I touched my neck and winced. “Those bastards killed the guy who did this.” I got a lump in my throat as I said it. What they’d done to Gordon played like an instant replay over and over in my mind. A few tears made a reappearance and I wiped them away with my wet sleeve. “He was a jerk, a total nutcase, but he didn’t deserve… that. They killed him and they were going to do the same to me. It was horrible.”

“They killed your sire,” the stranger repeated. He didn’t say anything else. He just stared at me.

I began to feel uncomfortable. Well, more than I already was, that is. I decided that going home was an excellent idea. I could call the cops from there.

“Did you drink from him?” he finally asked.

“What?”

He sighed. “Did you drink from your sire before he was slain?”

“I had a few margaritas with dinner.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

I blinked. “Then no. No drinking was done after dinner. Look, thanks for…” I didn’t know exactly what to call our plunge to safety. I glanced back in the direction of the bridge. “For the thing back there.”

He didn’t answer.

I shoved my hands into the soggy pockets of my leather jacket. Dirt was one thing, but water was another. It was probably ruined now, too. Just my damn luck. I forced a feeble grin before I started walking away from the stranger.

“Wait,” he called after I’d gone half a block. “Are you certain that your sire is dead?”

“Positive,” I said grimly. I pictured the empty clothes in my mind. What had happened to the body? Probably just my eyes playing tricks on me. It was a dark night, and the margaritas with dinner had been doubles.

“What’s your name?” He walked toward me.

I hesitated before answering. I’d had enough. I just wanted to go home now. “Sarah,” I said. “Sarah Dearly.”

His expression was tense, as if he was fighting an inner battle of some kind. I shouldn’t be hanging out with this guy, I thought to myself. I didn’t care if he did save my life. He was trying to kill himself, or at least that’s what he had said. Not normal, sane behavior, in any case.