The Vampiric Housewife by Kristen Marquette Page B

too mad at them to really pay attention to what they were fighting over. He was glad they had been arguing. They deserved it for punishing him for what he couldn’t help. But now, crammed into a trunk with his siblings, being jolted around and sweating from the shared body heat, he wished he would have paid closer attention. But not knowing was kind of fun. Finally, a real adventure. A hunting trip with Dad. Or at the very least, he was getting out of Sangre Valley. He couldn’t wait to tell Bobby all about it. Bobby had never been out of town. Man, he would be so jealous.
     

 
    Chapter Twelve
     
    Red Dawn
     
         “Hi-ya Charlie,” the guard at the post said. “I didn’t have word that you were leaving Sangre Valley tonight.”
         Charlie ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. He hoped that the guard would eat his lies like Venjamin and Valerie had for so long. Don’t let his luck give out on him tonight.
         “I’m scheduled for a hunting trip with Rhett Miller next weekend. Dr. Venjamin approved it. But me and the wife got into it tonight after a dinner party. I spend too much time at work. I’m not home enough. I never take care of the kids . . . yada, yada, yada. You know the line.”
         The guard laughed. “I have to say I do.”
         “I need to get out. Take my trip a little early. Clear my head. I left Dr. Venjamin a message at the hospital. I know he’ll approve it. You can try him at home to verify. I—I just can’t go back home and it’s almost light out.”
         The guard took a deep breath. He was human, thirty-ish. Charlie could smell the stress suddenly emitting from his body. He felt fortunate that humans didn’t have the same sophisticated olfactory system as vampires. The guard stepped out of his booth and pointed his flashlight in the backseat.
         He walked up to Charlie’s window. “I don’t know. I could get in a lot of trouble.”
         “Just call Dr. Venjamin. But please do it now. I don’t have long before sunrise,” Charlie pleaded.
         The guard looked out at the purple horizon. “Where are you planning on going? Like you said, you don’t have much time.”
         “The first town I hit.”
         “You know how Dr. Venjamin feels about hunting so close to town.”
         “Just going to spend the day there. I’ll move on to farther hunting grounds soon as the sun sets.”
         The guard took one last look in the backseat then at the horizon. “Okay. I’ll call Venjamin, but I’ll let you get out of here before you’re trapped. Drive fast. You’ll be racing the sun.”
         “I owe you. I’ll see you Sunday night.”
         “See-ya Charlie. Remember, not too close to town,” and the guard raised the barrier.
         It took all of Charlie’s restraint not to floor the gas pedal like a bat out of hell as soon as the orange and white road block lifted. The guard was going to call Venjamin. Charlie looked at his watch. That wasn’t going to give them enough time.
         He slammed on the breaks and heard the kids roll in the trunk. He sent them a silent apology. But he was doing this for them.
         Charlie got out of the car leaving the door open and began to jog back to the guard station.
         “Hey!” he called out. The guard had a hand on the phone but was looking back at the vampire with a welcoming smile.
         “You run out of gas already?” he joked.
         “I decided that I can’t let you get in trouble.”
         He hung up the phone and came out of the booth. “Everyone knows you’re one of Dr. Venjamin’s favorites. I’ll just get a slap on the wrist. You’ve never given me any trouble, not like the others trying to sneak out for a snack. I trust you.”
         Charlie didn’t say anything. He just grabbed the guard by the hair, pulled his head back, and ripped into his neck. There was a moment of surprise in the guard’s