“No drinks until I find my glasses,” my father grumbled.
“Where do you remember having them last?” I asked. Before he could answer, I marched across the kitchen and plucked a pair of glasses from the counter next to the coffee machine. “Do you mean these?”
My father swiped the glasses from my hand and put them on. “How did you see those?”
“How did you not?” I shot back. “They were right there on the counter.”
Sally shrugged. “I was focused on other things.”
“Where’s Ryan?” I asked.
“Now that I have my glasses, I can find him,” my father said.
“Hardy har. Very funny.”
My dad snorted. “He’s on the floor in the living room. I only came in here to find my glasses.”
I skirted the counter and saw my one-year-old nephew on the floor, playing with colored blocks. “Hey, Ryan.”
The little boy turned and smiled when he saw me. I dropped to the floor and began making a tower of blocks. “Has he napped at all? His eyes look tired.”
“He didn’t want to sleep,” my father said. “He wanted to play.”
“Of course he’d prefer to play. He’s only a year old. He doesn’t know any better.” I smoothed back his wispy layer of hair. “You have to stop stealing time with him when he should be asleep.”
“Why? I used to do it with you all the time,” my father said. “Your mother would put you down for a nap and disappear to a coven meeting or what-have-you and I’d come in and sit with you in the rocking chair.”
“Why not do that during my awake time?” I asked.
“Between your mother, grandmother and great-aunt, someone was always hovering. I felt like I didn’t get time alone with my daughter.”
That actually seemed sweet. “And what did we do? Did you read me stories?”
“Sure did,” my father said proudly. “Revenge For Dummies. Malevolent Rulers: A History. That was quality time for you and me.”
“No Cinderella or Velveteen Rabbit?” I asked.
My dad grimaced. “Not on my watch. I used to let you siphon power from me, too, so you could get back at your brother for being mean to you.”
My eyes bulged. “You had me siphon vengeance powers? I don’t remember that.”
“You’d sleep well after that.” He chuckled. “It always drained you.”
“I guess so,” I said heatedly. “I was only little. I couldn’t handle power like yours.”
My father wriggled a finger at me. “Ah, but you did. I built up your strength.”
I shook my head in disbelief. My father never ceased to amaze me. “Sally, have you heard anything about a possible turning?” I asked.
Sally snapped to attention. “A turning? You mean a vampire?”
“Yes. I need to go and see someone named William Hickes today. The unofficial story is that he was turned.”
Sally clutched her necklace. “I can’t imagine such a thing. In a place like Las Vegas, maybe. Certainly not here.”
I cocked my head. “Why Las Vegas?”
“Oh, you know. People get drunk. They gamble. Before you know it, a vampire has convinced them that they really do want to live for eternity together.”
“It’s not like there’s a quickie divorce option,” I said. “You become a vampire and that’s usually the end of the story. Why doesn’t anyone stop them?”
“You have FBM agents there,” Sally said. “But supernaturals get away with a lot in a place like Vegas.” She wiped down the counter with a cloth. “Are you sure he’s been turned? Maybe it’s one of those cases where a human has gone psycho and only thinks he’s a vampire.”
“Could be,” I said. “That’s what I need to go and find out.”
“I hope it’s a psycho,” Sally said. “We don’t need any more vampires in this town. I can barely tolerate the ones we have now.”
“Are you forgetting that you’re a vampire?” I asked.
Sally patted her sleek hair. “There are different classes of vampire, just like in any group.”
“I’ll let you know which class William Hickes falls into once I meet him,” I said, “so you know whether or not to invite him to brunch.”
Sally smiled, displaying a set of pristine fangs. “I look forward to your update.”
I pulled into the driveway of 5 Bleu Cheese Court and cut the engine. I sat in the car for a moment and stared at the quiet house. If William Hickes was a recently turned vampire, he was likely freaking out, unless he’d entered some sort of understanding with his sire. That happened sometimes, not quite like what Sally described in Vegas, though. It was a more thoughtful approach. Arrangements were made between parties invested in a relationship. They filed paperwork in Otherworld and went through the process there. Never here, though. Here was a criminal offense.
I approached the door and gave it a firm knock. No one answered.
“Mr. Hickes,” I called. “Are you in there? My name is Eden Fury. I’d like to speak with you.” I didn’t want to identify myself as an agent at the outset and risk scaring him into silence.
Although I heard movement in the house, the door remained closed.
“William? I understand something scary may have happened to you and I’d like to talk to you about it. I promise nothing bad will happen.” A risky promise, but one that had to be made. I needed to see him and assess the situation.
I counted to ten and used a simple unlocking spell that Grandma had taught me to open the door. As a teenager, I’d been forced to use it on a frequent basis to take back belongings that my brother had stolen from me. Anton had been a relentless thief, always taking the one precious item he knew would rattle me. It was a wonder we had any relationship at all now.
Slowly, I entered the house. “William? I’m not here to hurt you. Please come and talk to me.”
There was silence until a voice said, “But what if I hurt you?”
“William, I’m a federal agent and I have a few defensive skills,” I said. “It’s unlikely you’d be able to hurt me.” I didn’t relish the idea of siphoning vampire power again so soon, but it would weaken William long enough that I could subdue him.
A young man emerged from the shadows. His face was gaunt and his eyes were bloodshot. “You’re Eden Fury.” His voice reflected the surprise on his face.
“Yes, I said that.”
“You don’t remember me? We went to elementary and middle school together,” he said. “I’m Will.”
I studied the sickly young man. “Right. I remember now. You had a pet rabbit.”
“Miss Fluffernutter.” He managed a smile and I noticed his fangs peeking out.
“Why didn’t you go to our high school?”
“My family moved when my parents divorced,” Will said. “I moved back here after college. I had such happy memories of this town growing up that I wanted to come back as soon as I could.” He grunted. “I guess everything seemed better before their divorce.”
“If it’s any consolation, my parents divorced when we were in elementary school. They still live five hundred yards away from each other.” And I’d never wanted to come back.
His eyes rounded. “My parents would’ve killed each other living that close.”
“So, you want to tell me how you acquired the new enamel?” I gestured to his fangs.
He licked his chapped lips. I doubted he was eating or drinking enough of anything. His whole system was probably in turmoil.
“Can we sit in the study?” he asked. “It’s darkest in there. The light bothers my eyes.”
“You know you can venture out in daylight, right?” I asked. “The whole vampires-only- come-out-at-night thing is just a myth.” I followed him into the darkened study and perched on the arm of the loveseat.
“Okay, cool,” he said. “I wasn’t sure.” He sat in a wingback chair. “Why do you know about this stuff? I didn’t even know vampires were real until I became one.”
“Let’s not wor
ry about that right now,” I said. “I’m more concerned about you and how this happened. Do you know who’s responsible?”
Will blinked. “Someone did this to me?”
“Someone didn’t?”
He flopped backward. “I don’t know. I woke up like this two days ago.”
“Two days ago? You just woke up with fangs and a thirst for blood?”
He nodded. “I thought it was a dream at first. My mouth felt odd so I touched my teeth and pricked my finger. I ran to look in the mirror.”
“And then what?”
“I couldn’t see anything. Then I threw up.”
Right. “Will, have you had anything to eat or drink since then?”
He gave me a pathetic look. “No. I’ve tried water, but I can’t keep it down. I feel nauseous constantly.”
“Okay, I can help you with that.” I immediately texted Sally to ask for spare bottles of blood and sent her the address. Thankfully, I’d already apprised her of the situation so she wouldn’t need to ask questions.
“I’ve never felt so ill,” Will said, clutching his stomach.
“I’m sorry, Will,” I said. “It’s the transition period. It can be very rough, but you’ll get through it.”
“I thought I was going insane,” he said. “I waited to go outside the first night because I thought I’d burn up in sunlight.”
“Why did you go outside at all?”
“I wanted to talk to someone,” he said. “Show them my mouth and see if I was going nuts.”
A human without the Sight would have definitely thought he was nuts. They can’t see vampire attributes like fangs, not unless someone spelled them.
“Who did you talk to then?” I asked.
“One of my neighbors had just come home from a date,” Will said. “He got out of his car and asked if I was okay. I showed him my mouth and asked if he saw fangs.”
“And what did he say?”
“He said he did and then he told me to go back inside and stay there.”
“What’s the neighbor’s name?”
“Truman Etheridge.”
A-ha. That explained how Husbourne Crawley found out. The Etheridges are fae. Truman must have reported it to the council.
“I’m sorry it took so long for someone to come and see you,” I said. “There shouldn’t have been a delay.”
“Am I stuck like this?” he asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” I said, though I didn’t see how he’d be able to undo a turning. “I need more information from you. Let’s retrace your steps leading up your first morning as a vampire and see if we can piece it together. Did you go to any bars or meet up with someone for a drink?”
“I went to Holes for a donut and coffee,” he said. “That Paige sure is nice. I wish she wasn’t married to that loser, Shia.”
“I haven’t met Shia yet, but my office is right next door to Holes.”
He frowned. “That doesn’t seem like a great place for an office.”
“I didn’t choose it.”
“After Holes, I went for a walk along the river. I didn’t see anybody there. I like to go when it’s quiet and peaceful. To think.”
“About anything in particular?”
His expression clouded over. “No, nothing really.”
I didn’t need Quantico training to know that was a lie. “Did you used to go there with your parents as a kid?”
He brightened. “Oh, all the time. I loved playing outside as a kid.”
So it was a happy place for him. Good memories.
“I used to pretend the mound was a mountain peak and I was a lost climber with nothing except my wits to survive.”
I smiled. “You had quite the imagination.”
“I would dig holes, use a bucket and a rope to get water from the old well, all sorts of stuff.”
“Why not get water from the river?” I asked.
“Oh, it was contaminated and, if I drank from it, I risked disease.” He chuckled. “I think it was cholera. Anything to make my predicament more harrowing.”
“Sounds like your parents didn’t ever need to entertain you.”
Will sighed gently. “Definitely not. I could play there for hours, perfectly content. My parents would have to drag me home.”
The doorbell rang. “That’s my stepmom,” I said. “She’s a vampire, too.”
Will huddled in the chair and hugged a pillow. “A real vampire?”
I offered a reassuring smile. “Yes, Will. A real vampire like you.” I went to the door and let Sally in.
“Doesn’t she have to be invited?” Will called from another room.
“No,” we yelled in unison.
Sally gave me a bottle of blood and I brought it into the room for Will. “You have a lot to learn,” I said. “This is my stepmom, Sally Fury. She can answer any questions you might have.”
Sally stood in the doorway. “Take slow sips. The last thing you want is a bright red stain on that light carpet.”
Will stared at her. “Stains are the least of my concerns right now.”
Sally squeezed my shoulder. “Why don’t you let me take it from here, Eden? You go file a report or whatever it is you need to do.”
“I don’t want to file a report until I know more,” I said.
Will’s eyes widened. “Why would you file a report? Who are you?”
“I’m an agent for the Federal Bureau of Magic,” I said. I needed Will to know he could trust me and that meant trusting him with my secret. “It’s a secret division of the FBI. I handle supernatural occurrences in this jurisdiction.”
“And I’m a supernatural occurrence?” he asked.
I gave him a sympathetic look. “I think you qualify.”
“What happens to me if you file a report?”
“Don’t worry, Will,” I said. “We’re going to keep this under wraps until I get more information.”
He took a sip of the blood and his body relaxed. “Wow. I thought it would be disgusting.”
Sally patted her bag. “There’s more where that came from. I have both still and sparkling, once you’ve settled.”
“Have you always been a supernatural?” Will asked me. “You seemed normal to me in school.”
“I am normal,” I said.
Sally rolled her eyes. “Except the way you bend your fingers. That’s unnatural.”
“I’m double-jointed,” I huffed. “And I’m a fury, so my supernatural abilities aren’t as obvious as, say, a werewolf.”
Will recoiled. “Werewolves are real?”
“Basically, if you can imagine it, it exists,” I said.
“Topless mermaids?” he asked.
“Right in the bay,” I said. “You wouldn’t have been able to see them before, but you can see them as a vampire.”
Will was rendered speechless. “Is the whole world like this?”
“We’re everywhere, but we gravitate to some places more than others.” I didn’t want to explain the portals. Will had enough information to process. “I’ll leave you my number. Text me if you need anything and I’ll be in touch.”
“Thanks, Eden,” he said. He took another sip of blood and a drop began to fall toward the carpet. Sally used her vampire reflexes to catch the droplet before it hit the carpet.
“Good luck, Will, but you don’t need it,” I said. “I’m leaving you in good hands.”
Will gaped at Sally, awestruck. “I can see that.” He shook his head. “I feel like I have so much to learn.”
And so did I—like how in Hecate’s name did Will Hickes become a vampire?
Chapter Five
I left Will’s and went back to the office to update Neville on recent developments. He gave me a list of local vampires so that I could start questioning them about Will. Even if they weren’t the responsible party, they might have heard something. Vampires are notorious gossips. The next time I looked at the time, it was six o’clock and my stomach was rumbling. Neville had been gone an hour, so I he
aded home to take care of my appetite.
I sensed a bustle of activity the moment I stepped through the door and went into the kitchen to investigate. My mother took one look at me and raised her brow in silent criticism.
“What?” I asked. I glanced down at my jeans and T-shirt. The white shirt had an image of four foxes with ‘sake’ written below.
“At least wear a shirt that’s grammatically correct,” Grandma said. She stood at the stovetop, stirring a pot. “It technically says four foxes sake, not four fox sake.”
I inclined my head toward the pot. “I see you do that physically as well as metaphorically.”
My mother moved to stand between us. “Why don’t you go wash up?” she said to me. “We’re having dinner promptly at six-thirty.”
“Why promptly?” Thanks to different schedules, our family tended to have a staggered approach to mealtimes.
“I took the liberty of inviting an old friend,” my mother said.
It was then I noticed her sapphire necklace and matching earrings. And her perfectly coiffed hair. “Which old friend?”
“Hugh Phelps.” Despite her best effort to murmur his name, I heard her loud and clear.
“How is Hugh Phelps an old friend?” I demanded.
My mother turned to busy herself with a cheese plate on the island. “We’ve known the Phelps family for generations.”
“Monroe, maybe,” I said. “Even his daughter.” Whose name I forgot yet again. “I don’t even remember Hugh. I was only reminded because of the council meeting.”
“He’s hard to forget now,” Grandma interjected. “Even his muscles have muscles.”
“I know what you’re doing and it won’t work.” I spun around toward the attic. “Enjoy dinner. I’ll be upstairs.”
“Eden Joy Fury, you will clean up and report back here immediately,” my mother said firmly. I felt the energy in the room change.
“Don’t you dare cast a spell on me,” I yelled over my shoulder.
Too late. I felt the magic attack my body and turn me back toward the kitchen.
“Stop,” I said through clenched teeth.
My mother gave me a smug look. “What are you going to do—arrest me?”
“I might,” I ground out. “Now stop the spell.”
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