Drop Dead Gorgeous. Kimberly Raye

bandits. They’d robbed and killed him, or so the history books said. But someone—something—had happened along and changed all of that. One of the bandits? Maybe. Maybe not. He didn’t know. There’d been no formal “Hi, I’m so-and-so, the ancient vampire who’s going to turn you instead of leaving your dying carcass to rot.” Rather, one minute he’d been following the light into the hereafter, and the next that light had been obliterated by a shadow looming over him. He remembered the pain ripping through his body, the smell—sweet, intense, intoxicating—that had filled his head, and a gold medallion.

      Dillon glanced at the small sketch Garret had made of the piece of jewelry. He was hoping to gather a little info on some recent turnings to see if he could find a newly turned vampire who remembered the same gold pendant. If so, maybe the new vamp would remember even more—a physical description, maybe even a name.

      He scrolled down the screen, his gaze drinking in the various posts.

       Wannabevamp: Stop worrying about the f@#$%^& dream and just enjoy. I would give anything to turn. I tried the new enamel fangs and while they worked pretty well, they’re nothing like the real thing.

       Vamp4Life: Pain is a state of mind. A place you visit. If you choose not to go, then you’re home free and you don’t have anything to worry about. That, or you can try a Vicodin. Or even Xanax. Both work for me.

       DarkAngel: So what if there was pain? The trick is not to fight it. Embrace the feeling, relish it, worship it. It’s who you are. Who we are.

       BradtheImpaler: Got 3 prs of fangs. This really rad dentist in Queens made them 4 me and they’re sharp as hell. I get a discount on my next pair if I send him a referral. Wannabe, if ur up near Queens, want me to hook u up?

       Fangtastic: I sell some high quality incisors if anyone’s inter ested. I’m even a preferred seller on eBay. I offer free shipping, too, if you order more than one pair. I also have some really cool vampire porn.

       Lovrgrlvamp: I like pain. Spankings are my favorite. Maybe we should get together and whip each other. I’m game if you’re ever out the Chicago way. Or maybe I could head down to Texas. Whip me, cowboy. Whip me goooooooood…