The Vampire's Curse, A Paranormal Romance (Undead in Brown County #2) by S.J. Wright

door closed and rested my arms on the top board of the door.
    “ You’re a troublemaker, Sarah.”
    Messenger suddenly jerked her head up in surprise and let out a snort. When I turned to see what had frightened her, I found the one person I had not ever expected to see on my property again. Trevor Kincaid stood a few feet from me, his face cold with hate and his right arm encased in a thick cast and sling.
    “ Where is your friend?” He asked.
    That was when I saw the Miller brothers loitering outside the barn, looking around anxiously. They did not look particularly threatening. Neither did Trevor, once I got a good look at him. Sure, he was trying to look tough. However, there was clear anxiety exuding from him, and he was being uncharacteristically fidgety.
    I sighed and went back to cleaning Lenny’s stall. “He’s not here, Trevor.”
    “ What is he, Sarah?”
    Pausing, with my shovel half filled with soiled sawdust, I turned to look at him. There was little doubt in my mind that Trevor wouldn’t believe me if I told him the truth. It would also cause a lot of tongues to wag in town, because he would be quick to spread the news that I’d finally gone completely nuts.
    “ He’s a former friend of mine. I don’t expect to see him again.”
    He turned towards his buddies, who seemed to be getting more nervous by the second. I continued scooping manure and hoped he would leave quietly. I should have known better. Strong fingers grabbed my arm and squeezed. Trevor’s voice growled against my ear.
    “ When I find out what I’m up against, I’m going to kill him.”
    When he did finally walk away, I leaned against the wall and released a long sigh. He was capable of doing some awful things, but Trevor would never survive a real fight against Alex. I decided not to worry about it. There were so many other things going on to drive me crazy. Worrying about Trevor’s ridiculous threats was low on my list.
    Glancing over at Messenger, I raised my eyebrows, “One more complication.”
    She snorted, lifted her head and nose up into the air, and curled her lip.
    The call from Michael came at 10:30 that evening. I was in my room, getting ready to put on my pajamas when my cell rang. I didn’t recognize the number, but it was showing up as a Chicago area code. I didn't know how to feel or what to expect.
    “ Hello?”
    “ You were probably thinking you’d never hear from me again.”
    I sucked in a quick breath of air as I detected the warm tone in his voice.
    “ Michael? Where are you?”
    “ Down the road, at the edge of town.” He laughed quietly, “I was hoping I’d be able to get in without any help and surprise you in your bed.”
    My toes curled up in my thick socks.
    “ I’ll be down there in a few minutes. Don’t go anywhere.” I said. I ended the call and stared at myself in the mirror above my dresser. He was really back. Since I’d released him, I’d had my doubts about whether he would keep his word. My trust in him had just risen by several degrees, and I realized that I couldn’t wait to see his face.
    With my thoughts focused on the memory of his embrace and the warmth of it, I hopped down the stairs. I almost fell down twice trying to pull on my boots by the back door. By the time I had the truck rattling down the driveway and out onto the road, I was shivering in anticipation.
    I was alive. Inside and out. My pulse pounded in my ears, softening the sound of Guns ‘N Roses lashing out from the radio. When the headlights illuminated a single dark figure at the side of the road among the bare trees and dead grasses, my heart leapt. I drove up until the truck was twenty feet from him.
    He held up one hand to shield the glare of the headlights from his eyes, so I flipped off the lights and shifted the truck into park. I stepped out into the darkness with fierce hope igniting my soul. All I could think was that whatever horrible moments I might live through later, I wanted more than