Companions (26 page)

A few minutes later, she knew at least a little bit about most of the people who shared the companions'

chat room. Carmlaskid lived in Scotland. Other than an E-address, there was no information on Ghost.

DesertDog was in Arizona, Canuk in Alaska. She'd been right about Fyrstartr living in California but was surprised to discover that Moscowknight did as well. She'd made the assumption that Moscowknight was indeed Russian. More important than whereabouts and superfluous credit information and web surfing histories, she had some of their names, bits of biographical information, some of their phone numbers, and all of their E-mail addresses. She started with an E-mail message.

My name, she began the message to them, is Selena Crawford. I live in Chicago, and I need your help.

She went on to explain about Rosho not returning to Denver, about her family, her cousin, the wedding, and everything else she could think of. Except Steve. She didn't mention she was Istvan's companion.

She didn't figure that would win friends and influence people, considering how unpopular Istvan the Enforcer was in the vampire community. She told them when she needed them in Chicago and gave them her address and phone number.

After that, she sent the message and hoped to several gods and a few goddesses that the cavalry would deign to show up in time for the battle.

The first thing Selena did when she opened the door and saw the man in the hallway was wonder how many outstanding warrants were out for him. The second was to notice the large canvas bag he carried.

The third was to come to a startling revelation. He wasn't a companion. She knew who he was, who he had to be. She'd been expecting him since he called from Saint Louis on his way from Arizona, but —

"DesertDog?"

"Haven," he said, and pushed past her into the living room, contemptuously adding, "Don't start on me, cop," as he went by.

Well, wasn't he just going to be a joy to work with? At least he had made it on time, if just barely. He looked competent, even though she knew he'd driven the whole way from Tucson with no sleep. Her other guest, on the other hand, had not arrived looking scruffy. Selena sighed, closed the door, and turned back to the living room. She glanced at the clock on the stereo system, fought down the rising sense of panic, and concentrated on the two other people in the room. The small woman who'd been perched on the edge of her couch was now on her feet, looking over the newcomer with a combination of appalled distaste and female interest.

Selena knew exactly how the other woman felt. Even with the sneer, the cold expression in his dark eyes, the tattoos, and the stubbled chin, Haven was a hard-muscled, handsome man who reeked of danger and testosterone. He had that tall, dark, and dangerous certain something that sensible women ran from but that the sort of women who ended up becoming vampire companions found practically irresistible.

"Jebel Haven, meet Martha Siriaco. DesertDog, this is Fyrstartr."

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Fyrstartr gave Selena a blistering look. "Siri," she said, holding a hand out tentatively to Haven. Her left hand sported a large diamond ring. Her long nails were painted pearly lavender. "Call me Siri."

Haven dropped the bag. It landed on the floor with a heavy, metallic clatter. He ignored Siri's offer of a handshake. He looked around the room. Selena went into the kitchen and returned with some beers before he had the chance to ask. She even brought a glass for Siri. Then she stood back and surveyed her merry band. She didn't know what she'd get, if anything, when she sent out her call for help. Siri had arrived first, on a plane from Los Angeles yesterday afternoon. Siri was short, starlet slender, with beautiful, delicate features, a designer label wardrobe, great makeup, and no weapons training to speak of. She wore her short auburn hair in a tousled style that shrieked to Selena that the haircut alone cost more than she made in a month. Siri did not strike Selena as a rebel organizer type, but Siri told Selena she had her reasons. And at least she was a companion.

Haven, on the other hand, was more of the sort of help Selena'd hoped for in this time of crisis. A moment in his presence convinced her he was tough, capable, ruthless, and meaner than a snake. She didn't mind that; she was used to dealing with hardass felons, which was something else she was certain he was. She also knew instantly what he wasn't. Once you'd been bitten, you always recognized your own.

It was Siri who said it. "You aren't a companion."

Haven tilted his head to one side. "Yeah?" His voice was deep, slightly rough, indifferent. "So?"

"But — " Siri took a step back. Her mouth thinned to a disapproving line, and she glared. Selena hid a pleased smirk as she realized that delicate little Siri wasn't in the least bit intimidated by the glowering Haven. "I started the support group for companions," Siri said to Haven. "Who the hell are you? How did you find us?"

Haven turned to Selena. "You want a vampire killer or not?"

"I'd kind of like you to answer Siri's question, actually," she told him. She put herself between him and the door. She saw his annoyance, but no matter what, he wasn't leaving just yet.

"You're the one who talked poor Sandswimmer into killing vampires, and you're not even one of us," Siri accused Haven.

"I told her how I'd do it. I didn't talk her into anything." He jerked a thumb at Selena. "Unless Xena here's been lying to us."

"You're the one who's been lying, Mr. Haven."

"I'm a companion, I just ain't been bit yet. I left Little Mary Sunshine at home, but if you want to give her a call," he checked his watch, "in about six hours, she'd be happy to explain our dating situation to you.

She likes explaining things," he added with an amused affection that made Selena wonder what sort of nice vampire girl this bad man hung with. She was obviously someone like Lawrence, who didn't believe in biting someone before knowing them very well. In Haven's case, that was probably quite wise.

"He's one of us," Selena told Siri.

"You have been with the group since nearly the beginning, Haven," Siri conceded. "That counts for
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something."

"The fact that he showed up counts for a lot," Selena said. She checked the clock again and swore under her breath.

"Bein' a virgin also makes it easier for me to kill the bastards," Haven said. He riveted his attention on Selena. "Sorry I'm late. When and where's the show?"

He was indeed late, at least a day later than she'd asked the companions to show up in Chicago. She was relieved that anyone had answered her SOS at all. Siri had arrived on time, but the sight of the Californian at her door had been more depressing than heartening for Selena. The last day and a half had been difficult on so many levels. There'd been magic involved, and favors called in, and family discussions and turmoil, as well as Selena having to make a choice between mortal ethics and supernatural danger.

Siri's only contribution so far was to describe a graphic vision she'd had on the plane of a wolf leaping through a stained-glass window, though she and Siri both thought this might be more of a memory of an old Dracula movie than a genuine view of the future.

"Have a seat, Haven, and I'll fill you in."

He sat, but before Selena could begin, Siri crossed her arms under her breasts and said nervously, "I really don't know how useful I'm going to be tonight. I've never actually hurt anyone, except for the time I hit somebody with a chair. I think I kicked him a few times, too. But it was under extraordinary circumstances, and j—"

"These are extraordinary circumstances, remember, Siri? It's okay to be scared," Selena added. "I'm scared."

"You don't look it."

Selena shrugged. "Practice. Haven's scared under the macho posing. Right, Haven?"

"Damned scared," Haven bluntly replied and gave a wicked grin. "Scared every time I go into a firefight.

Adds to the rush."

"I'm not a danger junkie!" Siri insisted.

"You hang with a vampire, don't you?" Haven asked her. "You risk getting caught every time you log on.

You showed up here."

"I don't know what I'm doing here! I thought I had a responsibility… because of what happened to Sandswimmer. Because I started the chat room, and I thought I'd be a coward if I didn't take some responsibility for what happened. But I am a coward, and — "

"Rosho's responsible for Sandy's death," Selena reminded the nervous woman. "As far as I'm concerned, you can be in this because of guilt or because you want justice for what happened to her or because you want to change the underneath world or because you're an adrenaline junkie," Selena added, with a glance to Haven. —"Why you came doesn't matter, as long as you're at my cousin's wedding reception tonight and contribute something to keeping the vampires away from her."

Selena checked the clock again. She had to change clothes in a minute. She had to get to the church.

She was suffering a huge bout of guilt for having used her own psychic abilities to help Aunt Catie
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persuade Karen that she'd only been suffering from a bad case of prewedding jitters so that Karen wouldn't cancel the wedding. And that wasn't the only thing she had to feel guilty about.

"Okay," she said to Haven, "here's what's happened. Yesterday morning there was a police raid on the house Rosho's nest lives in. The Chicago police were not looking for vampires," she added at Haven's curious look. "What they discovered was a group of homeless crack-heads that had moved into a temporarily abandoned renovation project."

Haven did not look surprised or appalled, he merely nodded his understanding. He said, "Drugs and paraphernalia were found on site. Everyone in the house was arrested, and no one has made bail yet."

This cynical acceptance of police corruption broke Selena's heart. She had called in favors, planted evidence at the scene, messed up a few minds, and everything Haven had said had come to pass, especially the part about all of Rosho's helpers still being in jail. She couldn't very well have arrested the mortal members of Rosho's nest because they were aiding and abetting vampires, but she had still arranged to get them out of the way. At least nobody had gotten killed. It wasn't the slaves' and companions' fault that they were attached to a particularly bad nest of strigoi. Maybe after Rosho and his fang gang were eliminated, the mortals would have some chance of recovery.

"Rosho's an old-fashioned boy," she went on. "No lawyer on staff to get his people out. Problem is, the mortals were there, five of them, but the vampires weren't in the building. I went through the place thoroughly. Found nothing. Rosho knows my family's aware of him. Probably expected we'd raid the place and left his mortals there to fight the witches, except it wasn't the Bailey coven that showed up but the Crawford side of the family, and we showed with guns, badges, and warrants."

"Very nice," Haven said. "But you still have the vampires to deal with." He glanced out the living room window. "What time's sunset?"

"Whatever time it is, we don't have time to find the vampires. Every white witch and strig on the light side in the state's been looking for them, and all anyone's found is big psychic black holes all over town. We haven't got the time to investigate all the places they could be hiding. They're going to have to come to us.

That's why there's going to be a wedding today, and my poor cousin's going to be bait at her own wedding reception."

"She should elope," Haven commented.

"If Rosho wants her, he'll track her wherever she goes," Siri said. "You know what strigois are like when they're stalking a new lover."

"I can guess," Haven said. "They like to play with their prey. He'll only make it worse for the girl if she runs."

"I think there's at least five, maybe eight vampires," Selena went on. "I didn't get a chance to count when they were chasing me and Sandy. What I do know is that he and some of his Euro-trash pals took over the nest Sandy lived with in Denver. Sandy killed two of the vampires who raped her. I know at least one of them was from Rosho's original gang. I'm hoping both of them were."

"Why?" Siri asked.

"Because the Denver vampires aren't involved in this voluntarily. Their nest leader was under Rosho's thumb. That was Donavan, Sandy's lover. He lost it when Sandy was killed, so he's not part of the
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equation. We need to take out Rosho and however many of his friends are left; then the Denver vampires won't be a problem."

"They'll be released from his mastery," Siri said with a nod. "Grateful for their liberation rather than enemies of the cause."

"Viva la revolution,"
Haven muttered. "Couldn't we just kill them, too? They
let
the bastards do their nest leader's companion. Why do they deserve to live?"

"Because we need all the allies we can get," Selena answered. "If we really are going to have a revolution, having vampires on our side will help."

Besides, taking out one very old vampire in the middle of the night might be more than a trio of mortal hunters could manage, and taking out a whole nest of them was going to be impossible. She didn't underestimate that she and Haven were dangerous, and that Siri might come through in a pinch, but the odds were not in their favor. What Selena did have in her favor was the knowledge that she had killed a vampire once, but, like Siri said, it had been under extraordinary circumstances. She couldn't very well repeat that performance. She could see the headlines if she did.
"Off-Duty Cop Sprays Bullets into
Crowd at Wedding Reception!" "She snapped," a bystander reported. "Shouted something about
vampires and brought out an Uzi. I think having to wear a bridesmaid's dress sent her over the
edge."