NEW YORK BOSTON

Dear Mom, I might be a bit late for cousin Missy’s wedding. It’s been a tough week. Turns out my blind date from hell was literally from hell . Guy bit me. Next thing I know, I’m being chased all over the city by vampire hunters. And did I mention that I got fired, too? Bright side—I met a man. Thierry de Bennicoeur. How great is that name? Anyway, he’s sexy, six hundred years old, and a tad suicidal, but no one’s perfect, right? And we have a deal—he’s gonna show me the ropes of the vampire world, and I’m supposed to help him end his existence. Or maybe I’ll just try to convince him life is worth living—no small challenge with the mostly immortal, let me tell you. I’ll admit it’s a complicated relationship. But with any luck, I just might have a date for that wedding after all. Hugs and kisses. Sarah

For a dead woman, I felt surprisingly good. I figured I had to be dead, since the first thing I noticed after opening my eyes was someone burying me in the cold ground. I was only in a few inches deep, but steady shovelfuls of dirt were landing on my chest, creating a rapidly growing mound. The air smelled of moss and worms… and cheap cologne. Cheap cologne? I craned my neck to look around. An ornately carved gravestone stood not five feet away from my eyes. I blinked. It was dark, but I was pretty sure it wasn’t my name carved on it. The next dirt sandwich hit me squarely in the face.

“Hey!” I managed before I started to cough. I freed my right hand from under the heavy pile to wipe at my face.

“Oh, you’re awake,” a surprised male voice said from my left.

“What the hell is going on?”

“You’re awake and asking questions.” He sounded dismayed. “I was afraid of this.”

Something sharp and metallic hit the ground behind my head. Sounded like a shovel. Then the owner of the voice crouched down and moved his pale, thin face close to me.