Edge of Night

by Crystal Jordan

  “The aftermath of this will be ugly. Lots of finger-pointing. I’m guessing Elinor is going to try to point as many of those fingers in my direction as possible, since I was the agent in charge.” Luca squeezed his father’s shoulder. “The less you’re involved, the better I’ll feel.”

  “You!” Elinor had staggered to her feet, covered in her son’s blood. Her gaze glowed with a feral light as it locked on Luca.

  “Ah, here we go,” he remarked, sotto voce.

  Jack and Selina stepped forward, but Luca held a hand up to still their motion. They obeyed, but he could feel the tension vibrating off them. They wouldn’t stay put if Elinor tried to physically attack him. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jack slip his weapon from its holster. He kept it pointed at the floor, but it was out and ready.

  That should have made Luca feel safer, but it really didn’t when Medusa was advancing on him, her hair wild enough to suit her nickname. He half expected to turn to stone.

  “You were supposed to protect your own. Instead, you—”

  “Did my job? Yes, I did.” Luca tilted his head. “Your son broke his blood oaths.”

  She shook her head, her hair whipping against her cheeks. “You can’t take a blood oath to a Normal. They’re less than the dirt we walk on.”

  For one of the very few times in his life, Luca wanted to do serious damage to a woman. He dragged in a breath that did little to cool his temper. “Except for when they shoot back.”

  “How dare you?” She hissed at him, fangs bared, her fingertips turning to talons. Jack raised his weapon to point at the back of her skull. Selina’s hand came up, palm out, ready to cast a spell that would likely do more damage than Jack’s bullet.

  Elinor’s talons rattled together as she flexed her fingers. “The Cavallis will pay for this, mark my words. They’ll never hold a seat on the Conclave again for as long as I live. How’s that for a little distance, Salvatore? Or didn’t you think I could hear you?” The smile she aimed at Luca was gruesome. “You and your little pets will be out of those precious jobs you were so determined to do. I will eat you for breakfast, whelp.”

  Salvatore stepped forward as if to guard his son with his own body. “Try to come after my son, and I will rip you apart limb from limb. Your bloodline was severed today, and for that I pity you, but I won’t have you endanger mine.” His father’s gaze was colder and harder than anything Luca had ever seen from him. “Which of us has enough influence in the Conclave to finish the other will be the very least of your worries.”

  After clamping a hand over his father’s shoulder, Luca hauled the older man back so that he stood next to him instead of in front of him. The better to get both of them out of the way if Medusa launched herself at them.

  Luca said, “Allow me to be clear, Mrs. Hammond. Your son was a criminal who murdered his son, beat his wife and treated both of them as if they were animals to be fed from. All of these things are illegal. Now that he’s dead and there can’t be a trial to make him pay for his crimes, I see no reason why the evidence we had against him can’t be made public to the Magickal community. I’m sure the DA would agree, werewolf that he is.”

  Elinor paled as that dose of reality hit her—what it would do to her if people realized what a twisted little fuck her offspring had been. While the Conclave might have condoned her prejudice before now, they’d cut ties with a political liability like her so fast it would make her head spin. “What do you want?”

  “Once your son’s body is released by my medical examiner, I want you to take his carcass and leave Seattle. Do not ever return, or I’ll make every dirty detail of Robert’s private life very, very public.” Luca smiled, and he imagined it was every bit as gruesome as hers had been. “I would guess when the All-Magickal Council got wind of this, they’d have quite a few questions about your involvement, and exactly how much you knew about his activities. An inquest would probably be in order.”

  “You can’t—”

  “I can and I will. You’ve made threats against me, against my family and against my FBI team.” He drilled her with a chilling stare. “You’re done, one way or another. It’s your choice what to do from here.”

  She swayed, hate in her gaze. “I’ll leave town.”

  “A wise decision.” He nodded to Selina. “Detective Grayson will make sure you get home safely. I expect the M.E. will finish up with Robert in a day or two. You’ll be packed and ready to leave by then.”

  “Fine,” she spat.

  The two women left. Jack hesitated for half a minute before he growled. “I’m not leaving my wife alone with that bitch.”

  He disappeared out the door.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to follow in my political footsteps? You’d be good at it.” Salvatore lifted his eyebrows as if Luca had impressed him for once in his life. Another first, since Salvatore had also expressed more affection for his son in the last five minutes than he had in the past century.

  “Very sure.” He shook his head. “Give it up, Father. I’m not cut out for dealing with people like her unless I can arrest them and throw their asses in jail.”

  His father snorted. “No, I suppose you’re right.”

  “I appreciate what you said.” Luca cleared his throat, unsure how this day had turned on its head so quickly. This morning he’d been in bed with Erin, and now he was here, at the scene of a murder/suicide, having as close to a warm fuzzy moment with his father as he’d ever had. “About defending me.”

  “You’re my blood. And you defended your bloodline today. This is good. I feared we’d lost all of your loyalty to law enforcement.” His lips quirked. “I don’t imagine any of what you threatened to do is entirely legal.”

  “No. Not entirely.”

  He walked his father out of the house, both of them silent as they passed Cecily’s corpse. Luca swallowed the bitter bile of defeat. He should have protected her. It was a thought he’d had about other Normal women over the years. With Francesca’s sudden death and Tess’s attack by werewolves, Luca felt even more need to watch over the fragile human race, and the extra vulnerabilities of women only intensified his desire to safeguard them.

  Today, he’d failed. No matter what excuses could be made, it didn’t change how he felt. He’d failed to bring Robert to justice, to save Cecily from what she thought she had to do, to close this case in a way that didn’t make him feel like complete shit.

  Chapter Nine

  God, she’d needed tonight.

  Erin flicked on the blinker of her rental car to turn onto her street. She got to pick up her vehicle from the shop at noon, but her insurance covered this zippy little Ford Focus. The police had few hopes of figuring out who fucked up her tires and paint job. Apparently, whoever had done it had covered their Magickal essence well.

  The light in front of her turned green and she accelerated up the road. At this time in the wee hours of morning, there were very few people out and about. Dawn was just beginning to break. She grinned. She hadn’t had this kind of night out in forever.

  Monday and Tuesday were Holly and her “weekends” so they’d gotten dolled up and went out on the town. Holly insisted they go out to Sanguine, the local Magickal watering hole, and dance until they couldn’t move anymore. Being a werewolf, Holly had lasted a lot longer than Erin. She’d taken a break, slid onto a stool at the bar, and let the bartender bring her drinks. It had been a long time since she’d gotten her buzz on like that, but all the craziness lately meant she’d more than earned her tipsy giggles.

  Her cousin had dragged her back out on the dance floor to introduce her to an adorable, flirtatious elf and his very hot werewolf friend. The wolf was obviously into Holly, and the four of them partied the night away. Erin had squelched the betraying little inner voice that said it would have been even more fun if the elf had been Luca instead. No. She and Luca didn’t go out—they stayed in and had dirty, sweaty sex. Enjoying the benefits of their unique friendship.

  They’d texted
a few times over the last couple of days, but she hadn’t seen him. Even through the simple text messages, she could tell he was distracted and busy. She’d learned from Selina and Jack that the child murder case had cleared up, but they wouldn’t give her any other details. Erin had to assume wrapping up the case was keeping Luca occupied. It was probably best to chill out a little, considering how things had intensified last time she’d been with him.

  She parked in her designated spot and hopped out of the rental car. Her feet ached in their high heels and her buzz was long gone, but she hummed and did a little shimmy. Home at last. All in all, it had been a good time. She was glad she’d let her cousin talk her into it. Tucking her handbag under her arm, she took the stairs up to her floor. She paused on the top step to dig her house keys out of her purse, and then froze as she heard the faintest scrape from the foyer to her apartment. She’d have to poke her head around the corner to see anything, but that had sounded a lot like a shoe scuffing on the floor. Someone was there.

  At five-thirty in the morning.

  Asher. Oh God. Oh God. He was here. He’d finally come out in the open. Her belly curdled with fear, and acid burned the back of her throat.

  Instead of reaching for her keys, she pulled out the slim throwing knife she carried with her any time she went out. It had come in handy more than once, but she’d never been more grateful for it than she was right now. Her heart pounded, the roar of blood filling her ears. She also fished around for her cell phone and tried to take a silent step backward. If she could avoid confronting him, she would.

  A hysterical giggle threatened to burst from her throat. Escape a vampire? He’d probably smelled her the second she’d left her car. Maybe even when she was driving up. Her palms slicked with clammy sweat and she fumbled her phone, dropping it with a clatter that boomed like cannon-fire in the silence.

  She heard that scrape of shoe against floor again, closer this time. He was coming. Dread closed around her chest. Running was futile—a mouse fleeing from a tiger. The knife in her hand slipped into a familiar position, ready to throw. She raised her arm, held her breath and waited. A huge dark figure loomed before her, outlined by the light in the foyer, and she let the blade fly.

  It hit the mark, slamming deep into his chest.

  “Erin?” he gasped, and she wanted to vomit.

  Jesus, that wasn’t Asher. It was Luca.

  He glanced down at his chest, where crimson spread in a massive stain across his blue shirt. A strange gurgle came from his throat. He wrapped his fingers around the handle of the knife and jerked it out of his flesh, then pressed his hand against the gaping wound. Blood gushed between his fingers. “Hello to you too.”

  “Oh shit.” Bile burned its way up from her stomach, and she feared she might heave the cocktails she’d drunk all over his shoes. “Oh my God. Oh shit.”

  “That’s one way to put it.” His face was far too pale, and he coughed, blood appearing at the corner of his mouth. “You definitely punctured something important in there.”

  He spoke with a bland calmness that belied the seriousness of his words.

  “Can you heal?” Something dark and awful quaked through her as she held her breath, waiting for his answer.

  Nodding, he leaned his shoulder heavily against the wall. “I’m going to need to feed or the blood loss is going to make me pass out. You don’t want to be around when I wake up after that.”

  Because he’d be a feral animal, needing to drink blood without any kind of sanity or logic. She’d be in danger. “I have some elixir inside.”

  He blinked, swayed on his feet. “Why do you have elixir? You’re a Normal with a werewolf family.”

  “Because you’re not the first vampire I’ve let stay for breakfast, okay?” She rushed up the stairs to her condo, not daring to look at the blood soaking his clothes as she passed him. She twisted the key in the lock and shoved the door open. “Get in here before you lose consciousness. You’re too big for me to move once you go down.”

  He’d shifted to track her as she moved, which was a little creepy because she could see a flash of red in his eyes. Not a good sign. His hunger was going to overpower him soon. Using one hand against the wall to keep himself steady, he staggered forward.

  Not sure it was safe to let him get within arm’s reach, she skittered back, turned and raced for the bathroom cabinet where she’d stashed a few canisters of elixir when Asher had stayed the night. Thank God the stuff had a shelf-life that would rival a Twinkie, and thank God she hadn’t tossed it when she’d tossed Asher out of her life. All four containers she had went with her to the living room, where she found Luca slumped on the floor just inside her front door.

  Her heart stopped for a moment when she saw him. Was he dead? Could a vampire bleed out? She had no idea. Vamps and wolves healed quickly and could withstand incredible damage, but how much was too much before even they couldn’t survive? Tears glutted her eyes when she saw his chest rise and fall.

  “Luca?” She dropped to her knees beside him, but he only groaned in response. Not good. Could she feed him while he was out of it? She didn’t think so. Keeping her hands steady while cracking the seal on a canister wasn’t easy, but she managed. Adrenaline pumped through her, and she had to set the canister aside before she dumped it everywhere. Luca needed that lifesaving liquid.

  After slipping her arm behind his neck, she lifted his head so his throat arched. Maybe that would make it easier to get the elixir into him. She could only hope. She used her free hand to pick up the open canister, and then gingerly tipped it to his lips. It splattered down his chin and overflowed his mouth. Hopelessness closed around her chest, grief mingling with regret and despair.

  “Please, Luca,” she whispered, suppressing a sob. “Please try to drink it.”

  She poured more into his mouth, and he gurgled, gagged. His hand wrapped around her wrist, his talons at their full, terrifying length. He squeezed so hard the bones ground together and her fingers went slack. The elixir bounced against his shoulder and fell to the floor, spilling its content. A pained whimper forced its way out of her throat. She switched her gaze to his face and saw his eyes had burned to red—the hungry, feral beast in Luca staring back at her. His fangs were fully extended so the tips pressed to his lower lip. Those fangs could suck her dry. Sweat beaded along her hairline, and she tried to get a grip on her panic.

  “You don’t want to hurt me, Luca.”

  A low hiss rattled in his chest, and that blood-red gaze dropped to her neck where her pulse pounded frantically. His other hand splayed across her back, holding her against him.

  “You don’t want to hurt me,” she repeated, forcing her tone to soothing calmness. “Let me go. Drink the elixir.”

  Her nails scrabbled across the wood floor as she groped blindly for one of the remaining canisters. After she closed her hand around one, she pushed it toward the hand that caged her wrist. “Please, Luca. Hear me. Don’t use me for your sheep.”

  That word sent a jolt through him, seemed to bring some sense back to him. He released her, shoving her away from him. A short scream broke from her while she slid across the polished hardwood until she sprawled near her dining room table. All the way on the other side of the condo. Gingerly, she sat up and flexed her limbs. The wrist stung, but wasn’t broken, though she’d have a few bruises in the morning. Glancing over at the vampire, she saw him sucking down the elixir. Thank God.

  Still, she stayed where she was until he set the last canister on the floor. Then they stared at each other across the distance for a long moment, silent. His eyes were back to their usual warm, dark brown irises, not a hint of red.

  “Are you all right now?” The question was soft, but she knew he’d hear her.

  Nodding, he shucked his ruined shirt and used it to mop up most of the blood on his skin, though a few dried smears still remained. He rose to his feet with his usual lithe grace, moving to shut the still-open front door. Once he locked it, he turned to approa
ch her. “Are you?”

  “A few scrapes and bruises.” She tried to smile, but didn’t quite make it. “Nothing too bad.”

  It was always a little scary to be reminded how helpless she truly was in the face of magic. Somehow, it was scarier when that reminder came from the people she cared for. Holly grew haunted and feral around full moon, eating raw meat from Erin’s kitchen like the ravenous wolf she was. It was best to walk carefully around all the werewolves in her family at that time of the month. Once, when some warlock had tried to mug them, Selina had cast a self-defense spell that would have broken a mortal in half. The warlock was fine, used some kind of counter-spell that saved him, but it had freaked Erin right out.

  Tonight had been more of the same. She wasn’t like most of the people in her life. Usually, she was okay with that, but it sometimes underscored her inability to protect or defend herself. The craziness with Asher when they’d dated, and now when she thought he might be coming back to dick with her again, made that feeling even more intense.

  Luca drew her focus to him when he hunkered down beside her, picking up the wrist he’d manacled. An agonized sound issued from his throat and he drew the swollen wrist to his mouth to kiss. “Tesorina mia. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  “I know.” She turned her palm over to cup his jaw. “I didn’t mean to hurt you either.”

  Incredulousness filled his gaze. “You threw a knife, so you meant to hurt someone.”

  Pulling her hand away, she looked down. “Not you.”

  His palm curved over the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her curls. “Are you going to tell me about it?”

  “About what?” She scrambled to her feet, almost tripping over her high heels.

  He caught her elbow to steady her, easily rising to stand beside her at the same time. His brow furrowed, a tiny spark of anger lighting his gaze. “Are we really going to play that game?”