“Yeah, I’m fine I think.” Daniel put his back to the door. He wasn’t quite ready to step away from it yet, lest the guy get the bright idea to investigate. “Listen, you do not want to open this door.” He swiped his palms in the air. “Trust me.” The vampire looked down at his pant leg, where one of the dogs had torn the cuff.

In truth, those weren’t regular dogs. Daniel was no expert, but he would’ve put money on them being hell hounds: massive heads, scales instead of fur, bony protrusions that he mistook for spiked collars on first glance.

He stood up and straightened his shirt.