The next day there was still no response. And the next. And the next. Time tumbled past, and Melinda did not answer me. I wrote again, trying for a formal, practical tone: When should I plan on coming back to continue work as her research assistant, to keep working on the book draft?

Nothing.

I went down to the bar and chatted with Jo every evening to keep myself sane—always wearing long sleeves and a scarf to hide my vampire marks—but I held back on drinking as ...