AnnaBelle Blue breathed in deeply once she reached the cool night air. The air inside the auditorium had been stifling otherwise she would have stayed until the end of the question and answer period. Walking quickly to her silver SUV, she unlocked the door and tossed her purse towards the passenger seat. Lifting her free hand, she tugged the short blonde wig off. Shaking her head, her waist-length bright auburn hair swung free. Why her uncle had insisted on her wearing the wig made little sense to her.

Climbing into the vehicle, she shut the door and then reached for the camera beneath her purse. Turning on the overhead light, she looked the camera over, making sure the special film was loaded correctly and ready for the first picture. The dark tinted glass of the sport utility vehicle would prevent anyone from seeing in, but she could quite clearly see the main exit doors of the auditorium. Now she just had to wait for the exodus to begin.

AnnaBelle shifted uneasily on the seat. Something about that professor unnerved her. It was strange that she couldn’t figure out what it was either. Her sensory skills were honed to razor edge perfection. This was much more than just sexual attraction she was feeling. The desire that welled up inside of her as she looked at the handsome professor was so much more than just physical lust. There was a new dimension to this, and it didn’t make sense.

Of course, the truth could be that she was just suffering from jet lag. She’d been awake for over thirty-six hours, ever since her uncle had called her in Paris, pleading for her help. It had taken a few hours to settle her business affairs and then she was on the Concorde’s red-eye flight to New York. Pausing to rub her temples wearily, AnnaBelle wished she had taken the time to call her parents in London before leaving the Continent. Now she would have to worry about time differences and their work schedules to get hold of them. From the frantic sound in her uncle’s voice, she had just assumed that he would have called her parents.

However, since her arrival, her uncle’s level of nervousness surprised her. Fauster Blue was one of the best vampire hunters alive today. Yet his behavior since he’d met her at the airport seemed to belie everything she knew about him. Even though Fauster was only fifty or so, he appeared to have aged at least ten years since she’d last seen him at her parents’ wedding anniversary two years earlier. As he had continued to talk during the ride home to his apartment and while showing her around, her uneasiness grew. Sometimes he was almost manic in his speech and manner, and then he would slump into a morose silence.

At some point during his flitting from one topic to another, he had confided that he had arranged for her to attend a lecture on campus tonight. Even though AnnaBelle questioned him several times before she departed for the class, all he disclosed was that she must listen and observe and then after the lecture, take pictures.

Fauster had then shown her the new film he had developed. After years of trial and error, he’d explained excitedly, this film would be able to capture more than just the image of a vampire. As a vampire hunter, he had added in a near whisper, this would become a valuable tool.

So, here she sat, shivering a little as the cool air seeped into the car while she waited for the lecture attendees to exit. Restless, she reached back and pulled her hair up and over the back of her seat. AnnaBelle so was exhausted from the frantic rushing around and her flight that she lowered her eyelids for a moment. The only thing she needed more than sleep was a good lay!

“What the hell!” Abruptly, AnnaBelle shot upright in the seat. Where in the world had that thought come from? And then she realized she had spoken out loud from the curious looks the young man beside her was shooting in her direction. Covering her eyes with her hand, she flushed in embarrassment. She hoped to God she had not said anything else out loud.

She’d never said, let alone thought of something like that. It simply wasn’t in her nature. Of course, she felt desire for men in general, though it had been several years since she had been strongly enough attracted to a man to let it progress beyond friendship, or a casual acquaintance. So why would she think something like that now, especially when a moment earlier it had been sleep and food on her mind, not sex? She ignored the higher brain function that was trying to remind her of the hierarchy of human needs.

Voices drew her attention, and looking over at the auditorium doors she saw people exiting the building. She snapped a few photos—the young man who had been sitting beside her, a tall, regal looking black woman and an attractive couple who exited arm in arm. The only reason she took those photos was to test her uncle’s film. There was no doubt in her soul that those people were vampires, and this would just test the accuracy of the film.

Deciding she was too tired to trust her judgment, she started to set the camera on the seat beside her. The professor exited the building just then and something about his presence set her nerves on edge again. The flare of sexual desire blazed inside her once again. Without reason or pause, AnnaBelle quickly snapped the handsome professor’s photo—not once, but three times.

Disgusted with herself, AnnaBelle set the camera down and started the engine. She needed sleep, damn it, and food! A big tofu burger, a salad, plus twelve hours uninterrupted sleep and she’d be back to her usual composed, self-assured vampire hunting self. The last thing she needed was sex!