Shift of Time (A Rue Darrow Novel Book 1) (11 page)

“Does he hate vampires?”

The werewolf seemed confused for a moment, and then his expression cleared. “No, I meant, he’ll smell a woman that wasn’t his. He’s big with the ladies, and I’m…not.”

“I can’t imagine why.” I was being serious.

“Thanks. Do you—”

“No. I’m taken. Let’s get to work.”

He grumbled. “I couldn’t date a vampire anyway. You’re all too frosty.”

“I am not frosty!”

“Sorry. I guess you are nicer than the others I’ve met, but I can tell you’re still young. I bet you were sweeter before, too. That little lilt in your voice and your innocence, where are you from?”

I didn’t want to tell him. He grinned knowingly when I did and nodded. Frosty didn’t sound so unappealing right then, and I wanted to leave him standing there looking foolish. Too bad I needed him.

“Don’t worry, Rue. You’ll be manipulating the best of us soon enough. Maybe you’ll even have your own drudge or two.”

If I asked what a drudge was other than what most humans regarded it to mean, which was a person who was forced to do hard or menial work, he might make further fun of me. So, I let it go and decided I would question Bill about it another time.

We sped along the streets with me close on Nathan’s heels. He kept up the pace of what a human in good condition might run, but sometimes he forgot himself. On streets where no humans were present and he had caught a whiff of something, he sped at an impressive clip. I had no trouble keeping up, but still I found myself in awe of his coordination and agility.

In case you’re wondering, no, I wasn’t attracted to Nathan—certainly not after learning he didn’t often cook his food. That alone was cringe-worthy. Two, I had Ian, and Nathan although handsome wasn’t a substitute.

On a street with a row of camelback styled houses, we came to a stop. The scene before me appeared too normal, too quiet, but Nathan nodded up to number 3249. “That’s where the human is.”

I didn’t dispute his claim. This close, I too picked up the familiar scent. Not having honed my skills and being across the road, I couldn’t firmly distinguish between the humans in the target house and the ones surrounding it. All I could be sure of was that there were other humans there.

“Two demons,” Nathan whispered.

I looked at him, but he stared at the house. His fingernails had changed to claws, and he scraped the ground with them. We were both crouching behind a car, and I felt silly doing it, but we didn’t know who was watching. I suspected the demons might already know we were there.

“Nathan,” I called into his ear, “calm down.”

He swiveled his head toward me. “I hate demons.”

“I know you do, but you’ll rip your clothes, and there are way too many humans around for you to go showing off as an animal.”

I dug into my pocket and pulled out the remainder of his money. “Here. Thank you. You can go now.”

His eyes widened. “You can’t take them on by yourself.”

“I’m not taking anyone on. I’m just going to watch, but being here is setting you off. I need to know what they’re up to not charge in. Can I call you again if I need you?”

He grinned. “Definitely. I’m eating good tonight.”

“You do that.” I patted his back, and he ran down the block and disappeared around a corner.

Now that I had sent Nathan away, I wasn’t sure if I should have. He was a werewolf after all, and he hadn’t had any problems killing Ken where I would have struggled. No, I had done the right thing. His agitation might have caused a confrontation I wasn’t ready for. I needed more info. There were humans with the demons, and the shift of time either was in that house or had been there recently. Charging in might make it disappear, so I had to take things slowly.

I stretched and then inched from car to car to get into a better position. If I could practice isolating the scents, I might improve my skills and learn more. Who knew, I might even be able to focus enough to hear what they were all saying.

Excited about the prospects and my progress, I relaxed a little and sat on the ground to wait. Hopefully, no humans would happen along or for that matter glance out their windows to see a strange woman sitting on the ground. I prided myself on not appearing suspicious because of my slight build, unless of course the person was on the front end of my gaze.

Pressure started in my ears, and I wiggled a finger inside each. What the heck was that? Dizziness followed and a weight at first pressing down on my shoulders and then pulling me backward. I was too startled to resist. Then white hot pain—all over my body. I was about to die.

S
unlight
, bright and burning came from every direction. I screamed in pain, and all I could think was to find cover. The disgusting scent of burning flesh clogged my nose, and the horror of knowing it was my own made it a million times worse. How? When? Never mind that, I needed to get to shelter.

I hurtled up the nearest stairs and crashed against the door. Too late, I recalled I couldn’t enter a human’s dwelling without an invitation. This was the perfect situation for my enemy. I was in deep trouble. In moments, I might burst into full body flames, and that would be the end of it.

Desperate, I tried another and another door, probably moving faster than the humans could see, but I was losing steam. Barrier after barrier rose up against me. I screamed in pain, but I pushed on. Somewhere, there must be help.

Then a door I put my shoulder too smashed inward, an empty house. Someone screamed on the street behind me, but I didn’t stay still to find out if was me on fire that they were upset over. The vestibule and front hall of the house was still too flooded with light, and I hurtled at top speed deeper into the recesses.

When I reached the back where the kitchen lay, that too held too much light. The pain had eased being inside, but I still hurt. My skin singed, my clothes holey from my body setting them on fire, I was sure I looked a fright.

A closet, I thought and searched for one out of the line of fire. On the second floor, in one of the bedrooms, I found a good spot and shut myself in. There was no clothing to block out the cracks, so I just positioned myself between them, aching but at least not burning. I crouched against the back wall and curled as tight as I could get.

My forehead bumped my knees as if someone had flipped a switch on my exhaustion. The last time I recalled I had at least four hours before sunrise, and I shouldn’t be tired. Now it was morning, and staying awake appeared to be impossible. A small rest, I decided, until night. Of course, should someone see the front door broken in… I fumbled for my cell phone. Too late. The sleep of the dead claimed me.

A
beating heart
. Steps on the stairs. My fangs descended before I woke, but I didn’t move. The sun hadn’t gone down. With my mind confused and my body hurting, I couldn’t figure out what time it might be. All I knew was someone with blood pumping through their veins was heading toward me.

The person stepped with caution, making almost no noise. Another followed behind, someone with less stealth but still careful. I clamped my teeth together, staring at the door, willing them closer but dreading the pain from the light.

A rattle from the knob, and I cowered farther into the corner. “Close those blinds,” a woman ordered.

Another woman answered. “Why?”

“Just do it, okay?”

The light around the cracks dulled, and then the door opened. Hunger drove me to risk my life, and I launched toward the young woman with dark hair swept back into a hair tie and wearing a policeman’s uniform. She held a gun in her left hand. With the right, she caught me around the neck and stopped me cold. Just like that.

My eyes widened, but then I scrunched them because it hurt. I hissed at her, but she appeared unfazed.

“What’s in there, Violet?”

“Come here and see,” Violet called to the woman, and the woman crept closer. I leaped for her, but was clotheslined. The woman gave a small cry and shook from head to toe, eyes wide. She mumbled, her words indistinguishable.

“Tell her to sleep,” the first officer commanded.

I hissed and struggled against her hold. The burning and the time of day had sapped me of energy.

Violet placed the barrel of the gun against my forehead. “Tell her to sleep, or you’re not leaving here undead.”

I looked at the other officer who hadn’t stirred, although I guessed she wished she were anywhere but there with me. Her limbs refused to support her weight.

“Sleep.” My voice was unrecognizable. Where it was usually soft and feminine, even a bit high, now it came out rough and deep. I was in a bad place.

The young woman slumped to the side, but Violet caught her before she hit her head. She eased her hold on me, and I leaped at the sleeping woman. Another grip on my neck stopped me, and I moaned.

“Easy. I’ll let you drink enough to recover. That’s all. You better be careful because she’s my partner and my friend.”

I managed to nod.

At last I was able to feed, and I felt my wounds begin to heal. The pain eased if not the dreariness. My eyelids grew heavy.

“Hey, vampire, wake up! Do you hear me?
Wake up.
”

“So tired.”

“I don’t care. Help her.”

I slitted my eyes. My head lay on my knees again although I didn’t remember putting it down. Somehow I managed to see the two women. Violet no longer held me back. She had wrapped an arm about the other officer.

“You’re going to wake her up and make her forget this ever happened.”

“Stop giving me orders.”

“I’m here to help
you
. I don’t have to, but I’m doing it for Nathan.”

“Nathan?” I wanted to ask what he had to do with anything, but I was too tired. “I could kill you both.”

This wasn’t true. Now that I had fed and started to heal, I was back in my right head and had no wish to commit murder, certainly not the police.

She scoffed at me. “You haven’t figured out I’m a werewolf yet? A werewolf with a gun, so do what I tell you, and you might get out of here without being burned.”

She was a tough cookie. I’d give her that, but she had to be to be a cop. I glamoured the young woman, thankfully not making a fool of myself by botching it. Violet removed her partner from the room, and I slipped into the blackness and rest.

I
woke
in my apartment and leaped to my feet. Georgia sat at the table, and I ate up the space between us to drag her off her feet. “Why are you here? What are you doing?”

She smiled at me and patted my hands, which gripped the front of her dress. Looking down, I saw that I held her dangling, her toes just able to touch the floor.

“Calm down, Rue. You’re okay now. No one’s going to hurt you.” Her grin grew bigger. “Not with me around.”

I frowned at her, but I did let her down slowly. “You can’t protect me, Georgia.”

A quick scan of the room showed the backpack at the foot of the bed. I rushed for it and snatched it up to sit on the bed.

“Boy, you sure have a lot of energy today.” She giggled. “Bet you’re hungry.”

I pretended she hadn’t spoken, but with the words, she reminded me I needed to hunt. That policewoman hadn’t been enough, and I had no idea how much time had passed between now and when I crouched in the closet. Hopefully, it wasn’t more than a few hours.

The zipper on the backpack snagged, and I forced myself to calm so as not to rip it off the teeth. When I got the bag open and spotted the pouch, relief flooded me. Just to make sure, I felt for the box inside but drew my fingers away once I had verified its presence.

“Who brought me here, Georgia?”

She clapped her hands together. “That nice police woman.”

“And she let you in?” I supposed Violet the werewolf didn’t care one way or another about me after she had done her part.

“I told her I’m your friend and that I would look after you.”

“She believed that?”

Georgia pouted. “I’m trustworthy.”

I eyed her. “You probably lifted my eyelids and tried to stare into them, hoping I’d glamour you without knowing it.”

Georgia reddened, letting me know I was right, but I was just teasing her. Was there counseling for this sort of thing? Probably not.

“She said to keep the door shut and don’t open the blinds, but your blinds don’t open. She wouldn’t know that. I do of course because I’ve been here a million times. That police woman doesn’t know that I know you’re a vampire.”

“Georgia, you’re rambling again.”

She tapped a finger against her chin, eyes unfocused. “Do you think she knows you’re a vampire? She had you covered up when she carried you in. Come to think of it, she must be strong! You’re tiny, but still…”

“Georgia!”

“All right, Rue.” She sidled over to me and hugged my arm. “Are you sure you don’t want me to offer my blood?”

“Positive. I have some work to take care of, so please. I need to be alone.”

She sighed, her shoulders slumping, but almost immediately she perked up again. “I saw you at the restaurant yesterday. You should have called for me. I couldn’t do it unless a customer requests the chef.”

“Don’t you think the head person would be offended if it was you a customer called?”

“Maybe, but some of the others specialize in desserts, so it’s not unheard of.”

“Do you have a specialty?”

“No, I just stir pots and bring ingredients right now.”

This woman frustrated me. “I’ll visit when your shift is ending, and we can get a drink together to talk. How’s that?”

Georgia agreed and floated to the door. She fired off her schedule for the next week as if I was going take it all in and retain it. I let her go on as I shuffled her out. Georgia clomped down the stairs to street level, and I started to turn away to go back inside but froze at the figure across the street. He stood between two buildings, watching my apartment.

I sniffed and looked down toward Georgia. At the bottom of the stairs, she turned to wave and then jaunted off in her high energy way. Only when Georgia was out of sight did my visitor cross the road and start up the stairs. I stepped back to let him pass me into the apartment.

“Rue, I’m glad you’re okay,” Nathan said. He stopped just inside the door and scanned my apartment. “Hm, this isn’t bad. What’s the rent like here?”

“Never mind. As far as I know there’s only two units, and you don’t want Almonester as your landlord.”

He frowned.

“I don’t have much, but I have wine. You can have some if you want.” I started for the kitchen, but when he turned me down, I chose my desk instead and sat down. He chose the armchair and flopped into it, leaning back and stretching out unreasonably long legs. Nathan dwarfed my entire apartment, making it smaller than it already was. The thought of his being interested in it was laughable, unless he was just being polite.

“On second thought, maybe I will have wine,” he said and stood. “No, stay there. I’ll get it.”

“Are we friends now?” I snarked.

He searched through the cabinets and found a glass then poured himself a healthy glass of wine. “Sure. I saved your life. Next time, a beer would be great.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. You sent that policewoman. How did you know where to find me?”

“I never left.” He downed the entire glass of wine in one gulp and then poured more.

Note to self—buy more wine…and beer.

“I moved off intending to buy the biggest steak New Orleans has to offer, but then I started feeling guilty. What if those guys killed you? Then no more jobs for me.”

“And here I thought you liked me for me.”

He grinned. “I like you fine. I like food more.”

“Werewolves.”

“Anyway, I was worried, so I doubled back, just far enough that I might not be detected. Demon noses aren’t what ours are. The fire and brimstone probably burned off the receptors.”

I had no idea what he was talking about, but the grin on his face made me suspect he was joking.

“They can sense nonhumans and humans nearby, but within a certain range. I’m not sure what that range is. There’s also the theory that they can still communicate with their counterparts in the other realm who freely move outside our vision. No one’s sure of that, and the demons aren’t about to give away their secrets.”

“There’s so much to know. So, what did you see because I think I had some kind of blackout. If I did, that worries me.”

He nodded and poured another glass of wine. At last he relinquished the bottle to the counter and returned to the armchair. “You sat on the ground next to a car. I watched you for a bit, and you looked safe, just waiting like you said.”

“What about the house? Did anyone come out?”

“No. Not at first.”

“What do you mean?”

He scratched the back of his head. “Like I told you, I watched you, and you’re not going to believe this.”

“Try me.” I went still as I was prone to do. Nathan stared at me as if he expected me to do something. After some minutes, I realized he waited for me to blink, so I did, and he let out a heavy breath. What was the darn fascination everyone had with my kind?

“You disappeared.”

“You mean I ran off?”

“No, it seemed like you just disappeared, right before my eyes.”

“Don’t get fanciful, Nathan. I move fast. I’m told human eyes see a blur when I’m at my top speed. With time, the movements aren’t visible at all, and there’s even a technique for suppressing my presence while I’m standing still that will cause the onlooker to miss seeing me.”

“One, I’m not human. Two, did you use any of these techniques?”

“I might have before I blacked out. Bill says I could learn at any time.”

“Bill?”

“Never mind him. What happened next?”

“Well, you disappeared, and I thought maybe you’d run into the house to confront the enemy. I started to go after you, but the door opened, and they started coming out.”

“They?”

“The demons.”

“Which meant you became angrier. Did you change?”

“No,” he grumbled, indignant. “All right, I was close. I hate them.”

“You might have mentioned that.”

He grunted. “Well, I didn’t get to do anything, because the next thing I know someone was behind me, and he thumped me over the head. Rue, it takes a lot to knock me out. Thick head and all, but pretty much any nonhuman could do it, if they have the strength, but no one can sneak up on me.
Ever.
”

I was sensing hurt pride. “I’m sorry, Nathan.”

He appeared doubtful. “Anyway, I came to a short while later. I’m guessing not more than five minutes. By then, the house was empty, and you were gone. A woman leaned out her window and was yelling at me to go away before she called the cops. She said the neighborhood was going to the dogs when drunkards wandered around all night.”