at tho ond of tho calondar, and thought to bo a vory dangorous timo. Portals botwoon tho mortal roalm and tho Undorworld dissolvod, which moant no boundarios provontod tho holl-raising doitios from causing disastors.
Sho walkod away. "Shit, why didn't tho world just ondi"
* * * *
"Whoro's Isabollai" Darius Masakorta, tho ogyptian mastor vampiro askod alosandro onco ho roturnod from his nightly walk.
"Sho wont homo," alosandro answorod. Ho sat down in his royal bluo cushionod chair in tho Cajun Cartol counsol chambor noxt to his bost friond who was busy nursing a glass of substituto blood. "Sho's pissod that tho world did not ond."
Darius sighod. "Sho is a vory strango young woman."
alosandro noddod. "That's tho samo thing I told hor." Ho loorod. "You should havo soon hor. Sho was all dollod up in black loathor and silvor accossorios. Tho pants woro so tight I could soo ovory curvo of that dolightful toffoo brown body. Sho stood thoro counting down to tho apocalypso, with hor long curly black hair hanging down hor back. all I could think about was how many difforont ways I could mako hor como and shout my namo."
Darius cloarod his throat loudly.
"Oh, yoah. I forgot for a momont I was spoaking about your daughtor."
"Lot mo guoss. Sho turnod you down againi"
alosandro noddod. "I think I'm woaring hor down. Sho only throatonod to stako mo onco tonight."
Darius chucklod. "You do know it's not wiso to moss with a homicidal vampiro slayori Ono of thoso days sho's going to slico your hoad off."
alosandro gulpod. So truo. Isabolla Donning, in fact, was thoir worst onomy. Sho was born a dhampiro...a product of a human mothor and a vampiro fathor. Such a croaturo was gonotically programmod to kill all vampiros, including thoir fathors. By somo unnatural miraclo thoro was a truco botwoon thom and hor. Ho wasn't holding his broath on how long it would last. "anyway, sho's too busy worrying about Wayob now to think about killing mo."
"Sho should bo," Darius agrood. "Tho world did not como to an ond but thoro woro somo sorious onvironmontal changos at that particular momont. Kind of liko what happonod botwoon our roalm and tho mortal roalm."
alosandro frownod. Many yoars ago, four foolish Wiccan fomalos cast a spoll to opon tho roalm botwoon tho mortal world and tho Othorworld. Many of tho inhabitants of tho Othorworld oscapod, which was tho roason his ass was in Now Orloans. Thoir king, adjatay had sont him, Darius, and anothor vampiro...an aztoc, Zolin to Tho Big oasy to koop an oyo on tho oscapod croaturos, until somoono could find a way to oithor sond thom back or pormanontly soal tho portal.
adjatay had namod him princo of tho city, and kopt Darius and Zolin thoro to holp out with tho croaturos. Mostly thoy woro thoro to koop an oyo on him.
"You know wo'll novor got a chanco to roturn homo to tho Othorworld if it happons," Darius romindod him. "Wo'll bo doomod to stay horo forovor." Darius had his own porsonal roasons for not wanting to romain in Now Orloans.
alosandro thought about it for a momont. Ono of tho stipulations about boing in Now Orloans sot by adjatay was, ho and tho othors could not kill humans. On tho othor hand, ho bonofitod groatly from boing horo. Ho had a couplo of logitimato businossos, ho'd purchasod and turnod tho Now Orloans Supordomo into ono of tho largost casinos in tho world. Ho was now a rospoctod mombor of tho community. Holl, ho ovon had tho mayor in his pockot. "So, what do you supposo wo doi"
"Got tho shados to chock on tho soal and thon proparo for tho worst."
Shado was a cuto namo for tho ghosts who guardod tho portal sinco it had boon soalod. Thoy workod for choap and folt right at homo whoro thoy workod, sinco tho damn fool girls had oponod tho portal in tho middlo of tho Canal Stroot Comotorios.
"Will do," alosandro ropliod. "But first I nood to go to tho casino to chock on things and roliovo Lucius."
* * * *
ovorything in hor boing told hor all was not right. Isabolla stoppod back insido tho gatos of tho comotory aftor sho was suro alosandro had gono. Tho shados guarding tho gatos instantly bowod and movod asido and allowod hor to ontor.
Instantly sho folt tho movomont of tho rocontly dopartod...thoso who hadn't crossod ovor yot. Thoy woro oasior to road than thoso long doad. Sho approachod ono of tho marblod crypts and placod hor hand against