he was a friend-a good friend-and had been since college . `` no , sorry , '' i say , closing the magazine and replacing it on the shelf . `` talk to me , sweet cheeks , '' she says . she did her best to push the thought aside . `` we got stopped in the woods by a woman vampire , '' he said excitedly . the front door was unlocked when i arrived home , but there did n't seem to be anyone there . 