The Reluctant Vampire Page 0,100

a search party."

Drina paused in the front entry of Teddy's house and turned to glance into the dining room. Her eyes slid over the three people seated at the table but widened as she found the speaker.

"Tiny," she said on a grin. "You're awake."

"Yeah." He smiled and stood to move out of sight toward the kitchen, but his voice was loud as he asked,

"Coffee?"

"Yes please," Drina said, her gaze sliding back to Teddy and Mirabeau at the table as Harper said he'd take one too.

"He woke up shortly after you guys left," Mirabeau said, positively beaming with relief and happiness. Drina smiled at the woman, and then turned to remove her coat and boots and stow them away even as Harper did.

"Teddy took Alessandro and Edward and the girls home shortly a er Tiny woke up," Mirabeau announced, as Drina set the bag from the corner store on the table and se led in a seat. "So it's down to the six of us."

"Speaking of the six of us, where is Stephanie?" Harper asked. "We bought the stuff she wanted."

Drina grimaced. They'd spent longer at the house than intended. It was a er midnight. The girl had probably gone to bed. Although if so, it was somewhat surprising that Mirabeau was here at the table. The thought made her frown as she asked, "Did she go to bed?"

"No. Anders took her out for a burger," Mirabeau answered.

"What?" Drina asked blankly.

Mirabeau nodded. "We were playing cards, then Anders got a call and le the room to take it. When he came back in, Stephanie was complaining about how long you guys were taking and said she wished she could call you and maybe have you pick her up a burger on the way back. He offered to take her out to get one."

Tiny smiled faintly, and added, "The kid couldn't get out of here fast enough."

Drina frowned. She wasn't surprised Stephanie would jump at the chance to get out of the house. She'd been stuck in here for twenty-four hours and had been stuck inside Casey Co age before that. She was probably going a bit s r-crazy. S ll, Drina couldn't help thinking it was a bad idea to take the girl anywhere considering the attacks on her.

"It'll be fine," Mirabeau said soothingly. "Anders isn't stupid. He'll take her straight there and back. Besides, we're out in the middle of nowhere here, and I checked the road as they were ge ng in the truck. There was no one watching."

Drina relaxed and nodded. Teddy's house was out of town, a strip of land between two large fields. There was nowhere to hide out here to watch the house unobserved. Wondering how long she had before bed, she asked, "So how long ago did they leave?"

"An hour ago," Teddy said, when Mirabeau paused uncertainly.

"It can't have been that long," Mirabeau protested with a frown.

"I checked my watch when they left," Teddy said quietly.

"They should be back by now," Harper pointed out with concern.

Drina reached automa cally for her back pocket and her phone, but paused as she recalled she was wearing joggers. Her phone should be - She cursed as she realized it would have been in the back pocket of the jeans she'd been wearing when she was sprayed. Only she'd emp ed her pockets before handing over her jeans to be bagged and tossed, and there had been no phone there. It must have fallen out when she was rolling around on the front yard of Casey Cottage, she thought.

"I'll call Anders," Mirabeau announced, retrieving a phone from her own pocket. She'd just started to punch in numbers when they heard a vehicle pulling into the driveway. Mirabeau stood and walked to the window, relaxing as she peered out. "It's the SUV."

Everyone at the table seemed to relax at the news.

Mirabeau had just sat back in her seat when Anders burst into the house and appeared at the dining room door. "Is she here?"

Drina raised her eyebrows. "Who?"

"Stephanie."

Drina stilled at that hissed name, foreboding slipping through her.

"She was with you," Mirabeau said, as if he might have forgotten it.

Anders cursed and turned back to the entry.

Realizing he was about to leave again without explaining himself, Drina stood and rushed around the table to stop him. "Just a minute. What's going on? Where is she?"

Anders paused, but then sighed and turned back, running one hand through his hair with frustra on. "I don't know. I stopped for gas, filled up,