Lucas by D. B. Reynolds

knew, she was the first federal agent of any kind who’d made it this far. She slowed slightly as she drew even with the paddock. The brightly-lit structure was a horse barn, with a long aisle down the middle and stalls on either side. It all looked very tidy .  . . and very expensive.
    Kathryn felt the weight of someone staring at her. She turned her head sharply toward the far end of the paddock and saw that it wasn’t one pair of eyes watching her, but several. Even the horses seemed to be studying her. She knew that was nothing more than a fanciful thought, but there was no mistaking the suspicion of the men. She frowned. Maybe they were all vampires like the gate guard. Did vampires ride horses? Wasn’t there some superstition about animals being more sensitive to vampires than humans were? She supposed it was unscientific of her to give any credence to that kind of superstition, not to mention it was probably politically incorrect. Vampires had fought and won several civil rights lawsuits which took into account their unique natures.
    Not wanting to draw any more attention to herself, she sped up once again, following the road as it circled around the barn, slowing as it dipped alongside a small creek bed for what felt like a hundred yards, then circled around a grassy hill to finally reveal .  . .
    Oh. Now that was lovely. And not at all what she’d expected from a vampire’s residence. She hadn’t been foolish enough to imagine he lived in a creaky castle with bats circling around the turrets, but she hadn’t anticipated this, either. This was a beautiful house, built into the hillside and glowing a warm gold in the wash of landscape lights. It was a Craftsman style with a peaked roof and skylights, somewhere around 8000 square feet would be her guess. But there was probably a basement level she couldn’t see, and who knew how big that was? That was one thing the myths got right about vampires. They didn’t like sunlight, which made the skylights an unusual feature, but if the house had windows, why not skylights?
    She drove up the short hill to the foot of the front steps, where a woman appeared to be waiting for her. She wore a severe black pants suit and a blindingly white, tailored blouse, with a short red tie. If not for the spiked heels, Kathryn would have thought she was trying to look like a man. But those heels gave it away. She was either a dominatrix or a lawyer. Kathryn was betting on the latter.
    The woman walked over to the truck as Kathryn was climbing out. She pulled her briefcase off the passenger seat and slammed the door.
    “Agent Hunter,” the woman said, holding out her hand. “I’m Magda Turkova , Lord Donlon’s attorney.”
    Bull’s eye! Kathryn thought to herself and shook the other woman’s hand. “Special Agent Kathryn Hunter,” she said unnecessarily.
    “Lord Donlon is expecting you,” Magda said, her attitude all business, but there was a slight edge of hostility beneath it all.
    Kathryn followed the attorney up the stairs and into a slate-floored foyer that completely lived up to the promise of the golden exterior. The house was single story, but the ceilings were high, the walls raw stucco and painted a blend of warm hues. The décor was decidedly western, but elegant and reeking of wealth. Apparently, it paid to be a vampire, especially one with a title.
    Magda continued through the entry, leading Kathryn around a handsome, double-sided fireplace and into a living room which had clearly been decorated with a male sensibility. Big couches and chairs were gathered around a huge slab of glass that was perched on a piece of rock and served as a coffee table. The room was nicely done, but there were no dainty designer accents, no carefully posed vases or works of art. Instead, there was a pile of magazines comprised of mostly sports and business, with a big screen monitor gracing the main wall. A bookshelf next to the monitor boasted a collection of videos and games