Dark Side of the Moon (4 page)

There was a perky blond teenager standing behind a counter where the girl was tucking papers into file folders. “Hi,” she said, glancing up at Susan. “Can I help you?”

“Cats. I'm here looking for cats.”

The girl gave her an odd look. Not that Susan blamed her. There couldn't have been less enthusiasm in her voice if she'd tried. For that matter, she might even have been curling her lip as she said it. She wasn't quite sure. It was hard to hide as much distaste as she had for the creepy four-legged creatures who'd made her miserable as a child.

The girl pointed to the left. “They're over there.”

“Thanks.” Susan headed toward the light blue door that was marked ironically enough with the word
Cats.

She pushed it open and had to fight the urge to run back to her car as her sinuses immediately clogged. And this after she'd taken Benadryl half an hour ago in expectation of such misery.

“Good grief,” she said, pulling a Kleenex from her purse while she pretended to peruse the evil allergy beasties. Her eyes were even starting to swell, she could feel it.

She sneezed loudly, then dabbed at her nose. “Where are you, Angie?” she asked in a low whisper from between her clenched teeth.

She was just about to abandon the thought of sticking this out when she caught sight of the strangest cat she'd ever seen. Long and lean, it looked as if someone had shrunk a leopard into the size of a house cat. But more than the beauty of its small body was the blackness of its eyes. She'd never seen a cat with black eyes before.

And it looked really angry.

She cocked her head to study it. There was something about the cat that seemed highly intelligent. “Hey, Puss in Boots, you unhappy here?” She sneezed again. Cursing and wiping her nose, she sniffed as her eyes started tearing. “I can't blame you. I'd rather be hit in the head with a tack hammer than stay here.”

“Hi there. Can I interest you in a cat?”

She jerked around at Angie's voice. Short with black hair and brown eyes, Angie looked about nervously and by that she could tell Angie didn't want anyone to know they were friends. Catching the cue, Susan looked back at the cat and could have sworn it had one eyebrow raised as it waited for her response. Yeah, the Benadryl was working on something besides her sinuses. “Sure.”

“Let me show you to a room where you can play with him for a few minutes.” It was obvious Angie had been practicing that speech for a while.

Good thing Angie was a vet and not an undercover agent—she'd be shot in a heartbeat. But Susan didn't say anything more as Angie gently took the miniature leopard out of the cage and put it in a cat cage before she led her toward another blue door that opened into a small petting room.

Pausing outside the door, Angie handed her the cage and gave her an artificial smile. “Take your time. You really want to make sure you know the cat before you take him home.”

“Will do,” Susan said in the same stilted tone. She took the box, holding it as far away from her body as she could, and entered the windowless room, which she thought was empty until the door closed and she saw Angie's husband standing behind it. A detective, he'd been a friend of hers for years, too.

“Hi, Jimmy.”

He put his finger to his lips. “Keep your voice down. Someone could be outside. Listening. Why do you think I had Angie tell you to meet me here? I can't afford anyone to see me meeting with a reporter after what happened last night.”

Ooo, he'd gone seriously paranoid.

“Someone like who?” she whispered. “What happened last night?”

He didn't respond. Instead, he took the cage from her outstretched hand and set it right beside the door before he pulled her to the farthest corner, where a small bench rested. “You don't know what I've seen, Sue,” he whispered. “What they're capable of. My life, your life … all of us. It means nothing to them. Nothing.”

Her heart picked up its pace at his fearful muttering and the panic she saw in his light blue eyes. “Who are
they?
”

“There's a major cover-up going on and I have no idea just how high up the food chain it goes, but it does go up.”

Susan leaned forward eagerly. Exposing high-level cover-ups had once been her specialty. “Major cover-up for what?”

“Remember those missing kids I told you about? The college students and runaways that we've been getting reports on? I've found a couple of them. Dead. Now I've been pulled from the cases and told that they're being handled by a special task force that doesn't exist. That I shouldn't worry about them.”

A chill went down her spine at those words. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I am,” he said angrily. “I found evidence … and when I went to report it, I was told that it would be in my best interest not to do any more investigating. So I did a little more of it with my partner Greg and now he's missing, too, and…” He swallowed hard. “They're after
me
now.”

“Who?”

“You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I don't even believe it and I know the truth.” His eyes were round in fear. “I'm taking Angie tonight and we're leaving town.”

“Where are you going?”

“Anywhere but here. Anywhere there's no people in league with the devil.”

Susan went cold at his words as a wave of suspicion went through her. “And who's the devil?”

“I told you, you wouldn't believe it. I don't and I saw it. Do you understand? They're out there and they're coming for all of us.”

“Jimmy—”

“Sh. Don't lecture me on this. Get out of this town, Sue, while you can. There are things here that aren't human. Things here that shouldn't be alive, and we're the food for them.”

She pulled back with a grimace at his bizarre turnabout. “What the hell is this? A bad joke?”

“No,” he snarled, his nostrils flaring. “You can be stupid if you want, but this isn't a game. I thought it would be safe to talk to you here in this shelter of all places. And then I find out that one of them is working with Angie. Working
here.
Right here in this clinic. He could be listening in on us right now and reporting back to the others that I'm on to them. None of us are safe.”

“Who's here?”

He swallowed hard. “The other vet. Dr. Tselios. He's one of
them.
”

“Them who?”

“The
vampires.
”

Susan ground her teeth as she fought the urge to roll her eyes. It was a battle she was amazed she won. Surely, Angie and Jimmy wouldn't be so cruel as to play this game with her. Not when they knew how much she loathed her job at the
Inquisitor.
“Jim—”

“Don't you think I know how crazy I sound?” he hissed, cutting her off. “I was just like you, Sue. I thought it was all bullshit, too. There's no such thing as vampires, right? We're the top of the food chain. But that isn't true. They're out there and they're hungry. If you know what's good for you, you'll get the hell out of here. Please write it up to let other people know before they kill them, too.”

Now that was just what her bloody reputation needed. More wounds.
Thanks, Jim.

Jimmy's eyes narrowed on her as if he knew what she was thinking. “It's your ass now, Sue. I did my best to save it. You can do what you want, but I'm out of here.”

Before she could say anything more, he left her standing alone in the room … and returned the cat cage to the floor by her feet.

Susan sneezed.

As she dabbed at her nose, the door opened to show her Angie, who stared at her with a frown. She entered the room and shut the door behind her. “What did you say to Jimmy?”

“Nothing really. Why?”

“He wants me to leave with him right now.”

Susan sighed at the fear in her friend's voice. “Did he tell you what was going on?”

She shook her head. “Not exactly. He said too many people were missing and dying and that he's terrified that the ones responsible will come after him next. He wants us to head out for his parents' house in Oregon.”

“Did he also tell you about the vampires?”

“The what?” By Angie's face, Susan could tell that Jimmy hadn't shared that bit of information with his wife.

“Yeah. According to him, the vampires are out to kill all of us off. No offense, Ang. I think Jimmy needs some help. Has he been doing a lot of overtime?”

Anger flared deep in Angie's eyes. “Jimmy's not crazy, Sue. Not by a long shot.”

Maybe, but she didn't want to argue with her friend. “Yeah, well, thanks for the hot news tip.”

As she started for the door, Angie stopped her. “Here. Take the cat with you.”

She gaped. “Excuse me?”

“Please. For whatever reason, Jimmy is terrified. Take the cat to keep up appearances and I'll come by and pick him up after work.”

Sue cringed at the thought, but she would do anything for her best friend. “All right, but you owe me.
Big
-time.”

“I know.”

Growling low in her throat, Susan picked up the box and followed Angie to the counter out front.

Angie handed her some papers while she wrote out a check for the adoption fees. “Now don't forget to spend time with him until he gets used to you.” She was back to being stilted and odd again.

“No problem.”

“Hope you enjoy your new pet,” the receptionist called.

Yeah, when pigs fly.
“Thanks,” Susan said with a smile so fake, it would make a politician proud.

Sneezing again, she headed for her car and set the cage in the backseat. “Thanks a lot, Puss in Boots,” she said as she eyed him with malice. “I hope you seriously appreciate the misery I'm enduring for you.”

*   *   *

Angie watched as Susan pulled out of the parking lot and headed south toward her house. Releasing a relieved breath, she turned to see Jimmy motioning for her on the other side of the door that led to the employees-only area of the shelter.

One minute,
she mouthed to him.

She was just about to grab her coat from behind the counter when she saw Theo heading straight for her. His handsome face was paler than normal as he slammed the door shut from the cat room. Two seconds later, his assistant, Darrin, came out of the cat room just behind him.

Theo's dark brown eyes were flaming angry. “Where is he?” Theo demanded as he stopped in front of her.

Angie was baffled by his anger and accusing tone. “Who?”

“The cat.” He spat those words at her as if they were evil. “The one that was brought in early this morning. Where the hell is he?”

“Is that the one that was just adopted?”

Angie cringed as the receptionist spoke. “Is there a problem with him?”

Theo and Darrin exchanged a hostile glare. “Yes. He's feral.”

“Oh.” Angie started to say she'd go get the cat back when she saw Jimmy making odd gestures at her through the door. It looked like he was telling her to run toward him. She frowned at her husband.

Theo turned to see what she was looking at. Jimmy dropped his hands and tried to look nonchalant.

Something dark descended over Theo's face as it turned to stone. “Darrin?”

“Sir?”

“Lock the door and shut the blinds.”

CHAPTER THREE

Ravyn wasn't sure if he should be happy or not by his rescue. One thing was certain, he'd be a whole hell of a lot more grateful had his rescuer not put him in direct sunlight on her backseat. The painful rays forced him to cower in a corner, and cowering wasn't something he relished.

He sniffed the air. Damn. Was that his fur getting singed? Of course it was … what would make him think for one minute that it wasn't him getting burned?

Nothing was worse than to have burning hair and a heightened sense of smell. Well, maybe there was something worse—burning flesh and turning into a pile of flaming ash, which was exactly what he'd be doing if he were in human form.

Okay, on second thought, this was better, but even though he could tolerate the sun as a cat, it still hurt like a mother. He might not burst into flames like this, but if they didn't get him out of here soon, he would be blistered pretty badly.

“What's that smell?”

He ground his teeth at Susan's question.
It's me, genius.
He would project that thought out to her if it weren't for the fact that it would shock him and he'd been shocked enough for one day. Ravyn hissed as sunlight cut across his footpad and blistered it. He jerked his paw and tucked it up under him.

His head was throbbing and honestly, he didn't know how much longer he could maintain his form or hold back his magick. Time was running out for him.

“Is that you, Puss in Boots?”

Ravyn glared at her as she stopped for a red light. Irritation at her aside, she was rather cute in a very girl-next-door kind of way. Not a knockout by any means, but wholesomely pretty. With dark blond hair and bright blue eyes, she looked like she should be on a farm somewhere, tending a dozen or so kids. There was something about her that reminded him of a no-nonsense Mennonite woman. She wasn't wearing any makeup and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. If it were down, it'd probably fall just below her shoulders—the same length as his.

She rolled down the car windows. “Gah, what did you eat, Puss in Boots? I'm thinking I shouldn't have taken that Benadryl. A stopped-up nose would definitely improve this aromatic nightmare. Someone shoot me.”

Oh, to have the ability to speak as a human right about now.… Get me out of the sunlight, lady, and we'll both be a hell of a lot happier.

Ravyn tried to swallow only to learn that he couldn't because the collar was suddenly constricting his throat. His body was starting to grow again even with the ionic inhibitors of the collar that were keeping him in small-cat form. Since it wasn't his natural form and it was daylight, his body wanted to return to being human, and before much longer he would switch back whether he wanted to or not.