called me back to the present. Xavier was looking at me with compassion, a rare and sudden human emotion laid bare across his face. I rolled my head, popping the tiny bones in my neck. “Just wondering when you were going to tell me what’s really going on around here,” I lied, motioning to the extra guards.
“Conclave business, that is all,” he said, turning away as he shut down his expression.
My phone rang, vibrating in my pocket as it played “Little Red Riding Hood.” Earning me a suspicious look from Xavier. I quickly hit the accept button and put it to my ear.
“Hello?”
“Isabel? It’s me.”
“Heather? Why are you calling me from this number?” That particular song was set to play when Phoebe’s boyfriend, the occasionally furry firefighter, Duke, called me. Since he’d come out of the wolfy closet to her, he was quickly becoming one of my favorite non-humans. He’d even helped my mother install new carpet in her living room, a chore that otherwise would have fallen on me.
“My phone isn’t hooked up yet,” she said, as if that made any kind of sense, “and I need you to come over to my office. Like, now.”
I wanted to demand more info, but Xavier was studying me like a hawk, so I let it go, glad to have a reason to bail on the walk. “Fine. Be there in twenty,” I said, hitting the disconnect button with my thumb. “Gotta go. Sister stuff.”
Xavier nodded once and gestured me back to the car. “Before you go, there is one more thing. Mercy’s time in the vault is at an end. On the new moon, she’ll be released back into the Conclave.”
I turned, glaring at him.
Mercy was Shane’s vampire girlfriend. Actually, I wasn’t sure what their current status was, since I’d shot her and everything. We didn’t exactly get along before that, and now… In all fairness, she tried to kill me first. Probably would have succeeded too if I hadn’t shot her in the face a few times. Made a big mess on the carpet outside Xavier’s office. Since then, she’d been locked in one of the cages under the Conclave-run bank downtown as punishment for attacking a human. I’d kind of been hoping they’d send her to Siberia or something, but apparently, it wasn’t considered that heinous a crime. I mean, I’d survived after all. Now the crazy bitch was about to be back on the streets. Just what I needed.
“What the hell, Xavier? You know as soon as her feet hit the floor, she’s going to try to kill me again, right?” He shrugged, and I gritted my teeth until my jaw hurt.
“It was really beyond my control. She told her defender that she smelled a weapon on you and that she was only trying to protect the Conclave, and me.”
“Defender? Like, attorney? What? She got a trial? Friggin’ vampire politics.” I mumbled. “Whatever. Just fair warning, if she shows up at my house, I don’t care if she’s with Shane or not, I will shoot first and ask questions never. I mean it, Xavier. Keep her away from me.”
“Do not let it overly concern you. She may be free, but I will be keeping a close eye on Mercy,” he offered coolly.
I shrugged. “Whatever. I’ll put it on my list.”
“What list?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.
“The list of shit I’ll worry about later. My plate is kinda full this week, in case you haven’t noticed.”
That made him laugh, not a chuckle, but a full belly laugh. It sounded warm. It sounded human.
When we got back to my car, he held out a piece of paper to me. “The information on Melanie’s Aunt.”
I plucked it from his fingers and tucked it into the pocket of my tan slacks. “Thanks. I’ll get right on it.”
He nodded and turned to head back to the house.
Heather’s new shop was downtown near the Haunted Tours office in a little indoor strip mall. She had secured the front space so she had one large glass window right on the street, but the door was actually inside the hallway. I’d passed by the place a million times in
“Conclave business, that is all,” he said, turning away as he shut down his expression.
My phone rang, vibrating in my pocket as it played “Little Red Riding Hood.” Earning me a suspicious look from Xavier. I quickly hit the accept button and put it to my ear.
“Hello?”
“Isabel? It’s me.”
“Heather? Why are you calling me from this number?” That particular song was set to play when Phoebe’s boyfriend, the occasionally furry firefighter, Duke, called me. Since he’d come out of the wolfy closet to her, he was quickly becoming one of my favorite non-humans. He’d even helped my mother install new carpet in her living room, a chore that otherwise would have fallen on me.
“My phone isn’t hooked up yet,” she said, as if that made any kind of sense, “and I need you to come over to my office. Like, now.”
I wanted to demand more info, but Xavier was studying me like a hawk, so I let it go, glad to have a reason to bail on the walk. “Fine. Be there in twenty,” I said, hitting the disconnect button with my thumb. “Gotta go. Sister stuff.”
Xavier nodded once and gestured me back to the car. “Before you go, there is one more thing. Mercy’s time in the vault is at an end. On the new moon, she’ll be released back into the Conclave.”
I turned, glaring at him.
Mercy was Shane’s vampire girlfriend. Actually, I wasn’t sure what their current status was, since I’d shot her and everything. We didn’t exactly get along before that, and now… In all fairness, she tried to kill me first. Probably would have succeeded too if I hadn’t shot her in the face a few times. Made a big mess on the carpet outside Xavier’s office. Since then, she’d been locked in one of the cages under the Conclave-run bank downtown as punishment for attacking a human. I’d kind of been hoping they’d send her to Siberia or something, but apparently, it wasn’t considered that heinous a crime. I mean, I’d survived after all. Now the crazy bitch was about to be back on the streets. Just what I needed.
“What the hell, Xavier? You know as soon as her feet hit the floor, she’s going to try to kill me again, right?” He shrugged, and I gritted my teeth until my jaw hurt.
“It was really beyond my control. She told her defender that she smelled a weapon on you and that she was only trying to protect the Conclave, and me.”
“Defender? Like, attorney? What? She got a trial? Friggin’ vampire politics.” I mumbled. “Whatever. Just fair warning, if she shows up at my house, I don’t care if she’s with Shane or not, I will shoot first and ask questions never. I mean it, Xavier. Keep her away from me.”
“Do not let it overly concern you. She may be free, but I will be keeping a close eye on Mercy,” he offered coolly.
I shrugged. “Whatever. I’ll put it on my list.”
“What list?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.
“The list of shit I’ll worry about later. My plate is kinda full this week, in case you haven’t noticed.”
That made him laugh, not a chuckle, but a full belly laugh. It sounded warm. It sounded human.
When we got back to my car, he held out a piece of paper to me. “The information on Melanie’s Aunt.”
I plucked it from his fingers and tucked it into the pocket of my tan slacks. “Thanks. I’ll get right on it.”
He nodded and turned to head back to the house.
Heather’s new shop was downtown near the Haunted Tours office in a little indoor strip mall. She had secured the front space so she had one large glass window right on the street, but the door was actually inside the hallway. I’d passed by the place a million times in
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