One Grave at a Time (Night Huntress #6)(89)

The car was only meant to seat five, and there were six of us, but we made it work. Spade insisted on driving, and Denise sat snuggled between him and my mom. Bones’s comment that my mother could sleep quite comfortably in the trunk was met with a heavy-lidded, evil look that only made him laugh.

“What a dreary-looking day out,” Ian commented as we pulled away.

The sky did have a grayish tint that hinted at an early winter. Darker clouds kept most of the sunlight at bay, but as I glanced up at them, I couldn’t help but think that each looked like it had a silver lining.





Acknowledgments



I will again try to keep this short, but I never have before and this may not be the exception. Before anyone else I have to thank God for continuing to give me inspiration and determination—two things no writer can survive without. Thanks to my editor, Erika Tsang, and the rest of the wonderful team at Avon Books for all your hard work. Additional thanks go to Thomas Egner, for yet another gorgeous cover. Nancy Yost, my agent, has my continued gratitude for keeping my head above water professionally. To my husband, friends, and family, I love you and would be lost without you. Thanks to Tage, Carol, Kimberly, and the rest of the incredible team at Frost Fans for spreading the word far and wide about my books. Endless gratitude also goes out to my readers, who’ve amazed and humbled me with your support. I could never thank all of you as much as you deserve.

A final note of thanks goes to Theresa and the Lock Haven Paranormal Seekers for answering my questions regarding paranormal investigations. It should be mentioned that I took “artistic license,” which is a nice way of saying I twisted the information they gave me to suit my plot, so any errors were derived from my imagination and not their feedback.





Here's a sneak peek at "Home for the Holidays,"

a special Christmas story by Jeaniene Frost,

available in A BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

on sale November 2011





I glanced at my watch. Ten minutes to midnight. The vampire would be back soon, and despite hours of careful preparation, I wasn’t ready for him.

A ghost’s head popped through the wall, the rest of his body concealed by the wood barrier. He took one look around the room and a frown appeared on his filmy visage.

“You’re not going to make it.”

I yanked the wire through the hole I’d drilled into the ceiling’s rafter, careful not to shift my weight too far or I’d fall off the ladder I was balanced on. Fabian was right, but I wasn’t ready to concede defeat.

“When he pulls up, stall him.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” he asked.

Good question. Unlike humans, vampires could see ghosts, but tended to ignore them as a general rule. While this vampire showed more respect to the corporeal-impaired, he still wouldn’t stop to have a lengthy chat with one before entering his home.

“Can’t you improvise? You know, make some loud pounding noises or cause the outer walls to bleed?”

The ghost shot me a pointed look. “You watch too many movies, Cat.”

Then Fabian vanished from sight, but not before I heard him muttering about unfair stereotypes.

I finished twisting together the wires along the ceiling. If all went well, as soon as the vampire came through that door, I’d use my remote transmitter to unload a surprise onto his head. Now, to set up the last of the contraptions I’d planned—

The unmistakable sound of a car approaching almost startled me into falling off the ladder. Damn it, the vampire was back! No time to rig any other devices. I barely had enough time to conceal myself.

I leapt off the ladder and carried it as noiselessly as I could to the closet. The last thing I needed was a bunch of metallic clanging to announce that something unusual was going on. Then I swept up the silver knives I’d left on the floor. It wouldn’t do for him to see those right off.

I’d just crouched behind one of the living room chairs when I heard a car door shut and then Fabian’s voice.

“You won’t believe what I found around the edge of your property,” the ghost announced. “A cave with prehistoric paintings inside it!”

I rolled my eyes. That was the best tactic Fabian could come up with? This was a vampire he was trying to stall, not a paleontologist.

“Good on you,” an English voice replied, sounding utterly disinterested. Booted footsteps came to the door, but then paused before going further. I sucked in a breath I no longer needed. No cars were in the driveway, but did he sense that several people lurked out of sight, waiting to pounce on him as soon as he crossed that threshold?

“Fabian,” that cultured voice said next. “Are you sure there isn’t anything else you want to tell me?”

A hint of menace colored the vampire’s tone. I could almost picture my friend quailing, but his reply was instant.

“No. Nothing else.”

“All right,” the vampire said after a pause. The knob turned. “Your exorcism if you’re lying.”

I stayed hidden behind the chair, a silver knife gripped in one hand and the remote transmitter in the other. When the sound of boots hit the wood floor inside the house, I pressed the button and leapt up at the same time.

“Surprise!”

Confetti unleashed from the ceiling onto the vampire’s head. With a whiplike motion, I threw my knife and severed the ribbon holding closed a bag of balloons above him. Those floated down more slowly, and by the time the first one hit the floor, the vampires who’d been concealed in the other rooms had come out.