SINGLE WHITE VAMPIRE Page 0,101

when she was near, and lows when she wasn't. It seemed to Lucern that the boredom and sameness of his life before Kate was far preferable. Safer. Perhaps he should create some distance between them. After all, the conference would be over the next day; he would fly home to Toronto, and she would return to New York.

And all this passion and laughter would become a memory, he thought sadly. Kate had brought him back to life for a bit. He had enjoyed it, but it was going to be painful to go back to that old empty existence. He had not bothered with friends for a long time, as they always died or had to be left behind when he moved. It had just become easier to not bother with them. He almost wished

"Come along, Luc." Jodi stood and waited beside his chair. "We're going to the pub here in the hotel for a quick dinner. Then we'll all separate to get ready for the Roundhouse party."

Lucern shook off his melancholy and got to his feet. "And what is the theme for this party?"

"Don't you know?" She seemed surprised.

"Should I?" he asked. Wariness nipped at him.

"Well, it's a vampire ball. You'll be the star attraction!"

Lucern managed not to flinch, but he wasn't a happy vampire. He had enjoyed the rock 'n' roll party the night before, but he really wasn't in the partying mood tonight. And being the star attraction sounded rather alarming.

Chapter Seventeen

"I think we're ready here."

Kate nodded at Allison's comment as she peered around at their handiwork. Black tablecloths, blood-red roses on each table and dim lighting. It was ready.

"You'd better go change. The guests will start arriving in half an hour, and you and Luc are supposed to be in the receiving line," the head editor warned. Kate grimaced, but nodded and gestured to Chris that it was time to go. She started out of the ballroom.

Allison, Chuck, Tom and Deeana had all already changed; they had been exiting one at a time to get into their costumes, leaving the others to continue decorating. Kate and Chris were the only ones left. Kate had deliberately put it off until now. She wasn't looking forward to telling Lucern that he was the star attraction at this ball. She knew he was not going to be pleased, and after the laughter and passion they had shared, she was fearful the annoyed and surly Lucern would return.

"Buck up," Chris said as they stepped out of the elevator. "Luc has loosened up quite a bit. He may take this in stride."

Kate forced a smile for her coworker. She only hoped he was right. She felt guilty for not having told Lucern about this from the start, but she was a coward.

The vampire ball hadn't been her idea. Chuck had come up with it. He'd considered it a brilliant bit of promotion, and when Kate had tried to talk him out of it, telling him that Lucern wasn't a very social person and that it might overwhelm him, Chuck had steamrolled over her protests. He had even ignored the fact that the conference attendees would have little time to prepare for the switch from the spy party that had originally been planned. Kate was worried sick that half the attendees would arrive in trench coats, the other half in capes. It might all turn farcical!

These worries faded from her mind as she paused at the entrance to the suite. C.K. pulled out his key card and unlocked the door. Kate spotted Lucern immediately. He was seated on the couch, watching television. His hair was wet and he was in a robe, obviously waiting to finish getting ready. He didn't notice their entrance at first, seemed instead quite involved with whatever he was watching. There was a look of abject horror on his face. What was he watching?

Kate glanced at the TV, recognizing a rerun of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Lucern suddenly sat forward, a sound of disgust slipping from his lips. It sounded very much like "bitch," though Kate couldn't be sure.

Aware that they had very little time to get ready for the party, she cleared her throat. "Er Luc?"

He glanced at her sharply, a scowl on his face. "Did you see that? Buffy just staked that poor vampire. He had yet to even do anything untoward, he just crawled out of his grave and she staked him. That is just not right. She is taking out her problems with that