It wasn't as stupid as all that to call for him.
He'd come here to keep an eye on me.
It made sense that he'd be nearby, somewhere.
Watching.
I waited for a half an hour, though, and no Stefan.
Finally, I went inside and found Amber watching TV.
"I'm going to bed," I told her.
Her neck, I noticed, was bared to the world without blemish--but there are other places a vampire can feed.
My own neck sported a scarf, one of several I'd picked up that afternoon on a Goodwill shopping spree that Chad and I had taken.
The only thing I'd found resembling a lamb had been a barrette with a cartoon sheep on it.
Not something to invoke the protection of the Son of God.
"You look tired," she said with a yawn.
"I know I'm exhausted." She muted the TV and faced me.
"Corban told me about last night.
Even if you can't do anything else, it means a lot to me that you've convinced him that Chad isn't just making things up and acting out." I rubbed the vampire bite, safely hidden under bright red silk.
Amber had a lot bigger problem than a ghost, but I had no idea how to help her with that one either.
"Good," I said.
"I'll see you in the morning." Once I was in my room, I couldn't force myself to go to sleep.
I wondered if Corban knew what his client was and knew that the vampire was feeding from his wife, or if he was a dupe like Amber.
I wondered at the oddity of Corban, who didn't believe in ghosts, suggesting Amber ask me to come and help them with theirs.
But if the vampire had decided to bring me here ...
I had no idea why.
Unless it was some secret conspiracy, a way for Marsilia to get rid of me, punish me for my sins without worrying about the wolves.
But I didn't see Marsilia being anxious to owe a favor to any vampire--and a vampire who was so territorial that he allowed no other vampires at all was a poor candidate for cooperative problem solving.
Speaking of Blackwood ...
he'd called Amber to him in the day.
I'd never heard of a vampire who was alive during the day, though admittedly my experience with vampires was limited.
I wondered where Stefan was.
"Stefan?" I said, keeping my voice down.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are." Maybe he couldn't get in because he hadn't been invited.