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“Why are you looking for her?” Pete asked. His blurry gaze fell over the camper and truck again. He had missed the silver crosses worked into the rims of the wheels. Glancing around the area, he saw small silver cross stakes pressed into the ground around the truck and camper. “You’re a vampire hunter. ”

Ethan shook his head. “Paranormal investigator. ”

“You gonna kill her?” Pete felt his throat constricting at the thought of Amaliya dying again. Her face filled his mind, so beautiful, so sweet.

“Nope. ” Ethan mopped up some ketchup with his bun and took another big bite.

“Then what? You said someone hired you to investigate the murders. Is that true?”

Ethan bobbed his head and wiped off his mouth with a napkin. “Absolutely. I know Amaliya killed those people, but I want to know who killed her. She can tell me that. ”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“Kill the one who made her,” Ethan said matter-of-factly. “She can lead me to him. ”

“You won’t kill her?” Pete asked, his voice slurring with beer and fear.

“Nope. I can save her. ” Ethan shoved the rest of his hamburger in his mouth, annoying Pete.

“You can make her be alive again? Human?”

“Absolutely,” Ethan said around his food as he chewed.

“For real?”

“She’s only been a vampire a few months. There is this old ritual that the Catholic church used to restore vampires to life. ”

“You’re shittin’ me?” Pete stared at the man incredulously. The entire conversation was insane, but he couldn’t make himself get up and leave. Despite everything, Pete believed every word Ethan was saying.

“No, I’m not shittin’ you. But it can only work within the first year of the vampire’s life. After that, the monster inside of them becomes too strong and they are lost. So my plan is to find Amaliya, find out where her master is, use his ashes in the ritual, and restore her to life. ”

Pete shook his head in disbelief. “But why?”

“It’s what I do. It’s what my family has always done. We make sure that the vampires never grow strong enough to overthrow humanity. We kill the old ones, restore the young ones. ”

“And you came here to figure out if we know where she is?”

“You’re my first stop. After this, I head west. ”

“Her family outside of DeLeon,” Pete sighed.

“Yeah. ”

“They won’t talk to you. Same as the Vezoraks. They’re not going to trust you if they do know where she is. ”

“That’s why I’m hoping you’ll go with me, Pete,” Ethan said staring into Pete’s eyes. “How much do you love Amaliya, Pete? Enough to try to save her from eternal damnation?”

Pressing his lips together, Pete nodded mutely. The fingers clutching the beer were numb. He felt adrift, disengaged from the world around him.

“So what do you say, Pete? Will you help me find Amaliya and save her?”

“Yes,” Pete said, knowing he had no other choice. “I’ll do anything I can to save her. ”

Ethan flashed a wide smile, his dark eyes glittering. “That’s what I was hoping to hear. ”

Part Three

Saturday Night