Blood Wyne (13 page)
She paused, then shrugged. “I think this is truly what love is. With Chase, it was like being a teenager. I needed to test out what love meant to me, to try on the feeling for practice. But something was missing. Something I don’t think I ever would have found with him. I love Chase, but I don’t think I was ever
in
love with him.”
in
love with him.”
“How’s Zachary taking it?” We didn’t bring up the werepuma much. Both Delilah and Chase still felt guilty over Zach’s injuries, from when he’d saved Chase’s life and taken a nasty blow that had left him paralyzed. At first they thought it would be temporary, but now he’d been moved to a rehab center and the doctors were thinking he would be in a wheelchair forever.
“He still won’t talk to me. Nerissa told me he’s taken to spending more and more time in puma form. Something changes when he shifts over and he’s free from the pain and able to move again. The healers don’t know what the difference is, but in puma form—he’s free.”
I heard something in her voice. “You think he’s going to permanently choose to . . . ?”
A tear trickled down her face and she nodded. “I think, yes, one day Zach will change into puma form and run off and we’ll never see him again. I think he’ll go into the mountains, live as a lone male. And how can I say he’s wrong? In puma form, he can run and hunt and move . . . but in human form, he’s seen as a weak member of his Pride. The Rainier Puma Pride is harsh, in many ways, and he’s been relegated to a position of lesser status since the accident.”
“Why? Just because of his injuries?”
She shook her head, the tips of her fangs poking out. Delilah’s fangs were nonretractable. “No,” she said, anger washing across her face. “If he’d been protecting the Pride, he’d be considered a hero. No, it’s because he was protecting Chase and me. Me, especially. You know how the Rainier Puma Pride feels about us, even though we helped them defeat Kyoka and the werespiders.”
“I know. I don’t talk about it much, but Nerissa gets flak from her Pride-mates because of her relationship with me. I’ve had it up to here with the Puma Pride and to be honest, I hope that she leaves them.”
Delilah gave me a thoughtful nod. “They aren’t as set in their ways as some werewolf packs, but they can be terribly cruel in their assessment of outsiders.”
Placing a hand on her shoulder as we entered the kitchen, I whispered, “What will be, will be. Let thoughts of Zach go for now, Kitten. There’s nothing you can do.”
Camille and Iris were waiting at the table with tea in hand and cookies on a plate. As I sat down, I suddenly realized that this was our pattern. The three of us, with Iris, strategizing in the middle of the night. It had become so routine it was almost comforting. With a soft smile, I sat back and began to lay out everything that had happened since they went to bed.
CHAPTER 7
“Good gods, how can you get in so much trouble in one night?” Camille stared at me, her mouth open. “We leave you alone to get some sleep and you end up involved with Blood Wyne’s son?”
“
Son
implies youth, and Roman, while he doesn’t look a day over thirty-five, isn’t youthful by any stretch of the imagination.” I glanced around. The kitchen was almost back together after the demons invaded our home, but there were still deep gouges in a few of the walls and the tile needed to be replaced. The guys had pulled together, and in one month they had cleared out all the debris and repaired a good deal of the damage. New appliances gleamed in the dim light.
Son
implies youth, and Roman, while he doesn’t look a day over thirty-five, isn’t youthful by any stretch of the imagination.” I glanced around. The kitchen was almost back together after the demons invaded our home, but there were still deep gouges in a few of the walls and the tile needed to be replaced. The guys had pulled together, and in one month they had cleared out all the debris and repaired a good deal of the damage. New appliances gleamed in the dim light.
“What do you need us to do?” Delilah asked.
“Can you run down as much information on the Greenbelt Park District as you can find—especially regarding ghosts and haunting? And anything you might happen to hear about vampiric activity there.”
“Sure. Not a problem.” Delilah bobbed her head and I smiled. The new do suited her so well; it was choppy and spiky and gave her an edgy look that rocked. She’d given in, once it was cut, and tried to dye it back to her normal golden color. For the most part, the calico mess that had come through had abated, though it still showed through here and there.
I looked at Camille. “Now to the problematic. Today Chase is breaking the news of the vampire serial killer. I’ve got my bookkeeper working on a gate for the Wayfarer, but Camille, you’d better take extra precautions at the Indigo Crescent. I’m afraid the backlash could reach your shop, too.”
Her shop had been rebuilt and was open again, this time with Giselle, a demon, as the general manager. But that didn’t preclude an attack by the Buffy wannabes.
She jotted down a note for herself. “Will do. Anything else for now?”
I shrugged. “I get to go shopping for a dress, and if I want it, a fur coat, thanks to Roman. Why do I feel a little like I’ve stumbled into the movie set of
Pretty Woman
? Only I’m no whore and Richard Gere doesn’t hold a candle to Roman.” Memories of his fangs on my neck rose up and I closed my eyes, reveling once again in being able to let myself go, totally, without fear of hurting anyone. A rush of power surged through me and I jerked my head up, eyes wide, feeling like I could take on Shadow Wing himself.
Pretty Woman
? Only I’m no whore and Richard Gere doesn’t hold a candle to Roman.” Memories of his fangs on my neck rose up and I closed my eyes, reveling once again in being able to let myself go, totally, without fear of hurting anyone. A rush of power surged through me and I jerked my head up, eyes wide, feeling like I could take on Shadow Wing himself.
Camille coughed. “What the fuck did Roman do to you? I’ve never seen that look on your face before, and I’m not sure what to think.”
The energy rolled through me and I shook my head. “I have no idea . . . unless . . . his blood—we exchanged blood and that means I am connected to his power. The effects will last for a while, given his age and strength. I never thought about this possibility.”
“And because he drank from you, he’s got Dredge’s power in him?”
I nodded. “Yes, but he’s more powerful than either Dredge or me, so it shouldn’t have much of an effect on him.”
The phone rang. It was Tavah. “I just locked Erin in the safe room and I’m heading out to my lair. Lucius just came in to watch for the day.” Lucius was Fae and he watched over the portal on weekdays. Kendra, an elf, took the weekends.
“Sounds good. I’ve asked my accountant to set up a gate system. Before you head out tonight, watch the news. You might want to double-check the security on your lair.”
I hung up, sighing. How many vampires were going to be targeted after Chase broke it to the press that we had a serial killer with fangs on the loose?
Standing up, I glanced at the clock. Enough time for a quick shower and then into the dark slumber. I blew kisses to my sisters. As I headed downstairs, I had the sneaking suspicion my dreams were going to be full of dark vampires and the flow of delicious, ancient blood.
“Menolly! Menolly! We need you awake.
Now
.” Camille was standing far enough away to avoid my backlash as I sat up in bed, startled awake at the first moment of sunset.
Now
.” Camille was standing far enough away to avoid my backlash as I sat up in bed, startled awake at the first moment of sunset.
I blinked. “What? I’m awake, I’m awake.” As I pulled out of the long day of walking between worlds—and I’d had some incredible dreams of both Roman and Nerissa—I noticed that she was dressed in a heavy spidersilk skirt and a leather bustier over a pale lavender shirt, and she had on her granny boots. That could mean only one thing.
“Who the hell are we fighting?”
“How’d you guess?” She laughed, then sobered quickly. “Seriously, there’s trouble over in the Greenbelt Park District. The news broke about the vampire serial killer, and some reporter also managed to scare up the rumors of ghostly activity. A group of wannabe vampire hunters and ghost hunters decided to join forces and exorcise the area. In the course of two hours, they’ve managed to rile up the spirits. Chase needs our help to see if we can figure out what to do about the ghosts that have come out of the woodwork.”
“
Fuck.
Fuck me
hard
. Why the hell do people pull this shit? They have no clue of what they’re doing and yet they go in and hold a little séance or fuck around with a Ouija board and before they know it, they’ve got a bunch of pissed-off spirits on their ass. Any chance we can keep the posers out while we clean up their mess?” I leaped out of bed and yanked on a pair of jeans and a turtleneck.
Fuck.
Fuck me
hard
. Why the hell do people pull this shit? They have no clue of what they’re doing and yet they go in and hold a little séance or fuck around with a Ouija board and before they know it, they’ve got a bunch of pissed-off spirits on their ass. Any chance we can keep the posers out while we clean up their mess?” I leaped out of bed and yanked on a pair of jeans and a turtleneck.
“Chase has put up a blockade, but a group of them are trapped in the basement of an old building with a group of angry spirits and can’t get out.”
I stopped. “Shit, I’m supposed to meet Wade at the bar. Let me make a quick call.” I dialed Derrick and asked him to tell Wade I’d be there as soon as I could. “Okay, let’s head out and see what we can do.”
On the way upstairs, Camille glanced over her shoulder at me. “You be careful. The city’s gone apeshit, and being a vampire is not a Good Thing right now. Seriously, it’s brought out every loco from the Eastside up to Shoreline and down to Renton. And not just the ones who want to turn you into a pile of dust mites. We’re talking seriously ill FBHs. For some reason, the news sparked off that fringe element, and Seattle’s turned into loony-tunes town today. There’s an anti-Supe rally going on down by the court-house and a new organization calling itself the “Earthborn Onlies” is holding some sort of vigil in front of the Supe-Urban Café. Marion has hired guards to keep watch, although the cops are doing a pretty good job of holding the nutjobs in check.”
Great. Just great. That was all we needed.
This
was why we weren’t telling people about Shadow Wing and the demons trying to break through. If news of a vampire serial killer could do this, what would people do when they got wind of an impending demonic invasion?
This
was why we weren’t telling people about Shadow Wing and the demons trying to break through. If news of a vampire serial killer could do this, what would people do when they got wind of an impending demonic invasion?
Everybody was waiting in the living room for us. Except Delilah, that is. She was still confined to home care. Her ribs were almost healed, but she was off any strenuous activity until the end of the year. But Shade, her lover, was there, as were Camille’s three men, and the Demon Twins, as Iris called Rozurial and Vanzir.
“Are the guards posted outside?”
Rozurial nodded. “They are. And your girlfriend’s here, but she’s taking a nap right now. Nerissa and I are going to stay with Delilah and Iris until you get back. Vanzir’s more effective around ghosts than I am.”
That meant it came down to Camille and me, Smoky, Trillian, Morio, Vanzir, and Shade. Camille and Morio would probably be our most effective weapons against the spirits, considering the death magic they were able to cook up between them.
“Okay, then. Let’s get a move on. Shade, you and Vanzir can ride with me. Camille, we’ll meet you guys there. Address?”
“Sent to your cell phone,” she said.
And so we headed out, into the night, to rescue a group of FBHs who wanted nothing more than to see me turn to dust. Just one of life’s little ironies.
The city streets sped by, a blur of lights, and the wheels of my Jag silently ate up the miles. We lived out in Belles-Faire, but it wouldn’t take us long to speed over to the Greenbelt Park District. The snow was softly falling, muting the sounds of traffic, and my windshield wipers kept time with the music as it thundered through the car. Camille was up ahead, adeptly skirting the patches of ice marbling the road.
Finally, she swung a left turn at Daybreak Loop and I followed. Another right and then straight and we entered the Greenbelt Park District. Camille slowed and I knew she was looking for street names. Another five minutes and she signaled a right turn, and I did the same. Halfway down the block we could see several police cruisers, and I slipped into a parking space right behind Camille and her men. As they leaped out of the Lexus, Vanzir, Shade, and I slid out of my Jag and strode over to meet them. Silently, as a group, we headed in Chase’s direction.
Chase had cordoned off the road in the opposite direction, and behind the police barricades we could see a small group of people, all screaming and shouting. Several of them carried camcorders, and a few had other assorted electronics draped around their necks. I immediately recognized them as gadgets for ghost hunting. Oh yeah, this was going to be fun.
“Let us in—”
“I can feel them—they need to be released!”
“Freedom of the press! You’re trampling on my First Amendment rights!”
I glanced at the group as Chase hurried over to us. “Troublemakers?”
“They wouldn’t be if they weren’t so cocky.” He let out a little growl and shook his head. For a moment his eyes shone in the darkness.
Eye shine, like a cat.
But he didn’t seem to realize it and I decided to leave that little conversation for later, when we weren’t facing big bad ghosties.
Eye shine, like a cat.
But he didn’t seem to realize it and I decided to leave that little conversation for later, when we weren’t facing big bad ghosties.
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