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David eventually decided on a cowboy outfit for the party and spent the afternoon trawling through charity shops looking for the things he needed. When evening came around he paced nervously in front of his window. He wanted to see them arrive so he could save Sarah from getting wet. The storm which had broken earlier showed no signs of abating. It was going be a wild night weather wise. Hopefully the party would be nowhere near as wild. Thinking about it made his mouth dry and his legs wobble. He didn’t get many invitations to parties and the circumstances behind this one were making him twitchy.

As promised it was exactly eight pm when Michael’s Range Rover pulled up outside his house. David immediately grabbed and umbrella and headed out into the rain. Michael, who was dressed as Tarzan, reached back and opened the door.

“Good evening, David,” he said.

“Hi Michael, Hi Sarah.” As he got buckled in David looked over at Sarah. “Wow, Sis! You look really good in a kimono.” He momentarily forgot his nerves. “So what’s the occasion?”

“Behind the party, you mean? It’s Leisa’s birthday.”

“Leisa being the hostess?” David asked, after all he was not supposed to know who she was. But did she really remember when her birthday was. “Oh I haven’t got a gift.”

“Yes, that’s right,” Sarah agreed. “And don’t worry I’ve got you covered. I realised that I hadn’t told you earlier and took the liberty.” She reached into a bag and produced a small box of expensive chocolates. “Leisa adores good quality chocolate.”

“Thanks.” David looked at the box dubiously. Vampires weren’t supposed to be able to eat solid food, but so much else had been wrong that he wouldn’t be at all surprised if they could any more. “I’ll pay you the next time I get paid,” he promised.

A dozen or so guests were already there when they arrived – all were in costume. When Leisa opened the door she was wearing a beautiful medieval gown and headdress.

“Michael, Sarah, hi! Glad you could make it!” She really did have the most enchanting smile. “And you must be Sarah’s brother. It’s good to meet you.” She extended her hand towards him. “But aren’t you the young man who fixed my car yesterday?”

“Yes, yes I did. It’s a small world, isn’t it?” He smiled and took her hand. As he did he reached out hesitantly with his mind. Hello?

Yes, I can hear you, David. Don’t be so tense, you’re perfectly safe here. Believe me if I intended to hurt you I wouldn’t invite you to a party to do it.

“Sal forgot to tell me about it being your birthday,” he said out loud. “Fortunately she got these for me to give to you.” He handed her the chocolates. I am trying to relax but somehow I can’t seem to stop being jumpy.

That’s not too surprising I guess. Her mental tone was full of laughter. She opened the box and took one of the chocolates out. “I love chocolate. thank you, David,” she said before popping it in her mouth. “Hmm… go and mingle.”

Well it was definite then, vampires really could eat solid food. David sighed as he got himself a cold beer from the ice bucket in the corner. He could feel her watching him as he walked around. How the hell did she expect him to relax?

Most of the other guests were standing around in groups chatting, a few were dancing in the centre of the room. He looked around for Sarah and spotted her deep in conversation with two other guests whom she obviously knew.

He sighed again and headed into the next room where the music was quieter and a buffet had been set out on the sideboard and table. There were fewer people here and they were already eating, so he got himself a plate and headed to the window seat which overlooked the back garden. The sun wouldn’t set for about half an hour yet but the thick black clouds had already thrown the garden into an effective twilight. Still he could see the wind whipping up the branches and the occasional flash of lightning illuminated it properly. He munched on some quiche and stared at the bushes where he had been hiding a few days earlier.

Start | Chapter Eleven Part Three | Index | Chapter Twelve Part Two