Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
A familiar SUV was parked by the curb when I pulled into my driveway. Ignoring Leo for now, I flew out of the car and ran up the steps, faltering when I noticed the door wide open.
“Edmund!” I shouted.
No response.
I stopped at the threshold and peered inside.
“No one is here now.”
I screeched and spun around, my hand clutching at my heart. “You scared the hell out of me!”
Leo stood a couple of feet away, the cool amusement he usually wore on his face concealed under a mask of concern. “I arrived too late to stop him. He was gone by the time I arrived.”
My brow furrowed. “And how did you know something was happening?”
Leo ignored my question. “I’ll walk with you inside just in case he’s left anything behind.”
As we stepped inside, Leo went ahead of me. “Who’s Edmund?”
“My parrot.”
Leo snorted. “Sure it is. There’s no parrot here and there never has been.” He tapped the side of his nose. “Vamps can sense how many beating hearts are in the area—supernatural, human, or animal.”
“None of your business then,” I grumbled.
The hallway seemed relatively unscathed, but Leo halted abruptly when we made it to the living room.
“I think you should step outside,” he said quietly.
“No.” I stepped around him. A sound of genuine pain pushed from my lips.
All my furniture had been cut open with what looked to be a large, serrated blade.
Foam and feathers were scattered everywhere.
My coffee table lay collapsed on the ground, cracked in multiple pieces.
The stained-glass lamp I’d thrifted lay on its side, the shade broken in several places.
A puddle of liquid had ruined part of my original wooden floors. Leo crouched near and sniffed, a look of horror on his face before he rose and went straight to the kitchen.
He came back carrying a roll of paper towels.
“Do I want to know?” I asked quietly, my voice subdued.
Leo shook his head once in a sharp motion. I passed by him soundlessly, my emotions numb. The kitchen was much of the same, most of the dishes shattered on the ground. My fridge lay on its side, all the food dripping and spilled on the counters and floors.
I drew in a shuddering breath. A hand came to rest on my shoulder. “Come,” said a quiet voice. “Allow me to take this burden from you.”
I glanced up at the Prime. His eyes were filled with empathy. There was no trace of satisfaction or anything other than concern in his face. Tears filled my eyes.
I shook my head. “No,” I croaked. “Beckett violated my space. My home. I need to see what else he did.”
A piece of blue paper stuck out of the pile of mail I’d organized on the table earlier this week caught my eye. I looked away before Leo or Alric spotted it and stepped aside. “I’ll be right back.”
I needed to check on Edmund before anything else.
Alric’s jaw tightened. “Alex, my sense of smell is superior to yours. Beckett has been everywhere in this house. I ask that you do not enter your bedroom before I can have someone in to assist with the cleanup.”
I closed my eyes and let out a slow breath. “This is not your mess to clean up.”
When I opened my eyes, Alric’s gaze had taken on a jade glow. “Beckett is a vampire. He falls under my authority. Please, Alex. Stay out of the bedroom. Someone should be here within twenty minutes. He will not touch anything other than what has been… defiled.”
My lower lip quivered. I nodded and dropped my head so Alric wouldn’t see my tears fall. He gently squeezed my shoulder. “Your internet line was cut. Technicians are already outside to restore service.”
“Why are you helping me?”
Alric exhaled wearily, the sound surprising for such an ancient being.
There was no telling how old he actually was, and he wasn’t forthcoming about his age, but at this moment he appeared surprisingly human for a Prime.
“Entering someone’s home for the purpose of simple destruction for one’s own sick pleasure is an egregious violation of our code.
We are not monsters, Alex. Though we got off on the wrong foot, I hope you know this is not something I would ever stand for.
My personal appraiser is on her way over.
She will take an accounting of your belongings and ensure you are compensated accordingly. ”
“I have insurance.”
“I’m sure you do. I have connections far superior than any insurance company, and I will ensure your belongings are valued appropriately. Allow me to assist in this matter. No strings attached.”
“You were such an asshole the first time we met.” I paused. “The second time too.”
To my surprise, Alric burst out laughing, the sound bright and cheerful. A reluctant smile tugged at my lips.
“Yes,” he responded. “I have to keep you on your toes. Who knows how the fourth time will go?”
“Let’s just hope we’re not meeting like this again,” I murmured.
“I hope not,” Alric said.
Leo came up and muttered something in the Prime’s ear. “Excuse me,” Alric said. “I’ll be just outside if you need something.”
I nodded and wandered toward the back of the house. Beckett should not have been able to enter the basement, but I headed to check anyway. If he had, I might as well burn down my house and start over.
To my great relief, the spell over the door held fast, though the wood had been heavily scarred by what looked like claws.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I leaned closer to inspect the damage.
My fingertips ran over the disfigurement, the heavy oak scored in multiple places, but the comforting beat of the spell protecting the door pulsed against my hand.
I leaned on the door and let out a long breath.
Many things in this house were important to me, but my life and heritage lay behind the damaged door.
If Beckett had gotten to that, I’m not sure I would have recovered.
Treasured books my mother had given me lay carefully stacked on the shelves.
Her spell bowl and treasured athame sat on the altar.
An old blanket she told me my grandmother wove years ago lay haphazardly thrown over the back of the leather recliner, also given to me by my mother.
A change in the air made me straighten.
“Alex?” Edmund’s voice was a whisper. “There are several people in the house.”
I slumped with relief. “Thank the gods. Are you alright?”
Regret made his voice quiver. “I’m so sorry. He cut off the Wi-Fi before he came inside, and once he was in, I couldn’t muster the power to toss him out.”
“This isn’t your fault. Thank you for trying to get a hold of me.”
“It’s bad,” Edmund said quietly.
“I know.”
We fell silent for a moment. “No one else can hear you?”
“No. All the vampires are in the front. I’ll need to keep my voice low, though.”
My shoulders slumped in relief. Silas knew, but I don’t think he spoke to Alric much outside of alley fights. If I needed to toss the Prime out on his ass, I’d still have the element of surprise. “The spell to the basement held.”
“Not without him doing his best to break it,” he muttered. “There’s something wrong with him. More than the whole ‘undead bloodsucker’ kind of wrong.”
“I’m going to kill him for this,” I promised.
“That Prime looks like he might get to Beckett first. He’s furious.”
I still wasn’t sure what to make of Alric today. “He’s pissed because Beckett embarrassed him. Everything is about image to him.”
Edmund hesitated before he spoke. “I’m not so sure. Maybe in the beginning, but the vampire just brought in a woman who’s valuing your wood floors. He restored me and seems intent on making things right. Perhaps we’ve misjudged him.”
I sighed. “No one like him does anything without strings attached. They may not come today or tomorrow, but I promise you, he’ll make me pay for it soon enough.”
“He’s coming,” Edmund whispered. “I’ll find you later.”
I pushed away from the door and intercepted Alric. “He didn’t get this far.”
Alric’s gaze flicked over my head. No doubt he could scent Beckett back here, but at my look, he didn’t press the issue. “A cleanup crew just arrived. I’ll have them start in your bedroom.”
“Please let me know how much the cleanup costs. I’ll write you a check.”
Alric sighed, despite having no need to draw breath. The sound of sheer frustration in the gesture almost made me laugh. “We’ll discuss this later.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but Alric lifted his hand. “We would do the same for anyone else this happened to. Despite my personal opinion of you, in this regard, you are not special.”
I frowned up at him.
“Come. The appraiser wishes to speak to you.”
The next three hours passed in a blur of conversations, signing documents, and cleaning up.
I’d lost thousands of dollars in furniture and home decor, ninety five percent of my dishware, my dishwasher, oven, and fridge, and the cleanup crew still hadn’t come out of my bedroom—a fact that was making me feel more apprehensive than anything else tonight.
He’d missed most of the items sitting against the backsplash on the counter, including my coffee pot. Thank the universe for small favors.
Leo had dipped out a while ago, though I spotted him standing outside by his SUV. Alric was the only one left besides the cleaning crew. He stood by the ruins of my fridge, a grim expression marring his perfect brow.
He opened his mouth to speak just as someone came out of my bedroom—a vampire, turned within the last few months if I had to guess. The newer ones had a look about them. Their skin tones were usually still fresh and rosy, and they hadn’t yet developed that immortal stillness defining older vamps.
He wiped his arm across his sweaty forehead and dipped his head in acknowledgment before addressing Alric.
“Prime, almost everything in the room is destroyed.” He slid a look my way and swallowed hard.
“I don’t have the right equipment for the cleanup of the…
fluids, but I can have it here by tomorrow morning. ”