Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
The first chance I got, I called home. Camille answered. “Hey,” I said. “I’m going to be late.”
“What’s up? Everything okay at the bar?” she asked.
“No.” I hadn’t even thought of hiding what I was about to do. We didn’t work that way—or, usually, we didn’t. Camille had instilled it into Delilah and me from the time we were young that the three of us were “one for all and all for one.”
“What’s wrong? You need help?”
“Laddy came in tonight—a rogue vamp turned him. I’m going out hunting for her,” I said.
Camille was silent for a moment. She knew very well what rogue vamps meant. They were a threat to everyone. “Should you talk to Chase first? Let him know. He can be on the lookout for anybody else she might catch and turn—or catch and kill.”
“I suppose I could,” I said. “You know how he feels about me. I doubt he wants me showing up on his doorstep.”
“Let me call him first. Remember, Seattle’s a big city. And if she doesn’t want to be found, it’s not going to be all that easy.” Camille hung up, promising to call me back in a few minutes.
I really didn’t feel like talking to Chase.
I didn’t like him—and he was terrified of me.
He acted like I had vampire-cooties, and that made me want to freak him out all the more.
I didn’t like the way he followed Camille around like a sloppy puppy.
He wasn’t corrupt, not like our supervisor at the OIA, but he was just…
too human. And even though I was half-human, I had issues with the race.
If I’d been full-blooded Fae, I wouldn’t have lost my footing and fallen into Dredge’s hands.
I didn’t blame Mother—it wasn’t her fault—but the OIA knew my weaknesses and they still threw me into deep water without a lifesaver.
After a moment, Camille called back. “Listen, Chase is still at the office. If you want to drop over to talk to him, he’d be grateful. He’ll be waiting for you, so if you decide not to show up, then call him first, please.”
“All right, I’ll go talk to him.” I reluctantly promised to behave, then hung up. I turned to Jocko. “Boss, can I talk to you for a moment?”
He nodded, motioning for me to follow him into the back. “So, what’s up?”
“I want to go after the rogue vamp. I owe it to Laddy, and to any other victims she’s planning on taking down.” I studied his face as he thought about what I had said.
“You sure you want to do this? I know about…” He paused, crinkling his brow. “I don’t want to stir up any bad memories.”
“What stirs up those memories is helplessness. And I’m doing the pursuing.
What more can she do to me? Destroy me? That’s always a possibility.
But she could create a wave of newly minted vampires who have no guidance.
And then we’d have to kill them as well.
It’s not fair to anybody she might think of turning.
Or even just drinking dry.” I shook my head. “No, I want to go after her.”
“All right. But be careful. Let your sisters know where you’re going, all right?” He nodded at the door. “I still need you tomorrow night, but you can go for now. It looks like the crowd has thinned out.”
I grabbed my jacket and shoved my arms into it. “Thanks, Jocko. You’re a good sort. Meanwhile, Tavah will take care of Laddy.” I paused. “Such a fucking shame. I like Laddy. Now…who knows what will happen to him. It’s too early to tell.”
“If you ask me, he’s going to have a hard time adjusting. I’m worried about him. I can’t tell you why, but I’m worried he won’t be with us much longer, regardless of what form he takes.”
That was a stab in the heart. Jocko wasn’t exactly psychic, but he was known for hitting the nail on the head. “Let’s hope we can help him find something to live for. I’ll see you tomorrow night. Tonight, if I happen to find this bitch.”
As I headed out the door, the clouds opened up again, and a torrent of rain drenched the sidewalk.
I stared up at the water that nourished the ground as it splashed against my face.
It was cool, but I was colder, and once again, I realized that I’d almost forgotten what it meant to be truly alive.
Unless it was pure fire or sunlight, I’d never have to think about ice storms or heatwaves.
Neither would bother me. Nor would anything make me itch again, nor would I taste food.
The only pleasures I could actually feel were sex and blood trickling down my throat. But that had to be enough.
Chase’s office—at the Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigation unit—the FH-CSI, was that mediocre pale green that had neither the warmth of sage, nor the chill of mint. It was nondescript, and so were the furnishings.
Chase himself was sitting behind his desk, and he looked up as I entered the room. He didn’t stand, but instead forced a smile.
“Menolly, welcome. Camille said you might be visiting. Won’t you have a seat?”
The parade of manners grated on my nerves.
“Look, you don’t have to be so friendly. I know I make you nervous, and you irritate me, but we work together because the results are worth it. So, did my sister also tell you why I’m paying you a visit?”
He shook his head. “She said it was best if you told me. What’s up?” He pointed to one of the chairs, and I sat down.
I decided not to stand on ceremony. “There’s a rogue vamp on the loose.
One of our regulars came into the bar tonight, and he’d been turned.
She—the vamp who turned him—turned him loose afterward.
A good sire never does that. She didn’t tell him who she was; she didn’t have permission to turn him. That makes her a rogue.”
Chase paled. “Damn it. We’ve had two murders tonight, and the medics said it looked like they were drained of blood. Could that be her?”
“Could be. First, make sure they’re actually dead.
Some turn fast, and some turn slowly. You don’t want the doctor to start an autopsy and have the victim wake up on the table.
Vamps wake up so thirsty that the only thing they can think about is to find blood, and your medical examiner would be the prime target. ”
“Uh…I hadn’t even thought of that,” Chase said. “Do you mind if I call the doc right now?”
“Go ahead,” I said. “After they verify the victim’s really dead for good, then I’d recommend you get an autopsy by a doctor who can recognize exsanguination.
The fact that we have two other victims means that she’s on a rampage.
Why she left Laddy alive, I don’t know. But we’re going to take care of him,” I said.
“He’ll have help. Meanwhile, I’m going out after her.
Let me give you his description, in case… well…in case you should need it.”
Chase made a phone call, then turned back to me. He leaned back in his chair. “They checked. The pair are truly dead and…they made sure.”
“Stake through the heart?” I asked.
He nodded, looking almost embarrassed. “Why do they do it?”
“They, who? And why what?”
“They…vamps. And why do they just go on sprees? It’s not like there aren’t plenty of bloodwhores out there willing to put up their body for a taste of the undead life. While I don’t understand it, at least it’s a choice,” he said.
Chase was right. There were plenty of people willing to play juice-box to a vampire’s needs.
It had become an odd fetish throughout society.
I didn’t like it, but at least it was controlled and consensual.
I understood the drive to hunt—gods knew, I had it in spades.
I seldom talked about how strong the drive was to go on the hunt, but I kept myself in check.
The only time I had let go of my control was right after I’d been turned, and that was almost instinctual.
“You’re right,” I said. “The Underground is filled with joints jumping with bloodwhores. It’s not like they turn people away, unless they’re underage.
She could easily have gone there to get a drink.
Rogues are out for trouble, Chase. They’re like the serial killers of your world.
They love causing chaos and don’t give a fuck about life. ”
He met my gaze. “You said you’re going after her?”
Nodding, I said, “We can’t let her roam around, not in good conscience.” I paused, then added, “I’m not going into detail, but my sire was—is—one of the worst vampires that’s ever existed. I won’t stand by when I see someone vying for that title, whether it’s over there or over here.”
I stood, antsy to get out on the streets.
“Anyway, I’ve given you her description, as best as I could.
Warn your men not to approach her without proper weapons.
Bullets won’t take a vampire down, not even if they strike the heart.
It has to be a stake of some sort, or fire, or the sun.
I suppose a sword would work if they managed to pierce the heart.
But vampires aren’t easy to kill, and they are top-tier predators. So, tell your men to be careful.”
“I will,” he said, a solemn look crossing his face. “I’ll warn them. And…Menolly…”
“Yes?” I asked.
“Thank you. For warning us, for going out after her. I appreciate it,” he added.
I leaned on his desk, winked, and licked my fangs. “Not a problem, detective. Not a problem.”
“Get out of here,” he stuttered, blushing. I still made him nervous, but his thank-you seemed genuine.
Outside, the rain had soaked the city streets and then faded, leaving puddles to glisten on the asphalt under the dim light of the streetlamps.
The sounds of traffic were muted, given we were approaching the midnight hour, but ever present in the background.
Living in the city was like having a constant white noise, drowning out the silence.
Early morning, Camille said she could hear the birdsong from the kitchen, even when the fans were blowing, but it had been a long time since I’d heard the birds at dawn, or the buzzing of bees, or any of those sounds that belonged to the daylight. I’d almost forgotten about them.