Free Vampire Awakening by Eliza Gayle Page A

when he'd spied her brilliant violet eyes under the feathery fall of her raven-colored hair, his body had reacted and he'd known. For the first time in his long life, he wanted to claim a mate. Him, Caleb Barrett, the perennial loner. He shook his head in denial. Not possible. She was human and he was only here to do a job. Keep her alive and capture Russell one way or another. The coven preferred him alive, but had directed him to do whatever it took to stop the killings and protect the woman.
    Caleb froze. Why would they care whether the woman lived or died? She was one human…
    The nagging sensation that had tormented him earlier returned. Fucking secrets. He suddenly disliked his odds a whole lot less.
    At least he knew Abby was safe for the night. He'd managed to injure Russell before he'd escaped, which left him little choice but to rest and heal before he went after Abby. Caleb glanced at the sky. With only a few hours until dawn and his face torn and bloody, he had to seek out shelter right away and stay there until sunset tomorrow. His head pounded from the fight. Fortunately, his injuries weren't severe, but he still needed to feed before sunrise to regain his strength. That need had him thinking of Abby again and her sweet, life-giving blood. Not tonight. There would be too many questions that he couldn’t answer. Tomorrow he would figure this out and then maybe…

 
    Chapter Five
     
    Abby wandered the room, going from table to table, cleaning up the night’s mess left by the customers. Without Brian to play the drums, the band had opted not to go on, and instead the jukebox had continued to play all night. Many of the customers had complained and pleaded with her to sing, but for some reason she'd not felt up to it. Sadness cloaked her, and she wasn't sure why. Caleb hadn't shown up tonight, but she didn't think that was the problem. Sometimes he waited for her at her place. She was going to have to tell him tonight that she was leaving. She'd spoken with Danny this afternoon and let him know she was leaving town for a while. He’d taken the news fairly well all things considered.
    A couple of hours later, Abby stepped out into the cool night air behind the bar. Her last shift finally behind her, she headed toward her car. Next to the low wall near the door, she froze. A dead body . She'd seen a bloody body here. The thought popped into her mind as realistic as a movie track. She racked her brain, and a familiar, aching buzz pounded through her head. The same pain she got every time she tried to concentrate on missing memories.
    Caleb.
    She'd seen him here tonight. Standing over a man's body. She shook her head. No, he’d never shown up.
    More snippets of the memory returned to her as she clearly saw Caleb looking battered and weary. His hulking frame had hidden a man on the ground, but she'd noticed a familiar leather jacket.
    Oh dear God. Brian. A sob burned in her throat.
    Why couldn’t she be clear? Her head throbbed.
    The last time she'd spoken to Brian, she'd been giving him a hard time about his latest sexual conquest. The man's sexual appetite had been insatiable, one he’d tried to fill with a constant flow of beautiful women. As usual, he'd blown her off with a few words and a lot of sexual teasing thrown in her direction. Now she saw him clearly in her mind’s eye. On the ground. Covered in blood. With Caleb perched over him.
    She stood riveted to the spot for a long moment, facing the horror, when a taste of wet salt trickled into her mouth. Her fingers reached up to her cheek, shocked to find them soaked by tears. Sadness enveloped her as her feelings for her lost friend ran roughshod over the slippery memory she didn’t understand.
    “Abby? Are you okay?” Barb's voice from beside her scared her as she took several steps in the opposite direction. Her heart raced.
    “Abby? What is it?”
    Abby shook her head, unable to speak. Her pulse beat in her ears as she waved off her co-worker and