“That depends.” Let’s try for some honesty. “If you’re twisted like Grim and you get off on hurting humans, then, yeah, I’ll come after you. It’s what I do.” That wouldn’t change. She’d seen too many innocents die. No way would she let a killer walk.

“And you think some vampires can live…without hurting others?”

Before, she hadn’t. But she’d been blinded by her own rage then. She was finally starting to see straight now; it had just taken dying to open her eyes. “Yeah, I do.” Her fingers were wrapped so tightly around the stake that the wood bit into her flesh.

She stared at the line of bodies and wondered who would move first. Who would attack.

Dee wouldn’t draw first blood, but she would make sure she drew the last drops.

“We waited for you.” The woman looked at her then. A long scar cut across her cheek. A scar she must have gotten long ago. In another life. “Waiting was so hard…”

“We’ve been waiting for you, Sandra Dee…” Words from that terrible night. Grim’s men. Waiting for her death.

But these vampires had been waiting, too—for what? Her eyes narrowed as she watched them.

Born.

They’d been waiting for her to free them.

The vampires began to drift away.

Simon’s hands settled on her shoulders. “I told you, Dee. Sometimes, monsters are made.”

And sometimes they were Taken.

A tear tracked down the woman’s cheek. “My son…”

That was all she had to say. Dee understood. Grim had played his twisted games with everyone.

“You won’t see me again,” the vampiress told her. “Not any of us.” Her chin lifted. Pride there. Strength. “We’re more than the evil that people think.”

But people had been fearing vampires for centuries.

And forgetting that once upon a time, vampires were people, too. She’d forgotten that. No, she hadn’t wanted to remember.

The vampires faded as the sun rose. Dee watched them, silent.

Simon stood with her as the sun inched across the sky. Dawn was such a beautiful thing. Pity she hadn’t enjoyed the sunrises more.

“We should go inside. Get some rest.”

Because another night would come. Another. Always another.

With more darkness to fight.

Dee reached for him and rubbed her fingers over the hard line of his jaw. She wouldn’t be fighting alone anymore. No, her vamp would be at her side.

She’d be at his.

The darkness could come. They’d be ready.

They’d kick ass.

Make love.

And live for-damn-ever.

Death hadn’t come for her. Catalina had been wrong.

No, maybe she’d been right. As she stared at Simon in the growing morning light, Dee knew her old life had ended. But a new life…

It waited for her.

All she had to do was reach out and take it.

She kept the stake in her right hand and curled her arm around Simon’s neck.

Then she kissed him in the sunlight. Just as she’d kiss him in the moonlight.

Sometimes, a woman had to make her own happy ending.

And, sometimes, she had to leave room for a little bit of hunting on the side.

Because you had to keep life interesting, and after all, someone had to stop the bad guys.

She’d slay them all, soon enough.

But first, she’d take her vampire and, as he’d promised, he’d take her.

For-damn-ever.