“Not really. I’m pretty dead. Feel how cold my hands are.” She laughed as King jerked his hand back. “What’s the matter? You were perfectly willing to accept that the boys were vampires, so why not me?”
“I saw you. I mean, you were at the college.”
Abigail had done exactly what I’d hoped she would do; she’d rattled King into giving us more information than he intended. I decided that it was time for me to jump in.
“Yeah, about that,” I said, head still in the fridge. “Was that before or after she was left as a peace offering to the local vamp warren?” One of these days, I was going to have to figure out the correct name for a group of vamps. Were we a pride? A nest? A clutch? Who even knew those things?
“She was dead when I got there, bloodsucker. I don’t kill people.” King settled back in the chair.
“No, you don’t. You just hump their legs and pee on their tires.” I tossed beers to Abigail and Greg and sat back down on the couch next to Abigail. “Are you old enough to drink, Abby?”
“I’m dead. I think it’s okay. And yes, I’m twenty-one.” She flicked the bottle cap at me. I caught it and tossed it in the general vicinity of the trash can.
“Twenty-one forever. I can think of worse fates,” King said.
Greg and I just stared at him with flat looks.
“So, King. Why are you here?” King started to say something, but I cut him off. “Yeah, yeah, I know the whole line about murders and chasing the killers, but why are you here? Or if you want to get real specific about it, why are you here instead of hunting down the vamp that killed Abby? Or at least chasing down the coven of vampires at the school?” Still having trouble with the group designation, I just decided to run through all of them until I figured out the best name for a bunch of vampires.
“I saw you at the crime scene and did a little research. Sounds like you lumps are actually pretty good at what you do, no matter how stupid you look.”
I let that pass, but Greg got an indignant look on his face. I’d warned him about the spandex for years, but sometimes he just had to hear it from somebody outside the family.
“I can’t take this vampire chick on my own. I’ve tried. And if I can’t take out one vamp, there’s no way I can take out the dozen or so that are hanging around campus. I checked with a couple of folks around town, and everybody says you’re square. So I came here for help.”
“You’ve got a peculiar way of asking, buddy. And who did you talk to, anyway?” I wasn’t quite ready to let go of the whole waking-up-with-a-gun-in-my-face thing.
“I jumped to a couple of different conclusions when I saw Miss Lahey lying on your couch. Sorry about the gun. And if I went around giving up my sources I wouldn’t have sources for very long, would I?” He actually looked a little contrite, so I figured I’d give him the benefit of the doubt.
“Fine. Sorry about threatening to shoot off your junk.” I leaned over, and we clinked beer bottles, sealing the apology according to the guy code.
“You threatened to shoot off his . . . you know?” Abigail suppressed a giggle.
“Yeah, I’ve had a couple of unusual awakenings this week, so I’ve taken to sleeping with a pistol. I heard Chief Howls-at-Moon here when he came through the door upstairs, so I was ready for him when he got to my room.”
“Why didn’t you just stop him in the den?” she asked.
“I wanted to control the situation, and the smaller room worked in my favor. I’m better in close quarters because I’m skinny and can navigate better than he can. Plus, I know where all the crap on the floor is in my room, and there’s no telling where Greg left an Xbox controller in the den for me to trip on.”
“Good point. I found three buried in the couch, along with an Apple TV remote.”
“I’ve been looking for that.” Greg jumped up to grab the slim silver cylinder from her.
“Well, King, you found us, but I’m not feeling too helpful just yet. Why don’t you tell me the real reason a PI is chasing a murderer across state lines, and we’ll see if we want to help you,” I said.
“It’s personal,” King growled.
“So is breaking into someone’s home with a gun. And I’ve never had werewolf for breakfast, so why don’t you cut the crap and tell me a story, Papa Wolf?” I finished my beer and set it on the table, then leaned back with my hands behind my head. I wanted to make it very clear that he wasn’t getting any help until he answered a few questions.
Apparently it worked, because he looked me in the eye, then drained his beer in one long swig. He took another deep breath, like he was working himself up to telling me his story, then said, “She murdered my wife.”
I wasn’t expecting that. I leaned forward. “Who?”
“Her name is Krysta. She’s been a vampire for at least a century, and she’s a psycho. She turns people for fun, and kills anybody who gets in her way. I got in her way, so she decided to turn my wife to teach me a lesson. But lycanthropy and vampirism don’t mix, so . . . my wife didn’t rise. She just stayed dead.”
For once, I didn’t say anything. I just sat there, watching the big man struggle to keep his emotions in check. His shoulders tensed, and I feared for the structural integrity of the beer bottle he was holding. He took a deep breath, held it, took another one, then let it out in an explosive rush and relaxed his grip on the bottle’s neck. After a long pause, he continued.
“The same woman who turned you killed my wife. I can smell her on you like cheap perfume. I’ve chased her for ten years, and this is the closest I’ve ever been. So I’m going after her, and I’m going to kill her. And if this nest of vampires you found is protecting her, I’m going to kill them too. Any questions?”
Nobody answered for a long moment, then I said, “Okay, King. You want to kill the vamp that turned Abigail. I get that. And I’ve got a little beef with her myself. But what’s the plan? And do you want to just ignore the fact that there’s a frat house full of vampires that have been snacking on coeds for the past century? I don’t think so. Not in my town.”
“You can do whatever you like, fangboy. I’m going to find Krysta, cut her head off and stick it on a fencepost facing east. Then I’m going to light up one of my hand-rolled Cubans and watch the sun rise.” King set his beer bottle down on the coffee table and leaned back with a satisfied smile.
“I hate to burst your bubble, Mr. King, but didn’t you just say that you can’t take this vampire?” Abby’s voice shook a little as the big werewolf growled at her, but she held her ground. “You need us, Mr. King. And we might need your help, too. If Jimmy’s right, there are a lot of vampires in that house, and they’ve been killing people for a long time. So we can work together. If you’re willing to work with us.”
I stared at our newest addition, wondering what kind of classes she’d been taking before she got eaten by my vamp-mom.
“So, yeah. What she said. Now, do you have a plan other than ‘Hulk Smash’? ’Cause I’d love to hear it.” Even though I figured I’d probably hate it.
Chapter 9
I was right, I hated the plan from the second King started with, “We should split up to cover more ground.” “Seriously?” I asked, shocked right out of my fangs. “You’re a werewolf, and you’ve never even seen a horror movie? Do you know what happens when the good guys split up? Nothing good, that’s what.”
“I hate to agree with my partner, but it is kinda typical of the genre. The good guys split up and no matter who the camera follows, they end up needing exactly the item or skill that’s with the other team,” Greg said, nodding.
“Yeah, it’s one of the cardinal rules of horror flicks. There’s a monster hiding right where the cat just jumped out from, the virgin always lives and you never, ever split up. So we stick together,” I said with finality.
“Then how do you expect to gather intel on the operations of the vampires at the school while we chase down your sire and separate her head from her body?” King asked.
; “We do one, then the other. The college vamps have been there for a long time and, if they’re anything like the college kids I knew, they’re probably stoned. So they’ll still be there, with the munchies, when we get back,” I said.
Of course, there was nothing to say that they were anything like the college kids I’d known. Abby certainly wasn’t, and that thought was enough to give me a moment’s pause. Then I thought about just how long it had been since I was a college kid, and how different Mike was from those days. Greg and I weren’t. It’s like when we were turned we fell into stasis and never changed. Until recently.
I snapped back to the conversation when the door opened. My subconscious must have registered her footsteps or her scent coming down the stairs, because for once I wasn’t surprised by Sabrina’s entrance.
“Back from where?” the lovely detective said as she came down the stairs. She was wearing a pair of jeans with a scoop-necked blouse and a light jacket to ward off the evening chill. Even in late spring it was still cold late at night. She walked across the living room, gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and sat on the arm of the couch next to me.
“Wasn’t expecting you here this early,” I greeted her. “You get any sleep?” “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” She tossed an empty energy drink can into my recycle bin.
“Not from what I’m experiencing,” Abigail said. “Looks like tonight we chase more dead people, but this time we get to bring a bloodhound.”
“I’m not a bloodhound,” the surly werewolf groused.
“Detective Sabrina Law, meet Kyle King. He’s another private investigator looking into a string of murders all over the South. Abby here seems to be the latest victim.” I made the best introductions I could as Sabrina shook hands with King.
“And he’s a werewolf,” chirped Greg, still bouncing with excitement. Sabrina raised an eyebrow at King, who bared a couple of teeth in response.
“Another PI, huh? And who are you working for, Mr. King? This might be something peculiar to North Carolina, but here the police investigate murders, not private investigators.”
“Like your boyfriend here?”
“He’s a consultant. They work for me. And you didn’t answer the question.”
“The vampire I’m chasing killed my wife. I guess you’d say this one’s pro bono.” King raised a corner of his mouth in a snarl as he leaned back.
“Long canines don’t do much for me anymore, Mr. King. Got any other tricks?” She seemed unimpressed. I guess when you’d hung out with vampires, battled demons and had a cousin who was a ballet-dancing faerie, you got to be a little blasé about those things.
“Yeah, but I don’t think your little boyfriend here would appreciate me showing them to you.”
“Unless you want to reenact Dracula versus Wolfman in my living room, that’s probably a good choice,” I said.
“So,” Sabrina said. “If you two are done measuring things no one else is interested in seeing, what’s the plan for the evening? Are we going after the chick who killed you and Abby before she makes another little ‘peace offering,’ or are we rousting a bunch of frat-boy vamps at the college before they take offense at the new predator in town and start a vampire gang fight in my city? Because I’d love it if Charlotte didn’t become ground zero in a vampire turf war.”
“King wants us to split up and go after both groups of vamps, but Greg and I said no.” I pulled a chair in from the kitchen for Sabrina and looked around for a place to sit. If we kept adding supernatural associates to our little Junior Justice League, we were totally going to need a satellite. Or at least a real office.
“Why not?” Sabrina asked.
“Yeah, Jimmy, why not?” King said in a mocking singsong.
“It’s one of the first rules of horror movies, babe. Never split up.”
“One of the first rules of hanging out with women who carry firearms is never call them babe, babe.” Sabrina glared at me. “And that’s dumb. We should totally split up. That way we can gather intel on the nest and keep you three from getting ambushed while you deal with the threat from out of town. Abby and I will stake out the frat-vamps, while you three go deal with your sire. Or mom, or whatever you call her.”
“I’m going with you?” Abigail asked, a little nervously.
“Of course, you are. We can bond. And find a twenty-four-hour Walmart and pick you up a few things. You’ve been wearing the same outfit for a few days now. I’m sure it’s a little ripe.”
“Yeah, these jeans are about ready to walk themselves to the washing machine. I’m with Cop-Girl.” Abigail walked over to Greg and leaned down, putting an inordinate amount of girl-flesh in his immediate vicinity. “Greggy, can I have some cash? I need to buy a few things.”
My poor partner didn’t even bat an eye, just walked over to his little hidey-hole under the fridge and got her a pile of cash. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.
I watched with no small discomfort as a flash of cleavage bent Greg’s will all the way around Abby’s little finger. I’d never really liked girls who thought all they needed to get what they wanted in life was to flash a little leg and a smile. Now I had one sleeping on my couch. With super-powers, no less.
“Ta!” she yelled over a shoulder and headed up the steps with Sabrina in tow.
I reached out and grabbed Sabrina’s wrist. “Be careful,” I said in a low voice. I knew Abby could hear me, but I was counting on her being distracted by the wad of cash Greg had just handed her.
“I know. She’s a little flighty, but if I can keep up with you two, she should be no trouble.”
“That’s not what I mean. King says there are at least a dozen vamps in that house, and they’ve been in town for a long time. They’ve probably got pretty good security and, if they’re any good at all, you won’t know about them until it’s too late. Make Abby pay attention. Her senses are the only thing you’ve got going for you.”
“Well, not the only thing. I still have my silver stake.” She smiled wryly and patted a jacket pocket.
“Yeah, but only the one. Just . . . be careful, okay?” I leaned in even closer and whispered into her hair. “I really don’t want to lose you.”
She pulled back and gave me a firm look, eye to eye. “You won’t.” Then she kissed me, quick and fierce, before following Abigail up the stairs.
I stood there for a minute thinking of the old saying, I hate to see her go, but I love to watch her leave.
I turned back to amused glances from Greg and King. “You got something to say?” I growled.
“Yeah,” Greg said. “Where do you go to kill a vampire from out of town?”
Chapter 10
King had tracked my sire to a new luxury hotel downtown, right next to the basketball arena. It looked like a good hunting ground, lots of out-of-towners who could be nibbled on without being missed. The Bobcats’ season was over, but there was a concert at the arena, so the sidewalks were full of people going in and out and generally milling about. Add in the traffic to downtown watering holes, and the whole area was full of people oblivious to the predators in their midst on a mild Tuesday night. We rolled into downtown in King’s truck, because he decided he wanted to be all alpha dog and drive. Plus, it appealed to the Clemson grad in me to ride around in a Silverado King Cab with the windows down and Hank Williams III blaring.
“There,” King said, pulling his truck into a parking lot and pointing toward a rooftop lounge. “If I know her at all, she’s up there.”
“And how well do you know her, King?” My spidey-sense was going off like fireworks, but I couldn’t tell if it was anything real or just nerves at seeing the vamp who had turned me after all these years.
I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to kill her or thank her. I supposed it was like seeing the girl from high school who dumped you right before prom, but you ended up going to prom with your future wife—except I’d never had a date to a prom, not even one that dumped me for giggles. I went to al
l my proms stag with Greg and Mike, and we stood against the bleachers in the gym, mocking the couples and pretending like we weren’t choking on our own envy.
“I’ve never laid eyes on her. I’ve just followed the trail of bodies.” He got a distant look in his eyes, and I knew he was thinking about his wife. I decided to let sleeping dogs lie for a change.
We walked into the lobby, and I had to shield my eyes against all the highly polished wood and chrome. The place looked like a piece of LA had been dropped into the middle of Charlotte, just a little too shiny for the city I knew. Greg and King made a beeline for the elevators, but I hung back, scoping out the stunning girls behind the front desk, and the boys gazing at them in futility. After standing helplessly in the elevator for a few moments, Greg and King came over to where I waited.
“You need a key to get up to the rooftop lounge,” King growled. Werewolf or not, the guy always sounded like he had something stuck in his throat.
“I figured as much. Wait here.” I walked over to the front desk and almost had to cover my eyes again from the dazzling smile the woman behind the counter gave me. Her smile dropped a degree or two when she got a good look at me, but she recovered well. One downside to being turned into a vampire when you’re just out of college is that people in fancy hotels never take you seriously, no matter how old you really are.
“May I help you?” she asked brightly.
Her nametag told me that her name was Miranda and that she was from St. Louis. That wasn’t surprising. No one in Charlotte was actually from there. She had probably relocated when her dad was moved by a bank or something.
“I sure hope so, Miranda. I went out for a few drinks with the guys from the convention, and it looks like I left my key in my room. Can you run me a new one real quick?” I gave her my best harmless Southern-boy accent and waited just a second until she looked back up at me.
“Sure, can I just have your room number, Mr. . . . ?” When our eyes locked, I threw my will into my eyes and wrapped her head in my mojo.
The Black Knight Chronicles (Omnibus Edition) Page 44
