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Authors: Sierra Dean
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were gun-trained and armed. O’Brian had opened up the precinct’s gun locker and supplied Tyler, Cedes and himself with semiautomatic SWAT rifles and a ton of extra clips.
“I didn’t think your building had a SWAT unit,” I mentioned to Cedes, admiring her new weapon.
“We don’t. Most of the stuff in that locker is obsolete for daily use, but we keep it around in case of emergencies. Guess this counts.” Her smile said she was trying to make a joke, but her voice was gravelly and tired.
Our conversation was cut short by approaching voices from the opposite end of the street. Through the cloak of darkness it was difficult to see who was coming our way, but if they were talking, it meant they were alive.
We moved off the street and onto the sidewalk, preparing to hunker down for a surprise attack, when a voice rang out. “If you’re going to hide, it’s smarter to do it before a vampire spots you.”
The familiar accent, just slightly British, made my stomach feel warm and wobbly. “Holden?” What the hell were they doing here?
“You’re in our grid, dummy.”
“This is ridiculous,” Keaty grumbled.
I waved forward the rest of my group, and we gathered in the street to meet the other team. “You’ve been busy,” Holden observed. “Except none of them are vampires. Detective Castilla. Tyler.” He nodded to them each in turn, and they both politely acknowledged him. Tyler and Holden had a tense history that went back years and began during a blind date I’d shared with the detective. Ever since then, and for good reason, Tyler had never completely trusted Holden. Mercedes, likewise, had her doubts about him, but she’d let her vampire hatred fade a lot since discovering I was part vamp.
“Sorry. Did he say vampire?” O’Brian asked.
“He did.” I holstered my gun, and the others followed suit, all but O’Brian who clearly hadn’t quite caught up to speed yet. It was a lot to take in in one night.
“A vampire,” he said.
I smiled at him, mustering as much patience as I could, then pointed to Holden. “Vampire.” I moved on to Desmond and Genie. “Werewolves.” Then I pointed to myself. “Both.”
“What?” Genie said, her eyes bulging. Oh, right, she hadn’t known all the details yet. Shit.
“Glad I’m not the only confused one,” the detective sergeant concluded.
“Can we all agree, for now, it’s best we take everything at face value tonight and not ask too many questions? We’re going to see a lot of weird stuff. We can’t constantly stop to be amazed by it.”
“But—” Genie wasn’t ready to let my revelation go, but I waved off her question.
“I promise when this is over, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, but right now we have bigger fish to fry.”
“Secret is absolutely correct,” Keaty said. Within our motley gang, he and O’Brian were the most out of place. Both men were over forty, though Keaty wore his age better, and both looked like accountants who had strapped on holsters. Holden, who was the only other member of our party in a suit, looked as if he’d been born wearing Armani.
Beyond my friends there were two others lurking hesitantly in the dusk. “Who did you find?”
“Considering we followed through with the plan, I brought you some wardens,” Holden said pointedly, as he waved the two newcomers forwards. He had found a male and female vampire who both appeared to be young, but the smell of their power put them closer to a hundred years or more each. She still had the youthful glow of a teenager, maybe sixteen, and had white-blonde hair cut in an edgy pixie, her bangs brushed across one eye. He was Native American, wearing jeans and a faded Ramones T-shirt. I recognized the woman, though I couldn’t place where from, and the young man was unfamiliar to me.
“Holden told you what we’re planning to do?” I asked.
The young man spoke first. “He said we were being called on by the command of a Tribunal Leader. He
“I didn’t think your building had a SWAT unit,” I mentioned to Cedes, admiring her new weapon.
“We don’t. Most of the stuff in that locker is obsolete for daily use, but we keep it around in case of emergencies. Guess this counts.” Her smile said she was trying to make a joke, but her voice was gravelly and tired.
Our conversation was cut short by approaching voices from the opposite end of the street. Through the cloak of darkness it was difficult to see who was coming our way, but if they were talking, it meant they were alive.
We moved off the street and onto the sidewalk, preparing to hunker down for a surprise attack, when a voice rang out. “If you’re going to hide, it’s smarter to do it before a vampire spots you.”
The familiar accent, just slightly British, made my stomach feel warm and wobbly. “Holden?” What the hell were they doing here?
“You’re in our grid, dummy.”
“This is ridiculous,” Keaty grumbled.
I waved forward the rest of my group, and we gathered in the street to meet the other team. “You’ve been busy,” Holden observed. “Except none of them are vampires. Detective Castilla. Tyler.” He nodded to them each in turn, and they both politely acknowledged him. Tyler and Holden had a tense history that went back years and began during a blind date I’d shared with the detective. Ever since then, and for good reason, Tyler had never completely trusted Holden. Mercedes, likewise, had her doubts about him, but she’d let her vampire hatred fade a lot since discovering I was part vamp.
“Sorry. Did he say vampire?” O’Brian asked.
“He did.” I holstered my gun, and the others followed suit, all but O’Brian who clearly hadn’t quite caught up to speed yet. It was a lot to take in in one night.
“A vampire,” he said.
I smiled at him, mustering as much patience as I could, then pointed to Holden. “Vampire.” I moved on to Desmond and Genie. “Werewolves.” Then I pointed to myself. “Both.”
“What?” Genie said, her eyes bulging. Oh, right, she hadn’t known all the details yet. Shit.
“Glad I’m not the only confused one,” the detective sergeant concluded.
“Can we all agree, for now, it’s best we take everything at face value tonight and not ask too many questions? We’re going to see a lot of weird stuff. We can’t constantly stop to be amazed by it.”
“But—” Genie wasn’t ready to let my revelation go, but I waved off her question.
“I promise when this is over, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, but right now we have bigger fish to fry.”
“Secret is absolutely correct,” Keaty said. Within our motley gang, he and O’Brian were the most out of place. Both men were over forty, though Keaty wore his age better, and both looked like accountants who had strapped on holsters. Holden, who was the only other member of our party in a suit, looked as if he’d been born wearing Armani.
Beyond my friends there were two others lurking hesitantly in the dusk. “Who did you find?”
“Considering we followed through with the plan, I brought you some wardens,” Holden said pointedly, as he waved the two newcomers forwards. He had found a male and female vampire who both appeared to be young, but the smell of their power put them closer to a hundred years or more each. She still had the youthful glow of a teenager, maybe sixteen, and had white-blonde hair cut in an edgy pixie, her bangs brushed across one eye. He was Native American, wearing jeans and a faded Ramones T-shirt. I recognized the woman, though I couldn’t place where from, and the young man was unfamiliar to me.
“Holden told you what we’re planning to do?” I asked.
The young man spoke first. “He said we were being called on by the command of a Tribunal Leader. He
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