September Moon (3 page)

“I’ve got a bit of a situation I’d like you to take a look at. Would you mind coming by?”

She gave me the address of a familiar park on the north side of town. I glanced back at The Wicked Kiss, wondering if I should grab Jez. I opted to leave her with Kale. They needed some time together.

Borden Park was empty other than the small crew of FPA agents gathered around a body. The dead grass crunched under my feet as I crossed over to them. Apprehension gripped me as I anticipated what I was about to see.

Juliet stepped away from the others, greeting me with a quick hug. She smelled of wolf and perfume, but most importantly, she smelled like family. I savored those few precious seconds.

“Thanks for coming,” she said with a smile that hardly covered her frown. “It’s pretty rare that we see a public kill like this. It looks like a typical vampire kill. I wanted to see what you think. Maybe you’ll have an idea why they would do this.”

Tossing her dark curls, Juliet turned back to the crime scene. She didn’t fit in with the other agents. They were all clad in dark suits while she stood out like a bad ass in jeans and a cropped leather jacket.

A light shone onto the body, illuminating it in a ghastly fluorescent glow. The first thing my brain processed was the colors: blonde, red, black. The dead woman was wearing security guard attire. She’d likely been jumped while on the job. Her wide eyes stared beyond us to something horrific that no longer existed in the here and now. Flecks of blood painted her short blonde hair in grisly shades of crimson.

A smear stained her lips. It was hard to tell if they’d been trying to turn her. If so, she might still rise. There was no specific time limit on that kind of thing. It could take hours or days. It was different for everyone.

The throat of the corpse was shredded; the clothing, torn from the struggle. Several puncture wounds marred her neck. It was a vampire kill all right. They’d made a real mess of it. Either a newbie or someone who just didn’t give a damn. It wasn’t unusual for a vampire to take joy in the kill. Getting carried away tended to happen. I knew. It had happened to me.

Every agent present watched me, waiting for my opinion. Closing my eyes, I tuned them all out and reached to feel the residual vampire energy humming around the body. Though I couldn’t identify who had been here, I could tell who hadn’t. I was relieved to find the scene absent of any trace of Kale.

“Yeah,” I said, opening my eyes and turning away from the dead woman’s stare. “It’s a vampire kill. It could have been random. This doesn’t happen often. Not like this.”

Juliet grew quiet and thoughtful. I could see her wondering if my vampires were responsible.

“Don’t ask me why they would pull a stunt like this,” I added with a shrug. “The vampires in this city know they’ll be hunted for public kills. It doesn’t make any sense.”

I began to get the sinking feeling that the FPA was pinning this on me, figuratively if not literally. Did my sister think I knew about this?

“Shit,” Juliet muttered. Hands on her hips, wearing a scowl, she reminded me so much of our mother. “Go figure, this has to happen when Briggs is out of town. Several of our people were called to Toronto, so we’re operating with fewer agents than usual.”

“When does he get back?” I didn’t want it to seem like I didn’t trust her to handle her shit until then, but Thomas Briggs was an experienced Fed. Juliet was twenty-three and totally out of her league being left in charge.

“I don’t know. Could be any day now, or it could be as long as a week or two. Business at the nation’s head office can be unpredictable.” She noticed for the first time that I was alone and raised a curious brow. “Where is your other half tonight?”

I considered withholding that information but decided it wasn’t all that risky. If she thought Arys could have done this then it would be best for me to set her straight. “Arys is in Las Vegas. Just a two-day trip. He should be home tomorrow.” Arys had been in constant touch with his Vegas family since we’d left Sin City. There would likely be many trips back there in the near future.

I would have gone with him if Shya hadn’t grounded me to my own city. The remembrance of the binding sparked my anger, and I swallowed it back down with great difficulty. I couldn’t leave town if I wanted to. Shya’s insistence on keeping me close spoke volumes as to how close or how desperate he was.

“I can’t determine if there was a specific reason they chose this woman, or if it was random.” Juliet glanced back at the body her fellow agents were now bagging up. “Should we be afraid for public safety?” She peered at me with dark brown eyes, much like my own. Suspicion flickered in their depths. Beneath that I saw the keen wariness of her wolf.

“What exactly does that mean?” I returned her wary gaze with one of my own. “Is there something you’re getting at, Juliet?”

Juliet bit her bottom lip and crossed her arms. She was trying to repress her emotions. It was an action she’d never grown out of. “I wish Thomas was here. He’s better at handling this crime scene stuff than I am.” She gave a self-deprecating laugh. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it.”

“You and me both.” I watched the agents go about their business, going through the motions as if it was just another day for them. It was so robotic and emotionless. Again I questioned who the real monsters were. “So what’s up with you and Briggs anyway? When did you start sleeping with him?”

Her jaw dropped, and I grinned. “Alexa!” Her gaze darted fearfully to the nearby Feds. “Nobody knows about that. How did you know?”

“I picked up on it at the sports bar when we had that little meeting. So…is it serious?”

A part of me wanted her to say no. It was totally unfair, but I thought my baby sister could do better. Briggs seemed like a stand-up guy who believed he was doing the right thing. The problem was that he wasn’t.

Capturing my arm, Juliet dragged me away to a nearby picnic table. Perching on the edge, she smiled so wide I thought her head might split in half.

“I think so. I mean, I hope so. It’s still pretty new. We’re just seeing where it goes.”

Somehow I stifled a groan. “Are those his words or yours?” Her smile faltered, and I felt like a supreme asshole. Couldn’t I just keep my mouth shut and let her be happy?

“It’s mutual. Why? Do you think I’m making a mistake?”

My love life was so far from conventional that it put me in no position to give advice to anyone else. The wolf in me wanted one man while the vampire in me wanted another. And the fragile mortal heart in me wanted the one who knew my weakness because he’d lived it. I had no place to judge the choices of another, even Juliet.

“No, that’s not what I said. I just don’t want you to get hurt. You work together; he’s your boss. And what about the age difference?”

Juliet laughed, a short snap of sound that echoed in the quiet park. “You’re joking, right? You sleep with vampires who have lived hundreds of years. Not to mention the wolf that destroyed our family. You weren’t even legal when you screwed that asshole.”

“Whoa.” I held up both hands in surrender. “We are so not going there again. I get it. I’m not exactly well equipped to judge your situation. If he makes you happy, then I’m happy.” I punched her lightly on the shoulder and smiled. “But if he hurts you, I’ll castrate him myself.”

“I suppose that’s fair.” She tried to fight the smile that pulled at her lips and failed. Then it vanished as she prepared to interrogate me. “Speaking of those vampires you know so well, is there any chance any of them could have killed our victim?”

“Them? Or me? I’m assuming that you’re including me in your suspect list.” The defensive edge in my voice was sharp and impossible to hide. I didn’t like what she was getting at.

“Come on, Lexi. Of course I know you didn’t do it.” She rolled her eyes, trying to be playful and lighten the mood. It failed. “But you’re tapped into the vampire activity in this town. You can’t blame me for asking.”

“I don’t. I blame you for what you’re thinking but not saying. I know you, Juliet.”

Juliet stared at me as if trying to choose her next words carefully. It’s hard to be professional when accusing your sibling of shady activity. We knew. We’d been down this road before. “You’re one of them, Alexa,” she said, forgoing her nickname for me in her seriousness. “In fact, some might even say you’re the most powerful one among them. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t ask.”

Arguing with my sister was high on my list of least favorite things. So I swallowed my impatience and irritation. No reason we couldn’t discuss this rationally. “You’re right. I am. And I’ll deal with it. Ok?”

“We’ll be investigating as well. If there’s a rogue vampire on the loose then we have to stop him.”

“Does that mean you’ll be sniffing around my club?” I allowed my displeasure to show. “There’s no way in hell I’ll let you raid the place again. Not without a damn good reason.”

A muscle twitched in her jaw. Her eyes sparkled with annoyance, but she did a good job biting back the urge to snap at me. “I may end up stopping by. I’ll try to keep the raiding to a minimum.”

A black SUV with darkened windows pulled up. The agents began loading the body into the back. I wondered if they would give the murdered human a proper burial. They had refused to allow it for my dead wolf several weeks ago. Instead he had likely ended up in the creepy lab back at FPA HQ.

Bitterness choked me. I hated that my sister believed in her cause. It was something I would never accept.

“I’d better go,” she said, giving my hand a pat. “Thanks for coming by. I appreciate it. Let’s do coffee soon.”

I watched her get into a black sedan with another agent and drive away. After waiting to ensure they didn’t return, I ambled back over to where the body had lain. A trace of blood still stained the air, a bittersweet odor that brought with it many memories acquired in the past year. Very few of them were pleasant.

As I stood there, analyzing the tone of the residual energy, I got the keen sensation of being watched. I whirled around just in time for the air to ripple behind me. I drew the Dragon Claw with inhuman speed and swung.

The sound of metal on metal was loud in the still park. My dagger crashed against the sword Falon held ready for the blow. I felt the reverberation all the way down my arm to my shoulder.

With teeth clenched, I backed away, putting a few feet between us. “Are you stalking me, asshole?”

“Not at all, shit for brains,” he quipped without missing a beat. “I’d rather have my liver eaten by vultures in hell for all eternity than willingly follow you around.”

“Since when do you ever do anything willingly?” I fired back. “You’re so far up Shya’s ass, I can’t tell where he ends and you begin.”

The fallen angel glared in silence, and I felt victorious. The majestic spread of his silver wings and those fierce silver eyes didn’t scare me anymore. Not even the glowing sword sparked fear within me, though it was intriguing. I saw Falon for what he was: a has-been riding the coattails of a good-for-nothing demon.

He recovered quickly. Sliding the sword back into the scabbard on his hip, he smirked. “If you’d like to know, I was here watching your sister.”

My sense of victory fled immediately as dread settled in to take its place. “Is that right? Might that have anything to do with the body she just carted off?”

“It might.” The smile adorning his unnaturally handsome face turned absolutely malevolent.

I met his gaze head on, refusing to be intimidated. “Care to elaborate?” I asked. “Or are you just wasting my time?”

“Just making sure the good people at the FPA are occupied with their vampire hunt. Can’t have them sniffing around where they aren’t wanted.”

“Yeah, that really gets annoying, huh?”

He ignored my jibe and moved to examine the grass where the body had been. He bent to touch the dry, crispy park floor. Then he smiled to himself before throwing a dark glare my way.

I turned and headed toward my car without a word or a glance back. The dagger was still gripped firmly in my hand.

“Hey, Alexa,” Falon called, the lilt of a laugh in his smooth tone. “When is your twin flame due home? I’d hate for him to miss what’s coming.”

My body stiffened, and each step felt like my feet were encased in lead. I stopped and turned back to look at him. “That was a really pathetic attempt at getting under my skin, Falon. You need to work on that. Better luck next time.” I resumed walking, painfully aware of his gaze upon me as I went.

His chuckle was a low murmur on the night air. It made my skin prickle. It took great strength to keep moving without looking over my shoulder.

Chapter Three

I hightailed it away from Borden Park with a squeal of tires. Falon was one of the last people I wanted to be around. The most unnerving part was knowing he could lurk anywhere unseen in an incorporeal form. Even inside the car with me.

With a noise of disgust, I drummed a finger on the wheel in time with the radio. Slow, deep breaths helped to calm the rising storm threatening to wreak havoc on my mind.

What I wanted to do was go home for a bath and a drink. Instead I headed back to The Wicked Kiss to make sure the doors were closed after last call. Things had been rowdier than usual since I got home. I was convinced that had something to do with Kale and what went on there while I was away. People were pushing the boundaries there, him included.

The parking lot was almost empty. Good. I wouldn’t have to kick too many people out then. Kale’s old Camaro was still there, which was a bad sign he’d be banging and bleeding some lucky woman all day. Jez’s Jeep was gone, and a pang of worry struck me.

Something was amiss. The metaphysical remnants of death lingered to touch me with cold, clammy hands. I was alert and ready as I made my way across the parking lot. With the doors closed, no light spilled out to cast a warm glow. That didn’t prevent me from seeing the body sitting propped against the front entry.

It stank of blood and violence. It was a woman with multiple puncture wounds, heavy red lipstick, and long black hair. I turned to survey my surroundings before kneeling beside her. I didn’t sense anyone else out there with me. Only the true immortals could hide their presence, the angels and demons. This kill wasn’t one of theirs.