As Twilight Falls

Vaughan's gaze moved over the other vampires seated at the table in the back of the tavern. The vampires didn't socialize very often. Even here, in Morgan Creek, they tended to be solitary creatures, suspicious of one another.

Nolan Browning had resided here for almost fifty years, longer than any of them except Saintcrow. Quinn and Felix were relative newcomers, having only lived here for the last thirty-five and forty years, respectively, while Wes Lonigan was their newest resident; he'd arrived less than thirty years ago. And then there was Lilith, the lone female in their group. She was a short, skinny creature, with straight brown hair, pale gray eyes, and the demeanor of a shrew. No one liked her. He'd often wondered why Saintcrow allowed her to stay. She'd been here almost as long as Browning. Only Kiel was missing.

"He'll give the new female to us sooner or later," Trent Lambert remarked with a shrug. "He always does."

Vaughan scowled at Trent. Lambert had long ago resigned himself to the way things were. He had a safe lair and a variety of prey and he was content.

"You can't blame Saintcrow for not sharing," Felix said. "After all, he hasn't had a woman in thirty years."

"What's the big deal, Vaughan?" Wes Lonigan asked. "This new female's no different from all the rest."

"She was mine," Vaughan said, slamming his fist on the table. "I saw her first. He had no right. . . ."

"He has every right," Browning said, his voice flat. "This is his town. We're here on his sufferance."

"Am I the only one who misses hunting?" Vaughan asked, his voice rising with his temper. "Sure, the women here are sweet, but where's the excitement? The challenge? It's been so long since I hunted, I think I've forgotten how."

Quinn nodded, his long blond hair falling over his forehead. "I hear ya."

"He took her out tonight," Vaughan said. "Did you know that? We can't leave here, but he took her out."

Vaughan's revelation gave rise to several disgruntled murmurs.

"If he can go out, why can't we?" Felix asked.

"You're forgetting that out there, we're the hunted," Browning reminded them. "We're here because we wanted to be here. Saintcrow didn't drag us here kicking and screaming. We all thought it was a good idea, remember? With hunters crawling out of the woodwork, there are damn few safe havens left. We're lucky to have this one. Saintcrow's one of the few master vampires this side of the Mississippi."

"Right," Gil said, nodding. "And if he wants that new female, so what? Without his protection, where would we be?"

"Anywhere but here," Felix mumbled.

"We're living like frightened sheep instead of wolves!" Vaughan exclaimed.

"You're right," Lilith said, speaking up for the first time. "We are living like sheep. And I'm damn sick of it."

Trent and Felix looked at each other, then nodded in agreement.

"So," Vaughan said, his eyes showing red, "what are we going to do about it?"