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Page 5

 

  “Yes, she is. Erin cal ed me from the park. She just went out for a walk and got a little confused. I decided to bring her home with me so we could spend some time together. She’s fine. I’l drop by tomorrow night. ”

  Sassy paused. Then, hesitantly, “Are you sure? I can come get her. ”

  “No—don’t worry. Erin’s going to play slumber party here. I’l cal you tomorrow night. ” Another lie. I was planning on showing up unannounced, without Erin. That ship had sailed and gone. Erin would never spend another night at Sassy’s.

  “If you’re sure . . . A strain in Sassy’s voice caught my attention. A tension that hadn’t been there before. I listened to the nuance below it. She was hungry. Sassy was hungry and longing to hunt. I knew the feeling al too wel , but I kept my hunting within strict perimeters. Sassy had crossed the line.

  As I murmured good-bye, I wondered again: Did I have the right to put an end to Sassy’s hunting? She was becoming the predator, but did that mean it was my place to play judge, jury, and executioner?

  True, she had asked me to end her life if I noticed her slip over the edge. But would she want that now? Would she stil be wil ing to stand there, waiting for the stake? Would she walk into the sun if she realized just how far she’d crossed the line? But the fact remained, from what Erin said, that Sassy was now kidnapping and torturing the innocent. And that was unacceptable.

  “Menol y?”

  I turned back to find Erin staring at me. “Yes?”

  “Sassy and I’ve talked many times about right and wrong . . . good and evil. She didn’t want to be a vampire in the first place. She wasn’t given a choice. She told me more than once that she doesn’t want to wear a black hat, as she put it. She said that as much as she loved me . . .

  Here, Erin hung her head and a bloody tear streaked down her face. I reached out and lifted her chin, nodding for her to go on. “She told me that she doesn’t think she has much of a future left.

  That it’s too hard for her to control the desire to hunt. ”

  “I’m sorry, Erin. I’m so sorry. ” I knew that my daughter and Sassy had formed a romantic bond, even though I’d encouraged them to wait before sealing their relationship—at least until Erin had spent long enough in the life to know what she wanted.

  Erin shrugged. “I am, too. I came out of the closet to my family about being gay and a vampire and they drove me out of their lives a few months ago. I’m alone in this world and stil unsure about myself. Sassy’s al I’ve got. ”

  “No, no she isn’t. ” I put my hands on her shoulders. She was a little tal er than I, but looked so unsure and hesitant. “You have me—I’m your Blood-Mother. You have Tim and Camil e and Delilah. They al care about you, and Tim’s your best friend. We are family. Don’t ever forget it. ”

  “Tim’s married now. He . . . he belongs in the world of the living, not in our world. ” She bit her lip, and I realized just how disconnected she was feeling from everything that had ever meant anything to her.

  “Tim and you were best friends,” I said slowly. “Unfortunately, things do change once you cross over the veil and become a vampire, but that doesn’t mean that every relationship you had has to vanish or die with your old life. Tim may have married Jason, but he stil cares about you. He misses you. In fact, he’s waiting for you to adapt enough so that you can be friends again, no matter how the friendship has to evolve. ”

  She considered my words. “I suppose you’re right. I guess I expected everything to go on the same, just with me being a vampire. I didn’t have time to think it through. ”

  “Are you sorry you asked me to turn you?” I touched her arm, lightly, praying she wouldn’t say yes. I’d sworn I’d never sire another vampire and had broken my rule only because Grandmother Coyote had warned me that I needed to break through my own fears for the sake of destiny.

  Whatever the future held for Erin, I had a feeling it was far more than she dreamed of.

  Erin mul ed over my words. I liked that she was no longer so eager to please that she’d blurt out anything she thought might make me happy. She was growing into her fangs.

  “No, I’m not sorry. I wasn’t ready to die, and this was the only choice. I think, to be honest, that living with Sassy has been good for me, but I’m ready to move on. She’s making me nervous and I can’t do anything without her approval or she throws a fit. ”

  It was my turn to bite my lip. Sassy had lost a daughter, many years ago. Had she pinned al her love—both maternal and romantic—onto Erin’s shoulders? She was stil protecting Erin from the monster she was becoming, or she wouldn’t have sent her out of the room before attacking her victim. But had she also kept her from growing independent?

  I decided to lighten the mood and held up a deck of cards. “Want to play a game of gin rummy?”

  I knew that Sassy and Erin played like fiends, and though the game bored me stiff, I wanted Erin to feel comfortable.

  She shook her head. “If you don’t mind, I hate that game. I play because Sassy loves it. ”

  Laughing, I pitched the cards into the corner. “Fair enough. It’s not one of my favorites, either.

  What do you want to do? We have a couple hours til sunrise. ”

  Erin let out a long sigh. “I’d like to go for a walk with you. Get outside, walk through the woods.

  Sassy doesn’t take me out very often, and I miss the sound of the wind in the trees. ”

  I hunted through my closet and pul ed on a pair of Doc Martens. “Sounds good to me. Come on, let’s go. ” And leading her up the stairs, I decided right there and then that I’d keep a tight watch over the next home I found for my daughter.

  We returned to the house a half hour before sunrise to find my phone ringing. I snatched it up, afraid it might be Sassy again, as Erin contentedly sprawled in the armchair. We’d walked for about a half hour, then did a mad-dash al -out sprint through the woods, skimming the trunks and undergrowth through the freshly fal en snow. I taught Erin how to scale a tree—Sassy had ignored a good share of Erin’s physical training, much to my dismay—and by the time we got back, she was looking forward to sunrise and sleep. I never liked the drowsy pul , but for Erin, it seemed to hold no dread.

  I picked up the receiver to hear a low voice, almost a growl, on the other end. “Please summon Menol y to the phone. ”

  The accent gave him away. As did the power behind the accent. It didn’t matter whether my Cal er ID was blocked. I knew who was on the other end.

  “Hel o, Roman. This is Menol y. ”

  “Ah, the girl remembers my voice. That delights me. ” He let out a short laugh, and my stomach tied itself in knots. His voice was so rich, so strong, and even through the phone line he beckoned to me, reeling me in. “My maid relayed your message. ”

  Shivering, I forced myself to sit on the bed. Roman scared the hel out of me. He was an ancient vampire whom I’d met once, thanks to Sassy. He could have taken on Dredge and slapped him down with one hand. Calculating he was, and cool, and perfectly at home in his skin. And he wanted me to attend the midwinter Vampire’s Bal as his escort.

  I hesitated. Roman was Sassy’s friend. How was I going to juggle what I wanted to ask him with her meltdown? I had to say something, though—I wasn’t about to play head games with the godfather of vampires. That would be a losing proposition.

  “I need your help, if you’re wil ing to offer it. ” There. Plain, simple, blunt.

  He laughed again, his mirth rich and rol ing over me like delicious honey. “And what wil you offer me in return, I wonder? But first, you wil attend the bal with me as my escort?”

  It might sound like a question, but behind the façade, it was a demand. I rol ed my eyes and decided what the hel —it couldn’t hurt. Nerissa wouldn’t be going anyway. It didn’t do to take breathers to a vampire soiree.

  “Yes, I’d love to. Thank you. I assume formal dress?”
r />   “Lovely, and yes. Pick out whatever you like and send the bil to me. I would be happy to buy your dress for you. A fur, if you like. ”

  Whoa. Dresses and fur coats on the first date? I started to say something, then bit my words back. Again, the whole power struggle thing was not something I wanted to get into. Yet. He could wipe me out with the blink of an eye, even though I had Dredge’s blood in me.

  “Um . . . thank you, but I have dresses. ”

  “The offer stands. Now, what do you need my help with?”

  I could hear the smirk behind the words and it ticked me off, but I kept my temper at bay. “We have a problem. I think we have a vampire serial kil er at work in the city. I need to put an end to it. ”

  A pause. Then, “And just what do you want me to do? Such matters don’t interest me. You wil find him, or you won’t. Chances are, sooner or later, you wil track him down and kil him. You’re too good at your job not to. And then it wil be over, for the time being, and you wil move on to another case. ”

  Somehow his confidence in me didn’t make me feel better. “Have you heard anything out of the ordinary? Someone new to the life who’s gone off balance?”

  “A lot of vampires lose their way when they’re turned. They walk into the shadows and lose their sense of reason. Those of us who make it to an ancient age must repress our consciences while maintaining logic and reason. ”

  Something about the way he said that gave me the shivers. “I see. You do realize, this vampire is going to make life hard for al of us. ”

  “Agreed. While I don’t care about the humans on whom he feeds, he wil give us a bad name.

  We live by the treaty to avoid al -out war, but not al vampires have agreed to it. Until the Regencies are set up, we won’t have an official ruling class approved by the government to enforce sanctions against aberrant behavior. Which brings me directly to a topic I wish to discuss: your friend Wade. ”

  Uh-oh. Wade was running for Regent against Terrance from the Fangtabula. Was Roman backing Terrance? I hoped not; it would tel me a lot more about him than I wanted to know.

  Though I’d wiped Wade off my radar after he kicked me out of Vampires Anonymous, truth was, I hoped he’d win. At least he’d be a sane choice for the job. Terrance was trouble incarnate.

  Roman cleared his throat and I could hear a whistle. He must be smoking one of his cigars.

  Roman might be a hedonist, but he also refused to al ow his passions to rule his life. He was in control with a capital C.

  “This matter directly impacts you. I have a job for you, Menol y. ”

  Great. Another person yanking on my coattails, and one whom I couldn’t afford to ignore. “What do you want us to do?” I glanced over at Erin. She was happily absorbed in another movie, oblivious to my conversation. I had the feeling Sassy limited her television.

  “Us? Not us if you’re referring to your sisters, though if you need their help, I won’t object. This is a serious task. But I trust that you wil succeed. You are the only one I will trust for this matter, precisely because you aren’t part of the vampire politics swirling through the town right now. ” He sobered, and behind the strength, I could hear a tinge of worry.

  “What’s going on, Roman?” I blinked. Vampire politics was so not on my plate right now. We had enough worries now with Stacia Bonecrusher—a demon general—dead. When Shadow Wing realized she’d vanished like her predecessors, he’d send someone bigger and badder after us.

  “The phone is no place to discuss this matter. Come to my place. Eight thirty tonight. We’l dine on the richest blood you’l ever taste—voluntarily harvested from my stable of beauties. And I wil tel you what I want of you. ”

  His voice lingered over the words as his energy coiled through the phone to trail around me, caress my shoulders, and gently coax me in. Roman didn’t just want my help. I could feel it, and the thought scared me shitless. He was the godfather of vampires, someone you just didn’t say no to. He was no Dredge, but I had the feeling he could be far worse if he wanted to.

  “Roman . . . I’m not sure what you’re asking—”

  “Eight thirty. My driver wil pick you up. ”

  “No, I’l drive. I’ve been there before. ” I refused to be at the mercy of anyone else’s transportation.

  “Very wel , as you wish. But come alone. We have several matters to go over, so plan on staying late. ” And then silence as he hung up.

  I stared at the receiver, then slowly replaced it on the cradle. The drowsy pul of dawn beckoned, and I tapped Erin on the shoulder. She startled out of her fixation on the screen, and as she looked up at me, I could see the tinge in her eyes that marked her as a vampire. She was beginning to develop her glamour—al vampires did, at some point during their early years. Even with her rather plain looks, Erin would be gloriously magnetic in a year or so, and humans would have a hard time resisting her.

  “It’s nearing sunrise,” I said. “Time to sleep. ”

  “I can’t sleep on the bed with you. It’s not proper. I’l sleep on the floor. ” She motioned to the bottom of the bed. “This wil be fine. ”

  “Wait. ” I ran upstairs and brought down a spare sleeping bag from the closet. Spreading it out, I tossed on a couple pil ows and a lace throw. “There, that should work for you. Sleep now, my daughter. ”

  Holding out my hand for her kiss, I watched as she knelt and pressed her lips to my fingers.

  Then she silently crawled into the folds of the sleeping bag and—as I made myself comfortable in the bed—she had already sunk into that darkness that claims every vampire with the rising sun.