One "I smell blood." The yummy scent hit me like a whiff of Coco at the perfume counter. "You're dreamin', Blondie. Quit thinkin' with your fangs and grab those bags of Christmas lights." Valdez hummed "Deck the Halls" while he hopped out of my aging Suburban. "I'm serious, Valdez. Blood." I sniffed the air again. "Take a whiff. B positive. Lots of it." Valdez stuck his nose in the air, his tail brushing my leg. "You're right. Get in the car and lock yourself in. I'm gonna investigate." He was suddenly all business, his growl making even my nerves twitch. Valdez looks like a dog, but he's my bodyguard, a shape-shifter with a little something extra I've never quite figured out. Trust me, we've been together long enough for him to know I wasn't going to just sit in the car checking my manicure. I grabbed Valdez's collar. "Wait a sec, Terminator. You took an arrow in the hip back here. Remember? Be careful." He jerked away from me, almost knocking me on my butt. Valdez in protector mode is just about unstoppable. "Flesh wound. But that doesn't mean this isn't still a prime spot for an ambush." He nodded toward the security lights at the back of the building. Out again. "Next time park on the street." "Shut up, Valdez. Someone's bleeding out." I crept around the car and toward the Dumpster