by Parker Blue
In answer, Austin put it in his mouth and bit down hard. He shut his eyes against Gwen’s horrified expression and spent the next few minutes in agony as Vincent probed for the bullet. Red haze filled his vision, even behind his closed eyes, and he could think of nothing except the excruciating pain in his shoulder. He couldn’t hold on . . . any . . . longer. The world faded.
When he regained consciousness, Vincent was gone, but Gwen was still there, staring at him, looking even paler than a new vamp ought to. “Are you okay?” Austin asked.
“Me?” she said incredulously. “I’m fine. How about you?”
“Just peachy,” Austin said and closed his eyes. Actually, the pain had faded to a dull ache, and he could stand it now. “It’ll heal faster with the bullet out.”
“That’s what Vincent said.”
Austin opened his eyes and quirked a smile at her. “Not like the medicine you’re used to, huh?”
“No! Remind me never to get shot, or to always keep some whiskey on hand.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how you do it,” she said, sounding lost.
He didn’t ask what “it” meant. He knew she was having a hard time dealing with her new life, though she tried hard to make sure her friends didn’t suspect. “You’ll get used to it in time,” he said soothingly and sat up, swinging his legs to hang off the side of the table. “It’s harder when you’re turned against your will.”
“Yes, I imagine it is,” Gwen said. “Is that how you . . . were turned?”
Austin bristled for a moment, then realized he hadn’t explained the protocol yet. “It’s not considered polite in our circles to ask how and why you became one of us.”
“Oh. Sorry.” Gwen looked down at her clenched hands, her eyes blinking rapidly.
Austin took pity on her. “It’s a dumb rule. But I’ve lived by it so long, I guess I never really questioned it. I don’t mind sharing—it was so long ago, it almost seems like it happened to someone else.” That wasn’t exactly the truth, but right now, Gwen needed to believe it would get better for her, eventually. He shrugged. “I wasn’t exactly turned against my will, though I didn’t ask for it, either. It was . . . different for me.”
“How so?” Gwen asked hopefully.
Austin studied his own hands for a moment. “I was living in a small town in West Texas during the days when outlaws and bandits ran roughshod over the pioneers who were trying to make a living in this new land.” He shrugged. “The outlaws got out of hand, so the sheriff deputized me to help.”
“How old were you?” Gwen asked softly.
“Twenty-three. But that was considered much older in those days.” At her nod, he continued, “A couple of men got drunk and decided the Mexicans in town were to blame for their troubles, and took it upon themselves to teach them a lesson. They beat a man unconscious, and when I arrived, they were dragging off his wife.” He didn’t think he had to explain what they wanted with the woman.
“What did you do?”
“I tried to stop them, but when they pulled a gun on me, I shot them.” He’d been terrified—of killing a man, of being killed himself, and most of all, of failing to save the poor woman who had done nothing to deserve the degradation they had planned for her. “What I didn’t know was that there was a third man. He shot me in the back.”
Gwen gasped. “He killed you?”
“Yes. Well, as close as you can get, anyway.” Austin’s mouth twisted into a wry grin. “Alejandro happened to be passing through town at the time, and he saw what happened. The sun set shortly after that, and he saved the woman and dragged me off the street and turned me before I could die, even though I was a total stranger.”
“Why?”
“He said it was because I was so ‘brave and noble’ that he couldn’t stand to see me die at the hand of a coward.” Austin snorted. “But I was just a kid. I didn’t know any better.”
“So, you didn’t agree to be turned?”
“No, I wasn’t given a choice. I wasn’t conscious.”
“Did you regret it?”
“Not at the time,” Austin admitted. “After all, I figured being undead was better than the alternative. But I don’t remember the process at all.” Not like Gwen. She’d had a demon occupying her body and had been forced to watch helplessly as she was turned into a vampire.
“Do you regret it now?”
“No. Most of the time.” He smiled. “I’ve seen a lot of strange and wondrous things in my lifetime, and the fact of being virtually immortal is very appealing. But there are times when I’d give it all up to be fully human again.”
“Like to be with Val?” Gwen asked.
He shot her a sharp look. “That isn’t possible.”
“Maybe if I put in a good word for you?”
“Now why would you do that?” he wondered out loud.
She shrugged and wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Has it ever worked out? With a vampire and a human or part demon, I mean.”
She sounded wistful, and Austin wondered what non-vamp she’d fallen for.
“It can,” Austin admitted. “I’ve seen it work. But it creates great strain on a relationship when one party grows old and feeble while the other stays young. Stressful on both sides. Not everyone can handle it.”
“It would be worth it, though, for as many years as you could squeeze in together, don’t you think?”
“Yes,” Austin admitted. “Yes, I do.” But would Val ever give him the chance to find out?
Chapter Ten
Val
I’D BEEN TO THE vamp penthouse above the blood bank before. With its dramatic black, white, and steel high tech décor shot with slashes of crimson, it appeared cold and hard, reminiscent of blood splashed on a modern horror movie set. I’d never actually seen anyone living here, though. They must use it to impress—or scare the heck out of—guests.
But one thing I did have to say for it, it was well stocked with human food and lots of beds. No worry about who was going to sleep where, and a lavish buffet of vamp “food” downstairs for Austin.
I assumed he was being well taken care of by his own, and since Shade and I were pretty tired, we hit the sheets—separately—and didn’t wake until the sun went down again. I wasn’t sure I wanted to get out of bed, but the smell of bacon made my mouth water. I dressed and tamed my mop of unruly hair, then went into the kitchen, wondering who was cooking.
Gwen. I should have known.
“Hello,” she said cheerfully, stirring a pan of gravy.
I checked her out, trying to be subtle. She didn’t look too pale yet. Guess she hadn’t been a vamp long enough. In any case, she was still Gwen. “Biscuits and gravy?” I said hopefully.
“Yes—Shade asked for them.”
“Yum.” Feeling suddenly grateful for a cheerful person this evening, I gave her a quick hug.
She looked surprised. “What was that for?”
I shrugged. “I miss you.” Was it that unusual for me to hug someone?
PRETTY MUCH, Fang said from under the table. WHAT? YOU MISSING YOUR BOYFRIEND SO YOU’RE GOING FOR A LITTLE GIRL ON GIRL ACTION?
Don’t be stupid. Gwen is like family. She’d been there when my family wasn’t, when I needed someone the most.
YEAH, I KNOW. SORRY, I’M A BIT GRUMPY. PRINCESS KICKED ME OUT OF BED HOURS AGO.
I grinned. I bet it was a bit crowded with all six of them now.
Fang’s head perked up. THE PUPS ARE WAKING. I’M JUST GOING TO SEE HOW THEY ARE.
He trotted off into another room, and I smiled at his obvious paternal pride. “Where’s Shade?” I asked Gwen.
“Elspeth is talking to him in the other room.”
“Good. I’m hoping she’ll be able to help him with his memory loss.” I glanced at the kitchen. Gwen pretty much had
all the food ready, except for the gravy which she was still stirring. “Can I help set the table?”
“Sure.” She nodded to a set of cabinets. “You’ll find everything there.”
As I set the table, I noticed someone else conspicuously missing. “Where’s Austin? Is he okay?”
“Yes, he’s healing fast. Right now, he’s downstairs, doing some things for Alejandro.”
“Good. I wondered if Alejandro could spare him.”
Gwen gave me a crooked smile. “Well, Luis and Rosa aren’t happy he’s playing your bodyguard, but Alejandro thinks you’re special so he’s agreed to assign Austin to you.”
“Are you getting involved in vamp politics now?” I asked in surprise.
“Not really. But you can’t avoid it if you live at the mansion. And since Austin is sponsoring Elspeth and me, we’re moving in here, too, for a while.”
“For vamp lessons . . . or to avoid politics?”
Gwen shrugged but wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Both,” she said, though I suspected there was more she wasn’t saying. “Plus I’m helping out in the lab. Vincent said he could use someone with my medical skills.”
I watched her for a few minutes. She seemed to be her old self, but there was a seriousness or melancholy or something underlying her normal cheerfulness. “Are you okay?” I asked softly. “I know you didn’t ask for this life, and it’s kind of my fault you ended up this way.” After all, the mage demon who’d caused her to get turned had kidnapped her, thinking she was me.
“I’m fine,” Gwen said firmly, but her attention was primarily on the bubbling white gravy. “And it’s not your fault. Sheesh, you and Micah are all too willing to take on responsibility for the world.”
“No, just our little demon piece of it.” But if she didn’t want to talk about it, I wouldn’t press her.
“So, how about you and Shade?” she asked, giving me a look over her shoulder. “How’s that going?”
“I’m not sure,” I said honestly. “He’s kind of moody and withdrawn, like he doesn’t want to be around anyone. And he lost his temper yesterday pretty easily, which he’s never done before.”
“You’re hoping Elspeth can help him deal with his past?”
“Yeah.”
She glanced at the table where I had laid out only two place settings. “You’ll need to set at least three more places,” she said.
“I’m sorry. I assumed you, Elspeth, and Austin wouldn’t be eating.” Not human food, anyway.
“Not for us. We have more people coming.” She glanced up as the doorbell rang. “Can you get that? It’s probably them now.”
I opened the door and saw Micah and Lieutenant Ramirez there. And, of all people, Mood was with them.
The Emo girl with the emotion-altering power sniffed appreciatively. “Oh good,” she said. “Gwen’s cooking.” She sauntered past me toward the kitchen, not even bothering to say hello.
What? Did I suddenly become invisible?
“Good timing,” Gwen said. “The food is ready.” She fluttered her hands at the table. “Sit, eat.”
All of a sudden, she seemed nervous and flustered. And I noticed she glanced at everyone but Micah, who she studiously avoided. He seemed a bit tense around her, too. Had they had a falling-out or something?
OR SOMETHING, Fang said, trotting in from the other room. MICAH HAS A THING FOR GWEN, AND I THINK SHE FEELS THE SAME WAY.
Whoa. Micah and Gwen? When had that happened?
OH, PROBABLY WHEN THEY SPENT SO MUCH TIME TOGETHER WHEN THEY WERE KIDNAPPED.
Really? I loved them both, but could a relationship between a demon and a vamp really work out?
Shade joined us then. After our talk, I wasn’t sure how to behave around him. Should I flirt? Act normal? Keep my mouth shut? I took a peek at his expression. After his talk with Elspeth, he appeared thoughtful, inward-looking. Guess it didn’t matter what I did—he wouldn’t even notice right now.
Sighing, I chowed down on Gwen’s scrumptious cooking. Princess took a break from her puppies to get some of Gwen’s food, and Elspeth went to get Austin. We didn’t discuss anything important until we were all stuffed with biscuits, gravy, and bacon. I noticed I was able to see Shade’s face without using the amulet and checked under the table to see why. Sure enough, Fang and Princess were lying on his bare feet so everyone could see the shadow demon.
SHADE THOUGHT IT WOULD MAKE THE LIEUTENANT FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE, Fang explained.
He must have said that to the whole table, because Mood beamed at Shade, saying, “That’s so thoughtful of you.”
Shade shrugged. “No big deal.”
Yeah, it was nice of him, though not enough for Mood to gush about. Strange. But I let it go as Elspeth and Austin came in and pulled chairs up to the table.
“How’s your shoulder?” Gwen asked Austin.
Sheesh, I should have asked him that, especially since he took that bullet for me. I frowned inwardly. I really shouldn’t take Austin for granted. But heck, I didn’t want to take him for anything.
Austin rotated his shoulder. “No problem,” he said. “Happy to take a bullet for the Slayer.” He smirked at me, which I did my best to ignore.
Shade shot him an annoyed look. Was he ticked that Austin had saved both of us? I understood that—I wasn’t crazy about being taken care of either. At least with Austin healed, I didn’t have to feel guilty. Besides, I was so used to him being invincible that it was hard to picture him on the injured list.
“Shall we get started?” I asked.
Austin spoke up first, looking at Micah and the police lieutenant. “What did you learn about the two who attacked us?”
Micah made a gesture for Ramirez to go first. “Not a lot,” the lieutenant said. “We’re running prints on both of them and did an autopsy on the man who committed suicide. He had a lot of scars on his back, like he’d been whipped, and several tattoos with religious sayings.”
The lieutenant pulled up some pictures on his phone and showed them to us. “These look familiar to any of you?”
Micah frowned. “The man in our custody has the same scars, and one of the tattoos is the same—the one with a cross shaped like a dagger.”
Idly, I wondered how they knew.
THEY LET THE GUY TAKE A SPONGE BATH. THAT’S HOW HE SAW.
That made sense. “Were they fully human?” I asked. “They seemed stronger and faster than most humans—maybe they had some demon blood in them?”
“Everything we’ve looked at so far indicates the dead man was fully human,” Ramirez said. “But we’ll continue testing.”
Gwen nodded. “I’ve been helping Vincent test the other man’s blood, and we found the same thing.”
Ramirez glanced at Micah. “Did you get anything out of the other man?”
Micah shook his head. “So far, he’s not talking, and we’ve taken away everything he might use to kill himself. He spends most of his time praying.”
“So they both have whip scars and the same tattoos,” I said. “You think they might be part of a gang?”
“Not one that I’m aware of,” Ramirez said, “but we’re checking it out.”
Austin held out his hand. “Can I see that picture again?”
Ramirez handed it to him, and Austin frowned down at it.
“What is it?” I asked. “Do you recognize something?”
“No, but there’s something about those scars that’s a little off.”
“No kidding,” Shade said. “They’ve been beaten.”
“That’s not it,” Austin said, shaking his head and handing the phone back to Ramirez. “I’ve seen that pattern before.”
“Seen what pattern?”
Austin shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it’ll come to me later.”
I snorted. “It probably seems off because why bother whipping someone you control that strongly? I mean, Lola couldn’t even get a toehold in his chakras, which means someone else was controlling him. If the controller could handle the two men’s minds that easily, why bother whipping them?”
Ramirez frowned. “Some men are just cruel and don’t need a reason.”
Elspeth nodded. “It has ever been so.”
“Okay, but who’s doing the controlling? A vampire?” I addressed that last comment to Austin.
“It’s possible,” he said, shrugging, “but most of us are just able to control one person’s actions at a time. Not two.”
“Okay,” I said. “So maybe there’s more than one vamp, or some kind of über vampire who’s learned how to control more.”
“Or a mage demon,” Shade said. “That seems more likely.”
“Maybe,” I conceded. “But why would a mage demon target shadow demons?”
“Why would vampires target shadow demons?” he countered.
Good question. Not having an answer, I shrugged.
“Well, there’s a way to check to see if there are any mage demons nearby,” Micah reminded me.
I winced. The Encyclopedia Magicka. “Yeah, but if I use the spell to locate a mage demon, it’ll take even longer to bring Lola back up to speed.”
Austin said, “Micah’s right. Better to look for a mage demon now and take him off guard than have to deal with him later.” He gave me an apologetic look. “It could save us a lot of time and pain.”
I sighed. Looked like I wasn’t going to win this argument. As Gwen cleared the table so we could lay the book on it, I felt for the spell inside me. There it was, residing in my gut. I’d managed to ignore it as long as I wasn’t using it, but now it churned, ready for action. I found the activating words in the book and, resisting the urge to make it sound too dramatic, I said, “Beacon, show me the way.” My stomach lurched, and my head started spinning like the rinse cycle on a washing machine. Urp.
I glanced around, but nothing happened. Duh. I couldn’t exactly see the telltale column of rippling green light from indoors. I checked out the window, but no green light. “I can’t see anything from here,” I told them, “but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a sign. I can’t see the whole city.”
