Duh! Theres like a thirty-minute wait time. Edden, is there a vamp war going on? They mentioned something about free vampires. Suddenly itchy, I turned to the door, wanting to leave.
If there is, it involves all of them. Eddens voice went distant for a moment, then came back stronger. My God, its a mess. The I.S. is completely down. Looks like one of your misfire waves came through again. Hold on.
Its not my wave, I muttered, one arm across my middle as Trent finally got the woman to get up off the floor and into a chair facing away from the blood and violence. Edden, I started when I heard the phone picked back up.
Do you have the situation contained? he asked, and my eyes met Trents. He probably didnt want to be seen here with a corpse on the floor.
Unless their friends show up. Yes.
Okay. Good. Im sending someone right now. Theres a fire a few blocks from you, so it wont be but five minutes. Just sit tight. Can you do that?
I looked at the woman sobbing quietly to herself. It was more gentle, broken almost, but I remembered her fear and her outright decisive lethal action. Forty years of carefully built coexistence gone in five terrifying minutes. We were that close to losing it all.
Ill be here, I said softy. We could really use an ambulance while youre at it. Someone was burned very badly at the fire. And thanks.
Muttering something, he hung up. Not closing the phone, I called Davids number, but there was no answer and I didnt leave a message. Trent was standing behind the bar, pouring vodka into a single glass when I texted Ivy that I ran into some difficulty but was okay and would be home a little later than planned. No need to tell her that vampires were behaving badly. She probably already knew that. I hoped Nina was okay. The safe houses would be busy tonight.
You ever hear of free vampires? I said as I went to the bar to sit and wait. Head shaking no, Trent set the vodka beside the woman and returned to stand beside me and lean against the bar, his entire body stiff with tension. That was fun, I said sarcastically, then noticed a darker anger in him, one deeper than the mess before us would warrant. You okay?
I called to tell Quen that I was all right, and he informed me Ellasbeth is refusing to bring the girls home.
Lips parting, I reached out. What? She cant do that! Ray isnt even hers!
My eyes darted to the dead vampire, unsure if that sigh had been caused by a muscle release or voluntary.
Ellasbeth says that with the misfires impacting Cincinnati she has every right not to bring them into a dangerous situation, he said. That the estate is outside of the area doesnt seem to matter.
Worried, I gave his arm a squeeze. Im sorry. You know youll get them back. She cant do this.
His expression eased as his attention came back to me, and I suddenly realized we were inches apart. Yes, I will, he said softly. How are you? Still shaky?
Feeling the warmth between us, I looked at my skinned elbow. Fine. Eddens sending someone. You can go if you want. Well be okay. Unless the bartender had another gun stashed somewhere.
He glanced over at the bar, gaze settling on the rifle with his prints on it. Ill wait. Besides, this is the most excitement Ive had in three months. His smile went right through me, warming me from the inside. Im glad we did this, he said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
The date, right? I said, trying to lighten the mood. Not the . . . this?
Eyebrows high, he brushed me as he leaned over the bar for a bottled water. Tingles raced up my arm, and I didnt move. I can honestly say that a date is nothing like working with you, he said as he cracked the top of it and handed it to me.
I took it, taking the first swig before handing it back. I was curious to see if hed drink from it as well. My skin was still tingling, and my heart pounded when he looked at his watch, smiled, and then leaned in to kiss me.
My first flash of annoyance evaporated in a puff. His hands pulled me closer, and the sensation of fire dove through me, plinking every single trigger I had. The scent of cinnamon and vampire pheromones rose, and a soft sigh escaped me. This wasnt enough, and uncaring of tomorrow, I slid from the stool. Our lips parted as he stumbled, and then I pulled him to me, arms going around him and up into his hair.
I had spent the last three months looking at his hair, wondering what it would feel like in my fingers again. Three long months Id watched him move, seen him in every possible piece of clothing and wondered what hed look like out of them and how he might move against me when the darkness was velvet and the sheets were cool. Three months of saying no, be good Rachel, be smart, Rachel.
I wanted one damn kiss, and I was going to have it, by God.
You are fucking animals! the woman at the table exclaimed, and when Trents lips threatened to slip from mine, I sent the barest dart of tongue past his lips to recapture his attention. It worked. His breath caught, and I swear the man growled. His arm crushed me to him, and it was all I could do to not wrap my legs around him. Bar stools could hold that much weight, right?
There are three dead vampires on my floor, and you are making out?
Energy darted between us, and breathless, I pulled back, the sound of our lips parting sparking through me. Trents eyes smoldered. I held their heat, tasting him on my lips. It wasnt the vampire pheromones in here. It was three months of saying no.
Relax, I said to her, never dropping Trents gaze. My heart was pounding, and I still didnt care about tomorrow. Only one of them is dead, and I think shes going to make it. You probably wont even have any jail time.
Jail time! They tried to blood rape me!
Like I said. No jail time.
Trent was still silent, but he was smiling at the sound of boots and the flash of cop lights on the front sidewalk. The woman made a tiny sound and ran to unlock the door. We slowly parted, his hand slipping from me in a sensation of tingles. My smile faded as I looked at his hand and realized Id never hold it again.
That hadnt been our first kiss, but it had been our last.
Six
And there are no indications it will be any better tonight, Edden said, his hand smacking the podium with a loud pop.
My head snapped up at the sharp sound, but not before my chin slipped off my palm and I did a classic head bob. Jerked awake, I looked over the FIBs shift change meeting to see if anyone had noticed. The dream of purple, angry eyes and spinning wheels lingered, and I thought I could still hear the sound of wings beating upon me in punishment.
Sheepish, I resettled myself. I wasnt surprised Id nodded off, having come in early to the FIB to first fill out a report about the bar incident and, second, to get my car out of impound. Sleep had been a few hours on the couch, fitful and not enough of it. Coffee had lost its punch, and a vending machine no-doze charm wasnt going to happen. Those things could kill you, especially now, maybe. I was starting to become really clear what might be going on, and even though there were more questions than answers, it didnt look good.
Edden was up front between a podium and a big map hanging from the dry-erase board. The city was cordoned off like one of Ivys maps, little red stickers showing vampire crimes, blue ones the misfired charms. There was an obvious pattern to the misfired charms, but the vampire crimes were widespread within the confines of Cincy and the Hollows, with no recognizable linkage to the sporadic waves other than they seemed to start at the same time.
Edden was hiding a smirk, clearly having caught my head bob, but his voice never faltered. There were rows of officers between me and him, and you could tell which officers were going off shift by the fatigue.
I need some coffee, I whispered to Jenks, tickling the roof of my mouth with my tongue to try to wake up.
Yeah, me too, he said, rising up with an odd blue dust. You know what they say. You can tell a human by how many meetings he has. Ill be back. I gotta get me some of that honey.
Honey! I whispered, but he was gone, flying right down the center aisle and turning heads as he went for the coffee urn set to the side at the front of the room. Oh God, he was going to get drunk, right when I was trying to show them all how professional I was.
Were all pulling the occasional double shift until were sure this is over, Edden said as Jenks saluted him and landed by the little packets of honey there for the tea drinkers.
Captain, one of the more round officers complained as a general air of discontent rose.
No exceptions, and dont trade with anyone, Edden said, then hesitated as Jenks stabbed a honey packet with his sword, his dust shifting to a brilliant white when he pulled a pair of chopsticks from a back pocket and started eating. Rose is doing the schedule so no one gets two nights in a row. I say againno trading.
The officers not griping were watching Jenks, and the pixy looked up, his chopsticks lifted high over his head as the honey dribbled into him. What? he said, his dust cutting off in a reddish haze. You never seen a pixy before? Listen to Edden. Im eating here.
Edden cleared his throat and stepped from the podium. As for our last item, I know it was a rough night, but before you go, Id like those of you who dealt with something . . . ah, of an Inderland nature to share what you did and how it worked for those coming on shift.
Inderland nature, an older cop with a raspy voice and belligerent attitude complained. I was almost eaten last night.
Snickering, Jenks dribbled more honey into his mouth, but I didnt see anything funny. Whether he knew it or not, the craggy officer probably wasnt exaggerating.
I didnt see you complaining at the time, the cop next to him, and the first officer turned to stare him down.
Callahan! Edden said, shouting over the sudden ribbing. Since you volunteered. Lets hear what happened on your Inderlander encounter and how you dealt with it.
Well, sir, I believe the woman bewitched me, he said slowly. My partner and I were responding to a misfired charm up by the zoo when we spotted two suspects outside a window, trying to break in. I politely asked them if they had lost their keys. They ran; we followed. One got away. When I tried to apprehend the other, she got all . . . sexy like.