At the Public Safety Building, he found a parking spot near the rear entrance of the morgue. He glanced up in time to see Ivy turn off Broadway in the direction of the security gate. He waved. She saw him and stopped long enough for him to jump into the passenger’s seat.
“Good timing,” he said.
She smiled and pulled into a parking spot after the guard cleared them through the gate. Once the car was turned off, she didn’t move. “You didn’t wake me.” She spoke very quietly.
Colin wasn’t sure what he heard in her voice. “You needed the sleep.” It was lame.
Ivy shifted so her dark gaze fell on his face. The dashboard lights made the inside of the car glow enough he could see her expression. “You could have said good-bye.”
He might as well ’fess up even if it did make him sound like a scared little boy. “I was too chicken to wake you up.”
Ivy’s laugh was gentle, forgiving.
She grabbed his hand. “Amen.”
His shoulders relaxed—a little. There was still the issue of his destroying her friend, but he’d cross that bridge later. “You too?”
“You know it. I’m just not the kind of girl who jumps in bed with every vampire hunter she runs into.”
“You run into a lot of vampire hunters?” God, he liked the feel of her hand in his.
“Oh, yes, at least one every week.”
He loved the way her eyes danced. “You’re full of it.”
This time she really laughed and leaned over to kiss him. “It’s a definite possibility.”
He ran his tongue across her lower lip as he entwined his hand in her dark, lush hair. He pulled her a little closer to kiss her deeper. She tasted wonderful and smelled like heaven. He didn’t want to think about leaving her.
“What is it about you?” he asked against her lips.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
Colin gazed into her eyes and felt a twinge in his heart. Impossible. “You know this is crazy.”
“Certifiable,” she said.
“So, what are we going to do about it?”
Ivy pulled away and shrugged. “Right now, we’re going to join the others, try to figure out what’s happening, and then,” she shrugged again, “who knows.”
She was right. At the moment, the only thing they should be focused on was Destiny and the bloody trail she was leaving across the state. At least now they had a clue where she seemed to be heading.
He kissed Ivy one more time, then got out of the car. Night was burning and they were still a long way from any answers.
*
“It’s about damn time,” Riah grumbled when Ivy and Colin pushed through the doors.
Ivy’s eyes narrowed. “And hello to you too.”
Ivy’s response didn’t surprise Riah. She’d never bought into Riah’s moods, which were typically far more mercurial than Ivy’s. Riah learned to trust Ivy partially because of her steadfast personality and her even temper. Ivy had a cool head no matter how out of control things became.
Except now. Riah wasn’t blind. Ivy and Colin walked a little too close together and seemed to make a little too much effort not to look at each other. They’d slept together somewhere between the time they left here last night and now. She could almost smell it on them.
Ivy might think the tall, cool vampire hunter was a hot piece of ass, but Riah? Not so much. Oh, he was attractive enough and the kind of man women noticed even if they weren’t inclined toward the opposite sex. Something about him was different and alluring.
He was also tough and smart. Nothing soft about this hunter. All the more reason to question putting complete trust in him. Riah hadn’t lived nearly five hundred years through random or naïve trust. She’d have been destroyed a very long time ago if she had.
Though Ivy was a mere human, this was likewise far out of character for her. Particularly with Destiny’s recent choice of Jorge as a victim thrown into the mix.
Something truly evil was headed her way and she had no idea why. She’d kept her promise to do no harm these last few centuries. She even became a physician, Hippocratic Oath and all. She’d stayed true to her oath and her promise. Riah helped the dead to speak. Her science put away murderers and monsters. She comforted families and tried to make amends for past sins. She hadn’t once in over two hundred years taken a human life.
Perhaps in the last two centuries, she’d become too complacent. Perhaps evil had stalked her for years and she’d been too involved trying to atone for her past to see the signs. Certainly, she missed the passing of so many like herself. Years ago, she’d have known immediately when another vampire was destroyed. Their culture was close-knit. But she’d walked away from her life as well as those she’d previously called her friends. Most viewed her choice as betrayal. From the day she’d been turned, she’d been an outcast in human society, and when she’d turned her back on the vampire world, she’d become an outcast there too.
Now, both of her worlds were about to collide and she didn’t understand why. All she knew was in some strange way she was involved. If she didn’t come up with answers soon, all of Adriana’s work would be for naught. Riah wouldn’t be here long enough for the cure to matter.
She pulled herself away from her disturbing thoughts and turned her attention to the cooler where the body of the state trooper chilled. She left the other three talking in low voices and pulled the cooler door open. A whoosh of cold air hit her in the face, the scent of decay and destruction wafting out. She shivered.
Sunset had come and gone with nary a twitch beneath the body bag. So far, it seemed Destiny played with her food, then left them to turn as the next night fell. Through the years, Riah had seen it a hundred times or more. Vamps who were bored or lonely, turning their victims in the hope that having someone by their side could make them feel excited or even loved. Most of the unfortunate victims never made it past a sunset or two.
The life of a vampire wasn’t easy or glamorous, despite the picture the popular media presented. It was cold, lonely, and ugly. Not once in all her years did Riah try to turn another. She lacked the courage to end her own existence, but she couldn’t bring another into the shadows. She refused to become what Rodolphe always hoped he could mold her into.
Destiny was an enigma. She turned each victim yet she didn’t seem to do it for sport or companionship. Not when she threw them aside like trash. It didn’t make sense. Nor did this most recent victim. She drained the trooper and tossed him away. The trooper was good and dead. So, why the shift after she left so many to turn?
Riah pushed him out of the cooler, the wheels sounding a steady squeak, squeak, squeak as the gurney rolled toward the autopsy room. She positioned him beneath the high-powered light and turned it until it shone on his face. His cheeks were sunken, his skin pasty. His eyes were smoky, reminding her of an old dog slowly going blind. What had made him interesting and special was gone.
“He’s not moving,” Adriana commented, her head tilted, her dark eyes narrowed.
“No,” Riah answered. “She didn’t try to turn him.”
All four of them stood around the gurney now, staring down at the dead man. Riah had all her implements laid out and ready. She didn’t move to pick up a single tool.
“I don’t get it,” Ivy said. “Why not?”
Riah crossed her arms as she lifted her gaze to Colin’s face. “Do you know?”
His eyes narrowed as he returned her steady scrutiny. “I can only guess.”
“Guess away.”
Chapter Fourteen
Destiny could smell her before the door even opened. When it did, she smiled as she stood under the cover of darkness. Despite all the years, she still recalled every detail about the woman now called Dr. Riah Preston. The years had changed little. The harsh light of the delivery area did nothing to dampen her beauty. Her long dark hair, held back in a clip, was as thick and silky as ever. Beneath the shapeless blue scrubs was a spectacular body with slim hips and firm
breasts.
A chill raced up her back as another woman stepped out of the door Riah held open. She too was a petite beauty with skin as dark as Riah’s was pale. Her fingers brushed Riah’s cheek as she stepped into the light. Destiny smiled and licked her lips. Some things never changed, even after half a millennium.
The two women walked to a compact car parked in the shadows across from the door. They walked close, their bodies touching in a way only those who are intimate can. Lovers.
If she had any doubt of her assessment, it was laid to rest when the two embraced and kissed for a very long moment. Then Riah’s lover got in the car and began to back it out of the parking spot.
Destiny wasted no time, but sprinted to her car parked on the street outside the gates. By the time the woman pulled out onto Broadway, Destiny was right behind her. It was easy to keep her in sight.
Ten minutes later, when the woman’s car pulled into the garage of a lovely home, Destiny was tempted to follow her inside and enlighten the woman on the true nature of her beloved. She resisted temptation and parked a discreet distance away. Keeping to the shadows, she studied the house. With the blinds drawn, the windows in front were useless. The rear was better. Because the back of the house overlooked the bluff, apparently the woman didn’t feel the need to cover the windows.
The woman stripped out of her clothes. Lover-girl was a tasty little morsel and arousal surged. It wasn’t hard to figure out what Riah saw in this woman. She’d love to take a few minutes and see what kind of music they could make together.
As she watched, the woman slipped on a light robe, then went to the case she’d brought with her from the ME’s office. She picked it up and left the bedroom. Destiny managed to get to the kitchen window in time to see her head down to a basement. It was fortunate this little beauty turned out to be a good homeowner. Egress windows into the basement provided a clear view of a lab setup. What exactly were Riah and her lover up to? She watched for about five minutes before returning to her car.
In good time, she’d be back.
*
“Don’t drive to Moses Lake,” Colin had said to her in the parking lot. Common sense told Ivy to drive her little butt right back home. What happened last night was a one-time thing, right? Impulsive and wonderful, but nothing that should happen again. Except, instead of heading south on Monroe to hit the I-90 on-ramp, she was pulling into the parking lot of the hotel right behind Colin. Her hands shook as she gripped the steering wheel.
Then again, it was Saturday night, or rather Sunday morning. No one waited for her at home. No one needed her back in Grant County so why not have a little fun? Or, a little more fun.
Colin was at her car door by the time she slipped the car into Park. In the darkness of the early morning hours, he looked dangerous and sexy. It struck Ivy how different he was from Jorge. The sudden thought of her dead ex-husband sent a little shiver up her spine. She’d wanted Jorge to let go of the past and move on. Yet, never did she consider the possibility her freedom might come on the heels of death.
The price was too high. She didn’t want to be free of Jorge at such a cost. In her mind, it meant nothing more than him moving on and finding someone more suitable. The choice hadn’t been hers to make. Someone else made it for them. Jorge was dead. She didn’t like the way it happened nor could she change it.
Ivy opened the door, swung her feet out of the car, and took the hand Colin offered. His fingers wrapped around hers, warm and comforting. With her free hand, she held the key fob out, pushed the small red button, and listened for the click and beep.
He kissed her lightly. “What is it about you?” he whispered against her lips.
“What is it about me?” Ivy tilted her head to see his face a little better.
“I’m here to hunt an old and devious vampire, yet all I can think about is you.”
She studied his face. He wasn’t smiling. “You are distracted by me, aren’t you?”
He walked with her inside the bright lobby of the hotel. Following the hallway to the bank of elevators, he waited until they were alone and ascending. Her back was against the wall and he faced her, both hands on the wall over her head.
“You distract me more than is healthy for either of us.” His green eyes were serious.
“I’m sorry.” Maybe she should drive back to Moses Lake. It’d probably be the wisest thing to do. She tried not to think about how fabulous he smelled or how she wanted to run her hands up his chest.
“I’m not.”
“But you said…” She tilted her head and stared into his face.
“Yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair, making it stand on end as if he just came in from a strong windstorm. He turned until his back was also against the elevator wall. “I’ve been at this a long time. I’ve done things that, if I really stopped to think about them, would probably send me over the edge.”
The haunting echo in his voice made her take his hand. She hated to think about what his life was like. She dealt in death every day, though, by and large, hers was a world where mysteries unraveled and answers provided peace to distraught families. With, of course, occasional exceptions, like Jorge.
Exceptions aside, her world had a normalcy that didn’t exist for Colin. Death touched his daily life just as it did for Ivy, but nothing in his confrontation with death could be characterized as normal. Everything that flowed in and around him was a touch outside reality. How he managed to stay sane was nothing short of a miracle.
“I’m glad you haven’t tipped over that edge,” she told him, and rested her head against his shoulder.
The doors of the elevator slid open and Colin pulled her into the hallway, holding her. They passed half a dozen doors before he stopped and slipped the cardkey into a door. A green light glowed just above the door handle and Colin opened the door. He released his grip on her and she walked into the cool interior of the room. Her entire body buzzed.
Colin flipped the light switch in the bathroom and the gold light filtered out to the main room. She kept her back to him. The only thing she really noticed was the inviting king-sized bed. A gentle silence fell over the room.
Ivy turned when the long silence stretched. Colin leaned against the bathroom doorframe with his arms crossed and his gaze fixed on her. She loved the way his hair curled around the collar of his jacket and a five o’clock shadow darkened his jaw. His jeans were just snug enough to be sexy without looking lounge-lizard tight. A button-down black cotton shirt was casual despite a muscled chest with a sprinkling of curly hair beneath.
Her heart beat quickened, her pulse raced. When was the last time she felt this alive? Or this horny? Never. Not even with Jorge and she’d married him. Right now, it was taking every bit of self-control she possessed not to race over and rip the clothes off him.
Ivy’s world had taken a shift to the left when Riah came clean and introduced her to the shady and relatively secret world of vampires. Nothing had been quite the same since. Now, her life was shifting yet again, this time courtesy of a vampire hunter. It was getting harder to remember what normal looked like.
“So…” he drawled. “What now?”
Ivy licked her lips. “I thought you had a plan.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Hungry? It’s not too late for room service.”
She studied his face as she shook her head and frowned. “Not hungry.”
“Tired?”
This time she smiled. Okay, she saw how this was going down. Game. Set. Match. “Not even a little.”
She began to unbutton her shirt.
*
After everyone left and Riah was alone in the autopsy room, she sat on a stool just staring at the cooler door. Everything was cleaned up and the trooper was back on ice, so to speak. The funeral home would pick him up tomorrow. The autopsy, though completed rather quickly compared to normal circumstances, was nothing special other than the fact he’d been drained of blood.
One of Riah’s well-practiced skills as a me
dical examiner was the ability to document a vampire death as something different than it really was. The trooper’s death certificate would list nothing even close to the reality of his preternaturally hastened demise. The devil was in the details and Riah’s details would spin a very different story. Everyone was infinitely happier with an explanation they could make sense of.
It wasn’t the death certificate that had her thinking now, but the conversation with the vampire hunter that sent her thoughts racing at warp speed. Despite her reservations about Colin, he made some very interesting points. Perhaps interesting was the wrong word. More like disturbing.
Riah wanted to dislike the hunter who was as mysterious as he was handsome. Ivy was obviously entranced, almost as if he was preternatural himself and had used a bit of glimmer to lure the gorgeous Ivy into his bed. Riah recognized others of darkness when she met them, and Colin was as human as Ivy. And as likeable as Ivy—damn him.
Riah didn’t routinely indulge in stupidity, and she’d be stupid to blindly trust this man. It wasn’t about trust; it was gut instinct. Plain, old-fashioned honesty oozed from his pores. It was probably one of the things that made him a successful hunter. Few lasted more than a couple years in his chosen profession, yet this man had made it the better part of a lifetime without finding himself a victim of the creatures he hunted.
His theories on the elusive Destiny bothered Riah. He obviously believed Destiny was fucking with her, and she wasn’t inclined to argue the point. Everything seemed to support it. But why?
The state trooper, the only one Destiny didn’t try to turn, must have been a necessary meal. Destiny was working on maintaining full power, and a strong, virile man—like a Washington State Patrolman—was the perfect ticket. It was only a theory, though, and she hoped they were right.
At the same time, Riah wondered if a clock was ticking somewhere in the background. And if it was, how much time was left?
Crimson Vengeance Page 14
