Free Vampire Awakening by Eliza Gayle Page B

took off for her car. She couldn’t talk to anyone now. Had to get to Caleb and find out.
    “I'm sorry, hon, I didn't mean to scare you,” Barb yelled at her across the few cars separating them.
    She hurriedly dug through her bag and fished out her keys. Her head darted from side to side as she searched for the sudden sense of danger that filled her. Paranoid or not she didn’t care. Something was wrong.
    Wrenching the car door open, she threw in her purse and slammed the door closed behind her. She started the engine and rushed out of the parking lot, leaving Barb to probably wonder what the hell was wrong with her.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Abby sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the packed luggage sitting at the door waiting for her. In the few hours she’d tried to sleep her dreams had haunted her with blood, violence and Caleb. Disappointment surged through her. She’d arrived home last night to a cold and empty house. There’d been no sign of Caleb and he hadn’t answered his cell phone.
    Sometime in the pre dawn hours she’d made the decision to not see him again before she left. Leaving him wouldn't be easy, but she thought it best this way. She needed to find the truth about her past, and this was the only option she had. All she could think about was how she’d found him standing over Brian. Even though there’d been no evidence to support her weird memory, she saw everything clearly. The crime scene had been wiped clean by the time she left work last night, and Caleb hadn’t bothered to contact her with any further explanation. And where the hell were the cops? Shouldn't they be out looking or at least interviewing people at the Drummer? Her palms rubbed at her temples before she pushed them through her hair.
    Debating whether to leave a note for Caleb, she went about tidying her bedroom and gathering the last of her belongings she needed for the trip. Glancing at the bedside clock for at least the tenth time in the past ten minutes, it blinked 9 a.m. at her. Four hours of sleep didn't seem like enough to start a trip on, but her body and mind were too restless to wait. She grabbed up her suitcase, keys and shoes and padded toward the front door.
    From the corner of her eye, she caught the sight of her pad of paper and pencil on the breakfast bar, she again hesitated, considering Caleb. No. It was for the benefit of them both if she broke away clean. It did no good to worry what he’d think when he found out she’d disappeared. What would she tell him anyway?
    Dear Caleb, sorry I had to leave, but not knowing who I am drives me crazy, not to mention the scary ass dreams of creatures with fangs I keep having.
    Abby scoffed.
    Oh yeah, that would convince him to wait for her. Wait for her? She wanted to bang her head on a desk until she knocked some sense into herself. She was not attached. And she was certainly not in love. Falling for someone in a week was impossible.
    Her gaze surveyed the room at the only familiar surroundings she had as butterflies of nerves gripped her belly. Stop that. She pushed her doubts away, forced herself through the front door and into the front yard. She tossed her bags into the trunk and slid the top down on her Miata. The dreams were right. It was time to wake the hell up.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Caleb woke again with a heavy sense of foreboding. Except it wasn’t danger he sensed this time. Yesterday there had been an overload of vampire energy and today there was simply nothing. He remained still, as the stink of his own fear seized him. On a deep breath, he reached out for both Abby and Russell, sensing neither. “Fuck!” Where the hell were they? He tried again, seeking any other vampires in the area and again--nothing.
    He jumped from the bed and threw on clothes as quickly as he could. Inside of a minute, he headed straight for the garage and his motorcycle. The sun still shone on the horizon, but he knew waiting wasn't an option. Abby was gone, and likely Russell had