a police car. At Dante's, Frankie stopped on the double yellow lines outside and ran straight to the main door.
    “ Shit!” she exclaimed as she realised they needed to be buzzed in. She pressed Dante's buzzer just in case he could answer but she didn't wait for a reply. She ran to her car, opened the boot and pulled a canvas bag out. Will stayed out of her way and watched her.
    She pulled something that resembled a small gun out and threw the bag back. She put the barrel of the gun against the lock and pulled the 'trigger' three times.
    Will heard the lock click and Frankie pulled the door open.
    They took the lift up to the top floor, and for the first time since they had left Will's apartment, Frankie exercised caution. 
    She swapped the lock pick gun for the real gun in her handbag, and slowly got out of the elevator. The hallway was clear but Dante's door was slightly ajar.
    Frankie carefully approached the door and went in quickly, her gun before her and her eyes scanning the room for threats.
    “ Stay here,” she whispered as she checked the kitchen, then the bedroom. Lying on the bed was a young redheaded woman. She stared at Frankie with wide eyes.
    “ Stay there,” Frankie ordered as she swept the remaining rooms. “Clear,” she called to Will. She put the safety on the gun and slipped it into her coat pocket for easy access. She sat on the bed, next to the woman there. She seemed to have been getting ready to leave since she was dressed, but in her haste she had missed a few buttons on her blouse. Beside the bed Frankie, could see the remains of Dante's phone. It looked as if it had been stamped on.
    “ Who are you?” Frankie asked as Will appeared in the doorway.
    “ Zoe. Zoe Mason.”
    “ Okay, Zoe. What happened here?”
    “ I don't know.” She looked as though she'd been crying.
    “ Do you know where Dante is? Or Dan?” she amended, remembering how he usually introduced himself to new people.
    The girl shook her head.
    “ Okay, tell me what you do remember.”
    “ I came back here with Dan. We were...”
    “ Having sex?” Frankie guessed. The girl nodded.
    “ He was kissing my neck and it was... nice. Then he freaked and looked like he was ill. He called someone but then he collapsed.”
    “ Then what happened?”
    “ I checked on him, then I ran into the other room but someone hit me and I fell down. When I got up, they were both gone and...”
    “ And what?”
    “ I went back to the