Save the Last Vamp for Me (20 page)

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B
ack at the library, Derrick stood staring down at the map with a frown on his face. The vampire lord noted our appearance with a flick of his eyes. “Where have you two been?”

“Gathering goodies.” Kate brandished the journal. “We looted Count No Pants’ resting place.”

“Would you please not mention that particular bit of info anymore? Like, ever again?” I asked, retrieving my phone to check the time. Almost midnight.

Derrick rubbed the tip of his nose, possibly to hide a smile. “You went to Merriven’s estate?”

“Yeah. I haven’t tried psychometry on anything of his.” Trading my phone for the bagged ring, I held it up to show him. “Now I will.”

“Your associate, Mr. Soames, mentioned a rather peculiar reaction you had to Ramon’s ring. I have to ask if it’s safe for you to handle that one.”

I shrugged. “Kate’s got a mean left hook, and you’re a vampire. I think you’re both safe if I have an attack of the biteys.”

He cocked his head to study Kate. She smiled, tossing the journal onto the coffee table, a picture of punky, retro elegance in her heels, Fifties-inspired black dress, fishnet stockings, and perfect, if overly purple, makeup. “Don’t judge a witch by her superb fashion sense, McFang.”

Derrick suppressed a smile, the corners of his lips twitching. “Of course not. All right, Miss Jones. It appears we’re ready when you are, but I do have a suggestion to make first.”

“Sure.” I sat down on one of the sofas.

“Before you touch the ring, imagine an open box. When the thirst strikes, force it into that box.”

Useful, if I could manage to do it. “Is that what you do?”

“It’s what we all do, otherwise, the thirst controls us.”

I nodded and unzipped the baggie to drop the ring onto the table. “Okay, thanks.”

He sat down across from me. Kate casually slipped off her heels, the better to move fast, before perching on the armrest of his sofa. I hadn’t been kidding about her left hook. She was the one who had peeled me off Mr. Whitehaven the time I’d tried to bite him, and knocked me cross-eyed.

Closing my eyes, I imagined a box, but changed my mind. Cardboard wasn’t going to cut it. I imagined an iron chest with double locks instead, bigger on the inside like the famous Doctor’s blue box.

Satisfied with that, I opened my eyes and scooped up the ring.

Nothing happened. I tossed the ring into my other hand. Nope. “I’m really tired of being a psychic with vaca....” My psychometry kicked in, flooding my brain with green-tinted images. “Aw, crap.”

With a scowl, I dropped the ring onto the table. “It’s one of those objects.”

“Beg pardon?” Derrick said.

“Wants to show me its whole history in chronological order. Completely useless for quick info.”

“Then try his diary.” Kate leaned forward to shove the journal closer to me.

After flicking the ring aside, I picked up the little book. Blood thirst poured into me, hot and demanding, rocking my head back. “Ahh.”

Derrick’s eyes widened when I focused on him. “That is truly fascinating. The box, Miss Jones. Use it.”

The thirst wasn’t interested in him, but Kate? It forced my gaze toward her. She slipped off the armrest, her hands clenching into fists. “Jones, the crimson eyes are not a good look on you. Use the damn box before I have to ruin my manicure.”

My slow blink made her shake her head and try a different approach. “You’re wasting time. Your mother needs you.”

“Mom.” I closed my eyes, forcing some space between the thirst and myself. Recalling my little iron chest, I began fighting to divert the blood thirst into it. Took a bit of doing, but I managed it. “Okay.”

“Eyes?” Kate prompted. I opened them wide to let her have a look. She settled back on the armrest. “Much better. Carry on.”

“Are you receiving anything useful?” Derrick asked.

“Flashes of faces. He loves writing in it.” I shivered. “Pets it after he’s locked it. Ugh. Wait.”

A wall of bones and stone. Dark rooms carved into rock, coffins lying inside them. “I think I have something. Are there cata...” A thin line appeared in my head, twin threads of silver and gold forming it. “Holy crap. I have a trail.”

Kate squealed, clapping her hands together. I dropped the journal and lunged to my feet, pausing just long enough to snatch up my purse before taking off for the doors.

“Miss Jones!”

“She has to follow it now,” Kate told him while I threw open the doors. Derrick rushed past me, calling out instructions as I ran down the main hall to the front doors.

A crowd of vampires followed, their lord and master leading them, but he caught up as I cleared the gates. “Miss Jones, wait. If it leads to the catacombs, they’re nearly seven miles away.”

I halted. The thread might fade before I reached its end. I couldn’t run full out that far.

“I have someone diverting the teams to there. We’ll take one of the vehicles.”

“Okay.”

He smiled, his eyes bright. “I have no idea what you’re following.”

A vamp pulled up in one of the little utility vehicles and hopped out. Derrick took the driver’s seat, and I hurried around to the front passenger seat. “Me either, really. Drive.”

The top speed of the utility vehicle was faster than I could run, but my vampire chauffeur didn’t seem to have much practice driving it. He took turns at full speed, which was around forty miles per hour, never applying brakes, and I nearly fell out twice.

It was sort of fun, shouting directions at him and holding on for dear life while tourists and vampires scattered before us, his people speeding along in our wake in more of the little vehicles. Or maybe hope and relief made it fun. I finally had a lead.

Derrick nearly plowed into a trio of shifters when we arrived at the catacombs’ entrance. As they leaped clear, he yanked the wheel around, turning the vehicle sharply enough that two of its wheels left the ground.

“Hit the brakes,” I yelled, clinging to my seat with both hands, my feet threatening to go through the dashboard because I was bracing so hard. Derrick stomped, and we lurched to a halt, the vehicle thumping down onto all four wheels again. We both looked around, taking in the startled or scowling faces, before looking at each other and starting to laugh.

I climbed out, still laughing, to stagger toward the entrance, which was outlined by carvings of skeletons. The entrance was roughly thirty feet wide, and about the same tall at its highest point. A big archway leading to the underworld, and judging by the number of humans, also a big tourist trap.

The thread faded as I took a step through the entrance, but it didn’t matter.

We knew where to look.

I stopped laughing, but still wore a smile when Derrick appeared beside me. “Let’s get busy.”

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“T
his is the only entrance,” Derrick said, while we watched his people clear the area. He’d ordered the catacombs closed.

As I’d thought, it was a tourist trap. The buildings surrounding the big square before the entrance consisted of restaurants and souvenir shops, and there were even a few hotels.

“Who in their right mind comes down here for a vacation?”

“You’d be surprised. We have families, business people, and of course, the singles looking for a temporary vampire lover so they’ll have a story to tell.” He was checking every face that passed by us, even though people had to pass through the line of vampires stretching out in a half-circle around the entrance. Everyone was watching for Merriven or my mother.

Ten minutes later, the last few people trickled out and the all-clear was given. No alarm had been raised. I saw Logan pull up, Danielle smiling in the front passenger seat, apparently enjoying having him all to herself.

Derrick’s people and the shifters gathered together at the entrance.

“I’m going to call Alleryn, ask him to send the hounds again.”

The vampire lord nodded before stepping away to explain why we were here.

“It’s almost three AM, Cordi,” Alleryn said when he answered.

“You sound grumpy.”

He hmphed. “I presume you require the pack?”

“Yes, please, and I have Derrick’s permission again.”

“All right. I’ll send them to Leglin shortly.”

“Thank you. Sorry I woke you.” Ending the call, I looked around, but didn’t see my hound. “Leglin.”

He appeared, his tail dragging and his head held lower than usual. I knelt to hug his neck. “Poor dude, you’re exhausted.”

“
And I have found nothing
.”

“It’s okay, I did. Your pack mates are on their way. After they get here, I want you to go back to Derrick’s library. Kate should still be there. I’ll call her so she’ll get you some food. Eat it and get some sleep.”

He gave a slow wag of tail. “
But we have not yet found your lady mother
.”

I hugged him again. “We will, but what if I need you later and you’re too tired to help? You need to be rested. Okay?”

“
Yes, mistress
.”

“Thanks for working your tail off.”

Leglin turned his head to check his hindquarters. “
My tail is attached
.”

I chuckled, scratching behind both of his ears. “It’s a saying, bub.”

Logan cleared the crowd, walking over to crouch down beside us. “How are you doing?”

“Better now. I’m sorry about earlier.”

He nodded. “Leglin looks tired.”

So did he. The skin under his eyes was beginning to darken. “When’s the last time you took a break?”

“When we dropped you off.”

“That was six hours ago. What time did you get to the Barrows?”

Logan shrugged. “About an hour after Soames carried you in this morning.”

“Geeze, dude. Take everyone and go home. Eat and sleep.”

“Already sent everyone but those who came with you home.” He sighed. “Can’t have them all miss work again.”

I felt guilty, not having thought about people skipping work to help search. “Seriously, go on home. I really appreciate everything, but....”

“We’re good.”

“But....”

“We are,” he insisted. “We’ll help search the catacombs. Derrick’s already offered food and beds at his place.”

“Oh.” Another thing I hadn’t thought of: Where I’d go for rest, whether we found Mom or not. I didn’t want to go home, to the blood-soaked kitchen and no company.

“He won’t mind one more. He’ll have different people here to take over before dawn.” Logan patted my back. “The hounds are here.”

People were fidgeting when I checked the crowd, and some stepped hurriedly aside as I watched. Enid came into view. The hound spotted us and trotted over. I smiled at her. “Hi, thanks for coming.”

“
What are we to do
?”

I explained, and by the time I’d finished, Derrick had everyone headed into the catacombs.

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“W
e’ve miles to cover, but my people know the catacombs,” Derrick said as we climbed the roughly hewn stone steps. “We’re one of the few families who still inter those lost to us here.”

There were five levels, and he’d already informed us that the catacombs were a pocket realm. He’d also insisted on enlarging the search teams from four to six people. After a little discussion, I’d split the pack into five groups, one for each level. There were eighteen to twenty hounds in each group. They’d just stared at me when I asked them to not split into smaller groups of less than three or five while searching.

We didn’t know how many minions Merriven had. All of his people had left his estate after his faked demise. I didn’t want to lose any of the hounds because one ran into more vamps than it could handle alone.

Not only for their sakes. There was a little selfishness involved in my decision. Thorandryll would probably decide I owed him if any of his hounds were killed.

“I didn’t know these were here,” I said.

“You’ve never come to our actual entertainment district.” Derrick glanced over his shoulder at me. “Your clients hire you to retrieve their badly behaving sons, daughters, wives, and husbands. Family members who’ve usually managed to attach themselves to someone of importance.”