Always the Vampire (26 page)

“Do we spread out or stay together?” I asked.

“Follow your instincts.”

Triton found Pandora first. He blasted sound high and low in every direction, and let me tell you, it was freaky hearing him make dolphin sounds with a human head. Yes, the clicks and whistles were different from those he made in dolphin form, but they did the job.

Pandora moved locations, of course. Saber spotted her on the high branch of an oak tree where she’d sat perfectly still. I tracked her scent to scrub brush.

“Excellent. We’re moving right along,” Lia said. “Next you will locate Pandora only by her energy signature.”

It was easy for Triton to simply not use his echolocation, and for Saber to close his eyes. Lia made me stuff rolled gauze doused in rosemary oil up my nostrils. I felt like an utter dork.

The bad news, none of us found Pandora by her energy alone. The good news, the rosemary did wonders for my sinuses.

At midnight, when the guys and I were dragging, Lia lectured us on stamina. “You must stay awake, alert, and aware. Enemies strike the hardest when you let down your guard. Here.”

She passed the Mu amulet to me, the Atlantean one to Triton. The symbols immediately shone in my skin.

“As you know, the amulets may be used to hurt or heal. Cosmil told me you all had a lesson in these properties before I arrived.”

“Yeah, when Cesca blasted me across Cos’s living room. Do I get to return the favor?”

“Triton,” Lia said repressively.

He grinned, that schoolboy smile that used to spell mischief.

“There are two trees about ten yards beyond your cars. Both are diseased, but one has a chance of thriving while the other does not. You will locate the trees using your enhanced senses then use the amulets to heal the one tree and kill the other. Come.”

She led the way to the general area and set us loose. Within minutes, we found the fifteen-foot oak that didn’t have a squirrel’s prayer of surviving. Saber saw the rot in the tree, I smelled it, and Triton’s small burst of sonar confirmed the oak’s core deterioration.

“Cesca, Triton, hold your amulets against the trunk. Saber, stand close enough to sense the energy. Focus your intent that the tree should pass over, and remember, Cesca, this is an act of mercy, not malice.”

We moved into position, not on opposite sides of the tree, but with me on the left, Triton on the right, and Saber in the middle. We placed the amulets on the rough bark, and Saber held his hands above ours. Squeamish as I was to kill anything but spiders and roaches, I projected my intent that the tree should die. In seconds, pure white light rays burst from the amulets. They weren’t as intensely bright as they had been in the comedy club. In fact, they seemed almost gentle as they pierced the tree, as if escorting its life to a leafy ever after rather than blasting it there.

Then the amulet suddenly sucked the rays back into itself.

“Back away now,” Lia instructed.

We’d moved about eight feet when the tree imploded. Sawdust rained in the spot where the oak had stood.

Wow, would these babies wipe out invasive vines? We could retire as billionaires in months. No, megatrillionaires.

“Cesca, focus,” Lia scolded. “Go locate the tree that can live.”

I followed the guys, and we found a sad-looking palm sending the vibe that it was fighting for life. Again, we positioned ourselves roughly on either side of the trunk, placed the amulets on the bark, and sent healing intent. A lizard dashed over my fingers, scampering for safety and startling me so much that I started to jerk away. Saber grasped my wrist and held the amulet tight to the tree. This time when the rays shot from the amulets, they circled and climbed the trunk like Christmas lights. And the lights didn’t all retract into the amulets. Instead, the rope beams continued to glow on the bark and slowly be absorbed into the palm.

I exchanged a glance with Saber and Triton.

“Super cool,” I breathed.

“No shit.”

“I felt it just holding your wrist, Cesca.”

Lia chuckled. “Lovely job, all of you. Your last tasks of the night are these. Saber and Triton, you’re doing twenty minutes of martial arts drills. Cesca, you practice distance flying and jump-flying. I’ll return the amulets to Cosmil’s care.”

I started to ask her to define jump-flying, but I saw the image in her mind of me leaping into a fray or out of one. The only difference between jumping and jump-flying was that I’d stay airborne longer.

Okay, so I didn’t make it through a whole twenty minutes in actual flight. Maybe I was a natural sprinter instead of a distance flyer. I did cruise higher over the tree line than before, and when an owl out hunting caught my eye, I followed it. The owl was faster, of course, but then I flew upright, feet toward the ground. That created wind resistance, right?

Cosmil emerged from the shanty and called a meeting just as the guys and I quit for the night. The wizard stood beside the cabin door, Lia and I took the chairs, and Saber and Triton sat with their backs propped against the pillars supporting the porch.

“First, the forensics lab will send a tissue sample. The Veil is still in flux and safe only for short trips, but the sample will arrive with all possible speed. In the meantime,” he continued with a twinkle, “it occurred to me that we have clippings of both Triton’s and Lynn’s hair from the healing ceremony.”

“Oh, well done,” Lia exclaimed. “The Void’s essence is so distinct, even a small bit of it may help overcome any cloaking spell Starrack is using.”

“Just so,” Cosmil agreed, a blush tinting his cheeks as the continued. “Next, Lynn is responding well, but she is weak. I believe she should stay another day.”

Triton leaned forward. “Is she awake?”

“She is stirring, and you may see her when we are finished here, but we must consider her immediate future.”

Saber turned to me. “We told Lia and Cosmil about our research on Lynn.”

“Yes,” Lia said, “and from our own reading of her, we agree she’s probably not under Starrack’s control.”

“What’d you do?” I asked. “Mind-probe her while she was sleeping?”

Lia waved a hand. “But of course. A case of simple self-preservation. She was not sent to harm any of us or to steal the amulets. Odd as it may seem, her meeting Triton seems to have been pure synchronicity, not part of a malicious plot.”

“More important,” Cosmil said, “we discovered a birthmark on the bottom of Lynn’s foot.”

I blinked at that, and so did the guys.

“You would not have noticed it,” Cosmil continued, “but Lia has heard of such a mark and has contacted the Council of Ancients for more information.”

Triton huffed. “Aren’t you going to tell us what you do know about the mark?”

“No,” Lia said firmly. “However, if I am right, the birthmark will explain Lynn’s origins.”

“But for now, you think we can trust her,” I said.

“I believe we may offer at least limited trust,” Cosmil answered.

“Why limited?”

“Because now that she and Triton have met,” Saber said, “Lynn could be on Starrack’s radar.”

Lia nodded. “Precisely, Saber.”

He straightened. “We talked about putting her in a safe place last night,” Saber said. “Can she hide out here with you and Lia?”

Cosmil grimaced. “No. We must remain focused on tracking Starrack and training you, and no one on the Council will shelter an unknown shifter. There is still too much suspicion among the factions.”

“Damn.” Triton looked from Saber to me. “Do you know any supernaturals who would take her in? What about that old vampire couple? Or are they infected, too?”

“The Clarkes have a clean bill of health for now,” Saber said, “but they can’t watch over her in the daytime.”

Cosmil eyed Saber. “Have you considered your law enforcement contacts? Would one of them be willing to house Lynn for a short time?”

“If this were a threat from a human source, maybe, but most cops steer clear of preternatural matters. That’s why they call me to consult.”

I sighed. “It sounds like we have two big questions. One, if Starrack were to come after Lynn, where is the last place he’d look? Two, who is strong enough, fanatic enough, or foolhardy enough to protect her from a nonhuman threat?”

No one in the group answered. My little voice whispered an idea, but its solution was ludicrous. Laughable.

We’d have to be drop-dead desperate to even consider it.

 

 

Back at my cottage, Snowball was pathetically happy to see us. Or rather Saber. From me, she wanted food.

And, gads, how many days had it been since we changed her litter?

We took care of pet chores, then I showed Saber what I’d found on the networking site.

“Can we get an ID on magicman1463?”

“We’d need a warrant, and we don’t have a tangible crime to ask for one.”

“Could a hacker get to the user’s profile?”

“I’ll ask Bob March when I take Triton over during the lunch hour, but it’s doubtful.”

“So this website is a dead end unless Lynn can tell us anything else.”

“About as dead as I am tonight. I haven’t been this tired since—”

“Your nest-closing tour of Florida?”

“Hey,” he said, pulling me into his arms. “We’re going to beat this.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you keep telling me, and once you’ve made up your mind, it’s a done deal.”

“Yeah, well, let’s get you into the shower and then bed, big guy.”

Since we’re water conservation conscious, we showered together. Since I worried that he’d have nightmares, I watched over him through the night and worked on more design homework in on the side.

Fortunately, Saber spent a restful night and was up by eight thirty Friday morning. I sat with him while he breakfasted on cereal, a scrambled egg, and orange juice.

When he left at 9:05 to look in on Triton and help move some display tables in the shop, I set the perimeter alarm, brushed my teeth, and fell into bed at nine fifteen. Snowball purred from her place on Saber’s pillow, and I drifted off hoping daymares didn’t invade my sleep.

A deafening siren jerked me awake. My gaze darted to every corner of the darkened bedroom, looking for the source of the noise. The digital clock read 12:10, but the alarm was never set for that time of day.

Then it hit me.

The perimeter alarm.

It seemed stupid to go to my hidey-hole, but I scrambled out of bed. That was the drill, and Saber would stake me himself if I didn’t follow the plan.

I tripped into my walk-in closet, slapped shoe boxes out of the way, and shoved the hidey-hole door open. A forty-watt bulb in a white ceramic fixture lit the way as I stumbled down the two steps into the concrete bunker. Snowball shot inside, too, stampeding over my back. Heart pounding, blood pressure soaring, I shut the safe room door.

The phone tied directly into Sam’s Security rang, and I grabbed the receiver off the wall mount.

“Yes.”

“Ms. Marinelli, do you know what triggered your alarm?”

“No, I was sleeping.”

“The police are en route. Sit tight and we’ll call back.”

My hidey-hole was more attractive and better ventilated than a dark, dank coffin, but being underground in a small space still made my stomach cramp with unpleasant memories. Plus, even sealed in the bunker, I heard the siren blare on.

I waited. Wondering how quickly the police would arrive. Attempting to calm Snowball. Picking at a frayed cuticle Snowball had scratched.

When the phone rang again, I dove for it.

“Ms. Marinelli, are you all right?”

“Yes.”

“This is your all clear. The police are waiting for you at your door, and we’re remotely shutting off the alarm now.”

The house went silent, save for the faint knocking sound that got louder when I exited the safe room.

“Ms. Marinelli,” a deep voice boomed as I came out of the closet. “St. Augustine police, ma’am. Open the door.”

“Just a minute,” I called back, frantically searching for a robe.

I settled for a long, terrycloth swimsuit cover-up and threw it on as I raced to the living room and flipped open the dead bolt.

Two officers stood on my cobblestone patio, both male, both buff, both wearing grim cop faces.

Across the way, my neighbor Hugh Lister stomped to the jasmine hedge separating our back yards. “Jesus H. Christ in boxers, Marinelli, can’t you people be goddamn quiet?”

“Bless His holy name,” his wife Selma said, standing at his side, wringing her hands. “Hugh, come have some sweet tea.”

The younger officer covered a snicker with a cough. The older one eyed me sternly.

“Are you alone, ma’am?”

I nodded. “I was sleeping when the alarm went off.”

The older officer looked at his little spiral pad. “You’re a vampire, correct? That’s why you’re sleeping during the day?”

“Yes. Officer, what triggered that infernal siren?”

“This.”

The men stepped aside, parting like a curtain, and there on the edge of my patio laid two bodies.

The very dead bodies of the homeless couple I’d met last night. Eyes wide open, expressions frozen in horror.

I clapped a hand over my mouth and sagged against the door casing.

“You gonna faint?” the older officer shouted through the roaring in my ears.

I swallowed bile but couldn’t answer. Not because the poor couple were covered in blood; there was no blood at all as far as I could see. It was the woman’s open, empty eyes that tore at my soul. The terror in her death stare.

The older officer took my elbow and steered me inside to the sofa, and I sat in a daze while he went back to the porch. I heard him speak to his partner about securing the scene, and then he settled into an armchair across from me, the door left open. I didn’t fear that Snowball would escape. She’d headed straight for her carrier before I ever opened the door, and she wouldn’t venture out in all this commotion.