It shouldnt. Its to do with this.
She took the piece of glass when he offered it, and again, it slipped out of her grip and affixed to the front of her shirt.
Hell, he muttered. This mission was supposed to be find and seize. Theres no way He beat the steering wheel with a fist.
His anger had come on so suddenly and felt palpable to Kizzy. The thought to flee resurfaced. But it was already dark outside. Not as easy to spy a raven-winged bird man flying overhead.
I dont get it. She tore away the square piece from her chest, which looked innocuous enough. Maybe it wasnt glass? It wasnt clear but was smooth and had a good weight to it like some kind of stone. What is this thing?
Its a tracking device. Sometimes the items Im sent to retrieve are in an unknown location. Acquisitions had a tracker bespelled, and, apparently, it led me straight to the item.
Acquisitions?
He nodded. Thats the name of the organization I work for.
Generically nonspecific. And you are a Retriever. Thats kind of cool. You get more points for the Indiana Jones vibe youre putting off. And you had me right up until you said bespelled.
Right. He snatched the tracking device from her and opened the truck door. The item Im looking for is the Purgatory Heart. And he stepped out and leaned his head in apparently its inside you.
Door closing behind him, he turned and shoved the gas nozzle into the tank at the back of the truck.
Kizzy sat frozen, her jaws agape as she watched him stride inside the station. Long sure strides. Peripherally aware as he glanced side to side. His hands flexed at his sides, where she noted a holster strapped to one thigh, but she couldnt determine what was in it. He was some kind of Indiana Jones Wild West gunslinger. No one would mess with that man. He knew how to take down harpies.
Purgatory heart? What the...? Hes not making sense. That tracking device landed on me. Right over my heart.
And if she gave it any amount of thought, putting the words retriever and find and seize together...
Oh, hell, no. No one is seizing my heart. I think weve shared enough adventure for one day, Mr. Jones.
Checking through the gas station windows, she couldnt see his tall, dark-haired figure. Must have wandered toward the back of the store.
Grabbing her camera bag, Kizzy slid out of the truck, and, with careful glances toward the red-brick-walled stations front doors, she ran around beside the building and down an alley hedged on both sides by glossy-leaved forsythia that had long ago shed its bright yellow flowers.
She wasnt afraid of walking through the town so late. It wasnt people she had to worry about. She had to hope there had only been five harpies. Of which, Bron had slain them all. She was no longer in the mood to take pictures of vicious flying bird men.
A stretch of garage bays where the gas station mechanics worked on vehicles grew up behind the hedges to her right. The sounds of tools clanking and a hydraulic lift disguised her stumble over a mess of tangled plastic shopping bags and weeds.
Her rental was at the city center. It was a small town, population around eight thousand. When shed resided here before the accident, shed lived in a quaint neighborhood, but a handful of blocks walk from her elementary and middle schools; it had been her home since birth. Small town. Small, safe upbringing.
Wildly expansive imagination.
Oh, yeah, she had always been the weird girl.
Striding quickly, she guessed it was a couple miles walk to her rental apartment. She dodged left and let out a yelp when a growl alerted her to a dark, man-shaped shadow looming beneath a willow tree.
Bron?
Sorry, sweetie, your dog of a boyfriend isnt here to save you.
My dog...? She didnt understand that. Bron was actually very handsome.
A man stepped from the shadows. Thin, blond and clad in enough black to give a goth a run for his money. Goths had never been big in Thief River Falls. But they did have a few token outliers that represented all sorts. He grinned at her, revealing fangs that jutted downward from his upper row of teeth.
Seriously? Kizzy knew to her bones those were not the fake dental acrylic fangs some goths sported. She clutched her camera bag, then thought better of taking advantage of a photographic moment at a time like this. Vampires exist, too?
Surprise, he offered with a splay of hands and no humor whatsoever. You want a bite?
Uh... Did she?
Was she considering the offer? No, she was not. Hed taken her by surprise and... It was just so cool to learn about yet another paranormal creature.
And then her brain did the right thing and switched to survival mode. Thanks, but no thanks.
She took a few cautious steps backward and gripped the gold cross on the chain around her neck. She wasnt deeply religious, but when faced with a vampireoh, yeah, she believed.
Not going to help, the vampire said and laughed. Not baptized, bitch!
She didnt know what that meantthe man lunged for her and managed to grip her wrist. Kizzy shrieked. She was three blocks away from the gas station and didnt think Bron would hear her over the sounds echoing out from the garage. For all those times she had mused over whether or not carrying a wooden stake would be a wise decision, she now regretted not going with her instincts.
The vampire was strong. Even as she struggled and planted her feet, he managed to drag her under the long, spindly branches of the willow tree. It was darker under there, and they werent in a residential area. Most businesses had closed for the evening. Would anyone hear her scream?
He twisted her wrist, yanking her closer. Kizzy went for the scream again.
Quiet! Just a quick bite, and then Ill take that heart of yours.
My heart? H-how do you know about that?
Followed the vibes, baby. He grinned a bloody smile. One of his fangs must have cut into his lower lip.
Vibes? What was he talking about? He sounded more like a stoned sixties hippie than a bloodthirsty creature of the night.
This was not happening.
But, yes, it was. And if she wanted to escape unbittenand, apparently, with her heart intactKizzy needed to get smart. Fast.
She grabbed at the willow branches with her free hand. The long, slender branches were remarkably strong. Pulling up with that hand, and using the elastic-like give of the branches for propulsion, she was able to kick up toward the vampire and landed him on the chest. He released her with a gruntbut then a vicious growl preceded his lunge for her. Arms opening to clutch, he wasnt able to grab her again because something slammed him against the tree trunk.
Someone, that was.
Bron. She gasped and stumbled backward, then answered the call of the adrenaline rush and fell to her knees, clutching her chest and, in the process, her camera bag.
Beneath the concealing umbrella of the willows slender fall of branches, the vampire howled. Bron stepped back, a wooden stake clutched in hand. He replaced the stake in the holster strapped to his thigh.
Crap, Kizzy muttered in awe.
She crawled to the side to get a better view. The creature who had threatened her diffused into a cloud of ash, which then settled in a heavy heap before Brons feet.
Ohmygosh. She leaned forward, clutching her stomach. She could get sick, but she hadnt eaten since breakfast, and just... Ohmygosh.
Ohmygosh. She leaned forward, clutching her stomach. She could get sick, but she hadnt eaten since breakfast, and just... Ohmygosh.
Come with me, Bron said as he strolled past her. Unless you want to take your chances on your own again?
Against bloodthirsty vampires? She shook her head and forced herself up to her feet. Im right behind you. Could you walk a little slower? On second thought, Id like to be beside you just in case something comes for me from behind.
He thrust back his hand, and she grasped it. It was a sure, warm clutch. Making a fast pace toward the gas station, she couldnt for the life of her figure why shed so stupidly fled from him in the first place. With her hand in his, everything felt right. Like he would protect her.
Until he tried to seize her heart.
Wait. Kizzy tugged him to a stop in the middle of the hedge-lined alleyway. Are you going to protect me?
He bowed his head and propped his hands at his hips, looking up at her with a rueful sort of admonishing stare. Shed had enough of dominant males who liked to tell a woman what to do. And her relationship with Keith had ended horribly. And left her scarred. So she wasnt about to give this guy the benefit of his alpha take-charge attitude.
Answer me!
I dont know. He splayed out his hands. I honestly dont know what the hell is going on right now. I will protect you from whatever comes after you, but
But what about when you come after me? You said you were here to retrieve my heart. Thats just...so not cool. Her fingers shook, and she shivered as if the wicked Minnesota winter had suddenly swept in on an icy wind. I dont know whats going on. Youre freaking me out. Creatures are coming after me. I cant trust you, but I think I need to because Im not prepared to stake vampires or dodge harpies. But you apparently are.
He exhaled and took a step toward her. Just when she thought he might embrace her, he stopped, his hands extending before her as if to warn himself away from such intimate contact. Wise move. She didnt need the physical empathy. She needed real answers. Right now.
As long as the tracker is homed on to you, it will send out vibrations to any creature nearby and alert them to you. And, as I understand it, they will know about your heart.
Vibrations? The vampire said something about the vibes leading him to me.
Bron scrubbed a hand over the back of his head. I suspect the harpies were lured by the same vibrations. Its to do with universal vibrations. No time to explain it. Right now Ive got to get you to a safe place. Away from...here.
Kizzy planted her feet and gripped the camera-bag straps at her chest. How am I going to protect myself from you?
I wont harm you. Promise.
I dont know if your word is good.
No, you dont. Youve a choice, Kisanthra.
Please, its Kizzy. She shook now, nerves making her wish she wore a jacket to stave off the shivers. And it was a warm September evening!
Youve got two choices, and youd better be quick about your decision. He held out his hand for her to grasp. Come with me. Or take your chances with the four vampires heading our way right now.
She twisted at the hip to look over her shoulder. Down the alleyway the silhouettes of four men raced toward her. Mercy. Shed always been a fan of Buffy and Spike. (Nope, not an Angel girl.) None of the creeps barreling toward her looked like the sexy British vampire who had stolen the slayers heart.
Yikes. One of those things wanted to rip out her heart? Kizzy turned and slapped her hand into Brons. Lets get out of here.
Chapter 4
Im sorry, Bron offered as he headed down the highway away from the vampires, who could run fast but not faster than the seventy miles per hour he currently drove. He was surprised to find so many vamps in a town of this size. On the other hand, they could be a tribe. I havent had the opportunity to handle this correctly.
This? Kizzy asked with as much disbelief as he would expect after everything shed experienced in the past few crazy hours. What is this exactly? Show me that tracker thing again.
He dug the tracker from his pocket, and before he could hand it to her, it flew from his grip and landed on her chest.
Seriously? This is getting ridiculous. She peeled it off and studied it. Whats it made of?
Crystal.
And you said it was bespelled? Does that mean a witch did something to it?
Yes, he answered, because he wasnt good at lying. And some humans could handle the truth. And he trusted those who could. But that didnt mean he was going to spill every explicit detail. Need to know. And she didnt need to know much.
And this thing is supposed to lead you to the Purgatory Heart, she said, working it out as she turned the tracker over in her hands. And since its landed over my chest, I assume that means its my heart?
The spells from the Crafts and Hexes department have never led me wrong before.
Crafts and Hexes? What is this place you work for?
He navigated the truck around a tight country curve. His jaw remained as tight as the curve.
All right, no answer for that one, she said. Will you at least tell me whats a Purgatory Heart?
Can I explain when we stop?
When are we going to stop? Where are you taking me? She scanned the darkness that swept by the vehicle. The ditches had been freshly mowed, and the scent of grass carried in over the gasoline fumes and her distractingly alluring perfume. I need some answers, and I think youve got time now. The vampires are no longer on our tails. So spill.
He noticed her holding the tracker with one hand and positioning her camera to snap a shot.
Do you have to take a picture of everything?
Yes. Its my job. I have a blog that yields millions of hits a year, and I publish pictures of
Vampires?
No. Yes. Well. My pictures capture the idea of the paranormal.
He shot her a raised brow.
They are convincing, but Ive never actually met a real vampire. Until tonight. Do you know how Ive longed to capture the paranormal on film? I think I got the harpies, but I didnt have a chance to get the vampire. Vampires! She chuckled. I actually just said that. What a crazy night. I think I need vodka. Theres a dive bar in the next town. We should stop there.
It would be wise if you could retain all of your senses. At least until I can be assured no one else is after you.
Spoilsport. Just as well. Im a teetotaler. My drinking is like my photographyits more of an idea than the real thing. She tapped the crystal with a fingernail, and it produced a crisp ting. You said this tracker thing sends out vibrations?
Yes. Ive been told it somehow communicates with the itemthat being the Purgatory Heartand sends out vibrations. Or maybe its the heart that sends the vibrations. Not positive on that one. Unfortunately, any paranormal within range of those otherworldly vibrations will also feel them. If theyve an interest in obtaining the heart, or even notthey may simply be curiousit will bring them round.