A Vampire's Rise by Vanessa Fewings

against it, grateful for the cool evening breeze, my hands shook.
    I lifted one of the drinks offered from a tray and gulped the wine. Responding to my gesture, the waiter paused, allowing me to drop the empty glass and immediately take another. I felt a nudge and turned to see Salvador.
    “Happy with your transaction?” he said.
    My guess had been right. He stood an inch taller than me.
    “What?” I said.
    “The senator’s horse?”
    “We’re still negotiating.” I forced a smile.
    “Must be some horse.”
    I grimaced at the thought of Felipe touching Alicia. My reaction had apparently gone unnoticed.
    “My intention is to work for the senator when I retire,” Salvador said. “I have one more year as a captain.”
    “Politics?”
    He nodded.
    More guests lingered at the ballroom’s edge and the orchestra struck up.
    “Change is what this country needs.” Salvador raised his voice over the music. “I have no interest in business.” He flinched. “Sorry I didn’t mean—”
    “You’d make a fine politician.”
    Upon Salvador’s breasted jacket hung a gold medal engraved with a military emblem. I wondered how many men he’d had to kill to get it.
    I followed his gaze.
    “Isn’t she gorgeous?” he said.
    I sucked in my breath, entranced. At the center of the ballroom there stood a beautiful flamenco dancer, sixteen in years, or so, but her dramatic make-up made it difficult to guess.
    Staccato handclapping arose from the crowd.
    Waiting, she tilted her head, as though listening to the rhythm of the chanting. The fingers of her left hand struck the right, slapping the perfectly formed hollow. She threw back her head and lush, dark curls cascaded over her face. She snapped her fingers again and clicked her heels in an explosion of passion as she twisted the frills of her red dress. It swayed and whipped around her. She conveyed a tortured expression, exposing a broken heart, shattered into a thousand pieces and then flicked up her lace fan to cover her face and peered over it.
    Our gazes met.
    I wanted to know her.
    I closed my mouth. “When does the senator return home?”
    “Tonight,” Salvador said. “He has to be back in Vigo by the morning.”
    “How far away is Vigo?”
    “It’s a two-day journey.”
    I studied the faces of the other guests. They too were captivated with the girl.
    “Look at the senator. He’s virtually drooling,” Salvador said.
    Salvador’s stare held mine, then his gaze drifted onto my mouth. The moment caught me off guard.
    He gestured to a waiter and placed my empty glass on the man’s tray, lifted a full drink off it, and handed it back to me. He took one for himself. “To new acquaintances that become close friends.” His hand brushed against the lower arch of my back.
    I felt a sudden thrill.
    Unfazed, I raised my glass and clinked it against his, and then glanced back at the girl.

Chapter 11
    THE SPINNING SLOWED.
    Salvador and I lay on the lush lawn of his parent’s home admiring the low hung moon. Wine flowed through my veins taking the edge off.
    There had to be a way to ensure my sister’s safety and extricate Felipe from our lives.
    The guests withdrew, discussing the flamenco dancer who’d taken their breaths away. I was spellbound with her. Falling into this beautiful stranger’s arms held the promise of forgetting and I found myself smiling when I thought of her.
    Salvador unbuttoned his jacket, revealing his white shirt, pulled taut over his chest. The way the corner of his mouth turned up revealed he’d caught me staring. The night sky bestowed an array of silver stars. Alcohol enhanced their mystery, causing them to dance like fireflies. The mood had taken a pensive turn when Salvador recounted his experiences in battle. Absorbed in his description, I could smell the gunpowder.
    “Sleep deprivation allows a man to see who he really is,” Salvador said.
    “Was it worth it?” I asked.
    “Of course. We overran the skirmish.”
    “You’re a