drummed on the desktop, betraying her restlessness. “I’ll cover your ass and provide safe passage for the lycans fleeing the other outposts. In return, you put those lycans to work helping me dig for information.”
Elijah waited for her to elaborate. In the interim, he took her in, noting the fine texture of her creamy skin and the darkness of her thick lashes. The amber of her eyes, a trait universal among all vampires, was striking against the brazenly bold hue of her hair. He wondered what she’d looked like with the flame-blue eyes of a seraph angel. Like a china doll, he imagined. There was an elegant fragility to her that wasn’t immediately apparent and totally lost at a distance. Her penchant for black leather and Lycra distracted one from noticing how softly feminine she really was.
With a sigh, she capitulated and withdrew a flash drive from her cleavage. “This will explain everything better than I can.”
Stephan retrieved his laptop from the other desk and set it up in front of Elijah, who plugged the drive in. Shortly, a video began to play. It was clearly surveillance video of a cell in which a vampire with foam at the mouth and bloodshot eyes bashed his head against a brick wall until it burst.
“I’ve seen an infected vamp like this before,” Elijah said.
“You have?” Vash stood and faced him, her focus razor sharp. “When? Where?”
He leaned back again. “The first time was in Phoenix, about a month ago. I believe she was the friend you wanted to avenge—brunette, petite, a pilot.”
“Nikki.” Vash took a deep breath. “Jesus. I thought Adrian was full of shit when he said she was fucked up.”
“We cleaned out a nest in Hurricane, Utah, two days later. Half the occupants were foaming at the mouth like that.”
Bending down, she dug in her duffel and pulled out an iPad. She typed as she spoke. “We don’t know what the hell this sickness is, how quickly it’s spreading, or where it started. That’s what we need to determine and what we need you for—we have to work night and day. We can work in shifts.”
“Maybe this is population control.”
Her head lifted. “Don’t play me. I don’t play nice.”
“Have any of the Fallen been infected?”
“No.” She set the tablet in front of him, revealing a map of North America dotted with multicolored spots. “The red spots are the first reports. You can see Nikki’s appearance in Phoenix was part of the first wave. Orange is second. Yellow is the most recent.”
Stephan leaned closer. “They’re all over the map.”
“Right. You’d expect to see an outward spread from one point, but it looks like there were four, as if they were deliberately spaced to speed the rate and area of infection. We know Sentinels raided a nest outside of Seattle, and you can see that’s one of the first known cases.”
Elijah shook his head, knowing where this was going. “Adrian’s clean on this.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. Doesn’t mean a Sentinel isn’t responsible, but Adrian is in the clear.”
“Shit.” Vash began to pace, briefly distracting him with her graceful and agile stride. “And the Sentinels won’t act without his orders, so that leaves us with what? Demons? A lycan?”
“Don’t rule out the Sentinels.”
Stilling, she looked at him. “Why not?”
“A woman was taken from Angels’ Point while under Sentinel guard.”
“Then they allowed it to happen.”
“Not to this woman. Adrian would kick off Armageddon first.”
“Would he? Hmm…” She spun on her stiletto heel and left the cavern.
Elijah was right behind her, following in her cherry-scented wake. He was damn near dizzy by the time he reached the surface, his chest expanding on a deep breath that cleansed his lust-addled brain. He watched Vash pull an iPhone out from under a crimson bra strap and hit a speed-dial button. A moment later, the vampire leader appeared on her screen via a video feed.
“Vashti.” Syre greeted his
Elijah waited for her to elaborate. In the interim, he took her in, noting the fine texture of her creamy skin and the darkness of her thick lashes. The amber of her eyes, a trait universal among all vampires, was striking against the brazenly bold hue of her hair. He wondered what she’d looked like with the flame-blue eyes of a seraph angel. Like a china doll, he imagined. There was an elegant fragility to her that wasn’t immediately apparent and totally lost at a distance. Her penchant for black leather and Lycra distracted one from noticing how softly feminine she really was.
With a sigh, she capitulated and withdrew a flash drive from her cleavage. “This will explain everything better than I can.”
Stephan retrieved his laptop from the other desk and set it up in front of Elijah, who plugged the drive in. Shortly, a video began to play. It was clearly surveillance video of a cell in which a vampire with foam at the mouth and bloodshot eyes bashed his head against a brick wall until it burst.
“I’ve seen an infected vamp like this before,” Elijah said.
“You have?” Vash stood and faced him, her focus razor sharp. “When? Where?”
He leaned back again. “The first time was in Phoenix, about a month ago. I believe she was the friend you wanted to avenge—brunette, petite, a pilot.”
“Nikki.” Vash took a deep breath. “Jesus. I thought Adrian was full of shit when he said she was fucked up.”
“We cleaned out a nest in Hurricane, Utah, two days later. Half the occupants were foaming at the mouth like that.”
Bending down, she dug in her duffel and pulled out an iPad. She typed as she spoke. “We don’t know what the hell this sickness is, how quickly it’s spreading, or where it started. That’s what we need to determine and what we need you for—we have to work night and day. We can work in shifts.”
“Maybe this is population control.”
Her head lifted. “Don’t play me. I don’t play nice.”
“Have any of the Fallen been infected?”
“No.” She set the tablet in front of him, revealing a map of North America dotted with multicolored spots. “The red spots are the first reports. You can see Nikki’s appearance in Phoenix was part of the first wave. Orange is second. Yellow is the most recent.”
Stephan leaned closer. “They’re all over the map.”
“Right. You’d expect to see an outward spread from one point, but it looks like there were four, as if they were deliberately spaced to speed the rate and area of infection. We know Sentinels raided a nest outside of Seattle, and you can see that’s one of the first known cases.”
Elijah shook his head, knowing where this was going. “Adrian’s clean on this.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. Doesn’t mean a Sentinel isn’t responsible, but Adrian is in the clear.”
“Shit.” Vash began to pace, briefly distracting him with her graceful and agile stride. “And the Sentinels won’t act without his orders, so that leaves us with what? Demons? A lycan?”
“Don’t rule out the Sentinels.”
Stilling, she looked at him. “Why not?”
“A woman was taken from Angels’ Point while under Sentinel guard.”
“Then they allowed it to happen.”
“Not to this woman. Adrian would kick off Armageddon first.”
“Would he? Hmm…” She spun on her stiletto heel and left the cavern.
Elijah was right behind her, following in her cherry-scented wake. He was damn near dizzy by the time he reached the surface, his chest expanding on a deep breath that cleansed his lust-addled brain. He watched Vash pull an iPhone out from under a crimson bra strap and hit a speed-dial button. A moment later, the vampire leader appeared on her screen via a video feed.
“Vashti.” Syre greeted his
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