Blood Slave: A Realm Walker Novel (3 page)

Thomas handed the remote to James, much to his niece’s displeasure. “Keep the volume low, if you please.”

James lifted his chin in acknowledgment and Thomas grasped Juliana’s hand and pulled her in the direction of the bedroom. She stumbled before falling into an easy step behind him, another indicator of her exhaustion. Time and again, he tried to get her to quit pushing so hard, to take better care of herself, but it had all been for naught. She continued to ignore him and do precisely as she pleased, just as she always had.

“Strip,” he ordered as he shut the bedroom door and locked it.

Her brows lifted. “Not that I didn’t appreciate the elevator, but I’m exhausted, Thomas.”

The side of his mouth quirked up in a smile. “Shower,
Joya
. Shower, then bed. That is all.”

“Oh.” Color bloomed up the back of her neck and across her cheeks. He nodded his approval when she started to shuck her clothing. Moving past her and into the bathroom, he cranked the water on, keeping it just shy of scalding. Once satisfied with the temperature, he took off his own clothing and piled it neatly in the corner. He’d bathe her and then get her tucked into bed. Hopefully she’d get more than the few paltry hours of sleep that had become her norm as of late. His bride wasn’t getting any more rest than his niece.

***

Juliana stepped through the door of the bathroom, stopping short when she realized that Thomas was waiting for her. Nude. Blinking slowly, she took the time to enjoy the view. The man was sculpted lean muscle from top to bottom. And he was hers. The little jolt of happiness that usually accompanied such thoughts made its appearance and she smiled. Thomas and she were United which meant they were together for an eternity whether they liked it or not. Lately she’d been firmly on the liked it side which was a pleasant change from even just a few months ago.

The light caught the stone on her engagement ring and she smiled. Soon they would be wed in the traditional way as well and then they truly would be united, in every sense of the word. Holding out the wrist that had the bracelet he’d given her on it, she waited for him to remove it for her. She could do it herself, but why bother when he was available and ready to help. Deftly, he undid the laces and set the bracelet on the counter.

After he opened the door to the shower, he stepped to the side to allow her to enter first. The hot water poured over her skin, stripping away the dust and grime as she climbed in. Closing her eyes, she braced her palms against the front wall of the shower and tilted her head forward. The water pounded against her neck and shoulders. Rough, calloused hands settled on her upper back and began to knead sore muscles. The sensation of his strong hands on her sensitive flesh pulled a groan from her as she let herself relax.

There was nothing sexual about his touch, no indication he wanted to continue what they’d started earlier.  This suited her just fine as she was exhausted. After spending the day rolling around in the dirt, it was nice to have someone there to take care of her when she got home. His hands moved away and were soon replaced with a soapy wash cloth sliding across her skin. Thomas scrubbed her from head to toe, turning her in the process.

“Close your eyes,” he instructed.

When she’d done as ordered, his fingers massaged her scalp as he washed her hair. He turned off the water and shook the moisture from his hair, spraying her with droplets. Her laughter was rewarded with a boyish grin.

He grabbed a towel and rubbed her down until her skin was dry and pink. After running a comb through her hair, he turned her to the door and gave her a little shove in that direction. “I’ll be in in a second.” A pat on her rear got her moving.

The towel she’d clutched around her torso fell to the floor and she crawled in between the sheets. Her eyes followed Thomas moving in the light from the bathroom as he straightened up. She was asleep before he ever came to bed.

Chapter Three

Juliana yawned and pushed her sunglasses up to settle firmly on her nose. For a change, she’d slept well, but it hadn’t been nearly enough to leave her feeling rested. She sat on one of the long benches along the edge of the track, her elbow hooked over the back and a cup of coffee in her hand. Taking a sip, she watched the Agency’s newest recruits gather on the field in front of her. Most of them milled around uncertainly, but there were a few that stood with their feet spread, hands behind their backs. Those would be the ex-military recruits and the ones most likely to survive their first year in the field.

The twelve agents that remained accounted for less than half of the original class. If Juliana had her way, a few more would be gone before the end of the day. Once the incoming class finished their book training, the seasoned agents and Walkers took turns running them through their paces. It had only taken a couple of times before the Agency started putting her late in the rotation. Her policy was the more recruits that washed out, the more that lived.

She glanced up at the bleachers to find Nathaniel and Jeremiah sitting side-by-side. Jeremiah Grace was a fire elemental, her screener with the Agency and one of her closest friends. He determined what cases she should take and called her in. At the moment though, he was there solely for entertainment value. There were a few other spectators scattered on the seats but she didn’t recognize them.

As Juliana stood and moved across the track toward the open area in the center, the group clustered together in front of her. Gods, they looked like kids. How old were they anyway? Were they really that much younger than her?

“You got this, Ann Marie. Focus,” came a yell from behind her. She paused. A petite brunette to Juliana’s right dropped her eyes and blushed. “Focus, Ann Marie. Ann Marie, pay attention.”

Juliana’s lips twitched as she tried not to laugh. Gods save them all from overbearing parents. “You should all stretch,” she said to the gathered group. “You’re going to need it. I’ll be right back.”

Turning, she walked over to the foot of the bleachers and shielded her eyes to look up at the yeller who sat on the top row. “Sir, you can’t do that.”

“Do what? I’m cheering on my girl.”

“Yes, but this is not a baseball game. It’s a training exercise.” The man shouldn’t have been there at all, but odds were he was ‘somebody’ and ‘somebodies’ get special treatment. If nothing else, working at the Agency had certainly taught her that.

The man stood, doubtless ready to argue for his right to support his daughter. Nathaniel and Jeremiah stood as well and turned to face him. Neither of them said anything but she could only imagine the looks they were giving. Wisely, Dad kept his mouth shut and sat back down. He gave Juliana a nod which she took to mean as his compliance. Though with her luck, it more likely meant he was memorizing everything about her and she’d be hearing about this later. She turned to find Ann Marie looking like she’d rather be just about anywhere else on the planet. Some parents were just oblivious to the damage they did their kids in the name of love. While others just didn’t care.

Done wasting time, Juliana walked over to the large box that sat to one side of the track. It was completely enclosed except for several air holes drilled around the top. She ran her hand over the cool metal as she walked around to the front. “If you have all done your required reading, this should pose no problem for you. If not, well…good luck.”

With a smile, she pulled the pin at the top then crossed to the other side and did the same. The front of the box fell open with a crash. A musky blast of air escaped first, causing her to wave a hand in front of her face in an effort to chase it away. Several of the recruits wrinkled their noses or made sounds of disgust. All that was forgotten when a creature leaped out of the crate, looked at the recruits and licked its chops with a long purple tongue. The beast looked like some sort of amalgamation between a pig and a tyrannosaurus rex that was covered in indigo fur. Two horns curled out of the sides of its head like a steer and row after row of wicked teeth filled its gaping maw. Four eyes turned to look Juliana over and she smiled as she hummed under her breath.

“Holy shit,” one of the recruits breathed, drawing the creature’s attention back to them.

“Class, bandersnatch. Bandersnatch, class,” she said making the introductions. The recruits continued to stand there, gaping. “Well…run,” she said, discretely signaling the bandersnatch to give chase. Some days she really liked her job. The class scattered and the creature leaped after them. They didn’t stand a chance. Unless they’d done their reading. Then they’d know that, in this instance, music quite literally tames the savage beast. Hence, her humming.

She watched the recruits with an amused smile. A couple had stopped and were standing still. They were either humming or singing at a low volume because she couldn’t hear them but the bandersnatch left them alone. Then it claimed its first victim.

If they’d been in the jungles of Borneo, the beast would have played with its food, much like a cat with a mouse. A toss or two in the air and then it would rip into the tender flesh of its prey. Since the Agency tended to get pissed when the rookies got eaten, this particular bandersnatch was a bit more tame. It merely knocked its target down and proceeded to slobber all over them. While they screamed. Like little girls.

A particularly piercing shriek from one of her students made her cringe. He so wasn’t cut out for this line of work. When the creature was through, it was evident roughly a third of class had done their reading. The beast stood in the middle of the field looking around expectantly. Finding no one else that wasn’t making some form of music, or hadn’t already been knocked down, it headed toward the nearest prone form.

Opening its jaws, it leaned over a girl which was Ann Marie if Juliana wasn’t mistaken. Daddy undoubtedly loved this.

“No,” Juliana scolded.

The bandersnatch froze. It shifted its eyes so it could see her better and inched forward. “No,” she said again, stomping her foot for emphasis. The beast whimpered. “I don’t care if you’re hungry. You can’t eat the recruits.”

With a sigh, it sat and hung its head in disappointment. She placed two fingers in her mouth and let out a long wolf whistle. It trotted over to her immediately. Humming in pleasure, it rubbed against her as she scratched behind its ears. After a moment, she patted it on the side and it moved back into the crate. One of the non-slimed recruits helped her seal the crate back up. She gave him a nod of thanks and turned to the bleachers to find Jeremiah and Nathaniel helping Ann Marie’s father up onto the seat from where he’d evidently fallen. It appeared her training exercise was a little too intense for dear old dad.

She turned to the field. “Meet in the rotunda in an hour. Those of you who got slimed might want to hit the shower. Bandersnatch saliva contains corrosive properties.”

Several people made a beeline for the locker rooms and dad swooned to the side again before Nathaniel righted him. The wolf shot Juliana an irritated look and she shrugged. The saliva wasn’t actually corrosive and they’d know that if they’d done their reading. Of course, if they’d done their reading, they wouldn’t have gotten slimed at all.

Jeremiah made his way down to her. “Ben wants to see you two in his office.”

Her lip curled. Seeing her boss ranked very low on the list of things she wanted to do today. Or any day for that matter. “Will you meet them in the rotunda in case I’m late? You know the drill.”

He gave her a nod as he slipped his hands into his pockets. She waited for Nathaniel to join her before heading inside.

***

Ben’s office was dimly lit and in complete disarray. Juliana grabbed a pile of papers off one of the chairs and dropped them onto the floor before taking their place. Nathaniel curled his lip at the state of the room and wandered over to look at the fish. He flicked his fingers in the water.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” she said.

He glanced at her. “Why not?”

“Wereguppies.”

“Wereguppies? What the hell are you on about?”

She sighed as if he was the stupidest wolf on the planet. “Those. Are. Wereguppies.”

“They are not,” he said with a snort. “There’s no such thing.”

He was correct, but she couldn’t resist the opportunity to give him a hard time. And as much as he said he didn’t believe her, she noticed he didn’t stick his fingers back in the water. Instead, he cleared off the seat next to her and dropped into it. “Where the hell is Ben? And what the hell has happened to his office?”

Both were very good questions. Her boss had never been a neat freak, but he had kept things orderly, clean. Of course, he used to not be an asshole too, so obviously things changed. She knew he wouldn’t have called her away from the rookies unless it was important so it irritated her that they were here and he was nowhere to be seen. Finally, his voice floated in from the outer office as he berated his secretary Maria for whatever failing he thought she possessed this time. She and Nathaniel both turned to face the door. When Ben stepped through, Juliana barely suppressed a gasp. He’d been letting himself go, they’d all known that, but he looked just short of feral. Perhaps he was.

“You doing okay, Ben?” Nathaniel asked, his voice quiet, concerned.

She supposed it was good he asked since she didn’t care enough anymore to bother.

Her boss rubbed a skeletal hand under his chin, looking lost. “What? Yes, yes. I’m fine.”

“If you say so.”

Ben slammed his hands against the top of his desk, the sound only slightly muffled by the layers of paper between his palms and the hard surface. “I do say so. I also say I didn’t bring you in here to give me shit about my health, West.”

“Why did you bring us here?” she asked in an effort to turn his focus. Her voice was quiet, calm in hopes he would reflect the same back to her. Thomas was going to have to be alerted to keep an eye on Ben. Sometimes, as vampires aged they began to lose the humane part of themselves. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, the result was always devastating. If Ben went feral, Thomas would have to put him down. A fleeting thought made her wonder if she would automatically lose her job if her mate killed her boss, even if it was justified.

Ben scowled and lowered himself into his seat. He tossed a file in their direction and she snatched it off his desk. “The M.E. did a rush on your zombies.”

Her brow furrowed in confusion. “Why?” There was no reason to put a rush on the undead they’d bagged the night before. Sure there were questions to be answered, but they could wait in line like everyone else.

He sighed and the sound carried every bit of his weariness to her. “When the M.E. got the bodies back to the morgue, they ran prints. One of the vics was in the missing person’s database. Daddy’s a senator.”

A headache spiked between her eyes and she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Shit.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

“Do we think any of this has to do with him?” Nathaniel asked.

Ben leaned back in his chair and shook his head. “She’s been on the database for a couple of years. Runaway. Into stuff Dad didn’t approve of. I’m sure he’ll milk her death for every polling point he can get.”

Gods, this job made them jaded. She flipped open the file in her lap and scanned through the report. “Blood slaves? All of them?” she asked as the words caught her eye. Blood slave was the politically correct term for those that became addicted to a vampire’s bite. They let the vamp feed off them and got a little dose of euphoria in return. Vampires usually tried to space feedings out so their food didn’t get addicted, but some didn’t care. In fact, some actively procured blood slaves as they tended to be loyal, even unto death in some cases and would do anything for their vampire. And when it came to blood slaves,
anything
was a very loose term.

She scanned the report again, checking the M.E.’s notations. There were multiple bite marks on each victim in varying degrees of healing. It was one of the main indicators of a blood slave. Vampires always healed their bites unless they were punishing or marking their property. Depending on the magic they fed into it, they could even ensure it scarred. Then their slave would carry the mark forever.

“I don’t see what the problem is,” Nathaniel said, leaning forward to peer at the file. “Just find out who the vamp is and pick him up. If he’s leaving his bite on them it won’t be hard to match up.”

Handing him the file, she snorted a laugh. “You really think it would be that easy? They’ve all got bites from at least five different vamps on them. Looks like they weren’t very discerning.” All the victims had been drained dry. They also showed signs of recent sexual activity though no fluids had been found, so the perp had most likely worn a condom. Screwed, drained dry then dumped in the Dead Zone. The killer probably figured no one would go looking there, but they obviously hadn’t considered the idea that their victims might come back.

“I suppose that could explain the unusual behavior of the zombies. A history of vampire voodoo then the Dead Zone got to play its tricks on them. We should count ourselves lucky we got them to go down at all.”

Nathaniel flipped the file closed and tossed it back on Ben’s desk to get lost in the myriad of paperwork. “Do you really think anything could have survived us?”