Diana was ecstatic on the trip back to the cabin. She had made contact with the vampire, and would make contact again. She would have to make preparations to be ready for him this time.

Duncan retrieved the groceries from the back seat and carried them into the house, watching the domestic side of Diana put them away.

"I'm going up to take a shower. I trust you'll find something to entertain yourself," she called to Duncan from the landing outside her bedroom.

Duncan laid in a pile of logs on the hearth and lit the fireplace. He browsed Diana's selection of compact disks, choosing a couple of jazz albums for his listening pleasure. He wandered back into the kitchen and checked out the wine supply in her refrigerator. He chose white over red, not really feeling like downing anything that resembled the colors in Damon Benyu's paintings tonight. He dimmed the track lighting, then sat on the couch, watching the fire and drinking his wine.

"Made yourself at home, I see," Diana commented as she returned. His heart thudded as she came down the staircase. She was wearing a long silk kimono a shade of emerald green that hugged her figure. She wasn't wearing anything underneath and he could see her nipples protruding from the thin fabric.

"Oh, my," he said, his breath catching in his throat.

"Come dance with me. I haven't danced with anyone in years," Diana begged, taking him by the hand and drawing him to his feet.

Duncan put his glass down on the table and took her hand in his, sliding his arm around her waist and resting his hand on her tight ass. They danced slowly in the firelight, her kimono rustling beneath his warm hand as it slid up and down the silky fabric.

"Your daughter told me you hadn't done the wild thing in ten years," he murmured.

"My daughter doesn't know everything she thinks she does. It's wasn't that long-but it felt like an eternity," she uttered back in a husky voice. She slipped a hand across the front of his jeans to feel his excitement manifest itself.

"Oh, my," Duncan repeated.

She met his lips with hers in a warm, soft kiss, close mouthed at first, then both slipped probing tongues into sweet breath. He pulled her hips close to his, moving in rhythm with the music. He ran a hand down to the sash of her kimono and untied it while she wrapped her hands in his thick hair, thrusting her tongue deep into his mouth. Duncan hardened against her swaying pelvis and he reached beneath her gown to caress her breasts, warm and soft. She moaned into his mouth and arched her hips into him.

Duncan slipped her gown off her shoulders and it slid to the floor with a whisper. Her pubic hair gleamed as red as the hair on her head in the flickering flames. He explored her damp lips with his fingers, bending slightly to take a breast into his mouth. Diana quivered in his embrace as she urged his mouth to her other breast, her long tresses falling over her face and his broad, smooth back as she watched.

"I want to make love to you in front of the fire," she said hoarsely. She snagged a folded quilt from the back of one of the couches and dropped it on the floor in front of the hearth as Duncan backed her up to the fireplace, hands and mouth seeking, arousing. She spread out the quilt and lay down on top of it, her long limbs moving with the sinuousness of a cat. Duncan undressed with trembling hands. He reclined on his side next to Diana's stretched-out form.

He ran a hand gently down the length of her body, feeling her lustrous, warm skin, admiring the unblemished firmness. He nuzzled her, starting with her neck, licking and kissing as he eased down to her breasts, her belly, to her pussy. He tasted her dampness with his tongue, flicking and twisting while she moaned and undulated her hips. He could feel the building-up within her. He could taste the change in her flowing. He drew it out, licking her, teasing her, manipulating her while she begged him not to stop, not to stop, never to stop. His fingertips insinuated themselves into her grasping openings, into her pussy, into her anus, urging her on. She snapped like a rubber band, her thighs flooded with her elixir of ecstasy as she cried out, holding his head in place with her hands.

Duncan looked up at her with gleaming eyes. He was pleased with himself. He was no slouch himself when it came to mouthwork.

"There's another in there," she panted to him, turning over on her stomach and thrusting her ass up slightly in invitation.

"Mmmm, I'd better find it, then," Duncan replied, sliding on top of her, his thick shaft knocking at the entrance to her cave. He easily slid his entire length into her.

"Oh, babe, you are tight," he growled in her ear. She rocked upwards against him with her hips as he ran a hand beneath her to fondle her nipples. He slid back and forth within her, and he could feel her body begin to tremble and buck as another orgasm neared. She was powerful and nearly bucked him off as she came, clamping down on his rod with her vaginal muscles. Her climax faded, and she lay panting beneath his weight.

"Turn over. I want to watch you," he said, pulling out and allowing her to roll over onto her back.

He kissed her on the lips and on her breasts as he re-entered her. She was slick from her orgasms, and he could feel the onset of another one as he pistoned inside her. She wrapped her long legs around his hips and pulled him deeper, her hands playing the skin on his back. She didn't scratch, which both surprised and satisfied him. She was a wildcat, for sure, but she could keep her claws sheathed when she needed to. He never enjoyed being clawed by his lovers. Like leaving a hickey, it was a sign of sloppy lovemaking. He grunted and panted as he stroked more and more forecefully, listening to her low moans of pleasure rise in octaves as she closed in on the thing she desired. His thing that she desired. They climaxed together, her animal wails harmonizing with his grating, drawn-out groan through clenched teeth.

They rested on the quilt, bodies still quivering from their exertions. Duncan rolled onto his side and looked down at Diana, his fingers tracing a line down her cheek. He kissed her tenderly on the lips, and she smiled back up at him.

"Thank you," she said softly, touching his face. The stubble was gone, his face smooth and firm to her touch.

"You're quite welcome. That was very nice."

"Oh, yeah, very nice."

"Diana, why haven't you been with anyone before me?" He wrapped a ringlet of her hair around her finger.

Diana shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I lost track of time. After Sasha died-that was Gabby's father-there were men who wanted to marry me. I even dated off and on. But in this line of work, you can't get too close to anyone. They might end up dead, or you might. Face it, it's hard to find a partner outside the business. Can you imagine that conversation? 'Hi, I'm Diana, I'm rich and single and available, but just one little thing-I kill the undead. Do you want to dance?'" She laughed, a sad chuckle without humor. "There was a good man, the last man I was with. Frankly, he couldn't keep up with me. He should have never become a specialist, he didn't have the nerve for it. I just gave up after that."

"Weren't you lonely? Didn't you ever think of changing professions?" Duncan stroked her shoulder.

"This isn't really a profession, it's a calling, like being called to the ministry. Of course I get lonely. Self-satisfaction only goes so far, you know. I like my solitude, I value my freedom and my independence. But it does get lonely at night, not having anyone to hold close."

"Until now," Duncan whispered, kissing her cheek.

"Until now. Hold me close," she whispered, turning away from him and snuggling her butt into his hips, her shoulders into his chest.

Duncan wrapped himself around her, pulling the quilt as far around them as it would go. They fell asleep that way in front of the fire.

Duncan awoke to sunlight pouring in through the patio doors. He was on his back as he opened his eyes. He looked up at the hearth where the ebony heavyweight feline looked balefully down at him with its green eyes. The Siamese stalked over to the black cat's side and sat down delicately, her slightly crossed blue eyes openly curious. She commenced to rudely cleaning her nether regions with her pink sandpaper tongue.

"My darlings. I think that means they like you," came Diana's voice from his side.

"What would they do if they didn't like me?" he asked.

"Probably deposit something gross and disgusting in your shoes."

"I'm curious. Why don't you have guard dogs around here? I would have thought someone who's had intruders would keep some Dobermans handy."

"I've found dogs to be undependable, too easily swayed by a hand holding a piece of steak. Cats are an irreproachable judge of character and a wonderful early warning system. They're also very hard to catch and extremely suspicious of strangers." The two hearth-sitters jumped down and rubbed against Diana's shoulder and face affectionately, departing only after she scratched them behind the ears and under their chins.

Duncan and Diana arose and took a shower-together this time-and Diana demonstrated the benefits of having a commodious shower stall.

Duncan soaped her up and down. He caressed her with his frothy hands, slipping one between her legs. He tickled her nether lips and they grew turgid and full beneath his touch. He grasped his dick and rubbed it around her backside.

"Stick it in my ass," Diana said in a thick voice.

"Are you sure?"

"Oh, yeah. I like it that way. I haven't done it that way since my Sasha - he taught me how. Go ahead. Knock on my back door, baby."

"Woman, you're insatiable." Duncan inserted a finger into her tight little puckerhole to loosen her up. "Bend over."

Diana splayed out her legs and balanced herself against the tiles. Duncan removed his finger and spread her smooth ass cheeks. Gently, slowly, he pushed into her bunghole with his telescoping dick. He could feel her muscles contract and relax as her little brown pucker swallowed up his shaft.

Diana moaned and wriggled her ass. "Play with my clit."

Duncan rocked his cock back and forth within her while he flicked his fingertips across her budding clit. She tightened down on his shaft and began to milk him with her anus. The fluttery feeling in her loins unfurled. She twitched and quivered against his cock, then yowled and moaned as she orgasmed.

Duncan felt his self control go down the drain with the soap bubbles. "Oh, Diana, I'm coming. I'm going to fuck your ass!"

He could feel the logjam within his dick suddenly break up and shoot out his heated mushroom head. His sexual lather spilled out as he withdrew from her hole.

Diana turned around to face him from her position splayed up against the tiled wall of the shower. Her face was flushed and her eyes glazed with sexual fervor. "Old Damon isn't the only one making up for lost time."

The water finally ran cold and chased them out.

"What are we doing today?" Duncan asked after breakfast.

"You're going to receive an education on topics related to vampires, werewolves, and various and sundry other nasty creatures." Diana marched him up to her study, turned on her computer, and began what amounted to a three day lesson in all things supernatural.

By the end of the third day, the day of Diana's date with Damon Benyu, Duncan was fairly reeling with the myriad of foreign names for the bloodsuckers, the reasons they became the way they were, and methods to control and destroy them. He learned that garlic had limited effect as a repellent, that vampires could see themselves in the mirror (in fact, enjoyed seeing themselves in the mirror, vain creatures that they were), and that in certain instances, there had to be a single blow delivered to the stake impaling the creature or it would be reanimated with a subsequent blow.

"Now you know why we need someone like you to do our research. We can't just go after these things wildly. If we use the wrong methodology, we don't destroy them, we only piss them off," Diana explained.

Evening was drawing close and Diana readied herself for her rendezvous with "Dane Bailey." Duncan whistled in admiration when she allowed him to accompany her into her private armory.

"I hope you're handy with guns," Diana said, strapping her .357 Magnum into its ankle holster beneath her black pantsuit and handing Duncan a 9 mm with a thirteen round clip loaded with silver. Duncan tucked it into the shoulder holster she loaned him and he slipped on his jacket.

Diana wore her silver cross between her breasts, and slid a black-handled dagger into the sheath of her bra.

Damon raised his eyebrows. "I thought those things were dangerous, now I know they are." Diana laughed, buttoning her black silk blouse over her weaponry.

As they drove down the hill to The Log Jam, Diana reviewed the game plan with Duncan. No shooting in a crowd. No looking into the vampire's eyes. No alcohol consumption, and for God's sake, watch out for coffee intake. No reason she should get her throat chewed because Duncan was off taking a whizz someplace.

They arrived at the restaurant at 5:45 p.m. Diana had a private conference with Sherri, who seated them in a secluded corner near the fireplace.

"He's going to be upset to see you here," Diana confided to Duncan. "Just stay cool. I'm not giving him an opportunity to turn me into another victim. I want him to get a taste of me-not literally, of course-so he craves my presence. I want him to come to me."

The vampire walked in the door, scenting the air slightly for his prey. His eyes alighted on Diana, then moved to Duncan, a spasm of anger washing over his pale face.

"I didn't know we would have company," Damon said, casting a dour glance at Duncan.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I guess I didn't make myself very clear. He's only here for a week and since I see him so rarely, I couldn't leave him at home by himself. I hope you don't mind," Diana apologized, nearly groveling.

"That's quite all right. I just hope he doesn't become bored by our subject matter."

"Not at all. I'm always interested in my big sister's creative process," Duncan pitched in, smiling at Diana. "I'm just fascinated how you artists come up with your ideas."

They ordered dinner and drinks, Diana and Duncan sticking to soft drinks. They noticed the vampire eschewed wine in favor of a dark ale. Duncan remembered his lesson on the vampire's aversion to all things sacred, including the fruit of the vine, which was considered "the blood of the Lamb." Damon devoured his steak, blood rare, but ate sparingly of the vegetables. Duncan had also learned that the creatures could eat regular food in small portions. After all, they were still a form of human and could process the sustenance.

Duncan listened politely as the vampire and his hunter discussed the art world, Damon neatly eliciting information about the advances in art over the past century. The discussion swerved to politics and history. The vampire sharing detailed tidbits of battles and historical figures from the past three centuries that few people would know unless they had been there.

"You know, Diana, I have to use the men's room. I may stop at the bar for a little bit. I'll be back in awhile." Time to bait the trap. Duncan wandered off to the back of the restaurant, leaving hunter and prey alone.

"Why don't we go to my place?" the beast offered, laying his long, lean fingers upon Diana's hand on the top of the table. "Surely, your brother can drive himself home."

"Oh, I don't know. We have so little time together, and you and I will have more time in the future after he leaves. And I don't know you very well, now do I?" she said coyly, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

"I can teach you all you need to know about me tonight, if you'll join me," he answered, gazing into her amber eyes.

Diana giggled girlishly and turned her eyes down to her plate. "I'll bet you can. But I'm not that kind of girl. I need to get to know someone first. Besides, I'm a Christian woman, I can't just jump in the sack with you on the first date," she announced, pulling her cross from beneath her blouse and holding up for him to see.

The vampire expelled his breath in a brief hiss and sat back in his chair.

"Are you feeling all right?" Diana asked with feigned concern, returning her cross to its original position.

"Yes, just a little…indigestion. Well, a woman of principle. I like that. It makes our relationship a challenging one."

"We have a relationship now?" Diana asked with surprise.

"Don't you think so? Don't you feel the attraction between the two of us? You are the woman I've been searching for all my life, sensual and devout at the same time. A mix of heaven and earth. I like that," Damon answered, taking her hand again.

Diana resisted the instinct to recoil from this serpent, his hot skin papery against hers. It amazed her that he was so warm. Had to be the fires of Hell that burned within him.

"You flatter me, Dane. I'm just a plain mountain girl with a lot of faith."

"Faith. A highly overrated trait. You truly believe in God above, with all that is happening around you even now?"

"Yes, I do. God does not send evil, Satan does. God gives us the strength and means to overcome that evil." She gazed innocently into the vampire's face.

"So why does He allow this evil to come into His world, to affect His precious humans?"

"Evil comes as a result of the choices Adam and Eve made in the Garden of Eden. He gives us free choice. We all make choices, for good or bad."

"And I suppose that you also believe that there is a life everlasting in Paradise after you pass from this earth and become dust?"

"Yes, there is, for some of us, for those who trust and believe in His power. For those who believe in the power of Satan, their eternity is spent in Hell."

"I'm sorry, I'm upsetting such a beautiful lady with my cynicism. Please accept my apology," Dane soothed, afraid he would move too soon and lose the bond he was creating with this red-haired enchantress.

"I just take my faith very seriously," Diana said, appearing placated.

Duncan chose this time to return to the table. "Sis, isn't it time we got home? You don't want to be out on these dark roads with some maniac running around."

The vampire's eyes narrowed with distaste, but he said nothing.

"Yes, Duncan, you're right. We should be going. "

Damon arose, ever the gentleman, as Diana stood up to leave. "When can I see you again?"

"Next week, perhaps."

"Such a long time to wait for your company. What about this weekend?"

"Sorry, I can't. I need to take Duncan to the airport down in Los Angeles, so I'll be gone all weekend. How about next Saturday night? Same place, same time?" She smiled reassuringly at the vampire.

"That would be wonderful. Until then," he said, kissing her hand sensually on the upturned wrist.

"Good night, Dane. See you next week." They exited the restaurant, leaving the vampire to pay the dinner bill.

"You just stiffed the vampire!" Duncan exclaimed as they got in her truck and took off.

"Yeah, ain't it great! Stiffing the stiff. Pretty funny, don't you think?" Diana took a circuitous route through several back roads, keeping an eye out in her rear view mirror in case they had company. When she was satisfied they were alone, she sped up the mountain and returned to her cabin.

"Ick," she said with disgust, throwing off her clothes and jumping into the shower to cleanse herself of the vampire's touch. "I hate it when I have to touch them," she said, as a naked Duncan joined her. He soaped her back for her, and then reached around to do the same to her breasts.

"Geez, Red, you make me feel like I'm eighteen again," he said, inserting himself into her warmth. He lathered her tits in slow, languid circles, his arms wrapped around her upper body.

"Not bad for a couple of old, horny folks, are we?" she chuckled, before lapsing into panting moans that scared her cats off the bed in the other room.

The town of Damon's Canyon was quiet during the next week, much to everyone's relief. No murders, no disappearances. They were still mourning their beloved police chief. Yet, there was a feeling of expectation. They were all holding their breaths, waiting for something else to happen.

Damon was frustrated at his inability to get to Diana alone, but he sucked it up, as the mortals were used to saying these days. He found that amusing as well, "sucking it up." His stock in trade. He would wait. The brother would be gone, and he would have another opportunity next week. Meanwhile, they stuck him with paying the bill at the restaurant. He was fortunate to have a pocketful of cash that he had gathered from his various victims, knowing that at some point, he would have to pay for things.

He would have to find real sustenance soon. He was starting to feel weak again, although his wounds had healed. He had to find another victim, but was hesitant to go back into town. They would be looking for the Camaro. Another problem he would have to contend with, but not now. Now, he went back to his lair. It was cold up at this elevation. Had he breathed like a normal human, he would be able to see his breath in the crisp air. It has frosted lightly, and the moon sparkled off the leaves and bark of the conifers surrounding him. He longed for his oils and a canvas, to paint the things he found beautiful, the woods and the rocks around him. In time, he thought as he lay with his bag of native earth. All things in time.

It snowed the fourth week of October, just a light dusting of powder which crusted in the frosty air. The skies had turned dark early, which aroused Damon Benyu from sleep in the late afternoon rather than in the evening. He heard a truck door slam and footsteps crunching on the snow out in the parking lot. He moved quickly to a window to peer out. A man in jeans, boots and parka was in the parking lot, checking out the Camaro. The man was wearing a fluorescent orange vest over his coat. Damon could just see the lettering on the side of the man's truck that indicated he was with the parks service.

Jesse Carrillo hadn't planned on being this far up the mountain today. He knew the snow was coming in and didn't want to be caught out in the elements. He had to make his rounds, however, which required him to check on the various campgrounds and make sure they were secure, gates locked, restrooms closed up, and no vandalism to state property. He was going to leave this campground until Friday, but he wanted to take the weekend off and head to the coast just to get away for awhile. His mother had recently died and as executor of her estate, he needed to take care of her house and belongings. Unfortunately, one of his brothers had taken off with half of his mother's valuable collection of Madame Alexander dolls. Mother Carrillo had wanted them auctioned off to raise funds for the Library and Jesse needed to get them back. He had talked with the pretty red-haired lady in town, the one who knew about such things, and she had given him her card, telling him to call her if he required any help. Jesse decided to get the museum campground below The Rock out of the way so he could take off.

Jesse saw the sign was off its hangers and moved it to the side, propping it face-forward against the metal pipe fencing until he could get a crew up here to fix it. Meanwhile, he glimpsed a flash of blue metal behind the museum and drove in to investigate. It was a blue Camaro, a newer model from the looks of it. Now where had he heard something about a Camaro? He glanced at the back of the museum and noticed that the chain had been broken off. Great. As he walked towards the rear entrance, pulling off his gloves, he silently griped that he'd probably be stuck doing paperwork on vandalism AND a stolen car. Helluva way to spend the weekend when all he wanted to do was get away.

That was Jesse's last desire as he entered the darkened building and felt an iron grip surround his arms and a shooting pain in his neck -- just to get away.

The vampire hauled the husky body of Jesse Carrillo to the top of The Rock and threw it off into the canyons below. It wouldn't be until the spring thaw that rock climbers would find the skeletal remains of the hapless Mr. Carrillo, still clad in parka and jeans.

The problem now was to move the man's truck. He needed to find a place to hide both vehicles in the event more company arrived. The man had left his keys in the ignition, and Damon backed the truck slowly around and drove it up one of the roads leading deep into the campground. He parked it beneath the shelter of the conifers, in the shadows, where it would not be easily seen.

Damon caught sight of a small white business card on the seat next to him and picked it up. His nostrils flared, smelling a familiar scent. As he read the writing on the card, his red-rimmed eyes narrowed and a low growl rumbled deep in his chest. "Diana Lorraine, Recovery & Delivery Specialist." There was a number on the card, along with an address down in Damon's Canyon. "Recovery and Delivery." Damon had heard the term before, in his last rising. He had known a recovery and delivery specialist who had come for him in Sacramento. The man had traveled all the way from Colorado to track him down. What was his name? Ah, yes, Jeremiah Sloan. The man had been a worthy adversary, but in the end, he, Damon Benyu, had prevailed. He had torn the man's throat out and headed to the hills of what would become Damon's Canyon.

So this was the huntress, the red-haired bitch. Then who was the man: her husband, her lover, her partner? She was setting him up, hoping to destroy him. He looked at the card again, then at the truck keys in his hand. Time for a little trip into town, he thought, starting up the truck and easing it back down the icy path. The huntress becomes the hunted. She would pay dearly for this deception.

Night grew, and so did his anger.

Diana had spent the day at her office, catching up on some legitimate business. She had given instructions to Duncan to study up on his lessons, but to lie low. He was supposed to have flown out that previous weekend, she didn't want Damon catching sight of him somehow. Not that he knew where she lived, but one couldn't take any chances.

It was dark early, winter storms were already arriving, and it had already snowed in the upper elevations. The parks service vehicle parked across the street barely registered in her consciousness, other than to remind her of the request from Jesse Carrillo to help with his mother's estate. She hiked down to Jacob's woodworking shop, feeling the brisk air currents ruffle her hair about her face.

"Anyone here?" she called out.

"Back here, young lady," the old man's voice responded from the back of the shop.

She inhaled the rich aromas of his shop, so familiar and comforting to her.

"Whatcha doing, Jacob?"

"I finally got that shipment of hawthorn in. It took forever to arrive, especially with all the trouble out East. They don't like to ship to California anyway because of the potential for agricultural pests. I'll work on the stakes this weekend. That plenty of time?" old Jacob asked from his kneeling stance on the floor where he was carving out a pair of raccoons on a tree stump.

"Should be. I'm working him like a piece of clay."

"Golem," Jacob grunted.

Diana smiled. "Yes, like the Golem he is. You take care, Jacob. This one is very dangerous, very intelligent, very vicious. He'll stop at nothing to achieve his goals."

Jacob Carpenter said he'd watch out and went back to his labors as Diana headed back up the hill. Red-rimmed eyes observed her progress from the alleyway on the opposite side of the street.

Diana stopped by the police department to say hello to the new Chief, installed just that Monday, then drove up the mountain towards home. She saw the parks service truck pull out behind her and follow at a distance. Someone's working late tonight, she thought briefly, before turning her attention to the slippery road.

Damon followed at a safe distance, keeping the green Toyota in sight. He would know where she lived. He would take her for his mate, destroy her wretched faith, and make her take his crimson seed to bear their damned children. She would be his.

She drove past The Log Jam, past the cabin where the beast had taken the police chief out, higher towards his own lair. She finally signaled and pulled off onto a side road, getting out to unlock the gate. She glanced at his truck as he passed by, but the darkness prevented her from seeing who was driving.

Later, Damon thought. I will take you later. I must make preparations for the taking and then for the leaving. A full moon was coming up, and he wanted to be ready for it. He also wanted to pay a visit to the old man, Jacob Carpenter. He recognized the name. There was a Joshua Carpenter who had made his coffin and who had helped to seal him in that tomb for a century. Another debt due. He drove back to his lair, parking both truck and Camaro in the shade of the conifers.

When Diana got home, the lights were blazing on the exterior and inside her cabin. It felt comforting, but odd, to have someone to come home to. Duncan greeted her at the door with a kiss and a long embrace.

"So what have you been up to today?" she asked, smelling chicken baking in the kitchen.

"Took that blasted Crabapple out for a ride today. Is it my imagination, or does that horse not like me?" he said, rubbing his hip thoughtfully.

"Dumped you, did she? She doesn't like anybody, except for Gabby. But she's useful," Diana said, peering into the oven.

"How so?"

"She's a graveyard horse. We use her to find the graves of the vampires. She gets really skittish around them."

"She gets real skittish around everything."

"She's a good girl, just a little crazy. She earns her keep, just barely."

"Dinner won't be ready for another hour. Are you getting hungry, my red-haired vixen?" Duncan asked, sweeping her into his arms and kissing her hard on the lips.

"Depends…are you going to be dessert?" she grinned up at him.

"Only if you like whipped cream."

"I love it. Load me up!"

"Come here!" Duncan hoisted her over his shoulder and headed for the dining room.

"What are you doing?" Diana squawked.

"Serving you dessert," Duncan answered, pausing at the refrigerator to grab the can of whipped cream from a shelf.

He deposited her on top of the dining room table and unbuttoned her blouse. He shook the can and unhooked her bra.

"Oh, Duncan, no, that's COLD!" Diana flinched as he sprayed the whipped cream onto her nipples and starting sucking the sweetness from them.

"Mmmm, feels like they're warming right up."

"Give me that!" Diana wrestled the can away from him and turned on her stomach to open his jeans. "My sweet tooth is aching. Feed me," she ordered, coating his erect cock with a layer of cream.

Diana ran her tongue along the throbbing vein in his shaft, up along the head, then plunged her mouth down onto the entire length.

"Oh, God, suck me, baby!" Duncan pushed her head further down until her lips met his balls.

She bobbed her head and sucked and licked. Once in awhile, she bared her teeth and gently scraped the edges along the skin of his rod. She could hear Duncan's breath whistling between his clenched teeth. She sucked harder and could taste the first drops of his own cream as his excitement extended.

"I want to blow in your mouth," she heard Duncan gasp. She tightened her grip with her lips. He slammed into her mouth, the tip of his dick pulsing its way deep into her throat. She swallowed the thick ejaculate as he spurted, then licked off the drops from his cock and heaving, flat abdomen.

He looked down into her feral eyes. "You're going to ruin your appetite doing that."

"Hardly. When I eat, I like to eat big!"

"Do you want to see what else I did today?" Duncan asked, a smirk stalking his face.

"What?" Diana asked suspiciously as he reached around the corner into the kitchen.

"I've been practicing my roping skills!" Duncan looped the lariat he had produced and snared Diana as she tried to scramble off the table.

"Hey! Where'd you learn to do that?"

Duncan straddled her as she lay on her back. "I grew up on a farm in Nebraska, remember? Had lots of practice with the cows." He grinned down at her and encircled her wrists with each end of the rope, tying her spread-eagled to the table legs.

"Are you comparing me with bovines now?" Diana sputtered with outrage.

"Only the parts that are udderly delicious!" Duncan answered, lowering himself to her breasts, still sticky with whipped cream, and circulating his tongue around the areolae.

He slid off the table and looped the rope around one of the table legs. Diana's arms were caught above her head and her bounteous breasts heaved upwards, prow-like and inviting.

Duncan leaped onto the table and sat astride his captured wildcat. He reached across the table and retrieved the can of whipped cream, shaking it with a knowing smile on his face.

"No. You're not going to do what I think you are with that!"

"Uh-huh."

"Duncan! It's cold!"

"Baby, where this is going, your heat will melt it right away!"

Duncan inserted the nozzle of the can into her vagina and squirted, holding her squirming hips down with his other hand.

"You asshole!" Diana squealed.

Duncan slid down between her legs and tongued her labia, sucking up the sweet cream. He lapped and twisted with his tongue, probing deeper and deeper into her dripping grotto. He ran his thumb across her clitoris and she mewled and thrashed against the rope.

"Oh, yeah, right there, Duncan! Come on, lick up all my cream." Diana's pelvis pumped in rhythm to his manipulating tongue and she wrapped her legs around his back.

He slipped his thumb into her bunghole and rubbed gently while he flicked his tongue across her clit. He could taste her natural sweetness seeping through the whipped cream and he tongued harder. He opened his eyes and glanced above him through her tangled copper bush. Diana's eyes were rolled back in ecstasy, her mouth open and gasping for breath. He noticed with alarm that her head was dangerously close to the edge of the table.

"Hang on, Red, or you're going to break your neck!"

Duncan rolled off the table and started to reposition Diana's head. He stopped and cocked his head down at her.

"What?" Diana looked up at him from her upside down view.

"Got an idea."

"That's not all you've got," she said, staring at his erect cock wavering above her head. "Talk about a quick reload!"

"Trust me on this." He slipped her hands, fingers interlaced, beneath her neck and gently eased her head over the edge of the table.

Diana caught on right away. She opened her mouth to receive his stiff dick as he nestled his crotch against her face. At the same time, he leaned forward and slipped his tongue back into her sopping pussy. He began to pump his cock into her mouth, careful not to lose his grip on her neck and head.

Diana grunted with each stroke, feeling the tip of his rod deep in her throat. She sucked him hard, all the while feeling her rising orgasm as he licked her clit and lips.

She came, suddenly and violently, unable to cry out but only panting through her nose as she took in his entire length with her mouth. Duncan nearly bit down on her labia as he came again into her mouth. Luckily, she had nearly drained him earlier or he surely would have drowned her with his own hot cream. She swallowed the thick tide that seeped down her throat.

He withdrew from her and stood up, sliding her safely back onto the table. He brushed her hair from her face while she caught her breath.

Duncan loosened the rope and set her free of her bonds, rubbing her wrists and hands. He lay on his side next to her on the table top.

"Well, enough of the appetizers. Ready for the entree?" he cracked.

Diana rolled over and shoved him off the table. Duncan caught himself and landed on all fours, laughing, as she peered over the edge.

"You okay down there? Must be, I didn't hear anything break. Is that something burning in the kitchen?"

Duncan raced out to the kitchen to rescue dinner, while Diana called out after him, "Hey, don't get too close to the oven with that thing! It's not a meat thermometer!"

Later in the evening, she lay in his arms in front of the crackling fire.

"Tell me, something, Red? How many people down there know what you do? Seems like an awful lot of them are aware of your higher calling." Duncan stroked her hair as she lay against his chest.

"Not very many, really. You've just met most of the ones who do, my inner circle, so to speak. Out of 1500 people in the town, less than ten know I hunt the undead, rather than recover property. Most of them are the old timers: Jacob, Zara, Seth, God rest his soul. Sherri and her husband know, their daughter has a pretty good idea. Old Doc Swanson, a couple of others. They are trusted allies, people I can count on in a crisis. I need them and they need me. They are my eyes and ears."

"You've had intruders before?"

"That's how the original cabin burned. One extremely pissed-off werewolf tracked my father over several states after he delivered his mate. He broke into the house while my parents were home, Pappa shot him, and wouldn't you figure he'd fall into the fireplace? Shot out of there like a cannonball, fur all on fire. Caught Mamma's kitchen curtains on fire, and the whole place burned up, including old fur-face. We didn't know whether to laugh or cry when the place burned down. Had some great memories, but the sight of that hairy bastard running around like a Roman candle was almost too much to bear."

"You people have a weird sense of humor."

"We have to or you go mad. This is a serious business, but you have to keep your wits about you and find humor where you can."

"Hey! You were going to tell me about the Colorado Sloans, remember?" Duncan nibbled on the side of her neck and ran his fingers through her plush pussy.

"What do you know about your great-grandfather?" Diana idled her fingertips along his body, which reminded her of some of the statuary of male nudes she had recovered in her legitimate dealings.

"Jeremiah Sloan? He was a bounty hunter back in the old West. He was killed tracking down a murderer."

Diana laughed. "Yeah, that's what they always call us. Bounty hunters."

"'Us?' You mean, he was…"

"One of us. A recovery and delivery specialist. He was legendary in his day. They sent him out after a particularly beastly vampire in the Sacramento area in the late 1800's. A sexual predator as well as a blood predator."

"Damon Benyu." Duncan was dumbfounded.

"Benyu killed Jeremiah and fled to these mountains to escape the law. He won't escape this time." Diana slid her fingers over Duncan's pectorals, feeling his heart quicken beneath her hand. She continued down his lean waist to his tight butt and streamlined but stalwart thighs.

"So now this becomes personal," Duncan growled.

"I told you it was our fate, our destiny to meet. What we do, it's in our blood, passed down through the generations. Our personal legacy."

"So are you going through with your date with Damon Benyu on Saturday?"

"You'd better believe it. You'll need to stay low, hang around outside and watch my back. I'm going to try to put him off another week. There's a full moon on the way. He'll be strong them, but so will I. It will be All Saints Day, the day we commemorate those who have gone on to glory before us."

"Be careful, Diana. I don't want you joining them too soon. I've gotten used to you."

"Same, here, Duncan. We're great partners."

"Funny, that's what your daughter said."

"What else did you and my daughter talk about behind my back?"

"Nothing you need to know about. Speaking of backs, you have a very lovely back," Duncan said, rolling Diana over on her belly and kissing her warm skin, starting with the nape of her neck. The wind picked up outside, rattling branches against the roof and windows. Storm clouds were gathering rapidly.

On Friday afternoon, Diana received a call from the new police chief.

"Diana, it's me. I might have another lead for you. I got word of a parks service employee who didn't show up for work this morning or yesterday. Very unusual, he's a dependable man. No sign of him or his truck."

Diana grew cold. "It wouldn't happen to be Jesse Carrillo would it?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. How'd you know?"

"I saw a parks service truck down in town a couple of nights ago, followed me up the hill past my turn-off and kept going. Didn't think anything about it until now. He recently had a death in the family and asked me to help out with the estate."

"His supervisor said he's been down lately about his mother's death and planned to go to the coast this weekend to get away. They're checking with authorities out there to see if he's around."

"Where was he supposed to be working when he disappeared?"

"The usual patrol of the campgrounds, according to his boss. Make sure everything's in good shape, no vandalism, that sort of thing."

"See if you can pinpoint exactly where he was supposed to be on Wednesday. That may lead us to our killer."

The chief hung up and Diana sat with her hand on the phone. She picked up the receiver and dialed. Things were coming to a head.