by Deanna Chase
“Why are you dressed like a high-priced call girl?”
“I’m in disguise.”
“Obviously.”
“Hunting a vampire.”
I held my hand up in a stop motion. “Can we drop the buildup for once and just get to the details?”
“But that’s my favorite part.” She pursed her lips into a pout, then grimaced at my exasperation. “Fine. I was investigating your case and David told me Clea had been asking questions about you. I’m pretty sure she targeted him for information. Anyway, any vamp interested in a faery is unusual, so I started with her. Then she tried to Influence me and here we are.”
My heart started to race. “Do you think she’s the one threatening me?” I couldn’t imagine why—I’d never even seen her before.
Phoebe shook her head. “I doubt it. She seems more the type to deal Influence. I called you, but we all know what a useless waste of time that is, so I tried David. He said he’d pass you the message but also offered his place for questioning if I tagged her.”
Any vampire caught with Influence was breaking the law. As an agent of the Void, Phoebe was required to arrest her. I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”
“I figured it was as good a place as any. Turns out it’s better than I imagined. Did you see that sunroom? Talk about a handy vamp death chamber.”
“Yeah. Why do you think he had it installed?” Everything about him seemed so dark and violent now.
“No idea. It sure is convenient, though. This bitchy vamp has somehow got a hold of unsanctioned Influence. We need to find out how before Maude does, otherwise we’ll both be kept out of the loop. He offered a place and I took it. End of story.” She grabbed one of the bottles off the table and stalked out, heading toward the library.
I slumped. Phoebe was damn good at her job. I knew it better than anyone. But I couldn’t shake the feeling something other than goodwill was driving David’s cooperation. He’d disappeared for months. Now suddenly he cared?
I left my unopened juice on the table and followed Phoebe. Sulking in the kitchen while they interrogated Clea was unacceptable.
Just before I reached the library, an anguished moan followed by a frantic gasping sounded from the open door.
“Phoebe?” David’s concerned voice followed.
“Phoebs?” I ran.
The witch lay writhing on the floor, her hands clawing at her neck. Her wide, dark eyes bulged from her maroon-shaded face.
“What did you do?” I fell to my knees, covered Phoebe protectively, and verbally lashed out at David. “Did you bite her?”
“No! Jesus, Willow. I didn’t do anything. She took a drink of that juice and then fell.”
“The juice?” The bottle lay on its side in a puddle at Phoebe’s feet. I reached for it. The faint whiff of distilled cherries permeated my senses. I snatched my hand back. “Cherry Bomb,” I whispered before bolting across the room to my purse, which was lying next to Link.
Frantic, I dumped everything out in a heap on the floor and rummaged, tossing keys, receipts, and other clutter aside. Where was my pillbox? “It’s here somewhere. It has to be.” I cursed, checking each pocket and compartment. With everything emptied, I dug through the mess again and spotted my baggage-claim receipt from my trip home. “No. No. No. This is not happening.”
David had stayed at Phoebe’s side, trying to keep her from hurting herself further as she convulsed on the floor. “What are you looking for?”
“The antidote. It’s in my pillbox, but I couldn’t fly with it. It’s sitting on my dresser.” I ran to Phoebe’s side, scanning the room. “Did she have a purse?”
He didn’t answer.
“David! Did she bring a purse?”
“I don’t know. Check the desk.” He smoothed Phoebe’s hair back, trying to soothe her.
I jumped up, swallowing a frustrated scream. “Damn it! Where is Phoebe’s emergency kit?”
Please let her be as prepared as she usually is. If not, I’d have to risk my own life to save her. The search of the desk came up empty.
There was only one other option. I’d have to extract the Cherry Bomb from her manually. Then I’d be the one burning from the inside out. My heart sped up and a thin sheen of sweat covered my entire body. I had a slight chance of surviving the poison. Phoebe didn’t.
“As soon as I reverse the effects, get me home,” I ordered David.
“You can’t—”
“Just do it, David!” Between my tree and Talisen, I was almost positive I’d be okay. I kneeled beside Phoebe.
Link barked. Right next to him was a thin black jacket. Phoebe’s.
I snatched it up, searching the inside pockets first. Right away my fingers brushed against a cool metal box. “Thank you, God!” I cried, ripping the pocket as I yanked the box out. I jimmied it open. Right there in the middle sat the deep purple pill I’d been looking for.
“Move.” I shoved David over as I collapsed at Phoebe’s side. Tilting her head toward me, I spoke clearly. “Phoebe, I have the pill. You just need to open your mouth, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Tears streamed down her face. Oh, Goddess help us. Phoebe did not cry. Ever. Not from physical pain and certainly not from emotional pain. But some things are too awful to bear. Being eaten from the inside by the magic-enhanced drug, Cherry Bomb, was one of them.
Phoebe managed to open her mouth just enough for me to tuck the pill under her tongue. There was no hope of being able to swallow it. The intense burning caused by the poison would make that impossible. I’d formulated the pill to melt rapidly under the victim’s tongue. It also made it easier to administer in advanced cases when the victim had already passed out. Phoebe wasn’t far from that point.
“How long does it take to work?” David asked, looking skeptical.
“A few minutes. It’s already started.”
“She’ll live?”
I turned hard eyes on David. “Of course. Why? Were you hoping for something different? Is that why you laced the drinks in your fridge with flesh-eating drugs?”
He sat back, his expression horrified. “You think I did this?”
“You offered your house to Phoebe. The drinks were in your refrigerator. How else did they get there?”
“You’re being ridiculous. I haven’t even been here for over a week.” He leaned over to inspect the bottle. “Pomegranate juice? Does that look like something I would buy and keep around on the off chance I could lure a mortal here?”
I wasn’t convinced. “You were quick to offer us your house. Quick to take Maude’s deal. You know we both drink it. You didn’t offer it to us, but maybe you were waiting until later. After we’d interrogated your girlfriend, you could’ve tried to off Phoebe. Or both of us.” I unconsciously scooted over to Link.
The wounded look on David’s face made him look as if he’d been shot. “I cannot believe you’d think those things of me. You know me, Wil. Does any of that sound like something I would do?”
No, it didn’t. My confidence faltered. But nothing I’d learned about him since I’d gotten home made sense either. “I thought I did. Know you. But the David I knew wouldn’t have turned vampire, and he sure as hell wouldn’t have kept it from me.”
“I told you I’d explain when the time is right.”
He held my gaze, but I turned away and whispered, “I don’t trust you anymore.”
Phoebe stirred and a few moments later she sat up. “Ouch.” She looked around. “What happened?”
“The juice was laced with Cherry Bomb,” I said.
“Fuck me. No wonder I feel like my insides have been charbroiled.” She pulled at her skirt, which had inched up, and winced.
“It’ll hurt for about a week, but you should be okay. Or did you want to go see a Healer?” I grabbed her hand and squeezed lightly.
“No. No Healer.”
I smiled. Phoebe would have to be dying to consent to a Healer. Then I sobered. She had almost died. “I could call Talisen.”
She shook her head and climbed to her feet, wobbling with the effort. Taking a few careful steps, she moved to sit in a chair. “Thanks, but not now. I’ll have him check me out when we get home. Right now we have a vampire to deal with.”
I rolled my eyes. Phoebe never let anything get in the way of the job.
“I could use something to drink, though.” She bit her lip, still pale. “I don’t suppose you know if there’s anything to drink here that’s safe?” she asked David.
He shrugged helplessly. “I haven’t been here.”
“Wait just a second,” I demanded. “You aren’t even the least bit suspicious David planted the Cherry Bomb?”
Phoebe’s eyes widened in surprise. “No. Why should I be?”
“It’s his house. He’s a vampire. He… he doesn’t like you.”
“And I don’t care much for him.” She glanced at David. “Sorry. Nothing personal.”
He shrugged.
My fingernails bit into my palms. “Since when did you decide to take his side?”
She frowned. “I’m not taking sides. But we need David to sort out this mess. If he wanted me dead, he’s had a few days to make a move. Spiking pomegranate juice on the slim chance I’d pick one up is lame. David’s smarter than that.”
I fumed, irritated they’d used the same argument. “Someone tried to kill someone. If it wasn’t for us, then who?”
Neither of them said anything.
I rounded on David. “Who else do you bring here?”
He shook his head slowly. “No one. At least not anyone mortal.”
Phoebe shrugged, a bit of color returning to her cheeks. That juice had to be meant for one of us. Most likely me. It was my favorite drink. David was my ex-boyfriend. I was the one with a death threat. Someone really did want to kill me. Or at the very least scare the shit out of me.
“We’ll make a list of possible suspects when we get home,” Phoebe said. “After we question the vamp.”
I blinked, unable to process her lack of urgency. “Whatever. I’ll take Link and go get you something to drink.”
Phoebe smiled. “I’d appreciate it.”
“Let’s go, Link.” Not bothering to conceal my frustration, I wasn’t surprised to see him change to wolf form. It was just as well. We were in vampire territory.
“And get me a pick-me-up bar if you can,” Phoebe called.
“Fine.”
Twenty minutes later, Link and I returned to find David and Phoebe sitting close on a leather couch, their heads bent in conference. With David’s enhanced hearing and Phoebe’s tracking skills they must have heard me enter. I set the snacks on the desk and waited. Animated and engaged in their conversation, Phoebe appeared perfectly normal. No one would’ve guessed she’d almost died thirty minutes ago. Tired of being ignored, I bit back a snide remark and cleared my throat. “Would you like me to play good cop or bad cop?”
Phoebe grabbed a bottled water and nodded thanks. “Neither. We’ve got this.”
“I suppose I’m just a liability then. Maybe I should wait in the car.”
“You can if you want,” Phoebe said.
I clenched my teeth and stalked to the mirror, studying the female vamp on the other side as she tentatively tried turning her newly healed neck. “Forget it. I’m not going anywhere.”
Phoebe mumbled something I didn’t catch.
“I’m going in,” I said.
Before I could locate the lever on the window frame, David appeared and clutched both of my wrists. “You can’t. She’ll kill you.”
The agony made my vision blur as pain seized my muscles. I twisted free as I stepped back. “A simple ‘wait a second’ would have done the trick,” I spat. “Fireballs. That hurt!”
“I barely touched you.”
“You obviously haven’t gained control of your strength yet,” I lied, rubbing my wrists.
David frowned as he gazed at the fresh bruises already blooming on my flesh. “Jesus. Sorry.” He reached out, no doubt intending to inspect his handiwork, but I skirted sideways toward the glass.
“Fine. I won’t go in unescorted, but don’t think for a second you’re leaving me out of this party.” I pointed to the lever. “Open it. I want to know who that vampire got the Influence from.”
Chapter Twelve
“Hold on a minute.” David smiled and flicked a switch on the wall. “No need to let her out just yet.”
Clea’s head snapped up. She sprang to her feet and flew at the door, her fists pounding on the reinforced glass. “David, you son of a fucking washed-up vampire lord! Who the fuck do you think you’re messing with? Let me out of here. Or I’ll slice up that pretty faery of yours and stuff the remaining parts down your throat.”
I shot David a look of disgust. “She’s lovely. I can see what you saw in her.”
Clea kicked the glass, making it vibrate, and turned to me. “Shut up, bitch.”
“Witty, too.” The switch David hit must have turned on an intercom.
He ignored me and spoke into a tiny speaker camouflaged in a miniature painting. “What makes you think I’m letting you out? I apologize if I left you with the impression I’m less than competent. Or did you think since we shared blood I would be bound to you?”
I gaped.
What? They’d shared blood? Only mated vamps did that, and it created a powerful bond. Mates shared a passion unimaginable to any other beings. Or so I’d been told. With that passion came overwhelming, all-encompassing lust, love, and pain. But never betrayal. David could torture her all he wanted, but if they were mated, he’d never kill her.
David met my eyes and shook his head ever so slightly.
What did that mean?
Clea moved closer to the glass, her chin lifted and hip jutting out in defiance. “You’re bound to me, you fucking prick. I can feel it right now.”
Phoebe moved, situating herself next to David. “Sorry, honey. You lose. It’s a spell.”
Clea’s face turned a pale shade of gray. “It isn’t. We’re mated.”
“No,” David said softly. “If you hadn’t been so high last week, you would’ve realized I never drank from you. I told you that vamp dust would kill you someday. Looks like your time just arrived.”
“You did!” she screeched. “I feel your presence in a way I didn’t before.”
Phoebe turned to David. “Damn, she’s slow. Didn’t I just tell her it was a spell?”
David nodded. “I think she’s having trouble processing.”
Our prisoner wasn’t the only one confused. Why had Phoebe worked a bonding spell? And when? I’d left them when I went to the store, but as far as I could tell, they hadn’t let Clea out of the sunroom. What were they up to?
Clea’s eyebrows pinched together as she considered him. After a moment, her expression cleared. “You’re lying. You wouldn’t go through the trouble of creating a bonding spell if you’re planning to kill me. Seems I’d be more likely to cooperate if I thought I was going to die.”
David shrugged. “I had hoped for better cooperation. If you really thought we were mated, you wouldn’t be as keen on killing me.”
Phoebe leaned in. “I cast it right before he arrived. Tricky, huh? You remember the sex-appeal spell you asked for? Well, I didn’t quite give you what you asked for.”
Her lips moved in a silent expletive.
“Now you’re seeing reason.” David smiled. “Let’s make a deal, shall we? You answer our questions, and I’ll consider letting you see another moon.”
Clea glared at David, her eyes blood-red with fury. “You’re crazy if you think I’m going to cooperate with you, junior. I don’t give a fuck who your sire is. Eadric will not stand for this traitorous bullshit. You kill me, and you’ll be dead by sundown tomorrow. Although, it’d be worth it to see your ugly ass in hell.”
“Who do you think sent me?” His predatory smile made me take an involuntary step sideways. Who was this new David? Cold. Calculating. Frighteni
ng. “Eadric is just as interested in your extracurricular activities as my companions are,” David continued. “If you don’t start cooperating, he might be inclined to come down here and torture it out of you himself.”
Clea didn’t break eye contact. Only the slight sag of her shoulders indicated she was starting to believe.
David’s smile turned indulgent. “Why were you asking me about Ms. Rhoswen?”
She laughed. “That’s what you want to know? You’re an idiot.” The vamp eyed me. “Sorry, honey. I was trying to figure out how to get him into bed. I wanted to know if we’d need to work out a threesome.”
I suppressed a gag. She was truly atrocious. It was a good thing she was behind glass. David looked like he’d stake her if he had half a chance.
“Okay, that was TMI,” I said. “Now, where did you get the Influence?”
Clea stared at her bare feet in silence. One of her red Jimmy Choos lay abandoned near the door. The heel had broken, presumably when David had thrown her in. Poor innocent shoe.
“It’s simple, really,” I said. “All we want to know is where you got the drug.”
“I can’t say.” Her voice wobbled. “They’ll kill me.”
“Newsflash, sweetheart. You’re dead anyway,” Phoebe said.
Clea clamped her mouth shut. Finally, David spoke. “I have no problem leaving you there until the first rays of daylight start to burn your retinas. I’m sure that will get you talking, but I might be too pissed off by then to worry about what happens to you.”
Clea pulled back, shoulders stiff with anger, and then she spat at the glass. The blood-tinged saliva splattered and one mucus-like string dripped down.
“Classy.” Phoebe wrinkled her nose.
David glanced once at the gob of spit before raising his indifferent gaze back to Clea.
Her lip curled and she kicked the glass once more.
“I’ve got a call to make.” David turned and closed the door with a soft click.
The vamp inside the sunroom hung her head.
“He’s gone,” Phoebe said, tapping the glass to get Clea’s attention. “I don’t blame you for not talking to David. Between us girls, I agree with you. He’s a low-class, sick piece of shit. I’m ready to dust him myself, but if I do, it’ll cost me my job. So, I’m just biding time.”
