“Who’s the wolf with mostly brown fur but a gray ear?” I ask.
His eyes widen with recognition, but he doesn’t say anything.
Man, is he moodier than I remember.
“Does he have a name beside dead Gray Ear?” I bark.
Okay, so I’m a little bit moody too. I’m sick of being treated like I’m inferior. I can handle whatever life has to handle.
I hope.
By feeling like my fellow detectives don’t appreciate me, I feel useless, worthless, less than. It’s so frustrating.
Even worse, that I’m the one locating all of the dead bodies. Each one cuts into me. It doesn’t matter if the victim is a vamp or a werewolf. Someone has been killed. It’s wrong. Murder is a crime. It’s one of the worst ones.
Bethlehem used to be a safe city. Now, not so much. In a way, that kills me.
Rolf blinks a few times. He’s wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and fur starts to sprout over his bare skin. Then he shakes his head and recovers. The fur subsides, leaving his skin smooth save for hair, not fur.
“Was he part of your pack?” I ask, my tone softer now.
“He is. I guess was. Where is he? Who killed him?”
“I don’t know for sure.” An idea comes to mind. “I did find a fang near him, but honestly, it might’ve been planted.”
Rolf snorts and flashes his teeth. “Because that’s believable.”
“Listen to me.”
I brush past him and enter his house. It’s small. Smack dab in the middle of a row. It’s dark inside. Smells a little musky. Gross.
I whirl around and face him. “I also found a vamp. A dead one. A tuft of fur in his hands. What if someone wants to instigate the war?”
His eyes flash. Was that a speck of silver? I can’t be sure.
“Who would want to do that?”
“I don’t know,” I say honestly. “Hey, Rolf, I—”
“Leave,” he snips.
“No.”
“I need to inform the others.”
“I don’t care. I am here to interrogate you.”
“Interrogate me? Why? For what?”
“Where were you earlier?’
His eyes narrow until they’re tiny slits. “You think I killed the vampire?”
“Who knows? Maybe you killed both of them.” I cross my arms. “Will you answer my question?”
“I’ve been here for the past hour.”
I bite my lower lip. I have no idea when either body was killed. Sirens sound. The police will confiscate the bodies shortly.
“Do you deny the charge that you would kill any vamp you come across?” I demand.
“That proves nothing,” he hisses.
“Proof or not, it’s enough to bring you in for questioning.” I eye him. “Have you heard anything strange lately?”
“Besides your annoying voice?”
I bristle with anger and frustration. “I went out on a limb for you. I risked my life for you. I located Amarok. I went up against him. I nearly died. I captured him. Yes, I let him go, but is he here? Is he killing you wolves?”
Wait. Crap. Is Amarok the one behind this? He’s crazy powerful. Maybe he’s the one behind all of this! He could have sparked the war so that the vamps and werewolves will kill each other off for him.
Nah. That doesn’t make any sense. He likes to get his hands dirty. His paws dirty. Whatever. He’s killed so many over the years that I find it impossible to believe that he would do something so backhanded.
Which leaves me back to who is the one singing?
“This isn’t Amarok’s doing,” Rolf growls. “It’s the vampires. They’re killing us, so we’re killing them. I told you already. War is here. Victor should’ve never gone out alone. Why did he? We were specifically told to avoid going out in our wolf form! Why didn’t he listen?”
Rolf slams the door shut and begins to pace in front of me. He’s muscular. Graceful even. Kinda reminds me more of a feline than a canine to be honest.
“Why don’t you listen to me and answer my questions?” I demand. “It’s the least you can do.”
He halts and glowers at me. “The least you can do is give me time to process and grieve. The loss of one of our own is devastating.”
“You don’t seem that upset.”
Rolf grimaces and flares his nostrils slightly. “What do you want me o do? Beat my chest and gnash my teeth?”
“Shed a tear. Or is that too womanly for you?”
His eyes soften, and for the first time since before I released Amarok, he looks like his old self.
“I don’t cry. Never had.”
“Not even when you stubbed a paw as a baby?”
He laughed. “Not even then.”
“Never ever? That’s weird. You know that, right? Are you sure your tear duct work properly?”
“There’s nothing wrong with me.”
“You sure about that?”
Rolf sighs. “I know I’ve been…”
“Unbearable?” I supply.
“I’m hurt that you would deceive me. Can you blame me?”
“I did what had to be done. If that means you hate me, so be it. We aren’t friends. We never were. You used me from the start. Admit it.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” he protests.
I lift my eyebrows.
“Maybe a little,” he admits. “But you have to understand my positioning.”
“I understand nothing. I’ll ask you again. Have you heard anything strange lately?”
“Grumbling from the wolves that they’re annoyed we haven’t launched a full onslaught against the vampires. Is that what you mean?”
“No.” I hesitate. “Singing. A song. Maybe at night or early morning.”
He stills.
I suck in a breath. He isn’t going to try to off himself now, is he?
But he shakes his head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I exhale. “Forget it. I am sorry for your loss. Give Alphie my regards.”
“He hates you, you know.”
“I don’t rightly care.” I move toward the door. “I don’t know what’s going on with the deaths, with the fur, the paw, the fang. All I know is that I want this to stop. This war isn’t happening. Not here. No how, no way. If you insist on going fang to fang with vamps, do it elsewhere. Move.”
“This is our city,” he protests.
“It’s our too.” I glower at him. “Do you hear me?”
He has the audacity to shrug. “It’s not up to me.”
“You have Alphie’s ear. Make him see it my way.”
“Not gonna happen,” he growls. “Now leave.”
I listen and shut the door behind me. Immediately, there’s a low howl, too soft to be heard by Rolf’s neighbors. He really is hurting. The sound is so sorrowful it brings tears my eyes.
My team needs to be my pack. I need to find my people.
And I need to protect them.
I’m surprised the lieutenant doesn’t call me to his office. Guess I really have fallen far. What did Rex call me? Golden girl? Yeah, that’s definitely not me. Tarnished girl is more apt.
And that nickname is branded and seared into me the next morning. I went home to bed after my confrontation with Rolf. The sound of a massive explosion wakes me the next morning just before my phone goes off.
My city is being devastated, and I have no idea how to stop the bleeding.
Chapter 13
As fast as I can, I’m out the door. I don’t even brush my hair or teeth. Just change my clothes, put on deodorant, and shove some gum into my mouth.
My phone keeps ringing, but I ignore it and follow the sirens. Soon, they’re drowned out by the sound of screams. Giving how blaringly obnoxious the terrifying symphony the police cars, firefighters, and ambulances sirens combine to create, that’s saying something.
Something awful.
And tragic. And sorrowful.
I’m so furious and angry that I’m tr
embling as I park and climb out of my car. What happened? Is this unrelated to supernatural foes? Given that my phone continues to blow up, I doubt that.
Please let there have not been a lot of causalities.
But I know better than to hope for that. The explosion is a massive one. I can’t count how many buildings are on fire. Trucks too. A few cars have been upended as a result of the blast.
“Be careful,” a man in a white coat says, trying to herd people back. “This isn’t an ordinary bomb.”
“It’s not?” I ask him, flashing my badge.
“No, ma’am. It’s giving off UV—”
That’s all I have to hear. A bomb. A UV bomb. The werewolves did this to target vamps. From the people being pulled out of the burning buildings, there are a lot of human injuries too.
The final death toll as determined three hours later? Thirty. Injured? Hundreds. It’s enough to make me want to chop off a few werewolves’ tails.
There’s a lot of panic and screaming, wailing and crying. It’s almost impossible to help everyone. It’s even worse to try to bottle of our own feelings so that we can help those who have no control of theirs. Yes, I’m a detective, but I’m not usually the one involved right from the get go. I’m not generally a first responder.
It’s a new experience for me. A new, awful, terrible experience. One I never want to have to live through again.
I swear half of the force is here in mass to help everyone. Two of the buildings completely collapsed. One of them must have housed the UV bomb when it went out. At least, that’s my guess.
I check everyone’s eyes, looking for red. Or silver. Farther away from the blast site, I did see at least one dead vamp. Closer to the radius, I saw some piles of ashes that look suspicious. I can’t be certain if they’re dead vamp remains or not.
It’s well into the afternoon by the time I make it to the station. Honestly, I’m dead on my feet. I pulled I don’t know how many people out from under the rubble. Not all of them were alive. I shudder when I recall the arm I pulled out of it. Detached arm.
Someone comes in after me and drapes an arm across my shoulders.
“I’m all gross.” I glance down at my clothes. They’re basically ruined.
“Me too.” Travis gives me a bittersweet smile. “We’re fighting the good fight.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
The lieutenant isn’t in his office. He’s out in the bullpen, barking orders and directing everyone. He catches my gaze and stops mid-sentence.
“Tempest,” he barks. “Get your ass over here.”
“Yes, sir.”
I can’t even give Travis an attempted smile. I have no happiness left. Only dismay, depression, and disillusionment.
Feeling like a puppy with a tail between her legs, I approach him. Slowly. My legs and back are killing me. My chest hurts. I swear I inhaled dust or something. I can’t take a deep breath. UV bomb. Are we all gonna get sun cancer from exposure? Some of the people we rescued couldn’t see properly. The blast must’ve temporarily blinded them. At least, I hope the blindness isn’t permanent.
The closer I get to the lieutenant, the more I realize just how tightly wound up he is. His right eyelid is twitching a little. His face is super flushed, and he’s yanking on his collar.
“Tempest. You might be able to redeem yourself finally.”
I stand up as straight as my aching back will allow. “I’m all ears.”
“If you bring in those responsible, I’ll see what I can do.”
“You’ll boot Rex?” I ask.
“You think you can locate the bastards?” he grumbles.
“I’ll do my best.”
I don’t need the incentive. I’m just as fit to be tied as the lieutenant is.
But I’m also shit out of luck. I haven’t been able to find a vamp in days.
Scratch that. I haven’t been able to find a living vamp in days. As for the werewolves, they’ve definitely moved to another location, and they aren’t howling.
I do know how to get in touch with one werewolf, but honestly, I don’t really know if I can trust Rolf. He’s too much of a wolf. For all I know, he might actually be one of the wolves I’m looking for.
But instead of vamps or wolves, I opt to seek out someone else.
Someone human.
Not two weeks before I first encountered a vamp, I heard that a woman had been driven to the nearest inpatient behavioral unit. She’d been ranting and raving about vampires. It’s well past time to go pay her a visit.
Actually, it’s too late for today. Visiting hours are over.
As soon as visiting hours start the next day, I’m the first one in line to be allowed entry.
Lacey Morris, as it turns out, is a pale, blue-eyed woman, late forties. Her hair is more orange than red. She doesn’t look over at me when the door is opened. When it’s shut behind me, she flinches. Her gaze remains on the ceiling toward the corner away from the window and the door.
Her bed is perfectly made. Does she even sleep there? Does she just sit all day? She’s impossibly thin. Does she get any exercise? Does she eat enough?
I clear my throat.
She jumps as if she’s been shot.
Crap. I didn’t mean to startle her. Or frighten her.
“I’m sorry,” I say softly. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m Clarissa. Clarissa Tempest.”
Will mentioning that I’m a detective help or harm?
Best to keep that under wraps for now.
“Do you mind if I talk to you?”
She blinks once, twice. Doesn’t move her head. Her bangs have a cowlick. Her hair looks like it hasn’t been washed in weeks.
I squat near her. At least she doesn’t smell.
“Lacey, can you hear me?”
Another two slow and deliberate blinks. Two for yes?
“Do you know who I am?”
A blink, but maybe that’s just because she needed to. I can’t be sure.
I have got to get her talking.
“Lacey, you’re here because you claimed to have seen vampires.”
Ever so slightly, she turns toward me although her gaze doesn’t lower from the ceiling.
“But it’s not a claim, is it? You really did see them.”
She holds her breath but otherwise doesn’t react.
“Did you see their fangs? Did you witness them bite someone?”
Lacey fidgets slightly. Infuriatingly, she maintains her silence.
“You can tell me,” I urge.
Still no response.
“Did you see their red eyes?” I ask.
She bursts into tears and starts to rock back and forth. Lacey shifts so that she isn’t sitting crossed legged anymore. She has her feet on the floor, arms wrapped around bent legs as she rocks faster and faster.
A faint sound comes to me, and I freeze, worried it’s the singing, but no. It’s coming from Lacey. She’s muttering to herself.
“Red eyes. Red eyes. Red eyes. Rubies. Harsh. Bright. Ugly. So ugly. Not human. Teeth. Not teeth. Fangs. Fangs. Blood. Blood!”
“Did the vamp see you?” I ask.
“Red eyes. Fangs. Vampire. Red eyes. Fangs. Vampire.”
“Lacey. The vamp. Can you remember what he looked like?”
She paused mid-rock. “She.”
“Do you remember what she looked like?”
“She looked at me. With her red eyes. Fangs red. All red. Blood. All blood. Blood everywhere.”
“Did the vamp try to hurt you? Go after you?”
“Vampire feed. Vampire flee. Feed. Flee. Gone. Gone. Vampire gone.”
Well, she’s clearly insane. She only brought up the red eyes after I mentioned them, but I think that’s more because no one else believed her. She survived witnessing a vamp attack. That’s saying something.
Unfortunately, that’s all I can say about her.
I straighten. Coming here was a pointless venture.
Disappointed and dis
mayed that I have no leads now, I head toward the door. My fist reaches out to knock on the door, but I hesitate and turn back around.
“Lacey?”
She doesn’t look away from the ceiling.
“Have you ever heard songs late at night?” I ask.
For the first time, she looks at me. Hatred and rage flash in her now-silver eyes. With a great burst of speed, she jerks to her feet and races over to me. Her fingers reach around my neck and squeeze.
I’m so startled by her threatening response to my question that I can’t react at first. Then my karate training kicks in. I bring my hands together like I’m praying and bring them up through the hole between her hands. I force her hands from my throat, but she tackles me to the ground. She’s feeble and thin, but she’s also strong.
Point proven as the back of my head hits the ground. Ow! If that aggravates concussion symptoms, I am gonna be pissed.
I throw up a hand to block her from grabbing my neck again. When I grab her other wrist, I wince. Her bones feel so brittle that I’m afraid I’ll break one.
So I knee her to increase the distance between us, jump to my feet, and bang on the door
“Hurry up! Open the door! She’s trying to kill me!”
The door almost immediately opens, and someone rushes in with a needle. The woman injects Lacey, and she calms down. Sedated.
I breathe heavily.
“Your throat,” the male who opened the door says. “Are you all right?”
“I’ll be fine.” I rub it gingerly. It’s sore to the touch. “If it’s possible, I would like for there to be blood work done on her. Oh, and brain imaging too.”
The woman who sedated Lacey skeptically grimaces. “Who are you exactly?”
I flash my badge. “It’s for an investigation.”
“Without a warrant, we can’t subject a—”
Lacey slumped over once given the shot, but now she sits up. Eerily paralleling Diamond, she rushes forward and bashes her head against the wall. Before anyone can stop her, she does it two more times. Only then do the others grab her.
But it’s too late.
Lacey killed herself too.
Chapter 14
I’ll be honest. I’m freaking out. Big time.
When Sirens Screech (Bedlam in Bethlehem Book 4) Page 6
