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him. She was surprised that she could look at him so steadily, as she was shaking so much inside.
    “Actually, I have been sent to protect you. May I help you up?” He held out his hand, but she didn’t want him to touch her.
    She shook her head, pushed herself up and took a step back. “No, I just scraped my hand — I don’t want to get blood on you.” She saw a strange look pass over the handsome face. She actually saw his nostrils flair, like a dog or wolf on a scent of some prey. His muscles bunched in his arms and he actually stepped back. That was when she saw the silver sports car. It was pulled in at an angle to the curb right behind him.
    “Wait.” It was not just a word, it was a command, low and raspy from his throat, as he turned. He went to the car and reached in and retrieved a large brown envelope that he just tipped up over his seat and emptied. He pulled out a folded white handkerchief from a back pocket of his jeans. He held out the handkerchief to her and opened the envelope for her to drop the dirty tissue into the top.
    She looked at him, still frozen. The whole act was not that unusual. No one wanted bloody tissue lying on the ground. It could be contaminated. Offering her the folded white cloth was a very gentlemanly thing. But she felt sure this man had killed someone last night right in front of her, someone who had turned to dust. Did the government have some type of new weapon? Still, she had no proof. She had not seen him, only dark shadows, but wait — she knew the voice. It was the same.
    She looked at her palm. The small scrapes had stopped bleeding. “Thank you.” She dropped the tissue into the envelope. “But I don’t need that.” She pointed at the folded white cloth. “See, it is just a surface scrape. It’s stopped bleeding already.” She knew she was talking too fast, nervous.
    Now she was backing up and had reached the sidewalk. She nodded her head at him, still looking at him, twisting her head as she walked, and started for home. She held her breath, but he stood still, just watching, holding the envelope as she reached the corner where she turned and started to run.
    She felt the panic hit her stomach as she fled. She didn’t know what she was fleeing from, but she knew there was danger behind her and that it probably was in those pale blue eyes. She reached her door and was glad she had not locked it. As she leaned against it and locked it from the inside, she berated herself for leaving her home without locking the door. She slid down and sat on the floor, waiting for her heart rate to slow, for her breathing to calm down.

Chapter Four
    Rad was on his cell. He dialed what some Vamps would call a servant. Rad called him friend. “Marco, wake up.”
    “Rad, where are you and what can I do for you?”
    “I am in a little town in northern Louisiana, doing something for the Council. Listen, I am sending a sample of blood on a tissue. I want you to do some tests on it, but be careful. First of all it has the most beautiful smell to it. Second, I don’t want anyone to know that we got this sample. Do you understand? No one must know. See if there is enough of the blood to find out what makes it so good and what makes it different.”
    “As always, I am your servant.” The man on the other end spoke with respect before the connection was broken. Rad drove to a mail drop shop, purchased plastic bubble wrap and an overnight mail envelope. He addressed and sent off the package, then returned to his job.
    He drove back to her street and sat in his car, thinking about her. He was wondering how she was going to react to finding out that there really were monsters out there. Well, she had already seen him dust a guy at the end of a fight. So if she kept it together after that, then she might make it through the rest.
    * * * *
    Misty got up and went in to her computer. She logged in, deciding to try some research on weapons that would turn a person to dust. Not much there.