Publisher Description

Eleventh grade at Bathory High is draining Vladimir Tod. Joss, a professional vampire slayer and Vlad's former friend, has moved back to town. The powerful vampire Dorian has an overwhelming desire to drink Vlad's blood. And his arch enemy, D'Ablo, has brought Vlad's Uncle Otis to trial for crimes against vampires. So much for dating. When the tables turn on Vlad, he has just enough time to return to Bathory for his final good-byes . . .

Author Biography

Heather Brewer was not your typical teen growing up. She wore black, danced under full moons, and devoured every book in sight. She hasn't changed much. Today, Heather can be found writing in her funky, black Happy Bunny jammie pants, dancing under a full moon, devouring every book in sight, and attending renaissance faire in full costume (and in character).When Heather's not writing, dressing up, dancing and reading, she's answering email, which she loves to get over at her website.

Excerpt from Book

1 A SLAYER''S RESOLVE The vampire spun around, a wild, unhinged look in his eye. He lunged forward but the slayer skillfully dodged his blow, delivering a hard roundhouse kick to the creature''s throat. The vampire fell to the ground, coughing, choking on its own blood. The slayer could have killed the beast a half hour ago. But this wasn''t just about ridding the world of another abomination (though that was definitely the end goal). It was about a slayer needing to release some pent-up hostility and cleanse himself of all of his clouded thoughts. Thoughts that were now perfectly clear. These bloodsucking things could not be trusted. Not even when they donned the mask of a relatively normal teenager. Not even when they claimed to be your friend. Especially when they used their insidious powers to gain your trust and get you to reveal secrets that even those closest to you didn''t know. Especially when their name was Vladimir Tod. Joss was done playing games. With Vlad''s face planted firmly in the forefront of his imagination, he slipped the silver-tipped wooden stake from his backpack and approached the vampire on the ground with an eager step. He whispered, "For you, Cecile," and thrust the stake forward, before the beast could draw a single breath. Blood--hot, slick, so deep red that it seemed black in the light of the moon--poured out over his hands. The nameless vampire fell still. Joss straightened his shoulders, triumphant. From his backpack, he withdrew a cell phone and hit number two on speed dial. When the voice at the other end answered, he said, "This is Joss. I need a cleanup on the ocean side of Russian Gulch State Park. The target is secure. Am I cleared to move on to my next objective?" When the voice on the other end answered in the affirmative, Joss hung up the phone. There was no need to continue the conversation. Small talk didn''t matter. All that mattered was that he was going back to Bathory. And this time, he would walk away with no regrets. 2 ABSENT FRIENDS Vlad twisted his wrist, pinching his fingers together, spinning the bronze coin on the table. When it fell, he picked it up and did it again, counting. Thirty-six times it had fallen Slayer Society up. Twenty-two times it was down. He spun the coin again, but before it had a chance to fall a hand came down on it from across the table. Henry looked at his best friend, his eyebrows drawn together in concern. Vlad sat back, a dark cloud hanging over him. "When?" Henry plucked the coin up in his hand and turned it over, frowning. "Next week." Vlad watched the coin, rereading the inscription on one side: FOR THE GOOD OF MANKIND "How long have you known?" "As soon as my mom told me I came straight over to tell you." Henry dropped the coin and ran a hand through his hair, groaning. "What are we going to do?" The coin rolled across the table and off the edge. Vlad''s hand moved so quickly that Henry couldn''t even see it. He returned the coin to the table and once again spun it on the table''s surface, returning to his former silence. "We have to do something, Vlad. You can''t just sit here spinning that stupid coin and waiting for Joss to come finish the job. Now that your invincibility is gone . . ." Vlad spun the coin again, harder this time. Henry was right. They had to do something. Henry''s cousin Joss was moving back to Bathory, this time with his family, and Vlad bet that it wasn''t due to coincidence or the fact that Henry''s family lived here. Joss was coming to kill him. And ever since D''Ablo''s stupid ritual last year, he was very much in danger of dying. But Vlad couldn''t think about a solution. All he''d been able to think about since the Freedom Fest was Meredith, and how much he wished they could be together. But they couldn''t. He was too much of a danger to her. So he''d broken her heart and, in turn, shattered his own to pieces. He was empty. He was alone. And now he was in danger of dying at the hand of a slayer, his former friend. He spun the coin again. Henry picked it up and threw it across the room. It clattered on the floor behind Vlad. "Do something!" Vlad looked at him somberly. "Like what?" "Anything. You act like Joss coming back to town is no big deal. I know you''re still all torn up about Meredith . . ." Vlad shot him a warning glance, but Henry wasn''t about to back down. "What? You''ve been like this all summer, but you did what you had to do. Now you act like you don''t care if Joss comes back here and sticks another stake through your heart." Henry''s eyes shined in frustration. "But I do." His words hung in the air between them, weakening Vlad''s resolve. Henry turned and walked to the other side of the kitchen, reaching up to wipe his eyes on his sleeve, trying to keep it hidden from his friend. "Look, man, I don''t want to get all chick-flick on you or anything, but you''re my best friend and I almost lost you last time. I can''t go through that again. I won''t." Vlad sighed, saying everything with his eyes that he couldn''t bear to with his voice. He couldn''t do anything. Short of killing Joss--Henry''s cousin, Vlad''s former friend--he couldn''t do anything at all. "You''re right. I just don''t see how I can stop him without . . ." He didn''t have to say it, and neither of them wanted him to. He couldn''t kill Joss. That just wasn''t an option. "What about mind control?" Vlad frowned. "I can''t control him for the rest of his life, Henry. Besides, sooner or later, my concentration would break." "There has to be something . . ." Henry returned to his seat, a look of desperation washing over his features. "What about Otis? He''s like a million years old." "Three hundred and two." "Whatever, he''s old. He''s dealt with slayers his whole life, I bet. You should ask him what to do." After a moment, Vlad nodded thoughtfully. If anyone would know what to do, his uncle would. Henry nodded too, looking somewhat relieved that Vlad was actually going to take action. "Anyway, I''d better get back. My mom is on a cleaning rampage because of our extended family moving to town. If I''m not there, who knows what she''ll throw out! The woman has no respect for the treasures of an adolescent male." Henry stood and glanced at Vlad, a worrisome expression on his face. "You sure you''re okay?" "Yeah. I''m fine." Vlad forced a smile, and Henry walked out the front door, closing it behind him. As soon as the latch clicked, Vlad reached down and retrieved the coin. A deep line creased his forehead as he read the inscription over again. He focused on Otis and spoke with his thoughts. "Otis? I need to talk to you. I could use some advice." "Just let me finish up my meeting with Principal Snelgrove and I''ll be home shortly, Vladimir." A pause, then Otis''s voice once again in his mind. "Is everything all right?" Vlad turned the coin over in his hand. An image flashed in his mind. A small point of silver at the center of his chest. And blood. Lots of blood. Vlad shook his head, willing the memory away. "No. But it can wait until you get home. Just . . . hurry, okay?" Otis grew quiet for a moment, then said, "I''ll be there shortly." Vlad gripped the coin in his hand and leaned forward, pressing his forehead to the tabletop. He fought, but the memories burst through his dam of resistance. Joss''s eyes narrowing at the sight of Vlad''s glowing mark. The bitter accusations of betrayal. A whisper: "For you, Cecile." The feeling of being punched in the back. Looking down and seeing the silver tip of the wooden stake. He''d coughed, and the pain had dragged him under. Afterward, when Joss had visited him in the hospital, Vlad had been almost certain he''d apologize. But he didn''t. Instead, he told Vlad that he was leaving. Their friendship, it seemed, was over. No longer friends, they were more than enemies. They were natural foes--vampire and slayer. And Vlad still wasn''t sure how he felt about it. The staking incident had been horrific to endure. And recovering from it had been no picnic. But the worst part of it was that he missed Joss, missed his company, his insight, his impossibly dorky way of looking at the world. When Joss had slammed that hunk of wood through Vlad''s chest, Vlad had survived . . . but their friendship had not. And he was still mourning it, still grieving over the loss of a very good friend. Not to mention the reason Joss was returning. He didn''t need to hear it from Joss''s lips. The note he''d left on Vlad''s locker before he skipped town freshman year had said it all: Friendship over. And if it really was over, then Vlad was going to have to formulate a plan pretty quickly on how to face Joss the slayer, rather than Joss the friend. He sat up, gripping the coin tightly, and watched the door for Otis''s return. After many minutes, the door swung open, and his uncle entered. Otis immediately met his eyes. "What''s wrong?" Vlad sat the coin on the table in plain view. "How''d the interview go?" Otis furrowed his brow with a questioning in his eyes. "It went well. I''ll be teaching mythology full time at the high school." He paused for a moment and wet his lips. "Is everything all right?" "Congrats on the job. A lot of students have missed you since eighth grade--they''ll be happy to have you back. Me too." Vlad dropped his attention to the slayer coin and released a tense sigh. "I have a problem, Otis. Joss is moving back to Bathory." Otis closed his eyes for a moment and sighed, visibly relaxing. He took a seat opposite Vlad with a small smil

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