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Authors: Nancy Haddock
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me with loathing. My youngest sister- in-law, the one I best loved, clasped the newest baby to her breast. I ached to touch that fuzzy head, to croon a lullaby. To be a family again.
“Please, don’t be afraid,” I said over and over. “I’m here to warn you.”
They didn’t heed me. They couldn’t. Their terrified screams begging me to spare them and the children drowned my anguished voice, and I wept as I slipped out the garden door. They thought me a monster, with no soul, no love, no loyalty in my heart. They were wrong.
Later, I asked Triton to get them out of town so that King Normand could no longer threaten them, but I relinquished my family that day. I was alone with no one to love and no one to live for. I would survive or find a way to forever die. The memory faded, and I wondered for the first time if I had relatives somewhere. Descendants of my nieces and nephews who would be happy to learn about their ancestors and perhaps to know me. If so, they hadn’t shown up yet, which was telling in itself. I shook off the past and closed the textbook, then about screeched out of my skin when a hand landed on my shoulder. I spun in the old-fashioned swivel desk chair to face Saber.
“Easy, babe, it’s me.”
“Geez, make some noise next time,” I said, my heartbeat still in overdrive, my eyelashes wet with the remnants of tears.
“I did make noise, honey,” he said gently. “Are you okay? Is your vampire hearing on the fritz?”
“My hearing is fine. I was hyperfocused.” I surreptitiously wiped my cheeks dry. Then I noticed that, except for his shoes, he was dressed. I glanced at my dolphin desk clock. “Where are you going at three in the morning?”
“Daytona.”
“But you were just there, like, eighteen hours ago. What happened?”
He rubbed his hand over his whiskered cheek. “The cops found a guy in an alley a block from Ike’s club.”
“Dead?” I asked, rising to hug him.
He shook his head and held me. “The guy is alive for now, but he’s in shock and sporting some vicious fang marks. Not clean or neat.”
“You need to go talk to the victim?”
“More than that. The guy is claiming he was robbed, but he can’t give a coherent description of who lifted his wallet and ring or of who bit him. We’re serving another search warrant on Ike. The Daytona cops are waking a judge now, and we’re planning to hit them right about the time they close at four.”
I stepped out of his arms. “If you’re raiding Hot Blooded while Ike and his nest are awake, I’m coming with you.”
“Cesca, I’ll have a squad of city cops there.”
I shook my head and headed for the bedroom. “Not good enough. Somebody there bit a man, and I might be able to tell who it was. Plus, I can do my energy-draining trick if the natives get obnoxious.”
“No way. I can’t have a civilian at a possible crime scene. Besides, weren’t you going surfing with Neil this morning?”
I paused at the bedroom door. Actually, I’d forgotten about the date with Neil, and this was far more important.
“Surfing can wait, and you can deputize me or something so I won’t be a civilian.”
He frowned but didn’t have a comeback, so I pressed my case.
“I’ll follow you in my car and leave as soon as I know everyone will be safe. I’m going to tail you anyway, so you might as well give in.”
By the time he had his sneakers laced up, I was dressed in blue jeans and a tank top, and ready to kick fang. SIX
007
We sped south on A1A, Saber with his light and siren bubble stabbing the night, me streaking behind in my SSR. I’d never been to Daytona but had heard the drive took an hour or more at normal speed and in normal traffic. I’d bet both fangs we’d be there in thirty-five minutes.
Enough time for my bravado to wane, but not my resolve.
Not that I wanted to confront the Daytona Beach vamps. Been there, survived that. Ike’s rich voice oozes over a body like a controlled oil spill, but he’s
“Please, don’t be afraid,” I said over and over. “I’m here to warn you.”
They didn’t heed me. They couldn’t. Their terrified screams begging me to spare them and the children drowned my anguished voice, and I wept as I slipped out the garden door. They thought me a monster, with no soul, no love, no loyalty in my heart. They were wrong.
Later, I asked Triton to get them out of town so that King Normand could no longer threaten them, but I relinquished my family that day. I was alone with no one to love and no one to live for. I would survive or find a way to forever die. The memory faded, and I wondered for the first time if I had relatives somewhere. Descendants of my nieces and nephews who would be happy to learn about their ancestors and perhaps to know me. If so, they hadn’t shown up yet, which was telling in itself. I shook off the past and closed the textbook, then about screeched out of my skin when a hand landed on my shoulder. I spun in the old-fashioned swivel desk chair to face Saber.
“Easy, babe, it’s me.”
“Geez, make some noise next time,” I said, my heartbeat still in overdrive, my eyelashes wet with the remnants of tears.
“I did make noise, honey,” he said gently. “Are you okay? Is your vampire hearing on the fritz?”
“My hearing is fine. I was hyperfocused.” I surreptitiously wiped my cheeks dry. Then I noticed that, except for his shoes, he was dressed. I glanced at my dolphin desk clock. “Where are you going at three in the morning?”
“Daytona.”
“But you were just there, like, eighteen hours ago. What happened?”
He rubbed his hand over his whiskered cheek. “The cops found a guy in an alley a block from Ike’s club.”
“Dead?” I asked, rising to hug him.
He shook his head and held me. “The guy is alive for now, but he’s in shock and sporting some vicious fang marks. Not clean or neat.”
“You need to go talk to the victim?”
“More than that. The guy is claiming he was robbed, but he can’t give a coherent description of who lifted his wallet and ring or of who bit him. We’re serving another search warrant on Ike. The Daytona cops are waking a judge now, and we’re planning to hit them right about the time they close at four.”
I stepped out of his arms. “If you’re raiding Hot Blooded while Ike and his nest are awake, I’m coming with you.”
“Cesca, I’ll have a squad of city cops there.”
I shook my head and headed for the bedroom. “Not good enough. Somebody there bit a man, and I might be able to tell who it was. Plus, I can do my energy-draining trick if the natives get obnoxious.”
“No way. I can’t have a civilian at a possible crime scene. Besides, weren’t you going surfing with Neil this morning?”
I paused at the bedroom door. Actually, I’d forgotten about the date with Neil, and this was far more important.
“Surfing can wait, and you can deputize me or something so I won’t be a civilian.”
He frowned but didn’t have a comeback, so I pressed my case.
“I’ll follow you in my car and leave as soon as I know everyone will be safe. I’m going to tail you anyway, so you might as well give in.”
By the time he had his sneakers laced up, I was dressed in blue jeans and a tank top, and ready to kick fang. SIX
007
We sped south on A1A, Saber with his light and siren bubble stabbing the night, me streaking behind in my SSR. I’d never been to Daytona but had heard the drive took an hour or more at normal speed and in normal traffic. I’d bet both fangs we’d be there in thirty-five minutes.
Enough time for my bravado to wane, but not my resolve.
Not that I wanted to confront the Daytona Beach vamps. Been there, survived that. Ike’s rich voice oozes over a body like a controlled oil spill, but he’s
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