The Salvatore Saga. Volume one

30.

It was a hot autumn-summer day in Arizona when Adam announced that he had to leave for a few weeks. He and Bran had a busy werewolf crisis, which would take both of them. Samuel was stuck at his clinic, so I was on my own. I didn't mind being alone; I enjoyed being alone. I could cook, lounge, read, and even shop.

I realized I had been with Adam for over six months; this was the end of August, and I had been rescued on 5.1. It was s somehow fitting. It was my sister's birthday and the beginning of my new life. It had been a couple of decades since my sister had died, but this was a sign, maybe.

I had only discovered this information after talking to Adam before he left. He had just mentioned the date in passing, and I hadn't told him what it meant to me. I always had someone from Adam's staff watching over me, so I was completely safe. He had taken my safety seriously a few times after, for example, we had been caught on the way to Bran's midsummer party.

That was its own story, and I didn't bother to dwell on it. I had survived and recovered quite well. There was no scar left. Adam had been gone for a few days and hadn't had time to call or text. Even though he warned me beforehand that he might not be able to keep in touch so well. But it didn't matter. Adam was my refuge, but I was starting to get myself together and learn to be a werewolf woman to get myself together.

Not that if something happened, I'd probably be hanging around Adam for a few days or weeks before I got myself back together, but now I was refreshed and wanted to do some shopping. Adam had given me a credit card, but I was very responsible.

I knew Adam was several centuries old; he had a lot of houses, and I didn't even think about how much it cost him to maintain all his houses. I figured it was a clear sign that Adam was working, so he wasn't a millionaire by any means.

That day I decided to go shopping. The Arizona house was pretty close to downtown, and I could walk just fine. Quite a few of Adam's houses were relatively close to something downtown, so I had a pretty good chance of always being able to go shopping. Then, if I did a lot of shopping, there was always a car with security. I had used them before.

I'd walk to the mall and start browsing the stores. I didn't think much about it because, at some point, I felt I was being followed. It wasn't good to be too suspicious, get worked up, and then realize that there was nothing to worry about. I'd done that quite a few times, too. When I used to get these vibes from the security guards, I didn't think much more about it.

I hadn't done much shopping and thought I'd go to the cafe for a cold, wet drink and maybe a snack. I had to remember to eat, eat, and eat again. I weighed something like 46 kilos, or a bit more even. I was in okay shape, although Samuel wanted me to weigh 60 kilos. I was determined to keep fit and remember to eat, even on shopping breaks.

The coffee shop was across the street from the mall, and I usually went through one alley. When I came out the back door of the mall, I didn't bother going around half the block; I always went through this narrow alley.

I left the mall and was heading for the alley when a man emerged from the shadows. This one was tall, skinny, and a vampire. He had blond hair, almost black eyes, and sharp fangs that flashed when he smiled. I could smell the blood on his breath, and he smelled of steel, cold and emotionless.

"Hey, hey darling, what are you doing in an alley like this alone? A little bitty girlie like you, don't you know it's dangerous for a woman to walk alone?" he asked.

"I'm just passing through on my way to eat and drink, and I'm not a little girl.", I said in a sharp, snappy voice.

I smelled ashes, so this was a hungry specimen.

I waited for my security to arrive.

There was a voice behind me: "mmh, those men were tasty, wonderfully strong. Yes, humans are tasty then."