Free Born in Twilight by MAGGIE SHAYNE

that nod, the assurance in those eyes. I prayed I hadn’t.
    The classified ad read:
    Tamara, remember me? Eighteen years ago. You had the chicken, and I had the seafood. We both had the wine. A little too much. And the cheesecake was more than we could resist. All that cholesterol. It could cost me my life. Call me. 374-555-1092.
    No one would have thought it anything unusual. But Tamara did. Eric paced, looking worried.
    â€œWhere did you get this?” Tamara asked, looking up at him from where she sat in the oversize house they owned just outside San Diego. Jamey had returned to get his affairs in order. Sold the bar he’d owned, traded in his car, bought another under an assumed name. He was making arrangements to hide his money as well. DPI must not be able to track him. He had to live the way the rest of them did now. In hiding.
    â€œA vampire by the name of Cuyler saw it, recognized the name, tracked us down and sent it to us. She thought it might be meant for you. Do you think she was right?”
    Tamara nodded slowly. “Of course she was right. This is from Hilary Garner. We worked together at DPI. I remember that night, we went out together. I went home alone, and had a flat. That was the night I was almost—”
    â€œI’d rather not be reminded of what nearly happened to you that night,” Eric said. He moved forward, stroking one hand through her hair. “This could be a trap, Tamara. Hilary still works for DPI.”
    She shook her head hard. “No. Hilary wouldn’t do something like that. And look at this last line.” Tamara held up the paper and pointed. “‘It could cost me my life.’ She makes it sound as if she’s referring to the cheesecake, but she’s not. It’s there to let me know this is urgent.” She looked into Eric’s eyes. “I have to call her, darling. I have to.”
    He lowered his head, and she was glad that for once he didn’t argue. “I was afraid you were going to say something like that.” She held his gaze until she saw him conceding. He sighed hard, and nodded. “I’ll rig something up, just in case. They won’t be able to trace the call.”
    She smiled, and then kissed him.
    Â 
    Since his change, Jameson had been learning. Testing his strength and energy. Honing his mental skills. And he was decidedly happy with his progress. He could run nearly as fast as Eric. Climb and leap and jump as well as Roland. He could speak to any of them without uttering a sound. That was probably the most surprising aspect of his new nature. And the hardest to get used to. He could read their thoughts now just as easily as they’d always been able to read his. Unless they were guarding them. He’d become adept at erecting a mental shield around his mind, one that could bar entry to any vampire.
    He’d expected to miss eating a good meal, but oddly enough, he didn’t. His other senses were so finely honed, so much sharper and more acute than before, that he took sensual pleasure in everything. Sounds and sights, smells and feelings bombarded him constantly. The tastes he’d once enjoyed were easily replaced. Easily forgotten.
    He did regret that he’d never have the chance to fulfill his dream of a “normal” mortal life. A life with a family, a wife, children perhaps. But then, that had never really been a possibility anyway. He’d always known that those rare individuals who carried the belladonna antigen had abbreviated life spans. Few ever lived beyond the age of thirty. Jameson was thirty now, and while he hadn’t experienced the onset of any of the usual symptoms, it probably wouldn’t have been much longer before he had. So his initial anger at his dearest friends was long since reduced to cold ashes.
    The fury he felt for the woman who’d attacked him, though—that remained red-hot. Coals of that anger glowed in his soul, and it would take