by Elle Adams
“Oh, he can, but he’s pretty selective with what he shares,” I said. “I bet he’s the one who’s been going around making friends with the vampires. He and Vincent are buddies, but I guess vampires don’t have familiars.”
“He picked you,” Nathan said. “As far as the rules go, that makes him your familiar.”
“Yep.” I checked the door was locked. The cool breeze soothed my headache and made me feel a little more awake. “I also think he’s somehow communicating with the vampires. Like, psychically. I never asked Vincent if vampires can read animals’ minds as well as humans’, but familiars are different.”
He nodded, a frown puckering his brow. “You heard from Vincent?”
“Yesterday, when Alissa was being questioned at the hospital. I guess he was on the list for questioning, too,” I said. “Anyway, he said that vampires’ mind-reading skills are pretty extensive. He can scan everyone in a room in a few seconds. Which means he’d know if anyone he’d encountered in town was the killer. And as I said, everyone in the hospital is pretty much accounted for. I think an outsider did it, and so does Vincent. Do the police think the other vampires might be involved?”
“No,” he said. “They don’t like the idea that one of them might have turned on their fellow vampire, but Lord Anderson roused their suspicions because he and Lord Goddard had an ongoing feud. For centuries.”
“That sounds tiring, to be honest.”
“You’re not the grudge-holding type?” he queried.
“Nope. With one exception—Blythe,” I admitted. “It’s not really a grudge. It’s more like I know that whenever I run into her, she’ll start messing with me. Like when she showed up at our last date.”
“I forgot about that,” he said. “She’s not still making trouble for you?”
I shook my head. I hadn’t seen her since then, and now I thought about it, I wasn’t sure Nathan actually knew we might be related.
We reached a grand old house, which I’d come to expect of the vampires by now. Balconies, extensive gardens, the works. It was in perfect condition, as though its owner was dedicated to cleaning the place regularly. I hesitated beside the gates in case some defences showed up like the wards on the other vampire’s place, but Nathan walked right through without a problem. I followed close behind, wondering what in the world had possessed the vampire to think I was the one who could get him off the hook. I did not have a spectacular track record in that department. The only explanation was that he’d somehow heard of my lie-sensing skills. I wasn’t sure I liked that. Sure, word would spread beyond the witches eventually, but I still wasn’t a hundred percent sure if the ability was from my witch or fairy side. Thanks to the investigation, I’d had no chances to tell Madame Grey I’d inexplicably cast a spell without my wand in my hand, and Rita hadn’t given a time frame for when I’d be allowed to take part in practical lessons again. At this rate, probably not until the investigation was over and things were back to normal.
Nathan rang the old-fashioned bell pull. A moment later, the door opened and a vampire appeared on the spot as though he’d been waiting for us the whole time.
While Vincent looked thirty at most, this vampire looked… not exactly his age, but older. More mature. Maybe he’d been middle-aged when he’d turned. I had yet to ask for the details on how that kind of thing worked. His jet-black hair was streaked with grey, and his shoulders stooped a little.
“Hello,” Nathan said. “You asked to speak to Blair.”
“Uh,” I said. “Hi.”
“I am Lord Anderson,” said the vampire.
“Yes. You wanted to speak to me? Why?”
“I think you know why.”
Did vampires take classes in how to speak in that creepy tone? I should ask Alissa if Keith had told her.
“You’re being accused of murder, from what I hear,” I said. “I’m not sure why you think I’m the person to help you out. Did you and Lord Goddard have some kind of rivalry?”
“I wouldn’t kill him,” he said. “That’d spoil the fun.”
Fun? Vampires. “What’s fun about spending years bickering with someone?”
“Come back in a few centuries and ask me the same question,” he said.
“I’m not a vampire,” I pointed out. “You spoke to my cat, didn’t you?”
“No, I spoke to Vincent.”
That little… he’d known when he spoke to me that the vampire was planning to invite me in to defend him and decided not to give me any warning.
“I’m not… I showed up for my friend because I knew she wasn’t the killer. I don’t even know you.”
“No,” he said. “I suppose not. I was curious to meet you.”
“Any reason?” Because I was the newbie in town? Or because of my family? Maybe he’d been a wizard before turning, like Lord Goddard had.
“Your ability allows you to sense lies,” he said. “So you know I’m not the murderer.”
Truth. “Yes, it does. Did Vincent tell you that?” I couldn’t recall actually telling him in person, but obviously, he’d plucked it from my thoughts somewhere.
“Yes, he did.”
“You do know the police don’t care about my ability?” I said to him. “They don’t want or need my help and they won’t take my word for it. If I tell them you’re not the killer, they’d act like I’m just a regular person. It won’t help you.”
“Is that so?” He paused. “Such a pity. I would wager that the police need you more than you think, Blair Wilkes.”
Okay…
“Even if they did,” I said, “Steve’s head is hard as granite. Literally. He won’t bend.”
“Maybe there needs to be new blood,” he muttered.
What was it with vampires using that expression? “Not my decision,” I said firmly. “I’m a witch, I work in paranormal recruitment, and that’s about it.”
“That’s not all there is,” he said. “I think you know that.”
I froze, acutely conscious of Nathan’s presence at my side, and possibly more conscious of the vampire’s penetrating stare.
Stop it.
Lord Anderson took a step backwards, to my surprise. “Very interesting,” he said. “I see Vincent wasn’t misinformed on your talents. Good day to you.”
And he closed the door, leaving me blinking after him. “What…?”
Nathan turned to me. “What was that about?”
“I…” I gaped at the closed door. “I think I blocked him from reading my mind. Or did something while he was in my head. Unless he was faking that reaction.”
“How did you know he was doing it?” His tone wasn’t accusatory, just curious.
“Vincent has the same look on his face when he reads my mind,” I said. “Also, when a vampire spaces out, they’re either about to go for the neck, or they’re poking their fangs into my thoughts instead.”
That got a small smile out of him, but a hint of distrust remained. “I assume he isn’t going to explain why he dragged you over here without the police actually being present.”
“Yeah, he’s not the type to offer an explanation.” I shook my head. “Weirdos. The lot of them.”
“Do you include Vincent in that?”
“Yes, whatever my cat says.” I rolled my eyes. “Honestly. I never really thought another vampire would be responsible for the murder. Poison seems too… cowardly, almost. I guess there might be truth to what Lord Anderson said… about the wizards set to claim his inheritance. I suppose they’re being mobbed by vampires now.”
“We can find out.”
I arched a brow. “Did you suggest we actually get involved?”
His lips twitched. “I know that look on your face, Blair. You’re about to use those boots of yours to go snooping.”
A flush spread from my neck like sunburn. Maybe he had seen my uncoordinated swooping around the skies after all.
“I would if I knew his relatives’ addresses,” I admitted. “But they’re one online search a
way. Or I could just fly around until I find whichever house is surrounded by vampires. It’s not hard to miss.”
“No, I can’t imagine it is,” he said. “Luckily for both of us, I know the address of Lord Goddard’s sole heir—a man named Peter. He’s a bachelor and has been hiding from vampires all week. But I think we should travel by foot. It’s this way.”
“Sure you don’t want to fly?” I walked after him, in the direction of the witches’ area of town. “I’m joking. I doubt I can carry someone else along for the ride. But it strikes me that patrolling the forest on foot isn’t the most efficient method for finding monsters. Did they make you stay there all night?”
“No, I managed to get a few hours’ sleep before sunrise,” he said. “As for patrolling, you wouldn’t be able to see through the trees from above, and it’s easier to find footprints on ground level.”
“Have you found any? You said you’d update me…”
A moment passed. His shoulders were tense, while the easy smile he’d worn before was gone. “No. Not for lack of trying. I only patrol the witches’ area of the forest, since the werewolves and the elves aren’t keen to let outsiders in. If the elves find anything, I told them to let me know.”
I nearly stopped walking. “You’ve spoken to them?”
“Yes. Is that so strange?”
“I ran into one on witch territory once,” I said. “Can’t remember if I told you or not, but I got the impression they’re not huge fans of witches. But I guess, since you’re not one…”
“They’re not fans of humans in general,” he said, with a shrug. “But I made a commitment to finding that creature, and they expect me to honour it.”
I shivered a little. He was willingly putting himself into harm’s way. Sure, I knew it couldn’t be the first time he’d done it—far from it—and yet…
“What if it’s worse than a shifter, or… wait, how do you deal with a rogue werewolf?” I looked sideways at him. “You’re not armed.”
“Not visibly.”
“Oh.” Oh. Hidden weapons. Of course he wouldn’t walk around unarmed, however casual his jeans and jacket looked. My imagination filled in the blanks, and I suppressed the urge to risk a look to see what he might be hiding.
“I don’t kill them if I can help it.” His tone was slightly hesitant. “I know my old job title implies it, but it’s a last resort if anything, and rogues are usually left for the pack to deal with.”
Wait. Did he assume I was mad at him? Or scared of him? “It’s fine. I’m just…” worried. A little. Okay. A lot. He wasn’t a pushover, but I knew what those werewolf teeth looked like close up.
“I hope things calm down soon,” he said. “I like you a lot, Blair. I don’t want this… case, to drive a wedge between us.”
My jaw dropped for a moment before I reeled it under control. Nobody would willingly spend this much time on my weird schemes if they didn’t like me, but in any other circumstances, I’d have placed him in the category of ‘several miles out of my league’. The life I’d left behind in the normal world would never have included dating someone who made every heterosexual female in the vicinity go weak-kneed, but I’d long since left that life behind.
I managed a smile. “I like you, too. And I wish we had the chance for a date. A real one.”
“We will,” he said. “If not before this is over, then after, for sure. Deal?”
“Deal.”
7
Nathan halted outside a wide house set apart from its neighbours. The wizard did well for himself, with or without his vampire ancestor’s inheritance. Speaking of vampires, they must have decided to leave him alone, unless they’d already got him to help them access Lord Goddard’s house.
I rang the doorbell this time, while Nathan stood at my side. There’d be no reason for the wizard to distrust us, since we didn’t have fangs.
“If you’re another bloody vampire, I’ll turn you into a pincushion,” bellowed a voice.
Ah. Maybe not, then.
“We’re not vampires,” I said.
The door opened a crack. “I’ve had it with vampires knocking on my door all the time.” A grey-haired wizard with a slight paunch opened the door a little more. “You’re the new girl.”
“I’m Blair. I was at the vampire’s house helping Madame Grey check the wards the other day, so I wondered if it worked for you.”
“No,” said the wizard. “I drove the vampires away.”
“What, you waved garlic at them or…” I broke off at his perplexed expression. Okay, that one must be from normals’ interpretations of vampire legends.
“Vampires can’t cross water,” he explained. “So I created a moat. Elemental spells aren’t my strong suit, but it sent them packing.” He bared his yellow teeth in a grin.
I looked down. Now he mentioned it, the ground did look damp.
“That seems a bit harsh. They just wanted to know if you could get into your deceased relative’s house.”
“Even if I could, I have no interest in his inheritance,” he said. “He was my great-great-great-great uncle and disowned my entire family over a century ago. Now I’m the only one left.”
Wow. “Oh. I’m sorry about that. But… I don’t know if the vampires told you, but there’s an active police investigation going on, and clues might be inside Lord Goddard’s house. Since there are blood wards outside, I guess you’re the only person who can enter.”
He scratched his chin. “I’ve spoken to the police, too. Gargoyles. First them and now the undead, and all because my ancestor was idiotic enough to get himself bitten a few centuries ago.”
I blinked. “Okay. I get that it’s not really your problem, but if you can undo the wards to let the police in, your part in this will be done. There aren’t any vampires around at the moment.”
“Well,” he said, looking over my shoulder at Nathan. “It does sound do-able when you put it like that. Who’s this one? Hunter, right?”
“Former hunter,” said Nathan. “I believe the vampires have given up the search for now. Aren’t you interested in seeing what your ancestor had to hide? There are rumours of riches hidden inside that house.”
“I have everything I need,” said the wizard.
“The vampires aren’t going to quit,” I told him. “If you get in there first, you can squash the rumours before they get out of hand. They’re already telling everyone in town that he kept a solid gold coffin in there.”
“Goddess, fine,” he muttered, looking up at the sky. Since it was summer, it wouldn’t get dark until much later. “I have a perfectly serviceable house of my own. I don’t need another one. And I want absolutely nothing to do with those bloodsuckers.”
True. Not a word he’d said had been a lie.
“Okay,” I said. “He probably knew that. But since the other vampires haven’t found a will, they have to go by guesswork. If you get in, you’ll solve that problem, help the police, and you won’t even have to say a word to the vampires.”
He nodded slowly. “Fine. But if my delightful ancestor has decided to ward the place, I won’t be setting foot in there without protection of my own.” His attention moved to Nathan, then me. “It’s plain to see my ancestor had enemies, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he left more traps inside the house as another precaution.”
Unfortunately, he might be right.
“How about we go with you, then?” I said. “Nathan is an ex-hunter, and I’m a witch.” More or less, anyway.
“I know who you are,” he said. “Yes… you and your partner will do. We’ll go now.”
Partner. My heart leap-frogged around at the word, but I schooled my face into a composed expression as I looked at Nathan. “You don’t have anywhere you have to be, right?”
“No, I have an hour.” He checked his watch. “Just about. I can see through most paranormal disguises, so I doubt there’ll be anything in there I have no experience in.”
Coming from anyone else, I’d have said his t
one sounded cocky, but he was too matter-of-fact. Like it was truth. And my truth-sensing ability agreed.
Oh boy.
Once the wizard had detoured back into his house to grab some props, we set off for Lord Goddard’s mansion. I hoped the other vampires hadn’t got any ideas and decided to come back. While Peter marched ahead, I hung back with Nathan. “Are you sure you know what to expect? Because I’m not really experienced with the sort of defences a paranoid wizard-turned-vampire might leave on his house.”
“You did an excellent job of convincing him to help, Blair. Don’t sell yourself short.”
I flushed to the tips of my ears. “It was that or listen to the vampires complaining for weeks.” I was pretty sure Vincent would agree, but Nathan wouldn’t appreciate me bringing up the vampire again. I had zero feelings for the vampire—the age gap alone, not to mention the creep factor, was enough to put me off—but Nathan’s tone whenever I mentioned him made it clear that he distrusted the elder vampire. He didn’t strike me as the jealous type, but I still had trouble believing he was interested in me, so I wouldn’t kill the mood by bringing up my cat’s undead BFF.
“Where are these wards?” asked the wizard, halting in front of the vampire’s manor house.
“There.” I pointed to the gates. “The vampires got cut pretty badly when they walked in. Even Madame Grey couldn’t bring down the wards, since they’re tuned into the blood of anyone who belongs to his family. They won’t hurt you, for that reason.”
“If Madame Grey’s sure…” The wizard walked up to the gates. There was a shimmer across the air before him, and Nathan straightened up at my side.
“He’s bypassing the ward,” he muttered. “It does recognise him.”
“How’d you know?” I asked.
“I can see through illusions. There are tricks to it.”
That must be handy… wait a moment.
“Glamour, too?” I blurted, against my better judgement. Surely not. I’d been told the glamour hiding my true appearance was so impenetrable that even I couldn’t see through it unless I went underneath the Fairy Falls. And it’d snapped back into place when I’d left.
