Because he's a vampire, Jonathon Splinter needs to feed, hungry for blood. He seeks out young men along Lake Erie in the small town of Bitter. As Halloween approaches, Jonathon devises a plan for his next hunt with the help of his mortal lover and personal assistant, Toby Kinks.<br><br>Life grows bitter for Jonathon, though. Someone discovered his true identity and witnessed one of his bloody hunts where he not only fed but also murdered the man. Now Jonathon is being blackmailed.<br><br>With Toby’s help, Jonathon seeks out the blackmailer, and the two devise a plan in which Jonathon will hunt and feed on the man. But on the evening of the planned murder, Jonathon Splinter's bloody life will change forever.

Blood on My Hands

I watched him eat; he didn’t mind. “There’s something we need to talk about, Toby. I hope it doesn’t turn your stomach. Don’t stop eating. Just listen.”


I told him about the mysterious call I had received the previous night. Every detail. The raspy and thick voice. The chills that soured me. I left out nothing.


“What do we do?” he asked, still eating, obeying my instruction.


I smirked. “We both know what has to be done.”


He became quiet, thinking. He stopped eating, but only for a short period of time. I couldn’t reach out and inside his head and the folds of his thoughts the way I usually could. The trap was closed to me, off limits. Somehow, someway, he had blocked me from access.


“What are you thinking?” I inquired, unblinking. I felt nervous, unsure of what he would say next, puzzled. A minute passed. Two minutes.


Eventually, he whispered, “I know who saw you under Coleman Bridge with Lane Hitt.”


“Who?” I demanded, having a rise in my tone. Alert. On fire. Wide-eyed.


Chapter 19