Hours later, the good Dr. Graham's phone beeped again. Tina this time, with curt directions. Not even so much as a "thank goodness you're safe, Your Majesty." I swear, she could have out-Pattoned Patton.

I promised obedience, then thanked Dr. Graham and gave him back his phone. When I asked if he was going to get into trouble, he laughed even as he erased everything on his phone. I hadn't told him to do that, and Tina hadn't told me to tell him to do that . . . that was interesting. He was either good at precautions or a coward. Or both.

"Bodies go missing here all the time. Actual dead ones, not bodies like yours, not ones that get up and walk around." He was staring at my tits. He'd had a bad night, so I didn't smack him. Stupid too-small T-shirt.

"I could probably make you forget everything that happened," I suggested. "Then you wouldn't be scared or horny or both. You'd just be . . . however you are when you haven't been attacked by a ruthless naked denizen of the undead."

"Don't you dare." He held up his hands and backed away. "You keep your vampire hypnosis to yourself. I earned those memories; you can't have them."

"Okay, okay, simmer. Sorry again. You better go, my ride's here."

"Yeah, and I have to go drink a whole bunch of vodka . . . for a long, long time . . . nice to meet you, I guess . . ." Graham wandered away, and I went out to the loading area Tina had told me about (thank goodness for the Internet).

Unloading area, actually-I was standing (blurgh!) where they dropped off the dead bodies. The ones that were better at staying dead than I was. I don't know how Tina managed it, either, but the unloading area was empty. It was like a big creepy warehouse, very well lit (the fortune they must spend on gigantic fluorescent bulbs!) and clean. It was just me, and all the lights, and my ride.

And what a ride!