This novel is dedicated to loved ones lost far too soon, lessons learned both early and late, and the music-fueled muses who continue to inspire me.
All my love and appreciation to my wife, Lori, who continues to support, promote, and encourage my passion for writing. Sincere, heartfelt thanks to my family and friends, who continue to cheer me on and assuage my anxieties throughout the creative process. Special shout-outs to my mother, Phyllis, and my mother-in-law, Joyce, who turned out to be quite the Sunset vampire fans.
A huge thank you to Al Slark, who is arguably one of the most talented, gifted, and impressive cover artists in the publishing industry. Thanks to Lauren, Scott, and Kalli for bringing the striking figures of Katrina, Caleb, and Paige to life for the world to see. My appreciation to Brandon for the supplemental assistance and creativity regarding all things “webby and fonty.” Special thanks to my amazing editor, Julia, for her suggestions and meticulous ministrations in preparing my manuscript for the light of day.
As always, thank you to my dear friends Jimmy, Jessica, Teresa, Crystal, Victoria, Amie, Lisa, Shannon, and Nancy for their invaluable proofreading, input, support, and encouragement. The piers of my self-confidence are grounded in the bedrock of wonderful people who care about me.
Prologue: Caleb
Caleb Taylor’s heartbeat thundered in his ears as he raced down the hallway. Have to help Katrina! Speeding through the living area into the dining room and wielding the polished sword over his head with both hands, he closed on the unprotected back of the hideous-faced vampire, Chimalma, who was battling the woman he loved. Katrina’s eyes widened for an instant, enough for the disfigured female vampire to notice. Chimalma’s bared fangs and blazing hazel eyes targeted Caleb. She jerked her hand away from Katrina’s grip, throwing a dagger at Caleb as he charged.
The dagger hammered into Caleb’s upper chest with a force that caused him to topple backwards from the impact. Intense pain cascaded through his chest and shoulder, and the sword slipped from his hands and skittered across the floor towards Katrina. The red-haired vampire managed to grab the hilt as it nearly slid past her and whipped the blade upwards, plunging the sword into Chimalma’s heart. With a twist, she broke the sword tip off in the vampire’s chest. Chimalma sharply gasped and grabbed at one of the arrow bolts stuck in Katrina’s chest with her free hand, pressing it into her further, causing Katrina to scream in pain.
With one swift sweep of Katrina’s right arm, the broken blade swooshed upwards, neatly separating the vampire’s head from her shoulders. As Caleb lay on the floor in horror, Chimalma’s head rolled across the floor, spraying a mist of cascading blood in its path. The body slumped to the tiled floor with a squishy thud, and Chimalma’s head came to a stop against the far wall, shock reflected in her face.
Caleb gasped as he lurched into a sitting position in the darkness, covered in sweat. Katrina appeared at his bedside and placed her soft, warm palm against his face.
“Another nightmare, my love?” she asked softly with glowing green eyes.
He nodded. That’s the problem with vampires, he thought sourly. Even when you kill them, they still manage to haunt you.
* * * *
Chapter 1: Domestic Life
It was a late-January Monday afternoon at Robert Fulton Community College in downtown Atlanta. Caleb gazed into the mirror mounted on his office door at a tired-looking face with pale blue eyes and sandy brown hair. He had lost a lot of sleep recently from recurring nightmares, though he was happy that the events of the previous month were behind him.
Stretching his legs in the chair behind his modest desk, he smirked at how his lean, muscular frame fit comfortably in the small pocket office. Only twenty-six years old, he was happy to be the newest history professor in the Social Sciences division. It was his second semester of employment, but he still felt like he had won the lottery at being freshly hired out of graduate school. Given the poor state of economy, perhaps in a manner of speaking he had.
Glass formed one side of his first-floor office, revealing the winter grounds of the campus. While the wind was cold and brisk outside, at least the sunny blue skies made the winter feel somewhat less depressing. Caleb had always enjoyed sunny days, but more and more he longed for night when the ultraviolet radiation was no longer a threat to those about