“Angel...” That voice. I knew it too well. I turned to see him, the man with the white hair, pale white skin, and... fangs?

I sat up, breathless, scrubbing at my face in hopes this was a nightmare. Just as my heartbeat began to calm, he came closer... “You’re awake.”

Hopping out of bed, I felt the anger and fear draw up through me like poison.

“You don’t just sneak into someone’s house!” I pulled out into the hallway before Blaine could wake. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

“We must go. I found something—“

“I don’t give a fuck what you found. Besides, I never welcomed you inside my house.” As if he was a vampire and needed that invite.

“You’re mistaken,” he whispered. “Last week, remember?”

“What?”

“Hello, Angel Beltzer? Hi, I’m from the Window Shine company. May I come in and demonstrate this awesome new product?” He repeated those words as if it were yesterday, or the first time he spoke them.

I dropped my arms to my side. Blaine had initially invited him in, even though he specifically asked for me. But I remembered—the salesman act he portrayed was almost perfect.

“You son of a—“

“We haven’t time to argue, Angel. I need your help, now.”

“Where the hell are we?”

We’d taken the bus after I snuck away from the house for another strange night on the town. The bus ride was half an hour away, damn it, and I had no clue how I would get back home or what Blaine would say when I did get back.

But for some strange reason, I was compelled to follow this guy’s instructions. After spending the entire day reading about my abilities, I felt a need to help him find this vampire. Although I should be calling the cops, instead.

“Isn’t that a strange question. It’s a graveyard, of course,” Lucious huffed, taking lead across the grounds.

I rolled my eyes. “But why all the way out here?”

“Do you feel anything? The spiritual presence that is in abundance here?”

“Of course—“

“Anything else?”

I stopped. It was everywhere. Spirits and their emotional presence were so loud, I could barely hear myself think.

“There’s no vampires here, if that’s what you’re wondering.” I pointed to the gravestones. “Ghosts, sure. The dead, of course. Vampires?”

He smiled and chuckled loudly. “Then, you must not be able to sense them properly as I’d hoped.”

“Them?”

“Stand still a moment. Listen properly. These graves are just statues. They signify nothing. There is nothing buried in the earth under them.”

“What?” I stepped back, suddenly understanding what he meant. There were spirits here, that was for sure, but I didn’t sense them under ground like I’d once thought. Though I was psychic, I still used the knowledge I thought I knew before considering anything else.

The dead were supposed to be buried, this was a graveyard after all. “Undead?” I whispered.

“It is what a vampire is,” he said, unmoving. “We’re searching for a vampire. It should make sense.”

I suppose I may have been too drunk yesterday to remember.

********

“Hey, hey, what’s over there?” Demetrius stopped suddenly.

Judas heard the voices and felt the familiarity in one. “Someone’s in the graveyard.”

As they wandered around the trees, the two figures came into view. Another vampire, Judas knew, but the other one... a human?

“What do we have here?” Demetrius smiled, grabbing Judas’ arm. His laughter was wrenching and annoying as it always was.

“You there!” Judas yelled out at the two. “What are you doing in the graveyard at this hour?”

The white haired one, the vampire, whispered to his human companion before approaching alone. “You. What’s your name?”

Judas never had such a demand by someone other than his master. “It’s Judas. What’s it to ya?”

“Ya, ya, what’s it to ya?” Demetrius chuckled behind him.

So annoying.

 “Where’s your master?” the vampire asked, more like demanded of him, again.

“My master? He’s there, of course.” Judas tipped his head, glancing toward the mansion just steps away from the graveyard. “And you? You’re not from this area, are you?”

“I, unfortunately, am not. Tell me, do you know the name Mikael?”

Judas shrugged. “Can’t say I’ve ever heard it. You?” He turned back to Demetrius.

“Nope! Not heard it before. Come on, Judas, he’s got that human over there, let’s get ‘em.”

“Quiet.” Judas eyed the vampire before him again. “Not yet. Not until we find out more about this strange one.”

The white-haired vampire’s eyes narrowed, drawing him in.  “You hurt my friend there, and we’ll have problems.”

“Oh? Then, what are you two doing here?”

“We’re looking for someone—“

“Mikael? Never heard of him.”

“Perhaps your master knows. Take me to him.”

Judas chuckled. “A bit demanding, are we? Though I suppose I can’t say no to a fellow vampire.”

“Let’s eat that one, first,” Demetrius said excitedly as the human began to cautiously approach. “Come one, Judas, please? I bet he’s tasty—“

“Shut up, would you!” Judas tensed. Why had he decided to come prowling around with Demetrius this night, he’d never understand. Perhaps it was the dullness of hanging around Cal all the time that made him seek new company.

“Very well, then. I’ll take you to him, but your human friend—“

“He comes with!” The white-haired vampire tipped his head. “He’s much more than just a human, you’ll see.”