He straightened his shoulders, his expression smug. “We were just having a friendly argument.”
“Then, why did Rosy feel the need to call the cops?”
“She didn’t call the cops. She called me.” Tony stepped toward Paige, his hands raised. “Care to put the gun away?”
“When you explain to me what’s going on here.”
Tony slid his dark gaze to Rosy. “Take your dog somewhere outside the city limits. I don’t want to see him anymore.”
The woman sighed. “It’s hard to break them in out there, Tee. You know that.”
“Not here, Rose. All right?”
“Fine. Fine. Fine. Come on, Pete.” Rosy’s high-heeled steps disappeared around the truck.
Tony turned to Fang Man. “And you?”
“Just teaching the pup a lesson.”
“In public.”
“It wasn’t public until your partner showed up.”
Tony dropped his chin and sighed, his lips flat.
Fang Man straightened his jacket. “Fine. We need to get you a new job.”
Once everyone had left in their vehicles, Tony turned back to her.
By that time, she’d re-holstered her weapon.
Dexx came to stand at her back, quiet but ready.
“Okay.” Paige crossed her arms over her chest. “Tell me what just happened.”
Tony narrowed his eyes and mimicked her position. “You read me into what happened in Louisiana, and I’ll read you into what’s going on here.”
She already had a hunch. Vampires and werewolves were real.
But having her partner in on this part of her life?
Actually might be very helpful.
Fine. He wanted read in. No problem. “I’m a demon summoner and a witch. In Louisiana, a demon kidnapped me, cast a spell in my bones, and now I house a living door to Hell inside me. It pulls any demon within twenty feet to me and they possess me.”
“Fifty feet,” Dexx offered.
Tony turned to him. “What?”
“Any demon within fifty feet possesses her.”
“Well, that certainly makes the current case difficult.” Tony raised a bewildered brow. “Doesn’t it?”
“Yeah.” That was an understatement at best. “Now, you.”
He gestured his concession. “I’m a vampire.”
Tony refused to give her any more information there in the parking lot. He’d sent Paige and Dexx home with nothing more than, “I’m a vampire,” and, “We’ll discuss this in the morning.”
The drive home had been filled with stunned silence. The “stun” didn’t wear off until Paige was in her jammies and had her toothbrush shoved in her mouth, her lips rimmed with foaming toothpaste. “It’s weird, right? He’s been my partner for five years. You’d think I’d notice something like that. The aversion to sun, maybe?”
Dexx swooshed his mouthwash, his cheeks puffed. He shrugged and muttered something completely unintelligible with his lips closed.
She frowned at him. He wore nothing more than his dark gray boxers. After the talking and the wine and relaxing, she’d really hoped to come home and maybe dance the bed-mambo on top of the sheets. The light enhancing the dark trail of hair leading the way to his bellybutton should have done something for her. Watching as his muscles danced under his tattoos should have kicked something into girly gear.
And it did. Her inner sex-kitten purred a little.
But now? She was wound tight again, her inner sex-kitten trapped inside a cage of anxiety.
Sex could fix that.
If she could just unkink her nerves enough to feel anything of a sex-like manner.
Gah! She was frustrating herself.
During her internal butt-kicking monologue, Dexx had spat out his mouthwash and disappeared into the bedroom.
Why in the world would that man choose to stay with her?
Stepping into the bedroom, she found him leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed.
She knew what he wanted to know. Was he sleeping on the couch or in the bed? The apartment only had one bed. In Louisiana, they’d settled the matter with him sleeping on top of the covers and her underneath.
Then, after the kiss tonight, she was fairly certain he was wondering if they’d have sex. Sometime before they both retired or wound up dead.
Well, she assumed that because that was the question she was asking herself.
Frankly, she had bigger matters on her plate than sex. What she really wanted was him in her bed snuggled up to her, holding her in his arms, his breath in her hair. Sex was good, yeah, but it wasn’t everything.
He bowed his head and sighed, pushing himself off the doorway. “Well, I’ll see you in the morning.”
Taking two quick steps, she caught him by the arm.
He turned, searching her gaze.
She pulled him into her room and flipped off the light on her way to the bed. “Don’t think I’m an easy lay. I’m not. You bought me dinner.”
“A nice dinner.” His tone implied pride but nothing more.
“A very nice dinner, but I’m not having sex with you tonight.”
“Good. Clean expectations. I like it. So, just snoring.”
She winced as she crawled into bed. “Sans snoring, if we could.”
He made some obnoxious snoring noises as he climbed under the sheet and the two comforters. “Do you get cold often?”
She glared at him. The bedroom wouldn’t cool in the summer and wouldn’t heat in the winter. So, without her own, personal heater, she needed as many comforters and blankets she could get her hands on.
She slapped his chest playfully. Being this relaxed with another person felt nice. Being with him made every crack, every hole—even that deep, twisting vortex of a sucking black hole in the center of her stone cold, charred heart—seem complete.
Everything except the doorway to Hell.
But that was her soul. Not her heart.
He offered his arm, settling onto his pillow.
She curled into his side, throwing her leg over his hip, sighing with contentment.
He groaned, pulling her close. “What time are you going in to work?”
“I set the alarm for five.” She wanted to get to the office early and get her answers.
“Are you a little eager?”
She narrowed her eyes. Glaring light from the parking lot streamed through the closed blinds directly onto the pillows, so she could see the contours of his face and bare chest. He smelled like man and Irish Spring. A good combination.
“Just so you’re aware,” he said, his voice rumbling in her ear, “I wasn’t going to let you have your way with me tonight anyway.”
She snorted with a smile against his chest.
“I have my priorities, too, you know. Find a stable woman to support me, get her pregnant, trap her into marrying me, and then raise her babies.”
She chuckled, her eyes drooping. “You’re incorrigible.”
“Well, at least you noticed.” He pressed a kiss onto the top of her head and settled deeper into the mattress. “Good night.”
“This is weird, right?”
“Uh,” he said after a moment. “What is?”
“Vampire. A real one. And a werewolf. Wolfing out.”
“Oh. Yeah. That.”
She propped her chin on his chest. “How have we never heard of this before?”
He lifted one shoulder. “We were focused on demons?”
“But werewolves.”
He winced. “It does seem weird. I’ve only been in this for eight years, but I was hunting a demon, looking for a demon. I mean, sure. I heard about stuff like this, but I never took it seriously because, you know, it wasn’t the demon I was hunting.”
“So, blind eye?” She struggled to find a better reason.
“For me. But what about you? You were raised with this.”
“I know. I mean, my family is a big name in the witch world…”
He opened his m
outh, but the only thing that came out was a breath.
Paige rolled over and grabbed her phone. It was plugged into the wall and resting on the low, cardboard moving box that served as her fan stand.
“What are you doing?”
“Texting Leslie.” The phone took the word “werewolves” with ease. So, if Android accepted the term with ease, why was she struggling with it?
Because she’d been raised in the paranormal community. That’s why. And she’d never heard one word about it. She’d been told time and time again that the stories of werewolves were just that. Stories.
So, if werewolves and vampires were real, why would her grandmother lie to her about it?
Or…why would they hide themselves away from witches?
Or…why would witches hide themselves away from werewolves and vampires?
Recalling past conversations she’d had with her grandmother, she realized that Alma had been quite forceful about the fact that werewolves didn’t exist. She hadn’t cared one iota about vampires.
So, what kind of danger was she about to put herself into?
She was just setting the phone down when Leslie’s ringtone of “I’m a Gummy Bear,” rang out Rolling her eyes, Paige swiped the answer button, then put it on speaker. “I texted you so you could answer at your leisure.”
“This is my leisure,” Leslie said irritably in her thick Texas drawl. “What do ya mean, ‘have I heard o’ werewolves?’ I’ve read Twilight.”
Paige glanced at Dexx and cringed. “How was your day?”
“What’re you really askin’? Why I’m so bitchy?”
Paige whimpered a hmm.
“I’m damned tired of being pregnant, for one thing. This damned baby is heavier’n I look. I haven’t been able to tie my own damned shoes in three weeks. Tyler shattered the glass in the china hutch this morning while throwing a tantrum over which kind of peanut butter he wanted on his damned sandwich.”
Dexx mouthed the word, “What?”
Tyler was a bard. So, when he got mad, he sang at a pitch dogs couldn’t even hear and things broke.
“And then Amanda—”
Paige flinched. That girl was only “Amanda” when she did something really, really, really bad, which was frequent since the girl was a fire starter.
“—was trying to get payback at her brother because some of the glass hit her—nothing major, mind ya—so she set fire to the stove. And now Grandma is demandin’ a new stove. Only, she’s being very particular about which stove she wants. I’m goin’ insane, Pea. I’m flippin’ insane. I live in insanity.”
Paige wanted to chuckle, but forced all mirth from her tone. “I am so sorry, Les.”
“Don’t have any more babies. They will wreck your life.”
Paige bit off the hurt that flared in her chest. She didn’t know if she wanted another child. She felt like it would be like trying to replace the one she’d already lost.
But what happened if her mother swooped in and stole that child, too?
She wouldn’t summon a demon to kill the woman. She’d do so in person. While her mother was facing her.
“Oh, geez, Pea. I’m so sorry. Sometimes, I just forget what I’m even sayin’.”
“It’s okay.” She forced a smile into her voice. “Do you know what the new one’s gift is?”
When Leslie had been pregnant with Mandy—what Amanda went by when she wasn’t setting fire to the stove—Leslie had been hot all the time. In the last month, she could toast bread with her hands. While carrying Tyler, she could sing. It was the only time that tone deaf woman could sing.
“He can read minds. He’s a frelling telepath, so, now, I can read everyone’s every damned thought!”
Paige pushed her head over Dexx’s arm and into the pillow, biting down hard on her lips to fight her laugh. Taking in a deep breath, she said calmly, “That has got to be hell.”
“You have no idea.” Leslie’s voice shook. “I had to send Tru away. That damned man, all he thinks about is ghost hunts and how he’s going to rig his equipment. Well, that and boobs. I think I might know how to work his equipment better’n he does now.”
“Which ‘equipment?’” Paige asked, trying to hide her chuckle.
“The cameras, you dolt. And Mandy? She loves YouTube and watching videos on how to make lipsticks with crayons. Crayons, Pea. All the time. Tyler has shut himself in the attic, which was okay, except this week, I can hear him in the attic, too.”
What was Paige supposed to say to that?
“I know!” Leslie moaned.
“Did you just hear me think that?”
“No, stupid. I read silence. You’re too damned far away. Which reminds me, when are you coming home?”
Paige shook her head. “Not for a while yet.”
“Well, you’re comin’ down when I have this damned baby.”
“He can hear you, you know.”
“And he can hear all my love, too,” she growled. “Also, he’s a baby. When I’m not carrying him and his gifts, I’ll get over my frustration and bathe him in my love.”
Paige laughed at that one. “Fine. When you have him, I’ll come down.”
“Good. Then I’ll see ya next week.”
Paige’s laugh grew. “Okay, well, seriously, I just wanted to talk to you in the morning. If you want to get to that sleeping thing humans do, I’ll let you.”
“Sleepin’. You’re kiddin’, right? You were pregnant. Kindly recall what it was like in the last month.”
She’d felt joy in the last month of her pregnancy. Leah hadn’t imparted her gifts, or if she had, Paige hadn’t realized it. She’d been happy with her husband and her baby and her job and her family. Everything had been perfect.
“Sorry,” Leslie whispered. “I can be a real bitch when I get like this.”
“And we all know it,” Paige said quietly. “Have you heard from Leah?”
“Well, from Rachel. She called. Grandma talked to her, which was a good thing because I’d talk some ghosts into haunting the hell out of her house right now.”
Paige snorted. “You could do that?”
“Totally. Leah’s doin’ well. She’s doin’ great in school. Soccer season’s over, so she’s bored. Rachel’s tryin’ to get her into art, but…” Leslie’s voice trailed off. “That’s not going well.”
Paige made a sucking noise with her lips. “How’s Grandma?”
“Doin’ great now that you’ve fixed her vision.” Leslie’s voice was chipper.
When Paige had been possessed in Louisiana, she’d made Alma’s eyes completely white. They were odd to look at, but the old woman could see better than ever. She’d had cataracts in one eye and was losing sight in the other.
“She’s getting back into her cross stitch and her crochet, which makes her happy. Honestly, that’s the only good thing in our house right now. If I had to deal with her bein’ crotchety while dealin’ with everyone else, I’d be in jail right now.”
“Oh, man.”
“She’s sorry, you know.” Leslie’s voice got quiet again. “She wishes she’d believed in you. Well, she’s always believed in you, but believed in you more than she feared your gift.”
“Yeah, well…”
“Me, too, you know. I miss my sister. I want you back.”
Paige released a breath.
“So, werewolves.” Through all the venting, Leslie’s drawl had lessened. “Is this for real?”
Clicking her tongue, Paige nodded. “It is. Met a vampire and a werewolf today.”
“Well, if that ain’t some shit.”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, well, I haven’t heard anything, but I’ll go over the books, see if there’s anything in there. I’ll ask Grandma.”
“Meh. Remember when we were kids and we’d bring up werewolves?”
“Not really. No.”
“Well, I do. I asked about them. And she was pretty…” Paige searched for the right word. “Vehement.”
�
�I don’t think I’ve ever heard that word said out loud. Did you pronounce it correctly?”
“I’ll look it up in the morning. I’m just saying that maybe Grandma isn’t the best resource on this one. Feels like maybe she’s hiding something from us.”
“Hmm. Weird.”
“Yeah.”
“Hey, Pea?”
“Yeah, Les?”
Leslie paused for a long moment. “You just be careful, all right? I want you back. Alive. Not dead. Or worse.”
“Yeah.” Paige bit her lip, her heart tugging for home. She missed it, the old house, her old stomping grounds. Denver was nice, but it wasn’t home. “I’ll be careful and I’ll see you soon.”
“Next week. I’m havin’ this baby next week.”
Paige chuckled. The woman had another few weeks to go yet. “I’ll talk to you later. Love you.”
“Yeah, whatever. Love you, too.”
Dexx hmm’d as Paige put the phone back on the box. “So she hasn’t heard of them, either. Very, very curious.”
She wasn’t sure when her brain winked out, but it finally did. She drifted off wrapped up in the warmth of Dexx’s arms. Gigantic werewolves and vampires with bright green eyes removing the heads of everyone around them haunted her dreams.
She’d read too many books and watched too many movies. She needed to get some real information on them.
When the alarm went off, she was still wrapped in Dexx’s arms, something hard poking her in the back.
How had she forgotten morning wood?
Probably because it had been over eight years since she’d had to deal with it.
She groaned. Ten years. Her sexy girly parts had to be dust.
Yeah, well, there was nothing she could do about that at the moment. She had information to gather on her partner.
Sighing, she threw the covers back and headed for the closet, turning on the light to the walk-in room and closing the door behind her. She pulled on a pair of jeans, a tank and a blazer. Stepping out, she grabbed her service pistol from the bedside table and clipped the holster to her belt.
“You’re heading out?”
“Nope,” she said with a smile. “I’m preparing for the zombie apocalypse. I’ll rig the door before I leave.”
He brought the pale blue comforter under his chin and closed his eyes, his head resting on her pillow. “Oh, good. I need bacon, while you’re out.”
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