I licked my lips, my heart rate increasing. “I would like you to stay,” I said finally. “I don’t want you to stay if you’re uncomfortable, though. Things will only get worse if you force yourself to accept this life and all of us.”
“I don’t have a problem with what you are,” Kade said. “I … it’s new. I’m not going to lie. I’ll adjust to that, though.”
“What won’t you adjust to?”
“I don’t like the lies.”
“I don’t blame you,” I said.
“I want to stay, but I need to be sure that you’re telling me everything,” Kade said.
“Everything is a bit of a stretch,” I replied. “It’s going to take you a few weeks to learn everything. Now that we’re not hiding what we do at night that won’t be as much of a problem, though.”
“How were you hiding it?”
“Do you remember the meeting Max called you in for on Tuesday? That’s when we erected the dreamcatcher.”
“What about when you and Luke disappeared from camp the other night?”
Uh-oh. “I’m not sure you want to hear about that,” I hedged.
“Tell me.”
“When we were in the store a man approached me,” I said. “At first I thought he was merely attracted to me and out for a little flirting. He followed us back to camp and Luke and I ran into him when we were checking the dreamcatcher for holes.
“We were separated at the time,” I continued. “He made some disturbing comments so I read his mind. I found out that he had raped and killed five women. He was hoping to make me the sixth.”
“Did he hurt you?” Kade’s rage was palpable.
“He never laid a hand on me,” I said. “When I read his future I saw a trail of bodies in his wake before the police caught up. We don’t eradicate paranormal evil and leave it at that. When a bad human crosses our path … we act.”
“You killed him, didn’t you?”
“I wiped his mind and made him see stars,” I replied. “This was after I forced him to write a confession. Then we drove his truck down to the lake, strapped him in and let him roll to his own destiny. We were hoping the police would discover him.”
“I don’t think they have.”
“I don’t think they have either,” I agreed. “We can’t change that. If we make a call – anonymous or not – we run the risk of exposing ourselves. If the police come out here now, we’ll almost certainly be questioned. It will be better for us if his body isn’t discovered for months now.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Kade said. “How many humans have you killed?”
“Enough that it no longer bothers me,” I answered truthfully. “We don’t kill innocent humans or paranormals. I hope you understand that.”
“I’m trying.”
We lapsed into uncomfortable silence, both of us scanning the skyline. Finally, I couldn’t take it. “Does that mean you’re going to stay?”
Kade moved closer to me, eliminating enough of the distance between our bodies that I could feel the heat emanating from him. “For now.” His voice was barely a whisper. He lowered his mouth, his promise to kiss me again and make it better about to come to fruition when an alarm sounded.
Kade jerked back, surprised. “What is that?”
“The dreamcatcher,” I said, glancing in the direction of the big tent to make sure no one inside was privy to the events of the outside night.
“What do we do?”
“Find the evil.”
Nineteen
“Where?” Kade asked, his eyes scanning the grounds for danger but coming up short.
I pressed my eyes shut and tilted my head to the side, reaching out with my mind. “By the trailers.” I was in tune with the dreamcatcher. While it couldn’t give me precise locations, it could give me a general feel for the area being infiltrated.
“Why would something go there?” Kade asked, falling into step next to me.
“Because it’s easier to find someone alone there than in the middle of the circus,” I replied, pulling up short when we reached trailer row. Everything appeared quiet, even too silent. I knew something was here, though. Now I had to find out where.
Kade and I weren’t the only ones alerted to dreamcatcher alarm. Dolph and Nellie popped into view at the opposite end of the row.
“Where?” Nellie asked, his ax clutched in his hand.
“Somewhere close,” I replied. “You two take that end and work this way. We’ll do the same from our end. Keep your ears and eyes open.”
“We’re not new,” Nellie said, hiking up his purple evening gown and turning to the first trailer. I had to hand it to him. It’s hard to be huffy in sequins, but he somehow managed to pull it off.
The first trailer at our end was Nixie and Naida’s. Magical wards prohibited anyone from entering – including people they trusted – so I wasn’t worried about anyone hiding inside. Someone lurking outside was another story. Some beings can hide themselves in plain sight. I hoped we weren’t dealing with one of those because then things get messy.
“Do you think someone got in?” Kade asked, moving toward the door.
“No one can get in there,” I said. “They’ve warded it.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means anyone trying to get in without being invited is going to get a nasty surprise.”
Kade didn’t look convinced. “Really? What happens if I open the door? Will I be zapped by magic?”
That’s exactly what would happen. Because he was feeling a little too full of himself, though, I opted to let him discover the ramifications on his own. “I don’t know. You clearly don’t believe me. Try.”
Kade tentatively touched the door handle, tapping his fingers against it. His smiled smugly in my direction. “Maybe it only works on other paranormals.”
“Maybe.”
Kade wrapped his hand around the handle and turned it, triumph illuminating his face for a split-second before Armageddon hit. A bright flash exploded from the trailer, catapulting Kade off the metal stairs and onto the hard ground at my feet.
I tried to keep my expression sympathetic, but couldn’t. “What do you think now?”
“I think you should’ve warned me about that,” Kade muttered, rolling over so he could rub his sore tailbone. “That was … how is that safe?”
“Everyone knows to stay away from Naida and Nixie’s trailer,” I replied. “If you’re trying to get in, you’re probably doing something naughty. It’s a nice deterrent. That’s why their trailer is the first in the line – well, that and that stupid hot tub is too wide to fit between two others so they have to be on the end.”
The sound of raucous laughter erupted from the down the row. Nellie was doubled over, he was laughing so hard. “That was priceless.”
“We need to make sure the noob knows the rules so he doesn’t get hurt,” Dolph said. “That was embarrassing. If he’s going to be one of us then he can’t do … stuff like that. It makes us all look bad.”
Kade made a face. “A little warning would’ve been nice.”
“I did warn you,” I argued.
“You also insinuated that whatever was going to happen wouldn’t be that bad and you practically taunted me,” Kade countered.
“I think that’s what your ego heard because I’m pretty sure nothing of the sort ever escaped my mouth.”
“Whatever.” Kade stared at me for a moment, so I extended my hand to help him up. “You’re not going to shock me, are you? If I touch you am I going to get jolted with electricity?”
That statement pulsed with potential. “You’re going to have to take your chances.”
Kade must have realized what he said, because he gripped my hand and let me pull him up, landing close to me and refusing to increase the distance between our bodies. “That felt like electricity to me.”
Me, too, darn it! Things were going to get complicated now. I just knew it. “Are you okay?”
“I’m going
to be better when we find the evil,” Kade said. “I had something else on my mind before your dreamcatcher alerted us to danger.”
Gee, I hadn’t noticed. “I … .”
“You’re cute when you’re embarrassed,” Kade said.
I wasn’t feeling cute – and this was definitely spiraling out of control. As a control freak, that’s generally not how I choose to live my life. “We have something to do first.”
“First?” Kade arched an eyebrow. “That seems to hint that something will be happening second. I like that.”
Apparently I wasn’t doing too well at stopping the spiraling. “Um … .”
“If you two are done verbally copulating, we have some hunting to do,” Nellie called. He leaned in closer to Dolph, who had to hunch over to hear him, but whatever Nellie kibitzed about caused Dolph to guffaw.
“What do you think he said?” Kade asked, rubbing his tailbone for good measure one more time.
“I’m pretty sure we don’t want to know,” I said, moving from Naida and Nixie’s trailer to the next one.
“Whose trailer is this?” Kade asked.
“Seth’s.”
“Have you … um … spent a lot of time here?”
This wasn’t the time for flirting, but Kade’s uncomfortable question was enough to make me laugh. “I think Seth is bright, handsome and charming.”
Kade furrowed his brow, his eyes dark.
“I much prefer him in his tiger form, though,” I added.
Kade perked up. “That’s good to know. He does make a beautiful tiger.”
“He does indeed.” I tilted my head to the side and stretched my intuition so it could cover Seth’s trailer.
“What are you doing?”
“Searching.”
“I thought you said you couldn’t always sense things,” Kade challenged. “If you can sense … whatever this is … why not scan all the trailers at once?”
“I can sense some things. I can’t sense others. If I could sense this being I would. I can’t. That means it doesn’t have a soul.”
“If you know you can’t sense it … what are you doing?” Kade was curious about the process – and I didn’t blame him – but now was not the time for Twenty Questions.
“Looking for voids,” I replied. “Even if a soulless entity is in one of these trailers it will disrupt the energy field enough for me to ascertain a location. Instead of looking for something, I’m actually looking for nothing. For it to work, I need to focus on a smaller area. That’s why I’m scanning the trailers individually.”
Kade glanced down the row to where Dolph and Nellie were enthusiastically circling trailers. “What are they doing?”
“Hunting for sport,” I said, shooting him a rueful smile. “They can’t sense evil. They’re loud and mean enough to scare someone out of hiding, though.”
“I think there’s going to be a huge learning curve ahead of me,” Kade mused.
“Does that mean you’re staying?” Did that sound too pathetic?
“For now,” Kade said. “I can’t make any promises about forever. I do want to learn more about this, though. I can’t explain why, but I do.”
“You’re curious,” I said, moving away from Seth’s trailer. “You’re the type of person who wants to absorb knowledge instead of run from it.”
“You sound like a fortune cookie a lot of the time. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“You have twice now.”
“It’s not bad,” Kade said, and I got the feeling he was attempting to soothe any hurt feelings he may have caused. “I didn’t say it was bad. I like the way you talk, in fact. I like the way your mouth moves. Wait … .”
“Don’t worry. I know what you’re saying,” I said, fighting the urge to laugh as I moved to my trailer and started to scan.
“I think I might have given you the wrong impression,” Kade said. “I’m not always fixating on your mouth. That makes me sound like a creep … or a pervert … or maybe a deranged dentist.”
“It’s in my trailer.” The realization annoyed me. It’s not that I think I’m better than anyone else. It’s not that I wanted someone else’s trailer to be broken into. It’s just … well … I don’t like people touching my stuff.
“The thing is in your trailer?”
“Yes. Don’t worry. We can go back to talking about how perverted you are as soon as this is over.”
Kade scowled. “Great. I can never tell when you’re listening to me, and you pick that to hear. It’s annoying.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And that you ignore,” Kade grumbled. “Typical woman.”
“There’s nothing typical about me, honey,” I said. “I … .” I broke off, refocusing on my trailer. Something about the being inside set off my psychic senses. “I think it’s a vampire.”
“Vampires are real, too?” Kade made a face. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. Just tell me, is the Loch Ness Monster real?”
“I have no idea. Raven would know better than me. She spent two years in Scotland.”
“Looking for the Loch Ness Monster?” Kade looked intrigued at the prospect, eager to question Raven. Of course, that irked me.
“Probably looking for a Highlander so she could check what he had going on under his kilt,” I shot back, realizing too late how jealous I sounded.
Kade reacted by meowing, which I opted to ignore.
“I think you should stay here and let me handle this,” I said. “You’ve never faced off with a vampire before. They can be … tricky.”
“I never faced off with a Wendigo before either and I managed to survive that,” Kade countered.
I didn’t want to bruise his ego but … . “You survived that because Nellie likes to chop the heads off things.”
“Maybe we should call him down here,” Kade suggested.
“I’ll be fine.” I moved toward the stairs, stilling when Kade placed his hand on my arm.
“I don’t like the idea of you going in there alone,” he said. “You’re purposely walking into an enclosed area with a monster that has superhuman strength.”
“Thank you for your concern,” I said, patting his chest – good grief, the muscles are unbelievable – and smiling for his benefit. “I’ve taken on my fair share of vampires, though. In the grand scheme of things, they’re one of the easier supernaturals to battle.”
“Why?”
He wasn’t going to let this go. “Because they have pronounced weaknesses,” I replied.
“Such as?”
“Now is not the time for a hunting lesson,” I said. “I’m willing to answer all your questions later, but we have a choice and we have to make it soon. We either kill this thing now – while everyone else is in the big tent – or we have to wait until everyone clears out. We don’t want to do that.”
“Why?”
I pursed my lips. “Honestly? I don’t like the idea of him touching my stuff. What if he’s in there … I don’t know … fingering my underwear or licking all of the spoons in the drawer?”
Kade barked out a laugh. “Okay. That seems fair. Go and protect your spoons.”
“Thank you.” I turned back to the trailer and climbed the stairs, internally sighing when I felt Kade move in behind me.
“I’m going with you, though.” Kade was so close I felt his breath on my neck. It made my mind wander. “Lead the way.”
I thought about arguing with him further but knew it was fruitless. He was too macho to watch a woman walk into danger – even if the woman was more powerful than he was. I sucked in a breath and turned the knob, raising a finger to warn Kade to be quiet as we entered.
I took two steps into the trailer and scanned the dark. Everyday shadows seemed somehow menacing given the knowledge that a fanged bloodsucker was hiding in my personal space.
“I know you’re in here,” I said finally. “I felt you from outside. You might as well come out. If we have to look for you, things are going to be … difficult.”
There was no response at first, and then I heard a low hiss as a shadow detached from the hallway wall. “Romani.”
It knew what I was. That was interesting. There wasn’t enough light to make out features, but I was pretty sure I was dealing with a male.
“Vampire,” I said, licking my lips. “What are you doing in here? I don’t remember extending an invitation.”
“Oh, hey, I thought vampires first needed an invitation to enter your home.” Kade was back on his quest for knowledge.
“Only on television,” I said, shooting him a brief look. He lifted a framed photograph from the table so he could study it closer. “Don’t touch my stuff.”
Kade rolled his eyes but replaced the photograph. “Now what do we do?”
I ignored him and focused on the vampire. “You know it was a mistake coming here, right?”
“I haven’t drained a good Romani in fifty years,” the vampire replied, his voice filled with mirth. “Once I scented you I knew I had to have you. The … other … can go.” He sneered as he said “other,” as if Kade was the food equivalent of sardines and honey on crackers.
“You came to the wrong circus,” I said. “We’re not what we appear to be.”
“Maybe I’m not what I appear to be either,” the vampire suggested.
“I guess we’ll have to find out,” I said. “Well, if you want me, come and get me.”
“What?” Kade’s voice was shrill.
The vampire was already moving, though, so I didn’t have time to think about Kade. I shoved him … hard … toppling him onto the couch before racing back through the open door. This wasn’t my first time taking on a vampire. I knew what I was doing. I also knew what awaited the vampire once he stepped outside.
The vampire was mid-launch and halfway out the door when Dolph caught him and slammed him to the ground. Things happened fast after that. Kade struggled to the door, probably convinced I was sacrificing myself for the greater good, while Nellie swung into action with his ax. I knew when they saw me go into my trailer that they would follow. We had a system that didn’t call attention to our actions. There was no way I could tell Kade that without alerting the vampire inside, though.
Nellie’s blade hit true, and the vampire toppled – his head rolling to the side as Nellie completed his stroke.
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