“Of course you can,” he said softly, still pulling on the handcuffs in her iron grip. “But tonight, I’ll do this one.”
“Let him, Ivy.”
Riah’s words were gentle though commanding. Slowly Ivy relaxed her hold and Colin took the cuffs from her. While she kept her eyes on the quivering black body bag, she stumbled backward until the solidity of the cabinets at her back steadied her. At least something in the world was solid tonight.
Everything else was surreal. Kind of like a crappy B movie where fog rolls in and everyone knows what’s about to happen but pretends they don’t. She’d assisted any number of times securing a body to the table as it began to turn. It was difficult to remember how many times she’d watched as Adriana collected samples and Riah sent a soul to heaven before it could be sentenced to hell. In an odd way, it had become a familiar routine for the three of them. But every other time, it involved a stranger. Tonight this was no stranger on Riah’s sterile table, and as things began to unfold, Ivy’s skin grew cool and her hands began to shake.
Adriana’s needle pierced the wounds on Jorge’s neck and the vials filled quickly with deep crimson blood. Done with those, she moved to his arms where, once more, vials were filled. The faint, metallic scent of blood wafted through the air and, for the first time ever, she had to stifle the urge to gag. Stars flickered before her eyes and her body trembled. Oh, no…she wasn’t going to faint.
The inhuman roar exploding from Jorge’s throat seemed to come from somewhere in the distance. Adriana jumped back and almost dropped the half-full vial in her hand. Only Riah and Colin remained calm. Darkness tinged the edge of Ivy’s vision just as a wooden spike appeared in Riah’s hand.
She came to on the sofa in Riah’s private office. A damp cloth was pressed to her forehead and Colin sat on a chair pulled next to the sofa. His gaze was on her face and he held one of her hands in both of his.
“How do you feel?” he asked her softly.
“Like crap.” No lie there, though totally fucked-up would be more accurate.
He smiled and the worry lines disappeared. “Crap is good.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
“Easy for you to say. You didn’t just watch your undead ex get impaled with a wooden stake.” She shivered and felt like an icy hand squeezed her heart.
“You sorta missed that part.”
“True, I guess I did, but I’ve seen it enough times to know exactly what happened. I can still see it in my head as clear as can be.” She wasn’t sure she’d ever get the image of a stake going through Jorge’s heart out of her head even if she didn’t actually see it.
Colin’s hand was warm as he laid it against her cheek. “If you were feeling better, I could tell you lots of stories that would make what just happened look like a day at the park.”
She shivered again. “I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but I’m not sure it’s working.”
He shrugged and offered her a slight smile. “Kinda new at this comforting thing.”
Ivy pushed up to a sitting position and was surprised to hear her own soft laugh. “Well, you’re not too bad for a rookie.”
The fact was, coming to with this handsome man holding her hand was pretty okay. He calmed her and the warmth of his touch was reassuring. Perhaps, in all the insanity, to have someone else get it made her feel a little less crazy.
Riah and Adriana entered just as Ivy swung her legs around and put her feet on the floor. It felt better to be sitting upright and connected to something solid. Colin shifted and turned toward the incoming duo, the chair legs squeaking loudly in protest as they scraped across the floor. She’d have liked to protest too. The moment he moved away from her, calm fled and nervous energy roared back in. It wasn’t like the arrival of the others rattled her. No, it was more like she needed him close to keep her grounded.
“Did you tell her?” Ivy asked Riah, who nodded. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been out and what she’d missed in the meantime.
“Yeah,” Adriana said. “I’m up to speed on the great white vampire hunter here.”
Colin’s brow wrinkled. “You’re not a very complimentary bunch, are you?”
Ivy put a hand on his arm and liked the way it felt there. “We’ve seen too much strange and dangerous crap to get worked up over one little vampire hunter.”
He tilted his head and looked at Ivy. “Little vampire hunter?
Little?”
She just smiled and shrugged. “It’s all relative, you know.”
“Besides,” Riah added. “Despite what I feel about people like you, we can use your help. Provided, however, you don’t try any of your weapons on me. Attempt to take my head, and it’ll seriously piss me off.”
“People like me?” Colin’s voice grew soft, and it wasn’t a comforting sound.
“I thought you guys agreed to a truce?” Adriana looked genuinely scared and Ivy didn’t blame her. All of a sudden, tension seemed to crackle in the room like the air right before a lightning storm.
Colin met Ivy’s eyes and something flickered. She could almost feel him relax. “We did and I’ll certainly honor my word.” His gaze shifted to Riah.
Riah studied him for a long moment, then nodded. “As will I,”
she added as she sank to the chair behind her desk and looked over at Adriana. “So tell us what you’ve got.”
Riah’s gaze was riveted on Adriana now, and at first Ivy didn’t think anything of it. At first. She took a second look and narrowed her eyes.
Well, I’ll be damned
.
Between the time she left here last night and now, something definitely had occurred between the two women. Adriana never hid her feelings, while Riah always seemed oblivious. Sure, they were friends and colleagues in this battle against darkness—just nothing beyond that. Until now. Something in the looks passing between them tonight wasn’t the same as yesterday. Oh, yeah, something was up in River City all right, and she’d so be cornering Riah a little later.Adriana grabbed an empty chair and quickly pulled it close to Riah’s desk. “Well, I’d like to say I found the cure,” she said in a rush, her small hands moving as she talked.
Riah’s face fell just a little. “You said you’d discovered something promising.”
Adriana patted Riah. Her hand lingered a little too long on Riah’s, or so it seemed to Ivy. Very interesting.
“Hey, don’t be discouraged. I’ve made a lot of important ground by successfully separating the proteins and isolating what I believe is the one responsible for the vampirism. That’s some serious shit, girlfriend.”
“You
know
what causes this thing?” Disbelief rang in Colin’s voice. The look in his eyes said he was far from being a believer.
“Damn straight,” Adriana said proudly. She sat up in her chair.
“Looks can be deceiving, pal. I’m more than just a pretty face and a hot bod.” She gave him a wink.
“Undoubtedly,” Colin murmured, and Ivy thought he looked at Adriana a little differently all of a sudden.
“So what’s the problem?” This was from Riah.
Adriana turned back to her. “Bottom line is, I can find the cause, but I just can’t isolate the cure. I’m now twelve generations in and I really thought I had it this time. At least until I tried it on the blood samples from yesterday’s vic. Every blasted one went south right before I came over here.”
“So nothing,” Riah murmured.
“I’m close,” Adriana insisted. “Really close. I’ve just got to tweak the immunoglobulin a little more and I’m sure I’ll get it. One or two more generations is all. I feel it right here.” Adriana tapped her chest over her heart.
“Let me see if I understand you,” Colin said as he gazed steadily at Adriana. “You think you’re a couple of batches away from finding the cure for vampirism? Is that what I’m hearing?”
Adriana nodded, her eyes bright, her expression confident. “No wax in your ears, hunter man.”
Colin shook his head and muttered, “Son of a bitch.”
Riah stood at the doors and gazed out into the darkness. The security lights in the parking lot cast an orange glow over the asphalt, while shadows from the trees danced as the wind blew through the leaves. The air was fresh and clear with just a hint of freshly baked bread coming from the commercial bakery a block or so away. It was quiet now. Only Riah and one security guard.
Ivy and Colin had packed up Jorge’s body as soon as the autopsy was completed, zipping him—or what was left of him—back into the heavy black plastic. Ivy then sealed the bag and initialed it once again. Jorge was ready for the funeral home to prepare him for his final journey. The two were back on the road and heading to Moses Lake well before ten.
Riah’s heart went out to Ivy, who, while truly professional all evening, also failed to completely disguise her heartache. Ivy had initiated the divorce from Jorge but, all the requisite hard feelings involved with a divorce aside, she didn’t hate him. Riah even liked the jerk. He might have been a player and he might have done Ivy wrong, but his heart was basically good. Yes, he deserved the divorce. But no, he didn’t deserve to die this way.
Of course, no one deserved to die this way.
Riah shivered as she thought back on the first years of her immortality. God, what a monster she’d been in those days. If turning into a creature of the darkness hadn’t doomed her soul, certainly her actions and dedication to the life did. It didn’t matter that she’d spent hundreds of years trying to make amends. She’d cast her lot the first time she took a human life. Saint Peter would not be opening the pearly gates to let her in when her days on this earth finally ended.
No, she’d be walking through an entirely different set of gates.
Riah sighed, closed her eyes, and tried to relax. Instead…she remembered.
Rodolphe was beautiful, and even as frightened as Catherine
was the first night, her fear soon faded in the face of his gentle ways.
Tender, helpful, and loving, he made her feel like the princess she
should have been all along. She bought into his charm without fear
or reservation because she loved the life he created for her.
The sound of a door at the back of the manor made Catherine sit
up. She patted her hair, pleased with the intricate braids interwoven
with flawless pearls. They glowed brilliant against her dark hair.
She smoothed the silk over her firm breasts and smiled. The
dress was a gift from Rodolphe and she loved it more than any other.
The puffed sleeves were gorgeous over the slashed lower sleeves,
and the jeweled girdle at her waist was the prettiest thing she’d
ever seen. The emerald green suited her and highlighted her dark
hair and hazel eyes. She didn’t need a looking glass to tell her how
radiant she’d become since meeting him.
From the dresser, she picked up a delicate glass bottle. The
perfume he brought her from Paris was a light, lovely scent, and she
dabbed it at her neck and between her breasts. Smiling, she put the
stopper back into the bottle and set it once more on the polished dresser.
As she listened, his steps sounded closer. She licked her lips, a
grumble low in her belly. She giggled thinking how unladylike the
sound was. Still, she was hungry and Rodolphe always brought her
the best meals.
How long had he been gone? It seemed as though it had been
days. She laughed lightly. It was more likely to have been mere
minutes or an hour at most. It just seemed an eternity whenever
they were parted. Being at his side was a joy like none other, and he
never left her for more than a little while.
The door to her chambers opened and Rodolphe stepped
through, a whoosh of cool air following him. His blond hair was
pulled back with a leather tie and a few tendrils, damp from the rain
falling outside, escaped to curl around his strong face. She thought of
how his hair fell through her fingers like fine silk when loosened from
the tie. His lips, full and red, beckoned to her with a slight smile. His
knee-high boots were so shiny, the firelight reflected off them, while
his fur-lined, calf-length cloak looked stunning over a black jerkin
and stockings. She particularly liked the prominent codpiece.
“Ma chérie,” he whispered. She loved the sound of his voice,
the smooth French of his native tongue. It was sexy, alluring, and
sent shivers up her spine. She’d never grow tired of listening to it
even if she lived for a thousand years.
“Rodolphe.” She rose and patted her skirt. She knew how much
he liked her in this dress. How he delighted in slowly taking her hair
down and working his fingers through the braids until at last it hung
lush and free down her naked back. But, that was for later.
“Wait,” he told her before she’d taken more than a step in his
direction. Then as she watched, he pulled around a pretty young
woman who’d been hidden behind his large body. “Mademoiselle
Maynard, may I present Princess Catherine.” He smiled broadly,
his sharp canines peeking from beneath his lips.
“Oh, Rodolphe.” Catherine sighed, tingles running down her
arms. “You must stop calling me that.” She swept her gaze over the
woman.
The young woman was pretty, very pretty, though the manner
of her dress spoke to her lowly station in life. It didn’t matter to
Catherine. It wasn’t like their relationship would last longer than a
few hours at most. They would not be friends.
Catherine walked over to the woman and touched her perfect
skin. She was pale, her brown eyes wide and swimming with unshed
tears. She was thin, though not starvation thin. “Please don’t be
frightened,” Catherine said to her, still stroking her cheek. Her face
was warm, flushed even. A slight tremor ran beneath her flesh.