Susan had ushered everyone out of the LNF, including Doyle, though she
was reluctant to let her go. Bree whimpered at being sent away; she’d
been horrified when she saw Susan’s bruised face, even with makeup.
Bree knew that something was wrong and it scared her. Susan stroked her
head, patted her cheek, and said goodbye, watching the uber-submissive
walk sadly from the club. Otherwise, the day was progressing rather
well, for it perhaps being her last day on earth. She was struck oddly
by that thought, never seeing, touching, or breathing from another soul
again. She found the thought rather unsettling.

“Who says I’ll be alive in this reality?” Susan asked Jo as the tomboy
flipped through a musty smelling book. Susan wrinkled her nose at the
stink; she fixed herself a drink tossing it back and watching Jo for a
moment. My, how the woman had changed in the last week, all in the name
of saving the one she loved.

“What? You’re alive.” Jo insisted, then she stopped, finding the
casting spell she needed. She groaned. It was a five-part spell; of
course it was. This was the Pentacle Spell book, the one that the
ladies of her past life had cast from. She rubbed her face, the
seemingly ageless face.

“Susan.” Jo began, and Susan moved to her, and Jo put her hand to the
book, closing her eyes and grabbing Susan’s hand the instant she was
within reach. Reaching in and switching on what she needed from Susan
on this very important night.

Susan’s head snapped back, and she screamed, but no sound came out as
Jo forced years of experience into her, kick starting any sort of
dormant power she might have had. She let go of her hand, and Susan
fell back into the bench with labored breath.

“What the fuck did you just do to me?” Susan asked, her voice thick and
painful. She struggled to move, unable to do so. Her whole body was on
fire.

“You’ll be fine.” Jo said. The words on the page were gone, it had been
years since she’d done that, and it felt really good. She licked her
lips, her fangs cutting her tongue as she did so. They were longer,
more pronounced, and she sighed. Her vision was turning into the
Vampire Vision, seeing in shimmering heats. The room lit up as if
hundreds of colored spot lights had been turned on.