make a concerted effort to stop. “I made a judgment call.”
“Did you enjoy it?” Her voice sounded closer. Maybe five feet out in front of him.
“What are you talking about?”
“You found out Gabriel was inside of me—”
“I knew about that.”
“But you forgot. I didn’t talk about him and you let yourself pretend like he wasn’t here.”
She was a little closer still. Maybe within reach. Lockman stretched out a hand. Grasped nothing but air. “Why didn’t you say something? You could have let me know what he was up to.”
“The only thing he’s been up to is giving me real answers. Like right now. He says you probably would have locked me up if I’d told you he was training me.”
The idea that Gabriel was right there, polluting Jessie’s soul, made Lockman’s skin burn. “Training you?”
“How to use my power. Ways to cope with the vampirism. He knows a lot of stuff about the supernatural.”
“You talk about him like he’s your friend. That man is straight up evil, Jess. You can’t trust him.”
“He’s just a voice in my head. I can block him whenever I want. I don’t think he can do much harm from where he’s at.”
Lockman took a measured breath. This conversation had him nearly jumping out of his skin. He wanted to grab Gabriel around the throat and throttle him. But he wasn’t an actual person anymore. If Gabriel came back, it would mean taking over Lockman’s body. And what about Lockman’s consciousness? Less substantial than a breeze. He would not exist anymore.
“You can’t underestimate him.”
“You think I’m weak.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“You don’t think I have control. Like he’s going to pop out of me or something. I’m just the dumb kid, right?”
“No. That’s not it.”
“Bullshit.”
Her voice came from right next to him. He turned toward the sound, reached out and found her shoulder to grab. Her body felt miserably cold.
That’s because she’s a walking corpse.
No. That was movie stuff. Real vampires had significant differences from Hollywood’s take. A mistake many mortals made when they got their introduction to the paranormal. Like the scientists with their paranormal hypotheses, people could think they knew more than they really did about a creature if they used their fictional counterparts as research.
“Jess, this is all a lot to take in. We’re concerned about your safety.”
“ My safety?” She chuckled. “I think you’re more worried about your own asses.”
“Fair enough. We’re thinking about everybody’s safety.”
She placed a hand over his, sandwiching his hand between her cold palm and cold shoulder. A chill ran up his arm. It occurred to him that they hadn’t had much physical contact in a long while. They probably both knew on a subconscious level that contact would only remind them of how much had changed, and offer little in the way of comfort.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I promise.”
Lockman swallowed, gave her shoulder a gentle shake. “We’re going to pull you off of missions for a while. Just to be safe.”
Her hand slipped off of his. “Are you serious?”
“It’s no big deal.”
“It is to me. What else have I got to do with my life? Hang out in my basement all day and watch TV while sucking blood out of plastic bags all night? There’s a good time.”
“We’re not doing this for a ‘good time.’ I just found out we’ve got a city in Alaska that doesn’t have daylight for two months, and vamps are tearing through there like it’s a buffet. This is a war.”
“That I’ve been a part of from the start. Whether you like it or not, this is as much my fight as it is yours. Maybe more, since I’m a fucking vampire and this is a war against vampires .”
“I’m not arguing. I’m in charge of this, for better or worse. It’s my call. You’re out for now.”
She hissed, an inhuman sound that raised the hairs on back of Lockman’s neck. She jerked out of
“Did you enjoy it?” Her voice sounded closer. Maybe five feet out in front of him.
“What are you talking about?”
“You found out Gabriel was inside of me—”
“I knew about that.”
“But you forgot. I didn’t talk about him and you let yourself pretend like he wasn’t here.”
She was a little closer still. Maybe within reach. Lockman stretched out a hand. Grasped nothing but air. “Why didn’t you say something? You could have let me know what he was up to.”
“The only thing he’s been up to is giving me real answers. Like right now. He says you probably would have locked me up if I’d told you he was training me.”
The idea that Gabriel was right there, polluting Jessie’s soul, made Lockman’s skin burn. “Training you?”
“How to use my power. Ways to cope with the vampirism. He knows a lot of stuff about the supernatural.”
“You talk about him like he’s your friend. That man is straight up evil, Jess. You can’t trust him.”
“He’s just a voice in my head. I can block him whenever I want. I don’t think he can do much harm from where he’s at.”
Lockman took a measured breath. This conversation had him nearly jumping out of his skin. He wanted to grab Gabriel around the throat and throttle him. But he wasn’t an actual person anymore. If Gabriel came back, it would mean taking over Lockman’s body. And what about Lockman’s consciousness? Less substantial than a breeze. He would not exist anymore.
“You can’t underestimate him.”
“You think I’m weak.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“You don’t think I have control. Like he’s going to pop out of me or something. I’m just the dumb kid, right?”
“No. That’s not it.”
“Bullshit.”
Her voice came from right next to him. He turned toward the sound, reached out and found her shoulder to grab. Her body felt miserably cold.
That’s because she’s a walking corpse.
No. That was movie stuff. Real vampires had significant differences from Hollywood’s take. A mistake many mortals made when they got their introduction to the paranormal. Like the scientists with their paranormal hypotheses, people could think they knew more than they really did about a creature if they used their fictional counterparts as research.
“Jess, this is all a lot to take in. We’re concerned about your safety.”
“ My safety?” She chuckled. “I think you’re more worried about your own asses.”
“Fair enough. We’re thinking about everybody’s safety.”
She placed a hand over his, sandwiching his hand between her cold palm and cold shoulder. A chill ran up his arm. It occurred to him that they hadn’t had much physical contact in a long while. They probably both knew on a subconscious level that contact would only remind them of how much had changed, and offer little in the way of comfort.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I promise.”
Lockman swallowed, gave her shoulder a gentle shake. “We’re going to pull you off of missions for a while. Just to be safe.”
Her hand slipped off of his. “Are you serious?”
“It’s no big deal.”
“It is to me. What else have I got to do with my life? Hang out in my basement all day and watch TV while sucking blood out of plastic bags all night? There’s a good time.”
“We’re not doing this for a ‘good time.’ I just found out we’ve got a city in Alaska that doesn’t have daylight for two months, and vamps are tearing through there like it’s a buffet. This is a war.”
“That I’ve been a part of from the start. Whether you like it or not, this is as much my fight as it is yours. Maybe more, since I’m a fucking vampire and this is a war against vampires .”
“I’m not arguing. I’m in charge of this, for better or worse. It’s my call. You’re out for now.”
She hissed, an inhuman sound that raised the hairs on back of Lockman’s neck. She jerked out of
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